JPH0464882B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a tire wheel used for wheels of vehicles such as automobiles and motorcycles, and aircraft wheels.

[Prior Art] Tires for wheels of this kind are designed to be smaller and lighter in weight in order to improve running performance, and as a result, the air volume inside the tire tends to be smaller. Along with this, it is necessary to increase the tire internal pressure in order to carry a predetermined weight such as a vehicle. However, there is a limit to how much the internal pressure can be increased without increasing the outer diameter of the tire, and if the internal pressure is increased abnormally, the ride quality will be poor. Furthermore, since the internal volume of the air is small, it is difficult to inflate the tire, which increases the tire temperature, which tends to cause a decrease in grip on the road surface.

Furthermore, when the vehicle is running at high speed, it is desirable to increase the internal pressure of the tire in order to reduce the protrusion of the outer circumferential part of the tire and to improve the grip force and tire rigidity. However, the restrictions are significant.

Furthermore, when driving at high speeds, high pressure is better in order to increase the grip force as described above, while when driving at low speeds, low pressure is better in order to improve riding comfort. In other words, it is desirable to switch the tire internal pressure depending on the traveling speed.

By the way, in order to substantially increase the air volume of the tire without increasing the outer diameter of the tire,
Regarding tubeless tires, one has been proposed in which a closed space communicating with the inside of the tire is formed in a part of the wheel located on the inner diameter of the tire.
60-110103 and 60-78601). There has been a desire for a tire wheel having such a structure that can automatically and with a simple configuration change the internal volume of the tire in accordance with the running speed of the vehicle.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] The present invention satisfies the above-mentioned requirements, and is capable of automatically reducing the air volume of a tire when a vehicle is running at high speed, and providing an appropriate tire internal pressure for high-speed running. Our aim is to provide tires and wheels that can.

[Means for Solving the Problems] The present invention provides a tubeless tire fitted to the outer diameter portion of a rim, and a cylindrical tire connected to the inside of the tire in a support portion between the outer diameter portion and the center portion of the rim. A piston-shaped fitting member is provided to form a cavity, and a piston-shaped fitting member is slidably fitted into the cavity to form a sealed space communicating with the inside of the tire, and the position of the fitting member is adjusted. The tire wheel is provided with a setting means, and the volume of the sealed space can be varied by operating the setting means.

[Function] According to this configuration, when the rotational speed of the wheel increases, the piston-shaped member receives centrifugal force and moves against the biasing member, reducing the space volume communicating with the inside of the tire and increasing the internal pressure. .

[Example] Fig. 1 shows a first example of the tire wheel of the present invention.

In the figure, 1 is a tire wheel body, and a tubeless tire (not shown) is attached to the outer periphery of a rim 2 corresponding to the outer diameter part, and a tubeless tire (not shown) is attached to the rim 2 and an axle (not shown) located in the center. There are a plurality of radially connected holes between the mounting flange 3 and the mounting flange 3 (in the example, there are four
They are integrally connected at the support section 4 of the book.

The flange 3 includes a disk-shaped portion 3a, a cylindrical portion 3b into which the axle is fitted in the center, and a cylindrical portion that is located concentrically slightly on the outer periphery of the cylindrical portion 3b and has an open end at one end in the axial direction. It consists of 3c. Also,
The support column 4 is hollow and has a cylindrical cavity 4a formed therein, and a hole 2a is formed in the outer peripheral surface of the rim 2 so that the cavity communicates with the inside of the tire.

Inside the cavity 4a is a piston (fitting member).
5 is slidably fitted with a sealing property, and a sealed space communicating with the inside of the tire is formed within the portion 4a. This piston 5 is connected at its wheel center side to a piston rod 6, and the other end of this piston rod 6 is connected to the cylindrical portion 3.
It is linked and connected to a ring member 7 guided on the outer peripheral surface of b.

Further, a thread groove 8 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the end portion of the cylindrical portion 3b.
A cap-shaped member 9 (setting means) having a thread groove formed on the inner wall surface to be screwed into the thread groove is screwed into the thread groove 8, and the cap member 9 and the ring are screwed together. A tension spring (biasing member) 10 is installed between the members 7. By adjusting the screwing state of the cap member 9, the ring member 7 is inserted through the spring 10.
can be moved, and as a result, the piston 5
The position can be adjusted and set. Therefore, the volume of the sealed space communicating with the inside of the tire is variable.

In this embodiment, the spring 10 is adapted to apply a force that resists the movement of the piston 5 outward due to the centrifugal force exerted on the piston 5 by the rotation of the wheel body 1. Further, the piston 5 is provided with a valve hole 5a that communicates with the cavity 4a.

In the above configuration, by rotating the cap member 9 clockwise from the illustrated state and tightening it, the ring member 7 moves downward in the illustrated axial direction,
The piston 5 can be moved in the outer diameter direction within the cavity 4a, and therefore the volume of the sealed space can be reduced. Conversely, by rotating the cap member 9 counterclockwise, the piston 5
can be moved in the inner diameter direction to increase the volume of the sealed space.

Further, a swivel locking mechanism such as a ratchet is provided between the cylindrical portion 3b and the cap member 9.
It is designed to prevent it from tightening or loosening automatically due to the rotational moment of the wheel.

By reducing the volume of the sealed space, the tire internal pressure increases and the cushion characteristics become hard, and by increasing the volume of the sealed space, the tire internal pressure decreases and the cushion characteristics become soft. To adjust and set the cap member 9,
The driver may manually perform this operation as necessary, or a drive means such as a motor or solenoid may be provided so that the operation can be performed remotely by key operation from the driver's seat.

