FR2511500A1 - WHEEL AND TIRE ALIGNMENT SYSTEM - Google Patents

Abstract

THE MECHANISM ACCORDING TO THE INVENTION INCLUDES A WHEEL OR TIRE POSITIONING MEANS 21 IN A DESIRED POSITION, A TURNING MEANS 23, A MEANS FOR PREVENTING THE ROTATION OF THE WHEEL OR THE TIRE 24 WHILE THE TURNING MEANS CAN TURN THE TIRE OR THE WHEEL NOT PREVENTED FROM TURNING, AND A MEANS OF STOPPING THE ROTATION OF THE TIRE OR THE WHEEL WHEN THEY ARE IN A PREDETERMINED POSITION.

Description

The present invention relates to an alignment system

  tire and wheel ment and, more particularly, a system and a mechanism for correct orientation

  a tire mounted relative to a wheel before it is inflated.

  As is well known, the balance and roundness of a tire and a mounted wheel are particularly important for the handling of a motor vehicle and for minimizing unnecessary vibrations. Although considerable efforts have been made focused on obtaining a precise roundness of both the tire and the wheel, it is

  almost impossible to ensure 100% accuracy.

  In addition, even if the tire and the wheel meet their own specification, the assembly formed by the wheel and the tire, after mounting the tire on the wheel, may not turn out to be truly round. achieve significant cost savings as well as improve handling and vibration resistance if the tire and wheel were precisely aligned with each other during inflation, so that the complete package

  can assume a configuration closer to the round

  tee This can be obtained if the top point of the wheel is

  aligned with the low point of the tire So even if the components

  sants are not round, the final set may approach

  more closely than a true roundness.

  Consequently, a main object of the present invention is a device for precisely positioning tires mounted on finished wheels before the tire is inflated.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a tire.

  improved sitive which makes it possible to adapt the high point of a tire to the low point of a spinning wheel so as to ensure obtaining

  of a more round finished set.

  Although it may appear retrospectively simple to mount a tire so that its high point is aligned

  with the low point of the wheel or vice versa it is extreme

  It is difficult to put this concept into practice. This is particularly true on a production line where a large volume of wheels and tires has to be processed and, moreover, where there can be considerable variations in the nominal dimensions of tires and wheels In addition, it is extremely important to have assurance that the alignment is carried out as close as possible to the final stage of inflation of the tire so that matching

  is not destroyed during subsequent manipulations.

  Therefore, another object of the present invention

  tion is an improved device for aligning a tire mounted on a wheel which allows the handling of a

  high volume and which minimizes the probability of disagency-

before inflation.

  The present invention is intended to be incorporated into a machine for aligning a tire mounted on a wheel, comprising a positioning means for detecting a

  location of the wheel or tire in a desired position.

  Means are incorporated which prevent rotation of the tire or wheel while a rotating means

  drives the unsupported tire or wheel in rotation.

  Means are provided which make it possible to stop the rotation of the tire or of the wheel when they are in a predetermined relative position so that the complete assembly constituted by the tire and the wheel is in

the desired orientation.

  The present invention will be clearly understood on reading

  of the following description in relation to the drawings below

  joints and in which Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a

  tire and wheel alignment device according to the pre-

  invention; Figure 2 is a top plan view, on a large scale, of the device, taken generally in the direction of line 2-2 of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3-3 of Figure 2; Figure 4 is a sectional view, on a larger scale, taken along line 4-4 of Figure 3; Figure 5 is a top plan view of wheel clamping jaws, generally taken along line 5-5 of Figure 3; Figure 6 is a sectional view, on a larger scale, taken along line 6-6 of Figure 2; Figure 7 is a top plan view, at large

  ladder, taken in different horizontal sections

  tes, representing the mounting arrangement for detection; Figure 8 is a view taken in the direction of arrow 8 in Figure 7; Figure 9 is a side elevational view of the detection mechanism shown in Figures 7 and 8; Figure 10 is an elevational view, on a large scale, with punctured parts, taken generally

  in the direction of the arrow in Figure 9.

