Tire changing machine

Abstract

A tire changing machine includes a base having a pedal-operated control system located on one side, a rotating platform which defines a surface upon which wheels of vehicles can be fixed, and which is supported by the base, a column rising from the base, an operating arm hinged to an upper area of the column, which can be oriented in a plane transverse to the column and parallel to the plane of the platform, between a work position facing the platform and an opposite rest position facing away from the platform and having a hinging end and an opposite end having a connection for a device holding work tools, a selector unit being interposed between the hinging end and the column, for selecting an orientation of the operating arm in its work position.

Claims

1. A tire changing machine (1) comprising: a base (2) inside which a control pedal system (P) is fitted; a platform (3) rotatably supported on said base (2) and defining a work surface (4) on which wheels (5) of vehicles are fixed; a column (6) elevating from said base (2); and a working arm (10) hinged to an upper zone (7) of said column (6) by a hinge system and angularly turnable in a turn plane transversal to said column (6), between a work position facing said platform (3) and an opposing resting position turned away from said platform (3), said working arm having a hinging end (9) and an opposing end (11) equipped with a lock member (14) for locking a holding device of working tools (15), wherein, between said hinging end (9) and said column (6) a selection group (16) of an angular orientation of said work arm (10) in said work position is interposed.

2. The tire changing machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein said hinge comprises a flange (8) fixingly associated to said column (6) and a pin (A) hinge supported to said flange, perpendicular to said work surface and transversally engaged in said hinging end (9).

3. The tire changing machine as claimed in claim 2, wherein said selection group comprises: a contact element (17) defining a perimeter shaped profile (18) configured to be turned into selectable positions so as to define selectable contact points on said shaped profile (18); and a fixed stop element (19) against said selectable contact points, configured to stop an angular orientation of said work arm (10) with respect of said column (6) in a work position corresponding to one selected contact point.

4. The tire changing machine as claimed in claim 3, wherein said contact element (17) is rotatably associated with said flange (8) and said stop element is associated with said hinging end (9), or vice-versa, so as to reciprocally engage each other when in contact.

5. The tire changing machine as claimed in claim 3, wherein said contact element comprises: a plate (17) peripherally defining a cam-profile (18) and rotatably mounted on said flange (8), parallel to said turn plane, around a rotation axis among angularly selected positions; and a rotation acting handle (20) of said plate (17) rotatably coupled to said plate.

6. The tire changing machine as claimed in claim 5, wherein, between said contact element (17) and said flange (8), removable blocking elements (22, 23) of said contact element (17) in said angularly selected positions are interposed.

7. The tire changing machine as claimed in claim 6, wherein said removable blocking elements comprise a plurality of holes (22) obtained in said plate (17) and a pin (23) movably mounted on said flange (8) between an engaged position in a selected hole among said plurality of holes and a disengaged position out from said selected hole.

8. The tire changing machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein said turn plane and work surface are reciprocally parallel.

9. The tire changing machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein said pedal system (P) is positioned on a side (2c) of said base (2) opposing said rest position.

10. The tire changing machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein a pressing member (30) configured to press on beads of a tire of vehicle wheels is associated to said working arm (10).

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will be more apparent from the detailed description of a preferred, non-exclusive embodiment of a tire changing machine, which is shown as non-limiting example in the annexed drawings, in which:

[0020] FIG. 1 is a lateral schematic broken-away view of a tire changing machine equipped with selector means for selecting an orientation of the operating arm;

[0021] FIG. 2 is a top view of the tire changing machine of FIG. 1;

[0022] FIG. 3 is an enlarged detail view of a selector unit for selecting an orientation of the operating arm, in a first selected work position;

[0023] FIG. 4 is an enlarged detail view of a selector unit for selecting an orientation of the operating arm, in a second selected work position;

[0024] FIG. 5 is a broken-away detailed view of a detail of a selector unit mounted to the tire demounting machine of FIG. 1;

[0025] FIG. 6 is a bottom broken-away detailed view of the selector unit of FIG. 5;

[0026] FIG. 7 is a lateral view of an tire changing machine of the invention;

