Illinois Tool Works Inc.

Other

Keith A Neiferd

David W Lees, Sr

Christy Quinn

Dennis Allyn Reynolds

Richard Cukelj

Francis J Bormet

Frank R Jellison

Barry Cargould

Bradley Mularcik

Richard L Krieger

Joseph A Wnek

A method and apparatus for chucking tires to be tested in a tire testing apparatus. A lower chuck assembly or spindle includes a lower rim that is engageable with a bead region of the tire to be tested. An upper chuck assembly includes an upper rim that is engageable with an upper bead region of the tire to be tested. The upper rim is reciprocally movable towards and away from the lower rim. A plurality of sensors associated with the movable rim monitors the closing distance between the upper rim and the side wall of the tire that is being chucked, during the chucking process. A controller controls the movement of the upper rim in response to the distance data obtained from the sensors. If the data obtained indicates that the tire is mispositioned on the lower rim, the controller will slow the rate of downward movement of the upper rim and reinitiate a chucking cycle if the upper rim reaches a predetermined lower position and the data from the distance sensors still indicates that the tire is not properly positioned. The sensors are mounted to an adjustable stripping mechanism that forms part of the upper chuck assembly. The positions of the sensors are adjusted as the tire strippers are adjusted.

Tire positioning sensor

An inlet conveyor for conveying tires through a tire uniformity testing system includes a tire centering mechanism and a pair of conveyor belts for delivering tires to a tire testing station. A fixed conveyor having rollers on which tires can easily slide is secured to a frame that supports the centering mechanism. The conveyor belts are reeved around respective pulleys and are supported by support rails fixed to and extending away from the centering mechanism in cantilever fashion. A conveyor elevator is raised or lowered with respect to the frame unit to raise or lower the support rails and conveyor belts to either engage or disengage a tire resting on the fixed conveyor. The support rails and conveyor belts are adjustable in a lateral direction to vary the width of the space between the belts to accommodate different size tires. The conveyor belts are advanced by a rotary pneumatic actuator that precisely controls the distance the belts move to position the tire with respect to the testing station. The inlet conveyor is mechanically isolated from the testing station so that disturbances affecting the inlet conveyor are not transmitted to the testing station. The inlet conveyor is movable with respect to the testing station to reverse the direction of tire flow through the testing machine.

Inlet conveyor for tire testing systems

A tire uniformity testing system includes a testing station mounted on a gantry-like frame structure and an inlet conveyor located adjacent to the testing station. The inlet conveyor receives a tire and centers the tire such that its rotational axis is located at predetermined distance from the rotational axis of the testing station, and a conveyor transports the tire to the testing station. The testing station includes rotatable chuck assembly for engaging and rotating a tire which in turn is engaged by a loadwheel that generates tire uniformity data. The inlet conveyor is mechanically isolated from the testing station. The frame forming part of the testing station includes a plurality of I-beams joined together in flange abutting relationship which, in addition to producing a mechanically rigid structure, provides spaces defined between the flanges of the beams that are suitable for routing electrical wiring, pneumatic or hydraulic lines, etc. The tire uniformity machine has a width dimension that is at least 10% greater than a depth dimension and this feature coupled with an integral crane increases the accessibility and serviceability of components in the machine. A probe system is positioned between two adjacent vertical I-beams so that the bulk of the mechanism is protected and only distal ends of the probe extend into the testing region. The probes themselves include magnetic breakaway couplings which allow sensors to decouple from the ends of the probe should contact occur between a probe and a tire being tested.

Tire uniformity testing system

An automatic, adjustable width chuck apparatus for securely positioning tires in a tire testing machine includes a lower chuck in the form of a spindle assembly and an upper chuck in the form of a movable chuck assembly. The spindle assembly includes a rotatable spindle having a tapered portion and the chuck assembly includes a chuck member having a mating tapered recess. The spindle assembly and chuck assembly each carry a half-rim for engaging the lower and upper beads of the tire. The entire chuck assembly is movable toward and away from the spindle assembly under force of a hydraulic cylinder and can be stopped at any point between fully raised and fully lowered positions. In addition, the chuck member is independently movable by pneumatic cylinders to engage the spindle member at various relative positions of the spindle and chuck assemblies. The movable chuck has an increased stroke length to accommodate various size tires. The pneumatic cylinders maintain the force with which the chuck member engages the spindle substantially constant. A tire stripper mechanism is provided to forcibly remove the tire from the rim of the chuck assembly upon completion of the testing.

Automatic adjustable width chuck apparatus for tire testing systems

A loadwheel assembly for a tire testing machine includes a loadwheel with a tire contacting surface supported along substantially its entire circumference by one or more solid discs. The loadwheel consistently measures forces and generates electrical signals corresponding to the forces to more precisely determine tire uniformity. The loadwheel, formed as an aluminum weldment which reduces manufacturing costs, rotates about spindles provided with load cells and mounted to a C-shaped carriage. The carriage has upper and lower legs with the spindles fixed to one side of each leg such that the load cells are easily accessible from one side of the carriage. The top and bottom legs of the carriage are selectively attachable to a guide piece that slidably engages a complementarily shaped member secured to the machine frame to permit the carriage to be secured to the frame with the load cells disposed on either side of the carriage legs, thereby providing access to the load cells regardless of the layout of the machine. The loadwheel assembly includes a motor and gearbox integrated with and directly driving a ball screw connected to the carriage to move the loadwheel toward and away from the tire under test.

Growing community of inventors

Norton, OH, United States of America

Keith A Neiferd