DESC:FIELD
The present disclosure relates to the field of automobiles, particularly spare wheel lifting mechanism.
BACKGROUND
The background information herein below relates to the present disclosure but is not necessarily prior art.
In present vehicles, a well region is provided in the rear storage space of a vehicle for storing a spare wheel. The spare wheel is removably mounted in the well using bolts. After mounting the spare wheel, the well is covered with a carpet to hide the well area. The carpet is usually supported by a hard flap underneath to maintain a flat floor surface.
Presently, when the spare wheel is to be removed, the user first needs to open the carpet and unscrew the bolt. Thereafter the user needs to lift the spare wheel from within the well area, which requires significant effort and the act is tiring. In some cases, even a tool kit is fixed on the spare wheel. In such cases, the user is required to remove the toolkit first before removing the spare wheel. This makes the process of removing the spare wheel from the well even more tedious. Also, as the spare wheel is heavy, it cannot be easily lifted by elderly people.
Conventional tools that are used to facilitate lifting and removal of the spare wheel from the well is complex in design and require extra space for themselves. Further, these tools also require additional power for their operation. One of the conventional approach employs a specific telescopic arm and motor arrangement for the lifting of the spare wheel. However, this system is complex as it needs a dedicated telescopic arm and requires additional power for running an electric motor for operating the system.
Therefore, there is felt a need of a spare wheel lifting mechanism for vehicles that alleviates the above-mentioned drawbacks.
OBJECTS
Some of the objects of the present disclosure, which at least one embodiment herein satisfies, are as follows:
An object of the present disclosure is to provide a spare wheel lifting mechanism that facilitates easy removal of the spare wheel from within a vehicle.
Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a spare wheel lifting mechanism that is simple in construction.
Yet another object of the present disclosure is to provide a spare wheel lifting mechanism that is easy to operate.
Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a spare wheel lifting mechanism that can be operated by elderly people.
Other objects and advantages of the present disclosure will be more apparent from the following description, which is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
SUMMARY
The present disclosure envisages a spare wheel lifting mechanism for assisting a user for lifting and lowering a spare wheel in a floor well. The floor well is provided in a trunk of a vehicle. The spare wheel lifting mechanism comprises a scissor jack positioned in the floor well and fastened thereto and an operating means for operating the scissor jack. The operating means comprises a first pair of bevel gears provided in the floor well, a second pair of bevel gears provided near the operative top end of the floor well, a shaft for mechanically coupling the first pair of bevel gears to the second pair of bevel gears (165), and a handle for driving the second pair of bevel gears. The handle is removably coupled to the second pair of bevel gears. In an operative configuration, the operating means facilitates the operation of the scissor jack from outside the vehicle. The scissor jack moves between an extended position and a retracted position, thereby reducing the effort of lifting and placing the spare wheel from and into the floor well. The first pair of bevel gears is coupled to a power screw of the scissor jack and the second pair of bevel gears is configured to transmit power from the handle to the first pair of bevel gears.
In an embodiment the scissor jack is removably mounted in the floor well.
In an embodiment the spare wheel includes a disc portion in the center. The disc portion is configured to be mounted on a carrier plate of the scissor jack.
In an embodiment the first and second pair of bevel gears is detachably connected to the scissor jack.
In another embodiment the first and second pair of bevel gears is detachably fastened to the floor well.
In an embodiment the floor well is configured in the rear trunk of the vehicle.
In another embodiment the floor well is configured in the trunk defined in the front portion of the vehicle.
In an embodiment the second pair of bevel gears is driven by an electric motor.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWING
A spare wheel lifting mechanism of the present disclosure will now be described with the help of the accompanying drawing, in which:
Figure 1 illustrates a spare wheel lifting mechanism, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS
100 – Spare wheel lifting mechanism
105 – Jack
110 – Well
115 – Rear floor
120 – Spare wheel
125 – Wheel disc
130 – Wheel rim
135 – Screw
140 – Rivet
145 –Shaft
155 – Handle
160 – First pair of bevel gears
165 – Second pair of bevel gears
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Embodiments, of the present disclosure, will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing.
