Wheel nut looseness checker, looseness notification device used in the same, and wheel nut looseness notification device

Abstract

To provide a wheel nut looseness checker which allows a user to know occurrence of looseness of a wheel nut infallibly, and to provide a looseness notification device used in the wheel nut looseness checker and a wheel nut looseness notification device.SOLUTION: A wheel nut looseness checker comprises: a wheel cover 1 which is a doughnut-shaped circular disc including a hub exposure hole H at a center and includes a plurality of openings from which a plurality of wheel nuts are respectively exposed; a plurality of cap bodies 2 configured to engage with the wheel nuts exposed from the openings; detection means 3 for detecting rotation of each cap body 2; and notification means 4 which notifies the rotation of each cap body 2 detected by the detection means 3.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a wheel nut loosening checker that checks for looseness of wheel nuts used when attaching tires to automobiles, particularly large vehicles such as trucks and buses, and a looseness notification device for use with a wheel nut loosening checker, as well as a wheel nut loosening notification device. [Background technology]

[0002] As accidents caused by truck tires coming off still occur, the invention of a wheel nut looseness checker is known, as described in Patent Document 1. The applicant also actually sells such a product, as described in Non-Patent Document 1. This wheel nut looseness checker consists of a ring-shaped wheel cover with openings that expose each wheel nut, and a cap body that engages with the wheel nuts exposed from each opening. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2023-16685 [Non-patent literature]

[0004] [Non-Patent Document 1] STS hicoA Co., Ltd. [Retrieved March 8, 2024], Internet: https: / / stshicoa.co.jp / Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Wheel nut looseness checkers such as those described in Patent Document 1 and Non-Patent Document 1 visually confirm looseness in specific wheel nuts, for example by checking before driving or when the vehicle is stopped. However, because this is done by a human being, it cannot be said with certainty that the check is reliable. Furthermore, since loosening of wheel nuts occurs while the vehicle is being driven, even if the wheel nuts become loose, it is not possible to know that the loosening has occurred while the vehicle is being driven.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a wheel nut loosening checker that can reliably notify when a wheel nut has loosened, a loosening notification device to be used in a wheel nut loosening checker, and a wheel nut loosening notification device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, the wheel nut loosening checker of the present invention is characterized by comprising a wheel cover which is a donut-shaped disk with an exposure hole for the hub in the center and has a plurality of openings through which each of a plurality of wheel nuts is exposed, a plurality of cap bodies which respectively engage with the wheel nuts exposed from the plurality of openings, a detection means for detecting the rotation of each of the plurality of cap bodies, and a notification means for notifying the rotation of the cap body by the detection means.

[0008] The wheel nut loosening checker of the present invention can detect the rotation of the cap body using the detection means, so when the rotation of the cap body, i.e., the wheel nut loosens, the notification means can reliably notify the user that the wheel nut has loosened. Therefore, unlike conventional methods, there is no need to directly check visually while the vehicle is stopped, and the user can immediately know if the wheel nut has loosened while driving.

[0009] In addition, in the wheel nut loosening checker of the present invention, it is preferable that the detection means for detecting the rotation of the cap body is a non-contact detection means, which can reduce damage to the detection means by pebbles, etc. when used outdoors.

[0010] For non-contact detection, specifically, an optical sensor that emits visible light, infrared light, laser light, or the like and receives reflected light can be used. However, in the case of an optical sensor, it is possible that the sensor may be affected by weather such as rain or snow, road conditions such as mud splashes, etc. Therefore, for example, a method in which a magnet is installed on the side of the cap body and a Hall element is installed on the wheel cover to detect the movement of the magnet is preferable, and such a configuration can be realized at a very low cost.

[0011] In the wheel nut looseness checker of the present invention, it is preferable that the notification means has a transmitting unit. According to the present invention, the driver can be notified of loosened bolts via a mobile device such as a smartphone or a receiver inside the vehicle, which provides a more reliable notification than, for example, a simple light or sound notification outside the vehicle.

[0012] In the wheel nut loosening checker of the present invention, it is preferable that an index is formed on the surface of the cap body. According to the present invention, it is easy to visually determine which of the wheel nuts has loosened. In other words, the wheel nut corresponding to the cap body with the moving indicator is the one that has loosened.

