The present invention relates to a portable vehicle-mountable balancer which enables removal, refitting and balancing of any road-going vehicle wheel from, for example, a van at a roadside. Flat tyres and blowouts, particularly of lorries, are common and often leave the lorry stranded for hours on the roadside. Even when a recovery vehicle can attend the stricken vehicle, removing and replacing a tyre at the roadside is extremely hazardous in terms of other traffic especially on a busy road, and the inherent danger of dealing with typically large cumbersome tyres and high pressures. Whilst reseating a new tyre on a wheel rim, the tyre can blow off the rim or be over inflated, both leading to possible harm to the fitter.

Furthermore, whilst seating the tyre, the fitter must raise the rim so as to be substantially central within the tyre. This is particularly physical and demanding on the fitter, requiring frequent breaks and thus lost time. If the fitter does not take breaks to recover, then it is recognised that the frequency of accidents tends to increase.

The present invention seeks to provide a solution to these problems.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle- mountable balancer comprising vehicle-floor mounting means, a length-adjustable support arm which is pivotably engaged with the mounting means, a length-adjustable jack device engaged with the support arm, and a wheel balancing device which is pivotably engaged with the support arm.

Preferable and/or optional features of the first aspect of the invention are set forth in claims 2 to 16, inclusive.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle having at least one rear door for closing a rear door opening, a rear floor area accessible via the rear door, and a vehicle-mountable balancer in accordance with the first aspect of the invention, the said mounting means being engaged with the rear floor area at or adjacent to the rear door so that, on pivoting, the support arm is extendable out of the rear door opening.

The invention will now be more particularly described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which : Figure 1 shows a diagrammatic perspective view of a first embodiment of a vehicle-mountable balancer, in accordance with the first aspect of the invention and shown without a wheel balancing device for clarity;

Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of a knuckle joint connecting a support arm and a wheel balancing device of the balancer shown in Figure 1 ; Figure 3 is a diagrammatic side elevational view of the wheel balancing device of the balancer;

Figure 4 is an exploded perspective view of vehicle-floor mounting means of the balancer shown in Figure 1 ;

Figure 5 is a second embodiment of a vehicle-mountable balancer mounted in a rear of a vehicle, in accordance with the second aspect of the invention and shown through an open rear side door in a stowed condition; and

Figure 6 shows the in use vehicle-mountable balancer of Figure 5 in a deployed condition and extending from the side door opening of the vehicle.

Referring firstly to Figures 1 to 4 of the drawings, there is shown a first embodiment of a vehicle-mountable balancer 10 which comprises vehicle-floor mounting means 12, a length-adjustable support arm 14, a jack device 16 and, shown in Figure 3, a wheel- balancing device 18.

The vehicle-floor mounting means 12 is best shown in Figure 4 and includes a mounting plate element 20 which is typically permanently engaged with a rear floor surface 22 of a support or recovery vehicle 24, as shown in Figures 5 and 6 of the second embodiment. The mounting plate element 20 may be welded or fastened with screw-threaded fasteners 26, such as bolts to the vehicle floor 22. The mounting plate element 20 is preferably formed of metal, such as steel or cast iron, and provides a generally U-shaped channel 28 having engagement elements, in this case being covered slots 30, at or adjacent to one end thereof. The covered slots 30 preferably extend across the lateral extent of the channel 28, and in this case three covered slots 30 are provided. However, one or two covered slots may be utilised, or more than three covered slots can be used dependent on necessity.

At the other end of the channel 28, the opposing channel walls 32 are formed with apertures 34 for receiving a releasable locking pin 36. The mounting means 12 further comprises a base plate element 38 which is demountably attachable to the mounting plate element 20. The base plate element 38, in this case, includes an inverted U-shaped channel 40 of similar dimensions to the channel 28 of the mounting plate element 20. One end of the inverted channel 40 includes a plurality of protruding tongue elements 42 which are complementarily shaped to be engagable as a close fit with respective covered slots 30 of the mounting plate element 20.

The other end of the base plate element 38 is provided with locking pin apertures 43 on opposing channel walls 44 which match or substantially match those of the mounting plate element 20. With the tongue elements 42 received in their respective covered slots 30, the respective apertures 34, 42 of the base plate element 38 and the mounting plate element 20 align so that the releasable locking pin 36 is locatable therethrough to engage the base plate element 38 and the mounting plate element 20.

