GB2037242A

GB2037242A - A vehicle road wheel locking device

Info

Publication number: GB2037242A
Application number: GB7938490A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: PATERSON V
Current assignee: PATERSON V
Priority date: 1978-11-28
Filing date: 1979-11-07
Publication date: 1980-07-09
Also published as: GB2037242B

Abstract

A vehicle road wheel locking device comprising a base plate 1 engagable with special flange-headed wheel nuts 7 by way of keyhole slots 4 in the base plate, and locking means 17....22 arranged to prevent movement of the nuts so as to disengage the nuts from the slots. In the locking position an arm 5 protrudes beyond the periphery of the road wheel to prevent rotation of the wheel. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A vehicle road wheel locking device This invention relates to a vehicle road wheel locking device and has been designed to prevent or impede rotation of the wheel by an unauthorized user.

In the past various locking devices have been provided such as steering column locks, ignition cutting devices and other forms of anti-theft device but these devices are frequently able to be overcome or bypassed by a thief with the correct technique or equipment and furthermore they are often unsuitable for use with an unpowered vehicle such as a trailer.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an anti-theft device which will obviate or minimize the foregoing disadvantages in a simple yet effective manner or which will at least provide the public with a useful choice.

Accordingly the invention consists in a vehicle road wheel locking device comprising a plurality of nuts or bolts adapted to replace the normal road wheel retaining nuts or bolts on a vehicle, each said nut or bolt having a flanged head thereon, a base plate having a plurality of keyhole slots therethrough each of which has a wider portion through which said flanged head may pass and a narrower portion having shoulders adapted to be retained behind said flanged head, therebeing one said keyhole slot for each said nut or bolt equi-spaced around a pitch circle of predetermined diameter and wherein all of the said keyhole slots having their longer axes oriented in the same direction along said pitch circle, locking means adapted on actuation thereof to lock the flanged head of one said nut or bolt into engagement with the narrower portion of one said keyhole slot, and a rigid arm extending beyond said base plate in a radial direction with respect to said pitch circle so as to extend beyond the periphery of said road wheel in use.

Notwithstanding any other forms that may fall within its scope one preferred form of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a top view of a vehicle road wheel locking device according to the invention with the locking cylinder removed for clarity, Figure 2 is a side view of the device shown in Figure 1 with the locking cylinder, key and flanged nut shown in an exploded position, Figure 3 is a side view of the device shown in Figure 1 when viewed from a direction at right angles to that of Figure 2, Figure 4 is a partial top view to an enlarged scale of a flanged wheel nut inserted into a key hole slot of the device in the unlocked position, Figure 5is similar to the view shown in Figure 4 with the flanged wheel nut in the locked position.

In the preferred form of the invention a vehicle road wheel locking device is constructed as follows: A base plate 1 is provided preferably from heavy gauge steel plate and in the preferred form of the invention the base has an outer circumference 2 arranged to fit inside the rim of a vehicle road wheel and an inner circumference 3 through which the wheel bearing locking nut and cap of the wheel may protrude in use. The base plate is provided with a plurality of keyhole slots 4, there being the one keyhole slot for each wheel locking nut. The keyhole slots are equi-spaced around a pitch circle on the base plate so that the pitch circle diameter of the keyhole slots corresponds to the pitch circle diameter of the wheel retaining nuts or bolts on the vehicle wheel.

A rigid arm 5 is provided, extending outwardly beyond the base plate in a radial direction with respect to the pitch circle of the keyhole slots. In the preferred form of the invention the rigid arm comprises a Cr Ni steel rod welded to the surface of the base plate at 6 and protruding therefrom and then radially outwardly for a distance which will extend beyond the periphery of the road wheel when the locking device is engaged with the road wheel as will be described further below.

The normal road wheel retaining nuts or bolts are replaced with nuts or bolts 7 having a flanged head 8 on the outer end thereof. Each keyhole slot has a wider circular portion 9 (Figure 4) and a narrower portion 10 and each flanged nut has a circular flange 11 having a diameter that will pass through the wider portion 9 of the keyhole slot but will not pass through the narrower portion 10. The stem 12 of the flange has a circumference 13 which is slightly smaller in diameter than the width of the keyhole slot 10. The length of the stem 12 is slightly longer than the thickness of the base plate 1.

