Automobile Wheel Lock Using Standard Tubular Key
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current wheel locking mechanisms for automobiles are ineffective in preventing tire theft and often result in increased vandalism and financial loss, as the specialized keys are heavy, cumbersome, and typically stored inside the vehicle, making them easy targets for thieves.
Innovation Solution
A wheel lock system utilizing a standard tubular key that can be easily carried and stored, featuring screw threading and a miniature tubular cam lock mechanism, allowing secure fastening and locking onto a lug bolt without the need for a specialized key, reducing the likelihood of theft and vandalism.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a specialized wheel locking key is used, then wheel security is improved, but the key becomes heavy and cumbersome to carry
Solution Approach 1:
The wheel lock system uses a standard tubular key that serves multiple purposes: it can be used with the wheel lock mechanism and is a common key type that people already carry for other purposes. This eliminates the need for a specialized heavy key while maintaining security functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention adopts the design of standard tubular keys that are already widely used and recognized, rather than creating a unique specialized key design. This allows users to carry the same type of key they already have for other purposes, reducing weight and convenience issues.
2Reliability
If a specialized wheel locking key is used, then wheel security is improved, but the key is typically stored inside the vehicle making it an easy target for thieves
Solution Approach 1:
Since the system uses a standard tubular key rather than a specialized key, users can carry it on their person along with other personal items, eliminating the need to store it inside the vehicle where thieves can easily access it during break-ins.
Solution Approach 2:
The standard tubular key acts as an intermediary that bridges the wheel lock mechanism with common key-carrying practices. Users naturally carry these keys with them, creating a secure storage solution outside the vehicle without compromising the locking mechanism's effectiveness.
3Reliability
If a specialized wheel locking mechanism is used, then theft prevention is improved, but vandalism and financial loss increase
Solution Approach 1:
The wheel lock system maintains security functionality while using a standard tubular key that thieves are unlikely to have, preventing theft without requiring a complex specialized mechanism that would attract vandalism. The simplicity of the locking mechanism reduces targets for vandalism.
Solution Approach 2:
The system converts the potential harm of having a specialized key (which attracts thieves looking for it during break-ins) into a benefit by using a standard key that thieves don't carry, thereby preventing theft without creating the vulnerability of storing a specialized key inside the vehicle.
Data Source
AI summary
A wheel lock for an automobile includes a pin tumbler lock, a cam that engages with the lock, the cam having a tab that protrudes outward therefrom, a coaxially rotatable tubular sleeve that is configured to receive the lock and the cam and that engages with the tab of the cam, the interior of sleeve defining a tab cavity that engages the tab of the cam and having a plurality of sleeve ridges thereon that are distributed and spaced evenly and a coaxially rotatable tubular core that is configured to receive the sleeve and that slidably engages therewith, the exterior of the core having a plurality of core ridges that are distributed and spaced evenly thereon that engage with the sleeve ridges of the sleeve, the interior of the core defining a threaded aperture for permitting the wheel lock to fasten onto a lug bolt.