FORM 2
THE PATENTS ACT 1970
[39 OF 1970]
&
THE PATENTS RULES, 2003
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
[See section 10; rule 13] TITLE: “A DAMPER OF A VEHICLE”
Name and Address of the Applicant:
TATA MOTORS LIMITED of Bombay house, 24 Homi Mody Street, Hutatma Chowk, Mumbai 400 001, Maharashtra, INDIA
Nationality: Indian
The following specification particularly describes the invention and the manner in which it is to be performed.

TECHNICAL FIELD
Present disclosure, in general, relates to the field of automobiles. Particularly, but not exclusively, the present disclosure relates to determination of a wheel theft or illegal removal of the wheel of a vehicle. Further, embodiments of the present disclosure discloses a damper of a vehicle for identifying and alerting the wheel theft of the vehicle.
BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE
Generally, vehicles are equipped with steel wheels and in some cases are equipped with alloy wheels which are light in weight and are aesthetically appealing to a buyer of the vehicle. However, with the increasing use of alloy wheels, incidences of theft of such wheels are increasing. The theft of the wheels poses a burden on the owner of the vehicle to replace the stolen wheels with a new set of wheels. Additionally, as the alloy wheels are made of specialized alloys and are difficult to manufacture, cost of the alloy wheels are high. To tackle the theft of the vehicle wheels, specialized locking or anti-theft lug nuts have been developed which require specialized socket key to remove the lug nut, thereby increasing the difficulty in removal of the vehicle wheels. However, these anti-theft lug nuts are not commonly utilized by the car manufacturers and can be easily removed by use of the specialized socket. Moreover, during replacement of such alloy wheels, a single piece of alloy wheel may not be available as these alloy wheels are usually manufactured in a set.
Present disclosure is directed to overcome one or more limitations stated above or any other limitations associated with the known arts.
SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE
One or more shortcomings of the prior art are overcome by a damper as claimed and additional advantages are provided through the damper as claimed in the present disclosure. Additional features and advantages are realized through the techniques of the present disclosure. Other embodiments and aspects of the disclosure are described in detail herein and are considered a part of the claimed disclosure.
In one non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure, a damper of a vehicle is disclosed. The damper includes a casing and a cylinder which is movably coupled to the casing. The cylinder is

adapted to enclose a piston and is configured to displace between a first position and a second position through the casing along an axis A-A, where the first position corresponds to a laden condition of a wheel and the second position corresponds to an unladen condition of the wheel. Further, the damper includes a detection unit which is positioned in the cylinder and is configured to detect the second position of the cylinder. The detection unit includes a hub which is positioned at an end of the cylinder and includes at least one first conductor and at least one second conductor, which are movably disposed in the hub. The second position is detected corresponding to contact between the at least one first conductor and the at least one second conductor, thereby detecting unladen condition of the wheel to identify and alert wheel theft in the vehicle.
In an embodiment, the damper includes a piston rod which extends from the piston along the axis A-A and is connected to an eye adaptor.
In an embodiment, the displacement of the cylinder to the second position from the first position, facilitates abutting between the piston and the at least one second conductor to displace the at least one second conductor and contact the at least one first conductor to indicate the unladen condition of the wheel.
In an embodiment, the damper comprises a resilient member which is connectable to the at least one second conductor and is configured to abut the piston to displace the at least one second conductor to contact the at least one first conductor.
In an embodiment, the at least one first conductor is communicatively coupled to a first electrical terminal and the at least one second conductor is communicatively coupled to a second electrical terminal.
In an embodiment, the detection unit is communicatively coupled to a control unit which is configured to activate at least one indication unit to generate an alert signal indicating the unladen condition of the wheel relative to the second position of the cylinder.
In an embodiment, the at least one second conductor in contact with the at least one first conductor corresponding to the second position of the cylinder, communicatively couples the first electrical terminal and the second electrical terminal to transmit operational signal to the control unit.