  A wheel and tire alignment device according to the present invention is shown in broad outline by the reference 21 As will appear, the device 21 is intended to receive a wheel and a tire which is mounted but not inflated According to a particular embodiment of the present invention, the wheel and the mounted tire are then gripped by a rotating device so as to allow the rotation of the assembly thus produced, and are raised to a predetermined, pre-established position The wheel and the tire are then put in rotation as a single assembly until either the wheel or the tire reaches a position where a pre-established sign is at the desired location This element is then prevented from rotating The remaining element (either the wheel or the tire ) is then rotated until its pre-established sign is in the desired location relative to the other element This element is then prevented from turning and the wheel and the oriented tire can then be put in connection with a pump to inflate the

  tire As will appear during the description, in

  particular to those skilled in the art, various other operating sequences are possible with the device described and certain parts of this device can be used in other wheel and tire alignment devices, or in other devices for

  handling of wheels and / or tires.

  The device 21 is intended to be placed on an automatic chain o tires are mounted on wheels, then inflated The device 21 can be installed between stations o the tire is mounted on the wheel and the station o it is inflated Alternatively, the device 21 can be

  incorporated in the assembly station and / or the inflator station

  flage, or else the three positions can be combined to form one. It is believed that such modifications will be obvious to those skilled in the art and do not require

to be described in detail.

  The device 21 comprises a number of sets

  of sub-components which are supported by a common chassis, shown in broad outline by the reference

  22 These sets include the setting device

  tation of the wheel and the tire, represented broadly by the reference 23, the fixing devices

  of tires represented in their large lines by the ref-

  24, the primary positioning devices depicted

  felt in their large lines by the reference 25, and the positioning and detection assembly represented

  in outline by reference 26.

  The device 21 is designed so as to be able to process a wide variety of sizes and constructions of tires and wheels, without requiring a change in its operating sequence or in its mechanism, that is to say that the device 21 can be used to align a wide range of combinations of

wheels and tires.

  Wheels and tires mounted but not inflated are supplied to the device 21 when the rotating device 23

  is in its lowest position, as it appears

  will appear The positioning devices 25 are first actuated so as to place the tire and the wheel centrally on the device 23 The device 23 is then raised so that the center of the wheel is grasped and the wheel and the tire are raised to come into contact with the

  positioning and detection device 26 The

  positive 23 is then switched on so as to rotate

  both the wheel and the mounted tire

  tection 26 reads the tire until it detects a mark or sign that it carries, which indicates its high point or its low point The tire fastening devices 24 are

  then switched on so as to prevent a new rotation

  tion of the tire The wheel is then rotated by the device 23 independently of the tire until the detection device 26 reads the appropriate legend on the wheel so as to indicate that it is in the desired relationship with the tire already fixed The rotating device 23 is then stopped, the fixing device 24 released and the aligned wheel and tire are lowered so

  to be able to be transmitted to the next station to be inflated.

  As noted earlier, this sequence of operations

  tiore can be modified and certain steps can be either eliminated or modified without departing from the scope of the present invention.

  The rotating device 23 is shown with more

  details in Figures 3 to 5, and includes a platform or table 27 which is supported by the rods

  piston 28 of four hydraulically actuated cylinders.

  or pneumatically so that this table and the mechanic

  associated nism are selectively raised and lowered.

  The table 27 includes a hub part 29 in which a shaft 31 is rotatably supported by two bearings 32 distant from each other Below the lowest bearing of the bearings 32 and outside the hub 29,

  a driven pinion 33 is prevented from rotating on the shaft 31.

  A chain 34 surrounds the sprocket 33 and a drive sprocket 35 which is driven by a suitable motor and a reduction gear.

speed (not shown).

  The upper end of the shaft 31 is fixed to the assembly constituted by a driving head, represented broadly by the reference 36, which comprises a lower cylindrical part 37 and a head part 38 Three jaws 39 are supported by so as to be moved back and forth in conjugate grooves which are formed in the head part 38 and have vertical parts 41 which are intended to extend in the center of the wheel to be aligned, which is

  shown in phantom in Figure 3 and is identical

  marked by the reference 40 The jaws 39 have grooves 42 in which is received an arm 43 of a respective bent lever which is pivotally supported on the head 38 by a respective pivot axis 44 Each bent lever has another arm 45 which is connected to a

  end of a link 46 by a pivot axis 47.

  The lower ends of the rods 46 are connected

  pivoting to a vertical journal "'an action piston-

  48 by a respective pivot axis 49 It appears

  will easily recognize that, during the up or down stroke of the piston 48, the arms 43 and 45 of the bent lever will pivot around the axis 44 and cause movement

  back and forth of the jaws 39 between a retracted position

and an extended position.

