Patent Application
20230382158
The invention relates to a cover element adapted for attachment to a vehicle wheel. It also relates to a vehicle wheel having at least one such cover element, and to vehicle having at least one such vehicle wheel.
Particularly in the case of electric vehicles, closed wheels, in which the interspaces between the wheel spokes are covered or at least partially closed, are used for aerodynamic reasons. Plastic covers that are glued, clipped or screwed into the metallic main body of the vehicle wheel are usually used for this purpose. For design reasons, these plastic covers may be painted or colored in different colors. If vehicle users wish to change the design of the wheels on their vehicle, they must purchase a new set of covers and replace the existing set in the wheels with the new covers of a different color. This is costly and considerably limits the flexibility of the color design.
EP 3 153 328 B1 discloses and describes a turbine insert for a vehicle wheel, which is provided with two aerodynamic blades and which can be inserted into an opening in a wheel main body, between two adjacent wheel spokes.
Known from DE 10 2018 203 805 A1 is a vehicle wheel in which at least one interspace between the wheel spokes is at least partially covered by a cover element comprising a wing portion, the cover element being mountable onto the wheel from an outer side of the wheel.
DE 10 2011 102 680 A1 discloses a vehicle wheel having a hub cover provided with a display device.
The object of the present invention is to improve upon a generic cover element in such a way that it can be used more flexibly.
This object is achieved with the features of the independent claims.
A cover element according to the invention is adapted for attachment to a vehicle wheel having a wheel hub, a wheel rim provided with a rim base for receiving a tire, and wheel spokes connecting the wheel hub to the wheel rim, wherein the cover element is designed to cover at least one interspace between two circumferentially mutually adjacent wheel spokes. It is characterized in that the outer surface of the cover element, at least in regions, is provided with or formed by at least one bistable display element, preferably an e-paper display element, comprising a display device to which electric control signals can be applied via a control unit.
Equipping the outer surface of the cover element, at least in regions, with at least one e-paper display element makes it possible to individually design and alter the design (color and/or graphics) represented on the display device of the at least one e-paper display element without the need to replace or even repaint the cover element. The use of an e-paper display element has the advantage that electrical energy only needs to be available for the design change. Once the design has been changed, the new state remains stable without electrical power.
Further preferred and advantageous design features of the cover element according to the invention are provided by the dependent claims.
Preferably, the display device of the at least one e-paper display element covers the outer surface, at least in regions. This makes it possible to influence the design over a large area.
It is also advantageous if the at least one e-paper display element is designed to represent color displays on the display device. This variant makes it possible not only to design black and white graphics, but also to display colored designs.
In the case of a preferred development of the invention, which can be combined with other embodiments of the invention, the control unit is equipped with or connected to a selecting or input device, by means of which a user can select or set colors and/or patterns to be displayed on the display device of the e-paper display element, the control unit being designed to thereupon generate corresponding display signals and transmit them to the e-paper display element. This variant allows the vehicle wheel to be designed in a particularly flexible and individualized manner.
It is advantageous in this case if the control unit is designed to set the color displayed by the e-paper display element so as to be alterable. This embodiment of the invention allows the user to display any color and/or color gradients.
In the case of a further preferred design of the invention, which likewise can be combined with other embodiments of the invention, the outer surface of the cover element is provided, at least in regions, with at least one solar element for generating an electrical power supply for the at least one e-paper display element. This variant makes the cover element electrically independent of the vehicle electrical power system.
In the case of yet another preferred design of the invention, which can also be combined with other embodiments of the invention, at least one receiving coil of an inductive electrical power transmission device is provided, via which an electrical power supply for the at least one e-paper display element can be transmitted wirelessly from an external electrical power source, preferably from a vehicle electrical system. The receiving coil is preferably provided on the inner surface (facing toward the vehicle) of the cover element that faces away from the outer surface.
The invention additionally concerns a vehicle wheel having a wheel hub, a wheel rim provided with a rim base for receiving a tire, and wheel spokes connecting the wheel hub to the wheel rim, and having at least one cover element according to an embodiment of the invention, wherein the cover element covers at least one interspace between two circumferentially mutually adjacent wheel spokes.
