JPS5813367B2 - Wheel - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a system for safely and easily driving a vehicle to a predetermined position without the need for tire replacement when the air enclosed in a tire is lost due to a tire puncture or the like. did,
It's about wheels.

In general, when a tire loses its enclosed air due to a puncture or other reason while a vehicle is in transit, it is extremely dangerous and virtually difficult to replace the punctured tire on expressways or congested roads. Even on roads where it is possible to change tires, it is time-consuming and troublesome.

Therefore, even if the air inside the tire is lost due to an accident such as a tire blowout, it is possible to safely drive the vehicle to the nearest repair shop while minimizing damage to the tire as much as possible. If possible, it would be extremely convenient not only to avoid the above-mentioned danger, but also to avoid the troublesome and time-consuming task of changing tires.

By the way, in the past, flat protectors that support the weight of the vehicle instead of the air pressure inside the tire when the air inside the tire is lost due to an accident such as a tire puncture, and bead stoppers that prevent the tire from separating from the rim have been installed inside the tire. Incorporated into
Various types of vehicles have been proposed that allow safe driving even when a tire is punctured.

By the way, the flat protector and bead stopper can not only fully perform their respective original functions, but also
(b) It is desirable that the wheel itself be lightweight so that the increase in weight of the wheel itself can be minimized, and (C) that the structure is simple and inexpensive.

The object of the present invention is to provide a wheel that satisfies all of the above objects.

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be explained with reference to Figures 1 to 3. Figure 1 shows a part of the wheel of the present invention in longitudinal section, and this wheel is a tubeless tire (hereinafter simply referred to as a tire). ) T, split rim R1 flat protector F
It consists of a bead stopper BS and a bead stopper BS.

These configurations will be explained in order below.

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, 2. It is composed of bead portions 3, 3 which are gradually made thicker and extend integrally, and a bead wire 4 is embedded in each of the bead portions 3, 3.

Next, to explain the structure of the split rim R, it joins an outboard rim 5 and an inboard rim 6, and connects 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 widthwise rim base 9, and a rim flange 10 for holding the bead portion 3 of the tire T is integrally extended on the outer end of the rim main body. The inboard 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. The rim bases 9 and 11 of 5 and 6 cooperate to form a flat cylindrical surface of the divided rim R that supports the inner peripheral surface of a 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 on the outside of the connecting bolt 7.

Next, the structure of the flat protector FP will be explained. It is composed of a pair of flat protector structures 14 and 15 separated from each other, which are inserted into the tire T facing each other over the entire circumference. It is formed into a special cross-sectional shape from an elastic material such as a rubber compound, short fiber-reinforced compound rubber, or polyurethane in order to have appropriate rigidity and elasticity so that it can fully perform its functions.

The pair of flat protector structures 14 and 15 have the same structure, are annular as a whole, and have a substantially flat surface 17 on the outer peripheral surface to easily support the tire T in the event of a puncture. A flat surface 1 is formed, and its inner peripheral surface is also a flat surface 1 so as to easily fit into the rim bases 9, 11 of the split rims.
8, and its both side surfaces are formed into inclined surfaces that gradually taper from the inner circumferential surface to the outer circumferential surface, and the overall radial cross section is formed into a vertically elongated trapezoidal shape.

In the middle part of each flat protector structure 14, 15,
Annular reinforcing strip 16 made of inelastic material such as steel wire
are buried therein, and this reinforcing strip 16 serves to increase the rigidity of the flat protector structures 14 and 15 made of elastic bodies.

Further, at the proximal end of the outer surface of each flat protector structure 14, 15, there is provided a support surface 2 of the bead portion 3 which is curved in a concave manner so as to fit well into and come into contact with the inner surface of the bead portion 3 of the tire T.
0 is formed, and a support surface 2 is formed at the base end of the inner surface thereof, which can come into contact with the outer surface of the bead stopper BS, which will be described in detail later.
1 is formed.

This bearing surface 21 is formed into a flat surface or a concave shape.