Embodiments are provided so as to thoroughly and fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to the person skilled in the art. Numerous details are set forth, relating to specific components, and methods, to provide a complete understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to the person skilled in the art that the details provided in the embodiments should not be construed to limit the scope of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, well-known processes, well-known apparatus structures, and well-known techniques are not described in detail.
The terminology used, in the present disclosure, is only for the purpose of explaining a particular embodiment and such terminology shall not be considered to limit the scope of the present disclosure. As used in the present disclosure, the forms “a”, “an” and “the” may be intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly suggests otherwise. The terms “comprises”, “comprising”, “including” and “having” are open-ended transitional phrases and therefore specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, modules, units and/or components, but do not forbid the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. The particular order of steps disclosed in the method and process of the present disclosure is not to be construed as necessarily requiring their performance as described or illustrated. It is also to be understood that additional or alternative steps may be employed.
When an element is referred to as being “mounted on”, “engaged to”, “connected to” or “coupled to” another element, it may be directly on, engaged, connected or coupled to the other element. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed elements.
The terms first, second, third, etc., should not be construed to limit the scope of the present disclosure as the aforementioned terms may be only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another component, region, layer or section. Terms such as first, second, third etc., when used herein do not imply a specific sequence or order unless clearly suggested by the present disclosure.
Terms such as “inner”, “outer”, “beneath”, “below”, “lower”, “above”, “upper” and the like, may be used in the present disclosure to describe relationships between different elements as depicted from the figures.
Figure 1 illustrates a schematic view of a spare wheel lifting mechanism 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
The spare wheel lifting mechanism 100 includes a scissor jack 105, a screw 135, plurality of linkages 107 connected by rivets, a receiving platform (not shown in figures), a first pair of bevel gears 160, a second pair of bevel gears 165, and a shaft 145. The screw 135 is connected to the output shaft of the first pair of bevel gears 160. The first pair of bevel gears 160 is configured to be positioned in well 110 defined in the floor of the trunk or boot space of the vehicle. The input shaft of the first pair of bevel gears 160 is coupled to the output shaft of the second pair of bevel gears 165 by the shaft 145 to transmit the motion therebetween.
The scissor jack 105 is positioned in the well 110 defined in the floor of the trunk` of a vehicle. In an embodiment, the scissor jack 105 is clamped to the floor 115 of the well 110. The scissor jack 105 can be formed by connecting together a number of links at a plurality of rivets 140. The scissor jack 105 is configured to receive the spare wheel 120.
The shaft 145 couples the first pair of bevel gears 160 with the second pair of bevel gears 165, and is configured to transfer the rotational motion of the second pair of bevel gears 165 to the power screw 135 of the jack 105 via the first pair of bevel gears 160.
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the scissor jack 105 can be mounted in the well 110 in a removable configuration.
In the event, when the spare wheel 120 is to be lifted, a handle 155 of the scissor jack 105 is rotated via suitable means. The handle 155 is rotated until the spare wheel 120 reaches a suitable height. Thereafter, the spare wheel 120 can be easily taken out by a user.
The spare wheel 120 consists of a disc portion 125 in the center and an outer rim 130 on which the tire is mounted. The disc portion 125 is received by a receiving platform of the scissor jack 105 while mounting the spare wheel into the well 110.
The lifting mechanism 100 further comprises a first pair of bevel gears 160 and a second pair of bevel gears 165. The second pair of bevel gears 165 is provided with the handle 155 or a lever (not shown in figures) for operating the scissor jack 105.
In an embodiment the first and second pair of bevel gears (160 and 165) is detachably fastened to the body of the jack or to the inner surface of the floor well 110.
In the event, when the spare wheel 120 is to be removed from the well 110, the user rotates the handle 155 to drive the power screw 135 of the scissor jack 105. A shaft 145 is configured to transmit the motion between the pair of bevel gears 160 and 165. This increases the effective height of the jack 105 so that the spare wheel 120 can be taken out conveniently.
