Emergency wheel attachment for vehicle wheels

Abstract

The present invention provides an emergency wheel attachment (10) for a vehicle wheel (12), the emergency wheel attachment having a substantially annular mounting unit (18) used to attach the emergency wheel attachment to the vehicle wheel and an annular tread unit (20) that contacts the road in an operative state, the mounting unit having at least two retaining claws (22) designed to secure the mounting unit to the rim (14) of the vehicle wheel by engaging rearwardly of a rim flange (26), at least one retaining claw being radially movable to vary its distance from a center point of the mounting unit, the mounting unit having an annular operating element (46) that is rotatable about a rotation axis (A) coincident with the vehicle wheel axis in an operative state of the emergency wheel attachment, the annular operating element (46) rotatable about a rotation axis (A) that coincides with the vehicle wheel axis, the annular operating element (46) translating rotation of the operating element (46) into radial movement of the radially movable retaining claws, and the mounting unit (18) having a drive coupled or coupleable to the operating element (46).

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an emergency wheel attachment for a vehicle wheel, comprising a rim and a tire mounted on the rim, the emergency wheel attachment intended to be installed on the outside of the vehicle wheel. This type of emergency wheel attachment is conceived to allow a vehicle to continue driving when its tire is damaged and can no longer maintain its inflation pressure. In such cases, the defective vehicle wheel usually has to be removed from the vehicle and replaced with a spare wheel. However, the emergency wheel attachment according to the present invention is intended to be installed on the outside of the defective vehicle wheel, thus eliminating the need to replace the defective vehicle wheel. [Background technology]

[0002] In connection with such emergency wheel attachments, it is particularly important that they can be attached easily and very securely to the wheel of the vehicle, so that in the subsequent operating conditions of the vehicle wheel to which the emergency wheel attachment is attached and in the conditions in which large forces are acting on the emergency wheel attachment, these large forces must not cause the emergency wheel attachment to unintentionally detach from the vehicle wheel under any circumstances.In order not to excessively increase the energy consumption of the vehicle in which such an emergency wheel attachment is installed, such emergency wheel attachments must be able to be implemented in as compact and lightweight a manner as possible. Summary of the Invention

[0003] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an emergency wheel attachment for a vehicle wheel which can be easily and securely attached to the wheel of the vehicle and which can at the same time be implemented in a compact and lightweight manner.

[0004] This object is achieved, according to the present invention, by an emergency wheel attachment for a vehicle wheel, comprising a substantially annular mounting unit used to attach the emergency wheel attachment to the vehicle wheel, and a substantially annular tread unit in the operating state of the emergency wheel attachment, adapted to roll in contact with the roadway on which the vehicle wheel to which the emergency wheel attachment is attached is mounted. The term "substantially annular" here means that the basic shape of the mounting unit and tread unit is annular, but does not mean that the portions extending from the mounting unit and tread unit are annular. Thus, for example, the mounting unit may be provided with at least two retaining claws designed to attach the mounting unit to the rim of the vehicle wheel by engaging the rear of the rim flange of the rim. Embodiments of the emergency wheel attachment of the present invention typically have two or more retaining claws, e.g., three, four, five, or six. At least one of these retaining claws is made radially movable so that its distance from the center point of the mounting unit can be varied. Depending on the embodiment, some or all of the retaining claws may be radially movable. Due to the radial mobility of at least one retaining claw, this retaining claw, or all of the radially movable retaining claws, can be initially placed in a radially outer position in which the mounting unit can be placed on the rim of the vehicle wheel. Subsequently, by moving the radial position of the radially movable retaining claw radially inward, the retaining claw engages behind the rim flange of the rim and the mounting unit is fixed to the rim. For this purpose, the mounting unit has an annular actuating element that can rotate about an axis that coincides with the vehicle wheel axis in the operating state of the emergency wheel attachment (when the emergency wheel attachment is attached to the wheel of the vehicle). This annular actuating element forms part of a gear mechanism that converts the rotation of the actuating element into a radial translational movement of all of the radially movable retaining claws.In order to be able to put the actuating element into a rotational state, the mounting unit is further provided with a drive device which is coupled or coupleable to the actuating element and which is actuated to rotate the actuating element.

[0005] In some embodiments of the emergency wheel attachment of the present invention, the annular actuating element is a chain and the drive is a rotatable drive pinion that meshes with or is capable of meshing with the chain.

[0006] When the annular actuating element is a chain, according to one embodiment, each radially movable holding pawl is provided with a holding arm extending radially inward from the holding pawl and having rack-like teeth on one side, which engages with a rotatable transmission pinion associated with the holding pawl, this pinion meshing with the chain. In this type of embodiment, the rotation of the drive pinion is transmitted to the chain, which moves in a circumferential direction and transmits this movement to the transmission pinion, the rotation of which is converted by the rack-like teeth on each of the movable holding pawls into a radial movement of each of the movable holding pawls, either radially inward or radially outward, depending on the direction of rotation of the drive pinion.

[0007] The mounting unit may have a suitably shaped housing to accommodate or support the chain, drive pinion, and transmission pinion.

[0008] In another embodiment of the emergency wheel attachment of the invention, the actuating element is an at least substantially annular actuating disc, which may have internal or external toothing, and the drive may be a rotatable drive pinion, as described above in connection with the chain, which pinion may mesh or engage with the internal or external toothing so as to rotate the actuating disc.

[0009] In such an embodiment, the actuation disk may be provided with an annular array of recesses or openings, and a pinion may be associated with each movable retaining pawl, the pinion meshing with the recesses or openings in the actuation disk and connected to a threaded spindle, which in turn is connected to the associated retaining pawl, to convert rotational movement of the pinion into at least substantially radial translational movement of the retaining pawl. The recesses or openings are preferably slot-shaped and extend primarily radially. Such actuation disks are similar in appearance to so-called resolver wheels used in connection with speed sensors, but have an entirely different function.

[0010] In another embodiment, the actuation disk has internal and external teeth, a rotatable drive pinion meshes or can mesh with the external teeth, and the gear associated with each radially movable retaining pawl is specifically designed as a bevel gear, meshes with the internal teeth of the actuation disk, and is connected to a threaded spindle, which in turn is connected to the associated retaining pawl, converting the rotational movement of the (bevel) gear into at least a substantially radial translational movement of the retaining pawl. In this type of embodiment, the rotatable drive pinion of the mounting unit is located at a location radially outer than the actuation disk, thereby maximizing the central free space in the center of the mounting unit. This can be advantageous for vehicle wheel rims that have what is known as excessive dishing, i.e., a central region that protrudes further axially than the radially outer region of the rim. If the mounting unit has as large a central free space as possible, the mounting unit can be securely attached to a vehicle wheel without hitting the rim, even with a rim that has excessive dishing.

[0011] If it is not so important to have as large a free central area as possible, then as a variant of the above-described embodiment, the rotatable drive pinion of the mounting unit can be engaged with internal teeth, in which case the external teeth of the actuation disc can be omitted.

[0012] In another embodiment of the emergency wheel attachment of the present invention, the actuation disk has internal or external teeth, and the drive device is also a rotatable drive pinion, which can mesh with or engage with the internal or external teeth, as in the modified embodiment described above. To convert the rotational movement of the actuation disk into a translational movement of each movable holding pawl, each movable holding pawl is provided with a holding arm, which moves radially inward from the holding pawl and has rack-like teeth that mesh on one side with a rotatable transmission pinion associated with the holding pawl, which pinion meshes with the internal or external teeth of the actuation disk. This embodiment is similar to the above-mentioned embodiment in which the actuation element is configured as a chain. In both this embodiment and the last-described embodiment, one transmission pinion or one of several transmission pinions can simultaneously function as a drive pinion. In other words, instead of a separate drive pinion, one transmission pinion or one of several transmission pinions can simultaneously function as a drive pinion. The housing of the mounting unit can be easily implemented in this way, since a separate bearing for the drive pinion can be omitted, saving components.

[0013] In an embodiment in which the actuating element of the mounting unit is designed as an annular actuating disk, the actuating disk has at least one gate or motion link in the form of a spiral segment interacting with a link block, which is arranged on a holding arm connected to a radially movable holding claw. When the actuating disk with at least one motion link in the form of a spiral segment rotates, its movement is transmitted to the associated holding claw via a link block in or on the motion link, ensuring that the distance of the holding claw from the center point of the mounting unit is changed. This ensures that each radially movable holding claw can only move in the radial direction and cannot move in the circumferential direction.

