WO2003093030A1

WO2003093030A1 - A wheel and a coating piece

Info

Publication number: WO2003093030A1
Application number: PCT/BR2003/000047
Authority: WO
Inventors: Evandro Luis Francischetti
Original assignee: Arvinmeritor Do Brasil Sistemas Automotivos Ltda.
Priority date: 2002-04-30
Filing date: 2003-03-27
Publication date: 2003-11-13
Also published as: BR0201514A; BR0201514B1; AU2003221651A1

Abstract

A wheel is described, particularly for use on vehicles, comprising a wheel flange (2) and a coating piece (3) having with at least one free end (8) associated to the flange, the flange (2) being provided with at least one recess (4) for fixing the coating piece (3), the recess (4) has at least one first fitting element (9) and the free end (8) has at least one second fitting element (9’), the first and second fitting elements (9, 9’) being fitted when the coating piece (3) is associated to the flange (2). An advantage of the present invention is the fact that it enables a definitive fixation between the wheel (1) and the coating piece (3), achieved without the need to use adhesives or minimizing the use of these adhesives, by mechanical locking means in the form of first and second fitting elements (9, 9’), which have a reduced cost and guarantee a definitive and unlimited fixation.

Description

"A WHEEL AND A COATING PIECE"

The present invention relates to a wheel for use on vehicles, provided with a coating piece, and to a coating piece for use on said wheels. Description of the Prior Art Conventionally, the wheels made from stamped steel of the prior art, be they of the conventional type or integrated type (when the external flange of the wheel is an integral part of the wheel disc), are little attractive, their use being limited on automotive vehicles for which the esthetic appearance is one of the decisive factors in the purchase, as for instance on luxury passenger cars. This little attractive appearance also limits the penetration of this type of wheel into the accessory consuming market, which has a great demand for wheels having an attractive esthetic appearance, such as wheels cast from light-metal alloys, which are often acquired for the purpose of replacing the conventional wheels made of steel on less expensive vehicles, for which the latter wheels are a standard equipment of the maker due to their higher manufacture cost.

A long-known alternative for enabling the sale of vehicles provided with stamped wheels consists in equipping them with stylized hubcaps made of metal or a plastic material, which cover the wheel either partly or totally, thus rendering it impossible or difficult to view the wheel. These hubcaps, as a rule, are attached by means of wheel screws of by means of springs/clamps that interact with the rim or wheel disc to fix the hubcaps.

However, these accessory hubcaps must be easily removable, in order to enable one to remove the wheel of the vehicle or even to facilitate the tire calibration. This ease of removal, however, is a serious drawback, since these over-wheel hubcaps have the drawback that they may get loose or be unduly removed from the wheels, as for instance when passing over a hole or unevenness of the ground, or else by vandalism, respectively. In addition, these hubcaps are easily damaged by side collisions the wheel with obstacles, as for instance bumps against the curb while making parking maneuvers, since they generally project outwards from the wheel and do no follow their basic design. With a view to eliminate these drawbacks, a wheel provided with a hubcap in form of a coating piece having the same basic design of the wheel and located adjacent to it has been proposed, this hubcap being definitively fixed, during the manufacture thereof, by means of adhesives. In order to enable association of the coating piece to the wheel, recesses were provided in the outer portion of the wheel flange. In this way, there was not risk of the hubcap getting loose, and the possibility damages due to bumps of the wheel against obstacles were minimized, since the most prominent portion of the wheel, namely the flange, was not covered by the coating piece. However, the use of adhesives has drawbacks, such as their acquisition and implantation cost, the time it takes to dry, pollution of the environment resulting from their manufacture and use, possibility of displacing the coating piece, mainly after a certain time of use of the wheel, among others. A example of embodiment of this type of wheel may be seen in documents US 5,435,631 and US 5,664,845. Objectives of the Invention

It is an objective of the present invention to provide a wheel, especially for use on vehicles, which is provided with a coating piece that im- parts a more attractive appearance to the known ordinary wheels, and which has locking means for enabling one to position and fix this coating piece correctly on the wheel, thus avoiding the need to apply adhesives and minimizing the amount of adhesives used therefor, which render the production of the wheel expensive and, with the passing of time, their properties may be reduced, thus causing the coating piece to get loose. Other objectives of the invention are that the proposed wheel should not present difficulties for tire removal/attachment, should have a constructive geometry that prevents wear of the coating piece and enables one to put weights for the purpose of balancing. Brief Description of the Invention

The objectives of the present invention are achieved by means of a wheel, particularly for use on vehicles, comprising a wheel flange and a coating piece provided with at least one free end associable to the flange, the flange being provided with at least one recess for fixing the coating piece, the recess having at least one first fitting element and the free end having at least one second fitting element, the first and second fitting elements being fitted into each other when the coating piece is associated to the flange.

