A vehicle wheel service apparatus that includes: a frame; a plurality of working tools, connected to the frame and movable to perform operations for mounting and/or demounting the tyre relative to the wheel rim; a shaft driven by an actuator rotationally about a longitudinal axis and connectable to the rim; a measuring system for generating vibration signals representing vibrations of the shaft produced by wheel imbalances; a control unit, connected to the measuring system to receive the vibration signals; a support device, connected to the frame and movable between an activated position, where it encircles the shaft while still allowing it to rotate, and a deactivated position, where it is spaced from the shaft; a connector, movable between a working position, where it mechanically connects the measuring system to the frame, and a rest position, where the measuring system is mechanically disengaged from the frame.

The present invention discloses an online inflating valve insertion device. The online inflating valve insertion device has a frame, a chassis, a lift cylinder, a support A, bearing seats, linear bearings, a mounting plate, guide shafts, a lift shaft, a servomotor A, a synchronous pulley A, a connecting plate, a synchronous belt, a synchronous pulley B, a base, a connecting shaft A, a servomotor B, a shaft sleeve A, a lower end cover, a connecting shaft B, a shaft sleeve B and the like. The online inflating valve insertion device provided by the present invention can meet the requirement of automatically inserting an inflating valve into a wheel, also has the characteristics of simple structure, convenience in manufacturing, stable performance, and capability of meeting the precision machining requirement, and can fit to the requirement of automatic production.

A method for repairing a tire is provided that includes: (a) providing a reamer, a knife, an insertion tool forming a receiving opening, a plugging strip, and vulcanizing fluid; (b) inserting the reamer into a puncture hole of a tire to clear debris; (c) applying the vulcanizing fluid; (d) inserting the plugging strip into the insertion tool; (e) inserting the insertion tool with the plugging strip into the puncture hole to cause the plugging strip to fold into the puncture hole mixed with the vulcanizing fluid to bond the plugging strip and the tire; (f) removing the insertion tool from the puncture hole causing a middle portion of the plugging strip to fold internally forming a four-layer seal within the puncture hole; and (g) cutting the plugging strip from the insertion tool and the excess portions of the plugging strip with the knife.

A tire defect detection system for detecting defects in a tire. The system includes at least one infrared camera, a pneumatic source and a computing device. The pneumatic source inflates the tire to a predetermined pressure. After inflation, the infrared camera captures a reference frame of a section of the tire. A period of time after capturing the reference frame, the infrared camera captures a subsequent frame. The subsequent frame is compared to the reference frame to detect a portion of the section of the tire that has a lower temperature. The lower temperature is caused by an escape of air from the tire through a defect. The escaping air cools the area of the tire around the defect, so a decrease in temperature indicates the defect.

Tires having a magnetic tire sealing material containing magnetic particles are described for detecting the presence of one or more sealed punctures in the tire. The tires can have a sealed tire portion that is formed by the magnetic tire sealing material flowing into and filling a puncture in the tire. The sealed tire portion includes a portion having magnetic particles and the portion being at the outer surface of the tire such as in the tread area. The tire can be positioned within the detection zone of an apparatus capable of detecting magnetic particles to indicate whether the tire contains a sealed puncture filled with the magnetic tire sealing material.

Embodiments disclosed herein relate to a thin, light, and portable system for measuring one or more parameters of a contact patch between a tire and a surface. The system may be configured with an array of sensors capable of being removable fixed to the surface. The array of sensors may measure the one or more parameters of the contact patch between the tire and the surface. Moreover, the system may include a scanner configured to interpret the measurements from the array of sensors as data and store the data.

Methods of measuring a thickness of a material are disclosed. An oscillating signal at a measurement frequency is applied to a circuit including an inductive component and a capacitive component provided using a pair of capacitive sensor electrodes adjacent the material. The measurement frequency is less than a resonant frequency of the circuit, and the resonant frequency is based on the inductive component and the capacitive component. Information regarding a value of a measured parameter is generated based on applying the oscillating signal at the measurement frequency to the circuit. A value of the measured parameter is related to the thickness of the material.

A drive-through vehicle inspection system acquiring information from engraved markings on the tire sidewalls of a moving vehicle. Optical imaging sensors disposed on opposite sides of the vehicle acquire images of the sidewall surfaces for each passing wheel assembly. The acquired images are evaluated by a processing system configured to identify, within the acquired images, visible markings engraved into the tire sidewall surfaces which include at first portion having a first optical reflectivity, and a second portion having a second optical reflectivity which is different from the first optical reflectivity. Each identified marking is decoded to retrieve data stored therein, representative of the tire, wheel assembly, and/or associated vehicle onto which the wheel assembly is installed. The retrieved data is incorporated into an inspection report and/or utilized by the vehicle inspection system to access vehicle-specific information contained within an indexed database.

A method and computer program product are disclosed. The method includes tracking a distance travelled on a set of tires, determining a threshold, determining whether the distance travelled has exceeded the threshold, and notifying the user that the distance travelled has exceeded the threshold. The computer program product includes code to perform tracking a distance travelled on a set of tires, determining a threshold, determining whether the distance travelled has exceeded the threshold, and notifying the user that the distance travelled has exceeded the threshold.

An apparatus for detecting a puncture comprises a housing comprising a plurality of compartments. Each compartment comprises an opening for receiving a flow of air into the compartment. Each compartment also comprises a detection element mounted on an axle, the axle having a first end and a second end and being secured at said first end and said second end within the compartment. The detection element is rotatable about the axle and when a flow of air passes through the opening into the compartment, the detection element rotates around the axle in response to the flow of air.