GB2338199A

GB2338199A - Extensible wheel brace

Info

Publication number: GB2338199A
Application number: GB9813729A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Phillip Jarrett
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1998-06-13
Filing date: 1998-06-26
Publication date: 1999-12-15
Anticipated expiration: 2018-06-26
Also published as: GB9813729D0; GB2338199B

Abstract

A wheel brace, for the tightening and loosening of vehicle wheel nuts is extensible via the relative movement of an outer tube 9 and inner bars 2, 4 and 6. 90 degree hinges formed from the inner bar components are each rotatable about a pin 5. The clockwise flexing of the hinges relative to socket 1 has the effect of limiting the tightening leverage which can be applied to the wheel nut when the wheel brace is extended. On the other hand, the hinges provide stiffness in the anti-clockwise direction when the wheel brace is extended and inner bars 2, 4 and 6 have a common in-line axis. Additional leverage can thus be made available for nut loosening, but the incorporation of the limited movement hinges prevents wheel nut over-tightening. In order to tighten the wheel nut, it is intended that the wheel brace be retracted.

Description

ELBRACE 2338199 The present invention relates to an extensible wheel brace

for the tightening and loosening of wheel nuts on vehicles of various kinds.

It is sometimes necessary to change a wheel and replace with a spare, for example, due to a puncture of the tyre, or, other wheelltyre damage. In practice, it is often difficult to loosen the wheel nuts, due to previous over-tightening and/or slight corrosion between the nuts and their associated studs.

It is customary for a wheel brace to be supplied with the vehicle by the manufacturer. However, to prevent over-tightening of the wheel nuts and to allow compact storage of the wheel brace, the latter is normally relatively short in length, thus typically requiring a significant amount of strength to be applied to loosen the wheel nuts.

One type of commercially available extensible wheel brace comprises an outer tube, which slides over an inner bar. The product is capable of providing additional leverage for the loosening of wheel nuts by extending the outer tube away from the wheel nut axis. It also allows for compact storage, when not in use,'by retracting the outer tube back over the inner bar.

When tightening the wheel nuts, the extensible wheel brace described above is intended to be utilised in the retracted mode to avoid overtightening, which is likely to result in future wheel nut removal problems. However, utilisation in this way relies entirely on the user taking care to fully retract the wheel brace outer tube prior to wheel nut tightening.

An objective of the present invention is to reduce or eliminate the latter practical problem by the incorporation of one or more limited movement hinges located along the axis of the inner bar. When the wheel brace is extended, each hinge is capable of flexing in the clockwise angular direction relative to the wheel nut and thus limiting the tightening leverage which can be applied but each hinge provides stiffness in the anti-clockwise angular direction when the inner bar components have a common in-line axis so that additional leverage can be made available during nut loosening. In order to tighten the wheel nut, it is intended that the wheel brace be retracted so that the inherent clockwise flexibility of each hinge is rendered stiff by the presence of the outer tube.

Two specific embodiments of the present invention are now described, as examples, with reference to the accompanying drawings:- Fig 1 shows a plan view of one type of extensible wheel brace with the outer tube 9 fully retracted, ready to tighten the wheel nut.

Fig 2 illustrates a sectioned side view of Fig 1.

Fig 3 is an end view of Fig 2 (for clarity, items 1 and 2 are not shown) Fig 4 shows a side view of the wheel brace with the outer tube 9 fully extended, ready to loosen the wheel nut.

Fig 5 shows what happens if it is attempted to tighten the wheel nut with the outer tube 9 fully extended.

Fig 6 shows one type of hinge modification, intended to introduce some stiffness into each hinge.

Referring to Figs 1-5, item 1 is a socket head, for engaging the wheel nut, which may be permanently attached to bar 2 (as shown) or can be removable via a standard square drive (not shown).

As shown in Fig 1, the centre line of socket 1 and the centre line of the main body of the wheel brace typically make an angle of more than 90 degrees, say, 105 degrees as shown. This is to ensure that the hand-grip 10 (particularly when outer tube 9 is fully extended) clears the wheel arch of the vehicle bodywork. The hand-grip 10 itself might comprise a machine knurled area (as shown) or the outer tube 9 could be covered with a suitable non-slip material, say, in the form of a rubber sleeve.

