TIRE REPAIR DEVICE

Description

/ 20 TIRE REPAIR DEVICE

[001] The invention relates to the field of devices for repairing tires for motor vehicle wheels. Previously, it was customary, in large part, to equip motor vehicles with a spare wheel. Such a spare wheel allows the continuation of the journey in case of a puncture, replacing the vehicle's defective wheel with the spare wheel also carried. Replacing a vehicle wheel that has become defective due to a puncture, however, requires that the vehicle be lifted by means of a jack, the defective wheel be removed from the vehicle, then the spare wheel be installed and, finally, the defective vehicle wheel be fitted back onto the vehicle.

[002] To reduce this effort and also for weight reduction reasons, motor vehicles have been increasingly equipped in recent times with a tire repair device instead of a spare wheel. A tire repair device of this type, which is also known to those skilled in the art by the name Tirefit, is usually found under the trunk floor of a motor vehicle and comprises a sealant container including a liquid tire sealant, and an electrically driven air compressor. In the event of a puncture, this tire repair device, which is usually box-shaped, is removed from the vehicle's trunk and placed near the defective vehicle wheel. A connecting hose from the tire repair device is then connected to the tire valve of the defective vehicle wheel.Finally, a plug from the tire repair device's power cable is connected to a vehicle outlet, such as a cigarette lighter socket. The tire repair device is then switched on, causing the air compressor to pump tire sealant into the defective tire and repressurize the tire so the journey can continue. Before that, however, the tire repair device must be... Petition 870230104532, dated 11 / 28 / 2023, page 10 / 40 / 20 disconnected from the vehicle wheel now repaired and stored in the vehicle.

[003] The object of the invention is to provide a tire repair device that is improved compared to “Tirefit” type tire repair devices and whose application is even simpler and more infallible in case of a puncture.

[004] This objective is achieved according to the invention by a tire repair device comprising the features indicated in claim 1. In contrast to known “Tirefit” type tire repair devices, the tire repair device according to the invention is configured to be mounted on a vehicle wheel that is secured to a vehicle by wheel nuts or bolts. The latter applies to the overwhelming majority of all motor vehicles. Four or five wheel nuts or bolts are generally used to secure a vehicle wheel to a vehicle. Such wheel nuts or bolts consist of steel and are accessible from the outside of a vehicle wheel to enable fitting the vehicle wheel onto the vehicle and removing it from the vehicle.The tire repair device according to the invention has a support element, which can be formed at least approximately in the form of a plate and to which a central line and a circumferential direction are associated. In the case of a tire repair device mounted on a vehicle wheel, the central line of the support element preferably represents an extension of the central line of the vehicle wheel. In the case of a tire repair device mounted on a vehicle wheel, the circumferential direction of the support element corresponds to the circumferential direction of the vehicle wheel. The support element has one side facing the wheel and one side away from the wheel, related in each case to a state of attachment of the tire repair device to a vehicle wheel. The support element can be a sheet steel component, for example, which has been produced by a punching and / or pressing process and / or. Petition 870230104532, dated 11 / 28 / 2023, page 11 / 40 / 20 deep stretch. The external shape of the support element is preferably at least approximately circular and substantially flat, so that the support element can be satisfactorily inserted into the available space in the center of a vehicle wheel.

[005] The support element, which may also be referred to as a structural component, serves as a support component of the tire repair device. Attached to the support element is a compressor, which is used to draw in and pressurize air in a known manner in order to transport a tire sealant to a defective vehicle tire using the pressurized air and to increase the pressure in the vehicle tire. The compressor may be of any type suitable for this purpose. In exemplary embodiments of the tire repair device according to the invention, the compressor is a piston compressor, preferably a piston compressor with a double-acting piston.

[006] Operationally connected to the compressor is a drive mechanism for the compressor. The compressor drive mechanism may also be of any type suitable for the said purpose. For example, the compressor drive mechanism may be a hydraulically or pneumatically driven motor. In preferred embodiments of the inventive device for repairing tires, the compressor drive mechanism is an electric motor.

[007] The tire repair device of the invention further comprises a sealant container to accommodate a tire sealant, said container being connected to the compressor in a fluid-conducting manner. The tire repair device also comprises a connecting line that is configured to be fluid-conductingly connected to the sealant container and to a tire to be repaired. This connecting line may be a separate part or may already be connected to the tire repair device at one end and then only need to be Petition 870230104532, dated 11 / 28 / 2023, p. 12 / 40 / 20 connected to the tire to be repaired in case of a puncture, usually connecting the connecting line to the tire valve of the defective vehicle's wheel. The connecting line may contain a check valve to prevent air from flowing from the tire to the tire repair device. Such a check valve also prevents air and sealant leakage from a repaired tire via the tire repair device if the connecting line becomes separated from the tire repair device, for example during the trip following a tire repair.

