JPS5813363B2 - Wheel - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention supports a vehicle in place of the air pressure in the tire when the air enclosed in the tire is lost due to a tire puncture, etc., so that the vehicle can run safely and easily without any hindrance. It is about wheels that can be moved.

In general, when a tire loses its filled air due to a puncture or other reason while the vehicle is running, it is extremely dangerous and virtually difficult to replace the punctured tire on expressways or congested roads. It would be very convenient if the vehicle could be driven safely and easily to the nearest repair shop even on roads where tires can be replaced, since drivers would not have to change tires, which is troublesome and time-consuming.

Therefore, even if a tire becomes flat, there is a desire to develop a safety tire that can be used to safely drive the vehicle to a repair shop, etc., with as little damage to the tire as possible. Various wheels have been proposed in which a flat protector is built into the tire to support the vehicle in place of the air pressure in the tire in the event of a puncture, allowing the vehicle to run safely. It is desirable that the tire has enough rigidity to support the vehicle in place of the air pressure inside the tire when the tire is punctured, and also has elasticity that can absorb the impact from the tire and buffer the impact applied to the vehicle body.

However, if the flat protector is provided with such a buffering property, if the air inside the tire gradually leaks due to a puncture, the driver of the vehicle will not be aware of this even though the tire is supported by the flat protector. There is a risk that if the vehicle continues to drive at high speed for a long period of time, excessive friction between the tires and the flat protector may cause damage to these parts.

Therefore, in the above situation, it is necessary to give some kind of warning signal to the driver to prompt him to replace the flat tire as soon as possible.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a simple and safe tubeless wheel that can meet all of the above requirements.

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 shows a part of the wheel of the present invention longitudinally, and this wheel is a tubeless tire (hereinafter simply referred to as tire) with T1 split. The rim R1 is composed of a flat protector Fp and a bead stopper Bs.

Below, these configurations will be explained in order.

First, the tire T has a conventionally known structure and is formed symmetrically, with sidewall portions 2, 2 extending integrally on the left and right sides of a tread portion 1, and furthermore, these sidewall portions 2, It is constructed by integrally extending bead portions 3, 3 whose thickness is gradually increased from 2, and a bead wire 4 is embedded in each of the bead portions 3, 3.

Next, the structure of the split rim R will be explained. This is made by joining an outboard rim 5 and an inboard rim 6, and connecting the outboard rims 5 and inboard rims 5 and 6 together with a plurality of connecting bolts 7. The outboard rim 5 has a rim main body having a narrow rim base 9, and a rim flange 10 for holding the bead portion 3 of the tire T extending integrally at the outer end thereof. The board rim 6 is constructed by integrally extending a rim flange 12 for holding the bead portion 3 of the tire T on the outer end of a rim main body having a wide rim base 11. , 6 cooperate to form a flat cylindrical support surface of the split rim R that supports the inner peripheral surfaces of a flat protector Fp and bead stopper Bs, which will be described later.

Further, an O-ring 13 is interposed between the joint surfaces of the out and inboard rims 5 and 6 at the outer ends of the connecting bolt 7.

Next, the structure of the flat protector Fp will be explained. It is formed into an annular shape as a whole so that it can be inserted into the tire T over its entire circumference, and it has a suitable shape so that it can fully perform its function. It is formed into a special cross-sectional shape to maintain rigidity, and is made of an elastic material such as synthetic rubber, natural rubber, or synthetic resin material to maintain appropriate elasticity.

Next, the cross-sectional shape will be explained in detail. It is formed symmetrically, and includes a pair of annular side walls 14 and 15 facing each other with a gap between them, and the side walls 14 and 1.
5 and a similarly annular bridge wall portion 16 which bridges and connects a portion slightly inward from the outer circumferential surface of 5, and the overall cross-sectional shape is approximately H-shaped with an annular groove 17 on the central outer circumferential surface. ing.

A plurality of air holes 1 are provided in the center of the bridge wall portion 16 in the circumferential direction.
8 are bored, and the inside and outside of the flat protector Fp are communicated through these air holes 18.

An annular reinforcing strip 19 made of one or more non-stretchable materials such as steel wire is buried in the outer periphery of each of the side wall portions 14 and 15 of the flat protector Fp. An annular reinforcing strip 20 made of a non-stretchable material such as a plurality of steel wires sandwiching the air hole 18
are embedded therein, and the reinforcing strips 19 and 20 can increase the rigidity of the flat protector Fp formed of an elastic body.

A bead support surface 21 is formed at the base end of the outer surface of the side wall portion 14.15 of the flat protector Fp, and is curved concavely so as to be able to abut the inner surface of the bead portions 3, 3 of the tire T. A substantially flat stopper bearing surface 22 that can come into contact with the outer surface of a bead stopper Bs, which will be described in detail later, is formed at the inner base end of the portions 14 and 15. An annular projecting piece 23 is provided to prevent the bead stopper Bs from moving outward in the circumferential direction.

Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, puncture sensing linear portions 8a, 8a are formed at the same phase locations on the outer peripheral surfaces of both side wall portions 14, 15 of the flat protector Fp, and these linear portions 8a, 8a are formed on each side wall. It is located between the outer circumferential circle Cf of the portions 14 and 15 and the bottom surface of the groove 17, and is parallel to the tangent to the outer circumferential circle Cf.

Furthermore, a pair of puncture sensing protrusions 8b projecting outside the outer circumferential circle Cf are provided at both ends of each puncture sensing linear portion 8a, 8a.
They are arranged symmetrically.

However, the function of the puncture sensing protrusion 8b is
It is sufficient to provide a flat protector at one end of each flat protector Fp normal rotation direction A side of each puncture sensing linear section 8a, but if a pair of flat protectors are provided at both ends of each linear section 8a as described above, for example, when the left and right wheels of the vehicle are replaced, the flat protector can be removed. This is convenient because no problem occurs even if the normal rotation direction A of Fp is reversed.

Next, the structure of the bead stopper Bs will be explained. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the bead stopper Bs is constructed in a ring shape by pivotally connecting a plurality of stopper units U, and each stopper unit The body U surrounds the periphery of a rectangular plate member 24 curved in an arc shape with vertical edge pieces 25, 25 and horizontal edge pieces 26, 26, and further includes a plate member 24,
A pair of ears 29, 29 are provided at one longitudinal end of the main body 28, which is configured to have sufficient rigidity by reinforcing the vertical edge pieces 25, 25 and the horizontal edge pieces 26, 26 with lattice-like rib pieces 27.
protruding parallel to each other with a spacing therebetween, and a pair of ears 30, 30 at the other end protruding parallel to each other with a spacing slightly wider than the ears 29, 29; A connecting pin 31 is provided protruding from one pair of ears 29, 29, and a pin hole 32 into which the connecting pin 31 can be inserted is bored in the other pair of ears 30, 30. There is.

Then, the pair of ears 29, 29 of one of the two stopper units u, U to be connected to each other is inserted into the pin holes 32, 32, and the two stopper units u, u are connected to the connecting pin 31.3.
They can be connected so that they can be freely bent in one direction.

By the above procedure, a plurality of stopper units u, u...
By sequentially connecting them, an annular bead stopper Bs is formed.

The bead stopper Bs is made of nylon resin, aluminum alloy, steel, or the like.

The flat protector Fp and bead stopper Bs configured as described above are installed into the tire T as follows. First, the flat protector Fp is installed into the tire T from the opening on the inner peripheral surface of the tire T. the bead portion 3 of the tire
, 3 comes into contact with the inner surface.

Since the flat protector Fp is made of an elastic body and has an open inner peripheral surface, it can be easily incorporated into the tire T by deforming the flat protector Fp.

Next, the bead stopper Bs assembled as described above is inserted into the tire T through the opening on the inner peripheral surface thereof, and its both sides are connected to the stopper support surface 22 of the flat protector Fp,
22.

When assembling the bead stopper Bs into the tire T, each stopper unit U constituting it can freely bend outward and inward in the radial direction around the connecting pin 31, so the bead stopper Bs can be easily inserted into the tire T. Can be incorporated.

After the flat protector Fp and bead stopper Bs are assembled into the tire T, the aforementioned split rim R consisting of the outboard rim 5 and the inboard rim 6 is assembled from both sides of the tire T, and then the split rim R consisting of the outboard rim 5 and the inboard rim 6 is assembled from both sides of the tire T, and then they are connected by a plurality of connecting bolts 7. When connected, the rim bases 9, 11 of the out and inboard rims 5, 6 fit the inner peripheral surfaces of the flat protector Fp and the bead stopper Bs, and the left and right bead portions 3, 3 of the tire T fit on both sides of the bead stopper Bs. It is strongly clamped by the surface and the rim flange 10.12 of the split rim R via the side wall portion 14.15 of the flat protector Fp,
The space between the tire T and the split rim R is kept airtight.

A lubricant is sealed in the air chamber surrounded by the tire T and the split rim R, and when the tread portion 1 of the tire T comes into contact with the outer circumferential surface of the flat protector Fp in the event of a puncture of the tire T, the friction that occurs between them. It is intended to reduce resistance and prevent their damage and heat generation.

Therefore, when the air chamber of the tire T is filled with air at a predetermined pressure and the wheel is in a normal inflated state, the vehicle is supported by the air pressure inside the tire T, as shown by the solid line in Figure 1. , due to a tire T puncture accident, etc., the tire T
When the air sealed inside the tire T is lost, the tire T collapses and the tread part 1 becomes flat and comes into contact with the upper surface of the flat protector Fp, as shown by the chain line in FIG. Flat protector Fp instead of air pressure
will be supported, especially the flat protector Fp
has the above-mentioned configuration, so that the load on the tire T can be transferred to the pair of side walls 1 without being interfered with by the bridge wall 16.
4.15 can be distributed and supported approximately evenly, on the other hand,
The bridge wall portion 16 provides rigidity to both side wall portions 14 and 15, thereby preventing them from collapsing.

Therefore, the vehicle can be safely driven to, for example, the nearest repair shop.

