JPH068883Y2 - Wheel cap set - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the device] [Industrial applications]

The present invention relates to a wheel cap set attached to a wheel of an automobile, and more particularly to a wheel cap set configured by combining a plurality of parts before the wheel cap is actually attached to the wheel of the automobile.

[Prior art]

BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, wheel caps with various designs are sometimes attached to a wheel of an automobile for the purpose of improving the design of the wheel or the automobile as a whole. As this wheel cap, for example, there are those in which various designs are provided on the front surface and a plurality of engaging claws are projected from the rear surface. The wheel cap configured as described above is attached to the wheel by the engagement claw engaging with the hump portion of the wheel. However, in such a wheel cap, there is a problem that design or strength design is restricted by the relationship between the design provided on the front surface and the engaging claws formed on the back surface. Also, for example, when replacing a wheel cap to damage the wheel cap or to change the design according to the user's preference, the cost of parts for replacement is high because this wheel cap is quite large. There was a problem of getting stuck. Therefore, the applicant of the present invention has solved the above problems by devising a wheel cap including a fixed frame that has an engaging claw on its back surface and is mounted on a wheel, and a design cover that is detachable from the fixed frame. , Has already applied for this (Practical application Sho 63-054770).

[Problems to be solved by the device]

By the way, as a wheel cap, it is common that the engaging claw is bent at the time of mounting and the claw is mounted on the wheel by utilizing the urging force of the claw to return to the original state. In order to ensure the engagement between the claws and the hump part of the wheel, the one in which a biasing ring that biases these engaging claws radially outward is attached to the inside of the engaging claws has also been used. ing. However, in the wheel cap having the biasing ring as described above, when the wheel cap is mounted on the wheel, the engaging claw that has already been biased radially outward by the biasing ring moves radially inward against the biasing force. In order to bend, the biasing ring located inside the engaging claw must also be deformed,
There was a problem that a fairly large mounting force was required for the mounting work. Therefore, even when the user replaces the wheel cap according to his / her preference, the user cannot easily replace the wheel cap. On the other hand, it is possible to make the mounting force of the wheel cap somewhat smaller and to facilitate the work by designing the amount of deformation of the biasing ring at the time of mounting so as not to be so large. However, in that case, the biasing force that presses the engaging claw against the hump portion is unavoidable due to the small amount of deformation of the ring. Therefore, the wheel cap may come off from the wheel while the vehicle is running, and it does not make much sense that the biasing ring is attached. The present invention was created to effectively solve the above-mentioned conventional technical problems. Therefore, its purpose is a wheel cap that is composed of a fixed frame and a design cover, and is provided with a biasing ring to ensure its attachment, and even if the user attaches the fixed frame to the wheel easily To provide a set of wheel caps prepared to do.

[Means for Solving the Problems]

The wheel cap set according to the present invention is configured as follows to achieve the above object. That is, this wheel cap set has a plurality of engaging claws protrudingly provided on the back surface of the main body corresponding to the hump portion of the wheel and elastically pressed against the hump portion from the inside in the radial direction. A fixed frame, a design cover that can be attached to and detached from the fixed frame from the outer surface side, and abutting from the radially inner side to the engaging claws of the fixed frame to urge the engaging claws radially outward. , A combination with an elastic biasing ring. The urging ring has a circular shape in which one position on the circumference is divided and the outer diameter in the normal state is set to be larger than the diameter of the inscribed circle for each engaging claw, and the circular part A clip that consists of two legs that extend inward in the radial direction from both ends of the dividing point, and the biasing ring has a mounting groove that is narrower than the outer dimensions of both legs in the normal state of the biasing ring. However, both leg portions are mounted in the groove in such a state that they are press-fitted with a narrow interval so as to reduce the diameter of the circular portion. Further, the fixed frame has an opening portion having a size configuration through which the clip can be inserted, at a position corresponding to the clip when the fixed frame is attached to the wheel. In addition, the biasing ring has two radially inner ends of the two legs.
They may be connected to each other by a connecting portion curved in an arc shape, and that portion may have a U-shape.

[Action / effect]

