Reinforced wheel for a vehicle

Abstract

Wheel comprising a rim and a wheel center wherein the wheel center comprises several spokes extending in a longitudinal direction from a wheel hub to the rim. At least one spoke comprises an outer wall surrounding a cavity extending in the longitudinal direction of the at least one spoke. The cavity is delimited from the outer wall by an inner surface. The at least one spoke further comprises a reinforcing member extending along the inner surface.

Claims

1. A wheel comprising: a. a rim and a wheel center, b. wherein the wheel center comprises several spokes extending in a longitudinal direction from a wheel hub to the rim, c. wherein at least one spoke comprises an outer wall surrounding a cavity extending in the longitudinal direction of the at least one spoke, wherein the cavity is delimited from the outer wall by an inner surface, and d. wherein the at least one spoke comprises a reinforcing member extending along the inner surface, wherein the reinforcing member is made at least partially from unidirectional fibers, wherein the reinforcing member comprises at least one rib, wherein the at least one rib is U-shaped.

2. The wheel according to claim 1, wherein the rim and the wheel center are separate elements interconnected to each other at an outer end of the spoke.

3. The wheel according to claim 1, wherein the reinforcing member is a separate element interconnected to the at least one spoke.

4. The wheel according to claim 1, wherein the at least one rib is arranged in a transverse direction of the at least one spoke.

5. The wheel according to claim 1, wherein the reinforcing member comprises at least two ribs arranged at least partially parallel to each other.

6. The wheel according to claim 1, wherein the at least one reinforcing member is made of fiber reinforced composite material.

7. The wheel according to claim 1, wherein the wheel center is made of fiber reinforced composite material.

8. The wheel according to claim 1, wherein the at least one reinforcing member protrudes from the inner surface into the cavity.

9. The wheel according to claim 1, wherein the U-shaped rib is oriented in a second plane defined by the middle axis of the at least one spoke and a rotation axis of the wheel.

10. A wheel comprising: a. a rim and a wheel center, b. wherein the wheel center comprises several spokes extending in a longitudinal direction from a wheel hub to the rim, c. wherein at least one spoke comprises an outer wall surrounding a cavity extending in the longitudinal direction of the at least one spoke, wherein the cavity is delimited from the outer wall by an inner surface, and d. wherein the at least one spoke comprises a reinforcing member extending along the inner surface, wherein the reinforcing member is made at least partially from unidirectional fibers, wherein the reinforcing member comprises at least one rib, wherein the at least one rib is arranged in the longitudinal direction of the at least one spoke.

11. A wheel comprising: a. a rim and a wheel center, b. wherein the wheel center comprises several spokes extending in a longitudinal direction from a wheel hub to the rim, c. wherein at least one spoke comprises an outer wall surrounding a cavity extending in the longitudinal direction of the at least one spoke, wherein the cavity is delimited from the outer wall by an inner surface, and d. wherein the at least one spoke comprises a reinforcing member extending along the inner surface, wherein the reinforcing member is made at least partially from unidirectional fibers, wherein the reinforcing member comprises at least two intersecting ribs.

12. The wheel according to claim 11, wherein the at least two intersecting ribs divide the inner surface into at least two zones.

13. The wheel according to claim 12, wherein the thickness of the outer wall and the rib in the area of the rib is larger than the thickness of the outer wall in the area of a zone adjacent to the rib.

14. The wheel according to claim 11, wherein one rib one of the at least two intersecting ribs is ring shaped.

15. The wheel according to claim 14, wherein ring shaped rib is oriented around the middle axis of the at least one spoke.

16. The wheel according to claim 14, wherein the ring shaped rib is oriented in a first plane perpendicular to a middle axis of the spoke.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The herein described embodiments will be more fully understood from the detailed description given herein below and the accompanying drawings, which should not be considered limiting to the features described in the appended claims. The drawings are showing:

(2) FIG. 1 A first variation of the wheel according to the disclosure in a perspective view;

(3) FIG. 2 a top view of the wheel according to FIG. 1;

(4) FIG. 3 a cross-sectional view (H-H) of the wheel according to FIG. 2;

(5) FIG. 4 a detail view of a spoke of the wheel according to FIG. 3;

(6) FIG. 5 a second variation of the wheel according to the disclosure in a front view;

(7) FIG. 6 a cross-sectional view (D-D) of the wheel according to FIG. 5;

(8) FIG. 7 a detailed view of a spoke of the wheel according to FIG. 6;

(9) FIG. 8 a cross-sectional view (E-E) of the spoke according to FIG. 7 or FIG. 5;

(10) FIG. 9 a perspective view of a third variation of a wheel according to the disclosure having multiple spokes with cavities, each illustrated with a different reinforcing member;

(11) FIG. 10 a perspective view of the first variation of a wheel according to the disclosure with illustrated hidden lines.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(12) Reference will now be made in detail to certain embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which some, but not all features are shown. Indeed, embodiments disclosed herein may be embodied in many different forms and should not be understood as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicable legal requirements. Whenever possible, like reference numbers will be used to refer to like components or parts.

