Patent Application
20120256474
1. Technical Field
This disclosure generally relates to an adaptor for a wheel assembly and particularly to a reversible adaptor for convenient reconfiguration of the wheel assembly without additional hardware.
2. Description of the Related Art
Load-bearing vehicles, such as off-highway trucks and camping vehicles often use dual-wheel configurations on the rear drive axles of the vehicles. Such dual-wheel configurations generally have an axle with a pair of closely spaced wheels positioned at each end of the axle. Generally, all four wheels on the dual-wheel axle are directly driven by the axle structure. As a result, the load bearing capability of the vehicle may be increased with all four tires sharing the load previously distributed to two tires. Further, the dual-wheel configuration increases traction as the traction surface of the tires is doubled as compared to a single-wheel configuration.
Thus, the majority of truck and camper manufacturers generally make available an option permitting the customer to select the dual wheel configuration at the time of purchase. Some truck manufacturers use duel wheel configuration as standard on their load-bearing vehicles. When so provided, these vehicles are available with a standard single wheel configuration on the front two wheels of the vehicle and a four wheel dual pair arrangement on the rear. While such originally manufactured versions having factory installed dual wheel configurations do provide increased load-bearing and traction, they are subject to several limitations. For example, as discussed above, such vehicles may need to be earmarked for dual wheel construction during the manufacturing process. Because of the general construction techniques of vehicles, it is generally expensive and difficult to convert such systems subsequent to manufacture.
Wheel adapters are known in automobile manufacturing and customization for many years. In general, wheel adapters are used to install aftermarket wheels that are different from the original wheels provided by the vehicle manufacturer. For example, wheel adapters may be used to install a wheel that has a different bolt pattern, to install a wheel that has a different dimension, to install a wheel that increases the track of the vehicle, or to convert a single rear wheel to a dual rear wheel.
Existing wheel adaptors generally include an inner ring connected to an outer ring. The inner ring is adapted to be connected to a hub while the outer ring is adapted to be connected to the wheel to be mounted. The inner and outer rings are generally in alignment or registration with each other. As discussed above, the inner and outer rings are generally designed to mount different wheels rather than to accommodate different tire sizes on the same wheel.
An adaptor for a wheel assembly is disclosed. The adaptor has a reversible design for convenient reconfiguration of the wheel assembly without additional hardware. In one general, non-limiting embodiment, the adaptor may include an inner ring and an outer ring fixedly connected to the inner ring. The inner and outer rings may be concentric around an axis. The inner and outer rings may be offset from each other.
In another non-limiting embodiment, a wheel assembly is disclosed as including a hub, a wheel, and a wheel adaptor. The wheel adaptor may include an inner ring connected to the hub and an outer ring connected to the wheel. The inner and outer rings may be concentric around an axis. The inner and outer rings may be offset from each other.
A method for reconfiguring a wheel assembly that includes a hub, a wheel, and an adaptor interconnecting the hub and wheel is also disclosed. The method may include the steps of disconnecting the wheel and adaptor, disconnecting the adaptor and hub, reversing the adaptor, reconnecting the adaptor and hub, and reconnecting the wheel and adaptor.
The term “offset” used throughout this disclosure to describe the two interconnected and concentric rings of the wheel adaptor should be interpreted as referring to a spatial relationship in which neither ring is in alignment or registration with the other (i.e. neither ring is completely positioned between the two parallel planes defined by the other ring). This interpretation is consistent with both the ordinary meaning of the term “offset” and the conventional understanding and usage of the term “offset” in the mechanical art.
Other advantages and features of the disclosed adaptor and wheel assembly and the method of use thereof will be described in greater detail below. It will also be noted here and elsewhere that the apparatus or method disclosed herein may be suitably modified to be used in a wide variety of applications by one of ordinary skill in the art without undue experimentation.
For a more complete understanding of the disclosed apparatus and method, reference should be made to the embodiments illustrated in greater detail in the accompanying drawings, wherein:
It should be understood that the drawings are not necessarily to scale and that the disclosed embodiments are sometimes illustrated diagrammatically and in partial views. In certain instances, details which are not necessary for an understanding of the disclosed apparatus or method which render other details difficult to perceive may have been omitted. It should be understood, of course, that this disclosure is not limited to the particular embodiments illustrated herein.
