Concealed Wheel Hub Locking for Theft-Resistant Wheel Removal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle wheel anti-theft systems are vulnerable as lug nuts can be easily removed and typical anti-theft devices can be forcibly accessed from the outside, leading to high theft rates.
Innovation Solution
A hidden lock assembly is integrated between the wheel hub and body, operable via a key or remotely, which transitions between locked and unlocked states to secure the wheel to the hub, preventing removal without external access or visibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a typical anti-theft device is installed on the wheel, then the wheel can be secured to the hub, but the device can be forcibly accessed and removed from the outside of the wheel
Solution Approach 1:
The locking mechanism is nested within the wheel assembly structure, specifically positioned between the wheel hub and wheel body. The lock assembly is concealed within the wheel well, making it inaccessible from the outside while still performing its securing function. This nesting approach hides the vulnerable locking components within the protective structure of the wheel itself.
Solution Approach 2:
The wheel body and wheel hub act as intermediary structures that protect the locking mechanism. These components serve as a physical barrier between potential thieves and the vulnerable locking components, allowing the lock to remain secure while being completely hidden from external access.
2Reliability
If the lock assembly is made invisible and inaccessible from outside the wheel, then theft deterrence is improved, but the complexity of the wheel assembly structure increases
Solution Approach 1:
The locking mechanism is merged with the existing wheel assembly components (wheel hub and wheel body). Rather than adding a separate external locking device, the lock assembly is integrated into the wheel's internal structure, combining the functions of wheel support and security locking within a unified design.
Solution Approach 2:
The lock assembly is nested within the wheel well structure, utilizing the existing spatial arrangement of wheel components. This nesting approach minimizes additional structural complexity by fitting the locking mechanism into the natural voids and spaces within the wheel assembly rather than requiring external additions.
Data Source
AI summary
An anti-theft system for a wheel assembly may include a wheel body having a rim portion on which a tire is mountable and a rotational axis, a wheel hub operably coupled to a shaft or axle of the vehicle and to which the wheel body is mountable, and a lock assembly having a locked state in which the lock assembly engages both the wheel hub and the wheel body to prevent removal of the wheel body from the wheel hub, and having an unlocked state in which at least one of the wheel hub or the wheel body is not engaged by the lock assembly to enable removal of the wheel bod from the wheel hub. The lock assembly may be disposed between the wheel hub and the wheel body and blocked from view by the wheel body.