  The piston 48 is coupled to a piston 51 of an air motor by a short rod 52 The piston 51 is in turn supported to be moved back and forth inside a bore 53 formed in the housing part 37 A pair of pneumatic channels 54

2511 '500

  and 55 extends in the shaft 31 and the housing part 37 and ends, respectively, on the lower sides and

  upper piston 51 Channels 54 and 55 are selective-

  ment pressurized or vented through a means comprising a connector 56 which is in turn connected by a flexible pipe to a control valve and

  to a pressure source When channel 54 is near

  surise and that the channel 55 is connected to the atmosphere, the piston 51 will be driven upwards, driving the actuating piston 48 also upwards until the jaw parts 41 are in contact with the interior of the center of the wheel 40 The wheel 40 will then be subject to be rotated by the device 23 As a variant, when the channel 54 is connected to the atmosphere and the channel 55 is pressurized, the piston 51 will be driven downwards, lowering the actuating piston 48 also downwards and pivoting the arms 43 and 45 so that the jaw parts 41 will move radially

  inward and the wheel 40 will be released.

  The positioning device 25 is best

  presented in Figures 1,2 and 6, and includes 4 arms 61, 62, 63 and 64, each carrying a roller 65 at their end

  which is intended to come into contact with the

  external ripery of a tire supplied to device 21 with the mounting wheel In FIG. 2, the smallest diameter

  tire with which the device can cooperate is shown

  felt by the circle in phantom 66, while the largest tire is represented by the circle in phantom 67. The arm 61 is prevented from turning on a hub 68 which, in turn, is prevented from turning on a shaft 69, which is supported by two distant bearings, one of

  the other 71 An active arm 72 is fixed at the lower end

  tree 69 and is thus connected without power

  turn on the arm 61 A pneumatic cylinder 73 is used for action-

  ner centering device 25 and, for this purpose, comprises a rod 74 which is pivotally connected to the arm 72 by means of a bracket 75 and a pivot axis 76 A connecting rod 77 is also pivotally connected to the by means of a stirrup 78 and a pivot axis 79 at the outer end of the arm 72 The link 77 actuates a controlled arm 81 by means of a stirrup 82 and a pivot axis 83 The arm 81 is connected rigidly to a shaft 84 to which the arm 63 is also fixed, as for the arms 61 and 72 Thus, the oscillation of the arms 72 and 61 will be transformed by the link 77 into oscillation of the arms 81

and 63.

  The oscillation of the arm 61 causes an oscillation of the arm 62, and the oscillation of the arm 63 an oscillation of the

  arm 64 This is achieved by means of a link by gear

  swimming between the shafts which support the arms 61, 62, 63 and 64 in rotation This gear connection is best represented in FIG. 6, where the arrangement associated with the arm 61 and its support shaft 69 is shown The shaft 69 comprises a drive gear 85 which is fixed between the bearings 71 The gear 85 is enclosed in a protective housing 86 which supports the bearings 71 In an identical manner, a driven gear 87 (FIG. 2) is enclosed in the housing 86 and is engaged with the motor gear

  85 The gear 87 is fixed to the arm 62 in a similar manner

  laire to that with which the gear 85 is fixed to the arm 61 Thus, during the oscillation of the arm 61, the arm 62 will oscillate in the opposite direction A similar connection is ensured between the arms 63 and 64 and, taking into account this similarity , the construction of this link will only

not described in detail.

  The tire fastening device 24 can be best understood in connection with FIG. 1 The device 24 consists of a number of identical fastening assemblies, shown in broad outline by the reference 91 In the embodiment shown , there are four assemblies 91 which cooperate with the positioning and detection device 26 in a manner which will be described Each device 91 comprises an arm 92 which is pivotally supported on the chassis 22 in a known manner The arms 92 pivot around their respective axes

  93 and have vertical arms 94 which are

  designed to come into contact with the tire in a manner which will be described Each arm 92 pivots between a retraction position and a fixing position by means of a pneumatic cylinder 95 The cylinder 95 comprises a piston rod 96 which is pivotally connected to the arm 92 by a stirrup 97 so as to move between a withdrawal position or release position, as represented by the line

  in phantom in Figure 1, and a position engaged

  ment or active position represented by the solid line in

this figure.

  The positioning part of the device 26 can

  be best understood in conjunction with Figures 1 and 3.

  The device 26 comprises a fixed element 101 which is sup-

  carried by the chassis 22 and can be adjusted in position relative to this chassis so as to take account of wheels having

  very different axial widths However, we understand

  will take that the device 21 is intended to process wheels

  and tires with very different widths without the need

  set the setting for part 101 A number of brar-

  102 (there are four arms in the embodiment shown

  tee) extend downward from part 101 and

  carry motor shafts 103 at their lower end.

