Automated Systems in Tire Production

Tire buffing machine with a sensor-based belt depth measurement system to optimize buffing of retreaded tires. The machine has a buffing device to shape the tire carcass and a belt detection apparatus with multiple sensors to measure belt depths at different lateral positions within the tire. An electronic controller uses the sensor data to adjust the buffing operation. This allows accounting for belt thickness variations across tires and preventing overbuffing that damages the carcass. The controller also has a database of buffing parameters for different tire profiles.

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A manufacturing tool with a fixed robot arm attached to it for optimized automation and ease of use. The robot arm is integrated into the tool itself and cannot be detached. This allows the robot to assist the tool during operation since it is always in the correct position relative to the tool. The fixed association reduces tool change effort as the robot is attached to the positioning device and detached with the tool. It also simplifies programming since the robot's position in relation to the tool remains fixed.

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Cutting system for fabricating reinforcing plies for tires that allows higher throughput, lower energy consumption, and wider cutting angle range compared to conventional cutting methods. The system uses two rotating rollers with blades to cut the strip widthwise. The roller speeds are synchronized to adjust the cutting angle relative to strip direction. At the leading edge, roller speeds increase to prevent flexing and ensure clean cuts. At the trailing edge, roller speeds decrease to prevent deformation and maintain straight cuts. A variable synchronizer adjusts the roller speeds to control the cutting angle.

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A method and mechanical drum for building tires that allows simultaneous attachment of bead filler and sidewalls to improve tire building efficiency. The method involves rolling the bead filler and sidewall at the same time using separate mechanisms attached to the tire drum. A lead screw moves the turn-up mechanism to roll the sidewall while the attaching mechanism rolls the bead filler. This allows overlapping the processes to shorten tire building time compared to sequential attachment.

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Improved application of sealing agents inside pneumatic tires to ensure uniform thickness and prevent variations. The system uses a robot with a reciprocating arm to apply the sealing agent in a bead shape along the inner cavity walls. This allows precise control of the thickness and width of the sealing agent strip. The robot compensates for irregularities in the cavity shape and flow fluctuations in the sealing agent supply to achieve consistent thickness across the internal surface. This eliminates the need for excess sealing agent to compensate for variations.

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Robotic tire mounter for automated tire assembly that reduces weight and damage compared to conventional grippers. The mounter uses a selectively moveable gripper unit with retractable fingers. The fingers extend into the tire opening to grip the beads, then retract slightly to deform the tire. This allows lifting the tire onto the wheel without pressing against the treads. The fingers can then move back to the gripping position for lowering the tire onto the wheel. The retractable fingers avoid contacting the treads, reducing weight and damage compared to grippers that press against the treads.

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A conveyance device for transferring cylindrical tire forming members between drums in a tire manufacturing process. The device has an annular frame that surrounds the drums, a sucker on the frame with suction pads to grip the tire, and a frame conveyor to move the annular frame. The suction pads are side by side in circumferential direction and adjacent pads are driven by different mechanisms to allow radial movement. This allows conveying a tire between drums without needing a separate vacuum chamber for each drum size.

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Automated tire defect detection system that uses thermal imaging to identify tire defects without the need for water immersion or manual inspection. The system captures infrared images of a tire section before and after inflation to detect areas that cooled due to air escaping through defects. By comparing frames, it identifies defect locations based on temperature changes. The system is fully automated and records results without requiring trained operators.

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A conveyance device for moving cylindrical tire molds between drums in a tire manufacturing process. The conveyance device has a frame that surrounds the drums and a sucker attached to the frame. The sucker has center suction pads to grip the mold's center and end suction pads to grip the mold's ends. There is a gap between the center and end pads. An adjustment device can vary the gap length in the axial direction. This allows the conveyor to properly grip molds of varying thicknesses without deforming them due to excessive suction force. The end pads move opposite directions to adjust the gap length.

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Cutting device and method for reliably cutting tire components like breaker cushions and gum strips without damaging the edges. The device has retaining members along the cutting line to hold the component at specific regions. This prevents biting and curling of the edges during cutting. A pressing device moves the component onto the retaining members before cutting. The cutting device also has features like vacuum-cup retaining, simultaneous retaining symmetry, and active pressing to accurately engage the edges. The method involves aligning the component, pressing the edges, and then cutting.

