Machines for examining pneumatic tires

Claim 1

A tire-examining device comprising in combination: first disk means having a first circumscribing flat lower face extending in a first plane, and for rotation of said first face along said first plane around a first central axis structure extending transversely of the first disk means; a first shaft means rotatably mounting said first disk means for said first rotation; second disk means having a second circumscribing flat upper face extending in a second plane substantially parallel to the first plane with second central axis structure extending transversely to the second disk means and substantially coaxially with said first axis strcture; the flat lower face and the flat upper face each being of predetermined diameter greater than diameters of annular beads of a tire to be mounted therebetween such that in opposing relationship the flat lower face and the flat upper face are gripable in vise manner against opposite side faces of a tire mounted for inspection; plate moving axially one of the first disk means and the second disk means relative to the other to and fro upwardly and downwardly along first and second central axis structure such that distance between the first face and the second face is variable; X-ray means axially extending transversely substantially centrally through one of the first and second disk means, for directing radiation laterally between the first and second flat faces, the X-ray means being mounted such that it is independent of rotation of the first and second disk means; gas-injection means having passage structure defining a passage extending about centrally through at least one of said first and second disk means, for gas injection into and exhaustion of gas from inner-tire space of a tire vise-mounted with opposite side-walls thereof sealably between the first and second disk means; projection screen means having a projection surface mounted to extend substantially transversely to and aligned with the space between said first and second planes and in alignment with and substantially perpendicular to said laterally directed radiation from said X-ray means; the projection screen means including said projection surface, spring lever elements, and screen-mounting elements operatively interconnected for moving the screen surface substantially perpendicularly to and fro alternately toward and away from the X-ray means; and a part of the lever elements being spring-biased by the spring lever elements to be positioned against and for movement by an outer tire tread of a tire being mounted between the first and second flat faces such that the screen projection surface becomes positioned distantly from the X-ray means when a tire of larger diameter is mounted and becomes positioned closer when a tire of small diameter is mounted between the first and second disks, said plate moving means including a light-receiving element and switch circuitry connected thereto such that blocking of light to the light-receiving element causes movement of one or more of the first and second disk means toward one-another to terminate automatically, the light-receiving element being positioned to receive a light beam between the first and second disk means and for a tire mounted therebetween to block a beam of light to the light-receiving means when the tire''s opposite side walls become both engaged between the first and second disk means.