WO2005002881A1

WO2005002881A1 - A spare wheel for vehicles, a vehicle wheel, a wheel rim, and a turning assembly

Info

Publication number: WO2005002881A1
Application number: PCT/BR2004/000109
Authority: WO
Inventors: José Henrique BONALDI; Evandro Luís FRANCISCHETTI; Sérgio Charles TUBERO; Steven Allan Yollick; Nelson Gosser, Jr.; Fernando Toshihiko Mitsuyassu; Carlos Eduardo Pinotti
Original assignee: Arvinmeritor Do Brasil Sistemas Automotivos Ltda.
Priority date: 2003-07-03
Filing date: 2004-07-02
Publication date: 2005-01-13
Also published as: BR0302305A; WO2005002881A8

Abstract

The present invention relates to a spare wheel for automotive vehicles, designed for being fixed to the vehicle wheel (100), the spare wheel (1, 1’, 1’’) being provided with a substantially annular rim (2), which defines a groove for position a tire (4) and having at least one first contact surface (110) provided with at least two fixing elements (12), preferably in the form of quick-action locks, for enabling one to fix it to the vehicle wheel (100) without the need to unscrew vehicle-wheel bolts/nuts. It is also described a vehicle wheel (100), a wheel disc (103) and a turning assembly.

Description

Title: "A SPARE WHEEL FOR VEHICLES, A VEHICLE WHEEL, A WHEEL RIM, AND A TURNING ASSEMBLY"

The present invention relates to a spare wheel, particularly for use on automotive vehicles and trailers, and a vehicle wheel. Additionally, the present invention also relates to a wheel disc, particularly for use on the vehicle wheel now designed, and to a turning assembly formed by the vehicle wheel and by the spare wheel. Description of the Prior Art Conventionally, automotive vehicles have at least one wheel/spare-tire assembly for use when a tire is punctured or any other damage to one of their tires (hereinafter called merely spare tires), or else problems related to the wheel proper (crush, fatigue failure or impact, great unbalancing, etc.). In most cases, the exchange of the wheel/spare tire assembly is an unpleasant operation, since one has to stop the vehicle, remove the spare tire from the place where it is stored, unscrew the nuts/bolts of the vehicle wheel, lift it with a jack, replace the wheel/damaged-tire assembly, lower the vehicle, tighten the screws/nuts firmly and, finally, put away the wheel/damaged-tire assembly in the place intended for the spare tire. However unpleasant this operation may be, there is the possibility of a number of aggravating drawbacks that make this operation even more difficult and/or painful, some of which are described below;

• in the case of heavy vehicles, such as buses and trucks, the wheel/tire assemblies are excessively heavy to be handled by a single person, and so the driver cannot exchange tires without the help of someone else, thus causing an exhaustive physical exercise;

• on some private cars, the spare tire is placed on the bottom of the luggage space and, since it is the same size of the main wheel to be replaced on most vehicles, one has to remove the whole baggage in order to reach it; for the reason explained in the preceding item, a considerable portion of the usable volume of the luggage space is intended for storing it, thus reducing the space available for baggage, which is a problem mainly on small or sports vehicles (the dimensions of the spare tire are considerable);

• for those who are not physically strong enough, such as women and old people, the force required for loosening and tightening wheel screws/nuts is excessive and, in addition, these people have to sit on the floor in order to position the spare tire at the wheel hub correctly;

