Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a reflector for spoked
wheels, for example bicycle wheels having a rim supported
by radial spokes, the reflector being arranged to be mounted
on the spokes.
In particular the reflector is of the kind having a
plate-like body having reflecting surfaces and means for
connecting the body to the spokes for rotation with the
wheel. Such reflectors are employed to reflect light to
other vehicles, particularly at night, to indicat.e the
presence of the wheeled vehicle bearing the reflectors to
the other vehicles.
With prior reflectors the means for fixing the
reflector to the wheel has often been troublesome. In some
cases since the fixing means has been in the form of separate
loose members which have to be coupled together in a given
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order it has been difficult to effect fixing. In other cases
the force applied to the fixing means to fit the reflector has
been transmitted to the reflector body to reduce the life of the
reflector. Moreover, the fixing means may loosen due to vibra-
tion and the small contact area with the wheel spokes and loosereflectors will reflect the light in the wrong direction or will
fall off.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the invention there is provided a reflec-
tor for a wheel including a plurality of spokes, said reflector
including a plate-like reflector body having reflective surfaces
each provided with reflective zones capable of reflecting inci-
dent light in generally parallel relation thereto, the improve-
ments comprising a through hole in said reflector body, a nut
portion which is coaxially movable in the through hole, a hook
member formed integrally with one end face of said nut portion
and extending therefrom in the axial direction, a bolt portion
coacting with said nut portion and adapted to firmly press a
spoke against the inside face of said hook member by virtue of
the extremity of said bolt portion, fixing means for retaining
the bolt portion on its opposite side through said through hole
in a state where the spoke is firmly pressed against the inside
face of said hook member and the spoke is in abutting engage-
ment with reflector, said fixing means including the bolt por-
tion and a spring washer between the head of the bolt portionand the reflector body, and a rotation-restraining means for
preventing rotation of said plate-like reflector body relative
to the spokes, said rotation-restraining means comprising a
- groove in the reflector body, said spokes being inclined with
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respect to a plane through the wheel at a predeterminedangle,
and the axis of said through hole being perpendicular to said
spoke to which the reflector body is secured.
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The through hole may have large and reduced cross-section
portions, the nut portion being received in the large cross-section
portion for axial movement therein and the bolt portion, but not
the nut portion, being movable through the reduced cross-section
portion.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS
Further features of the invention appear from the
following description of various embodiments of the invention
given by way of example only and with reference to the
drawings, in which:-
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment ofthe invention fitted to a spoked wheel,
Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the reflector of Fig. 1,
Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 in Fig. 1,
Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are front, side and end views of a
hook member of the reflector of Figs. 1 to 3,
Fig. 7 is a section corresponding to that of Fig. 3
of a second embodiment of the invention,
Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a third embodiment of
the invention fitted to a spoked wheel,
Fig. 9 is a vertical section of the reflector of
Fig. 8,
Figs. 10, 11 and 12 are front, side and rear views of
the reflector of Figs. 8 and 9, and
Figs. 13, 14 and 15 are a cross section, a side view
and a rear view of a hook member of the reflector of Figs. 8
to 12.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring to the drawings and firstly to Figs. 1 to
6, a reflector 1 is fitted to a spoked wheel 2 of a bicycle
having spokes S. The reflector 1 includes a plate-like
body 3, a hook member 4, retaining means 5 for fixing the
hook member 4 to the body, and restraining means 15 for
restraining rotation of the body relative to the wheel 2.
The body 3 has reflective surfaces 6 and 7 on opposite
side faces and a circular ho]e 8 extends through the body in
the central region of the body at a right angle thereto.
The surfaces 6 and 7 are each provided with reflective elements
preferably in the form of regular triangular pyramids so as
to provide prismatic reflectivity by which incident light is
reflected in parallel relationship.
The hook member 4 has a nut portion 9 locatable in
the hole 8 and the hook hooks over a spoke S. The retaining
means 5 is a screw having a head 11 and in screw threaded
engagement with the nut portion 9. ~ washer 10 locates around
the screw 5 to be engaged by the head 11 and to retain the
screw against one side of the body 3. The screw 5, the washer
10 and the hook member 4 can be assembled prior to mounting
the reflector 3 on the wheel.
The restraining means 15 is in the form of a groove
16 (Fig. 2) extending from the hole 8 and engageable by the
spoke S when the reflector is on the wheel.
