Self-bracing Emergency Wheel Attachment Rim Engagement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle wheel attachments fail to securely and reliably fasten to a wheel with a flat tire or in adverse conditions like ice or snow, risking safety and stability during driving.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle wheel attachment featuring a base body with a tread surface and a bracing mechanism that automatically engages with the rim flange upon contact with the road surface, using a contact portion to actuate the bracing means and ensure secure fastening, even at high speeds, through mechanical, pneumatic, or electrical means.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual fastening methods are used to attach the attachment to the vehicle wheel, then the mounting process requires significant manual effort and time, but the fastening may not be sufficiently secure and reliable
Solution Approach 1:
The attachment system performs fastening automatically through self-service. The bracing means are actuated by the rotation of the vehicle wheel itself, which drives the bracing means to engage with the rim flange without requiring manual intervention. This resolves the contradiction by making the system both reliable (automatic engagement ensures consistent fastening) and easy to operate (no manual fastening required).
Solution Approach 2:
The attachment is preliminarily positioned on the vehicle wheel before final fastening occurs. The attachment device first secures the attachment to the wheel, then during wheel rotation the bracing means automatically engage with the rim flange to complete the fastening. This preliminary positioning followed by automatic engagement ensures both reliability and ease of operation.
2Ease of operation
If simple attachment methods are used to secure the attachment to the vehicle wheel, then the mounting process is quick and easy, but the attachment may not remain securely fastened during driving operation
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses the wheel's own rotation to automatically actuate the bracing means into engagement with the rim flange. This self-service mechanism ensures reliable fastening without requiring complex manual fastening operations, thus maintaining both ease of operation and fastening reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The bracing means transition from a non-engaged state during mounting to an engaged state during wheel rotation. This dynamic engagement ensures that the attachment is easily mounted initially but becomes securely fastened automatically when the wheel rotates, resolving the contradiction between mounting ease and fastening reliability.
3Extent of automation
If automatic bracing engagement is implemented through wheel rotation, then the fastening process becomes automated and reproducible, but the mechanism complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The wheel rotation itself serves as the actuating force for the bracing means. The system uses the existing rotational motion of the wheel to automatically engage the bracing means with the rim flange, achieving high automation without requiring additional complex actuating mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The function of wheel rotation is merged with the function of actuating the bracing means. The same rotational motion that propels the vehicle forward also drives the automatic engagement of the fastening mechanism, combining multiple functions into a single motion to reduce overall system complexity while maintaining high automation.
4Extent of automation
If the contact portion is designed to project beyond the tread surface for automatic actuation, then the bracing engagement becomes automatic upon wheel rotation, but the contact portion may interfere with road surface contact and driving performance
Solution Approach 1:
The contact portion periodically contacts the road surface during wheel rotation to actuate the bracing means. The contact portion projects beyond the tread surface only during the brief moment when needed for actuation, then retracts or moves away to avoid interfering with continuous road contact and driving performance, achieving periodic automated engagement without compromising productivity.
Data Source
AI summary
An attachment for a vehicle wheel enables driving operation with limited tire function. The attachment may include a base body, a tread surface for contacting a road surface, at least one bracing apparatus configured to engage with a hook portion behind a portion of a rim of the vehicle wheel and a bracing mechanism having a contact portion configured to actuate the bracing apparatus and to bring the hook portion into engagement behind the portion of the upon actuation of the contact portion.