JP4039487B2 - Pneumatic tire support and tire / wheel assembly using the support - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a support for a pneumatic tire and a tire / wheel assembly using the support, and more particularly, to improve workability when assembling a tire / wheel assembly including the support for a pneumatic tire. The present invention relates to a pneumatic tire support and a tire / wheel assembly using the support.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Many technologies have been proposed in response to market demands that enable emergency running even when a pneumatic tire punctures while the vehicle is running. Among these many proposals, a flat support is mounted on the rim inside the cavity of a rim-assembled pneumatic tire, and the flat tire is supported by the support to enable run-flat running. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).
[0003]
The support for a pneumatic tire is composed of a plurality of segments. With one bead portion of the pneumatic tire assembled to a rim, the plurality of segments are inserted into the tire from the gap between the bead portion on the other side and the rim. After the insertion, each segment is fixed to the rim by a fastening ring, and there is an advantage that an existing wheel that is commercially available can be used without using a split type special wheel.
[0004]
[Patent Document 1]
JP 2001-239814 A (page 1-4, FIG. 1-7)
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, the work of inserting a plurality of segments into the tire from the gap between the bead portion and the rim in this way and attaching the fastening ring in a state where the operator puts his hands in the tire and the segments are arranged in an annular shape, This is an extremely difficult operation, and there is a problem that workability when assembling a tire / wheel assembly including a support for a pneumatic tire using an existing wheel is extremely poor.
[0006]
An object of the present invention is to provide a pneumatic tire support and its support capable of improving workability when assembling a tire / wheel assembly having a pneumatic tire support using an existing wheel. It is an object to provide a tire / wheel assembly using the tire.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
A pneumatic tire support body of the present invention that achieves the above object is a pneumatic tire support body mounted on a rim of a wheel, and includes an outer peripheral support portion having a support surface that supports the tire inner surface during run-flat running. Between the left and right leg portions of the annular body provided with left and right leg portions that are bifurcated on the inner peripheral side, an annular hermetic chamber portion in which a stretchable elastic layer is disposed on the inner peripheral side is formed, The air is allowed to flow into the sealed chamber via a one-way valve, and the stretchable layer is expanded to the inner peripheral side by the air flowing into the sealed chamber so as to be capable of being pressed against the rim.
[0008]
A tire / wheel assembly according to the present invention is a tire / wheel assembly in which a pneumatic tire support body that supports the inner surface of a tire during run-flat travel is disposed in a hollow portion of a pneumatic tire mounted on a wheel rim. The support body is provided between left and right leg portions of an annular body provided with left and right leg portions that are bifurcated on the inner peripheral side of an outer peripheral support portion that has a support surface that supports the tire inner surface on the outer peripheral side. An annular sealed chamber portion in which a stretchable stretchable layer is disposed on the inner peripheral side is formed, and air is allowed to flow into the sealed chamber portion via a one-way valve. The support layer is attached to the rim by the stretchable layer expanding to the inner peripheral side being pressed against the rim.
[0009]
According to the present invention described above, the pneumatic tire support can be attached to the rim by expanding the stretchable layer to the inner peripheral side by the air flowing into the sealed chamber and press-contacting the rim. It becomes possible to easily attach the support body to the rim of the existing wheel by using air filled in the pneumatic tire. Therefore, the workability of assembling the tire / wheel assembly including the pneumatic tire support using the existing wheel can be improved.
[0010]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, the configuration of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0011]
FIG. 1 shows an example of a support for a pneumatic tire according to the present invention. FIG. 2 shows an example of a tire / wheel assembly equipped with this support. 1 is a pneumatic tire, 2 is a pneumatic tire 1 assembled to a rim 3. The wheel 4 is a support for a pneumatic tire that is disposed in the cavity 1 a of the pneumatic tire 1 and is attached to the rim 3.
[0012]
The support 4 includes an annular outer peripheral support 6 having a support surface 5 on the outer peripheral side for supporting the tire inner surface 1b during run-flat travel, and left and right legs that are bifurcated on both sides toward the inner peripheral side. An annular body 8 having a U-shaped cross section composed of a portion 7 is provided.
[0013]
The outer peripheral support portion 6 is formed of a flexible member in which a plurality of reinforcing layers 6a in which reinforcing cords arranged in an inclined manner with respect to the circumferential direction of the annular body 8 are crossed by adjacent layers are embedded in an elastic body layer 6b such as rubber. It is. By supporting the tire inner surface 1b at the time of run-flat running with the outer peripheral support portion 6 made of such a flexible member, it is possible to stably run for a long distance while avoiding damage to the tire.
