JP5817232B2 - Decorative cap for wheel nut - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a decorative cap attached to a hexagonal columnar tool engaging portion of a wheel nut that fastens a vehicle wheel to an axle.

  A wheel of a four-wheel vehicle is fixed to an axle by a plurality of wheel nuts. However, since the aesthetic appearance is impaired when the wheel nut is exposed, the wheel nut is covered with a decorative cap (for example, Patent Documents). 1).

  Such a decorative cap requires a large holding force in order to prevent it from falling off the wheel nut. For example, a decorative cap integrally formed with a resin has a friction with the outer surface of the wheel nut by utilizing elastic deformation of the material. There was something that could be held only by force. Such a decorative cap has a problem that it is difficult to remove the decorative cap because the fitting dimension must be tight. For this reason, the structure which forms a hole in the upper surface of a decoration cap, inserts tools, such as a driver, in this hole, and removes a decoration cap from a wheel nut is employ | adopted.

  However, when the hole is formed on the upper surface of the decorative cap as described above, there is a problem in that a tool for removing is necessary in addition to restrictions on design. Further, when the decorative cap is repeatedly reused, there is a problem that the inner surface of the decorative cap is worn and the holding power is lowered.

  In Patent Document 2, the decorative cap is held on the wheel nut by engagement with a wheel nut of a leaf spring provided on the decorative cap, and when the decorative cap is removed, the wheel nut is twisted by twisting the decorative cap. A configuration has been proposed in which a leaf spring is expanded outwardly with a hexagonal top surface to disengage the leaf spring from a wheel nut and the decorative cap can be pulled out as it is.

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 61-026603 JP-A-6-179301

  However, the configuration proposed in Patent Document 2 requires a metal leaf spring that is a separate member from the resin cap body, which increases the number of parts and the number of leaf spring assembly steps. .

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and its object is to provide a decorative cap for a wheel cap as a single part that can be easily attached to and detached from a wheel nut without using a dedicated tool. There is to do.

In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 is a decorative cap that is attached to a hexagonal columnar tool engaging portion of a wheel nut for fastening a wheel to an axle.
A slit is formed in the axial direction of the wheel nut at a position corresponding to the corner of the tool engaging portion of the wheel nut to constitute six elastic pieces,
While forming an engaging claw that engages with the wheel nut at the tip of each elastic piece,
A protrusion that abuts against the engagement surface of the tool engagement portion of the wheel nut is formed on the inner surface of each elastic piece.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, a tool engaging portion is provided on the cap, and the protrusion is rotated by a tool that engages with the tool engaging portion. It is configured to ride on the corner portion of the tool engaging portion and to disengage the engaging claw from the wheel nut.

  A third aspect of the invention is characterized in that, in the first or second aspect of the invention, the tip of the engaging claw is a tapered surface.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the first to third aspects, a notch for fitting a corner of a tool engaging portion of the wheel nut is formed in the protrusion. To do.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the second to fourth aspects, the size / shape of the tool engaging portion provided in the cap is the size / shape of the tool engaging portion of the wheel nut. It is characterized by having the same.

  According to the first and second aspects of the invention, in order to attach the decorative cap to the wheel nut, the decorative cap is engaged with the wheel nut by inserting the decorative cap into the wheel nut and pushing it in. Thus, the decorative cap is attached to the wheel nut without using a special tool, and the falling off is prevented. Thus, in the state where the decorative cap is mounted on the wheel nut, the protrusion formed on the inner surface of the decorative cap abuts against the engagement surface of the tool engaging portion of the wheel nut to prevent the decorative cap from rotating. Wear on the inner surface of the decorative cap is prevented, and the durability of the decorative cap is enhanced.

  In order to remove the decorative cap, if the decorative cap is turned, the protrusion formed on the inner surface of the decorative cap rides on the corner of the tool engaging portion of the wheel nut, and the elastic piece of the decorative cap is pushed outward. Since the engagement of the engaging claw formed at the tip end of the wheel nut is released, the decorative cap can be easily removed from the wheel nut without using a dedicated tool if the decorative cap is pulled out as it is. it can. In this case, since each of the six elastic pieces formed on the decorative cap by the slit is easily elastically deformed, the elastic piece is easily expanded by turning the decorative cap, and the engagement of the engaging claw with the wheel nut is released. Is done. As described above, since the engagement claw of the decoration cap is easily disengaged, the engagement force of the engagement claw can be set relatively strong, and the drop off of the decoration cap from the wheel nut is surely prevented. be able to.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the tips of the engaging claws formed at the tips of the six elastic pieces of the decorative cap are tapered surfaces, the decorative cap is attached to the wheel nut when the decorative cap is mounted. When fitted and pushed in, the engaging claw is pushed and widened with the tapered surface as a guide surface and abutting against the engaging portion (hook) of the wheel nut, so that the engaging claw easily gets over the engaging portion of the wheel nut. be able to. When the engaging claw of the decorative cap gets over the engaging portion of the wheel nut, the engaging claw is restored to its original state by elasticity and engaged with the engaging portion, so that the decorative cap is prevented from falling off from the wheel nut. Can be removed.