[0027] FIG. 8 is a top view of a tire changing machine in a more complete version, with an auxiliary bead pressing device;

[0028] FIG. 9 is a partial perspective view of the tire changing machine of FIG. 8.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0029] Referring to the above mentioned figures, numeral 1 generally designates a tire changing machine, which comprises a base 2 having a platform 3 supported thereon, which defines a plane 4 for vehicle wheels 5 to be laid and secured thereon for demounting and mounting of tires from and to their respective rims. A substantially vertical column 6 rises from the rear of the base 2, referenced 2A, and has a C-shaped flange at its top, with the proximal end 9 of an operating arm hinged between the C wings, the arm supporting, at the opposite end 11, a vertical sleeve 12 that slidably receives a rod 13 therein, the latter having at its bottom end a connection 1 for a set of interchangeable work tools 15. The proximal end 9 is hinged to the flange 8 with a vertical hinge axis A, such that the operating arm 10 can rotate in cantilevered fashion in the direction of arrows W in a rotation plane parallel to the plane 4, from a work position in which it is rotated toward the platform 3 to a rest position in which it is rotated away from the platform 3, and vice versa. A selector unit 16 for selecting an orientation of the operating arm 10 in a work position is mounted on the flange 8. The selector unit 16 comprises a contact element 17 which peripherally defines an eccentric contact profile, typically a plate with a cam-shaped perimeter 18, which is designed to be rotated to positions that can be selected by defining selectable contact points. The contact element 17 is mounted to the flange 8 to be able to rotate stepwise relative to the latter. The selector unit 16 further comprises a stationary stop element, typically a peg 19, which is mounted with a perpendicular orientation to the end 9 of the operating arm 10 to project therefrom upwards until it contacts the cam profile 18 and abut the latter in a selected contact point, as better explained hereinafter. In order to set a selected contact point, a knob 20 is mounted to the top face of the contact element 17, to be rotatably joined with the contact element 17, and has reference values, e.g. degrees, marked thereon, e.g. on corresponding peripheral faces 21 of the knob 20, as shown in greater detail in FIGS. 5 and 6.

[0030] A plurality of holes 22, typically blind holes, are formed in the bottom face of the contact element 17, and each is vertically aligned with a corresponding face 21. The holes 22 are designed to engagingly receive a peg 23 that projects upwards from the top wing of the flange 8 and is designed to slide axially to be removed from or introduced into one of the holes 22 by means of an actuating knob 24. When the peg 23 fits in one of the holes 22, the rotation of the contact element 17 is prevented, and when the peg 23 is pulled out of the holes 22 it is allowed. Referring now to FIG. 7, it can be noted that the base 2 that substantially has the shape of a parallelepiped defines, in addition to the rear side 2A, an opposite front side 2B and two lateral sides 2C. All the pedals P for controlling the operating functions of the tire changing machine 1 are located on one of these lateral sides 2C, namely the left lateral side with respect to the front side 2B, such that when the tire repairer works in this lateral position, he/she has the column 6 on his/her left. Referring now to FIGS. 8 and 9 it can be noted that, in a more complete version of the tire changing machine 1, the operating arm 10 has been equipped with an auxiliary presser device, generally referenced 30, which is designed to press the beads of tires. The auxiliary presser device, hereinafter briefly referred as presser 30, comprises an arm segment 31, having one end hinged to the operating arm 10 by means of a support bracket 32 fixed thereto and adapted to pivot in cantilevered fashion relative to the operating arm 10 about the axis of rotation Z. The opposite end of the arm segment 31 supports an actuating cylinder 33 in a vertically perpendicular orientation, which has a sliding stem with a connection 34 at its bottom end, for a presser disk 35, which is designed, during actuation of the actuating cylinder 33, to press the bead of a tire to push it toward the central channel of the rim on which it is mounted. As shown in the figures, the connection 34 is oblique relative to the actuating cylinder 33, whereby the presser disk 35 only opposes an outer arc 36 of its peripheral edge to the bead of a tire, namely an outer arc 36 that faces the platform 3.

