Wheel balancing wheel cover

• US 4,591,210 A
• Filed: 08/12/1983
• Issued: 05/27/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/1980
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Gyroscopic Wheel Trust George G Nicoladze San Anselmo California Trustee Established As of May 1 1979
• Original Assignee: Gyroscopic Wheel Trust George G Nicoladze San Anselmo California Trustee Established As of May 1 1979
• Inventors: Nickoladze, Leo G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Marmor, Charles A.
• Application Number:
  US06/522,812
• Time in Patent Office: 1,019 Days
• Field of Search: 301/5 B, 301/5 BA, 301/37 R, 301/37 SS, 301/41 W, 241/292, 51/169, 74/573 R, 74/574
• US Class Current: 301/5.22
• CPC Class Codes: B60B 7/04 built-up of several main parts B60B7/01, B60B7/20 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 15/36 operating automatically , i.e. where, for a given amount of unbalance, there is movement of masses until balance is achieved damping vibrations of washing machines by displacing, supplying or ejecting a material, e.g. liquid, into or from counterbalancing pockets D06F37/245

Abstract

A wheel cover which automatically maintains a balancing force applied to the wheel as the wheel rolls along a surface includes a rim for mounting the wheel cover to the wheel and a number of radially inwardly extending spokes. A plurality of weights, each secured to the inner ends of an associated group of spokes, forms a circle of separately movable weights centered about the axis of the wheel. A pair of axially spaced caps capture the weights in a manner permitting the weights and their related groups of spokes to pivot toward and away from the wheel causing the weights to move between radially advanced and retracted positions with respect to the axis of rotation so as to balance the wheel. A second embodiment employs a pair of "dished" annular bodies sandwiching a number of segments therebetween and mounted to move portions thereof with respect to the axis of rotation.

Claims

1. Apparatus for balancing a wheel as the wheel rolls along a surface comprising a plurality of weights, conical mounting means for carrying said weights about the axis of said wheel to move independently of each other, said conical mounting means supporting some of said weights to be urged in response to rotation of an unbalanced wheel to move toward the plane of the wheel and toward the axis of rotation of the wheel and supporting other weights to be urged radially and axially away from the wheel so as to move said weights between a first set of positions and a second set of positions, said second set of positions serving to balance the wheel.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said mounting means includes a rim adapted to be attached to the wheel and a plurality of radially extending spokes, said spokes being attached at their outer ends to said rim, each of said weights being attached to the inner ends of a different group of said spokes.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 including means for frictionally acting upon at least one of the weights and the conical mounting means, the last named means including a pair of caps capturing said weights loosely therebetween to permit limited relative movement between said weights and said caps as said weights move to balance the wheel.

4. Apparatus for automatically balancing a rolling unbalanced wheel, said wheel having an axis of rotation and a heavy side causing an unbalance, comprising an annular body adapted to engage and be retained by said wheel, a plurality of groups of spokes, said spokes having inner and outer ends, means for mounting said outer ends of said spokes to said body with said spokes extending radially inwardly toward said axis and axially away from the wheel, weights attached to said inner ends of said groups of spokes to be evenly spaced about and adjacent said axis, said weights being formed as discrete segments of a circle, and means for constraining the movement of said weights, such that some of said segments respond to rotation of an unbalanced wheel by moving toward the axis of rotation and plane of the wheel, while other segments respond by moving away form the axis of rotation and plane of the wheel.

5. A wheel cover assembly for automatically applying a balancing force to an unbalanced rolling wheel comprising means for carrying counterweight means having portions disposed in a conical arrangement about and adjacent the axis of said wheel in a manner to permit some of said portions to respond to rotation of an unbalanced wheel by moving toward the axis of rotation and plane of the wheel, while other portions respond by moving away from the axis of rotation and plane of the wheel.

6. A wheel cover assembly for automatically applying a balancing force to an unbalanced rolling wheel, comprising counterweight means having portions disposed in a conical arrangement about and adjacent to the axis of said wheel, means carrying said counterweight means in a manner to permit some of said portions to respond to rotation of an unbalanced wheel by moving toward both the axis and plane of the wheel while other portions respond by moving away from both the axis and plane of the wheel, the last named means including a number of groups of spokes and a plurality of arcuate segments carried in spaced relation by the radially inner ends of said spokes, some of said segments being individually movable to pivot toward both said wheel and axis in response to movement of associated portions toward said wheel while other segments move away from both said wheel and axis in response to movement of portions associated therewith away from said wheel.

7. An apparatus for automatically balancing a rolling unbalanced wheel, said wheel having an axis of rotation and a heavy side causing an unbalance comprising an annular body adapted to engage and be retained by said wheel, a plurality of spokes, said spokes having radially inner and outer ends, means for mounting said outer ends of said spokes to said body with said spokes extending radially inwardly toward said axis and axially away from the wheel, a plurality of arcuate segments carried by said inner ends of said spokes to be evenly spaced about and adjacent said axis, said segments being individually movable to pivot toward said wheel, and counterweight means carried by said segments serving to cause a segment on said heavy side to pivot both toward the axis of rotation of said wheel and toward the plane of said wheel in response to movement of said counterweight means caused by rotation of said wheel to counterbalance the heavy side thereof.

8. Apparatus for automatically balancing a rolling unbalanced wheel, according to claim 7 wherein said counterweight means comprises an annular body, said body being conically shaped and disposed in spaced parallel relation to said segments, and means coupling said body to said segments to permit said body to move relative thereto to counterbalance the heavy side of the wheel.

9. Apparatus for balancing a rolling unbalanced wheel, according to claim 7 wherein said counterweight means comprises a pair of conically shaped annular bodies disposed to sandwich said segments therebetween, means spacing said segments from said bodies, and means coupling said bodies in said spaced relation to said segments in a manner permitting movement of said bodies relative thereto to counterbalance the heavy side of the wheel.