WO2024247285A1 - Wheel balancer/tire polishing device, retrofitted tire polishing unit for wheel balancer, tire uniformity device, and tire polishing device - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To make it possible to provide various tire-related services even in a business office having no additional space, and to provide various tire-related services without requiring a large investment. [Solution] A wheel comprising a wheel W and a tire T mounted on the wheel W is fixed to a main rotary shaft 11 and rotated by a main rotary drive source 12, and the weight balance of the wheel is detected by a balance detector 13. A retrofitted polishing unit 2 for a wheel balancer is provided with a polishing head 20 that polishes a tire T by a configuration in which a polishing body, which is a polishing belt 21 looped by a belt circulation mechanism 22, is brought into contact with the tire T when the tire T is rotated by the main rotary drive source 12. At the time of polishing, the main rotary drive source 12 is stopped, and a friction roller 281 is rotated by a rotary drive source 282 for polishing while being brought into pressing contact with the tire T, and the tire T is thereby rotated at a rotation speed lower than the rotation speed during weight balance detection.

Description

Wheel balancer/tire grinding device, retrofit tire grinding unit for wheel balancer, tire uniformity device, and tire grinding device

The invention of this application relates to technology for detecting the weight balance of a wheel consisting of a wheel and a tire mounted on the wheel, and for grinding the tire.

In the field of automobile tires, there has been a remarkable trend towards high performance and functionality, and various tires have been developed and sold commercially depending on the application and climate. A typical example is studless tires used in winter and cold regions. In addition, eco-tires with excellent fuel efficiency, all-terrain tires suitable for four-wheel drive vehicles, and comfort tires that place special emphasis on driving comfort (ride quality) have also been developed and are sold commercially.

With the development and commercialization of such a wide variety of tires, shops that sell wheels and tires (hereinafter collectively referred to as tire shops) have begun to focus on tire-related services.
Wheel balancing services are well known as a service related to automobile tires. Wheel balancing services optimize the weight balance of wheels fitted with tires, improving driving stability and driving comfort (ride quality). Wheel balancing services are performed when a new car is shipped, as well as when the wheels or tires are replaced. Therefore, wheel balancing services are widely performed not only at tire shops, but also at auto repair shops, gas stations that also do repairs, and so on. Hereinafter, these establishments will be referred to as "tire shops, etc." A device called a wheel balancer is used for wheel balancing services. A wheel balancer is a device that detects the weight balance of a wheel and indicates the amount of weight that should be corrected and the correction position.

In this specification, the term "wheel" refers collectively to a wheel or to a combination of a wheel and a tire attached to the wheel. A wheel balancer may detect the weight balance of the wheel alone, but typically it detects the weight balance when a tire is attached. Therefore, although the name wheel balancer is common, in this specification it will be called a wheel balancer. A wheel balancer may detect the weight balance of the wheel alone, or it may detect the overall weight balance consisting of the wheel and tire. A service that uses a wheel balancer to optimize weight balance will be referred to as a wheel balancing service.

A wheel balancer is a device that detects the weight balance of a wheel by fixing the wheel to a rotating shaft through the center bore, driving the rotating shaft to rotate the wheel at high speed, and detecting the vibrations generated through the rotating shaft. The vibrations detected through the rotating shaft include the effects of centrifugal force caused by uneven distribution of weight in the circumferential direction, and analyzing the vibrations makes it possible to detect how uneven the distribution is.
The weight balance of a wheel is corrected and optimized by attaching small weights. The wheel balancer is configured to detect vibrations during high-speed rotation, identify the location (circumferential position) where the weight balance is deteriorated and its degree, and teach the weight and location of the weight to be attached. Therefore, the wheel balancing service involves removing the wheels from the vehicle and mounting them on the wheel balancer to detect the weight balance, and attaching weights to the taught locations.

Meanwhile, another service related to automobile tires is known as a tire polishing service. This service is performed on certain types of tires, such as studless tires, and is a service that restores the grip of the tires. With studless tires, the surface roughness decreases with use, and even though there is still plenty of tread left, the grip decreases, and there are cases where the tires have to be discarded. Even in such cases, the grip can be restored by roughly polishing the surface. For this reason, tire polishing devices are used. An example of a device used for such a tire polishing service is disclosed in Patent Document 1.

JP 2006-20245 A JP 2020-37299 A

"The definitive guide to wheel balancing (special issue of the January issue of Jidosha Kogyo)" published by Tetsudo Nipponsha Co., Ltd. on January 2, 2002

The wheel balancing service described above is suitable for almost all tires, whereas the tire polishing service is suitable for some tires such as studless tires. For this reason, wheel balancers are more widely used than tire polishing machines, and are installed and operated in many tire shops, etc.
Tire shops that have wheel balancers installed but no tire polishing equipment can provide wheel balancing services but cannot provide tire polishing services. However, in recent years, the demand for tire polishing services has been increasing due to the popularity of studless tires, and an increasing number of tire shops are considering installing tire polishing equipment.

However, installing a tire grinding device in addition to a wheel balancer requires a considerable amount of space, so tire shops and other locations with limited space may not be able to install them. Also, purchasing a tire grinding device in addition to a wheel balancer requires a large investment, which may make some shop owners hesitant to do so.
The present invention has been made to solve such problems at tire shops and the like that provide tire-related services, and aims to enable various tire-related services to be provided even in business establishments with limited space, and to enable various tire-related services to be provided to customers without requiring large investments.

In order to solve the above problems, this specification discloses a wheel balancer/tire grinding machine, a retrofit tire grinding unit for a wheel balancer, a tire uniformity device, and a tire grinding machine.
The wheel balancer and tire grinding device according to the disclosed invention is
A rotating shaft that is inserted into a center bore of the wheel and to which the wheel is fixed;
A rotary drive source that rotates the rotary shaft;
a balance detector that detects a weight balance of the wheel or a wheel set consisting of the wheel and a tire attached to the wheel when the wheel fixed to the rotating shaft is rotated by a rotary drive source;
a grinding head including a grinding body that is attached to the wheel and contacts the surface of the rotating tire when the wheel fixed to the rotating shaft is rotated by a rotary drive source;
The tire has a speed changing means for making the rotational speed of the tire when the polishing body comes into contact with the tire slower than the rotational speed when the balance detector detects the balance.
In this wheel balancer/tire grinding apparatus, the grinding body may be an endless grinding belt that is stretched around a pair of belt pulleys, one of which is a drive pulley.
In addition, in this wheel balancer/tire grinding apparatus, the grinding head can be capable of being positioned at any position in the width direction of the tire so that the grinding body contacts the tire at any position in the width direction of the rotating tire.
In addition, the retrofit grinding unit for a wheel balancer of the disclosed invention is a unit that is retrofitted to a wheel balancer and includes a rotating shaft that is inserted into the center bore of the wheel to which the wheel is fixed, a rotational drive source that rotates the rotating shaft, and a balance detector that detects the weight balance of the wheel, consisting of the wheel or a tire attached to the wheel, when the wheel fixed to the rotating shaft is rotated by the rotational drive source.
And this retrofit grinding unit for wheel balancers is,
A grinding head includes a grinding body that is attached to a wheel and contacts a rotating tire when the wheel fixed to a rotating shaft rotates;
The tire rotation speed when the polishing body comes into contact with the tire is slower than the rotation speed when the balance detector detects the weight balance.
In this retrofit sanding unit for a wheel balancer, the sanding body may be an endless sanding belt that is stretched and rotated around a pair of belt pulleys, one of which is a drive pulley.
In addition, in this retrofit polishing unit for a wheel balancer, the polishing head can be capable of being positioned at any position in the width direction of the tire so that the polishing body contacts the tire at any position in the width direction of the rotating tire.
In addition, a tire uniformity device according to the disclosed invention includes:
A rotating shaft that is inserted into a center bore of a wheel on which a tire is mounted and to which the wheel is fixed;
A rotary drive source that rotates the rotary shaft;
a uniformity detector that detects the uniformity of a circumferential shape of a rotating tire surface when a wheel fixed to a rotating shaft is rotated by a rotary drive source;
and a grinding head including a grinding body that comes into contact with the tire mounted on the wheel and grinds the tire.
The polishing head is capable of moving the polishing body in the circumferential direction of the circumferential surface of the tire or in the tangential direction of the circumferential surface.
This tire uniformity device is provided with a rotation restricting means for restricting the rotation of the tire so that the contact position of the polishing body is maintained at any position in the circumferential direction of the tire when the polishing head polishes the tire by moving the polishing body in the circumferential direction or tangential direction of the circumferential surface of the tire.
In addition, a tire uniformity device according to another disclosed invention is
A rotating shaft that is inserted into a center bore of a wheel on which a tire is mounted and to which the wheel is fixed;
A rotary drive source that rotates the rotary shaft;
a uniformity detector that detects the uniformity of a shape in a width direction of a circumferential surface of a rotating tire when a wheel fixed to a rotating shaft is rotated by a rotary drive source;
and a grinding head including a grinding body that is attached to a wheel and comes into contact with the rotating tire to grind the tire.
In this tire uniformity apparatus, the polishing head can be positioned at any position in the width direction of the tire so that the polishing body comes into contact with the tire at any position in the width direction of the rotating tire.
In each of the tire uniformity apparatuses described above, the abrasive body may be a pair of belt pulleys, one of which is a drive pulley, and an endless abrasive belt that is stretched around and rotates around the pair of belt pulleys.
In addition, the tire grinding device according to the disclosed invention is
A rotating shaft that is inserted into a center bore of a wheel on which a tire is mounted and to which the wheel is fixed;
A rotary drive source that rotates the rotary shaft;
The grinding head includes a grinding body that comes into contact with a tire mounted on the wheel and grinds the tire when the wheel fixed to the rotating shaft is rotated by a rotary drive source.
The polishing head is capable of bringing the polishing body into contact with the peripheral surface of the tire even when the tire is not rotating, and is capable of moving the polishing body in the circumferential direction or tangential direction of the peripheral surface of the tire.
A rotation restriction means is provided to prevent the tire from rotating against the torque applied to the tire by the polishing body when the polishing head moves the polishing body in the circumferential direction or tangential direction of the peripheral surface of the tire to perform polishing.

