FR3084852A1 - TRACTION AID DEVICE WITH ELASTICITY TENSION BELT - Google Patents

Abstract

Traction aid device for arrangement on the periphery of a tread of a tire mounted on a rim, comprising a traction band (1) extending along a TT axis and provided for winding around the tire tread, and a lateral fixing module (2) designed to laterally fix said traction strip (1) to the rim, said traction strip comprising a plurality of blocks (3, 4) arranged one after the other others, at least part of the blocks (3) comprising an elastically deformable elongation insert (18) arranged between the tunnel (6) and the edge (19) of the block.

Description

Description

Title of the invention: TENSION AID DEVICE WITH ELASTICITY TENSION BELT Technical Field [0001] The present invention relates to a traction aid device for arrangement on the periphery of a tire tread mounted on a rim, comprising a traction strip extending along a TT axis and provided for winding around the tread of the tire, and a lateral fixing module designed to laterally fix said traction strip to the rim, said traction strip comprising a plurality of blocks arranged one after the other.

PRIOR ART Many types of traction aid devices are known for vehicles. These devices are generally intended for occasional use to troubleshoot a vehicle stuck on a snow-covered road, or in anticipation of short-term driving on a road in difficult winter conditions.

Depending on the case, and according to the laws of the countries concerning the use of winter tires, the traction assistance devices can be used with winter or summer tires.

In all cases, these devices make it possible to position on the tire tread a complementary structure intended to improve the traction performance of the vehicle.

Many devices use chains, arranged to cover the tread and part of the sidewalls of the tires. These devices present honorable performances, but at the expense of ergonomics. Indeed, the assembly and disassembly operations of the snow chains are often tedious and long.

To overcome these drawbacks, other types of devices have been designed. Devices made of reinforced elastic fabric or textile cabling are known, for example, designed to encapsulate tires. The assembly / disassembly operations of such devices are carried out in a simple and rapid manner.

Also known are devices provided for lateral attachment to the rim of the vehicle. These devices also make it possible to facilitate assembly and disassembly operations.

However, in general, it has been found that the performance of traction assistance devices on snowy ground is often deficient. There is therefore a need for a traction aid device which is easy to assemble and disassemble, but above all which has improved traction performance compared to existing devices.

For example, document FR 2579143 describes a removable non-slip strip of flexible and elastic material intended to equip the tire with a vehicle wheel. The strip comprises a central rolling portion comprising at least one row of hollowed cells and alternating rigid edges. The first edge of the strip bears against the upper part of the internal sidewall of the tire and the second edge against the upper part of the external sidewall. The second edge is provided with radial straps that can catch on a ring or on the wheel disc. The assembly and disassembly operations of such a strip are tedious. The performance associated with such a configuration may be insufficient.

Document FR2437307 describes a removable non-slip belt intended to be wound around a vehicle tire. This belt is formed by a relatively flexible strip whose width covers at least part of the tire tread. The radially external part of the non-slip strip comprises raised parts of the bar type or the like, transverse and parallel, and / or raised patterns having various geometries. These bars have small ribs and / or hollow parts. The mounting of such a tread, with two ends to be fixed, is particularly difficult to implement and can in certain cases prove to be very difficult if the wheel is immobilized.

Document FR3017336 describes a monolithic shoe for the raceway of a non-slip device for a vehicle tire. The skate has at least one rigid insert having a longitudinal direction and means for securing to elements for joining the skids together. It also includes an envelope made of polymer material in which a rigid insert is at least partially embedded. The skate has a central portion comprising a plurality of sometimes opening openings and protuberances of rectilinear, elongated shape. The securing means are crimped or riveted clips between them, forming a loop passing through the junction elements and the non-slip pad. The characteristics of this device give it limited abilities with regard to the desired traction performance.

To overcome the various drawbacks previously mentioned, the invention provides different technical means.

Summary of the invention First of all, a first objective of the invention consists in providing a truly efficient traction aid device in difficult winter conditions, in particular on snow-covered ground.

Another objective of the invention consists in providing an efficient and effective traction aid device whatever the type of tire used, including summer tires.

Another objective of the invention is to provide an easy and quick traction aid device to be installed / uninstalled by anyone, without requiring special skills.

