Abstract: A vehicle wheel service apparatus, in particular a wheel balancer or a tyre changer, comprising a load means for applying a predetermined load onto a peripheral surface of a wheel/tyre assembly, a sensor device arranged to determine forces acting between the peripheral surface of the wheel/tyre assembly and the load means, wherein the forces comprise at least a first force acting in a radial direction of the wheel/tyre assembly and a second force acting in a circumferential direction of the wheel/tyre assembly, and an evaluation device arranged to determine a rolling resistance coefficient of the tyre on the basis of the first and second forces.

Abstract: A brake test stand for testing vehicle brakes and for determining the brake forces acting on the respective vehicle wheel. The brake test stand comprises first and second pairs of rollers for positioning the two wheels mounted on a common axis of a vehicle thereon, wherein the rollers of each pair of rollers are arranged opposite to each other and the pairs of rollers are provided side by side. A control unit controls the test stand. First sensing devices are positioned respectively below and between the rollers of each pair of rollers for sensing the pattern of the running surface of each of the tires of the wheels mounted on the common axis. A processing and calculation unit processes the data obtained by the first sensing devices for calculating tire conditions based on a correlation of the data of the coaxially mounted tires.

Abstract: A tyre changer, comprising: a mounting device for receiving at least a wheel rim of a wheel/tyre assembly, the mounting device having an axis (S), a load belt apparatus being able to contact a peripheral surface of the wheel/tyre assembly and to apply a predetermined force to the peripheral surface of the wheel/tyre assembly, a control device for controlling the predetermined force applied by the load belt apparatus during a rotation of the wheel/tyre assembly about the axis (S) of the mounting device and a sensor device for measuring force variations acting between the peripheral surface of the wheel/tyre assembly and the load belt apparatus, wherein supports of the load belt apparatus and of the mounting device are designed for a relative movement of the load belt apparatus and of the mounting device towards each other to apply the predetermined force to the peripheral surface of the wheel/tyre assembly.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for contactless determining non-uniformities of a loaded wheel, comprising the steps of determining outer contour of at least a portion of the unloaded wheel; simulating loading of the wheel with a virtual loading element bearing against the tire tread for a plurality of rotary positions of the wheel on the basis of the determined outer contour, a displacement of the determined outer contour caused by the virtual loading element and a predetermined spring rate associated to the tire tread; and determining non-uniformities of the loaded wheel using the simulation results.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for determining rotary angle related measurement data of a body mounted rotatable about an axis of rotation, the body being a vehicle wheel or a part of a vehicle wheel, in particular a tyre or a rim, the method comprising the steps of obtaining measurement data comprising a plurality of measurement data elements of the rotating body together with respective measuring times, determining at least one rotational speed or revolution period of the body for at least one point in time, and associating the obtained measurement data elements to respective rotary angles of the body based on the respective measuring times and the at least one rotational speed or revolution period of the body.

Abstract: The present application relates to a wheel balancer which includes a stationary frame, a measuring shaft mounted rotatably about a shaft axis on the stationary frame and adapted to receive coaxially a rim/tyre assembly. The wheel balancer further includes an encoder configured to determine the angular positions of the measuring shaft or of the rim/tyre assembly, a load device configured to apply a load to the periphery of the rim/tyre assembly, a first measuring device configured to measure forces resulting from an unbalance of the rotating rim/tyre assembly, a second measuring device configured to measure forces acting between the load device and the periphery of the rim/tyre assembly, and a locking device configured to keep the distance between the shaft axis and a contact portion at which the periphery of the rim/tyre assembly contacts the load device constant during the measurement of the forces acting between the load device and the periphery of the rim/tyre assembly.

