Bladder-fixing unit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9969139-B2
Application number	US-201615291651-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 12, 2016
Priority date	Oct 15, 2015
Publication date	May 15, 2018
Grant date	May 15, 2018

Abstract

A bladder-fixing unit fixes a bladder which expands in a tire to hold the tire,
the bladder-fixing unit includes a shaft body inserted into the bladder, and a connecting body for fixing the bladder and for connecting the bladder and the shaft body to each other,
the connecting body includes a switching mechanism for switching between a state where the connecting body pressurizes and comes into contact with an outer periphery of the shaft body and is fixed to the shaft body, and a movable state where the connecting body can move in an axial direction of the shaft body relative to the shaft body by releasing the state where the connecting body pressurizes and comes into contact with the outer periphery of the shaft body.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A bladder-fixing unit for fixing a bladder which expands in a tire to hold the tire, wherein
the bladder-fixing unit includes a shaft body inserted into the bladder, and a connecting body for fixing the bladder and for connecting the bladder and the shaft body to each other,
the connecting body includes a switching mechanism for switching between a state where the connecting body pressurizes and comes into contact with an outer periphery of the shaft body and is fixed to the shaft body, and a movable state where the connecting body can move in an axial direction of the shaft body relative to the shaft body by releasing the state where the connecting body pressurizes and comes into contact with the outer periphery of the shaft body.

2. The bladder-fixing unit according to claim 1 , wherein the switching mechanism includes a cylindrical inner cylindrical body into which the shaft body is inserted, and a cylindrical outer cylindrical body,
if the outer cylindrical body moves toward the one side in the axial direction relative to the inner cylindrical body, an inner periphery of the outer cylindrical body comes into contact with an outer periphery of the inner cylindrical body,
the inner cylindrical body includes a contact portion which pressurizes and comes into contact with the outer periphery of the shaft body, and an elastic portion, and
if the outer periphery of the inner cylindrical body comes into contact with the inner periphery of the outer cylindrical body, the elastic portion elastically deforms such that the contact portion approaches, pressurizes and comes into contact with the outer periphery of the shaft body.

3. The bladder-fixing unit according to claim 2 , wherein the outer cylindrical body fixes the bladder, and
a diameter of the outer periphery of the inner cylindrical body and a diameter of the inner periphery of the outer cylindrical body increase toward the one side in the axial direction such that as the bladder expands, the outer cylindrical body moves toward the one side in the axial direction relative to the inner cylindrical body, and the elastic portion elastically deforms.

4. The bladder-fixing unit according to claim 2 , wherein the switching mechanism includes a biasing body which biases the outer cylindrical body in a direction in which the outer cylindrical body moves toward the one side in the axial direction relative to the inner cylindrical body when the connecting body is in the state where it is fixed to the shaft body.

5. The bladder-fixing unit according to claim 4 , wherein even when the connecting body is in the movable state where the connecting body can move in the axial direction relative to the shaft body, the biasing body biases the outer cylindrical body in the direction where the outer cylindrical body moves toward the one side in the axial direction relative to the inner cylindrical body.

6. The bladder-fixing unit according to claim 2 , wherein only the contact portion of the inner cylindrical body is made of material which is different from those of other portions, and
the contact portion is made of material having a larger friction coefficient with respect to the shaft body than those of the other portions.

Assignees

• Toyo Tire & Rubber Co

Inventors

• Nonogaki Yuta
• Yamamoto Taizo

Classifications

• B29D30/0645 Primary

  Devices for inserting vulcanising cores, i.e. bladders, into the tyres; Closing the press in combination herewith · CPC title

• B29D2030/0646

  Attaching to, or removing the vulcanizing cores or bladders from the center mechanisms · CPC title