As described below, the wheel balancer and tire grinding device according to the disclosed invention can perform both weight balance detection and tire grinding with one device. This makes it particularly suitable for tire shops and the like that are looking to provide various tire-related services to customers. Since it does not require the installation space of two devices, it is particularly suitable for small-scale businesses, and the price of the device is also significantly cheaper than that of two devices, making it ideal.
The structural advantage of the device is that the rotating shaft for detecting the weight balance is also used for polishing the tires, so the structure is simplified and the number of parts is reduced, which reduces the cost of the device.
In addition, since the speed changing means is provided, the tire can be polished at a suitable speed lower than that at the time of weight balance detection, so that the tire is not polished insufficiently.
In addition, the wheel balancer retrofit grinding unit according to the disclosed invention can add a tire grinding function to an existing wheel balancer, making it possible to realize a wheel balancer/tire grinding device while making use of the existing wheel balancer. This has the effect of making it possible to provide various services while keeping investment costs down.
Furthermore, if the polishing body is a polishing belt rotated by a pair of pulleys, one of which is a drive pulley, it is easy to adjust the amount of polishing, and the wear of the polishing belt can be made uniform, thereby extending the life of the polishing belt and reducing the amount of work required.
Furthermore, with a structure in which the polishing head can be positioned at any position in the tire width direction, polishing can be performed at any position in the tire width direction, which makes it possible to suitably perform polishing when eliminating unevenness in the tire width direction, such as uneven wear, or unevenness in the grip performance of studless tires in the tire width direction.
In addition, the tire uniformity device according to the disclosed invention can perform both uniformity detection and tire polishing with a single device, making it suitable for providing various tire-related services to customers with low investment costs. In addition, since it does not require the installation space of two devices, it is particularly suitable for small-scale businesses. As for the structural advantages of the device, the rotating shaft for uniformity detection is also used for tire polishing, so the structure is simplified and the number of parts is reduced, reducing the cost of the device.
Moreover, as an operational advantage, after uniformity detection, the tire can be polished on the spot to correct the uniformity without removing the tire, making this a favorable device in terms of workability as well.
A tire uniformity device configuration in which the uniformity detector detects the circumferential uniformity of the tire surface and which includes a rotation control means for controlling the rotation of the tire so that the contact position of the polishing body is maintained at any position around the tire when the polishing body comes into contact with the tire to polish it, is particularly suitable for correcting reductions in circumferential uniformity such as localized protrusions.
Furthermore, a tire uniformity device configuration in which the uniformity detector detects the uniformity in the width direction of the tire's circumferential surface and the polishing head can position the polishing body at any position in the width direction of the rotating tire so that the polishing body contacts the tire at any position in the width direction of the tire is particularly suitable for correcting localized decreases in uniformity in the width direction.
Furthermore, the tire grinding device according to the disclosed invention makes it possible to grind the tire uniformly in the circumferential direction by bringing the grinding body into contact with the circumferential surface of the tire while rotating the tire, and also makes it possible to grind specific locations of the circumferential or widthwise surface of the tire selectively while keeping the tire stationary. This makes it possible to grind tires for both purposes, such as restoring the grip of studless tires, and for the purpose of improving uniformity, resulting in a highly versatile device.

1 is a perspective schematic view of a wheel balancer and tire grinding device according to an embodiment; 1 is a perspective schematic view of a wheel balancer and tire grinding device according to an embodiment; FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing a configuration of a belt rotation mechanism. 5A to 5C are schematic side views showing the configuration and operation of a pulley position changing mechanism. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a configuration for pressing a friction roller against a tire. 13 is a schematic perspective view showing how the add-on polishing unit is mounted on a main body balancer. FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of the state of the device during tire grinding. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a tire uniformity device according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a main part of a tire uniformity device according to another embodiment.

Next, a mode (embodiment) for carrying out the invention of this application will be described.
First, an embodiment of the invention of a wheel balancer/tire grinding device and an embodiment of the invention of a retrofit tire grinding unit for a wheel balancer will be described.
The retrofit tire grinding unit for a wheel balancer according to the embodiment (hereinafter, abbreviated as the retrofit grinding unit) is a unit that is retrofitted to an existing wheel balancer to add a tire grinding function. The wheel balancer to which the tire grinding unit is retrofitted is the wheel balancer/tire grinding device according to the embodiment.

FIGS. 1 and 2 are schematic perspective views of a wheel balancer and tire grinding device according to an embodiment. Of these, FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view seen from the front side, and FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view seen from the opposite side. The wheel balancer and tire grinding device shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is a device configured by retrofitting a retrofit grinding unit to a wheel balancer, and is therefore composed of the original wheel balancer (hereinafter referred to as the main balancer) 1 and the retrofit grinding unit 2.

The main body balancer 1 includes a rotating shaft 11 that is inserted into the center bore of the wheel to which the wheel is fixed, a rotary drive source 12 that rotates the rotating shaft, and a balance detector 13. In the following, in order to distinguish between other elements, the rotating shaft 11 will be referred to as the main rotating shaft, and the rotary drive source 12 will be referred to as the main rotary drive source. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the main body balancer 1 includes a housing box 14 that is substantially rectangular. The main rotating shaft 11 is provided so as to protrude horizontally from the side of the housing box 14.
The main rotary drive source 12 to which the main rotating shaft 11 is connected is installed in a housing box 14. The main rotary drive source 12 is a motor that can be rotated at a rotation speed at which the weight balance can be detected. An AC servo motor or other motor is appropriately selected and used.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, a circular backing plate 111 with a diameter sufficiently larger than the various diameters of the center bores is fixed to the main rotating shaft 11. A blade screw 112 and a cone 113 are used as jigs used when fixing the main rotating shaft 11. The cone 113 is a hollow semicircular cone-shaped member. It may be interposed between the backing plate 111 and the wheel, or between the wheel and the blade screw 112, but in either case, it is arranged in a direction in which its diameter gradually decreases toward the center bore of the wheel. The cone 113 is a member that fills the gap between the center bore and the main rotating shaft 11 at various diameters of the center bore to prevent the rotating shaft 11 from spinning freely. The peripheral surface on the tip side of the main rotating shaft 11 is threaded, and the wheel is pressed against the backing plate 111 with the cone 113 interposed, and the blade screw 112 is screwed into the main rotating shaft 11 and tightened to fix the wheel to the main rotating shaft 11.

As shown diagrammatically in FIG. 1, the balance detector 13 includes a vibration sensor 131 that detects the vibration of the main rotating shaft 11 that is rotated by the main rotary drive source 12 with the wheel fixed, an angle sensor 132 such as a rotary encoder that detects the rotation angle of the main rotating shaft 11, and a signal processor 133 that processes the output signals from the vibration sensor 131 and the angle sensor 132 to detect the weight balance. Although only one vibration sensor 131 is shown, two vibration sensors are often provided. As mentioned above, the weight balance detection result by the signal processor 133 includes information on the weight distribution in the circumferential direction, as well as the weight and attachment position of the weights attached to optimize the balance. The configuration of the balance detector 13 can be the same as that of a commercially available wheel balancer, and is also described in detail in Non-Patent Document 1, so further explanation will be omitted.

