JP2002166708A - Wheel for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [PROBLEMS] It is possible to match the emphasis of static balance to the mounting position of an air valve only with standard specification products without requiring a plurality of types of air valves by weight. Provided is a vehicle wheel that can omit or simplify a processing step of edge processing. An air valve hole (1) is formed in a rim (1b).
The air valve seat 3 in the form of a ring, which is fitted in and fixed to d, is provided, and the air valve 2 is mounted on the air valve seat 3. The air valve seat 3 is made of a material having a specific gravity greater than that of the material of the main body 1a of the wheel 1.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle wheel.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, in a tire and a wheel, non-uniformity of a weight distribution in a circumferential direction in a stationary state due to a manufacturing error or the like (hereinafter, this is called a static imbalance, and the uniformity is called a static balance) If the tire and the wheel are assembled without considering each other's static imbalance, depending on the static imbalance value of the entire assembly (hereinafter referred to as a tire-wheel assembly), the running , Large vibrations are generated in the vertical direction. Therefore, a method of reducing the static imbalance of the entire tire wheel assembly to within an allowable range by assembling the tire and the wheel such that both static imbalances cancel each other, and suppressing the vibration has been conventionally adopted. For example, a technique is known in which a light point of the static balance on the tire side and the emphasis of the static balance on the wheel side are phase-matched to constitute a tire-wheel assembly. Here, the light point of the static balance on the tire side means, for example, a point indicated as a light portion of the weight distribution when the tire is measured by a tire balancer or the like, and the importance of the static balance on the wheel side is When a wheel is measured by a wheel balancer or the like, it means a point indicated as a heavy portion of the weight distribution.

[0003] In particular, on the wheel side, an air valve for supplying compressed air to the tire is attached to a rim portion forming a peripheral surface thereof. Often matches. Therefore, in this case, as an example of assembling, the tire-wheel assembly is configured by matching the light point of the static balance on the tire side with the mounting position of the air valve on the wheel side. Another example of assembling is to preferentially match the direction of the radial force variation (RFV), which is the high-strength portion of the tire in the radial direction, with the direction of the low-diameter low point in the circumferential direction of the wheel. In this case, the light point on the tire side and the emphasis on the wheel side are usually shifted from each other, so installing a separate balance weight reduces the static imbalance of the entire tire wheel assembly. Let it. However, even in this case,
Attachment of the balance weight is performed with reference to the attachment position of the air valve, which is the important point, and there is an advantage that the efficiency of the work of attaching the balance weight is improved.

As described above, in any of the assembling modes, when the weight of the static balance in the wheel coincides with the mounting position of the air valve, it becomes easy to recognize as a guide for assembling, which is effective. However, since the weight of this air valve is not so heavy, if there is a large variation in the weight distribution among products due to manufacturing errors in the wheel body, this variation exceeds the weight of the air valve, and the weight of the entire wheel is not necessarily important There may be a case where the position does not match the mounting position of the air valve. In connection with this problem, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-170 discloses a method for matching the weight of the static balance of the wheel to the mounting position of the air valve.
No. 843 ". This is because the air valve itself is prepared by preparing several kinds of members having different weights in advance in the members constituting the air valve, for example, an air valve body or a cap covering the air intake port of the air valve, and selectively attaching an appropriate weight. The weight of the air valve is adjusted so that the point of importance is forcibly matched with the mounting position of the air valve.

[0005]

However, according to the technique disclosed in the above publication, it is necessary to prepare a plurality of types of members constituting the air valve having different weights. There is
Further, in some cases, there is a trouble in that a member having an appropriate weight is selected for each assembly, and there is a problem in the efficiency of the adjustment work.

Next, there are the following problems related to the mounting of the air valve. FIG. 6 is a view showing the rim portion of the wheel and the housing structure of the air valve, and the structure such as the air passage inside the air valve is omitted. In this figure, the housing of the air valve 31 includes a substantially cylindrical stem portion 31a,
A grommet portion 31b is formed at one end of the stem portion 31a with a fitting groove 31c provided along the circumferential direction. An air inlet 31d is formed at the other end of the stem portion 31a, and a cap 31e is attached so as to cover the air inlet 31d. Usually, the surface of the air valve 31 is covered with a synthetic rubber material. The attachment of the air valve 31 to the rim portion Ha
The stem portion 31a is inserted into the air valve mounting hole Hb of the circular hole formed in the rim portion Ha from the side where the tire is mounted using the elastic force of rubber, and the fitting groove 31c is inserted into the air valve mounting hole Hb.
b, the grommet portion 31b is fitted to the rim portion Ha.
This is done by locking it.

