THERMOCHROMIC WHEEL LUG NUT DEVICE

Abstract

A wheel lug nut locking attachment, lug nut position locator device, or lug nut locking device is provided, wherein the attachment or devices include a thermochromic material which provides an indication of excess heat generation in the wheel assembly of a tractor trailer. A warning system to alert an operator of the present of excess heat in the wheel assembly is provided. In a preferred embodiment, the device also acts to lock a wheel lug nut to an adjacent wheel lug nut, so as to prevent or reduce rotation of the wheel lug nut. A plurality of thermochromic lug nut locking devices can be fitted to a single wheel so that all of the lug nuts are operatively locked to an adjacent lug nut. The resulting locking system can be rapidly installed on each lug nut on all wheels, so as to provide improved vehicle safety aspects.

Claims

1. A vehicle wheel lug nut attachment, lug nut position indicator device, or lug nut loosening prevention device, which includes a visual temperature indication system such that when said attachment or device is fitted to at least one vehicle wheel lug nut in a wheel assembly, said visual temperature initiation system is thermally connected to the wheel lug nut, and thereby provides a visual indication of excess heat generation in said wheel assembly.

2. A vehicle lug nut attachment or device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said attachment or device is configured for attachment to at least one wheel lug nut, and all or part of the attachment or device includes a thermochromic material as said visual temperature indication system.

3. A vehicle lug nut attachment as claimed in claim 1, wherein said attachment comprises a first member having an opening configured to be friction fitted around a lug nut, and thermally connected thereto, and wherein, all or a portion of said first member includes a thermochromic material which is thermally connected to said lug nut.

4. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said lug nut position indicator device, comprises a first member having an opening configured to be friction fitted around a lug nut, and additionally comprising a position indicator on, or as part of, said first member, and wherein all or a portion of said first member and/or said position indicator includes a thermochromic material which is thermally connected to said lug nut.

5. The device as claimed in claim 4 wherein said position indicator device includes a mark on said first member, which can be used as a marker to point in a specified direction.

6. The device as claimed in claim 4 wherein said device includes an integral indicator section as the position indicator.

7. The device as claimed in claim 6 wherein said integral indicator section is in the shape of an arrow.

8. The device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said lug nut locking device comprising a first member having an opening configured to be friction fitted around a lug nut, and additionally comprising a lug nut locking device to hold a lug nut in place.

9. The device as claimed in claim 8 wherein said lug nut locking device comprises a locking member having a first planar section at one end of the locking member, a second planar section at an opposite end of the locking member, and a flexible, resilient connection section between said first and second planar sections, which connection section allows relative movement of the first and second planar sections, and wherein each of said first and second planar sections has an opening configured to be friction fitted around separate lug nuts, and wherein, all or a portion of said locking member includes a thermochromic material which is thermally connected to one or more lug nuts.

10. The device as claimed in claim 9 wherein said first and second planar sections, and said flexible, resilient connection section, are all substantially flat and are co-planar so as to form an essentially flat, planar device.

11. The device as claimed in claim 9 wherein said openings on said first and second planar sections of said locking member are configured to be fitted around adjacent lug nuts.

12. The device as claimed in claim 9, wherein said flexible, resilient connection section has a concertina-like shape that allows the connection section to be compressed or expanded within the plane of the flat member.

13. The device as claimed in claim 9 comprising a plurality of planar sections with openings, all separated by flexible, resilient connection sections, in series, so that said device is configured to be fitted around three or more lug nuts.

14. The vehicle wheel lug nut attachment or devices as claimed in claim 1 wherein said attachment or devices are made of plastic.

15. The vehicle wheel lug nut attachment or devices as claimed in claim 14 wherein said attachment or devices are made of a highly visible plastic.

16. The vehicle wheel lug nut attachment or devices as claimed in claim 1 wherein said thermochromic material is applied to the surface of said attachment or devices, as an ink, paint or coating.

17. The vehicle wheel lug nut attachment or devices as claimed in claim 14, wherein said thermochromic material is incorporated into the plastic material.

18. The vehicle wheel lug nut attachment or devices as claimed in claim 16 wherein said thermochromic material is provided as a leuco dye which is microencapsulated.

19. The vehicle wheel lug nut attachment or devices as claimed in claim 16 wherein a temperature-caused colour change of said thermochromic material is reversible.

20. The vehicle wheel lug nut attachment of claim 3, wherein each of said openings comprises a series of teeth which are adapted to be fitted around the shoulders of a lug nut, so as to provide said friction fit.

