Claims:We Claim:
1. A wheel assembly (101) for a vehicle, said wheel assembly (101) comprising:
a wheel (104) having a wheel axle (105), said wheel axle (105) is coupled to a swing arm (301, 401A);
a brake assembly (102) attached to a portion of said wheel (104), said brake assembly (102) includes a brake panel (103);
a brake actuating member (106) to enable operation of said brake assembly (102), said brake actuating member (106) is connected to said brake panel (103) through one or more mechanical connections; and
an abutment member (107), is operably connected to one or more said actuating member (106) through an elastic member (110).

2. The wheel assembly (101) for a vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein said mechanical connection comprising a brake cable (109), wherein said brake cable (109) includes an inner wire (109A) and an outer sleeve (109B), said outer sleeve (109B) of the brake cable (109) is abutted to said abutment member (107) and the inner wire (109A) is connected to said brake actuating member (106).

3. The wheel assembly (101) for a vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein said brake actuating member (106) is rotatably mounted on said brake panel (103) such that it rotates in predetermined direction upon actuation of one or more brake lever.

4. The wheel assembly (101) for a vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein said abutment member (107) is fixedly mounted on said wheel axle (105) and coupled to the brake cable (109) to guide the brake cable (109) as well as restrict undesirable deflection said brake cable (109).

5. The wheel assembly (101) for a vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein said abutment member (107) is configured to have a first end (107F) and a second end (107S), wherein said first end (107F) includes a boss (107B) projecting from an outer surface (107O) of said abutment member (107), said boss (107B) having an opening (107BO) adapted to receive said wheel axle (105).

6. The wheel assembly (101) for a vehicle as claimed in claim 5, wherein said boss (107B) is configured to have an extending portion (107E) projecting in lateral direction (C-C’) of said wheel assembly (101) such that it is adapted to butt with a slot (301S) provided in a said swing arm (301, 401A, 401B).

7. The wheel assembly (101) for a vehicle as claimed in claim 5, wherein said second end (107S) includes an opening (107SO) configured to abut the outer sleeve (109B) of the brake cable (109).

8. The wheel assembly (101) for a vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein said elastic member (110) retracts and brings back said actuating member (106) to original position or unactuated position through discharge of energy stored in said elastic member (110) after brake application.

9. The wheel assembly (101) for a vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein said elastic member (110) envelops around an inner wire (109A) of brake cable (109) such that front portion (110F) of said elastic member (110) ends against said abutment member (107) and a rear portion (110R) of said elastic member (110) ends against said actuating member (106).

10. The wheel assembly (101) for a vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein said brake panel (103) is connected to said swing arm (301) through a mechanical linkage (302).

11. The wheel assembly (101) for a vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein said swing arm (401A) includes a slot (401AA) adapted to receive said attachment means (402) to connect with said brake panel (103) with flexibility to adjust said brake panel (103) by changing the position of said attachment means (402).
, Description:TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present subject matter relates to a wheel assembly. More particularly, to the wheel assembly for a motor vehicle.

