Abstract:
A device and a method for obtaining information about a wheel, the device including a penetrating body for at least partially inserting between a tire and a rim of a wheel, and a unit for acquiring the images, the unit being installed on a portion of the penetrating body which is designed to be positioned in an internal space between the tire and the rim.

Description:
FIELD 
     The present invention is a device and method for obtaining information about a wheel, for example to verify a rim profile, the internal wear of a tire or any damage to the tire and/or the tire bead. 
     BACKGROUND 
     The prior art includes numerous automatic devices, both optical and mechanical, that are capable of reading the external characteristics of a wheel, among which for example the external rim profile or the external shape of the tread or tire sidewalls in order to identify any damage or to obtain useful information for improved wheel balancing or tire fitting. 
     However, none of these devices is capable of providing information regarding the internal state of the wheel, for example the internal rim profile or the internal wear of the tire, without demounting the tire from the rim. 
     SUMMARY 
     The aim of the present invention is to obviate this limitation, by way of a simple, rational, and economic solution. 
     This aim is achieved by the characteristics of the invention as described in the independent claims. The dependent claims delineate preferred and/or particularly advantageous aspects of the invention. 
     In particular, the invention provides a device comprising a penetrating body for at least partial insertion between the tire and the rim on which the tire is mounted, and means acquiring images, the means being installed on a portion of the penetrating body designed to be positioned between the tire and the rim. 
     In this way the device of the invention can be effectively used for acquiring images of the inside of a wheel, the images making it possible to assess the internal condition of the rim and/or of the tire without the need to demount the tire from the rim. 
     The device can consequently be applied to numerous purposes, including for example identification of an internal rim profile, or presence of pressure-controlling devices, internal wear of a tire, or any damage to a tire or bead caused during the mounting procedure. The device can also be associated to a tire service machine, for example a tire changing machine, with the aim of establishing methods for bead breaking, demounting, and mounting of tires. 
     For example the device can be used to automatically move mounting/demounting tools on the basis of internal profiles of the rim and of the tire. 
     In a general sense the invention also provides a method for checking the condition of a tire, which generically comprises stages of at least partially inserting the penetrating body between the tire and the rim on which the tire is mounted, and acquiring internal images using a means for acquiring equipped on the penetrating body. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will better emerge from the detailed description made herein, provided by way of non-limiting example in the accompanying figures of the drawings. 
         FIG. 1  is a prospective view of a tire changing machine equipped with the device of the invention. 
         FIG. 2  is an enlarged detail of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is an enlarged detail of the device of the invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a prospective view of the tire changing machine of  FIG. 1  during operation. 
         FIGS. 5 to 7  illustrate a portion of a rim during different stages of operation of the device of the invention. 
         FIGS. 8 ,  9 , and  10  illustrate three examples of possible damage to an inside surface of a tire. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The tire changing machine  1  comprises a base  2  on which a vertical-axis rotor  3  is fitted with associated means  30  for supporting and blocking a wheel  100  (see  FIG. 4 ). 
     The base is also fitted with a vertical column  4  coupled to a straight horizontal guide  40  on which the column  4  can slide when driven by a drive mechanism (not visible), such as to be moved in a horizontal direction towards/away from the wheel-bearing rotor  3 . 
     The vertical column  4  supports a horizontal axis tool arm  41 , with an operating head  5  fitted on the extremity and provided with normal tire changing tools  50  and a bead breaking disc  51 , which are located in diametrically opposite positions relative to the axis of the arm  41 . 
     The operating head  5  can be rotated around the axis of the tool arm  41 , such as to rotate the tire demounting tool  50  or alternatively the bead breaking disc  51  to face the wheel  100 . 
     The tool arm  41  is fitted on a carriage  42 , coupled to the upright  4  with two vertical straight guides  43  on which the tool arm  41  can be made to slide using a jack  44  such as to raise or lower the operating head  5  relative to the wheel  100 . 
     The tire changing machine  1  is provided with manual controls, typically levers or buttons, which are globally referenced as  6  and permit operators to activate the drive mechanisms that move the column  4  on the base  2  and the carriage  42  on the column  4 . 
     The tire changing machine is of known type and is not described in further detail herein. 
     The sliding carriage  42  is also equipped with a device  7  of the invention. 
     The device  7  comprises a profiled arm  70  hinged to the carriage  42  by a horizontal pin  71  which enables the arm  70  to be rotated between an idle position when it is aligned with the edge of the column  4  (see  FIG. 1 ), and a raised operating position when it projects towards a wheel  100  fitted on the rotor  3  (see  FIG. 4 ). 
     The free end of the profiled arm  70  has a thin transverse probe  72 , generally flat and narrow in shape, oriented vertically and projecting downwards when the profiled arm  70  is in the raised position. 
     A micro camera  73  is installed inside and at the lower extremity of the transverse probe  72 , connected to an electronic processor  8 , for example a personal computer. 