  According to the invention of claim 4, when the decoration cap is turned to remove the decoration cap, the corner of the tool engaging portion of the wheel nut is fitted into the notch formed in the protrusion of the decoration cap. Since the engagement claw is kept open (the decoration cap is rotated by a predetermined angle), the decoration cap can be easily detached from the wheel nut by pulling the decoration cap as it is.

  According to the invention of the fifth aspect, since the size / shape of the tool engaging portion provided in the cap is the same as the size / shape of the tool engaging portion of the wheel nut, an on-vehicle tool for attaching / detaching the wheel nut is used. The decorative cap can be turned and removed, and no special tool is required to remove the decorative cap.

It is a perspective view which shows the state before mounting | wearing the wheel nut with the decoration cap which concerns on this invention. It is a side view which shows the state which mounted | wore the wheel nut with the decoration cap which concerns on this invention. It is the sectional view on the AA line of FIG. FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 3. (A), (b) is a sectional side view which shows the attachment point of the decoration cap based on this invention. It is a sectional side view which shows the removal procedure of the decoration cap which concerns on this invention. It is CC sectional view taken on the line of FIG.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  1 is a perspective view showing a state before the decorative cap according to the present invention is attached to the wheel nut, FIG. 2 is a side view showing the state where the decorative cap is attached to the wheel nut, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line BB in FIG.

  A wheel of a four-wheeled vehicle such as a passenger car is connected to a wheel hub by a bolt (not shown) that is inserted into a plurality of bolt insertion holes formed in the wheel and a wheel nut 1 that is screwed to the bolt. Is fastened to an axle (not shown). Here, as shown in FIG. 1, each wheel nut 1 includes a hexagonal columnar tool engaging portion 1A, a tapered portion 1B that fits into a bolt insertion hole of the wheel, and the tapered portion 1B and the tool engaging portion 1A. 1C formed between the two. Specifically, the collar portion 1C is formed so as to protrude radially outward from the hexagonal columnar tool engaging portion 1A, and constitutes an engaging portion with a decorative cap 2 described later.

  Thus, a resin-made decorative cap 2 is attached to the tool engaging portion 1A of each wheel nut 1 as shown in FIG. 2, and this decorative cap 2 is provided with a bottomed cylindrical holding portion 2A. And a hexagonal columnar tool engaging portion 2B formed integrally with the top of the holding portion 2A. In the present embodiment, the hexagonal shape and dimensions of the tool engaging portion 2B of the decorative cap 2 and the tool engaging portion 1A of the wheel nut 1 are set to be the same.

  Six slits 3 in total are provided at six locations in the circumferential direction of the holding portion 2A of the decorative cap 2 (positions corresponding to the corner portions 1a of the tool engaging portion 1A of the wheel nut 1) from the opening side of the holding portion 2A. Are formed along the axial direction (vertical direction in FIG. 1) (see FIG. 3), and these slits 3 form six elastic pieces 2C in the holding portion 2A. And the engagement claw 2a is formed in the front-end | tip part of each elastic piece 2C, respectively, and the taper surface 2a1 is formed in the front-end | tip of each engagement claw 2a.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the inner surfaces of the six elastic pieces 2C formed on the holding portion 2A of the decorative cap 2 project inward from the engaging claws 2a so that the hexagon of the wheel nut 1 is formed. A protrusion 2b that abuts against the engagement surface of the columnar tool engagement portion 1A is provided so as to be decorated at the center of each protrusion 2b in the width direction of the elastic piece 2C (see FIG. 6). Triangular notches 4 are formed in which the corners of the tool engaging portion 1A of the wheel nut 1 (ridge lines between the engaging surfaces of the tool engaging portion 1A) 1a are fitted when the cap 2 is turned. .

