EP1513694A1

EP1513694A1 - A device for automatic separation of a type and a rim in a wheel of a vehicle

Info

Publication number: EP1513694A1
Application number: EP03733694A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Lars JÖNSSON
Original assignee: Tyre Save Sweden AB
Current assignee: Tyre Save Sweden AB
Priority date: 2002-05-14
Filing date: 2003-05-13
Publication date: 2005-03-16
Also published as: AU2003242039A1; SE522159C2; WO2003095246A1; SE0201471L; SE0201471D0; WO2003095246A8

Abstract

Device for automatic separation of tyre (3) and rim (4) in a vehicle wheel (2). The feeding device (1) feeds the vehicle wheels (2) and a pressing-in arrangement (6) is in an inactive state radially outside the rim edge and is adjusted to an active state. Pressing-in members (40, 41) are pressed towards the rim in order to press-in the rim edge (29). After the withdrawal of the pressing-in members from the rim edge the rim is removed. The pressing-in members comprises a first disc-shaped type and a second type with a concavely bent collet surface. Feeding out devices (16, 17) feeds the separated rim to a first collecting place and the separated tyre to a second collection place.

Description

TITLE:

A DEVICE FOR AUTOMATIC SEPARATION OF A TYPE AND A RIM IN A WHEEL O^ A VEHICLE

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention refers to a device for automatic separation of a tyre and a rim at a vehicle wheel according to the subsequent claim 1.

BACKGROUND ART

It is previously known, from patent publication WO 99/39929, to separate the tyre and the rim in a vehicle wheel by pressing in one rim edge in the radial direction by means of three pressing jaws. These are adapted so as to deform one rim edge so that the tyre can be removed in essentially the axial direction. This known device is pre-set for wheels with a certain rim dimension and requires the wheels to be sorted by dimension in advance.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

The object of the present invention is to bring about a device for automatic separation of tyre and rim in a rational manner and which enables a handling of large volumes with mixed dimensions.

Said objective is met by a device for automatic separation of tyre and rim according to the characterising part of the subsequent claim 1.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The invention will be described in greater detail below by means of an embodiment with reference to the appended drawings, in which Fig. 1 diagrammatically shows a device for separation of tyre and rim according to the invention, seen from the side,

Fig. 2a and 2b shows a view from above of an embodiment of a pressing-in arrangement that forms part of the separation device,

Fig. 3 is a view from one side of the separation device according to fig. 2a and 2b,

Fig. 4 is a view from the side seen perpendicular from fig. 3,

Fig. 5 is a view from above seen from a section essentially along the section line W in fig. 4,

Fig. 6 in greater scale shows a detailed view of a part of the pressing-in arrangement according to the invention, and

Fig. 7 shows an example of the appearance of a separated rim and parts of the pressing-in arrangement.

MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

From Fig. 1-5 the construction of the separation device according to the invention is evident. The device comprises a feed-in device 1 for vehicle wheels 2 which are to be recycled by separation of the tyre 3 and the rim 4. The feed-in device 1 advantageously comprises a conveyer, for example in the form of a transport track 5 for conveying vehicle wheels forward, the wheels being loaded onto a belt for transport of the wheels to a defined position for separation of the tyre and the rim. The transport track may comprise a belt that carries the wheels forwards to a pressing-in arrangement 6. More specifically, the belt ends before the pressing-in arrangement and is there replaced by a shuttle wagon 7 for transport of the wheels the last distance to a correct position in the pressing-in arrangement 6. The shuttle wagon 7 moves horizontally forward and backward in order to fetch one wheel at the time and to leave separated wheels.

The tyre-rim-device is supported on a stand which is very sturdy so as to be capable of absorbing the great forces which are necessary in order to deform the rims so that thy can be separated from the associated tyres 3. In the example shown, the stand consists of four pillars 10, 11 , 12, 13 which are each positioned at each corner of the stand and are interconnected both at the top and at the bottom by transverse beams 14, 15. Additional transverse beams can be provided for supporting different parts being part of the device. For example, the transverse beams may consist of cross-beams or intermediate beams which extend between the transverse beams. The pillars and other beams are suitably made from high-strength steel with a suitable section which may be a box section, a U section, an I section, a T section or the like. The stand 9 may support parts of the feed-in arrangement 1. Alternatively, the parts which support the first transport track 5 may be supported by a completely free-standing stand so as to facilitate transport of the device. The stand may also support a feed-out arrangement 16 for separated rims. The shuttle wagon 7 may be used as feed-out device for separated tyres may and is advantageously supported by the stand 9.