One of the keyhole slots is provided with a steel tube 14 having an inner diameter the same as or greater than the diameter of the circular portion 9 of the keyhole slot and the tube is welded into plate above the wider portion of the keyhole as shown in Figure 1. The tube is provided with a cut away portion 15 adjacent to the base plate so that the flanged head 8 of the nut 7 may slide between the upper surface of the base plate 1 and the lower surface 16 of the cut away slot. A cylindrical tumbler lock 17 is provided which will fit inside the tube 14 and the lock operating tang 18 is welded or otherwise fastened to a locking member 19 in the form of a semi-circular cylindrical portion having a closed upper end 20 and an open lower end 21.The locking member is slightly smaller in diameter than the diameter of the wider portion 9 of the keyhole slot and the inner diameter of the locking member is largerthan the diameter of the flange head 8 of the wheel nut 7. These reiative sizes can most conveniently be seen with reference to Figure 4. When the device is assembled the lock barrel 17 is fastened into the tube 14 by way of any convenient fastening means but preferably by way of a locking pin (not shown) which is passed through the tube 14 and into the cylindrical lock barrel 17 and then welded into place in the cylinder with a hard facing welding rod.

Before the lock barrel is so fastened into the cylinder it is preferable that the entire device is case hardened so that it may not be cut with a conventional hacksaw in use.

To use the locking device, the normal road wheel retaining nuts or bolts of the vehicle are replaced with the specifically flanged nuts 7. The lock of the device is operated by a key 22 to move Iho locking member 19 to the position silowl) in Figtllt: 4. The base plate is then offered up Lo the wheel Iriils 7 so that the flanges 8 on the wheel nuts are engaged with the wider portions 9 of the keyhole slots until the flanges 8 protrude above the surface of the base plate 1 and the stems 12 are aligned with the thickness of the base plate. The base plate is then rotated slightly so that the stems 12 of the nuts enter into the narrower portions 10 of the keyhole slots in the position shown in Figure 5.The key 22 is then operated to rotate the locking member 19 through 180viz to the position shown in Figure 5 and the key is then withdrawn. Once the locking device is so locked it may not be removed from the vehicle road wheel as rotation of the base plate to disengage the flanges 8 from the keyhole slots is prevented by the locking member 19 preventing removal of the stem 12 from the narrower portion 10 of the keyhole slot.

In this manner a vehicle road wheel locking device is provided which is simple to manufacture and to operate and yet which is effective in preventing theft of the vehicle to which it is fixed. Should an attempt be made to remove a vehicle to which the device is locked, the rigid arm 5 will come into contact with the ground surface or with the bodywork of the vehicle and prevent further rotation of the wheel.

This device is suitable for use with any vehicle and has the advantages that it may be used with non-powered vehicles such as trailers which are often parked in areas for a considerable length of time and which therefore must have a good tamper resistant locking device.

Claims

1. A vehicle road wheel locking device compris ing a plurality of nuts or bolts adapted to replace the normal road wheel retaining nuts or bolts on a vehicle, each said nut or bolt having a flanged head thereon, a base plate having a plurality of keyhole slots therethrough each of which has a wider portion through which said flanged head may pass and a narrower portion having shoulders adapted to be retained behind said flanged head, there being one said keyhole slot for each said nut or bolt equi spaced around a pitch circle of predetermined diameter and wherein all of the said keyhole slots have their longer axes orientated in the same direction along said pitch circle, locking means adapted on actuation thereof to lock the flange head of one said nut or bolt into engagement with the narrower portion of one said keyhole slot and a rigid arm extending beyond said base plate in a radial direction with respect to said pitch circle so as to extend beyond the periphery of said road wheel in use.

2. A road wheel locking device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said locking means includes a locking member operable to block the wider portion of said keyhole slot so as to retain said flanged head of said one nut or bolt in engagement with said narrower portion of said keyhole slot.

3. A vehicle road wheel locking device as claimed in claim 2 wherein said locking member comprises a semi-circular cylindrical member having an outer diameter less than the diameter of the wider portion of said keyhole slot and inner diameter greater than the diameter of the flanged head of said nut or bolt and wherein said locking member is mounted for rotation in the wider portion of said keyhole slot between a position where the concave portion of said locking memberfacesthe narrower portion of said keyhole slot and a position where said locking member blocks the entrance to said narrower portion from said wider portion.

4. A vehicle road wheel locking device as claimed in claim 3 wherein said locking member is actuable by a barrel tumbler lock mounted in a tube fastened to said base plate above the wider portion of said keyhole slot.

5. A vehicle road wheel locking device when constructed arranged and operable substantially as described herein with reference to accompanying drawings.