In addition, a main body control unit (not shown) that controls each part of the main body balancer 1 is provided inside the housing box 14. In addition, a main body operation panel 16 is provided on the top surface of the housing box 14. The main body operation panel 16 includes a main body display 161 that displays various information, and the results of the weight balance detection by the signal processing unit 133 are displayed on the main body display 161.

The add-on grinding unit 2, which is attached to the main body balancer 1, includes a grinding body that comes into contact with and grinds a tire mounted on a wheel fixed to the main rotating shaft 11 when the tire is rotated by the main rotary drive source 12. In this embodiment, a belt-shaped grinding body (grinding belt 21) is used as the grinding body. In this embodiment, the grinding belt 21 is endless (loop-shaped).
In this embodiment, the post-installation sanding unit 2 includes a belt rotation mechanism 22 that rotates the sanding belt 21 and presses it against the tire. FIG. 3 is a perspective schematic view showing the configuration of the belt rotation mechanism 22.

As shown in FIG. 3, the belt rotation mechanism 22 includes a pair of pulleys 221, 222. The pair of pulleys 221, 222 keep the abrasive belt 21 in a tensioned state. The pair of pulleys 221, 222 are arranged above and below. The abrasive belt 21 rotates on an orbit formed by the pair of pulleys 221, 222. Hereinafter, the upper pulley 221 will be referred to as the upper pulley, and the lower pulley 222 will be referred to as the lower pulley. Note that in this example, the pair of pulleys 221, 222 are the same size, but they may be of different sizes.

In this example, the upper pulley 221 is a driven pulley and the lower pulley 222 is a driving pulley. However, both may be driving pulleys. A polishing rotary drive source 223 is connected to the lower pulley 222. The upper pulley 221 is supported by an upper pulley holder 220 that includes a horizontal driven shaft. The lower pulley 222 is supported by the output shaft of the polishing rotary drive source 223. The driven shaft of the upper pulley 221 and the drive shaft of the lower pulley 222 are parallel to each other and are located on the same vertical plane.

The belt rotation mechanism 22 also includes a pulley position changing mechanism 23 that is operated when attaching or detaching the polishing belt 21. Fig. 4 is a schematic side view showing the configuration and operation of the pulley position changing mechanism 23.
As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the pulley position change mechanism 23 comprises a U-shaped frame 231 having an upper plate portion 23a and a lower plate portion 23b, a lifting block 232 that rises and falls within the frame 231, two pillars 233 whose lower ends are fixed to the lifting block 232 and extend upward by being inserted through insertion holes in the upper plate portion 23a, a coil spring 234 provided between the lifting block 233 and the lower plate portion 23b, a cam 235 connected to the lifting block 233, an arm 236 connected to the cam 235, and a handle portion 237 provided at the tip of the arm 236.

The tips of the two pillars 233 are fixed to the underside of the pulley holder 220 that holds the upper pulley 221, and support the upper pulley 221. Two spring rods 238 are fixed to the underside of the lifting block 232. A coil spring 234 is provided on each of the two spring rods 238, and acts elastically in the vertical direction around the spring rod 238. Each coil spring 234 is sandwiched between the lower plate portion 23b and the lifting block 232, and acts elastically to push the lifting block 232 upward. Each spring rod 238 protrudes downward through an insertion hole (not shown) provided in the lower plate portion 23b, and can be raised and lowered together with the lifting block 232. The spring rods 238 are used to lock the coil springs 234 so that they do not come off.

The cam 235 is a block-shaped member that is roughly rectangular when viewed from the side. The cam 235 is connected to the lifting block 232 via a rotating shaft, and can be in a state where its longitudinal direction is horizontal or vertical by rotating around the rotating shaft. The tip of the arm 236 is connected to the longitudinal end of the cam 235. The other end of the arm 236 forms a handle portion 237. A cover 239 is provided behind the abrasive belt 21 that is stretched around the pair of pulleys 221, 222 (the side opposite the side that contacts the tire) to prevent abrasive dust from scattering.

When tensioning the polishing belt 21, the gap between the pair of pulleys 221, 222 is narrowed in advance. That is, the handle 57 is held and the arm 236 is rotated and lifted until it is in a nearly horizontal state as shown in FIG. 4 (1). At this time, the cam 235 connected to the tip of the arm 236 rotates and the longitudinal direction becomes vertical. The cam 235 is connected to the lifting block 232 via a rotating shaft at the center position in the longitudinal direction, and the upward displacement of the cam 235 in the vertical position is restricted by the upper plate portion 23a on the upper side, so that the lifting block 232 is relatively pushed down. At this time, the lifting block 232 compresses each coil spring 234. That is, the force of the person lifting the arm 236 acts to compress the coil spring 234 via the cam 235 and the lifting block 232. The two spring rods 238 are also in the lowered position together with the lifting block 232.

In the state shown in FIG. 4(1), the polishing belt 21 is placed over the upper pulley 221, and the lower side is turned under the lower pulley 222 to be attached. Then, the handle portion 237 is held to rotate and push down the arm 236 so that the arm 236 assumes an almost vertical position as shown in FIG. 4(3). This causes the cam 235 to rotate 90 degrees, and the longitudinal direction of the cam 235 assumes a horizontal position. The longitudinal surface of the cam 235 abuts against the upper plate portion 23a, and the upward displacement of the cam 235 is restricted. With this change in the position of the cam 235, the lift block 232 rises, and the two support columns 233 fixed to the lift block 232 also rise. As a result, the upper pulley 221 held by the pulley holder 220 also rises. This increases the distance between the upper pulley 221 and the lower pulley 222, and the polishing belt 21 is in a taut state. The position of the upper plate 23a and the length of the support 233 are selected so that the polishing belt 21 has an optimum tension. The spring rod 238 also rises together with the lifting block 232.
The belt circulation mechanism 22 is held by a bracket side plate 224 that is in a vertical position, and a bracket bottom plate 225 is fixed to the lower end of the bracket side plate 224. A swivel pin 243, which will be described later, is fixed to the bracket bottom plate 225.

The element 20 consisting of the polishing belt 21 and the belt rotation mechanism 22 described above is hereinafter referred to as the polishing head. The polishing head 20 is provided with an arm mechanism 24 so that the polishing head 20 can be positioned at any position. In this embodiment, the arm mechanism 24 is of a multi-joint type as shown in Figures 1 and 2. In this example, the arm mechanism 24 is composed of a first arm 241 that holds the belt rotation mechanism 22 at its tip, and a second arm 242 that is connected to the rear end of the first arm 241. Note that, as a configuration other than the arm mechanism 24, a configuration in which a support that holds the polishing head 20 is fixed to a base with lockable casters, and the polishing head 20 can be positioned at any position by moving the base, is conceivable.

1 and 2, both the first arm 241 and the second arm 242 are arms that extend in the horizontal direction. The first arm 241 holds the polishing head 20 via the swivel pin 243. As described above, the swivel pin 243 is fixed to the bracket bottom plate 225 that holds the belt rotation mechanism 22 as a whole and protrudes downward. A pinhole that is long in the vertical direction and has a circular cross section is formed at the tip of the first arm 241, and the swivel pin 243 is cylindrical and fits into the pinhole, and is rotatably fitted into the pinhole.
2, a crank 244 is connected to the bracket bottom plate 225 via an L-shaped plate (reference number omitted). The crank 244 is for limiting and stabilizing the angle of the swing of the polishing head 20. The direction of the swing is indicated by R1 in FIG.

The second arm 242 is connected via a vertically oriented rotational axis pin (not shown) provided at the rear end of the first arm 241. Therefore, the first arm 241 can rotate around the rotational axis pin (vertical rotational axis) relative to the second arm 242. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the second arm 242 has a shape that protrudes slightly from the connection point of the first arm 241, and a linear drive source 245 is connected to the tip of the protrusion. A vertically oriented connecting rod 248 is provided at the tip of the protrusion. The linear drive source 245 is fixed to the side of the rear end side of the first arm 41 and has an output rod that can move forward and backward. The tip of the output rod is annular, and the connecting rod 248 is inserted into it. When the output rod moves forward and backward, the tip is connected to the tip of the protrusion, so the first arm 241 rotates around the rotational axis pin as shown by R2 in Figure 2. In this example, the linear drive source 245 is an air cylinder, and the output rod has two positions: a forward limit position and a backward limit position (retracted). When the output rod is in the forward limit position, it can be pushed back by pressure, and can take a position between the forward limit position and the backward limit position depending on the pressure.