[008] For easy attachment to a vehicle wheel, the tire repair device according to the invention has several sleeve-shaped mounting elements, each with a fastening end and a free end. The sleeve-shaped mounting elements are connected at their fastening end to the support element, and each extends from the side of the support element facing the wheel to its free end along a longitudinal geometric axis parallel to the centerline. The sleeve-shaped mounting elements are spaced from each other in the circumferential direction of the support element, wherein the positions of the sleeve-shaped mounting elements correspond at least approximately to the positions of the wheel nuts or wheel bolts with which a vehicle wheel to be repaired is attached to a vehicle.The number of sleeve-shaped mounting elements preferably corresponds to the number of wheel nuts or bolts with which the vehicle wheel is fastened to the vehicle, but fewer mounting elements than wheel nuts or bolts may also be provided, especially if a vehicle wheel is fastened by many wheel nuts or bolts. For example, three sleeve-shaped mounting elements may be sufficient to securely fasten an inventive tire repair device to a vehicle wheel.

[009] An end section of each mounting element in Petition 870230104532, dated 11 / 28 / 2023, p. 13 / 40 / 20. The sleeve-shaped element adjacent to the free end is configured to engage retentively with the head of a wheel nut or wheel bolt. Here, “engage retentively with” means that the sleeve-shaped mounting elements of an inventive tire repair device are placed on the related heads of the wheel nuts or wheel bolts of the wheel of the vehicle to be repaired and then automatically retain the tire repair device on the vehicle wheel.By corresponding at least approximately to the positions of the wheel nuts or bolts, the sleeve-shaped mounting elements can be fixed to the support element with clearance in a lateral direction, i.e., radially in relation to its longitudinal geometric axis, wherein this lateral clearance allows a sleeve-shaped mounting element, when placed on the associated wheel nut or bolt, to automatically center itself on that wheel nut or bolt. Embodiments of the tire repair device of the invention, in which some or all of the sleeve-shaped mounting elements are supported with lateral clearance, can be fixed to different types of vehicle wheels because the sleeve-shaped mounting elements can adjust, within the context of their lateral clearance, to different circles and bolt positions.However, if a tire repair device is intended only for a specific vehicle, in which the positions of the wheel nuts or bolts are known precisely, the sleeve-shaped mounting elements can be mounted even without lateral clearance exactly in the positions that correspond to the positions of the wheel nuts or bolts.

[0010] A tire repair device according to the invention can be mounted quickly and easily on a vehicle wheel to be repaired, without any parts, such as a hubcap, for example, having to be removed beforehand. The mounting of an inventive tire repair device on the vehicle wheel is carried out in a simple manner, Petition 870230104532, dated 11 / 28 / 2023, page 14 / 40 / 20 simply by pushing its sleeve-shaped mounting elements into the associated heads of the wheel nuts or wheel bolts with which the vehicle wheel is fixed to the vehicle. Then, only the connecting line needs to be connected to the vehicle wheel to be repaired, for example, by screwing one free end of the connecting line into the tire valve of the vehicle wheel and, if applicable, the other end of the connecting line should still be connected to the tire repair device (if this other end is not already firmly connected to the tire repair device). After using the tire repair device according to the invention, it can remain on the vehicle wheel during travel, as it is held firmly on the vehicle wheel by the sleeve-shaped mounting elements.

[0011] To facilitate the attachment of the inventive tire repair device to a vehicle wheel, the free end of each sleeve-shaped mounting element is provided with a funnel-shaped enlargement in preferred embodiments. Here, each sleeve-shaped mounting element is preferably supported rotatably around its longitudinal geometric axis. Thus, the sleeve-shaped mounting element can be centered even more easily on the associated wheel nut or wheel bolt. According to a particularly preferred embodiment, the funnel-shaped enlargement of each sleeve-shaped mounting element has guide surfaces inside in the form of helical segments, which, in contact with a head of the associated wheel nut or wheel bolt, center the sleeve-shaped mounting element on this head by corresponding rotation, which is driven by the engagement between the guide surfaces in the form of helical segments and the head.Here, the end section adjacent to the free end of each sleeve-shaped mounting element may have an internal cross-sectional shape that corresponds to the external cross-sectional shape of the nut head. Petition 870230104532, dated 11 / 28 / 2023, p. 15 / 40 / 20 regarding wheel nuts or wheel bolts. The heads of wheel nuts or wheel bolts generally have a hexagonal outer cross-section, so the inner cross-section of the end section of each sleeve-shaped mounting element can also be implemented in a hexagonal shape. Such a corresponding shape of the cross-section of the end section of each sleeve-shaped mounting element improves the mechanical engagement of the end section with the associated head of a wheel nut or wheel bolt.