[0014] If the actuation disk has only one motion link in the form of a spiral segment, and if multiple radially movable holding pawls are distributed circumferentially around the mounting unit, each holding pawl must be specially configured at its associated circumferential position so that all radially movable holding pawls have the same radial spacing from the center of the mounting unit at the initial position of the actuation disk. Thus, in this type of embodiment, each radially movable holding pawl must be mounted in a very specific position relative to the mounting unit when it is assembled.

[0015] However, instead of a single motion link in the form of a spiral segment, the actuation disk can also have several motion links in the form of spiral segments arranged circumferentially adjacent to one another. In this type of embodiment, the radially movable holding claws can all be implemented identically, and care does not need to be taken when assembling the mounting unit to ensure that each holding claw is mounted in a position that is uniquely suited to it.

[0016] Several motion links in the form of spiral segments can also overlap in the circumferential direction, so that, viewed in the radial direction, several motion links in the form of spiral segments are arranged adjacent to one another on each section of the actuation disk associated with a radially movable holding pawl. In this type of embodiment, the holding arm of the or each radially movable holding pawl can be provided with several link blocks arranged adjacent to one another in the radial direction and engaging with several motion links.

[0017] Each link block may be in the form of a pin or a bolt. Alternatively, the or each link block may have the form of a short rib in the form of a spiral segment, the dimensions and shape of the spiral segment shaped rib being selected so that it can interact with the associated spiral segment shaped motion link. Link blocks of other shapes are equally conceivable, it being only important that the rotational movement of the actuation disc is transmitted by the motion link to the link block in as lossless a manner as possible.

[0018] The or each motion link may have a slot-like opening in the actuation disk in the shape of a spiral segment, or the or each motion link may be formed by a motion link rib in the shape of a spiral segment formed on the actuation disk.

[0019] As already mentioned, each retaining claw of the mounting unit is used to fit and secure the mounting unit to the wheel rim. In a preferred embodiment of the emergency wheel attachment of the present invention, each retaining claw has a contact portion for contacting the rim flange and further comprises at least one guard, which is arranged circumferentially next to the contact portion and is slightly spaced radially from the rim flange when the emergency wheel attachment is in its operating state, i.e., when the emergency wheel attachment is properly attached to the vehicle wheel rim. This distance should be in the range of 0.2 mm to 0.5 mm, preferably around 0.3 mm. The guard of the or each retaining claw is arranged circumferentially of the mounting unit adjacent to the contact portion and is spaced from the contact portion by a slot. If the contact portion is a central contact portion, it is preferred that a guard is arranged on each side of the central contact portion of the retaining claw. If the contact of a retaining pawl is overloaded during operation of the emergency wheel attachment, which leads to a failure of the contact, for example, the contact falling off the retaining pawl, the protective part of the retaining pawl in question prevents the retaining pawl from detaching from the rim. The play existing between each protective part and the rim flange on the one hand ensures that in the event of an overload of the contact, the protective part of the retaining pawl in question is not likewise overloaded, and on the other hand, following a failure of the rim flange contact part with no play, the play between the rim flange and the protective part will cause a rattle, alerting the driver to the fact that something is wrong with the emergency wheel attachment.

[0020] To better distribute the forces and increase the reliability of the attachment, some or all of the holding claws can be implemented as double claws. A double claw has two holding claw elements spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction, both of which are attached to a common holding arm. In this case, each holding claw element of the double claw can have a contact portion and at least one guard portion arranged circumferentially adjacent thereto, as described above.

[0021] To ensure that each retaining pawl element fits precisely to the rim flange of the vehicle wheel when the double pawl is radially fixed, at least one of the retaining pawl elements can be configured to be slightly rotatable relative to the common retaining arm about an axis perpendicular to the plane in which the common retaining arm extends, in this way any angular error that occurs can be offset and tilting of the retaining pawl element is prevented.

[0022] To facilitate the insertion of the retaining claws into the area between the rim flange and the tire when the mounting unit is attached to the vehicle wheel, each retaining claw in a preferred embodiment of the emergency wheel attachment of the present invention is provided with one or more recesses located on the side facing the tire and in the end area of ​​the retaining claw adjacent to or including the free end of the retaining claw, which, when attached, cause the rubber material of the tire to be pressed into the recesses, thereby reducing the force applied to the retaining claw by the tire when inserting the retaining claw into said area.

[0023] To allow a user to easily determine whether the emergency wheel attachment of the present invention is correctly attached to a vehicle wheel, each retaining claw is preferably equipped with a radially extending stop surface, which allows the retaining claw to rest on the outside of the rim, e.g., on the rim flange, when the emergency wheel attachment is in its operating state. Furthermore, at least one, and preferably all, retaining claws are provided with an indicator element, which is pre-tensioned elastically in the direction of the rim and passes through the retaining claw in the area of ​​the radially extending stop surface, with the end of the indicator element facing the rim intended to contact the rim, and the other end opposite the indicator element indicating that the mounting unit is correctly attached when the emergency wheel attachment is in its operating state. For example, when the mounting unit is correctly attached, the color-marked end of the indicator element protrudes on the side of the emergency wheel attachment opposite the vehicle wheel, indicating that the mounting unit is correctly attached. Alternatively, this end of the indicator element can be flush with the surrounding surface of the emergency wheel attachment when the mounting unit is correctly attached. The or each indicator element may be of any other configuration, provided it indicates that the radially extending stop surface is properly positioned on the outside of the rim.

[0024] To allow for a space-saving and easy-to-install design of the emergency wheel attachment of the present invention, the tread unit in a preferred embodiment is preferably a separate unit from the mounting unit, and is configured to be connected to the mounting unit and is composed of several annular segments that are connected to the mounting unit when the emergency wheel attachment is in an operational state. According to one exemplary embodiment, the tread unit is a unit composed of two semicircular ring segments. In another embodiment, the tread unit is composed of two circular ring segments, one of which occupies approximately two-thirds of the circumference and the other circular ring segment occupies one-third of the circumference. Other configurations are also possible, for example, dividing the tread unit into three or more circular ring segments.

[0025] In some embodiments, positioning bolts are used to connect the tread unit to the mounting unit, the positioning bolts being arranged protruding on the side of the mounting unit opposite the vehicle wheel. After the mounting unit has been attached to the vehicle wheel, the tread unit can be mounted by being pushed onto the positioning bolts protruding from the mounting unit. The positioning bolts can be attached to the housing of the mounting unit. Alternatively or additionally, the positioning bolts can be attached to the retaining claws, in particular to the retaining arms extending radially inward of each retaining claw. If the positioning bolts are attached to the retaining claws, they also function as link blocks, for example by projecting through the motion link of the actuation disc, which is designed as a slot-like opening in the form of a spiral segment. According to one embodiment, the positioning bolts are threaded bolts that allow the tread unit to be attached to the mounting unit by means of a nut that tightly screws the tread unit onto the mounting unit.

[0026] The nuts may be cap nuts, and each cap nut may include an optical and / or acoustic indicator to indicate correct installation. For example, a snapping sound generated by a bistable metal plate may indicate that the torque required to properly attach the tread unit to the mounting unit has been reached. Alternatively or additionally, a pin may pop out of the cap nut or be flush with the outer surface of the cap nut to indicate that the cap nut is properly tightened.

[0027] In modified embodiments of the emergency wheel attachment of the present invention, latching devices serve to connect the tread units to the mounting units, and the latching devices are located on the side of the emergency wheel attachment opposite the vehicle wheel. According to one embodiment, each latching device can comprise a radially movable slider located on the mounting unit, the slider being pre-tensioned in a radially outward direction, the slider having a ramp that contacts a corresponding surface of the tread unit when the tread unit is installed, the slider moving radially inward during the installation process, and once the installation of the tread unit is complete, the pre-tensioned slider again moving radially outward, moving over the surface of the tread unit and securing the tread unit in the correctly installed position. Modified embodiments of the latching devices can also be envisioned. However, all latching devices have the advantage that the tread unit can be automatically latched by simply pushing it onto a mounting unit already installed on the vehicle wheel in order to connect to the mounting unit. This eliminates the need to screw the tread unit into the mounting unit. In this type of embodiment with automatic latching of the tread unit, the design of the mounting unit does not necessarily have to be substantially annular, and mounting units of different designs can be used, for example, those in which multiple attachment arms extend radially outward from the center of the mounting unit and at least one retaining claw is arranged at the free end of the arms.

