CN218749442U

CN218749442U - Tire unloading unit for unloading and weighing raw tires

Info

Publication number: CN218749442U
Application number: CN202221435842.6U
Authority: CN
Inventors: A·W·J·斯托特
Original assignee: VMI Holland BV
Current assignee: VMI Holland BV
Priority date: 2021-07-09
Filing date: 2022-06-09
Publication date: 2023-03-28
Anticipated expiration: 2032-06-09

Abstract

The utility model relates to a tire uninstallation unit for uninstalling and weighing raw tire, wherein, raw tire has the outside-facing circumference tread that extends around the tire axis, wherein, this tire uninstallation unit includes the basal portion and follows the first support arm that the basal portion stretches out along axial direction, and this first support arm is used for along circumference tread supporting raw tire and make the tire axis be on a parallel with axial direction, wherein, tire uninstallation unit still includes the sensor, and this sensor is located one side of the face of first support arm towards the basal portion in axial direction.

Description

Tire unloading unit for unloading and weighing raw tires

Technical Field

The utility model relates to a tire uninstallation unit for uninstallation and weighing unprocessed or unvulcanized tire.

Background

It is known to equip a tyre unloading unit with a weighing sensor to check the weight of the green tyres for quality control. If the weight of the green tire does not match the expected weight of the green tire, this may indicate that a component is missing or damaged.

CN 201784183U discloses a tyre unloading apparatus having an integrated weighing mechanism formed by a set of two support roller assemblies inserted through the centre of the green tyre and supporting the green tyre from the inside, i.e. along the inner edge.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

A disadvantage of the known tire unloading unit is that at the end of the tire building process, the green tire is still arranged around the tire building drum. The presence of the tire building drum hinders the insertion of the tire unloading apparatus. The green tire first needs to be engaged by the outer transfer ring to allow retraction of the tire building drum. Only then can the tire unloading unit be inserted in its center. Waiting for the tire building drum to retract from the green tire consumes valuable time.

Furthermore, because the sensor assembly is located directly below the support roller assembly, the known tire unloading apparatus is relatively bulky. The known tire unloading apparatus can thus only be inserted into the center of the green tire, where the previously mentioned conflict with the tire building drum occurs.

The utility model aims at providing a tire uninstallation unit for being directed at raw tire uninstallation and weighing, wherein, can reduce uninstallation and/or weigh the time that consumes.

The utility model provides a tire uninstallation unit for uninstallation and raw tire of weighing, wherein, raw tire has the outside circumference tread that faces that extends around the tire axis, and wherein, tire uninstallation unit includes the basal portion and follows the first support arm that the basal portion stretches out along axial direction, and first support arm is used for along circumference tread supporting raw tire and make the tire axis be on a parallel with axial direction, and wherein, tire uninstallation unit still includes the sensor, and the sensor is located one side of the face of first support arm towards the basal portion in axial direction.

In the tire unloading unit of the present invention, the sensor is located on one side of the first support arm. Thus, there is no sensor at or directly below the first support arm as in the prior art. Thus, the design and/or construction of the first support arm can be much more compact. In particular, the first support arm may be relatively narrow and/or thin, since its sole function is to support or carry the green tyre during unloading and weighing. Thus, the tire unloading unit according to the invention can be inserted into a relatively small space between the outer transfer ring and the green tire, allowing the tire unloading unit to engage with the outer side of the green tire, i.e. to cooperate with the outwardly facing circumferential tread of the green tire. This can be done even if the tire building drum is still present in the center of the tire, thereby saving valuable time during unloading and/or weighing.

The first support arm may be a single support arm having a suitable shape, i.e. concave, in order to support the green tyre in a stable manner. Alternatively, as will be discussed below with respect to one of the more specific embodiments, a second support arm and/or additional support arms may be provided to achieve multi-point support.

Preferably, the sensor is configured to measure a parameter at the base that is indirectly indicative of the weight of the green tyre. The parameters may be used to derive and/or calculate the weight of the green tire.

In particular, the sensor has a fixed first side and a second side movable in response to a torque generated by the green tire weight, wherein the sensor is configured to measure a deformation of the sensor between the first side and the second side. More particularly, the sensor is a strain gage load cell. The measured deformation can be used to calculate the torque, which can be used to deduce the weight of the green tyre when the distance from the first support arm to the sensor is known.

In one embodiment, the sensor is located between the first support arm and the base. In this position, the sensor can also be as close as possible to the side of the first support arm.

Alternatively, the tyre unloading unit further comprises a mounting structure, wherein the base is suspended from the mounting structure, wherein the sensor is located between the base and the mounting structure. Although in this alternative position the sensor is further from the first support arm and the calculation may be less accurate, the sensor output may still be used to calculate the torque which can be used to derive the weight of the green tire when the distance from the first support arm to the sensor is known.

