Tire repair device for mounting on vehicle wheels

Abstract

The present invention relates to a tire repair device (10) for attachment to a vehicle wheel (11) which is mounted to a vehicle by a plurality of wheel nuts or wheel bolts (104). The tire repair device comprises a carrier element (16) having a central axis (A) and a circumferential direction (U) associated and having a side facing the wheel (18) and a side facing away from the wheel (20); a compressor (22) fixed to the carrier element (16); a drive device (23) for the compressor (22) operably connected to the compressor (22); a sealant container (6) for containing tire sealant, to which the compressor (22) is fluidly connected; a connection line (12) designed to fluidly connect the sealant container (60) and the tire of the vehicle wheel (11) to be repaired; and a plurality of pin-shaped retaining elements (88), each of which has a fixed end (90) and a free end (92). The retaining elements (88) are connected to the carrier element (16) at their fixed ends (90), extending from the tire-facing side (18) of the carrier element (16) along a longitudinal axis (L) parallel to the central axis (A), spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction (U), with the positions of the multiple pin-shaped retaining elements (88) corresponding at least substantially to the positions of the multiple control holes (100) of the vehicle wheel (11), the control holes (100) extending into the vehicle wheel (11) parallel to the central axis (A), located between two holes (102) for wheel bolts (104), and used for wheel alignment, and each pin-shaped retaining element (88) can be inserted into one of the control holes (100) of the vehicle wheel (11) to fix the tire repair device (10) to the vehicle wheel (11) in an adhesive, clamp, or latch manner.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of tire repair devices for automobile wheels.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, it has been very common to equip automobiles with spare wheels. With this type of spare wheel, even in the event of a flat tire, driving can be continued by replacing the failed vehicle wheel with the installed spare wheel. However, to replace a vehicle wheel that has failed due to a flat tire, it is necessary to lift the vehicle using a jack, remove the failed vehicle wheel from the vehicle, then install the spare wheel, and finally stow the failed vehicle wheel in the vehicle.

[0003] In order to reduce this labor and achieve weight reduction, recently, automobiles are increasingly equipped with tire repair devices instead of spare wheels. Such tire repair devices, also known in the art as "tire fit", are usually located under the trunk floor of an automobile and comprise a sealant container containing a liquid tire sealant and an electric air compressor. When a flat tire occurs, this type of usually box-shaped tire repair device is taken out of the vehicle trunk and placed next to the failed vehicle wheel. Then, the connection hose of the tire repair device is connected to the tire valve of the failed vehicle wheel. Finally, the plug of the power cable of the tire repair device is inserted into the plug socket of the vehicle (for example, it may be the cigarette lighter socket of the vehicle). Next, the switch of the tire repair device is turned on, whereby the air compressor pumps the tire sealant into the failed vehicle tire, re-pressurizes the vehicle tire, and enables driving to continue. However, before driving, it is necessary to remove the tire repair device again from the just-repaired vehicle wheel and stow it in the vehicle.

Summary of Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The objective of the present invention is to provide a tire repair device that is an improvement over "tire fit" type tire repair devices, and is easier and more reliable to apply when a puncture occurs. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] This objective is achieved, according to the present invention, by a tire repair device having the features described in claim 1. In contrast to known tire repair devices of the "tire fit" type, the tire repair device according to the present invention is provided for mounting to a vehicle wheel mounted on a vehicle using a plurality of wheel nuts or wheel bolts. Such vehicle wheels are found in the vast majority of all automobiles. Typically, four or five wheel nuts or wheel bolts are used to mount a vehicle wheel to a vehicle. Such wheel nuts or wheel bolts are made of steel, are accessible from the outside of the vehicle wheel, and can be used to mount and remove the vehicle wheel from the vehicle. The tire repair device according to the present invention has a carrier element, which can be formed at least substantially dish-shaped, with a central axis and a circumferential direction associated. The central axis of the carrier element is preferably an extension of the central axis of the vehicle wheel when the tire repair device is mounted on the vehicle wheel. The circumferential direction of the carrier element corresponds to the circumferential direction of the vehicle wheel when the tire repair device is mounted on the vehicle wheel. The carrier element has a side facing the wheel and a side facing away from the wheel, respectively, which are relevant to the state of the tire repair device mounted on the vehicle wheel. The carrier element may be a steel sheet component manufactured, for example, by a punching and / or pressing and / or deep drawing process. The outer shape of the carrier element is preferably at least substantially circular and substantially flat so that the carrier element can be fully inserted into the space in the center of the vehicle wheel.

[0006] The carrier element, sometimes also called a structural component, functions as a support component of the tire repair apparatus. A compressor is attached to the carrier element, which draws in and pressurizes air in a known manner and uses the pressurized air to deliver tire sealant to the faulty vehicle tire, thereby generating pressure within the vehicle tire. The compressor may be of any type suitable for the aforementioned purpose. In an exemplary embodiment of the tire repair apparatus according to the present invention, the compressor is a piston compressor, preferably a piston compressor with a double-acting piston.

[0007] A compressor is operably connected to a compressor drive device. The compressor drive device can also be of any type suitable for the aforementioned purpose. For example, the compressor drive device may be a hydraulic or pneumatic drive motor. In a preferred embodiment of the tire repair apparatus according to the present invention, the compressor drive device is an electric motor.

[0008] The tire repair device according to the present invention further comprises a sealant container for containing tire sealant, which is fluidly connected to a compressor. Furthermore, the tire repair device comprises a connection line, which is configured to be fluidly connected to the sealant container and the tire to be repaired. This connection line may be a separate component or one end may already be connected to the tire repair device, and in the event of a puncture, it is usually sufficient to connect the connection line to the tire to be repaired on the vehicle wheel by connecting it to the tire valve of the faulty vehicle wheel. The connection line may include a check valve to prevent air from flowing out of the tire to the tire repair device. Such a check valve further prevents leakage of air and sealant from the tire repaired by the tire repair device if, for example, the connection line becomes detached from the tire repair device during continued driving after the tire repair.

