Boot assembly for wheel fastener

Abstract

The present invention provides a sheath assembly for a wheel fastener, wherein the sheath assembly is sleeved on the wheel fastener, and the sheath assembly comprises: a threaded connector, wherein the threaded connector is connected to the wheel fastener; the head of the threaded connector comprises a countersunk hole; a locking member, wherein the locking member is arranged in the countersunk hole of the threaded connector; the locking member comprises a through hole, wherein the edge of the through hole has an irregular tooth shape; a movable pin, wherein the movable pin passes through the through hole, and the size of at least a portion of the movable pin passing through the through hole is larger than the size of the through hole; and an outer sheath, wherein the outer sheath is cooperatively arranged on the outside of the threaded connector.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention mainly relates to the field of vehicle wheel theft prevention, and in particular to a sheath assembly for a wheel fastener. Background Art

[0002] In the prior art, the wheel hub is usually fixed to the mounting plate on the end face of the axle by a certain number of nuts and bolts.

[0003] In order to facilitate disassembly and installation, nuts and bolts used as connections are usually ordinary hexagonal and can be easily unscrewed with common hexagonal wrenches or pipe clamps. However, while it brings convenience, it also poses a great threat to the anti-theft performance of tires or wheels because the fasteners can be easily unscrewed with a wrench or socket tool. In order to improve the anti-theft performance, the improvement methods adopted include changing the hexagonal shape to an irregular tooth shape, but only the tool needs to be deformed to unscrew the bolts and nuts; another improvement method is to open a keyway on the end face of the bolt and nut, but the fasteners can also be unscrewed with a pipe clamp or welding tool.

[0004] Therefore, the anti-theft performance of existing wheels or tires is not ideal, and it is necessary to make the wheel fasteners only open by using specific tools to improve the anti-theft performance of the wheel. Summary of the invention

[0005] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is how to make the wheel fastener open only by a specific tool, thereby improving the anti-theft performance of the wheel.

[0006] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention provides a sheath assembly for a wheel fastener, wherein the sheath assembly is sleeved on the wheel fastener, and the sheath assembly comprises:

[0007] a threaded connector connected to the wheel fastener; a top of the threaded connector including a countersunk hole;

[0008] A locking member, the locking member being arranged in the counterbore of the threaded connector; the locking member comprising a through hole, the through hole having an irregular tooth shape;

[0009] a movable pin, the movable pin passing through the through hole, and a size of at least a portion of the movable pin passing through the through hole being larger than a size of the through hole;

[0010] An outer sheath is arranged on the outside of the threaded connector.

[0011] In one embodiment of the present invention, the contour of the locking member is adapted to the shape of the countersunk hole.

[0012] In one embodiment of the present invention, the outline of the locking member and the shape of the countersunk hole are regular hexagons.

[0013] In one embodiment of the present invention, the locking member and the countersunk hole of the threaded connector are interference fit.

[0014] In one embodiment of the present invention, the movable pin is rotatable.

[0015] In one embodiment of the present invention, the outer sheath is arranged outside the threaded connector in a clearance fit.

[0016] In one embodiment of the present invention, a limiting member is further included. The limiting member is disposed between the threaded connector and the outer sleeve and is used to limit the axial movement of the threaded connector.

[0017] In an embodiment of the present invention, the limiting member is a retaining spring, the threaded connection member includes a step, and the retaining spring is arranged in cooperation with the step.

[0018] In one embodiment of the present invention, the material of the outer sheath is high-strength alloy steel.

[0019] In one embodiment of the present invention, the head of the outer sheath is spherical.

[0020] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages:

[0021] (1) Good applicability. By changing the outer diameter of the outer sheath, it can be adapted to wheel fasteners of different sizes. Compared with conventional wheel fasteners on the market, the sheath assembly is only used as an exterior decoration, and there is no strength problem caused by replacing wheel fasteners.

[0022] (2) Improved anti-theft performance. The outer sheath is made of high-strength alloy, and the head of the outer sheath is a smooth spherical surface. External force tools cannot be used due to slipping, which can resist illegal external force damage; the edge of the through hole of the locking piece has an irregular tooth shape, which can evolve into a variety of different shapes. Only the unlocking piece that matches the shape of the through hole edge can open the sheath assembly; the first dimension d1 of the movable pin is not significantly smaller than the size of the through hole, so that the gap between the movable pin and the through hole is very small, further reducing the space for illegal tools to move; the movable pin can rotate around the axis, and external tools cannot act on the movable pin to unscrew the threaded connector.