(13) FIG. 1 to FIG. 4 show a first variation of the wheel 1 according to the disclosure. The wheel 1 comprises a rim 2 and a wheel center 3. The wheel center 3 further comprises several spokes 4 extending radially outwards from a wheel hub 5 towards the rim 2. FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 hereby offer a cross-sectional view into one spoke 4 extending in the longitudinal direction of the spoke 4 having a cavity 7. The cavity 7 is extending in the longitudinal direction and is surrounded by an inner surface 8 of the spoke 4. In the spoke 4 a reinforcing member 9 is present, which extends along said inner surface 8 of the spoke 4. In the shown variation, the reinforcing member 9 comprises several ribs that are ring shaped 10a and one U-shaped rib 10b. The ribs 10a, 10b protrude from the inner surface 8 into the cavity 7. The ring-shaped ribs 10a are arranged at least partially parallel to each other. Depending on the application, it might also be advantageous that each ring-shaped rib 10a is oriented in a first plane 13 (compare FIG. 9) essentially perpendicular to a middle axis 12 of the cavity 7 and/or the spoke 4 extending in the longitudinal direction. Since the shape of the cavity 7 might be at least partly curved, the middle axis might have a non-straight geometry. Furthermore, since in the shown variation the cavity 7 is broadening in its width (in the transverse direction) over the length of the spoke, the size of the ring shaped ribs 10a are also increasing in that direction.

(14) In the shown first variation of the wheel 1, the thickness of each rib 10 is more or less the same, however, variations where the thickness of a reinforcing member 9 is varying are also possible. Thereby the thickness of one ribs 10 might differ depending on their placement and/or the thickness of one rib 10 might change in itself. In the shown cross-sectional views (FIG. 3 and FIG. 4), it can be seen that the thickness of the outer wall 18 together with the thickness of the ribs (in the area of the ribs) is overall thicker, than the outer wall thickness of an adjacent zone 11 next to the rib 10.

(15) In the shown first variation of the wheel 1, the ring-shaped ribs 10a are essentially oriented parallel to each other. Each ring shaped rib 10a does therefore intersect twice with the U-shaped rib 10b extending in the longitudinal direction. Between the ribs 10a, and 10b, the inner surface 8 of the spokes 4 is divided in separate zones 11, such that a zone 11 is in most cases surrounded by the ribs 10. Only the zones 11 arranged at the outer end 6 of the spoke 4 are bordered by the opening respectively the end of the cavity 7 and the ribs 10.

(16) In FIG. 5 to FIG. 8 a second variation of the wheel 1 according to the disclosure is shown. The shown variation differs from the variation described before in the type and orientation of the reinforcing member 9. Here, the reinforcing member 9 comprises only one rib 10b that is essentially U-shaped and oriented in the longitudinal direction. In the shown case, the structure of the rib is oriented in a second plane 14 (compare FIG. 9), being defined by the rotation axis 15 of the wheel 1 and the middle axis 12 of the spoke 4. However, depending on the geometry of the wheel 1, the rib may also be rotated by 90 degrees around the middle axis. The U-shape of the rib 10b is selected due to the shape of the cavity 7, respectively the inner surface 8. FIG. 7 illustrates further, how the rib 10b follows the outline of the inner surface 8, especially at the outer end 6 of the spoke. Here the U-Shape is stronger and bends outwards, following the form of the cavity 7. Furthermore, if the reinforcing member 9 extends towards the rim 2, as shown, it is advantageous, if the ends of the reinforcing member 9 follow the shape of the rim 2, such that additional support for the interconnection between the rim 2 and the wheel center 3 is given.

(17) FIG. 8 shows another cross-sectional view (E-E) of the second variation according to the disclosure as outlined in FIG. 7. The view illustrates how the two legs of the U-shaped rib 10b divide the inner surface 8 of the spoke 4 into two zones 11a, 11b. Furthermore, the varying outer wall thickness (between the outer surface 16 and the inner surface 8 of the spoke 4) can be seen. In the area of the rib 10b, respectively the reinforcing member 9, the outer wall 18 and the rib 10b create together a total wall thickness that is thicker than the thickness of the outer wall in the area of the adjacent zones 11a, 11b, right next to the rib 10b. However, it can be seen that there might be areas of the zones 11a, 11b, where the outer wall thickness is overall thicker as the total wall thickness in the area of the rib 10b (including the rib thickness). This may be the case, where the structure of the spoke demands a stronger structure such as the corners 17 of a rectangular spoke 4, as shown.

(18) FIG. 9 illustrates a third variation of the wheel 1 according to the disclosure in a dissembled view, with several spokes 4, having a cavity 7. In each cavity 7, a different reinforcing member 9a-c is inserted. The reinforcing member 9b comprises a single U-shaped rib 10b. The reinforcing member 9a comprises multiple ring-shaped ribs 10a arranged essentially parallel to each other around a middle axis 12 of the spoke 4 and/or the cavity 7. Reinforcing member 9c is a combination of the U-shaped rib 10b and multiple ring shaped ribs 10a such that the reinforcing member 9c has a cage-like structure

(19) FIG. 10 illustrates the wheel according to FIG. 1 to FIG. 4 assembled with visible hidden lines. It can be seen that the reinforcing member 9 in the assembled state is fully hidden for an observer. At the same time, the wheel 1 is much lighter than a wheel without such reinforcing structures since the overall mass is reduced due to thinner outer wall thicknesses.

(20) The words used in the specification are words of description rather than limitation, and it is understood that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.