[0028] Specifically, in emergency wheel attachment embodiments of the present invention having relatively few retaining pawls, at least one self-bracing safety pawl can be provided for engaging the rear of the rim flange of the rim to enhance the reliability of the attachment. Each self-bracing safety pawl is located on the side of the tread unit facing the vehicle wheel, and each safety pawl is preferably located between two retaining pawls, as viewed circumferentially of the emergency wheel attachment. In one exemplary embodiment, there can be three retaining pawls and three self-bracing safety pawls. Of course, such self-bracing safety pawls can also be provided in emergency wheel attachment embodiments other than those having simply relatively few retaining pawls.

[0029] Each safety pawl preferably has an actuator slider, one end of which penetrates the tread of the tread unit and protrudes radially from the tread. When the tread is rolled by operating the emergency wheel attachment, the end of the actuator slider protruding radially from the tread is pushed radially inward by contact with the road surface, thereby causing the other radially inner end of the actuator slider to move radially inward and contact the safety pawl, thereby pressing the safety pawl against the rear of the rim flange of the rim.

[0030] In a preferred embodiment, each actuator slider has a locking device that is pre-tensioned radially outward and prevents the actuator slider from moving radially outward after it has been displaced radially inward. The locking device therefore ensures that a safety pawl pressed by the actuator slider onto and behind the rim flange of the rim maintains this position. For example, a spring steel lamella can be used as the locking device, the free end of which interacts with a latch tooth on the actuator slider. Other locking devices are conceivable for preventing radially outward movement of the actuator slider after actuation.

[0031] The above-described embodiments of the emergency wheel attachment with at least one self-bracing safety pawl do not rely on the mounting unit being substantially annular in configuration - on the contrary, mounting units of different configurations may be used, for example, having several attachment arms extending radially outward from the center of the mounting unit, each having at least one retaining pawl disposed at its free end.

[0032] In the aforementioned embodiment having one or more safety pawls, the actuator sliders, which are pre-tensioned elastically radially outward and protrude radially from the tread of the emergency wheel attachment, are described as actuator sliders because they are used to displace the corresponding safety pawls radially inward. However, a slider configured and arranged in this way can also be used to secure the radially movable retaining pawls engaged with the rim flange by the mounting unit of the emergency wheel attachment of the invention described, against unintentional loosening or separation. For this purpose, such a slider, pre-tensioned elastically radially outward and passing through the tread of the emergency wheel attachment, is arranged in a region of the emergency wheel attachment radially outside the radially movable retaining pawls. During operation of the emergency wheel attachment, this slider, which initially protrudes radially from the tread, is pushed radially inward by contact with the road surface, and is designed so that its radially inner end presses radially outward against the retaining pawls, or more precisely, against the retaining pawl heads of the retaining pawls. The slider is prevented from moving radially outward again after being displaced radially inward by the locking device described above, so that the radially inner end of the slider rests on the retaining claw head, which maintains its position and prevents the slider from loosening or separating. This type of slider thus constitutes a retaining claw fixing device.

[0033] As is clear from the above description of the emergency wheel attachment of the present invention, appropriate rotation of the drive unit causes the movable retaining pawls to move radially inward, thereby securing the mounting unit to the rim of the vehicle wheel. To avoid excessively high torques when securing the mounting unit to the rim of the vehicle wheel, which may lead to undesired deformation of the rim flange, for example, the drive unit is equipped with a torque limiting device in a preferred embodiment of the emergency wheel attachment. If the drive unit is a drive pinion that couples or can couple to an actuating element, this drive pinion can be connected to a cap nut that is provided with such a torque limiting device. The torque limiting device can be, for example, a slip clutch consisting of several spring washers arranged one above the other. The spring washers can have correspondingly formed projections and recesses, so that above a predetermined torque, the torque limiting device continues to rotate without increasing the torque applied to the actuating element.

[0034] To protect and guide and / or carry the annular actuating element, the mounting unit preferably has an at least substantially annular housing in which the actuating element is disposed. To facilitate mounting the mounting unit to a vehicle wheel, in a preferred embodiment the mounting unit has attached to it a handle that spans the free center of the housing, the handle preferably having an outwardly convex curve for ease of grip.

[0035] Some exemplary embodiments of the emergency wheel attachment of the present invention will be described in more detail below together with other implementation details based on the accompanying schematic drawings, in which: [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0036] [Figure 1] 1 is an exploded view of a first embodiment of an emergency wheel attachment of the present invention for a vehicle wheel; FIG. [Figure 2] 2 is the emergency wheel attachment of FIG. 1 attached to a vehicle wheel. [Figure 3] 3 is a partially exploded view of the tread unit of FIG. 2. [Figure 4] 3 is an enlarged detail view of the area of ​​the retaining claw and a cross-sectional view of the emergency wheel attachment of FIG. 2 attached to a vehicle wheel. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a second embodiment of the emergency wheel attachment of the present invention. [Figure 6] 6 is a detailed view of the cooperation between the actuation disc and the holding pawl in the second embodiment of FIG. 5. FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a partial three-dimensional view of a third embodiment of the emergency wheel attachment of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a partial three-dimensional view of a modified third embodiment of the emergency wheel attachment of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a partial three-dimensional view of a first exemplary embodiment of the fourth embodiment of the emergency wheel attachment of the present invention, seen obliquely from above. [Figure 10] 9, seen from below. FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a plan view of the first exemplary embodiment of the fourth embodiment as mounted on a vehicle wheel. [Figure 12] This is a cross section taken along the line AA in FIG. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a partial three-dimensional view of a second exemplary embodiment of the fourth embodiment of the emergency wheel attachment of the present invention, seen obliquely from above. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a partial three-dimensional view of a third exemplary embodiment of the fourth embodiment of the emergency wheel attachment of the present invention, seen obliquely from above. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a partial three-dimensional view of a fourth exemplary embodiment of the fourth embodiment of the emergency wheel attachment of the present invention, seen obliquely from above. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is a three-dimensional partial view of a fifth exemplary embodiment of the fourth embodiment of the emergency wheel attachment of the present invention, seen obliquely from above. [Figure 17]FIG. 10 is a detailed view of a fifth exemplary embodiment of the fourth embodiment with the actuation disk removed. [Figure 18] FIG. 10 is a partial three-dimensional view of a first exemplary embodiment of the fifth embodiment of the emergency wheel attachment of the present invention, as seen obliquely from above, attached to a vehicle wheel. [Figure 19] 19 is a second exemplary embodiment of the fifth embodiment, slightly modified compared to FIG. 18; [Figure 20] FIG. 1 is a three-dimensional view of the emergency wheel attachment of the present invention with a handle. [Figure 21] 1 is a plan view of the retaining claws of an emergency wheel attachment of the present invention, drawn in isolation, in the initial position assumed by the retaining claws when the emergency wheel attachment is attached to a vehicle wheel; FIG. [Figure 22] This is a cross section taken along line AA in FIG. [Figure 23] FIG. 10 is a plan view of a modified retaining claw of the emergency wheel attachment of the present invention. [Figure 24] FIG. 24 is a three-dimensional view of the holding claw of FIG. 23. [Figure 25] FIG. 10 is a plan view of the retaining claw of the emergency wheel attachment of the present invention, with an indicator element to show correct installation. [Figure 26] This is a cross section taken along line AA in FIG. [Figure 27] 27 is a cross-section of a portion of the retaining pawl with the indicator element of FIG. 26 properly installed on a vehicle wheel. [Figure 28] 10 is a view of a modified retaining claw of the emergency wheel attachment of the present invention; FIG. [Figure 29] FIG. 29 is a detailed view of the retaining pawl of FIG. 28 as attached to a vehicle wheel. [Figure 30] FIG. 10 is a three-dimensional view of a retention claw implemented as a double claw. [Figure 31] FIG. 10 is a plan view of a modified embodiment of the double claw. [Figure 32]1 is a three-dimensional cross-sectional view of an embodiment of an emergency wheel attachment of the present invention with at least one additional safety pawl. [Figure 33] 33 is a view of FIG. 32 with the safety pawl secured to the rim of the vehicle wheel. [Figure 34] FIG. 10 is a plan view of a cap nut for securely screwing the tread unit onto the mounting unit of the emergency wheel attachment of the present invention. [Figure 35] 35 is a cross section of the cap nut of FIG. 34 with the screws removed. [Figure 36] FIG. 36 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 35 with the cap nut screwed in tightly. [Figure 37] FIG. 10 is a three-dimensional view of a sixth embodiment of the emergency wheel attachment of the present invention equipped with an automatic latch tread unit, viewed obliquely from above. [Figure 38] This is a cross section taken along line CC in Figure 37. [Figure 39] 1 is a cross-section of a cap nut for a rotatable drive pinion of an emergency wheel attachment of the present invention, the cap nut being provided with a torque limiting device. [Figure 40] FIG. 40 is an exploded view of the cap nut of FIG. 39 with a modified torque limiting device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0037] 1-4 show a first embodiment of an emergency wheel attachment 10 for a vehicle wheel 12, comprising a rim 14 and a tire 16 (shown only in FIGS. 21 and 22) disposed on the rim. In an operational state (see FIG. 2), the emergency wheel attachment 10 is disposed on the outside of the vehicle wheel 12 and is attached to the rim 14 of the vehicle wheel 12, allowing driving to continue even if the tire is damaged. Although not shown in FIG. 2, a damaged tire 16 is typically still located on the rim 14 in the operational state of the emergency wheel attachment 10, unless the tire 16 has already been completely removed from the rim 14. The emergency wheel attachment 10 for a vehicle wheel 12 functions with or without the tire 16.