[0012] The end section of each sleeve-shaped mounting element can engage retentively with the head of a wheel nut or wheel bolt in several ways. For example, the end section may be provided on its inner side with a series of successive catch projections following one another in a longitudinal direction, which, when the sleeve-shaped mounting element is pushed into the head of a wheel nut or wheel bolt, engage with this head in a locked or fixed manner. According to one embodiment, a spring washer, often also called a snap ring, is fitted and held in the end section of the sleeve-shaped mounting element. The inner diameter of this spring washer or snap ring is slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the head of a wheel nut or wheel bolt with which the end section of the sleeve-shaped mounting element is to engage.When the end section is pushed into the head of the wheel nut or wheel bolt, the lock washer expands and can then lock into the locking recesses present on the circumferential surfaces of the wheel nut or wheel bolt head. In this way, the tire repair device is securely fastened to the vehicle wheel.

[0013] In other configurations of an inventive tire repair device, which can also be combined with the aforementioned embodiment, a magnet is fixed to the end section of each mounting element. Petition 870230104532, dated 11 / 28 / 2023, page 16 / 40 / 20, describes a glove-shaped mounting element whose magnet is capable of adhering to the head of a wheel nut or wheel bolt by magnetic interaction. The magnet is preferably spring-mounted in the direction of the longitudinal geometric axis of the glove-shaped mounting element and is spring-preloaded in the direction of the free end of the glove-shaped mounting element. The magnet is particularly preferably displaceable in the end section of the glove-shaped mounting element against the spring preload in a series of successive locking positions along the longitudinal geometric axis. When the glove-shaped mounting elements of an inventive tire repair device are placed on the associated heads of wheel nuts or bolts, a user thus receives tactile feedback on the placement process, which can be used to signal correct placement.For example, a user might be instructed to place the tire repair device on the wheel nut or bolt heads until they can detect three consecutive clicks. Additionally, the locking positions prevent the magnet in the end section of the sleeve-shaped mounting element from unintentionally moving inward against the spring preload.

[0014] The magnet mounted in the end section of each sleeve-shaped mounting element is preferably disc-shaped or cylindrical. Its outer shape may be circular or may correspond to the outer shape of the wheel nut head or wheel bolt. The outer shape of the magnet may thus be hexagonal, for example.

[0015] To amplify the magnetic effect, each magnet can be fitted into a component that focuses the lines of force, which ensures that the magnetic flux lines of the magnet are concentrated on the associated head of a nut or wheel bolt, thus amplifying the magnetic interaction and therefore the holding force.

[0016] In conventional tire repair devices of the type Petition 870230104532, dated 11 / 28 / 2023, page 17 / 40 / 20 “Tirefit”, the tire sealant is a single liquid. However, a tire sealant of this type has only a limited shelf life and therefore a correspondingly limited period of use. To overcome this disadvantage, the sealant container in preferred embodiments of the tire repair device of the invention has two separate chambers for two components of a tire sealant, as well as a mixing chamber for mixing these two components. Due to the separate storage of two components of a tire sealant, the aging of the tire sealant no longer occurs or occurs only extremely slowly, which is why the usability of a tire repair device equipped in this way is maintained for much longer.Only when the tire repair device is used are the two components pumped, via compressor, from the two separate chambers into the mixing chamber, mixed there, and then conveyed to the tire to be repaired. This mixing chamber is preferably located at a point directly upstream of a connection to the connecting line. The mixed tire sealant is then transported through the connecting line to the tire to be repaired. If required by the tire sealant used, more than two chambers for components of a tire sealant may be present in the sealant container. It is equally possible to provide only a single chamber for the tire sealant in the sealant container if the tire sealant used comprises only one component. A mixing chamber for mixing several components of the tire sealant may then be omitted.