The stand 9 includes a platform 18 that carries every wheel transported, and which is positioned in a first position on a first level in the device and centred around a opening 8 arranged in the platform 18. The opening 8 in the sheet metal of the platform 18 is in the example circular with a diameter exceeding the diameter of the largest rim 4 intended to be separated in the device according to the invention. Below will be described in more detail an advantageous embodiment where the size of the active opening is varied in order to adapt to rims with different dimensions. The separation device according to the invention also includes a lifting arrangement 22 which is anchored in the stand 9, preferably at the bottom thereof, and which has a power device 23, in the shown example in the form of a hydraulic piston cylinder, the cylinder part 24 of which is anchored in the stand and the piston rod 25 of which supports a lifting member 26, in the example shown in the form of a cone, the transverse dimension or base diameter of which exceeds the diameter of the centre hole 27 found in the rims 4 which are to be recycled. The lifting arrangement 22 is adjustable between a moved-away position (see solid lines in Fig. 1 ) and a raised position (see dot/dash lines in Fig. 1 ). The lifting arrangement is adapted so as, when the wheel with the tyre and the rim has been advanced to its first position, that is to say on the first level, supported by the platform 18, to lift the rim 4 in its axial direction to a raised position on a second level, that is to say a pressing-in position on a level with the pressing-in arrangement according to the invention for pressing-in, which will be described in greater detail below. On lifting, the tyre 3 is pressed against a dolly device 18, as a result of which the annular tyre edge 28 on one side of the tyre releases the rim edge 29 on one side of the rim, as a result of which the rim, in the region around the rim edge 29 and a section below this, is exposed and becomes accessible to the pressing-in arrangement 6 without the tyre being damaged (see the detail view in fig. 6). More specifically, lifting by means of the lifting arrangement 22 takes place by virtue of the lifting device 26 having a lifting surface 30 which is brought into contact with one side 31 of the rim 4, i.e. in the region around the centre hole 27 and moving in the upward direction to its upper end position. During the lifting operation and as far as to an upper end position, the entire wheel, i.e. also the tyre, is taken along, wherein the opposite annular edge 32 of the tyre is located the whole time above the associated annular edge 33 of the rim due to the diameter of the rim edge 33 being greater than that of the tyre edge 32 (see fig. 6).

