Drive drum

Abstract

The present invention provides a travel drum that can reduce variability in test results by ensuring that the gaps between simulated road surfaces remain constant. [Solution] A running drum 10 that rotates a test tire T while in contact with its side surface, comprising a substantially cylindrical drum body 11, a plurality of plates 12 that are attached to and detached from the side surface of the drum body 11 and divided in the circumferential direction of the drum body 11, and a simulated road surface 14 formed on the plates 12, wherein the plates 12 are fastened to the drum body 11 by bolts B1, and their position relative to the drum body 11 is determined by inserting pins 31 provided on the plates 12 into holes 32 provided on the drum body 11, and a plurality of pins 31 are provided at different positions in the circumferential direction of the drum and are parallel to each other.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a running drum that rotates while bringing a test tire into contact with its side circumferential surface.

Background Art

[0002] The running drum constitutes a drum test device. In the drum test device, an evaluation test for evaluating tire performance is performed. The evaluation test includes, for example, a noise test, a vibration test, and the like. The running drum has a drum body, a plurality of plates that are detachably attached to the side circumferential surface of the drum body and are divided in the circumferential direction of the drum body, and a pseudo road surface formed on the plates. The running drum is rotated while bringing a test tire into contact with it. Thereby, the test tire can be rolled on the pseudo road surface.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the running drum, the plate is fastened to the drum body by a fastening member. More specifically, holes are formed in the plate and screw holes are formed in the drum body, and the plate is fastened to the drum body by bolts. Generally, the hole diameter of the plate is larger than the outer diameter of the bolt. Therefore, each time the plate is attached to or detached from the drum body, the circumferential position of the plate may shift. In other words, each time the plate is attached to or detached from the drum body, variations may occur in the gap between the pseudo road surfaces. In this case, variations occur in the results of the evaluation test each time the plate is attached to or detached from the drum body.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a running drum in which the gap between the pseudo road surfaces is constant and variations in test results can be reduced. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The running drum according to the present invention is a running drum that rotates a test tire while keeping it in contact with its side circumferential surface, and comprises a substantially cylindrical drum body, a plurality of plates that are attached to and detached from the side circumferential surface of the drum body and divided in the circumferential direction of the drum body, and a simulated road surface formed on the plates, wherein the plates are fastened to the drum body by fastening members, and the position relative to the drum body is determined by inserting pins provided on the plates into holes provided on the drum body, or by inserting pins provided on the drum body into holes provided on the plates, and the pins are provided in a plurality of positions at different circumferential positions and are parallel to each other. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, the gap between the simulated road surfaces becomes constant, reducing the variability in test results. It can be reduced. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram showing a drum testing apparatus according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a schematic diagram showing a travel drum, which is an example of an embodiment. [Figure 3] This is a plan view of a plate, which is an example of an embodiment. [Figure 4] This is a side view of a plate and support member, which are examples of embodiments. [Figure 5] This is a plan view of a plate, which is another example of an embodiment. [Figure 6] This is a side view of a plate and support member, which is another example of the embodiment. [Figure 7] This is a plan view of a plate showing a contact member, which is another example of the embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] An example of an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below. In the following description, specific shapes, materials, directions, numerical values, etc., are examples to facilitate understanding of the present invention and can be appropriately modified according to the application, purpose, specifications, etc.

[0010] [Drum testing equipment] A drum testing apparatus 100 according to an embodiment will be described using Figure 1.

[0011] The drum testing apparatus 100 is a device for evaluating the tire performance of a test tire T. The drum testing apparatus 100 comprises a test tire T, a traveling drum 10, a tire support unit 110, a drum support unit 120, and a control unit 130, each of which will be described in detail later. The test tire T is the tire whose tire performance is evaluated in the drum testing apparatus 100. The traveling drum 10 is a component that rotates the test tire T while keeping it in contact with its side surface. The traveling drum 10 will be described in detail later.

[0012] The tire support unit 110 supports the test tire T by adjusting the position of the test tire T relative to the drum testing device 100 and the load of the test tire T relative to the drum testing device 100. The tire support unit 110 includes a tire rotation shaft 111, a tire power source 112, a load cell 113, a fixing member 114, and a lifting device 115, which will be described later.

[0013] The tire rotation shaft 111 supports the test tire T so that it can rotate freely in the circumferential direction of the tire. The tire power source 112 is connected to the tire rotation shaft 111 and provides driving force or braking force to the tire rotation shaft 111. The tire power source 112 may be, for example, a motor. The tire power source 112 may use a brake to provide braking force, or a motor and brake may be used in combination.

[0014] The load cell 113 is provided on the tire rotation axis 111. The load cell 113 measures forces in three directions: torque, the longitudinal force, the lateral force, and the vertical force of the test tire T. The fixing member 114 is provided on the tire rotation axis 111. The fixing member 114 fixes the tire rotation axis 111 in the direction in which the test tire T presses the traveling drum 10 (the vertical direction in FIG. 1).