[0038] The structural design of the first embodiment of the emergency wheel attachment 10 can be seen best from the exploded view of Fig. 1. That is, the emergency wheel attachment 10 comprises a substantially annular mounting unit 18, which is used to mount the emergency wheel attachment 10 to a vehicle wheel 12, more precisely to its rim 14, and which also comprises a substantially annular tread unit 20, which, in the operating state of the emergency wheel attachment 10, comes into contact with a tread 21 that is about to roll on the roadway together with the vehicle wheel 12 to which the emergency wheel attachment 10 is attached. In the illustrated exemplary embodiment, the mounting unit 18 and the tread unit 20 form two separate assemblies that are mounted consecutively on the vehicle wheel 12. In other embodiments not shown here, the mounting unit 18 and the tread unit 20 can form a single interconnected unit and as such is mounted on the vehicle wheel 12.

[0039] To mount the mounting unit 18 on the vehicle wheel 12, the mounting unit 18 in the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 1 has six retaining claws 22, the structure of which is apparent from FIGS. 23 to 31 , which are in each case configured to engage with a hook-shaped retaining claw head 24 behind the rim flange 26 of the rim 14 and rest tightly against the rim flange 26. This state is more clearly visible in FIG. 4, which shows the cross section IV-IV of FIG. 2. The six retaining claws 22 are distributed around the circumference of the mounting unit 18 and extend radially outward. The retaining claws 22 can be equally spaced apart from one another in the circumferential direction, but in the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 1 they are arranged in two groups of three, one group of three on the left side of the cross section IV-IV and the other group of three on the right side of the mounting unit 18.

[0040] In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 1 , all of the holding claws 22 are mounted radially movably so that the distance from the center point of the mounting unit 18 to the holding claw head 24 can be changed. For this purpose, each holding claw 22 is radially guided and supported by a substantially annular basic body 28 of the mounting unit 18. A groove 34 extending radially within the basic body 28 and bounded by two lateral extensions 30 and a base 32 is used for guidance in the exemplary embodiment shown. Each holding claw 22 has a holding arm 36, here formed integrally with the corresponding holding claw head 24, configured to be radially movable within the guide groove 34. A threaded hole 38 is provided at the end of the holding claw 22 opposite the holding claw head 24 for receiving a threaded spindle 40, the end of which is screwed into the threaded hole 38. A pinion 44, here formed as a bevel (gear) wheel 42, is provided on the threaded spindle 40 at or adjacent to the other end of the threaded spindle 40.

[0041] To coordinate the radial inward or outward movement of all the radially movable holding pawls 22, an annular actuating element is used which, according to a first embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 4, is an annular actuating disk 46 having internal teeth 48 formed on the inside thereof. The actuating disk 46 is rotatably supported by the basic body 28 of the mounting unit 18 such that the internal teeth 48 mesh with the respective bevel gears 42.

[0042] To enable the actuation disk 46 to be mounted in rotation, a drive pinion 52, also formed as a bevel gear, is rotatably supported on an axial bearing pin 50 of the basic body 28 and meshes with the internal teeth 48 of the actuation disk 46. The drive pinion 52 is provided to operate with a nut, here implemented as a cap nut 54, which extends axially beyond the actuation disk 46. A substantially annular cover 56 is attached to the basic body 28 by means of screws 58 and, together with the basic body 28, forms a housing 60 of the mounting unit 18 in which the retaining pawl 22 (partially), the bevel gear 42, the actuation disk 46, and the drive pinion 52 are arranged. The cap nut 54 of the drive pinion 52 protrudes axially from the housing 60 through an opening 62 in the cover 56, so that the drive pinion 52 can be rotated using a wrench or other suitable tool.

[0043] Such rotation of the drive pinion 52 causes rotation of the actuation disc 46 about a rotation axis A, which coincides with the rotation axis of the vehicle wheel 12 in the operating state of the emergency wheel attachment 10 (see FIG. 4). The rotation of the actuation disc 46 is transmitted to the bevel gears 42 of the retaining pawls 22, whereby all radially movable retaining pawls 22 move synchronously radially outward or radially inward, depending on the direction of rotation of the drive pinion 52. The spindle nut device formed by the bevel gears 42 and the threaded spindle 40, respectively, can either have a non-rotating threaded spindle 40 and a bevel gear 42 rotatably arranged thereon, or a bevel gear 42 non-rotatably arranged on the threaded spindle, it being understood here that the threaded spindle 40 must be freely rotatably mounted in the threaded bore 38 of the retaining arm 36.

[0044] When radially movable retaining pawls are referred to in this specification, this does not necessarily mean only radial movement, but also movement occurring substantially in the radial direction. For example, as is clear from Figure 4, the direction of movement of the retaining pawls 22 is not strictly in a plane E perpendicular to the rotation axis A, but in a plane F inclined at an angle β of 5° to the plane E. In other words, in a radially outward movement, each retaining pawl 22 not only moves radially outward, but may also move slightly axially towards the rim 14 of the vehicle wheel 12, or vice versa.

[0045] In the initial state of the mounting unit 18, all of the radially movable retaining claws 22 are positioned so that the mounting unit 18 is placed on the vehicle wheel 12 from the outside, with each retaining claw head 24 located in the area of ​​the rim flange but slightly radially outward. The mounting unit 18 is then pressed axially against the vehicle wheel 12, while the drive pinion 52 is rotated, causing the retaining claws 22 to move radially inward and the retaining claw heads 24 to engage the rear of the rim flange 26. The drive pinion 52 continues to rotate until the retaining claw heads 24 come into fixed contact with the rim flange 26. The drive pinion 52 typically rotates to a predetermined torque, e.g., 60 Nm, which causes each retaining claw head 24 to rest firmly on the rim flange 26, thus securely connecting the entire mounting unit 18 to the vehicle wheel 12.

[0046] The tread unit 20 is then placed on the mounting unit 18 attached to the vehicle wheel 12. Here, several positioning bolts 64 are used for this purpose, consisting of threaded bolts, which project axially, or at least substantially axially, from the housing 60 of the mounting unit 18 on the outside of the vehicle wheel 12. In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 1, such positioning bolts 64 are attached to or formed on the retaining arm 36 of each retaining claw 22 and are therefore oriented in a direction that is not necessarily strictly axial, but is inclined at an angle β to the plane E. In other embodiments, the positioning bolts 64 can project axially from the basic body 28. To position the tread unit 20 on the mounting unit 18, a series of positioning pins 66 are used, which are attached to or formed on the basic body 28 here and project axially outward.

[0047] In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 1 , the tread unit 20 consists of two substantially semicircular ring segments 68 and 70 that are mounted one after the other to the mounting unit 18 attached to the vehicle wheel 12. The upper segment 68 of FIG. 1 is pressed onto the corresponding locating bolts 64 and locating pins 66 (each segment 68 and 70 is provided with a corresponding opening 72 and locating recess 74 for this purpose). A cap nut 76 is then threaded onto the two upper locating bolts 64 extending through the segment 68, pressing the segment 68 against the mounting unit 18 and attaching the segment 68 to the mounting unit 18. By moving a vehicle (not shown) equipped with the vehicle wheel 12 forward or backward, the vehicle wheel 12 rotates, and the segment 68, which was initially in an upper position, moves to a lower position. In this case, the tread 21 of the segment 68 comes into contact with the road surface on which the vehicle wheel 12 is positioned. A second segment 70 of the tread unit 20 can now be attached in the same manner as segment 68. After tightening the corresponding cap nuts 76 to the required torque, the emergency wheel attachment 10 is ready for operation.