BACKGROUND
[0002] Generally, for a vehicle, there are wide range of performance criteria which includes quantitative features like top speed, acceleration, gradeability etc. But there are several other aspects related to vehicle performance which includes refinement, drivability or driving pleasure some of which are contradictory in nature e.g. power and mileage. Therefore, it is always a challenge for design engineers to have a right trade-off between several performance features. Typically, the power from a prime mover is controlled by a transmission assembly and drive line to deliver tractive effort to one or more drive wheel. And all these components, collectively referred as a powertrain assembly, are controlled by a user.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0003] The detailed description is explained with reference to an embodiment of wheel assembly with the accompanying figures. The same numbers are used throughout the drawings to reference like features and components.
[0004] Figure 1 illustrates a right side view and a localized enlarged left side view of a wheel assembly (101) installed with a brake assembly (102) in accordance with one example implementation of the present subject matter.
[0005] Figure 2a illustrates a perspective view of the brake assembly (102) where few parts are omitted from the figure in accordance with one example implementation of the present subject matter.
[0006] Figure 2b illustrates a perspective view of the abutment member (107) in accordance with one example implementation of the present subject matter.
[0007] Figure 3a illustrate side view of the wheel assembly (101) functionally connected to a swing arm (301) in accordance with one example implementation of the present subject matter.
[0008] Figure 3b illustrates a side cut section view of the wheel assembly (101) functionally connected to the swing arm (301) across A-A axis in accordance with one example implementation of the present subject matter.
[0009] Figure 4 illustrates a localized side view of the wheel assembly (101) functionally connected to a swing arm (401A) as per alternative embodiment in accordance with one example implementation of the present subject matter.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[00010] Various features and embodiments of the present subject matter here will be discernible from the following further description thereof, set out hereunder. According to an embodiment, wheel assembly described here is configured inverted cam lever. It is contemplated that the concepts of the present invention may be applied to multi wheeled vehicles. The detailed explanation of the constitution of parts other than the present subject matter which constitutes an essential part has been omitted at suitable places.
[00011] In relation to a powertrain assembly, the two major components are a prime mover and a transmission assembly. The prime mover plays a dominant role in overall vehicle performance and it is essential. The prime mover converts available energy either electrical or chemical energy into mechanical power that is usually made at a rotating output shaft.
[00012] Typically, the prime mover is functionally connected to a rear wheel of the vehicle such as by a sprocket and chain drive, which provides the forward motion to the vehicle. Further, the tension in the transmission means like belt or drive chain is a very essential parameter that determines the prime mover performance. However, during operation, the drive chains are subjected to wear through the relative movement of the individual components in the drive chain. These wear and elongation factors result in an elongation of the drive chain and, in the end, lead to a failure of a drive chain. Wear of a drive chain also depends on the loads acting on the drive chain and on the surrounding parts with which it is operated. If the drive chain becomes elongated, then only a few of the links will undergo excess stress to drive (or be driven by) a sprocket teeth, and the remaining links will be slightly spaced between adjacent teeth. The elongated drive chain will slip on the sprockets and this slippage will cause frictional and impact wear on the sprockets, thereby damaging the sprockets as well. For a rider, drive chain slippage will result in some discomfort because riding the motor vehicle is less smoothly accomplished which directly affects the riding pleasure. Further, as elongation worsens, drive chain slippage worsens, damage to the sprockets increases, durability and the drive chain becomes unusable.
[00013] Generally, slackness due to elongated drive chain is adjusted by displacing a drive wheel assembly from its original position. Such adjustments are generally done during the regular service of the vehicle by adjusting drive wheel assembly configured to have brake assembly.
[00014] Typically, brake assembly comprising of a brake panel which is connected to the drive wheel assembly such that the brake panel is concentric to a wheel axle. The brake panel configured to have an actuating member which is operatively connected to a hand lever through a brake cable. The brake cable comprising of an outer sleeve and an inner wire such that the outer sleeve is abutted to an abutment assembly and the inner wire is connected to the actuating member. The abutment assembly is connected to the brake panel. The orientation of the brake panel and abutment assembly is controlled by a torque link by connecting the brake panel and the abutment assembly to a swing arm.
[00015] However, adjustment of the drive wheel assembly has a detrimental effect on the wheel brake connected to a handbrake system. The detrimental effect is due to disorientation of the abutment assembly while adjusting transmission means like chain. The disorientation of abutment assembly is leading to the deflection of the brake cable actuating the wheel brake. The deflection of brake cable leads to loss of brake force transmitted from the handbrake system to the wheel brake. Further, undesirable play can also be introduced into the brake cable and abutment assembly as a result of wear between the brake cable and the abutment assembly. In a handbrake system it is important that the brake cable extending from the handbrake system to the wheel brake is neither too slack nor too tight. If the brake cable is too slack, then the wheel brakes will not be applied with sufficient or target force, even when a handbrake lever position suggests that the brakes are fully on. Conversely, if the brake cable is too tight, then the brakes will act to slow the vehicle even when the handbrake lever position suggests that the brakes are fully off and both such situations are undesirable. The issue becomes more critical when an additional payload is being carried by user on the vehicle which is going down a steep hill or moving up a hill. In such situation, the rider needs to continuously hold the brake operating device like handbrake lever to continuously apply the braking force on the wheel.