The rear end of the second arm 242 is bent vertically, forming a substantially L-shaped member. However, it does not have to be substantially L-shaped, and may be a straight arm. The rear end of the second arm 242 is connected to an arm holder 246 fixed to the unit base board 25. The arm holder 246 includes a rotating rod (reference number omitted) attached in a vertical position. The rotating rod is rotatable around a vertical central axis, and the rear end of the second arm 242 is fixed to the rotating rod. The rotating rod is provided as a mechanism for manual follower rotation (free rotation). As described later, the arm mechanism 24 includes a manual handle 27, and the second arm 242 rotates via the rotating rod by operating the manual handle 27. The direction of rotation is indicated by R3 in FIG. 2.
The arm mechanism 24 can position the polishing head 20 at any position within its operating range (horizontal range) by rotating R2 and R3. The orientation (posture) of the polishing head 20 also rotates R1 (swings) in accordance with the shape of the tire when the polishing head 20 moves in the tire width direction.

Such an add-on polishing unit 2 is equipped with a unit control box 26 that incorporates a unit control unit that controls the operation of the entire unit. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, a box support 261 is fixed to a position near the tip of the second arm 242 and extends upward. The unit control box 26 is fixed to the upper end of the box support 261. A unit display 260 is attached to the top surface of the unit control box 26. The upper end of the box support 261 is bent diagonally, and the unit display 260 faces diagonally upward.

The polishing rotary drive source 223 and the linear drive source 245 are connected to the unit control unit in the unit control box 26 by a signal line arranged in the first arm 241. The unit control unit includes a power switch on the unit control box 26 for turning the power on and off, as well as control circuits for the polishing rotary drive source 223 and the linear drive source 245. The unit display 260 is a touch panel, and the unit control unit is equipped with a function for displaying a main screen for polishing work and an input screen for each setting information. The main screen displays a polishing start button that starts the operation of the polishing rotary drive source 223 and a polishing end button that stops the operation. Note that, as a configuration for inputting operation signals to the unit control unit, in addition to the case where the unit display 260 is configured as a touch panel, a configuration in which push button switches, snap switches, etc. are appropriately arranged may be adopted.

Each drive source 223, 245 is powered by a power cable arranged inside each arm 241, 242. The power cable passes through the unit base board 25 and is connected to the main balancer 1 side, and is connected to a commercial power source via a power supply unit (not shown) provided on the main balancer 1.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the add-on polishing unit 2 in this example is equipped with a manual handle 27. The manual handle 27 is the upper end portion of an auxiliary rod 271 that is in a vertical position. The auxiliary rod 271 is connected near the tip of the second arm 242 via a connecting rod (symbol omitted) that extends horizontally. The connecting rod is a rod with a fixed position (does not rotate), and the second arm 242 can be manually rotated in the direction of R3 (Fig. 2) by using the manual handle 27.

The auxiliary rod 271 is equipped with a stopper mechanism. The auxiliary rod 271 is hollow, and a stopper rod 272 is inserted into it. The upper part of the stopper rod 272 is screwed into the inner surface of the auxiliary rod 271, and a knob 273 is fixed to the part that protrudes from the auxiliary rod 271. The lower end of the stopper rod 272 protrudes downward from the auxiliary rod 271, and the second arm 242 is fixed by turning the knob 273 to press the stopper rod 272 against the floor.

The add-on polishing unit 2 configured as described above includes a speed changing means as an element provided in relation to the fact that it also serves as the main rotating shaft 11 in the main body balancer 1. The speed changing means is a means for making the rotational speed of the tire when the polishing belt 21 comes into contact slower than the rotational speed when the balance detector 13 detects the balance.
In this embodiment, the main rotating shaft 11 rotates freely (can be rotated by hand) when the main rotary drive source 12 is not operating (off state). Therefore, the speed changing means in this embodiment is a means for applying a separate torque to rotate the tire when the main rotary drive source 12 is off, and the rotation speed caused by the application of this external torque is set to be slower than the speed during weight balance detection.

More specifically, the speed change means includes a friction roller 281 that comes into contact with the tire when the tire is polished, and a polishing tire rotation drive source 282 that rotates the friction roller 281. The polishing tire rotation drive source 282 is a drive source that rotates the friction roller 281 that comes into contact with the tire when the main rotation drive source 12 is off, thereby rotating the tire by frictional force. The tire is mounted on a wheel, and the wheel is fixed to the main rotation shaft 11, so that the wheel and main rotation shaft 11 also rotate in response to the rotation of the tire due to the polishing tire rotation drive source 282. A geared motor is preferably used as the polishing tire rotation drive source 282 in order to reduce the rotation speed.

The friction roller 281 is configured to be pressed against the tire with sufficient pressure when rotated by the polishing tire rotation drive source 282. An example of the configuration for this purpose is shown in Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration for pressing the friction roller 281 against the tire.
1 and 5, the friction roller 281 is attached to the tip of a roller arm 283. The arm holder 246 is a structural material fixed with sufficient strength to the unit base board 25, and is a columnar member extending upward. The roller arm 283 is attached to the arm holder 246 via a horizontal rotation shaft pin 247, and is capable of swinging around the rotation shaft pin 247.

A roller pressing source 284 is provided as a driving source for pressing the friction roller 281 against the tire. In this example, the roller pressing source 284 is linearly driven, and an air cylinder is used. As shown in FIG. 5, the roller pressing source 284 is provided with an output shaft protruding upward, and the upper end of the output shaft is connected to the roller arm 283. The roller pressing source 284 also has a pressing source holder 285 at its bottom, and is held by the pressing source holder 285. The pressing source holder 285 is fixed to the arm holder 246 via a horizontal rotating shaft pin 286. Therefore, the roller pressing source 284 is able to swing around the horizontal rotating shaft (rotating shaft pin 286) at its lower end.

When the roller pressing source 284 operates and the output shaft rises, the output shaft pushes up the roller arm 283. This causes the roller arm 283 to rotate around the rotation shaft pin 247 and swing upward. This also pushes up the friction roller 281 and makes contact with the tire. The upper limit position of the output shaft of the roller pressing source 284 is set higher than the position where it comes into contact with the tire, and after it comes into contact with the tire, the output of the roller pressing source 284 acts to press the friction roller 281 against the tire. Note that when the output shaft performs the above operation, the output shaft is fixed to the roller arm 283, and the roller arm 283 rotates around the rotation shaft pin 247, so the roller pressing source 284 swings slightly around the rotation shaft pin 286 like a crank, tilting and changing its posture.

The grinding tire rotation drive source 282 is also fixed to the tip of the roller arm 283. The surface to which the grinding tire rotation drive source 282 is fixed is the opposite side to the side on which the friction roller 281 is provided. An opening is provided at the tip of the roller arm 283, and the output shaft of the grinding tire rotation drive source 282 is inserted into this opening and connected to the friction roller 281. The friction roller 281 is made of a material that generates sufficient frictional force when it comes into contact with the tire, such as rubber.

Such speed changing means is provided in consideration of the large difference between the rotational speed of the wheel when detecting the weight balance and the rotational speed of the wheel when grinding the tire. As mentioned above, a wheel balancer is an instrument that measures the weight balance by detecting the vibrations transmitted through the main rotating shaft 11 when the wheel is rotated and analyzing the vibrations. The faster the wheel is rotated, the greater the vibrations and the larger the signal from the sensor. For this reason, the wheel rotational speed in a wheel balancer is generally very high, around 300 rpm. High-end models that use a high-performance vibration sensor 131 are capable of measuring the weight balance even at low rotation speeds, but even so, the speed is still around 100 rpm.

On the other hand, when polishing tires, the tire is rotated to polish uniformly in the circumferential direction, but the rotation speed is about 1 to 10 rpm, which is considerably slower than when detecting the weight balance (less than 1/10). If the tire is rotated at high speed when polishing tires, the polishing will not be sufficient. When polishing tires, the polishing belt 21, which has a rough surface, is pressed against the tire surface and rubbed, but it is necessary to ensure that the polishing belt 21 is in contact with the tire surface for a certain amount of time, and if the polishing belt 21 moves instantly, sufficient contact time cannot be ensured. When polishing tires, the polishing belt 21 also moves in a circle, but the direction of movement of the polishing belt 21 at this time may be the same as the direction of movement of the rotating tire surface, or it may be the opposite (passing each other). In either case, if the tire is rotated at a high speed of 100 to 300 rpm, the polishing will not be sufficient even if the polishing belt 21 is in contact.