[0023] (3) Double protection is achieved. The outer set is made of high-strength alloy steel and high-corrosion-resistant electroplating. In actual use, it not only improves the anti-theft performance of the wheel fasteners, but also enables the wheel fasteners to withstand the influence of harsh environments and increase the service life of the wheel fasteners. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] Figure 1A-1B The invention is a structural schematic diagram of a wheel fastener in the prior art.

[0025] Figure 2A-2B It is a structural schematic diagram of another wheel fastener in the prior art.

[0026] Figure 3 4 is a front view of a boot assembly for a wheel fastener according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 4 FIG. 4 is a top view of a boot assembly for a wheel fastener according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] Figure 5 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a locking member according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] Description of symbols

[0030] 300 Sheath Assembly

[0031] 301 threaded connector

[0032] 302 Locking piece

[0033] 303 Activity Pin

[0034] 304 outer sheath

[0035] 305 Limiting parts

[0036] 3021 Locking profile

[0037] 3022 Locking piece through hole

[0038] 400 unlock parts DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] In order to make the above-mentioned objects, features and advantages of the present invention more obvious and easy to understand, the specific embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0040] In the following description, many specific details are set forth to facilitate a full understanding of the present invention. However, the present invention may also be implemented in other ways different from those described herein. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0041] As shown in this application and claims, unless the context clearly indicates an exception, the words "a", "an", "an" and / or "the" do not refer to the singular and may also include the plural. Generally speaking, the terms "include" and "comprise" only indicate the inclusion of the steps and elements that have been clearly identified, and these steps and elements do not constitute an exclusive list. The method or device may also include other steps or elements.

[0042] When describing the embodiments of the present invention in detail, for the sake of convenience, the cross-sectional views showing the device structure will not be partially enlarged according to the general scale, and the schematic views are only examples, which should not limit the scope of protection of the present invention. In addition, in actual production, the three-dimensional dimensions of length, width and depth should be included.

[0043] For ease of description, spatial relationship words such as "under", "below", "below", "below", "above", "on", etc. may be used here to describe the relationship between one element or feature shown in the drawings and other elements or features. It will be understood that these spatial relationship words are intended to include other directions of the device in use or operation in addition to the direction depicted in the drawings. For example, if the device in the drawings is turned over, the direction of the element described as being "under" or "under" or "below" other elements or features will be changed to "above" the other elements or features. Thus, the exemplary words "under" and "below" can include both the up and down directions. The device may also have other orientations (rotated 90 degrees or in other orientations), so the spatial relationship descriptors used here should be interpreted accordingly. In addition, it will be understood that when a layer is referred to as being "between" two layers, it can be the only layer between the two layers, or there can be one or more layers in between.

[0044] In the context of the present application, a structure in which a first feature is described as being "on" a second feature may include embodiments in which the first and second features are formed in direct contact, and may also include embodiments in which an additional feature is formed between the first and second features, such that the first and second features may not be in direct contact.

[0045] As described in the background art, in the prior art, a wheel hub is usually fixed to a mounting plate on the end face of an axle by a certain number of nuts and bolts.

[0046] In order to facilitate disassembly and installation, the nuts and bolts used as connections are usually ordinary hexagonal and can be easily unscrewed with common hexagonal wrenches or pipe clamps. However, while it brings convenience, it also poses a great threat to the anti-theft performance of tires or wheels because the fasteners can be easily unscrewed with a wrench or socket tool. The prior art has made some improvements to wheel fasteners to improve anti-theft performance.

[0047] Figure 1A-1B 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a wheel fastener 100 in the prior art. Figure 1A is a top view of the wheel fastener 100, Figure 1B is a front view of the wheel fastener 100. Figure 1A-1BAs shown, the improved method is to change the original hexagonal shape into an irregular tooth shape 101. For the wheel fastener with irregular tooth shape, the original tool, such as a pipe wrench or a sleeve, can be simply deformed to clamp the irregular tooth shape 101, thereby unscrewing the wheel fastener, and its anti-theft performance is still not high.

