Abstract: A tire testing machine is for testing a tire, comprising a free roller section configured to include a plurality of rollers having an endmost roller disposed downstream of a lubricator in a conveying direction and farthest from a predetermined reference position, the endmost roller being disposed such that a horizontal distance from the reference position is equal to or greater than a radius of a largest of a plurality of tires set in advance as objects of application of a lubricant.

Abstract: A rim replacing mechanism includes a pressing member including a spring and a body having a pressing surface applying downward pressing force to an upper surface of an upper rim, and an actuator configured to vertically displace the body within a range including an upper position and a lower position. As to the lower position, the body is configured to shift downward toward the lower position while the pressing surface of the body is applying the downward pressing force to the upper surface of the upper rim, to dispose the upper surface of the upper rim to be separated downward from a lower surface of an upper spindle. The spring is configured to apply downward pressing force to the body disposed at the lower position.

Abstract: A rim size management method for a tire testing machine includes: a registration step of registering a rim size of each of rims mounted on a rim table in association with a corresponding one of mounting positions on the rim table; a measurement step of actually measuring, with use of a rim measurement mechanism, a size at an outer circumferential edge of at least a first rim mounted at a first mounting position among the plurality of mounting positions; a determination step of determining whether or not the size thus measured at the outer circumferential edge of the first rim corresponds to a registered rim size as the rim size thus registered; and an avoidance step of executing avoidance operation of avoiding contact between the rim and the pair of conveyors when the size at the outer circumferential edge is determined as not corresponding to the registered rim size.

Abstract: Provided is a tire testing machine allowing rim replacement work to be performed easily and safely without requiring a large overall device length. The tire testing machine includes: a rim table allowing a plurality of rims to be placed thereon; a pair of left and right conveyors that convey a tire having been subjected to a tire test and removed from a rim downstream; and a rim replacement mechanism allowing a replacement target rim selected from the rims placed on the rim table to be replaced with another rim. The rim table is rotatable about a vertical axis at a position below the pair of conveyors, and the rims are placed at respective positions arranged in the rotation circumferential direction thereof. The rim replacing mechanism includes a rotational drive mechanism that rotates the rim table to move the replacement target rim to a replacement position.

Abstract: Provided is a rim width adjustment mechanism for the tire testing machine, capable of being reduced in the number of components and miniaturized. The rim width adjustment mechanism includes a lower spindle for rotatably supporting the tire about a vertical axis through the lower rim, a plunger disposed in a through hole of the lower spindle to be raisable and lowerable to the lower spindle and having an upper end connectable to the upper spindle, and a rim width adjustment cylinder for adjusting the rim width by changing the protrusion length of the plunger beyond the lower spindle. The lower spindle is coupled to a cylinder side wall of the rim-width adjustment cylinder, thereby allowing a downward load applied to the lower spindle to be supported by the cylinder sidewall.

Abstract: The present invention includes a belt conveyor (14) including a conveyance belt configured to convey downstream a tire (T) having been subjected to a tire test and detached from a spindle unit (9), the conveyance belt which is a loop-shaped strip forming an endless track, a drive mechanism (60) including a drive section configured to drive the conveyance belt and a control section configured to operate the drive section for control of a conveyance position of the conveyance belt, a first marking mechanism (61) configured to stamp, in accordance with a first stamping system, a first mark indicating a result of the tire test on the tire (T) mounted on the conveyance belt, and a second marking mechanism (62) configured to stamp, in accordance with a second stamping system different from the first stamping system, a second mark indicating a result of the tire test on the tire (T) mounted on the conveyance belt.

Abstract: Provided is a tire testing machine including a tire stripper capable of separating the tire from the upper rim well. The tire stripper includes first and second pressing mechanisms pressing the tire downward, a linking mechanism linking the first and second pressing mechanisms so as to cause them to move in directions of coming close to or separating from each other while keeping a mutually symmetrical positional relationship across the upper spindles radially thereof, and a positioning mechanism operating the linking mechanism to allow the first and second pressing mechanisms to be positioned.

Abstract: A tire testing machine is for testing a tire, comprising a free roller section configured to include a plurality of rollers having an endmost roller disposed downstream of a lubricator in a conveying direction and farthest from a predetermined reference position, the endmost roller being disposed such that a horizontal distance from the reference position is equal to or greater than a radius of a largest of a plurality of tires set in advance as objects of application of a lubricant.