Considering these circumstances, the add-on polishing unit 2 of the embodiment is provided with a speed changing means. In this embodiment, the speed changing means is configured to include a friction roller 281 and a polishing tire rotation drive source 282, and the rotation speed of the tire during tire polishing is optimized by appropriately adjusting the output of the polishing tire rotation drive source 282. For example, if the optimal rotation speed during tire polishing is 5 rpm, the output of the polishing tire rotation drive source 282 is adjusted to 5 rpm.
The unit control section in the unit control box 260 includes a circuit that outputs a control signal to the polishing tire rotation drive source 282, and a speed adjustment section (e.g., an adjustment knob) connected to this circuit is provided on the upper surface of the unit control box 260.

The main body balancer 1 has a function of detecting the rotation speed of the main rotating shaft 11 according to the output of an angle sensor 132 such as a rotary encoder, and a function of displaying the rotation speed during weight balance detection on the main body display 161. Therefore, while rotating the main rotating shaft 11 via the tire by the grinding tire rotation drive source 282, the rotation speed is confirmed on the main body display 161, and the output of the grinding tire rotation drive source 282 is adjusted by operating the speed adjustment unit so that the optimum rotation speed is achieved for tire grinding.

The operation of this embodiment of the wheel balancer and tire grinder will now be described.
First, a description will be given of how the add-on polishing unit 2 is mounted on the main body balancer 1. Fig. 6 is a schematic perspective view showing how the add-on polishing unit 2 is mounted on the main body balancer 1.
The retrofit polishing unit 2 is provided with a main body base plate 10 for the main body balancer 1 in addition to a unit base plate 25. That is, as shown in Fig. 6, the retrofit polishing unit 2 is fixed at a predetermined position relative to the main body base plate 10. In this example, the retrofit polishing unit 2 is positioned so that the unit base plate 25 is located at the far right corner of the rectangular main body base plate 10. The unit base plate 25 and main body base plate 10 are firmly fixed together with bolts or the like.

The attached polishing unit 2 with main body base plate thus assembled is carried into the work site where the main body balancer 1 is installed and mounted on the main body balancer 1. That is, the installed main body balancer 1 is lifted up and placed in a predetermined position on the main body base plate 10. The predetermined position is a position where the polishing belt 21 of the polishing head 20 can come into contact with the side of the tire attached to the wheel when the wheel is fixed to the main rotating shaft 1. The main body balancer 1 is fixed to the main body base plate 10 in this position. If the main body balancer 1 is equipped with lockable casters, the casters are fixed in this position. Alternatively, the casters can be removed and fixed to the main body base plate 10 with an L-shaped plate or the like.

Then, the power cable of the retrofit polishing unit 2 is connected to a commercial power source via the power unit of the main body balancer 1, completing the installation. Casters are provided on the underside of the main body base plate 10 as appropriate, so that the main body balancer 1 with the retrofit polishing unit 2 retrofitted can be moved to an appropriate position (for example, its original position).

Even after the retrofit grinding unit 2 is mounted in this way, weight balance detection can be performed in the same way. That is, the wheel is mounted on the main rotating shaft 11 while inserting the main rotating shaft 11 into the center bore of the wheel, and the wheel is fixed to the main rotating shaft 11 with the blade screw 112 using the cone 113 as appropriate. Then, the main operation panel 16 of the main balancer 1 is operated to operate the main rotation drive source 12 and rotate the wheel at high speed. At this time, the friction roller 281 in the retrofit grinding unit 2 is set to the retracted position. The balance detector 13 then detects the weight balance of the wheel, and the weight and attachment position of the weight for balance correction are displayed on the main display 161. With the wheel still fixed to the main rotating shaft, the operator attaches the weight according to the display and performs weight balance correction.

Fig. 7 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of the state of the device during tire grinding. When performing tire grinding, as shown in Fig. 7, the main rotating shaft 11 is inserted into the wheel W on which the tire T is mounted, and the wheel W is fixed to the main rotating shaft 11. Then, the power switch provided on the unit control box 260 of the retrofit grinding unit 2 is turned on, and the main screen is displayed on the unit display 260. Then, the manual handle 27 is operated to position the grinding head 20 at the standby position for grinding work. The standby position is a position where the grinding head 20 is located at a position slightly away from the surface of the tire T of the mounted wheel.
Furthermore, the roller pressing source 284 is operated to swing the roller arm 283 and move the friction roller 281 from the retreated position to the operating position. As a result, the friction roller 281 is brought into pressure contact with the tire T.

In this state, the polishing operation start button is pressed to operate the polishing rotary drive source 223 and rotate the polishing belt 21. After confirming that the main rotary drive source 12 of the main body balancer 1 is off, the power switch of the polishing tire rotary drive source 282 is pressed to rotate the friction roller 281. This causes the tire T to rotate, and the wheel W and main rotating shaft 11 are also rotated. The rotational speed of the tire T at this time is lower than the rotational speed during weight balance detection, i.e., a rotational speed suitable for tire polishing.

Then, the linear drive source 245 is turned on and the output rod is moved to the forward position. This causes the first arm 241 to swing slightly and the polishing head 20 to move forward, bringing the rotating polishing belt 21 into contact with the tire T. In this state, the output rod of the direct drive source 245 is in a position slightly before the forward limit position, and since the polishing belt 21 is in contact with the tire T, it is being pushed back slightly by the tire T. In other words, a state is reached in which the set pressure in the linear drive source 245, which is an air cylinder, is balanced with the force of the tire T pushing back the polishing head 20 via the polishing belt 21.

The rotating tire T has its circumferential surface scraped by contact with the revolving abrasive belt 21, and the polishing process is performed. At this time, the manual handle 27 is operated to position the polishing head 20 at any position in the width direction of the tire. When changing the position of the polishing head 20, while keeping the abrasive belt 21 in contact with the tire T, the manual handle 21 is operated to rotate the second arm 242 and position the head at any position in the width direction of the tire T. At this time, the angle of the first arm 241 changes slightly, so the polishing head 20 sways slightly when it comes into contact with the tire T.

After performing the required amount of polishing on the required locations, the output head of the linear drive source 245 is returned to the retreat limit position, and the polishing head 20 is moved away from the tire T to release contact with the polishing belt 21. Then, the operation of the polishing rotation drive source 223 is stopped, and the operation of the polishing tire rotation drive source 282 is stopped to stop the rotation of the tire T. Then, the blade screw 112 is turned to remove the wheel from the main rotating shaft 11. At this time, the roller pressing source 284 is operated to return the friction roller 281 to the retreat limit position (retracted position).
During the above-mentioned polishing, the polishing head 20 oscillates in accordance with the shape of the tire in the width direction. For example, when the polishing head 20 is moved toward one end (shoulder) of the tire in the width direction to polish the tire, the polishing head 20 oscillates slightly in the direction R1 due to the pressing force of the linear drive source 245, so that the polishing belt 21 becomes approximately parallel to the shoulder. This operation is similar to the operation disclosed in Patent Document 1.

According to the wheel balancer and tire grinding machine of this embodiment, both weight balance detection and tire grinding can be performed with one machine. Therefore, it is particularly suitable for tire shops and the like that are trying to provide various tire-related services to customers. Since it does not require the installation space of two machines, it is particularly suitable for small-scale businesses, and the price of the machine is also much cheaper than that of two machines, which is also preferable.
The structural advantage of the device is that the main rotating shaft 11 for detecting the weight balance is also used for polishing the tire, so that the structure is simplified and the number of parts is reduced, resulting in a reduction in the cost of the device.
In addition, since the speed changing means is provided, the tire can be polished at a suitable speed lower than that at the time of weight balance detection, so that the tire is not polished insufficiently.

Furthermore, the add-on polishing unit 2 as a product makes it possible to add a tire polishing function to a wheel balancer (main balancer 1) that is already installed and in operation. This is significant in that it makes it possible to realize a wheel balancer/tire polishing device while making use of a wheel balancer that has not yet been depreciated and is still fully usable. In other words, it is significant in that it makes it possible to provide a variety of services while keeping investment costs down.