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the scissor jack 105 can be a modular type jack which can be dismantled and stored in a small box to carry to a different location.
The power screw 135 in combination with the pairs of bevel gears (160 and 165) provide mechanical leverage which in turn reduces the effort of lifting the spare wheel 120, thus making the spare wheel 120 removal operation convenient and feasible even for elderly people.
In accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure, the second pair of bevel gears 165 is driven by an electric motor.
The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Individual components of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, are interchangeable. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the present disclosure, and all such modifications are considered to be within the scope of the present disclosure.
TECHNICAL ADVANCEMENTS
The present disclosure described herein above has several technical advantages including, but not limited to, the realization of a spare wheel lifting mechanism that:
• reduces the manual effort needed for removing a spare wheel;
• is simple is construction;
• is ergonomically designed; and
• facilitates quick removal of a spare wheel.
The foregoing disclosure has been described with reference to the accompanying embodiments which do not limit the scope and ambit of the disclosure. The description provided is purely by way of example and illustration.
The embodiments herein and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained with reference to the non-limiting embodiments in the following description. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques are omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments herein. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the embodiments herein may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments herein. Accordingly, the examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments herein.
The foregoing description of the specific embodiments so fully reveal the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Therefore, while the embodiments herein have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments herein can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the embodiments as described herein.
The use of the expression “at least” or “at least one” suggests the use of one or more elements or ingredients or quantities, as the use may be in the embodiment of the disclosure to achieve one or more of the desired objects or results.
While considerable emphasis has been placed herein on the components and component parts of the preferred embodiments, it will be appreciated that many embodiments can be made and that many changes can be made in the preferred embodiments without departing from the principles of the disclosure. These and other changes in the preferred embodiment as well as other embodiments of the disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the disclosure herein, whereby it is to be distinctly understood that the foregoing descriptive matter is to be interpreted merely as illustrative of the disclosure and not as a limitation.
,CLAIMS:WE CLAIM:
1. A spare wheel lifting mechanism (100) for assisting a user for lifting and lowering a spare wheel (120) in a floor well (110) provided in a trunk of a vehicle, said mechanism (100) comprising:
a. a scissor jack (105) positioned in said floor well (110) and fastened thereto;
b. an operating means for operating said scissor jack (105), said operating means comprising:
i. a first pair of bevel gears (160) provided in said floor well (110), said first pair of bevel gears (160) being coupled to a power screw (135) of said scissor jack (105);
ii. a second pair of bevel gears (165) provided near the operative top end of said floor well (110), said second pair of bevel gears (165) configured to transmit power to said first pair of bevel gears (160);
iii. a shaft (145) for mechanically coupling said first pair of bevel gears (160) to said second pair of bevel gears (165);
iv. a handle (155) for driving said second pair of bevel gears (165), said handle (155) being configured to be removably coupled to said second pair of bevel gears (165),
said operating means configured to facilitate operating said scissor jack (105) from outside the vehicle, said scissor jack (105) moving between an extended position and a retracted position, thereby reducing the effort of lifting and placing said spare wheel (120) from and into said floor well (110).
2. The spare wheel lifting mechanism (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said scissor jack (105) is removably mounted in said floor well (110).
3. The spare wheel lifting mechanism (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said spare wheel (120) includes a disc portion in the center, said disc portion being configured to be mounted on a carrier plate of said scissor jack (105).
4. The spare wheel lifting mechanism (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first and second pair of bevel gears (160 and 165) are detachably connected to said scissor jack (105).
5. The spare wheel lifting mechanism (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first and second pair of bevel gears (160 and 165) are detachably fastened said floor well (110).
6. The spare wheel lifting mechanism (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said floor well (110) is configured in the rear trunk of the vehicle.
7. The spare wheel lifting mechanism (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said floor well (110) is configured in the trunk defined in the front of the vehicle.
8. The spare wheel lifting mechanism (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said second pair of bevel gears (165) is driven by an electric motor.