If reference is made to Fig 2, it will be noted that outer tube 9 (possibly made from cold-drawn steel) incorporates a machined end-piece 11, which might, for example, be soldered, welded, glued, or, crimped to outer tube 9 (depending on the type of manufacturing process used). In an alternative simplified design, item 11 could be omitted with the corresponding end length of outer tube 9 crimped to a slightly reduced internal diameter, providing a sliding fit over the inner bar components 2, 4, 6 and 7.

The movement of outer tube 9 is restricted, in one direction, by collar 3 and, in the other direction, by collar 8. These collars may be an integral machined or forged part of items 2 and 7, respectively (as shown), or, separately attached (say, shrunk into position).

The limited movement hinges shown in Figs 2, 4, 5 and 6 are made via the shaped and slotted inner bars 2, 4, 6 and shaped bar 7, respectively; all joined by pins 5 to form the inner bar assembly. These hinges are stiff in the anti-clockwise (nut loosening) direction when inner bars 2, 4, 6 and 7 have a common in-line axis (as shown in Fig 4) but flexible in the clockwise (nut tightening) direction up to a nominal maximum of 90 degrees per hinge (as shown in Fig 5).

The relative positions along the wheel brace of the three hinges shown in Figs 2, 4 and 5 have been selected to minimise the additional leverage which can be applied in the clockwise (nut tightening) direction, when the outer tube 9 is extended by variable amounts. However, it is clear that other hinge positions are possible, depending on the relative lengths of the various wheel brace components. For example, at one extreme, in order to minimise manufacturing cost, the nurnber of hinges used could be reduced to one positioned, say, half-way along the inner bar axis, which although not optimum from the user viewpoint, would still have the effect of reducing the maximum additional leverage which could be applied when tightening the wheel nut. On the other hand, at the other extreme, several hinges could be included to form a chain-type structure (not shown) and might be made from chain-links customised to form the extensible wheel brace inner bar assembly.

The tightening torque transmitted to the wheel nut is the product of the force applied (at the hand-grip 10) and the perpendicular distance to the wheel nut axis. In other words, if a nut tightening (clockwise rotation) is attempted with extension tube 9 extended, the distance to the wheel nut axis is limited to the various distances shown in Fig 5 (dependent on the amount the outer tube 9 is extended). On the other hand, for nut loosening (anti-clockwise rotation), with extension tube 9 fully extended, the perpendicular distance to the wheel nut axis is increased to the sum of the combined lengths of wheel brace inner bars 2, 4, 6 and outer tube 9 (as shown in Fig 4).

In the foregoing, the hinges are formed from a male lug at the end of one inner bar and a female slot in the end of the adjacent mating inner bar; all rotating about hinge pin 5. It should be noted that other arrangements are possible, for example, the male and female positions could be reversed, or, the hinge could comprise a single mating half- section lug at the adjacent ends of each bar. Also, the hinge pin 5 can comprise various forms, for example, hardened carbon steel or stainless steel pins (similar to shown), or, bolted or studded connections could be used, or, they could take the form of rivets.

In order to prevent the wheel brace collapsing under its own weight, when supported only at hand-grip 10 (namely, without socket 1 engaging the wheel nut) and the outer tube 9 fully extended as shown in Fig 4, it is preferable for the limited movement hinges to have sufficient stifTness to resist the bending moment imposed by the weight of the various cantilevered wheel brace components. For example, a suitable spiral or Belleville spring washer could be included within each hinge assembly, increasing the hinge ffictional resistance by exerting a force along the axis of hinge pin 5; as alternative, a high friction washer of the 'Nyloc" or similar type could be included, avoiding the need for a high axial load. On the other hand, if reference is made to Fig 6, the female end of one inner bar is fitted with a ball 12 located in a spring-loaded housing 13 (of the type commonly used to locate socket end fittings) with the male end of the adjacent inner bar having a corresponding indentation; the ball 12 has to ride up out of the indentation in order for the hinge to be rotated, having to overcome the resistance of the spring located within housing 13. It should be emphasised that the foregoing types of hinge modification are designed to provide sufficient rotational hinge resistance to prevent the wheel brace collapsing under its own cantilevered weight; the hinge resistance would not be high enough to allow the wheel nut to become over-tightened, when the wheel brace is extended.

Fig 7 is a sectioned side view of one type of extensible wheel brace with the inner bar assembly fully retracted, ready to tighten the wheel nut.