• it may happen that the wheel nuts/screws have been tightened to much, and the driver does not manage to unscrew them, in which case it will not be possible to exchange the wheel/tire assembly in order to use the spa- re tire. In order to eliminate some of these drawbacks, provisional spare tires have been designed, the width of which is considerably smaller than that of the original wheel/tires of the vehicle. In this way, the spare tire takes little room space in the luggage space and may be easily handled. However, the main drawbacks have not been eliminated with this solution, because it is necessary to lift the vehicle in order to unscrew the wheel nuts/screws, remove the wheel/tire assembly to be exchanged, place the spare tire, lower the vehicle, tighten the nuts/screws and, finally, storing the wheel/tire assembly in the luggage space. Thus, the difficulties in replacing tires that encountered by people endowed with little physical force have not been eliminated, just as the impossibility of unscrewing and wheel nuts/screws due to excessive tightening. Another solution was the use of tires that can run long distances at traveling speeds (about 80 km/h, at least), in order to prevent immediate replacement and enable the driver to drive the vehicle in safety and without damage as far as a tire fixer. However, this solution has some drawbacks, such as the high cost of the wheels/tires used, economical unfeasibility of applying this system to vehicles that are already in use and, what is more important, inefficiency in the case of serious damages, such as break or excessive deformation of the wheel and punctured tire. With a view to eliminating these drawbacks document US 6,217,125 discloses a narrow spare wheel for use on vehicles without removing the original wheel, but this product has the great disadvantage of requiring removal of the wheel nut for replacing it with a nut that enables one to fix the spare wheel. All the drawbacks relating to unscrewing wheel bolts are not eliminated. Document FR 2,719,8808 discloses a very similar product, which has the same drawbacks, since it requires removal of the wheel bolts/nuts in order to install the spare wheel. Finally, document MU 7,102,570-7 discloses a spare wheel to be coupled to the vehicle wheel when the tire is punctured or flat. The wheel consists of a narrow metallic rim having two circular plates, a front one and a back one, either soldered or screwed throughout the diameter of said rim, which is enclosed by a tire, the places being provided with a rectangular tear, inside which sliding hubs are enclosed, provided with threaded bores, through which the loop bolts pass. Said hubs have an internal groove for displacement and further have a lock system composed by transverse locks and return springs, said locks being handled through the side windows with respect to the front plate. With great disadvantage, this product requires that circular plates be soldered/screwed to the rim, thus causing a considerable increase in the manufacturing cost and weight of the spare wheel. Therefore, so far no spare wheel had been developed without the serious drawbacks described above. Objectives of the Invention The first objective of the present invention is to provide a spare wheel for vehicles, particularly for association to a vehicle wheel, which makes it unnecessary to remove the wheel originally used on the vehicle in the case of deflation or puncture of a tire, or in case of damages to the wheel itself. A second objective of the present invention is to provide a vehicle wheel for association with the spare wheel mentioned above. A third objective of the present invention is to provide a wheel disc for use on the vehicle wheel mentioned above. Finally, a fourth objective of the present invention is to provide a running assembly formed by the vehicle wheel and the spare wheel mentioned above. Brief Description of the Invention The first objective of the present invention is achieved by means of a spare wheel for vehicles, particularly automotive vehicles, designed for fixation to a vehicle wheel, the spare wheel being provided with a substantially annular rim that defines a groove for positioning a tire and having at least one fist contact surface provided with at least two fixing elements for fixing it to the vehicle wheel. The second objective of the present invention is achieved by means of a vehicle wheel, particularly for positioning and fixing a spare wheel provided with at least two fixing elements, as defined above and comprising a wheel disc or disc portion associated to a wheel rim of rim portion, the wheel being associable to a tire. The disc or disc portion has at least one second contact surface provided with two cooperating means for association of said at least two fixing elements. The third objective of the present invention is achieved by means of a wheel, particularly for use on a vehicle wheel as defined above, the disc being associable to a wheel rim and having at least one second contact surface provided with cooperating means for association of said at least two fixing elements of a spare wheel, as also defined above. Finally, the fourth objective of the present invention is achieved by means of a turning assembly, particularly for use on a vehicle, comprising a spare wheel as defined above and equipped with a tire associated to a vehicle wheel, also as defined above and equipped with a tire. The present invention has the great advantage of facilitating the installation and use, which makes it friendly to the user, since: • by virtue of the fact that it has a reduced thickness, the spare wheel may be stored without taking up much useful room in the luggage space, which is fundamental mainly in the case of small and sport ve- hides; • also by virtue of its reduced thickness, the weight of the spare wheel is reduced, which greatly facilitates its removal from the place where it is stored and its positioning close to the vehicle wheel; • as mentioned above, there is no need for unscrewing the nuts/bolts that fix the wheel to the vehicle, which makes the installation of the spare wheel easy for people who do not physically strong; for this purpose, suffice it to actuate the fixing elements onto the vehicle wheel. Brief Description of the Drawings The present invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to an embodiment represented in the drawings. The figures show: - Figure 1 is a side cross-section view of a first variation of the spare wheel associated to the vehicle wheel of the present invention; - Figure 2 is a side cross-section view of a second variation of the spare wheel associated to the vehicle wheel of the present invention, forming a running assembly; - Figure 3 is a side cross-section view of a third variation of the spare wheel associated to the vehicle wheel of the present invention; - Figure 4 is a view in detail of the fixing element for fixing the spare wheel to the vehicle wheel; and - Figure 5 is a perspective view of the vehicle wheel of the present invention illustrated in figures 1 , 2, and 3.