[0017] In advantageously configured embodiments of the tire repair device of the invention, the sealing container forms a housing for the tire repair device that covers the support element and the compressor. Since the tire repair device of the invention is fixed to the wheel nuts or bolts of the wheel of the vehicle to be Petition 870230104532, dated 11 / 28 / 2023, page 18 / 40 / 20 repaired, is mounted in the center of the vehicle wheel, it lends itself to performing the support element with a surface that is at least approximately round. outer circumference. A sealing container designed as a housing also preferably has a round outer shape and is, moreover, flattened so as to protrude as little as possible from the vehicle wheel in an axial direction.

[0018] In order for an inventive tire repair device to be put into operation as quickly and easily as possible, the tire repair device preferably comprises an energy storage device to operate the compressor drive mechanism, which storage device is operationally connected to the compressor drive mechanism. Such energy storage may be a compressed air container, for example, if the drive mechanism is a pneumatically operable motor. The energy storage is preferably implemented as a battery or a plurality of batteries, however, wherein the electrical energy stored in the battery or batteries is used to drive an electric motor, which forms the compressor drive mechanism. The battery or plurality of batteries may be rechargeable or non-rechargeable batteries.Alternatively, or additionally, the inventive tire repair device may have a connection that allows it to be supplied with external power (in particular current). For example, a connector may be present on the tire repair device, which can be connected via a power cable, for example, to a cigarette lighter in the vehicle or to a power bank, in order to make it possible to operate the tire repair device in this way using external power.

[0019] To prevent an inventive tire repair device from starting to function unintentionally or prematurely, the connecting line in preferred embodiments of the tire repair device has, in a Petition 870230104532, dated 11 / 28 / 2023, page 19 / 40 / 20, regarding the end to be connected to the tire being repaired, a monitoring switch, which allows the drive mechanism to operate only if the end of the connecting line to be connected to the tire being repaired is actually connected to the tire. For example, this monitoring switch could be a microswitch, which is activated when the free end of the connecting line is screwed onto the tire valve of the wheel of the vehicle being repaired and thus signals to a control device of the tire repair device that the connection line is correctly connected to the wheel of the vehicle being repaired. The tire repair device can then be put into operation or start working automatically.

[0020] It has already been mentioned that the drive mechanism of an inventive tire repair device is preferably an electric motor. For protective and space-saving accommodation, such an electric motor is arranged in preferred exemplary embodiments in a plate-shaped recess on the side of the support element facing the wheel, wherein this recess is preferably located in the center of the support element and therefore also in the center of the wheel of the vehicle to be repaired.

[0021] Exemplary embodiments of an inventive tire repair device are explained in greater detail below based on the attached schematic figures. These show: Figure 1 shows a vehicle wheel rim in three-dimensional view with an inventive tire repair device mounted on it; Figure 2 is an enlarged representation of region II from Figure 1; Figure 3 is a cross-section of the tire repair device shown in Figure 1, as well as adjacent regions of the vehicle's wheel rim; Petition 870230104532, dated 11 / 28 / 2023, page 20 / 40 / 20 Figure 4 is a three-dimensional cross-sectional view of a slightly modified exemplary embodiment of the tire repair device shown in Figure 3; Figure 5 is another three-dimensional view of the tire repair device shown in Figure 4, obliquely above, sectioned in a plane perpendicular to the center line A shown in Figure 4; Figure 6 is a three-dimensional sectional representation of the left side of the tire repair device shown in Figure 4, obliquely below; Figure 7 is a three-dimensional representation, similar to Figure 1, of a tire repair device mounted on the wheel rim of a vehicle with the housing removed; Figure 8a is a three-dimensional cross-sectional representation of another embodiment of an inventive device for tire repair; and Figure 8b is a three-dimensional representation of the head of a wheel bolt, which is modified for use with the embodiment shown in Figure 8a.

[0022] In Figure 1, a vehicle wheel is shown in a three-dimensional representation, in which, for simplicity, one tire of the vehicle wheel has been omitted, so that only a vehicle wheel rim 2 can be seen in Figure 1. The vehicle wheel is attached to a vehicle by means of wheel nuts or bolts, this vehicle not being shown for simplicity. Mounted on the outside of the vehicle wheel rim 2 is a tire repair device, usually designated as 10, whose structural design and attachment to the vehicle are explained in more detail below.

