JPH06143903A - Wheel cap - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide small spring force during vehicle stopping while to provide large spring force during vehicle running by arranging a weight movably in the radial direction on the bottom part side of a bottomed cylindrical body, which has an opening and is arranged radially while supported by a base part, and installing a compression spring between the weight and the head part of an engaging part. CONSTITUTION:An energizing means 10 consists of bottomed cylindrical bodies 14, which have openings facing the inside of the head parts of the engaging parts and are arranged radially while supported by a base part 11, weights 15 arranged in the bottom parts of the bottomed cylindrical bodies 14 movable in the radial direction, and compression springs 16 arranged between the weights 15 and the head parts 12b of the engaging parts. During vehicle stopping, the weights 15 are positioned on the bottom parts inside the bottomed cylindrical bodies 14, and the engaging parts 12 are energized to outside in the radial direction by small spring force that is applied when a wheel cap is attached. During vehicle running, centrifugal force works on the weights 15, so that the weights 15 are moved in the radial direction so as to compressively deform the compression coil springs 16, and consequently, the spring force is increased in comparison with that applied when the wheel cap is attached.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a wheel cap mounted on a wheel.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As one of wheel caps, a disk-shaped base and a peripheral edge of a back surface of the base are circumferentially spaced from each other and are substantially perpendicular to the base so as to be elastically deformable in a radial direction. Direction, a plurality of engaging portions each including a leg portion and a head portion that is formed at a tip of the leg portion and engages with a hump portion of a wheel, and the engaging portion disposed on an inner peripheral side of the engaging portion. There is a biasing means for biasing the joint portion radially outward, which is proposed in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-39101.

[0003]

The biasing means employed in the wheel cap proposed in the above publication is a single ring-shaped holder (wire spring) held by a plurality of engaging portions. Therefore, the spring function of this holder is almost the same when the vehicle is stopped and running. Therefore, if the spring force of the ring-shaped holder is set to a small value while giving importance to the workability of attaching / detaching the wheel cap to / from the disc wheel while the vehicle is stopped, the wheel cap may not be sufficiently detached while the vehicle is running. On the contrary, if the spring force of the ring-shaped holder is set to a large value while giving importance to the drop-out resistance of the wheel cap while the vehicle is traveling, there is a problem that the workability of attaching and detaching the wheel cap when the vehicle is stopped deteriorates. The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and provides a biasing means for a wheel cap that can obtain a small spring force while the vehicle is stopped and a large spring force while the vehicle is running. Has an aim.

[0004]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, in the present invention, a disc-shaped base portion and a rear surface peripheral portion of the base portion are arranged in a row in a circumferential direction at intervals and have a radius. A plurality of engaging portions that are elastically deformable in the direction and that protrude from the base portion in a substantially vertical direction, and a head portion that is formed at the tip of the leg portion and that engages with the hump portion of the disc wheel.
In the wheel cap, which is arranged on the inner peripheral side of the engaging portion and biases the engaging portion radially outward, the biasing means is provided inside the head portion of each engaging portion. A bottomed cylindrical body radially disposed with an opening facing each other and supported by the base, a weight movably arranged on the bottom side in the bottomed cylinder in the radial direction, and the weight and each of the above. It is composed of a compression spring interposed between the heads of the engaging portions.

[0005]

In the wheel cap according to the present invention, since the centrifugal force does not act on the weight when the vehicle is stopped, the weight is at the bottom of the bottomed cylinder, and the compression spring is a small spring when mounted. The engaging portion is urged radially outward by force. Further, while the vehicle is traveling, a centrifugal force that increases according to the vehicle speed acts on the weight, and the weight moves radially from the bottom of the bottomed cylindrical body to compress and deform the compression spring according to the centrifugal force. The spring force of the compression spring is increased as compared with the mounting time, and the engagement between the head portion of the engagement portion and the hump portion of the disc wheel is strengthened. Therefore, it is possible to improve the workability of attaching / detaching the wheel cap to / from the disc wheel while the vehicle is stopped and to sufficiently enhance the drop resistance of the wheel cap while the vehicle is traveling.

[0006]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows the back surface of a wheel cap 10 according to the present invention. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the wheel cap 10 has a disk-shaped base 11 made of a synthetic resin material and a base 11. It is composed of eight engaging portions 12 arranged in a circumferential direction at a peripheral edge portion of the back surface of 11 at intervals in the circumferential direction, and a biasing means S arranged inside each of the engaging portions 12. Each of the engaging portions 12 is a leg portion 12 a that is elastically deformable in the radial direction and protrudes from the base portion 11 in a substantially vertical direction.
And a head portion 12b which is formed at the tip of the leg portion 12a and engages with the hump portion 21 of the disc wheel 20 as shown in FIG. 3, and is integrally formed with the base portion 11.

The urging means S urges each engaging portion 12 outward in the radial direction and has a base portion radially arranged with an opening facing the inside of the head 12b of each engaging portion 12. 11, a bottomed cylindrical body 14 supported by a column 13; a ball-shaped weight 15 disposed on the bottom side of the bottomed cylindrical body 14 so as to be movable in the radial direction; The compression coil spring 16 is interposed between the heads 12b of the joints 12.

In this embodiment constructed as described above, since the centrifugal force does not act on the weight 15 while the vehicle is stopped, the weight 15 is at the bottom of the bottomed cylindrical body 14 and the compression coil spring 16 is provided. Urges the engaging portion 12 outward in the radial direction with a small spring force during mounting. Further, while the vehicle is traveling, a centrifugal force that increases according to the vehicle speed acts on the weight 15, and the weight 15 moves in the radial direction from the bottom portion inside the bottomed tubular body 14 according to the centrifugal force to cause a compression coil spring. Since 16 is compressed and deformed, the spring force of the compression coil spring 16 is increased as compared with the time of attachment, and the engagement between the head portion 12b of the engagement portion 12 and the hump portion 21 of the disc wheel 20 is strengthened. Therefore, the workability of attaching / detaching the wheel cap 10 to / from the disc wheel 20 while the vehicle is stopped is improved, and the wheel cap 1 while the vehicle is traveling.
The falling resistance of 0 can be sufficiently enhanced.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a rear view showing an embodiment of a wheel cap according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view of FIG.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of an essential part showing a fitted state of the wheel cap and the disc wheel according to the present invention while the vehicle is stopped.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of an essential part showing a fitted state of the wheel cap and the disc wheel according to the present invention while the vehicle is traveling.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 ... Wheel cap, 11 ... Base part, 12 ... Engagement part,
12a ... legs, 12b ... head, 14 ... bottomed cylinder, 15 ...
Weight, 16 ... compression coil spring, S ... biasing means, 20 ... disk wheel, 21 ... hump part.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A disk-shaped base portion, and leg portions that are arranged in a circumferential edge of a back surface of the base portion at intervals in a circumferential direction and that are elastically deformable in a radial direction and project from the base portion in a substantially vertical direction. A plurality of engaging portions, each of which is formed at a tip end of the leg portion and includes a head portion that engages with a hump portion of the disc wheel, and the engaging portion that is disposed on an inner peripheral side of the engaging portion and is radially outwardly disposed. In a wheel cap composed of biasing means for biasing in one direction, the biasing means is a bottomed cylinder radially arranged with an opening facing the inside of the head of each of the engaging portions and supported by the base portion. A body, a weight movably arranged on the bottom side in the bottomed cylinder in the radial direction, and a compression spring interposed between the weight and the head of each of the engaging portions. Wheel cap to be used.