WHEEL BALANCING APPARATUS

• US 3,824,862 A
• Filed: 12/21/1972
• Issued: 07/23/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/1972
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Charles Earl Branick
• Original Assignee: Charles Earl Branick
• Inventors: Branick, Charles Earl
• Primary Examiner(s): Gill, James J.
• Application Number:
  US05/317,402
• Time in Patent Office: 579 Days
• Field of Search: 73/480,484,485,486,487
• US Class Current: 73/480
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 1/02 Details of balancing machines or devices
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 1/04 Adaptation of bearing support assemblies for receiving the body to be tested
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 1/12 Static balancing; Determining position of centre of gravity by determining imbalance G01M1/14

Abstract

Wheel balancing apparatus especially useful for static balancing of truck tires of various standard sizes including a carrier mounted for vertical movement upon a stationary base frame and a spindle freely rotatably mounted on the carriage about a horizontal axis for carrying a mounting cone having a plurality of circumferential grooves of diameters corresponding to those of the central openings of standard sized disc type truck wheels. A clamping ring assembly slidably mounted on the spindle is urged by a clamping nut axially of the spindle into engagement with a wheel disc to seat and retain the wheel in position on the appropriate groove in the cone. The carriage is movable vertically by a fluid motor for firstly enabling relatively heavy truck wheels to be mounted upon the spindle while the wheel is resting on the floor and thereafter for elevating the wheel clear of the floor for the balancing operation. An adapter assembly may be provided for balancing rim mounted wheels.

Claims

1. Apparatus for balanCing wheels of sizes falling within a range of standard sizes comprising:

frame means having a generally vertically extending portion, carriage means mounted on said frame means for vertical movement on said generally vertically extending portion, wheel support means mounted on said carriage means for rotation solely about a substantially horizontal axis and including wheel mounting means for supporting wheels of sizes falling within said predetermined range of standard sizes, said wheel mounting means being constructed and arranged to support said wheels for rotation with its axis substantially coaxial with said substantially horizontal axis, motor means engaging said carriage means and constructed and arranged for elevating said carriage means substantially vertically on said vertically extending portion, said motor means having sufficient elevating capacity for raising said wheel support means and a wheel mounted thereon from a position of rest on a support surface and for supporting the same at said elevated position, and clamping means constructed and arranged for being releasably mounted on said wheel support means and having a wheel engaging portion for detachably securing a wheel on said wheel mounting means, said motor means being operative to lower said spindle until the wheel mounted thereon engages said support surface following the completion of a balancing operation.

2. The apparatus set forth in claim 1 wherein said generally vertically extending portion includes a generally vertical guide means, said carriage means including engaging means movably mounted on said guide means for guiding said carriage means vertically.

3. The apparatus set forth in claim 2 wherein said means includes wheel support spindle means rotatably mounted on said carriage means, said spindle means having a threaded portion disposed outwardly of said wheel mounting means, said clamping means including a clamp nut turnably mounted on said threaded portion for engaging one side of a wheel for clamping the other side thereof on said wheel mounting means.

4. The apparatus set forth in claim 3 wherein the wheel to be mounted includes a disc having a central opening, said clamping means further including means engageable with said disc to force said wheel axially toward said wheel mounting means and into seating engagement therewith.

5. The apparatus set forth in claim 4 wherein said wheel mounting means has a generally conical surface coaxial with said horizontal axis with the large diameter end thereof facing said carriage means.

6. The apparatus set forth in claim 5 wherein said wheel mounting means includes a plurality of annular surface means formed on said generally conical surface means and concentrically arranged relative to said horizontal axis, each of said annular surface means having a diameter substantially coincident with the internal diameter of a different sized wheel rim.

7. The apparatus set forth in claim 6 wherein the wheel to be mounted includes a disc having a central opening, said clamp nut further including means engageable with said disc to force said wheel axially toward said wheel mounting means and into seating engagement therewith.

8. The apparatus set forth in claim 7 wherein said vertically extending guide means comprising spaced apart rail means, said carriage means including pairs of spaced apart rollers, each of the rollers of said pairs engaging an opposite side of said rail means.

9. The apparatus set forth in claim 8 wherein said motor means comprises fluid operated cylinder means having a movable portion engageable with said carriage means.

10. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein the vehicle wheel is of the type having a disc with a central opening of a standard diameter dependent upon the wheel size, said wheel mounting means including a frusto-conical mounting member fixedly and coaxially mounted upon said wheel support means, said conical member having a maximum diameter greater than the largest wheel central opening diameter and a minimum diameter less than the minimum wheel central opening diameter, a plurality of circumferentially extending grooves in said conical member at diameters of said conical member corresponding respectively to the standard central opening diameters of wheels to be mounted thereon, a cylindrical clamping ring slidably and detachably mounted upon said spindle and adapted to axially engage the disc of a wheel mounted on said conical member, said clamp means urging said clamping ring axially toward the large diameter end of said conical member.

11. The apparatus set forth in claim 1 wherein the wheel to be mounted includes an annular rim having an inner surface, said wheel mounting means including a plurality of extensible means extending adjustably outwardly from said wheel mounting means for engaging the interior surface of said rim said clamping means being operative to engage said extensible means and for moving the same into and out of clamping engagement with said inner surface.

12. The apparatus set forth in claim 11 wherein said wheel mounting means has a generally conical surface coaxial with said horizontal axis with the large diameter end thereof facing said carriage means, said plurality of means being slidable outwardly on said conical surface, said clamping means mounted on said wheel mounting means for adjustably engaging said plurality of extensible means for moving the same on said surface for and into and out of engagement with said rim surface.

13. The apparatus as defined in claim 12 wherein said plurality of extensible means includes cam means slidably engaged with the conical surface of said wheel mounting means to be expanded radially outwardly into engagement with the wheel rim upon movement of said clamping means toward said frusto-conical member.

14. Apparatus as defined in claim 13 wherein a plurality of guide grooves are formed on said conical surface, sleeve means slidably mounted on said spindle means for movement toward and away from the small diameter end of said mounting means, said plurality of cam means each pivotally mounted at one end on said sleeve and having an intermediate portion slidably received in one of said guide grooves, means on the opposite end of each of said cam means engageable with the inner rim surface and clamp means being adjustably mounted on said spindle for forcing said sleeve toward said frusto-conical member to thereby cam said opposite ends of said levers radially outwardly of said second means.

15. The apparatus set forth in claim 14 wherein said generally vertically extending portion includes a generally vertical guide means, said carriage means including engaging means movably mounted on said guide means for guiding said carriage means vertically.

16. The apparatus set forth in claim 15 wherein said motor means comprises fluid operated cylinder means having a movable portion engageable with said carriage means.

17. The apparatus set forth in claim 16 wherein said vertically extending guide means comprising spaced apart rail means, said carriage means including pairs of spaced apart rollers, each of the rollers of said pairs engaging an opposite side of said rail means.

18. The method of balancing a tire and wheel wherein said wheel has a central opening formed therein, the steps of elevating a horizontally rotatable spindle above a support surface to a position which is lower than the uppermost point of said central opening when said wheel is positioned vertically on said support surface, moving said wheel opening over said spindle, further elevating said spindle to elevate said tire and wheel above said support surface, clamping said wheel to the surface of said spindle, balancing said wheel, lowering said spindle until said tire engages said support surface and unclamping said wheel.