In mounting the valve 31, the stem portion 31a is pushed into the air valve mounting hole Hb, and the front and back peripheral portions Hc and Hc of the air valve mounting hole Hb are provided with a valve made of a synthetic rubber material. A so-called "edge processing" such as deburring has been performed in advance so as not to give a cut or a flaw to the surface of the surface 31, and the edge is usually cut by a machine tool or the like. However, since the wheel H is a large-sized part, there is a problem that a space occupied by the edge processing process must be widely secured because the wheel H is a large part. As can be seen, since the hole is formed between the narrow steps formed in the rim portion Ha, it is difficult to perform the edge processing by the machine tool, and there is a problem that a special tool or jig is required. .

The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and does not require a plurality of types of air valves according to weight. It is another object of the present invention to provide a vehicle wheel capable of eliminating or simplifying a processing step of edge processing with respect to a hole for mounting an air valve.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a ring-shaped air valve seat which is fitted and fixed in an air valve hole formed in a rim portion. Is attached. By this means, the edge processing can be performed for each air valve seat, and the occupied space required for the processing step of the edge processing can be reduced. In addition, the edge processing can be simplified or omitted.

In addition, the weight of the static balance of the wheel can be matched to the mounting position of the air valve by forming the air valve seat from a material having a specific gravity greater than the material of the body of the wheel. As compared to the case of adjusting the weight of the air valve, since the air valve can be covered only with the standard specification product, it is economical and the efficiency of the adjustment work is excellent.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1A is a side view of a wheel, FIG. 1B is a side view of a tire, and FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of a tire-wheel assembly. FIGS. 3 to 5 are partial cross-sectional views of the rim portion, showing the first to third embodiments based on differences in the shape of the air valve seat.

In FIG. 1A, a main body 1 of a wheel 1 is shown.
a is manufactured by a die casting apparatus or the like using an aluminum alloy, a magnesium alloy, or the like as a material, and an air valve 2 for supplying compressed air to the tire T is attached to a rim portion 1b forming a peripheral surface of the main body 1a. . The housing of the air valve 2 is, for example, the same as that described in the prior art, and as shown in FIG.
And a grommet portion 2b formed at one end of the stem portion 2a with a fitting groove 2c provided along the circumferential direction. An air inlet 2d is formed at the other end of the stem 2a, and a cap 2e is attached so as to cover the air inlet 2d. The surfaces of the stem 2a, the grommet 2b, and the fitting groove 2c are covered with a synthetic rubber material.

As shown in FIG. 3, the rim 1b is usually formed with one or more steps in the radial direction.
An air valve hole 1d, which is a circular hole, is formed in a side wall portion 1c forming a certain step. According to the present invention, a ring-shaped air valve seat (reference numeral 3 in FIG. 3, reference numeral 4 in FIG. 4, reference numeral 5 in FIG. 5) is fixedly fitted into the air valve hole 1d, and the air valve 2 is mounted on the air valve seat. Is the main feature.

First, as the material of the air valve seat,
It is desirable to use a material having a specific gravity greater than that of the body 1a of the wheel 1. For example, when the material of the body 1a is iron, the material of the air valve seat is preferably lead or the like. When the material of the main body 1a is a light metal aluminum alloy or the like, iron, chromium, or the like can be applied to the air valve seat in addition to lead. In any case, an appropriate material is selected in consideration of rust prevention, corrosion resistance, and the like. In addition, the present invention is not limited to a metal material, and may be made of a synthetic resin material or the like.

Next, three embodiments will be described based on the difference in the shape of the air valve seat. "First Embodiment" In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the air valve seat 3 has a height substantially equal to the thickness of the side wall 1c of the rim 1b and a diameter equal to the diameter of the air valve hole 1d. In this case, a member having a simple ring shape having the outside diameter of the air valve seat 3 is shown, and an air valve mounting hole 3a is formed at the center of the air valve seat 3 so as to penetrate both sides. The front and back peripheral portions 3b, 3b are preliminarily edge-treated before being attached to the main body 1a. The edge-treated air valve sheet 3 is inserted into the air valve hole 1d by press-fitting or by using an adhesive. It is fitted and fixed. The air valve 2 is provided with the air valve hole 1d.
The stem portion 2a is inserted from the tire mounting side into the air valve mounting hole 3a by using the elastic force of rubber, and is fitted into the fitting groove 2c.
Is fitted to the peripheral surface of the air valve mounting hole 3a to lock the grommet portion 2b on the back surface of the air valve seat 3 (FIG. 3).
(State of (b)). Of course, since the air valve 2 does not come into contact with the front and rear peripheral portions of the air valve hole 1d, edge treatment of this portion is not necessary.