An upper surface 46 of the base plate element 38 includes first and second hinge elements 48, 50. An elongate first part 52 of the support arm 14 is pivotably connected at or adjacent to its proximal end 54 to the first hinge element 48 via a second, preferably releasable, locking pin 56. A first part 58 of a damper 60 is pivotably connected at or adjacent to its proximal end 62 to the second hinge element 50. A distal end 64 of the damper 60 is pivotably connected to or adjacent to a distal end 66 of the first part 52 of the support arm 14 via a third hinge element 68. In this case, the damper 60 is preferably a gas strut for damping a pivotable lowering of the support arm 14. However, a spring, such as coil spring, could feasibly be utilised.

The first part 52 of the support arm 14 is preferably metal and substantially tubular along at least a majority of its longitudinal extent. An elongate second part 70 of the support arm 14 is also metal and is slidably receivable in the first part 52 for telescopic extension and retraction relative thereto. To releasably lock the first and second parts 52, 70 relative to each other, a preferably spring biased locking pin 72 is provided through a wall of the first part 52 to engage in one of a plurality of pin openings 74 in a corresponding wall of the second part 70. A proximal end of the second part 70 of the support arm 14 is slidably received within the first part 52, and a pivotable knuckle joint 78 is provided at the distal end 80 of the second part 70. A, preferably digital, air-pressure regulator 82 as well as the jack device 16 are also provided at or adjacent to the distal end 80 of the second part 70, as will be described hereinafter. The knuckle joint 78, in this embodiment and best shown in Figure 2, is provided with a proximal part 84 which is pivotably engaged with the distal end 80 of the second part 70 of the support arm 14 for, preferably at least 180 degrees, rotatable movement in a first plane, which in use is a vertical or substantially vertical plane. A distal part 86 of the knuckle joint 78 is pivotably engaged with the proximal part 84 for, preferably at least 180 degrees, rotatable movement in a second plane which is at or substantially at right angles to the first plane, thus in use being horizontal or substantially horizontal.

As best seen in Figure 2, the proximal part 84 and the distal part 86 each include respective locking apertures 88 and releasable pins 90 for locking the proximal part 84 of the knuckle joint 78 relative to the second part 70 of the support arm 14, and for locking the distal part 86 of the knuckle joint 78 relative to the proximal part 84.

Fixedly engaged to the distal part 86 of the knuckle joint 78 is the wheel-balancing device 18, seen in Figure 3. The wheel-balancing device 18 includes a balancing body 92 which is connected directly to the distal part 86 of the knuckle joint 78, a measuring arm 94 which extends from the balancing body 92 for measuring width and diameter of a wheel, a threaded rotatable balancing arm 96 which also extends from the balancing body 92 and which is adapted to receive a wheel thereon, and a threaded releasable locking handle 98 for releasably locking a wheel in place on the balancing arm 96 whilst allowing a fitter to spin the balancing arm 96. The balancing body 92 includes balancing circuitry and a preferably digital display and user-interface enabling wheel data entry. This kind of device is known, and therefore further detailed description is omitted.

The wheel-balancing device 18 is preferably adapted to accept wheel rim widths of approximately 7 cm to approximately 51 cm; wheel rim diameters of approximately 20 cm to approximately 77 cm; and weights up to around 30 kgs. Preferably, a measuring accuracy of the balancing circuitry is to one gram.

The wheel-balancing device 18 is electronic, and is thus powerable by a rechargeable battery. Conveniently, a 12 volt interchangeable rechargeable battery pack, such as utilised by power tools, can be utilised, whereby a spare is kept should the pack in use become discharged. The balancing body 92 thus incorporates a battery pack connector socket 100 as shown in Figure 3 for receiving the battery pack. Alternatively, or additionally, the wheel -balancing device 18 may take an electrical feed from the vehicle in which is it installed, for example, via the vehicle's cigarette lighter socket. However, this may put an undue strain on the vehicle's battery. A further option would be to carry a portable generator. However, this latter option increases the vehicle's laden weight and thus reduces fuel economy and available space for spare parts and other equipment.

The jack device 16 is length-adjustable and pivotably connected at its upper end 102 to or adjacent to the distal end 80 of the second part 70 of the support arm 14. The jack device 16 may conveniently be clipped to the support arm 14 when stowed, and simply swings down into position as the support arm 14 is lowered.

In this embodiment, the jack device 16 is a fully manual mechanical telescopic leg which has an inner tubular part 104 extendable and retractable within an outer tubular part 106. A rack and pinion winding mechanism, shown in part at 108, for example, is utilised via a crank handle 110 operable by the fitter. A pivotable foot plate element 112 is provided at the lower end 114 of the inner tubular part 104 to spread a load and to accommodate uneven terrain.