In addition, the speed changing means may be configured to include a friction roller 281 and a grinding tire rotation drive source 282, or may be configured to adjust the output of the main rotation drive source 12 in the main body balancer 1. The output value for weight balancer detection and the output value during tire grinding are set in the main body control unit that controls the output of the main rotation drive source 12. The main body control unit is then configured to switch and control the target output value when controlling the main rotation drive source 12.

The above configuration is smart, but there are some difficulties when adding a tire grinding function later. That is, it is necessary to modify the main body control unit of the main body balancer 1, which not only poses technical difficulties, but also means that modifications may not be permitted. In comparison, the retrofit grinding unit 2 of the embodiment rotates the tire by pressing the friction roller 281 against the tire and applying torque from the outside, so no modifications are required to the main body control unit of the main body balancer 1, making it extremely simple.

If the main rotating shaft 11 does not rotate freely when the main rotary drive source 12 is off, a configuration can be adopted in which a torque motor is connected to the friction roller 281 and a reverse torque is applied to decelerate the main rotating shaft 11. In this case, the torque motor applies a reverse torque that acts as a load on the output (rated output) of the main rotary drive source 12 when detecting the weight balance, and the load decelerates the rotation of the main rotating shaft 11.

In the above embodiment, the polishing head 20 is configured to include a belt-shaped polishing body (polishing belt 21), but other configurations are also possible. For example, a disk-shaped polishing body can also be used. For example, a polishing head configured to rotate a disk-shaped polishing body such as a disk grinder using a rotary drive source may be used. In this case, the disk-shaped polishing body and its rotary drive source are held by a frame, and the frame is configured to include a swivel pin on the underside, as described above, and the swivel pin is rotatably fitted into a pin hole.

However, in the case of a disk-shaped polishing body, it rotates at high speed, making it difficult to adjust the amount of polishing. In comparison, in the case of the polishing belt 21, the rotation speed can be adjusted as desired, making it easy to adjust the amount of polishing. Also, when the rotating polishing belt 21 comes into contact with the tire, it can become slightly curved by the tire (a state in which the orbital path is curved). The amount of this curvature corresponds to the amount of pressure that the polishing belt 21 exerts on the tire, and by adjusting this, the amount of polishing can be adjusted. In the above example, the amount of polishing can be adjusted by appropriately adjusting the pressure exerted by the linear drive source 245.

When using the abrasive belt 21, the belt rotation mechanism 22 is not essential, and the invention can be implemented without the belt rotation mechanism 22. As a configuration other than the belt rotation mechanism 22, a mechanism for moving the abrasive belt 21 back and forth in the tangential direction of the tire's circumferential surface (up and down in this example) can be provided, or the abrasive belt 21 can be manually rubbed against the tire's circumferential surface. However, compared to these, a configuration with the belt rotation mechanism 22 is preferable because it can make the wear of the abrasive belt 21 uniform, thereby extending the life of the abrasive belt 21 and reducing the labor required. Note that the tangential direction in a configuration in which the abrasive belt 21 moves in the tangential direction of the tire's circumferential surface may be the tire width direction (horizontal in this example). A configuration can be conceived in which a mechanism for moving the abrasive belt 21 back and forth (left and right) in the tire width direction is provided, or a mechanism for rotating the abrasive belt 21 along a long horizontal orbit by stretching the abrasive belt 21 around a pair of pulleys that rotate around a vertical axis of rotation is provided.

Furthermore, with the wheel balancer and tire grinding device of this embodiment, the grinding head 20 can be positioned at any position in the tire's width direction, so grinding can be performed at any position in the width direction. This makes it ideal for grinding to eliminate uneven shape in the width direction, such as uneven wear. In addition, if the grip performance of a studless tire is uneven in the width direction and there are areas where grip performance has decreased, it is also ideal because it is possible to selectively grind only those areas.

Next, an embodiment of the tire uniformity apparatus according to the present invention will be described. Fig. 8 is a schematic perspective view of the tire uniformity apparatus according to the embodiment.
A wheel balancer is a device that detects the weight balance (uniformity of weight distribution) of a wheel, while a tire uniformity device is a device that detects the uniformity of the shape of a tire. If the shape of the circumferential surface of a tire that contacts the road surface is not uniform, abnormal noise and rattling will occur during driving, and the ride quality will deteriorate. The unevenness of the shape can occur not only in the circumferential direction, such as a certain point protruding only in the circumferential direction, but also in the width direction of the tire. A typical example is a phenomenon called uneven wear, in which only the ends of the tire wear more, resulting in a drooping shoulder-like state, or conversely, only the center wears more, resulting in a recessed state. If abnormal noise or rattling occurs during driving and the ride quality deteriorates, it is assumed that the uniformity of the tire has deteriorated, and the tire uniformity device may be used to measure the uniformity. For such purposes, a tire uniformity device is used.

8, the tire uniformity device of the embodiment includes a main rotating shaft 11 to which the wheel is fixed by being inserted into a center bore of the wheel on which a tire is mounted, and a main rotation drive source 12 that rotates the main rotating shaft 11. Also, there is provided a uniformity detector 31 that detects the uniformity of the shape of the circumferential surface of the rotating tire when the main rotating shaft 11 is rotated by the main rotation drive source 12.
The configurations of the main rotating shaft 11 and the main rotary drive source 12 may be similar to those in the wheel balancer/tire grinding machine. In the tire uniformity machine, a cone 113 and a blade screw 112 are also used as jigs, and a wheel consisting of a wheel and a tire mounted on the wheel is sufficiently fixed to the main rotating shaft 11.

In this embodiment, the uniformity detector 31 detects the circumferential uniformity of the tire's circumferential surface. Circumferential uniformity refers to the degree to which each point on the tire's circumferential surface is located on a circle centered on the central axis (main rotation shaft 11 in this case) with no deviation. The device of this embodiment includes a roller-shaped member (hereafter referred to as a uniformity roller) 311 as part of the uniformity detector 31 that detects such non-uniformity.

The uniformity roller 311 is attached to the tip of a roller arm 312 and is journalled by the roller arm 312. The roller arm 312 is inserted into an arm opening 141 provided in the housing box 14 and extends into the housing box 14. The rear end of the roller arm 312 is connected to a linear guide 313 provided within the housing box 14. The linear guide 313 is oriented vertically, and the roller arm 312 and uniformity roller 311 as a whole are capable of moving up and down.
The length and mounting position of the roller arm 312 are selected so that the uniformity roller 311 journaled at the tip comes into contact with the circumferential surface of the tire of the wheel mounted on the main rotary shaft 11. The uniformity roller 311 is attached to the roller arm 312 so that when the wheel is rotated by the main rotary drive source 12, the uniformity roller 311 is rotated by the rotation of the tire with which it comes into contact (by frictional force with the tire).

As shown in FIG. 8, a roller pressing source 314 is attached to the roller arm 312. An air cylinder, for example, is used as the roller pressing source 314. The output rod of the roller pressing source 314 can be in a forward position where it presses the roller arm 312 downward to bring the uniformity roller 311 into contact with the tire, and in a retracted position where the uniformity roller 311 does not come into contact with the tire even in the case of the largest possible tire. The output rod in the forward position lightly presses the uniformity roller 311 against the tire with enough pressure to prevent it from separating from the tire even when the wheel is rotated by the main rotation drive source 12. The output rod in the forward position also allows the uniformity roller 311 to move up and down in accordance with the shape of the tire's circumferential surface.

The uniformity detector 31 is provided with a displacement sensor 315 that detects changes in the up and down position of the roller arm 312. The smallness of the displacement of the roller arm 312 detected by the displacement sensor 315 represents the uniformity of the circumferential shape of the tire with which the uniformity roller 312 comes into contact. In other words, if there is a locally protruding portion in the circumferential direction on the circumferential surface of the rotating tire, the uniformity roller 311 will be displaced upward when this portion is pressed against it. This displacement is detected by the displacement sensor 315.

A signal processing unit 316 is provided within the housing box 14, which processes the output signal from the displacement sensor 315 to obtain the results of uniformity detection. In addition, the main body operation panel 16 provided on the top surface of the housing box 14 is provided with a main body display 161 that displays the results of uniformity detection. The signal processing unit 316 processes the signal from the displacement sensor 315, and displays on the main body display 161 a shape in which the positions of each point in the circumferential direction of the tire being inspected are plotted, and is also configured to display the uniformity as a numerical value such as a percentage.

