US-12617659-B2 - Locking turnplate

US12617659B2US 12617659 B2US12617659 B2US 12617659B2US-12617659-B2

Abstract

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a locking turnplate includes a cylinder body having a cylinder chamber. A piston is received in the cylinder chamber and a mid-plate is disposed above the cylinder chamber of the cylinder body. A top plate is supported above the mid-plate by a bearing assembly including a plurality of spaced ball bearings. A bushing is fixedly attached to the top plate and extends through an aperture in the mid-plate. The bushing includes a flange that engages a bottom shoulder of an aperture of the cylinder body, wherein applying a pressure to the cylinder chamber presses the piston toward the mid plate and causes the cylinder body to pull downward on the bushing and the top plate in order to compress the ball bearings and prevent the top plate from moving relative to the mid plate.

Inventors

Christopher Seay Green
Michael Charles BURKE

Assignees

Quality Stainless Products

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20230510

Claims (12)

1 . A locking turnplate, comprising: a cylinder body having an annular cylinder chamber surrounding a center hub portion that includes an aperture therein, the annular cylinder chamber being connected to a pressure source; an annular piston received in the annular cylinder chamber; a mid-plate disposed above the annular cylinder chamber of the cylinder body; a top plate supported above the mid-plate by a bearing assembly including a plurality of spaced ball bearings; a bushing fixedly attached to the top plate and extending through an aperture in the mid-plate, the bushing including a flange that engages a bottom shoulder of the aperture of the cylinder body, wherein applying a pressure from the pressure source to the annular cylinder chamber presses the annular piston toward the mid plate and causes the cylinder body to pull downward on the bushing and the top plate in order to compress the ball bearings and prevent the top plate from moving relative to the mid plate.
2 . The locking turnplate according to claim 1 , wherein the locking turnplate has a thickness of 1.5 inches.
3 . The locking turnplate according to claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of feet mounted to a bottom of the mid-plate.
4 . The locking turnplate according to claim 1 , wherein the bearing assembly includes a bearing retainer supporting the plurality of ball bearings at spaced locations in an annular configuration surrounding the aperture in the mid-plate.
5 . The locking turnplate according to claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of centering springs connected between the mid-plate and the cylinder body for biasing the cylinder body to a centered position relative to the mid-plate.
6 . The locking turnplate according to claim 1 , wherein the mid-plate includes a handle portion extending from an edge thereof.
7 . A locking turnplate, comprising: a cylinder body having a center aperture and an annular cylinder chamber surrounding the center aperture, the annular cylinder chamber being connected to a pressure source; an annular piston received in the annular cylinder chamber; a mid-plate disposed above the annular cylinder chamber of the cylinder body and having an aperture aligned with the center aperture; a top plate supported above the mid-plate by a bearing assembly including a plurality of spaced ball bearings; a center bushing fixedly attached to the top plate and extending through the aperture in the mid-plate, the center bushing including a flange that engages a bottom shoulder of the center aperture of the cylinder body, wherein applying a pressure from the pressure source to the annular cylinder chamber presses the annular piston toward the mid plate and causes the cylinder body to pull downward on the center bushing and the top plate in order to compress the ball bearings and prevent the top plate from moving relative to the mid plate.
8 . The locking turnplate according to claim 7 , wherein the locking turnplate has a thickness of 1.5 inches.
9 . The locking turnplate according to claim 7 , further comprising a plurality of feet mounted to a bottom of the mid-plate.
10 . The locking turnplate according to claim 7 , wherein the bearing assembly includes a bearing retainer supporting the plurality of ball bearings at spaced locations in an annular configuration surrounding the aperture in the mid-plate.
11 . The locking turnplate according to claim 7 , further comprising a plurality of centering springs connected between the mid-plate and the cylinder body for biasing the cylinder body to a centered position relative to the mid-plate.
12 . The locking turnplate according to claim 7 , wherein the mid-plate includes a handle portion extending from an edge thereof.

Description

FIELD The present disclosure relates to a locking turnplate used for vehicle wheel alignment on a vehicle lift. BACKGROUND A turnplate is commonly used on a vehicle lift to assist in wheel alignment. A standard turnplate uses two locking pins to lock the turnplate in place as a vehicle is rolled onto the lift and the wheels are centered over the turnplates. The two locking pins are then removed to allow the turnplate to pivot about a full range of motion. The turnplate can then be used to perform a wheel alignment procedure as is known in the art. When the wheel alignment procedure is complete, the vehicle removed from the vehicle lift. This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art. SUMMARY This section provides a general summary of the disclosure, and is not a comprehensive disclosure of its full scope or all of its features. According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a locking turnplate includes a cylinder body having a cylinder chamber. A piston is received in the cylinder chamber and a mid-plate is disposed above the cylinder chamber of the cylinder body. A top plate is supported above the mid-plate by a bearing assembly including a plurality of spaced ball bearings. A bushing is fixedly attached to the top plate and extends through an aperture in the mid-plate. The bushing includes a flange that engages a bottom shoulder of an aperture of the cylinder body, wherein applying a pressure to the cylinder chamber presses the piston toward the mid plate and causes the cylinder body to pull downward on the bushing and the top plate in order to compress the ball bearings and prevent the top plate from moving relative to the mid plate. According to a further aspect, the locking turnplate has a thickness of 1.5 inches. According to a further aspect, a plurality of feet are mounted to a bottom of the mid-plate. According to a further aspect, the bearing assembly includes a bearing retainer supporting the plurality of ball bearings at spaced locations in an annular configuration surrounding the aperture in the mid-plate. According to a further aspect, a plurality of centering springs are connected between the mid-plate and the cylinder body for biasing the cylinder body to a centered position relative to the mid-plate. According to a further aspect, the mid-plate includes a handle portion extending from an edge thereof. According to yet another aspect of the present disclosure, a locking turnplate includes a cylinder body having a center aperture and an annular cylinder chamber surrounding the center aperture. An annular piston is received in the annular cylinder chamber and a mid-plate is disposed above the annular cylinder chamber of the cylinder body and having an aperture aligned with the center aperture. A top plate is supported above the mid-plate by a bearing assembly including a plurality of spaced ball bearings. A center bushing is fixedly attached to the top plate and extends through the aperture in the mid-plate. The center bushing includes a flange that engages a bottom shoulder of the center aperture of the cylinder body, wherein applying a pressure to the annular cylinder chamber presses the annular piston toward the mid plate and causes the cylinder body to pull downward on the center bushing and the top plate in order to compress the ball bearings and prevent the top plate from moving relative to the mid plate. Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. The description and specific examples in this summary are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. DRAWINGS The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected embodiments and not all possible implementations, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the locking turnplate according to the principles of the present disclosure; FIG. 2 is a bottom plan view of the locking turnplate; and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the locking turnplate taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2. Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. With reference to FIGS. 1-3, the locking turnplate 10 according to the principles of the present disclosure will now be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the locking turnplate 10 includes a top plate 12 that is pivotally supported above a mid-plate 14. The mid-plate 14 can include a handle portion 14a extending from an edge thereof to allow the locking turnplate to be easily moved. As shown in the bottom plan view of FIG. 2, the locking turnplate 10 includes a cylinder body 16 mounted below the mid-plate 14. A plurality of feet 18 or other support structure can be mounted to a bottom of the mid-p