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Complex forming device for making rubber products with non-protruding layers by using blades to pass underneath. The device has an extrusion roller with a chamber for plasticizing the rubber. The chamber is defined by the roller and a wall with projecting threads. The threads delimit the chamber to shape the rubber. But the device also has additional features to allow blades to pass beneath the extruded rubber. This prevents protrusions and provides smooth layers. The device has supports for an additional roller below the extrusion roller, and securing to hold it in place. This allows the blades to move between the rollers. It also enables removing any rubber particles trapped between the rollers. The device can be used in tire production lines to make tires with consistent smooth layers.

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Automated method and apparatus for applying rubberized electronic tags to tires during the tire building process. The method involves using a specialized peeling device to detach the lightweight, flexible, sticky tags from a continuous band carrying them. The device has a section where the band with tags enters and slides. The tags initially adhere strongly to the band's front surface. As the band moves through the section, the tags gradually detach due to a lower adhesion force on the back surface. This prevents the tags from following the band's curvature and jamming. The detachment force required is lower at the exit since the adhesion force is reduced.

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A method and system for applying sealing agent to the internal cavity of a pneumatic tire to improve sealing uniformity and reduce weight. The system uses a robot with a movable arm to apply a uniform sealing bead to the internal cavity. It takes into account the actual profile of the cavity and fluctuations in sealing agent flow to provide consistent thickness and width of the sealing bead. This prevents overapplying sealing agent in some areas to compensate for thickness variations. The robot's reciprocating motion applies the bead between the lateral ends of the cavity. This allows adjusting the bead thickness based on the cavity shape. It also compensates for flow variations by applying the bead using the robot rather than a fixed applicator. This improves sealing uniformity compared to conventional methods.

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A method and system for quickly and accurately determining variation in quality of long elongated tire components like belts by continuously scanning them with X-rays as they are conveyed. The system uses an X-ray source to scan a continuous section of the tire component as it moves. The X-ray transmittance images are acquired without gaps in the longitudinal direction. By analyzing the contrast in each image, the system calculates the variation in quality like thickness or compound composition along the length of the component.

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Servicer for cutting and supplying tire components to a tire building drum or transfer wheel that allows improved quality of the resulting tire. The servicer has a conveyor for transporting the tire component in a specific direction, a cutter bar downstream, and a movable blade on the cutter bar. The blade angle is oblique to the conveyor plane, allowing oblique cuts. A movable clamping element clamps the component near the cutter line. The blade and clamping element can move independently. This allows the component to be clamped and cut closer to the desired shape. The oblique cuts reduce distortion and improve splice quality compared to perpendicular cuts.

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Automated flow control system for rubber product manufacturing using modular robotic cells to optimize flow of rubber blocks between production installations. The system involves robotic cells with features like weighing, precise positioning, and locking to construct bins of rubber blocks that satisfy production campaigns. Robots pick specific blocks from containers based on parameters like viscosity to match recipes. The system trains itself to recognize block properties and target values. This allows automated construction of optimized bins with consistent block qualities for consistent batches.

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A 3D-configured production structure for rubber products using mobile intelligent manufacturing units that can be moved and placed in a warehouse for flexible and scalable production. The mobile units contain all necessary components like molds, vulcanization, feeding, collection, and reclaiming. The warehouse has a roadway and shuttle cars to move the units between storage areas. This allows multiple units to be produced simultaneously in different areas and enables flexible capacity adjustment. The units can be moved in and out of the warehouse using conveyors.

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AI-based system for accurately and efficiently detecting defects in vehicle disks using machine learning and imaging techniques. The system involves projecting light at an angle onto moving disks on a conveyor, capturing images, and analyzing them using AI algorithms to determine if the disk is defective. Defective disks are stored separately and non-defective ones are moved to storage. The AI image analysis allows more accurate defect detection compared to manual inspection and shortens production time by quickly separating defective disks.