[0014]
The left and right legs 7 are composed of a rigid ring 7X made of a rigid material such as metal or hard resin, and a covering layer 7Y covering the rigid ring 7X. The right leg 7A is located on the inner peripheral side from the left side. It extends long and corresponds to the shape of the rim 3 shown in the figure.
[0015]
On the outer surface of the rigid ring 7X of the right leg portion 7A facing the well portion 3a of the rim 3, an annular protrusion 9 that can come into contact with the bead portion 1B of the pneumatic tire 1 during the run-flat running shown in FIG. Are provided integrally. The protrusion 9 separates the leg 7A from the side wall 3a 'of the well 3a to which the air injection valve V is attached, so that the valve V is not blocked when air is injected.
[0016]
Examples of the metal of the rigid material that constitutes the rigid ring 7X and the protrusion 9 include steel and aluminum. Further, the resin may be either a thermoplastic resin or a thermosetting resin. Examples of the thermoplastic resin include nylon and polyester, and examples of the thermosetting resin include an epoxy resin and an unsaturated polyester resin. The resin may be used alone, or may be used as a fiber reinforced resin by blending reinforcing fibers.
[0017]
The covering layer 7Y is made of the same material as the elastic material that constitutes the outer periphery support portion 6, and annular cushion portions 10 having a large thickness are disposed on the inner peripheral ends 7X ′ of the left and right rigid rings 7X, respectively. The cushion portion 10 is brought into contact with the rim 3 during traveling.
[0018]
The distance from the center of the annular support 4 to the inner peripheral end 7m of the leg portion 7A (the inner peripheral end of the right cushion portion 10) is larger than the radius of the outer peripheral end 3A1 of the flange 3A of the rim 3, so The leg 7 can be positioned radially outward from the flange 3A of the rim 3 in a state of being inserted into the cavity 1a of the entering tire 1 (see FIG. 3).
[0019]
A stretchable elastic layer 11 is hermetically fixed to the inner peripheral side of the inner side surface 7 a of the left and right legs 7, and is an annular seal surrounded by the outer peripheral support 6, the left and right legs 7, and the elastic layer 11. A chamber 12 is formed. The stretchable layer 11 is made of a stretchable material such as non-permeable rubber. The stretchable layer 11 may be a fiber-reinforced stretchable layer in which short fibers made of organic fibers or inorganic fibers are embedded in order to ensure high strength.
[0020]
A plurality of one-way valves 13 capable of flowing air into the sealed chamber portion 12 are attached to the left and right legs 7 at predetermined intervals along the circumferential direction. Each one-way valve 13 has a through-hole 13a formed in the leg portion 7 and communicating with the sealed chamber portion 12, and a plate-like rubber valve body 13b that closes the through-hole 13a, and a part of the rubber valve body 13b. 4 (a) to 4 (d), the inner surface 7a of the leg 7 is fixed so as to cover the through hole 13a.
[0021]
FIG. 4 (a) secures both ends x, y of the rubber valve body 13b formed in a circle to the inner surface 7a, and FIG. 4 (b) fixes only one end x to the inner surface 7a. FIG. 4 (c) shows that both end portions x and y of the rubber valve body 13b formed in a square shape are fixed to the inner side surface 7a, and FIG. 4 (d) shows that only one end portion x is fixed to the inner side surface 7a. It is a thing.
[0022]
When air is filled into the hollow portion 1a of the pneumatic tire 1, the air flows into the sealed chamber portion 12 through a gap between the portion that does not press the rubber valve body 13b and adheres to the inside surface 7a. When the pressure in the sealed chamber 12 becomes higher than that of the cavity 1a, the rubber valve body 13b is pressed against the inner side surface 7a to seal the through hole 13a.
[0023]
The support layer 4 is mounted and fixed to the rim 3 by the expansion and contraction layer 11 expanding to the inner peripheral side by the air flowing into the sealed chamber portion 12 from the one-way valve 13 and being pressed against the rim 3.
[0024]
In the tire / wheel assembly shown in FIG. 2 using the pneumatic tire support 4 described above, after the support 4 is press-fitted into the cavity 1a of the pneumatic tire 1, the pneumatic tire 1 is used in the same manner as in the prior art. Is assembled to the rim 3. The distance to the inner peripheral end 7m of the leg portion 7A is larger than the radius of the outer peripheral end 3A1 of the flange 3A of the rim 3, and the support 4 is inserted into the hollow portion 1a of the pneumatic tire 1 as shown in FIG. Thus, since the leg portion 7 can be positioned radially outside the flange 3A of the rim 3, the pneumatic tire 1 can be easily assembled to the rim without the support 4 interfering with the flange 3A.
