Method of and apparatus for fitting or removing a motor vehicle tyre
AssigneeSnap-On Equipment Srl A Unico Socio
InventorPaolo SOTGIU
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of and an apparatus for fitting or removing a tyre 4 of a vehicle wheel 1, in which at least one fitting or removal tool 5 is guided parallel to the axis 11 of the vehicle wheel 1 and the vehicle wheel 1 is moved controllably perpendicularly to its wheel axis 11 in dependence on a rim contour along which the fitting or removal tool 5 is to be guided at a small spacing.
Claims20
A method of fitting a tyre (4) on to a rim (3) of a vehicle wheel (1) or removing a tyre (4) from a rim (3) of a vehicle wheel (1), in which at least one fitting or removal tool (5) is moved controllably past a rim flange (12) of the rim (3) without touching the rim flange (12), characterised in that the at least one fitting or removal tool (5) performs a movement in parallel relationship with the axis (11) of the vehicle wheel (1) and the vehicle wheel (1) is controllably moved perpendicularly to its wheel axis (11) in dependence on a rim contour of a rim portion, along which the fitting or removal tool is guided during the fitting or removal operation.
A method according to one of the preceding claims characterized in that the position of the vehicle wheel with respect to the movement path of the fitting or removal tool is pre-adjusted by moving the vehicle wheel perpendicularly to its wheel axis in dependence of the rim diameter.
Apparatus for fitting a tyre (4) on to a rim (3) of a vehicle wheel (1) or for removing a tyre (4) from a rim (3) of a vehicle wheel, comprising at least one fitting or removal tool (5) and at least one sensing device (6, 7, 8) characterised in that the sensing device (6, 7, 8) is adapted to sense the contour of the outside peripheral surface (12, 14) at least in the region along which the fitting or removal tool is guided and that there is provided a control device (9) which in dependence on the contour controls a movement of the vehicle wheel (1) perpendicularly to its wheel axis (11), wherein there is provided a drive device (13) for the at least one fitting or removal tool (5) for a movement directed in parallel relationship to the wheel axis (11) of the at least one fitting or removal tool (5).
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.