[0013] In addition, in order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the loosening notification device used in the wheel nut loosening checker of the present invention is a donut-shaped disk with an exposure hole for the hub in the center, a wheel cover with a plurality of openings through which each of the plurality of wheel nuts is exposed, and a plurality of cap bodies that respectively engage with the wheel nuts exposed from the plurality of openings, and is characterized by comprising: a detection means for detecting the rotation of each of the plurality of cap bodies; a notification means for notifying the rotation of the cap body by the detection means; and a fixing means for fixing to the wheel cover.

[0014] The loosening notification device used in the wheel nut loosening checker of the present invention can be retrofitted to existing wheel nut loosening checkers. Furthermore, since the detection means can detect rotation of the cap body, if the cap body rotates, i.e., if the wheel nut loosens, the notification means of the notification device can reliably notify the user that the wheel nut has loosened.

[0015] In addition, in order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the wheel nut loosening notification device of the present invention is characterized by comprising an engaging body that engages with the wheel nut, a detection means that detects the rotation of the engaging body, and a notification means that notifies the rotation of the engaging body by the detection means.

[0016] The wheel nut loosening notification device of the present invention can detect rotation of the engaging body using the detection means, so when rotation of the engaging body occurs, i.e., when the wheel nut loosens, the notification means can reliably notify that the wheel nut has loosened. Furthermore, because it is not used in a wheel nut loosening checker consisting of a wheel cover and a cap body, it can be provided at a lower cost. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a plan view of a wheel nut looseness checker according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2]FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of the wheel nut loosening checker of the first embodiment. [Figure 3] 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a main part of a wheel nut looseness checker according to a first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 4] 10A is a perspective view showing a state in which a wheel nut loosening notification device according to a third embodiment is in use, and FIG. 10B is a partially enlarged perspective view of the device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] Hereinafter, a mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the embodiments and drawings, but the embodiments shown below are not intended to limit the present invention to those described herein, and the present invention is equally applicable to various modifications without departing from the technical idea set forth in the claims. Note that in each drawing used for explanation in this specification, each component is shown at a different scale so that each component can be recognized on the drawing, and is not necessarily shown in proportion to its actual size.

[0019] [Embodiment 1] The main parts of a wheel nut looseness checker 100 of this embodiment will be described using the drawings. FIG. 1 is a plan view of the wheel nut looseness checker 100 of this embodiment (hereinafter simply referred to as checker 100 where appropriate). FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of the checker 100. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the main parts of the checker 100. Note that a wheel cover 1 and a cap body 2, which will be described later, are not shown in FIG. 3.

[0020] The checker 100 of this embodiment is attached to each wheel for use, similar to the checkers described in Patent Document 1 and Non-Patent Document 1. Specifically, it comprises a wheel cover 1, which is a doughnut-shaped disk with an exposure hole H for the hub in the center and has a plurality of openings through which each of a plurality of wheel nuts is exposed, a plurality of cap bodies 2 (10 in FIG. 1 ) that engage with the wheel nuts exposed from the plurality of openings, detection means 3 that detects the rotation of each of the plurality of cap bodies 2, and notification means 4 that notifies the rotation of the cap body 2 via the detection means 3.

[0021] Of these, the wheel cover 1 and the cap body 2 are substantially the same as those in the checkers described in Patent Document 1 and Non-Patent Document 2, and the checker 100 of this embodiment is an existing checker of this kind, further equipped with a detection means 3 and a notification means 4.

[0022] 3, the detection means 3 specifically includes a control unit 10, a power supply unit 20, and a detection unit 30. The notification means 4 specifically includes a control unit 10, a power supply unit 20, a transmission unit 40, a reception unit 50, and a notification unit 60.

[0023] The control unit 10 is made up of a CPU or the like and controls each unit based on a program, while the power supply unit 20 is made up of a battery or the like and supplies power to each unit.

[0024] The detection unit 30 detects the movement of the cap body 2 that covers and engages the wheel nut. Specifically, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, it is composed of a Hall element 31 that is placed on the surface of the wheel cover 1 slightly separated from the cap body 2 so as not to come into contact with it, and a magnet 32 ​​that is placed on the side of the cap body 2 facing the Hall element 31. Note that such a detection unit 30 is provided for each cap body 2.

[0025] In this way, in the detection means 3 consisting of the control unit 10, power supply unit 20, and detection unit 30, when the wheel nut rotates, the cap body 2 engaged with it also rotates, and as the cap body 2 rotates, the position of the magnet 32 ​​also moves in accordance with this rotation, making it possible to detect the movement of the magnet 32 ​​using the Hall element 31.

