TW202346822A - Tire testing method, tire testing device, and dispersion device - Google Patents

Abstract

The purpose of the present invention is to prevent a tire testing device from malfunctioning by preventing rubber waste produced by tire testing from adhering to the tire testing device and a test tire. One embodiment of this invention is a tire testing method including: a contact step for causing a test tire to come into contact with a simulated road surface provided on the outer circumference of a rotating drum, a rotation step for rotating the rotating drum and the test tire that has been brought into contact with the simulated road surface, and a powder dispersion step for dispersing a powder for reducing the adhesiveness of rubber waste produced through abrasion of the test tire on the outer circumferential surface of the rotating drum and/or test tire.

Description

Tire testing method, tire testing device and dispersion device

The invention relates to a tire testing method, tire testing device and dispersing device.

Tire wear tests to evaluate the wear properties of tires include, in addition to actual driving tests in which test tires are mounted on real vehicles, run on actual roads under specific conditions, and the tire wear generated at this time is investigated, there are also other methods such as Japan Patent Application No. 57 -A bench test (simulation test) in which the tire is in contact with the outer circumferential surface of the rotating drum (simulated road surface) and the rotating drum and the tire are rotated to cause tire wear, as described in Publication No. 91440.

In a tire testing device that performs such simulation testing, rubber chips generated by tire wear adhere to various parts of the tire testing device, causing failure of the tire testing device.

In view of the above situation, the purpose of the present invention is to prevent rubber chips generated during tire wear testing from adhering to the tire testing device or the test tire, thereby preventing the tire testing device from malfunctioning.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a tire testing method is provided, which includes: a contact step of making the test tire contact a simulated road surface provided on the outer periphery of a rotating drum; a rotating step of rotating the rotating drum and the test tire in contact with the simulated road surface; and In the spreading step, powder is spread on the outer peripheral surface of at least one of the rotating drum and the test tire. The powder makes it difficult for rubber chips generated by the wear of the test tire to adhere.

In the tire testing method described above, the powder spreading step may include: a conveying step of conveying the powder at a fixed speed; a powder dispersing step of dispersing the conveyed powder in the gas; and a blowing step of blowing the gas in which the powder is dispersed. Peripheral surface.

In the tire testing method described above, in the blowing step, the powder-dispersed gas may be blown from the front in the traveling direction toward the contact portion between the simulated road surface and the test tire.

In the tire testing method described above, in the conveying step, the powder may be conveyed at a fixed speed by rotating the screw of the conveying means at a fixed speed.

In the tire testing method described above, the dispersing step may also include: a compressed gas supply step of supplying the gas compressed by the injector; suction of powder by the negative pressure generated by the injector; and a spraying step of using the injector to Gas dispersed powder is ejected.

In the above-mentioned tire testing method, the dispersion step may also be configured to include an induction step, in which the powder is uniformly dispersed in the gas during the induction step, in which the gas from the injector is blown out through a pipeline.

In the tire testing method described above, the blowing step may be configured to blow the powder-dispersed gas from the bell-shaped opening.

In the tire testing method described above, the powder may also be configured to contain talc.

Furthermore, according to another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a dispersion device including: a conveyance part that conveys an object to be dispersed in a quantitative manner; and an injector that sucks the object to be dispersed conveyed by the conveyance part and disperses gas in the object to be dispersed. squirt.

According to this structure, there is provided a scattering device capable of scattering an object to be dispersed quantitatively (for example, a fixed amount continuously per unit time).

In the above-mentioned spreading device, the conveyance unit may be configured to include a screw; a cylindrical casing that accommodates the screw; and a drive unit that rotates the screw at a specific number of rotations.

In the above-mentioned spreading device, the screw may be configured as a substantially cylindrical member having a spiral groove formed on the outer peripheral surface.

The above-mentioned dispersion device may be configured to include a funnel in which the object to be dispersed is stored; a housing inlet opening upward on one axial end side of the housing; and a discharge port of the funnel formed at the bottom of the funnel connected to the inlet.

The above-mentioned dispersion device may be configured to include: a stirrer that stirs the object to be dispersed in the funnel; the funnel has a cylindrical inner peripheral surface; and the stirrer has a slider that contacts and rotates with the inner peripheral surface of the funnel.

In the above-mentioned spreading device, the stirrer may be configured to include: a rod arranged concentrically with the inner peripheral surface of the funnel and rotating about an axis of the inner peripheral surface; and a branch portion extending from the side surface of the rod toward the inner peripheral surface of the funnel; And the slider holding part is installed in the branch part and holds the slider.

The above-described spreading device may be configured to include a plurality of sliders, and the plurality of sliders may be arranged at different positions in the axial direction of the funnel.

The above-described spreading device may be configured such that two sliders adjacent to each other in the axial direction of the funnel are arranged at different positions in the rotation direction.

The above-mentioned dispersion device may be configured to include: a first pipe for guiding the dispersed object conveyed by the conveyance unit to the injector; and an outlet of the casing facing downward on the other end side of the casing of the conveyance unit in the axial direction. The opening; the outlet of the shell is connected to the inlet of the straight pipe extending downward; the inlet of the straight pipe and the inlet of the first pipeline are arranged vertically and oppositely through the gap.

Furthermore, according to yet another embodiment of the present invention, a tire testing device is provided, including: a rotating drum with a simulated road surface provided on the outer periphery; and a tire holding portion that rotatably holds the test tire in contact with the simulated road surface; The driving part rotates the rotating drum and the tire holding part; and the above-mentioned spreading device spreads powder on at least a part of the outer peripheral surface of the rotating drum and the test tire, wherein the powder makes it difficult for rubber chips generated by the wear of the test tire to adhere.

Furthermore, according to yet another embodiment of the present invention, a tire testing device is provided, including: a rotating drum with a simulated road surface provided on the outer periphery; and a tire holding portion that rotatably holds the test tire in contact with the simulated road surface; a torque generating part that generates a torque applied to the test tire; and a rotation driving part that is provided with a motor that rotationally drives the rotating drum, wherein the torque generating part is provided with: a housing that is rotatably supported; and a servo motor that is coaxially mounted The motor is in the housing; the rotation driving part rotates and drives the housing of the torque generating part.

According to this structure, since a hydraulic system is not used, environmental pollution caused by operating oil can be prevented, and energy consumption can be reduced compared to conventional devices using hydraulic pressure. In addition, by introducing a torque generating unit (torque generating device), two motors can share the two roles of rotational driving and torque generation, so a low-capacity and small motor can be used, and energy and space saving can be achieved. .

In the tire testing device described above, the simulated road surface may be formed by a plurality of simulated road surface units that are attachable and detachable to the outer periphery of the rotating drum.

According to this structure, simulated road units can be manufactured in advance, which can improve production efficiency.

In the tire testing device described above, the simulated road surface unit may be configured to include a frame detachable on the outer periphery of the rotating drum, and a simulated road surface body detachable on the surface of the frame.

According to this structure, the simulated road surface body which is a consumable part can be easily exchanged. In addition, changes in the simulated road surface can be added at low cost.

In the tire testing device described above, the simulated road surface may be formed of a material including an aggregate and a bonding material bonded to the aggregate.

In the tire testing device described above, the aggregate material may include ceramic sheets, and the binding material may include curable resin.

In the tire testing device described above, the simulated road surface may be formed of the same material (or a different material) as the actual road surface.

In the tire testing device described above, the simulated road surface may be configured to have a plurality of traveling passages arranged in parallel in the axial direction of the rotating drum.

In the above tire testing device, the plurality of traveling channels may also be formed of the same material (or different materials).

In the tire testing device described above, the tire holding portion may be configured to include a traveling channel switching mechanism that can switch the traveling channel in which the rotating drum travels by moving the rotating drum in the axial direction.

The tire testing device described above may be configured to include: a relay unit that relays power transmission from the rotational drive unit to the torque generation unit; a first connection means that connects the rotational drive unit and the relay unit; and a second connection. means to connect the relay part and the torque generating part, wherein the second connection means includes a winding transmission mechanism; the winding transmission mechanism is equipped with: a driven pulley, coaxially installed on the casing of the torque generating part.

