Tire repair apparatus for attachment to a vehicle wheel
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- EP · EP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- KT PROJEKTENTWICKLUNGS GMBH
- Filing Date
- 2023-08-07
- Publication Date
- 2026-06-17
Smart Images
Figure EP2023071809_13022025_PF_FP_ABST
Abstract
Description
[0001] Tire repair device for attachment to a vehicle wheel
[0002] The invention relates to the field of tire repair devices for motor vehicle wheels. It used to be common practice to equip motor vehicles with a spare wheel. Such a spare wheel allows continued driving in the event of a flat tire by replacing the defective vehicle wheel with the spare wheel carried on board. However, replacing a vehicle wheel damaged by a flat tire requires raising the vehicle using a jack, removing the defective vehicle wheel from the vehicle, then installing the spare wheel, and finally stowing the defective vehicle wheel in the vehicle.
[0003] To reduce this effort and also for weight savings, motor vehicles have recently been increasingly equipped with a tire repair device instead of a spare tire. Such a tire repair device, also known in professional circles as a "Tirefit," is usually located beneath the trunk floor of a vehicle and includes a sealant container containing a liquid tire sealant and an electrically driven air compressor. In the event of a flat tire, such a usually box-shaped tire repair device is removed from the vehicle trunk and placed next to 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 of the tire repair device's power cable is plugged into a vehicle-mounted power outlet, which could be, for example, the vehicle's cigarette lighter socket. The tire repair device is then switched on, causing the air compressor to pump the tire sealant into the defective tire and repressurize the tire so that the journey can continue. However, before doing so, the tire repair device must be disconnected from the repaired vehicle wheel and stowed in the vehicle.
[0004] The object of the invention is to provide a tire repair device which is improved over the "Tirefit" type tire repair devices and which is even simpler and more foolproof to use in the event of a tire puncture.
[0005] This object is achieved according to the invention by a tire repair device having the features specified in claim 1. In contrast to the known tire repair devices of the "Tirefit" type, the tire repair device according to the invention is intended for attachment to a vehicle wheel that is fastened to a vehicle with wheel nuts or wheel bolts. The latter applies to the vast majority of all motor vehicles. Typically, four or five wheel nuts or wheel bolts are used to fasten a vehicle wheel to the vehicle. Such wheel nuts or wheel bolts are made of steel and are accessible from the outside of a vehicle wheel in order to mount the vehicle wheel on and remove it from the vehicle. The tire repair device according to the invention has a carrier element that can be at least approximately plate-shaped and to which a central axis and a circumferential direction are assigned.When a tire repair device is attached to a vehicle wheel, the center axis of the support element preferably represents an extension of the center axis of the vehicle wheel. When a tire repair device is attached to a vehicle wheel, the circumferential direction of the support element corresponds to the circumferential direction of the vehicle wheel. The support element has a side facing the wheel and a side facing away from the wheel, each relative to a state of the tire repair device when attached to a vehicle wheel. The support element can, for example, be a sheet steel component produced by a punching and / or pressing and / or deep-drawing process. The outer shape of the support element is preferably at least approximately circular and substantially flat so that the support element can fit easily into the space available in the center of a vehicle wheel.
[0006] The support element, which can also be referred to as a structural component, serves as the load-bearing component of the tire repair device. A compressor is attached to the support element, which serves to draw in air in a known manner and pressurize it in order to use the pressurized air to convey a tire sealant into a defective vehicle tire and to build up pressure in the vehicle tire. The compressor can be of any type suitable for the stated purpose. In 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.
[0007] A drive device for the compressor is operatively connected to the compressor. The compressor drive device can also be of any type suitable for the stated purpose. For example, the compressor drive device can be a hydraulically or pneumatically driven motor. In preferred embodiments of the tire repair device according to the invention, the compressor drive device is an electric motor.
[0008] The tire repair device according to the invention further comprises a sealant container for holding a tire sealant, which is fluidly connected to the compressor. Furthermore, the tire repair device comprises a connecting line designed to be fluidly connected to the sealant container and a tire to be repaired. This connecting line can be a separate part or can already be connected to the tire repair device at one end and then, in the event of a flat tire, only needs to be connected to the tire of the vehicle wheel to be repaired, usually by connecting the connecting line to the tire valve of the defective vehicle wheel. The connecting line can contain a check valve to prevent air from flowing from the tire into the tire repair device.Such a check valve also prevents air and sealant from escaping from a tire repaired using the tire repair device if the connecting line should become detached from the tire repair device, for example while driving after a tire repair.
[0009] For easy attachment to a vehicle wheel, the tire repair device according to the invention has a plurality of pin-shaped holding elements, each having a fastening end and a free end. The pin-shaped holding elements are connected to the carrier element at their fastening end and each extend from the side of the carrier element facing the wheel along a longitudinal axis parallel to the central axis to their free end. The pin-shaped holding elements are spaced apart from one another in the circumferential direction of the carrier element, wherein the positions of the pin-shaped holding elements correspond at least approximately to the positions of inspection holes in the vehicle wheel, which extend parallel to the aforementioned central axis into the vehicle wheel, are arranged in the circumferential direction between two holes for wheel bolts, and are used for wheel alignment.These inspection holes are not present on all vehicle wheels, but only on vehicle wheels used by certain vehicle manufacturers, for example Mercedes Benz and BMW. These inspection holes are positioning holes for quick-release holders that are used during a vehicle alignment or wheel alignment. Internally, e.g. at BMW, these inspection holes are sometimes also referred to as poly inspection holes. The number of inspection holes, whose diameter is generally smaller than the diameter of the holes for the wheel bolts, normally corresponds to the number of wheel nuts or wheel bolts, but such a match in number is not technically necessary. In particular, the number of inspection holes can be fewer than the number of holes for the wheel bolts.The hole circle diameter of the inspection holes can correspond to the hole circle diameter of the holes for the wheel bolts, but it can also be smaller or larger. The number of pin-shaped mounting elements preferably corresponds to the number of inspection holes present on the vehicle wheel, but fewer mounting elements than inspection holes can also be provided. For example, three pin-shaped mounting elements may be sufficient to securely attach a tire repair device according to the invention to a vehicle wheel.