Abstract: The calibration method for a multi-component force detector is a calibration method for a multi-component force detector provided in a rolling resistance testing machine comprising a spindle to which a tire is mounted, and a traveling drum having a simulated traveling road surface against which the tire is pressed, wherein when processing for calculating force acting on the tire from the measurement value of the multi-component force detector using a crosstalk correction factor for correcting the influence of crosstalk occurring in the multi-component force detector is performed, a test is conducted using at least one or more reference tire the rolling resistance value of which is already known, and the crosstalk correction factor is calibrated using “rolling test data” composed of force measured by the multi-component force detector during the test using the reference tire, and the rolling resistance value of the reference tire used for the measurement.

Abstract: The calibration method for a multi-component force detector is a calibration method for a multi-component force detector provided in a rolling resistance testing machine comprising a spindle to which a tire is mounted, and a traveling drum having a simulated traveling road surface against which the tire is pressed, wherein when processing for calculating force acting on the tire from the measurement value of the multi-component force detector using a crosstalk correction factor for correcting the influence of crosstalk occurring in the multi-component force detector is performed, a test is conducted using at least one or more reference tire the rolling resistance value of which is already known, and the crosstalk correction factor is calibrated using “rolling test data” composed of force measured by the multi-component force detector during the test using the reference tire, and the rolling resistance value of the reference tire used for the measurement.

Abstract: Disclosed is a multi-component force measurement spindle unit that accurately measures forces and moments applied to a tire in a tire testing machine. The multi-component force measurement spindle unit of a tire testing machine includes: a spindle shaft on which a tire can be mounted; an inner sleeve that rotatably supports the spindle shaft via a bearing part; an outer sleeve arranged on an outside of the inner sleeve along an axial center direction of the spindle shaft; a multi-component force measurement sensor that connects an end of the inner sleeve and an end of the outer sleeve to each other and is capable of measuring a load acting on the outer sleeve from the inner sleeve; and a cooling part that cools the inner sleeve.

Abstract: Disclosed is a tire tester (1) provided with: a device frame (3); a slide base (10) provided on the device frame (3) so as to be able to move up and down; a large spindle (11) that is attached to the slide base (10) and can rotatably support a large-diameter tire (T1); and a small spindle (12) that is attached to the slide base (10) and can rotatably support a small-diameter tire (T2) that is smaller than the large-diameter tire (T1). The disclosed tire tester (1) can push one of the tires (T1 or T2) against a simulated road surface (5), by means of the up/down movement of the slide base (10), and perform a tire test.

Abstract: A rim mounting device configured in such a manner that, even if a permanent magnet breaks due to impact produced during mounting thereof by magnetic attraction, the rim mounting device can be handled easily after the breakage of the permanent magnet. The rim mounting device is provided to a tire testing device having a spindle for rotating a tire and is adapted that a rim is mounted to the tip of the spindle. The rim mounting device is provided with: a rim mounting section provided to the tip of the spindle, having a rim mounting surface capable of making contact with the rim, and having mounting recesses formed in the rim mounting surface so as to be arranged side by side; permanent magnets inserted in the mounting recesses, respectively, and generating magnetic force for attracting the rim to the rim mounting surface; and scatter suppressing members.

Abstract: Disclosed is a tire tester (1) provided with: a device frame (3); a slide base (10) provided on the device frame (3) so as to be able to move up and down; a large spindle (11) that is attached to the slide base (10) and can rotatably support a large-diameter tire (T1); and a small spindle (12) that is attached to the slide base (10) and can rotatably support a small-diameter tire (T2) that is smaller than the large-diameter tire (T1). The disclosed tire tester (1) can push one of the tires (T1 or T2) against a simulated road surface (5), by means of the up/down movement of the slide base (10), and perform a tire test.

Abstract: A rim mounting device configured in such a manner that, even if a permanent magnet breaks due to impact produced during mounting thereof by magnetic attraction, the rim mounting device can be handled easily after the breakage of the permanent magnet. The rim mounting device is provided to a tire testing device having a spindle for rotating a tire and is adapted that a rim is mounted to the tip of the spindle. The rim mounting device is provided with: a rim mounting section provided to the tip of the spindle, having a rim mounting surface capable of making contact with the rim, and having mounting recesses formed in the rim mounting surface so as to be arranged side by side; permanent magnets inserted in the mounting recesses, respectively, and generating magnetic force for attracting the rim to the rim mounting surface; and scatter suppressing members.