In the above-mentioned tire testing device, the rotational drive part may also be configured to include a power coupling part; the power coupling part includes: an input shaft to which the motor is connected; and an output shaft to which one end is connected to the first connecting means and the other end is connected to the The shaft of the rotating drum.

In the tire testing device described above, the relay unit may be configured to include: a first gear to which the first connection means is connected; and a second gear to mesh with the first gear and to which the second connection means is connected; the first gear Any one of the gears and the second gear is configured to be movable in the distance direction from the other gear to change the distance between the rotation axes of the first gear and the second gear; in the first connecting means and the second connecting means, A gear connector has universal joints at both ends and includes a drive shaft configured to change its length.

In the above-mentioned tire testing device, the torque generating part may be configured to include: a first shaft connected to the servo motor; a casing having a cylindrical shape with an opening through the first shaft formed at one end; the servo motor and the third A portion on one end side of the first shaft is accommodated in the housing; and a portion on the other end side of the first shaft is exposed to the outside of the housing from the opening.

In the above-mentioned tire testing device, the tire holding unit may be configured to include: a spindle part that rotatably holds the test tire; and a calibration mechanism that can change the position or direction of the spindle part to adjust the test tire on the simulated road surface. Calibration, the center axis part of which has: a wheel part to which a tire is mounted; and a spindle to which the wheel part is coaxially mounted at one end and is rotatably supported.

The above-mentioned tire testing device may be configured to include: a third connection means that connects the first shaft of the torque generating portion and the spindle; and the third connection means includes a constant velocity joint.

In the above-mentioned tire testing device, the tire holding part may also be configured to include: a spindle housing that supports the spindle in a rotatable manner; and a slip angle adjustment mechanism that can adjust the contact surface of the simulated road surface by contacting the test tire perpendicularly to the test tire. The spindle housing rotates around an axis passing through the center of the wheel to adjust the slip angle of the test tire; the camber angle adjustment mechanism can be adjusted by rotating the spindle housing around an axis perpendicular to the spindle through the contact surface The camber angle of the test tire; and the tire load adjustment mechanism, which can adjust the vertical load of the test tire by moving the spindle housing in the direction perpendicular to the contact surface.

The above-mentioned tire testing device may be configured to include the above-described spreading device that spreads powder that makes it difficult for rubber crumbs generated by wear of the test tire to adhere to the outer periphery of at least one of the rotating drum and the test tire.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, rubber chips generated during tire wear testing are prevented from adhering to the tire testing device or the test tire, thereby preventing the tire testing device from malfunctioning.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, in the following description, the same or corresponding components are assigned the same or corresponding symbols, and repeated descriptions are omitted.

The first to fourth figures are a plan view, a front view, a right side view and a left side view in order of the tire testing device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In addition, for convenience of explanation, part of the tire testing device 1 is omitted from the second to fourth figures. Moreover, FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the schematic structure of the control system 1a of the tire testing apparatus 1. As shown in FIG.

In the following description, as expressed by coordinates in the first figure, the direction from left to right in the first figure is defined as the X-axis direction, the direction from bottom to top is defined as the Y-axis direction, and the direction vertically from the back side to the The direction of the surface side is defined as the Z-axis direction. The X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction are horizontal directions perpendicular to each other, and the Z-axis direction is a vertical direction.

The tire testing device 1 can perform the test by rotating the rotating drum 22 and the test tire T for a specific time (for example, 24 hours) while the test tire T is in contact with the simulated road surface 23b provided on the outer periphery of the rotating drum 22. A device in which tire T is tested on a tire bench that is worn under conditions close to actual driving testing. The tire testing device 1 of this embodiment achieves high energy utilization efficiency by using an electric motor and a power cycle method in the drive system. In addition, by using the torque generating device described below, dedicated motors are respectively provided for the two functions of rotational driving and torque imparting, so that rotation control and torque control can be performed independently. This enables high-precision torque control with a high degree of freedom, and at the same time, the capacity of the motor can be reduced, the test equipment can be miniaturized, and power consumption can be reduced. In addition, by using an ultra-low inertia servo motor with excellent acceleration performance in the torque generating device, torque fluctuations with high-frequency components such as rapid starting and rapid braking can be accurately reproduced.

The tire testing device 1 includes: a tire holding part 10 that holds a test tire T; a road surface part 20 that has a simulated road surface 23B in contact with the test tire T; a rotational driving part 30 that rotates a power circulation circuit; and a torque generating part 50 that generates a force to the test tire. T applies the braking force and the driving force; and the relay part 40 relays the power transmission from the rotation driving part 30 to the torque generating part 50. Furthermore, the tire testing device 1 is provided with: a first connection means (drive shaft 62) that connects the rotational drive section 30 and the relay section 40; a second connection means (V belt 66) that connects the relay section 40 and the torque generating section 50; and a third connection means (constant velocity joint 64) that connects the moment generating part 50 and the tire holding part 10 (the spindle 152). The road surface portion 20 , the rotation drive portion 30 , the relay portion 40 , the torque generating portion 50 and the spindle portion 15 of the tire holding portion 10 described below are connected in an annular shape via the test tire T to form a power circulation circuit.

In addition, in this embodiment, the rotating drum 22 is arranged in the Y-axis direction toward the rotation axis. However, for example, the rotating drum 22 may also be arranged in the X-axis direction, the Z-axis direction, or an intermediate direction thereof (for example, respectively with the rotation axis). The X-axis and Z-axis form an angle of 45°). In this case, the direction or arrangement of other parts of the tire testing device 1 is also changed corresponding to the direction of the rotating drum 22 .

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 5 , the control system 1 a of the tire testing device 1 includes: a central control unit 70 that controls the overall operation of the testing device; and a measurement unit 80 that based on signals from various sensors provided in the tire testing device 1 , perform various measurements; and the interface section 90 performs input and output with the outside.

As shown in the first to fourth figures, the road surface portion 20 includes a rotating drum 22; a simulated road surface portion 23 provided on the outer peripheral portion of the rotating drum 22; and a bearing portion 24 that rotatably supports the shaft 22a of the rotating drum 22. The bearing part 24 is equipped with a rotary encoder 241 (fifth figure), and detects the rotational speed of the rotary drum 22. The simulated road surface portion 23 of this embodiment is formed by a plurality of simulated road surface units 231 (sixth and seventh figures) arranged side by side without gaps in the circumferential direction on the outer periphery of the rotating drum 22 .

The sixth figure is a perspective view of the simulated road surface unit 231 installed on the outer periphery of the rotating drum 22 . Moreover, FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the simulated road surface unit 231 taken along the cutting plane AA' shown in FIG. 6 . The simulated road surface unit 231 includes a frame 231a; a simulated road surface body 231b (231b1, 231b2) fitted into a recessed portion 231ad formed on the surface of the frame 231a; and a pair of left and right pressure plates 231c that are fixed to the frame 231a with the simulated road surface body 231b sandwiched between them. Box 231a. The pressing plate 231c is fixed to the frame 231a with a plurality of flat-head screws 231d. In addition, through holes 231ah are formed at both ends of the frame 231a in the width direction (the transverse direction in FIG. 7). Bolts for fixing the simulated road surface unit 231 to the rotating drum 22 are passed through the through holes 231ah.

The simulated road surface 23b is formed by the surfaces of a plurality of simulated road surface bodies 231b juxtaposed in the circumferential direction. The simulated road surface body 231b of this embodiment is composed of two parts (the first part 231b1 in the left half and the second part 231b2 in the right half in the seventh figure) extending in the circumferential direction and formed of different materials. The first portion 231b1 forms a first traveling channel 23b1 to be described later, and the second portion 231b2 forms a second traveling channel 23b2.

In addition, the entire simulated road surface body 231b may be uniformly formed from a single material. In addition, although the simulated road surface body 231b in this embodiment is formed in a cylindrical shape with a smooth surface, for example, the thickness of the simulated road surface body 231b may be periodically or randomly changed in the circumferential direction (or both the circumferential direction and the width direction). , to provide unevenness in the circumferential direction (or both circumferential direction and width direction) on the surface.

