WO1983000456A1

WO1983000456A1 - A support arrangement

Info

Publication number: WO1983000456A1
Application number: PCT/SE1982/000249
Authority: WO
Inventors: Thomas Ulf Yngvar Englund
Original assignee: Thomas Ulf Yngvar Englund
Priority date: 1981-07-28
Filing date: 1982-07-27
Publication date: 1983-02-17
Also published as: SE8104572L; GB8308364D0; EP0100314A1; GB2114488A; AU8735582A; DE3248937T1

Abstract

Arrangement for supporting at a desired level an effective device (10) which can be rotated relative to a connecting device (14), such as a wheel nut socket (10), for example, which is adapted to the wheel nuts (11) on a vehicle wheel (12). The invention makes it possible to support an effective device (10) reliably and effectively at the desired level, and enables the effective device (10) to be displaced to another desired level rapidly and simply. The arrangement comprises a stand (1) which has a locking device and a supporting member which is designed for mounting the effective device (10) and is movable relative to the stand (1) and can be displaced to the desired level, and has at least one complementary locking element which co-acts with the said locking element, making possible the secure locking of the said effective device (10) at the said level by mutual co-action of the locking elements with each other.

Description

A Support Arrangement

The present invention relates to an arrangement for supporting at a desired level an effective device which can be rotated relative to a connecting device, such as a wheel nut socket which is adapted to the wheel nuts on vehicle wheels, for example.

The object of the present invention is firstly to provide an arrangement of the above-mentioned kind which enables the mounting of the effective device to be displaced simply to a desired level and makes it possible to lock it in the adjusted position.

Hitherto it has been necessary to support the effective device, such as a wheel nut socket which is used for turning lock nuts, for example, in the desired position by hand or by chocking it up with a support such as a stone or brick, at the same time as the other hand is being used for operating an extension lever arm in the form of a tommy bar. This was laborious, and the risk of personal injury was considerable for the person who was carrying out the wheel-change if the socket be- came disengaged from the nut, causing the lever arm to slip.

The said object is achieved with an arrangement according to the present invention which is characterise in that the arrangement comprises a stand which has a locking device and a supporting member which can be moved relative to the stand and displaced to the desired level, is designed to have the effective device mounted in it, and has at least one complementary locking element which co-acts with the said locking element and enables the said effective device to be securely locked at the said level by mutual co-action between the locking elements. The invention is described in the following with reference to the accompanying drawings, on which Figure 1 shows the arrangement in an effective position during a phase when the wheel nuts on a vehicle wheel are being loosened,

Figure 2 shows, in a partially sectioned view, the mounting and locking part of the arrangement, Figure 2a shows the released position of the mounting and locking arrangement shown in Figure 2, Figure 2b shows a locking position of the mounting and locking arrangement shown in Figure 2, Figure 3 is a further embodiment example of a mounting and locking arrangement, shown in a similar partially sectioned view, Figure 3a shows the released position for the mounting and locking arrangement shown in Figure 3, and finally, Figure 3b illustrates a locking position of the mounting and locking arrangement shown in Figure 3.

A stand, which is designated with the numeral 1 on the drawings, consists of an upright which is made from lightweight metal, in the form of a tube with a foursided profile, for example. The stand 1 is connected at one end to a support foot in the form of a baseplate 2, for example, so as to facilitate the support of the stand 1 and to prevent it from sinking down in soft ground. In the example shown the foot 2 is rigidly . connected to the upright 1 by welding, for example, but it is also possible to articulate them relative to each other so that the upright 1 can be set up at the correct angle even if the ground 3 is uneven and sloping, for example.

Through two of the walls 4, 5 of the upright 1, which are located opposite each other, elongated throughholes 6, 7 expend in the longitudinal direction through the upright 1. preferably, the holes 6, 7 do not break through the walls 4, 5 at the top of the upper end of the upright 1, but a wall part 8 defines the holes 6, 7 in the upwards direction. A rod 9 which forms a rotatable operating device 9 is passed through the two said holes 6, 7 as shown in Figure 1. At least at one of its ends the rod 9 lias a socket 10, the cavity of which is adapted to the shape of the wheel nuts 11 on a vehicle wheel 12 so that it forms a wheel nut socket 10 which is designed to engage round and accommodate a wheel nut 11, which can be connected to a threaded bolt 14 connected to the wheel hub 13. At the opposite free end of the rod 9 a hole 15 is provided to form an accommo dating part 15 for a lever arm 16 in the form of a tommy bar or some other appropriate elongated element which is suitable for exerting considerable force.

Preferably, the rod 9 which is mounted rotatably inside the upright 1, is not movable in the horizontal direction but only in the vertical direction up and down the upright 1, after action on a locking element which can be arranged inside the upright 1 as shown in the examples in Figures 2 and 3. Figure 2 shows a supporting member 17 which is designed as a mounting for the rod 9 and is formed of a member in the shape of an angled plate, one shank 18 of which has a through-bore 19 which is designed to accommodate the rod 9. The upper part 18A of the said shank 18 forms a supporting part 18A, while the lower part 18B of the shank 18 has a bent-round or slanting shape, the function of which will be explained later.