Yet another objective of the invention is to provide a traction aid device adaptable to all vehicles, even the most recent.

Yet another objective of the invention is to provide a traction aid device with optimal grip characteristics.

To do this, the invention provides a traction aid device for arrangement on the periphery of a tread of a tire mounted on a rim, comprising a traction strip extending along a TT axis and provided for winding around the tread of the tire, and a lateral fixing module designed to laterally fix said traction strip to the rim, said traction strip comprising a plurality of blocks arranged one after the other and held together by two circumferential rods arranged on the edges of the blocks and passing through passages provided in each of the blocks, at least part of the blocks comprising an elastically deformable elongation insert arranged between the tunnel and the edge of the block.

The extension insert makes it possible to dispense with a specific profile for the blocks comprising it. The insert performs the function of a block architecture intended to deform, the block can therefore have any shape. In addition, the block does not deform under the force exerted, only the insert undergoes deformation.

According to an advantageous embodiment, the insert is a pad made of elastically deformable material.

According to another advantageous embodiment, the insert comprises an alignment of elastically deformable springs.

According to yet another advantageous embodiment, the insert is an inflated pad.

The elements which may constitute the insert are presented by way of example. These are part of the materials and / or elements with significant deformation properties and a high resilience rate.

Advantageously, at least part of the blocks include a plurality of pull bars.

The traction bars make it possible to optimize the grip of the traction strip.

According to an advantageous embodiment, the lateral fixing module comprises a central flange carrying a plurality of radial arms cooperating laterally with the traction strip, said flange carrying at least one rod for fixing to a wheel of a vehicle, and a positioning lever allowing the said flange to be brought closer to the vehicle wheel.

The lateral attachment, that is to say by the external side of the wheel, considerably simplifies the processes of fitting and removing the traction aid device. There is no longer any need to position clamping elements on either side of the wheel as on traditional chains. The traction strip is simply positioned on the tread. The lateral attachment with clamping against the rim provides the traction strip with a series of anchor points at the edge of the tread. The traction strip is thus put in place and maintained by the radial arms.

The user therefore has easy access to all the elements of the system and can therefore easily and quickly carry out the assembly / disassembly operations.

The space required in the wheel housing to position the device and perform the manipulations for assembly and disassembly is minimized. Thus, the traction device is compatible with a large majority of vehicles, including certain recent vehicles for which the space available between the tread and the body is relatively small.

Brief description of the drawings All the details of construction are given in the description which follows, supplemented by FIGS. La to 3, presented only for the purposes of nonlimiting examples, and in which:

Fig.la [fig.la] is a schematic representation illustrating a portion of an exemplary embodiment of a traction strip for traction aid device;

Fig.lb [fig.lb] is a cross section of a block of the traction strip of Figure la;

Fig.lc [fig.lc] is a section in the main plane of a block of the traction strip of Figure la, illustrating an example of elongation pad in uncompressed mode

Fig.ld [fig.ld] is a section in the main plane of a block of the traction strip of Figure la, illustrating an example of extension cushion in compressed mode;

Fig.le [fig.le] is a section in the main plane of a block of the traction strip of Figure la, illustrating another example of extension cushion in uncompressed mode; Fig.2 [0036] [fig.2] illustrates a front view of an example of a traction band fixing system;

Fig.3 [0037] [fig.3] is a side view of the fixing system of Figure 2.

Description of the embodiments DEFINITIONS:

PASSAGES: By "passage" means an arrangement provided at the edge of the block in the direction of the T-T axis of traction in which a rod is arranged. A passage can be completely integrated in a block, then forming a tunnel, or be provided in whole or in part outside a block, for example in the form of hooks or rings making it possible to hang the rod on an edge of a block.

TRINGLES: by "rod" means a textile or metallic or hybrid cable or an arrangement with links such as a chain, arranged on at least a circumferential portion of a traction strip, in order to connect the blocks between them to form a traction strip. A rod crosses or runs along at least two consecutive blocks, and preferably three or more blocks. As a variant, a traction strip is formed by replacing the rods by fasteners (cables or hooks or clamps or the like) arranged between two consecutive blocks in order to connect them together.

BLOCK WITH SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT DIMENSION: by “block with substantially constant dimension”, we mean a block whose dimensions in the direction of the axis TT and in the direction transverse to this axis vary by less than 10% and preferably by less than 5% and even more preferably less than 3%.

