FORM-2
THE PATENTS ACT, 1970
(39 of 1970)
&
THE PATENTS RULES, 2003
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION (See section 10 and rule 13)
Title:
WHEEL RIM CLAMPING FIXTURE FOR TYRE-TUBE ASSEMBLY FOR VEHICLES
Applicant: MAHINDRA & MAHINDRA LIMITED
GATEWAY BUILDING, APOLLO BUNDER,
MUMBAI-400001,
MAHARASHTRA, INDIA.
Inventors: RAJESH KUMAR YADAV
&
SHAILESH SONARE
Both Indian Nationals.
THE FOLLOWING SPECIFICATION PARTICULARLY DESCRIBES THE INVENTION AND THE MANNER IN WHICH IT IS TO BE PERFORMED.

FIELD OF INVENTION
The present invention relates to clamping fixture for tyre assembly in a motor vehicle. In particular, the present invention relates to fixture for clamping of wheel rim in a tyre assembly machine. More particularly, the present invention relates to a wheel rim clamping fixture mounted on a tyre assembly machine.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Normally, motor vehicle tyres are assembled using pneumatic energy, which mainly requires three items, i.e. a tyre, a tube and the wheel rim. A pneumatic clamp is used along with four pneumatic plungers with jaws for clamping the wheel rim. An electric motor is used for rotation of fixture and arbor arm with roller is used for aligning the tyre and rim. In this case, the electrical energy is converted into mechanical energy for rotating the table and further, the pneumatic energy is converted into mechanical energy for clamping the wheel rim by using the pair of pneumatic plungers with jaws. The same process is used on the tyre assembly lines in automobile manufacturing plants.
However, this process of tyre assembly using pneumatic energy obtained from a compressor is very cumbersome and costly. Therefore, there is a need for eliminating the use of a compressor by replacing it a more user friendly method and arrangement.
DISADVANTAGES WITH THE PRIOR ART
The following are the disadvantages with carrying out tyre assembly by using the pneumatic energy as discussed above:
a) Clamping jaws loosen frequently in case of malfunctioning of pneumatic circuit.
b) Wheel rim does not rotate with the rotating table, and
c) Utilization of resources- pneumatic energy.
d) Cost of running the compressor.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
Accordingly, a tyre-tube and wheel rim assembly process using a novel tyre assembly fixture is proposed in accordance with the present invention, which requires no pneumatic energy from a compressor, as discussed above and the electric motor is used only for rotating the rotating table and for completing the assembly of tyre-tube with the wheel rims.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
Some of the objects of the present invention - satisfied by at least one embodiment of the present invention - are as follows:
An object of the present invention is to eliminate the use of pneumatic energy for tyre assembly.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method of clamping, which is easy to use.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a method of clamping, which is maintenance-friendly.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a method of clamping, in which the clamping jaws do not loosen frequently.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description when read with the accompanying figures of drawing, which are, however, not intended to limit the scope of the present invention in any way.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a fixture for clamping the wheel rim for tyre-tube assembly thereon, the fixture comprises:

- a rotatable fixture plate,
- a wheel-rim support provided on the rotatable fixture plate, and
- a plurality of studs fixed on top of the wheel-rim support for holding/aligning the wheel rim on the wheel-rim support for fitting the tyre-tube on the wheel-rim without requiring any pneumatic energy therefor.
Typically, the number and positioning of the studs fixed on the wheel-rim support corresponds to the holes already provided in the wheels rim for the purpose of tightening the wheel on the wheel disc of the motor vehicle.
Typically, the studs are fixed substantially perpendicular on the wheel-rim support by means of a welded joint, e.g. by using an all-round fillet welding.
Typically, the number of the studs welded on the wheel-rim support is six.
A method for manufacturing a fixture, the method comprises:
- Machining a rotatable fixture plate,
- Machining a wheel-rim support and drilling a plurality of holes thereon,
- Fixing a plurality of studs on the wheel-rim support, and
- Fixing the wheel-rim support equipped with a plurality of studs on the rotatable fixture plate,
wherein the size and number of holes drilled in the fixture plate corresponds to the type of the wheel rim to be mounted on the wheel-rim support and each stud is inserted in a respective hole already available on the wheel rim for the purpose of tightening the wheel on the wheel disc of the motor vehicle .
Typically, each stud is fixed on the wheel-rim support by using fillet welding on both sides of the hole after inserting from below the stud in a respective hole on the wheel-rim support.