[0025]
Air is filled from the valve V into the cavity 1 a of the pneumatic tire 1 assembled with the rim. Thereby, air also flows into the sealed chamber portion 12 via the one-way valve 13, and the cavity portion 1a and the sealed chamber portion 12 have the same pressure. After the air exceeding the predetermined pressure to be used is filled, the air is discharged from the valve V until the pressure in the cavity 1a of the pneumatic tire 1 becomes the predetermined pressure to be used.
[0026]
As a result, the inside of the sealed chamber 12 is maintained at a pressure exceeding a predetermined pressure, while the pressure in the cavity 1a becomes a lower working pressure, and the elastic layer 11 expands to the inner peripheral side due to the pressure difference. , Press against the rim 3. Thus, a tire / wheel assembly in which the support core 4 shown in FIG. 2 is mounted and fixed to the rim 3 is obtained.
[0027]
As shown in FIG. 5, in the tire / wheel assembly A, the stretchable layer 11 corresponding to the tread portion 1T of the pneumatic tire 1 that contacts the road surface 20 during run-flat travel is pushed back to the outer peripheral side, While the cushion portion 10 of the leg portion 7 is in contact with the rim 3, the outer surface of the left leg portion 7 is in contact with the left bead portion 1B, and the protrusion 9 is in contact with the right bead portion 1B. To prevent it from coming off.
[0028]
According to the present invention described above, since the stretchable layer 11 is inflated to the inner peripheral side by the air flowing into the sealed chamber 12 and pressed against the rim 3, the air filled in the pneumatic tire 1 is used. Thus, the support 4 can be easily attached to the rim 3 of the existing wheel 2. Therefore, it is possible to improve workability when assembling a tire / wheel assembly including the pneumatic tire support 4 using an existing wheel.
[0029]
The pneumatic tire support 4 described above can have various shapes depending on the shape of the rim 3 to be used, and for example, can also be as shown in FIGS.
[0030]
The pneumatic tire support 4A shown in FIG. 6 is configured such that the protrusion 9 is not provided in the pneumatic tire support 4 described above. It can be preferably used when the side wall 3a ′ of the well 3a of the rim 3 of FIG. 2 extends in a direction perpendicular to the wheel rotation axis. The left and right leg portions 7 are bifurcated at intervals such that the outer surface of the leg portion 7 is in contact with the bead portion 1B during run-flat running.
[0031]
The pneumatic tire support 4B shown in FIG. 7 is the same as the support 4A of FIG. 6 except that the lengths of the left and right legs 7 are the same and symmetrical, and the pneumatic tire support of FIG. 4C has a configuration in which the inner peripheral side portions of the left and right legs 7 are expanded in a C shape in the support 4B of FIG. Thus, the support bodies 4B and 4C in which the lengths of the left and right leg portions 7 are the same and made symmetrical are preferably used in the wheel 2A having a symmetrical rim shape as shown in FIG.
[0032]
FIG. 10 shows still another pneumatic tire support 4D. In the support 4B of FIG. 7, the thickness of the stretchable layer 11 is thin at the center in the width direction of the support and thickened at both sides thereof. It is what. By adopting such a structure, it is possible to increase the thickness of the left and right support wall portions 11a formed when the stretchable layer 11 is extended and pressed against the rim, so that the stretchable layer 11 expanded in a U-shape. The shape can be easily maintained.
[0033]
In the present invention, the entire annular body 8 can be integrally formed of a rigid material. In that case, it is preferable to arrange an elastic support layer made of an elastic material such as rubber on the outer peripheral surface of the outer peripheral support portion.
[0034]
In the above-described embodiment, the stretchable layer 11 is hermetically fixed to the inner peripheral side of the left and right leg portions 7, but is not limited thereto, and is not limited to this. Any configuration may be used as long as it is configured to be expandable toward the circumferential side.
[0035]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, the present invention allows the pneumatic tire support to be attached to the rim by inflating the stretchable layer to the inner peripheral side by the air flowing into the sealed chamber and press-contacting the rim. The work of assembling the tire / wheel assembly including the tire support body using the existing wheel becomes easy, and the workability can be improved.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 shows an example of a pneumatic tire support according to the present invention, in which (a) is a half sectional view and (b) is a partial perspective view.
2 is a half sectional view of a tire / wheel assembly equipped with the support of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 shows a support body, a pneumatic tire, and a wheel before mounting a rim in order to make it easy to understand that the legs of the support body can be positioned radially outside the rim flange in the cavity of the rim-assembled pneumatic tire. It is a half-sectional view shown in a concentric position.