The pressing-in arrangement 6 constitutes the most important part of the present invention and will now be explained in greater detail with reference to Figs 1 , 2a, 2b, 3 and 4. The pressing-in arrangement 6 comprises a number of pressing-in devices 34a-d and 35a-d, in the example shown as eight, which are movable towards and away from the central symmetric axis 44 of the device on a level with the rim 4 in its raised position. Each of the pressing-in devices comprises a power device 36, 37, in the example shown in the form of a hydraulic piston cylinder, the cylinder part 38 of which is jointly anchored about a horizontal axis at any load-absorbing anchoring point in the stand, for example one of the beams of the stand, either directly or via robust supports. Each piston cylinder has a piston rod part 39 which can be moved linearly relative to the cylinder part and depending on hydraulic pressure applied. Jointly mounted on the end of the piston rod part is indentation or deformation members 40a-d, 41 a-d, in the example shown as eight members. The indentation members 40a-d, 41 a-d consist of high- strength steel, suitably in combination with a hard metal alloy. The pressing- in devices are positioned symmetrically and are adapted so as to move symmetrically relative to the rim positioned in the raised position, that is to say the second level or pressing-in position. This is ensured by the separation arrangement as a whole being constructed relative to an axis of symmetry 44 which in the example shown is usually a vertical axis. The lifting arrangement 22 is symmetrically positioned and movable relative to this axis. Furthermore, the opening 8 is positioned symmetrically relative to the axis of symmetry 44, preferably with their centre of curvature coincident with this axis. It is also ensured that the wheel fed in is positioned essentially symmetrically relative to the axis of symmetry 44, i.e. lying with its axis of rotation essentially coincident with the axis 44. More specifically, the pressing-in devices 34a-d can each be moved along a longitudinal axis 45, 46 of their own, which extends essentially in a transverse plane or radial plane relative to the axis of symmetry 44, preferably at essentially right angles to this axis of symmetry 44 and, with eight pressing-in devices, their axes 45, 46 are offset in relation to one another by an angle of suitably 45°. From 2b, 3, 4 and 7 it is evident that the pressing-in devices 34-a-d and 35a- d are of two different types, which advantageously is equally divided regarding the numbers, i.e. four of the pressing-in devices 34a-d in the shown example are of a first type and four pressing in devices 35a-d are of a second type. Both types of pressing-in devices are arranged alternately in such a way that every second device is of the first type and every second of the second type. Furthermore, they are advantageously arranged such that the same type of pressing-in device is placed diametrically opposite each other. Fig. 3 and 7 in combination clearly show that the first type of pressing- in members 40a-b constitute the pressing-in devices, with a standing or essentially vertically extending steel plate with a knife like feature. However, the anterior and radially inward facing indentation edge 50 need not be sharp or pointy, but the essential feature is that the indentation device 40a has a minimum extension regarding the rotary angle about the symmetric axis 44. However, the thickness of the plate should be strong enough to transfer the large forces appearing without the device itself being deformed. One example of thickness may be about a centimetre. The indentation member 40a of the first type exhibits a main plane extending through the symmetric axis 44 towards which these indentation members extend. The indentation members 40a-d have a vertical extension such that they are pressed against the rim edge 29. In the shown example, the front edge at the bottom exhibits a protrusion 51 , e.g. a bulge welded thereon, which is pressed against any part of the rim in order to get hold of the rim and avoid a skew rotation of the rim during deformation. The pressing-in members of this first type has a primary function to break the rim edge 29, whereby the entire circumference of the rim edge is weakened. For the sake of simplicity, the first type of pressing-in devices is called breaking devices.

The second type of indentation device 35a-d is evident from fig. 2b, 4 and 7. This second type of indentation device has indentation means 41 -a-d of a second type, which is in the form of collet jaws with a concave curved collet surface 52, for example, cylinder jacket shaped collet surface with a radius of curvature that shall not be too large and not to exceed the radius of the rims that shall be pressed-in. An example of a radius of curvature is a radius that essentially corresponds to the radius of a rim. The surface may have a different shape than curved, e.g. three plane surfaces.

The collet jaws 41 a-d has a fair extension over an angle sector about the symmetric axis 44, compared to the breaking devices, which is dependent on the number of collet jaws 41 a-d. At least regarding their largest possible extension. Furthermore, the collet jaws shall not interfere with the breaking devices during their pressing-in movement. In order to achieve this, the collet jaws are equipped with radially directed edge surfaces 53, 54. In the case of four collet jaws, the sector angle is less than 45° for each collet jaw and may thus be close to this angle, for example when breaking devices and collet jaws are operated in a sequence, i.e. when the breaking devices are activated first and thereafter are withdrawn, after which the collet jaws are activated. A simultaneous activation or an activation that is phase shifted is conceivable, wherein the collet jaws must have such a limited sector angle that enough space is created in order to give room for the breaking devices. The collet jaws have essentially the same vertical extension as the breaking devices and is positioned essentially in the same vertical position as them in order to act against the upper peripheral edge 29 of the rim at a first stage and thereafter to also press-in parts situated below the peripheral edge 29.

The pressing-in devices, or at least a part of them, especially the collet jaws 41 a-d exhibits a press surface 55 that forms a dolly edge against the upper inner edge 56 of the tyre 3 and that exhibits a steel wire applied by vulcanisation which is intended to securely hold the tyre against a edge surface 57 on the rim. The pressing-in devices are arranged to hold a withdrawn position adapted to be placed immediately outside the rim edge 29 such that it may pass the pressing-in devices during the elevation movement of the wheel. The tyre edge 56 is pressed against the underside of the pressing-in members and the lifting device continues its lifting movement. The rim edge 29 passes vertically upward and past the lower edge of the pressing-in members, whereby a depression of the tyre edge occurs by their pressing against the underside of the pressing-in devices in such a way that the part of the rim that shall be pressed in is uncovered for impression by the pressing-in device.

