JP2002090136A - Method and device for inspecting thickness of unvulcanized rubber - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method and device for inspecting thickness of unvulcanized rubber capable of precisely and quickly inspecting the thickness of a rubber wound on a molding drum without requiring any manual work. SOLUTION: A detector 10 is pressed onto the surface of the layered rubber 1 wound on the molding drum 2 to detect the distance between the tip of the detector 10 and the surface of the molding drum 2, whereby the gauge value of the layered rubber 1 is measured, and it is judged whether the gauge value of the layered rubber 1 is within a reference range or not on the basis of the measurement result. Accordingly, the gauge value of the layered rubber 1 can be precisely and quickly inspected without requiring any manual work. While the detector 10 is pressed, the detection of the gauge value is continuously performed while the detector 10 is pressed, and the minimum value is compared as the gauge value of the layered rubber 1 with a reference gauge value, whereby a precise gauge value can be regularly measured even if the gauge value is changed during measurement by the elastic deformation of the rubber.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an unvulcanized rubber thickness inspection method and apparatus for inspecting lamination failure of rubber bonded to each other on a molding drum, for example, in a tire manufacturing process.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, in a pre-vulcanization step in the manufacture of a tire, there is a step of laminating a plurality of members made of a sheet-like rubber such as a carcass on a forming drum, winding and pasting them together. Such a winding process is automated by a dedicated molding machine, but when the molding machine is stopped abnormally during operation, the operation is returned to a normal state by an operator's manual operation.

[0003]

However, since the winding of the members in the return operation is performed manually or by a manual operation of a machine, there is a possibility that some members may be forgotten to be pasted due to a human error, and that there may be a difference in specifications. There is a risk of producing non-defective products. Therefore, it is necessary to inspect whether or not there is a lamination failure based on the thickness of the laminated rubber after the winding step. However, the thickness of the laminated rubber is as thin as about 3.5 mm and an air layer exists. Inspection by visual inspection was extremely difficult because the thickness after lamination varied widely due to the presence of some cases. In addition, when the inspection is performed manually, there is another problem that the inspection step requires a long time separately and productivity is reduced.

[0004] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a method capable of accurately and quickly inspecting the thickness of rubber wound around a forming drum without manual operation. It is an object of the present invention to provide a vulcanized rubber thickness inspection method and apparatus.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, the thickness of an unvulcanized rubber sheet is inspected to check the thickness of the unvulcanized rubber sheet wound around a forming drum. In the inspection method, the distance between the surface of the rubber and the surface of the molding drum is measured while pressing a detector capable of detecting the distance from the surface of the molding drum against the surface of the rubber on the molding drum at a predetermined pressure. At the same time, the measured value is compared with a predetermined reference value, and the thickness of the rubber on the molding drum is determined based on the comparison result. Thereby, the distance between the rubber surface and the surface of the molding drum is measured by the detector pressed against the surface of the rubber on the molding drum, and the thickness of the rubber is determined based on the measurement result. In addition, the thickness of the rubber on the forming drum is inspected without manual operation.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the method for inspecting the thickness of an unvulcanized rubber according to the first aspect, at least the distance between the surface of the rubber and the surface of the molding drum is determined by pressing the detector against the surface of the rubber. During the measurement, the measurement is continuously performed, and the minimum value of the measured value is compared with the reference value. Thereby, in addition to the function of claim 1, the minimum value of the thickness of the rubber against which the detector is pressed is compared with the reference value. An accurate determination result can be obtained.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in an unvulcanized rubber thickness inspection apparatus for inspecting the thickness of a sheet-shaped unvulcanized rubber wound around a forming drum, a distance from the surface of the forming drum is detected. A possible detector, measuring means for measuring the distance between the surface of the rubber and the surface of the molding drum while pressing the detector at a predetermined pressure on the surface of the laminated rubber on the molding drum, and measuring the measured value of the measuring means. Compare with a predetermined reference value,
Determining means for determining the thickness of the rubber on the forming drum based on the comparison result; As a result, it is possible to realize a device capable of achieving the function of claim 1.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the unvulcanized rubber thickness inspection apparatus according to the third aspect, an eddy current displacement sensor is used as the detector. Thus, in addition to the function of the third aspect, the distance from the surface of the forming drum is accurately measured by the eddy current displacement sensor.

[0009]

1 and 2 show one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an unvulcanized rubber thickness inspection apparatus, and FIG. 2 shows the operation of an arithmetic processing unit. It is a flowchart.

