Over-the-Wheel Chock Assembly for Secure Vehicle Tie-Down
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional tie-down systems for securing vehicles during transportation are often complex, heavy, and cumbersome, or fail to properly secure vehicles from shifting during transit due to sudden movements and vibrations.
Innovation Solution
A wheel chock assembly with an angled body, base, and tabs that engages a tie-down strap, transferring forces to secure the tire, designed for easy mounting and use, featuring a rod between tabs and a support post for increased rigidity, allowing for secure positioning and quick repositioning along tracks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional tie-down systems are used to secure vehicles during transit, then vehicles can be restrained from moving, but the systems become complex, heavy, and cumbersome to operate
Solution Approach 1:
The wheel chock is divided into distinct functional segments: a body portion for mounting, an angled portion for tire contact, a base portion for structural support, and tabs with a rod for force distribution. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function efficiently while keeping the overall system simple and manageable.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts the essential function of vehicle restraint from complex multi-component tie-down systems and consolidates it into a single integrated wheel chock device. By taking out only the necessary elements (angled surface for contact, mounting interface, force transfer mechanism), the system achieves reliability without complexity.
2Reliability
If conventional tie-down systems are used to secure vehicles, then vehicles can be restrained from shifting, but the systems become heavy and cumbersome
Solution Approach 1:
The wheel chock concentrates structural reinforcement only where needed: the angled portion has increased thickness for tire contact resistance, the base portion provides localized support, and the tabs with rod reinforce specific force transfer paths. This local quality approach minimizes overall weight while maintaining reliability at critical stress points.
3Ease of operation
If simple and lightweight tie-down systems are used, then ease of operation is improved, but the systems fail to properly secure vehicles from shifting during transit
Solution Approach 1:
The wheel chock employs asymmetric geometry with a specifically angled portion designed to match the curvature and angle of vehicle tires. This asymmetric shape provides natural mechanical advantage and secure engagement, achieving both ease of operation (simple placement) and reliability (secure restraint) simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention merges multiple functions into a single device: the body provides mounting, the angled portion provides tire contact and positioning, the base provides structural support, and the tabs with rod provide force distribution. This merging creates a unified system that is both simple to operate and highly reliable.
4Stability of the object's composition
If wheel chock design includes increased rigidity features like support posts and rods, then structural stability is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The rod serving as both a structural element for rigidity and a mounting feature for the tabs serves multiple functions simultaneously. This multi-functionality reduces the number of separate components needed, maintaining structural stability while simplifying manufacturing by reducing part count and assembly steps.
Data Source
AI summary
Apparatuses, systems, and methods include a wheel chock for an over-the-wheel tie down system, including a body having an angled portion, a base portion, a first tab, and a second tab. The angled portion is configured to contact a tire when the wheel chock is in use. The base portion extends longitudinally from the angled portion whereby the body is configured to be mounted to a mounting surface. The first tab and the second tab extend from the angled portion and are laterally spaced apart from one another. The wheel chock further includes a rod extending laterally between and to the first tab and the second tab whereby a tie-down strap engages the wheel chock. The body can be formed as a single, monolithic piece. In various embodiments, a support post extends between the angled portion and the base portion.