A method for clamping the wheel rim for tyre-tube assembly thereon, the method comprises the following steps:
(i) placing the wheel rim on the wheel-rim support of the rotatable fixture plate and locating the wheel rim by inserting the studs in the respective holes provided on the wheel rim;
(ii) placing the tyre on the wheel rim held/aligned on the wheel-rim support of the rotatable fixture plate;
(iii) rotating the rotatable fixture plate by means of an electric motor for matching the first side tyre bead with the first side of the wheel rim;
(iv) inserting the tube between the wheel rim and the tyre;
(v) rotating the rotatable fixture plate with the wheel rim with tyre-tube on the fixture for matching the second-side tyre bead with the second side of the wheel rim to complete the tyre-tube assembly; and;
(vi) filling the required air-pressure inside the tube for readying the wheel assembly for subsequent assembly.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS
The present invention will be briefly described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which include:
Figure 1a shows the step of wheel rim loading on the rotating fixture plate of the conventional tyre assembly machine.
Figure 1b shows the step of wheel rim clamping by using four by pneumatic cylinder actuated plungers with jaws operated by means of pneumatic energy provided by a compressor.

Figure 1c shows the step of placing tyre on the wheel rim for assembly.
Figure 1d shows the step of rotating the fixture plate for alignment of tyre bead with respect to wheel rim by using the electric motor and tyre arbor arm.
Figure 1e shows the step of inserting the tube on the wheel rim.
Figure 1f shows the step of placing the tyre-tube assembly of Figure 1e on the rotating fixture plate for fitting the second tyre bead.
Figure 1g shows the step of rotating the fixture plate and using the arbor arm of the conventional tyre assembly machine.
Figure 1h shows the completed tyre-tube assembly fitted on the wheel rim ready to be fitted on the motor vehicles.
Figure 2 shows a perspective view of the conventional tyre assembly machine with a four pneumatic cylinder actuated pneumatic plungers with jaws.
Figure 3 shows the conventional fixture plate equipped with four pneumatic plungers with jaws.
Figure 4 shows the fixture with studs for holding/centering the wheel rim on rotating fixture plate in accordance with the present invention.
Figure 5a shows a perspective view of the fixture (Figure 4) in accordance with the present invention for tyre-tube assembly on the wheel rim of the motor vehicle.
Figure 5b shows the step of placing the wheel rim on the fixture of Figure 4 for starting the tyre-tube assembly.
Figure 5c shows the step of placing the tyre on the wheel rim held/aligned on the fixture.

Figure 5d shows the step of turning the tyre-tube assembly of Figure 5d on the fixture plate for fitting the first tyre bead by means of an arbor arm.
Figure 5e shows the step of placing the tube inside the tyre.
Figure 5f shows the tyre-tube assembly with the wheel rim being completed by means of the arbor arm.
Figure 6 shows another enlarged perspective view of the fixture (Figures 4 and 5a) for tyre-tube assembly with the wheel rim of the motor vehicle.
Accordingly, using the fixture in accordance with the present invention, there is no need for using pneumatic energy, e.g. provided by a compressor in the conventional arrangement to fix the wheel rim for subsequent assembly of tyre-tube therein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS
In the following, different embodiments of the present invention will be described in more details with reference to the accompanying drawings without limiting the scope and ambit of the present invention in any way.
Figure 1a shows the step of wheel rim 10 loading on the fixture plate 22 of the conventional tyre assembly machine 20. The fixture plate 22 is provided with four pneumatic plungers with jaws 12 disposed at 90° with respect to each other to clamp the wheel rim 10 from the four sides, the plungers being operated by pneumatic cylinders, e.g. by using a compressor.
Figure 1b shows the step of clamping of the wheel rim 10 by using pneumatic plungers with jaws 12 fitted on fixture table 22.
Figure 1c shows the step of placing a tyre 16 on the wheel rim 10 for assembly.