Mechanical control members for the pressing-in members 40, 41 are arranged for mechanical control and to carry a load such that they are brought to carry out the selected movement essentially radially forward and backward by means of their power devices 36, 37. Fig. 1 schematically shows one type of mechanical control members that consist of radially and essentially horisontally directed feed tracks 80a, b through a heavy-duty plate 79 above the pressing-in devices, and cross-directed guiding bolts or guiding pins 81 a, 81 b that are attached to the upper side of the pressing-in members by their lower parts, and that extends through the feed tracks at the top attached to guidance plates 82a, b that are brought along with the radial movement. The width of the tracks is chosen such that the bolts will be guided radially without any side movement. The length of the tracks corresponds to at least the length of stroke of the movement of the pressing- in members and is in practice longer. The horizontal guidance is ensured by the pressing-in members exhibiting a sliding surface on the top side that slides against the under side of the plate, while the guidance plates 82a, b slides with their under side against the top surface of the plate. The wide indentation members 41 may need more than one feed track, for example three tracks. Also the number of guidance bolts may be two or more in every track. Instead of bolts, short plates, i.e. with rectangular cross-section, may attach the guidance plates to the indentation members. The guidance and the load carrying are in the variant shown in fig. 1 especially good since the rear/outer end of the cylinders of every power device 34, 36 is rigidly fixed to the corresponding beam in the stand. Fig. 3 and 4 show a variant where the pressing-in devices in their forward, i.e. radial inner part, more exactly the forward and backward moving part, are suspended in pendulum arms 58, 59, one pendulum arm for every pressing- in device, i.e. eight pendulum arms in the shown example, each which are hingably suspended about a horizontal pivot 60 61 in a stand rack 62 which is a part of the machine stand 9. The pendulum arms form in this variant the mechanical controls for the pressure-in devices and are arranged symmetrically about the vertical symmetric axis 44. Each of the arms exhibits a pivot 63, 64 at the bottom, that in practice is connected to the pressure-in members of the pressure-in devices in such a way that every pressing-in member during its forward and backward pressure-in motion performs an arcuate tool stroke with the centre of curvature about the upper pivot 60, 61. The pendulum arms 58, 59 have a length that is substantially larger than the stroke length of the pressure-in members, such that the pressure-in members perform only a less obvious arcuate movement. From fig. 3 and 4 it is evident that the pressure-in devices rather are somewhat angled downward than extending completely perpendicular to the symmetric axis 44. By the pivots 60, 61 , 63, 64 of the pendulum arms 48, 49 being submitted to large torsion stress, it is important that the tolerances is not too large such that unwanted distortion appears. The pendulum arms 58, 59 and their respective pivots are relatively wide in order to assure that the pressure-in devices are moving in a predetermined vertical plane.

Above has the circular opening in the feeding plate 18 of the separation device schematically been described. The feeding plate 18 constitute also a dolly for the wheel 2, or rather the tyre 3 when the impressed rim finally shall be separated from the tyre and pressed through the opening 8, which shall be described further below. According to an advantageous embodiment, the opening 8 is designed with two movable cover plates 65,66 that are carried by the plate 18 and are movable to and from each other by means of control devices 67, 68, suitably one for each cover plate. They exhibit recesses 71 , 72 in their opposite each other facing edges 69, 70, that are suitably formed in order to be able to vary the size of the opening by the movement of the cover plates to and from each other respectively, in order to adapt to different rim dimension. The effective size of the opening shall always be chosen such that an impressed rim shall be able to be pressed down through the opening. If a separation should fail and a wheel should get stuck with the tyre in the opening, it is easy to release the tyre by separation of the cover plates from each other or to perform forward and backward motions in order to release the wheel and yet again feed it for a new separation. The control devices 67, 68 are advantageously hydraulic piston cylinders.

