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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