Abstract:
A method and apparatus for handling a wheel of large mass from a storage position to enable its mounting onto the hub of a vehicle, wherein the method includes placing a tire in a handling device having two ends which are of substantially equal length, the length being longer than the perimeter of the wheel, between two ends of the handling device, bringing together the ends of the handling device so as to imprison the wheel within the handling device, and hooking the ends of the handling device into a handling and lifting device.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The technical scope of the invention is that of handling devices or tooling for vehicle wheels, as well as processes to mount such wheels. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     On automobile vehicle assembly lines, or in repair workshops, mounting the wheels is performed when the vehicle is on a jack stand or conveyor. 
     The wheels are handled by being raised to the height at which they can be centered on the hub. Very often, the wheels are stored flat on their sides thereby adding to the raising operation an operation to pick up the wheel. However, depending on the categories of vehicle, the wheels may be very heavy making handling operations complicated, physical or even dangerous for the operators. 
     To assist assembly workers in these wheel handling operations, it is known by CN2181491 to use a device with metallic cables and jaws in which the wheel lies on a horizontal structure incorporating two jaws that pinch the tire at its low part on its two sides. Cables pass on either side of the wheel acting as a sling for the wheel assembly and holding the wheel vertically by passing over the top of the wheel. 
     This device has the drawback of being relatively complex with respect to the number and nature of its parts. Additionally, this device requires access to both sides of the wheel to enable the positioning of the jaws and the passage of the cables. It is thus necessary to employ several operators if the wheel is heavy to firstly lift the wheel manually if it has been stored flat and secondly to hold the wheel in a vertical position whilst the device is being installed. 
     SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a handling device that is simple in structure and easy to install on a wheel, even when this is lying flat. The device enables the physical efforts and also the number of operators required to handle the wheel until it is mounted on the hub to be reduced. 
     The invention also relates to a wheel handling process implementing such a device. 
     Thus, the invention relates to a handling process for a wheel of large mass from a storage position, in particular to enable its mounting onto the hub of a vehicle, handling process wherein it comprises the following steps:
         a handling device that comprises at least two flexible non-elastic attachments parallel to one another and linked by at least two flexible and non-elastic fastening means is positioned on the wheel, the attachments and fastening means enable the tire tread mounted on a wheel to be encircled over substantially 360°, an attachment thus being position at each side flank of the wheel,   the ends of the different flexible attachments are brought together so as to imprison the wheel within the handling device,   the ends of the different flexible attachments of the handling device are hooked onto a handling and lifting device, such as a winch integral with a bridge crane, the latter ensuring the lifting and displacement of the wheel.       

     According to one characteristic of the process, for a wheel in a substantially vertical storage position, the wheel is positioned on the handling device by being rolled until it is centered on the length and the width of the handling device. 
     According to another characteristic of the process, the two attachments are integral with one another by their ends and thus form a single closed loop, and the ends of the different attachments are joined together by passing a first end of the loop and in a second end of the loop similarly to a slip knot. The first end of the loop may in this case be hooked to the lifting device. 
     The invention also relates to a handling device for the wheel of a vehicle equipped with a tire and implementing the process afore-mentioned, in particular to enable the wheel to be attached to the hub of a vehicle. The handling device incorporates at least two flexible non-elastic attachments arranged in parallel to one another and of a substantially equal length that is greater than that of the wheel&#39;s perimeter, the attachments being linked to one another by at least two flexible non-elastic fastening means, spaced along the attachments, the fastening means being, furthermore, of a length such that they leave a distance between the flexible attachments that is greater than the width of the tire and less than the width of the tire added to the side flank of the latter, thereby enabling an attachment to be positioned on each side flank of the tire. 
     According to one embodiment of the device, the two attachments are integral with one another by their ends and thus form a single closed loop. 
     In this case, advantageously, the flexible attachments are of a length such that it is possible to introduce one end of the loop into the other end after the device has been installed on a wheel. 
     According to one embodiment of the device, the flexible fastening means are also spaced around the periphery of the wheel and are six in number. 
     According to another embodiment, the device incorporates at least two fastening means at a distance from one another of around 2πR/3 and at an equal distance from the ends of the device (R being the radius of the wheel). 
     According to a particular embodiment of the device, the flexible non-elastic attachments incorporate chains. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The invention will become more apparent from the description of the different embodiments of the device as well as of the different steps in the process, such description being made with reference to the appended drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1   a  shows one step to position the handling device around the wheel in the event of the wheel being laid on its side, 
         FIG. 1   b  shows the step to position the handling device around the wheel in the event of the wheel being positioned vertically, 
         FIG. 2  shows a step in which the handling device is being closed around the wheel, 
         FIG. 3  shows a step in which the wheel is being raised using the handling device, 
         FIG. 4  shows a step in which the wheel equipped with the handling device is being positioned on the hub of a vehicle mounted on a jack stand, 
         FIG. 5  shows a first embodiment of a handling device according to the invention, 
         FIG. 6  shows a second embodiment of the handling device according to the invention, and 
         FIG. 7  shows a third embodiment of the handling device according to the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The invention proposes to overcome the problem of handling heavy wheels having a mass of around 150 kg in a workshop, and requires only one operator to implement a process during which the wheel is enclosed in a specific device. 
     According to  FIG. 5  and according to one embodiment, the device  1  incorporates two first non-elastic textile attachments (straps)  1   a  and  1   b  parallel to one another. These two attachments  1   a  and  1   b  are joined together by their respective ends by means, for example, of seams  1   c  and  1   d . The device incorporates second non-elastic textile attachments, also called fastening means  11 , parallel to one another and joined by their ends to the first textile attachments  1   a  and  1   b  by means of seams  1   e,  for example. 