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. 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 the plate member 24, vertical edge pieces 25, 25, and horizontal edge piece 26. , 26 with lattice-like rib pieces 27 to maintain sufficient rigidity.
are provided parallel to each other with a gap between them, and at the other end, another pair of ears 30, 30 are provided in parallel with a spacing slightly wider than the ears 29, 29. A connecting pin 31 is provided protrudingly on one of the ear pieces 29, 29, and the connecting pin 31 is provided on the other ear piece 30, 30.
A pin hole 32 into which the pin hole 32 can be inserted is bored.

Then, the pair of ears 29, 29 on one side of the two stopper units u, u connected to each other are pressed in the direction toward each other, the interval between them is narrowed, and the ears 30, 29 on the other side are pressed.
, 30, and connect the connecting pins 31, 31 into the pin holes 32.
, 32, and when the pressing force is released, one of the ear pieces 29, 29 returns to its original position by its own elastic force, and the connecting pins 31, 31 fit into the pin holes 32, 32, and the two stopper units The bodies Ll and u can be connected so as to be freely bent around the connecting pins 31 and 31.

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

It is desirable that the bead stopper BS has sufficient heat resistance and rigidity to withstand the heat, compressive force, bending force, etc. that the tire T receives when it is punctured, and that it is lightweight so as not to increase rotational resistance. , for example, nylon resin containing 5% to 90% glass fiber, especially 10 to 50% glass fiber.
% range is practical in terms of the above-mentioned characteristics and moldability, and other materials such as aluminum alloy materials and steel materials can be used to satisfy the above-mentioned characteristics as much as possible.

The flat protector FP and bead stopper BS configured as described above is incorporated into the tire T as follows. The support surfaces 20, 20 of the concave beads formed at the lower part of the outer surfaces of the constituent bodies 14, 15 are inserted into the tire T through the inner circumferential opening of the tire T, and 3 Abuts on the inner surface.

The flat protector FP is composed of a pair of divided flat protector structures 14 and 15, each of which is formed into a flat annular body whose width is much narrower than the opening width of the inner peripheral surface of the tire T. Moreover, since it is made of an elastic body, it can be inserted into the tire T and assembled into a predetermined position very easily.

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 brought into contact with the stopper support surfaces 21, 21 of the flat protector structures 14, 15. , the width of each stopper unit u of the bead stopper BS is equal to the spacing between the stopper bearing surfaces 21, 21 on the inner surfaces of the flat protector structures 14, 15, or has a tightening margin. It is inserted in between.

When the bead stopper BS is assembled into the tire T, the bead stopper BS is easily inserted into the tire T because each of the stopper units U constituting it can be freely bent outward and inward in the radial direction around the connecting pin 31. can be incorporated into

As described above, a pair of flat protector structures 14
After the flat protector FP and bead stopper BS consisting of . When connected by connecting bolts 7, the flat cylindrical surfaces of the rim bases 9, 11 of the out and inboard rims 5, 6 fit into the inner shoulder surfaces of the bead stoppers BS, and the left and right beads 3, 3 is strongly held between both sides of the bead stopper BS and the rim flanges 10, 12 of the split rim R via the flat protector structures 14, 15, and the space between the tire T and the split rim R is maintained 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 top surface of the flat protector FP in the event of a puncture of the tire T, the friction that occurs between them. The lubricant has properties such as high lubricity, low heat generation and heat resistance, and also prevents the tire from swelling in a short period of time. It is desirable that it does not
For example, glycerin, silicone oil, silicone grease, etc. are used.

By the way, 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 weight of the vehicle is supported by the air pressure inside the tire T, as shown by the solid line in Figure 1. If the air enclosed in the tire T is lost due to a puncture accident or the like, the tire T will collapse and the tread portion 1 will become flat as shown by the chain line in Figure 1, forming a pair of flat protector structures. When the flat protector FP comes into contact with the top surfaces of the wheels 14 and 15, the weight of the wheels is supported by the flat protector FP instead of the air pressure in the tires, and the vehicle can be kept in a running state.

4 and 5 show other modifications of the flat protector FP.

