Docking Wheel Holder for Easier Roof-Mounted Bike Wheel Loading
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wheel holders for vehicles, particularly bike front wheels, lack user-friendly designs for attaching wheels to load carriers, often requiring difficult access and cumbersome attachment processes.
Innovation Solution
A wheel holder with a docking device that allows for releasable attachment of the wheel holding member to the load connecting portion, enabling easy attachment of the wheel at a comfortable position, such as on the ground, and simplifying the attachment process by absorbing gravity force and providing a fixed position.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the wheel holding member is directly attached to the load connecting portion mounted on the roof, then the attachment structure is simplified, but the user cannot easily access the attachment point and the process becomes cumbersome
Solution Approach 1:
The attachment system is divided into separate components: the load connecting portion mounted on the vehicle, the docking device with receiving structure, and the wheel holding member. This segmentation allows the wheel to be attached at a convenient location away from the roof-mounted load connecting portion, improving user accessibility while maintaining structural integrity through the docking device connection.
Solution Approach 2:
The docking device acts as an intermediary component between the load connecting portion and the wheel holding member. It provides a receiving structure that facilitates easy attachment of the wheel holding member while being connected to the load connecting portion, thus mediating between the fixed roof mounting and the movable wheel attachment requirements.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the entire wheel holder is mounted to the load carrier first, then the structure is stable, but the user must reach high locations to attach the wheel
Solution Approach 1:
The wheel holder system is segmented into a stationary load connecting portion mounted on the vehicle and a movable wheel holding member that attaches via the docking device. This allows the stable mounting structure to remain fixed on the roof while the wheel attachment operation occurs at ground level, separating the stability function from the accessibility function.
Solution Approach 2:
The docking device enables attachment in a different spatial dimension - the load connecting portion is mounted vertically on the roof, while the wheel holding member attaches horizontally at ground level through the docking device's receiving structure, effectively moving the attachment operation from a high vertical position to a low horizontal position.
3Reliability
If the docking device requires complex actuation mechanisms, then the holding state is secure, but the attachment process becomes less user-friendly
Solution Approach 1:
The docking device is designed to automatically transition to the holding state when the wheel holding member is moved towards the load connecting portion. The system self-actuates through the movement itself, with the receiving structure engaging the wheel holding member without requiring additional buttons, levers, or complex control mechanisms, thus achieving both security and simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The docking device's receiving structure is pre-configured to automatically engage with the wheel holding member when brought into proximity. The holding state is prepared in advance through the geometric design of the receiving structure, which guides and secures the attachment through simple movement rather than requiring sequential activation of multiple components.
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to a wheel holder for a vehicle, preferably a bike front wheel holder, with a load connecting portion, which is preferably releasably attachable to a load carrier, and a wheel holding member, wherein the wheel holder comprises a docking device configured for releasable attachment of the wheel holding member to the load connecting portion to allow for attachment of a wheel to the wheel holding member at a location remote from the load connecting portion. Furthermore, the present disclosure relates to load carrier attachment devices.