[0026] The transmitting unit 40 is provided with an antenna and performs wireless transmission, and the receiving unit 50 is provided with an antenna and receives transmissions from the transmitting unit 40 wirelessly. The notification unit 60 is for notifying the driver that the rotation of the cap body 2 detected by the detection means 3 is the occurrence of rotation (loosening) of the wheel nut.

[0027] In this way, the notification means 4, which is composed of the control unit 10, power supply unit 20, transmission unit 40, reception unit 50, and notification unit 60, is able to notify the driver that rotation (loosening) has occurred in the hole nut.

[0028] The receiving unit 50 and the notifying unit 60 that constitute the notifying means 4 can also be realized by dedicated devices. However, in this embodiment, they are realized using a mobile terminal such as a smartphone carried by the driver. By using a mobile terminal in this way and installing dedicated application software in advance, the notifying means 4 can be realized easily and at reduced cost.

[0029] Therefore, a specific method for transmitting and receiving between the transmitting unit 40 and the receiving unit 50 can be easily realized by a short-range wireless communication method such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) provided in the mobile terminal.

[0030] Furthermore, as a specific method of the notification unit 60, it can be easily realized by notification by voice through a speaker provided in the mobile terminal or notification by display on a display.

[0031] The checker 100 may also be configured such that the control unit 10, power supply unit 20, and transmission unit 40 are provided for each detection unit 30. However, such a configuration may result in the detection means 3 and notification unit 4 taking up a large proportion of the wheel cover 1. Therefore, in this embodiment, the control unit 10 and transmission unit 40 are integrated into a management body 11, and this management body 11 is connected to each detection unit 30 via wiring 33. Furthermore, because the battery-based power supply unit 20 is relatively large, it is installed on the opposite side of the management body 11 as shown in FIG. 1 to prevent imbalance.

[0032] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the control unit 11, power supply unit 20, Hall element 31, and wiring 33 constituting the detection unit 3 and notification unit 4 can be attached by forming a recess on the surface of the wheel cover 1 and fitting them into the recess, or by using an adhesive. The wiring 33 may be flexible, such as a flexible wiring board, and the control unit 11 and Hall element 31 may be mounted on a flexible board and fixed by adhesive. They may also be provided on the back side of the wheel cover rather than the front side. The magnet 32 ​​to be placed on the cap body 2 may also be provided on either the front or back side of the cap body 2.

[0033] As described above, the checker 100 of this embodiment comprises the wheel cover 1, the plurality of cap bodies 2, the detection means 3 that detects the rotation of each of the plurality of cap bodies 2, and the notification means 4 that notifies the rotation of the cap body by the detection means 3. According to this checker 100, the detection means 3 can detect the rotation of the cap body 2, so that when the cap body 2 rotates, that is, when the wheel nuts loosen, the notification means 4 can reliably notify the driver that the wheel nuts have loosened. Therefore, unlike conventional methods, the driver does not need to directly check the nuts visually while the vehicle is stopped, and can immediately know if the nuts have loosened while driving.

[0034] In addition, the checker 100 has a detection means 3 for detecting the rotation of the cap body 3, which is composed of a Hall element 31 arranged on the surface of the wheel cover 1 so as to be slightly spaced from the cap body 2 and not in contact with it, and a magnet 32 ​​arranged on the side of the cap body 2 facing the Hall element 31. In other words, the detection means 3 performs detection without contact. Since the checker 100 is used outdoors, if detection is performed using something like a contact-type switch, there is a risk of damage from flying pebbles, etc., but non-contact detection can reduce this risk.

[0035] Furthermore, with the configuration of the Hall element 31 and the magnet 32 ​​as in this embodiment, even if there is rain or snow between the Hall element 31 and the magnet 32, detection can be performed without being affected by it.

[0036] In this embodiment, the magnet 32 ​​is disposed at a position facing the Hall element 31, and the movement of the magnet 32 ​​away from the Hall element 31 is detected as rotation of the cap body 2. However, the magnet 32 ​​may be disposed at another position on the cap body 2, and the movement of the magnet toward or away from the Hall element 31 may be detected as rotation of the cap body 2.

[0037] Furthermore, the checker 100 is configured such that the notification means 4 includes a transmitter 40. The notification means can also simply emit light or sound an alarm on the wheel cover 1 or cap body 2 outside the vehicle. However, it is quite possible that a driver will not notice a simple light or sound from outside the vehicle. Therefore, by including the transmitter 40 in the notification means 4, it is possible to send a notification via a device having a receiver 50, such as the portable terminal carried by the driver described in this embodiment. These portable terminals can be used as the notification unit 60, making it possible to more reliably notify the driver that a loosening has occurred.