     In the example illustrated, the connection between the micro camera  73  and the electronic processor  8  is achieved via a cable  74 , but it could be achieved with a fibre optic conductor or any other suitable means. 
     The transverse probe  72  preferably incorporates means for illuminating (not shown in the figures) to light the space that is photographed by the micro camera  73 , for example LED light sources or fibre optic illumination. 
     The electronic processor  8  has a mass memory  80  for memorizing data and is connected both to a printer  82  for paper print outs, and to a display  81 , in the example an LCD monitor. 
     In the electronic processor  8 , suitable algorithms can be implemented for the processing of the images acquired by the micro camera  73 . 
     The electronic processor  8  is also associated to a keyboard  83  for the selection of the display programs. 
     During operation the wheel  100  is mounted on the wheel rotor shaft  3  where the bead is initially broken with the use of the bead breaker disc  51 , which can cooperate with an analogous bead breaker disc  52  located on the other side of the wheel  100 . 
     Bead breaking is a well known operation in which the tire bead  101  is detached from the rim flange  102  to which it is normally engaged. 
     After completing bead breaking the profiled arm  70  of the device  7  is raised into the operating position and the sliding carriage  42  is moved to a height such that the transverse probe  72  is above the upper sidewall of the tire  101  of the wheel  100 . 
     Exploiting the horizontal movement of the column  4  on the rectilinear guide  40 , the transverse probe  72  is vertically aligned with a portion of the tire sidewall  101  adjacent to the rim flange  102 , as in  FIG. 5 . 
     Subsequently the sliding carriage  42  is progressively lowered such that the transverse probe  72  comes into contact with and pushes the tire sidewall  101  such that it flexes towards the inside of the rim well  102  as in  FIG. 6 . 
     The lowering of the carriage  42  terminates when the transverse probe  72  inserts between the rim flange  102  and the tire bead  101  as in  FIG. 7 . 
     In this configuration the extremity of the transverse probe  72  with the micro camera  73  and the means for illuminating are positioned inside the volume defined by the rim well  102  and the inside tire wall  101 . 
     The means for illuminating and the micro camera  73  are then simultaneously activated in order to acquire images of the internal volume of the wheel  100 . 
     Depending on the purpose for which the device  7  is used, the micro camera  73  can be used to acquire images of the internal surfaces of the tire  101 , of the rim  102 , or of both. 
     During image acquisition the wheel support rotor  3  can be put into operation such that the wheel  100  rotates on its axis and the micro camera  73 , equipped on the transverse probe  72  which remains stationary, acquires images of the internal surfaces of the tire  101  and/or of the rim  102  for the entire development of the circumference. 
     During the rotation of the wheel  100 , the smooth shape and limited dimensions of the transverse probe  72  prevent damage to the tire  101  or the rim flange  102 . 
     A possible use of the device  7  is to assess, after the mounting procedure of UHP and Run-Flat type tires, the state of the internal bead in order to identify the presence of any damage to the tire that might cause sudden deflation. 
     This assessment can be made by simply viewing the images acquired by the micro camera  73  on the screen  81 , such that the operator can visually establish the state of internal wear of the tire  101  or the presence of any damage to the tire  101  or tire bead. 
     To facilitate the operator, the screen  81  can simultaneously display sample images, memorized previously in the mass memory unit  80 , that illustrate various types of damage and/or various levels of wear observable on a tire and/or an image of a tire in perfect condition. 
     For example,  FIGS. 8 ,  9 , and  10  show sample images of two types of laceration observable on the internal surface of a tire  101 , indicated by the ellipses A, B, and C. 
     In this way the operator can compare the images acquired with the micro camera  73  with the sample images and easily establish the presence of any damage and the degree of wear. 
     Alternatively, the images acquired by the micro camera  73  can be processed using specific artificial viewing algorithms performed by the electronic processor  8 , making it possible to automatically identify and signal the presence of damage and/or the state of wear of the tire  101 . 
     This identification can be made for example using algorithms that can identify predefined shapes in the images, for example edge-detection algorithms, using systems like neural nets, fuzzy logic, genetic systems, or the like, which might in turn include self-learning procedures. 
     All the information acquired by the micro camera  73  in the form of still images or rapid image sequences (video) can be printed by the printer  82  or memorised in the mass memory unit  80  for processing or subsequent use. 
     The device  7  can also be used to detect the internal profile of the rim  102  or tire  101 , for example with appropriate artificial vision algorithms. 
     Further, the device  7  can be used for the purpose of deciding on the best methods for bead braking, demounting, and mounting of individual tires  101  on the tire changing machine  1 , so that for example the tools  50  and  51  could be automatically maneuvered on the basis of a measured profile of the rim  102  and/or of the tire  101 . 
     Obviously a technical expert in the sector could introduce numerous modifications of a practical-technical nature to the device  7  described above, without forsaking the ambit of the invention as claimed below. 
     In particular, the device  7  can be associated not only to a tire changing machine  1 , but also to other wheel service machines, like for example wheel balancing or wheel trim adjustment machines.