[0048] In the embodiment shown in Figure 1, two openings 72 are located on the separation line between the two segments 68 and 70 of the tread unit 20. To form a load-bearing connection between the two segments 68, 70, the second segment 70 is provided with a bridge lug 78 in the area of ​​each separating opening 72, which is attached to the second segment 70 and pressed against the first segment by tightening the associated cap nut 76.

[0049] To remove the emergency wheel attachment 10, the steps are performed in reverse order: first, the cap nut 76 is unscrewed, and then the two segments 68, 70 of the tread unit 20 are successively removed from the mounting unit 18. The pinion 52 of the mounting unit 18 is then rotated in a direction that moves the retaining pawls 22 radially outward. After releasing the retaining pawl heads 24 from their rearward engagement with the rim flange 26, the mounting unit 18 can be removed from the vehicle wheel 12.

[0050] Although not shown here, in a variant of the first embodiment, the actuation disc 46 can have, in addition to the internal teething 48, external teething intended to mesh with the drive pinion 52. In this embodiment, the drive pinion 52 is arranged radially outside the actuation disc 46, in contrast to the configuration shown in Figure 1. The internal teething 48 in this variant embodiment are used only to transmit the rotational movement of the actuation disc 46 to the bevel gear 42.

[0051] 5 and 6 show a second embodiment of the emergency wheel attachment 10a, slightly modified compared to the first embodiment. The main difference lies in the configuration of the actuation disk and pinion associated with the holding pawls 22. The annular actuation disk 46a of the second embodiment also has internal teeth 48, but these are used only to mesh with the drive pinion 52, which in the second embodiment is implemented as a regular spur gear. The transmission of the rotational movement of the actuation disk 46a to the radially movable holding pawls 22 is achieved by an arrangement of slot-shaped openings 80 in the actuation disk 46a, which mesh with the pinions 44a connected to the threaded spindles 40 of the corresponding holding pawls 22. In contrast to the first embodiment, in which the pinions 44 are each configured as bevel gears, the pinions 44a are regular spur gears. The functionality of this second embodiment, which corresponds to that of the first embodiment, is clear from FIG. 6, which shows only the interaction between the drive pinion 52, the actuation disk 46a, and the pinions 44a of the holding pawls 22.

[0052] Similar to the variations described above with respect to the first embodiment, the second embodiment can be modified so that the drive pinion 52 is located radially outside of the actuation disk 46a rather than radially inside. In this case, the internal teeth 48 can be omitted, but instead the actuation disk 46a must be provided with external teeth so that the rotational movement of the drive pinion 52 can be transmitted to the actuation disk 46a.

[0053] Figures 7 and 8 show a third embodiment of an emergency wheel attachment 10b, which differs from the previous two embodiments in that a chain 82 is used as the annular actuating element instead of an annular actuating disc. For greater clarity, only the mounting unit 18 (which is only partially) is shown in Figures 7 and 8.

[0054] In Fig. 7, the chain 82 is arranged and guided in the form of a ring in the housing of the mounting unit 18. The rotational movement of the drive pinion 52 causes the chain 82 to rotate about the rotation axis A, which transmits this movement to the transmission pinion 44b, which is rotatably supported on the basic body 28 and whose rotation axis extends parallel to the rotation axis A (in contrast to this, the rotation axis of the pinions 44 and 44a in the first and second embodiments is in each case essentially the radially extending central longitudinal axis of the corresponding threaded spindle 40). In further contrast to the first two embodiments, the radially extending retaining arm 36b of the third embodiment is provided on one side with rack-like teeth 84 which mesh with the corresponding transmission pinion 44b, which in turn meshes with the chain 82. Thus, each rotational movement of the transmission pinion 44b is translated into a radial movement of the corresponding retaining pawl 22, which movement is directed either radially outward or radially inward depending on the direction of rotation of the drive pinion 52.

[0055] FIG. 8 shows a modified exemplary embodiment of the third embodiment in which the chain 82 is not ring-shaped but runs in a straight line between the transmission pinion 44b and the drive pinion 52, respectively.

[0056] According to a variant of the third embodiment, not shown here, one of the transmission pinions 44b can simultaneously form the drive pinion. To achieve this, only one of the transmission pinions 44b needs to be provided with a nut, for example the illustrated cap nut 54. In that case, the separate drive pinion 52 of Figures 7 and 8 can be omitted.

[0057] As another difference from the first two embodiments, the exemplary embodiment of the third embodiment shown in Figures 7 and 8 has only three radially movable retention claws 22 equally spaced from one another around the circumference of the mounting unit 18. However, it will be appreciated that the third embodiment may have more or fewer radially movable retention claws 22.

[0058] 9 to 14 show an exemplary embodiment of a fourth embodiment of the emergency wheel attachment 10c. The difference with the previous three embodiments is that the rotational movement of the drive pinion 52 is transmitted to the radially movable retaining claws 22.

[0059] 9 and 10, a first exemplary embodiment of the fourth embodiment is shown, which has an annular actuation disk 46c provided with external teeth 86 that mesh with a drive pinion 52 arranged radially outward of the actuation disk 46c. On the side of the actuation disk 46c facing the retaining pawls 22, several ridges 88 in the shape of spiral segments are formed, as viewed in the circumferential direction of the actuation disk 46c, and each of these ridges forms a motion link 90 in the shape of a spiral segment. On the surface of each retaining arm 36c facing this side of the actuation disk 46c, several link blocks in the form of short ribs 92 in the shape of spiral segments are formed, spaced apart radially from one another, two of which interact with the motion link 90 formed by the ridges 88 in the shape of spiral segments on the actuation disk 46c. As will be readily apparent, rotation of the drive pinion 52, which in turn rotates the actuation disc 46c, causes each movable retaining pawl 22 to move radially outward or radially inward, depending on the direction of rotation of the drive pinion 52. The several ribs 92 in the form of spiral segments on the retaining arms 36c allow each retaining pawl 22 to be initially positioned further radially outward or further radially inward to accommodate different diameters of vehicle wheels (e.g., allowing for a minimum wheel size of 15 inches and a maximum wheel size of 19 inches for mounting the emergency wheel attachment 10).

[0060] In contrast to the three previously described embodiments, in a first exemplary embodiment of the fourth embodiment shown in Figures 9 to 12, each retention claw 22 is implemented as a double claw with two retention claw elements 94 spaced apart from one another, separated by a gap 96 and fixed to a common retention arm 36c. Naturally, such retention claws formed as double claws can also be used in the previously described and later described embodiments. A further difference from the first three embodiments is that in the first exemplary embodiment of the fourth embodiment, each of the two retention claws 22 is provided with two positioning bolts 64. This type of configuration can also be used in the previously described and later described embodiments.

[0061] Finally, according to a non-illustrated variant of the first exemplary embodiment of the fourth embodiment, the actuation disc 46c can have internal teeth instead of external teeth 86, and the drive pinion 52 is arranged radially inside the actuation disc, as in the first two embodiments.

[0062] 13 shows a second exemplary embodiment of the fourth embodiment, in which the helical segment-shaped protuberances 88 slightly overlap each other when viewed in the circumferential direction of the actuation disk 46c. In other words, several helical segment-shaped motion links 90 formed by the protuberances 88 are arranged radially adjacent to each other on each section of the actuation disk 46c corresponding to the radially movable retention pawls 22. This allows for efficient force transmission from the actuation disk 46c to each retention arm 36c.

[0063] 14 shows a third exemplary embodiment of the fourth embodiment, in which only a single continuous ridge 88 in the shape of a spiral segment is arranged on the actuation disk 46c. Of course, each retention arm 36c need only have two ribs 92 in the shape of a spiral segment as a link block (but may have more than two ribs 92).

[0064] 15-17 illustrate fourth and fifth exemplary embodiments of the fourth embodiment in which at least one or each motion link 90 is formed in the shape of a spiral segment by an opening 98 in the actuation disk 46c. For example, instead of the single ridge 88 in the shape of a spiral segment described in connection with the previous exemplary embodiment, the actuation disk 46c can have a single continuous opening 98 in the shape of a spiral segment.

[0065] In a fourth exemplary embodiment of the fourth embodiment shown in FIG. 15, the actuation disk 46c has, viewed in the circumferential direction of the actuation disk, three openings 98. These openings are in the form of spiral segments and are arranged to interact with one another. For this purpose, each retaining claw 22 is provided with a link block in the form of a pin 100, which is fixed to or formed on the retaining arm 36c and is guided in the corresponding opening 98 in the form of a spiral segment. Similar to the functioning of the first three exemplary embodiments of the fourth embodiment, each rotational movement in the fourth exemplary embodiment of the drive pinion 52, here arranged radially inside the actuation disk 46c, is converted into a radially directed linear movement of the retaining claw 22 by a motion link 90 in the form of a spiral segment. Of course, instead of the drive pinion 52 arranged radially inside the actuation disk, a drive pinion arranged radially outside the actuation disk can also be used and associated with the external teeth of the actuation disk 46c (internal teeth can be omitted).