[0010] By "corresponding at least approximately to the positions of inspection bores," we mean that the pin-shaped retaining elements can be mounted on the support element with a degree of lateral play, i.e., radially movable relative to their longitudinal axis. This lateral play allows a pin-shaped retaining element to automatically center itself on the inspection bore upon insertion into this inspection bore. Embodiments of the tire repair device according to the invention, in which some or all of the pin-shaped retaining elements are mounted with lateral play, can be mounted on various types of vehicle wheels because the pin-shaped retaining elements can adjust to different bolt circles within the scope of their lateral play.If a tire repair device is only intended for a specific vehicle where the positions of the inspection holes are precisely known, the pin-shaped mounting elements can also be mounted exactly in the positions that correspond to the positions of the inspection holes without any lateral play.
[0011] Each pin-shaped mounting element can be inserted into one of the inspection holes in the vehicle wheel to clamp or lock the tire repair device onto the vehicle wheel. When attached, all pin-shaped mounting elements are inserted into inspection holes. For example, some or all of the pin-shaped mounting elements can be designed like a dowel to clamp into the inspection hole. In such embodiments, the inspection holes do not need to penetrate the vehicle wheel.
[0012] However, according to a preferred embodiment, the tire repair device according to the invention is intended for vehicle wheels in which the inspection holes penetrate the vehicle wheel. In this embodiment, each pin-shaped holding element has a length such that a free end of each pin-shaped holding element is located in a mounting flange plane of the vehicle wheel when the tire repair device is attached to the vehicle wheel, and a magnet is connected to the free end of each pin-shaped holding element. When a vehicle wheel is mounted on a vehicle, the plane of the mounting flange of the vehicle wheel coincides with the support surface of a wheel hub or a brake disc to which the vehicle wheel is attached. A wheel hub and a brake disc are usually made of steel.Each magnet at the free end of a pin-shaped holder element can thus magnetically engage with the wheel hub or brake disc, thereby securely holding the tire repair device to the vehicle wheel.
[0013] According to another preferred embodiment of the tire repair device according to the invention, several or all of the pin-shaped mounting elements are provided with locking hooks. These locking hooks can engage with appropriately designed inspection holes in the inspection holes, thus preventing the tire repair device from being accidentally released from a vehicle wheel after the pin-shaped mounting elements have been inserted into the inspection holes. For example, the inspection holes can be provided with locking projections on the inside that engage with the locking hooks on the pin-shaped mounting elements.
[0014] In a modification of the aforementioned embodiment, which is intended for vehicle wheels in which the inspection holes extend through the vehicle wheel, the locking hooks are arranged at a free end of the pin-shaped mounting elements and are designed to engage behind the inspection holes in the vehicle wheel, thus securely and captively attaching the tire repair device to the vehicle wheel. In particular, the locking hooks can be designed such that they "fold out" after passing through the inspection hole, i.e., they assume a larger diameter than the inspection hole, thereby preventing a tire repair device attached to the vehicle wheel from becoming loose.
[0015] To facilitate the insertion of the pin-shaped retaining elements into the inspection bores, each pin-shaped retaining element can have a beveled insertion section at its free end. A tire repair device according to the invention can be quickly and easily attached to a vehicle wheel to be repaired without first having to remove any parts, such as a wheel hub cover. Attaching a tire repair device according to the invention to the vehicle wheel is carried out simply by inserting its pin-shaped retaining elements into the corresponding inspection bores of the vehicle wheel.All that remains is to connect the connecting line to the vehicle wheel to be repaired, for example, by screwing a free end of the connecting line onto the tire valve of the vehicle wheel. If necessary, the other end of the connecting line must also be connected to the tire repair device (if this other end is not already permanently connected to the tire repair device). After using the tire repair device according to the invention, it can remain on the vehicle wheel while driving, as it is securely held to the vehicle wheel by the pin-shaped retaining elements.
[0016] According to the invention, the above-mentioned object is also achieved by a tire repair device having the features specified in claim 7.This tire repair device differs from the previously explained tire repair device according to patent claim 1 in that instead of the pin-shaped holding elements, a crown-shaped centering and fastening flange is provided, which extends from the wheel-facing side of the carrier element at least approximately parallel to the center axis and has a free end designed to engage with an edge of a wheel hub opening of the vehicle wheel, wherein a plurality of locking tabs distributed in the circumferential direction extend radially obliquely outwards from the free end of the crown-shaped centering and fastening flange, which are designed to lock under a respective head of a wheel nut or wheel bolt when the tire repair device is pressed onto a vehicle wheel along the center axis.This tire repair device is particularly suitable for vehicle wheels that do not have inspection holes, for example for so-called normal steel rims or wheels, which are often used in winter instead of light alloy wheels.
[0017] Preferably, the number and position of the locking tabs correspond to the number and position of the wheel nuts or wheel bolts used to fasten a vehicle wheel to a vehicle; however, a smaller number of locking tabs may also be sufficient to securely fasten the tire repair device to the vehicle wheel, particularly when a vehicle wheel is fastened to the vehicle with five or more wheel nuts or wheel bolts. In a preferred embodiment, each locking tab preferably has a concave bulge at its radially outer, free end in order to enlarge the area with which the locking tab can lock under the head of the wheel nut or wheel bolt when the tire repair device is pressed onto the vehicle wheel.The radius of the concave bulge is adapted to the radius of the wheel nut or wheel bolt and is preferably slightly smaller than the radius of the head of the wheel nut or wheel bolt in order to ensure that the locking tab locks securely under the head of the wheel nut or wheel bolt.
