Wheel Alignment Bracket with Sliding Arms for Rim Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle wheel alignment brackets require skilled manual positioning, are heavy, and may cause inaccurate measurements due to fixed pad positions relative to the tire bead, leading to potential rim damage and increased operator effort.
Innovation Solution
A lightweight bracket with adjustable prismatic pads and a central equilateral triangle body, featuring sliding arms and guide slots, allows for precise positioning and easy handling, ensuring accurate measurements and reduced operator effort.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If pads are fixed at preset distances from the center of the central body, then the bracket structure is simple, but the positioning accuracy relative to the tire bead deteriorates due to varying bead heights
Solution Approach 1:
The pads are made movable along the arms through guide slots, transforming from a fixed static structure to a dynamic adjustable one. This allows the pads to be positioned at different distances from the center depending on the tire bead height, resolving the contradiction between structural simplicity and positioning accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The bracket is divided into separable components: the central body, the arms, and the pads. The pads can be independently adjusted along the arms, allowing flexible positioning without redesigning the entire bracket structure, thus maintaining simplicity while improving accuracy.
2Strength
If the bracket is made of metal flange with rigid structure, then the strength and durability are improved, but the operator effort and fatigue increase due to considerable weight
Solution Approach 1:
The bracket transitions from solid metal flange to a composite structure combining metal components (central body, arms) with plastic or polymer materials (pads, guide slots). This composite approach reduces overall weight for easier handling while maintaining sufficient strength through the metal framework.
Solution Approach 2:
The pads are made of plastic or polymer material, which are lighter than metal but still provide sufficient contact and positioning functionality. This material substitution reduces the overall bracket weight, decreasing operator fatigue during repeated mounting and removing operations.
3Ease of manufacture
If the pads are directly attached to the arms in fixed positions, then the manufacturing process is simple, but the adaptability to various tire types and bead heights deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The pads are designed to move along the arms within guide slots, transforming from a fixed manufacturing configuration to an adjustable operational state. This allows the same bracket to adapt to various tire types and bead heights without requiring multiple manufacturing variants.
Solution Approach 2:
The bracket design with movable pads along guide slots creates a universal tool that can accommodate different tire types, sizes, and bead heights. The single bracket structure serves multiple functions by allowing pad repositioning, eliminating the need for multiple specialized brackets.
4Device complexity
If manual positioning of the bracket on the wheel is performed, then the device complexity is reduced, but the measurement accuracy deteriorates due to reliance on operator expertise
Solution Approach 1:
The bracket performs self-positioning through the interaction of its components: the pads abutting the tire bead and the arms engaging the wheel rim automatically center the bracket on the wheel axis. This self-centering mechanism eliminates the need for complex adjustment mechanisms while ensuring accurate positioning independent of operator skill.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide slots and guide members provide geometric constraints that give feedback on the bracket's positioning status. When the pads are correctly positioned against the tire bead and the arms are properly engaged, the guide slots ensure the bracket is automatically centered, providing inherent feedback for accurate positioning.
Data Source
Figure 1
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Figure 4~5
AI summary
The bracket (1) for wheel alignment control instruments for vehicle wheels (R) comprises: a central body (2) having a center (C), an outer face (3e) and an opposing parallel inner face (3i) facing the wheels; three gripping arms (7, 8, 9) whose ends are distal to the center, have grip members (10) and are simultaneously slidingly mounted to the central body to slide in radial directions, driven by first drive means (17) and guided by first guide means (18) between wheel gripping or releasing positions; spacer means (11, 12, 13) for holding the bracket, parallel to one side (F) of a wheel which are simultaneously movable in radial directions relative to the center (C) through adjustable abutment positions, the spacer means being slidingly mounted to the central body (2) to slide independent of the arms, driven by second drive means (25, 26, 27, 28) independent of the first drive means and guided by the first guide means (18).