  Supported so that they can rotate on the shafts 103 are large diameter rollers 104 intended to come into contact with the tires and a certain number of small diameter rollers 105 intended to come into contact with the rim of the wheels Spacer rollers 106 are also placed on the side of the rollers 104 opposite the rollers 105 As will appear, the wheel 40 and the

2511500 -

  tire mounted 66, 67 are raised until the rim of

  the wheel 40 is in contact with the rollers 105 A new

  the elevation of the wheel and of the tire will then be prevented The rollers 104 are in contact with the tires 66, 67 outside the rim of the wheel 40 As can be seen in FIG. 3, the diameter of the rollers 104 is sufficiently large to keep the tire 66, 67 away from the seat of

  wheel bead on the side of the center of the adjoining wheel.

  to the rollers 105 This will also ensure that the tire, which should be remembered that it is not inflated, is in contact with the opposite bead seat of the wheel 40, so that

  the initial rotation of the wheel 40 about its provo axis

  the tire 66, 67 will also rotate simultaneously The tire attachments 24 are released at this time so that the lowest part of the tire bead

  will be in contact with the heel seat of the wheel 40.

  The detection part of the device 26 can be best understood in connection with FIGS. 7 to 10. In the embodiment shown, the detection part 'consists of a number of individual detection assemblies, represented in their large lines by the

  reference 1 ll In this embodiment of the in-

  vention, there are four detection sets 111 which are arranged between sets of contiguous rollers 104, 105

  and 106 It should be understood that a higher or lower number

  laughter of sets 111 can be provided depending on

  the particular application In addition, the detector set

  tion 111 may be of a known type which makes it possible to detect the proximity of a certain type of indication provided on the wheel and the tire. These indications will preferably be pre-marked on the wheel and the tire by the manufacturers of wheels and tires so as to indicate the high and / or low points of each element Although a specific type of detection device and detection arrangement is described, it will be understood that various types can be used

  Detection sets and devices Various agency-

  the same will appear to those skilled in the art and another

  detection arrangement will be described later.

  Each detection assembly 111 comprises a manufactured arm 112 which is supported by the element 101 in pivoting by means of an axis 113 The arm 112 comprises a vertical part 114 which is connected by an axis 115 and a stirrup

  116 to the piston rod 117 of a pneumatic cylinder.

  118 The cylinder 118 is also supported in pivoting

  by an axis 119 so as to take account of the movement

pivoting arm 112.

  Below the table 101, the arm 112 has a part 121 generally extending in the vertical direction and a

  part 122 generally extending in the horizontal direction.

  An integral arm 123 extends from the straight end

  inner dial of the part 122 and supports a roller 124 which is fixed by an axis at its lower end The roller 124 is intended to come into contact with the rim of the associated wheel 40 so as to position the detection assembly, which will be later described, in a way

precise with respect to wheel 40.

  The arm part 121 supports a mounting element so as to allow adjustments in a direction perpendicular to that of FIG. 9 A rod 126 is fixed in an adjustable manner in the mounting part 125 of

  so as to allow vertical adjustment of the set of

  tection with respect to the arm 121 The rod 126 comprises a detector support 127 at its lower end The detector support 127 can be adjusted radially with respect to the lower end of the arm 126 A detection device 128 is supported at the external end of

  support 127 by a link 129 which allows angular adjustment

  area of device 128 with respect to its support element

  port 127 The detection device 128 can be of any

  which type and in the embodiment shown,

  is an optical detector The optical detector 128 is

  keen to detect a mark placed on the tire by the manufacturer

  tire that will appear under a dark light

  picked by a source 131 which is supported by the table

  101 near the detection unit 111.

  A wheel detection device, shown in

  its main lines by the reference 132, which can also be

  Lement of an optical type analogous to the device 128, is supported in an adjustable manner by a mounting support 133, which in turn is fixed in an adjustable way to a support 134 itself fixed to the arm part 122 contiguous

  at the end of the arm in one piece 123 The adjustment of the

  positive detection 132 in its support allows an adjustment

  radial angular height of the device 132

  with respect to the conjugate wheel As in the case of the dis-

  positive 128, the device 132 is intended to detect a

  mark placed on wheel 41 by the wheel manufacturer.