Detailed Description of the Figures As can be seen in figure 1 , the spare wheel of the present inven- tion is designed for association to the wheel 100 that equips the vehicle, without the need to remove/dismount it. The spare wheel has three preferred embodiments, which are shown in figures 1 to 3, wherein the first embodiment 1 is shown in figure 1 , a second preferred embodiment V is shown in figure 2 and a third preferred embodiment '" is shown in figure 3. Whatever wheel it may be, the spare wheel 1 ,1 ', 1" has an annular ring 2 provided with a first outer end region 10, which defines a groove for positioning and fixing a tire 4, which preferably but not compulsorily has a width that is considerably smaller than that of the conventional tire of the vehicle. The second preferred embodiment, including the tire 4, is of the tubular type. As can be seen in figures 1 to 3, the grooves are formed by means of rim flanges 20, in a construction that is already usual to those skilled in the art. In a second intermediate rim region 11 , at least two fixing elements 12 are provided in form of the preferred quick-action locks, which en- able one to fix the spare wheel 1 , 1 ', 1 " to the vehicle wheel 100 and that will be described in detail later. The second intermediate region is substantially annular and, examining the spare wheel 1 ,1', 1" in a cross-section view, this second region extends radially beyond the rest of the rim 2, so as to enable it to cooperate with the wheel disc 100. Finally, a third central rim region does not exist in the first and second preferred embodiments of the invention, since there is an empty space there. However, one can conceive a spare wheel wherein there is a wheel disc that has the third central region, which, by the way, may have or- namental lines or bores. Although the first and second preferred embodiments have a single-piece rim, one may provide a spare wheel 1 ,1 ' having a rim 2 and a wheel disc 2', either cylindrical or annular, associated as shown in the third preferred embodiment (figure 3), with identical results. Compulsorily, the second intermediate region 11 should project axially with respect to the rim 2, so as to be the only part of the spare wheel 1 , 1', 1" that touches the wheel 100. There may be no contact between the tires 4 or any other point between the wheels. However, as the only exception of the rule, one may provide a spare wheel the intermediate region 11 of which does not extend axially with respect to the wheel 100 with an axial projection having the same purpose. In order to bring about the correct positioning of the spare wheel 1 , V, 1" at the wheel 100, the former must have a first contact surface 110, which, by preference, is substantially parallel to the plane defined by the wheel 1 ,1',1" and permits touch with even support throughout the area of the wheel disc 100 foreseen for this purpose (in the form of a second contact surface, which will be described later). This is imperative in order to prevent the spare wheel from undergoing any kind of axial movement when the vehicle is running, which would cause a great unbalancing with negative consequences for drivability and ultimately for the durability of the suspension components of the vehicle. Evidently, the first contact surface 110 of the spare wheel 1 , 1',