Fig 8 is a side view with the inner bar assembly fully extended, ready to loosen the wheel nut Fig 9 shows what happens if it is attempted to tighten the wheel nut with the inner bar assembly fully extended.

Referring to Figs 7-9, the outer tube 14 locates in a female socket formed at one end of bar 15 and is permanently attached with the components 14 and 15, soldered, welded, glued or crimped together. The female socket (at the end of bar 15) is penetrated by a small hole 2 1, which allows air to escape from the socket when the inner bar 16 is fully retracted. The use of a female socket (at the end of bar 15) instead of a male socket allows the inner bar component 16 to be made correspondingly longer. At the other end of the angled bar 15, socket head 1 is located for engaging the wheel nut, similar to the previous embodiment (shown in Figs 1 -5).

Again, referring to Figs 7-9, the inner bar components 16 and 18 are joined by the limited movement hinge, which can rotate about pin 5, to form the inner bar assembly. The options available for the detailed construction of the hinge are as described for the previous embodiment (shown in Figs 1-5). Inner bar component 18 has a hand-grip area 17, which may be machine knurled (as shown), or, bar 18 could be covered with a suitable non-slip material, say, in the form a rubber sleeve.

Referring to Figs 7-9, to prevent relative rotation between outer tube 14 and inner bar component 16 (about their common in-line axis), outer tube 14 has a slot 19, which provides a an axial slideway for rivet 20 (the latter permanently penetrates the side of inner bar component 16). As alternative to a rivet, item 20 could be made from a metal dowel pin. The rivet 20 and slot 19 also fimction to limit the axial movement of inner bar 16 when fully retracted and extended, respectively.

The foregoing method of restricting the extent of relative axial movement between the outer tube and the inner bar assembly could similarly be applied to the previously described embodiment (shown in Figs 1-5), thus removing the need for components 3, 11 and 8 (with the outer tube 9 internal diameter being reduced to become a sliding fit over the fiffl length of the inner bar components). Referring to Fig 2, inner bar component 7 would be penetrated by the rivet 20 which would locate in an axial slide-way slot (not shown) along most of the length of the outer tube 9.

Referring to Fig 9, the limited movement hinge functions in a similar manner (as in the previous embodiment shown in Fig 5) to avoid excessive leverage being available during wheel nut tightening. The embodiment shown in Fig 9 has the cost advantage of requiring less limited movement hinges to be incorporated (compared to Fig 5), with the maximum leverage (when the wheel brace is extended during nut tightening) being the distance from the end of the hand-grip 17 to the centreline of the hinge pin 5.

With reference to Figs 7 and 8, the comparative leverage available with the inner bar assembly fully extended and retracted, respectively, depends on the relative lengths of outer tube 16 and hand-grip 17. For example, comparing Fig 8 with Fig 7, approximately 50% extra leverage is available for loosening the wheel nut. However, if the design is modified so that both outer tube 14 and inner bar component 16 are lengthened (with the hand-grip 17 remaining the same), then increased extra leverage is available with the wheel brace fully extended.

As in the previous embodiment (described in Figs 1-5), it is preferable for sufficient stiffness to be present in the hinge to prevent the wheel brace collapsing under its own weight when cantilevered from the handgrip 17 and similar solutions can be applied as previously described (including the example shown in Fig 6).

For added strength, in either of the foregoing described embodiments, the outer hollow structural member (equivalent to outer tubes 9 or 14, respectively) could be manufactured from square or oblong box section (not shown) with all other mating component details suitably adjusted.

Claims

A wheel brace for vehicles of various types which is extensible via the relative sliding movement between an outer tube and inner bar in combination with one or more limited movement hinges located along the axis of the inner bar; when the wheel brace is extended, each hinge is capable of flexing in the clockwise angular direction relative to the wheel nut and thus limiting the tightening leverage which can be applied but each hinge provides stiffness in the anti-clockwise angular direction when the inner bar components have a common in-fine axis so that additional leverage can be made availabld during nut loosening; in order to tighten the wheel nut, it is intended that the wheel brace be retracted so that the inherent clockwise flexibility of each hinge is rendered stiff by the presence of the outer tube.
2. A wheel brace as claimed in Claim 1, where the sliding of an outer tube over the inner bar assembly in a direction away from the wheel nut axis provides the means of wheel brace extension.
3. A wheel brace as claimed in Claim 1, where the sliding of the inner bar assembly from within an outer tube in a direction away from the wheel nut axis provides the means of wheel brace extension.
4. A wheel brace as claimed in Claim 3, where the relative rotation between the inner bar assembly and an outer tube, about their common in-line axis, is prevented by means of a rivet or pin which permanently penetrates an inner bar component and locates in at least one axial slot in the outer tube.
A wheel brace as claimed in any preceding Claim, where the extent of relative axial movement between the inner bar assembly and an outer tube is prevented by means of a rivet or pin which permanently penetrates an inner bar component and locates in at least one axial slot in the outer tube.
A wheel brace as claimed in any preceding Claim, where multiple adjacent hinges are incorporated and form a chain-type structure.
7.