Furthermore, during driving when such a failure occurs, each time the flat protector Fp rotates and the puncture sensing linear portion 8a8a comes to a position facing the road surface, the amount by which the linear portions 8a, 8a are displaced inward of the outer circumferential circle Cf is measured. The car body sinks by a certain amount, and the shock serves as a puncture warning signal to the operator.In particular, the straight sections 8a and 8a have a wide ground contact area via the tires T, and therefore the surface pressure is low, so there is little compressive deformation due to the load, and the car body sinks. As a result, it is possible to reliably apply a sinking shock to the vehicle body.

In this way, even when the puncture sensing straight parts 8a, 8a touch the ground via the tire T, the surfaces of the straight parts 8a8a are located outside the bottom surface of the groove 17, so that the groove 1
7 is never grounded, and therefore both side walls 1
The load distribution support function as described above in 4.15 is still performed.

Furthermore, a puncture sensing protrusion 8b is provided in succession on the side wall of the flat protector Fp in the normal rotation direction A of each puncture sensing linear portion 8a.
According to the above, when it rolls on the road surface via the tires T, it can push up the car body, so when the car body sinks as described above, the head difference increases, causing a sinking shock to the car body. can be given even more reliably,
In this way, early replacement of the flat tire T is encouraged.

As described above, according to the present invention, the center of the outer circumferential surface is formed by a pair of side walls facing each other with an interval and a bridging wall section integrally connecting the sides slightly inward from the outer circumferential surfaces of these side walls. Since the flat protector is constituted by an elastic annular body having an approximately H-shaped cross section and having an annular groove in its part, this flat protector can be easily inserted into a predetermined position within the tire by appropriately deforming it. Of course, in the event of a tire blowout, the two side walls always work together to distribute and support the external force applied to the tire, and the rigidity of these walls is reinforced by the bridge wall. This enables the vehicle to be driven safely without damaging the tires or significantly impeding ride comfort.

In addition, a flat protector has a flat protector with a flat protector's outer circumferential surface, which has a flat protector with a flat protector's straight line that is within its outer circle and undergoes little compressive deformation due to load. It is possible to reliably apply a sinking shock to the tire, and even if the air inside the tire gradually leaks out in the event of a puncture, it is possible to prevent the driver from continuing to drive the vehicle for a long time without noticing the situation.

According to the second aspect of the invention, a puncture sensing protrusion that projects outside the outer circumference of the flat protector is connected to the end portion of the flat protector normal rotation direction side of the flat protector linear portion.
By increasing the amount of subsidence of the vehicle body when the puncture sensing linear portion comes to a position facing the road surface, a subsidence shock, that is, a warning signal can be more reliably obtained.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a partial vertical sectional view of the wheel of the present invention, Fig. 2 is an overall perspective view of the bead stopper, Fig. 3 is a partially exploded perspective view thereof, Fig. 4 is an overall perspective view of the flat protector, and Fig. 5 is its entire perspective view. It is a half side view. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Tread part, 3... Bead part, 8a... Puncture sensing linear part, 8b... Puncture sensing protrusion, 14,1
5... Side wall portion, 16... Bridge wall portion, 17... Groove, T... Tubeless tire (tire), R... Split rim, Fp... Flat protector, Cf... Outer circumference of the flat protector, A: Normal rotation direction of the flat protector.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A divided rim that can be divided in the wheel axis direction, a tubeless tire mounted on the divided rim, and an air chamber surrounded by the tubeless tire and the divided rim, the inner peripheral surface of which is connected to the divided rim. a flat protector adapted to the rim base of the tubeless tire and supported on both sides by the bead portion of the tubeless tire and capable of supporting the tread portion of the tire when the air enclosed within the tubeless tire is lost; The protector consists of a pair of annular side walls that face each other with a gap between them, and an annular bridging wall that integrally bridges and connects the side walls slightly inward from the outer periphery. The flat protector is composed of an elastic annular body having a substantially H-shaped cross section and has an annular recessed groove, and has a puncture sensing straight line portion located within the outer circumferential circle and parallel to the tangent line of the outer circumferential circle on the outer circumferential surface of the flat protector. A wheel that is formed. 2. The wheel according to claim 1, wherein the surface of the puncture sensing linear portion is located outside of the groove bottom surface. 3. A split rim that can be split in the axial direction of the wheel, a tubeless tire mounted on the split rim, and an air chamber surrounded by the tubeless tire and the split rim, the inner peripheral surface of which is adapted to the rim base of the split rim, and a flat protector whose both sides are supported by the bead portion of the tubeless tire and capable of supporting the tread portion of the tire when the air enclosed in the tubeless tire is lost, and the flat protector has a gap therebetween. A pair of annular side walls facing each other, and an annular bridging wall that integrally bridges and connects the side walls slightly inward from the outer circumferential surface, form an annular groove in the center of the outer circumferential surface. The flat protector is formed into an elastic annular body with a substantially H-shaped cross section, and a puncture sensing straight line portion is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the flat protector, and is located within the outer circumferential circle and parallel to the tangent line of the outer circumferential circle. A wheel in which a puncture sensing protrusion that protrudes outside the outer circumference of the flat protector is connected to the end of the flat protector in the normal rotation direction.