The air-pressure regulator 82 is also preferably electronic and powered in a similar manner to the wheel -balancing device 18, again allowing simple activation and interchangability in the event of battery pack discharge. The air-pressure regulator 82 includes a regulator body 116 which is supported in this case by the second part 70 of the support arm 14, a digital display, a user-interface for setting a regulated air-pressure limit and a, preferably spring-biased, windable airline 118 which is preferably extendable from and retractable into the regulator body 116.

The regulator body 116 includes an airline connector for releasable connection to a peripheral, typically being standalone, compressor, such as a Cheata RTM. The compressor is preferably adapted to supply compressed air at approximately 205 kPa to 1035 kPa. Although not shown, the vehicle-mountable balancer 10 also preferably includes a bead- breaker device which is pivotably mounted to one side of the support arm 14. The bead- breaker may be detachable. The bead-breaker device includes a lever and a jaw, whereby a fitter's body weight is used on the lever to press the jaw against a bead area of the tyre being replaced to break the bead away from the wheel rim. Referring to Figures 5 and 6, a second embodiment of a vehicle-mountable balancer 10 is shown, but this time mounted in a vehicle 24, such as a support or recovery van. Like references refer to parts which are similar to those of the first embodiment, and therefore further detailed description is omitted.

In this embodiment, the vehicle-mountable balancer 10 comprises the vehicle-floor mounting means 12, the length-adjustable support arm 14, the jack device 16 and the wheel-balancing device 18. The only difference is that the knuckle joint 78 is only pivotable in one plane, being the in use vertical plane. The knuckle joint 78 of the first embodiment is more preferable, since it provides the fitter with a greater range of movement and positioning for the wheel-balancing device 18.

Furthermore, a second damper 120 is utilised to damp movement of the second part 70 of the support arm 14 relative to the first part 52. With the support arm 14 in the upright stowage condition, once the locking pin 72 is released, the second part 70 can slide in a controlled and damped manner down into the first part 52.

The vehicle-mountable balancer 10 is a small, compact and lightweight device, typically weighing in total around 40 kg, which is ideal for mounting on the rear floor of a small to medium sized vehicle, typically being a van. The vehicle 24 in this embodiment includes at least one rear side door 122, in this case conveniently being a sliding rear door, and a rear floor area 22 accessible through a rear door opening 124 closable by the rear door 122. The vehicle 24 should also include sufficient space to carry at least one spare tyre and various tools. Although preferably a rear side door, since this allows the user to position themselves to view oncoming traffic if necessary, the rear door may be a rear back door at the back of the vehicle.

When the fitter arrives at the fitting site, typically being a roadside with a lorry or other vehicle having the damaged tyre, the fitter's vehicle 24 is parked at a suitable proximate but safe location, the rear side door 122 is opened and the support arm 14 is lowered down to project out of the rear side door opening 124. The jack device 16 is length- adjusted to set the support arm 14 at a suitable height so that the wheel with damaged tyre will not be impeded by the ground when received on the balancing arm 96 of the wheel-balancing device 18. The wheel-balancing device 18 is also suitably positioned via the knuckle joint 78 to be substantially horizontal, although it can be used vertically, for example, when removing the tyre or breaking the bead. The wheel with damaged tyre is removed from the stricken vehicle, and if necessary, is placed on the balancing arm 96 of the wheel -balancing device 18 whilst the bead- breaker device is used to break the bead of the damaged tyre away from the rim. The damaged tyre can then be removed from the rim, and a new tyre can be placed on the rim following suitable preparation. This is beneficial since the wheel can remain upright at all times whilst breaking the bead. As such, the fitter is not required to manually turn the wheel over to break the beads on both sides.

With the uninflated new tyre on the rim, and the wheel on the balancing arm 96 of the wheel-balancing device 18 whereby the rear of the tyre is preferably facing the balancing body 92, the airline 118 of the air-pressure regulator 82 is placed on the tyre to seat the tyre on the rim by the use of high-pressure air. The air-pressure regulator 82 is thus set to an air pressure of, for example, 900 kPa so that, once reached, the supply of air is halted thereby preventing over inflation. Should the tyre blow off the rim during this procedure, the tyre will blow backwards due to the safety design of modern larger wheel rims, and the tyre will thus be caught and its movement halted by the support arm 14 of the vehicle-mountable balancer 10. The fitter thereby remains safe and unharmed.

With the new tyre seated on the rim, the airline 118 of the air-pressure regulator 82 can be reset to the required normal inflation pressure of the tyre, connected to the valve and the tyre can be inflated until the requisite pressure is reached. At this point, the air- pressure regulator 82 again halts the flow of air, thereby preventing over inflation and the possible risk associated therewith.