[0038] In this embodiment, notification is made using a mobile terminal carried by the driver, but it is also possible to adopt a configuration in which notification is also made to a terminal on the company side that owns the truck equipped with the checker 100. In such a configuration, a configuration in which direct transmission from the transmitter 40 to the company side terminal involves problems with communication means and power, so a configuration in which notification is made to the company side terminal from the mobile terminal carried by the driver is simpler.

[0039] 1 and 2, the checker 100 has an index 2A formed on the upper surface of each cap body 2. In the checker 100, the detection means 3 detects the occurrence of rotation (loosening) of the cap body 2, so even if the index 2A is not necessarily present, it is possible to know that rotation has occurred in any of the cap bodies 2 of the checker 100.

[0040] On the other hand, in this embodiment, notification is not made by each individual cap body 2, but rather by using the management body 11 to notify that a wheel nut has loosened on the wheel to which the checker 100 is attached. In other words, the system is merely configured to inform the user that a wheel nut has loosened, but is not configured to notify the user of which wheel nut specifically has loosened.

[0041] Therefore, when tightening a loosened wheel nut, it is necessary to identify which of the multiple wheel nuts has become loose. By forming the index 2A on the cap body 2, it is possible to easily identify by visual inspection that the loosened wheel nut is located on the cap body 2 where the index 2A is off-center. Of course, it is also possible to adopt a configuration that notifies the user individually of which wheel nut has become loose.

[0042] [Embodiment 2] The checker 100 of the first embodiment is an integrated unit of a wheel cover 1, a cap body 2, a detection means 3, and a notification means 4. On the other hand, the present embodiment is designed to be retrofitted to an existing checker.

[0043] In other words, it is a looseness notification device for use with existing wheel nut looseness checkers, consisting of a donut-shaped disk with an exposure hole for the hub in the center, a wheel cover with multiple openings through which each of the multiple wheel nuts is exposed, and multiple cap bodies that each engage with the wheel nuts exposed from the multiple openings.

[0044] Specifically, this loosening notification device comprises a detection means for detecting the rotation of each of the multiple cap bodies, a notification means for notifying the rotation of the cap body by the detection means, and a fixing means for fixing the cap body to the wheel cover. The detection means and notification means of this embodiment can be configured the same as the detection means 3 and notification means 4 of embodiment 1. On the other hand, as for the fixing means, a hook or the like that detachably engages the wiring 33 shown in the first embodiment with the end of the wheel cover 1 can be used.

[0045] In this way, the loosening notification device used in the wheel nut loosening checker of this embodiment can be used as a retrofit for existing wheel nut loosening checkers. Furthermore, because the detection means can detect rotation of the cap body, if the cap body rotates, i.e., if the wheel nut loosens, the notification means of the notification device can reliably notify the user that the wheel nut has loosened.

[0046] [Embodiment 3] Next, a wheel nut loosening notification device 200 according to a third embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that Fig. 4A is a perspective view showing the wheel nut loosening notification device according to this embodiment in use, and Fig. 4B is an enlarged perspective view of a portion thereof.

[0047] In the above-described first embodiment, loosened wheel nuts are notified using a wheel nut looseness checker 100 consisting of a wheel cover 1 and a cap body 2. On the other hand, the wheel nut looseness notification device 200 of this embodiment is configured to reliably notify when a wheel nut N has loosened, and can be provided at a lower cost.

[0048] Specifically, as shown in Figure 4, the wheel nut loosening notification device 200 is characterized by comprising an engagement body 5 that engages with the wheel nut N, a detection means for detecting the rotation of this engagement body 5, and a notification means for notifying the rotation of the engagement body 5 by this detection means.

[0049] The engaging body 5 that engages with the wheel nut N has a shape such that the inside thereof engages with the outer periphery of the wheel nut N, like the cap body 2 of embodiment 1. Therefore, although the cap body 2 as in embodiment 1 can also be used as the engaging body, in this embodiment, instead of the cap body 2 as in embodiment 1, a ring-shaped engaging body 5 whose inside engages with the outer periphery of the wheel nut N as shown in Fig. 4 is used as the engaging body 5.

