Vehicle wheel

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10864771-B2
Application number	US-201715495007-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 24, 2017
Priority date	Apr 24, 2017
Publication date	Dec 15, 2020
Grant date	Dec 15, 2020

Abstract

A vehicle wheel includes a rim having an inner peripheral surface, and a center disc. The center disc includes a disc portion, and an arm plate portion extending radially outward from the disc portion. The arm plate portion includes an outer boundary defined by a plurality of arc outer peripheral surfaces and a plurality of concave boundary surfaces. The plurality of arc outer peripheral surfaces have a radius equal to a radius of the inner peripheral surface of the rim. The plurality of arc outer peripheral surfaces are joined to the inner peripheral surface of the rim at a weld attachment interface to produce a plurality of holes defined by the plurality of concave boundary surfaces and the inner peripheral surface of the rim.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle wheel comprising:
a rim having an inner peripheral surface; and
a center disc including a disc portion having a plurality of hub-mounting holes, and a spoke plate portion having a plurality of vane-shaped spokes and extending radially outward from the disc portion,
wherein the spoke plate portion includes an outer boundary defined by a plurality of non-contiguous and circumferentially-spaced arc outer peripheral edge surfaces and a plurality of concave boundary edge surfaces,
the plurality of non-contiguous and circumferentially-spaced arc outer peripheral edge surfaces and the plurality of concave boundary edge surfaces are continually arranged alternately,
the plurality of non-contiguous and circumferentially-spaced arc outer peripheral edge surfaces have a radius equal to a radius of the inner peripheral surface of the rim; and
the plurality of non-contiguous and circumferentially-spaced arc outer peripheral edge surfaces are joined to the inner peripheral surface of the rim at a weld attachment interface to produce a plurality of non-symmetrically shaped holes between the vane-shaped spokes and whose inner edges are defined by the plurality of concave boundary surfaces and whose outer edges are defined by the inner peripheral surface of the rim,
wherein each of the plurality of arc outer peripheral edge surfaces respectively circumferentially continues from the plurality of concave boundary edge surfaces.

2. The vehicle wheel according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of arc outer peripheral edge surfaces and the plurality of concave boundary edge surfaces are arranged alternately at regular circumferential intervals.

3. The vehicle wheel according to claim 2 , wherein each of the plurality of vane-shaped spokes defined by one of the arc outer peripheral edge surfaces and two of the plurality of concave boundary edge surfaces adjacent to the one of the arc outer peripheral edge surfaces has a proximal-end circumferential width and a distal-end circumferential width, both of which are larger than an intermediate circumferential width of each respective vane-shaped spoke.

4. The vehicle wheel according to claim 1 , wherein each of the concave boundary edge surfaces comprises a first edge and a second edge facing each other, and
the first edge is connected to each of the plurality of arc outer peripheral edge surfaces with an obtuse angle, and the second edge is connected to each of the plurality of arc outer peripheral edge surfaces with an acute angle.

5. The vehicle wheel according to claim 4 , wherein the first edge comprises a straight line, and the second edge comprises a bent line having a plurality of line segments or a curved line.

6. A vehicle wheel comprising:
a rim having an inner peripheral surface and being configured to receive a tire;
a center disc comprising a disc portion with a plurality of hub-mounting holes, and a spoke plate portion having a plurality of vane-shaped spokes and extending radially outward from the disc portion;
said spoke plate portion including an outer boundary defined by a plurality of alternating and spaced apart arc outer peripheral edge surfaces and a plurality of alternating concave boundary surfaces separating the arc outer peripheral edge surfaces;
each vane-shaped spoke having a single line segment boundary surface arranged opposite a two line segment boundary surface so as to define a plurality of non-symmetrically shaped holes arranged inside the inner peripheral surface of the rim, said two line segment boundary surface comprising a first line segment shorter than the single line segment boundary surface and a second line segment that is shorter than the single line segment boundary surface and oriented at an angle relative to the first line segment;
each of the plurality of non-symmetrically shaped holes being defined by at least one convex surface; and
the plurality of arc outer peripheral edge surfaces having a radius equal to a radius of the inner peripheral surface of the rim,
wherein each of the arc outer peripheral edge surfaces is joined to the inner peripheral surface of the rim with a weld attachment interface, and
wherein an angular orientation of the single line segment boundary surface in relation of the inner peripheral surface is different than the angular orientation of each of the two line segment boundary surfaces.

7. The vehicle wheel according to claim 6 , wherein the single line segment boundary surface is straight.

8. The vehicle wheel according to claim 6 , wherein the single line segment boundary surface is concave.

9. The vehicle wheel according to claim 6 , wherein each of the two line segment boundary surfaces are straight.

10. The vehicle wheel according to claim 6 , wherein the plurality of concave boundary surfaces are boundary edge surfaces.

11. A vehicle wheel comprising:
a rim having an inner peripheral surface and being configured to receive a tire;
a center disc comprising a disc portion with a plurality of hub-mounting holes, and a spoke plate portion having a plurality of vane-shaped spokes and extending radially outward from the disc portion;
said spoke plate portion including an outer boundary defined by a plurality of alternating non-contiguous and circumferentially-spaced arc outer peripheral edge surfaces and a plurality of alternating concave boundary surfaces;
each vane-shaped spoke having a single line segment boundary surface arranged opposite a two line segment boundary surface so as to define a plurality of non-symmetrically shaped holes arranged inside the inner peripheral surface of the rim, said two line segment boundary surface comprising a first line segment shorter than the single line segment boundary surface and a second line segment that is shorter than the single line segment boundary surface and oriented at an angle relative to the first line segment;
each of the plurality of non-symmetrically shaped holes being defined by at least one convex surface located adjacent the inner peripheral surface of the rim; and
the plurality of arc outer peripheral edge surfaces having a radius equal to a radius of the inner peripheral surface of the rim,
wherein each of the arc outer peripheral edge surfaces is joined to the inner peripheral surface of the rim via a weld attachment interface, and
wherein an angular orientation of the single line segment boundary surface in relation of the inner peripheral surface is an obtuse angle and an angular orientation of one of the two line segment boundary surfaces is an acute angle.

12. The vehicle wheel according to claim 11 , wherein the single line segment boundary surface is straight.

13. The vehicle wheel according to claim 11 , wherein the single line segment boundary surface is concave.

14. The vehicle wheel according to claim 11 , wherein each of the two line segment boundary surfaces are straight.

15. The vehicle wheel according to claim 11 , wherein the plurality of concave boundary surfaces are boundary edge surfaces.

16. The vehicle wheel according to claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of vane-shaped spokes defined by two of the plurality of concave boundary edge surfaces and said plurality of concave boundary edge surfaces are oriented radially such that an imaginary plane passing through the plurality of concave boundary edge surfaces would pass through the weld attachment interface.

17. The vehicle wheel according to claim 6 , wherein the single line segment boundary surface is an edge surface and the two line segment boundary surface is an edge surface, and each said

Assignees

• Kubota Kk

Inventors

• Walden Robert
• Jordan Barry

Classifications

• B60B3/10 Primary

  apertured to simulate spoked wheels · CPC title

• B60B2310/302

  by welding · CPC title

• B60B3/007

  in the intermediate section · CPC title

• B60B2900/311

  Rigidity or stiffness · CPC title

• B60B3/005

  in the section adjacent to rim · CPC title