Furthermore, the invention also relates to a motor vehicle having at least one such vehicle wheel.
Preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention with additional design details and further advantages are described and explained in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawing.
The vehicle wheel 2 provided with a tire 3 is represented in detail in
The vehicle wheel 2 has a wheel hub 20, a wheel rim 22, and wheel spokes 23, 24, 25, 26, 27 that extend radially between the wheel hub 20 and the wheel rim 22 and connect these to one another. On its radially outer side the wheel rim 22 is in a conventional manner provided with a rim base 21, in which the tire 3 is accommodated via its tire beads 30.
Realized in each case between two adjacent wheel spokes 23, 24, 25, 26, 27 there is an open interspace 23′, 24′, 25′, 26′, 27′. A cover element 4 is fitted from the outside of the vehicle onto the metallic main body 2′ of the vehicle wheel 2, which comprises the wheel hub 20, the wheel rim 22 and the wheel spokes 23, 24, 25, 26, 27. The cover element 4 covers the wheel hub 20 and a radially inner region of the wheel spokes 23, 24, 25, 26, 27 with a central circular disk 40, and has wing portions 41, 42, 43, 44, 45 extending radially outward from the circular disk 40, each of which covers one of the interspaces 23′, 24′, 25′, 26′, 27′ between two circumferentially mutually adjacent wheel spokes 23, 24, 25, 26, 27. The cover element 4, together with the surfaces of the wheel spokes 23, 24, 25, 26, 27 that face toward the outside of the vehicle, thus realizes a closed wheel disk surface 5 radially inside the wheel rim 22.
However, the invention is not limited to such a closed wheel disk, but rather the respective interspaces 23′, 24′, 25′, 26′, 27′ may also be only partially closed by the cover element 4, so as to allow air to flow between the outside of the wheel and the inside of the wheel, for example for the purpose of cooling brakes or wheel hub motors.
The outer surface of the cover element 4 that faces away from the vehicle is provided with at least one e-paper display element 6 in the region of the central circular disk and the radial wings 41, 42, 43, 44, 45. This e-paper display element 6 may also be provided only partially, for example as a central display element 60 only in the central circular disk 40, or corresponding e-paper display elements 61, 62, 63, 64, 65 may be provided on the outer surface of each radial wing 41, 42, 43, 44, 45. Each of the e-paper display elements 6, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65 is provided with a display device 6′, 60′, 61′, 62′, 63′, 64′, 65′ that faces toward the outside of the vehicle, this being explained in more detail in connection with
As represented schematically in
As can be seen in
Upon activation of a positive or negative electric field by application of a voltage to the electrodes 66′, 66″, the black pigments 68′ and the white pigments 68 move to the respectively opposite electrodes 66′, 66″. The quantity of pigment particles migrating to the upper (transparent) electrode 66′ becomes visible to the viewer as a black or white dot, respectively, in the display window 66.
This simple e-paper display element 6, shown by way of example in
The display 6′ of the display element 6 can be supplied with electrical control signals via a control unit 7.
For this purpose, the display 6′ is functionally connected to the control unit 7 for the purpose of signal transmission. In
The control unit 7 is equipped with or preferably wirelessly connected to a selecting or input device 73. By means of the selecting and input device 73, a user can select or set the colors and/or patterns to be displayed on the display 6′, 60′, 61′, 62′, 63′, 64′, 65′, whereupon the control unit 7 generates corresponding display signals, and transmits them to the display 6′, 60′, 61′, 62′, 63′, 64′, 65′, and the display 6′ 60′, 61′, 62′, 63′, 64′, 65′, displays the selected color and/or graphical pattern.
The invention is not limited to the above exemplary embodiment, which merely serves to provide a general explanation of the core concept of the invention. Rather, within the scope of protection, the device according to the invention may also assume forms of embodiment other than those described above. In this regard, the device may in particular have features that are a combination of the respective individual features of the claims.
References in the claims, the description and the drawings serve only for a better understanding of the invention and are not intended to limit the scope of protection.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 2020 127 174.3 | Oct 2020 | DE | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP2021/078158 | 10/12/2021 | WO |
