JPH0331602B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a snow-covered chain attachment/detachment device that is installed in an automobile and attaches/detaches a snow-covered chain to/from its tires.

[Conventional technology]

Conventionally, to attach a snow road chain to a car tire, the chain is placed on the road in front or behind the car's wheels, the car is moved to position the wheel on the chain, and then the chain is wrapped around the outer circumference of the tire. This is usually done by turning the ends to connect them, and detachment is usually done by reversing this operation.

However, since snow-covered chains are generally attached to and detached from automobile tires on roads in extremely bad environments, the attachment and detachment work is not only extremely difficult, but also stains the body and clothes, requiring inexperienced workers to do the job. There were problems such as it took a long time to attach and detach.

In addition, the present inventor previously proposed a cross band attaching/detaching device for attaching/detaching a snowy road cross band to/from an automobile tire by operating from the driver's seat using the driving force of the automobile (Japanese Patent Publication No. 53-37602). Public bulletin). This attachment/detachment device has the advantage of being able to attach/detach the crossband to and from the tire only by operating from the driver's seat, but it not only has a complicated structure, but also has structural problems due to the installation location, as the device is attached to the outer surface of the wheel. There were problems such as large restrictions.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] An object of the present invention is to provide a chain attachment/detachment device for snowy roads that can easily attach and detach a chain for snowy roads to and from a tire, and that has a simple configuration that is not subject to restrictions due to the mounting position. Our goal is to provide the following.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to solve the above problems, the chain attaching/detaching device for snowy roads of the present invention includes a connecting band for preventing slipping between opposing side bands on a chain holding member attached to the body of an automobile. By holding a chain for snow roads in a wound state, which is made up of chains arranged in series at appropriate intervals, and adding curls to the chain, it is possible to elastically wrap the chain around the outer circumference of the tire as it is delivered from the holding member. This is a characteristic feature.

[Function] When the chain is paid out from the chain holding member and its tip is brought into contact with the outer circumference of the tie, and the car is removed and the wheels are rotated in the sending direction of the chain for snowy roads, the chain is wound around the car and the outer circumference of the tire. Wrap it around. The wound chain is attached to the tire by connecting both ends of the chain to each other using a suitable connecting means.

When the chain is not in use, after releasing the connection at both ends of the chain, the rear end is held by a holding member, and when the car is driven and the wheels are rotated in the opposite direction to the direction in which the chain was wound, the chain is automatically wound into a spiral shape due to the winding pattern, and is held in the wound state by the holding member.

[Example] The drawings show an example of the present invention, and show a chain 1 for snowy roads.
As shown in FIG. 2, a pair of side bands 2, 2 having a T-shaped cross section (see FIG. 3) are arranged opposite to each other.
and band-shaped connecting bands 3, 3, . . . connecting them at appropriate intervals.

The side band 2 is made of, for example, plastic, which has strength even at low temperatures, and has a plate spring 5 embedded in its longitudinal direction for reinforcing the side band 2 and giving it a spiral curl. This plate spring 5 elastically wraps the side band 2 around the outer periphery of the automobile tire T, and at the same time automatically spirals when storing the side band 2 into the storage case 18 which is a chain holding member. This is to allow it to be wound. The leaf spring 5 also has protrusions 7 that protrude from the side band 2 at appropriate intervals in the longitudinal direction, and a cylindrical support 9 is provided in the mounting hole 8 of the protrusion 7. The ends of the connecting band 3 are rotatably connected via the connecting band 3. Further, at both ends of the side bands 2, 2, there are provided connecting fittings and other connecting means that are connected to each other when attached to the tire T.

Like the side bands 2, the connection band 3 is made of plastic, etc., which has strength even at low temperatures, and if necessary, piano wire 12 is buried inside for reinforcement, and the surface is abraded so that it can be used on icy and snowy roads. It is molded by embedding a hard metal spiral wire or the like that forms the claws, and its surface has appropriate irregularities to prevent slipping on icy and snowy roads. Also, connection belt 3
is flexible and has a length somewhat larger than the width of the tire T, so that when the chain 1 is attached to the tire T, it also covers a part of both side surfaces of the tire T.

In addition, as can be seen from FIG. 1, the side band 2 has, if necessary,
Racks 6,6 can be formed.

On the other hand, the storage case 18 of the chain 1 is attached to the body of the automobile by appropriate means so as to face the running wheels W. The storage case 18 includes a substantially cylindrical main body 19 and a feed-in/out part 20 of the chain 1 extending in a tangential direction of the main body 19, and is formed to have a width substantially the same as the width of the wheel W.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, in the feed-in/out section 20, a drive pinion 23 rotatably provided on the vessel wall and a pair of side bands 2, 2 of the chain 1 are disposed opposite to each other so as to be sandwiched therebetween. , and a driven pinion 24, one of which meshes with the drive pinion 23,
A drive 22 of the chain 1 with 24 is provided. Each pair of driven pinions 24, 24 mesh with the racks 6, 6 of the side bands 2, 2 located between them, and the drive pinion 23 meshes with one of the driven pinions 24, but these pinions Friction wheels can also be used instead. In this case, it is not necessary to provide a rack in the side band 2 of the chain.

