Wheel Adapter With Radially Adjustable Arms
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing wheel adapters for vehicle measurement are complex to mount and require multiple steps, often necessitating two hands, which can lead to incorrect and inaccurate installations and measurement results.
Innovation Solution
A wheel adapter with radially extending arms, where each arm has a moveable element coupled via a cable or belt, allowing automatic length adjustment for different wheel sizes, enabling single-handed mounting and secure attachment with an automatic retraction mechanism for easy storage and reduced risk of damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple work steps are required for mounting the wheel adapter, then the adapter can be securely attached to the wheel, but the mounting process becomes complex and difficult requiring two hands
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple mounting operations into a single integrated action. The movable elements on multiple arms are mechanically coupled through cable pulls or belts, so that actuating one control element simultaneously adjusts multiple arms and secures the adapter to the wheel in a single operation, eliminating the need for separate two-handed steps
Solution Approach 2:
The mechanical coupling system allows the adapter to self-adjust and self-secure during mounting. When one arm is positioned and secured, the coupled movable elements automatically adjust the other arms to appropriate positions, enabling the device to guide its own mounting process without requiring complex manual coordination
2Adaptability or versatility
If the arm length is fixed, then the structure is simple, but the adapter cannot adapt to different wheel or tire sizes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms fixed arm structures into dynamic, adjustable arms. Each arm incorporates movable elements that can change the arm's effective length or position. These movable elements are coupled through cable pulls or belts, allowing the arms to dynamically adapt to different wheel and tire sizes while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure
Solution Approach 2:
The mechanically coupled movable elements enable a single adapter design to serve multiple wheel sizes and configurations. The cable pull or belt system acts as a universal coupling mechanism that coordinates the adjustment of multiple arms simultaneously, allowing the same device to adapt to various wheel dimensions without requiring size-specific variants
3Measurement precision
If manual adjustment of each arm is required, then precise positioning is achievable, but the mounting time and effort increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The mechanical coupling system provides automatic feedback coordination between arms. When one arm is positioned correctly, the coupled movable elements automatically adjust the other arms to corresponding positions, ensuring consistent and accurate positioning across all arms without requiring manual measurement and adjustment of each individual arm
Solution Approach 2:
The cable pulls or belts pre-coordinate the positioning of multiple arms. By establishing the mechanical coupling in advance, the system ensures that adjusting one arm automatically produces the correct corresponding adjustments in other arms, eliminating the need for time-consuming sequential manual positioning while maintaining measurement precision
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2a~2b
AI summary
A wheel adapter (20) for attaching to a wheel (10), in particular to a wheel (10) of a motor vehicle, has at least two arms (22, 23, 24) which extend in a radial direction starting from a central region (30) of the wheel adapter (20). Each of the arms (22, 23, 24) has at least one movable element (32, 33, 34) which is movable in the radial direction, in order to vary the length of the arm (22, 23, 24) in the radial direction. The movable elements (32, 33, 34) of at least two arms (22, 23, 24) are mechanically coupled to one another in such a way that a movement of a movable element (32) of a first arm (22) results in a corresponding movement of at least one movable element (33, 34) of a second arm (23, 24).