In an embodiment, the control unit is communicatively coupled to at least one indication unit and is configured to activate the at least one indication unit based on predefined parameters to indicate the unladen condition of the wheel based on operational signals received from the detection unit.
In an embodiment, the at least one indication unit is a visual indication unit and an audio indication unit.
In an embodiment, the predetermined parameters are at least one of a static condition of the vehicle, input signal from a tire sensor and non-detection of ignition key in the vehicle.
The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments, and features described above, further aspects, embodiments, and features will become apparent by reference to the drawings and the following detailed description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS
The novel features and characteristics of the disclosure are set forth in the appended claims. The disclosure itself, however, as well as a preferred mode of use, further objectives, and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiments when read in conjunction with the accompanying figures. One or more embodiments are now described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying figures wherein like reference numerals represent like elements and in which:
Fig. 1a illustrates a side sectional view of a damper having a cylinder in a first position, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Fig. 1b illustrates a side sectional view of the damper having the cylinder in a second position, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Fig. 2a illustrates a schematic view of a detection unit corresponding to the first position of the cylinder, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 2b illustrates a schematic view of the detection unit corresponding to the second position of the cylinder, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Fig. 3 illustrates a block diagram of the damper connected to a control unit and at least one indication unit, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
The figures depict embodiments of the disclosure for purposes of illustration only. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from the following description that alternative embodiments of the system and method illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principles of the disclosure described herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The foregoing has broadly outlined the features and technical advantages of the present disclosure in order that the detailed description of the disclosure that follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages of the disclosure will be described hereinafter which forms the subject of the claims of the disclosure. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that, the conception and specific embodiments disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying other devices, systems, assemblies and mechanisms for carrying out the same purposes of the present disclosure. It should also be realized by those skilled in the art that, such equivalent constructions do not depart from the scope of the disclosure as set forth in the appended claims. The novel features which are believed to be characteristics of the disclosure, together with further objects and advantages will be better understood from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying figures. It is to be expressly understood, however, that each of the figures is provided for the purpose of illustration and description only and is not intended as a definition of the limits of the present disclosure.
The terms “comprises”, “comprising”, or any other variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusions, such that a system or a device that comprises a list of components or steps does not include only those components or steps but may include other components or steps not expressly listed or inherent to such setup or device. In other words, one or more elements in a system or apparatus proceeded by “comprises… a” does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of other elements or additional elements in the system or apparatus.

Reference will now be made to the exemplary embodiments of the disclosure, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, same numerals have been used to refer to the same or like parts. The following paragraphs describe the present disclosure with reference to Figs. 1a-3.
Figs. 1a and 1b are exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure which illustrates a damper (100). The damper (100) may be positioned between a body and a wheel of the vehicle. The damper (100) may be adapted to received between each wheel and the body of the vehicle. In an embodiment, the vehicle may be including but not limited to a passenger vehicle, a utility vehicle, a commercial vehicle and the like. The damper (100) may be a part of the suspension system of the vehicle and may be configured to provide a damping effect and stability to the vehicle during vehicle movement. Further, the damper (100) may be configured to provide operational signals corresponding to lifting of the vehicle when in stationary condition from the ground which may correspond to intention of wheel theft.
The damper (100) may include a casing (1) and a cylinder (2) movably coupled to the casing (1). In an embodiment, the casing (1) may cover the cylinder (2) and may be configured to protect the cylinder (2) from ingress of foreign material. Further, the cylinder (2) may be adapted to enclose a piston (3). Additionally, the damper (100) may include a piston rod (4) which may extend from the piston (3) along an axis A-A. The piston rod (4) may extend from the piston (3) towards the top end of the cylinder (2) and may extend through the top end of the cylinder (2) and out of the casing (1). One end of the piston rod (4) may be connected to the piston (3) and the other end of the piston rod (4) may be defined away from the piston (3) and out of the cylinder (2). The other end of the piston rod (4) may be connected to an eye adaptor (11). The eye adaptor (11) may be employed to connect the damper (100) with the body of the vehicle. In an embodiment, the end of the piston rod (4) may be connected to any other clamping or fastening means which may facilitate connection between the damper (100) and the body of the vehicle. Further, the other end of the damper (100), that is the bottom end of the cylinder (2) may be defined away from the top end and may be connected to another eye adaptor (11) or any other coupling or fastening means to connect the damper (100) with the wheel of the vehicle. In an embodiment, the damper (100) may be

