GB2274269A

GB2274269A - Road wheel changing

Info

Publication number: GB2274269A
Application number: GB9400893A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Yin Hong Wong
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1993-01-19
Filing date: 1994-01-18
Publication date: 1994-07-20
Anticipated expiration: 2014-01-18
Also published as: GB9400893D0; GB2274269B; GB9300987D0

Abstract

Apparatus for changing a vehicle wheel comprises a mobile main frame 10 mounted on castor wheels 18, and comprising two box-like sections 17 and 28, linked by a base 7. A pair of spaced apart parallel rollers 4A and 4B are each mounted on a pair of side brackets or noses 3. One of the rollers 4A is fixedly mounted by its noses to compartment 17. The other roller 4 is mounted on a moveable sub-frame 27 which is housed within the compartment 28. The roller 4B is moveable towards and away from the roller 4A by rotation of a threaded shaft 24 coupled between the compartment 28 and the sub-frame 27. The wheel to be removed or fitted is supported by rollers 4A and 4B which are moved together and apart to raise and lower the wheel. <IMAGE>

Description

APPARATUS FOR AND METHOD OF CHANGING A VEHICLE WHEEL The present invention relates to apparatus for and a method of changing a vehicle wheel.

The changing of a wheel for a lorry when a tyre has been punctured is difficult because the lorry wheel is heavy for the driver to carry and it is difficult for him to align the holes of the wheel rim with the threaded studs of the wheel brake disc and hub assembly which are usually provided. Difficulty also arises when it is necessary for ladies and elderly drivers to change even a small wheel on a normal car without help.

According to the present invention there is provided apparatus for use in changing a vehicle wheel, comprising a moveable main frame, means mounted on the frame for engaging a vehicle wheel, and means for raising and lowering the wheel relative to the ground.

Preferably the wheel engaging means comprises first and second support means positioned to engage the underside of the wheel with the support means spaced apart in the plane of the wheel, one on each side of the bottom of the wheel, and preferably the means for raising and lowering the wheel comprise means for moving the first and second support means towards and away from each other while engaging the wheel, so as to raise or lower the wheel as the distance between the first and second support means is reduced or increased respectively.

In one convenient arrangement the first support means is fixed relative to the main frame and the second support means is mounted on a sub-frame which is moveable relative to the said main frame. The means for moving the first and second support means relative to each other may comprise a threaded shaft coupled between the sub-frame and the main frame and rotatable to effect movement of the sub-frame relative to the main frame. There may be included a handle for manual rotation of the threaded shaft.

It is particularly preferred that the first and second support means comprise rotatable support means, preferably rollers. The first and second support means may conveniently comprise first and second parallel rollers positioned to engage the underside of a vehicle wheel with the axis of rotation of the rollers parallel to the axis of rotation of the wheel.

It is particularly preferred that the moveable main frame is a mobile frame for movement along the ground.

Preferably the mobile frame is mounted on transport means allowing movement of the frame along the ground from side to side relative to a wheel of a vehicle, and movement along the ground towards and away from the wheel in the direction of the axis of rotation of the wheel. For example the mobile frame may be mounted on castor wheels.

In accordance with one particularly preferred form of the invention, there may be provided apparatus for use in changing a vehicle wheel comprising a mobile frame for movement along the ground, first and second rotatable support means mounted on the mobile frame and positioned to engage the underside of vehicle wheel with the support means spaced apart in the plane of the wheel, one on each side of the bottom of the wheel, and means for moving the first and second support means towards and away from each other while engaging the wheel, so as to raise or lower the wheel as the distance between the first and second support means is reduced or increased respectively.

It is to be appreciated that where features of the invention are set out with regard to an apparatus, the same features may be provided in a method according to the invention and vice versa.

In particular, there may be provided in accordance with the invention a method of removing a vehicle wheel comprising the steps of: moving beneath a raised wheel on a vehicle a moveable main frame, engaging the wheel by engaging means mounted on the main frame, further raising the engaged wheel relative to the ground to free the wheel from support by its hub, and moving the main frame and the engaged wheel away from the vehicle.