In another preferred embodiment, the tire unloading unit further comprises a second support arm parallel to and spaced apart from the first support arm for supporting the green tire along the circumferential tread with the tire axis parallel to said axial direction. Thus, the green tyre can be supported by (at least) two separate support arms, thereby supporting the green tyre at two spaced apart locations.

Preferably, the tire unloading unit comprises a bridge member interconnecting the first and second support arms, wherein the sensor is located between the bridge member and the base. Although the weight of the green tire is distributed to the two support arms, the bridging member may transmit the force applied to the two support arms to a single sensor via the bridging member.

Additionally or alternatively, the tire unloading unit further comprises a stabilizing arm parallel to and spaced apart from the first and second support arms for pinching the circumferential tread of the green tire from above. For example, the stabilizing arms may temporarily stabilize the green tire as the tire unloading unit, outer transfer ring, and/or tire building drum are moved relative to the green tire. Once the green tire has stabilized on the first support arm, the stabilizing arm is no longer needed.

More preferably, the stabilizing arm is movable in a clamping direction towards and away from the green tyre for temporarily releasing the green tyre during weighing thereof. Any clamping force applied to the green tire during weighing increases the measured weight of the green tire, making the measurement inaccurate. By temporarily lifting the stabilizing arms away from the green tire, the weight of the green tire can be measured more accurately. Since the stabilizing arms have stabilized the green tyre, the stabilizing arms can be lifted temporarily without destabilizing the green tyre.

The various aspects and features described and illustrated in this specification may be applied separately where possible. These individual aspects may be the subject of a divisional application of utility model.

Drawings

The invention will be elucidated on the basis of exemplary embodiments shown in the drawings, in which:

fig. 1 shows a side view of a tire unloading unit according to a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 2 shows a front view of the tire unloading unit according to fig. 1, interacting with a green tire on a tire building drum, with an outer transfer ring arranged around the green tire;

figure 3 shows a front view of the tyre unloading unit and the green tyre according to figure 2, separately; and

fig. 4 shows a side view of an alternative tire unloading unit according to a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1-3 show a tire unloading unit 1 for unloading and weighing a raw tire 9 according to a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

When the green tire 9 is uncured (i.e., uncured), the green tire 9 may be referred to as "green". The green tire 9 has an outwardly facing circumferential tread 90 extending about the tire axis X and a rim 91 defining a central opening, cavity or center of the green tire 9. As shown in fig. 2, a green tire 9 is formed on the tire building drum D. The green tyre 9 can be engaged by an outer transfer ring T, which is known per se, after which the tyre building drum D can be removed from its centre.

The tyre unloading unit 1 comprises a base 2 and a first support arm 3, the first support arm 3 projecting or protruding from the base 2 in an axial direction a for supporting a green tyre 9 along a circumferential tread 90. In this exemplary embodiment, the base 2 comprises a column 20, the column 20 extending in an upright direction alongside the green tyre 9. The base 2 may be suspended from the erection structure 100, i.e. a beam or a movable support. Alternatively, the base 2 may be supported on the factory floor.

The first support arm 3 may be suitably shaped to support or carry the green tyre 9 alone, i.e. with a concave support surface (not shown) adapted to the radius of the green tyre 9. In this exemplary embodiment, the tyre unloading unit 1 comprises a second supporting arm 4, the second supporting arm 4 being parallel to and spaced apart from the first supporting arm 3, for supporting the green tyre 9 along a circumferential tread 90 together with the first supporting arm 3. One or more support arms 3, 4 of the tyre unloading unit 1 are arranged to support the green tyre 9 in an upright direction, i.e. with a tyre axis X parallel or substantially parallel to the axial direction a along which the support arms 3, 4 extend. Furthermore, both the tire axis X and the axial direction a are horizontal or substantially horizontal.

As best seen in fig. 3, the tyre unloading unit 1 further comprises a bridging member B interconnecting and/or holding both the first support arm 3 and the second support arm 4. For example, the bridge member B may be a plate-like element.

The tyre unloading unit 1 further comprises a stabilizing arm 5 parallel to and spaced apart from the first 3 and second 4 support arms, the stabilizing arm 5 serving to nip the circumferential tread 90 of the green tyre 9 from above, i.e. in a downward clamping direction C transverse or perpendicular to the axial direction a. In particular, the stabilizing arm 5 is movable in said clamping direction C towards and away from the green tyre 9 to clamp and release the green tyre 9. The green tyre 9 can be temporarily released by the stabilizing arm 5 during weighing to prevent the clamping force exerted by the stabilizing arm 5 on the green tyre 9 from increasing the measured weight of said green tyre 9.