[00016] Another difficulty with the known braking devices is that high loading beyond engineered design intent payload on the wheel decreases a ground clearance undesirably. Ground clearance is the distance between any part of a vehicle (other than those parts designed to contact the ground, such as tires, etc.) and the surface upon which the vehicle travels. Typically, vehicle suspension systems are usually designed to maintain a sufficiently optimum ground clearance to avoid obstacles anticipated to be in the vehicle's path, including (for example) to avoid scraping when going over a speed bump. However, if the surface over which a vehicle carrying additional payloads beyond prescribed limit travels has a speed bump, slope or other obstacle, then, the ground clearance typically at the brake assembly installed with the wheel may not be maintained. Further complicating this problem is the fact that many villages or rural areas are only accessible over very rough, uneven roads. Unfortunately, when contact occurs, it is observed that the parts like the actuating lever which is installed on the brake panel of the brake assembly of the vehicle is often damaged owing to the contact.
[00017] Therefore there is a need for improved brake system solution which overcomes all the above problems and other problems of known art. Due to above problem of improper adjustment and poor ground clearance of brake assembly, the principle aim, is to address the above drawbacks by providing a wheel assembly configured to have an efficient and compact brake assembly with improved ground clearance while overcoming the adverse effects of chain elongation.
[00018] Further, it is an object of the invention to provide improved wheel assembly which substantially reduces the time required to maintenance a wheel assembly configured to have a brake assembly and which greatly reduces the likelihood that a mechanic will suffer a debilitating injury while removing the brake assembly from the wheel axle of the wheel assembly.
[00019] It is another object of the present invention is to improve the reliability of wheel assembly by reducing the part count.
[00020] It is still another object of the present invention is to improve the durability of a brake cable.
[00021] Therefore, according to the present subject matter to attain the above-mentioned objectives, a first characteristic of the present invention is that a wheel assembly, wherein said wheel assembly comprises of a wheel having a wheel axle, said wheel axle is coupled to a swing arm; a brake assembly attached to a portion of said wheel, said brake assembly includes a brake actuating member to enable operation of said brake assembly. The brake actuating member through one or more mechanical connection. Further, an abutment member is operably connected to said actuating member through an elastic member.
[00022] In addition to the first characteristic, a second characteristic of the present invention is said wheel assembly, wherein said mechanical connection comprising a brake cable, wherein said brake cable includes an inner wire and an outer sleeve, said outer sleeve of the brake cable is abutted to one or more said abutment member and the inner wire is connected to one or more said brake actuating member.
[00023] In addition to the first characteristic, a third characteristic of the present invention is said wheel assembly, wherein said brake actuating member is rotatably mounted on brake panel such that it rotates in predetermined direction upon actuation of one or more brake lever.
[00024] In addition to the first characteristic, a fourth characteristic of the present invention is the wheel assembly, wherein said abutment member is fixedly mounted on wheel axle and coupled to the brake cable to guide the brake cable as well as restrict undesirable deflection in said brake cable.
[00025] In addition to the first characteristic, a fifth characteristic of the present invention is said wheel assembly, wherein said abutment member is configured to have a first end and a second end, wherein said first end includes a boss projecting from an outer surface of said abutment member, said boss having an opening adapted to receive said wheel axle.
[00026] In addition to the first characteristic and the fifth characteristic, a sixth characteristic of the present invention is said wheel assembly, wherein said boss is configured to have an extending portion projecting in lateral direction of said wheel assembly such that it is adapted to butt with slot provided in said swing arm.
[00027] In addition to the first characteristic and the fifth characteristic, a seventh characteristic of the present invention is said wheel assembly, wherein said second end includes an opening configured to abut the outer sleeve of the brake cable.
[00028] In addition to the first characteristic, an eight characteristic of the present invention is said wheel assembly, wherein said elastic member retracts to bring back actuating member to original position through discharge of energy stored in said elastic member after brake application.
[00029] In addition to the first characteristic, a ninth characteristic of the present invention is said wheel assembly, wherein said elastic member envelops around an inner wire of said brake cable such that front portion of said elastic member ends against said abutment member and a rear portion of said elastic member ends against said actuating member.
[00030] In addition to the first characteristic, a tenth characteristic of the present invention is said wheel assembly, wherein said brake panel is connected to said swing arm through a mechanical linkage.