[0009] To facilitate attachment to a vehicle wheel, the tire repair device according to the present invention comprises a plurality of pin-shaped retaining elements, each having a fixed end and a free end. The pin-shaped retaining elements are connected to a carrier element at their fixed ends and extend from the wheel-facing side of the carrier element along a longitudinal axis parallel to the central axis to their free ends. The pin-shaped retaining elements are spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction of the carrier element, and the positions of the plurality of pin-shaped retaining elements correspond at least substantially to the positions of a plurality of control holes in the vehicle wheel, which extend into the vehicle wheel parallel to the central axis and are positioned between two holes for wheel bolts in the circumferential direction and are used for wheel alignment. These control holes are not present in all vehicle wheels, but only in vehicle wheels used by certain vehicle manufacturers, such as Mercedes-Benz and BMW. These control holes are positioning holes for quick clamp units used during vehicle wheel or axle alignment. For example, BMW internally sometimes refers to these control holes as polycontrol holes. The number of control holes, which typically have a diameter smaller than that of the wheel bolt holes, usually matches the number of wheel nuts or wheel bolts, although this kind of matching is not technically necessary. In particular, the number of control holes may be less than the number of wheel bolt holes. The diameter of the control holes may match the diameter of the wheel bolt holes, but may also be smaller or larger. The number of pin-shaped retaining elements preferably matches the number of control holes in the vehicle wheel, but fewer retaining elements than control holes may also be provided. For example, three pin-shaped retaining elements may be sufficient to securely attach the tire repair device according to the present invention to a vehicle wheel.

[0010] "At least substantially corresponding to the position of the control hole" means that the pin-shaped retaining elements can be mounted on the carrier element with lateral play, i.e., radially movable with respect to their longitudinal axis, and this lateral play causes the pin-shaped retaining elements to automatically center on the control hole when inserted into it. Embodiments of the tire repair device according to the present invention in which some or all of the pin-shaped retaining elements are supported with lateral play can be mounted on various types of vehicle wheels, since the pin-shaped retaining elements can fit different hole circles within the range of their lateral play. If the tire repair device is to be installed only on specific vehicles where the position of the control hole is precisely known, the pin-shaped retaining elements can be mounted in a position that precisely coincides with the position of the control hole without lateral play.

[0011] Each pin-shaped retaining element is insertable into one of the control holes in the vehicle wheel to secure the tire repair device to the vehicle wheel in a clamping or latching manner. When secured, all pin-shaped retaining elements are inserted into the control holes. For example, some or all of the pin-shaped retaining elements can be configured in the form of dowels and wedge into the control holes. In such embodiments, the control holes do not need to penetrate the vehicle wheel.

[0012] However, according to a preferred embodiment, the tire repair device according to the present invention is provided for a vehicle wheel in which a control hole penetrates the vehicle wheel. In this embodiment, each pin-shaped retaining element has a length such that when the tire repair device is fixed to the vehicle wheel, the free end of each pin-shaped retaining element is located within the mounting flange surface of the vehicle wheel, and a magnet is connected to the free end of each pin-shaped retaining element. When the vehicle wheel is mounted on the vehicle, the plane of the mounting flange of the vehicle wheel coincides with the bearing surface of the wheel hub or brake disc to which the vehicle wheel is fixed. Wheel hubs and brake discs are typically made of steel. Therefore, each magnet at the free end of the pin-shaped retaining element can 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 present invention, locking hooks are provided on multiple or all of the pin-shaped retaining elements. These locking hooks engage with control holes, if the control holes are properly formed, and thus prevent the tire repair device from unintentionally detaching from the vehicle wheel after the pin-shaped retaining elements have been inserted into the control holes. For example, the control holes may be provided with internal locking projections that engage in a locking manner with the locking hooks of the pin-shaped retaining elements.

[0014] In a variant of the above embodiment provided for a vehicle wheel through which a control hole penetrates the vehicle wheel, the latching hook is positioned at the free end of a pin-shaped retaining element and is formed to engage with the control hole of the vehicle wheel from the rear side, thus securely and irremovably fixing the tire repair device to the vehicle wheel. In particular, the latching hook may be configured to "expand" after passing through the control hole, i.e., to have a diameter larger than the control hole, thereby preventing the tire repair device fixed to the vehicle wheel from automatically releasing.

[0015] To facilitate insertion of the pin-shaped retaining element into the control hole, each pin-shaped retaining element may have a tapered insertion portion at its free end.

[0016] The tire repair device according to the present invention does not require the prior removal of parts such as wheel hub covers, and can be quickly and easily attached to the vehicle wheel to be repaired. Attaching the tire repair device to the vehicle wheel is easily done by simply inserting its pin-shaped retaining element into the relevant control hole of the vehicle wheel. Then, the connecting line is connected to the vehicle wheel to be repaired, for example, by screwing the free end of the connecting line to the tire valve of the vehicle wheel. In some cases, the other end of the connecting line must be further connected to the tire repair device (if this other end is not already fixedly connected to the tire repair device). After using the tire repair device according to the present invention, it remains on the vehicle wheel during continued driving because it is securely held in place by the pin-shaped retaining element.

[0017] According to the present invention, the aforementioned object is also achieved by a tire repair device having the features described in claim 7. Unlike the tire repair device described in claim 1 above, this tire repair device has a crown-shaped centering and fixing flange instead of a pin-shaped retaining element, the crown-shaped centering and fixing flange extending at least substantially parallel to the central axis from the wheel-facing side of the carrier element and having a free end, the free end formed to engage with the edge of the wheel hub opening of the vehicle wheel, and a plurality of circumferentially distributed locking flaps extending radially obliquely outward from the free end of the crown-shaped centering and fixing flange, the locking flaps being formed to lock under the heads of wheel nuts or wheel bolts, respectively, when the tire repair device is pressed against the vehicle wheel along the central axis. This tire repair device is particularly suitable for vehicle wheels that do not have control holes, for example, so-called ordinary steel rims or wheels that are often used in place of alloy wheels in winter.