With the inflated new tyre spaced from the ground by the jack device 16 and the appropriate data inputted to the balancing circuitry, the wheel is spun by manually turning the releasable locking handle 98, a read out on the display is interpreted by the fitter, and suitable, for example, self-adhesive weight strips or crimped weights are connected to the rim at appropriate positions until a suitable balancing read out within accepted tolerances is received.

With the tyre inflated and the wheel balanced, the wheel is then removed from the balancing arm 96 of the wheel-balancing device 18 and refitted on the stricken vehicle.

The vehicle-mountable balancer 10 may also be conveniently utilised for re-grooving or re-treading of a tyre. With the rim mounted on the balancing arm 96 of the wheel- balancing device 18 and the tyre seated thereon and spaced from the ground by the jack device 16, a regroover can use their shoe wedged between the tyre and the ground to brake the turning of the wheel whilst a re-grooving tool is used to manually cut new tread in the normal manner. This is particularly beneficial over the standard method which relies on the weight of the wheel being supported by the tyre on the ground, and often the wheel being balanced between the knees of the regroover.

With the wheel with new tyre removed from the vehicle-mountable balancer 10, the compressor can be disconnected and the battery pack or packs removed for recharging, for example, via a plug-in charger which connects to the cigarette-lighter socket of the vehicle for charging during transit to the next location. The support arm 14 is then raised into its stowage condition and the wheel -balancing device 18 rotated to preferably point downwards thereby protecting the circuitry within the balancing body 92. The jack device 16 can be retracted and clipped back into place against the support arm 14 to prevent or limit swing movement during transit.

The vehicle-mountable balancer described above does not utilise any electric motors, thereby making the device robust and generally easily fixable should a breakage occur. Should the electronic equipment, such as the wheel-balancing device and/or the air- pressure regulator, malfunction then this or these parts can either be easily detached from the support arm and replaced. Additionally or alternatively, the base plate element and the mounting plate element of the mounting means can be easily and quickly separated so that the vehicle-mountable balancer can be brought off the vehicle and replaced with another unit.

The damper may be dispensed with. However, preferably, the support arm is releasably lockable in its upright stowage position during transit.

Although preferably telescopic, the main support arm may be length-adjustable by folding, pivoting or using a scissor mechanism.

Similarly, although the jack device is preferably telescopic, a scissor mechanism could be utilised. The mounting means is preferably disengagable. However, the mounting means and thus the balancer may be permanently engaged with the rear floor of the vehicle whereby removal of the balancer, although perhaps possible with the appropriate tools for example if the vehicle were to be scrapped or sold, is not intended during everyday use.

Although the mounting means utilises separable plates in the above described embodiments, the channel shaped plates are preferable and other arrangements are possible, such as interegnagable knuckle parts or pivotable disengagable hinge parts.

Additionally, the air-pressure regulator is preferable, since it does add an extra level of safety. However, it may be dispensed with in some circumstances. Although preferably electronic, the air-pressure regulator could be mechanical.

It is thus possible to provide a portable and pivotably extendable vehicle-mountable balancer which is securely and releasably mountable within a vehicle for mobile tyre fitting and balancing. The whole weight of the wheel being worked on can be taken by the balancer during removal of the old tyre and inflation of the new tyre. The fitting process thereby becomes much safer in terms of less weight to be moved by the fitter and also that the tyre cannot becomes separated from the balancer without the fitter releasing the rim from the balancing arm. It is also possible for the fitter to stand clear of the new tyre during inflation, due to the air-pressure regulator of the balancer, thereby improving safety. The balancer, by use of the knuckle joint, also enables bespoke positioning of the fitter relative to the support or recovery vehicle and the stricken vehicle, thereby allowing the fitter to view on-coming traffic if needs be. The lightweight and small footprint of the balancer frees storage space within the support or recovery vehicle, thereby allowing more spare tyres and/or a smaller and thus more economical vehicle to be used. The wheel-balancing device is preferably designed to balance a wheel mounted either facing forwards or backwards, and some smaller wheels may have a front removal design for their tyre. As such, the tyre can still be removed whilst on the balancer, but simply reversed for the seating, inflation and balancing procedures. The vehicle-mountable balancer also removes a significant portion of the physical labour involved in fitting a new tyre and balancing the wheel, thereby reducing fatigue and tiredness of the fitter.

The embodiments described above are provided by way of examples only, and various other modifications will be apparent to persons skilled in the field without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.