Also, the objectives of the present invention are achieved by means of a coating piece, particularly for use on a vehicle wheel comprising a flange provided with at least one recess that has at least one first fitting element, the coating piece having at least one free end provided with at least one second fitting element.

An advantage of the present invention is the fact that it enables definitive fixation between the wheel and the coating piece, made by mechanical locking means, without the need to use adhesives (which requires application steps, acquisition costs and, with the passing of time and/or due to the use, may lose their properties and cause undesirable unfitting), or at least minimizing the amount of adhesive required, thus bringing about a reduction of costs by virtue the economy in the amount of adhesive applied. The mechanical fixation means disclosed and defined herein have a reduced cost and guarantee definitive and unlimited fixation, thus rendering the wheels made according to the present invention much more interesting from the point of view of the consumer market, be it the automobile industry or the spare-parts market. Brief Description of the Drawings

The present invention will be described in greater detail with ref- erence to an embodiment represented in the drawings. The figures show:

Figure 1 - a longitudinal cross-section view of the flange of a first embodiment variation of the wheel provided with a coating piece according to the present invention;

Figure 2 - a longitudinal cross-section view of the flange of a second embodiment variation of the wheel provided with a coating piece according to the present invention;

Figure 3 - a longitudinal cross-section view of the flange of a third embodiment variation of the wheel provided with the coating piece according to the present invention;

Figure 4 - a longitudinal cross-section view of a fourth embodiment variation of the wheel provided with the coating piece according to the present invention;

Figure 5 - a longitudinal cross-section view of a fifth embodiment variation of the wheel provided with a coating piece according to the present invention;

Figure 6 - a longitudinal cross-section view of a sixth embodi- ment variation of the wheel provided with a coating piece according to the present invention. Detailed Description of the Figures

According to a preferred embodiment and as can be seen in figure 1 , the present invention relates to a wheel 1 , particularly for use on vehi- cles, provided with a coating piece 3, the function of which is to impart an attractive esthetic appearance to said wheel 1.

Preferably, the wheel 1 comprises a rim and a disc stamped from steel and then joined to each other by welding or some other joining element.

Evidently, one may conceive a wheel with another configuration for use of the coating piece, as for example, wheels cast from light metal alloys, wheels with spokes, wooden wheels or any other type used for this purpose.

In a first preferred embodiment, the wheel 1 comprises a substantially cylindrical rim defining a through bore, to which a wheel disc is associated by welding. The wheel rim has at least one end region 2 ( projecting from its side wall), also called wheel flange, which is protuberant and constitutes the wheel 1 region, where its diameter is maximum. This flange 2 has a substantially curved profile shaped as a "] " or "inverted-J", its free tip being substantially perpendicular to the rest of the flange body 2. Therefore, the wheel rim of this first preferred embodiment of the wheel 1 has two flanges 2 located at its two ends, so that the curvature of the flanges causes them to point outwards of the wheel, configuring between themselves a groove to position and fix the tire ( not shown). In a second preferred embodiment, the wheel 1 also comprises a substantially cylindrical rim defining a through bore, but the wheel disc is associated to one of the ends of the side wall of this rim. In this second embodiment, the rim defines one of the flanges 2, and the disc defines the other flange 2, so that, when both of them are associated, the visual and functional result is identical to that achieved by the wheel with a rim comprising the two flanges 2.

In either preferred embodiment, the two wheel flanges 2 and the rest of the rim wall define a groove in which the tire is placed, so that the side wall of the tire close to its opening is propped by the flanges.

Since the flange 2 has the profile defined above and constitutes a prolongation of the rim or the disc, depending upon the embodiment of the wheel, it is substantially annular.

The wheel flange 2 has a first main surface 10 and a second main surface 5. The first main surface 10 is the one facing the outside of the vehicle, that is to say, facing outwards of the vehicle wheel box. The second main surface 5, in turn, is that facing the inside of the vehicle wheel box and that defines the groove for placing the tire and, therefore, gets in touch with it.

The first main surface 10, the outer surface, has a recess or cav- ity 4 that enables one to fit the coating piece 3 into the wheel. This recess 4 preferably has a substantially circular shape and, in a substantially external region, a first fitting element 9 in form of a recess or a protuberance is provided, which enables the fitting of the coating piece 3. Preferably, this first fitting element 9 is substantially annular, but two or more elements 9 may be foreseen, positioned either symmetrically or not.

Alternatively, the recess may have shapes other than circular, and may be present in varied numbers. Also, one may conceive a wheel 1 wherein the fitting element(s) is(are) positioned in a region of the cavity that is not substantially external. The coating piece 3, in turn, has a shape preferably analogous to that of the recess 4, so that it can fit completely and correctly into it. Alternatively, however, there is the possibility of the shape of the coating piece 3 being different from that of the recess 4. Still preferably, the shape of the coating piece 3 is substantially circular and cooperates with the shape of the recess 4.

