Method and device for measuring the ply angle prior to cutting

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9539737-B2
Application number	US-201013519124-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 7, 2010
Priority date	Dec 24, 2009
Publication date	Jan 10, 2017
Grant date	Jan 10, 2017

Abstract

Cutting device for cutting a reinforcing ply (N) formed of a set of portions of thread, of given length, coated in a rubber compound, laid parallel to one another and making a given theoretical angle (a) with the longitudinal direction of the ply, characterized in that it includes a first element able, without proceeding to cut the said ply (N), to estimate the actual angle of the threads with the longitudinal direction (XX′) of the device and a second element able to cut the ply (N) at the actual angle (a+da) estimated by the first element.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A cutting device for cutting a reinforcing ply formed of a set of portions of thread, of given length, coated in a rubber compound, laid parallel to one another and making a given theoretical angle with a longitudinal direction of the ply, comprising:
a first means able, without proceeding to cut the ply, to apply a first force and to estimate an actual angle of the threads with a longitudinal direction of the device, comprising a measurement wheel, mounted on a mobile support running on a straight rail, with a direction of the rail being orientable to a given angle with the longitudinal direction of the device, and able to follow a groove formed by a space between two mutually juxtaposed reinforcing threads when the support moves along the rail, and of which an axle, oriented substantially in a direction perpendicular to a plane formed by the direction of the rail and by the direction perpendicular to the plane of the ply, is free to move in said direction of the axle, and
a second means able to apply a second force that is greater than the first force and to cut the ply at the actual angle estimated by the first means;
wherein the first means further comprises;
assessing means for assessing the distance covered by the support of the said wheel along the rail,
assessment means for assessing the movement of the said wheel in the direction parallel to the direction of the axle, and
calculation means able to determine a mean actual angle of the threads with the longitudinal direction.

2. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the first means comprises application means able, when the device is in operation, to apply the measurement wheel to the surface of the ply with the first force.

3. The device according to claim 2 , wherein the application means are able to apply the first force of between 1 daN and 5 daN to apply the measurement wheel to the ply.

4. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the axle of the measurement wheel is connected to the mobile support via a rigid frame able to move freely in a direction parallel to the direction of the axle of the measurement wheel.

5. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the axle of the measurement wheel is connected to the support via an articulated frame comprising:
a support axle secured to the support that is parallel to the axle of the measurement wheel;
two link rods each having articulations at their respective ends, the respective articulations at a first one of the respective ends of the two link rods connected to respective ends of the support axle, and the respective articulations at a second one of the respective ends of the two link rods connected to the two ends of the axle of the measurement wheel.

6. The device according to claim 5 , wherein the two link rods are mounted with “toe-in” at an angle with respect to the direction of the rail, so that movement of the measurement wheel in a direction perpendicular to the plane formed by the direction of the rail and by the direction perpendicular to the plane of the ply causes the plane of the measurement wheel to rotate by dt with respect to the direction of the rail.

7. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the second means comprises:
a straight rail orientable at a given angle with the longitudinal direction of the device;
a cutting wheel, mounted on a mobile support running along the rail, with an axis of the cutting wheel being oriented substantially in a direction perpendicular to the plane formed by the direction of the rail and by the direction perpendicular to the plane of the ply, and able to cut through the bridge of rubber separating two mutually juxtaposed portions of thread, and
application means able, when the device is in operation, to apply said cutting wheel to the surface of the said ply with the second force.

8. The device according to claim 7 , wherein the axle of the cutting wheel is also free to move in the direction perpendicular to the plane formed by the direction of the rail and by the direction perpendicular to the plane of the ply.

9. The device according to claim 7 , wherein application means are able to apply said cutting wheel to the surface of the ply with a second application force of between 50 daN and 90 daN.

10. The device according to claim 2 , wherein the first means and the second means are positioned on the mobile support on the straight rail.

11. The device according to claim 10 , wherein the measurement wheel and the cutting wheel coincide with each other, and wherein the application means is configured to apply the measurement wheel and the cutting wheel to the surface of the ply with a first application force and a second application force in succession.

12. A method for cutting a reinforcing ply formed of a set of portions of thread, of given length, coated in a rubber compound, laid parallel to one another and making the given angle with a longitudinal direction of the ply, using a device according to claim 10 , comprising the following steps during which:
unrolling the ply is under the first means;
orienting the rail supporting the first means such that the rail makes an angle with the longitudinal direction of the device that corresponds to a theoretical angle of the threads with respect to the longitudinal direction of the ply;
determining a mean angular discrepancy between the theoretical direction of the threads and the actual direction of the threads with the longitudinal direction using the first means by running the measurement wheel along a groove formed by the space between two mutually juxtaposed reinforcing threads;
orienting the rail supporting the second means such that the rail makes an angle with the longitudinal direction of the device corresponding to the actual angle of the threads with respect to the longitudinal direction of the ply; and
cutting a portion of ply using the cutting wheel of the second means.

13. The method according to claim 12 , further comprising:
cutting the ply using the second means along the groove used to guide the measurement wheel when evaluating the angular discrepancy using the first means.

14. The method according to claim 12 , further comprising:
cutting the ply using the second means downstream, in the direction in which the ply is unrolled, of the groove that was used to measure the angular discrepancy using the first means.

Assignees

• Ravat Stéphane
• Ducros Thierry
• Dubois Clément
• Michelin & Cie
• Michelin Rech Tech

Inventors

• Ravat Stéphane
• Ducros Thierry
• Dubois Clément

Classifications

• B26D7/2635 Primary

  for circular cutters · CPC title

• Y10T83/538

  Positioning of tool controlled · CPC title

• B29D2030/466

  Cutting the textile inserts between cords · CPC title

• Y10T83/0405

  With preparatory or simultaneous ancillary treatment of work · CPC title

• B26D1/141

  for thin material, e.g. for sheets, strips or the like · CPC title