The other shank 20 of the supporting member, which extends substantially along the rod 9, has at its outer end 20A at least one locking device 21, in that the end 20A is in the form of a pointed edge, for example. The other end 20B of the shank continues into the bent or slanting lower end section 183 of the other, above mentioned shank 18. Along the elongated opening 7 in one upright wall 5, on the inside of the wall parts 5A and 5B respectively, toothed strips 22 and 23 respectively are fastened, for example, by means of rivets 24 or screw connections. The said toothed strips 22, 23 have a number of teeth 25 which form a locking element and which face into the inside of the cavity in the upright 1. The intermediate space 26 between two adjacent teeth 25 is designed so that it can accommodate the locking element 21 which is provided on the supporting member 17, thus producing effective locking of the two parts 21 and 25 relative to each other.

On the other hand, those surfaces of the two other wall sections 4A and 4B respectively which face towards the inside of the upright are designed to form support surfaces 4A, 4B for the supporting part 18A when the locking device 27 which is formed of the said teeth 25 and the complementary locking element 21 is in its effective state.

A roller bearing, the angle of which may be adjusted or a force-accommodating support ring 28, made of rubber material, for example, can be arranged in the mounting hole 19 in th.e supporting member 17 in order, amongst other things, to enable a certain amount of angular adjustment of the rod 9 in relation to the supporting member 17, as shown with the rod drawn in dashes in Figure 2b.

The function of the said arrangement will now be described in more detail with reference to Figures 1-2b.

The arrangement is set up adjacent to and at a suitable distance from the vehicle wheel 12 which it is desired to take off the vehicle 29. By lifting up the rod 9 at the end where the hole 15 for the lever arm 15 is located, the rod 9, together with, the supporting member 17 is pivoted in a counter-clockwise direction, as shown in Figure 2a, and enables the latter to be displaced along the upright 1 into the desired height position corresponding with the level at which the relevant wheel nut 11, which is next in turn to be loosened, is located. By lowering the rod 9 into the position shown in Figure 2b, the two locking elements 21 and 25 respectively engage with each other and pre- vent the rod 9 being moved along the upright 1. A certain displacement of the rod 9 in the direction towards and away from the wheel 12 relative to the upright 1 may possibly be desirable in order to make it easier to put the nut socket 10 on the nut 11 when the rod 9 is supported by means of the arrangement. By operating the lever arm 16 in the direction of the arrow as shown in Figure 1, the rod 9 is rotated in the counter clockwise direction with considerable force. The rod 9 thus strives to press the supporting member 17 down, which produces increased contact between the support part 18A and the two supporting surfaces 4A, 4B on the wall parts 4A and 43 respectively and thereby further improves the locking capacity of the locking device 27. After the nut 11 has been loosened the rod 9 is moved on t.o the next desired level in the way described above, until all the nuts 11 have been loosened. The process of tightening the nuts 11 is carried out in the same way, except that the lever arm 16 is placed so that it can be rotated with considerable force in the opposite direction.

In Figure 3 another embodiment example is shown where the supporting member 17' is formed of a sleeve which is threaded onto the rod 9. Pins 30 extending in opposite directions on either side of the rod 9 bear at their respective outer ends a half-moon shaped knob 31 and 32 respectively, each of which is designed to run in its guideway 35 and 36 respectively, extending along the two opposing walls 33 and 34 respectively of the upright 1. Along one side surface of both the guideways 35, 36 there extends a row of teeth 37 and

38 respectively, while the other guideway side surfaces

39 and 40 respectively are smooth. One end of the respective knobs 31, 32 is formed as a pointed part 31A and 32A respectively which is designed to engage in between two teeth on the associated row of teeth 37 or 38 respectively. The opposite ends 31B and 32B respectively of the respective knobs 31, 32 is smooth, and is designed to co-act with the associated smooth guideway side surface 39 or 40 respectively.

The functioning of the saim arrangement corresponds substantially with that of the first embodiment shown, i.e. the locking element 27' is released by lifting up the rod 9 at its outer end. The locking of the arrangement is effected similarly, the rod 9 striving to press down the supporting element 17'. The supporting surfaces 31B and 32B respectively on the knobs 31 and 32 respectively have the same function as in the arrangement described above.

The arrangement is also particularly suitable for use in other applications than wheel changing, for example, for screw connections in structures and where a rod bears an effective device of some type at one of its ends and is designed to be operated manually in the vicinity of its other end.

To simplify still further the loosening of a nut, for example, which is stuck very tight a geared arrangement can be provided on the support device so that it is not necessary to operate the lever arm 15 with such a great amount of force to loosen a nut, etc.

The locking and height adjustment of the supporting member for the effective element can naturally be effected in some other way than that which has been shown and described above. For example, it can be made in the form of a screw element which extends along the stand, for example, and is supported by both the stand and the supporting member. In this case, the threads should be provided with a steep pitch, so as to facilitate rapid adjustment and locking of the arrangement at the desired level.