The drive pinion 23 is an independent motor or an appropriate power transmission mechanism that transmits power from the engine, rotational power of the wheels, etc., and is driven in synchronization with the rotation of the wheels, and its driving and stopping can be operated from the driver's seat. It is composed of

The main body 19 of the storage casing 18 has the above-mentioned chain 1 wound in a spiral shape by the elastic force of a leaf spring. is the driven pinion 24,2
It meshes with 4.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, a channel-shaped guide frame 26 is provided between the tire T and the feed-in/out portion 20 of the storage case 18, and a support shaft provided close to the feed-in/out portion 20 is provided. The tire T side of the guide frame 26 is formed in a shape that straddles the tire T.

Although not shown, the guide frame 26 is made movable between the upper storage position (the position indicated by the chain line in FIG. 1) and the lower operating position (the position indicated by the solid line in FIG. 1) by appropriate means, and It is configured so that it can be locked in both positions, and when it is locked in the upper storage position, it is held in a position above the wheel W that does not hinder running, and when it is locked in the downward operating position, it is held at one end. is held close to the delivery/input portion 20 of the storage case 18, and the other end is held so as to straddle the tire T and be close to the outer periphery thereof. The movement of the guide frame 26 between the upper storage position and the lower operating position is configured to be operable from the driver's seat or manually, similarly to the drive device 22.

Next, the operation of the above embodiment will be explained.

In normal running conditions, the chain 1 is spirally wound and stored in the main body 19 of the storage case 18, and the tips of the racks 6, 6 of the side bands 2, 2 are engaged with the driven pinions 24, 24. , the guide frame 26 is locked in the upper storage position.

To attach the chain 1 to the tire T from this state, the guide frame 26 is rotated downward by operation from the driver's seat or manually to lock it in the downward operating position, and one end of the guide frame 26 is moved to the storage case 18. It is located close to the feed-in/out section 20, and the other end is located close to the outer periphery of the tire T.

Next, the drive device 22 is activated by operation from the driver's seat.
At the same time, the vehicle is driven and the wheels W are driven.
When the chain 1 is rotated in the chain delivery direction, the chain 1 is sent out on the guide frame 26 in the direction of the tire T by the racks 6, 6 meshing with the driven pinions 24, 24, and is wound around the outer circumference of the tire T. Ru. After the racks 6, 6 are disengaged from the driven pinions 24, 24, most of the chain 1 is already wound around the outer circumference of the tire T, so as the tire T rotates, the chain 1 is wound around the outer circumference of the tire T. be done.

When this winding is completed, both ends of the chain 1 are interconnected by suitable connecting means provided at the ends of the chain 1. Interconnection of both ends of the chain 1 is extremely easy because the chain 1 is wound around the outer periphery of the tire T by the leaf spring 5, and there is no need to lift the ends of the chain 1 from the road surface.

Furthermore, by operating the guide frame 26 from the driver's seat or manually rotating it upward and locking it in the upper storage position, the guide frame 26 can be prevented from coming into contact with the tires T due to vibrations during driving. It can be prevented.

To detach the chain 1 from the tire T, after releasing the connection between both ends of the chain 1 by the connection means, insert one end of the chain 1 slightly into the guide frame 26, and in this state, connect the drive device 22 and the wheels W. The chain 1 is stored in the storage case 18 by rotating it in the opposite direction to the above-mentioned direction. This operation is substantially the same as the mounting operation described above, except that the direction of movement of the chain 1 is reversed. Since the chain 1 is held in a shape that is attached to the tire T by the leaf spring 5, the chain 1 is wound spirally and stored in the storage case 18 without getting tangled.

Note that the detection of the completion of attachment and detachment of the chain 1 and the stopping of the drive can be performed based on the output of a position detection mechanism of the chain 1 provided in the housing case 18 or the like, for example. Further, if necessary, the fact that the chain 1 is being attached or detached can be detected by the drive device 22 or the like, and the electric signal can be used to provide an indicator to the driver and the outside.

[Effects of the Invention] According to the present invention, the chain is provided with winding curls and the winding curls are used to attach and detach the chain to the tire, so that when the chain is mounted, it is simply fed out from the holding member. and make it contact the tire.
It can be automatically wrapped around the tire just by rotating the wheel, and it can also be used when storing the chain.
By simply holding the rear end in the holding member and rotating the wheel in the opposite direction to the direction in which it is wound, the holding member can automatically hold the wheel in the wound state. It is simple and has a very simple structure because it consists of a spiral chain and a holding member that holds it, and there is no need for any mechanism to route the chain along the outer circumference of the tire.

Furthermore, since the chain attachment/detachment device is attached to the vehicle body, a larger volume of the vehicle body can be utilized than when the chain attachment/detachment device is attached to the outer surface of the wheel, which has the advantage of being less restricted by the attachment location.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a front view of an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a partial plan view of a chain for snowy roads, and FIG. 3 is a
The sectional view taken along line A and FIG. 4 are plan views of the guide frame. 1...Snow road chain, 2...Side band, 3...Connection band, 1
8...Storage case, W...wheels, T...tires.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. On the chain holding member attached to the car body,
By maintaining a chain for snowy roads in a wound state, which is made up of connecting bands for preventing slippage arranged at appropriate intervals between opposing side bands, and adding curls to the chain,
A chain attachment/detachment device for automobile tires on snowy roads, characterized in that the chain can be elastically wound around the outer circumference of the tire while being delivered from a holding member.