There may also be provided a method of fitting a wheel to a vehicle comprising the steps of engaging a wheel by engaging means mounted on a moveable main frame, raising the engaged wheel relative to the ground to a level corresponding to a raised hub on a vehicle, moving the main frame over the ground towards the vehicle to place the wheel on the hub, disengaging the engaging means from the wheel, and moving the main frame away from the wheel on the hub.

In a preferred form there is provided a method of changing a vehicle wheel comprising removing a vehicle wheel by the method set out above, and then replacing the same wheel or another wheel on the vehicle, by the method also set out above.

In both the method of removing a wheel and the method of fitting a wheel, the method preferably includes engaging the wheel by positioning under the wheel first and second support means which are spaced apart in the plane of the wheel, one on each side of the bottom of the wheel, and raising the engaged wheel relative to the ground by moving the first and second support means towards each other.

Conveniently the method may include at some stage in the method the step of lowering a wheel engaged by the engaging means, by moving the first and second support means away from each other.

The invention allows, at least in preferred embodiments, the advantages of changing the wheel of a vehicle without the need for strength in raising and manoeuvring the wheel to the same degree that is required if the wheel is lifted manually and lifted off or onto its hub.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view of wheel changing apparatus embodying the invention; Figures 2a to 2c show the wheel changing apparatus of Figure 1 when engaging a wheel on a vehicle, and Figures 2d and 2e show details of a vehicle wheel hub; Figures 3a to 3c illustrate the wheel changing apparatus of Figure 1 engaging a vehicle wheel and lifting it relative to its hub; Figures 4a and 4b show the wheel changing apparatus of Figure 1 when supporting a new tyre ready to be fitted to a vehicle, and Figure Sc shows a castor wheel of the apparatus; Figures 5a to 5d show detailed views of a support roller of the apparatus of Figure 1;; Figures 6a to 6e show perspective views of support means of the apparatus of Figure 1; Figures 7a to 7g illustrate further details of the support means; Figures 8a to 8e show perspective views of a modified form of the wheel changing apparatus of Figure 1 embodying the invention; and Figures 9a to 9e show modified forms of support rollers of the apparatus of Figure 1.

Referring firstly to Figure 1, apparatus for changing a wheel embodying the invention comprises a mobile main frame 10 mounted on castor wheels 18 for movement along the ground. The main frame 10 comprises two box-like sections 17 and 28, also referred to as compartments, linked by a base 7 consisting of a flat plate having side kerbs 33.

Two rotatable support means for supporting a vehicle wheel are provided by a pair of spaced-apart parallel rollers 4A and 4B, each mounted on a pair of side brackets, or noses, 3. One of the rollers 4A is fixedly mounted by its noses 3 to the compartment 17a. The other roller 4B is mounted by its noses 3 on a moveable sub-frame 27 (shown better in Figure 3a and subsequent Figures) which is housed within the compartment 17. The roller 4B is moveable towards and away from the roller 4A by rotation of a handle 5 on a threaded shaft 24 which is coupled between the compartment 28 and the sub-frame 27 within the compartment 28, as will be explained in more detail hereinafter with reference to other Figures.

In Figure 2a, the wheel changing apparatus is shown when positioned beneath a raised wheel 2 on a vehicle (not shown). The wheel 2 is at this stage supported by the conventional threaded studs 1 of the wheel hub on the vehicle, which studs project through the conventional wheel holes 19 on the main body of the wheel 2. The wheel studs 1 are also shown in Figures 2e and 2d in conventional form.

Figure 2b shows an end view of the apparatus in Figure 2a, taken in the direction indicated by the arrow B. Figure 2c is a diagrammatic plan view of the apparatus shown in Figure 2a, but with the wheel 2 omitted for simplicity.

