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.

The machine for balancing the wheels of a vehicle includes a supporting frame provided with a rotating shaft adapted to support and set a wheel (R) to be balanced in rotation; detection means for detecting the unbalance of the wheel (R); identification means for identifying at least one portion of the wheel (R) for the measurement of characteristic parameters, which includes an emitter of laser radiation along an optical emission path lying at least partly on a predefined plane of emission (X-Y); and a detector to receive the laser radiation and arranged along an optical receiving path; reflection means adapted to deflect the optical emission path and the optical receiving path, the optical emission path being substantially coincident with the optical receiving path.

A mixed-flow turbine wheel includes: a plurality of rotor blades disposed on a circumferential surface of the hub at intervals in a circumferential direction and configured such that each of the plurality of rotor blades has a leading edge which includes, in a meridional view, an oblique edge portion where a distance between the leading edge and an axis of the rotational shaft decreases from a tip side toward a hub side, and a sensor detection surface having a flat shape and being applied with a marking which is detectable by an optical sensor device. The sensor detection surface is formed on at least one of the circumferential surface of the hub or an edge portion of a reference rotor blade being one of the plurality of rotor blades, such that, in the meridional view, a trailing-edge side angle of two angles formed between the axis of the rotational shaft and a normal of the sensor detection surface is smaller than a trailing-edge side angle of two angles formed between the axis of the rotational shaft and a normal of the oblique edge portion.

A mixed-flow turbine wheel includes: a plurality of rotor blades disposed on a circumferential surface of the hub at intervals in a circumferential direction and configured such that each of the plurality of rotor blades has a leading edge which includes, in a meridional view, an oblique edge portion where a distance between the leading edge and an axis of the rotational shaft decreases from a tip side toward a hub side, and a sensor detection surface having a flat shape and being applied with a marking which is detectable by an optical sensor device. The sensor detection surface is formed on at least one of the circumferential surface of the hub or an edge portion of a reference rotor blade being one of the plurality of rotor blades, such that, in the meridional view, a trailing-edge side angle of two angles formed between the axis of the rotational shaft and a normal of the sensor detection surface is smaller than a trailing-edge side angle of two angles formed between the axis of the rotational shaft and a normal of the oblique edge portion.

A method for balancing a vehicle wheel includes mounting a wheel to be balanced on a rotating shaft of a machine computerized for measuring imbalances, and selecting an optimum commercial balancing weight which, when positioned on a correction plane, minimizes residual imbalance on reference planes of the wheel where the balancing tolerance is considered. One compares the residual imbalance value at the reference planes with the prescribed balancing tolerance after subtracting a vector of the static imbalance generated by the optimum balancing weight. An indicator device is activated to indicate on the wheel the optimum axial position of a correction plane for a balancing weight where the residual imbalance at the reference planes is within tolerance.

This tire marking apparatus is a tire marking apparatus for performing marking in a tire. The tire marking apparatus includes a disk part having a central axis that is adjusted substantially perpendicularly to a printing surface of the tire; a plurality of printing parts that are provided in the disk part so as to be capable of moving forward and backward with respect to the printing surface and are arranged around the central axis; and a printing driving unit that moves at least one printing part arranged at a printing position that faces the printing surface of the tire forward.

This tire marking apparatus is a tire marking apparatus for performing marking in a tire. The tire marking apparatus includes a disk part having a central axis that is adjusted substantially perpendicularly to a printing surface of the tire; a plurality of printing parts that are provided in the disk part so as to be capable of moving forward and backward with respect to the printing surface and are arranged around the central axis; and a printing driving unit that moves at least one printing part arranged at a printing position that faces the printing surface of the tire forward.

A tire testing method includes: applying a lubrication solution to a bead part of a tire; detecting a phase of a reference point of the tire; detecting a phase of a rotation origin of a spindle at common coordinates shared with coordinates at which the phase of the reference point is indicated; detecting a singular point present on the tire by conducting a tire test while rotating the tire on the spindle, and detecting a phase from the rotation origin to the singular point; calculating a phase from the reference point to the singular point based on the phase of the reference point, the phase of the rotation origin, and the phase from the rotation origin to the singular point; storing information about the reference point and information about the rotation origin at the common coordinates; and marking the tire at a position where the singular point is present.

A tire testing method includes: applying a lubrication solution to a bead part of a tire; detecting a phase of a reference point of the tire; detecting a phase of a rotation origin of a spindle at common coordinates shared with coordinates at which the phase of the reference point is indicated; detecting a singular point present on the tire by conducting a tire test while rotating the tire on the spindle, and detecting a phase from the rotation origin to the singular point; calculating a phase from the reference point to the singular point based on the phase of the reference point, the phase of the rotation origin, and the phase from the rotation origin to the singular point; storing information about the reference point and information about the rotation origin at the common coordinates; and marking the tire at a position where the singular point is present.

The invention relates to a method for marking a vehicle tyre (20) and a corresponding marking station. In one example, the vehicle tyre is supplied (100) to a marking station (10), the vehicle tyre (20) is aligned and centred (102, 103) in the marking station (10), marking is performed (108) in the marking station in accordance with characteristics of the vehicle tyre (20), and marking is performed (108) using one marking device (12) from a multiplicity of different marking devices (12). The method according to the invention is distinguished by the fact that the marking device (12) for marking the vehicle tyre (20) is positioned (107) at the vehicle tyre (20) by means of a robot arm (11).