Plastic Balancing Weight with Embedded Clip for Automated Handling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing balancing weights made from heavy metals like lead and iron are difficult to handle precisely and automatically, especially at higher speeds, and require protection from corrosion, while being environmentally less friendly.
Innovation Solution
A balancing weight with a body made of lightweight plastic material, incorporating a metal clip for attachment to a wheel rim, which allows for larger size and easier handling by robots, and features such as holes and a hollow section for improved handling and reduced environmental impact.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If heavy metals like lead or iron are used for balancing weights, then sufficient mass is achieved, but the weights become difficult to handle automatically and require corrosion protection
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter from heavy metal to plastic, which has lower density. This allows the balancing weight to have larger dimensions for the same mass, making it easier for automatic handling systems to grip and manipulate the weights during wheel balancing operations
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite construction by integrating a metal clip (for attachment function) with a plastic body (for mass and handleability). This composite approach combines the advantages of both materials: the plastic provides sufficient mass with larger size for easy handling, while the metal clip ensures secure attachment to the wheel rim
2Weight of moving object
If heavy metals like lead or iron are used for balancing weights, then sufficient mass is achieved, but corrosion protection is required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material from metal to plastic, fundamentally altering the corrosion resistance parameter. Plastic materials inherently resist corrosion from moisture and chemicals, eliminating the need for protective coatings or treatments that would be required for metal weights, thus improving reliability in harsh environmental conditions
Solution Approach 2:
The composite structure uses plastic as the primary material for the weight body, which provides inherent corrosion resistance, while the metal clip is used only for the attachment function where it is protected from environmental exposure by being enclosed within or integrated into the plastic body
3Measurement precision
If small balancing weights are used for precise balancing at high speeds, then balancing precision is improved, but handleability by automatic systems deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the density parameter by using plastic instead of metal, which has lower density. This allows the balancing weight to achieve the required mass for precise balancing while having larger physical dimensions, providing sufficient surface area for automatic handling systems to grip and manipulate the weights accurately
Solution Approach 2:
The composite design with plastic body and metal clip integration allows the weight to have optimized dimensions - large enough for easy handling by robots but with sufficient mass concentrated in the correct location to achieve precise balancing at high vehicle speeds
Data Source
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AI summary
A balancing weight (10) has a center section (13) and two side wings (11,12) comprising of a plastic material without integrated mass portion or mass particles. Furthermore, a clip (16), which may be of sheet metal, for attaching the balancing weight (10) to a rim is embedded into the center section (13). This balancing weight (10) has a low mass for precise balancing and a size sufficiently large to be handled by automated systems.