[0018] The aforementioned embodiment of the tire repair device with locking tabs can also be easily combined with the embodiment discussed above, which has pin-shaped retaining elements, each with a magnet at its end. To do so, the length of the pin-shaped retaining elements only needs to be adjusted so that, when the crown-shaped centering and fastening flange has been fully pushed onto the vehicle wheel, the magnets are in a plane in which they can magnetically interact with an opposite surface of the vehicle wheel. Preferably, the length of the pin-shaped retaining elements is dimensioned such that the magnets can rest against an opposite surface of the vehicle wheel.In such a combined embodiment, the locking fastening achieved by the locking tabs is supplemented by the magnetically adhesive fastening resulting from the magnets arranged at the free end of the pin-shaped holding elements.
[0019] According to a modification of the embodiment just explained, the locking tabs can also be omitted if the pin-shaped retaining elements with the magnets arranged at the free end of the pin-shaped retaining elements are present. The crown-shaped centering and fastening flange then primarily serves to center the tire repair device on the vehicle wheel. The crown-shaped centering and fastening flange nevertheless exerts a certain clamping force on the edge of the wheel hub opening of the vehicle wheel. The actual holding force is generated by the magnets arranged at the free ends of the pin-shaped retaining elements and magnetically adhere to an opposite surface of the vehicle wheel.
[0020] In conventional "Tirefit"-type tire repair devices, the tire sealant is a single liquid. However, such a tire sealant has only a limited lifespan and thus a correspondingly limited period of use. To overcome this disadvantage, in preferred embodiments of the tire repair device according to the invention, the sealant container has two separate chambers for two components of a tire sealant and a mixing chamber for mixing these two components. Due to the separate storage of two components of a tire sealant thus enabled, aging of the tire sealant no longer occurs or occurs only extremely slowly, which is why a tire repair device equipped in this way can be used for a much longer period.Only when the tire repair device is used are the two components pumped from the two separate chambers into the mixing chamber by means of the compressor, mixed there, and then fed into the tire to be repaired. This mixing chamber is preferably located immediately upstream of a connection for the connecting line. The mixed tire sealant is then fed through the connecting line into the tire to be repaired. If the tire sealant used requires it, more than two chambers for components of a tire sealant can be present in the sealant container. It is also possible to provide only a single chamber for the tire sealant in the sealant container if the tire sealant used only contains one component. A mixing chamber for mixing multiple components of the tire sealant can then be omitted.
[0021] In advantageously designed embodiments of the tire repair device according to the invention, the sealant container forms a housing of the tire repair device that covers the support element and the compressor. Since the tire repair device according to the invention is mounted in the center of the vehicle wheel, it is advisable to design the support element with an at least approximately round outer circumference. A sealant container designed as a housing then preferably also has a round outer shape and is also flattened in order to protrude as little as possible from the vehicle wheel in the axial direction.
[0022] To ensure that a tire repair device according to the invention can be put into operation as quickly and easily as possible, the tire repair device preferably comprises an energy storage device for operating the compressor drive device, which energy storage device is operatively connected to the compressor drive device. Such an energy storage device can be, for example, a compressed air tank if the drive device is a pneumatically operated motor. However, the energy storage device is preferably designed as a battery or a plurality of batteries, wherein the electrical energy stored in the battery or batteries serves to drive an electric motor that forms the drive device for the compressor. The battery or the plurality of batteries can be rechargeable or non-rechargeable batteries.Alternatively or additionally, the tire repair device according to the invention can have a connection that allows it to be supplied with energy (in particular electricity) from outside. For example, the tire repair device can have a socket that can be connected via a power cable to, for example, a cigarette lighter in the vehicle or to a power bank, thus enabling the tire repair device to be operated with external energy.
[0023] To prevent a tire repair device according to the invention from being activated unintentionally or at an inopportune time, in preferred embodiments of the tire repair device, the connecting line has a monitoring switch at an end to be connected to the tire to be repaired, which only enables operation of the drive device when the end of the connecting line to be connected to the tire to be repaired is actually connected to the tire. For example, this monitoring switch can be a microswitch that is actuated when the free end of the connecting line is screwed onto the tire valve of the vehicle wheel to be repaired, thereby signaling to a control device of the tire repair device that the connecting line is correctly connected to the vehicle wheel to be repaired. The tire repair device can then be activated or activates automatically.
[0024] It has already been mentioned that the drive device of a tire repair device according to the invention is preferably an electric motor. For space-saving and protected installation, such an electric motor is arranged in preferred embodiments in a plate-shaped recess on the wheel-facing side of the support element. This recess is preferably located in a center of the support element and thus also in the center of the vehicle wheel to be repaired.