In the above structure, the fixed frame is attached to the wheel with the biasing ring positioned radially inward of the engaging claw. At that time, since the engaging claws pass over the hump portion of the wheel, each of the engaging claws flexes and deforms inward in the radial direction. In a wheel cap using a conventional urging ring, the urging ring is also deformed along with the deformation of the engaging claw, but in the above configuration, since the urging ring is still reduced in diameter, Without deforming, you can easily attach the wheel cap to the wheel with the same small force as a wheel cap that does not use a ring. In other words, if the outer diameter of the urging ring is regulated with a clip so that it is smaller than the diameter of the inscribed circle when the engaging claw bends and deforms when riding over the hump part of the wheel, it will be fixed to the wheel. Since the biasing ring does not deform at all when the frame is mounted, the mounting force is exactly the same as when the biasing ring is not used. It is also possible to make the outer diameter of the biasing ring slightly larger than the diameter of the inscribed circle when the engaging claw is flexibly deformed. In that case, the biasing ring will be deformed when it is attached to the wheel, but since the deformation is done by the approaching of both legs, compared with the case where the conventional perfect circular biasing ring is used. If so, the mounting force will be small. On the other hand, with the fixed frame attached to the wheel, the clip attached to the leg to regulate the diameter of the biasing ring is removed through the opening of the fixed frame, and the biasing ring tries to expand its diameter. A large biasing force is generated outward in the direction, and the engaging claw is strongly pressed against the hump portion of the wheel. Therefore, according to the above configuration, the fixed frame is securely fixed to the wheel except when it is forcibly removed. As described above, according to the present invention, the wheel cap is formed of the fixed frame and the design cover, the opening is formed in the fixed frame, and the clip for controlling the diameter of the biasing ring can be removed from the opening. The wheel can be mounted easily and surely. The design cover is attached to and detached from the outer surface of the fixed frame with the fixed frame fixed to the wheel. Therefore, even if a part of the cover is damaged and needs to be replaced, only the design cover needs to be replaced, and the replacement part is small, so that the parts cost can be kept low.