A wheel brace as claimed in any preceding Claim, where each hinge located along the axis of the inner bar assembly is restricted to a nominal 90 degree movement.
8. A wheel brace as claimed in any preceding Claim, where the outer hollow structural member is made from square or oblong box section.

/1,
9.

A wheel brace as claimed in any preceding Claim, where each hinge incorporates means to increase its stiffness, sufficient to prevent collapse of the wheel brace under its own weight when it is fully extended and cantilevered from the hand-grip.
10. A wheel brace as claimed in Claim 9, where the stiffliess is provided by a washer located along the axis of the hinge pin which has the efFect of increasing the frictional resistance of the hinge to angular movement.
11. A wheel brace as claimed in Claim 9, where the stiffness is provided by a small ball located in a spring-loaded housing at one inner bar end, which mates with a suitable indentation at the adjacent inner bar end when both inner bars have a common in-line axis.
12. A wheel brace substantially as described herein with reference to Figs 1-6 of the accompanying drawings.
13. A wheel brace substantially as described herein with reference to Fig 679 of the accompanying drawings.

13. A wheel brace substantially as described herein with reference to Fig 6-9 of the accompanying drawings.

Amendments to the claims have been filed as follows A wheel brace which is extensible via the relative sliding movement between an outer hollow structural member and an inner bar assembly incorporating one or more limited movement hinges located along the axis of the inner bar assembly; when the wheel brace is extended, each hinge is capable of flexing in the angular direction relative to the wheel nut limiting the tightening leverage which can be applied but each hinge provides stiffness in the opposite angular direction when the inner bar assembly components have a common in-line axis so that additional leverage can be made available during nut. loosening; in order to tighten the wheel nut, it is intended that the wheel brace be retracted so that the inherent flexibility of each hinge is rendered stiff by the presence of the outer hollow structural member.

A wheel brace as claimed in Claim 1, where the sliding of an outer hollow structural member over an inner bar assembly in a direction away from the wheel nut axis provides the means of wheel brace extension.

3.

A wheel brace as claimed in Claim 1, where the sliding of an inner bar assembly from within an outer hollow structural member in a direction away from the wheel nut axis provides the means of wheel brace extension.

A wheel brace as claimed in Claims 1, 2 or 3, where the relative rotation between an inner bar assembly and an outer hollow structural member, about their common in-line axis is prevented and/or their relative axial movement is limited by means of a rivet or pin which permanently penetrates an inner bar component and locates in at least one axial slot in the outer tube.

5. A wheel brace as claimed in Claims 1, 2 or 3 where an outer hollow structural member is made from round tube.

6. A wheel brace as claimed in Claims 1, 2 or 3 where an outer hollow structural member is made from square or oblong box section.

7.

8.

A wheel brace as claimed in any preceding Claim, where multiple adjacent hinges are incorporated and form a chain-type structure.

A wheel brace as claimed in any preceding Claim, where each hinge located along the axis of an inner bar assembly is restricted to a nominal 90 degree movement.

9. A wheel brace as claimed in any preceding claim, where each hinge incorporates means to increase its stiffness, sufficient to prevent collapse of the wheel brace under its own weight when it is fully extended and cantilevered from the hand-grip.

10. A wheel brace as claimed in Claim 9, where the hinge stiffness is provided by a washer, located along the axis of the hinge pin, having the effect of increasing the frictional cy resistance of the hinge against angular movement.

A wheel brace as claimed in Claim 9, where the stiffness is provided by a small ball located in a spring-loaded housing at one inner bar end, which mates with a suitable indentation at the adjacent inner bar end when both inner bars have a common in-line axis.

12. A wheel brace substantially as described herein with reference to Figs 1-6 of the accompanying drawings.