In the stage of use shown in Figure 2a, the main frame 10 has been positioned below the wheel 2, and the handle 5 has been rotated to bring the roller 4B on its nose 3 towards the wheel until both the rollers 4A and 4B just touch the tyre perimeter of the wheel 2.

Figure 3a shows the next stage in operation which is achieved by rotation of the handle 5 to cause the roller 4B mounted on the sub-frame 27 to move towards the roller 4A which is fixedly mounted on the compartment 17. This movement of the rollers 4A and 4B towards each other causes the wheel 2 to rise until the wheel 2 is supported by the rollers 4A and 4B, leaving studs 1 positioned freely at the centre of the wheel holes 19, as shown. The wheel 2 can then easily be removed from the vehicle by movement of the entire main frame, with the wheel, in a direction along the axis of the wheel 2, away from the vehicle. This movement takes place on the castor wheels 18.

In the next stage of the method (not shown) the handle 5 is rotated in the opposite direction, to move the rollers 4A and 4B away from each other, and to lower the free wheel 2 to the base 7 of the frame 10. The wheel can then easily be manoeuvred from the base 10 onto the ground.

Figure 5a shows the fitting of a new wheel 2 (or the original wheel 2 with a new or repaired tyre) back onto the vehicle hub. Firstly the wheel 2 is loaded onto the base 7 of the frame 10, which is relatively easy because the base 7 is close to the ground. The handle 5 is then rotated in a direction to bring the rollers 4A and 4B towards each other so that the wheel 2 rises, in the manner shown previously in Figure 3a but not illustrated in Figure 5a.

With the new wheel in the raised position, the main frame 10 is then moved along the ground on the castor wheels 18, towards the hub of the vehicle.

It should be noted that at this stage it is possible easily to rotate the wheel 2 on the rollers 4A and 4B, so as to align the holes 19 with the hub studs 1. When this alignment has been achieved, the frame 10 can be pushed further towards the vehicle, so that the wheel is fitted to the hub studs. The wheel nuts are then placed on the studs and are partially tightened; the rollers 4A and 4B are moved apart; the main frame 10 is wheeled away from the vehicle; the vehicle is lowered to the ground from its jack; and the wheel nuts are finally tightened home.

There will now be described with reference to the drawings various details of construction and use of the embodiment of the invention which has be described generally hereinbefore.

As has been mentioned Figure 1 shows a perspective view of the wheel changing apparatus (also referred to as a tyre installer) which is resting on four wheels 18 which can move in any direction. The wheels are easily available in the market. The installer has slanted edges 6 on the left and right. At each slanted edge 6 is the 'V' shaped piece or nose 3. The 'V' piece 6 is symmetrical along a centre line drawn from its top to its base.

Figure 2a shows a punctured tyre being supported by the four studs 1 of the wheel hub. The rim of the wheel has four equally spaced holes. The tyre rests on the rollers 4A and 4B shown in Figure 2c. Each roller is in turn carried by two 'V' pieces 3. Figure 2b shows an end view, while Figure 2c shows a plan view of the apparatus of Figure 2a but the tyre is removed to reveal the rollers 4A and 4B. Figure 2b shows the end view in the direction B.

Figure 2d and Figure 2e show the threaded studs 1 of the disc rotor and wheel hub. When the handle 5 as shown in Figure 2c is turned in an anticlockwise direction, the 'V' piece 3 on the right moves towards the 'V' piece 3 on the left, and the tyre is raised by the two noses 3 off the studs 1 as shown in Figure 3a. The roller 4A on the right rotates in a clockwise direction while the roller 4B on the left rotates in the opposite direction. In Figure 3a the wheel 2 is now supported by the tyre installer and can be removed by the driver. It should be noted that the nose 3 now has moved off the installer's body. A slot 9 is provided to guide the movement of projecting guide bolt 8 (also shown in Figure 7f). The base 7 has been designed as close to the road level as possible so the vehicle need not be jacked up too high.Holes 10 are provided for fixing the wheels 18; there are altogether sixteen holes 10.