In the present invention, depending on the rotational speed of the tire wheel 1 (rim 2), a large centrifugal force acts on the piston 5 during high-speed rotation, and the piston 5 moves in the outer circumferential direction against the spring 10, thereby opening the closed space. The volume becomes smaller and the tire internal pressure becomes higher. Then,
The tire pressure automatically shifts to the desired state at high speeds. In other words, the internal pressure of the tire increases, the rigidity of the tire increases, and the protrusion of the tire at high speeds can be reduced. Furthermore, since the piston 5 is provided with the valve mounting hole 5a, no extra space is required to provide the valve mounting hole, and the structure can be simplified.

Note that, instead of the spring 10 in the above embodiment, a pressure spring may be installed between the ring member 7 and the disk-shaped portion 3a of the flange 3.

FIG. 2 shows a second embodiment of the invention.

In the same figure, the same numbers are given to the same members as those described above, and in this embodiment, the configurations of the parts corresponding to the piston rod, ring member, and setting means are different from the previous embodiment. That is, in the embodiment described above, the ring member 7 moved in the axial direction and the piston rod 6 was linked in relation thereto, whereas in this embodiment, the ring member 17 moved in the cylindrical portion 3.
b, and the piston rod 16 is linked in relation to the ring member 1.
By rotating the piston 7, the piston 5 can be moved in the radial direction as described above.

As for the means for rotationally driving the ring member 17, in addition to the configuration in which the ring member 17 is manually operated from the outside as described above, a drive unit 19 having a built-in drive means such as a motor is attached to the center of the tire wheel 1. configuration may be adopted.

Further, the ring member 17 is latched to a stopper (not shown) provided on the disk-shaped portion 3a so as to be restricted from rotating at a predetermined position, and between the ring member 17 and the tire wheel body 11 side. A spring (not shown) is provided to apply a force against the rotation of the ring member 17 when the piston 5 attempts to move outward due to centrifugal force.

In this embodiment as well, as described above, the volume inside the tire can be varied, and the internal pressure is automatically adjusted to an appropriate level according to the rotational speed of the wheel.

FIG. 3 shows a third embodiment of the invention.

In this embodiment, a cavity 24a communicating with the cavity 4a in the column 24 is formed in the flange 3 continuous to the column 4 in an annular shape with respect to the central axis, and a restoring force is generated in the cavity 24a. A sealed space that communicates with the inside of the tire is defined by a displaceable elastic seal member 24b, and this seal member 24
A donut-shaped plate member 25 movable in the axial direction is brought into contact with one side of b.

The plate member 25 is integrally formed with a ring member 27 guided by the spoke portions 26 on the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion 3b, and the ring member 27 is similar to the cap member 9 of the first embodiment. The position is adjusted and set by a corresponding setting member 29a screwed into a thread groove on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 3b.

Thus, by operating the setting member 29a to change its screwing state and move it in the axial direction, the ring member 27, that is, the plate member 25 can be moved in the axial direction, and the sealing member 24 can be moved in the axial direction.
b can be deformed to change the volume of the closed space. In addition, the movement of the member 29a can be carried out manually or by a drive unit 29b with a built-in motor attached to the center of the tire wheel body 21, as described above.
It may also be driven by a.

In this embodiment, the same effects as described above can be obtained, except for the effect of increasing the tire internal pressure during high-speed driving. Note that the valve mounting hole 25a may be provided in the plate member 25.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, a piston-shaped fitting member that is movable into a cavity that communicates with the inside of the tire is formed in a support between the outer diameter part and the center part of the rim. is provided to form a sealed space that communicates with the inside of the tire, and the position of this fitting member can be adjusted and set from the outside, so the volume of the sealed space can be varied and the tire internal pressure can be varied. Therefore, the cushion characteristics of the tire can be set arbitrarily and as needed, from hard to soft, without increasing the shape and dimensions of the smaller and lighter tire.

Moreover, if the fitting member is configured to be movable in the radial direction, the fitting member will move in the outer radial direction due to centrifugal force when the vehicle is running at high speed, and the tire internal pressure will be suitable for high speed driving. Effects can be obtained.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway perspective view of a tire wheel according to a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a similar perspective view according to a second embodiment, and FIG. 3 is a similar perspective view according to a third embodiment. 1, 11, 21...Tire wheel body, 2...Rim, 3...Flange, 4...Strut portion, 4a, 24a...
Cavity part, 5...Piston (fitting member), 5a, 25
a... Valve mounting hole, 7, 17, 27... Ring member, 9... Cap member (setting means), 10... Spring (biasing member).

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A tubeless tire is fitted to the outer diameter of the rim, and a cylindrical cavity communicating with the inside of the tire is formed in the support between the outer diameter of the rim and the center. Additionally, a piston-shaped fitting member is provided that slides into the hollow portion and forms a sealed space communicating with the interior of the tire within the hollow portion, and a setting means is provided for adjusting and setting the position of the fitting member. A tire wheel characterized in that the volume of the sealed space is made variable by operating the setting means. 2. The tire wheel according to claim 1, wherein the setting means is provided with a biasing member that resists the action of outward movement due to centrifugal force applied to the piston-shaped fitting member due to rotation of the rim. . 3. The tire wheel according to claim 1, wherein the piston-shaped fitting member is provided with a valve mounting hole.