Wheel mount assembly
View Patent ↗A wheel mount assembly adapted for use in securing a camber tube to a wheelchair frame comprises an axle plate, at least one axially displaceable member adapted to be fixed in relation to the axle plate, and at least one radially displaceable member adjacent the axially displaceable members. The axially displaceable member is adapted to be axially displaced to cause the radially displaceable member to be displaced to tighten against the camber tube to hold the camber tube in place.
1. A wheel mount assembly for use securing a camber tube to a wheelchair frame, the wheel mount assembly comprising:
an axle plate;
at least one axially displaceable member adapted to be fixed in relation to the axle plate; and
at least one radially displaceable member adjacent the axially displaceable member, the axially displaceable member being adapted to be axially displaced to cause the radially displaceable member to be displaced to tighten against the camber tube to hold the camber tube in place.
2. The wheel mount assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the axially displaceable member is a compression plate and the radially displaceable member is a ring shaped compression sleeve that is adapted to be compressed by the compression plate.
3. The wheel mount assembly according to claim 2 , wherein the compression sleeve has a hole and the compression plate has a filleted bore, the camber tube being adapted to pass through the hole in the compression sleeve and through the filleted bore in the compression plate.
4. The wheel mount assembly according to claim 3 , wherein the compression sleeve and compression plate are wedge shaped such that the compression sleeve compresses against the compression plate and locks the camber tube as the compression plate is displaced.
5. The wheel mount assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the axially displaceable member is a compression plate each having a central bore and the radially displaceable member is a wedge shaped tooth, the central bore of the compression plate being filleted, the compression plate being adapted to be displaceable toward the wedge shaped tooth to clamp the wedge shaped tooth against filleted bore to hold the camber tube in place.
6. The wheel mount assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the axially displaceable member is threaded collar with internal threads and the radially displaceable member is a compression sleeve with external threads, the threaded collar being adapted to tighten onto the compression sleeve to force the sleeve against the camber tube and hold the camber tube in place.
7. The wheel mount assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the axially displaceable member is a compression plate and the radially displaceable member is an O-ring that is adapted to be compressed by the compression plate against the camber tube and hold the camber tube in place.
8. A wheel mount assembly for use in mounting a rear wheel to the frame of a wheelchair, the wheel mount assembly comprising:
an axle plate that is adapted to be attached to a wheelchair frame; and
a clamp assembly adapted to be supported by the axle plate, the clamp assembly comprising:
at least one axially displaceable member; and
at least one radially displaceable member adjacent the axially displaceable member, displacement of the axially displaceable member causes the radially displaceable member to tighten against the camber tube to hold the camber tube in place relative to the axle plate.
9. The assembly according to claim 8 wherein the axle plate has a mount for attaching the axle plate to a tubular wheelchair frame.
10. The assembly according to claim 9 wherein the mount is in the form of a saddle having a series of holes that are adapted to align with similarly spaced holes in the wheelchair frame to allow the axle plate to be mounted at various fore/aft positions on the wheelchair frame.
11. The assembly according to claim 8 further comprising a slot in the axle plate to allow the camber tube to be moved up or down within the axle plate in order to position the camber tube at a desired height.
12. The assembly according to claim 8 wherein the at least one axially displaceable member includes a pair of spaced compression plates and the at least one radially displaceable member includes a compression sleeve between the compression plates.
13. The assembly according to claim 12 wherein the compression plates are mounted to the axle plate using fasteners that are adapted to be threaded into mating tapped holes in the axle plate.
14. The assembly according to claim 13 wherein the mating tapped holes include a vertical series of tapped holes that allow the compression plates to mount at various vertical positions, thus permitting the rear wheel to be positioned at different heights.
15. The assembly according to claim 12 wherein the compression sleeve is provided with two chamfered edges that are adapted to mate with fillets on an inner diameter of the compression plates, which are adapted to squeeze the compression sleeve, causing radial deformation of the compression sleeve to force the compression sleeve to close around the camber tube, thus locking the camber tube in a fixed position.
16. The assembly according to claim 12 wherein a slit is provided in the compression sleeve to allow the compression sleeve to flex as it compresses against the camber tube.
17. The assembly according to claim 8 wherein the at least one axially displaceable member includes a pair of spaced compression plates and the at least one radially displaceable member is a gasket made of compressible material, the compression plates being adapted to squeeze the gasket to cause the gasket to expand radially, forcing an inner diameter of the gasket against an outer diameter of the camber tube, and locking the camber tube in place relative to the axle plate.
18. The assembly according to claim 8 wherein the at least one axially displaceable member includes a locking collar and the at least one radially displaceable member includes a toothed locking sleeve, the toothed locking sleeve having a series of ramped teeth around a central bore therethrough that are adapted to engage fillets around a central bore in the locking collar so that the teeth are radially displaced to compress against the camber tube, locking the camber tube in place relative to the axle plate.
19. The assembly according to claim 8 wherein the at least one axially displaceable member includes a threaded collar having internal threads and the at least one radially displaceable member includes a compression sleeve with external threads, the compression sleeve and the threaded collar being adapted to be disposed about a camber tube, threads on the compression sleeve and threads on the threaded collar being ramped so that, when the threaded collar is tightened onto the compression sleeve, the compression sleeve is radially displaced or forced against the camber tube, locking the camber tube in place.
20. An assembly comprising, in combination:
a pair of side frames including a left side frame and a right side frame; and
a pair of wheel mount assemblies including a left wheel mount assembly attached to the left side frame and a right wheel mount assembly attached to the right side frame, the wheel mount assemblies supporting one or more camber tubes that are adapted to support left and right rear wheels, the wheel mount assemblies each comprising:
an axle plate that is adapted to be attached to a wheelchair frame; and
a clamp assembly adapted to be supported by the axle plate, the clamp assembly comprising:
at least one axially displaceable member; and
at least one radially displaceable member adjacent the axially displaceable member, displacement of the axially displaceable member causes the radially displaceable member to tighten against the camber tube to hold the camber tube in place relative to the axle plate.