Rotatable wheel rim support group particularly for a tire assembling-disassembling machine

• US 20060266481A1
• Filed: 05/16/2006
• Published: 11/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vehicle Service Group Italy Srl (Dover Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Butler
• Inventors: Gonzaga, Tullio
• Granted Patent: US 7,293,595 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 157/14
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 25/0545 with rotary motion of tool or tyre support, e.g. turntables
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 25/132 for removing and mounting tyres for only seating the beads B60C25/12; for only breaking the beads B60C25/125 ; for locating provisionally the beads of tubeless tyres against the sealing surfaces of the rims B60C25/145

Abstract

The present invention relates to a rotatable wheel rim support group designed to be mounted on an assembling-disassembling machine (MT) having a base (10), a control shaft (9) extending upwards from the base (10), removable locking means (11) for the wheel rim (C) which is engageable, in use, on the control shaft (9) and with a side of the wheel rim (C), and actuating means (M) for the control shaft (9). The support group comprises at least one pair of annular plate-shaped members (2, 3), in use, designed to abut against the wheel rim on a side opposite to that of the removable locking means (11), the plate-shaped members (2, 3) being arranged facing and approachable to and retractable from one another about the control shaft (9), a plurality of friction engagement means (5, 6; 5a, 5b) disposed angularly displaced and partly formed in one of the annular plate-shaped members and partly in the other, each of the friction engagement means formed in a plate-shaped member being designed to cooperate with a respective friction engagement means on the other plate-shaped member of the pair, in order to retract the annular plate-shaped members when one of them is angularly displaced with respect to the other, and support and rotational motion transmission means (8, 8a) between the control shaft and one of the annular plate-shaped members (2, 3) of the pair of annular plate-shaped members.

Claims

1. A rotatable wheel rim support group designed to be mounted on a tire assembling-disassembling machine provided with a base, a control shaft extending from said base, removable locking means for said wheel rim, that is engageable, in use, on said control shaft and with a side of said wheel rim, and driving means for said control shaft, and comprising at least one pair of annular plate elements designed to abut, in use, against said wheel rim on opposite side with respect to said removable locking means, said plate elements being arranged mutually facing and approachable to, and retractable from one another on said control shaft, a plurality of friction engagement means angularly spaced from each other and formed partly in one of said annular plate elements and partly in the other, each of said friction engagement means in one plate element being designed to cooperate with a respective friction engagement means on the other plate element of said pair, thereby causing said annular plate elements to move away from one another when one of them is angularly displaced with respect to the other, and support and motion transmission means between said control shaft and one of said annular plate elements of said annular plate element pair.

2. A rotatable wheel rim support group as claimed in claim 1, wherein said friction engagement means comprises sliding friction means.

3. A rotatable support group as claimed in claim 2, wherein said sliding friction means comprises at least one recess formed in one of said plate elements of said pair and delimited by at least one bas-relief inclined-plane wall, which extends, in use, substantially in a transversal direction with respect to the distance from said control shaft, and the other plate element of said pair being provided with at least one respective lug comprising at least one relief inclined-plane wall extending substantially parallel to its respective bas-relief inclined plane wall and designed to slidably engage therewith.

4. A rotatable support group as claimed in claim 1, wherein said friction engaging means comprises rolling friction means.

5. A rotatable support group as claimed in claim 4, wherein said rolling friction means comprises at least one receiving seat partly formed in one of said plate elements of said couple and partly in the other plate element and comprises at least two substantially parallel inclined plane walls which, in use, extend in a transversal direction with respect to the distance from said control shaft, and rolling means located in each receiving seat.

6. A rotatable support group as claimed in claim 5, wherein said rolling means comprises a spherical or ball element.

7. A rotatable support group as claimed in claim 1, wherein said support and rotational motion transmission means comprises a tubular element extending from said base to support at the top thereof said pair of annular plate elements, and comprises a bottom portion rigid in rotation with said control shaft.

8. A rotatable support group as claimed in claim 7, wherein one annular counterplate member of each pair has a central light and is designed to face said tubular member, whereas the other rest or support plate member is designed to face a wheel rim to be supported, and is provided with an axial hub insertable into said central light of said annual plate member.

9. A rotatable support group as claimed in claim 8, comprising an abutting plate member securable to said axial hub with interposition of said counterplate member to delimit a peripheral shoulder for said annular counterplate member.

10. A rotatable support group as claimed in claim 7, wherein at said rest or support plate member at least one annular seal member made of a high friction coefficient material is provided for contacting said wheel rim.

11. A rotatable support group as claimed in claim 10, wherein said seal member comprises a first annular seal member designed to remain in contact with said rest or support plate member, and a second annular seal member located in a recess formed in said first seal member.

12. A rotatable support group as claimed in claim 10, wherein said seal member comprises a first annular seal member designed to remain in contact with said rest or support plate member, and a second annular seal member located in a recess formed in said first seal member and wherein said first annular seal member has an annular peripheral zone substantially winding said annular plate members.

13. A rotatable support group as claimed in claim 10, wherein said seal member comprises a first annular seal member designed to remain in contact with said rest or support plate member, and a second annular seal member located in a recess formed in said first seal member, and said rotatable support group comprises a plurality of screw members screwable into respective bores angularly displaced from one another and formed in said rest or support plate for securing said annular seal members.

14. A rotatable support group as claimed in any previous claim 8, comprising engagement means between said pair of annular plate members and said tubular member.

15. A rotatable support group as claimed in claim 8, comprising engagement means between said pair of annular plate members and said tubular member, and wherein said engagement means comprises a plurality of angularly displaced pin members designed to engage, at one end thereof, with a respective hole formed in said annular counterplate member and, at the other end thereof, with a suitable seat formed at the front head of said tubular member.

16. A rotatable support group as claimed in claim 15, comprising engagement means between said pair of annular plate members and said tubular member, and wherein said engagement means comprises a plurality of angularly displaced pin members designed to engage, at one end thereof, with a respective hole formed in said annular counterplate member and, at the other end thereof, with a suitable seat formed at the front head of said tubular member, and wherein each pin member has an intermediate flange, which, in use, is arranged between said annular counterplate member and said tubular member.

17. An assembling-disassembling machine, comprising a rotatable support group as claimed in claim 1.