WO2008152583A1

WO2008152583A1 - An elbow

Info

Publication number: WO2008152583A1
Application number: PCT/IB2008/052290
Authority: WO
Inventors: Turgut Korkut; Onur Sezer; Zafer Das; Seyhan Gur
Original assignee: Ford Otomotiv Sanayi Anonim Sirketi
Priority date: 2007-06-12
Filing date: 2008-06-10
Publication date: 2008-12-18
Also published as: TR200909262T1

Abstract

The present invention relates to an elbow which is used in spare tire winches, and produced by using a plastic body and a plastic clamp instead of a metal clamp and an aluminum body.

Description

AN ELBOW

Field of the Invention

Background of the Invention

At the present time, materials suitable for conditions of use are selected by giving a priority to economy and the strength in unit weight. The requirement of using high strength, resilient, ductile, inexpensive and light materials makes itself apparent especially in the automotive industry. Upon viewing the developments realized in the materials used in automotive industry, the materials considered as alternatives to metals should, in addition to being light, be inexpensive and exhibit mechanical properties similar to the metals. Based on this consideration, plastic has become one of the materials of choice whose percentage of use has been increasing every year.

Plastics are used as alternative materials worldwide in place of materials such as iron, steel, aluminum, etc. and enable new applications each and every day. The fact that they are economical and that they can be easily . applied increases employment of plastic products especially in vehicle parts.

The application within the state of the art is to dispose vehicle spare tires to the inner base of the rear trunk or lateral face of the rear trunk within the vehicle. Taking into consideration the fact that the spare tire occupies a certain volume and that the sizes of the present vehicles decreased, efficient use of the inner space of the vehicle can not be attained with the said application. Another application within the state of the art is to dispose the spare tires on the rear trunk door. A trunk door is generally applied on big vehicles. By moving the spare tire from inside of the vehicle to the outside of the same, extra space is attained but a security weakness arises against theft or various external interferences.

Another application within the state of the art is to dispose the vehicle spare tires onto the external base of the vehicle. By disposing the spare tire under the vehicle, loss of space within the vehicle is prevented. However at the same time access to the spare tire gets more difficult. A spare tire lifting winch is used in order to easily reach and store the spare tire when required. Following the drive of the mechanical lever applied on the winch, the steel wire and the spare tire which move in horizontal direction start to move in vertical direction upon orientation by various additional parts. A metal elbow piece is used for converting the forward/backward movement of the wire in horizontal direction provided by the winch drive, into an upward/downward movement in vertical direction. The said elbow comprises a body consisting of a metal external body and a plastic inner housing, and a clamp fastened to the body and produced of metal material.

The European patent document No. EP0697326, an application within the state of the art, discloses a spare tire winch and mentions about bending downwards of a steel wire protective tube, which is connected to the said winch, from its end portion and about the said tube serving as an elbow.

The United States patent application No. US2002066894, an application within the state of the art, discloses a spare tire lifting winch. Since the said winch is positioned above the spare tire, the metal wire which comes out with the drive of the mechanical lever moves upwards/downwards without requiring any additional extension portion. The United States patent application No. US4537555, another application within the state of the art, discloses a lever used to enable movement of the spare tire and the downwards movement that arises upon releasing the said lever. The wire which is released upon letting the lever loose, is turned from the horizontal direction to the vertical direction via a pulley used.

Summary of the Invention

The objective of the present invention is to realize an elbow which is not affected by changes in production and assembly due to the body and clamp produced of a plastic material, and which enables reduction of the costs that arise due to breaking or deformation since the plastic material is inexpensive.

Detailed Description of the Invention

The elbow realized to fulfill the objectives of the present invention is illustrated in the accompanying figures, in which;

Figure 1 is the front perspective view of the inventive elbow.

Figure 2 is the perspective view of the inventive elbow and the spare tire lifting winch of which the inventive elbow is a part.

Figure 3 is the side perspective view of the clamp connected to the inventive elbow.

The parts shown in the figures are individually numbered, where the numbers refer to the following:

1. Elbow

2. Body

3. Clamp

4. Clip 5. Bushing

6. Tab

7. Wire

8. Sleeve

9. Winch

10. Support

The inventive elbow (1) essentially comprises at least one main body (2) which is produced of a plastic material and through which a wire passes, at least one clamp (3) which is produced of a plastic material as an integral piece and at least one recess which is provided at the bottom of the body and bored for arrangement of the clamp (3) thereinto.

The inventive elbow (1) is used within the vehicle spare tire winch (9) system. An additional rotating pipe, which is disposed in the housing on the winch (9), is used in the winch (9) in order to provide the movement drive. Upon this rotation drive, the wheels in the winch (9) turn and as a result of this turning the steel wire (7) moves. Depending on the rotation direction, the steel wire (7) is either wound within the winch (9) or leaves the winch (9).

The wire (7) leaving the winch moves within the protective sleeve (8). This protective sleeve (8) prevents the wire (7) from being seen and also from tangling with another object. Furthermore, by means of the protective sleeve (8), the winch (6) is positioned at a desired distance from the elbow (1) and the spare tire, and at the most suitable place to allow the winch crank rotate easily. In order to change the movement direction of the steel wire (7) which moves in horizontal direction within the protective sleeve (8), the elbow (1) which is arranged at the end portion of the protective sleeve (8) is used. By means of this elbow (1), the steel wire (7) which moves in horizontal direction until the elbow (1) rests on the elbow (1) due to the weight of the tire placed on the support (10) and continues its movement downwards. The elbow (1) is comprised of a plastic main body (2) and a plastic clamp (3) attached to this body (2). The main body (2) orients the steel wire (7) which passes therethrough, and conveys the weight of the tire, which is arranged on the support (10), to the winch (9) via the steel wire (7). The clamp (3) disposed within the recess provided at the bottom of the main body (2) protects the main body (2) against strokes that might come from the bottom or against the vibrations that result from the movement of the tire during movement of the vehicle.

The clamp (3) is comprised of a tab (6), a clip (4) and a bushing (5), all of which are made of plastic materials and produced integral with each other. The bushing (5) part and the clamp (3) are fitted in the recess at the bottom of the main body (2). Strokes that might come from the bottom to the main body (2) are prevented by means of the clip (4) and the tab (6).

Within the framework of this basic concept, it is possible to develop a wide variety of embodiments of the inventive elbow (1). The invention is essentially according to the claims and it can not be limited to the examples described herein.

Claims

1. An elbow (1) essentially comprising a clamp (3) at the lower part thereof and a recess at which the clamp (3) is fitted to the main body (2), characterized by a main body (2) all of which is produced of a plastic material.

2. An elbow (1) according to Claim I₅ comprising a clamp (3), all of which is produced of a plastic material and which is formed by production of the bushing part (5) that is fitted into the recess provided at the bottom of the main body (2), the clip (4) that is arranged at the end portion of the bushing (5) and the tabs (6) that are provided on the clip (4) integral with each other and which is disposed for providing protection against strokes that might come to the main body (2) from the bottom.