  Thus, in order to attach the decorative cap 2 to the wheel nut 1, if the decorative cap 2 is fitted into the wheel nut 1 and pushed in, the engaging claw 2a of the decorative cap 2 as shown in FIG. Comes into contact with the flange 1C of the wheel nut 1. When the decorative cap 2 is further pushed in from the state shown in FIG. 5A, the tip of the engaging claw 2a rides on the flange 1C of the wheel nut 1 with the tapered surface 2a1 as a guide surface and is spread. The pawl 2a can easily get over the flange 1C of the wheel nut 1. When the engaging claw 2a of the decorative cap 2 gets over the flange 1C of the wheel nut 1, the engagement claw 2a is restored to its original state by elasticity and engaged with the flange 1C. As shown, the decorative cap 2 is attached to the wheel nut 1 so that the decorative cap 2 is prevented from falling off the wheel nut 1. When the decorative cap 2 is mounted on the wheel nut 1 in this way, the protrusion 2b formed on the inner surface of the decorative cap 2 is on the engagement surface of the tool engaging portion 1A of the wheel nut 1 as shown in FIG. Since the decorative cap 2 is prevented from rotating by contacting, the inner surface of the decorative cap 2 is prevented from being worn and the durability of the decorative cap 2 is enhanced.

  Next, in order to remove the decorative cap 2 from the wheel nut 1, the decorative cap 2 is attached to a predetermined angle (30) as shown in FIG. )) And the corner 1a of the tool engaging portion 1A of the wheel nut 1 is fitted into the notch 4 of the protruding portion 2b protruding from the inner surface of each elastic piece 2C. Then, the protrusion 2b protruding from the inner surface of the elastic piece 2C of the decorative cap 2 rides on the corner 1a of the tool engaging portion 1A of the wheel nut 1, and the elastic piece 2C is outward as shown in FIG. The engagement claw 2a formed at the front end portion is pushed out and retracted outside the outer diameter of the flange portion 1C, and the engagement of the engagement claw 2a with the flange portion 1C of the wheel nut 1 is released. . If the decorative cap 2 is pulled out in this state, the decorative cap 2 can be easily removed without using a dedicated tool. In this case, since the six elastic pieces 2C formed on the decorative cap 2 by the slits 3 are easily elastically deformed, the elastic pieces 2C are easily pushed and spread by turning the decorative cap 2, and the wheel of the engaging claw 2a. The engagement with the nut 1 is released. As described above, the engagement of the engagement claw 2a of the decorative cap 2 can be easily released, so that the engagement force of the engagement claw 2a can be set relatively strong. Dropout can be surely prevented.

  When the decoration cap 2 is turned to remove the decoration cap 2, the corner 1a of the tool engaging portion 1A of the wheel nut 1 is fitted into the notch 4 formed in the protrusion 2b of the decoration cap 2. Since the engagement claw 2a is kept open (see FIG. 7), the decorative cap 2 can be easily detached from the wheel nut 1 by pulling out the decorative cap 2 as it is.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the hexagonal size / shape of the tool engaging portion 2B provided on the decorative cap 2 is the same as the size / shape of the tool engaging portion 1A of the wheel nut 1, so that the wheel nut can be attached and detached. The decoration cap 2 can be turned and removed using the in-vehicle tool, and a special tool for removing the decoration cap 2 is not required separately.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Wheel nut 1A Tool engaging part of a wheel nut 1B Tapered part of a wheel nut 1C A collar part of a wheel nut 1a A corner part of a tool engaging part 2 A decoration cap 2A A holding part of a decoration cap 2B A tool engaging part 2C of a decoration cap Elastic piece of cap 2a Engaging claw of decorative cap 2a1 Tapered surface of engaging claw 2b Projection of decorative cap 3 Slit 4 Notch

Claims (4)

A decorative cap attached to a hexagonal column-shaped tool engaging portion of a wheel nut that fixes a wheel to an axle,
A slit is formed in the axial direction of the wheel nut at a position corresponding to the corner of the tool engaging portion of the wheel nut to constitute six elastic pieces,
An engaging claw that engages with the flange of the wheel nut is formed at the tip of each elastic piece,
Protrusions that contact the engagement surface of the tool engagement portion of the wheel nut are formed on the inner surface of each elastic piece and in the vicinity of the engagement claw,
To attach the cap, the cap is pushed into the wheel nut so that the engaging claw is engaged with the flange of the hole nut. To remove the cap, the cap attached to the hole nut is used. A decoration for a wheel nut, wherein the cap is rotated so that the protruding portion rides on a corner portion of a tool engaging portion of the wheel nut to release the engagement between the engaging claw and the wheel nut. cap.   The decorative cap for a wheel nut according to claim 1, wherein a tip of the engaging claw is a tapered surface.   The decorative cap for wheel nuts according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a notch for fitting a corner portion of the tool engaging portion of the wheel nut is formed at the center of the protrusion.   The wheel nut according to any one of claims 2 to 3, wherein the size and shape of the tool engaging portion provided in the cap are the same as the size and shape of the tool engaging portion of the wheel nut. Decorative cap.

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