System for transporting and manipulating tires and wheels
AssigneeCreative Technology Systems LLC
InventorsLawrence Lawson, Edwin Reece, Robert Reece
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A factory layout including a track circuit, one or more wheeled carts for traversing the track circuit and a tire/wheel assembly carried by the wheeled cart. One or more work stations can be positioned at locations along the track circuit. Various wheeled cart embodiments are disclosed and various work station configurations are disclosed.
Claims48
A plant arrangement, comprising:
- a track arranged to define a track circuit,
- one or more wheeled carts for traversing the track circuit,
- at least one of a wheel or a tire carried by said one or more wheeled carts,
- one or more work stations positioned at locations along the track circuit.
A wheeled cart, comprising:
- a plurality of wheels supporting a base, at least one vertical support member supported by said base,
- a work surface attached to said at least one vertical support,
- wherein said vertical support is collapsible.
A tire installing work station, comprising:
- a working head,
- a shaft extending from said working head,
- a working arm assembly attached to said shaft, wherein said working arm includes a working end and an extension cylinder, wherein said working cylinder can be activated to place the working end of the working arm in one of a plurality of locations.
A tire installing work station, comprising:
- a first inflation head,
- a second inflation head, wherein the first inflation head is at least partially telescopically nested within the second inflation head,
- a cam mechanism coupled to at least one of the inflation heads, wherein said cam mechanism is adapted to assume first and second latched positions, wherein when said cam is in said first latched position, said cam manipulates said first inflation head in an extended position thereby enabling it to be placed in operative engagement with a tire/wheel assembly to be inflated, and when said cam is in said second latched position, said cam exposes said second inflation head enabling it to be placed in operative engagement with a tire/wheel assembly to be inflated.
A wheel inflation probe, comprising:
- a tubular body having an end that terminates into a head wherein at least a portion of said head is contoured to generally match the tire contour proximate the head when the tire is depressed by the head.
A method of inflating a tire/wheel assembly using a probe, comprising:
- using a head portion of said probe to displace a bead portion tire away from a bead seat portion of a wheel,
- passing air through a central passageway of said probe head into an inner chamber of said tire/wheel assembly,
- removing said probe head away from said displaced bead portion of said tire.
A bead seating apparatus for seating a tire bead in a wheel bead seat, comprising:
- a clamp for securing a wheel portion of a tire/wheel assembly,
- rotating device for rotating the tire/wheel assembly,
- at least one deforming device disposed proximate a bead portion of the tire, wherein said deforming roller is adapted to at least partially disrupt the tire bead from the wheel bead seat.
The bead seating apparatus for seating a tire bead in a wheel bead seat, comprising:
- a clamp for securing a wheel portion of a tire/wheel assembly,
- a platen for contacting a side wall portion of said tire proximate the bead seat portion of the tire,
- means for vibrating at least one of said wheel or said tire.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.