Say Farewell to Curb Rash with Varying Width Wheels.
It seems Hyundai has come up with a revolutionary new wheel that can alter its width, thus eliminating the risk of bumping into curbs in tight areas. According to CarBuzz, a patent was filled by both Hyundai Motor and Kia Corporation to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. This wheel design is able to self-adjust, resulting in a rounder tire that sticks out from the edge of the metallic rim. Consequently, the tire makes contact with the curb rather than the wheel itself.
In big SUVs such as the Hyundai Palisade and Kia Telluride, with a lack of visibility, enlarged unseen zones, and expansive tire choices, this invention could assist in reducing possible harm to your tires when attempting parking.
The principle behind this is drastically distinct from Hyundai’s prior transforming wheel design. Whereby before, tire pressures could be modified through barrel distortion, this new patent intends to literally diminish the wheel’s width.
The wheel is divided into two primary segments, an inward-facing combination of a rim and hub, and an outward-facing blending of the rim, face, and wheel. This positioning causes them to be marginally offset, so they may slide against each other in a retractable fashion.
A hydraulic actuator can then link these two pieces of equipment, adjusting the width of the wheel. By minimising the size more than the diameter of the tire, the tire would project out and form a barrier for protection.
Hyundai/Kia asserts to be perfect for instances where parallel parking demands parking as near the sidewalk as practicable, particularly on confined roads. Featuring multiple sensors encompassing 360-degree view cameras, proximity detectors and luminescence sensors, the car would have the capacity to identify the existence of a perpendicular border. As soon as the vehicle stops and reverse is engaged, it would trigger the so-called ‘wheel safeguard park mode’.
The structure also provides for the automated engagement of this type of program whenever a vehicle utilizes parking aid, such as Hyundai’s Smart Park system.
Regardless, when the car is at rest, the wheels revert to their former position.