Figures 5a to 5d show in detail the relationship of roller 4A and the nose 3. As shown in Figure 5d, a nut 13A is provided on the right while an end cap 13B on the left forms a single unit with a rod 14 having a circular crosssection. The roller 4A has a reduced edge on each side to reduce friction with the nose 3. This arrangement is used for light vehicles. The width of the gap formed between the nose 3 and roller 4 is negligible. Figure Sc shows the roller body and Figure 5b shows a side view of the roller body in direction B. As shown in Figure 5d, the rod 14 is inserted in the centre hollow tube of the roller 4A.

In Figure 4a, a new tyre is shown resting on the base 7 of the installer and being held in a stable position by the noses 3 on both sides. A typical castor wheel 18 is shown in Figure 4c. Numeral 16 indicates the side of the nose where the roller ends.

Figure 6a shows the detailed design for compartment 28 17B on the right hand side of Figure 4a. The handle 5 has a bar which can slide to the left and right. The shaft 24 has a circular cross-section. One end of the shaft 24 has a thread while the other end has a flat circular ring with a hole in the centre to allow the bar of handle 5 to slide.

The end wall 23 of compartment 28 is shown in Figure 6b.

The wall 23 is sandwiched between a circular plate on shaft 24 and a cup 22 of a ball-bearing washer made up of a cup and a cone with ball bearings sandwiched in between.

Another ring washer 20 and cap 19 which has a flat top and bottom are provided. The cap 19 is screwed tight on the thread of the shaft 24 so that the handle can be turned freely and remains in the correct position. The washer made up by the cup 22 and cone 21 and the metal balls are easily available in the market.

Figure 7 reveals more details of sub-frame 27 and compartment 28. A hole 30 with thread is provided for the shaft 24 so that the threaded end of shaft 24 will move into the sub-frame 27 and thus pulls the sub-frame 27 into compartment 28 when the handle 5 is turned in a clockwise direction. The sub-frame 27 will be pushed out of the compartment 28 when the handle 5 is turned in anticlockwise direction. The hole 29 as shown in Figure 7a is a plain hole without thread. The rectangular compartment 28 has one opening at one end to receive sub-frame 27 which has a slanted side carrying the noses 3. The compartment 17 on the left hand side of the installer does not have an opening but instead ends with slanted sides 6 and noses 3 which are not movable, as shown in Figure 3. In Figure 7b a slot 9 is shown on each side wall of compartment 28. The bottom of the slot 9 is a track for a metal sleeve 25 (as shown in Figure 7d and Figure 7f) to roll over. The sleeve 25 is a tube as shown in Figure 7c. After the installation of the sub-frame 27 into the compartment 28, a guide bolt 8 as shown in Figure 7f is fixed in the hole 26 on each side of sub-frame 27. The bolt 8 is provided to maintain the correct movement of the sub-frame 27 and prevents it from moving out of the compartment 28. Figure 7g shows the bolt 8 in direction G in Figure 7f. The kerb 33 appears in Figure 7b as shown also in Figure 1. The installer is made of metallic material.

Figures 8a and 8e show a modification of the previous embodiment. Figure 8b shows the view in direction B in Figure 8a, and Figure 8e shows the view in direction E in Figure 8. Figure 8d shows an alternative design for the base 7. The arc is in fact an arc of the wheel to be used.