Figure 1d shows the step of rotating the fixture plate 22 for matching first tyre bead side on the first side 10A of the wheel rim 10 inserted with tyre 16 using an electric motor (not shown) and an arbor 14.
Figure 1e shows the step of inserting the tube 18 on the wheel rim 10.
Figure 1f shows the step of rotating the tyre-tube assembly of Figure 1e on the rotating fixture plate 22 for fitting the second tyre bead on the other side 10B of wheel rim 10.
Figure 1g shows the step of rotating the rotating fixture plate 22 and using the arbor 14 of conventional tyre assembly machine 20 for completing the tyre-tube assembly with the wheel rim 10 by again rotating the rotating fixture plate 22 with an electric motor (not shown).
Figure 1h shows the completed tyre-tube assembly (16, 18) fitted on the wheel rim 10 ready to be fitted on the respective vehicle.
Figure 2 shows a perspective view of the conventional tyre assembly machine 20 having a fixture plate 22 with a four pneumatic plungers with jaws 12 for locking the wheel rim 10 before assembly of the tyre-tube (16, 18) therewith.
Figure 3 shows the conventional fixture mounted on a rotating fixture plate 22 with a wheel rim 23 having a plurality of holes 11 on top thereof. The fixture plate 22 is equipped with four pneumatic plungers with jaws 12 for locking the wheel rim 10, which are just ready to lock the wheel rim 23 for starting the tyre-tube assembly. For this purpose, the pneumatic plungers with jaws 12 are supplied with pneumatic power via a respective line 15 by means of a pneumatic cylinder 17.
Figure 4 shows the fixture 100 in accordance with the present invention, which requires no pneumatic power and thus no compressor for locking the wheel rim 10 for tyre-tube assembly therewith. It consists of a fixture plate 122 with a wheel-rim support 123 provided with a plurality of studs 124, e.g. six studs 124 welded on top. The number and positioning of these studs 124

exactly matches with the normal holes in the wheels rim 10 for tightening it on the wheel assembly of the vehicle.
Figure 5a shows a perspective view of the fixture 100 (Figure 4) in accordance with the present invention provided for the assembly of tyre-tube (16, 18) on the wheel rim 10 of the motor vehicle. It shows the rotating fixture plate 122 with a support 123 welded with studs 124 on top thereof for holding/aligning the wheel rim 10 without requiring any pneumatic energy or power as was required in the conventional arrangement. The number and positioning of the studs 124 exactly matches with the normal holes in the wheels rim 10 for tightening it on the wheel assembly of the vehicle.
Figure 5b shows the step of placing the wheel rim 10 on the fixture plate 122 of Figure 5a for starting the tyre-tube assembly. This simple holding/aligning is achieved by inserting the studs 124 into the normal holes already available the wheel rim 10 for wheel assembly in the vehicle.
Figure 5c shows the step of placing the tyre 16 on the wheel rim 10 held/aligned on the fixture 100.
Figure 5d shows the step of turning the tyre-tube assembly of Figure 5d on the fixture 100 for fitting the first tyre bead as shown in Figure 1d.
Figure 5e shows the step of placing the tube inside the tyre as shown in Figure 1e.
Figure 5f shows the step of turning the tyre-tube assembly of Figure 5e on the rotating fixture plate 122 for fitting the second tyre bead on the other side 10B of wheel rim 10 as shown in Figure 1f. This is done by rotating the rotating fixture plate by means of an electric motor, as shown in Figures 1g and 1h
Figure 6 shows another enlarged perspective view of the fixture 100 (Figures 4 and 5a) for tyre-tube assembly with the wheel rim 10 of the motor vehicle. Here, the studs 124 are shown welded on the support 123 of the rotating fixture plate 122 by means of welds 126.