Abstract: Apparatus including a wheel balancing device and a tire changing device, comprising a spindle shaft for rotatably supporting a vehicle wheel or rim, unbalance measuring means operatively connected to the spindle shaft and having a spatial unbalance measuring area in which unbalance forces of the wheel or rim are detected, tire changer tools for assembling a tire onto a rim, spindle supporting means supporting the spindle shaft in a force acting range in which forces are created between the tire changer tools and the tire during the assembling or disassembling of the tire, tool supporting means supporting the tire changer tools within the force acting range which is arranged outside of the spatial unbalance measuring area, and drive means driving the spindle shaft with a rotational speed and torque adapted for assembling and disassembling the tire or for measuring unbalance forces of the wheel or rim.

Abstract: The present invention concerns a scanner system for scanning the surface of an object, especially a vehicle wheel, the system comprises a mobile scanner including at least one sensor adapted to sense at least one position on the surface of the object and a reference system to which the sensor is sensitively adapted to provide at least one sensor signal corresponding the at least one sensed position on the surface with respect to the reference system, wherein the reference system is designed to provide a magnetic field having at least one orientation and the sensor is a magnetic sensor to be positioned within said magnetic field in proximity of or on the surface to be scanned.

Abstract: An apparatus for measuring forces produced by an unbalance of a rotary member 8 includes a support device 3 for supporting the rotary member 8 rotatably about its axis 1, and having at least one measurement sensor 4 placed at a vibratory location of the support device 3, wherein the at least one measurement sensor 4 is designed to measure vibratory accelerations of the location at which the measurement sensor 4 is placed.

Abstract: An apparatus is provided for positioning a tired wheel 14 onto an upright rotary wheel holder unit 1 of a tire changer machine. A first frame 3 is driven by a first actuator 8 to move the wheel 14 between a lower position and an upper position from which the wheel 14 is brought onto the rotary wheel holder unit 1. A second frame 2 is connected with a second actuator 9 to be driven between a lower position to an end position above the upper position to remove the wheel 14 from the first frame 3, and to support the wheel 14 with the wheel axis 15 in alignment with a rotation axis 16 of the rotary wheel holder unit 1. The second frame 2 is lowered by the action of the second actuator 9 for positioning the tired wheel 14 onto the rotary wheel holder unit 1.

Abstract: The invention concerns vehicle wheel service machines, in particular automatic tire changers, having a wheel or rim mounting device (2) which is mounted rotatably about an axis (11) and to which a wheel (1) is to be fixed. The vehicle wheel service machine comprises first and second detectors (6, 7) and a controller to detect the rotational speeds of the rim mounting device (2) and the wheel (1) respectively. Furthermore, a method for controlling the rotational speed of the rim mounting device (2) is provided. If the detected rotational speeds are different, slipping is determined and eliminated by approximating the rotational speed of the rim mounting device (2) to that of the wheel (1). A rim mounting device (2) can comprise a rim mounting plate (23) having a rim support surface (24) with a high-friction lining adapted to increase friction between the rim mounting plate (23) and the wheel (1).

Abstract: The present invention concerns a wheel-clamping device for wheels on wheel-service-machines with only one drive unit and further a method for clamping wheels on a wheel-clamping device of wheel-service-machines with only one drive unit. The innovative wheel-clamping device for a wheel-service-machine according to the present invention comprises a frame 20 having a through-opening 22, and a spindle 30 being rotatably supported in the through-opening 22. Further, the spindle 30 has a through-hole 32 with a mounting-side end 30b and a driving-side end 30a, which is connectable to a drive means which is provided for a rotary movement for the spindle 30, wherein the spindle 30 has an external thread 34 on an external circumferential portion. Moreover, the wheel-clamping device comprises a sleeve 50 with a turntable 58 for the wheel to be clamped, wherein the sleeve 50 has an internal thread portion 52 which is in threaded engagement with the external thread-portion 34 of the spindle 30.

Abstract: The present invention is related to a method and an apparatus for assembling a tire (1) onto the rim (2) of a vehicle wheel or for disassembling a tire (1) from the rim (2) of a vehicle wheel. There is provided an electric motor (3) for rotationally driving the rim (2) and the tire (1) during the assembling or disassembling operation, tools (4, 5) for assembling or disassembling the tire (1) onto the rim (2) or from the rim (2), measuring means (6, 15, 16, 18) for measuring the tire temperature and/or forces acting on the tire during the assembling or disassembling operation, and recording means (7) for recording on at least one data carrier the measured values of the tire temperature and/or of the forces acting on the tire during the assembling or disassembling operation.

