# US 8,769,807 B2 · Apparatus for processing a tire-wheel assembly including weight application and balancing sub-stations

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- Number: US 8,769,807 B2
- Document ID: US8769807B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 13/103,755
- Filed: 2011-05-09
- Published: 2012-03-29
- Granted: 2014-07-08
- Earliest claimed: 2007-10-02
- Assignees: Android Industries LLC
- Applicants: Lawrence J. Lawson; Robert Reece; Ramsey Richard Niazy
- Inventors: Lawrence J. Lawson; Robert Reece; Ramsey Richard Niazy
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8769807B2

## CPC

- G01M 1/20: and applying external forces compensating forces due to imbalance
- G01M 1/326: {the body being a vehicle wheel}
- Y10S 901/47: Optical
- Y10T 29/49494: Assembling tire to wheel body
- Y10T 29/49828: Progressively advancing of work assembly station or assembled portion of work
- Y10T 29/53365: Multiple station assembly apparatus
- G01M: TESTING STATIC OR DYNAMIC BALANCE OF MACHINES OR STRUCTURES; TESTING OF STRUCTURES OR APPARATUS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- Y10S: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10T: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION

## Abstract

An apparatus for processing a tire-wheel assembly comprising a single-cell workstation including a plurality of sub-stations. The plurality of sub-stations includes a weight application sub-station, and an audit balancing sub-station. The apparatus also includes a tire/wheel transporting device positioned within reach of all of the plurality of sub-stations. A method is also disclosed.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An apparatus for processing a tire-wheel assembly, comprising:
a single-cell workstation including a plurality of sub-stations, wherein the plurality of sub-stations includes;
a preliminary balancing substation,
a weight application sub-station,
wherein the weight application sub-station provides one or more weights to an imbalanced tire-wheel assembly,
an audit balancing sub-station;
wherein the audit balancing sub-station determines if the imbalanced tire-wheel assembly condition has been substantially corrected in view of the one or more weights applied to the tire-wheel assembly, and
a tire/wheel transporting device positioned within reach of all of the plurality of sub-stations,
wherein the tire/wheel transporting device includes a robotic arm that provides means for transporting the tire-wheel assembly from and to each of the plurality of sub-stations.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the weight balancing sub-station includes:
one or more bins, wherein each of the one or more bins includes one or more weights, wherein the one or more weights in each of the one or more bins is/are defined by a unique weight value.

### Claim 3

An apparatus for processing a tire-wheel assembly, comprising:
a single-cell workstation including a plurality of sub-stations, wherein the plurality of sub-stations includes;
a preliminary balancing sub-station,
a weight application sub-station, and
an audit balancing sub-station; and
a tire/wheel transporting device positioned within reach of all of the plurality of sub-stations
wherein the tire/wheel transporting device includes a robotic arm that provides means for transporting the tire-wheel assembly from and to each of the plurality of sub-stations,
wherein the plurality of sub-stations includes one or more of: a soaper sub-station; a mounting/indexing sub-station; and an inflating sub-station.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the preliminary balancing sub-station defines:
means for determining if the tire-wheel assembly is imbalanced, wherein the weight application sub-station defines
means for providing one or more weights to the imbalanced tire-wheel assembly, wherein the audit balancing sub-station defines
means for determining if the imbalance tire-wheel assembly has been substantially corrected in view of the one or more weights applied to the tire-wheel assembly.

### Claim 5

An apparatus for processing a tire-wheel assembly, comprising:
a single-cell workstation including a plurality of sub-stations, wherein the plurality of sub-stations includes;
a balancer grounding sub-station, and
a weight application sub-station; and
a tire/wheel transporting device positioned within reach of all of the plurality of sub-stations,
wherein the tire/wheel transporting device provides means for determining if the tire-wheel assembly is imbalanced,
wherein the tire/wheel transporting device includes a robotic arm that provides means for transporting the tire-wheel assembly from and to each of the plurality of sub-stations, and
wherein the tire/wheel transporting device further provides means for determining if the imbalance tire-wheel assembly has been substantially corrected in view of the one or more weights applied to the tire-wheel assembly.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The apparatus according to claim 5,
wherein the weight application sub-station defines
means for providing one or more weights to the imbalanced tire-wheel assembly.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein balancer grounding sub-station defines:
means for interfacing with the tire/wheel transporting device during the determining if the tire-wheel assembly is imbalanced and the determining if the imbalance tire-wheel assembly has been substantially corrected.

### Claim 8 (depends on 5)

The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the plurality of sub-stations includes one or more of:
a soaper sub-station; a mounting/indexing sub-station; and an inflating sub-station.

### Claim 9

An apparatus for processing a tire-wheel assembly, comprising:
a first single-cell workstation including a first plurality of sub-stations, wherein the first plurality of sub-stations includes;
a preliminary balancing sub-station;
a first tire/wheel transporting device positioned within reach of all of the first plurality of sub-stations,
wherein the first tire/wheel transporting device includes a robotic arm that provides means for transporting the tire-wheel assembly from and to each of the plurality of sub-stations,
a second single-cell workstation including a second plurality of sub-stations, wherein the second plurality of sub-stations includes;
a weight application sub-station, and
an audit balancing sub-station;
a second tire/wheel transporting device positioned within reach of all of the second plurality of sub-stations,
wherein the second tire/wheel transporting device includes a robotic arm that provides means for transporting the tire-wheel assembly from and to each of the plurality of sub-stations; and
a conveying device that bridges the first and second single-cell workstations.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the first plurality of sub-stations includes one or more of:
a soaper sub-station; a mounting/indexing sub-station; and an inflating sub-station.