directly connected to a hub of the wheel or may be connected to any suspension components coupled to the hub of the wheel.
Referring to Figs. 1a and 1b, the cylinder (2) of the damper (100) may be configured to displace between a first position (FP) and a second position (SP) through the casing (1) along the axis A-A. In an embodiment, the first position (FP) of the cylinder (2) may correspond to a laden condition of the wheel in the vehicle [as seen in Fig. 1a]. In the laden condition, the kerb or laden weight of the vehicle may be exerted on the damper (100) and in turn to the wheel of the vehicle. Further, in an embodiment, the second position (SP) of the cylinder (2) may correspond to an unladen condition of the vehicle [as seen in Fig. 1b]. In the unladen condition, the weight of the vehicle may not be exerted on the damper (100) and the vehicle may be lifted or jacked up and the wheel of the vehicle may be lifted from the ground during stationary condition of the vehicle. In an embodiment, the second position (SP) may also correspond to any partial lifting of the wheel from the ground or the wheel may be grounded and the cylinder (2) may be partially displaced from the first position (FP).
In an embodiment, the cylinder (2) may be filled with a fluid that may interact with the piston (3) disposed within the cylinder (2) during displacement of the cylinder (2) to provide a damping effect.
Referring now to Figs. 2a and 2b, the damper (100) may include a detection unit (200) which may be positioned in the cylinder (2). The detection unit (200) may be configured to detect the second position (SP) of the cylinder (2), thereby detecting an unladen condition of the vehicle and to indicate wheel theft in the vehicle. The detection unit (200) may include a hub (5) that may be positioned within the cylinder (2). In an embodiment, the hub (5) may be position at the top end of the cylinder (2). Further, the detection unit (200) may include at least one first conductor (6) and at least one second conductor (7). The at least one first conductor (6) may be fixed to a wall of the hub (5) and the at least one second conductor (7) may be movably disposed within the hub (5). In an embodiment, the hub (5) may be defined with a profile such that the at least one second conductor (7) may not displace out of the hub (5). The at least one first conductor (6) may be communicatively coupled to a first electrical terminal (9) and the at least one second conductor (7) may be communicatively coupled to a second electrical terminal (10).

In an embodiment, the detection unit (200) may include a resilient member (8) which may be connectable to the at least one second conductor (7). The resilient member (8) may be adapted to extend out of the hub (5) and may be adapted to contact the piston (3) disposed in the cylinder (2) to displace the at least one second conductor (7). For example, the resilient member (8) may be including but not limited to a helical spring, a torsion spring, a flexible rod and the like. The resilient member (8) may be configured to displace the at least one second conductor (7) without deformation and may deform upon detection of non-displacing condition of the at least one second conductor (7) to allow displacement of the cylinder (2) and may not hinder damping effect of the damper (100).
In an operational embodiment, the cylinder (2) may displace between the first position (FP) [as seen in Fig. 1a] and the second position (SP) [as seen in Fig. 1b]. The detection unit (200) may be configured to detect the displacement of the cylinder (2) from the first position (FP) to the second position (SP), as the cylinder (2) in the second position (SP) may facilitate abutting between the piston (3) and the at least one second conductor (7). In an embodiment, the piston (3) may abut the resilient member (8) to displace the at least one second conductor (7). Upon displacement of the cylinder (2) to the second position (SP), at least one second conductor (7) may displace and may contact the at least one first conductor (6) [as seen in Fig. 2b]. The contact between the at least one second conductor (7) and the at least one first conductor (6) corresponding to the second position (SP) of the cylinder (2) may communicatively couple the first electrical terminal (9) and the second electrical terminal (10) to transmit the operational signal from the detection unit (200) indicating the unladen condition of the vehicle which may be indicative of wheel theft.
Referring now to Fig. 3, the damper (100) may be communicatively coupled to a control unit (CU). In an embodiment, the detection unit (200) may be communicatively coupled to the control unit (CU) through the first electrical terminal (9) and the second electrical terminal (10). The contact between the at least one first conductor (6) and the at least one second conductor (7) may transmit operational signals to the control unit (CU) through the first electrical terminal (9) and the second electrical terminal (10). The control unit (CU) may be configured to generate an alert signal indicative of the unladen condition of the wheel relative to the second position (SP) of the cylinder (2). Further, the control unit (CU) may be communicatively coupled to at least one indication unit