[0015] The lifting device 115 presses the test tire T against the traveling drum 10. Further, the lifting device 115 raises and lowers the tire power source 112. Thereby, the test tire T attached to the tire rotation axis 111 can be moved closer to or farther away from the traveling drum 10. Instead of the lifting device 115, a lifting device configured to be able to raise and lower the traveling drum 10 may be employed.

[0016] The tire support unit 110 can ground the test tire T on the traveling drum 10 at a predetermined load, for example, by adjusting the load of the test tire T to a predetermined value by the lifting device 115 based on the measurement result of the vertical force by the load cell 113, and then fixing the tire rotation axis 111 with the fixing member 114.

[0017] The drum support unit 120 has a drum rotation axis 121 and a drum power source 122, which will be described later. The drum rotation axis 121 supports the traveling drum 10 rotatably in the tire circumferential direction. The drum power source 122 is connected to the drum rotation axis 121. The drum power source 122 applies a driving force or a braking force to the drum rotation axis 121. The drum power source 122 may be, for example, a motor.

[0018] The control unit 130 is configured using a computer such as a personal computer or a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller). The control unit 130 has a CPU (Central Processing Unit) which is an arithmetic processing unit, and storage units such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) and a ROM (Read Only Memory), and performs signal processing according to a program stored in advance in the ROM while utilizing the temporary storage function of the RAM. The control unit 130 is electrically connected to the tire power source 112, the load cell 113, the fixing member 114, the lifting device 115, and the drum power source 122, and is configured to be able to control the operations of these respective parts.

[0019] [Traveling drum] Using FIGS. 1 and 2, a traveling drum 10 which is an example of an embodiment will be described.

[0020] As described above, the traveling drum 10 is a member that rotates while bringing the test tire T into contact with its side circumferential surface. According to the traveling drum 10, although details will be described later, the gap between the pseudo road surfaces 14 becomes constant, and the variation in the results of the tire evaluation test in the drum test device 100 can be reduced. The traveling drum 10 has a drum body 11, a plate 12 that is detachable from the drum body 11, and a pseudo road surface 14 provided on the side circumferential surface of the plate 12.

[0021] The traveling drum 10 is configured in a substantially cylindrical shape. Hereinafter, each member of the cylindrical traveling drum 10 may be described according to the drum axial direction, the drum circumferential direction (arrow R in the figure), and the drum radial direction (arrow D in the figure). Also, the axial direction of the side circumferential surface of the traveling drum 10 may be described as the drum width direction (arrow W in the figure). Furthermore, the left side or the right side in the drum width direction may be used for the description.

[0022] The drum body 11 is the base component of the traveling drum 10. The drum body 11 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape. Preferably, the drum body 11 is made of an inexpensive and rigid material. For example, the drum body 11 can be made of stainless steel, steel, aluminum, etc. The drum body 11 is supported by the drum rotation shaft 121 and is configured to be rotatable.

[0023] The plate 12 is a component that covers the side circumferential surface of the drum body 11. The plate 12 is also a component that can be attached to and detached from the side circumferential surface of the drum body 11. The plate 12 is divided into multiple sections in the circumferential direction of the drum. In other words, the plate 12 is formed in a cylindrical shape by being connected along the circumferential direction of the drum. The number of divisions of the plate 12 is not particularly limited. The plate 12 is preferably made of an inexpensive and rigid material. For example, the plate 12 can be made of stainless steel, steel, aluminum, etc.

[0024] The plate 12 has frame portions 13 (see Figure 3) formed at both ends in the drum width direction, and a simulated road surface 14 sandwiched between the frame portions 13.

[0025] The simulated road surface 14 is a component against which the test tire T is pressed when conducting an evaluation test of the test tire T. The simulated road surface 14 is constructed to mimic the road surface used when conducting the evaluation test. The simulated road surface 14 is provided on the side surface of the plate 12. In other words, the simulated road surface 14 is arranged along the circumferential direction of the drum. The simulated road surface 14 is constructed from materials such as resin or metal. Alternatively, the simulated road surface 14 may be constructed by combining materials such as aggregate, carbon fiber, or glass fiber. Furthermore, the simulated road surface 14 may be formed by attaching a sheet-like material such as abrasive paper or abrasive cloth to the running drum.

[0026] [Securing the plate to the drum body] Figures 3 and 4 will be used to explain how the plate 12 and the drum body 11 are fixed together.

[0027] The plate 12 is fixed to the drum body 11 by bolts B1, which serve as fastening members. Bolt B1 passes through the fixing hole in plate 12 and is screwed into the threaded hole in drum body 11. This fastens plate 12 to drum body 11. As a result, plate 12 is fixed to drum body 11.