[0018] The number and position of the locking flaps preferably correspond to the number and position of the wheel nuts or wheel bolts to which the vehicle wheel is attached to the vehicle, but a smaller number of locking flaps may be sufficient to securely attach the tire repair device to the vehicle wheel, especially when the vehicle wheel is attached to the vehicle by five or more wheel nuts or wheel bolts. In a preferred embodiment, each locking flap preferably has a recessed area at its radially outward free end, thereby increasing the area in which the locking flap can lock under the head of the wheel nut or wheel bolt when the tire repair device is pressed against the vehicle wheel. The radius of the recessed area here matches the radius of the wheel nut or wheel bolt, and preferably is slightly smaller than the radius of the wheel nut or wheel bolt head to ensure that the locking flap locks securely under the head of the wheel nut or wheel bolt.

[0019] The aforementioned embodiment of a tire repair device equipped with a latching flap can also be well combined with the embodiment discussed at the beginning, which has a pin-shaped retaining element with magnets positioned at each end. For this purpose, only the length of the pin-shaped retaining element needs to be adapted so that when the crown-shaped centering and fixing flange is fully pressed into the vehicle wheel, the magnets are positioned in a plane from which they can magnetically interact with the opposing surfaces of the vehicle wheel. The length of the pin-shaped retaining element is preferably dimensioned so that the magnets can contact the opposing surfaces of the vehicle wheel. In this type of combined embodiment, the latching attachment achieved by the latching flap is complemented by magnetic attachment fixation provided by the magnets positioned at the free ends of the pin-shaped retaining element.

[0020] According to the modified embodiment described above, if a pin-shaped retaining element with a magnet positioned at its free end is present, the latching flap can be omitted. In this case, the crown-shaped centering and fixing flange primarily serves to center the tire repair device on the vehicle wheel, and nevertheless, the crown-shaped centering and fixing flange exerts a specific clamping force on the edge of the wheel hub opening of the vehicle wheel, while the actual holding force is generated by the magnet, which is positioned at the free end of the pin-shaped retaining element and magnetically adheres to the opposing surface of the vehicle wheel.

[0021] In conventional "tire-fit" type tire repair devices, the tire sealant is a single liquid. However, such tire sealants have a limited service life and, consequently, a limited period of use. To overcome this drawback, in a preferred embodiment of the tire repair device according to the present invention, the sealant container has two separate chambers for the two components of the tire sealant and a mixing chamber for mixing these two components. This makes it possible to store the two components of the tire sealant separately, so that aging of the tire sealant does not occur, or occurs very slowly, which is why the usability of such a tire repair device is provided for a much longer period. Only when the tire repair device is in use, the two components are compressed by a compressor from the two separate chambers into the mixing chamber, where they are mixed, and then delivered to the tire to be repaired. This mixing chamber is preferably located just upstream of the connection for the connection line. The mixed tire sealant is then delivered to the tire to be repaired through the connection line. If required by the tire sealant being used, the sealant container may contain more than two chambers for the components of the tire sealant. Similarly, if the tire sealant being used contains only one component, the sealant container may contain only a single chamber for the tire sealant. In this case, a mixing chamber for mixing multiple components of the tire sealant may be omitted.

[0022] In an advantageously configured embodiment of the tire repair apparatus according to the present invention, the sealant container forms the housing of the tire repair apparatus, covering the carrier element and the compressor. Since the tire repair apparatus according to the present invention is fixed to the center of the vehicle wheel, it is proposed to form a carrier element having at least a substantially circular outer circumference. In this case, the sealant container formed as the housing preferably also has a circular outer shape and is further flattened so as not to protrude as much as possible axially from the vehicle wheel.

[0023] To enable the tire repair apparatus according to the present invention to be operated as quickly and easily as possible, the tire repair apparatus preferably includes an energy storage device for operating a compressor drive device, the energy storage device being operably connected to the compressor drive device. Such an energy storage device may be, for example, a compressed air container when the drive device is a pneumatically driveable motor. The energy storage device is preferably implemented as one or more batteries, however, the electrical energy stored in one or more batteries is used to drive an electric motor forming the drive device for the compressor. One or more batteries may be rechargeable or non-rechargeable batteries. Alternatively, or further additionally, the tire repair apparatus according to the present invention may have a connection that allows energy (particularly electric current) to be supplied therefrom from an external source. For example, a connector may be present in the tire repair apparatus, and this connector can be connected by a power cable to, for example, a vehicle's cigarette lighter or power bank, thus making it possible to operate the tire repair apparatus with external energy.

[0024] To prevent the tire repair device according to the present invention from starting operation at an unintended or inappropriate point in time, the connection line in a preferred embodiment of the tire repair device has a monitoring switch at the end connected to the tire to be repaired, and this switch enables operation of the drive device only when the end of the connection line connected to the tire to be repaired is actually connected to the tire. For example, this monitoring switch may be a microswitch, which is actuated when the free end of the connection line is screwed onto the tire valve of the vehicle wheel to be repaired, thereby signaling to the control device of the tire repair device that the connection line is correctly connected to the vehicle wheel to be repaired. The tire repair device may then become operational or automatically start operation.

[0025] It has already been stated that the drive device of the tire repair device according to the present invention is preferably an electric motor. For space saving and protected accommodation, such an electric motor is, in a preferred exemplary embodiment, arranged in a dish-shaped recess on the wheel-facing side of the carrier element, which recess is preferably located at the center of the carrier element, and thus at the center of the vehicle wheel to be repaired.

