Process and apparatus for controlling tyres, in a process and plant for manufacturing tyres for vehicle wheels

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10458883-B2
Application number	US-201615568709-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 18, 2016
Priority date	Apr 30, 2015
Publication date	Oct 29, 2019
Grant date	Oct 29, 2019

Abstract

An apparatus and a process for controlling tires wherein the apparatus includes at least one control station which includes: a base; a rotating table mounted on the base so as to be able to rotate around a respective vertical rotation axis; at least one control device operatively active at the rotating table; and a movement device configured for rotating the rotating table around the vertical rotation axis. The rotating table has a substantially horizontal abutment portion configured for receiving and supporting a sidewall of a tire to be controlled. The abutment portion is movable in the horizontal plane according to two directions with respect to the vertical rotation axis by means of an actuator. A detection device is configured for detecting a shift between the vertical rotation axis and the main axis of the tire. An electronic management unit operatively connected to the detection device and to the actuator is configured for driving the actuator and moving the abutment portion according to the two directions as a function of the detected shift in order to render such shift less than a pre-established value, so as to center the tire with respect to the vertical rotation axis before executing the controls.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus for controlling tyres, each tyre having a main rotation axis, comprising at least one control station, wherein said at least one control station comprises:
a base;
a rotating table mounted on the base so as to be able to rotate around a respective vertical rotation axis, wherein the rotating table comprises an abutment portion lying in a plane substantially horizontal and perpendicular to said vertical rotation axis and configured for receiving and supporting a sidewall of a tyre to be controlled, and wherein the abutment portion is movable in said plane that is substantially horizontal with respect to the vertical rotation axis according to two directions belonging to said substantially horizontal plane;
at least one control device operatively active at the rotating table;
a movement device configured for rotating the rotating table around said vertical rotation axis;
at least one actuator operatively connected to the abutment portion in order to move said abutment portion according to said two directions;
a detection device configured for detecting a shift on said substantially horizontal plane between the vertical rotation axis and the main axis of the tyre; and
an electronic management unit operatively connected to the detection device and to said at least one actuator, wherein the electronic management unit is configured for driving the actuator and moving the abutment portion according to at least one of said two directions as a function of the detected shift, in order to render such shift less than a pre-established value.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the electronic management unit is configured for centering the tyre with respect to the rotation axis, substantially cancelling said shift.

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the detection device is an optical type.

4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the rotating table comprises an endless conveyor movable along a first direction of said two directions and carrying said abutment portion, wherein said endless conveyor is also movable for a predefined travel along a second direction of said two directions.

5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the endless conveyor comprises a conveyor belt wound on a pair of rollers, in which an upper surface of the conveyor belt defines the abutment portion.

6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the endless conveyor comprises a plurality of powered rollers, in which the assembly of upper surfaces of said powered rollers defines said abutment portion.

7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the rotating table comprises a rotating support rotatably coupled to the base around said vertical rotation axis, in which the endless conveyor is mounted on the rotating support and is movable with respect to said rotating support along the second direction.

8. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , comprising a plurality of control stations.

9. The apparatus as claimed in claim 8 , wherein, between each control station and a next control station, a transfer group is placed comprising at least one transfer roller.

10. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9 , wherein said at least one transfer roller is powered.

11. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the transfer group comprises two or more auxiliary transfer rollers respectively placed downstream and upstream of the transfer roller.

12. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the transfer group is movable between a work position, in which the transfer group lies between one control unit and a next control unit in order to support a moving tyre, and a rest position, in which the transfer group allows the free rotation of the rotating table(s).

13. The apparatus as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the auxiliary transfer rollers are movable between a work position, in which the auxiliary transfer rollers lie between one control unit and a next control unit in order to support a moving tyre, and a rest position, in which the auxiliary transfer rollers allow the free rotation of the rotating table.

14. The apparatus as claimed in claim 12 , wherein, in the rest position, the transfer group or the auxiliary transfer rollers is/are arranged in a lower position with respect to the rotating table.

15. A process for controlling tyres, each tyre having a main rotation axis, comprising the steps:
i. feeding a tyre to be controlled onto an abutment portion lying on a substantially horizontal plane, said abutment portion belonging to a respective rotating table having a rotation axis substantially perpendicular to said substantially horizontal plane;
ii. detecting a shift on said substantially horizontal plane present between said rotation axis and the main rotation axis of the tyre fed on said abutment portion;
iii. moving the abutment portion of said rotating table in said substantially horizontal plane with respect to the vertical rotation axis and according to at least one direction until said shift is reduced below a predetermined value;
iv. rotating the rotating table together with the tyre around said vertical rotation axis of the rotating table; and
v. executing controls on said tyre while the rotating table and the tyre are in rotation.

16. The process as claimed in claim 15 , wherein, at the end of the execution of said controls, provision is made for:
unloading said tyre from said abutment portion of said rotating table.

17. The process as claimed in claim 15 , wherein said predetermined value is smaller than 1 mm.

18. The process as claimed in claim 15 , wherein moving the abutment portion of the rotating table comprises: moving said abutment portion according to two directions on said substantially horizontal plane.

19. The process as claimed in claim 18 , wherein moving the abutment portion of the rotating table comprises: moving an endless conveyor carrying said abutment portion along a first direction of said two directions.

20. The process as claimed in claim 18 , wherein moving the abutment portion of the rotating table comprises: moving the endless conveyor for a predefined travel along a second direction of said two directions.

21. The process as claimed in claim 18 , wherein said two directions are orthogonal with respect to each other.

22. The process as claimed in claim 18 , wherein feeding the tyre comprises: loading said tyre on the rotating table by moving the abutment portion of said rotating table along a first direction of said two directions until the entire tyre rests on the rotating table.

23. The process as claimed in claim 22 , comprising: pre-centering the tyre along a first direction by detecting the passage of the tyre during loading and stopping the movement of the abutment portion along the first direction after a predefined travel.

24. The process as claimed in claim 15 , comprising: simultaneously advancing, step-by-step, a plurality of tyres tires along a control path and executing controls on said tyres during time intervals placed between subsequent steps; wherein at each time interval, provision is made to execute steps from ii to v.

25. The process as claimed in claim 24 , wherein advancing comprises: supporting each tyres between one rotating table and a next rotating table or between one rotating table and a transport and overturning device by means of a transfer group.

26. The process as claimed in claim 25

Assignees

• Pirelli

Inventors

• Boffa Vincenzo
• Marchini Maurizio
• Held Alessandro
• Antoj Riccardo

Classifications

• G01M17/022

  the tyre co-operating with rotatable rolls · CPC title

• G01M17/021 Primary

  Tyre supporting devices, e.g. chucks (for balancing G01M1/04) · CPC title

• G01M17/027

  using light, e.g. infrared, ultraviolet or holographic techniques · CPC title