[0025] Examples of tire repair devices according to the invention are explained in more detail below with reference to the attached schematic figures. They show:
[0026] Figure 1 shows a spatial view of a vehicle wheel with a tire repair device according to the invention mounted thereon, Figure 2 shows an enlarged view of area II from Figure 1,
[0027] Figure 3 shows a cross-section through the tire repair device shown in Figure 1 as well as adjacent areas of the vehicle wheel and its attachment to a vehicle,
[0028] Figure 3a shows a part of Figure 3 containing the tire repair device in an enlarged view,
[0029] Figure 4 shows a section of a modified embodiment of the tire repair device shown in Figure 3,
[0030] Figure 5 is a three-dimensional view of the tire repair device shown in Figure 3 from obliquely above, cut in a plane perpendicular to the central axis A shown in Figure 3,
[0031] Figure 6 is a sectional, spatial view of the tire repair device shown in Figure 3, viewed diagonally from below,
[0032] Figure 7 is a spatial representation similar to Figure 1 of a tire repair device attached to the vehicle wheel rim with the housing removed,
[0033] Figure 8 is a spatial representation of a connection of a connecting line of the tire repair device to a valve of the vehicle wheel shown in Fig. 1,
[0034] Figure 9 shows a longitudinal section through the valve shown in Fig. 8,
[0035] Figure 10 is a view similar to Figure 3 of another embodiment,
[0036] Figure 11 shows a centering and fastening flange of the embodiment shown in Fig. 10 in a spatial representation,
[0037] Figure 12 shows the centering and fastening flange from Figure 11 mounted on a vehicle wheel, and Figure 13 is a view similar to Figure 10 of a modified embodiment.
[0038] Figure 1 shows a three-dimensional representation of a vehicle wheel 11, wherein, for reasons of clarity, one tire of the vehicle wheel has been omitted, so that in Figure 1 only the vehicle wheel without the tire is visible. A tire can be mounted in a known manner on a rim 2 of the vehicle wheel 11. The vehicle wheel 11 is fastened to a vehicle by means of wheel nuts or wheel bolts, although this vehicle is not shown here. Attached to an outer side of the vehicle wheel 11 is a tire repair device, generally designated 10, the structural design and fastening of which to the vehicle wheel is explained in more detail below.
[0039] The tire repair device 10, similar to known "Tirefit"-type tire repair devices, contains a tire sealant that can be fed through a connecting line 12 into a tire to be repaired. Figure 2 shows how a wheel-side, free end of the connecting line 12 can be connected to a tire to be repaired (not shown). In the illustrated embodiment, the tire-side end of the connecting line 12 is connected to the tire (not shown) by screwing it onto a tire valve 14. The tire valve 14 is attached to the vehicle wheel 11 near an outer peripheral edge of the rim 2, as is usual with tubeless tires.
[0040] The structural design of the tire repair device 10 will now be explained in more detail with reference to Figures 3 to 5. The tire repair device 10 has, as a supporting component, a substantially plate-shaped support element 16 which has a side 18 facing the wheel and a side 20 facing away from the wheel (see in particular Figure 3a). The support element 16 is made of sheet steel here, but can also be made of a plastic, in particular a fiber-reinforced plastic, or another suitable material. A compressor 22 for generating compressed air is attached to the side 20 of the support element 16 facing away from the wheel in a central region thereof. A drive device 23 serves to drive the compressor 22. In the illustrated embodiments, this drive device is an electric motor 24, which is received on the side 18 of the support element 16 facing the wheel in a plate-shaped recess 26 formed in a central region of the support element 16.The electric motor 24 has an output shaft 32 which is rotatably mounted in two bearings 28, 30, passes through the support element 16 and is connected to an eccentric cam 34 at its end facing the compressor 22. The eccentric cam 34 interacts with a piston 36 of the compressor 22 by engaging in a suitably designed recess 38 in the piston 36 and, as the output shaft 32 rotates, moves the piston 36 back and forth in the compressor 22. In the exemplary embodiments shown here, the piston 36 is a so-called double-acting piston, i.e., each stroke of the piston 36 is a working stroke with which compressed air is generated. This can be seen particularly clearly in Figure 5, which shows the compressor 22 in longitudinal section.
[0041] With particular reference to Figure 5, the basic function of a tire repair device 10 will now be described in more detail. Two pressure chambers 40, 42 are formed in the compressor 22, in which compressed air can be generated by the reciprocating movement of the piston 36. Each pressure chamber 40, 42 is provided with a valve 44, 46 through which air is sucked into the respective pressure chamber 40 or 42 during the suction stroke of the piston 36, and through which compressed air generated during the pressure stroke of the piston 36 is discharged from the pressure chamber 40 or 42 into a pressure line 48 or 50, respectively, which connect the compressor 22, more precisely its pressure chambers 40 and 42, to pressure supply valves 52 and 54, which are assigned to a first chamber 56 and a second chamber 58 of a sealant container 60. Both the valves 44 and 46 and the pressure supply valves 52 and 54 can be designed as simple check valves.
[0042] The sealant container 60 serves to hold a tire sealant (not shown) which, in the event of a tire puncture (tire losing air or being flat), is pumped from the sealant container 60 through the connecting line 12 into the tire to be repaired by the compressed air generated by the compressor 22. To prevent premature aging of the tire sealant, this tire sealant consists of two components in the embodiments of the tire repair device 10 shown here, one of which is stored in the first chamber 56 and the other component in the second chamber 58 of the sealant container 60.When the tire repair device 10 is in use, the two components of the tire sealant are forced through outlets 62 and 64 into a mixing chamber 66 by the compressed air generated by the compressor 22 and supplied to the chambers 56, 58 via the pressure supply valves 52 and 54. This mixing chamber 66 is also part of the sealant container 60 and is located directly upstream of a housing-side connection 68 of the connecting line 12. As can be seen from Figure 3, the outlets 62 and 64 can be provided with a swirl-forming inner wall 70 to create a swirling flow between the two components of the tire sealant flowing through the outlets 62, 64, which enables their intimate mixing in the mixing chamber 66 more effectively and quickly. From the mixing chamber 66, the intimately mixed tire sealant is then pressed through the housing-side connection 68 into the connecting line 12 and through the tire valve 14 into the tire to be repaired.After the tire sealant has been completely pressed into the tire to be repaired, the compressor 22 continues to generate compressed air to inflate the tire and thereby bring it into a drivable condition.