The coating piece 3 may have decorative technical motifs, such as bores for ventilating the brakes, different curvatures, radii of varied designs, or else any other motif. One may also foresee a smooth coating piece 3, without ornaments, with shapes that remind one of various figures, or else annular in shape, covering only a portion of the wheel.

The coating piece 3 may be made from any material, such as carbon steel, stainless steel, plastics, aluminum, brass, depending upon the desire or productive convenience and the technical/esthetic results which one wishes to achieve.

In order to fit the coating piece 3 into the wheel 1 , it is enough to position and press it against the recess 4. Evidently, in order for the fitting to be possible, it is necessary that the first and second fitting elements 9, 9' cooperates with each other, since they account for fixation between the wheel and the piece. In this way, when the first fitting element 9 corresponds to a protuberance (as shown in figures 4 and 5), the second fitting element 9' is in form of a recess cooperating with the protuberance and accommodating it. In turn, when the second fitting element 9' corresponds to a protuberance (as shown in figures 1 , 2, 3, and 6), the first fitting element 9 is in form of a recess cooperating with the protuberance and accommodating it. Optionally and preferably, in order to maximize the association between the first and second fitting elements 9, 9', the coating piece 3 is configured in such a way, that it will exert a force on the wheel 1 , for instance, remaining deformed and tending to return to its original shape or vice-versa, thus causing a friction/pressure that aids in fixing it.

This fitting maintains the coating piece 3 adequately and definitively locked on the wheel 1 , thus avoiding the need to apply glue or any other adhesive element in order to achieve this fixation. Optionally, one may apply an amount of adhesive to achieve a correct fixation, but the amount required is much smaller than that necessary to fixe a coating piece onto a wheel when the first and second fitting elements 9, 9' are not provided.

Evidently, various other locking elements may be employed, as long as they are comprised by the protection scope of the invention.

Preferably, in both the first and the second preferred embodi- ments of the wheel 1 of the present invention, the first fixing element 9 is made at the time of stamping the rim or disc, respectively, be it a recess or a protuberance. This characteristic brings about an extreme manufacture economy, since it is not necessary to carry out additional steps of manufacture and/or mechanical shaping of the wheel 1 , enabling it to reach the final consumer at a cost very similar to that of the conventional wheels. This brings about a great penetration into the consumer market, be it the automobile industry or owners of vehicles (spare-part market). Evidently, however, the first fixing element 9 may be achieved or added to the wheel by any other process. A preferred embodiment having been described, it should be understood that the scope of the present invention embraces other possible variations, being limited only by the contents of the accompanying claims, which include the possible equivalents.

Claims

1. A wheel, particularly for use on vehicles, comprising a wheel flange (2) and a coating piece (3) having with at least one free end (8) associated to the flange, the flange (2) being provided with at least one recess (4) for fixing the coating piece (3), the wheel (1 ) being characterized in that the recess (4) has at least one first fitting element (9) and the free end (8) has at least one second fitting element (9'), the first and second fitting elements (9, 9') being fitted when the coating piece (3) is associated to the flange (2).

2. A wheel according to claim 1 , characterized in that the wheel flange (2) has a first inner surface (10) that comprises the recess (4) for fixing the coating piece (3).

3. A wheel according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the first fitting element (9) and the second fitting element (9') are substantially annular in shape.

4. A wheel according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the first fitting element comprises a cavity (9) and the second fitting element comprises a protuberance (9').

5. A wheel according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the first fitting element comprises a protuberance (9) and the second fit- ting element comprises a recess (9').

6. A wheel according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized by comprising a substantially cylindrical rim, to which a substantially circular disc is associated, the wheel flange (2) being an integral part of the rim.

7. A wheel according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in by comprising a substantially cylindrical rim, to which a substantially circular disc is associated, the flange (2) being an integral part of the disc.

8. A wheel according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the coating piece (3) is substantially circular and has a diameter that is substantially equivalent to the internal diameter of the flange (2).

9. A wheel according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the coating piece (3) is substantially circular and has a diameter that is substantially smaller than the internal diameter of the flange (2).

10. A coating piece, particularly for use on a vehicle wheel (1) comprising a flange (2) that has at least one recess (4) having at least one first fitting element (9), the coating piece (3) having at least one fee end (8) and being characterized in that the free end (8) has at least one second fit- ting element (9').

11. A coating piece according to claim 10, characterized in that the second fitting element (9') is located on a first inner surface (7) of the piece (3) facing the wheel (1 ).

12. A coating piece according to claim 10 or 11 , characterized in that the second fitting element comprises a protuberance (9').

13. A coating piece according to claim 10 or 11 , characterized in that the second fitting element comprises a recess (9').

14. A coating piece according to any one of claims 10 to 13, characterized by being substantially circular in shape and having a diameter that is substantially equivalent to the inner diameter of the flange (2) of the wheel (1 ).

15. A coating piece according to any one of claims 10 to 13, characterized by being substantially circular in shape and having a diameter that is substantially smaller than the internal diameter of the flange (2) of the wheel (1).