ELASTICALLY DEFORMABLE BLOCK: by "elastically deformable block" means a block designed to allow elastic deformations in the direction of the axis TT of all or part of the block of at least 5% and more preferably at least 10% and even more preferably at least 20%.

TRACTION BELT: The figure shows a portion of a traction strip 1 intended for a traction aid device. The traction strip comprises a plurality of blocks 3 and 4 arranged alternately. The blocks are arranged along a traction axis T-T illustrated in FIG. La. Two rods 5 are used to connect the blocks 3 and 4 of the traction strip to one another. Passages 6 are provided on the edges of each of the blocks 3 and 4 to allow the tracking of the rods 5 and thus allow the alignment of the blocks along the axis of traction T-T. The traction strip 1 is designed to be placed on a tread of a tire with its traction axis T-T substantially aligned with the circumferential rolling axis of the wheel. The traction strip thus forms a traction layer superimposed on the tread of the tire. The traction characteristics of the traction strip, specifically adapted for difficult winter conditions, make it possible to improve the overall traction of the vehicle, in particular on snow-covered roads.

As illustrated in Figures la and 1b, the traction strip 1 comprises two types of blocks 3 and 4 preferably entirely made of elastomeric material, particularly suitable for their grip characteristics on snow-covered ground. The blocks include a support 17 on which are arranged a series of traction bars 7, preferably arranged substantially perpendicular to the axis of traction T-T. The bars 7 advantageously came integrally with the support

17. Passages 6, coaxial with the axis T-T, are provided on the edges of the block, to accommodate the rods 5. The blocks of elastomeric material are easy to manufacture, for example by molding. It is preferable to provide an overmolding on the rods 5.

As illustrated, the blocks 3 and 4 are arranged alternately to form the traction strip 1. In the example illustrated in Figure la, the bars 7 of the blocks 3 are more spaced apart than the bars 7 blocks 4. This alternation of blocks of different types, with different strip characteristics, makes it possible to improve the traction performance and / or to take into account different contexts of use for each block arrangement.

For optimal traction characteristics in snow, the traction bars 7 of blocks 3 and 4 are advantageously provided with rectangular profiles and arranged at an angle a of approximately 90 ° relative to the axis T-T.

As illustrated, the blocks 3 and 4 are arranged alternately to form the traction strip 1. This alternation of blocks 3 and 4 of different types, with different characteristics and behaviors during the rotation of the wheel , improves traction performance. In particular, the use of blocks of elastomeric material, provided with transverse traction bars 7, gives traction performance in marked progression in comparison with entirely metallic snow chains.

ELONGATION ZONES: In order to be able to adapt to the different dimensions of tires and to facilitate its positioning on a vehicle, the traction strip 1 comprises a plurality of elongation zones 8. Each of the zones 8 makes it possible to extend the free length of rod between the blocks. The sum of the lengths thus freed allows the traction strip to obtain an increased circumferential length.

Thanks to the elongation zones, the traction strip is deformable in the direction of the axis T-T, between a profile forming an elongated travel of the traction strip and a profile forming a shortened travel of the traction strip. Thus, for example during assembly of the traction aid device, when the traction strip 1 is stressed so as to tension the rods 5, the elongation zones 8 make it possible to increase the overall circumferential length of a strip until the mechanical stress decreases or stops. In the latter case, the traction strip then resumes its initial circumferential length. Depending on the dimensions and arrangements of the blocks, the rate of elongation between the shortened path and the elongated path of the traction strip varies for example from 3% to 5% or even more (for example 10%) in certain cases.

Figures 1b to ld schematically illustrate an example of elongation zone 8. In Figure 1b, the block 3 is seen according to section AA shown in Figure la. In Figures le, ld and le, blocks 3 are cut in their main plane, thus showing the inside of the blocks. It can be seen that the elongation zone 8 comprises an elastic pad 18, arranged between the passage 6 and the edge 19 of the block. This bearing is elastically deformable and allows, in the crushed or compressed position (FIG. 1d) of the bearing, to modify the path of the passage to lengthen the available rod length, by simply sliding the rod in the passage. The pad is advantageously made of cellular material, making it possible to achieve compression as illustrated in FIG. Ld.