[0050] The detection means for detecting the rotation of the engagement body 5 is composed of a control unit 10, a power supply unit 20, and a detection unit 30, as in embodiment 1, and the notification means is also composed of a control unit 10, a power supply unit 20, a transmission unit 40, a reception unit 50, and a notification unit 60.

[0051] Of these, the detection unit 30 is composed of a Hall element 31A disposed directly on the surface of the wheel W and a magnet 32A disposed on the outer circumferential surface of the engagement body 5, facing the Hall element 31A. That is, while in the first and second embodiments the Hall element 31 is disposed on the wheel cover 1, in this embodiment the Hall element 31A is disposed directly on the surface of the wheel W.

[0052] In addition, in the first embodiment, the control unit 10 and the transmission unit 40 are integrated into the management body 11, and this management body 11 is connected to each detection unit 30 via wiring 33. This configuration is also used in the present embodiment. In this case, like the Hall element 31A, the management body 11A and wiring 33A are also disposed directly on the surface of the wheel W.

[0053] In this embodiment, the management body 11A is illustrated as being integrated with not only the control unit 10 and the transmission unit 40 but also the power supply unit 20. The management body 11A is installed between adjacent decorative holes D of the wheel W and is fixed to both decorative holes D with hooks.

[0054] Furthermore, when arranging the Hall element 31A and the wiring 33A on the surface of the wheel W, they can be fixed by pasting using double-sided tape or adhesive without using any fixing device. Furthermore, the wiring 33A can be made of a flexible material such as a flexible wiring board. Furthermore, the Hall element 31 and the control body 11A can be mounted on a flexible board, and the flexible board can be directly pasted on the surface of the wheel W. Furthermore, the control body 11A can be arranged on the back side of the wheel W.

[0055] In this way, in the wheel nut loosening notification device 200 of this embodiment, the detection means can detect that the engaging body 5 has rotated, so when the engaging body 5 rotates, that is, when the wheel nut N loosens, the notification means of the notification device can reliably notify that the wheel nut N has loosened. Furthermore, because this is not used in the wheel nut loosening checker 100 consisting of the wheel cover 1 and cap body 2 as in embodiment 1, the wheel cover 1 is not required, and it can be provided at a lower cost when retrofitted to a wheel W or wheel nut N that is actually in use.

[0056] In this embodiment, a management body 11A may be provided for each wheel nut N, and notification of loosening may be made for each individual wheel nut N. The driver or the truck owner company may then be notified of which wheel nut N has loosened. Of course, the various configurations described in the first and second embodiments may also be employed in this embodiment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0057] 100: Wheel nut looseness checker 200: Wheel nut looseness notification device 1: Wheel cover 2: Cap body 2A: Indicator 3: Detection method 4: Notification means 5: Engagement body 10: Control unit 11: Management body 20: Power supply section 30:Detection unit 31, 31A: Hall element 32, 32A: Magnet 33, 33A: Wiring 40: Transmitter 50: Receiving unit 60:Notification Department H: Opening W: Wheel N: Wheel nut D: Decorative holes

Claims

1. a wheel cover that is a donut-shaped disk having an exposure hole for a hub in the center and has a plurality of openings through which each of a plurality of wheel nuts is exposed; a plurality of cap bodies that engage with the wheel nuts exposed through the plurality of openings; a detection means for detecting the rotation of each of the plurality of cap bodies; a notification means for notifying the rotation of the cap body by the detection means; A wheel nut looseness checker comprising:

2. 2. A wheel nut looseness checker according to claim 1, wherein the detection means for detecting the rotation of the cap body is a non-contact detection means.

3. 2. The wheel nut looseness checker according to claim 1, wherein the notification means includes a transmitter.

4. 2. A wheel nut looseness checker according to claim 1, wherein an index is formed on the surface of the cap body.

5. a wheel cover that is a donut-shaped disk having an exposure hole for a hub in the center and has a plurality of openings through which each of a plurality of wheel nuts is exposed; a plurality of cap bodies that engage with the wheel nuts exposed through the plurality of openings; A looseness notification device for use in a wheel nut looseness checker, comprising: a detection means for detecting the rotation of each of the plurality of cap bodies; a notification means for notifying the rotation of the cap body by the detection means; a fixing means for fixing to the wheel cover; A looseness notification device for use in a wheel nut looseness checker, comprising:

6. an engaging body that engages with the wheel nut; a detection means for detecting rotation of the engaging body; a notification means for notifying the rotation of the engagement body by the detection means; A wheel nut loosening notification device comprising:

Images