Referring now to
As discussed before, the driven wheel assembly 18 may have two or even more wheels on each side to improve the load bearing and/or traction of the vehicle 10. Referring now to
According to one embodiment of this disclosure, the wheel assembly 19 includes a hub 28 defined about the central axis 20. The hub 28 includes a sidewall 30 axially extending between a proximal end 31 and a distal end 32. The proximal end 31 includes a radially outwardly extending proximal mounting flange 33 defined about the central axis 20. A proximal rim 34 is mounted on the proximal mounting flange 33. The distal end 32 also includes a radially outwardly extending distal mounting flange 35, also defined about the central axis 20. A distal rim 36 is mounted on the distal end 32 of the hub 28 through a wheel adaptor 37, the details of which are described later in this disclosure.
The wheel assembly 19 may include a planetary carrier 38 (also defined about the central axis 20) through which the final drive assembly 27 is coupled to the hub 28. To that end, the planetary carrier 38 includes a distal mounting flange 41 for coupling with the final drive assembly 27, and a proximal mounting flange 42 for coupling with the distal mounting flange 35 of the hub 28. As a result, rotation of the final drive assembly 27 is translated into the rotation of the wheel assembly 19 to drive the vehicle 10.
Turning now to
Turning back to
One feature of the disclosed wheel adaptor 37 is that the inner and outer rings (51, 52) may be offset from each other so that neither ring is in alignment or registration with each other. For example, the inner ring 51 may include an end surface 55, a stepped surface 56, and inner and outer edges (57, 58) extending between the end and stepped surfaces (55, 56). Similarly, the outer ring 52 may also include an end surface 59, a stepped surface 60, and inner and outer edges (61, 62) extending between the end and stepped surfaces (59, 60). When the inner and outer rings (51, 52) are integrated into one-piece, the outer edge 58 of the inner ring 51 and the inner edge 61 of the outer ring 52 may be partially merged together. As illustrated in
As discussed earlier, the wheel adaptor 37 may have two configurations to accommodate differently sized tires. A first adaptor configuration is illustrated in
Still referring to
A second adaptor configuration is illustrated in
Still referring to
Although the wheel adaptor 37 is used to interconnect the distal rim 36 and the hub 28 in the non-limiting embodiments illustrated in
In order to convert between the first and second adaptor configurations, a technician or mechanic may simply remove the outer ring fasteners and inner ring fasteners so that the wheel adaptor 37 is disconnected from the hub 28 and distal rim 36. The wheel adaptor 37 is then reversed or flipped before it is remounted to the hub 28 and distal rim 36 through the inner ring fasteners and outer ring fasteners, respectively. No additional hardware is needed for such reconfiguration. Without wishing to be bound by any particular theory, it is contemplated that the “offset” spatial relationship between the inner and outer rings (51, 52) of the wheel adaptor 37 allows for a wider range of tire configurations than wheel adaptors with “aligned” inner and outer rings, an insight heretofore unknown. In addition, the disclosed wheel adaptor 37 may be lighter, easier to use, and/or mechanical more robust or durable than conventional wheel adaptors.
In general, the present disclosure sets forth a wheel adaptor and wheel assembly that can accommodate a wide range of tire sizes without using additional hardware. Although the wheel adaptor and wheel assembly is described in the non-limiting embodiments as being used in an earth-moving vehicle, they may also be used in other transportation vehicles in which accommodation of different tire sizes is desirable. For example, the disclosed wheel adaptor and wheel assembly may also be used in pickup trucks, semi-trailers, or even on airplanes. Moreover, the wheel assembly may be used on non-driven wheels, in which the wheel assembly is not coupled to any final drive assembly.
While only certain embodiments have been set forth, alternative embodiments and various modifications will be apparent from the above descriptions to those skilled in the art. These and other alternatives are considered equivalents and within the spirit and scope of this disclosure.