Technical advantages and economic significance
The wheel-rim clamping fixture for tyre-tube assembly in accordance with the present invention has the following advantages:
a) Requires not clamping jaws, thus no pneumatic energy is required,
b) Holes already available on the wheel rim, which are provided for wheel assembly are used for clamping,
c) Cost of fixture is substantially reduced because of dispensing with the pneumatic cylinder in the new fixture,
d) Fixture is simple in construction, by using the existing holes on wheels rims for welding a plurality of studs thereon, and
e) Easy to maintain, in fact the fixture in accordance with the present invention is totally maintenance free.
Throughout this specification the word "comprise", or variations such as "comprises" or "comprising", shall be understood to implies including a described element, integer or method step, or group of elements, integers or method steps, however, does not imply excluding any other element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or method steps.
The use of the expression "a", "at least" or "at least one" shall imply using one or more elements or ingredients or quantities, as used in the embodiment of the disclosure in order to achieve one or more of the intended objects or results of the present invention.
The exemplary embodiments described in this specification are intended merely to provide an understanding of various manners in which this embodiment may be used and to further enable the skilled person in the relevant art to practice this invention.

Although, only the preferred embodiments have been described herein, the skilled person in the art would readily recognize to apply these embodiments with any modification possible within the spirit and scope of the present invention as described in this specification, whereby innumerable changes, variations, modifications, alterations may be made and/or integrations in terms of materials and method used may be devised to configure, manufacture and assemble various constituents, components, subassemblies and assemblies according to their size, shapes, orientations and interrelationships.
The description provided herein is purely by way of example and illustration. The various features and advantageous details are explained with reference to this non-limiting embodiment in the above description in accordance with the present invention. The descriptions of well-known components and manufacturing and processing techniques are consciously omitted in this specification, so as not to unnecessarily obscure the specification.
While considerable emphasis has been placed on the specific features of the preferred embodiment described here, it will be appreciated that many additional features can be added and that many changes can be made in the preferred embodiments without departing from the principles of the invention. These and other changes in the preferred embodiment of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the disclosure herein, whereby it is to be distinctly understood that the foregoing descriptive matter is to be interpreted merely as illustrative of the invention and not as a limitation.

We claim:
1. A fixture for clamping the wheel rim for tyre-tube assembly thereon, the
fixture comprises:
- a rotatable fixture plate,
- a wheel-rim support provided on the rotatable fixture plate, and
- a plurality of studs fixed on top of the wheel-rim support for holding/aligning the wheel rim on the wheel-rim support for fitting the tyre-tube on the wheel-rim without requiring any pneumatic energy therefor.

2. Fixture as claimed in claim 1, wherein the number and positioning of the studs fixed on the wheel-rim support corresponds to the holes already provided in the wheels rim for the purpose of tightening the wheel on the wheel disc of the motor vehicle.
3. Fixture as claimed in claim 1, wherein the studs are fixed substantially perpendicular on the wheel-rim support by means of a welded joint, e.g. by using an all-round fillet welding.
4. Fixture as claimed in claim 1, wherein the number of the studs welded on the wheel-rim support is six.
.5. Method for manufacturing a fixture as claimed in anyone of the claims 1 to 4, wherein the method comprises:
- Machining a rotatable fixture plate,
- Machining a wheel-rim support and drilling a plurality of holes thereon,
- Fixing a plurality of studs on the wheel-rim support, and
- Fixing the wheel-rim support equipped with a plurality of studs on the rotatable fixture plate,
wherein the size and number of holes drilled in the fixture plate corresponds to the type of the wheel rim to be mounted on the wheel-rim

support and each stud is inserted in a respective hole already available on the wheel rim for the purpose of tightening the wheel on the wheel disc of the motor vehicle .
6. Method as claimed in claim 6, wherein each stud is fixed on the wheel-rim support by using fillet welding on both sides of the hole after inserting from below the stud in a respective hole on the wheel-rim support.
7. A method for clamping the wheel rim for tyre-tube assembly thereon, the method comprises the following steps:
(i) placing the wheel rim on the wheel-rim support of the rotatable fixture plate and locating the wheel rim by inserting the studs in the respective holes provided on the wheel rim;
(ii) placing the tyre on the wheel rim held/aligned on the wheel-rim support of the rotatable fixture plate;
(iii) rotating the rotatable fixture plate by means of an electric motor for matching the first side tyre bead with the first side of the wheel rim;
(iv) inserting the tube between the wheel rim and the tyre;
(v) rotating the rotatable fixture plate with the wheel rim with tyre-tube on the fixture for matching the second-side tyre bead with the second side of the wheel rim to complete the tyre-tube assembly; and;
(vi) filling the required air-pressure inside the tube for readying the wheel assembly for subsequent assembly.