[0031] An adjustment screw 38 is provided between the arm segment 31 and the support bracket 32, for adjusting the limit stop of the angular rotation of the arm segment 31, thereby forming an abutment for aligning the latter, according to the diameters of the rims 5.

[0032] The operation is as follows: when a tire repairer has to demount a tire from a wheel 5, he/she lays it on the platform 3 and secures it in the lying position. Now, the tire repairer stands before the lateral side 2C and the operating arm 10 is rotated in a rest position on the opposite side, i.e. is displaced from the platform 3 to afford unimpeded handling of the wheel 5 by the tire repairer for laying and securing it. Then, with prior knowledge of the diameter of the wheel 5, the tire repairer acts upon the knob 24 to disengage the peg 23 from one of the holes 22 in which it was previously engaged, thereby releasing the rotation off the contact element 17. Now the tire repairer grasps the knob 20 and turns it relative to the peg 23, through an angle indicated on one of the faces 21 and corresponding to the value of the diameter of the wheel 5. Thus, the cam profile 17 also rotates with the knob 20 and comes to a position of contact with the peg 19, thereby defining a selected point of contact. Then the tire repairer releases the knob 24 and the peg 23 engages again with one of the holes 22, corresponding to the value that has been selected on the knob 20. Now, the tire repairer can draw the operating arm toward him/her, by rotating it from the previous rest position to the work position toward the platform 3, until the peg 19 contacts the selected point of contact with the contact element 17 which acts as a limit stop for the rotation of the operating arm 10. In this position, the rod 12 is on the vertical of the predetermined contact point between the bead of the tire of the wheel 5 and the work tool 15, with the latter not contacting the edge of the rim. In this step, the tire repairer may also use a presser 30, when one is provided in the tire changing machine 1. While rotating the arm segment 31, the tire repairer places the presser disk 35 such that the edge arc 36 is vertically aligned with the bead of a tire, and then actuates the actuating cylinder 33 for the presser 30 to push the bead toward the central channel of the rim, thereby separating it from the outer edge thereof and providing the space required by the tire repairer to introduce the lifting lever and lift the tire beyond the rim edge, in an effortless manner. It shall be noted that the presser 30 may be also used during mounting of a tire to the rim, in which case the disk 35 may be used to push the tire bead and cause it to move past the edge of the rim and to fit into the inner channel thereof. Once the tire repairer has completed the procedures for demounting and/or mounting a tire, he/she lifts the rod 12 and the corresponding work tool 15 and rotates the operating arm 10 again into the rest position, thereby moving it away from him/her and from the platform 3. Thus, he/she will be able to remove the wheel 5 from the platform 3 and replace it with the next one for a new treatment. If the next wheel has the same diameter as the previous one, once it has been placed and secured on the platform 3, the tire repairer will rotate the operating arm 10 back to the work position, and the rotation of the operating arm 10 will stop in the same position as before, because the peg 19 abuts the profile 18 in the same point of contact. Thus, the work position of the operating arm 190 is stored for all the wheels 5 with the same characteristics, e.g. with the same diameter, and may be repetitively reached in an error-free manner. However, if the diameter of the next wheel 5 differs from that of the previous wheel, the tire repairer may operate as described above to change the angular position of the contact element 17 and hence of the cam profile 18 and define a new point of contact between the cam profile 18 and the peg 19, which is adjusted according to the new diameter of the wheel 5. In other words, the peg 19 acts as a limit stop for the angular rotation of the operating arm 10 whereas the rotation of the contact element 17 changes the angular position of the cam profile 18 and hence the selected contact point. Once the position of the contact element 17 is set, the operating arm 10 may be repeatedly moved toward the platform 3 until it reaches exactly the same work position for each wheel 5 having the same characteristics as the previous wheel.

[0033] The invention has been found to fulfill the intended objects.

[0034] The invention as conceived is susceptible to changes and variants within the inventive concept, and all the details may be replaced by other technically equivalent elements.

[0035] In its practical implementation, any material, shape and size may be used as needed, without departure from the scope as defined by the following claims.