FIGS. 4A to 4D are explanatory views showing examples of one-way valves using rubber valve bodies, respectively.
FIGS. 5A and 5B show a tire / wheel assembly during run-flat travel, where FIG. 5A is a half sectional view, and FIG.
FIG. 6 is a half sectional view showing another example of the support for a pneumatic tire of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a half sectional view showing still another example of the support for a pneumatic tire of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a half sectional view showing still another example of the support for a pneumatic tire of the present invention.
9 is a cross-sectional view of an essential part showing an example of a wheel to which the support body of FIGS. 7 and 8 is attached.
FIG. 10 is a half sectional view showing still another example of the support for a pneumatic tire of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Pneumatic tire 1B Bead part 1a Cavity part 1b Tire inner surface 2 Wheel 3 Rim 4, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D Pneumatic tire support body 5 Support surface 6 Outer periphery support part 7 Leg part 7X Rigid body ring 8 Ring body 9 Protrusion Part 11 Stretchable layer 12 Sealed chamber part 13 One-way valve 13a Through hole 13b Rubber valve body

Claims (16)

Left and right legs that are bifurcated on the inner circumference side of the outer circumference support part that is a pneumatic tire support body that is attached to the rim of the wheel and that has a support surface that supports the tire inner surface during run-flat running An annular hermetic chamber in which a stretchable elastic layer is disposed on the inner peripheral side between the left and right leg portions of the annular body, allowing air to flow into the hermetic chamber via a one-way valve; A pneumatic tire support body in which the stretchable layer is inflated to the inner peripheral side by air flowing into the hermetic chamber and can be pressed against the rim. The support for a pneumatic tire according to claim 1, wherein the stretchable layer is hermetically fixed to the inner peripheral side of the left and right legs. The support for a pneumatic tire according to claim 2, wherein the one-way valve is attached to the leg portion. The one-way valve has a through hole formed in the leg portion and communicated with the sealed chamber portion, and a rubber valve body closing the through hole, and a part of the rubber valve body is formed on the inner surface of the leg portion. The support for a pneumatic tire according to claim 3, which is attached so as to cover the tire. The support for a pneumatic tire according to claim 1, 2, 3, or 4, wherein a protrusion that can contact a bead portion of the pneumatic tire during run-flat traveling is provided on an outer surface of the leg portion. The pneumatic tire support according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the left and right leg portions are formed of rigid rings, and the outer peripheral support portion is formed of a flexible member. The support for a pneumatic tire according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the stretchable layer is a fiber-reinforced stretchable layer in which fibers are embedded. The support for a pneumatic tire according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the thickness of the stretchable layer is thin on the center side in the support width direction and thick on both sides. A tire / wheel assembly in which a pneumatic tire support that supports a tire inner surface during run-flat traveling is disposed in a hollow portion of a pneumatic tire mounted on a wheel rim, wherein the support is disposed on the tire inner surface. A stretchable elastic layer is provided between the left and right legs of the annular body provided with left and right legs that are bifurcated on the inner circumference of the outer circumference support having a support surface on the outer circumference side. The stretchable layer is formed by forming an annular hermetic chamber portion disposed in the airtight chamber portion, allowing air to flow into the hermetic chamber portion via a one-way valve, and expanding to the inner peripheral side by the air flowing into the hermetic chamber portion. Is a tire / wheel assembly in which the support is mounted on the rim by being pressed against the rim. The tire / wheel assembly according to claim 9, wherein the stretchable layer is hermetically fixed to the inner peripheral side of the left and right legs. 11. The tire / wheel assembly according to claim 10, wherein the one-way valve is attached to the leg. The one-way valve has a through hole formed in the leg portion and communicated with the sealed chamber portion, and a rubber valve body closing the through hole, and a part of the rubber valve body is formed on the inner surface of the leg portion. The tire / wheel assembly according to claim 11 attached so as to cover the tire. The tire / wheel assembly according to claim 9, 10, 11 or 12, wherein a projection that can contact a bead portion of a pneumatic tire during run-flat running is provided on an outer surface of the leg portion. The tire / wheel assembly according to any one of claims 9 to 13, wherein the left and right leg portions are constituted by rigid rings, and the outer peripheral support portion is constituted by a flexible member. The tire / wheel assembly according to any one of claims 9 to 14, wherein the stretchable layer is a fiber-reinforced stretchable layer in which fibers are embedded. The tire / wheel assembly according to any one of claims 9 to 14, wherein the thickness of the stretchable layer is thin on the center side in the width direction of the support and thick on both sides thereof.

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