Vehicle Wheel Safety Device with Mechanical Locking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing safety devices for vehicle wheels are either complex and costly to install or provide insufficient safety due to the need for blind alignment of anti-rotational caps and limited holding mechanisms, leading to potential wheel detachment during transport.
Innovation Solution
A safety device with locking means consisting of female parts and peripheral walls that securely engage with attachment elements, featuring a compact design with visible mounting and optional anti-theft features, ensuring mechanical locking and easy installation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If anti-rotational caps are integrated with the hub cap to prevent wheel detachment, then wheel security is improved, but the installation becomes long and complicated due to blind alignment requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The device is divided into separate functional elements: locking means (female parts with peripheral walls) that engage with attachment elements, and holding means (upper wall) that covers and secures the locking means. This segmentation allows each component to be installed independently without blind alignment requirements, resolving the contradiction between security and installation ease.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking means are designed with visible mounting features and predetermined engagement geometries that guide proper positioning before final securing. The female parts and peripheral walls are configured to automatically align during installation, eliminating the need for blind alignment while maintaining wheel security.
2Reliability
If tightening torque is increased to prevent attachment element loosening, then wheel security is improved, but the risk of thread damage and bolt breakage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The locking means (female parts with peripheral walls) are installed on the attachment elements before the wheel is subjected to vibration and shock loads. These locking features prevent rotational loosening in advance, eliminating the need to exceed recommended tightening torque values, thus preserving thread integrity while ensuring wheel security.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking means act as intermediary elements between the attachment elements and the wheel hub. The female parts engage with the attachment elements while the peripheral walls prevent rotational movement, providing a mechanical intermediary that secures the wheel without requiring excessive tightening torque that could damage the threads.
3Productivity
If separate anti-rotational elements are used instead of integrated caps, then installation speed is improved, but the holding mechanism becomes less secure
Solution Approach 1:
The device merges separate anti-rotational elements with a unified holding mechanism (upper wall covering the attachment elements). The locking means with female parts and peripheral walls are combined with the holding means in a single integrated structure that provides both quick installation and secure holding, resolving the contradiction between installation speed and holding security.
Data Source
AI summary
A safety device (10) for a vehicle wheel (12), the device securing the attachment elements (16) of the rim (18) of the wheel onto a hub (14), wherein the device (10) includes elements (20) for blocking the rotation of the attachment elements and elements (21) for supporting the blocking elements on the attachment elements, the rotation-blocking elements including female parts (24) and at least one peripheral wall (26, 26I, 26E) against which the female parts abut when rotating, wherein at least a portion of the attachment elements receives a female part, the supporting elements (21) include an upper wall (36) that covers the attachment elements provided with the female parts, and the upper wall (36) blocks the translation of the female parts along the attachment elements, wherein the device includes elements (22) for rigidly connecting to the wheel, and the rigid connection is mechanically locked.