21. The vehicle wheel lug nut locking device of claim 9 wherein a band of thermochromic material is provided between said openings, and provides a temperature gradient that would be representative of the amount of excess heat in the lug nut or lug nuts.

22. A wheel assembly comprising a plurality of wheel lug nuts, and at least one thermochromic attachment, position indicator device or lug nut locking device, as claimed in claim 1 wherein at least one lug nut is operatively thermally connected to said thermochromic attachment, lug nut position indicator device, or lug nut locking device.

23. The wheel assembly as claimed in claim 22 wherein a combination of attachments, position indicator devices or lug nut locking devices, are used, wherein at least one of the wheel lug nuts in the wheel assembly are connected to thermochromic attachments, lug nut position indicator devices, and or lug nut locking devices.

24. A wheel lug nut position indicator system, comprising placing one or a plurality of wheel lug nut position indicator devices on a plurality of lug nuts on a wheel assembly, wherein at least one of the lug nut position indicator device is a thermochromic lug nut position indicator device of the type described in claim 4.

25. A method for reducing the amount of rotational movement of at least one lug nut on a wheel assembly, by placing a thermochromic lug nut locking device as claimed in claim 8, on at least one lug nut.

27. The method as claimed in claim 25 wherein, wherein said thermochromic lug nut locking device comprises a locking member having a first planar section at one end of the locking member, a second planar section at an opposite end of the locking member, and a flexible, resilient connection section between said first and second planar sections, which connection section allows relative movement of the first and second planar sections, and wherein each of said first and second planar sections has an opening configured to be friction fitted around separate lug nuts, and wherein, all or a portion of said locking member includes a thermochromic material which is thermally connected to one or more lug nuts.

28. The method as claimed in claim 25, wherein all of the lug nuts of a wheel assembly are each connected to lug nut locking devices.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0047] Embodiments of this invention will now be described by way of example only in association with the accompanying drawings in which:

[0048] FIGS. 1a, 1b and 1c show front views of three different options of thermochromic wheel lug nut attachments or devices included as part of the present invention;

[0049] FIGS. 2a, 2b and 2c are side views of the attachments or devices from FIGS. 1a, 1b, and 1c, respectively:

[0050] FIGS. 3a, 3b and 3c show front views of the three attachments or devices from FIGS. 1a, 1b and 1c, respectively, mounted on lug nuts;

[0051] FIGS. 4a, 4b and 4c show fronts views of the wheel lug nut device from FIGS. 1a, 1b and 1C, respectively, which devices have been exposed to excess heat levels which have been generated from the wheel assembly;

[0052] FIG. 5 shows a front view of a wheel mounted on a wheel assembly which has been fitted with the locking devices from FIG. 3c;

[0053] FIG. 6 shows a front view of an alternative wheel mounted on a wheel assembly;

[0054] FIG. 7 shows an alternative arrangement for the wheel lug nut locking device of the present invention, on a wheel assembly;

[0055] FIG. 8 shows a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the thermochromic lug lock device of the present invention; and

[0056] FIG. 9 shows a front view of a further embodiment of the thermochromic lug lock device of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0057] The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of the present invention, as to its structure, organization, use and method of operation, together with further objectives and advantages thereof, will be better understood from the following drawings in which presently preferred embodiments of the invention will be illustrated by way of example only.

[0058] In the drawings, like reference numerals depict like elements.

[0059] It is expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for the purpose of illustration and description only and are not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention. Also, unless otherwise specifically noted, all of the features described herein may be combined with any of the above aspects, in any combination.

[0060] Referring to FIGS. 1a and 2a, front and side views of a first embodiment of a thermochromic wheel lug nut attachment 10 are shown, in which an essentially round, planar member 12 is shown having an opening 14. Around the perimeter of opening 14 are a series of “teeth” 16, which are provided to engage the shoulders of a lug nut.

[0061] In FIG. 3a, attachment device 10 is fitted to a single lug nut 18.

[0062] A front view and side view of a second embodiment of a thermochromic wheel lug nut position indicator device 20 is shown in FIGS. 1b and 2b. Again, device 20 has a planar and generally circular shaped member 22 but also has an integral position indicating marker 23, in the shape of an arrow. Device 20 also includes a single opening 24, and around the perimeter of opening 24 are a series of teeth 26, which teeth are provided for a friction fit to the shoulders of a lug nut.