[0026] Exemplary embodiments of the tire repair device according to the present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] [Figure 1] It is a perspective view of a vehicle wheel rim equipped with the tire repair device according to the present invention. [Figure 2] It is an enlarged view of region II in Figure 1. [Figure 3] It is a cross-sectional view passing through the tire repair device shown in Figure 1 and the adjacent region of the vehicle wheel and its mounting portion to the vehicle. [Figure 3a] It is an enlarged view of a portion of Figure 3 including the tire repair device. [Figure 4] It is a cross-sectional view of a modified exemplary embodiment of the tire repair device shown in Figure 3. [Figure 5] This is a spatial view of the tire repair device shown in Figure 3, taken from an oblique angle above, and cut by a plane perpendicular to the central axis A shown in Figure 3. [Figure 6] Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the tire repair device taken from a diagonal downward angle. [Figure 7] This is a spatial diagram similar to Figure 1, showing a tire repair device mounted on a vehicle wheel rim with the housing removed. [Figure 8] Figure 1 is a spatial diagram of the connection point of the connection line for the tire repair device to the valve of the vehicle wheel. [Figure 9] This is a longitudinal cross-sectional view through the valve shown in Figure 8. [Figure 10] This figure is similar to Figure 3 of another embodiment. [Figure 11] Figure 10 is a spatial diagram of the centering and fixing flange of the embodiment shown. [Figure 12] This diagram shows the centering and fixing flanges attached to the vehicle wheel shown in Figure 11. [Figure 13] This figure is similar to Figure 10 of the modified embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0028] Figure 1 shows a vehicle wheel 11 in spatial representation. For clarity, the tire is omitted from the vehicle wheel; therefore, only the vehicle wheel without a tire can be seen in Figure 1. The tire can be attached to the rim 2 of the vehicle wheel 11 in a known manner. The vehicle wheel 11 is secured to the vehicle by a number of wheel nuts or wheel bolts, which is not shown here. A tire repair device, collectively referred to as reference numeral 10, is mounted on the outside of the vehicle wheel 11. Its structural design and attachment to the vehicle wheel will be described in more detail below.

[0029] Similar to known "tire-fit" type tire repair devices, the tire repair device 10 includes a tire sealant, which can be introduced into the tire to be repaired through a connection line 12. Figure 2 shows how the free end of the wheel-side connection line 12 can be connected to the tire to be repaired (not shown). In the illustrated exemplary embodiment, the tire-side end of the connection line 12 is connected to the tire (not shown) by screwing it to a tire valve 14, which is attached to the vehicle wheel 11, typically near the outer edge of the rim 2, as in the case of a tubeless tire.

[0030] The structural design of the tire repair device 10 will be described more precisely based on Figures 3-5. The tire repair device 10 has, in this case substantially dish-shaped carrier element 16 as a support component, the carrier element 16 having a side 18 facing the wheel and a side 20 facing away from the wheel (see in particular Figure 3a). The carrier element 16 is made of steel plate here, but can also be manufactured from a synthetic material, in particular a fiber-reinforced synthetic material or another suitable material. On the side 20 of the carrier element 16 facing away from the wheel, a compressor 22 for generating compressed air is mounted in the central region of the carrier element 16. A drive device 23 is used to drive the compressor 22, and in the illustrated exemplary embodiment, the drive device 23 is an electric motor 24, which is housed in a dish-shaped recess 26 formed in the central region of the carrier element 16 on the side 18 facing the wheel of the carrier element 16. The electric motor 24 has an output shaft 32 rotatably supported by two bearings 28, 30, the output shaft 32 passing through a carrier element 16 and connecting to an eccentric cam 34 at its end facing the compressor 22. The eccentric cam 34 interacts with the piston 36 of the compressor 22 and engages with a well-formed opening 38 of the piston 36, moving the piston 36 back and forth within the compressor 22 when the output shaft 32 is rotating. In the exemplary embodiment shown herein, the piston 36 is a so-called double-acting piston, i.e., each stroke of the piston 36 is a working stroke in which compressed air is produced. This can be seen particularly clearly in Figure 5, in which the compressor 22 is shown in longitudinal cross-section.

[0031] The basic functions of the tire repair device 10 will be described in more detail, particularly with reference to Figure 5. The compressor 22 has two pressure chambers 40 and 42, which can generate compressed air by the reciprocating motion of the piston 36. Valves 44 and 46 are provided in each pressure chamber 40 and 42. During the intake stroke of the piston 36, air is drawn into the respective pressure chamber 40 or 42 through the valves 44 and 46. During the pressurizing stroke of the piston 36, the generated compressed air is discharged from the pressure chamber 40 or 42 through the valves 44 and 46 to a pressure line 48 or 50. The pressure line 48 or 50 connects the compressor 22, more precisely its pressure chambers 40 and 42, to pressure supply valves 52 and 54, which are associated with the first chamber 56 and the second chamber 58 of the sealant container 60. Both valves 44 and 46 and pressure supply valves 52 and 54 can be formed as simple check valves.

[0032] The sealant container 60 houses tire sealant (not shown), which, in the event of a puncture (air leaking or collapse of the tire), is pressurized by compressed air generated by the compressor 22 and delivered from the sealant container 60 to the tire to be repaired through the connection line 12. To avoid premature aging of the tire sealant, in this exemplary embodiment of the tire repair device 10 shown herein, the tire sealant consists of two components, one of which is stored in the first chamber 56 of the sealant container 60 and the other component is stored in the second chamber 58. When the tire repair device 10 is used, the two components of the tire sealant are pressurized by compressed air generated by the compressor 22 and supplied to the chambers 56 and 58 through pressure supply valves 52 and 54, and enter the mixing chamber 66 through outlets 62 and 64, which is also part of the sealant container 60 and is located just upstream of the connection 68 of the connection line 12 on the housing side. As is clear from Figure 3, outlets 62 and 64 can be provided with vortex-generating inner walls 70 to generate vortices in the two components of the tire sealant flowing through outlets 62 and 64, thereby promoting better and faster mixing of them within the mixing chamber 66. The fully mixed tire sealant is then pushed out of the mixing chamber 66 through the housing-side connection 68 to the connection line 12 and into the tire to be repaired through the tire valve 14. After the tire sealant has been fully pushed into the tire to be repaired, the compressor 22 continues to generate compressed air to inflate the tire, thereby making it drivable.

[0033] To supply energy to the electric motor 24, a plurality of batteries 72 are used in the illustrated exemplary embodiment, which are here arranged on an annular printed circuit board 74, the printed circuit board 74 having a carrier element around a dish-shaped recess 26. 16It is mounted on the side 20 facing away from the wheel. The battery 72 may be a rechargeable or non-rechargeable battery, and of course, fewer or more batteries may be used than the number of batteries 72 shown herein. An electronic control unit 76 that controls the functions of the tire repair device 10 is also located on the printed circuit board 74. In the exemplary embodiment shown herein, a monitoring switch 78 (see Figure 7) is provided at the tire-side end of the connection line 12 to prevent unintentional or premature leakage of tire sealant from the connection line 12. The monitoring switch 78 is activated when the tire-side end of the connection line 12 is screwed to the tire valve 14, thereby indicating that the tire repair device 10 is correctly connected to the tire being repaired (see also Figures 8 and 9). The signal from the monitoring switch 78 is transmitted to the control unit 76 via an electrical cable 80. The compressor 22, and therefore the tire repair device 10, can only be operated if the signal from the monitoring switch 78 indicates a correct connection to the tire valve 14. This operation can be performed manually, for example, by a user-operated switch (not shown), or it can be activated automatically by a signal transmitted, for example, by a monitoring switch 78.

[0034] In the illustrated exemplary embodiment, the sealant container 60 forms the housing of the tire repair apparatus 10, particularly covering the carrier element 16 and the compressor 22. The sealant container 60 here has at least a substantially toroidal shape with a flattened outer surface and is secured to the compressor 22 by screws 84 (see Figure 6). The carrier element 16, in the illustrated exemplary embodiment, has a circular basic shape and comprises a plurality of flap-shaped extensions 86, which are mounted on the outer circumference, the purpose of which will become apparent from the following description.

[0035] The mounting of the tire repair device 10 to the vehicle wheel will now be described. To mount the tire repair device 10 to the vehicle wheel, the tire repair device 10 is provided with a plurality of pin-shaped retaining elements 88 arranged at intervals from each other in the circumferential direction U, each pin-shaped retaining element 88 having a mounting end 90 and a free end 92. Each pin-shaped retaining element 88 is connected to the carrier element 16 by its mounting end 90, in this case by a mounting screw 94, which passes through the associated flap-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 the opening 96 of the flap-shaped extension 86 through which the mounting screw 94 passes can be larger than the outer diameter of the shaft 98 of the mounting screw 94 (see Figure 6), thereby allowing each pin-shaped retaining element 88 to move radially with respect to the longitudinal axis L. In other words, each pin-shaped retaining element 88 can be accommodated within the carrier element 16, or more precisely, within the associated opening 96 of the flap-shaped extension 86 of the carrier element 16, with lateral play.

[0036] As can be seen from the attached drawings, the positions of the pin-shaped retaining elements 88 on the carrier element 16 correspond at least substantially to the positions of control holes 100 (see, for example, Figures 3 and 3a) equipped in the vehicle wheel 11. These control holes 100 function as positioning holes for quick clamp units (not shown), as already described at the beginning of this specification, which are required during vehicle wheel or axle alignment and are attached to the vehicle wheel. The control holes 100 typically have a smaller diameter than the holes 102 for the wheel bolts 104 and are located between the holes 102 in the circumferential direction U. The circular diameters of the control holes 100 and the circular diameters of the holes 102 for the wheel bolts 104 may be the same or different from each other. In the illustrated exemplary embodiment, the circular diameters of the control holes 100 are slightly larger than the circular diameters of the holes 102 for the wheel bolts 104, and all the control holes 100 penetrate the vehicle wheel 11. In exemplary embodiments not shown herein, the control hole extends slightly into the vehicle wheel 11 from the side of the vehicle wheel 11 facing away from the vehicle, but does not penetrate the vehicle wheel 11.

[0037] To attach the tire repair device 10 to the vehicle wheel 11, a pin-shaped retaining element 88 is aligned with the control hole 100 and then introduced or press-fitted into the control hole 100. The pin-shaped retaining element 88 may have a thickened portion or a diameter enlarged portion (not shown) particularly in the central region of its longitudinally extending portion, and its outer diameter is larger than the inner diameter of the control hole 100. When the pin-shaped retaining element 88 is press-fitted into the control hole 100, this thickened portion wedges the pin-shaped retaining element 88 into the control hole 100 like a dowel, securely holding the tire repair device 10 to the vehicle wheel 11. To facilitate the introduction of the pin-shaped retaining element 88 into the control hole 100, a preferred embodiment of the tire repair device 10 has a chamfered insertion portion 105 at the free end 92 of each pin-shaped retaining element 88.

[0038] In the exemplary embodiments shown in Figures 3, 3a, 5, and 6, the pin-shaped retaining elements 88 are provided with elastic locking hooks 106 at their free ends 92, and after passing through the control hole 100, the elastic locking hooks 106 unfold or spread out to engage with the control hole 100 from the rear side on the vehicle wheel 11 facing the vehicle. In other words, in the unfolded or spread out state, the entirety of all the locking hooks 106 of the pin-shaped retaining elements 88 covers an area with a diameter larger than the diameter of the control hole 100, thereby forming a shape fit between the locking hooks 106 and the vehicle-facing end of the control hole 100, which effectively prevents the pin-shaped retaining elements 88 from being unintentionally removed from the vehicle wheel 11. In the exemplary embodiments shown in Figures 3, 3a, 5, and 6, it is obvious that the pin-shaped retaining element 88 must be of sufficient length so that the latching hook 106 positioned at the free end 92 can protrude from the control hole 100 at the vehicle-facing end of the control hole 100.

[0039] The vehicle wheel 11 should have openings 108 in the area of ​​each vehicle-facing end of the control hole 100 so that the locking hook 106 can unfold or spread out without obstruction after passing through the control hole 100. The locking hook 106 can be formed from a pin-shaped retaining element 88 and a portion piece, for example, by injection molding the pin-shaped retaining element 88 from a synthetic material, as shown in the figure. However, the locking hook 106 may also be formed separately from the rest of the pin-shaped retaining element 88 and connected to the pin-shaped retaining element 88. The pin-shaped retaining element 88 and the locking hook 106 may be made of metal. For example, the locking hook 106 can be manufactured from spring steel, and the rest of the pin-shaped retaining element 88 may be a casting of metal or synthetic material.

[0040] Figure 4 shows a modified embodiment of the tire repair device 10, in which the pin-shaped retaining elements 88 do not have a latching hook 106. Instead, a magnet 110 is positioned at the free end 92 of each pin-shaped retaining element 88. In the exemplary embodiment shown in Figure 4, the magnet 110 is housed in a correspondingly shaped recess 112 of the pin-shaped retaining element 88 at the free end 92 and fixed therein, for example, by adhesive. The length of each pin-shaped retaining element 88 in this embodiment is dimensioned such that when the tire repair device 10 is mounted on the vehicle wheel 11, i.e., when the pin-shaped retaining elements 88 are introduced into the control hole 100, the surface 114 of the magnet 110 facing the vehicle is positioned on the mounting flange surface M of the vehicle wheel 11. In this way, each magnet 110 can contact the opposing surface 116 of the wheel hub 118 or brake disc 120 to which the vehicle wheel 11 is fixed. Since wheel hubs and brake discs are typically made of ferromagnetic steel, the entire structure of the pin-shaped retaining element 88 magnet 110 generates a good magnetic holding force between the tire repair device 10 and the wheel hub 118 or brake disc 120, thereby firmly holding the tire repair device 10 to the vehicle wheel 11.

[0041] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the exemplary embodiments described above can be easily combined. Therefore, some pin-shaped retaining elements 88 may have a dowel-like configuration and / or a hook-like hook 106, and other pin-shaped retaining elements 88 may be provided with a magnet 110.

[0042] In the illustrated embodiment of the tire repair device 10, the number of pin-shaped retaining elements 88 corresponds to the number of control holes 100. In exemplary embodiments not shown herein, the number of pin-shaped retaining elements 88 is less than the number of control holes 100. According to embodiments not shown herein, the tire repair device 10 has only three pin-shaped retaining elements 88, which are spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction, and their positions correspond to only three of the control holes 100 of the vehicle wheel.

[0043] Figures 8 and 9 more accurately illustrate the connection between the connection line 12 of the tire repair device 10 and the tire valve 14 of the vehicle wheel 11. In Figures 8 and 9, only the tire valve 14 and the tire-side end of the connection line 12 are shown, respectively. Figure 8 shows a spatial representation of the tire valve 14 to which the connection line 12 is connected, and Figure 9 shows a longitudinal cross-section through the arrangement shown in Figure 8.

[0044] The end of the connection line 12 connected to the tire valve 14 is formed by a cap 122, which can be screwed onto the tire valve 14 and is attached to the end 126 of the connection line 12 by a circlip 124, the outer diameter of which is larger than the outer diameter of the connection line 12. A valve seat 128 is formed inside the end 126, and the sealing surface 132 of a movable valve tappet 130 seals against the valve seat 128, and this tappet is pressed toward the valve seat 128 by a spring 134. The spring 134 is supported at one end by the valve tappet 130 and at the other end on the opposite side by a gasket ring 136, which is located within the screw-on cap 122 between the end 126 and the sealing ring 138. In the position shown in Figure 9, the valve tappet 130 seals the connection line 12 and prevents fluid from leaking out of the connection line 12.

[0045] The tire valve 14 has a conventional structure known to those skilled in the art and is sealed (for example by vulcanization) within a rubber nipple 140 that serves to attach the tire valve 14 to the vehicle wheel 11. For this purpose, the rubber nipple 140 is provided with a circumferential groove 142, which allows the rubber nipple 140 to be sealed into a correspondingly sized opening in the vehicle wheel 11.

[0046] A tappet 144 is located in the tire valve 14, and the tappet 144 is pushed in the closed position of the tire valve 14 by a spring 146 (and, if applicable, the air pressure acting in the tire). The tappet 144 must be pushed slightly into the tire valve 14 against the force of the spring 146 to its open position so that air or fluid can enter the tire.

[0047] In Figure 9, it is easily understood that the end of the pin-shaped extension 148 of the valve tappet 130 is located adjacent to the upper end 149 of the tappet 144 of the valve 14. When the cap 122 of the connection line 12 is securely screwed onto the tire valve 14, the free end of the valve 14 presses against the gasket ring 136 via the sealing ring 138. This compressive force is further transmitted through the end 126 and supported by the circlip 124. Between the circlip 124 and the upper end of the end 126 in Figures 8 and 9, a retainer 127 having an L-shaped cross-section is inserted, and at least one pressure transducer, for example in the form of a strain gauge, is mounted on its short leg 127a, which forms a monitoring switch 78. An electrical cable 80 connecting the monitoring switch 78 to the electronic control unit 76 is connected to the long leg 127b of the retainer 127. As soon as the monitoring switch 78 records a pressure exceeding a preset threshold, the monitoring switch 78 signals the tire repair device 10, in particular the control unit 76, that the connection line 12 is properly connected to the tire valve 14 and that the tire repair device 10 can be operated.