[0028] Here, the diameter of the fixing hole in plate 12 is larger than the outer diameter of bolt B1. Therefore, each time plate 12 is attached to or detached from drum body 11, the position of plate 12 in the circumferential direction of the drum may shift. In other words, each time plate 12 is attached to or detached from drum body 11, variations may occur in the gaps between the simulated road surfaces 14. As a result, each time plate 12 is attached to or detached from drum body 11, variations occur in the evaluation test results.

[0029] Furthermore, to avoid a situation where adjacent plates 12 interfere with each other due to a slight misalignment of plate 12, preventing the plates 12 from being attached, one approach is to pre-increase the gap between the plates 12. However, in this case, the amount of noise caused by the gap increases during evaluation testing.

[0030] Therefore, in the traveling drum 10 of this embodiment, the drum body 11 and the plate 12 are positioned by the pin 31 described below.

[0031] [Positioning of the plate and drum body (support members are installed on the side)] Using Figures 3 and 4, we will explain the positioning of the plate 12 and the drum body 11, which is an example of an embodiment.

[0032] The position of the plate 12 relative to the drum body 11 is determined by inserting pins 31 provided on the plate 12 into holes 32 provided on the drum body 11. Multiple pins 31 (two in this embodiment) are provided at different positions in the circumferential direction of the drum, and similarly, multiple holes 32 (two in this embodiment) are provided at different positions in the circumferential direction of the drum (positions corresponding to the pins 31). Furthermore, the pins 31 are parallel to each other, and the holes 32 are parallel to each other. The pins 31 may be formed on the portion of the plate 12 that protrudes in the width direction of the drum to correspond to the support member 33, which will be described later.

[0033] By using the above configuration, the plate 12 can be positioned relative to the drum body 11. This ensures that the gaps between the plates 12 (simulated road surface 14) remain constant, reducing variations in test results.

[0034] Here, if multiple pins are provided on an arc-shaped plate at different positions in the circumferential direction of the drum, and multiple holes are provided on the arc-shaped drum body at different positions in the circumferential direction of the drum into which the pins are inserted, for example, if each pin is provided perpendicularly from the plate (if the pin is provided toward the center of the drum body), then it is not possible to insert each pin into each hole simultaneously. In other words, in a configuration where pins are provided perpendicularly from an arc-shaped plate and holes are provided on the arc-shaped drum body for positioning, it is not possible to provide multiple pins and holes at different positions in the circumferential direction of the drum. In this case, the positioning accuracy of the plate relative to the drum body is low.

[0035] Therefore, in this embodiment, a plurality of pins 31 are provided on an arc-shaped plate 12, and a plurality of holes 32 into which the pins 31 are inserted are provided on an arc-shaped drum body 11. In this configuration, the pins 31 are parallel to each other, and the holes 32 are parallel to each other. This allows each pin 31 to be inserted into each hole 32 simultaneously. As a result, multiple different locations on the arc-shaped plate 12 in the drum circumferential direction can be positioned. Therefore, the positioning accuracy of the plate 12 relative to the drum body 11 can be improved.

[0036] The pins 31 are formed at both ends of the plate 12 in the circumferential direction of the drum and at both ends in the width direction of the drum. In other words, the pins 31 are formed at diagonal corners of the plate 12. The holes 32 are formed at both ends of the plate 12 in the circumferential direction of the drum and at both ends in the width direction of the drum within the mounting range of the plate 12 on the drum body 11. In other words, the holes 32 are formed at diagonal corners of the plate 12 within the mounting range of the drum body 11 on the drum body 11. By using the above configuration, the positioning accuracy of the plate 12 relative to the drum body 11 can be improved.

[0037] The holes 32 may be provided in support members 33 located on the left and right sides of the drum body 11, respectively. The support members 33 are fastened to the drum body 11 by bolts B2. The support members 33 are provided at both ends in the circumferential direction of the drum within the mounting range of the plate 12 on the drum body 11. This eliminates the need to directly drill holes in the drum body 11, minimizing the processing required for the drum body 11.

[0038] Using Figures 5 to 7, we will explain the positioning of the plate 12 and the drum body 11, which is another example of the embodiment. In the following, we will describe components that differ from the embodiment described above, and for components that are the same as in the embodiment described above, the same reference numerals will be used and detailed descriptions will be omitted.

[0039] [Support members are installed on the side surfaces] As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the support members 33 may be provided on the side circumferential surface of the drum body 11. The support members 33 are fastened to the drum body 11 by bolts (not shown). The support members 33 are provided at both ends in the drum circumferential direction and at both ends in the drum width direction within the mounting range of the plate 12 on the drum body 11. In other words, the support members 33 are provided at diagonal corners within the mounting range of the plate 12 on the drum body 11. In this case, it is necessary to countersink the support members 33 so that the bolt heads do not protrude from the surface of the support members 33.