In addition, in this embodiment, although the preformed simulated road surface body 231b is mounted on the frame 231a by the pressing plate 231c, the simulated road surface body 231b may be provided with a through hole for fixing the simulated road surface unit 231 to the rotating drum 22. bolts, and directly fix the simulated road surface body 231b to the frame 231a with bolts. Alternatively, the simulated road surface body 231b may be fixed to the surface of the simulated road surface unit 231 by filling the concave portion 231ad with a plastic material such as concrete or curable resin and hardening the material.

The simulated pavement body 231b is an aggregate obtained by crushing (and further grinding if necessary) ceramics having excellent wear resistance such as silicon carbide or alumina, and adding a binding agent (adhesive) containing a hardening resin such as polyurethane resin or epoxy resin. agent) to form and harden parts.

In this embodiment, the simulated road surface 23b is divided into two traveling passages (a first traveling passage 23b1 and a second traveling passage 23b2) in the axial direction (width direction) of the rotating drum 22. Furthermore, in this embodiment, two traveling passages are formed on the simulated road surface 23b, but a single traveling passage or three or more traveling passages may be formed. The two traveling channels 23b1 and 23b2 of the simulated road surface 23b are formed by changing the particle size or amount of the aggregate used. In the direction of travel, the first travel channel 23b1 on the right side is a simulated road surface that simulates a smooth road surface such as an asphalt pavement, and the second travel channel 23b2 on the left side is a simulated road surface that simulates a rough road surface such as a gravel road. By switching the traveling paths 23b1 and 23b2 of the simulated road surface 23b that the test tire T is in contact with, the road surface conditions can be changed. The traveling path is switched by a traverse mechanism 11 (traveling path switching mechanism) of the tire holding portion 10 to be described later.

The rotation drive unit 30 includes a motor 32 and a power combining unit 34 that combines the power output from the motor 32 with the power circulation circuit. The motor 32 is driven and controlled by the inverter circuit 32a (fifth figure). The shaft 32b of the motor 32 is coupled to the input shaft 34a of the power coupling part 34. One end 34b1 of the output shaft 34b of the power coupling part 34 is coupled to the shaft 22a of the rotating strand 22, and the other end 34b2 of the output shaft 34b is coupled to one end of the drive shaft 62. The output shaft 34b of the power coupling part 34 forms a part of the power circulation circuit, and the output shaft of the motor 32 is coupled to the power circulation circuit via the power coupling part 34. That is, the motor 32 drives the power circulation circuit to rotate, and controls the number of rotations of the power circulation circuit.

The relay part 40 includes a gear box 42 , a drive pulley 44 , a bearing part 45 that rotatably supports the shaft of the drive pulley 44 , a tension pulley 46 that applies specific tension to the V-belt 66 wound around the drive pulley 44 , and a bearing part 47 , the shaft supporting the tension pulley 46 becomes rotatable.

The gear box 42 includes a first gear 42a coupled to the other end of the drive shaft 62, and a second gear 42b meshed with the first gear 42a. The second gear 42b is coupled to the drive pulley 44. In this embodiment, since the first gear 42 a and the second gear 42 b have the same number of teeth, the gear box 42 converts the rotation input from the drive shaft 62 into constant speed and reverse rotation, and transmits it to the drive pulley 44 .

The first gear 42a and the second gear 42b can be replaced with one having a different number of teeth (diameter). For example, the number of teeth of the first gear 42a and the second gear 42b may be different, and the rotation speed may be increased or decreased by the gear box 42. In order to change the number of teeth of the first gear 42a and the second gear 42b, the distance between the rotation axes of the first gear 42a and the second gear 42b can be changed. Specifically, the position of the rotation axis of the second gear 42b is fixed, and the position of the rotation axis of the first gear 42a is movable laterally (in the distance direction from the second gear 42b, that is, in the X-axis direction). When changing the number of teeth of each gear, the position of the rotation axis of the first gear 42a is laterally moved to adjust the meshing of the second gear 42b. Universal joints 621 are provided at both ends, and the rotational drive part 30 (specifically, the other end 34b2 of the output shaft 34b of the power coupling part 34) is connected to the first gear 42a through the variable-length drive shaft 62. Therefore, even if the first gear 42a moves laterally, no bending occurs in the drive shaft 62 or the first gear 42a, and smooth rotation of the power circulation circuit is maintained.

Figure 8 is a longitudinal sectional view of the moment generating unit 50 (moment generating device). The torque generating part 50 includes: an outer cylinder (casing) 51; a servo motor 52, which is installed in the outer cylinder 51; a reducer 53 and a shaft 54; three bearing parts 55, 55, 56, which support the outer cylinder 51 to be rotatable; and a slider. The ring portion 57 (slip ring 57a, brush 57b); the bearing portion 58 that rotatably supports the slip ring 57a; and the driven pulley 59.

In this embodiment, the servo motor 52 uses an ultra-low inertia high-output AC servo motor with a rotating part inertia moment of 0.01 kg·m2 or less and a rated output of 7 kW to 37 kW. As shown in the fifth figure, the servo motor 52 is connected to the central control unit 70 via the servo amplifier 52a.

The outer cylinder 51 has a cylindrical motor housing part 512 and a reducer holding part 513 with a large diameter, and substantially cylindrical shaft parts 514 and 516 with a small diameter. A shaft portion 514 is coupled to one end (the right end in FIG. 8 ) of the motor housing portion 512 coaxially (that is, the rotation axes are aligned). In addition, a shaft portion 516 is coaxially coupled to the other end of the motor housing portion 512 (the left end in the eighth figure) via the speed reducer holding portion 513 . The shaft portion 514 is rotatably supported by the bearing portion 56 , and the shaft portion 516 is rotatably supported by the pair of bearing portions 55 .

The driven pulley 59 coupled to the shaft portion 516 is arranged between the pair of bearing portions 55 . The outer cylinder 51 is rotationally driven by a V-belt (first diagram) wound between the driving pulleys 44 of the relay unit 40 via the driven pulley 59 .

Bearings 517 are provided at both ends of the inner surface of the shaft portion 516 . The shaft 54 is inserted into the hollow portion of the shaft portion 516 and is rotatably supported by the shaft portion 516 via a pair of bearings 517 . The shaft 54 penetrates the shaft portion 516 , has one end protruding inside the reducer holding portion 513 , and the other end protruding outside the outer cylinder 51 .

The servo motor 52 is accommodated in the hollow part of the motor accommodation part 512 . The shaft 521 of the servo motor 52 is coaxially arranged with the motor housing 512 , and the motor housing is fixed to the motor housing 512 by a plurality of rods 523 . In addition, the flange 522 of the servo motor 52 is coupled to the gear box 53a of the reducer 53 via the connecting tube 524. Furthermore, the gear box 53a of the reduction gear 53 is fixed to the flange 513a of the reduction gear holding part 513.

The shaft 521 of the servo motor 52 is connected to the input shaft 531 of the reducer 53 . Furthermore, the shaft 54 is connected to the output shaft 532 of the reduction gear 53 . The torque output from the servo motor 52 is amplified by the speed reducer 53 and transmitted to the shaft 54 . The rotation of the shaft 54 is the rotation of the outer cylinder 51 driven by the motor 32 of the rotation drive unit 30 plus the rotation driven by the servo motor 52 .

A slip ring 57a is connected to the shaft portion 514 of the outer cylinder 51 . Furthermore, the brush 57b in contact with the slip ring 57a is supported by the fixed frame 58a of the bearing portion 58. The cable 525 of the servo motor 52 passes through the hollow part of the shaft part 514 and is connected to the slip ring 57a. Moreover, the brush 57b is connected to the servo amplifier 52a (fifth figure). That is, the servo motor 52 and the servo amplifier 52 a are connected via the slip ring portion 57 .