As best seen in fig. 1, the tyre unloading unit 1 further comprises a sensor 6, the sensor 6 being located on a side of the first and second support arms 3, 4 facing the base 2 in the axial direction. In this particular example, the sensor 6 is located between the bridge member B and the base 2, i.e. on the other side of the bridge member B with respect to the first and second support arms 3, 4.

The sensor 6 is configured to measure a parameter at or near the base 2 that is indirectly indicative of the weight of the green tire 9. In particular, sensor 6 has a fixed first side 61 and a second side 62 movable in response to the torque generated by the weight of green tyre 9. The sensor 6 is configured to measure a deformation of the sensor 6 between the first side 61 and the second side 62. In this exemplary embodiment, the sensor 6 is a strain gauge load cell, in particular, a bar strain gauge load cell. Such a load cell has a load cell body 60 and a cavity 63 in said load cell body 60, the cavity 63 dividing the load cell body 60 into two deformable

parallel beams

64, 65. By measuring the compression and tension at the

parallel beams

64, 65, the torque can be derived. When the torque exerted on the sensor 6 by the weight of the green tyre 9 is known and the distance from the first support arm 3 and/or the second support arm 4 to the sensor is known, these values can be used to derive the weight of the green tyre 9, i.e. by moment arm calculation.

Fig. 4 shows an alternative tyre unloading unit 101 according to a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention, which differs from the tyre unloading unit 1 described previously in that its sensor 106 is located between the base 2 and the mounting structure 100. Although in this alternative position the sensor 106 is further from the first and fourth support arms 3, 4 and the calculation may not be accurate enough, the sensor output may still be used to calculate the torque which can be used to deduce the weight of the green tyre 9 when the distance from the first and fourth support arms 3, 4 to the sensor 106 is known.

In both embodiments according to the invention, the

sensor

6, 106 is located at one side of the first support arm 3 and the second support arm 4. Thereby, there are no

sensors

6, 106 at or directly below the first support arm 3 or the second support arm 4 as in the prior art. Thus, the design and/or construction of the support arms 3, 4 can be much more compact. In particular, the support arms 3, 4 may be relatively narrow and/or thin. Thus, the

tyre unloading unit

1, 101 according to the present invention can be inserted into a relatively small space between the outer transfer ring T and the green tyre 9, as best seen in fig. 2. This can be done even if the tyre building drum D is still present in the centre of the green tyre 9, thereby saving valuable time during unloading and/or weighing.

It will be understood that the above description is included to illustrate the operation of the preferred embodiments and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. From the above discussion, many variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art that will still be encompassed by the scope of the present invention.

List of reference numerals

1. Tire unloading unit

2. Base part

3. First support arm

4. Second supporting arm

5. Stabilizing arm

6. Sensor with a sensor element

61. First side

62. Second side

9. Raw tyre

90. Circumferential tread

91. Edge part

100. Erecting structure

101. Alternative tire unloading unit

Axial direction A

B bridge member

C direction of clamping

D tire building drum

T transfer ring

Claims

1. A tire unloading unit for unloading and weighing a green tire, wherein the green tire has an outwardly facing circumferential tread extending around a tire axis, characterized in that the tire unloading unit comprises a base and a first support arm projecting from the base in an axial direction for supporting the green tire along the circumferential tread with the tire axis parallel to the axial direction, wherein the tire unloading unit further comprises a sensor located on a side of the first support arm facing the base in the axial direction.

2. The tire unloading unit of claim 1, wherein the sensor is configured to measure a parameter at the base that is indirectly indicative of the weight of the green tire.

3. The tire unloading unit of claim 1, wherein the sensor has a fixed first side and a second side movable in response to torque generated by the green tire weight, wherein the sensor is configured to measure deformation of the sensor between the first side and the second side.

4. The tire unloading unit of claim 1, wherein the sensor is a strain gage load cell.

5. The tire unloading unit of claim 1, wherein the sensor is located between the first support arm and the base.

6. The tire unloading unit of claim 1, further comprising a mounting structure, wherein the base is suspended from the mounting structure, wherein the sensor is located between the base and the mounting structure.

7. The tire unloading unit of claim 1, further comprising a second support arm parallel to and spaced from the first support arm for supporting a green tire along the circumferential tread and having the tire axis parallel to the axial direction.

8. The tire unloading unit of claim 7, including a bridge member interconnecting the first and second support arms, wherein the sensor is located between the bridge member and the base.

9. The tire unloading unit of claim 7, further comprising a stabilizing arm parallel to and spaced from the first and second support arms for pinching the circumferential tread of the green tire from above.

10. The tire unloading unit of claim 9, wherein the stabilizing arm is movable toward and away from the green tire in a clamping direction to temporarily release the green tire during weighing of the green tire.