[0066] 16 and 17 show a fifth exemplary embodiment of the fourth embodiment, again with three openings 98 in the form of spiral segments spaced apart from one another in the circumferential direction of the actuation disk, but with their inclination in the fifth exemplary embodiment selected to be steeper than in the fourth exemplary embodiment. This allows the teeth of the actuation disk 46c, here formed as external teeth 86, to be provided only on a portion of the circumference of the actuation disk 46c, without the need to provide additional teeth to move the retaining pawls 22 through the maximum possible radial path. FIG. 17 shows that the retaining arms 36c of each retaining pawl 22 can be attached at various radial positions relative to the actuation disk 46c by providing radially spaced attachment holes 102 so that the retaining arms 36c of each retaining pawl 22 can be adapted to different wheel or rim sizes.

[0067] 18 and 19 show a fifth embodiment of the emergency wheel attachment 10d with an internally toothed annular actuation disc 46d, which, like the third embodiment, transmits the rotation of the drive pinion 52 to the retaining pawls 22 via the transmission pinion 44b and rack-like teeth 84, i.e., converts this rotation into a radial movement of the retaining pawls 22. FIG. 19 shows a variation of this fifth exemplary embodiment, in which the upper transmission pinion 44b of FIG. 18 is equipped with a cap nut 54, which simultaneously serves as the drive pinion 52. A separate drive pinion 52 as shown in FIG. 18 is therefore unnecessary.

[0068] 20 shows an emergency wheel attachment 10, e.g., according to the first or second embodiment, mounted on a vehicle wheel 12, and in order to make it easier to mount the mounting unit 18 on the vehicle wheel, the housing 60 of the mounting unit 18 is provided with a handle 104, which spans the free center of the housing 60, is attached to the housing 60 and is slightly convexly curved outwards. Such a type of or similar handle 104 makes it easier to hold the mounting unit 18 on the vehicle wheel 12 during mounting and to press it against the vehicle wheel 12 or rim 14. Such a type of or similar handle 104 can also be used in the other embodiments described above.

[0069] To better understand the process of installing the retention claws 22, Figures 21 and 22 show one retention claw 22 in the state it assumes at the start of installation of the mounting unit 18 on the vehicle wheel 12. In this case, Figure 22 shows a cross section AA of Figure 21. From Figure 22 in particular, it can be clearly seen that the free end of the retention claw head 24, which is curved like a hook, must be inserted into the gap that forms between the tire 16 and the rim flange 26 of the rim 14 in order for the retention claw head 24 to be able to engage behind the rim flange 26. To make this insertion of the tip region of the retention claw head 24 easier, an end section 106 having the free end of the retention claw head 24 can be provided with one or more recesses 108 on its surface facing the tire 16. These recesses 108 are designed here roughly in the shape of a dome and allow the rubber material of the tire 16 to be pressed into the recesses 108 when the retention claw head 24 is inserted into the gap, thereby reducing the pressure that must be applied to insert the retention claw head 24 into the gap. That is, the recess 108 makes installation easier.

[0070] In order to be able to determine whether the mounting unit 18 is correctly attached to the vehicle wheel 12 or rim 14, at least one of the retaining claws 22 (but preferably each of the radially movable retaining claws 22) is provided with an indicator device for indicating the correct installation. As shown in Figures 25 to 27, each retaining claw 22 is provided with a radially extending stop surface 110, by means of which the retaining claw rests on the outside of the rim 14 when the emergency wheel attachment is correctly attached. Located in the area of ​​this radial stop surface 110 is a pin-shaped indicator element 112, which here passes axially through the retaining claw in the area of ​​the stop surface 110 and is pre-tensioned by a spring 114 arranged in a hole receiving the indicator element 112, in such a way that when the retaining claw 22 is not correctly fixed, the end of the indicator element 112 facing the rim 14 protrudes beyond the radially extending stop surface 110. The opposite end of the indicator element 112 serves as an indicator and is located deep within the hole so that it is not visible or is barely visible from the outside (see FIG. 26).

[0071] When the mounting unit 18 is properly installed, the stop surface 110 of each retaining claw 22 rests against the outside of the rim 14, so that the end of the indicator element 112 facing the rim is positioned flush with the stop surface 110. By forcing the indicator element 112 into the receiving hole, the axially outer end of the indicator element 112, which acts as an indicator, moves and becomes clearly visible from the outside, thereby indicating proper installation. For example, this end of the indicator element 112 can be marked green, so that the green mark appears in the part of the receiving hole that is visible from the outside, indicating proper installation.

[0072] A modified embodiment of the retaining claw 22 will be described with reference to Figures 28 and 29. The modified retaining claw 22, which can be used in each of the above-described embodiments and exemplary embodiments, has a central contact portion 116 for contacting not only the rim flange 26 but also the protective portions 118 arranged adjacent to the contact portion 116 in the circumferential direction. As is clear from Figure 29, each protective portion 118 does not rest on the rim flange 26 when the emergency wheel attachment is in an operating state, but has a small distance x from the rim flange 26, which may be 0.2 to 0.5 mm, preferably about 0.3 mm. Meanwhile, the contact portion 116 is firmly fixed to the rim flange 26 when the emergency wheel attachment is in an operating state.

[0073] Even if a contact portion 116 is broken due to an overload during operation of the emergency attachment, the guards 118 installed here on both sides of the contact portion 116 will prevent the retaining claws 22 of the failed contact portion 116 from leaving the vehicle wheel 12, and this will not lead to a failure of the emergency attachment. However, since there is a distance x between each guard portion 118 and the rim flange 26, further operation of the emergency wheel attachment will intentionally generate a rattling noise in order to alert the driver of the vehicle in question to the fact that there is something wrong with the emergency wheel attachment.

[0074] Figure 30 shows the retention pawl 22 implemented as a double pawl having two retention pawl elements 94 that are spaced further apart in the circumferential direction in contrast to the embodiment shown in Figures 9 and 10. Each retention pawl element 94 may be integrally formed with a contact portion 116 and at least one guard 118, as described above in connection with Figures 28 and 29.

[0075] 31 shows a plan view of yet another modified embodiment of the retaining pawl 22 configured as a double pawl, in which each retaining pawl element 94 is a separate element mounted on the common retaining arm 36 so as to be able to rotate a small amount about an axis Y perpendicular to the plane spanning the common retaining arm 36. The range of possible rotational movement of each retaining pawl element 94 is determined by the convex shape of lateral stop surfaces 120 on the retaining arm 36 and by circumferentially extending slots 122 in which locking pins (not shown) are disposed, which act as rotational limit stops for the rotational movement of the retaining pawl elements 94. Each retaining pawl element 94 is rotatably supported by a positioning bolt 64, as shown in FIG.

[0076] The double-pawl embodiment shown in Figure 31 also allows for proper contact of each retention pawl element 94 with the rim flange 26 during radially inward movement of the retention pawls 22 when the retention pawl elements 94 are positioned further apart circumferentially. Any angular error due to, for example, manufacturing inaccuracies is compensated for by the twisting of the retention pawl elements that occurs automatically during fastening.

[0077] 32 and 33 show an embodiment of the emergency wheel attachment 10 according to one of the exemplary embodiments described above, which in addition to the radially movable retaining pawls 22 has at least one, and preferably several, self-supporting safety pawls 124. Each safety pawl 124 is part of the tread unit 20 and cannot be moved radially inward or outward by rotation of the drive pinion 52. Instead, the safety pawls 124 have an actuator slider 126 which, in an initial state, protrudes radially through and from the tread 21 of the tread unit 20 (see FIG. 32). The actuator slider 126 is pre-tensioned radially outward by a spring 128. In this initial state of the safety pawl 124, the safety pawl 124 is not yet engaged with the rim 14 of the vehicle wheel 12.

[0078] However, when the emergency wheel attachment 10 is installed, the operation of the emergency wheel attachment is such that the tread 21 rolls on the road surface, which in turn presses the actuator sliders 126 radially inwards, thereby forcing each safety pawl 124 behind the rim flange 26 of the rim 14. In this way, a position of the safety pawls 124 corresponding to the position of the correctly installed retaining pawls 22 is secured. To secure this position, no intervention is required from the user of an emergency wheel attachment 10 thus installed; on the contrary, this position is reached naturally during operation of the emergency wheel attachment, which is why the safety pawls 124 are described as self-bracing.