Next, the structure of the tire holding portion 10 will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 3 and Figure 9 . Figure 9 is a rear view (partial cross-sectional view) of the tire holding portion 10 . The tire holding part 10 is a mechanism that makes the test tire T contact the simulated road surface 23b in a specific orientation, applies a specific load, and holds the test tire T in a rotatable manner. The tire holding part 10 includes four base plates 101, 102, 103, and 104 stacked up and down, and a spindle part 15, and holds the test tire T rotatably. In addition, the tire holding part 10 serves as a calibration mechanism for the test tire T, and includes a traverse mechanism 11, a camber angle adjustment mechanism 12, a tire load adjustment mechanism 13, and a slip angle adjustment mechanism 14. The calibration mechanism is a mechanism that can adjust the calibration of the test tire T on the simulated road surface 23 b by changing the position or direction of the spindle portion 15 .

The traverse mechanism 11 (travel channel switching mechanism) switches the travel of the simulated road surface 23 b that the test tire T is in contact with by moving the base plate 102 in the Y-axis direction relative to the base plate 101 to move the position of the test tire T in the axial direction. Mechanisms of channels 23b1 and 23b2. The traverse mechanism 11 is provided with: a plurality of linear guides 111 that guide the substrate 102 to the axial direction (Y-axis direction) of the rotating drum 22 relative to the substrate 101; a servo motor 112 that drives the substrate 102; and a ball screw 113 (feed screw mechanism) to convert the rotational motion of the servo motor 112 into linear motion in the Y-axis direction. In addition, the ball screw 113 includes a screw shaft 113a and a nut 113b.

In addition, each linear guide 111 is provided with: a rail 111a; and one or more carriers 111b, and can travel on the rail 111a via a rotating body not shown in the figure. The rail 111a of the linear guide 111 is mounted on the upper surface of the base plate 101, and the carrier 111b is mounted on the lower surface of the base plate 102. That is, the substrate 101 and the substrate 102 are connected slidably in the Y-axis direction via the linear guide 111 .

Furthermore, a servo motor 112 whose axis is oriented in the Y-axis direction is mounted on the substrate 101 . The shaft of the servo motor 112 is coupled to the screw shaft 113 a of the ball screw 113 , and the nut 113 b is installed on the underside of the base plate 102 . By driving the servo motor 112, the substrate 102 moves in the Y-axis direction relative to the substrate 101. Thereby, the position of the test tire T with respect to the rotating drum 22 moves in the Y-axis direction, and the traveling paths 23b1 and 23b2 of the simulated road surface 23b in contact with the test tire T are switched.

As shown in the fifth figure, the servo motor 112 is connected to the central control unit 70 via the servo amplifier 112a. The traveling lane switching operation performed by the servo motor 112 is controlled by the central control unit 70 .

Figure 9 shows a rear view of the upper portion of the tire holding portion 10 . The camber angle adjustment mechanism 12 adjusts the camber angle of the test tire T by rotating the base plate 103 relative to the base plate 102 around the Z-axis. The camber angle adjustment mechanism 12 includes: a vertically extending shaft 121; a bearing 122 that supports the shaft 121 to be rotatable; a curved guide 123 that guides the rotation of the base plate 103 centered on the shaft 121; and a servo motor 124 that moves the shaft toward Y. axial direction, is installed on the base plate 102; and the ball screw 125 (feed screw mechanism) converts the rotational motion of the servo motor 124 into linear motion in the Y-axis direction.

The shaft 121 is attached to the base plate 103, and the bearing 122 is attached to the base plate 102. The bearing 122 is provided with a rotary encoder 122 a (camber angle detection means) shown in FIG. 5 to detect the angular position (that is, the camber angle) of the shaft 121 . In addition, the shaft 121 and the rotating drum 22 are arranged directly below the contact surface with which the test tire T comes into contact. Specifically, the center line (rotation axis) of the shaft 121 is a straight line passing through the contact surface perpendicular to the spindle 152 . The curved guide 123 includes a rail 123a extending in an arc shape concentric with the shaft 121, and one or more carriers 123b that can travel on the rail 123a via a rotating body not shown in the figure. The rail 123a is mounted on the upper surface of the base plate 102, and the carrier 123b is mounted on the lower surface of the base plate 103. Furthermore, the screw shaft 125a of the ball screw 125 is coupled to the shaft of the servo motor 124, and the nut 125b is attached to the base plate 103 via a hinge 126 that can swing around the vertical axis. By driving the servo motor 124, the base plate 103 rotates around the axis 121, and the camber angle change of the tire T is tested.

As shown in the fifth figure, the servo motor 124 is connected to the central control unit 70 via the servo amplifier 124a. The camber angle operation adjustment by the servo motor 124 is controlled by the central control unit 70 .

The tire load adjustment mechanism 13 is a mechanism that adjusts the vertical load (contact pressure) applied to the test tire T by moving the base plate 104 in the X-axis direction relative to the base plate 103 and moving the test tire T in the radial direction. The tire load adjustment mechanism 13 is provided with: a plurality of linear guides 131 for guiding the base plate 104 to the radial direction (X-axis direction) of the rotating drum 22 relative to the base plate 103; a servo motor 132 for driving the base plate 104; and a ball screw 133 ( Feed screw mechanism), converting the rotational motion of the servo motor 132 into linear motion in the X-axis direction.

The linear guide 131 includes a rail 131a extending in the X-axis direction, and a carrier 131b capable of traveling on the rail via a rotary body. The track 131a of the linear guide 131 is installed on the upper surface of the base plate 103, and the carrier 131b is installed on the lower surface of the base plate 104.

Furthermore, a servo motor 132 whose axis is oriented in the X-axis direction is mounted on the substrate 103 . The shaft of the servo motor 132 is coupled to the screw shaft 133a of the ball screw 133, and the nut 133b is attached to the base plate 104. By driving the servo motor 132, together with the nut 133b, the base plate 104 moves in the X-axis direction relative to the base plate 103. Thereby, the axial distance between the rotating drum 22 and the test tire T changes, and the load on the test tire T changes.

As shown in the fifth figure, the servo motor 132 is connected to the central control unit 70 via the servo amplifier 132a. The load adjustment operation of the test tire T by the servo motor 132 is controlled by the central control unit 70 .

The slip angle adjustment mechanism 14 adjusts the test tire T by rotating around the X-axis relative to the spindle portion 15 of the base plate 104 and tilting the rotation axis of the test tire T relative to the rotation axis of the rotating drum 22 around the X-axis. The slip angle of the mechanism.

The slip angle adjustment mechanism 14 is provided with: a shaft 141 having one end fixed to the spindle housing 154 (bearing part) of the spindle part 15 and extending in the Y-axis direction; and a bearing part 142 supporting the shaft 141 so that it can be rotated around the X-axis (that is, perpendicular to (around the axis of the contact surface); servo motor 143; and ball screw 144 (feed screw mechanism). The bearing part 142 is equipped with a rotary encoder 142a (fifth figure), and detects the angular position of the shaft 141 (ie, the slip angle of the test tire T). The center line (rotation axis) of the shaft 141 passes through the approximate center of the wheel portion 156 and is arranged perpendicular to the rotation axis of the wheel portion 156 . The servo motor 143 is axially oriented substantially in the Z-axis direction and is mounted on the base plate 104 via a hinge 143b that can swing around the Y-axis. The shaft of the servo motor 143 is coupled to the screw shaft 144a of the ball screw 144. Furthermore, the nut 144b of the ball screw 144 is attached to one end of the spindle housing 154 in the X-axis direction (away from the center of the shaft 141 in the X-axis direction) via a hinge 146 that can swing around the Y-axis.

By driving the servo motor 143, the nut 144b of the ball screw 144 moves up and down, and the spindle housing 154 rotates together with the shaft 141. Thereby, the slip angle of the test tire T held on the spindle portion 15 changes.

As shown in the fifth figure, the servo motor 143 is connected to the central control unit 70 via the servo amplifier 143a. The servo motor is used to adjust the slip angle and is controlled by the central control unit 70 .