As described above, if the ring-shaped air valve seat 3 is provided to be fitted and fixed in the air valve hole 1d formed in the rim portion 1b, and the air valve 2 is mounted on the air valve seat 3, The following effects are obtained. Regarding the problem of the edge processing at the peripheral portion of the hole in which the air valve 2 is mounted, the processing has conventionally been performed for each wheel which is a large-sized component, but according to the present invention, for each air valve seat, Processing in units of extremely small parts becomes possible, thus reducing the occupied space required for the edge processing process and reducing the labor burden on workers, and without the need for special tools or jigs. Since cutting with a general machine tool can be easily performed, simplification of edge processing is realized. Also,
When the air valve seat 3 is manufactured in a form in which the air valve mounting hole 3a is already formed by casting, resin molding, or the like, it is preferable to use a mold that forms, for example, a C surface or an R surface on the peripheral edges 3b, 3b. In addition, the step of edge processing by cutting can be omitted.

Further, since the air valve seat 3 is made of a material having a specific gravity greater than that of the material of the main body 1a of the wheel 1, the weight of the static balance of the wheel 1 can be matched with the mounting position of the air valve 2, so that the prior art can be used. As compared with the case where the weight of the air valve itself is adjusted as described above, the air valve can be covered only with the standard specification product, so that it is economical and the efficiency of the adjustment work is excellent. Strictly speaking, the body 1
If the variation in the weight distribution among the products is extremely large due to the manufacturing error of a, the variation exceeds the total weight of the air valve seat 3 and the air valve 2, and an assembly in which the emphasis does not match the mounting position of the air valve 2 may occur. It is also possible. However, air valve seat 3
By increasing the shape of the air valve and taking measures such as increasing the weight, it is possible to increase the degree to which the emphasis can be matched to the mounting position of the air valve 2.

For the wheel 1 in which the mounting position of the air valve 2 becomes the important point of the static balance as described above, the light point of the static balance on the tire T side at the position of the air valve 2 after reconfirmation of the important point by, for example, a wheel balancer. And is assembled as a tire-wheel assembly. Actually, as shown in FIG. 1B, a mark M such as a seal is attached to a side of the tire T as a mark indicating a light point of the static balance, so that the mark M and the air valve 2 are closest to each other. Thus, the tire wheel assembly is assembled. As a result, the static imbalances on the wheel 1 side and the tire T side cancel each other, and the static imbalance in the tire wheel assembly is reduced. Also, as another example of assembly, as described above, the direction of RFV,
Assemble by matching the direction of the low point of the smallest diameter in the circumferential direction of the wheel. In this case, the mounting position of the mark M on the tire side and the mounting position of the air valve 2 on the wheel side are shifted from each other. Reduce imbalance. Also in this case, the attachment of the balance weight is performed using the attachment position of the air valve 2 as a guide as an indication, and the efficiency of the work of attaching the balance weight is improved.

[Second Embodiment] In the case of the first embodiment, there is a possibility that compressed air leaks from a surface where the inner peripheral portion of the air valve hole 1d and the outer peripheral portion of the air valve seat 3 are in contact, that is, a press-fit surface. The air valve seat 4 in the present embodiment has a shape that copes with the leakage of the compressed air. As shown in FIG. 4, the small diameter portion 4a of the portion that fits inside the air valve hole 1d and the air valve hole 1d Side wall 1 along the circumferential direction
c (a large-diameter portion 4 having a diameter larger than the outer diameter of the small-diameter portion 4a in this example).
b). The height of the small diameter part 4a is the side wall part 1.
c is substantially the same as the thickness dimension, and the outer diameter is the same as the diameter dimension of the air valve hole 1d. An air valve mounting hole 4c is formed in the center of the air valve seat 4 so as to penetrate both sides. As in the case of the first embodiment, the edge portions 4d, 4d on the front and back sides are preliminarily edge-treated before being mounted on the main body 1a of the wheel 1, and the edge-treated air valve seat 4 is press-fitted or The small diameter portion 4a is internally fitted and fixed in the air valve hole 1d by using an adhesive. The attachment of the air valve 2 is basically the same as that of the first embodiment. However, the height dimension of the air valve seat 4 is the large diameter portion 4
b is larger than the air valve seat 3 by an amount corresponding to the formation of the fitting groove 2c on the air valve 2 side.
The width dimension is also increased accordingly.

