Having Vibration Damper Or Heat Insulator Patents (Class 301/6.91)
  • Patent number: 6533009
    Abstract: A tire noise damper to be disposed in an annular tire cavity formed between a wheel rim and a pneumatic tire mounted thereon. The damper comprises an annular band-like body which is made of an elastomeric material and provided with at least one generally U-shaped cut oriented in a circumferential direction. The cutout formed by the at least one U-shaped cut forms a flap risen by a centrifugal force during running, and the remainder forms a base band to be put around a bottom of the wheel rim in an elongated condition. In order to reduce resonance of the air in the tire cavity in not only the fundamental mode but also the higher harmonic modes, the flap may have a relatively long length such that, when risen, a radially outer end portion thereof comes into contact with the radially inside of a tread portion of the tire. Further, the flap may be made of nonwoven fabric at least partially.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2003
    Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.
    Inventor: Chieko Aoki
  • Publication number: 20030020320
    Abstract: A tire noise reducing system comprises a pneumatic tire, a wheel rim and a noise damper disposed in a cavity formed between the rim and tire when mounted as being surrounded by the tire and rim, the noise damper is made of a porous material having a specific gravity of from 0.005 to 0.06 and secured on a surface facing the cavity, the volume s2 of the noise damper is in a range of from 0.4 to 20.0% of the volume S1 of the cavity. Preferably, the noise damper is provided with an uneven surface or an outer layer for less sound reflection, and the shape index E of the noise damper is more than 1, and the ratio T/W of the thickness T to the width w of the damper is not less than 1.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 16, 2002
    Publication date: January 30, 2003
    Inventors: Naoki Yukawa, Masami Nishikawa, Tokuzo Nakajima, Chieko Aoki, Hideaki Sugihara
  • Patent number: 6450225
    Abstract: A tire noise damper to be disposed in an annular tire hollow formed between a wheel rim and a pneumatic tire mounted thereon, the damper made of a flexible material and comprising a base to be secured to the wheel rim and at least one flap extending from the base to be risen radially outwards from the wheel rim by centrifugal force during running to block the annular tire hollow. For example, the damper comprises at least one annular elastic band to be put around the wheel rim, the annular band provided with at least one U-cut for forming a flap, and the base is formed by the remaining annular portion of the band. In another example, the damper is made of a strip of the fixable material having a certain length, the base is formed by one end portion of the strip, and the flap is formed by the remaining portion of the strip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2002
    Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Naoki Yukawa, Masami Nishikawa, Chieko Aoki, Hideaki Sugihara
  • Patent number: 6447072
    Abstract: An oil-bath wheel spindle and hub assembly including a heat dissipating oil seal cap with a transparent window for observing the lubricant level and thermal conductive vanes forming a heat sink to transfer heat away from the wheel spindle and hub assembly to ambient atmosphere.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2002
    Inventor: Lawrence N. Johnson
  • Publication number: 20020101111
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a device for sound-proofing a wheel, and especially a motor-vehicle wheel (1), which wheel comprises a circular central body (2), a substantially cylindrical rim (3) composed of a rear part (4) and a front part (5), the parts being separated by the plane of the body (2) which extends substantially perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis (6) of the rim, wherein it is composed of at least one panel, associated with the rim (3) and placed parallel to the wheel body (2), said panel including at least one layer of a viscoelastic material and a radial mechanical coupling means arranged at the periphery of the panel in order to be associated with at least one of the cylindrical parts (4, 5) of the rim (3).
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 31, 2001
    Publication date: August 1, 2002
    Applicant: SOLLAC
    Inventors: Guy Marron, Jean-Paul Delessert
  • Patent number: 6422655
    Abstract: A sound absorber for insertion into a pneumatic tire is composed of a support strip attached to the rim of the wheel on which the tire is mounted and a system or network of flexible fibers attached to the mounting strip and extending in the radial direction of the tire.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2002
    Assignee: Continental General Tire, Inc.
    Inventors: J. Daniel Britton, Thomas Anthony Janello, Mehmet Sadettin Fidan
  • Publication number: 20020070603
    Abstract: A damper plate for an automobile wheel by which ride comfort and interior noise characteristics are improved without seriously deteriorating driving stability or unfastening nuts. The damper plate has a structure in which a metal plate and a buffer member are combinedly laminated and is inserted between the automobile wheel and an axle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 10, 2001
    Publication date: June 13, 2002
    Applicant: THE YOKOHAMA RUBBER CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yuichi Kobayashi, Takumi Sekiguchi
  • Patent number: 6390563
    Abstract: A wheel rim (1) with a circumferential surface (4) has a tire that can be mounted thereon. A sound-absorbing material (6) rests on the wheel rim (1) and is arranged underneath a surface-forming structure (8) extends transversely over the entire width of the sound-absorbing material. A recessed receptacle (5) for the sound-absorbing material (6) is formed in the circumferential surface (4). The upper side (8a) of the surface-forming structure (8) coincides with the predetermined course (7) of the circumferential surface (4).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2002
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Haverkamp, Michael Koenig
  • Patent number: 6364078
    Abstract: A wheel assembly for a vehicle. The wheel assembly includes a brake assembly which defines the outer radius of an annular region about the axis of the wheel assembly and a damping mass assembly for damping vertical vibrations of the wheel assembly, located within the annular region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2002
    Assignee: Bose Corporation
    Inventors: Jams A. Parison, Lawrence D. Knox
  • Patent number: 6343843
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire, a wheel rim, and an assembly of a pneumatic tire and a wheel rim, which are provided with lawn-like materials for damping air resonance of the tire cavity are disclosed. An assembly of a pneumatic tire and a wheel rim where a foaming agent is injected into the tire cavity is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2002
    Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.
    Inventor: Masami Nishikawa
  • Patent number: 6309026
    Abstract: A method and a device for sound suppression, in wheels, of natural frequency sound originating from an air cavity which is inside the wheel between the tire and the rim, which includes at least one resonator arranged inside the wheel. The resonator is designed for the suppression of sound resulting from the natural frequency of the wheel and is preferably formed of four quarter-wave resonators or of Helmholtz-resonators.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2001
    Assignee: SAAB Automobile AB
    Inventor: Stefan Svedhem
  • Patent number: 6299264
    Abstract: Endless rubber track laying machines are provided with a pair of track laying assemblies positioned on opposite sides of the work machine. Each track laying assembly includes an endless rubber belt entrained around a drive wheel, an idler wheel, and a plurality of supporting mid-rollers. The present supporting mid-roller includes a heat shield that is positioned between individual roller segments and guide blocks positioned on the inner surface of the endless rubber belt. With the heat shield in this position, heat generated from the guide blocks contacting the individual roller segments is dissipated, thereby increasing the life of the individual mid-roller components.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2001
    Assignee: Caterpillar Inc.
    Inventors: Dewaine A. Kautsch, Sean C. McGinnis
  • Patent number: 6247562
    Abstract: A disk for a disk brake which achieves an unusual vibration-damping capability and consequently a more comfortable ride comprises a braking ring and a bell having respective flanges clamped together with nut-and-bolt assemblies, as well as a plate clamped between the flanges by the nut-and-bolt assemblies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2001
    Assignee: Freni Brembo S.p.A.
    Inventors: Giovanni Gotti, Leone Oberti