The spindle part 15 includes a spindle 152 , a spindle housing 154 (bearing part) that rotatably supports the spindle 152 , and a wheel part 156 that is coaxially attached to one end of the spindle 152 . The test tire T is mounted on the wheel portion 156 . The spindle 152 is equipped with a torque sensor 152a that detects the moment applied to the test tire T; and a three-point force sensor 152b that detects the three-point force (that is, the force in the X-axis direction [Radial Force] applied to the test tire T; Load], Y-axis direction force [Lateral Force; lateral force] and Z-axis direction force [Traactive Force; traction force]). Moreover, the spindle housing 154 is equipped with the rotary encoder 154b (fifth figure) which detects the rotational speed of a spindle (ie, the test tire T). Since both the torque sensor 152a and the three-point force sensor 152b use a piezoelectric element, the spindle 152 and the spindle housing 154 have high rigidity, thereby enabling high-precision measurement. Moreover, the wheel part 156 is equipped with the air pressure sensor (fifth figure) 156a which detects the air pressure of the test tire T.

The tire holding unit 10 is provided with a tire temperature adjustment system 18 (only the air supply air duct 182a is shown in the second figure), which blows cold air or warm air to the test tire T to adjust the temperature of the test tire T. The temperature of the test tire T (especially the tread temperature) during the test (while traveling) affects the test results (amount of wear). Therefore, during the test, it is better to keep the tread temperature of the test tire T within a specific temperature range (for example, 35±5°C). In addition, even in the measurement of the wear amount of the test tire T described later, the temperature of the test tire T during measurement needs to be adjusted to a specific reference temperature (for example, 25° C.). Therefore, the tire temperature adjustment system 18 is used to adjust the temperature of the test tire T to the set temperature during testing and wear measurement.

The tire temperature adjustment system 18 (fifth figure) includes a control unit 181, a fixed-point air conditioning device 182, and a temperature sensor 183. The temperature sensor 183 is a non-contact temperature sensor (radiation thermometer) that measures the tread temperature of the test tire T, and is disposed facing the tread. Based on the measurement results of the temperature sensor 183, the control unit 181 controls the operation of the fixed-point air conditioning device 182 to blow cold air, warm air, or room temperature air to the tread of the test tire T to eliminate deviations from the set temperature. The set temperature of the test tire T can be set to different values during testing (while traveling) and during wear measurement. In addition, different set temperatures can be set according to the type of test tire T. In addition, the tire temperature adjustment system 18 is further provided with a temperature sensor for measuring room temperature, and may be configured to control the operation of the fixed-point air conditioning device 182 based on the room temperature and the temperature of the test tire T.

In addition, although the tire temperature adjustment system 18 of this embodiment is configured to adjust the temperature of the test tire T by using the fixed-point air conditioning device 182 to blow warm or cold air to the test tire T, the tire temperature adjustment system is not limited thereto. Here it is. For example, an outer cover (thermostat room) surrounding the entire test tire T may be provided, and the temperature of the test tire T may be adjusted by adjusting the temperature in the outer cover.

In addition, the set temperature during testing can also be set according to the climate of the place where the tires are used. In addition, tire wear is accelerated by rising temperatures. Therefore, by using the tire temperature adjustment system 18 to adjust the temperature of the test tire T during testing to be higher than the tire temperature during normal driving, it is possible to perform an accelerated deterioration test.

In addition, the tire holding part 10 is equipped with a two-dimensional laser displacement sensor 17 (hereinafter abbreviated as "displacement sensor 17"), which is used to measure the wear amount of the tread of the test tire T. The displacement sensor 17 uses a laser beam (laser light curtain) expanded into a strip shape by a cylindrical lens to non-contactly measure the two-dimensional profile of the tread of the test tire T (cut with a plane including the tire rotation axis) cross-sectional shape).

As shown in FIG. 5 , the displacement sensor 17 is connected to the measurement part 80 and operates together with the measurement part 80 as a wear measurement part. The measurement unit 80 controls the operation of the displacement sensor 17 and calculates the wear amount of the test tire T based on the two-dimensional profile acquired by the displacement sensor 17 .

The two-dimensional profile is measured using the wear measurement unit, and the tire is tested before and after the test (in the middle of the additional test) with the test tire disabled. Based on the two-dimensional profile measured before and after the test (and during the test), the wear amount of the test tire T caused by the test is calculated. Furthermore, as mentioned above, since the measured value of the tire wear amount is affected by the tire temperature, when the measurement is performed after the test is completed (or stopped), the measured value is caused by natural heat release or forced cooling by the tire temperature control system 18. It is best to test after the entire tire has reached a certain baseline temperature.

Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of the two-dimensional profile of the tread of the test tire T obtained by the two-dimensional profile measurement using the wear measurement unit. In the tenth figure, the horizontal axis (Y) represents the position of the test tire T in the width direction, and the vertical axis (H) represents the position of the test tire T in the groove height direction (the radial direction of the test tire T). In the test tire T, four grooves G1, G2, G3, and G4 extending in the circumferential direction are formed. Through image analysis of the two-dimensional contour, the Y-shaped concave portion of the two-dimensional contour corresponds to each of the grooves G1 to G4.

Moreover, nearby areas L1 and R1, L2 and R2, L3 and R3, and L4 and R4 are respectively set in specific ranges on both sides of the width direction (Y-axis direction) of each groove G1 to G4. Hereinafter, the n-th groove is represented by the symbol Gn, and the additional areas of the groove Gn are represented by the symbols Ln and Rn. In addition, let the area near the negative side of the horizontal axis of the groove Gn (on the left side of the tenth figure) be referred to as the nearby area Ln, and the area near the positive side of the horizontal axis of the groove Gn (on the right side of the tenth figure). Nearby area Rn. The nearby region Ln (Rn) is set, for example, to a region extending from the left end (right end) of the groove Gn to half the width of the groove Gn.

The depth Dn of the groove Gn is calculated as, for example, the difference between the average value of the height H of the nearby areas Ln and Rn and the average value of the height H of the groove Gn. In addition, the wear amount Wn of each groove Gn before and after the test is calculated as the difference in the depth Dn of the groove Gn before and after the test. In addition, the average wear amount of the test tire T is calculated as the average value of the wear amounts W1 to 4.

In addition to the above-mentioned groove depth Dn (or instead of the groove depth Dn), the minimum groove depth Dnmin can also be calculated. The minimum groove depth Dnmin of the groove Gn is calculated as, for example, the average of the minimum value of the height H in the nearby region Ln and the minimum value of the height H in the nearby region Rn, and the difference between the maximum value of the height H in the groove Gn. . In this case, the minimum groove depth Dnmin may be used instead of the groove depth Dn to calculate the wear amount Wn or the average wear amount W.

The calculation method of the wear amount Wn or the average wear amount W is not limited to the above examples, and other methods can also be used. For example, in the above example, the height H of both the nearby areas Ln and Rn is used to calculate the depth Dn of the groove Gn or the minimum groove depth Dnmin. However, any one of the nearby areas Ln and Rn (for example, close to the test tire) may also be used. The height H of the center of the width direction of T is used to calculate the depth Dn of the groove Gn, etc. In addition, the least squares method or the like can also be used to obtain approximate two-dimensional contour curves (for example, two-dimensional curves) for the grooves G1 to G4 and the parts other than grooves G1 to G4, and compare the two approximate curves before and after the test. The average distance difference is calculated as the average wear amount W.

Furthermore, the wear measuring unit calculates and displays the wear amount WL per unit travel distance (for example, 1 km) or the wear amount WT per unit travel time (for example, 1 hour) together with the wear amount Wn or the average wear amount W of each groove Gn. .

The tire holding unit 10 is equipped with a slip material spreading device 16 (powder spreading device) that spreads slip material (dispersed body) on the tread of the test tire T and the simulated road surface 23 b of the rotating drum 22 . The skid material dispersing device 16 spreads the mixture of skid materials dispersed in the air from the front of the traveling direction of the contact portion between the test tire T and the simulated road surface 23 b (upper part in the first figure). Thereby, the rubber powder generated by the wear of the test tire T prevents malfunction or malfunction caused by adhering to various parts of the tire testing device 1 . In addition, through the dispersion of the sliding material, the influence of the rubber powder adhering to the test tire T or the simulated road surface 23b on the test results is reduced, and the test accuracy is improved.