Furthermore, the signal processing unit 316 also has the function of identifying the locations where uniformity has deteriorated. For example, if there is a partially protruding location, the location (circumferential position) is identified and displayed on the main display 161. A reference position in the circumferential direction is set in advance on the tire. For example, a mark indicating the location where the weight balance is lightest may be provided on the tire. In this case, a mark indicating the heaviest location on the wheel (for example, the location where the valve is provided) is also provided on the wheel, and by aligning the positions of the two (making them the same circumferential position), the weight balance of the entire wheel is optimized. The position of the mark provided for this purpose is set as the origin, and is set in the signal processing unit 316 in the tire uniformity device. The signal processing unit 316 identifies the location of the uniformity deterioration at an angle relative to the set origin and displays it on the main display 161.

Since a device for detecting uniformity is also disclosed in Patent Document 2 and the like, further explanation will be omitted. The device of this embodiment is a device that can perform both weight balance detection and uniformity detection. The configuration for detecting weight balance can be the same as the embodiment of the wheel balancer/tire grinder, so explanation will be omitted.

This type of tire uniformity device is similarly configured to have the add-on polishing unit 2 mounted on it. Similarly, main body base plate 10 is fixed in advance to the underside of unit base plate 25, and after the add-on polishing unit 2 is installed, the tire uniformity device is placed in a predetermined position on main body base plate 10, and housing box 14 is fixed to main body base plate 10.
The retrofit grinding unit 2 is almost the same as that in the wheel balancer/tire grinding device, but a rotation restricting means for restricting the rotation of the tire during tire grinding is added. The rotation restricting means is a means for fixing the wheel mounted on the main rotating shaft 11 so that it does not rotate during tire grinding. When a tire is grinded, the grinding belt 21 comes into contact with the tire as it rotates, and a torque is applied to the tire by the grinding belt 21. The rotation restricting means is a means for preventing the tire from rotating against this torque.

The rotation restriction means can be implemented by providing a locking mechanism on the main rotating shaft 11. One possible locking mechanism is to fix a disk-shaped lock gear with a triangular wave-shaped circumferential surface to the main rotating shaft 11, and provide an opening and closing hook that engages with the circumferential surface of this lock gear. Opening the hook releases the lock, and closing the hook and engaging it with the lock gear locks it. Such a configuration requires modifications to the main rotating shaft 11, which can be difficult. Taking this into consideration, this embodiment uses a configuration that also uses a friction roller 281.

Specifically, the tire uniformity device of the embodiment uses a motor with a brake as the polishing roller rotation drive source 282 connected to the friction roller 281. More specifically, the polishing roller rotation drive source 282 is a geared motor with a brake. When restricting rotation, the roller pressure source 284 is operated to press the friction roller 281 against the tire, and the brake of the polishing roller rotation drive source 282 is operated. In this state, the polishing belt 21, which is rotated by the belt rotation mechanism 22, is brought into contact with the tire and polished in the same manner as described above. At this time, the polishing belt 21 applies torque to the tire by frictional force to rotate it, but the frictional force and pressing force of the friction roller 281 resist this, and the tire remains stationary. In other words, rotation restriction is achieved.

Next, a preferred operation example of such a tire uniformity apparatus will be described.
For example, if the ride comfort of a vehicle deteriorates and the wheels are removed to detect the weight balance and correct the balance, but the ride comfort does not improve much, the vehicle owner may suspect that the uniformity has deteriorated and may request a tire shop or the like to detect the uniformity. At the tire shop or the like, an operator will insert each wheel of the requested vehicle into a tire uniformity device to check the uniformity. That is, the wheel is mounted and fixed on the main rotating shaft 11, the roller pressing source 314 is operated to bring the uniformity roller 311 into contact with the tire, and the main rotation drive source 12 is operated to cause the uniformity detector 31 to detect the uniformity.
As a result, for example, the inspection result indicates that there is a localized protrusion at a certain point in the circumferential direction of the tire, and the position of this protrusion (its angle with respect to the reference point) is displayed on the main body display 161. The worker follows the display and marks this position.

The worker then operates the roller pressing source 314 to return the uniformity roller 311 to the retracted position. The worker then performs tire polishing without removing the wheel. The worker manually turns the wheel so that the marked position is the polishing position. The polishing position is the position where the rotating polishing belt 21 comes into contact with the tire. In this example, when the worker is standing in front, it is the position on the horizontal front side of the main rotating shaft 11. After achieving this state, the worker operates the rotation restriction means. That is, the roller pressing source 284 is operated to press the friction roller 281 against the tire, and the brake of the polishing roller rotation drive source 282, which is a geared motor with a brake, is activated.

Then, the worker operates the manual handle 27 to position the polishing head 20 close to the tire (standby position), and presses the polishing start button to start the operation of the belt rotation mechanism 22. Then, the linear drive source 245 is operated to move the polishing head 20 forward and bring the polishing belt 21 into contact with the tire. At this time, the position of the polishing head 20 is adjusted in advance by the manual handle 27 so that the polishing belt 21 comes into contact with the tire at the marked position. The worker performs an appropriate amount of polishing while referring to the uniformity value (protrusion % display) displayed on the main display 161 and the degree of protrusion by visual inspection. As a result, the tire is polished locally, and the local protrusion detected by the uniformity detector 31 is eliminated. During this polishing, torque is applied to the tire due to the frictional force with the polishing belt 21, but the tire remains stationary due to the rotation restriction means.

Then, if necessary, uniformity detection is performed again. That is, the friction roller 281 is retracted, and the arm mechanism 24 is operated to return the polishing head 20 to the retracted position. The roller pressing source 314 is then operated to bring the uniformity roller 311 into contact with the tire. In this state, the power switch on the main body operation panel 16 is pressed, and the main body main rotation drive source 12 is operated to cause the uniformity detector 31 to detect uniformity. The uniformity detection result is then displayed on the main body display 161, and the operator can confirm that the uniformity has improved as a result of polishing.

According to the tire uniformity apparatus of this embodiment, uniformity detection and tire polishing can be performed by a single apparatus, making it suitable for providing various tire-related services to customers at low investment costs. In addition, since the installation space for two apparatuses is not required, it is particularly suitable for small-scale businesses. As for the structural advantages of the apparatus, the main rotating shaft 11 for uniformity detection is also used for tire polishing, so the structure is simplified and the number of parts is reduced, thereby reducing the cost of the apparatus.
Furthermore, as an operational advantage, after uniformity detection, the tire can be polished on the spot to correct the uniformity without having to remove the tire, making this a favorable device in terms of workability as well.

The tire uniformity device of this embodiment also serves as a wheel balancer, so after uniformity detection and tire polishing (uniformity correction) are performed as described above, weight balance detection is further performed and, if necessary, weight balance correction (attachment of weights) may be performed.
In addition, as an embodiment of the tire uniformity apparatus, it is not essential that it has a weight balance detection function, and it may have only the uniformity detection and tire polishing functions. In this case, since the add-on polishing unit 2 is added to a tire uniformity apparatus that does not have a weight balance detection function, the add-on polishing unit is called an add-on polishing unit for a tire uniformity apparatus.

In addition, in the tire uniformity device described above, the roller arm 312 holding the uniformity roller 311 moves up and down in response to the unevenness of the tire's circumferential surface, but it may also be a swinging type. In this case, the rear end of the roller arm 312 is fixed to a rotation shaft pin, and a sensor detects the change in angle of the roller arm 312. One possible means for keeping the uniformity roller 311 in contact with the tire is to connect a torque motor to the rotation shaft pin.

Next, a supplementary explanation will be given regarding an embodiment of the tire grinding device invention. The tire uniformity device according to the above-mentioned embodiment also corresponds to an embodiment of the tire grinding device invention. A conventional tire grinding device is a device that aims to grind the tire's peripheral surface uniformly in the circumferential direction. Therefore, the device is a device that constantly rotates the wheel during grinding. On the other hand, the tire grinding device of the embodiment is a device that makes it possible to selectively grind specific points in the circumferential direction of the peripheral surface of the tire. For this reason, it is equipped with a rotation restriction means that restricts the wheel from rotating during grinding.

The tire grinding device of this embodiment is capable of grinding uniformly in the circumferential direction by contacting the grinding belt 21 with the wheel while rotating, and can also grind specific points selectively in the circumferential direction by stationary the wheel. This makes it a highly versatile device that can grind tires for both purposes, such as restoring the grip of studless tires, and for the purpose of improving uniformity.

In addition, localized polishing can also be performed in the width direction of the tire. That is, as mentioned above, the arm mechanism 24 can position the polishing head 20 at any position in the width direction of the wheel mounted on the main rotating shaft 11, and the polishing belt 21 can be brought into contact with this position to perform polishing. For this reason, for example, if uneven wear has occurred in which only the end (shoulder) on one side in the width direction of the tire has worn down, polishing can be performed closer to the center than that part to improve uniformity in the width direction. In addition, when performing localized polishing in the width direction, a polishing belt 21 that is narrower than usual may be stretched around a pair of pulleys 221, 222.