Alternatively, as shown in the example in Figure le, the pad comprises a plurality of elastic elements aligned in the lengthwise direction of the pad.

LATERAL FIXING MODULE: Figures 2 and 3 illustrate an example of module 2 for lateral fixing. This module makes it possible to fix and maintain a traction strip 1 to a rim of a vehicle when the traction strip 1 is arranged against the tread of the tire mounted on this rim. The binding is implemented on the side of the outer edge of the wheel, along the rim and the outer side of the tire. This method of attachment considerably simplifies the installation of the traction band in comparison with traditional snow chains. As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, a central flange 11 carries a plurality of radial arms 12 extending from the flange to a distance sufficient to allow the positioning of the blocks 3 and 4 of the traction strip 1 on the tire tread. In the example illustrated in FIG. 2, the fixing module comprises six radial arms distributed angularly with a difference of 60 degrees between them. Each of the radial arms is fixed to a block 3 or 4 of the traction strip by means of an articulation 16 of radial arms. These articulations are flexible, and allow the blocks to be angularly displaced, for example, to lift them above the strip of [0053] [0054] [0055] bearing. Alternatively, the number of radial arms varies, and is preferably greater than or equal to three. The angular distance between each of the arms is substantially identical. Still alternatively, the radial arms 12 are replaced by a fixing disc which extends radially between the flange 11 and the traction strip. This disc has the advantage of allowing the fixing of all the blocks, facilitates assembly and provides greater rigidity to the assembly.

The flange 11 comprises a lever 14 placed on the outside, connected to at least one fixing rod 13, on the inside of the flange. Each fixing rod cooperates at its free end with an adapter 15, designed for fixing to the rim of the wheel, for example at the level of the wheel fixing nuts. The lever cooperates with the rod (s) 13 for fixing and makes it possible to pull the latter towards the flange, for example by turning the lever. This action makes it possible to bring the flange 11, the radial arms 12 and the traction strip towards the tire, until the traction strip 1 is on the tread of the wheel as shown in FIG. 3. Disassembly of the traction device is carried out in the opposite direction, by pushing the rod (s) 13 towards the rim, which allows the radial arms to be moved away from the wheel, by pulling the traction strip out of the tread.

The flange 11 and the handle 14 are advantageously made of polymer material. The arms can be made of reinforced polymer, or metallic, or elastomeric materials. List of reference signs

1. Traction band

2. Lateral fixing module

3. Block with insert

4. Block without insert

5. Rod

6. Passage

7. Pull bar

8. Extension area

9. Groove

10. Incision

11. Elasque

12. Radial arm

13. Fixing rod

14. Joystick

15. Adapter

16. Radial arm articulation

17. Support

18. Elastically deformable insert

19. Block edge

Claims (1)

claims [Claim 1] Traction aid device for arrangement on the periphery of a tread of a tire mounted on a rim, comprising a traction strip (1) extending along a TT axis and provided for winding around the tire tread, and a lateral fixing module (2) designed to laterally fix said traction strip (1) to the rim, said traction strip comprising a plurality of blocks (3, 4) arranged one after the other of the others and held together by two circumferential rods (5) arranged on the edges of the blocks (3, 4) and passing through passages (6) provided in each of the blocks, characterized in that at least part of the blocks (3 ) comprise an elastically deformable elongation insert (18) arranged between the passage (6) and the edge (19) of the block. [Claim 2] A traction aid device according to claim 1, in which the insert (18) is a pad made of elastically deformable material. [Claim 3] A traction aid device according to claim 1, wherein the insert (18) comprises an alignment of elastically deformable springs. [Claim 4] A traction aid device according to claim 1, wherein the insert (18) is an inflated pad. [Claim 5] A traction aid device according to any one of the preceding claims, in which at least part of the blocks (3, 4) comprise a plurality of traction bars (7). [Claim 6] Traction aid device according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the lateral fixing module (2) comprises a central flange (11) carrying a plurality of radial arms (12) cooperating laterally with the traction strip ( 1), said flange (11) carrying at least one rod (13) for fixing to a wheel of a vehicle, and a positioning lever (14) making it possible to bring said flange (11) closer to the wheel of the vehicle. 1/2