Non-combustible powder such as talc (hydrated magnesium silicate) is used as the sliding material. This prevents dust explosions and eliminates the need for safety measures against dust explosions such as explosion-proof equipment, thereby significantly reducing initial and maintenance costs.

Figure 11 shows a schematic structural diagram of the sliding material spreading device 16. The sliding material dispersing device 16 is equipped with a hopper 161 (storage part) for storing sliding materials; a stirrer for stirring in the hopper 161; a driving part 163 for rotationally driving the stirring bar 162; a quantitative conveying part 164 for quantitatively conveying the sliding materials; and an injector 166 , to attract the sliding material and mix it with air to eject it; the pipeline 165 guides the sliding material from the quantitative conveying part 164 to the injector 166; the pipeline 167 guides the air dispersed by the sliding material from the injector 166 to the dispersion position; And a bell-shaped mouth 168 is installed at the front end of the pipeline 167.

The stirrer 162 includes: a rod 162a extending up and down; three pairs of branch portions 162b extending perpendicularly to the radial direction from the side of the rod 162a toward the inner peripheral surface of the funnel 161; and three slide holding portions 162c (slider holding portions). They are respectively attached to the front end portions of each pair of branch portions 162b; and three slides 162d (slider) are held by the slide holding portion 162c. The rod 162a is arranged concentrically with the cylindrical inner peripheral surface of the funnel 161, and one end thereof is connected to the driving part 163. Each sliding piece 162d is arranged so that its front end contacts the inner peripheral surface of the funnel 161, scrapes off the sliding material adhering to the inner peripheral surface of the funnel 161, and rotates along the inner peripheral surface of the funnel 161. In this embodiment, a brush made of, for example, conductive (or antistatic) resin is used as the slider 162d. During the operation of the tire testing device 1, the sliding material in the funnel 161 is always stirred by the stirrer 162. This prevents the supply amount of the sliding material from changing or being interrupted due to condensation and blockage of the sliding material in the funnel 161 . The sliding material easily becomes a starting point for adhering to the inner circumferential surface of the funnel 161 and condensing. Therefore, by wiping the front end of the sliding piece 162d against the inner circumferential surface of the funnel 161, clogging of the sliding material is effectively prevented and the sliding material can be stably supplied.

In addition, in this embodiment, a brush is used as the sliding piece 162d, but a member other than a brush (for example, a sponge or a sheet having rubber elasticity) may be used as the sliding piece 162d. With the elasticity of the sliding piece 162d, the sliding piece 162d is pressed against the inner peripheral surface of the funnel 161 with a moderate force, and the sliding material fixed on the inner peripheral surface of the funnel 161 is scraped off. Furthermore, when the slide piece 162d does not have appropriate elasticity, the slide piece holding part 162c or the slide piece 162d may have elasticity. For example, using a flat spring in the branch part 162b, the sliding piece 162d can be pressed against the inner peripheral surface of the funnel 161 by the elastic force of the flat spring. In addition, by using the sliding piece 162d made of resin or rubber, it is possible to prevent damage or wear on the inner peripheral surface of the funnel 161 due to sliding of the sliding piece 162d.

In addition, by using the slider 162d formed of a conductive material (for example, a synthetic resin mixed with carbon black), it is possible to prevent the sliding material from being accumulated on the surface of the slider 162d due to static electricity.

The drive unit 163 includes a motor 163m, a driver 163md (fifth figure) that supplies a drive current to the motor 163m, and a reducer 163g that reduces the number of revolutions output by the motor 163m.

The axes of the funnel 161 and the stirrer 162 are in the vertical direction in this embodiment, but they may be in the up and down direction (that is, the axes may be inclined with respect to the vertical).

The quantitative conveyance unit 164 includes a cylindrical housing 164a having a cylindrical hollow portion; a substantially cylindrical screw 164b concentrically accommodated in the hollow portion of the housing 164a; and a driving unit 164c that drives the screw 164b to rotate. The drive unit 164c includes a servo motor 164cm and a servo amplifier 164cma, and supplies drive current to the servo motor 164cm. Other types of motors that can control the number of rotations can also be used instead of the servo motor 164cm.

The screw 164b has a substantially cylindrical body part 164b1 with a spiral groove formed on the outer periphery, and a shaft part 164b2 that extends in the axial direction from both axial ends of the body part 164b1 and is thinner than the body part 164b1. In addition, bearing holes 164a1 rotatably fitted into the shaft portion 164b2 are formed at both ends of the housing 164a in the axial direction. The shaft of the driving part 164c is connected to one of the shaft parts 164b2.

Openings are provided at both ends in the axial direction of the housing 164a. An opening (that is, the inlet 164a2) is formed on one end side of the housing 164a. In addition, another opening (that is, the outlet 164a3) is formed on the lower surface of the other end side of the housing 164a. The inlet 164a2 is connected to the discharge port of the funnel 161, and the outlet 164a3 is connected to the vertically extending straight pipe 164d.

A spiral groove is formed on the outer periphery of the screw 164b. The spiral groove is formed in a semicircular shape. In this embodiment, although the pitch of the spiral grooves is fixed, the pitch may be unequal. Furthermore, a plurality of spiral grooves (a plurality of spiral structures) may be formed in the screw 164b. The outer diameter of the body portion 164b1 of the screw 164b is slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the hollow portion of the housing 164a. In addition, when the gap between the outer peripheral surface of the screw 164b and the inner peripheral surface of the housing is narrow, the sliding material blocks the gap and the frictional resistance increases. On the contrary, when the gap is wide, the conveying efficiency decreases.

By the rotation of the screw 164b, the sliding material moves from the inlet 164a2 to the outlet 164a3 in the hollow part of the housing 164a, and is discharged from the straight pipe 164d. Since the amount of sliding material transported by each rotation of the screw 164b is fixed, rotating the screw 164b at a constant speed can continuously supply the sliding material at a fixed speed. In addition, by changing the rotation number of the screw 164b, the supply speed of the sliding material can be adjusted.

The injector 166 operates by using the compressed air supplied from the pipe 166a as a driving source, and injects the compressed air at high speed from the built-in nozzle to the discharge side, so that the suction port connected to the pipe 165 becomes a negative pressure, and the suction port is sucked from The sliding material is sucked through the opening, and the air dispersed by the sliding material is ejected from the discharge port connected to the pipe 167.

The inlet of the pipe line 165 and the outlet of the straight pipe 164d for quantitatively conveying the cloth 164 are arranged to face each other vertically via the gap G. The air flows from the gap G into the pipe 165 through the negative pressure generated by the ejector 166 . The sliding material dropped from the outlet of the straight pipe 164d is guided to the pipe 165 by the air flowing in from the gap G.

In addition, the front end (bell-shaped opening 168) of the pipe 167 is disposed directly above the contact portion between the test tire T and the simulated road surface 23b. The air containing the sliding material sprayed from the injector 166 passes through the pipe 167 and is sprayed from the bell-shaped port 168 toward the contact portion. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 11, the test tire T and the rotating drum 22 are rotationally driven in the direction in which the contact portion moves downward. That is, the sliding material is ejected toward the contact portion from the front in the traveling direction.

By using the slip material spreading device 16 described above, the slip material is spread in front of the contact portion between the test tire T and the simulated road surface 23 b to prevent the rubber chips generated by the wear of the test tire T from adhering to the test tire T or the tire testing device 1 , and prevent the reduction of test accuracy or the failure of the tire testing device 1 due to the adhesion of rubber chips.

As shown in FIG. 5 , the motor 163m of the drive unit 163 of the slip material spreading device 16 and the servo motor 164cm of the quantitative conveyance unit 164 are connected to the central control unit 70 . The operation of the slip material spreading device 16 is controlled by the central control unit 70 .