Although the tire uniformity apparatus of the above embodiment detects uniformity using the uniformity roller 311, other configurations are possible. One example is shown in Fig. 9. Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram of the main part of a tire uniformity apparatus of another embodiment.
In the example of FIG. 9, a uniformity detector 31 that optically detects uniformity is employed. The uniformity detector 31 includes a light emitter 317 arranged to irradiate light onto the circumferential surface of a tire T mounted on a wheel W that is fixed to a main rotating shaft and rotates, a light receiver 318 arranged to receive light from the light emitter 317 reflected by the circumferential surface of the tire T, and a signal processor 316 that processes a signal from the light receiver 318 to detect uniformity. A signal from a rotation angle sensor such as a rotary encoder provided on the main rotating shaft 11 is also input to the signal processor 316. Although the tire T is usually black, a reflective optical sensor that can be used as described above for such an object is commercially available. For example, a laser discrimination displacement sensor IL series sold by Keyence Corporation can be appropriately selected and used, and IL-S100 or the like can be used. The light received by the light receiver 318 may be scattered light rather than reflected light.

When the light emitter 317 is operated while the tire T is rotating, the amount of light received by the light receiver 318 is constant if the uniformity is ideal, but fluctuates if the uniformity decreases. The signal processing unit 316 is configured to identify the amount of this fluctuation and the rotation angle at which the fluctuation occurred, and display it on a display as the uniformity detection result. Note that since many grids (grooves) are formed on the surface of the tire T, the intensity of the received light fluctuates in a very short cycle, but the light fluctuations when evaluating the uniformity are much longer than that and can be identified.

9, a plurality of optical sensors 310 each having a light emitter 317 and a light receiver 318 are provided in the width direction of the tire T, and a configuration is configured to detect fluctuations in the intensity of received light at a plurality of locations in the width direction. In this configuration, the circumferential uniformity can be detected at a plurality of locations in the width direction (three locations in this example), and a decrease in uniformity in the width direction, such as uneven wear, can also be detected. Furthermore, the location where the uniformity is decreased can be identified (pinpointed) in both the width direction position and the circumferential direction position, enabling more detailed uniformity detection.
A tire uniformity device equipped with a uniformity detector 31 having such a configuration is also equipped with a retrofit tire polishing unit 2, as in the embodiment described above, and if a decrease in uniformity is detected, the retrofit tire polishing unit 2 can be used to perform polishing to improve the uniformity.

In addition, performing localized polishing to improve the weight balance of the wheels or improve tire uniformity is particularly useful for wheels for electric vehicles (EVs). EVs are particularly quiet when driving because there is no engine noise, but this makes abnormal tire noises more noticeable. In other words, in the case of EVs, higher wheel weight balance and tire uniformity are required to prevent abnormal noises. Therefore, a device configuration that can polish tires locally is particularly useful. Also, in the case of EVs, the torque applied to the wheels is large when the vehicle starts, making it easy for uneven tire wear to occur. For this reason, the ability to perform tire polishing to eliminate uneven wear is of great significance.

In the above embodiments, the retrofit grinding unit 2 is installed later, but the wheel balancer/tire grinding device may of course be configured so that the grinding unit is installed from the beginning (when the device is shipped). This also applies to the embodiments of the uniformity device.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Main body balancer 11 Main rotating shaft 12 Main rotating drive source 13 Balance detector 131 Vibration sensor 132 Angle sensor 133 Signal processing unit 14 Housing box 15 Main body control unit 16 Main body operation panel 161 Main body display 2 Post-installation polishing unit 21 Polishing belt 22 Belt rotation mechanism 221 Upper pulley 222 Lower pulley 23 Pulley position change mechanism 24 Arm mechanism 241 First arm 242 Second arm 25 Unit base panel 26 Unit control box 260 Unit display 31 Uniformity detector 311 Uniformity roller 313 Linear guide 315 Displacement sensor 316 Signal processing unit

Claims (10)

A rotating shaft that is inserted into a center bore of the wheel and to which the wheel is fixed;
A rotary drive source that rotates the rotary shaft;
a balance detector that detects a weight balance of the wheel or a wheel set consisting of the wheel and a tire attached to the wheel when the wheel fixed to the rotating shaft is rotated by a rotary drive source;
A grinding head includes a grinding body that is attached to the wheel and contacts the surface of the rotating tire when the wheel fixed to the rotating shaft rotates;
and a speed changing means for making the rotational speed of the tire when the grinding body comes into contact with the tire slower than the rotational speed when the balance detector detects the balance. The wheel balancer and tire grinding device according to claim 1, characterized in that the grinding body is an endless grinding belt that is stretched around a pair of belt pulleys, one of which is a drive pulley. The wheel balancer and tire grinding device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the grinding head can be positioned at any position in the width direction of the rotating tire so that the grinding body contacts the tire at any position in the width direction of the tire. A rotating shaft that is inserted into a center bore of the wheel and to which the wheel is fixed;
A rotary drive source that rotates the rotary shaft;
A tire grinding unit that is retrofitted to a wheel balancer and includes a balance detector that detects the weight balance of a wheel consisting of a wheel or a tire attached to the wheel when the wheel fixed to the rotating shaft is rotated by a rotary drive source,
A grinding head includes a grinding body that is attached to a wheel and contacts a rotating tire when the wheel fixed to a rotating shaft rotates;
A retrofit tire grinding unit for a wheel balancer, comprising a speed changing means for making the rotational speed of the tire when the grinding body comes into contact with the tire slower than the rotational speed when the balance detector detects the weight balance. The retrofit tire grinding unit for wheel balancers described in claim 4, characterized in that the grinding body is an endless grinding belt that is stretched and rotated around a pair of belt pulleys, one of which is a drive pulley. The retrofit grinding unit for wheel balancers according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that the grinding head can be positioned at any position in the width direction of the rotating tire so that the grinding body contacts the tire at any position in the width direction of the tire. A rotating shaft that is inserted into a center bore of a wheel on which a tire is mounted and to which the wheel is fixed;
A rotary drive source that rotates the rotary shaft;
a uniformity detector that detects the uniformity of a circumferential shape of a rotating tire surface when a wheel fixed to a rotating shaft is rotated by a rotary drive source;
and a grinding head including a grinding body that comes into contact with the tire mounted on the wheel and grinds the tire.
The polishing head is capable of moving the polishing body in a circumferential direction of the circumferential surface of the tire or in a tangential direction of the circumferential surface of the tire,
A tire uniformity device characterized in that, when a polishing head polishes a tire while moving the polishing body in the circumferential direction or tangential direction of the circumferential surface of the tire, a rotation restricting means is provided for restricting the rotation of the tire so that the contact position of the polishing body is maintained at any position in the circumferential direction of the tire. A rotating shaft that is inserted into a center bore of a wheel on which a tire is mounted and to which the wheel is fixed;
A rotary drive source that rotates the rotary shaft;
a uniformity detector that detects the uniformity of a shape in a width direction of a circumferential surface of a rotating tire when a wheel fixed to a rotating shaft is rotated by a rotary drive source;
and a grinding head including a grinding body attached to a wheel fixed to a rotating shaft and contacting the rotating tire to grind the tire,
A tire uniformity device characterized in that the polishing head can position the polishing body at any position in the width direction of the rotating tire so that the polishing body contacts the tire at any position in the width direction of the tire. The tire uniformity device according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that the grinding body is a pair of belt pulleys, one of which is a drive pulley, and an endless grinding belt that is stretched around the pair of belt pulleys and rotates. A rotating shaft that is inserted into a center bore of a wheel on which a tire is mounted and to which the wheel is fixed;
A rotary drive source that rotates the rotary shaft;
and a grinding head including a grinding body that comes into contact with a tire mounted on the wheel and grinds the tire when the wheel fixed to the rotating shaft is rotated by a rotary drive source,
The polishing head is capable of bringing the polishing body into contact with the circumferential surface of the tire even when the tire is not rotating, and is capable of moving the polishing body in the circumferential direction or the tangential direction of the circumferential surface of the tire,
This tire grinding device is characterized in that, when the grinding head moves the grinding body in the circumferential direction or tangential direction of the tire's circumferential surface to grind the tire, a rotation restriction means is provided to prevent the tire from rotating against the torque applied to the grinding body.

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