(12) and may be configured to activate the at least one indication unit (12) based on operational signals received from the detection unit (200) to indicate the unladen condition of the wheel. In an embodiment, the control unit (CU) may be configured to activate the at least one indication unit (12) based on predefined parameters. In an embodiment, the predefined parameters may be at least one of a static condition of the vehicle corresponding to parked condition of the vehicle, input signal from a tire sensor which corresponds to detection of wheel in the vehicle and non-detection of ignition key in the vehicle which corresponds to the owner of the vehicle not being proximal to the vehicle.
In an embodiment, the control unit (CU) may be a centralized control unit of the vehicle or may be a dedicated control unit to the damper (100) associated with the centralized control unit of the vehicle. The control unit (CU) may also be associated with other control units including, but not limited to, a body control module (BCM), a central control module (CCM), a general electronic module (GEM), and the like. In an embodiment, the control unit (CU) may include a processing unit, where the processing unit may comprise at least one data processor for executing program components for executing user- or system-generated requests. Further, the control unit (CU) may be an electronic control unit, disposed in communication with one or more memory devices via a storage interface.
In an embodiment, the at least one indication unit (12) may be a visual indication unit and an audio indication unit. The visual indication unit may be headlights, or turn signal lights of the vehicle and the audio indication unit may be a horn or beeper/alarm of the vehicle. Further, the control unit (CU) may send out wireless signals to the owner of the vehicle or concerned authorities, indicating wheel theft in the vehicle.
In an embodiment, the control unit (CU) may be connected to an antilock braking system (ABS) sensor of the vehicle to determine the static condition of the vehicle, a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) sensor or a tire sensor to determine association of the wheel in the vehicle and may be capable of detecting ignition key proximal to the vehicle to detect proximity of the owner of the vehicle. Further, the control unit (CU) may receive signals from any other components from the vehicle to determine vehicle dynamic or static condition and to determine if the owner of the vehicle is proximal or is using the vehicle.

In an operational embodiment, as the detection unit (200) transmits the operational signal to the control unit (CU) corresponding to second position (SP) of the cylinder (2), the control unit (CU) compares signals from the components in the vehicle with the predefined parameters. The control unit (CU) activates the at least one indication unit (12) upon confirmation of the static condition of the vehicle by the signals received from the ABS sensor, signals from the TPMS sensor and non-detection of the ignition key proximal to the vehicle. Further, the at least one indication unit (12) upon activation may produce alert signals which may alert the owner of the vehicle or may prevent wheel theft by acting as a safety alarm.
In an embodiment, a sensor may be positioned in the cylinder (2) which may be configured to detect the second position (SP) of the cylinder (2). The sensor may be configured to transmit operational signals to the control unit (CU) to activate the at least one indication unit (12).
It should be noted that in an exemplary embodiment, as seen in the Figs. 1a-3 the construction, profile, arrangement, layout and connections of the damper (100) and the detection unit (200) should not be construed as a limitation as the damper (100) and the detection unit (200) may include any other type of construction, profile, arrangement, layout and connection or any other combinations for providing damping and detecting the wheel theft in the vehicle.
In an embodiment, the damper (100) is simple in construction and has less number of components which results in low-cost manufacturing and easy maintenance.
In an embodiment, the damper (100) facilitates a simple and a convenient approach to detect and alert the wheel theft in the vehicle. Further, the damper (100) facilitates detection of an unladen condition of the wheel and activates the at least one indication unit (12) which aids in producing the alert signals before removing the wheel from the vehicle.
In an embodiment, the damper (100) may be provided in any conventional vehicle thereby improving safety and preventing the wheel theft.
It should be imperative that the construction and configuration of the damper and any other elements or components described in the above detailed description should not be considered as a

limitation with respect to the figures. Rather, variation to such structural configuration of the elements or components should be considered within the scope of the detailed description.
Equivalents:
With respect to the use of substantially any plural and/or singular terms herein, those having skill in the art can translate from the plural to the singular and/or from the singular to the plural as is appropriate to the context and/or application. The various singular/plural permutations may be expressly set forth herein for sake of clarity.
It will be understood by those within the art that, in general, terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., bodies of the appended claims) are generally intended as “open” terms (e.g., the term “including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” the term “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” the term “includes” should be interpreted as “includes but is not limited to,” etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation no such intent is present. For example, as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of the introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite articles “a” or “an” limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to inventions containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases “one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or “an” (e.g., “a” and/or “an” should typically be interpreted to mean “at least one” or “one or more”); the same holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should typically be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the bare recitation of “two recitations,” without other modifiers, typically means at least two recitations, or two or more recitations). Furthermore, in those instances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, and C, etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, and C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone,

