Tire storage device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11155409-B2
Application number	US-201616472358-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 23, 2016
Priority date	Dec 23, 2016
Publication date	Oct 26, 2021
Grant date	Oct 26, 2021

Abstract

The present invention relates to a device for storing tires, particularly large tires, said tire storage device comprising a plurality of storage niches (10) and at least one elevator disposed in a front portion (31) of the device and engaging the plurality of storage niches (10), each storage niche (10) consisting of an inclined upper platform (II), a lower inclined platform (12), and a connecting platform (13) associating the upper platform (11) with the lower platform (12), the upper platform (11) comprising an inlet end of the tire (111) engaging the elevator and a second end (112) opposite the inlet end of the tire (111) engaging the connecting platform (13), the lower platform (12) comprising a first end (121) engaging the connecting platform and an outlet end of the tire (122) opposite the first end (121).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A tire storage device for organized storage of a series of tires to allow the tires to be sequentially discharged from the device in a first-in, first-out (FIFO) order, wherein the tire storage device comprises:
a plurality of tire storage niches arranged in parallel rows between front and rear portions of the device, wherein each of the tire storage niches defines an upper tire inlet and a lower tire discharge at the front portion of the device, and
a tire elevator assembly laterally moveable along the front portion of the device adjacent to the upper tire inlet and lower tire discharge of the plurality of tire storage niches, wherein
each tire storage niche includes:
(i) an upper platform having a forward end which includes the upper tire inlet and a rearward end opposite the forward end, the upper platform having a fixed stop at the forward end thereof and being downwardly inclined between the forward and rearward ends to allow tires on the upper platform to roll from the front portion towards the rear portion of the device,
(ii) a lower platform having a first end and a second end which includes the lower tire discharge opposite to the first end, the lower platform being downwardly inclined between the first and second ends to allow tires on the lower platform to roll from the rear portion towards the front portion of the device, and
(iii) a connecting platform operatively associating the upper platform with the lower platform to allow tires arriving at the rearward end of the upper platform to be transferred by gravity onto the first end of the lower platform, and wherein

the tire elevator assembly comprises:
a cage structure defining a plurality of laterally adjacent tire receiving compartments each for receiving a tire therein; and
a lift mechanism to lift the cage structure from a lowered position wherein each of the tire receiving compartments is positioned adjacent to a lower tire discharge of a respective tire storage niche, and a raised position wherein each of the tire receiving compartments is positioned adjacent the upper tire inlet of the respective tire storage niche; wherein
each of the tire receiving compartments includes a forward and rearward floor segments angularly extending relative to one another from an intermediate portion of the floor member, wherein the floor member is pivotally connected to the cage structure at the intermediate portion thereof so as to allow pivotal movements of the floor member between tire loading and unloading conditions; and wherein
the forward floor segment is lowered when the floor member is in the tire loading condition to allow a tire to be placed within a respective tire receiving compartment while the rearward floor segment is upwardly displaced so as to retain the tire within the respective tire receiving compartment as the cage assembly is moved from the lowered position and into the raised position by the lift mechanism, and wherein
the rearward floor segment engages the fixed stop at the forward end of the upper platform in response to the cage assembly being moved into the raised position which responsively causes the floor member to be pivoted about the intermediate portion thereof and thereby moved into the tire unloading condition such that the forward floor segment is upwardly displaced while the rearward floor segment is lowered and aligned with the tire inlet of the upper platform to allow the tire within the respective tire receiving compartment to roll out of the respective tire receiving compartment and onto the upper tire platform at the tire inlet thereof.

2. The tire storage device according to claim 1 , wherein the upper platform is downwardly inclined at an angle of 2.5° between the forward and rearward ends thereof, and the lower platform is downwardly inclined at an angle of 5° between the first and second ends thereof.

3. The tire storage device according to claim 2 , wherein the upper platform and the lower platform are one-piece planar platform elements, and wherein the plurality of storage niches further includes a plurality of rectilinear guides of adjustable width and length that are arranged side by side, parallel to each other.

4. The tire storage device according to claim 1 , wherein the connecting platform comprises a vertical first segment separated from the rearward end of the upper platform, and a second segment joined to a lower portion of the first segment which is downwardly inclined from the first segment and towards the first end of the lower platform.

5. The tire storage device according to claim 4 , wherein the first segment and the second segment of the connecting platform forms two angles of fall for the tires such that a vector (R) resulting from forces (F) applied to a previous tire is located above a subsequent tire.

6. The tire storage device according to claim 1 , wherein the lift mechanism comprises a spindle operatively connected to the cage structure and a motor operatively connected to the spindle, wherein operation of the motor causes the spindle to lift the cage structure from the lowered position to the raised position.

7. The tire storage device according to claim 1 , wherein the device further comprises rails positioned along the front portion of the device, and wherein the tire elevator assembly is operatively associated with the rails so as to be laterally moveable along the front portion of the device.

Assignees

• Embraer Sa

Inventors

• Aparecido Castilho Juliano
• Filgueiras Cruz Alexandre

Classifications

• B66D3/18

  Power-operated hoists · CPC title

• B65G1/08 Primary

  the articles being fed by gravity {(braking arrangements for roller-ways B65G13/075; separating or stopping elements B65G47/88)} · CPC title

• B65G2201/0273

  Tires · CPC title

• B66C1/422

  actuated by lifting force (B66C1/44, B66C1/58 take precedence) · CPC title

• B65G1/14

  Stack holders or separators · CPC title