Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60B—VEHICLE WHEELS; CASTORS; AXLES FOR WHEELS OR CASTORS; INCREASING WHEEL ADHESION
  • B60B31/00—Apparatus or tools for assembling or disassembling wheels
  • B60B31/02—Apparatus or tools for assembling or disassembling wheels for tightening or straightening wire spokes in situ; for extracting spokes from wheels

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a spoke wheel, wherein spokes are placed in a spoke wheel and brought under a mechanical tension.
• the present invention furthermore relates to a device which includes means for stabilising spokes in a spoke wheel.
• a method and a device of this kind are known from EP-A-0 360 355, which discloses a method and a device wherein spokes in a spoke wheel, which are usually not tensioned, are subjected to a stabilising operation, wherein the spokes are pre-stretched and thus strengthened, so that they will bed more correctly in to the spoke openings in the rim and the axle flange of the spoke wheel. This is done in an attempt to partially eliminate the need for re-trueing after a short period of use. After the stabilising operation, the spoke wheel is taken out of the prior art device so as to be moved to a next device, such as a device for final tensioning of the spokes.
• the method according to the invention is characterized in that a final trueing operation of the spoke wheel takes place after at least one stabilising operation of the spokes, and in that both operations are carried out in one and the same device; the device according to the invention is furthermore characterized in that it also includes trueing means for trueing the spoke wheel in axial and/or radial direction.
• the present invention is based on the insight that, in order to obtain a really good end product, the interaction between said at least one stabilising operation and said final trueing operation, whereby misalignments in the rim are corrected by changing the tension in one or more spokes, is of major practical importance with a view to obtaining a high-quality end product, which operations are best carried out in one and the same device, so that it will no longer be necessary to successively place the spoke wheel into the respective devices and take it out again. Not only does this lead to more compact, less extensive machinery, but furthermore less labour is needed and less time is wasted, which in addition will result in an increased output of the device according to the invention, which is thus multifunctional.
• one or more interim trueing operations of the spoke wheel are alternated with one or more interim stabilising operations.
• the quality in terms of the need for re-trueing and the length of the periods therebetween appears to improve strongly, which is of vital importance especially for the still growing professional cycle market segment.
• the momentaneous mechanical tension in an individual spoke can be increased or decreased during the trueing operation, in order to obtain the most uniform possible distribution of tension over the spokes after the final trueing operation, wherein axial and radial deviations in the form of the spoke wheel, also during later use, will be more stable and remain within narrow bounds, even after prolonged normal use.
• the average of the mechanical tension in the spokes of the spoke wheel is therefore increased with every trueing operation - of several combinations of successive stabilising/trueing operations - so that first the larger and gradually the smaller deviations in the shape of the spoke wheel can thus be corrected.
• the degree to which the average minimum mechanical tension in the spokes of the spoke wheel is increased will depend on the effect of the immediately preceding stabilising operation on the respective momentaneous mechanical tension. Said effect will be greater with the first stabilising operation than with a next stabilising operation, so that also the precision with which gradually decreasing deviations in the shape are corrected will increase.
• One embodiment of the device according to the invention is characterized in that the device includes processor means connected to at least part of the stabilising and trueing means for driving said stabilising and trueing means.
• the figure shows a preferred embodiment of a device 1, which now makes it possible to tension spokes S and S' of a spoke wheel 2 by means of spoke tensioning means (schematically indicated) , which inter alia include a nipple wrench 3, in such a manner that deviations both in axial and in radial direction in the rim 4 of spoke wheel 2 are eliminated.
• spoke tensioning means which inter alia include a nipple wrench 3, in such a manner that deviations both in axial and in radial direction in the rim 4 of spoke wheel 2 are eliminated.
• the spokes S and S' which are slightly mechanically biassed between a flange 5 disposed near the clamped-down axle 6 and the rim 4, are tensioned or relaxed by means of the rotary nipple wrench 3 during trueing of the spoke wheel 2.
• Spoke wheel 2 is moved in one direction during said trueing, or alternately in one direction and the other, the latter being preferred in connection with a saving of the time needed for trueing that can be achieved in
• the nipple wrench 3 can be rotated by means of a rotary motor 7.