In Fig. 6, the deformed form of the rim edge in a section is marked with dotted lines, while Fig. 7 very approximately shows the appearance of a rim with a "shrunken" edge that is being folded. With dotted lines is also shown the contour of the edge 28 running around the tyre, wherein it is evident that the rim edge 29 has a cross-dimension or diameter over essentially its entire circumference such that the rim edge is placed inside of the tyre edge. In practice, the rim edge may in separate places extend outside the tyre edge due to the flexibility of the tyre edge. The practical limit lies at an imaginary peripheral line 48 that touches the created crests 49 of a wave of the rim edge, which should not extend beyond the edge 28 of the tyre. In practice, it is thus a question of the rim edge 29 being so deformed that the rim edge may pass the tyre edge. This also concerns the opposing tyre edge 32 that still is in place on the rim at the lower rim edge 33. For this purpose, the device in the shown example is also equipped with a depression device 75, symmetrically positioned and movable with a depression component 76 along the symmetric axis 44 of the separation device. The depression component is in the shown example fitted to a piston rod part 77 that by means of hydraulics is movable in a cylinder part 78 of a hydraulic piston- cylinder unit that forms a power device in the impression device. The cylinder part 78 is advantageously fastened to the stand 9, for example to any of the upper transverse beams. The depression device 75 has thus as a function to finally separate the rim from the associated tyre by applying a force on the rim from above in the direction of the symmetric axis 44 and essentially centred relative this axis and thus relative the rim. The depression device may advantageously, as shown in Fig. 1 , be equipped with a conical press surface that is arranged to be pressed against the edge of the centre hole 27, regardless if the hole exhibits some variations between different rims. By means of the depression device, the movement of the rim is actuated in the direction downward, whereby the rim is brought to pass through the opening 8. Further transport out from the stand 9 is ensured by the feeding out device 16 that comprises some sort of hauling track, in the shown example an inclined sheet-metal shoot along which the rim may slide out to a collecting place, for example a receiving container (not shown). Alternatively, the collection may take place directly under the opening 8.

When the rim is removed the feeding out of the tyre is actuated. For this purpose there is for example some sort of inclined shoot directed towards a collecting place for tyre, for example a different container or simply a flat surface, such as a floor, the ground or the like. Since the tyre however rests on a horizontal surface, some sort of feeding out arrangement is necessary that transports the tyre from the platform 18. The shuttle wagon may be arranged also for the feeding out such that, at the same time as a wheel is fed in, a tyre may be fed out in the opposing end. Alternatively, the feeding out may be done by means of any form of power device that pushes out the tyre with a device not shown.

Above has the single devices been described that is part of the device according to the invention to separate tyre and rim in a vehicle wheel, as well as the function of the single devices. Below will be described a sum up of the course of action or procedure to separate tyre and rim in e vehicle wheel when using the device according to the invention. By means of the device according to the invention, a number of vehicle wheels may be fed in a row by the feeding in device according to Fig. 1 , wherein it is seen to that the vehicle wheels 2 are fed one at the time onto the platform 18 to the starting position of the wheel, which is shown with a continuous line in Fig. 1 in a centred position, by means of the shuttle wagon such that the rotational axis essentially coincide with the symmetric axis 44 of the separation device. The vehicle wheel is hereby on its first level, which is a lower exit level with the wheel carried by the platform 18. Thereafter, the lifting device 22 is actuated, which is brought to perform a lifting motion along the symmetric axis 44 by means of a hydraulic system being part thereof and which applies a lifting force on the rim 4. The corresponding tyre 3 is by that pressed with its one side, in the shown position the upper side, against the dolly members, i.e. the lower edge of the pressing-in members, at the same time as the rim is pressed upward a distance. Here, the one tyre edge 28 is brought to leave the corresponding rim edge 29, which is uncovered, as well as the area inside the rim edge. The rim has thereby taken its second, i.e. upper, raised level, the indentation level, deformation level or shrinking level on which the pressing in device 6 is situated. The lifting device 22 is kept in position with its lifting member in its, with dotted line shown, upper position, whereby the rim in co-operation with the hereby severely compressed tyre is kept in a very stable position. Only one half of the rim is shown (continuous line), i.e. the lower half of the rim, which is not affected, and the tyre is left out, except for the depressed edge.

With the rim at the second upper level, the pressing in device is actuated wherein the movable pressing-in members along the periphery of the rim at the its upper edge 29 is pressed essentially an equal amount, very high force for each type of pressing in device 34a-d, 35a-d in the direction towards the symmetric axis 44, i.e. towards the rotational axis of the rim. The synchronisation between the breaking devices and the collet jaws may be chosen with a control system that controls the hydraulic system according to a control program that suitably may be varied, i.e. in order to choose if the breaking devices 40 shall be actuated first or at the same time as the collet jaws. Even the length of stroke may be chosen such that, for example, one of the types travels farther in than the other. As mentioned above, the pressing- in devices are co-operating for a desired indentation of the rim.

