Removable Wheel Accessory With Bi-Material Clips
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wheel accessories, such as hubcaps, are difficult to mount and dismantle, require complex and costly methods, and often leave unsightly screw holes visible, while also lacking aesthetic appeal and customization options.
Innovation Solution
A removable wheel accessory made of plastic, featuring a central disc-shaped part and peripheral branches that clip onto the wheel's arms, using bi-material clips for secure attachment and easy detachment, allowing for various shapes, colors, and styles to enhance aesthetic appeal and aerodynamics.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If wheel trim is attached using screws or adhesive, then the attachment is secure, but the mounting process becomes complex, lengthy, and expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The wheel trim is divided into multiple modular elements that can be independently attached to the wheel. Each element has its own attachment mechanism, allowing for simplified installation compared to a single complex adhesive or screw-based system. The segmentation enables easier mounting and demounting while maintaining secure attachment.
2Reliability
If wheel trim is attached using screws, then the attachment is secure, but removing the wheel trim becomes complex and difficult, and screw holes become visible
Solution Approach 1:
The attachment mechanism is designed to be completely removable without leaving any traces on the wheel. The elements can be detached from the wheel and stored, allowing the wheel to be used without the trim elements. This extraction principle ensures that no screw holes or mounting traces remain visible when the trim is removed.
Solution Approach 2:
The attachment mechanism is designed with local features that enable easy removal. The clips include elastic elements that allow for simple detachment by overcoming a small force, making removal easy without requiring tools or complex procedures. The local design of the clipping mechanism provides both secure attachment and easy removal.
3Shape
If existing wheel trims are used, then they provide basic coverage, but they have simple shapes and lack aesthetic appeal and customization options
Solution Approach 1:
The wheel trim elements are designed to be universal and adaptable to different wheel types and designs. The modular nature allows for various configurations and combinations, enabling customization to match different aesthetic preferences and wheel styles. The same basic element can be used in different arrangements to achieve different visual effects.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4~5
AI summary
Accessory (1) for a wheel of a vehicle, in particular intended to be removably attached to a wheel, for example by clipping, the accessory (1) comprising, in the form of a single piece, a central part (3) intended to cover at least partially a hub of a wheel, and a peripheral part (5) comprising at least one arm (7), the at least one arm (7) being intended to fit at least partially into an opening delimited by two arms connecting a hub to a rim of a wheel.