     Note that at each end of the device  1 , the loops  25  and formed by the flexible attachments  1   a  and  1   b  and the adjacent fastening means  11  may be of sizes that are notably different. The fastening means  11  are spaced equally around the wheel. The greater the number of fastening means  11  the more efficient the retention of the wheel  2  and the easier the installation of the device. An optimal number of means is of around 5 to 9 means spaced around the periphery of the wheel. 
     According to  FIGS. 1   a  and  1   b  we note that the device  1  is wider than the wheel  2  so that the latter is properly held with respect to its flanks, such as shown in  FIG. 3 . 
     According to  FIG. 3 , we will note that once the device has been wound around the wheel  2 , the length of the fastening means  11  is such that each attachment  1   a  and  1   b  is located on one of the flanks  7  only of the wheel and does not lie across the wheel rim  9  which would hinder the mounting of the wheel  2  on a hub  10  ( FIG. 4 ). 
     Each attachment  1   a  and  1   b  is thus applied to a different flank of the tire  8 . Thus, the latter is held on either side by a different attachment  1   a,    1   b  and there is no risk of the wheel coming out of the device  1 , which would be the case if one of the attachments was on the tread of the tire. Also according to  FIG. 3 , we note that the spacing between the fastening means  11  is much less than the diameter of the wheel  2  and this to avoid the wheel passing through the links formed by the arrangement of attachments  1  and fastening means  11 . 
     According to  FIG. 1   a  and according to a first operating mode, a pile of wheels  2   a,    2   b  and  2   c  laid horizontally is made available to the assembly worker, the handling device  1  is positioned so as to be tangential to the wheel  2   a  placed on the top of the pile of wheels. The device  1  extends in the same proportions beyond the width of the wheel  2   a  on both sides of said wheel. This first operating mode can be applied to a single wheel placed on the ground (configuration not shown). 
     Note that it is possible with the device according to the invention to position each attachment  1   a,    1   b  substantially opposite one flank of the tire and thus to attach the device to the wheel without it being necessary to lift it. Indeed, the device  1  enables the flanks of the wheel  2  without said wheel having to be lifted. 
     According to  FIG. 1   b  and according to a second operating mode, the wheel  2  is vertical and the handling device  1  is laid out on the ground. To bring the wheel  2  into the configuration shown in  FIG. 1   b , the operator must roll the wheel  2  onto the device  27  in the longitudinal direction of the device  1  until reaching the middle of the device. 
       FIG. 2  shows how the device is joined to the wheel once it has been positioned on the latter. The device  1  is thus wound around the wheel  2 . For this, the two ends  25  and  26  are brought together so as to circle the wheel  2 . 
     According to one operating mode, in direction  24 , a first end  25  forming a loop of the device  1  is passed through the loop formed by a second end  26  of the device  1 . In the event that the loops are not of the same size, it is the largest one which is passed through the smallest one. 
     According to another operating mode not shown, the two ends  25  and  26  may simply be positioned edge-to-edge and held together by the installation of a lifting hook. 
     According to  FIG. 3 , the wheel is imprisoned over its full periphery by the device  1 . A lifting hook  4  for a bridge crane (not shown) is hooked to the first end  25  of the device. According to the operating mode mentioned previously (not shown), the two ends  25  and  26  will be put edge to edge and will be hooked together on the hook  4 . Once they have been hooked, the assembly formed by the wheel  2  in the device  1  is lifted and moved. 
     According to  FIG. 4  and according to one operating mode, the wheel  2  is contained in the wheel  2  handling device. The device  1  is hooked to a C-lifting hook  3  which is attached to a hook on the bridge crane  4 . The wheel is positioned on a hub  10  of a vehicle resting on a jack stand  6 . A C-lifting hook is a well-known tool in a C shape and incorporates a lateral support  3   b  that is offset with respect to the line linking the attachment point  32  of the load and the attachment point of the hook  4  of the bridge crane. This tool is only used to enable access to zones of the vehicle  5  that are outset. 
     Hereafter, different devices are described that are made according to other embodiments and which may be used with the previously described process. 
     According to  FIG. 6  and according to a second embodiment, the device is formed of attachments formed by a first closed chain forming a single loop  20  arranged so as to make an oblong. The device  1  incorporates a second chain  30  that alternatively links the two longest sides  20   a  and  20   b  of the loop  20  so as to form segments constituting fastening means linking the two sides  20   a  and  20   b  of the loop  20 . 
     The length of each segment (fastening means) of the second chain  30  is selected so that the longest sides  20   a  and  20   b  of the loop  20  are parallel to one another and spaced by a distance that is greater than the width of the wheel  2  and less than the width of the tire  33  to which is added the width of the side flanks  8 . 
     The two chains  20  and  30  are made integral at each intersection of the loop  20  and of the second chain  30  by means of quick links or by the passage of the second chain  30  in the links of the loop  20 . In this latter case, the links of the second  30  must be small enough to pass through the links of the loop  20 . 
       FIG. 7  shows another embodiment in which the device  1  only incorporates two fastening means  11  separated by a distance D equivalent to approximately one third of the periphery (2πR) of the wheel  2  so that the wheel  2  (of radius R) does not pass between the fastening means  11  and is not able to roll out of the device  1 . 
     Note also that the fastening means  11  are also placed at the same distance from the attachment point  31  of the device  1  with the hook  4  to ensure the hanging stability of the assembly. The flexible attachments  1   a  and  1   b  ( 1   b  not shown) ensure the lateral retention of the wheel  2 .