GB2224702A

GB2224702A - Wheel cover assembly

Info

Publication number: GB2224702A
Application number: GB8826620A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Long-Chuan Hsu
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1988-11-14
Filing date: 1988-11-14
Publication date: 1990-05-16
Also published as: GB8826620D0

Abstract

A wheel cover assembly for mounting on a wheel with an annular rim 3 and a hub 6, comprises an annular rim cover 1 which has a plurality of fixing holes 13 and a flange 11 which engages a flange 21 of a hub cover 2. The holes 13 have flanged edges which in use extend into holes 31 of the annular rim 3. A fixing mechanism (81-84), Figs 5, 6, may be provided to attach the annular rim cover 1 to the annular rim 3. <IMAGE>

Description

TITLE: AN IMPROVED WHEEL COVER ASSEMBLY This invention relates to a wheel cover assembly, and more particularly to an assembly of the rim cover provided on the outer side of the rim and hub cover provided on the outside of the hub of a wheel.

There are various known means to mount rim cover onto the outer side of the rims and to mount hub cover onto the outer side of hub. An example is shown in Fig. 7 And annular rim cover 30, of which the shape corresponds to the shape of rim 20, is pressed onto the flange 50 provided in the vicinity of the outer periphery of the round hub cover 40 by means of the flange 80 provided in the vicinity of its inner periphery. The hub cover 40 is fixed on the outer side of the hub by means of providing the bolts in a plurality of holes 60 in the hub cover 40, and the flange 80 of rim cove 30 is also ressed onto the flange 50 of hub cover 40 and secured. In so doing, both covers are fixed as an integral part on the outer side of the rim and the hub.

Apart from the known example shown in Fig. 7, there are also combined mechanism in which the hub cover is fixed by means of bolts for mounting rim and the rim cover is fixed by means of pressing the respective flanges of the hub cover and rim cover together.

However, all the conventional devices suffer disadvantage that the joining of the rim cover and the hub cover is not firm. In other words, the rim cover which is joined with the hub cover by means of pressing may loosen due o the frequen vibration by the rotation of the wheel and cause considerable noises despite that the hub cover is firmly fixed on the outer side oa the hub by means of bolts.

Accordingly, it is the main object of this invention to provide an improved cover assembly whereby the aforesaid drawback is obviated.

According to the present invention, a cover assembly which is formed by securing mechanism and fixing the rim cover on the rim by means of connecting mechanism.

In order to achieve the aforesaid object, the cover assembly comprises an annular rim having a plurality of holes for manual hold, an annular rim cover which is covered on the outer side of the rim and which has a plurality of fixing holes, a hub and a round hub cover which is covered on the outer side of the cover. The adjacent corresponding portions of the rim cover and the hub cover are respectively provided with an annular flange. An annular flange is pressd onto another annular flange. On the two annular flanges there is provided a securing mechanism for securing the rim cover and the hub.

Also, in the vicinity of the fixing holes there is provided a connecting mechanism for connecting said rim cover to said holes for manual hold.

After the rim cover is covered onto the outside of the rim, the annular flange of the hub cover is pressed onto the annular flange of the rim cover by means of covering the hub cover onto said hub, and the securing mechanism provided on the annular flange secures the annular flange. Thus if the hub cover is secured by bolts on the hub, when the wheel rotates, the rim cover will corotate with the hub cover as a whole entity without making any noise.

This invention will be better understood when read in connection with the accompanying drawing in which: BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the hub cover and the rim cover; Fig. 2A is a sectional view showing he state of the covers mounted on the hub and rim; Fig. XB is an.enlarged sectional view showing the secured state of the securing mechanism; Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the hub cover and rim cover of a second embodiment of this invention; Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the cover assembly of the second embodiment in use; Fig. 5 is a sectional view showing the rim cover and hub cover fixed together with a wheel; Fig. 6A to 6C shows th sequence to fix the rim cover and the rim after the rim cover is covered onto the rim; and Fig. 7 is a sectional view showing a conventional rim cover and hub cover fixed on a wheel.

DETAILED DESCRITION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to Fig. 1, Fig. 2A and Fig. 2B, the wheel mainly comprises an annular rim 3 with a plurality of holding holes 13 for manual hold, an annular rim cover 1 which has a plurality of fixing holes and which is covered onto the outer side of the rim, a hub and a round hub cover 2 which is covered onto the outer side of the hub 6. The inner edge of the annular rim cover 1 is provided with a flange 11 approximately parallel to the direction of the hub 6, of which the surface forms a plurality of equidistantly spaced securing porjections 12. The outer edge of the hub cover 2 is provided with a flange 21 approximately parallel to the direction of the hub 6.The inner surface of the flange 21 is provided with a plurlity of equidistantly spaced securing recesses 22, the positions of thish correspond to that of the securing projections 12. Therefore, after the rim cover 1 is covered onto the rim 3 and the washer 4 is mounted, if the hub cover 2 is covered onto the outer side of the hub 6, the flange 21 and flange 11 are pressed together, and the securing projections 12 ae fitted into their corresponding securing recesses 22. Then the hub cover 2 and the rim cover 3 can be respectively fixed on the hub 6 and the rim 3 by means of simply driving bolts 5 through the apertures 23 provided on the surface of the hub cover 2 into the threaded hole provided in the hub 6. In so doing, the hub cover and the rim cover may corotate with the hub, therefore the noise can be eliminated.