As described above, in the case of the present embodiment, in addition to the press-fitting surface, an annular contact surface 4e can be secured between the air valve seat 4 and the wall surface of the side wall 1c. Leakage can be reduced. Also in this embodiment, as in the case of the first embodiment, it is possible to reduce the occupied space required for the edge processing, reduce the labor burden on the operator, and simplify or omit the edge processing. . In the present embodiment, the weight of the air valve seat itself is increased by the presence of the locking portion (large-diameter portion 4b) as compared with the first embodiment.
This is effective as a means for matching the emphasis on the mounting position of the air valve 2. Of course, if the air valve seat 4 is also made of a material having a specific gravity greater than that of the material of the main body 1a of the wheel 1, it is possible to further increase the degree that the emphasis can be matched to the mounting position of the air valve 2.

[Third Embodiment] This embodiment is also an example that addresses the problem of compressed air leakage described above. As shown in FIG. 5, first, a small-diameter hole d1 and a small-diameter hole in which the fitting groove 2c of the air valve 2 can be fitted within the thickness thereof as an air valve hole on the side wall 1c side of the rim 1b. d1
A large-diameter hole portion d2 having a larger diameter than that is formed concentrically and stepwise. Then, a ring-shaped air valve seat 5 having an air valve mounting hole 5a having substantially the same size as the inner diameter of the small diameter hole d1 is press-fitted into the large diameter hole d2 or internally fixed using an adhesive. As in the case of the above-described two embodiments, the edge portions 5b, 5b on the front and back sides of the air valve mounting hole 5a are subjected to edge processing in advance. In this embodiment, it is necessary to perform edge processing on the peripheral edges 1e and 1e of the small diameter hole d1.

In the case of this embodiment, between the annular locking surface 2f of the grommet portion 2b and the wall surface of the side wall portion 1c,
Further, since a so-called sealing surface is formed between the inner peripheral surface of the small diameter hole d1 and the outer peripheral surface of the fitting groove 2c, the reliability against compressed air leakage is further improved. Also in this embodiment, if the air valve seat 5 is made of a material having a specific gravity greater than the material of the main body 1a of the wheel 1, the degree to which the importance of the static balance can be matched to the mounting position of the air valve 2 can be increased.

The present invention has been described with reference to three preferred embodiments. The present invention can be applied to a two-piece or three-piece wheel as well as a one-piece type wheel structure. The material of the housing of the air valve is not limited to a synthetic rubber material, but may be a synthetic resin material or the like. In addition, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and design changes can be made as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0024]

According to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained. (1) If a ring-shaped air valve seat is provided which is fitted and fixed in an air valve hole formed in the rim portion, and an air valve is attached to the air valve seat, edge processing in units of air valve seats can be performed. This makes it possible to reduce the occupied space required for the processing process of the edge processing and reduce the labor burden on the operator. In addition, the edge processing can be simplified or omitted. (2) Since the air valve seat is made of a material having a specific gravity larger than that of the body of the wheel, the weight of the static balance of the wheel can be matched to the mounting position of the air valve. Compared with the case of adjusting the weight, the air valve can be covered only with the standard specification product, so it is economical and the efficiency of the adjustment work is excellent.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1A is a side view of a wheel, and FIG. 1B is a side view of a tire.

FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the tire wheel assembly.

FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view of a rim, showing a first embodiment of the present invention, wherein (a) shows a state before the air valve seat and the air valve are mounted, and (b) shows a state after the mounting.

FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view of a rim, showing a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view of a rim portion, showing a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a partial cross-sectional view of a rim for explaining a conventional air valve mounting structure.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 wheel 1a body 1b rim 1d hole for air valve 2 air valve 3-5 air valve seat

Continuing from the front page (72) Inventor Hisamitsu Takagi 1-4-1 Chuo, Wako-shi, Saitama Pref. Inside of Honda R & D Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Shiro Inventor 1-4-1 Chuo, Wako-shi, Saitama Co., Ltd. Inside Honda R & D Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Hidemi Ichinose 1907 Hiratacho, Suzuka City, Mie Prefecture Honda Motor Co., Ltd.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A vehicle having a ring-shaped air valve seat that is fitted and fixed in an air valve hole formed in a rim portion, and an air valve is mounted on the air valve seat. wheel. 2. The vehicle wheel according to claim 1, wherein the air valve seat is made of a material having a specific gravity greater than a material of a body of the wheel.