1" may not be absolutely parallel to the plane defined by the wheel, but should be substantially plane to cooperate with the surface of the vehicle wheel 100. Since one preferably uses fixing elements 12 in the form of quick-action locks, the intermediate region 11 of the rim 2 has a recess for each existing lock, positioned so as to permit movement of the locking butterfly 112 of this lock 12 as far as the locking position. As already mentioned, a detailed description of these quick-action locks will be made later. Preferably, in order to increase the safety and prevent involun- tary displacement of the quick-action locks 12, at least two safety stops 111 are provided, which preferably have a projection shape. Their function is to prevent the locking butterflies 121 from moving into the unlocked position, thus cooperating with them. Evidently, the number of stops will coincide with that of locks 12, six stops 111 being preferably provided. However, these safety stops may assume any other embodiment, in function of the kind of locking used (if not the quick-action locks), or they may even be omitted. In order to bring about the fixation of the spare wheel 100, the vehicle wheel 100 should have means 101 cooperating with the fixing ele- ments 12. Since the latter are preferably configured as quick-action locks 12, the cooperating means 101 are preferably in the form of non-through locking bores. This wheel 100 had to be developed so as to cooperate with the spare wheel 1 ,1',1", for correct fitting and fixing of the latter. As can be seen in figure 5, the vehicle wheel 100 provided with cooperating means 101 (which is also an object of the present invention) has a rim 102 and a disc 103 associated to each other. The rim 102 is substantially cylindrical or has the shape of a truncated cone, has two wheel flanges in the form of annular projections that extend from the ends of the rim and enable the configuration of a channel for positioning the tire correctly. Evidently, the present invention does not limit the wheel 100 to either to a specific construction or to the materials used, so that one may, for instance, configure a wheel cast from light-metal alloys, the wheel being a cast single piece and the rim and disc as insulated elements do not exist. In this case, one should talk of portion of rim 102 and portion of disc 103. The innovatory characteristic of the wheel 100 is the presence of the cooperating means 101 and, together with them, the disc should have a second contact surface 104, which is substantially cooperating with the first contact surface 110 of the spare wheel 1 ,1\1", already commented on. In the case of the wheel 100 formed by the associated disc and rim, the innovation lies specifically in the wheel disc 103. As can be seen in detail in figure 5, each of the non-through locking bores 101 has a first substantially cylindrical sleeve 126, provided with a cylindrical through opening, and this sleeve has a first internal open end 127 in the bore 101 , and a second opposite open end 128, which preferably has a diameter that is a little larger than the rest of the sleeve 126. The side wall of the sleeve 126 on the inner surface and substantially adjacent to the first end has a concentric annular channel, which is associable to a plurality of spheres 124 of the quick-action locks for locking and unlocking the latter, as will be explained later. Evidently, the locking bores may have other necessary or desir- able configurations, as long as they remain cooperating with the quick-action locks or another fixing element 12 used. For example, one may conceive a wheel 100 the cooperating means of which configure threadable bores, through bpres, fitting recesses or any other element that enables one to fix the spare wheel 1 , 1', 1" correctly. The preferred fixing element, namely the quick-action lock 12, comprises a second sleeve 122, the constitution of which is identical to that of the first sleeve 126 (described above, with the exception of the fact that it has not a concentric annular channel, but rather at least two radial openings defining channels that make the connection between the through opening of this second sleeve and the outer environment. The second sleeve is rigidly associated to the second intermediate region 11 of the spare wheel 1 , 1', 1". Each of these channels has a sphere of a substantially incompressible material 124, the diameter of which is larger than the length of the channel, so that a portion of the sphere remains out of the channel, on one side or another. The sphere 124 may easily move inside the channel, and it is not possible to remove it, because the diameter of the channel openings is a litter smaller than its interior and fractionally smaller than the diameter of the sphere 124. In addition to the mentioned sleeve 122, the quick-action lock 12 contains an axle 123, which mover inside the sleeve, to which an already- mentioned locking butterfly 121 is articulated, which is the element manipu- lated by the user to lock and unlock the spare wheel 1 , 1', 1" to the wheel 100. The axle 123 has a substantially cylindrical cross-section and has a first free end articulated to the butterfly 121 and a second free end that is located inside the cylindrical through opening of the second sleeve 122. Adjacent these second end, the axle 123 has a concentric annular recess 125, configuring a region of reduced diameter. In order for the quick-action lock to work, it is necessary for the axle 123 to have a diameter equal to that of the opening of the second sleeve 122. Finally, it should be noted that the butterfly 121 has a first portion provided with a substantially cylindrical shape 121', from which a lug projects, which is the segment to be handled by the user. The articulation of the butterfly 121 with the axle 123 