[0023] Similar to known “Tirefit” type tire repair devices, tire repair device 10 contains a tire sealant, which can be carried to a tire to be repaired via a Petition 870230104532, dated 11 / 28 / 2023, page 21 / 40 / 20 connection line 12. Figure 2 shows how a free end of the connection line 12 on the tire side can be connected to a tire (not shown) to be repaired. In the exemplary embodiment shown, the tire side end of the connection line 12 is connected to the tire by screwing it into a tire valve 14, wherein the tire valve 14 is mounted on the wheel rim of vehicle 2 in close proximity to an outer circumference edge of the latter, as is common in tubeless tires.

[0024] The structural design of the tire repair device 10 is now explained in more detail with reference to Figures 3 to 5. The tire repair device 10 has as its structural component a support element 16, which is here substantially plate-shaped and has a side 18 facing the wheel and a side 20 facing away from the wheel (see in particular Figure 4). The support element 16 here consists of sheet steel, but it can also be made from a plastic, in particular a fiber-reinforced plastic or other suitable material. On the side 20 of the support element 16 facing away from the wheel, in a central region thereof, a compressor 22 is fixed for generating compressed air.To drive the compressor 22, an electric motor 24 is used in the exemplary embodiments shown, the motor being received on the side 18 of the support element 16 facing the wheel in a plate-shaped recess 26, which is formed in a central region of the support element 16. The electric motor 24 has an output shaft 32 rotatably supported on two bearings 28, 30, the shaft of which passes through the support element 16 and is connected at its end facing the compressor 22 to an eccentric cam 34. The eccentric cam 34 interacts with a piston 36 of the compressor 22 by engaging in a suitably formed opening 38 of the piston 36 and moving the piston 36 back and forth in the compressor 22 when the output shaft 32 is rotating. The piston 36 in the exemplary embodiments shown here is what is referred to as a double-acting piston, i.e., each stroke of the piston 36 is one. Petition 870230104532, dated 11 / 28 / 2023, p. 22 / 40 / 20 work course with which compressed air is produced. This can be recognized particularly clearly in Figure 5, in which compressor 22 is represented in longitudinal section.

[0025] With particular reference to Figure 5, the basic function of a tire repair device 10 is now described in greater detail. In compressor 22, two pressure chambers 40, 42 are formed, in which compressed air can be generated by the reciprocating motion of piston 36. Each pressure chamber 40, 42 is equipped with a valve 44, 46, through which air is drawn into the respective pressure chamber 40 or 42 during the suction stroke of piston 36, and through which the compressed air generated during the pressure stroke of piston 36 is supplied from pressure chamber 40 or 42 to a pressure line 48 or 50, which connects compressor 22, more precisely its pressure chambers 40 and 42, to pressure supply valves 52 and 54, which are associated with a first chamber 56 and a second chamber 58 of a sealing container 60. Both valves 44 and 46 and pressure supply valves 52 and 54 can be designed as simple check valves.

[0026] The sealing container 60 serves to collect a tire seal (not shown), which in case of a puncture (the tire loses air or becomes punctured) is pumped from the sealing container 60 through the connecting line 12 to the tire to be repaired by compressed air produced by the compressor 22. To prevent premature aging of the tire seal, this tire seal, in the exemplary embodiments of the tire repair device 10 shown here, consists of two components, one component of which is stored in the first chamber 56 and the other component in the second chamber 58 of the sealing container 60. When the tire repair device 10 is used, the two components of the tire seal are pressurized by compressed air, which is produced by the compressor 22 and supplied through the pressure supply valves 52 and 54 to chambers 56, 58, through the Petition 870230104532, dated 11 / 28 / 2023, p. 23 / 40 / 20 outlets 62 and 64 in a mixing chamber 66, which here also forms part of the sealing container 60 and is located directly upstream of a side connection of the housing 68 of the connecting line 12. Outlets 62 and 64 may be provided, as can be seen in Figure 3 and Figure 4, with an inner wall in swirl formation 70, in order to create a spiral flow of the two components of the tire seal flowing through outlets 62, 64, which allows for better and faster complete mixing in the mixing chamber 66. The completely mixed tire seal is then pressed out of the mixing chamber 66 through the connection 68 on the side of the housing to the connecting line 12 and through the tire valve 14 into the tire to be repaired.After the tire sealant has been completely pumped into the tire to be repaired, compressor 22 continues to generate compressed air to inflate the tire and thus return it to a drivable condition.