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A device to uniformly and firmly press sound absorbing material inside tires to reduce tire noise. The device has a fixer to align the tire, a crimping unit with expanding frames, and a motor to lower the crimping unit onto the tire. The frames radially expand to press the inner liner's sound absorber. The expanding frames have connected segments that radially expand/contract. The frames are driven by a servomotor with bevel gears.

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Automated system for filling skived areas on tire carcasses during retreading. The system uses a scanner to analyze the tire surface and identify skived areas. It then determines whether to fill those areas and sends instructions to a filling device to do so. This allows efficient, automated skived area filling during tire retreading.

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Automated system for fixing fasteners with electronic components inside tires. The system has a preparation and fixation installation that allows optimized placement and secure fixation of fasteners inside tires without reducing productivity. The installation has a housing with a fixed and sliding section. The sliding section contains a gripper that engages the fastener center. A deformation actuator moves the gripper between gripping and deforming positions. The installation also has a vacuum control system to hold the fastener. The tire is fed between rollers and a positioning device aligns the fastener. A laser treats surfaces before fixation. The installation trains itself to recognize fastener locations and compare them to targets.

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Efficiently forming and inspecting green tires during tire manufacturing by sequentially moving the forming drum to multiple stations, bonding the tire components at each station, temporarily placing the drum with components at an inspection station to check quality during forming or after completion, and then vulcanizing the green tire. This allows continuous production without idle time between stations while still inspecting the green tire quality.

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Quickly and accurately determining variation in quality of an elongated tire member formed by bonding multiple constituent materials in the longitudinal direction. The method involves continuously scanning the tire section with X-rays as it moves along a conveyor. The X-ray transmittance images are acquired without gaps to create a continuous sequence. By analyzing contrast in each image, the method determines variation in quality across the tire length.

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Reliably detecting the edges of thin tire components like inner liners on a conveyor belt using a system with a recessed measuring slot. The belt has a recessed section between the support areas for the component. A sensor views the slot to measure component height. The recessed section prevents false edge detection from belt textures or irregularities.

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Method and system for manufacturing tires with reduced variation in quality along the longitudinal direction. It involves continuously scanning the tire using X-rays as it's being conveyed, acquiring image data without gaps, calculating quality variation from contrast, and correcting extruder screw speeds based on the variation to even out quality. This allows accurately determining and correcting quality variation without stopping the conveyor or thinning sections.

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Flexible and efficient method to manufacture tires with robotic automation and movable drum stations. The method involves sequentially moving a forming drum body between workstations using robots and a movable placement device. Tire components are bonded and vulcanized on the moving drum. This allows flexible sequential movement between workstations without rigid conveyors. The drum movement path and workstation selection are optimized for specific tire types.

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Automated tire assembly line for two-wheeled electric vehicles that reduces labor costs, improves quality, and increases efficiency compared to manual assembly. The line has separate stations for feeding tires, wheel hubs, brake discs, bolt installation, tire changing, and final assembly. Features like tire stacking, grabbing, rotation, and trademark detection automate tire handling. The line progresses tires through these stations using conveyors and manipulators rather than manual operators.

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Fully automated self-sealing tire production line to reduce labor costs and achieve uniform quality compared to semi-automatic lines. The line has sections for scanning tires, weighing, gluing, cooling, and inspection. A robot transfers the tires between sections. After inspection, passed tires go to output and failed ones to rework. This allows fully automated production of self-sealing tires with consistent quality without manual intervention.

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An automated tire inspection system uses thermal imaging to detect defects without manual inspection or liquid agents. The system captures infrared images of a tire section before and after inflation. Air leaks cause temperature decreases, which are identified by comparing the images to locate defects. The system operates fully automatically with cameras, tire positioners, and inflators.

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A high-efficiency tire assembly system that improves tire production speed and quality by implementing automated tire assembly, inspection, and balancing processes. The system consists of feeding, loading, inspection, cage, and delivery units. The feeding unit feeds tires and rims. The loading unit assembles the tires onto rims. The inspection unit performs initial and reinspection. The cage unit holds assembled tires. The delivery unit balances and sorts the tires. Automated balancing machines inspect static, couple, and dynamic balance. This integrated, automated assembly and balancing system improves efficiency and quality compared to manual assembly.