In this modification, a plurality of recesses 33, 33, 33, 33, 33, 33, 33, 33, 33, 33, 33, 33, 33, 33, 33, etc.
..., and the radial cross section passing through this recess 33 is 1
It is formed into a mold so as not to reduce its bending rigidity and to reduce its weight.

Still, in this variant, the flat protector structure 1 4
A notch is provided on the inner surface of the bead stopper BS for biting into the side wall portion and the top end edge of the bead stopper BS to prevent the bead stopper BS from moving outward in the radial direction, and to prevent the bead stopper BS from moving outward in the radial direction. body 14, 15
This force in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 4 is received by the notch portion and the bead stop collar BS, which has a high rigidity and is engaged with this portion, to prevent deformation of the flat protector structures 14 and 15.

Further, FIGS. 6 and 7 show still another modification of the flat protector FP.

In this modified example, as in the modified example shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a plurality of recesses 33, 33, .
In addition to forming each flat protector structure 14,
15 has protrusions 34, 34 integrated in the circumferential direction at the base of the inner surface.
... are provided protrudingly, and these protrusions 34, 34... are connected to adjacent stopper units u, u of the bead stopper BS.
The flat protector components 14, 15 and the bead stopper BS can be inserted into the gap formed between them, thereby enabling relative positioning in the circumferential direction and preventing relative displacement between them. This is how it was done.

Furthermore, FIG. 8 shows another modified example of the flat protector FP, in which a part of the outer periphery of each annular flat protector structure 14, 15 is cut off to form a flat cutout part 35, and the flat cutout part 35 are integrally provided with protrusions 36, 36 that protrude outward from the outer peripheral surface thereof, and when the flat protector FP supports the tire T, such as when the tire T goes flat, The support defect portion 35 and the raised portions 36, 36 give a shock to the driver so that the occurrence of a puncture or the like can be quickly detected.

According to the present invention, when the air contained in the tire is lost, such as when the tire goes flat, the flat protector supports the flattened tread of the tire and applies pressure to the wheel instead of the tire air pressure. In particular, the flat protector is composed of a pair of flat protector structures that are separated from each other and face each other, and each flat protector structure is formed into an annular body whose radial cross section is approximately trapezoidal. This makes it easy to insert and position the flat protector into the tubeless tire, making it extremely easy to assemble the entire wheel.

Moreover, each flat protector structure has a simplified shape, is easy to manufacture, and can be provided at a low cost.

Furthermore, the flat protector structure has sufficient rigidity to perform its intended function despite being compact with no unnecessary parts, and is lightweight, significantly reducing the weight of the wheel itself. I can do it.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 to 3 show a first embodiment of the present invention, 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, and FIG. 3 is a partially separated perspective view of the bead stopper. , Figures 4 and 5 show modified examples of the flat protector, Figure 4 is a partial vertical sectional view thereof, Figure 5 is a sectional view taken along the line V-v in Figure 4,
Figures 6 and 7 show other variations of the flat protector,
FIG. 6 is a partial longitudinal sectional view thereof, FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along the line 1-2 in FIG. 6, and FIG. 8 is a side view showing still another modification of the flat protector. 3...Bead portion, 10, 12... ．． ．．
Rim flange, 14, 15...Flat protector structure, FP...Flat protector, B
S: Bead strut, R: Split rim, T: Tubeless tire.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 A split rim that can be split in the wheel axial direction, a tubeless tire attached to the split rim, and a tubeless tire that is incorporated into an air chamber surrounded by the tubeless tire and the split rim, and when the air enclosed in the tubeless tire is lost, It has a flat protector that can support the tire, and a bead stopper that is incorporated into the air chamber and cooperates with the rim flange of the split rim to clamp the bead part of the tire, and the flat protector is separated from each other. Consisting of a pair of flat protector structures facing each other, each flat protector structure is formed into an annular body with a substantially trapezoidal cross section in the radial direction, and its base is divided into a bead portion of the tire and the bead stopper. A wheel that is held between a rim and a rim flange.