[0043] In the exemplary embodiments shown, the electric motor 24 is supplied with energy by a plurality of batteries 72, which are arranged on a circular circuit board 74 that is fastened around the plate-shaped recess 26 on the side 20 of the support element 60 facing away from the wheel. The batteries 72 can be rechargeable or non-rechargeable batteries, and fewer or more batteries can of course be used instead of the number of batteries 72 shown here. Furthermore, an electronic control unit 76 is arranged on the circuit board 74, which controls the function of the tire repair device 10. To prevent tire sealant from accidentally or prematurely escaping from the connecting line 12, the exemplary embodiments shown here are equipped with a monitoring switch 78 (see Fig.7), which is actuated when the tire-side end of the connecting line 12 is screwed onto the tire valve 14 and thereby indicates that the tire repair device 10 is correctly connected to a tire to be repaired (see also Figures 8 and 9). The signal from the monitoring switch 78 is transmitted via an electrical line 80 to the control unit 76. Only when the signal from the monitoring switch 78 indicates a correct connection to the tire valve 14 can the compressor 22 and thus the tire repair device 10 be put into operation. This activation can occur manually, for example by a switch (not shown) to be actuated by a user, or automatically, for example triggered by the signal sent from the monitoring switch 78.
[0044] In the illustrated embodiments, the sealant container 60 forms a housing of the tire repair device 10, in particular covering the carrier element 16 and the compressor 22. The sealant container 60 here has an at least approximately toroidal shape with a flattened outer surface and is fastened to the compressor 22 by a screw 84 (see Fig. 6). In the illustrated embodiments, the carrier element 16 has a circular basic shape with several tab-shaped extensions 86 attached to the outer circumference, the purpose of which will become clear from the following description. The attachment of the tire repair device 10 to a vehicle wheel will now be explained. For attachment to a vehicle wheel, the tire repair device 10 is provided with several pin-shaped holding elements 88 spaced from one another in the circumferential direction U, each having a fastening end 90 and a free end 92.Each pin-shaped retaining element 88 is connected by its fastening end 90 to the carrier element 16, here by a fastening screw 94 that extends through the associated tab-shaped extension 86 of the carrier element 16. Each pin-shaped retaining element 88 extends from the wheel-facing side 18 of the carrier element 16 along a longitudinal axis L parallel to the central axis A to its free end 92. The diameter of an opening 96 in the tab-shaped extension 86, through which the fastening screw 94 extends, can be larger than the outer diameter of a shaft 98 of the fastening screw 94 (see Fig. 6), so that each pin-shaped retaining element 88 is movable radially to the longitudinal axis L. In other words, each pin-shaped retaining element 88 can be received with lateral play in the carrier element 16, more precisely in the associated opening 96 of the tab-shaped extension 86 of the carrier element 16.
[0045] As can be seen from the attached figures, the positions of the pin-shaped retaining elements 88 on the carrier element 16 correspond at least approximately to the positions of inspection holes 100 (see, for example, Figs. 3 and 3a) with which the vehicle wheel 11 is equipped. These inspection holes 100 serve, as already explained in the introductory part of the description, as positioning holes for quick-release holders (not shown) that are required during a wheel alignment or axle measurement of a vehicle and are attached to the vehicle wheel. The inspection holes 100 usually have a smaller diameter than holes 102 for wheel bolts 104 and are arranged in the circumferential direction U between the holes 102. A bolt circle diameter of the inspection holes 100 and the holes 102 for the wheel bolts 104 can be the same or different.In the illustrated embodiments, the bolt circle diameter of the inspection holes 100 is slightly larger than the bolt circle diameter of the holes 102 for the wheel bolts 104, and all inspection holes 100 extend through the vehicle wheel 11. In embodiments not shown here, the inspection holes extend only a short distance into the vehicle wheel 11 from the side of the vehicle wheel 11 facing away from the vehicle, but do not penetrate the vehicle wheel 11. To attach the tire repair device 10 to the vehicle wheel 11, the pin-shaped mounting elements 88 are aligned with the inspection holes 100 and then inserted or pressed into the inspection holes 100. The pin-shaped mounting elements 88 can have a thickening or enlarged diameter (not shown), particularly in the central region of their longitudinal extension, whose outer diameter is larger than the inner diameter of the inspection holes 100.This thickening results in the pin-shaped retaining elements 88 clamping into the inspection holes 100 like a dowel when the pin-shaped retaining elements 88 are pressed into the latter, thereby securely holding the tire repair device 10 on the vehicle wheel 11. To facilitate insertion of the pin-shaped retaining elements 88 into the inspection holes 100, preferred embodiments of the tire repair device 10 have a beveled insertion section 105 at the free end 92 of each pin-shaped retaining element 88.
[0046] In the embodiments shown in Figures 3, 3a, 5 and 6, the pin-shaped holding elements 88 are provided at their free end 92 with elastic locking hooks 106 which, after passing through the inspection bores 100, unfold or fold out in order to engage behind the inspection bores 100 on the side of the vehicle wheel 11 facing the vehicle. In other words, in the unfolded or folded out state, the entirety of all locking hooks 106 of a pin-shaped holding element 88 covers an area whose diameter is larger than the diameter of the inspection bore 100, thereby creating a positive connection between the locking hooks 106 and the end of the inspection bore 100 facing the vehicle, which effectively prevents the pin-shaped holding elements 88 from unintentionally becoming detached from the vehicle wheel 11.It goes without saying that in the embodiments shown in Figures 3, 3a, 5 and 6, the pin-shaped holding elements 88 must have a length that is sufficient for the locking hooks 106 arranged at the free end 92 to be able to emerge from the inspection bore 100 at the end facing the vehicle.