occurs in the cylindrical portion, but the articulation point is offset, so that, when the butterfly is turned with respect to the axle 123, the cylindrical portion 121' functions as a cam, causing the axle to make an axial movement against the force of a spring 129, which will be better explained later. The functioning of the lack 12 is based on the fact that the second sleeve 122 is inserted into the first sleeve 126, and the butterfly 121 is handled in such a way that a normal force between them both is created, preventing the second sleeve 122 from being removed from the first one 126. Evidently, the inner diameter of the opening of the first sleeve 126 is substan- tially equivalent to the outer diameter of the second sleeve 122. When the quick-action lock 12 is unlocked, the axle 123 is positioned inside the second sleeve 122, so that its concentric annular recess 125 is aligned with the radial openings of the second sleeve 122 and, therefore, the spheres 124 may move freely so as to occupy partly the space de- fined by the annular recess. In this situation, there is no force to maintain the spheres 124 against the concentric annular channel of the first sleeve 126. Therefore, there is no normal force to keep the sleeve 122 against the first sleeve 126. When the user moves the butterfly 121 angularly for locking the quick-action lock 12, its first substantially cylindrical portion 121 ' acts as a cam and moves the axle 123 into the locking position, in which alignment between the concentric annular recess 125 of the axle 123 and the radial openings of the second sleeve 122 no longer occurs. Therefore, the cross- section of the axle 123, which is adjacent the spheres 124 has a diameter equivalent to the opening of the second sleeve and, thus, the spheres are forced to occupy partly the concentric channel of the first sleeve 126. Preferably, the quick-action lock 12 is sized so that the spheres 124 will be urged against the concentric annular channel of the first sleeve 126. In this way, a normal force is created, which increases the friction force that keeps the sec- ond sleeve firmly secured inside the first sleeve 126. Preferably, the quick-action lock 12 further comprises a spring 129 (already mentioned), which has a first end associated to the second sleeve 122 and a second end associated to the axle 123, the function of which is to provide resistance to inadvertent unlocking of the butterfly 121 , due to the fact that of pressing the axle 123 into the locking position, that is to say, that which presses the spheres 124 against the concentric annular channel of the first sleeve. Evidently, however, the fixing element 12 may assume other configurations than that of quick-action lock, as well as may comprise other elements, such as threaded bolts, press-fit elements or any other. Preferably, the spare wheel 1 ,1',1" has six quick-action locks 12 disposed equidistantly, but it is evident that this number may vary, the smallest preferred number being two locks. In order to use the spare wheel 1 ,1^*1" of the present invention, it is enough to remove it from its place in the vehicle, lift the latter with a jack, position the second sleeve 122 of each of the quick-action locks 12 in the respective first sleeves 126 located in the bores of the vehicle wheel 100 and lock the butterflies 121. The alignment of the spare wheel 1 , 1 ', 1 ", as already mentioned, is guaranteed by contact between the first and second contact surfaces 110, 104. Then, it is enough to lower the jack and go on traveling. In order to disengage the spare wheel 1 , 1', 1", suffice it to carry out the reversed task. A very important characteristic of the spare wheel is that it is not necessary to loosen the screws/nuts that fix the vehicle wheel 100 to the wheel hub, a task that is extremely difficult for persons who do not have much physical force. All the known spare wheels have this drawback, as al- ready mentioned before. This characteristic is a great advantage, because, if there were the need to unscrew the nuts/bolts, it would then be easy to take advantage of this to change the wheel, since most of the hard work would compulsorily have to be done. The use of a spare wheel that is coupled to the vehicle wheel by means of the wheel screws/nuts is therefore intrinsically little logic. Moreover, the spare wheel 1 ,1', 1" disclosed now has a number of advantages for the user, namely: • by virtue of the fact that it has a reduced thickness, the spare wheel may be accommodated without taking much useful room in the luggage space of the vehicle, which is fundamental mainly in the case of small and sports vehicles; • also by virtue of the reduced thickness, the weight of the spare wheel is reduced, which greatly facilitates its removal from the place where it is kept and the positioning thereof at the vehicle wheel 100; • as mentioned above, there is no need to unscrew the nuts/bolts that fix the wheel 100 to the vehicle, which makes the installation of the spare wheel 1 ,1', 1" easy for people who do not have great physical force; for this purpose, suffice it to press the butterflies 121. Finally, one should also note that it is also an objective of the present invention to provide a running assembly formed by the spare wheel 1 ,1', 1" and by the vehicle wheel 100 disclosed now, both equipped with tires 4. Preferred embodiments 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 spare wheel for vehicles, particularly automotive vehicles, designed for being fixed to a vehicle wheel (100), the spare wheel (1 ,1', 1") being provided with a substantially annular rim (2), which defines a groove for positioning a tire (4) and characterized in that it has at least one first contact surface (110) provided with at least two fixing elements (12) for fixing it to the vehicle wheel (100).