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Tire defect detection system using machine vision and machine learning to improve tire production efficiency by automating defect detection. The system uses a camera to capture tire images, preprocesses them, and applies a trained detection model like YOLOv5 to identify defects like cracks, scratches, perforations, and air bubbles. This avoids subjective human inspection errors and improves speed compared to manual inspection. The model is optimized using distributed learning to accelerate training.

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A tire mounting machine that uses a movable tool holder carriage with multiple arms and tools to efficiently and precisely mount and demount tires on wheels. The machine has a wheel holder unit and a vertical sliding tool carriage that moves down to operate on the top sidewall of the tire. The carriage has arms with tools that can extend, rotate, and move independently to engage the bead, sidewall, and break the bead.

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A self-sealing tire construction and manufacturing method that allows for easy and cost-effective production of puncture-sealing tires with noise reduction. The tire has a foam layer containing a pre-sealant material that breaks down and seals punctures when the tire is vulcanized. The foam layer also reduces road noise. The foam is made by taking advantage of off-gassing during vulcanization that foams the elastomer around the pre-sealant.

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A drive-over system for measuring tire tread thickness using magnetic sensing to provide automated tire tread depth measurements. The system includes a drive-over surface with embedded magnetic sensors and magnets, protected by a non-magnetic layer. When a vehicle drives over the surface, the magnets generate a magnetic field that is disrupted by the steel belts in the tire's tread. The sensors measure this disruption to determine the thickness of the rubber above the belts.

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Online tire detection method for avoiding bad batches in tire production. The method involves using a panoramic camera to take internal pictures of freshly vulcanized tires as they are unloaded. The images are analyzed using AI to detect defects. If defects are found, the vulcanizing machine is stopped to prevent bad tires from being produced. The camera is fixed below the unloading hand and rotates to capture the entire tire interior. Smoke and light are supplied inside to improve image quality.

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Tire manufacturing method and system that improves tire quality by flexibly optimizing the manufacturing process for each individual tire. The method involves attaching position marks on specific ranges of the long tire body during production. Quality measurements are taken in those marked areas. When molding the green tire, the marks are read to identify the specific tire member being used. The quality data from that area is compared to targets. Manufacturing conditions are then adjusted for the current tire being molded to bring the quality closer to target. This feed-forward optimization. Additionally, when making new long bodies, quality data is collected and conditions adjusted to bring future tire quality closer to target. This feedback optimization. By precisely identifying and adjusting the specific sections of the tire being molded, quality can be improved individually and flexibly for each tire.

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A method of building a tire without an inner liner. The method involves spraying an air barrier material onto the inner surface of the tire after curing. The spraying can be done using automated equipment like an extending nozzle from below the tire. This eliminates the need for a separate inner liner layer and saves cost and weight compared to traditional tires.

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Fixture for construction of non-pneumatic tires to improve manufacturing consistency by precisely positioning and adhering the spokes to the hub of the tire. The fixture has movable elements that surround the spokes and are shaped to match the spoke profile. When the elements are radially compressed, they push the spokes inward onto the hub, causing them to bond in a consistent alignment. This ensures the spokes are uniformly positioned on the hub for reliable tire construction.

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A method and apparatus to accurately determine the thickness of each layer in a multi-layer tire tread, even if the outer layer is conductive and absorbs radiation. The apparatus has sensors above and below the tread that emit radiation beams into the tread. The upper sensor measures the thickness of the outer layer by subtracting distances between the sensors and the outer layer surfaces from a fixed sensor separation distance. The lower sensor measures the thickness of the inner layer. By continuously monitoring the tread thickness as it moves, the layer thicknesses can be tracked and controlled during manufacture.

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Process and system to manufacture high self-sealing tires using an automated, precision process that provides a layer of high molecular organic material on the tire's inner liner. The process includes cleaning the tire, spraying heated self-sealing material on the inner liner, and forced cooling. The cleaning involves soaking, scrubbing, rinsing, rotating, and air drying. The spraying uses an accelerated rotating tire and heated material. The forced cooling uses directed air to rapidly cool the sprayed material.

