Wheel nut assembly

• US 20050260059A1
• Filed: 10/04/2001
• Published: 11/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wheelsure Technologies Limited (Wheelsure Holdings plc)
• Original Assignee: Wheelsure Technologies Limited (Wheelsure Holdings plc)
• Inventors: Vile, David Daniel George, Lees, John Sydney
• Granted Patent: US 7,172,380 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 411/412
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 37/14 Cap nuts; Nut caps or bolt caps
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 39/16 in which the screw-thread of the locknut differs from that of the nut
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 41/002 Measures against loss of bolts, nuts or pins devices for fastening nuts to surfaces F16B37/04

Abstract

A wheel nut assembly includes a stud (1), a main wheel nut (4) mountable on threads (3) provided on the stud, and a retaining nut (6) engageable with threads (5) provided on the stud to prevent accidental loosening of the wheel nut (4). The threads of the wheel nut (4) and the threads for the retaining nut (6) are of opposite hand. A cap (11) is slidably mounted on the retaining nut (6) and biased into a first position by a spring (16). The cap (11) includes multi-hexagonal profiles (12, 14) for engaging hexagonal profiles (13, 15) provided on the retaining nut (6) and on the main wheel nut (4). Accordingly, in the first position, the retaining nut (6) and the main wheel nut (4) are rotationally locked to each other and because of the opposite hand of the respective threads it is not possible to remove the retaining nut. To release the retaining nut (6), the cap (11) is grasped and pulled to the limit permitted by the spring (16) to permit rotation of the retaining nut (6) and removal thereof.

Claims

1. A wheel nut assembly comprising:

a wheel stud having;

a first portion having a first external thread which is adapted to co-operate with an internal thread provided on a wheel nut, and

a second portion having a second thread of opposite hand to the first external thread, which co-operates with a retaining member having a thread which is of the same hand as the second thread;

a locking member which substantially prevents relative movement between the retaining member and the wheel nut; and

a spring means for holding the retaining member captive by the locking member at least during unthreading of the retaining member from the wheel stud.

2. The wheel nut assembly of claim 1 wherein the locking member comprises an open ended cap and the retaining member comprises a nut held captive at least partially within the cap.

3. The wheel nut assembly of claim 1, wherein the spring means resiliently biases the retaining member into the cap, but permits limited axial movement of the retaining member relative to the cap.

4. The wheel nut assembly of claim 1, wherein the spring means comprises a coil spring.

5. The wheel nut assembly of claim 1 wherein the spring means permits the retaining member to be movable relative to the locking member between a first position in which the locking member cooperates with the retaining member, the locking member being free of the wheel nut such that the retaining member can be tightened to the second thread via tightening of the locking member;

and a second position in which the locking member co-operates with both the retaining member and the wheel nut to prevent relative rotation therebetween.

6. The wheel nut assembly of claim 5 wherein an opening is provided in the otherwise closed end of the locking member for access to the retaining member to enable the retaining member to be positioned between said first position and second position, and vice versa, against the spring means.

7. The wheel nut assembly of claim 1 wherein the retaining member has an hexagonal external profile and the locking member includes a portion with a profile for engaging the hexagonal profile of the retaining member.

8. The wheel nut assembly of claim 1 wherein the wheel nut has an hexagonal external profile and the locking member includes a portion with a multi-hexagonal profile for engaging the hexagonal profile of the wheel nut.

9. The wheel nut assembly of claim 1 wherein the retaining member is in the form of a cap nut.

10. The wheel nut assembly of claim 1 including a seal means of elastomeric material located between the locking member and the wheel nut to prevent any ingress of dirt and moisture between the locking member and the wheel nut.

12. The wheel nut assembly of claim 7 wherein the locking member includes a portion with a multi-hexagonal profile for engaging the hexagonal profile of the retaining member.

21. The wheel nut assembly of claim 1, wherein the locking member is formed as a cap having an open end and a partially closed end with an opening, and the retaining member is a nut held captive at least partially within the locking member, said opening being sized to allow a portion of the retaining member to pass axially through said partially closed end.

11. (canceled)

13. A wheel nut assembly comprising:

a wheel stud having a first portion with a first external thread adapted to co-operate with an internal thread provided on a wheel nut, and a second portion having a second thread of the opposite hand to the first external thread, which co-operates with a retaining member having a thread which is of the same hand as the second thread;

a locking member which substantially prevents relative movement between the retaining member and the wheel nut; and

a biasing means for holding the retaining member captive by the locking member at least during unthreading of the retaining member from the wheel stud, and for biasing the locking member in a locked position in which the locking cap cooperates with both the retaining member and the wheel nut such that the retaining member is prevented from rotating relative to the wheel nut.

14. The wheel nut assembly of claim 13 wherein the locking member comprises an open ended cap and the retaining member comprises a nut held captive at least partially within the cap.

15. The wheel nut assembly of claim 13 wherein the biasing means includes a coil spring.

16. The wheel nut assembly of claim 13 wherein the biasing means permits limited axial movement of the retaining member relative to the locking member.

17. The wheel nut assembly of claim 13 wherein the biasing means permits the retaining member to be movable relative to the locking member between a first position in which the locking member cooperates with the retaining member, the locking member being free of the wheel nut such that the retaining member can be tightened to the second thread via tightening of the locking member;

and the locked position in which the locking member co-operates with both the retaining member and the wheel nut to prevent relative rotation therebetween.

18. The wheel nut assembly of claim 13 wherein the retaining member has an hexagonal external profile and the locking member includes a portion with a profile for engaging the hexagonal profile of the retaining member.

19. The wheel nut assembly of claim 13 wherein the retaining member is in the form of a cap nut.

20. The wheel nut assembly of claim 13 including a seal means of elastomeric material located between the locking member and the wheel nut to prevent any ingress of dirt and moisture between the locking member and the wheel nut.

22. The wheel nut assembly of claim 13, wherein the locking member is formed as a cap having an open end and a partially closed end with an opening, and the retaining member is a nut held captive at least partially within the locking member, said opening being sized to allow a portion of the retaining member to pass axially through said partially closed end.

23. A wheel nut assembly comprising:

a wheel stud having;

a first portion having a first external thread which is adapted to co-operate with an internal thread provided on a wheel nut, and

a second portion having a second thread of opposite hand to the first external thread, which co-operates with a retaining member having a thread which is of the same hand as the second thread; and

a locking member which substantially prevents relative movement between the retaining member and the wheel nut, wherein the retaining member is held captive by the locking member when the retaining member is unthreaded from the wheel stud;

wherein the locking member is formed as a cap having an open end and a partially closed end with an opening, and the retaining member is a nut held captive at least partially within the locking member, said opening being sized to allow a portion of the retaining member to pass axially through said partially closed end.