Wheel spacer disc for motor vehicles

Abstract

A wheel spacer disc for motor vehicles having a plurality of wheel bolt openings, a rim centering element for centering a rim relative to the wheel spacer disc, and a wheel hub centering element for centering the wheel spacer disc relative to a wheel hub. The plurality of wheel bolt openings are designed in each case as stepped openings for the respective partial reception of shaft nuts, wherein a section of the stepped openings having a greater diameter is arranged on a side of the wheel spacer disc on which the rim centering element is arranged.

Claims

1. An arrangement for a motor vehicle comprising: a wheel hub, the wheel hub comprising: at least one centering element; and a plurality of stud bolts; a wheel, the wheel comprising: an outer rim for mounting a tire; and a plurality of wheel bolt openings disposed inwardly of the outer rim; a wheel spacer disc, the wheel spacer disc comprising: first and second sides facing away from one another; a plurality of wheel bolt openings, all of the wheel bolt openings of the plurality of wheel bolt openings of the wheel spacer disc including a stepped configuration having a first section and a second section, the first section having a greater diameter than a diameter of the second section, the plurality of wheel bolt openings of the wheel spacer disc being aligned with the respective wheel bolt openings of the wheel, the plurality of stud bolts of the wheel hub extending within the respective wheel bolt openings of the wheel spacer disc and within the respective wheel bolt openings of the wheel; a wheel centering element disposed and configured to center the wheel relative to the wheel spacer disc, the wheel centering element being disposed on the first side of the wheel spacer disc and the first sections of the wheel bolt openings of the wheel spacer disc open at the first side of the wheel spacer disc; and a wheel hub centering element disposed and configured to center the wheel spacer disc relative to the wheel hub; the arrangement further comprising a plurality of shaft nuts, the shaft nuts projecting through the wheel bolt openings of the wheel and at least partially into the first sections of the wheel bolt openings of the wheel spacer disc, and each of the shaft nuts is screwed onto one of the stud bolts of the wheel hub to fasten the wheel and the wheel spacer disc to the wheel hub.

2. The arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wheel spacer disc has a thickness, measured along a central longitudinal axis of the wheel spacer disc, less than 15 mm.

3. The arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the second sections of the stepped openings have a thickness, measured along a central longitudinal axis of the wheel spacer disc, between 2 mm and 5 mm.

4. The arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wheel centering element and the wheel hub centering element are integral components of the wheel spacer disc.

5. The arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wheel spacer disc comprises a two part component, one of the two parts comprising the wheel centering element and the other of the two parts comprising the wheel hub centering element.

6. The arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wheel spacer disc includes a center opening and a central axis, the wheel centering element being arranged circumferentially around the center opening and extending out of the wheel spacer disc along the central axis.

7. The arrangement as claimed in claim 6, wherein the wheel hub centering element is configured as a circumferential wall extending around the center opening.

8. The arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wheel spacer disc has a thickness and the shaft nuts each have a shaft length based on the thickness of the wheel spacer disc.

9. The arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wheel spacer disc has a thickness, and the first sections of the wheel bolt openings of the wheel spacer disc each have a step height based on the thickness of the wheel spacer disc.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Further advantages and aspects of the invention are disclosed in the following description of preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention which are described hereinafter with reference to the figures, in which:

(2) FIG. 1 shows an isometric view obliquely from above of a wheel spacer disc of FIG. 1;

(3) FIG. 2 shows an isometric view obliquely from below of the wheel spacer disc of FIG. 1;

(4) FIG. 3 shows a side view of the wheel spacer disc of FIG. 1;

(5) FIG. 4 shows a plan view of the wheel spacer disc of FIG. 1;

(6) FIG. 5 shows a view from below of the wheel spacer disc of FIG. 1;

(7) FIG. 6 shows a partial sectional isometric view obliquely from above of an arrangement with a wheel hub, a wheel and the wheel spacer disc of FIG. 1;

(8) FIG. 7 shows a partial sectional side view of the arrangement according to FIG. 6 with the wheel hub, the wheel and the wheel spacer disc of FIG. 1;

(9) FIG. 8 shows an isometric view obliquely from below of a wheel spacer disc according to a second embodiment of the invention;

(10) FIG. 9 shows a sectional side view of the wheel spacer disc of FIG. 8.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

(11) FIG. 1 shows an isometric view obliquely from above of a wheel spacer disc 10 according to a first embodiment of the invention.

(12) The wheel spacer disc 10 has a center opening 102 and five wheel bolt openings 104. The wheel bolt openings 104 are configured in each case as stepped openings. The wheel bolt openings 104 have a first section 1040 with a greater diameter and a second section 1042 with a smaller diameter. Furthermore, the five wheel bolt openings 104 are located on a diameter which is located between an external diameter of the wheel spacer disc 10 and a diameter of the center opening 102.

(13) Moreover, a wheel hub centering element 106 is provided, said wheel hub centering element being arranged along a central longitudinal axis A of the wheel spacer disc 10 shown in FIG. 3 and a wheel centering element 108 shown in FIG. 1. Both the wheel hub centering element 106 and the wheel centering element 108 extend at least partially out of a circumferential wall of the center opening 102.

(14) More specifically, the wheel hub centering element 106 is configured from the circumferential wall of the center opening 102 and has a wheel hub centering surface 1060. The wheel hub centering surface 1060 may be configured to be slightly conical in order to compensate for tolerances, in particular for manufacturing tolerances, when positioning the wheel spacer disc 10 on a centering element 202 of the wheel hub 20, not shown here. A surface 1062 of the wheel hub centering element 106 running conically to the central longitudinal axis A of the wheel spacer disc 10 adjoins the wheel hub centering surface 1060.