[0047] So that the locking hooks 106 can unfold or unfold unhindered after passing through the inspection holes 100, the vehicle wheel 11 should be provided with a recess 108 in the region of each end of the inspection hole 100 facing the vehicle. The locking hooks 106 can, as shown, be designed as a single piece with the pin-shaped holding element 88, for example by injection molding the pin-shaped holding element 88 from a plastic material. However, the locking hooks 106 can also be designed separately from the rest of the pin-shaped holding element 88 and connected to the latter. The pin-shaped holding element 88 and the locking hooks 106 can also be made of metal. For example, the locking hooks 106 can be made of a steel spring sheet and the remaining part of the pin-shaped holding element 88 can be a metal or plastic casting.
[0048] Fig. 4 shows a modified embodiment of the tire repair device 10 in which the pin-shaped holding elements 88 do not have latching hooks 106. Instead, a magnet 110 is arranged at the free end 92 of each pin-shaped holding element 88. In the exemplary embodiment shown in Fig. 4, the magnet 110 is received in a recess 112 of the pin-shaped holding element 88 that has a corresponding shape at the free end 92 and is fastened there, for example by gluing. The length of each pin-shaped holding element 88 in this embodiment is dimensioned such that the surface 114 of the magnet 110 facing a vehicle is located in a mounting flange plane M of the vehicle wheel 11 when the tire repair device 10 is fastened to the vehicle wheel 11, ie when the pin-shaped holding elements 88 have been inserted into the inspection bores 100.In this way, each magnet 110 can come into contact with an opposing surface 116 of a wheel hub 118 or a brake disc 120 to which the vehicle wheel 11 is attached. Since wheel hubs and brake discs are typically made of ferromagnetic steel, the entirety of the magnets 110 of the pin-shaped support elements 88 results in a good magnetic adhesion force between the tire repair device 10 and the wheel hub 118 or the brake disc 120, thereby securely holding the tire repair device 10 to the vehicle wheel 11.
[0049] It will be clear to a person skilled in the art that the previously described embodiments can be readily combined. For example, some pin-shaped mounting elements 88 may have a dowel-like configuration and / or locking hooks 106, while other pin-shaped mounting elements 88 may be provided with magnets 110.
[0050] In the illustrated embodiments of the tire repair device 10, the number of pin-shaped holding elements 88 corresponds to the number of inspection bores 100. In embodiments not shown here, the number of pin-shaped holding elements 88 is less than the number of inspection bores 100. According to an embodiment not shown here, the tire repair device 10 has only three pin-shaped holding elements 88, which are spaced apart from one another in the circumferential direction and whose positions correspond to only three of the inspection bores 100 of the vehicle wheel.
[0051] Figures 8 and 9 show in more detail the connection of the connecting line 12 of the tire repair device 10 to a tire valve 14 of the vehicle wheel 11. Figures 8 and 9 each show only the tire valve 14 and a tire-side end of the connecting line 12. Figure 8 shows the tire valve 14 with the connecting line 12 connected to it in a three-dimensional view, and Figure 9 shows a longitudinal section through the arrangement shown in Figure 8.
[0052] The end of the connecting line 12 connected to the tire valve 14 is formed by a cap 122 which can be screwed onto the tire valve 14 and which is fastened by means of a snap ring 124 to an end section 126 of the connecting line 12, the outer diameter of which is larger than that of the connecting line 12. In the end section 126, a valve seat 128 is formed on the inside, against which a sealing surface 132 of a movable valve tappet 130 bears in a sealing manner and is pressed towards the valve seat 128 by a spring 134. The spring 134 is supported with one end on the valve tappet 130 and with its opposite, other end on the sealing retaining ring 136 which is arranged in the screw-on cap 122 between the end section 126 and a sealing ring 138. In the position shown in Figure 9, the valve tappet 130 seals the connecting line 12 and prevents fluid from escaping from the connecting line 12.
[0053] The tire valve 14 has a conventional design known to those skilled in the art and is sealingly received (e.g., by vulcanization) in a rubber nipple 140, which serves to attach the tire valve 14 to a vehicle wheel 11. For this purpose, the rubber nipple 140 is provided with a circumferential groove 142, by means of which the rubber nipple 140 can be sealingly inserted into a correspondingly sized opening in the vehicle wheel 11.
[0054] Located in the tire valve 14 is a plunger 144, which is pressed into a closed position of the tire valve 14 by a spring 146 (and, if applicable, the air pressure acting in the tire). In order for air or fluid to enter the tire, this plunger 144 must be pushed slightly into the tire valve 14 into its open position against the force of the spring 146.
[0055] In Figure 9, it can be clearly seen that the end of a pin-shaped extension 148 of the valve tappet 130 is located adjacent to an upper end 149 of the tappet 144 of the valve 14. When the cap 122 of the connecting line 12 is screwed tightly onto the tire valve 14, a free end of the valve 14 presses onto the seal retaining ring 136 via the sealing ring 138. This compressive force is transmitted via the end section 126 and supported on the snap ring 124. Inserted between the snap ring 124 and the upper end of the end section 126 in Figs. 8 and 9 is a holder 127 with an L-shaped cross-section, on the short leg 127a of which at least one pressure sensor, e.g. in the form of a strain gauge, is attached, which forms the monitoring switch 78. The electrical line 80, which connects the monitoring switch 78 to the electronic control unit 76, is connected to the long leg 127b of the holder 127.As soon as this monitoring switch 78 registers a pressure that exceeds a predetermined threshold value, the monitoring switch 78 signals to the tire repair device 10 and in particular to the control unit 76 that the connecting line 12 is correctly connected to the tire valve 14 and the tire repair device 10 can be put into operation.
