Modular Spacer for Adjustable Wheel Gauge
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing systems for adjusting the wheel gauge of agricultural machinery, such as tractors, are time-consuming and unsafe due to the need to swap wheels, which poses a crush hazard and requires significant effort, especially when trying to accommodate different wheel orientations and sizes.
Innovation Solution
A spacer system with modular sections and connectors that allows for adjustable wheel positioning without removing the wheel from the vehicle, using a mounting plate with arrays of fittings to attach the wheel to a rotary output, enabling the wheel to be slid along the spacer and reattached at different positions for varying wheel gauges.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If wheels are swapped to adjust wheel gauge, then wheel gauge adjustment is achieved, but time consumption and safety risks increase
Solution Approach 1:
The wheel assembly is segmented into the wheel itself and the spacer component. The spacer is further segmented into modular sections that can be independently added or removed. This allows wheel gauge adjustment by simply adding or removing spacer sections rather than swapping entire wheels, significantly reducing time consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
A spacer acts as an intermediary component between the wheel and the vehicle hub. This intermediary element enables wheel gauge adjustment without affecting the wheel itself, allowing quick modification by adjusting the spacer configuration rather than handling heavy wheels.
2Adaptability or versatility
If wheels are swapped to adjust wheel gauge, then wheel gauge adjustment is achieved, but safety risks increase due to crush hazard
Solution Approach 1:
The adjustment function is extracted from the wheel itself and placed in the spacer component. This extraction eliminates the need to handle heavy wheels for routine adjustments, removing workers from the crush hazard zone while maintaining the ability to adjust wheel gauge.
Solution Approach 2:
The spacer serves as a safety intermediary that absorbs the adjustment operations. By performing all adjustments on the lightweight spacer rather than handling heavy wheels, the system eliminates crush hazards while maintaining full wheel gauge adjustability.
3Adaptability or versatility
If belled rim wheels are used for wheel gauge adjustment, then wheel gauge flexibility is improved, but operational complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The spacer is divided into standardized modular sections with uniform connection interfaces. This segmentation creates a simple, repeatable adjustment process where sections are added or removed in a straightforward sequence, reducing operational complexity compared to belled rim wheel systems.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of modifying the wheel structure (as with belled rims), the invention inverts the approach by making the spacer modular and adjustable. This inversion simplifies the operation to basic add/remove actions on lightweight components rather than complex wheel reconfiguration.
4Ease of operation
If left and right wheels are swapped for tread orientation, then correct tread orientation is achieved, but time consumption and safety risks increase
Solution Approach 1:
The spacer acts as an intermediary that provides adjustment capability without requiring wheel removal or swapping. Tread orientation is maintained while achieving wheel gauge adjustment through spacer modification alone, eliminating the time-consuming wheel swap operation.
5Ease of operation
If left and right wheels are swapped for tread orientation, then correct tread orientation is achieved, but safety risks increase
Solution Approach 1:
The orientation adjustment function is extracted from wheel swapping and implemented through spacer modification. This extraction eliminates the need to handle heavy wheels for orientation adjustments, removing crush hazards while maintaining correct tread orientation.
Data Source
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AI summary
A spacer for coupling a wheel to a rotary output of a vehicle, the spacer including two connectors fixed relative to a respective first and second end of the spacer, the connectors each having a matching first array of fittings to engage a rim of the wheel, whereby to allow wheel gauge adjustment by disconnecting the wheel from a first one of the connectors, sliding the wheel along a body of the spacer and connecting the wheel to a second one the other connectors. The invention also relates to a method of adjusting wheel gauge on the spacer including releasing a wheel from one of the connectors, sliding the wheel along the body of the spacer and attaching the spacer to the other connector. The invention also relates to a spacer for supporting a wheel relative to a rotary output of a vehicle, the spacer being formed of modular sections that are separately attached by fasteners that connect only between adjacent sections to allow for independent addition and removal of sections to vary the length of the spacer.