[0048] Figure 2A-2B 2 is a schematic diagram of the structure of another wheel fastener 200 in the prior art. Figure 2A is a top view of the wheel fastener 200, Figure 2B 2 is a front view of the wheel fastener 200. Figure 2A-2B As shown, the improved method is to set a keyway 201 on the end face of the fastener. For a wheel fastener with a keyway set on the end face, the keyway 201 can be stuck with a conventional pipe pliers or a simple welding tool (for example, fixing two keyways 201), thereby unscrewing the wheel fastener, and its anti-theft performance is still not high.

[0049] Figure 3 FIG. 2 shows a front view of a boot assembly 300 for a wheel fastener according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4 FIG. 3 is a top view of a boot assembly 300 for a wheel fastener according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 and Figure 4 A boot assembly 300 for a wheel fastener according to this embodiment will be described.

[0050] like Figure 3 As shown, the sheath assembly 300 includes a threaded connector 301 , a locking member 302 , a movable pin 303 , an outer sheath 304 and a limiting member 305 .

[0051] The threaded connector 301 is connected to the wheel fastener for installing or removing the wheel fastener. The threaded connector 301 can be a connecting screw. The threaded connector 301 includes a top and a main body. The top of the threaded connector 301 is provided with a countersink, and the depth of the countersink is less than the thickness of the top. The shape of the countersink can be regular or irregular. Preferably, for ease of manufacturing, the shape of the countersink is regular. The regular shape can be a quadrilateral, a hexagon, etc. The countersink can be a stepped countersink, and the steps of the stepped countersink can be two steps or more steps. Taking two steps as an example, it includes a bottom surface, a first step surface and a second step surface. The bottom surface can be adapted to the movable pin 303, the first step surface can be adapted to the locking member 302, and the second step surface can be adapted to the outer sheath. The top can be set to a step shape to facilitate subsequent use with the outer sheath, and the steps of the top can correspond to the steps of the countersink. The main body of the threaded connector 301 is provided with threads, which are matched with the threads of the wheel fastener so as to transmit torque to the wheel fastener through the threads, thereby realizing installation and removal of the wheel fastener.

[0052] The locking member 302 is disposed in the countersunk hole at the top of the threaded connector 301. The outer contour of the locking member 302 may be adapted to the shape of the countersunk hole. Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, the outer contour 3021 of the locking member 302 and the shape of the countersunk hole are both hexagonal. The locking member 302 and the countersunk hole of the threaded connector 301 can be fitted by interference, such as press fit or shrink fit. The locking member 302 and the countersunk hole of the threaded connector 301 can also be fixed together by other structures, such as fixing the locking member 302 and the countersunk hole of the threaded connector 301 together by a keyway structure.

[0053] A through hole 3022 is also provided in the middle of the locking member 302. The edge of the through hole 3022 has an irregular tooth shape. Figure 5 As shown, the edge of the through hole 3022 may include a plurality of grooves arranged at uneven intervals. Figure 5 In the embodiment, the edge of the through hole 3022 includes 4 grooves arranged at non-uniform intervals, of which 3 grooves are relatively concentrated and the other groove is far away from the 3 concentrated grooves. It is understood that the edge of the through hole can include more grooves, such as 5, 6, etc. The multiple grooves on the edge of the through hole can be arranged at non-uniform intervals in other forms, such as using random numbers to distribute the multiple grooves. The shape of the groove is not limited to Figure 5 The smooth groove shown may also be a rough groove. The shape of the unlocking member 400 must match the shape of the edge of the through hole so that the torque can be transmitted to the locking member to open the locking member.

[0054] The movable pin 303 passes through the through hole of the locking member 302, and the size of at least a portion of the movable pin 303 passing through the through hole is larger than the size of the through hole. The movable pin 303 has different radial sizes, for example, including a first size d1 and a second size d2, the first size d1 is smaller than the size of the through hole of the locking member 302, so that the movable pin 303 can pass through the through hole of the locking member 302, and the second size d2 is larger than the size of the through hole of the locking member 302, so that the movable pin can be axially fixed to the countersunk hole. Among them, the first size d1 of the movable pin is not significantly smaller than the size of the through hole, so that the gap between the movable pin and the through hole is very small. The size of the gap can be about 1 cm. The cross section of the movable pin is circular, so that it can rotate in the countersunk hole.