[0063] In FIG. 3b, device 20 is fitted to a single lug nut 27. Any movement of lug nut 27 will result in movement of the integral position indicating marker 23.

[0064] A front and side view of a third embodiment of a thermochromic wheel lug nut locking device 30 is shown in FIGS. 1c and 2c. Device 30 is a generally planar shaped member, and includes two planar end sections 34 and 36 each having an opening 38 and 40. Around the perimeter of openings 38 and 40 are a series of teeth 42 and 44, which teeth are provided for a friction fit to the shoulders of a lug nut. Planar end sections 34 and 36 are separated by a flexible, connection section 32. Connection section 32 is made flexible by providing a concertina-like section which permits relative movement of planar end sections 34 and 36 in the plane of device 30. Movement in and out of the plane of device 30 by bending of connection section 32 is also possible and permitted.

[0065] In FIG. 3c, device 30 is fitted to two adjacent lug nuts 46. Movement of either of lug nuts 46 is prevented or minimized by the resistance to movement created by device 30.

[0066] In all of FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the attachment 10 and devices 20 and 30, are made of plastic, and include a reversible thermochromic material which has been mixed into the plastic during the production process. As such, all of attachment 10 and devices 20 and 30 include the thermochromic material throughout the entire attachment or device.

[0067] In FIGS. 4a, 4b, and 4c, the thermochromic wheel lug nut attachment and devices of FIGS. 3a, 3b and 3c (10, 20 and 30, respectively) are again shown, but in this series of figures, lug nuts 18, 27 and 46, have all been subjected to excess heat. This has caused a change in colour of part of attachment 10 and devices 20 and 30, in the areas nearest to the lug nuts. This colour change is indicated in attachment 10, and devices 20 and 30, by hashing 19, 29 and 39, respectively. As can be seen, a portion of attachment 10 and devices 20 and 30, in the vicinity of lug nuts 18, 27 and 46, have all changed colour, to indicate that the wheel lug nuts (and their related brake hubs and/or wheel assemblies) have been subjected to excess heat.

[0068] In use, the thermochromic properties of attachment 10 allows the user to see evidence of excess heat in the brake hub and/or wheel assembly. In device 20, the movement of arrow position indicator 23 also allows for the operator to see evidence of the rotation of a lug nut 27. In device 30, the lug nuts locking device also prevents or minimizes movement of the lug nuts.

[0069] In FIG. 5, a portion of a wheel hub assembly 50 is shown having ten lug nuts 52 which are used to hold the wheel hub 50 on a trailer wheel axle assembly in the manner known within the industry. Five thermochromic lug nut locking devices 30, as shown in FIG. 3c, have each been installed on two lug nuts 52, creating five sets of two lug nuts. As a result, each of the ten lug nuts 52 is operatively connected to one adjacent lug nut 52. Fitment of the thermochromic lug nut locking devices 30, is similar to that described in respect of the lug nut locking devices shown in U.S. Pat. No. 8,708,627. The thermochromic lug nut locking devices 30 provide protection from loosening of each of the ten lug nuts 52 on wheel hub 50, and also provide an indication of whether excess brake hub, or wheel assembly temperatures have been recently encountered.

[0070] In FIG. 6, a portion of the same wheel hub assembly 50 is shown having ten lug nuts 52 which are used to hold the wheel hub 50 on a trailer wheel axle assembly in the manner known within the industry. Again, five lug nut locking devices have been installed on 5 sets of two lug nuts 52. Each of the ten lug nuts 52 is thus operatively connected to one adjacent lug nut 52. In this case, four of the lug nut locking devices, are simple locking devices 54 as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 8,708,627, and fitment of those devices is described in the earlier patent. The fifth lug nut locking device is the thermochromic lug nut locking device 30 from FIG. 3c, and is installed in a similar manner to the earlier devices. In this example, the combination of the two types of lug nut locking devices provides protection from loosening of each of the ten lug nuts 52 on wheel hub 50, while thermochromic lug nut device 30 also acts as an indication of whether excess brake hub, or wheel assembly temperatures have been recently encountered.

