Innovations in Tire Manufacturing Automation

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.

Building a tire without a separate inner liner, to save costs and weight. Instead of using a separate inner liner rubber, an air barrier material is sprayed on the inner surface of the cured tire after manufacturing. The tire is inflated to shape, then secured and rotated while a spray nozzle applies the air barrier. The spraying can be done using various machines in the tire production process like inflation machines, conveyor sections, or tire trimmers. The sprayed-on air barrier material replaces the inner liner to prevent air loss from the tire.

A process and apparatus for applying noise-reducing elements to tires. The process involves aligning the elements along a feeding direction, compacting them together, and then adhering the compacted group to the tire. The apparatus has a device to adjust the alignment and a compactor to press the elements together. This allows precise positioning of the elements before adhering, even if they are made from materials with high friction.

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.

A device for accurately sensing the wear condition of a tire tread without noise/disturbance issues. The device uses a voltage-generating element that deforms with tire rotation. A voltage detection unit captures the voltage waveform over time. An index value of voltage change is calculated and compared to reference data to determine the wear progress. The voltage changes due to tread deformation correlate directly with tread wear progress.

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.

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.

Manufacturing of multi-compound tire treads where blocks within the tread are made of different rubber compounds with targeted properties. The process involves shredding separate rubber compounds into fragments, mixing the fragments to create a random distribution, and then extruding the mixed fragments to form the tread. Randomly distributing the compound fragments allows the different compounds to maintain their individual properties within the tread.

Wear state detection of tire tread that accurately senses tire tread wear using a simple, robust sensor. The device uses a voltage-generating element that deforms during tire rotation. A voltage detection unit captures the voltage waveform over time while the tire rotates at different speeds. The frequency of voltage exceeding a threshold in a certain speed range and period indicates tread wear progression.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Process and apparatus for applying noise-reducing elements to a tire for vehicle wheels. The process includes aligning the elements in a feeding direction, compacting them together in the feeding direction to ensure alignment, and applying adhesive to each element before they are brought into contact. The apparatus includes a device to align and compact the elements before they are brought into contact and adhesive is applied. The apparatus also has an adjusting device to move the ends of the device perpendicular to the feeding direction to adjust element spacing. The alignment, compacting, and adjusting steps are done to ensure proper element positioning for noise reduction.