  Alternatively, the detection device 132 can detect the location of the valve stem which has been pre-assembled in the valve hole of the wheel or any other component which is associated with the wheel and which can be used as a reference.

  We will now proceed to the description of the function-

of the device.

  Before a wheel and a mounted tire are supplied to the device 21, all of its elements are in the withdrawn position, that is to say that the rotating device 23 will be lowered so as to allow the introduction of the wheel. , this lowering operation being carried out by retraction of the piston rods 28 of the cylinders In addition, the jaws 41 will be in their withdrawn position as a result of the depression of the pneumatic cylinder 51 and of the actuating piston 48 (FIG. 3) Tire binders 91 will also be in their removed position

  by actuating the cylinders 95, which has the effect of lowering

  tighten the piston rods 96 so that the arm parts

  94 are in their extraction position as shown

  felt by the dashed line in Figure 1 The centering device 25 will be in its withdrawn position following actuation of the cylinder 73, which has the effect of rotating the arms 61, 62, 63 and 64 up to the position represented by the dashed line in FIG. 2 The detection devices will also be in their extraction position following actuation of the jacks 118, which has the effect of pivoting the arms 121 until their withdrawal position o the detectors 128 and 132 will be released from the wheel and the tire This withdrawal position is also shown in phantom in FIG. 9 A wheel and a mounted tire which is not inflated are then introduced into the device 21 by a conveyor (not shown) When a wheel and a tire are

  near the rotating device 23, the cylinder 73 is action-

  born so as to implement the centering device

  The arms 61, 62, 63 and 64 then pivot inwardly.

  until they come into contact with the periphery

  tire line The solid line view in Figure 2 represents contact with a small diameter tire 66, while the mixed line in this figure represents contact with a large diameter tire 67 Whatever the size of the tire supplied to post, the centering device 25 the

  will position since the rollers 65 will be in contact

  tact with the tire and centralize it as a result of their

  Simultaneously after centering the tire and the wheel,

  the cylinder 73 will be blocked, and can be actuated automatically-

  so as to remove the arms 61, 62, 63 and 64 by

  through an appropriate control mechanism.

  After centering the tire and the wheel, the rotating device 23 is brought into fixing contact with the center of the wheel. For this purpose, the piston 51 is actuated by pressurization of its lower side via the channel 54 so as to rotate arms 43 and 45

  of the angled lever and move the jaws 39 towards the ex-

  tieur until there is contact of their part 41 with the central opening of the wheel. If necessary, this movement can be carried out while the centering device 25 continues to maintain the wheel and the tire in their centered position. The centering device 25 can be retracted after fixing the center of the wheel by the jaws 41 As in the case of the centering device, the jaws 41 can come into contact with wheels having a wide range of dimensions for the central opening After coming in contact of the jaw parts 41 with the center of the wheel, this contact is maintained by further pressurization of the lower side of the piston 51 This is intended to ensure the rotation of the wheel 40 If necessary, other types of rotation mechanisms allowing the rotation of the wheel can be used For example, one can use a device which will pass through one of the bolt holes in the wheel However, the arrangement described is r ecommandé because it-allows a greater latitude in the realization of the wheel to handle without requiring bs-readjustments or

modification of the device.

  After fixing the wheel inside the jaw parts 41, the wheel and the mounted tire are raised by actuation of the piston rods 28 The wheel is raised until its upper rim is in contact with the rollers 105 (Figure 3) At this time, the rollers 104 will come into contact with the sidewalls of the tire as shown in this figure and will urge the tire down so that it comes into contact with the bead seat

  opposite or the lowest of the wheel 40 We will thus have the assu-

  rancid that there is sufficient friction contact between the

  wheel 40 and the tire so that they can rotate together.

  When the wheel 40 and the tire are in their fully elevated position against the stop 26, the jack 118 is actuated so as to bring the detection devices 128 and 132 near the tire and the wheel (FIG. 9) The wheel and the tire are then rotated by rotating the head 36 by actuation of the chain 34 and of the sprocket 33 During the rotation of the wheel and of the mounted tire, the detection devices 128 and 132 will begin to read and transmit the information to a device for associated control or computer (not shown) which can be of any known type When the mark carried by the tire is in the appropriate position, as detected by one of the devices 128, this information

  entered the computer and the blocking devices

  tire cage 91 are activated At the end of this operation

  tion, the cylinders 95 will be pressurized so as to

  drag the piston rods 96 outward so that the arm parts 94 are in contact with the tire and lift it hxs from the rim of the wheel 40 The tire will then be effectively fixed and will not be able to rotate If necessary, the operation of the device 23 can be stopped when the fixing devices 41 are

initially activated.