[0027] To provide power to the electric motor 24, a series of batteries 72 are used in the exemplary embodiments shown, these batteries being arranged on a printed circuit board 74, which here is annular and is mounted around the plate-shaped recess 26 on the side 20 of the outward-facing support element 16 of the wheel. The batteries 72 may be rechargeable or non-rechargeable batteries and instead of the number of batteries 72 shown here, it is clear that fewer or more batteries may also be used. Also arranged on the printed circuit board 74 is an electronic control unit 76, which controls the function of the tire repair device 10.To prevent the tire seal from unintentionally or prematurely coming off the connection line 12, the exemplary embodiments shown here are provided at the tire side end of the connection line 12 with a monitoring switch 78, which is activated when the tire side end of the connection line 12 is screwed onto the tire valve 14 and thus indicates that the tire repair device 10 is in use. Petition 870230104532, dated 11 / 28 / 2023, page 24 / 40 / 20 correctly connected to a tire to be repaired. The signal from the monitoring switch 78 is conducted to the control unit 76 via electrical lines 80, 82. Only when the signal from the monitoring switch 78 indicates a correct connection to the tire valve 14 can the compressor 22, and therefore the tire repair device 10, be put into operation. This commissioning can be done manually, for example via a switch (not shown) to be operated by a user, or also automatically, for example activated by the signal sent by the monitoring switch 78.

[0028] In the exemplary embodiments shown, the sealing container 60 forms a housing for the tire repair device 10 which covers, in particular, the support element 16 and the compressor 22. Here, the sealing container 60 has at least approximately a toroidal shape with a flattened outer side and is fixed to the compressor 22 by a screw 84. The support element 16, in the exemplary embodiments shown, has a basic circular shape with a series of tab-like extensions 86 mounted on the outer circumference, the purpose of which will be understood from the following description.

[0029] The mounting of the tire repair device 10 on a vehicle wheel will now be explained. For mounting on a vehicle wheel, the tire repair device 10 is provided with a series of sleeve-shaped mounting elements 88 spaced apart in the circumferential direction U, each of which elements has a fastening end 90 and a free end 92. Each sleeve-shaped mounting element 88 is connected by its fastening end 90 to the support element 16, here by a fastening screw 94, which passes through the associated tab-shaped extension 86 of the support element 16. Each sleeve-shaped mounting element 88 extends respectively from the side 18 of the support element 16 facing the wheel to its end. Petition 870230104532, dated 11 / 28 / 2023, page. 25 / 40 / 20 free 92 along a longitudinal geometric axis L parallel to the center line A. In the exemplary embodiments shown, each sleeve-shaped mounting element 88 is rotationally supported around its longitudinal geometric axis L, wherein the fastening screw 94 extending through the associated tab-shaped extension 86 does not support the sleeve-shaped mounting element 88 against the support element 16, but after tightening only comes into contact with and is pressed against an annular collar 96 formed at the fastening end 90 of the mounting element 88. Furthermore, in the exemplary embodiments shown, the diameter of an opening 98 in the tab-shaped extension 86 through which the fastening screw 94 passes is larger than the outer diameter of the annular collar 96, so that each sleeve-shaped mounting element 88 can move radially about the longitudinal geometric axis L.Put another way, each sleeve-shaped mounting element 88 is received with lateral clearance in the support element 16, more precisely in the associated tab-shaped extension 86 of the support element 16.

[0030] As can be deduced from the attached figures, the positions of the sleeve-shaped mounting elements 88 on the support element 16 therefore correspond at least approximately to the positions of the wheel nuts or wheel bolts 100 by means of which the wheel rim of the vehicle 2 is mounted to the vehicle. To secure the tire repair device 10, the sleeve-shaped mounting elements 88 are aligned with the wheel bolts 100 and then placed on the wheel bolts 100. To simplify this process, the sleeve-shaped mounting elements 88 in the exemplary embodiments shown each have a funnel-shaped enlargement 102 at their free end 92, which guides a head 104 of each wheel nut or wheel bolt 100 into the sleeve-shaped mounting element 88. In order for the tire repair device 10 to remain attached to the vehicle wheel or wheel rim of the vehicle 2, a section Petition 870230104532, dated 11 / 28 / 2023, page 26 / 40 / 20 of end 106 adjacent to the free end 92 of each sleeve-shaped mounting element 88 is designed to engage retentively with the associated head 104 of a wheel nut or wheel bolt 100.

[0031] In the exemplary embodiments shown here, a magnet 108, which here has a disc shape, is fixed to the end section 106 and is attracted by its magnetic interaction with the head 104 of the wheel nut or wheel bolt 100 towards the head 104 and thus generates a holding force. In the exemplary embodiment shown in Figure 3, the magnet 108 is received in a cup-shaped component 110 focusing the magnetic field lines to improve the magnetic interaction, this component concentrating the magnetic field lines of the magnet 108 on the head 104.