As shown in Figure 5, the interface section 90 of the control system 1a is equipped with one or more user interfaces for input and output between users, a local area network (Local Area Network, LAN), and other various types of devices for connecting to the network. Various communication interfaces such as network interface, Universal Serial Bus (USB) or General Purpose Interface Bus (GPIB) used to connect to external machines. In addition, the user interface includes one or more display devices such as various operation switches, monitors, liquid crystal displays (LCDs), various pointing devices such as mice or touch pads, touch screens, cameras, and printers. , scanners, buzzers, speakers, microphones, memory card readers and writers and other input and output devices.

The measurement unit 80 is connected to the displacement sensor 17, the rotary encoders 122a, 142a, 154b and 241, the torque sensor 152a, the three-point force sensor 152b, the air pressure sensor 156a and the temperature sensor 183. The measuring unit 80 measures the moment, load (Radial Force), traction force (Traactive Force) and (Lateral Force) applied to the test tire T, the number of revolutions, camber angle, and slip angle of the test tire T based on the signals from each sensor. , the temperature of the tread, the air pressure, the number of revolutions of the rotating drum 22 and the road surface speed (the circumferential speed of the rotating drum 22 ), and these measured values are transmitted to the central control unit 70 . Furthermore, the road surface speed is calculated from the measurement value of the rotation number of the rotating drum 22 by the rotary encoder 241 .

The central control unit 70 displays the measurement values obtained from the measurement unit 80 on the display device according to the settings, and stores the measurement values in the non-volatile memory 71 together with the measurement time.

Servo motors 52, 112, 124, 132, 143 and 164cm are connected to the central control unit 70 via servo amplifiers 52a, 112a, 124a, 132a, 143a and 164cm respectively. Moreover, the motors 32 and 163m are connected to the central control unit 70 via the inverter circuit 32a and the driver 163md, respectively. Furthermore, the fixed-point air conditioning device 182 and the temperature sensor 183 are connected to the central control unit 70 via the control unit 181 of the tire temperature control system 18 .

In the test using the tire testing device 1 of this embodiment, a tire designed to serve as a preset reference (hereinafter referred to as the "reference tire") is mounted on a real vehicle and driven, and an actual driving test is performed to investigate the tire wear state. Even if the tire testing device 1 is used for bench testing, the test conditions are adjusted in order to reproduce the same wear state as the actual driving test, and various tires are tested using the adjusted test conditions (referred to as "adjusted test conditions"). In addition, the reference tire is selected from tires that are relatively close in design to the tire that is the subject of the test. For example, reference tires are set separately for tires for cars and tires for buses and trucks.

According to the above-described embodiment of the present invention, an electric motor is used instead of a hydraulic device. Therefore, power consumption can be significantly reduced compared to conventional test devices.

In addition, since power consumption is small, the tire testing device 1 can be operated stably even when power supply is restricted due to a large-scale disaster or the like.

In addition, since no hydraulic device is used, there is no problem of environmental pollution caused by operating oil.

In addition, when rubber tires come into contact with operating oil, the quality will deteriorate, so it is difficult to conduct accurate testing in a test environment contaminated by operating oil. If the tire testing device 1 of this embodiment is used, the test tire T will not be contaminated by the operating oil, so a more accurate test can be performed.

In addition, in this embodiment, the torque generating part 50 (torque generating device) uses an ultra-low inertia high-output type with an inertia moment of the rotating part 0.01kg·m2 or less and a rated output of 22kW (7kW to 37kW). AC servo motors can produce rapid torque changes and can accurately reproduce complex waveform torque changes.

In addition, in the conventional power cycle system, since the torque is first applied to the power cycle circuit and the rotational drive is started while the torque is applied, the torque cannot be changed during the test and only a fixed torque can be applied. In the tire testing device 1 of this embodiment, by adopting a structure in which a torque generating device equipped with an ultra-low inertia high-output AC servo motor is combined in the power cycle circuit, it is possible to test at high speed (high frequency) while traveling at high speed. It can also apply complex torque changes, and can accurately simulate rapid acceleration or deceleration at high speed, ABS braking test and other harsh and complex conditions.

In a conventional structure using a single drive motor, the drive motor requires high-speed, high-torque rotational driving, so even testing of passenger car tires requires a large-capacity motor of 600kW or more. However, by adopting the torque generating device of this embodiment, the roles of each motor are divided into low-speed, high-torque driving and high-speed, low-torque driving. Therefore, the capacity of the servo motor 52 of the torque generating unit 50 is 22kW, which is sufficient because The capacity of the rotary drive unit 30 is sufficient at 37kW. Therefore, even after totaling, the capacity of 60kW is sufficient, and the required power consumption can be reduced by about 1/10. In addition, the test device suitable for truck and bus tire testing reduces power usage by about 1/13. In addition, when using a hydraulic motor, electricity is also used to manage the temperature of the operating oil during non-operation, but the electric motor consumes almost no electricity when stopped, so the actual electricity usage can be reduced to about 1/15.

In addition, since a low-capacity motor is used, manufacturing costs can be reduced and the device can be miniaturized.

In addition, in the tire testing device 1 of this embodiment, since a new composite material is used to form the simulated road surface 23b, the durability of the simulated road surface 23b can be improved and the maintenance cost can be reduced. In addition, if the simulated road surface 23b of this embodiment is used, by changing the aggregate material or the adhesive, it is possible to perform tests that accurately simulate various road surfaces.

(Second embodiment) Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. Figures 12 and 13 are respectively a plan view and a front view of the tire testing device 1000 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In addition, for the sake of explanation, in each figure, a part of the tire testing device 1000 is shown in cross section. In addition, the same or corresponding reference numerals are assigned to the components that are common or corresponding to those in the first embodiment, and repeated descriptions are omitted.

The tire testing device 1000 of this embodiment is configured to test passenger car tires and bus and truck tires with one testing device.

The tire testing device 1000 is configured to include two systems of power cycle circuits (power cycle circuit A and power cycle circuit B) and share a part of the relay section 1040 (gearbox 1042, shaft 1049) and the road surface section 1020 (rotating drum 1022 ), can test two test tires T1 and T2 at the same time.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the rotation drive unit 1030 is provided on the frame 1020F of the road surface portion 1020, and is configured so that the power of the motor 1032 passes through the drive pulley 1034, the V-belt 1068, and the rotating drum 1022 coupled to the shaft of the motor 1032. It is transmitted to each power cycle circuit A and B.

The relay parts 1040A and 1040B are respectively provided with two sets of driving pulleys 1044A and 1044B and driven pulleys 1048A and 1048B. One set is for testing tires with a reduction ratio suitable for cars, and the other set is for testing tires with a reduction ratio suitable for buses and trucks. When the car tire is tested, the V-belts 1066A and 1066B are wound around the pulley pair of the car tire. When the bus and truck tire is tested, the V-belts 1066A and 1066B are wound around the pulley pair of the bus and truck tire. By only replacing V-belts 1066A and 1066B, the reduction ratio suitable for various tires can be changed.

The relay unit 1040 includes one first gear 1042a and two second gears 1042b. Through holes are respectively provided in the centers of the first gear 1042a and the second gear 1042b. Shafts 1041A and 1041B respectively pass through the through holes without contact, and driven pulleys 1048A and 1048B are attached to one ends of the shafts 1041A and 1041B. The other ends of the shafts 1041A and 1041B are respectively connected to the shafts 1051A and 1051B of the moment generating parts 1050A and 1050B. In addition, each second gear 1042b is coupled to the outer cylinder 1051 of the torque generating parts 1050A and 1050B.

The above is the description of one embodiment of the present invention. The embodiments of the present invention are not limited to those described above, and various modifications are possible. For example, the embodiments and other structures of the present application are also included in the embodiments of the present application if appropriate combinations of the structures and other structures of the embodiments and other structures clearly illustrated in this specification and/or the descriptions in this specification are obvious to those skilled in the art.

In the above-mentioned embodiment, although the position of the rotation axis of the first gear 42a of the relay part 40 is configured to be laterally movable, the position of the rotation axis of the second gear 42b may be configured to be laterally movable. In this case, the second gear 42b and the drive pulley 44 are connected by, for example, a drive shaft 62 provided with a universal joint to allow movement of the second gear 42b.