[0056] As soon as pressure is built up in the connecting line 12 by the compressor 22, this pressure acts on the valve tappet 130 and displaces it against the force of the spring 134 in the direction of the tire valve 14, whereby the sealing surface 132 is lifted from the valve seat 128 so that air and / or fluid can flow through the connecting line 12 to the tire valve 14. As a result of this displacement of the valve tappet 130, its pin-shaped extension 148 presses on the upper end 149 of the tappet 144 of the valve 14 and presses the tappet 144 against the force of the spring 146 into an open position, whereby the tire valve 14 is opened and the air and / or fluid can flow from the connecting line 12 through the tire valve 14 into the tire of the vehicle wheel 11.As soon as the pressure in the connecting line 12 falls below a predetermined value, the valve tappet 130 is moved back into its closed position by the spring 134, in which the sealing surface 132 rests against the valve seat 128, and the tire valve 14 also closes by the tappet 144 being pushed back into its closed position by the spring 146.
[0057] Figures 10 to 12 show a further embodiment of a tire repair device, designated 10a, which differs from the previously described embodiments in that, instead of the pin-shaped holding elements 88, a crown-shaped centering and fastening flange 150 is provided, which extends from the wheel-facing side 18 of the carrier element 16 at least approximately parallel to the central axis A and has a free end 152 designed to engage with an edge 154 of a wheel hub opening 156 of the vehicle wheel 11. The free end 152, like the centering and fastening flange 150, is annular and is provided on its inner side with a likewise annular, radially inwardly projecting projection 158 (see Fig. 12), which clampingly engages with the edge 154 when the centering and fastening flange 150 is pushed onto the latter.In the illustrated embodiment, the centering and fastening flange 150 is fastened to the support element 16 by means of screws 160, which extend through holes 161 in tab-shaped extensions 86a, the arrangement of which corresponds to the tab-shaped extensions 86. However, other fastening methods are conceivable and possible. For example, the support element 16 and the centering and fastening flange 150 can be connected to one another by rivets (not shown), or the centering and fastening flange 150 can be glued or welded to the support element 16. A one-piece design of the support element 16 and the centering and fastening flange 150 is also possible.
[0058] Extending radially outward and obliquely upward from the free end 152 of the centering and fastening flange 150 are a plurality of locking tabs 162, each designed to lock under a head 164 of a wheel nut or wheel bolt 104 when the tire repair device 10a is pressed onto a vehicle wheel 11 along the center axis A. The locking tabs 162 are distributed in the circumferential direction U and arranged at a distance from one another, wherein the position of a locking tab 162 at the free end 152 of the centering and fastening flange 150 corresponds to a position of a wheel nut or wheel bolt 104 with which the vehicle wheel 11 is fastened to a vehicle.Preferably, the number of locking tabs 162 is the same as the number of wheel nuts or wheel bolts 104, but a smaller number of locking tabs 162 compared to the number of wheel nuts or wheel bolts 104 may also be sufficient to securely fasten the tire repair device 10a to a vehicle wheel 11.
[0059] In order to enlarge the area in which a radially outer end 166 of each locking tab 162 can lock under a head 164 of a wheel nut or wheel bolt 104, in preferred embodiments the radially outer end 166 has a concave bulge 168 (see in particular Figure 11), the shape of which is adapted to the area of a wheel nut or wheel bolt 104 with which the locking tab 162 is intended to engage. Figure 11 shows a three-dimensional representation of a crown-shaped centering and fastening flange 150 with a total of five locking tabs 162, each of which has a concave bulge 168 at its radially outer end 166. The locking tabs also shown in Fig. 11 without such a concave bulge 168 are only present due to the easier manufacture of the entire centering and fastening flange 150, but they do not serve any purpose and can therefore be omitted.
[0060] Figure 12 shows a three-dimensional representation of how a centering and fastening flange 150, pushed onto the edge 154 of the wheel hub opening 156, engages with its locking tabs 162 under the wheel bolts 104, thus securely fastening the tire repair device 10a (not shown in Figure 12) to the vehicle wheel 11. The centering and fastening flange 150 is pressed onto the edge 154 until the radially outer end 166 of each locking tab 162 jumps over an edge 170 of the head 164 of the wheel bolts 104 and then locks under the edge 170 of the head 164. For this locking process to occur, at least the locking tabs 162 must be made of a resiliently elastic material, for example, spring steel sheet. However, in a structurally advantageous manner, the centering and fastening flange 150 will be made entirely of a resiliently elastic material.
[0061] Figure 13 shows a further embodiment of a tire repair device according to the invention, designated 10b, in which both the crown-shaped centering and fastening flange 150 and the pin-shaped retaining elements 88 are used. Like the previously explained tire repair device 10a, the tire repair device 10b shown in Figure 13 is particularly suitable for attachment to a vehicle wheel 11 that does not have inspection holes 100. This applies, for example, to simple steel wheels, which are equipped, for example, with cheaper vehicles or which are used in winter together with winter tires to protect more expensive light alloy wheels.
[0062] In the embodiment of the tire repair device 10b shown in Figure 13, the holding force results, on the one hand, from the clamping force exerted by the radial projection 158 of the centering and fastening flange 150 on the edge 154 of the wheel hub opening 156, and, on the other hand, from the magnetic holding force with which the magnets 110 of the pin-shaped holding elements 88 adhere to the opposite surface 172 of the vehicle wheel 11. The length of the pin-shaped holding elements 88 is dimensioned such that the surface 114 of each magnet 110 rests on the surface 172 of the vehicle wheel 11 when the centering and fastening flange 150 has been fully pushed onto the edge 154 of the wheel hub opening 156. The tire repair device 10b in Figure 13 is shown without locking tabs 162 because these are not required due to the presence of the pin-shaped holding elements 88.However, the tire repair device 10b can also have locking tabs 162 in order to make the attachment of the tire repair device to the vehicle wheel 11 even more secure.