[0055] The outer sheath 304 is arranged on the outside of the threaded connector 301. Figure 3As shown, the outer sheath 304 is adapted to the head of the threaded connector 301. The outer sheath 304 is made of high-strength alloy steel, so that the outer sheath 304 has a high strength. The outer sheath 304 can be electroplated with high corrosion resistance to make the wheel hub fastener adapt to various harsh driving environments. The head of the outer sheath 304 is a smooth spherical surface, so that the external force tool cannot damage the outer sheath 304 due to slipping. The outer sheath 304 and the threaded connector 301 are clearance-matched, so that the threaded connector 301 can rotate in the outer sheath 304. The size of the outer sheath 304 can be adjusted according to the size of the target wheel fastener. A limiter 305 is also included between the outer sheath 304 and the threaded connector 301, which is used to limit the axial movement of the threaded connector 301 in the outer sheath 304. The limiter 305 can be a retaining spring, and the retaining spring can be connected to the side wall of the outer sheath 304 in various ways.

[0056] Schematic diagrams are used here to illustrate the structure according to the embodiments of the present application. It should be understood that not all components are necessary. On the contrary, some structures can be omitted. For example, for the present application, the stopper 350 is not necessary and can be omitted or replaced by other structures.

[0057] The sheath assembly 300 of this embodiment of the present application can achieve the following technical effects:

[0058] (1) Good applicability. By changing the outer diameter of the outer sheath 304, it can be adapted to wheel fasteners of different sizes. Compared with conventional wheel fasteners on the market, the sheath assembly 300 is only used as an exterior decoration, and there is no strength problem caused by replacing the wheel fastener.

[0059] (2) Improved anti-theft performance. The outer sheath 304 is made of high-strength alloy, and the head of the outer sheath 304 is a smooth spherical surface. External force tools cannot be used due to slipping, which can resist illegal external force damage; the edge of the through hole of the locking member 302 has an irregular tooth shape, which can evolve into a variety of different shapes. Only the unlocking member 400 that matches the shape of the through hole edge can open the sheath assembly; the first dimension d1 of the movable pin 303 is not significantly smaller than the size of the through hole, so that the gap between the movable pin 303 and the through hole is very small, further reducing the space for illegal tools to move; the movable pin 303 can rotate around the axis, and external tools cannot act on the movable pin to unscrew the threaded connector.

[0060] (3) Double protection is achieved. The outer kit 304 is made of high-strength alloy steel and high corrosion-resistant electroplating. In actual use, it not only improves the anti-theft performance of the wheel fastener, but also enables the wheel fastener to withstand the influence of harsh environments and increase the service life of the wheel fastener.

[0061] Although the present invention has been described with reference to the current specific embodiments, a person skilled in the art should recognize that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the present invention, and various equivalent changes or substitutions may be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Therefore, any changes or modifications to the above embodiments within the spirit of the present invention will fall within the scope of the claims of this application.

Claims

1. A sheath assembly for a wheel fastener, the sheath assembly being sleeved on the wheel fastener, the sheath assembly comprising: a threaded connector connected to the wheel fastener; a head of the threaded connector including a countersunk hole; A locking member, the locking member being arranged in the counterbore of the threaded connector; the locking member comprising a through hole, the edge of the through hole having an irregular tooth shape; A movable pin, the movable pin passes through the through hole, and the size of at least a portion of the movable pin passing through the through hole is larger than the size of the through hole, and the movable pin is rotatable; An outer sheath, the outer sheath being arranged on the outside of the threaded connector; The outer contour of the locking member is adapted to the shape of the countersunk hole; The locking piece and the counterbore are in interference fit.

2. The sheath assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outline of the locking piece and the shape of the counterbore are regular hexagons.

3. The sheath assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outer sheath is arranged outside the threaded connector in a clearance fit.

4. The sheath assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a limiting member, which is arranged between the threaded connector and the outer sleeve and is used to limit the axial movement of the threaded connector.

5. The sheath assembly according to claim 4, characterized in that: The limiting member is a retaining spring, the threaded connection member includes a step, and the retaining spring is arranged in cooperation with the step.

6. The sheath assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The material of the outer sheath is high-strength alloy steel.

7. The sheath assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that The head of the outer sheath is spherical.

Images