  As soon as the computer is aware that the detection devices 128 have detected the mark carried by the tire, the wheel is then rotated by

  own rotation of the head 36 until the

  detection device 132 of the same assembly reads the proximity of the appropriate mark on the wheel When this stage is reached, the rotating assembly 23 is stopped so that the wheel and the tire are matched to each other in an appropriate manner As the reading of the detection devices 132 and 128 is continuous, it may happen that the identification of the appropriate reference mark of the wheel takes place more quickly if the wheel turns in the opposite direction to that in which it previously turned Thanks to control members

  suitable, the wheel can be brought back near

11500

  detection device 132 so that there is

  laughing wheel and tire Of course, other

  operating frequencies can be used.

  In the embodiment shown, the provisions

  detection devices 128 and 132 are generally proximity detectors, i.e. they cannot read

  only a small part of the wheel and tire and that, for

  sequent, it is necessary to rotate either the tire or the wheel, or both to bring them in the vicinity of the respective detection devices 128 and 132 so that there is detection of the mark that they are portext The device can also be used in conjunction with duntype detection devices which allows the reading of a larger area. Such detection devices can include electronic cameras, for example the camera of the type sold by the company known as General Electric Corporation under the serial number TN 2500. These devices make it possible to read a large area and can be programmed with the associated computer so as to detect the mark that either the wheel or the tire carries,

  either the two marks If such a device is used

  positive, the location of the wheel or tire mark can be detected before the rotation of the assembly With the

  device described, it would be easier to detect the em-

  placement of the mark on the tire The tire can then be prevented from turning and the mark noted by the associated computer The wheel can then be rotated as described above until its mark, detected by the electronic camera and the computer associated, is in the predetermined location in relation to the already fixed tire The rotation of the wheel can then be stopped and the alignment completed Naturally, the computer can detect the direction in which the wheel must be rotated so that '' align with the Cans tire a minimum of time The device for achieving this is well within the domain of a person skilled in the art specialized in computers. The present invention is not limited to the embodiments which have just been described; on the contrary, it is subject to variations and modifications which

will appear to those skilled in the art.

Claims (8)

  1 Mechanism for aligning a tire mounted on a wheel, characterized in that it comprises a means for positioning the wheel or the tire in a desired position, a rotating means, a means for preventing rotation of the wheel or of the tire while the rotating means can rotate the tire or wheel not prevented from turning, and means for stopping rotation of the tire or wheel   when it is in a predetermined position.   2 Mechanism according to claim 1, characterized   in that the rotating means comprises a driving element Ine- unique.   3 Mechanism according to claim 2, characterized in that the means preventing the rotation of the wheel or the tire comprises means for fixing said wheel or said tire while the single drive means rotates said tire or said wheel.   4 Mechanism according to claim 3, characterized in that the fixing means secures the tire, this fixing means being arranged so as to fix the part of the tire contiguous to its bead so as to maintain the bead   out of contact with the associated wheel.   Mechanism according to claim 3, characterized in that the drive means comprises jaws so that they come into clamping contact with the center of the wheel.   6 Mechanism according to claim 5, characterized   in that the drive means comprises a top head   carrying the jaws to animate them with a movement of -va and comes between a withdrawal position and a contact position and a means for rotating the head and for moving it axially so as to raise the wheel and the tire mounted between a position and an alignment position. 7 Mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that the machine further comprises a first means of   detection intended to read an indication carried by the wheel.   and a second detection means intended to read an indication tion carried by the tire.   8 Mechanism according to claim 7, characterized in that there is a plurality of first and second detection means which are located in remote locations the   each other circumferentially.   9 Mechanism according to claim 8, characterized in that it further comprises means for rotating the tire or the wheel in a direction opposite to the direction in which   the tire or wheel was rotated before it   rotation of the wheel or tire if the detection means indicates that the indication carried by the wheel   or the tire is closer to the detection means which has   the position of the wheel or tire that the means of next detection.   Mechanism according to claim 4, characterized in that the fixing means comprises a plurality of jaws pivoting between a withdrawal position and a contact position.   11 Mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises positioning means intended to come into contact with the rim of the wheel to place it in a predetermined position, this positioning means being located at a location axially distant rotating means, this rotating means further comprising a lifting means for bringing the wheel and the tire mounted in   contact with the positioning means.