The arrangement is suitable for carrying in a vehicle, for example, in a tool-box such as the toolbox which is arranged on the outside of the vehicle when used for load-carrying vehicles. If the holes 6, 7 in the sides of the stand 1 are open at the end, the rod 9 can be removed through the said opening. This means that both the lever arm 16 and the rod 9 can be accommodated expediently in the cavity inside the stand 1 when the arrangement is not being used, thus making it more compact.

The arrangement is also suitable for supporting a so-called spider spanner in the shape of a cross with variously sized sockets. Again, a wheel nut spanner which has different head widths at its various engagement apertures in the respective ends can naturally be supported by a stand 1 according to the present invention the stand 1 when in used expediently being turned so that the correct socket is nearest the connecting element on which work is to be carried out. In this case, there is a hole for a lever arm at both ends of the rod.

The invention is not limited to the embodiments which are described above and shown on the drawings purely by way of example, but the details can be modified within the frame of the following Patent Claims. For example, the stand 1 may also be provided with a row of holes distributed over its height, through which a cross-pin which bears the mounting for the effective device 10 can be inserted at the desired height position.

Claims

P a t e n t C l a i m s

1. An arrangement for supporting at a desired level an effective device (10) which can be rotated relative to a connecting device (14), such as a wheel nut socket (10), for example, which is adapted to the wheel nuts (11) on a vehicle wheel (12), characterised in that the arrangement comprises a stand (1) which has a locking device (25; 37, 38) and a supporting member (17; 17') which can be moved relative to the stand (1) and displaced to the desired level, is designed to have the effective device (10) mounted in it, and has at least one complementary locking element (21; 31A, 32A) which can co-act with the said locking element (25; 37, 38) and enables the said effective device (10) to be locked securely at the said level by mutual co-action between the locking elements (25, 21; 37, 31A; 38, 32A).

2. An arrangement according to Patent Claim 1, characterised in that the stand (1) consists of an upright arrangement (1) which has a supporting arrangement (2), which co-acts with a supporting surface (3), disposed on one of its ends.

3. An arrangement according to either of the above Patent Claims, characterised in that the stand (1) has a guideway arrangement (6, 7) which extends over the stand (1) and is preferably formed by two slit-shaped through-holes (6, 7) arranged at a mutual distance from each other.

4. An arrangement according to Patent Claim 3, characterised in that in the vicinity of the said guideway arrangement (6, 7), preferably along the side edge of one of the through-holes, there is at least one row (22, 23) of locking elements (25) located at a mutual distance from each other, in the form of a row (22, 23) of teeth, for example.

5. An arrangement according to any of the above Patent Claims, characterised in that the effective device (10), which consists of an elongated rod (9) with an accommodating part (10) which is adapted to a connecting device (11), such as a nut (11), for example, disposed at one of its ends and with a fixing part (15) adapted to a manually-operated rotating element (16) such as a lever arm (16), for example, located at the other end of the rod (9), preferably supports the supporting member (17; 17') so that it cannot move relative to the rod (9).

6. An arrangement according to any of the above Patent Claims, characterised in that the supporting member (17; 17') is formed of a supporting/locking part (17; 17') which can be moved over the stand (1) in the height direction, and which is connected at least at one of its ends to the effective device (9, 10) and at least at its other end supports the said complementary locking element (21; 31A, 32A).

7. An arrangement according to Patent Claim 6, characterised in that in the region adjacent to or above the connection with the effective device (9, 10) the supporting/locking member (17; 17') has a support part (18A; 31B, 32B) which can co-act with the stand (1), and in the region below the said connection with the effective device It has a shape such that it is possible to pivot up the supporting/locking member (17; 17') and the effective device (9, 10) located at the said end.

8. An arrangement according to Patent Claim 7, characterised in that the locking elements (25, 21; 37, 31A; 38, 32A) are designed to be moved apart from each other and the supporting part (18A; 313, 32B) is similarly also designed to be moved away from the stand (1) by swinging up the supporting/locking part (17; 17') and the effective device (9, 10) at that end of the supporting/locking part (17; 17') which is located furthest away from the said connecting device (14).

9. An arrangement according to any of the above Patent Claims, characterised in that the stand (1) is formed of a preferably four-sided tubular profile (1) which is designed to be supported by a baseplate (2) located at one of its ends, and that through each of two stand walls (4, 5) located opposite each other there extends an elongated througjh-hole (6, 7) which is designed to form a guideway for a rod with a nutrotating socket extending through the respective holes (6, 7), and bearing, in the cavity inside the profile (1), the said complementary locking elements (21; 31A, 32A) which project in the direction of the said connecting device (14) and can rest on a row of locking teeth (22, 23; 37, 38) or the like, extending along the inside of the profile (1).

10. An arrangement according to any of the above Patent Claims, characterised in that the supporting member (17') is formed by a sleeve (17') in which the effective device (9, 10) is rotatably mounted, the sleeve (17') bearing pins (30) which project out laterally and each bear a locking part 31, 32, each of which can be displaced in its respective guideway (35, 36) and has the said complementary locking element (31A, 32A) on one end.