Automated tire changer machine, systems, programs and methods
AssigneeHunter Engineering Company
InventorsJoel Clasquin, Steven K. Molbach, Douglas S. Hanneken, Micah N. Vaninger, Charlie Polster, Peter N. Liebetreu
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A tire changing machine including enhanced control features for automated operator of tire change procedures with operator oversight and ability to manually adjust machine operation when desired. Dead man control input, user interfaces and programs for implementing the interfaces, methods for completing tire bead seating, informational displays of wheel rim and tire information, coordinated tool positioning, and automated lubrication features are described.
Claims18
A tire changer machine comprising:
- a clamping assembly configured to receive a wheel rim;
- a drive assembly configured to rotate the wheel rim about an axis;
- a plurality of tools selectively positionable to mount a tire on the wheel rim and demount a tire from the wheel rim;
- a plurality of force and position feedback sensors associated with said plurality of tools;
- a control system configured to utilize signals received from said plurality of force and position feedback sensors to coordinate selective positioning of the plurality of tools to complete an automated tire change procedure;
- and
- a user interface configured to display context sensitive information to a human operator in response to an interruption of the automated tire change procedure, said context sensitive information is representative of at least one branching tire change procedure available at said point of interruption in said automated tire change procedure.
A method of changing a tire on a wheel rim, the method implemented with tire changer machine including a clamping assembly configured to receive a wheel rim, a drive assembly configured to rotate the wheel rim about an axis, a plurality of tools selectively positionable to mount a tire on the wheel rim and demount a tire from the wheel rim, a plurality of force and position feedback sensors associated with said plurality of tools, a control system configured to coordinate the automated operation of a plurality of tools to complete a tire change procedure, and a user interface, the method comprising:
- coordinating, with the control system and signals received from said plurality of force and position feedback sensors, the automated operation of a plurality of tools to execute a selected tire change procedure;
- and
- displaying in response to an interruption of said automated operation, via the user interface, context sensitive information to a human operator regarding at least one branching tire change procedure available at said point of interruption in said selected tire change procedure.
A tire changer machine comprising:
- a clamping assembly configured to receive a wheel rim;
- a drive assembly configured to rotate the wheel rim about an axis;
- a plurality of tools selectively positionable to mount a tire on the wheel rim and demount a tire from the wheel rim;
- a plurality of force and position feedback sensors associated with said plurality of tools;
- a control system configured to utilize signals received from said plurality of force and position feedback sensors to coordinate automated operation of the plurality of tools to execute at least one of a plurality of different tire change procedures;
- a dead man control selectively operable by a human operator to select one of an activated and released states, wherein the control system is configured to execute a selected one of the plurality of different tire change procedures when the dead man control input element is in one of the activated and released states, and wherein automated operation of the plurality of tools is suspended when the dead man control input element is in the other of the activated and released states;
- and
- a user interface configured to display context sensitive information to a human operator which is associated with at least one of the plurality of different tire change procedures, said context sensitive information selected for display in response to the selected state of the dead man control input.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.