After the indentation of the rim edge has been carried out the pressing-in devices are adjusted, whereby the pressing-in members are retired radially outward by means of the hydraulic system, to a position where the rim is being released from the pressing-in devices. Thereafter, the lifting device 22 is adjusted so that it is lowered to its retired position below the feeding out device 16, whereupon the depression device 75 is activated such that a downward force directed along the symmetric axis 44 is applied on the rim 4. By means of this downward force the lower edge 32 of the tyre is released from the lower rim edge 33 by the tyre hereby receives a dolly against the plate edges 71 , 72 of the platform around the opening 8. By virtue of the upper edge 29 of the rim being indented, it may now pass both the edges 28, 32 of the tyre, and the rim may be pressed down through the opening 8 without the tyre accompanying or being damaged. The rim is allowed to fall down on the feeding out device 16 and to slide further on in the direction of the arrow 66 to the collection place. The depression device is brought back to its upper starting position whereupon the feeding out device for the tyre 3 is actuated and brings the tyre out from the space 21 to the separate collecting place for separated tyres.

The invention is not limited to the above described and in the drawings shown embodiment, but may be varied within the scope of the subsequent claims. The pressing-in arrangement 6 may be carried out in another way. For example, two, three, four, five, six or more than eight pressing-in members may be arranged. The arrangement according to the shown embodiment is adapted for steel rims and also for aluminium rims, which may require a different shaping of the indentation jaws. The feeding in and the feeding out may be arranged in a different manner. The mechanical control for the forward and backward motion of the pressing-in members may thus be arranged in different ways, for example, by virtue of a guide device, whereby the tracks according to fig. 1 may be replaced by a rail with a flute and a forward and backward movable slide fitted in the flute. In order to further increase the capacity of the different steps, such as centring, impression of the tyre edges, indentation of the rim and displacement of the rim, may be done in separate stations while the wheels are fed.

Claims

1. Device for separation of tyre (3) and rim (4) in a vehicle wheel (2) and equipped with a feed-in device (1) for feeding of vehicle wheels (2) comprising a device (22) for uncover one of the rim edges (29), and a pressing-in arrangement (6), which in an inactive state is located radially outside said rim edge and which is arranged to be adjusted into an active state by virtue of pressing-in members (40, 41) where said members are pressed in the direction towards the rim in order to press-in said rim edge (29) and a device (50) for removing the rim after withdrawal of the pressing-in jaws from the rim edge and a feeding out device for feeding the separated tyre to a collecting place, characterized in, that the pressing-in members (40, 41) comprises a first type that exhibits a frontal standing indentation edge (50) with a small lateral extension, and a second type exhibiting an essentially concave shaped collet surface (52) and extending over a several number larger sector angle about the symmetric axis (44), and that both types are arranged alternatively around the periphery of the rim edge and that all of the pressing-in members are individually movable by virtue of one power device (36, 37) each.

2. device according to claim 1 , characterized in, that one type of the pressing-in members (40) comprises four standing plate elements (40a-d), arranged to fold the upper rim edge (29) in four locations of its periphery and that the other type of pressing-in members (41 ) comprise four arch shaped concavely bent collet jaws (41 a-d) with a sector angle of up to 45°, wherein the same type of pressing-in members are arranged opposite each other in pairs.

3. Device according to claim 1, characterized in, that the pressing-in members (40, 41 ) are individually controlled by mechanical control members (80-82) for an essentially radial motion.

4. Device according to claim 1, characterized in, that at least a part of the pressing-in members (40, 41 ) exhibit a dolly edge (55) that constitute said dolly member.

5. Device according to claim 1, characterized in, that the device for removing the rim (4) comprises a depression device (50) for pressing down the rim through a hole (8) that is variable in its effective size by at least two movable cover plates (65,66), exhibiting recesses (71, 72) in two opposite facing edges (69, 70), being displaceable towards respective from each other by virtue of power devices (67, 68).