[0063] Finally, it should be mentioned that, for reasons of clarity, the drive device for the compressor 22 is not shown in Figures 10 and 13. However, it corresponds to the drive device 23 explained in connection with the other exemplary embodiments.
Claims
Patent claims 1. A tire repair device for attachment to a vehicle wheel (11) which is attached to a vehicle by means of wheel nuts or wheel bolts (104), comprising: - a carrier element (16) having a central axis (A) and a circumferential direction (U) associated therewith and having a side (18) facing the wheel and a side (20) facing away from the wheel, - a compressor (22) attached to the support element (16), - a drive device (23) for the compressor (22) operatively connected to the compressor (22), - a sealant container (60) for holding a tire sealant, wherein the compressor (22) is fluidly connected to the sealant container (60), - a connecting line (12) which is designed to be fluidly connected to the sealant container (60) and a tire of the vehicle wheel (11) to be repaired, and - a plurality of pin-shaped support elements (88), each having a fastening end (90) and a free end (92), wherein the support elements (88) are connected to the carrier element (16) at their fastening end (90) and each extend from the wheel-facing side (18) of the carrier element (16) along a longitudinal axis (L) parallel to the central axis (A) and are spaced apart from one another in the circumferential direction (U), wherein the positions of the pin-shaped support elements (88) correspond at least approximately to the positions of inspection bores (100) in the vehicle wheel (11), which extend parallel to the central axis (A) into the vehicle wheel (11), are arranged in the circumferential direction (U) between two bores (102) for wheel bolts (104) and serve for wheel alignment, and wherein each pin-shaped support element (88) can be inserted into one of the inspection bores (100) in the vehicle wheel (11), adhering to the tire repair device (10),to be attached to the vehicle wheel (11) by clamping or locking., 2. Tire repair device according to claim 1, wherein the inspection holes (100) pass through the vehicle wheel (11) and several or all of the pin-shaped holding elements (88) have a length such that a free end (92) of the several or all of the pin-shaped holding elements (88) are located in a mounting flange plane (M) of the vehicle wheel (11) when the tire repair device (10) is attached to the vehicle wheel (11), and that at the free end (92) of the several or all pin-shaped holding elements (88) a magnet (110) is arranged.
3. Tire repair device according to claim 1, wherein each pin-shaped support element (88) has a beveled insertion portion (105) at a free end (92).
4. Tire repair device according to claim 3, wherein several or all of the pin-shaped holding elements (88) are provided with locking hooks (106).
5. Tire repair device according to claim 4, wherein the inspection holes (100) pass through the vehicle wheel (11) and the locking hooks (106) are arranged on a free end (92) of the pin-shaped holding elements (88) and are designed to engage behind the inspection holes (100) in the vehicle wheel (11).
6. Tire repair device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein some or all of the pin-shaped support elements (88) are mounted radially movable with respect to their longitudinal axis (L).
7. A tire repair device for attachment to a vehicle wheel (11) which is attached to a vehicle by means of wheel nuts or wheel bolts (104), comprising: - a carrier element (16) having a central axis (A) and a circumferential direction (U) associated therewith and having a side (18) facing the wheel and a side (20) facing away from the wheel, - a compressor (22) attached to the support element (16), - a drive device (23) for the compressor (22) operatively connected to the compressor (22), - a sealant container (60) for holding a tire sealant, wherein the compressor (22) is fluidly connected to the sealant container (60), - a connecting line (12) which is designed to be fluidly connected to the sealant container (60) and a tire of the vehicle wheel (11) to be repaired, and - a crown-shaped centering and fastening flange (150) which extends from the wheel-facing side (18) of the carrier element (16) at least approximately parallel to the central axis (A) and has a free end (152) which is adapted to engage with an edge (154) of a wheel hub opening 156() of the vehicle wheel (11) is formed, wherein a plurality of locking tabs (162) distributed in the circumferential direction (U) extend radially obliquely outwards from the free end (152) of the crown-shaped centering and fastening flange (150), which are designed to rust under a head (164) of a wheel nut or wheel bolt (104) when the tire repair device (10) is pressed along the center axis (A) onto a vehicle wheel (11).
8. Tire repair device according to claim 7, wherein a number and position of the locking tabs (162) corresponds to the number and position of the wheel nuts or wheel bolts (104) with which a vehicle wheel (11) is fastened to a vehicle.
9. Tire repair device according to claim 8, wherein each locking tab (162) has a concave bulge (168) at its radially outer end (166).
10. Tire repair device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the sealant container (60) has two separate chambers (56, 58) for two components of a tire sealant and a mixing chamber (66) for mixing the two components.
11. Tire repair device according to claim 10, wherein the mixing chamber (66) is located immediately upstream of a connection (68) for the connecting line (12).
12. Tire repair device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the sealant container (60) forms a housing of the tire repair device covering the carrier element (16) and the compressor (22).
13. Tire repair device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein an energy storage device for operating the drive device is operatively connected to the drive device.
14. Tire repair device according to claim 13, wherein the energy storage is a battery (72) or a plurality of batteries (72).
15. Tire repair device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the connecting line (12) has a monitoring switch (78) at an end to be connected to the tire to be repaired, which monitoring switch enables operation of the drive device (23) only when the end to be connected to the tire to be repaired is connected to the tire.
16. Tire repair device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the drive device (23) is an electric motor (24) which is arranged in a plate-shaped recess (26) on the wheel-facing side (18) of the carrier element (16). 15275