The reflector is mounted on the wheel by threading
the screw 5 partly onto the nut portion 9 with the washer
10 in position and the hook member 4 is inserted into the
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hole 8 so that it adopts the dotted line position in Fig. 3.
The spoke S is then located under the hook of member 4 and
located in the groove 16. The screw 5 is then tightened
until the spoke is firmly fixed against one side of the body,
the head of the screw being located against the other side,
and hook member is under tension.
The hole 8 and the nut portion 9 are cylindrical,
as shown, but they may both be of non-circular section, for
example rectangular, as desired, in order to prevent rotation
of the hook member relative to the hole.
Referring to Fig. 7 a reflector similar to that shown
in Figs. 1 to 6 is illustrated except that the hole 8 is
formed with a portlon 17a of larger cross-section than the
portion 18a, the nut portion 9 being locatable in the portion
17a but not the portion 18a which admits only the screw 5 in
screw-threaded engagement. In this way the member 4 and
screw 5 can be retained on the reflector when unattached to
the wheel and mounting of the reflector on the wheel is
facilitated.
Referring now to Figs. 8 - 15 a similar reflector to
that shown in the previous embodiments is illustrated and
similar parts are given the same reference numbers in each
embodiment.
The reflector 1 of Figs. 8 to 15 is arranged to be
fitted to a wheel 2 of a bicycle and includes a body 3, a hook
member 4 formed with a nut portion 9, and a headed screw 5.
The body 3 has reflecting members 6 and 7 each with
reflecting surfaces on their side faces and the members 6
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and 7 being connected in face to face contact by, for
example, ultra-sonic welding.
The body 3 is curved to correspond to the curvature
of the associated portion of the wheel and is formed of
acrylic resin by injection moulding. The members 6 and 7
each have four reflective zones 20, 21, 22 and 23. The zones
20 and 21 towards the ends of the body are arranged symmetri-
cally with their front surfaces flat and their rear surfaces
formed with reflector elements 14 (Fig. 9) of regular
pyramidal form with their optical axes normal to their sur-
faces. The zones are thus able to reflect incident light in
parallel relative thereto, i.e. provide so-called standard
reflection.
The zones 22 and 23 are formed with flat front sur-
faces inclined at an angle ~ of about 10 with respect to
the front surface of each reflective zone 22 or 23. Each zone
22 and 23 has a number of reflector elements on its rear
surface which are of regular triangular pyramidal form with
their optical axes inclined at about 20 relatlve to the front
surfaces. Thus the zones 22 and 23 reflect incident light
in parallel relation thereto to provide so-called wide angle
reflection.
A through hole 8 extends through the reflection member
7 at its central portion and a hole 17 extends centrally
through the reflector member 6, the hole 17 being of larger
size than the hole 8. The holes 8 and 17 are inclined to the
plane of the body 3 so that when the body is mounted on the
wheel the plane of the body is parallel to the plane of the
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wheel, the spokes being inclined to said plane.
A portion 26 of the walls of the hole 17 projects
from the surface of the body 3 and recessed grooves 19 and
19' are formed in the portion 26 to receive a spoke S, the
base of the grooves being inclined to accommodate the
inclination of the spokes S relative to the body.
A hook member 4 (Figs. 13 - 15) has an integral nut
portion 9 and a hook portion 27 coaxial with the nut portion
9 and with a part-circular groove 26 in which the spoke S
is located.
A screw 5 locates in screw-threaded engagement with
the nut portion 9, the screw 5 having a threaded portion 29,
and a head 24. A washer 25 is locatable about the screw 5
to engage with the head 24
The hook member 4 is movable axially along the hole
17 and the screw 5 is insertable through the smaller hole 8.
The reflector of Figs. 8 to 15 is located on the wheel
2 by inserting the hook member 4 in the hole 17 and the screw
5 is partially located in the nut portion 9. In this position
the hook 27 projects so that the spokes can be located in the
groove 26. The screw 5 is then tightened to firmly engage
the spoke in the groove 22 and the grooves 19 and 19' in the
body. The head 24 of the screw 5 is located against the
opposite side of the reflector through the washer 25.
The spokes of wheels are generally of 1.8 to 4.0 mm
in diameter and preferably the grooves 26, 19 and 19' have
a diameter of 4 mm so that the reflector can be fitted to
any wheel. Moreover the length of the screw 5 can be selected
irrespective of the size of spoke giving universal application
of the reflector to any spoked wheel.
