Tire balancing machine system
AssigneeAutodynamics, Inc.
InventorRobert P. Newton
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system for reducing undue vibrations transmitted to a vehicle by a tire assembly including a tire buffing or grinding machine, a tire balancing machine, and a mounting adapter for alternatively mounting the tire assembly on the tire buffing machine and the tire balancing machine. The tire buffing machine includes a drive unit for rotating the tire assembly about its rotational axis, a loading unit for radially loading the tire assembly, a buffing unit for selectively grinding away portions of the tire tread, and a control unit interconnecting the loading unit and the buffing unit to cause the buffing unit to reduce the loaded radial runout of the tire assembly.
Claims6
A tire balancing machine for balancing a tire assembly having an inflated pneumatic tire mounted on a vehicular wheel rim with an effective axis of rotation comprising:
- a balancer drive spindle rotatable about a balancer spindle axis;
- balancer drive key means fixedly mounted on and rotatable with said balancer drive spindle;
- a tire assembly mounting adapter removably mounting the tire assembly thereon independently of said balancer drive spindle and having an adapter central axis for fixedly yet removably mounting the tire assembly thereon so that the effective axis of rotation of the tire assembly coincides with the adapter central axis, said adapter including drive means for engaging the tire assembly while the tire assembly is mounted on said adapter for maintaining a fixed rotational position of the tire assembly relative to said adapter, said adapter defining a spindle receiving passage therethrough concentric about said adapter central axis so that said balancer drive spindle is slidably receivable therethrough to removably mount said adapter with the tire assembly thereon on said balancing machine with the adapter central axis coinciding with said balancer spindle axis, and said adapter including key engaging means for engaging said balancer drive key means when said adapter is mounted on said balancer drive spindle;
- and
- adapter locking means for selectively engaging said balancer drive spindle and said tire mounting adapter to force said key engaging means on said tire mounting adapter into engagement with said balancer drive key means, said balancer drive key means and said key engaging means constructed and arranged so that engagement between said balancer drive key means and said key engaging means maintains said tire mounting adapter fixed axially along the length of said balancer drive spindle and fixed rotationally with respect to said balancer drive spindle.
A tire balancing machine for balancing a tire assembly having an inflated pneumatic tire mounted on a vehicular wheel rim with an effective rotational axis comprising:
- a balancer drive spindle rotatable about a balancer spindle axis;
- balancer drive key means including a balancer drive key member fixedly mounted on and rotatable with said balancer drive spindle;
- and
- a tire assembly mounting adapter having an adapter central axis for fixedly yet removably mounting the tire assembly thereon so that the effective axis of rotation of the tire assembly coincides with the adapter central axis, said adapter including drive means for engaging the tire assembly while the tire assembly is mounted on said adapter for maintaining a fixed rotational position of the tire assembly relative to said adapter, said adapter defining a spindle receiving passage therethrough concentric about said adapter central axis so that said balancer drive spindle is slidably receivable therethrough to removably mount said adapter with the tire assembly thereon on said balancing machine with the adapter central axis coinciding with said balancer spindle axis, and said adapter including key engaging means for engaging said balancer drive key means when said adapter is mounted on said balancer drive spindle for maintaining a fixed rotational position between said adapter and said balancer drive spindle, said key engaging means including a key engaging slot having a substantially constant width along its length defined in said adapter and opening into said spindle receiving passage;
- said drive key member being tapered so that said drive key member will slidably fit into said key engaging slot to positively locate said tire assembly mounting adapter on said balancer drive spindle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.