[0032] In the exemplary embodiments shown here, each magnet 108 is, moreover, spring-mounted in the direction of the longitudinal geometric axis L, wherein a spring 112 preloads the associated magnet 108 towards the free end 92 of the sleeve-shaped mounting element 88. To give the placement of the tire repair device 10 on the heads 104 of the wheel nuts or wheel bolts 100 a more definite character, a locking device 114, reproduced here only schematically, is present in each sleeve-shaped mounting element 88 between the end fastening elements 90 and the magnet 108 in the exemplary embodiments shown, which device makes it possible to move each magnet 108, when placed on a head 104, in a definite manner against the spring preload generated by the spring 112 in a series of successive locking positions in the longitudinal direction L.The operating instructions for the tire repair device 10 may then indicate, for example, that the tire repair device 10 is correctly mounted on the vehicle wheel when several consecutive “clicks”, for example three or four “clicks”, have been detected. The locking device 114 also prevents the magnet 108 from being unintentionally pushed into the element. Petition 870230104532, dated 11 / 28 / 2023, page 27 / 40 / 20 glove-shaped assembly 88.

[0033] The embodiment shown in Figures 4, 5 and 6 differs from the exemplary embodiment shown in Figure 3 because the funnel-shaped enlargement 102 at the free end 92 of each sleeve-shaped mounting element 88 is provided on its inner side with guide surfaces 116 in the form of helical segments and the end section 106 is not made in a circular cylindrical manner as in Figure 3, but has a hexagonal cross-section, which corresponds to the cross-section of the head 104 of the wheel nut or bolt 100.When engaged with a head 104, the guide surfaces 116 in the form of helical segments cause, if necessary, a rotation of the sleeve-shaped mounting element 88 around its longitudinal geometric axis L until the corners of the hexagonal cross-sections of the head 104 and the end section 106 coincide, after which the end section 106 slides over the head 104 and the magnet 108', here implemented hexagonally, comes into contact with the upper side of the head 104. The magnetic interaction between the magnet 108' and the head 104, and therefore the holding force, is optimized in this way.

[0034] In the embodiments of the tire repair device 10 as shown, the number of sleeve-shaped mounting elements 88 corresponds to the number of wheel nuts or wheel bolts 100. In exemplary embodiments not shown here, the number of sleeve-shaped mounting elements 88 is less than the number of wheel nuts or wheel bolts 100. According to an embodiment not shown here, the tire repair device 10 has only three sleeve-shaped mounting elements 88, which are spaced from each other in a circumferential direction and whose positions correspond to only three of the wheel nuts or wheel bolts 100 of the vehicle wheel.

[0035] Figure 8a shows another embodiment of a sleeve-shaped mounting element 88 of the tire repair device 10 in which Petition 870230104532, dated 11 / 28 / 2023, page 28 / 40 / 20 the end section 106 of each sleeve-shaped mounting element 88 can engage retentively with a head 104 of a wheel nut or wheel bolt 100 without a magnet 108. For this purpose, in the embodiment shown in Figure 8a, a spring washer 120 is disposed and held in an annular groove 118 inside the end section 106. This spring washer 120, also called a snap ring, is interrupted at one point and springs in a radial direction. The spring washer 120 is placed with pre-tension in the annular groove and is thus held firmly in the annular groove 118. When the sleeve-shaped mounting element 88 is pushed onto the head 104 of a wheel nut or wheel bolt 100, the spring washer 120 is slightly displaced and can then slide along and over a circumferential surface 122 of the head 104.Since the head 104, in the exemplary embodiment shown, has a hexagonal cross-section, the circumferential surface 122 has six corners 124.

[0036] Figure 8b shows the head 104 of a wheel bolt 100, in which slotted locking recesses 126 are formed in the corner region 124 of the circumferential surface 122 of the head 104, these recesses extending in the circumferential direction of the head 104. In the exemplary embodiment shown, each corner 124 is provided with a single locking recess 126, but a number of locking recesses 126 spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction L may also be provided in each corner 124, so that a number of locking positions result (not shown). When the end section 106 of the sleeve-shaped mounting element 88 is placed, the pressure washer 120 engages with the locking recesses 126 spaced from each other in the circumferential direction, whereby each sleeve-shaped mounting element 88 and therefore the entire tire repair device 10 is firmly attached to the wheel rim of the vehicle 2. Petition 870230104532, dated 11 / 28 / 2023, p. 29 / 40