Abstract: A method for determining or improving running characteristics of a vehicle wheel (tyre/rim assembly), comprising supporting the wheel axis of the vehicle wheel with at least a single degree of freedom of vibration perpendicular to the wheel axis. In the interior of the tyre at least one amount of a compensating substance which initiates in its flowing state a compensating effect on the rotating vehicle wheel can be disposed, and the vehicle wheel can be rotated while the compensating substance is brought into the flowing state such that the compensating substance is distributed inside the tyre during the rotation of the vehicle wheel to improve the running characteristics of the vehicle wheel, wherein the running speed of the rotating vehicle wheel is kept in a range different to the natural frequency of the rotating vehicle wheel and its suspension or supporting means.

Abstract: The invention concerns a method and apparatus for mounting a tire on a rim to form a motor vehicle wheel and for demounting a tire from a rim with at least one fitting or removal tool. Images of the wheel (14) or the rim (12) are created by a vision system (21) and corresponding signals are sent to a computer (18, 28). Commands to move the at least one fitting or removal tool (16) are sent to the at least one fitting or removal tool (16) by the computer (18, 30), the signals of the vision system (21) and the commands sent to the at least one fitting or removal tool (16) are correlated to define the position of the at least one fitting or removal tool relative to the rim contour, and the movement of the at least one fitting or removal tool (16) is guided in dependence on the performed correlation without contacting the rim surface.

Abstract: A method of and an apparatus for fitting or removing a tire 4 of a vehicle wheel 1, in which at least one fitting or removal tool 5 is guided parallel to the axis 11 of the vehicle wheel 1 and the vehicle wheel 1 is moved controllably perpendicularly to its wheel axis 11 in dependence on a rim contour along which the fitting or removal tool 5 is to be guided at a small spacing.

Abstract: An update/upgrade concept which regards a convenient procedure for making updates or upgrades of control software and/or configuration data available to microcontroller-based hardware of machine units in the field without requirement of special tools and experience. In particular, by use of a standard memory device as known in the field of digital cameras, mp3-players whatsoever, together with a procedure which detects an available update/upgrade stored on such memory device and performs a respective download of the update/upgrade data to the respective microcontroller-based hardware, if applicable. An additional or optional aspect relates to collecting of operational data during operation of a machine unit in the field, which operational data can be transferred/carried back to the manufacturer of the machine unit for research and development purposes as well as for quality control, also a tracking of machine units through their lifetime is made possible thereby.

Abstract: The invention concerns a roller for a motor vehicle brake test bench comprising a roller body (11), wherein the peripheral wall (17) of the roller body (11) is formed at least partially from plastic. The invention further concerns a brake test bench (12) for motor vehicles having such a roller (10).

Abstract: An apparatus for measuring forces generated by an unbalance of a vehicle wheel, comprising a horizontally oriented measuring shaft (1) which is supported rotary about its shaft axis (2) in a rotary mounting (3) on a stationary machine frame (4) and which is adapted that a vehicle wheel (5) is fixed onto it for the measurement operation, wherein the measuring shaft (1) is movably guided in a vertical direction on the stationary machine frame (4) between a first vertical position in which the measuring operation is conducted and a second vertical position in which the shaft axis is brought into alignment with a wheel axis (6) of the uprightly positioned vehicle wheel (5).

Abstract: The present invention refers to a parameter detection system for detecting in a non-mechanical manner at least one parameter of an object (1) to be examined. The parameter detection system includes a mounting device (2) for holding the object, and a mobile unit (14) which is freely movable and adapted for indicating a position on the object. A sensing means is provided for sensing the position on the object indicated by the mobile unit and for outputting corresponding detection signals indicative of the sensed position. A calculation means (13) is provided for calculating the at least one parameter from the position on object based on the detection signals.