Folding Wheel Chock Hinge Structure for Compact High-Strength Storage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wheel chocks for vehicles face challenges in being both strong and lightweight, durable, and compact, as they are often made of plastic which deteriorates quickly under environmental conditions and are prone to theft due to external positioning, while folding solutions compromise mechanical strength and increase cost and weight.
Innovation Solution
A folding wheel chock design featuring a stop ramp and support wall hinged at a pivot pin, allowing it to rotate between a working wedge configuration and a compact resting configuration, eliminating the need for additional mechanical connections and enabling storage inside the vehicle cab without increasing weight or cost.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If wheel chocks are made of plastic material to reduce weight and cost, then weight and manufacturing cost are reduced, but mechanical strength and durability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The wheel chock is divided into two separate elements: a first element forming a stop ramp and a second element forming a support wall. These elements are connected through a pivot pin, allowing each element to be optimized independently for strength while maintaining overall light weight. The segmentation allows the structure to achieve high mechanical strength through strategic placement of material at critical stress points rather than uniform thickening throughout the entire chock.
2Ease of operation
If wheel chocks are positioned externally on the vehicle to be accessible, then ease of operation is improved, but exposure to atmospheric elements and theft risk increase
Solution Approach 1:
The wheel chock employs dynamic elements that can rotate about a pivot pin, transitioning between a stored configuration (when not in use) and a deployed configuration (when blocking a wheel). This dynamic capability allows the chock to be kept inside the vehicle cabin during storage, protecting it from atmospheric elements and theft, while still being quickly deployable when needed for wheel blocking.
3Volume of moving object
If folding mechanisms are added to reduce dimensions when not in use, then storage space is reduced, but mechanical strength is weakened and cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The folding wheel chock is segmented into a first element (stop ramp) and a second element (support wall) connected by a pivot pin. This segmentation allows each element to be optimized for strength independently, with material strategically placed at critical stress points. The connection through the pivot pin creates a mechanically efficient hinge that maintains strength while enabling folding, avoiding the need for additional thickeners and reinforcements that would increase weight and cost.
4Strength
If resistant sections and thicknesses are increased to improve strength, then mechanical strength is improved, but weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The wheel chock applies the local quality principle by concentrating material and structural reinforcement at specific critical locations where stress is highest, rather than uniformly increasing thickness throughout the entire component. The first and second elements are designed with optimized cross-sections that provide maximum strength at pivot points and contact surfaces while maintaining minimal weight in less critical areas.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides a strong, durable, and compact wheel chock that maintains mechanical strength without additional weight or cost, allowing for efficient storage inside the vehicle, reducing exposure to environmental elements and theft, while maintaining ergonomic handling.
Implementation Method 1
a folding wheel chock (4) comprising a stop ramp (8) and a support wall (24) hinged by at least one pivot pin (36)
Data Source
AI summary
A folding wheel chock has a stop ramp having a front face shaped to interface with a vehicle wheel, extending from a first support base to a first vertex, and a support wall extending from a second support base to a second vertex. The stop ramp and the support wall are hinged by a pivot pin at the respective first and second vertexes to rotate between an in-use or working configuration and a non-use or resting configuration. The folding wheel chock has a tip acting as a portion of the first interface with the vehicle wheel, the tip associated with the stop ramp and movable from an extracted or working configuration, in which it protrudes towards an associable wheel as an extension of the stop ramp, to a retracted or resting configuration in which it is arranged at least partially folded or aligned on the stop ramp and/or support wall.