[0071] With respect to FIGS. 5 and 6, as was described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,708,627, in use, any loosening of a wheel lug nut 52 is initially prevented by the resistance to movement by the resilient nature of locking device 30 or 54. As such, the amount of rotational movement of the lug nut 52 is minimized. However, should the lug nut 52 continue to loosen, it will ultimately deform the shape of concertina-like section 32, so as to be visible by the operator on inspection. Short of a catastrophic failure of flexible section 32, the locking devices 30 and 54 act to prevent complete loosening of lug nuts 52, even in situations where some minor loosening of a lug nut 52 has occurred. Since the lug nut 52 is prevented from any significant rotation, the likelihood of a total release of lug nut 52 from wheel hub 40 is essentially eliminated.

[0072] In FIG. 7, a further alternative embodiment of the arrangement of the lug nut locking devices is shown on wheel assembly 50. In this embodiment, five prior art lug nut locking devices 54 are provided to lock ten lug nuts 52 into five sets of two lug nuts. In this embodiment though, a single thermochromic attachment 10 is placed on two lug nuts 52, in addition to lug nut locking devices 54. In this configuration, the vehicle operator is provided the locking of all lug nuts, and is also provided with a thermochromic indication of excess temperature.

[0073] It is thus clear that combination of attachments and devices can be used. In one preferred approach, instead of attachments 10, five additional thermochromic lug nut locking devices 30 can be placed between the prior art locking devices 54, and attached to lug nuts 52. In this approach, each lug nut 52 is connected to a standard lug nut locking device 54 in a first direct, and to a thermochromic lug nut locking device 30, in a second direction. As such, each lug nut 52 is locked to two adjacent lug nuts.

[0074] In FIG. 8, a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the thermochromic lug nut locking device of the present invention is shown. Device 60 is similar to the prior art devices shown in U.S. Pat. No. 8,708,627, and has two end sections 62 with a flexible connecting section 64, between the two ends. In this embodiment, a band 66 of thermochromic ink has been applied as a coating to the middle of connecting section 64, and extends from one opening 68 in one end section 62 to an opening 68, in the other end section 62.

[0075] In use, if a lug nut were to be exposed to excess heat, the thermochromic ink in band 66 would change colour, beginning in the area nearest to the heated lug nut. Depending on the length of time, and the temperature, the colour change effect would travel along band 66, and thus create a gradient that would be representative of the amount of excess heat found in the lug nut, or lug nuts.

[0076] In FIG. 9, a front view of a further embodiment of the present invention is shown, wherein a thermochromic lug nut locking device 70 is shown having three openings 72, and two flexible connecting sections 74 located between the openings. In use, the three openings are placed over three lug nuts 80, which are positioned in series around a wheel hub (not shown). Also, in this embodiment, a small coating of a thermochromic material 76 has been applied to device 70 in the vicinity of each opening 72. During inspection of the device by an operator, a colour change in any or all of the thermochromic material coatings 76, would be an indication of excess temperature in a lug nut.

[0077] While three openings are shown in FIG. 9, it will be clear that the number of openings per lug nut locking device can vary, as previously described.

[0078] The locking devices of the present invention are preferably made of a bright, highly visible plastic material which allows them to be easily seen, even under low lighting conditions. This allows the condition of the wheel lug nuts to be easily and rapidly checked on a regular basis. Again, the thermochromic material used preferably causes the colour of the attachment or device (or coating) to preferably change to a contrasting colour.

[0079] Thus, it is apparent that there has been provided, in accordance with the present invention, a thermochromic lug nut attachment, position indicator device and lug nut locking device, which fully satisfies the goals, objects, and advantages set forth hereinbefore. Therefore, having described specific embodiments of the present invention, it will be understood that alternatives, modifications and variations thereof may be suggested to those skilled in the art, and that it is intended that the present specification embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variations as fall within the scope of the appended claims.

[0080] Additionally, for clarity and unless otherwise stated, the word “comprise” and variations of the word such as “comprising” and “comprises”, when used in the description and claims of the present specification, is not intended to exclude other additives, components, integers or steps. Further, the invention illustratively disclosed herein suitably may be practiced in the absence of any element which is not specifically disclosed herein.

[0081] Moreover, words such as “substantially” or “essentially”, when used with an adjective or adverb is intended to enhance the scope of the particular characteristic; e.g., substantially planar is intended to mean planar, nearly planar and/or exhibiting characteristics associated with a planar element.

[0082] Further, use of the terms “he”, “him”, or “his”, is not intended to be specifically directed to persons of the masculine gender, and could easily be read as “she”, “her”, or “hers”, respectively.

[0083] Also, while this discussion has addressed prior art known to the inventor, it is not an admission that all art discussed is citable against the present application.