Holding device for visually inspecting a tire

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9288447-B2
Application number	US-201113635618-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 4, 2011
Priority date	Mar 15, 2010
Publication date	Mar 15, 2016
Grant date	Mar 15, 2016

Abstract

A for inspecting the internal surface located between a first and a second bead of a tire (P), comprising means for acquiring the image of the internal surface ( 1 ) of the tire, and centering means that are able to lock the first bead around its entire circumference on a reference plate, and to set the tire into relative rotation about its axis XX′ with respect to said image acquisition means. This device comprises means for opening and for holding the second bead, said means comprising two internal holding rollers ( 32, 32 ) which have a generally radial axis, and at least one external holding roller ( 33 ) which has a generally radial axis, is disposed substantially in the middle of the angular sector formed by the two internal holding rollers ( 31, 32 ) and is able to come into abutment against the external part of said second bead, the internal ( 31, 32 ) and external ( 33 ) holding rollers being mounted so as to rotate as one about the axis XX′ of said image acquisition means ( 1 ).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A device for inspecting an internal surface of a tire located between a first and a second bead of the tire, comprising:
an image acquisition means for acquiring an image of the internal surface of the tire, said image acquisition means comprising a lighting means and one or more cameras and being able to pass into a space inside the tire and to produce the image of an angular region of given angle of the internal surface of the tire;
centering means able to lock the first bead around its entire circumference on a reference plate, and able to set the tire into relative rotation about its axis XX′ with respect to said image acquisition means; and
means for opening and for holding the second bead comprising;
two internal holding rollers which are disposed circumferentially on a lifting plate in a contiguous manner with respect to one another and which have a generally radial axis,
at least one external holding roller which has a generally radial axis, which is disposed substantially in the middle of an angular sector formed by the two internal holding rollers, and which is able to come into abutment against an external part of said second bead, wherein the internal rollers and the at least one external holding roller are mounted so as to rotate as one about the axis XX′ of said image acquisition means,
one or more lifting rollers which have a generally radial axis and move radially between a refracted position and an extended position in which said one or more lifting rollers are able to come into contact with the axially internal side of said second bead and to move in an axial direction so as to move said second bead away from an equator of the tire, said one or more lifting rollers being disposed circumferentially on a complementary part of the angular sector occupied by the internal holding rollers.

2. The device according to claim 1 , comprising at least two external holding rollers spaced apart angularly.

3. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the internal holding rollers move between a refracted position and an extended position in which said internal holding rollers are able to come into contact with the internal side of the second bead and to move in an axial direction so as to move away from an equator of the tire and then to retain said second bead in position.

4. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the image acquisition means are positioned so as to acquire the image of an angular portion of the internal surface of the tire centered on the middle of the angular sector formed by the axes of the two internal holding rollers.

5. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the image acquisition means and the internal holding rollers and the at least one external holding roller are unable to rotate about the axis XX′, and in which the tire is rotated about its axis XX′ by said centering means.

6. The device according to claim 1 , further comprising lugs which are disposed axially on the exterior of the second bead at a given distance from the one or more lifting rollers and are able to carry out an axial movement so as to return the second bead to the closed position.

7. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the internal holding rollers and the one or more lifting rollers have an approximately frustoconical radial profile.

8. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the tire centering means comprise a centering ring, which forms the reference plate and is able to receive the first bead, and retractable hooks for locking said second bead on said centering ring, said hooks being placed at regular intervals around the entire circumference of said centering ring.

9. The device according to claim 8 , wherein the centering ring has a central passage allowing the image acquisition means to access an interior of the tire.

10. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the image acquisition means comprise a laser lighting means for illuminating a radial line and a camera able to capture light reflected by the internal surface of the tire, and in which said radial line is centered approximately on the middle of the angular sector formed by the pair of internal holding rollers.

11. A method for inspecting the internal part of the tire comprising the first and the second bead with the aid of the device according to claim 1 , comprising, in sequence:
the tire is fitted on the device;
the centering means are activated so as to lock the first bead on the reference plate;
the internal holding rollers and the lifting rollers are retracted radially;
the reference plate is moved in a direction parallel to the axis XX′ so as to move the first bead away from the second bead;
the internal holding rollers and the lifting rollers are extended radially into the space inside the tire;
the lifting plate is moved in a direction parallel to the axis XX′ as to move the second bead away from the first bead;
the at least one external holding roller is/are moved so as to hold the second bead securely between the two internal holding rollers and the at least one external holding roller;
the image acquisition means are introduced into the space inside the tire;
the centering means rotates so that the tire rotates about the axis XX′ with respect to the image acquisition means; and
the image of the internal surface of the tire is acquired by the image acquisition means.

12. The inspection method according to claim 11 , wherein the image of the internal surface of the tire is obtained by rotating the tire through 360° with respect to the image acquisition means.

13. The inspection method according to claim 11 , wherein, after the internal holding rollers and the lifting rollers have been extended,
the internal holding rollers are moved axially with respect to the lifting rollers toward the equator of the tire,
a portion of a circumference of the second bead is moved by moving the lifting plate in a direction away from the equator of the tire and by bringing the lifting rollers into contact with the axially inner part of the second bead up to a given distance, and
the internal holding rollers are moved so that a remainder of the circumference of said second bead is moved in the direction away from the equator of the tire.

14. The inspection method according to claim 13 , wherein:
a first image is produced of a first half of the internal surface of the tire between the second bead and the equator of the tire,
the tire is turned over,
a second image is produced of a second half of the internal surface of the tire between the first bead and the equator of the tire, and
the image of the internal surface is obtained by placing the first and the second image alongside one another.

Assignees

• Leobal Christian
• Bor Gérard
• Michelin & Cie
• Michelin Rech Tech

Inventors

• Leobal Christian
• Bor Gérard

Classifications

• G01M17/021 Primary

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

• G01N21/954

  Inspecting the inner surface of hollow bodies, e.g. bores · CPC title

• B60C25/14

  Apparatus or tools for spreading {or locating} tyre beads · CPC title

• B60C25/142

  Devices for tightening or expanding the felly, devices for spreading the tyres · CPC title

• B60C25/125

  for only breaking the beads · CPC title