(15) Moreover, the wheel centering element 108 extends out of a wheel bearing surface 100. In this case, a wheel centering surface 1080 of the wheel centering element 108 is conical so that a compensation of manufacturing tolerances and a centering of a wheel 30, not shown here, on the wheel spacer disc 10 is possible. Moreover, a surface 1082 of the wheel centering element 108 running from the wheel bearing surface 100 conically to the wheel centering surface 1080 is provided.

(16) FIG. 2 shows an isometric view obliquely from below of the wheel spacer disc 10 according to the first embodiment of the invention. FIG. 2 substantially shows the features which have already been shown and described in FIG. 1. In comparison with FIG. 1, FIG. 2 shows the wheel hub bearing surface 101 which in a mounted state bears against a wheel hub 20 (see FIGS. 6 and 7). Moreover, in FIG. 2 the center opening 102, the five wheel bolt openings 104, the wheel hub centering element 106 comprising the wheel hub centering surface 1060 and the surface 1062 are shown.

(17) FIG. 3 shows a side view of the wheel spacer disc 10 according to the first embodiment of the invention. FIG. 3 shows substantially the features which have already been shown and described in FIGS. 1 and 2. The wheel centering element 108 and the wheel bearing surface 100, the wheel hub bearing surface 101 and the central longitudinal axis A are shown. Moreover, the wheel centering surface 1080 and the surface 1082 of the wheel centering element 108 are visible.

(18) FIG. 4 shows a plan view of the wheel spacer disc 10 according to the first embodiment of the invention. FIG. 4 substantially shows the features which have already been shown and described in FIGS. 1 to 3. The wheel bearing surface 100, the center opening 102 and the five wheel bolt openings 104 in the form of stepped openings are shown. In this case, it is possible to see a difference in diameter between the first section 1040 having the greater diameter and the second section 1042 having the smaller diameter of the wheel bolt openings 104. The wheel centering element 108 is shown in plan view, and both the circumferential wheel surface 1080 and also the surface 1082 of the wheel centering element 108 are shown.

(19) FIG. 5 shows a view from below of the wheel spacer disc 10 according to the first embodiment of the invention. FIG. 5 shows substantially the features which have already been shown and described in FIGS. 1 to 4. The wheel hub bearing surface 101, the center opening 102 and the five wheel bolt openings 104 designed as stepped openings are shown. In this case, in the view from below shown in FIG. 5 of the wheel spacer disc 10, merely the second section 1042 having the smaller diameter of the wheel bolt openings 104 is visible. The wheel hub centering element 106 with the wheel hub centering surface 1060 and the surface 1062 are also illustrated.

(20) FIG. 6 shows a partial sectional isometric view obliquely from above of an arrangement with a wheel hub 20, a wheel 30 and the wheel spacer disc 10 according to the first embodiment of the invention. The wheel spacer disc 10 is located between the wheel hub 20 and the wheel 30 and bears both against the wheel hub 20 and against the wheel 30. The wheel 30 is fastened by a plurality of shaft nuts 40 to stud bolts 200 of the wheel hub 20 so that the wheel spacer disc 10 is clamped between the wheel 30 and the wheel hub 20. Only three shaft nuts 40 and another shaft nut 40 in section of the five actual shaft nuts 40 are illustrated in the detail of FIG. 6. It may be seen that the wheel spacer disc 10 is centered relative to the centering element 202 of the wheel hub 20, since the wheel hub centering surface 1060 bears against the centering element 202 of the wheel hub 20. The wheel 30 is centered relative to the wheel spacer disc 10 on the wheel centering element 108 of the wheel spacer disc 10 since the wheel centering surface 1080 bears against the centering surface 300 of the wheel 30.

(21) FIG. 7 shows a partial sectional side view of the arrangement according to FIG. 6 comprising the wheel hub 20, the wheel 30 and the wheel spacer disc 10 according to the first embodiment of the invention. FIG. 7 essentially illustrates the features which have already been described and shown in FIG. 6.

(22) FIG. 8 shows an isometric view obliquely from below of a wheel spacer disc 400 according to a second embodiment of the invention. The wheel spacer ring or disc 400 is configured in two parts and has a wheel spacer ring 402 and a wheel spacer centering element 404.

(23) The wheel spacer ring 402 is provided with a total of six wheel bolt openings 406, 408, wherein four wheel bolt openings 406 are configured as stepped bores with a circular cross section and two wheel bolt openings 408 are configured as stepped bores in the shape of a curved slot. The wheel bolt openings 406, 408 are configured and arranged such that different hole patterns of wheels and wheel hubs may be accommodated by one and the same wheel spacer ring 402. The stepped bores are also configured as has been described with reference to the first embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 8.

(24) The wheel spacer centering element 404 is fastened by latching elements, not identifiable in FIG. 8, in a center opening of the wheel spacer ring 402 and is provided with a wheel hub centering surface and a wheel centering surface. By changing the wheel spacer centering element 404 different wheel hub diameters and wheel opening diameters may be accommodated. The wheel spacer centering element 404 may consist, for example, of plastics.

(25) FIG. 9 shows a sectional side view of the wheel spacer disc 400 of FIG. 8. The wheel spacer centering element 404 is fastened by means of latching arms 414 to the wheel spacer ring 402. To this end, latching lugs at the free ends of the latching arms 414 engage in a circumferential groove in the center opening of the wheel spacer ring 402. The wheel centering surface 410 and the wheel hub centering surface 412 can be seen on the wheel spacer centering element 404. Both the wheel centering surface 410 and the wheel hub centering surface 412 may be slightly conical so that they widen upwardly in the view of FIG. 9, in order to compensate for tolerances of the wheel and the wheel hub and to ensure a reliable centering.