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Automated system for estimating the tread depth of a moving vehicle's tire. An imaging device captures an image of the tire from one side of the inspection lane while an illumination device shines light onto the tire from the other side. The image shows the tread grooves with shadowed sections and illuminated sections. By segmenting the image, measuring the groove width, and knowing the angles of illumination and imaging, the system can estimate the tread depth.

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Efficient and accurate tire assembly method using automated scanning and sorting of tires on conveyor lines to prevent assembly errors. The method involves scanning QR codes on tires as they move along the conveyor to get model and sorting info. This is used to route tires to separate branch lines based on assembly sequence. Tires with wrong models are identified and corrected by supplementing with correct tires before final assembly. This reduces manual verification and errors compared to traditional methods.

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Robotic assembly system for rollers using computer vision to improve efficiency and quality. The system uses a robot, feeding mechanism, press fixture, cameras, and controllers. The robot picks up rollers, feeds them to the press, and uses vision to accurately position and align the rollers before pressing. This eliminates manual positioning and improves consistency compared to traditional methods. The vision system also inspects assembled rollers for defects. The system can be remotely monitored and simulated using digital technology.

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Assembly system for large tires and wheels that improves efficiency and quality of tire mounting on large wheels. The system has units for measuring wheel hub dimensions, adjusting tire height and angle, lubricating the tire, lifting it onto the hub, and tightening it in place. This pre-adjustment reduces errors and eliminates non-conforming hubs and tires. The hub clamping and tire lifting prevent rotation during mounting, allowing smooth insertion. The tire tightening is done in both rotation directions to avoid uneven tire height. The tire pressure is checked after tightening to avoid overinflation.

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Method and apparatus for detecting defects in tire building machines to improve quality control. It involves using cameras to continuously monitor the feeding process of semi-finished tire materials like carcass plies. If a defect like exposed cords, foreign objects, or lack of adhesive is detected, a notification is generated to immediately stop the feed and remove the defective section. This prevents hidden defects from propagating and potentially causing issues later in the tire. The cameras continuously scan the tire materials as they feed through the machine to catch defects early.

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Automated system for reworking tires with incorrect pressure on a tire assembly line. The system has a detection station to measure tire pressure and a rework station with an inflation/deflation device. The system uses the detection station to identify tires with out-of-range pressure. If the pressure is too low, the system inflates the tire. If the pressure is too high, the system deflates the tire. The system stops reworking the tire when it reaches the target pressure range. This automated reworking improves efficiency compared to manual reworking.

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Automated method for filling inner supports in motorcycle tires after vulcanization to improve production efficiency and accuracy. The method involves using automated equipment to load and place inner supports inside the tire cavity instead of manual labor. This allows multiple tires to be filled at once and improves consistency and positioning of the inner supports. The automated system also allows for better control and scheduling of filling different tire sizes and models.

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Automatic tire assembly line for efficient and consistent production of tires without relying on manual labor. The line uses a PLC to control the assembly process steps for splitting, turning, sub-assembling, and inspecting tire skins and wheel hubs. The PLC coordinates the movement of components between dedicated storage devices using tracks and manipulators. This allows automated handling of the skin and hub sub-assembly before final assembly inspection and stacking. The line reduces labor costs, improves quality, and speeds up production compared to manual assembly.

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Method for controlling the production and feeding of semi-finished products in tire manufacturing to improve quality by detecting defects and foreign bodies. The method uses image analysis to scan the surface of the semi-finished product as it moves. It involves providing at least one image detection device to capture images of the product. The images are compared to identify defects like lack of rubber or foreign bodies. If issues are detected, a notification is generated to discard the product reel. This prevents using defective material in tires.

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Automatic tire conveying, unstacking and stacking inspection system for improving efficiency, quality and safety of tire handling in tire production. The system uses automated conveyors, turning devices, storage areas, and inspection equipment to move tires without manual intervention. Features like roller conveyors, belt lines, turning jacking mechanisms, accumulation rollers, and appearance inspection machines replace manual transportation and stacking. This eliminates issues like inefficiency, quality variations, and safety hazards associated with manual handling.

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