[00031] In addition to the first characteristic, an eleventh characteristic of the present invention is said wheel assembly, wherein said swing arm includes slot adapted to receive attachment means to connect with said brake panel with flexibility to adjust brake panel by changing the position of said attachment means. The present subject matter is further described with reference to accompanying figures. It should be noted that the description and figures merely illustrate principles of the present subject matter. Various arrangements may be devised that, although not explicitly described or shown herein, encompass the principles of the present subject matter. Moreover, all statements herein reciting principles, aspects, and examples of the present subject matter, as well as specific examples thereof, are intended to encompass equivalents thereof.
[00032] The foregoing disclosure is not intended to limit the present disclosure to the precise forms or particular fields of use disclosed. As such, it is contemplated that various alternate embodiments and/or modifications to the present disclosure, whether explicitly described or implied herein, are possible in light of the disclosure. Having thus described embodiments of the present disclosure, a person of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that changes may be made in form and detail without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Thus, the present disclosure is limited only by the claims.
[00033] In the foregoing specification, the disclosure has been described with reference to specific embodiments. However, as one skilled in the art will appreciate, various embodiments disclosed herein can be modified or otherwise implemented in various other ways without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, this description is to be considered as illustrative and is for the purpose of teaching those skilled in the art the manner of making and using various embodiments of the disclosure. It is to be understood that the forms of disclosure herein shown and described are to be taken as representative embodiments. Equivalent elements, materials, processes or steps may be substituted for those representatively illustrated and described herein. Moreover, certain features of the disclosure may be utilized independently of the use of other features, all as would be apparent to one skilled in the art after having the benefit of this description of the disclosure. Expressions such as “including”, “comprising”, “incorporating”, “consisting of”, “have”, “is” used to describe and claim the present disclosure are intended to be construed in a non-exclusive manner, namely allowing for items, components or elements not explicitly described also to be present. Reference to the singular is also to be construed to relate to the plural.
[00034] Further, various embodiments disclosed herein are to be taken in the illustrative and explanatory sense, and should in no way be construed as limiting of the present disclosure. All joinder references (e.g., attached, affixed, coupled, connected, etc.) are only used to aid the reader's understanding of the present disclosure, and may not create limitations, particularly as to the position, orientation, or use of the systems and/or methods disclosed herein. Therefore, joinder references, if any, are to be construed broadly. Moreover, such joinder references do not necessarily infer that two elements are directly connected to each other.
[00035] Additionally, all numerical terms, such as, but not limited to, “first”, “second”, “third”, “primary”, “secondary”, “main” or any other ordinary and/or numerical terms, should also be taken only as identifiers, to assist the reader's understanding of the various elements, embodiments, variations and/or modifications of the present disclosure, and may not create any limitations, particularly as to the order, or preference, of any element, embodiment, variation and/or modification relative to, or over, another element, embodiment, variation and/or modification.
[00036] It will also be appreciated that one or more of the elements depicted in the drawings/figures can also be implemented in a more separated or integrated manner, or even removed or rendered as inoperable in certain cases, as is useful in accordance with a particular application. Additionally, any signal hatches in the drawings/figures should be considered only as exemplary, and not limiting, unless otherwise specifically specified.
[00037] Reference is being made to figure 1 that illustrates a right side view and a localized enlarged left side view of a wheel assembly (101) installed with a brake assembly (102) in accordance with one example implementation of the present subject matter. The wheel assembly (101) includes the wheel (104) having a wheel axle (105) and the brake assembly (102). The brake assembly (102) is substantially covered by a cover member (108) to prevent dust and water entry. The brake assembly (102) includes a brake panel (103), a brake actuating member (106) and an abutment member (107). The brake actuating member (106) is actuated by a brake lever (not shown) through a mechanical connection. The abutment member (107) is functionally connected to said actuating member (106) through an elastic member (110). The mechanical connection comprising a brake cable (109).The brake cable (109) includes an inner wire (109A) while an outer sleeve (109B) of said cable wire (109) is abutted to the abutment member (107) and the inner wire (109A) is connected to said brake actuating member (106). The brake actuating member (106) is rotatably mounted on the brake panel (103) such that it rotates in predetermined direction upon actuation of brake lever (not shown) equipped to a handle bar (not shown). Further, the abutment member (107) is installed on the wheel axle (105) to restrict any undesirable deflection of the brake cable (109) and guide the brake cable (109) in a desired orientation during operation. The elastic member (110) envelops around the inner wire (109A) of brake cable (109) such that a front portion (110F) of said elastic member (110) ends against an abutment member (107) and rear portion (110R) of the elastic member (110) ends against the actuating member (107). The elastic member (110) comprises a spring. The elastic member (110) configured to compress between abutment member (107) and the brake actuating member (106) upon actuating the brake lever (not shown). However, after releasing the brake lever (not shown) the elastic member (110) exerts a predetermined force which enables the brake actuating member (106) to move to its original position. In other words, after release of brake lever (not shown), the elastic member (110) retracts and brings back the brake actuating member (106) to original position or unactuated position through discharge of torsional energy stored in said elastic member (110) after releasing of the brake lever (not shown).