[0079] To prevent the safety pawls 124 from unintentionally re-disengaging once they have engaged with the rim flanges 26, each safety pawl 124 is equipped with a locking device that prevents the actuator slider 126 from moving radially outward after it has moved radially inward. In the exemplary embodiment shown, this locking device is formed by a transverse rib 130 on the actuator slider 126 that interacts with a radially inwardly angled steel leaf spring (not shown), the free end of which is caught by the transverse rib 130, thereby preventing the actuator slider 126 from moving radially outward in the reverse direction. Such a rib 130 may alternatively or additionally be provided on the opposite side of the actuator slider 126 (also interacting with a steel leaf spring).

[0080] A safety pawl 124 of the type described is preferably arranged, in the circumferential direction of the emergency wheel attachment, between two each of the radially movable retaining pawls 22. For example, in an embodiment having three radially movable retaining pawls 22, each safety pawl 124 can be arranged between two circumferentially adjacent retaining pawls 22, so that such an embodiment has three radially movable retaining pawls 22 and three safety pawls 124. Of course, other combinations are possible.

[0081] As previously discussed, in some embodiments, the tread unit 20 is attached to the mounting unit 18 by tightening nuts onto positioning bolts, which are implemented as threaded bolts, to a predetermined torque. To allow a user to easily recognize when this predetermined torque has been reached, the nuts are formed in one embodiment as cap nuts 76, each of which includes an optical and / or acoustic indicator to indicate correct installation. Exemplary embodiments of such cap nuts 76 are shown in Figures 34-36.

[0082] Figure 35 shows such a cap nut 76 in its initial position. Located centrally at the top of the cap nut 76 is a tappet 132, which is supported by a leaf spring 134 that is pretensioned axially inward in the initial position shown in Figure 35 and supported on the inside of the top of the cap nut 76. The inside 136 of the tappet 132, which has a larger diameter, is adapted to contact the free end of the set bolt 64 (not shown) onto which the cap nut 76 is threaded.

[0083] Once the specified torque is reached, when the free end of the locating bolt 64 contacts the inner side 136 of the tappet 132, the axially inward force of the leaf spring 134 is exceeded and the tappet 132 jumps axially outward to a second position where the preferably colored indicator element 138 is flush with the outer surface of the cap nut 76 (see FIG. 36). The "jump" of the leaf spring 134 to the position shown in FIG. 36 can also be acoustically perceived. Additionally, the indicator element 138 being flush with the outer surface of the cap nut 76 indicates proper installation of the tread unit 20 on the mounting unit 18.

[0084] 35, 36 and their associated detailed views, the tappet 132, leaf spring 134 and indicator element 138 are part of a display device 131 that is mounted as a single unit within the cap nut 76. The housing of the display device 131 consists of a ring nut 133 and a cover 135. The cover 135 is screwed onto the ring nut 133 from above, and presses and supports the leaf spring 134 against the tappet 132. The indicator element 138 is screwed into the internal threads of the cap nut 76, which is open at the top (therefore, in this case, the nut 76 is a cap nut only through the cover 135), and is guided into a central hole in the cover 135.

[0085] 37 and 38 show a sixth embodiment of the emergency wheel attachment according to the present invention, in which the tread unit 20 or its segments (e.g., the aforementioned segments 68 and 70) are not attached by screwing them to the mounting unit 18. Instead, the sixth embodiment includes a latch device arranged on the side of the emergency wheel attachment facing outward from the vehicle wheel 12. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 37 and 38, each latch device 140 includes a radially movable slider 142 that is fixed to the outside of the housing 60 of the mounting unit 18, or more precisely, to the cover 56 of the mounting unit 18, by four screws 144, two of which, in the illustrated exemplary embodiment, extend through substantially radially extending slots 146 formed in the upper surface of the slider 142. The other two screws 144 extend through further slots 148 that extend parallel to the first slots 146. 37, a retaining lug 150 is disposed on each slider 142 and, in the exemplary embodiment, is attached to the radially inner edge of the cover 56 of the mounting unit 18, for example by screws, rivets, or the like, although the retaining lugs could also be cast integrally with the cover or welded to the cover 56. The retaining lugs 150 are used to support a spring 152 that resiliently pretensions the sliders 142 radially outward.

[0086] The radially outer end face of each slider 142 is formed as an inclined ramp or running surface 154 which, upon installation of the tread unit 20 or a segment 68, 70 of the tread unit 20, comes into contact with the face or edge of the associated tread unit 20, so that the tread unit 20 or its segment 68, 70 is pushed in the same axial direction towards the mounting unit 18, causing the slider 142 to initially move radially inward until the outer side of the tread unit 20, facing away from the vehicle wheel 12, passes the bottom surface of the slider 142. At this point, the slider 142 moves radially outward again due to the pre-tensioned spring force acting radially outward, so that the bottom surface of the slider 142 moves past the outer side of the tread unit 20, thereby locking the tread unit 20 or its segment in the correct installed position. The cross section through the slider 142 and surrounding components shown in Figure 38 illustrates this latched state.

[0087] When such an automatically latching tread unit 20 is to be released from the mounting unit 18, the sliders 142 are simply pushed radially inward until the underside of each slider 142 no longer overlaps the outside of the tread unit 20.

[0088] The automatic latching arrangement shown in Figures 37 and 38 is not tied to any particular configuration of emergency wheel attachment, and may be used with all previously shown and described embodiments of emergency wheel attachments, as well as with emergency wheel attachment embodiments not described or shown herein.

[0089] As also previously explained, when attaching the mounting unit 18 to the vehicle wheel 12, the drive pinion 52 is operated to rotate until a predetermined torque is reached, which ensures that all radially movable retaining pawls 22 are securely seated on the rim flange 26. To prevent overtightening of the retaining pawls 22, the drive pinion 52 in some emergency wheel attachment 10 embodiments is provided with a torque limiting device, which is coupled or connectable to an actuating element. Such a torque limiting device is arranged within the cap nut 54 of the drive pinion 52 according to the configuration shown in FIG. 39 and consists of several spring washers 156 arranged above and in contact with one another, which slip a multi-plate clutch and thereby prevent a torque exceeding the predetermined torque from being applied to the emergency wheel attachment 10 as the drive pinion 52 rotates. The package of spring washers 156 transfers the rotational motion of the cap nut 54 to the drive pinion 52 until the appropriate pre-tensioning of the spring package overcomes a set frictional force between the spring washers 156. Further rotation of the cap nut 54 causes the individual spring washers 156 to "slip" circumferentially against one another, preventing further rotational motion from being transferred to the drive pinion 52.

[0090] Another configuration of such a torque limiting device is shown in Figure 40. Here, the slip clutch is comprised of two opposing clutch discs 158 and 160, with their opposing faces formed with alternating circumferentially arranged cake-slice-shaped ridges 162 and cake-slice-shaped recesses 164. When viewed in the direction of rotational tightening, each side 166 of the ridge 162 and the associated side 168 of the corresponding recess 164 are sloped, so that once the torque defined by the spring force pressing on the clutch discs 158, 160 becomes excessive, the clutch disc 158 begins to slip over the clutch disc 160, preventing the transmission of rotational motion to the drive pinion 52, as in the previously described exemplary embodiment.

Claims

1. An emergency wheel attachment (10, 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d) for a vehicle wheel (12) having a rim (14) and a tire (16) mounted on the rim (14), comprising: the emergency wheel attachment is provided for installation on the outside of the vehicle wheel (12) and for enabling, in an operational state, the operation of a limited function tire attached to the vehicle wheel (12); the emergency wheel attachment comprises a mounting unit (18) for mounting the emergency wheel attachment (10, 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d) to the vehicle wheel and a tread unit (20) adapted to roll in contact with a road on which the vehicle wheel (12) rides in the operating state; the mounting unit (18) is provided with at least two retaining claws (22) designed to secure the mounting unit (18) to the rim (14) of the vehicle wheel (12) by engaging them behind a rim flange (26) of the rim (14); At least one of the retaining claws (22) is radially movable to vary its distance from a center point of the mounting unit (18); the mounting unit (18) has an annular actuating element which, in the operating state of the emergency wheel attachment, can rotate about a rotation axis (A) coinciding with the vehicle wheel axis, forming a gear mechanism which converts the rotation of the annular actuating element into a radial movement of the radially movable holding pawls (22); the mounting unit (18) further comprises a drive device coupled or adapted to be coupled to the annular actuating element, the drive device being actuated to rotate the annular actuating element; An emergency wheel attachment characterized in that the mounting unit (18) is substantially annular.