Apart from the apertures 23, there are further provided a plurality of slots 24 on the surface of the hub cover 2. By means of inserting bolts from the slots into the threaded holes, the washer 4 can be firmly secured. Also, when the washer 4 is mounted, the bolts can be loosened tc directly remove the hub cover 2 from the hub 6 without being hampered by the washer, since the diameter of the slots 24 is greater than the diameter of the head of the bolts.

Referring to Fig. 3, instead of the securing recesses 22, notches 15 can be provided. In this case, securing piece 25 is formed. When the hub cover 2A is covered on the hub 6, the securing pieces 25 will fit into the notches 15 to prevent the generation of noises by the rim cover 1A.

The securing mechanism stated hereinbefore is adapted to the front wheels of a vehicle, however it can also be provided on the rear wheels thereof (referring to Fig. 4).

UsIng the above-mentioned mecffanism, the rim cover and the hub cover can be combined to form an entity. a fixing mechanism can be provided to fix the rim 3 and the rim cover 1. Referring to Fig. 5 and Figs. 6A to 6C, the fixing mechanism 8 mainly comprises a clamping element 81 which is provided near the periphery of the interior of the fixing hole 13 of the rim cover 1 in a freely rotatable manner, a bolt retainer 81 which is provided in the vicinity of the clamping element 1 and which forms threaded holes 83 in the direction perpendicular to the clamping element 81, Apertures which are provided in the vicinity of the holding holes 13 and which are opposed to the threaded holes 83 of the clamping element 81 when the rim cover 1 is approximately parallel, and bolts 84. When using the fixing mechanism 8, firstly rotate the clamping element 81 toward the holding hole 13, and stop the rotation when the clamping element 81 reaches the vicinity of the holding hole 13 and let the clamping element 81 be positioned in the vicinity of the holding hole. Next, cover the rim cove 1 onto the surface of rim 3 and rotate the clamping element 81 positioning in the vicinity of the hole 13 toward the margin of the hole until further rotation is impossible, with the clamping element 81 fastening the margin of holding holed 13.

In so doing, the clamping element 81 clamps the margin of the hole 31 in cooperation with the rim cover 1.

Then, pass bolts 84 through the holes 18 and drive them into the threaded holes 83 provided in the bolt retainer 32 in the vicinity of the clamping element 81 inside the rim 3.

If the corner of the clamping element 81 bends toward the rim 3, the clamping effect will still be better.

Claims

1 CLAIMS

1. A wheel cover assembly mounted on an annular rim which has a plurality of hoes for manual hold, with a hub, comprising an annular rim cover which has a plurality of fixing holes and is covered onto the outer side of said rim, and a round hub cover which is covered onto the outer side of said hub, the corresponding ortions of said rim cover and said hub ocver respectively forming an annular flange, wherein the flange of said rim cover is pressed onto the flange of said hub cover, and a securing mechanism is provided to secure said rim cover and said hub cover together, said holes for manual hold corresponding to said fixing holes, the hole edge of each of said fixing holes entering a hole for manual hold and part of said hole edge being provided with flange.

2. The wheel cover assembly according to Claim 1, wherein said securing mechanism comprises a plurality of 'securing projections provided on the surface of said annular flange of said rim cover, a plurality of securing recesses corresponding to said securing porjections which are provided on the inner side of said annular flange of said hub cover.

3. The wheel cover assembly according Claim 1, wherein said securing emchanism comprises a plurality ofsecuring recesses on the surface of said annular flange of said rim cover, and a plurality of securing porjections corresponding to said securing recesses which are provided on the inner surface of said annular flange of said hub cover.

4. The wheel cover assembly according to Claim 1, wherein a fixing mechanism is provided in the vicinity of said holding hole of said rim over to fix said rim cover and said rim, said fixing mechanism being rotatable in the vicinity of the margin inside said holding hole, a bolt retainer being provided in the vicinity of said the center of said clamping element and having threaded holes in the direction perpendicular to said clamping element, and bots being provided, said clamping element being retatably cooperating with said rim cover to clamp the edge of said holding hole, said bots passing through said threaded holed of said bolt retainer provided in the vicinity of the center of said clamping element inside said rim to fix said rim cover, said rim and said clamping element together.

5. The wheel cover assembly according to Claim 4, wherein the corner of said clamping element bends toward the 25 inside of said rim cover when said clamping element is substantally parallel to said rim cover.