In the above embodiment, although a V-belt is used as the second connecting means, a flat belt, a toothed belt, or other belts may also be used as the second connecting means. Also, as a secondary connection means, a chain, wire, or other wraparound connector can be used. Furthermore, in the above-described first embodiment, the relay part 40 and the torque generating part 50 are connected by one V-belt, but they may be connected by a plurality of second connection means connected in parallel or in series. Furthermore, when a plurality of second connection means are connected in series, different types of second connection means may be used in combination.

1. 1000: Tire testing device 1a:Control system 10: Tire holding part 11: Traverse mechanism 12:Camber angle adjustment mechanism 13: Tire load adjustment mechanism 14: Sliding angle adjustment mechanism 15:Mandrel part 16: Sliding material spreading device 17:Shift sensor 18: Tire temperature adjustment system 20. 1020: Road surface 22. 1022: Rotating drum 22a, 32b, 54, 121, 141, 521, 1041A, 1041B, 1049, 1051A, 1051B: Shaft 23: Simulated road surface 23b: Simulated road surface 23b1:The first traveling channel 23b2: Second travel channel 24, 45, 47, 55, 56, 58, 142: Bearing Department 30, 1030: Rotary drive part 32, 163m, 1032: motor 32a: Converter circuit 34: Power combination part 34a, 531: input shaft 34b, 532: output shaft 34b1, 34b2: end 40, 1040, 1040A, 1040B: Relay department 42, 53a, 1042: gear box 42a, 1042a: first gear 42b, 1042b: second gear 44, 1034, 1044A, 1044B: driving pulley 46: Tension pulley 50, 1050A, 1050B: Torque generating part 51, 1051: outer cylinder 52, 112, 124, 132, 143, 164cm: servo motor 52a, 112a, 124a, 132a, 143a, 164cma: servo amplifier 53. 163g: reducer 57: Slip ring part 57a: slip ring 57b: Brush 58a: fixed frame 59, 1048A, 1048B: driven pulley 62: Drive shaft 64:Constant velocity joint 66, 1066A, 1066B, 1068: V belt 70: Central Control Department 80: Measurement Department 90:Interface 101, 102, 103, 104: Substrate 111, 131: Linear guide 111a, 123a, 131a: Orbital 111b, 123b, 131b: Carrier 113, 125, 133, 144: Ball screw 113a, 125a, 133a, 144a: Spiral shaft 113b, 133b, 144b: nut 122, 517: Bearing 122a, 142a, 154b, 241: Rotary encoder 123:Curve guide 126, 143b, 146: hinge 152: mandrel 152a: Torque sensor 152b: Three-point force sensor 154:Spindle housing 156: Wheel part 156a: Air pressure sensor 161:Funnel 162: Stirrer 162a, 523: stick 162b: Branch department 162c: Slide retaining part 162d: Slider 163, 164c: drive part 163md: drive 164:Quantitative Transport Department 164a: Shell 164a1:Bearing hole 164a2: Entrance 164a3:Export 164b:Screw 164b1: Ontology part 164b2, 514, 516: Shaft 164d: Straight pipe 165, 167: Pipeline 166:Injector 168: Bell-shaped mouth 181:Control Department 182: Fixed-point air conditioning device 182a: Air supply air duct 183:Temperature sensor 231: Simulated pavement unit 231a, 1020F: frame 231ad: concave part 231ah:Through hole 231b: Simulated pavement body 231b1:Part 1 231b2:Part 2 231c: pressure plate 231d: Flat head screw 241: Rotary encoder 512: Motor Storage Department 513: Reducer holding part 513a, 522: flange 524:Connecting barrel 525:Cable 621:Universal joint A, B: Power cycle circuit G: Gap G1～G4: ditch L1, R1, L2, R2, L3, R3, L4, R4: nearby areas T, T1, T2: test tires

The first figure is a plan view of a tire testing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The second figure is a front view of the tire testing device according to the embodiment of the present invention. The third figure is a right side view of the tire testing device according to the embodiment of the present invention. The fourth figure is a left side view of the tire testing device according to the embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5 is a block diagram showing the schematic structure of the control system. The sixth picture is the appearance of the simulated pavement unit. The seventh figure is a cross-sectional view of the simulated pavement unit. Figure 8 is a longitudinal sectional view of the moment generating part. Figure 9 is a side view of the camber adjustment mechanism. Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of the two-dimensional profile of the tread of the tire. Figure 11 shows a schematic structural diagram of the slippery material spreading device. Figure 12 is a plan view of a tire testing device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Figure 13 is a front view of the tire testing device according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

1: Tire testing device

10: Tire holding part

14: Sliding angle adjustment mechanism

15:Mandrel part

20: Road surface

22: Rotating drum

22a, 32b, 141: axis

23: Simulated road surface

23b: Simulated road surface

23b1:The first traveling channel

23b2: Second travel channel

24, 45, 47, 142: Bearing Department

30: Rotary drive part

32: Motor

34: Power combination part

34a:Input shaft

34b:Output shaft

34b1, 34b2: end

40:Relay Department

42, 53a: gear box

42a: First gear

42b:Second gear

44:Driving pulley

46: Tension pulley

50:Torque generating part

62: Drive shaft

64:Constant velocity joint

66:V belt

101, 102, 103, 104: Substrate

111a: Orbit

112, 132: Servo motor

133a: Spiral shaft

152: mandrel

152a: Torque sensor

154:Spindle housing

156: Wheel part

621:Universal joint

T:Test tires

Claims (6)

A tire testing device having: A rotating drum with simulated road surface on the outer periphery; A rotational drive unit is provided with a first motor, and the rotational drive unit rotates and drives the above-mentioned rotating drum; a tire holding part that rotatably holds the test tire in contact with the simulated road surface; A torque generating part that generates a torque that applies braking force or driving force to the aforementioned test tire; and a relay unit that relays power transmission from the rotational driving unit to the torque generating unit; Among them, the aforementioned torque generating part has: The housing is rotatably supported; and The second electric motor is installed in the aforementioned housing; The aforementioned rotational driving part is the aforementioned housing that rotationally drives the aforementioned torque generating part; Among them, the aforementioned relay department has: a shaft, combined with the aforementioned rotating drum; and Gearbox, the aforementioned housing connecting the aforementioned shaft and the aforementioned torque generating part; Wherein, the aforementioned shaft and the aforementioned torque generating part series are arranged in parallel. The tire testing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the aforementioned gearbox is provided with: a first gear, combined with the aforementioned shaft; and The second gear is coupled to the housing of the torque generating part and meshes with the first gear. A tire testing device as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein: The aforementioned test tire is connected to the shaft of the aforementioned second motor; and The rotating drum, the relay part and the torque generating part form a power circulation circuit connected in a loop through the test tire. A tire testing device having: A rotating drum with simulated road surface on the outer periphery; A rotational drive unit is provided with a first motor, and the rotational drive unit rotates and drives the above-mentioned rotating drum; a pair of tire holding parts for rotatably holding the test tire in contact with the simulated road surface; a pair of torque generating parts to generate a torque that applies braking force or driving force to each test tire; and a relay unit that relays power transmission from the aforementioned rotational drive unit to each of the torque generating units; Among them, the aforementioned torque generating part has: The housing is rotatably supported; and The second electric motor is installed in the aforementioned housing; The rotational driving part is the housing that rotationally drives the torque generating part, Among them, the aforementioned relay department has: a shaft, combined with the aforementioned rotating drum; and a gearbox, connecting the aforementioned shaft and the aforementioned housing of each torque generating part, Wherein, the shaft is arranged in parallel with a pair of the moment generating parts. The tire testing device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the aforementioned gearbox is provided with: a first gear, combined with the aforementioned shaft; and A pair of second gears is coupled to the housing of each torque generating portion and meshes with the first gear. A tire testing device as claimed in claim 4 or 5, wherein: The aforementioned test tire is connected to the corresponding shaft of the aforementioned second motor, and The rotating drum, the relay part and each of the torque generating parts form a loop-shaped power circulation circuit connected through the test tire.