Claims

1 / 4 CLAIMS 1. Device for repairing tires (10) for attaching to a vehicle wheel, which is attached to a vehicle by wheel nuts or bolts (100), comprising: - a support element (16), with which is associated a central line (A) and a circumferential direction (U) and which has a side (18) that is turned towards the wheel and a side (20) that is turned away from the wheel; - a compressor (22) fixed to the support element (16); - a drive mechanism for the compressor (22) that is operationally connected to the compressor (22); - a sealing container (60) for receiving a tire sealant, wherein the compressor (22) is connected in a fluid-conducting manner to the sealing container (60); - a connecting line (12), which is configured to be connected in a fluid-conducting manner to the sealing container (60) and to a tire to be repaired; and - a series of assembly elements (88),characterized in that the mounting elements (88) are sleeve-shaped and each has a fastening end (90) and a free end (92), wherein the mounting elements (88) are connected at their fastening end (90) to the support element (16) and extend, respectively, from the side (18) of the support element (16) facing the wheel along a longitudinal geometric axis (L) parallel to the centerline (A) and are spaced at a distance from each other in the circumferential direction (U), wherein the positions of the sleeve-shaped mounting elements (88) correspond at least to the positions of the wheel nuts or bolts (100) by means of which the vehicle wheel is fastened to the vehicle, and wherein an end section (106) of each sleeve-shaped mounting element (88) adjacent to the free end (92) is configured to engage in a manner Petition 870240092183, dated 29 / 10 / 2024,pg 7 / 18 2 / 4 retaining with a head (104) of a wheel nut or bolt (100)., 2. Device for repairing tires (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that the free end (92) of each sleeve-shaped mounting element (88) has a funnel-shaped enlargement (102).

3. Tire repair device (10) according to claim 2, characterized in that each sleeve-shaped mounting element (88) is rotatably supported around its longitudinal geometric axis (L).

4. Tire repair device (10) according to claim 3, characterized in that the funnel-shaped enlargement (102) inside has guide surfaces (116) in the form of helical segments, which are adapted to center the sleeve-shaped mounting element (88) on an associated head (104) of a wheel nut or bolt (100).

5. Tire repair device (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that some or all of the sleeve-shaped mounting elements (88) are supported in a radially displaceable manner relative to their longitudinal geometric axis (L).

6. Device for repairing tires (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that mounted on the end section (106) of each sleeve-shaped mounting element (88) is a magnet (108), which is capable of adhering to a head (104) of a wheel nut or bolt (100).

7. Tire repair device (10) according to claim 6, characterized in that the magnet (108) is spring-mounted in the direction of the longitudinal geometric axis (L) and is spring-preloaded towards the free end (92) of the sleeve-shaped mounting element (88). Petition 870240092183, dated 10 / 29 / 2024, page 8 / 18 3 / 4 8. Tire repair device (10) according to claim 7, characterized in that the magnet (108) in the end section (106) of the sleeve-shaped mounting element (88) is movable against the spring preload to a number of successive locking positions.

9. Device for repairing tires (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the sealant container (60) comprises two separate chambers (56, 58) for two components of a tire sealant and a mixing chamber (66) for mixing the two components.

10. Device for repairing tires (10) according to claim 9, characterized in that the mixing chamber (66) is located directly upstream of a connection (68) to the connecting line (12).

11. Tire repair device (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the sealing container (60) forms a housing for the tire repair device (10) which covers the support element (16) and the compressor (22).

12. Device for repairing tires (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that an energy storage device for operating the drive mechanism is operationally connected to the drive mechanism.

13. Device for repairing tires (10) according to claim 12, characterized in that the energy storage is a battery (72) or a plurality of batteries (72).

14. Tire repair device (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that the connecting line (12) comprises, at one end to be connected to the tire to be repaired, a monitoring switch (78), which allows the operation of the drive mechanism only when the end to be connected to the tire to be repaired is connected to the tire. Petition 870240092183, dated 10 / 29 / 2024, page 9 / 18 4 / 4 15. Device for repairing tires (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that the drive mechanism is an electric motor (24), which is arranged in a plate-shaped recess (26) on the side (18) of the support element (16) facing the wheel.

16. Device for repairing tires (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 15, characterized in that mounted on the end section (106) of each sleeve-shaped mounting element (88) is a pressure washer (120), which is adapted to engage in a locked manner with a head (104) of a wheel nut or bolt (100). Petition 870240092183, dated 29 / 10 / 2024, page 10 / 18

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