[00038] Reference is being made to figure 2a that illustrates perspective view of the brake assembly (102) where few parts are omitted from the figure and figure 2b illustrates a perspective view of the abutment member (107) in accordance with one example implementation of the present subject matter. For sake of brevity, figure 2a and figure 2b will be discussed together. The brake actuating member (106) is rotatably attached the brake panel (103) and is operatively connected to a cam (201) using attachment means (202). Based on actuation force, the brake actuating member (106) rotates in predetermined direction. As per one implementation, during brake actuation, the brake actuating member (106) rotates in clockwise direction when seen from the side view along axis of the axle. Further, the abutment member (107) is configured to have a first end (107F) and a second end (107S). The first end (107F) includes a boss (107B) projecting from outer surface (107O). The boss (107B) having an opening (107BO) is adapted to receive said wheel axle (105) (as shown in figure 1). The boss (107B) is configured to have an extending portion (107E) projecting in lateral direction (C-C’) of the wheel assembly (102). The second end (107S) includes an opening (107SO) configured to abut the outer sleeve (109B) (as shown in fig. 1) of the brake cable (109) (as shown in fig. 1).
[00039] Reference is being made to figure 3a that illustrates side view of the wheel assembly (101) functionally connected to a swing arm (301) and figure 3b illustrates a side cut section view of the wheel assembly (101) functionally connected to the swing arm (301) across A-A axis in accordance with one example implementation of the present subject matter. For sake of brevity, figure 3a and figure 3b will be discussed together. The brake panel (103) is connected to the swing arm (301) through a mechanical linkage (302) using attachment means (303) also called as torque link. Further, the extending portion (107E) projecting from the boss (107B) of abutment member (107) is butted with a slot (301S) in the swing arm (301). This ensures anti rotation of the abutment member (107) and avoid deflection of brake cable (109) (as shown in fig. 1).
[00040] Reference is being made to figure 4 that illustrate localized side view of the wheel assembly (101) functionally connected to a swing arm (401A) as per alternative embodiment, a swing arm (401A) includes a slot (401AA) adapted to receive said attachment means (402) to connect with the brake panel (103). The slot (401AA) in the swing arm (401A) facilitates the forward and backward movement of the brake assembly (102) along with the wheel assembly (101). Because the brake assembly (102) is mounted to the wheel assembly (101). Therefore, while adjusting the transmission means like chain, the wheel assembly (101) is displaced by moving it backward or forward along with the brake assembly (102). This adjustment operation is facilitated by the slot (401AA). As per embodiment, the slot (401AA) configured to have a predetermined shape in the swing arm (401A) which allows the brake assembly (102) to move along with the wheel assembly (101).
[00041] According to above architecture, the primary efficacy of the present invention is that the extended portion of the abutment member which is butted in the swing arm and restricts the rotational movement of the abutment member. This eliminates the deflection of brake cable during adjustment and operation. Further, the boss part on the abutment member maintains a predetermined gap between the brake assembly and the swing arm which eliminates the need of separate parts like spacer. This reduces the part count and reduces the manufacturing cost of the wheel assembly. Furthermore, the fixed position of the abutment member improves the durability of the brake cable specially by eliminating the play in the brake cable due to adjustment of the drive wheel assembly. The free play in conventional wheel assemblies due to the disorientation of the abutment assembly leading to the deflection of brake cables actuating the wheel brake is eliminated. Because, according to present invention the abutment member orientation will not get change while adjusting the drive wheel assembly as it is fixed to the swing arm.
[00042] According to above architecture, the primary efficacy of the present invention is that the brake actuating member is mounted at an optimum location and disposed with an upward orientation away from the ground such that during brake actuation, the brake actuating member moves in clockwise direction which improves the ground clearance during brake actuation.
[00043] According to above architecture, the primary efficacy of the present invention as per alternative embodiment, is that the brake assembly is directly connected to the swing arm without use of torque link. This reduces the weight and cost of the wheel assembly.
[00044] According to above architecture, the primary efficacy of the present invention as per alternative embodiment, is that the slot in the swing arm gives adjustment flexibility to the user without need of specialized tools. Further, the brake assembly reduces the time required for maintenance of the wheel assembly configured to have the brake assembly because the attachment means are easily accessible to the user which greatly reduces the likelihood that a mechanic will suffer a debilitating injury while removing the brake assembly from the wheel axle of the wheel assembly.
[00045] While the present invention has been shown and described with reference to the foregoing preferred embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes in form, connection, and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

List of reference
Y-Y’ - Longitudinal direction
C-C’ - Lateral direction
101 - Wheel assembly
102 - Brake assembly
103 - Brake panel
104 - Wheel
105 - Wheel axle
106 - Brake actuating member
107 - Abutment member
107B - Boss
107BO - Opening in boss
107E - Extended portion
107F – First end
107O – Outer surface of abutment member
107S – Second end
107SO – Opening in second end
108 - Cover member
109 - Brake cable
109A - Inner wire
109B - Outer sleeve
110 -Elastic member
110F - Front portion of elastic member
110R - Rear portion of elastic member
201 - Cam
202 - Attachment means
301 - Swing arm
301S - Slot in swing arm
302 - Mechanical linkage
303 - Attachment means
401A - Swing arm as per alternative embodiment
401AA - Slot in the swing arm
402 – Attachment means