2. A spare wheel according to claim 1 , characterized in that the first contact surface (110) is located in a second intermediate region that ex- tends axially with respect to the rim (2) and is substantially parallel to the plane defined by the wheel (1 , 1', 1").

3. A spare wheel according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it comprises six fixing elements in the form of quick-action locks (12), which are equidistantly arranged and provided with a locking butterfly (121 ).

4. A spare wheel according to claim 3, characterized in that the intermediate region (11) has six recesses for enabling the locking butterflies (121) of the quick-action locks (12) to move.

5. A spare wheel according to claim 3, characterized in that the intermediate region (11) has six safety stops (111) cooperating with the but- terflies (121 ) of the quick-action locks (12).

6. A spare wheel according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that it comprises a rim (2) associated to a disc (2').

7. A spare wheel, particularly for positioning and fixation of a spare wheel (1 ,1', 1") provided with at least two fixing elements (12) as de- fined in claims 1 to 6, and comprising a wheel disc or disc portion (103) associated to a wheel rim or wheel rim portion (102), the wheel (100) being as- sociable to a tire (4) and characterized in that the disc or disc portion (103) has at least one second contact surface (104) provided with cooperating means (101 ) for association of said at least two fixing elements ((12).

8. A vehicle wheel according to claim 7, characterized in that the cooperating means (101 ) correspond to non-through locking bores.

9. A vehicle wheel according to claim 8, characterized in that it comprises six non-through locking bores (101 ), provided with a first sleeve (126).

10. A wheel disc, particularly for use with a vehicle wheel as defined in claims 7 to 9, the disc (103) being associable to a wheel rim (102) and characterized in that it has at least one second contact surface (104) provided with cooperating means (101) for association of said at least two fixing means (12) of a spare wheel (1 ,1',1") as defined in claims 1 to 6.

11. A disc according to claim 10, characterized in that the cooperating means (101 ) correspond to non-through locking bores.

12. A disc according to claim 11 , characterized in that it comprises six non-though locking bores (101), provided with a fist sleeve (126).

13. A turning assembly, particularly for use on a vehicle, characterized in that it comprises a spare wheel as defined in claims 1 to 6, equipped with a tire (4), associated to a vehicle wheel as defined in claims 7 to 9, equipped with a tire (4).