Resilient tires and wheels – Tires – resilient – Cushion and pneumatic combined
Reexamination Certificate
1998-02-23
2004-01-06
Johnstone, Adrienne C. (Department: 1733)
Resilient tires and wheels
Tires, resilient
Cushion and pneumatic combined
C152S158000, C152S247000, C152S251000, C152S252000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06672349
ABSTRACT:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
The present application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 of German Patent Application No. 197 07 090.6, filed on Feb. 24, 1997, the disclosure of which is express incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Scope of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicle wheel with a pneumatic tire mounted on a wheel rim. The vehicle tire includes a tire tread, two side-walls, a carcass, reinforcing elements, and two tire beads with bead cores. The vehicle tire also includes an emergency support body mounted on the wheel rim. The emergency support body is arranged inside the pneumatic tire to provide an emergency rolling surface to support the tire in the event of failure.
2. Discussion of Background Information
A vehicle wheel similar in general to one discussed above is provided with an emergency support body as disclosed, e.g., in German Patent Application No. DE 35 07 046. In this wheel, an emergency roll frame is comprised of an exterior, metallic reinforcement ring and a cushion ring arranged between the reinforcement ring and the wheel rim. While the cushion ring provides relatively good radial flexing, the combination of an insufficient axial fixture with the substantially planar cross-section metallic reinforcement ring demonstrates a disadvantage that, during an emergency, the lateral guide forces or cohesive forces, which prevent an unseating or peeling off of the tire from the wheel rim, cannot be exerted in a satisfactory manner.
Taking the lateral guide forces into account, an optimized solution is shown, e.g., in German Patent No. DE 956 380, which shows a vehicle wheel with an emergency support body formed as a completely rigid metal piece connected to the wheel rim. The vehicle wheel also shows a peripheral notch in the emergency rolling surface to engage a toothed, inward-facing projecting part of the running surface sub-structure. In the event of an emergency, a form-fitting shape is created in the axial direction, between the emergency roll frame and the tire, so that the tire bead is prevented from stripping off the wheel rim. A disadvantage of a vehicle wheel provided with such an emergency roll frame is the additional weight that arises from the toothed and inward-facing rubber bead to be inserted in the slot and the weight of the emergency rolling surface bolted together with a two-piece wheel rim in an elaborate manner. Further, only a metal elastic flexing is possible for the emergency roll, so that a very “hard” and uncomfortable rolling occurs in the event of a breakdown.
In the two above-mentioned arrangements, and with other emergency support bodies known in the prior art, another disadvantage is that, due to an unfavorable load distribution during the introduction of forces acting on the periphery of the emergency support body, load peaks can occur on the wheel rim sufficient to deform the wheel rim.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a vehicle wheel for pneumatic tires with an emergency support body. During an emergency roll, the emergency support body may maintain the drive pattern that continues to be safe and maintain a sufficiently resilient rolling motion and may safely transfer lateral guide forces without an excessive increase in weight. The emergency support body may also provide a load distribution to substantially prevent acting forces from damaging the wheel rim.
The emergency rolling surface is formed by a radially exterior surface of a ring torus with a bowl-shaped cross section. The ring torus axially extends from an axial center of the wheel rim to both sides of the rim, i.e., over a partial area of the wheel rim width. The ring torus has a cross-sectional contour in its axially exterior sections that forms a first curvature open to the wheel rim, i.e., radially inward, and a cross-sectional contour in a section between the axially exterior sections that forms a second curvature open to the a highest point of the tire, i.e., radially outward. The first and second curvatures may include one or several inter-connecting radii of curvature and the ring torus with a bowl-shaped cross-section may be supported on the wheel rim by one or several supporting elements. The reinforcement can occur directly on the wheel rim, at gliding units adapted to the wheel, or via guide rollers and roller bearings, so that friction during an emergency run is minimized.
Through the contour, which essentially involves dividing the emergency rolling surface into two shoulder regions and a more or less highly pronounced recoil region, a rolling behavior of the tire, i.e., in the event of a break down, results in accordance with the curvature shape, the curvature and the force absorption and elasticity characteristics of the support elements. While these characteristics are different from the normal case, the tire, under emergency conditions, maintains the ability to drive the vehicle, while only slightly differing from handling during normal running conditions.
The ability to absorb lateral guide forces is especially pronounced in the present invention. This is due to the recoil provided in the middle regions of the emergency rolling surface that enable the middle sections of the tire tread or the sub-structure to conform to the curvature. Thus, with respect to lateral forces, the tire of the present invention creates a form-fitting shape that reduces the tensile forces affecting the side-walls to a level that is safe for the driving conditions. In this manner, peeling of the tire bead from the wheel rim is substantially prevented. Further, the radii of curvature of neighboring portions of the emergency surface are designed to gradually merge with each other and to work with the tread thickness of the tire to substantially prevent point loads or linear loads that could destroy the tire tread.
A further advantage of a ring torus with a bowl-shaped cross-section provided with curvatures, as discussed above, is that during an emergency roll, very high point loads, e.g., running over a sidewalk or curb, may be absorbed. Further, through the increased rigidity and shape of the ring torus with a bowl-shaped cross-section, an even load distribution is provided that is not detrimental to the wheel rim.
Generally, the ring torus with a bowl-shaped cross section is formed to axially and symmetrically extend from an equatorial plane of the tire, i.e., an axial center, over a portion of the width of the wheel rim. However, when utilized in vehicles with a steep king pin angle, i.e., with a steeply inclined positioning of the wheels, symmetrical contouring may not be necessary and the areas of curvature to the inclination angle of the tires may be accordingly adjusted.
Considering the compromise between weight optimization and rolling behavior, an advantageous embodiment of the present invention is that the axially exterior sections, i.e., with the first curvatures, rise at most to one-half, and preferably up to one-third, of the tire cross-sectional height of the tire. In a tire size of, e.g., 195/65 with a wheel rim diameter of 15 inches, the first curvatures may be spaced 42 mm from the wheel rim shoulder. Thus, a sufficient height of two-thirds of the tire cross-sectional height is available for normal driving operations and the flexing that occurs there.
In conjunction with another embodiment of the present invention, the ring torus, in the region of the second curvature, has a minimum diameter greater than a diameter of wheel clinch devices. Further, the emergency support bodies of the present invention are easily adjustable to conventional tire sizes and wheel rim dimensions. In this manner, during an emergency roll, excessive flexing in the lateral sections of the tire may be substantially prevented.
In an advantageous embodiment of the present invention, the supporting elements may be formed to extend from the axially exterior sections and as substantially planar annular disks supported on the wheel rim.
Depending on manufacture of the emergency frame is as a
Glinz Michael
Hellweg Hans-Bernd
Huinink Heinrich
Sergel Horst
Continental Aktiengesellschaft
Greenblum & Bernstein P.L.C.
Johnstone Adrienne C.
Musser Barbara J
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