【Example】

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a wheel cap set according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a central sectional view of the wheel cap set mounted on a wheel. As shown in FIG. 1, the wheel cap set according to the present invention comprises a design cover 1, a fixed frame 2, and a biasing ring 3 having elasticity. Among them, the fixed frame 2 includes a ring plate 2a as a main body thereof, and an engagement claw 2b protruding from a predetermined circumference on the back surface of the ring plate 2a and press-contacting the hump portion 5a of the wheel 5 from the inside in the radial direction. It consists of and. On the predetermined circumference of this ring plate 2a,
A through hole 2c is formed which is composed of a wide engagement claw insertion portion and an engagement portion formed to have a width narrower than the insertion portion. In addition, a groove 2e for holding a biasing ring 3 described below is formed in parallel with the ring plate 2a on the radially inner surface of each engaging claw 2b. Design cover 1 for covering the surface of the fixed frame 2
Are various designs on the surface of the disc-shaped main body 1a, and the engaging claws project from an imaginary circle having the same diameter as the engaging portion of the through hole 2c formed in the ring plate 2a. 1b is provided on the back surface of the disc-shaped main body 1a. The engagement cover 1b and the through hole 2c are engaged with each other, whereby the design cover 1
Is mounted on the fixed frame 2. The fixed frame 2 is made of an inexpensive synthetic resin such as polypropylene or polyethylene to have elasticity, and the design cover is formed by plating the surface of the cover with ABS resin, for example, to improve the design. As shown in the figure, the urging ring 3 has a ring shape in which one position on the circumference is divided so that it fits into the groove 2e of the engaging claw 2b, and the outer diameter in the normal state is that of each engaging claw 2b. A circular portion 3a defined to be larger than the diameter of an inscribed circle with respect to the groove 2e, and two linear leg portions 3c extending inward in the radial direction from both ends of the dividing portion of the circular portion 3a, The radially inner ends of both legs 3c are
They are connected to each other by a semicircular connecting portion 3d, and a U-shaped bent portion 3b
Is configured. In the leg portion 3c of the U-shaped bent portion 3b,
By narrowing the distance between them, the diameter of the circular part 3a can be reduced
A clip 4 bent in a U-shape is fitted so as to be smaller than the diameter of the inscribed circle with respect to 2b. Therefore, the width of the mounting groove 4a formed between both flange portions of the clip 4 is narrower than the outer dimension of both leg portions 3c of the urging ring 3 in the normal state. A case where the wheel cap set including the above-described components is attached to the wheel will be described. First, the urging ring 3 to which the clip 4 is attached is positioned inside the engaging claw 2b of the fixed frame 2, and the fixed frame 2 is attached to the wheel 5 in this state. At that time, the engaging claws 2b are deformed so as to be bent inward in the radial direction once in contact with the inner peripheral wall of the rim of the wheel 5, but in the above-mentioned configuration, the biasing ring 3 is prevented from being bent at the same time unlike the conventional structure. Therefore, the mounting can be performed with the same small force as a wheel cap of the type that does not use the urging ring 3. The outer diameter of the circular portion 3a is restricted by the clip 4 so that the outer diameter of the circular portion 3a becomes smaller than the inscribed circle when the engaging claws 2b are flexibly deformed, and the biasing ring 3 is attached when the fixed frame 2 is mounted on the wheel 5. Fixed frame 2 if not deformed at all
It is necessary for the worker to hold down the urging ring 3 when attaching the urging ring 3 in order to eliminate the need and improve the workability even a little.
The clip 4 may be formed to such an extent that it is loosely held in the groove 2e of each engaging claw 2b. In this case, the biasing ring 3 is also deformed along with the deformation of the engaging claw 2b when the fixed frame 2 is mounted, but the biasing ring 3 is not a perfect circle as described above, but a part thereof. Since the U-shaped bent portion 3b is formed in the, the portion is deformed relatively easily. Therefore,
This mounting work can be performed without requiring much force. On the other hand, when the fixed frame 2 is simply attached to the wheel 5, the urging ring 3 does not urge the engaging claw 2b outward in the radial direction or the urging force is weak, so that the urging ring 3 is not running. The fixed frame 2 may come off the wheel 5 due to an impact or the like. Therefore, the work of removing the clip 4 attached to the U-shaped bent portion 3b by a tool such as a screwdriver through the notch (opening) 2d formed in the ring plate 2a of the fixed frame 2 shown in FIG. Do.
By doing so, the biasing ring 3 tries to further increase the diameter, and strongly biases the engaging claw 2b toward the hump portion 5a of the wheel 5. Therefore, the fixed frame 2 is securely fixed to the wheel 5. In this manner, with the fixed frame 2 fixed to the wheel 5, the engaging claw 1b of the design cover 1 is inserted into the insertion portion of the through hole 2c, and the design cover 1 is rotated counterclockwise. At this time, the engaging claw 1b is located at the engaging portion of the through hole 2c,
The design cover 1 is prevented from coming off from the fixed frame 2. As described above, in the above-described configuration, the design cover 1 having a desired design can be easily attached to the fixed frame 2, and the work of removing the design cover 1 can also be easily performed in the reverse procedure. In the above configuration, the fixed frame 2 is always fixed to the wheel 5 except when it is forcibly removed, and only the design cover 1 is attachable to and detachable from the wheel 5. Here, the engagement claw 1b formed on the design cover 1 may be small enough to penetrate the ring plate 2a which is the main body of the fixed frame 2, and in the above configuration, the design cover 1 is fixed on the fixed frame 2. Since they are held in close contact with each other, it is not necessary to increase the strength of the main body 1a so much as compared with the integrated wheel cap. Therefore, the design is not limited due to the strength problem, and it is possible to reduce the thickness of the main body 1a and reduce the weight of the entire wheel cap. Further, according to the above configuration, since the pressing margin of the engaging claw of the fixed frame can be increased, the same fixed frame can be used even when the inner diameter of the hump portion of the wheel is slightly different due to different manufacturers. Can be shared. Further, since the engaging claw of the design cover and the through hole of the fixed frame can be shared, it is not necessary to prepare various molds, which is very advantageous in terms of cost. In the above embodiment, the opening for removing the clip 4 is formed on the inner peripheral edge of the ring plate 2a.
2d, but a ring plate without forming the cutout 2d
The clip 4 may be removed from the central opening of 2a, or the fixed frame 2 may be formed in a disc shape, and an opening for removing the clip 4 may be formed at a position corresponding to the clip 4.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a wheel cap set according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a central sectional view of the wheel cap set mounted on a wheel. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Design cover, 1a ... Main body, 1b ... Engaging claws, 2 ... Fixed frame, 2a ... Ring plate (main body part), 2b ... Engaging claws, 2c ... Through hole, 2d ... Notch part (opening part), 2e ... groove, 3 ... biasing ring, 3a ... circular part, 3b ... U-shaped bent part, 3c ... leg part, 3d ... connecting part, 4 ... clip, 4a ... mounting groove, 5 ... wheel, 5a ...
Hump part

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A hump portion which is provided on a back surface of a main body portion (2a) so as to project on a circumference corresponding to a hump portion (5a) of a wheel (5).
A plurality of engaging claws (2
a fixed frame (2) having a b), a design cover (1) that can be attached to and detached from the fixed frame (2) from the outer surface side, and a radial inward direction on each engagement claw (2b) of the fixed frame (2). A wheel cap set which is in contact with the elastic member and urges the engaging claw (2b) outward in the radial direction, and is a combination with an elastic urging ring (3), wherein the urging ring (3) is A circular portion (3a) having a ring shape in which one place on the circumference is divided and the outer diameter in the normal state is set to be larger than the diameter of the inscribed circle for each of the engaging claws (2b), and the circular shape It consists of two legs (3c) extending inward in the radial direction from both ends of the part (3a), and the biasing ring (3) has two legs (3c) in the normal state of the biasing ring (3). ), The clip (4) having a mounting groove (4a) narrower than the outer dimension is mounted in a state where both legs (3c) are press-fitted in the groove (4a) with a narrow space, (2) is the fixed frame (2 ) The wheel
An opening (2d) having a size and configuration such that the clip (4) can be inserted into a position corresponding to the clip (4) when attached to the (5).
A wheel cap set comprising: