Patent ID: 6481281
Filing Date: 2002-11-19
Classification: G01M,Y10T

Abstract:
A wheel mount for a wheel/tire balancer having a spindle shaft on which a wheel and tire assembly to be balanced may be mounted, said spindle shaft being rotatably driven by said balancer to effect the balance measurement of said wheel and tire assembly, said wheel and tire assembly having an axis of rotation and comprising a wheel and a tire mounted on said wheel, said wheel having a pilot hole at the center thereof substantially coaxial with the axis of rotation of said wheel and tire assembly, said wheel having one or more edges defining said pilot hole, said wheel mount comprising a chuck having a plurality of jaws operable to grip the inner edge of said wheel defining said pilot hole, so as to fixedly mount said chuck with respect to said wheel, with said chuck substantially centered with respect to said pilot hole and with respect to said axis of rotation of said wheel, said chuck having a center bore substantially coaxial with respect to said axis of rotation when said chuck is mounted on said wheel, said center bore of said chuck receiving said spindle shaft, said spindle shaft having a stop thereon so as to locate said wheel and tire assembly on said spindle shaft when said chuck along with said wheel and tire assembly mounted thereon is received on said spindle shaft, and said balancer further having a retainer securable to said spindle shaft after said chuck along with said wheel and tire assembly mounted thereon is received on said spindle shaft, said retainer being forcibly engageable with at least a portion of said wheel on the side thereof opposite said stop such that said wheel and tire assembly is fixedly held on said spindle shaft as said spindle shaft and said wheel and tire assembly are rotated during balancing.