[0040] [Common support members] As shown in Figure 7, the support members 33 may be provided on, for example, the left and right sides of the drum body 11 between adjacent plates 12. The support members 33 are fastened to the drum body 11 by bolts B2. The support members 33 are provided at both ends in the drum circumferential direction and both ends in the drum width direction within the mounting range of the plates 12 on the drum body 11. In other words, the support members 33 are provided at diagonal corners within the mounting range of the plates 12 on the drum body 11. By using the above configuration, the number of parts can be reduced by providing common support members 33 between adjacent plates 12.

[0041] In this embodiment, the support members 33 are provided on the left and right sides of the drum body 11, but the invention is not limited to this configuration. In the present invention, the support members 33 may be provided on the side circumferential surfaces of the drum body 11. In this case, the support members 33 may be provided at both ends in the drum circumferential direction and at both ends in the drum width direction within the mounting range of the plate 12 on the drum body 11. In other words, the support members 33 may be provided diagonally within the mounting range of the plate 12 on the drum body 11.

[0042] [others] In all the embodiments described above, the plate 12 is provided with a pin 31 and the drum body 11 (support member 33) is provided with a hole 32, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The present invention may also be configured such that the plate is provided with a hole and the drum body (support member) is provided with a pin that is inserted into the hole.

[0043] [summary] The present invention is further described by the following embodiments. Configuration 1: A running drum that rotates a test tire while keeping it in contact with its side surface, It comprises a roughly cylindrical drum body, a plurality of plates that are detachably attached to the side surface of the drum body and divided in the circumferential direction of the drum body, and a simulated road surface formed on the plates, The plate is fastened to the drum body by fastening members, and its position relative to the drum body is determined by inserting pins provided on the plate into holes provided on the drum body, or by inserting pins provided on the drum body into holes provided on the plate. The aforementioned pins are provided in multiple locations at different positions in the circumferential direction and are parallel to each other. Drum for driving. Configuration 2: The travel drum described in Configuration 1, The pins and holes are formed at both ends in the circumferential direction of the plate and at corresponding positions on the drum body, respectively. Drum for driving. Configuration 3: The travel drum described in configuration 2, The pins and holes are formed at both ends in the axial direction of the drum body and the plate, respectively. Drum for driving. Configuration 4: The travel drum described in configuration 3, The aforementioned pin or hole is formed in a support member provided on one axial side of the drum body, Drum for driving. Configuration 5: The travel drum described in configuration 3, The aforementioned pins or holes are formed in the support members provided on the side surface of the drum body, Drum for driving. Configuration 6: A travel drum as described in configuration 4 or 5, The support member is provided with holes formed in each of the two adjacent plates into which the respective pins are inserted, or the pins are formed in each of the two adjacent plates into which the respective holes are inserted. Drum for driving.

[0044] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments and their modifications described above, and various changes and improvements are possible within the scope of the claims of this application. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0045] 10 Travel drum, 11 Drum body, 12 Plate, 13 Frame, 14 Simulated road surface, 31 Pin, 32 Hole, 33 Support member, 100 Drum testing device, 110 Tire support unit, 111 Tire rotation shaft, 112 Tire power source, 113 Load cell, 114 Fixing member, 115 Lifting device, 120 Drum support unit, 121 Drum rotation shaft, 122 Drum power source, 130 Control unit, B1, B2 Bolts

Claims

1. A running drum that rotates a test tire while keeping it in contact with its side surface, It comprises a roughly cylindrical drum body, a plurality of plates that are detachably attached to the side surface of the drum body and divided in the circumferential direction of the drum body, and a simulated road surface formed on the plates, The plate is fastened to the drum body by fastening members, and its position relative to the drum body is determined by inserting pins provided on the plate into holes provided on the drum body, or by inserting pins provided on the drum body into holes provided on the plate. The aforementioned pins are provided in multiple locations at different positions in the circumferential direction and are parallel to each other. Drum for driving.

2. A travel drum according to claim 1, The pins and holes are formed at both ends in the circumferential direction of the plate and at corresponding positions on the drum body, respectively. Drum for driving.

3. A travel drum according to claim 2, The pins and holes are formed at both ends in the axial direction of the drum body and the plate, respectively. Drum for driving.

4. A travel drum according to claim 3, The aforementioned pin or hole is formed in a support member provided on one axial side of the drum body, Drum for driving.

5. A travel drum according to claim 3, The aforementioned pins or holes are formed in the support members provided on the side surface of the drum body, Drum for driving.

6. A travel drum according to claim 4 or 5, The support member is provided with holes formed in each of the two adjacent plates into which the respective pins are inserted, or the pins are formed in each of the two adjacent plates into which the respective holes are inserted. Drum for driving.

Images