• Nipple wrench 3 can be moved by means of an element 8, which is fixedly mounted on a beam 9 which is capable of pivoting movement about two pivots A and B.
• Beams 9 - 11 and block beam 12 with respective pivots A, B, C and D together form a positioning mechanism for the nipple wrench 3.
• Beam 9 can be moved by means of a shifting element 13 mounted between beam 10 and block beam 12, which may for example be a linear motor, and which functions to set the desired angle between spoke S, S' and nipple wrench 3, which is usually about 90 degrees, independently of the type of spoke wheel 2.
• Block beam 12 can be moved as a whole by means of vertical positioning element 14 for the purpose of adjusting the height, which depends on the location and the type of rim 4 of spoke wheel 2.
• One movable beam 9 is shorter than the other part on block beam 12, which extends between pivots C and D. In the illustrated embodiment, the shorter beam 9 of the positioning mechanism, which at some point is trapezoidal, is positioned near spoke wheel 2.
• Device 1 possesses a positioning element 15, by means of which the nipple wrench can be moved along spoke S, S' to the nipple in question.
• the positioning mechanism comprising the four pivots thereby provides optimum vertical adjustment and angle-maintaining characteristics, so that the nipple wrench 3 will properly fit at the correct square angle on the nipples in question.
• the figure furthermore shows that setting mechanisms are disposed to the left and to the right of the spoke wheel 2 for the purpose of correctly tightening nipples which are present on groups of spokes S and S' which extend at different angles relative to rim 4.
• a rim driving unit usually comprising at least one stepping motor 16, causes the spoke wheel 2 to rotate about the axle 6 which is to be clamped down. It stands to reason that each of the elements 8 and 13 - 15 is driven at successive, programmed times to a degree adapted to the type of spoke wheel, the rim and the number of spokes by programmable processor means (not shown) .
• Device 1 furthermore includes stabilising means 17, by means of which spokes S and S' are stretched in order for said spokes to bed in to flange 5 and rim 4 of spoke wheel 2.
• the illustrated stabilising means 17 are in the form of pressure pieces, for example of plastic material, which are capable of movement in a direction towards each other, which pressure pieces exert a prescribed pressure force on spokes S and S' when spoke wheel 2 is stationary, which pressure force is supplied by a cylinder 18 connected to said processor means.
• the stabilising means 17 are fixed to a spring construction 19, which ensures that spoke wheel 2 will remain in the centre and can be stabilised on both sides simultaneously by the stabilising means, without this leading to deformation or to unacceptable forces being exerted, for example at the location where axle 6 is clamped down. It is not necessary for a construction of this kind to spring in order to achieve this, however .
• Spokes S and S' which are usually under a minimum mechanical bias, are initially stabilised by the stabilising means 17, whereby the first undesirable burrs in openings in rim 4 and flange 5, in which the spokes are present, are forced aside and the spokes are pre-stretched. Following that, a final trueing operation of spoke wheel 2 could take place in device 1.
• Several interim trueing and stabilising operations may alternately be carried out in the same device 1 prior to the final trueing operation.
• the momentaneous mechanical tension in a spoke is increased or decreased during a trueing operation in order to enable correct trueing of the spoke wheel 2.
• the average of the mechanical tension in the spokes of spoke wheel 2 is increased with each trueing operation.
• the degree of said increase of the average minimum mechanical tension in each spoke of the spoke wheel may depend on the effect of the stabilising operation on the respective momentaneous mechanical tension.
• the setting of the aforesaid angle of about 90° between spokes S, S 1 and the nipple wrench 3 takes place on the basis of preceding measurements carried out by measuring means (not shown) , wherein the following values are measured or determined: the diameter of the spoke wheel 2, the spacing between the two flanges 5 on axle 6, the type of wheel, that is, a rear wheel or a wheel with multiple sprockets, and the rim height.
• the rim height may for example be determined by placing sensors on either side of the spoke wheel 2, which will continue to transmit a shift command to positioning element 14 until one of the sensors switches, whereby said shift is measured by a pulse counter, for example, from which the rim height can be derived.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Spinning Or Twisting Of Yarns (AREA)
• Testing Of Balance (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=19767864

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (3)

Families Citing this family (7)

Family Cites Families (4)

• 1998
  • 1998-09-23 NL NL1010159A patent/NL1010159C1/nl active
• 1999
  • 1999-09-22 WO PCT/NL1999/000591 patent/WO2000016996A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1999-09-22 EP EP99969376A patent/EP1121256A1/en not_active Withdrawn

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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