2. 2. An emergency wheel attachment as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the actuating element is a chain (82) and the drive device is a rotatable drive pinion (52) that meshes or can mesh with the chain (82).

3. 3. An emergency wheel attachment according to claim 2, characterized in that each movable retaining pawl (22) is provided with a retaining arm (36b) extending radially inward from said retaining pawl, said retaining arm (36b) having rack-like teeth (84) which mesh on one side with a rotatable transmission pinion (44b) corresponding to said retaining pawl (22), said pinion in turn meshing with said chain (82).

4. 2. An emergency wheel attachment according to claim 1, characterized in that the actuating element is an annular actuating disc (46, 46a, 46c, 46d).

5. 5. An emergency wheel attachment according to claim 4, characterized in that the actuation disc (46, 46a, 46c, 46d) has internal teeth (48) or external teeth (86), and the drive device is a rotatable drive pinion (52) that meshes or is configured to mesh with the internal teeth (48) or the external teeth (86).

6. The actuation disk (46a) is provided with an annular array of recesses or openings (80), and associated with each movable retaining pawl (22) is a pinion (44a) that engages with the recess or opening (80) in the actuation disk (46a) and is connected to a threaded spindle (40), which in turn is connected to a corresponding retaining pawl (22) to convert rotational movement of the pinion (44a) into radial movement of the retaining pawl (22); the actuation disk (46) has internal teeth (48), the rotatable drive pinion (52) meshes with the internal teeth (48), and associated with each movable retaining pawl (22) is a bevel gear (42) that meshes with the internal teeth (48) of the actuation disk (46) and connects with a threaded spindle (40), the threaded spindle (40) being connected to a corresponding retaining pawl (22) to convert rotational movement of the bevel gear (42) into at least substantially radial movement of the retaining pawl (22); 6. An emergency wheel attachment as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that the actuation disc (46) has internal and external teeth, the rotatable drive pinion (52) meshes with the external teeth, and associated with each movable retaining pawl (22) is a bevel gear (42) which meshes with the internal teeth (48) of the actuation disc (46) and connects with a threaded spindle (40) which is connected to a corresponding retaining pawl (22) to convert rotational movement of the bevel gear (42) into at least substantially radial movement of the retaining pawl (22).

7. 6. An emergency wheel attachment according to claim 5, characterized in that each movable retaining claw (22) is provided with a retaining arm (36b) extending radially inward from said retaining claw, said retaining arm having rack-like teeth (84) which correspond to said retaining claw (22) and which mesh with the internal teeth (48) or the external teeth of said actuation disc (46) and which mesh with a rotatable transmission pinion (44b) on one side.

8. 8. An emergency wheel attachment according to claim 3 or 7, characterized in that, due to the movable holding pawl (22), the drive pinion (52) also serves as a transmission pinion (44b).

9. 8. An emergency wheel attachment according to claim 4, 5 or 7, characterized in that the actuation disc (46c) has at least one motion link (90) in the form of a spiral segment which interacts with a link block attached to a retaining arm (36c) connected to the radially movable retaining claw (22) in order to vary the distance of the at least one radially movable retaining claw (22) from the centre point of the mounting unit (18).

10. 10. An emergency wheel attachment according to claim 9, characterized in that several motion links (90) in the form of spiral segments are arranged in each section of the actuation disc (46c) corresponding to a radially movable holding claw (22).

11. 11. An emergency wheel attachment according to claim 10, characterized in that the holding arm (36c) of each radially movable holding claw (22) is provided with several link blocks arranged adjacent to each other to interact with several motion links (90).

12. An emergency wheel attachment according to any one of claims 9 to 11, characterized in that the or each link block has a pin (100) of said shape.

13. An emergency wheel attachment according to any one of claims 9 to 11, characterized in that the or each link block has the form of a short rib (92) in the shape of the spiral segment.

14. An emergency wheel attachment according to any one of claims 9 to 13, characterized in that the or each motion link (90) is a protrusion (88) on the actuation disc (46c) in the shape of the spiral segment, or an opening (98) in the actuation disc (46c) in the shape of the spiral segment.

15. An emergency wheel attachment according to any one of claims 9 to 14, characterized in that several motion links (90) in the form of spiral segments are provided in the circumferential direction of the actuation disc (46c).

16. 16. An emergency wheel attachment according to claim 1, characterized in that each retaining claw (22) has a contact portion that contacts the rim flange (26), and further has at least one protective portion (118) located adjacent to the contact portion (116) and slightly spaced from the rim flange (26) in the operating state of the emergency wheel attachment, and / or each retaining claw (22) in the region of its end (106) including its free end is provided with one or more recesses (108) on its side facing the tire (16) to facilitate attachment.

17. An emergency wheel attachment according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that each retaining claw (22) is implemented as a double claw having two retaining claw elements (94) circumferentially spaced apart from one another and fixed to a common retaining arm (36c).

18. 18. An emergency wheel attachment according to claim 17, characterized in that at least one of the retaining claw elements (94) is configured to be slightly rotatable relative to the common retaining arm (36c) about an axis (Y) perpendicular to the plane spanning the common retaining arm (36c).

19. 19. An emergency wheel attachment according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that each retaining claw (22) has a radially projecting stop surface (110) that rests on the outside of the rim (14) in the operational state of the emergency wheel attachment, and at least one retaining claw (22) is provided with an indicator element (112) that is pre-tensioned elastically in the direction of the rim (14) and passes through the retaining claw (22) in the area of ​​the stop surface (110), so that the end of the indicator element (112) facing the rim (14) is in contact with the rim (14) and the other end of the indicator element (112) on the opposite side indicates that the emergency wheel attachment has been properly attached to the mounting unit (18) in the operational state of the emergency wheel attachment.

20. 20. An emergency wheel attachment according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the tread unit (20) is a separate unit from the mounting unit (18) and has several annular segments (68, 70), the tread unit being adapted to be connected to the mounting unit (18) and being connected to the mounting unit (18) in an emergency wheel attachment operating state.

21. 21. The emergency wheel attachment of claim 20, wherein a positioning bolt (64) configured to protrude from the opposite side of the mounting unit (18) from the vehicle wheel is used to connect the tread unit (20) to the mounting unit (18).

22. 22. An emergency wheel attachment according to claim 21, characterized in that the positioning bolt (64) is a threaded bolt, and the tread unit (20) is attached to the mounting unit (18) by a nut, and the tread unit (20) is firmly screwed to the mounting unit (18) by the nut.

23. 23. An emergency wheel attachment according to claim 22, characterized in that the nuts are cap nuts (76), each cap nut (76) including an optical and / or acoustic indicator to indicate correct installation.

24. 21. The emergency wheel attachment of claim 20, wherein a latch device attached to at least one side of the mounting unit (18) and to the opposite side of the tread unit (20) from the vehicle wheel is used to connect the tread unit (20) to the mounting unit (18).

25. 25. An emergency wheel attachment according to claim 24, characterized in that each latch device comprises a radially movable slider (142) pre-tensioned elastically in the radially outward direction, the slider (142) having a ramp (154) that contacts the ramp when the tread unit (20) is installed, and during the installation process and subsequent installation of the tread unit (20), the slider (142) moves radially inward and then slides outward again due to its elastic tension and slides onto the surface of the tread unit (20).

26. An emergency wheel attachment according to any one of claims 20 to 25, characterized in that the tread unit (20) is provided on its side facing the vehicle wheel with at least one self-bracing safety claw (124) for engaging behind the rim flange (26) of the rim (14), each safety claw (124) being located between two retaining claws (22) as viewed in the circumferential direction of the emergency wheel attachment.

27. 27. An emergency wheel attachment according to claim 26, characterized in that each safety pawl (124) comprises an actuator slider (126), one end of which passes through and protrudes radially from the tread (21) of the tread unit (20), and the other end of which presses the safety pawl (124) behind the rim flange (26) of the rim (14) upon radially inward movement of the actuator slider (126).

28. 28. An emergency wheel attachment as claimed in claim 27, characterized in that the actuator slider (126) is pre-tensioned elastically in a radially outward direction and includes a locking device that prevents radially outward movement of the actuator slider (126) caused by radially inward movement of the actuator slider (126).

29. An emergency wheel attachment according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the drive device is a drive pinion (52) connected to a cap nut (54) which is or can be connected to the actuating element and in which a torque limiting device is arranged, and / or the mounting unit (18) has an annular housing (60) in which the actuating element is arranged and to which is attached a handle (104) spanning a free central part of the housing (60).

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