Figures 9a to 9e show an alternative design for the roller for heavy vehicles, since when a roller tube rolls on a bar with a circular cross-section, there is too much friction for heavy vehicles and it is not strong. Figure 9a shows the front view of the roller tube with a circular wall 42 on each side. The ball-bearing wheel shown in Figure 9c is jammed into the wall 42 on either end of the roller. The numeral 38 indicates the external radius of the internal ring and the numeral 39 indicates the internal radius of the internal ring. The numeral 41 indicates the external edge of the ball-bearing wheel, and the numeral 40 indicates the metal ball. Wall 42 is negligibly smaller than the edge 41. The circular rod 14 in Figure 9b carries a hexagonal cap 16 on the left hand side and a removable hexagonal nut on the other side. The width of the gap 35 is negligible. A washer 34 is shown in Figure 9b where numeral 37 indicates the hole. Figure 9d is the view in direction D. The diameter 42 of the washer 34 as shown in Figure 9e is slightly less than twice the radius 38 of the internal ring in Figure 9c.

Claims

1. Apparatus for use in changing a vehicle wheel, comprising: a moveable main frame, means mounted on the frame for engaging a vehicle wheel, and means for raising and lowering the wheel relative to the ground.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which the wheel engaging means comprises first and second support means positioned to engage the underside of the wheel with the support means spaced apart in the plane of the wheel, one on each side of the bottom of the wheel.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2 in which the means for raising and lowering the wheel comprise means for moving the first and second support means towards and away from each other while engaging the wheel, so as to raise or lower the wheel as the distance between the first and second support means is reduced or increased respectively.

4. Apparatus according to claim 2, or 3 in which the first support means is fixed relative to the main frame and the second support means is mounted on a sub-frame which is moveable relative to the said main frame.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4 in which the means for moving the first and second support means relative to each other comprises a threaded shaft coupled between the subframe and the main frame and rotatable to effect movement of the sub-frame relative to the main frame.

6. Apparatus according to claim 5 including a handle for manual rotation of the threaded shaft.

7. Apparatus according to any of claims 2 to 6 in which the first and second support means comprise rotatable support means.

8. Apparatus according to claim 7 in which the first and second support means comprise rollers.

9. Apparatus according to claim 8 in which the first and second support means comprise first and second parallel rollers positioned to engage the underside of a vehicle wheel with the axes of rotation of the rollers parallel to the axis of rotation of the wheel.

10. Apparatus according to any preceding claim in which the moveable main frame is a mobile frame for movement along the ground.

11. Apparatus according to claim 10 in which the mobile frame is mounted on transport means allowing movement of the frame along the ground from side to side relative to a wheel of a vehicle, and movement along the ground towards and away from the wheel in the direction of the axis of rotation of the wheel.

12. Apparatus according to claim 11 in which the mobile frame is mounted on castor wheels.

13. A method of removing a vehicle wheel comprising the steps of: moving beneath a raised wheel on a vehicle a moveable main frame, engaging the wheel by engaging means mounted on the main frame, further raising the engaged wheel relative to the ground to free the wheel from support by its hub, and moving the main frame and the engaged wheel away from the vehicle.

14. A method of fitting a wheel to a vehicle comprising the steps of engaging a wheel by engaging means mounted on a moveable main frame, raising the engaged wheel relative to the ground to a level corresponding to a raised hub on a vehicle, moving the main frame over the ground towards the vehicle to place the wheel on the hub, disengaging the engaging means from the wheel, and moving the main frame away from the wheel on the hub.

15. A method of changing a vehicle wheel comprising removing a vehicle wheel by the method of claim 12, and replacing the same wheel or another wheel on the vehicle, by the method of claim 13.

16. A method according to claim 12 or 13 including engaging the wheel by positioning under the wheel first and second support means which are spaced apart in the plane of the wheel, one on each side of the bottom of the wheel, and raising the engaged wheel relative to the ground by moving the first and second support means towards each other.

17. A method according to claim 12, 13 or 14 including at some stage in the method the step of lowering a wheel engaged by the engaging means, by moving the first and second support means away from each other.

18. Apparatus for use in changing a vehicle wheel, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1 to 7g or with reference to these Figures when modified in accordance with figures 8a to 9e of the accompanying drawings.

19. A method of removing and/or fitting a vehicle wheel substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1 to 7g or with reference to these Figures when modified in accordance with figures 8a to 9e of the accompanying drawings.