[0048] As soon as pressure is built up in the connection line 12 by the compressor 22, this pressure acts on the valve tappet 130, displacing it toward the tire valve 14 against the force of the spring 134, thereby lifting the sealing surface 132 away from the valve seat 128, allowing air and / or fluid to flow through the connection line 12 into the tire valve 14. This displacement of the valve tappet 130 causes its pin-shaped extension 148 to press against the upper end 149 of the tappet 144 of the valve 14, pushing the tappet 144 toward the open position against the force of the spring 146, thereby opening the tire valve 14 and allowing air and / or fluid to flow from the connection line 12 through the tire valve 14 into the tire of the vehicle wheel 11. As soon as the pressure in the connection line 12 falls below a predetermined value, the valve tappet 130 is moved by the spring 134 back to its closed position, in which case the sealing surface 132 contacts the valve seat 128, and similarly, the tire valve 14 is also closed by the tappet 144 being pushed back to the closed position by the spring 146.

[0049] Figures 10-12 show another embodiment of the tire repair device, indicated by reference numeral 10a, which differs from the previous embodiment in that instead of a pin-shaped retaining element 88, there is a crown-shaped centering and fixing flange 150, which has a free end 152 that extends at least substantially parallel to the central axis A from the wheel-facing side 18 of the carrier element 16 and is formed to engage with the edge 154 of the wheel hub opening 156 of the vehicle wheel 11. The free end 152 is annular, like the centering and fixing flange 150, and has an annular projection 158 projecting radially inward on its inside (see Figure 12), which clamps into the edge 154 when the centering and fixing flange 150 is pressed against the edge 154. In the illustrated embodiment, the centering and fixing flange 150 is attached to the carrier element 16 by a screw 160 that passes through a hole 161 in the flap-shaped extension 86a, and its arrangement corresponds to the flap-shaped extension 86. However, other types of fastening are conceivable and possible. For example, the carrier element 16 and the centering and fixing flange 150 can be connected to each other by rivets (not shown), or the centering and fixing flange 150 can be bonded or welded to the carrier element 16. Implementation of the carrier element 16 and the centering and fixing flange 150 as a single piece is also possible.

[0050] Multiple locking flaps 162 extend radially outward and diagonally upward from the free end 152 of the centering and fixing flange 150, and each locking flap 162 is formed to lock under the head 164 of a wheel nut or wheel bolt 104 when the tire repair device 10a is pressed against the vehicle wheel 11 along the central axis A. The locking flaps 162 are distributed in the circumferential direction U and spaced apart from one another, and the positions of the locking flaps 162 at the free end 152 of the centering and fixing flange 150 correspond to the positions of the wheel nuts or wheel bolts 104 to which the vehicle wheel 11 is attached to the vehicle. Preferably, there are exactly the same number of locking flaps 162 as there are wheel nuts or wheel bolts 104, but a smaller number of locking flaps 162 compared to the number of wheel nuts or wheel bolts 104 may be sufficient to securely fasten the tire repair device 10a to the vehicle wheel 11.

[0051] To expand the area in which the radially outer end 166 of each locking flap 162 can lock under the head 164 of a wheel nut or wheel bolt 104, in a preferred embodiment, the radially outer end 166 has a concave recess 168 (see in particular Figure 11) whose shape matches the area of ​​the wheel nut or wheel bolt 104 into which the locking flap 162 locks. Figure 11 shows a spatial representation of a crown-shaped centering and fixing flange 150 having a total of five locking flaps 162, each locking flap having a concave recess 168 at its radially outer end 166. Locking flaps without such concave recesses 168, also shown in Figure 11, exist solely for the sake of easier manufactureability of the entire centering and fixing flange 150 and can be omitted as they serve no purpose.

[0052] Figure 12 spatially illustrates how a centering and fixing flange 150, pressed against the edge 154 of the wheel hub opening 156, engages under the wheel bolts 104 by its locking flaps 162, thereby securely attaching a tire repair device 10a (not shown in Figure 12) to the vehicle wheel 11. The centering and fixing flange 150 is pressed against the edge 154 until the radially outer end 166 of each locking flap 162 jumps over the edge 170 of the head 164 of the wheel bolt 104 and engages under the edge 170 of the head 164. To enable this engagement process, at least the locking flaps 162 must be made of a flexible elastic material, such as spring steel. However, for structural advantages, the centering and fixing flange 150 as a whole is manufactured from a flexible elastic material.

[0053] Figure 13 shows another embodiment of the tire repair device according to the present invention, represented by reference numeral 10b, in which both a crown-shaped centering and fixing flange 150 and a pin-shaped retaining element 88 are used. Similar to the tire repair device 10a described earlier, the tire repair device 10b shown in Figure 13 is particularly suitable for mounting on vehicle wheels 11 that do not have control holes 100. This applies, for example, to simple steel wheels equipped on less expensive vehicles or used in winter with winter tires to save on more expensive alloy wheels.

[0054] In the embodiment of the tire repair device 10b shown in Figure 13, the holding force is generated, on the one hand, from the clamping force exerted by the radial projection 158 of the centering and fixing flange 150 on the edge 154 of the wheel hub opening 156, and on the other hand, from the magnetic holding force of the magnets 110 of the pin-shaped retaining element 88 adhering to the opposing surfaces 172 of the vehicle wheel 11. Here, the length of the pin-shaped retaining element 88 is sized so that the surface 114 of each magnet 110 contacts the surface 172 of the vehicle wheel 11 when the centering and fixing flange 150 is fully pressed against the edge 154 of the wheel hub opening 156. The tire repair device 10b in Figure 13 is shown without a retaining flap 162 because the presence of the pin-shaped retaining element 88 eliminates the need for a retaining flap 162. However, the tire repair device 10b may also have a retaining flap 162 to provide a more secure attachment of the tire repair device to the vehicle wheel 11.

[0055] Finally, it should be noted that the drive device for the compressor 22 is not shown in Figures 10 and 13 for clarity. However, the drive device corresponds to the drive device 23 described in relation to other exemplary embodiments.

Claims

1. A tire repair device for attachment to a vehicle wheel (11) which is mounted to a vehicle by multiple wheel nuts or wheel bolts (104), A carrier element (16) is associated with a central axis (A) and a circumferential direction (U), and has a side facing the wheel (18) and a side facing away from the wheel (20), A compressor (22) fixed to the carrier element (16), A drive device (23) for the compressor (22) is operably connected to the compressor (22), A sealant container (60) for containing tire sealant, wherein the compressor (22) is fluidly connected to the sealant container (60), The sealant container (60) and the connection line (12) configured to be fluidly connected to the tire of the vehicle wheel (11) to be repaired, The vehicle wheel (11) comprises a plurality of pin-shaped retaining elements (88), each of which has a fixed end (90) and a free end (92), and the retaining elements (88) are connected to the carrier element (16) at their fixed ends (90), and each extends from the side (18) of the carrier element (16) facing the wheel along a longitudinal axis (L) parallel to the central axis (A), and is spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction (U), and the positions of the plurality of pin-shaped retaining elements (88) are such that they are at least close to the positions of the plurality of control holes (100) of the vehicle wheel (11). A tire repair device characterized in that, having substantially the same characteristics, the control hole (100) extends into the vehicle wheel (11) parallel to the central axis (A), is positioned in the circumferential direction (U) between two holes (102) for wheel bolts (104), is used for wheel alignment, and each pin-shaped retaining element (88) can be inserted into one of the control holes (100) of the vehicle wheel (11) in order to attach the tire repair device (10) to the vehicle wheel (11) in an adhesive, clamp, or latch manner.

2. The tire repair device according to claim 1, characterized in that the control hole (100) penetrates the vehicle wheel (11), and the plurality or all of the pin-shaped retaining elements (88) have a length such that when the tire repair device (10) is fixed to the vehicle wheel (11), the plurality or all of the free ends (92) of the pin-shaped retaining elements (88) are located within the mounting flange surface (M) of the vehicle wheel (11), and magnets (110) are arranged on the plurality or all of the free ends (92) of the pin-shaped retaining elements (88).

3. The tire repair device according to claim 1, characterized in that each pin-shaped retaining element (88) has a chamfered insertion portion (105) at its free end (92).

4. The tire repair device according to claim 3, characterized in that a retaining hook (106) is provided on a plurality or all of the pin-shaped retaining elements (88).

5. The tire repair device according to claim 4, characterized in that the control hole (100) penetrates the vehicle wheel (11), and the retaining hook (106) is positioned on the free end (92) of the pin-shaped retaining element (88) and is formed to engage with the control hole (100) of the vehicle wheel (11) from the back side.

6. The tire repair device according to claim 1, characterized in that some or all of the pin-shaped retaining elements (88) are supported to be movably in the radial direction with respect to their longitudinal axis (L).

7. A tire repair device for attachment to a vehicle wheel (11) which is mounted to a vehicle by multiple wheel nuts or wheel bolts (104), A carrier element (16) is associated with a central axis (A) and a circumferential direction (U), and has a side facing the wheel (18) and a side facing away from the wheel (20), A compressor (22) fixed to the carrier element (16), A drive device (23) for the compressor (22) is operably connected to the compressor (22), A sealant container (60) for containing tire sealant, wherein the compressor (22) is fluidly connected to the sealant container (60), The sealant container (60) and the connection line (12) configured to be fluidly connected to the tire of the vehicle wheel (11) to be repaired, A tire repair device comprising a crown-shaped centering and fixing flange (150), wherein the crown-shaped centering and fixing flange (150) extends at least substantially parallel to the central axis (A) from the side (18) of the carrier element (16) facing the wheel and has a free end (152), the free end (152) is formed to engage with the edge (154) of the wheel hub opening (156) of the vehicle wheel (11), and a plurality of locking flaps (162) distributed in the circumferential direction (U) extend radially obliquely outward from the free end (152) of the crown-shaped centering and fixing flange (150), and the locking flaps (162) are formed to lock under the head (164) of the wheel nut or wheel bolt (104) when the tire repair device (10) is pressed against the vehicle wheel (11) along the central axis (A).

8. The tire repair device according to claim 7, characterized in that the number and position of the retaining flaps (162) correspond to the number and position of the wheel nuts or wheel bolts (104) that secure the vehicle wheel (11) to the vehicle.

9. The tire repair device according to claim 8, characterized in that each latching flap (162) has a concave recess (168) at its radially outer end (166).

10. The tire repair apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the sealant container (60) has two separate chambers (56, 58) for two components of the tire sealant and a mixing chamber (66) for mixing the two components.

11. The tire repair apparatus according to claim 10, characterized in that the mixing chamber (66) is located immediately upstream of the connection portion (68) for the connection line (12).

12. The tire repair apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the sealant container (60) forms the housing of the tire repair apparatus, covering the carrier element (16) and the compressor (22).

13. The tire repair apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that an energy storage device for operating the drive device is operably connected to the drive device.

14. The tire repair device according to claim 13, characterized in that the energy storage device is one battery (72) or a plurality of batteries (72).

15. The tire repair apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the connection line (12) has a monitoring switch (78) at the end connected to the tire to be repaired, and the monitoring switch (78) enables the operation of the drive device (23) only when the end connected to the tire to be repaired is connected to the tire.

16. The tire repair apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the drive device (23) is an electric motor (24), and the electric motor (24) is arranged in a dish-shaped recess (26) on the side (18) of the carrier element (16) facing the wheel.

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