C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). In those instances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, or C, etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, or C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that virtually any disjunctive word and/or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms, whether in the description, claims, or drawings, should be understood to contemplate the possibilities of including one of the terms, either of the terms, or both terms. For example, the phrase “A or B” will be understood to include the possibilities of “A” or “B” or “A and B.”
In addition, where features or aspects of the disclosure are described in terms of Markush groups, those skilled in the art will recognize that the disclosure is also thereby described in terms of any individual member or subgroup of members of the Markush group.
While various aspects and embodiments have been disclosed herein, other aspects and embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The various aspects and embodiments disclosed herein are for purposes of illustration and are not intended to be limiting, with the true scope being indicated by the following claims.

Referral Numerals:

Reference Number Description
100 Damper
200 Detection unit
1 Casing
2 Cylinder
3 Piston
4 Piston rod
5 Hub
6 First conductor
7 Second conductor
8 Resilient member
9 First electrical terminal
10 Second electrical terminal
11 Eye adaptor
12 Indication unit
FP First position
SP Second position
CU Control unit

We Claim:
1. A damper (100) of a vehicle, comprising:
a casing (1);
a cylinder (2) movably coupled to the casing (1) and adapted to enclose a piston (3), wherein the cylinder (2) is configured to displace between a first position (FP) and a second position (SP) through the casing (1) along an axis A-A; and
a detection unit (200) positioned in the cylinder (2) and configured to detect the second position (SP) of the cylinder (2), the detection unit (200) comprising:
a hub (5) positioned at an end of the cylinder (2); and
at least one first conductor (6) and at least one second conductor (7), movably disposed in the hub (5), wherein the second position (SP) is detected corresponding to contact between the at least one first conductor (6) and the at least one second conductor (7).
2. The damper (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first position (FP) of the cylinder (2) corresponds to a laden condition of a wheel in the vehicle.
3. The damper (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second position (SP) of the cylinder
(2) corresponds to an unladen condition of the wheel in the vehicle.
4. The damper (100) as claimed in claim 1, comprises a piston rod (4) extending from the piston (3) along the axis A-A and connected to an eye adaptor (11).
5. The damper (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the displacement of the cylinder (2) to the second position (SP) from the first position (FP), facilitates abutting between the piston
(3) and the at least one second conductor (7) to displace the at least one second conductor
(7) and contact the at least one first conductor (6) to indicate the unladen condition of the
wheel.

6. The damper (100) as claimed in claim 1, comprises a resilient member (8) connectable to the at least one second conductor (7) and configured to abut the piston (3) to displace the at least one second conductor (7) to contact the at least one first conductor (6).
7. The damper (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one first conductor (6) is communicatively coupled to a first electrical terminal (9) and the at least one second conductor (7) is communicatively coupled to a second electrical terminal (10).
8. The damper (100) as claimed in claim 1, the detection unit (200) is communicatively coupled to a control unit (CU) which is configured to activate at least one indication unit (12) to generate an alert signal indicating the unladen condition of the wheel relative to the second position (SP) of the cylinder (2).
9. The damper (100) as claimed in claim 8, wherein the at least one second conductor (7) in contact with the at least one first conductor (6) corresponding to the second position (SP) of the cylinder (2), communicatively couples the first electrical terminal (9) and the second electrical terminal (10) to transmit operational signal to the control unit (CU).
10. The damper (100) as claimed in claim 9, wherein the control unit (CU) communicatively coupled to at least one indication unit (12) and is configured to activate the at least one indication unit (12) based on predefined parameters to indicate the unladen condition of the wheel based on operational signals received from the detection unit (200).
11. The damper (100) as claimed in claim 7, wherein the at least one indication unit (12) is a visual indication unit and an audio indication unit.
12. The damper (100) as claimed in claim 9, wherein the predetermined parameters are at least one of a static condition of the vehicle, input signal from a tire sensor and non-detection of ignition key in the vehicle.