A vehicle wheel balancing machine having a rotating shaft which supports a vehicle wheel, a means for supporting the rotating shaft, and force sensor means adapted to detect the imbalance forces generated during the rotation of the rotating shaft; an accelerator means accelerates the shaft and the wheel and an angular sensor means senses an angular position; an electronic means processes information obtained by the force sensor means and determines the value and the position of correction masses adapted to compensate an imbalance present on the wheel; a moving indicator means is moved by a motorized actuator means and is configured to project a light dot on the wheel; a fixed indicator means projects a luminous beam, perpendicular to the axis of rotation, or a luminous dot, having a fixed and known angle of incidence on the inner surface of the wheel; a coincidence of the moving luminous point with the fixed luminous line or dot identifies a desired position of a counterweight on the diameter of the wheel.

A wheel-balancing weight mounts to a wheel with a flange. The weight includes a body and a clip. The body is stamped by a punch to define a pocket within which an attaching portion of the clip resides. The defined pocket has a planar base and opposing side walls generally perpendicular to the base. The body as stamped by the punch includes a pre-stake for each side wall external to the pocket and adjacent the side wall, and an undercut for each side wall within the pocket and generally located at a juncture of the side wall and the base.

Apparatus and a method for transporting and positioning of balancing weights connected together to form a chain of balancing weights is disclosed. A drive means comprises at least a transport wheel and/or a transport belt. The drive means has at least one cam to interface with a gap between two adjacent balancing weights of the chain of balancing weights. Furthermore a cutter may be provided for cutting of balancing weights from the chain.

A weight applicator including a weight applicator head and at least one actuator is disclosed. The weight applicator head is adapted to carry a wheel balance weight and has a weight application surface with a weight retaining region and a leading rotation region. The at least one actuator is coupled to the weight applicator head for manipulating the weight applicator head in at least one direction. The at least one direction has a radial component. The leading rotation region is oriented to extend radially further than the weight retaining region.

A method for balancing a wheel comprises at least the steps of extruding a profile of an uncured and/or non-vulcanized viscoelastic polymer comprising at least one filler having a total density of more than 0.9 kg/dm.sup.3, cutting a section from an extruded profile of said polymer, wherein the length of the section correlates with the required mass for balancing, applying the balancing weight to the rim of the wheel, and curing of the balancing weight at the wheel.

A combination vehicle tire sensor assembly and in-tire wheel balancer is adapted for residing inside a pneumatic tire mounted on a wheel rim of a motor vehicle. The combination comprises a flexible mounting cable secured to the sensor assembly, and adapted for extending circumferentially within an annular space formed between the tire and wheel rim. A counterweight is secured to the mounting cable inside the pneumatic tire a spaced distance from the sensor assembly. A substantially hollow balancer belt resides inside the pneumatic tire adjacent the sensor assembly and counterweight, and defines a circumferentially-extending exterior groove designed for receiving and locating said mounting cable, and a circumferentially-extending interior cavity adapted for loosely containing a wheel-balancing medium.

A wheel for a vehicle has a wheel rim, a hub portion, and at least one spoke which connects the hub portion to the wheel rim, and also at least one cover element which at least partially covers the spoke region. The cover element is designed to, in the installed position thereof, produce an imbalance-free state of the wheel.

An in-tire vehicle tire sensor assembly is adapted for residing inside a pneumatic tire mounted on a wheel rim of a motor vehicle. A flexible mounting cable is secured to the sensor assembly, and adapted for extending circumferentially within an annular space formed between the tire and wheel rim. A counterweight is secured to the mounting cable a spaced distance from the sensor assembly.

A method of correcting imbalance of a tire comprises a step of forming a coated layer on the inner surface of the tire at the point of lightest weight of the tire so as to reduce the imbalance of the tire. The coated layer has a black color substantially the same as the color of the inner surface so that it becomes difficult to recognize the correction of the weight imbalance.

An in-tire vehicle tire sensor assembly is adapted for residing inside a pneumatic tire mounted on a wheel rim of a motor vehicle. A flexible mounting cable is secured to the sensor assembly, and adapted for extending circumferentially within an annular space formed between the tire and wheel rim. A counterweight is secured to the mounting cable a spaced distance from the sensor assembly.