Tire inflation apparatus and method having floating platen

A method of inflating a wheel-mounted tire at a tire inflation station comprising the steps of:

• loading the wheel-mounted tire on its side onto a tire platen assembly of the station supported in a home position beneath an inflation head of the station that is movable along a generally vertical working axis between an inoperative raised position and an operative lowered position, and with the inflation head being initially located in the raised position;
• introducing a bed of flotation air beneath the platen assembly causing it to hover above an underlying stationary support member of the station;
• moving the wheel-mounted tire and the platen assembly as a unit transversely of the working axis to align a central axis of the wheel-mounted tire with the working axis of the inflation head;
• discontinuing the flotation air causing the platen assembly to come to rest on the underlying support member;
• and
• lowering the inflation head into engagement with the, wheel-mounted tire and inflating the tire with air delivered from said inflation head.

Apparatus for inflating a tire of a tire and wheel assembly, said apparatus comprising:

• a frame having a fixed support plate that includes a horizontal upper support surface and a central opening extending therethrough;
• an inflation head supported by said frame above said support plate for movement along a vertical working axis between an inoperative raised position and an operative lowered position;
• a tire platen having a top plate supported on said support plate, a bottom plate arranged below said support plate, and a hub extending through said central opening of said support plate and rigidly interconnecting said top and bottom plates, said top plate having a lower surface supportable on said support surface of said support plate, said top plate having an upper surface adapted to receive and support a wheel-mounted tire on its side beneath said inflation head, said platen being movable radially in all directions relative to said working axis to accommodate adjustment in the position of the axis of the tire and wheel assembly relative to said working axis of said inflation head;
• and
• a tire centering device supported adjacent said platen having tire-engaging portions engageable with said tire and wheel assembly in such manner as to move the tire and wheel assembly and said platen together as a unit relative to said frame in whatever direction necessary as needed to automatically align the axis of the tire and wheel assembly with said working axis of said inflation head.