[0010] In this thickness inspection apparatus, a laminated rubber 1 in which a total of three unvulcanized sheet rubbers such as carcass are superimposed is wound around a molding drum 2 in a tire molding process. This is a device for inspecting whether or not the upper laminated rubber 1 is one in which predetermined members (a first member 1a, a second member 1b, and a third member 1c) are all properly bonded.

That is, the thickness inspection apparatus according to the present embodiment comprises a detector 10 capable of detecting a distance from the surface of the forming drum 2,
A drive mechanism 11 for pressing the detector 10 against the surface of the laminated rubber 1 on the molding drum 2 with a predetermined pressure, and a distance between the surface of the laminated rubber 1 and the surface of the molding drum 2 is determined based on a detection signal of the detector 10. And an arithmetic processing unit 12 for determining whether or not it is within the reference range.

The detector 10 is composed of a well-known eddy current displacement sensor, and measures the distance from the tip surface to the surface (metal surface) of the forming drum 2.

The drive mechanism 11 is composed of a hydraulic cylinder, and the detector 10 is attached to the tip of a drive rod 11a. That is, the drive mechanism 11 moves the detector 10 toward the forming drum 2 and presses the tip end thereof against the laminated rubber 1 on the forming drum 2, and after a predetermined time elapses, moves the detector 10 to the opposite side of the forming drum 2. In such a direction as to release the pressing with the laminated rubber 1.

The arithmetic processing section 12 is constituted by a microcomputer, and is connected to the detector 10, the driving mechanism 11, and the control section 2a of the molding machine. The arithmetic processing unit 12
Is a display unit 12 for displaying the measured value and the judgment result respectively.
a is connected.

In the present embodiment, a fixed pressing surface (for example, the tip surface of the detector 10 having an outer diameter of 14.5 mm) is provided on a laminate of the members 1a, 1b, and 1c on a predetermined reference surface. A load (for example, 3 kg) for a predetermined time (for example, 1.0 to
The distance (hereinafter referred to as a gauge value) between the reference surface and the pressed surface when pressed for only 1.5 seconds is measured as the thickness of the laminated rubber 1. In this case, the pressing force is 0.178 Mpa based on the outer diameter of the pressing surface and the load. That is, a reference gauge value obtained by previously measuring the laminated rubber of each of the members 1a, 1b, 1c on the reference surface is stored in the arithmetic processing unit 12, and the same device as the reference gauge is stored by the present apparatus. The gauge value measured under the condition is compared with a reference gauge value, and the measured value is determined by adding or subtracting a predetermined value (for example, 0.
5 mm) (hereinafter referred to as a reference range). Hereinafter, the operation of the present apparatus will be described according to the operation of the arithmetic processing unit 12.

First, when the winding of the laminated rubber 1 around the forming drum 2 is completed and the rotation of the forming drum 2 is detected from the operation of the control unit 2a of the forming machine (S1), the drive mechanism 11 is operated (S1). S2) The detector 10 is pressed against the laminated rubber 1 on the forming drum 2. At this time, the distance (gauge value) between the tip of the detector 10 and the surface of the forming drum 2 is continuously measured from the start to the end of the operation of the drive mechanism 11 (S3). Next, when the pressing operation of the detector 10 is completed (S4), the minimum value of the measured gauge value is compared with the reference range (S5). As a result, if the minimum value of the gauge value is within the reference range (S6), a display indicating "normal" is displayed on the display unit 12a (S7), and a signal indicating that the inspection has been completed is sent to the control unit 2a of the molding machine. Output (S8). As a result, the next winding operation of the molding machine is enabled.
If the minimum value of the gauge value is not within the reference range in step S5, for example, if a part of the member is forgotten due to a human error or the like, a display indicating "abnormal" is displayed on the display unit 12a (S9). At this time, a signal indicating that the inspection is completed is not output to the control unit 2a of the molding machine, so that the next winding operation is not started until the abnormal state is resolved.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the detector 10 is attached to the surface of the laminated rubber 1 wound around the molding drum 2.
, The gauge value of the laminated rubber 1 is measured by detecting the distance between the tip of the detector 10 and the surface of the molding drum 2 while pressing, and based on the measurement result, whether the gauge value of the laminated rubber 1 is within the standard range or not. Is determined, the gauge value of the laminated rubber 1 can be accurately and quickly inspected without manual operation. At this time, while the detector 10 is pressed, the gauge value is continuously detected, and the minimum value is compared with the reference gauge value as the gauge value of the laminated rubber 1, so that the measurement is performed by the elastic deformation of the rubber. An accurate gauge value can always be measured even if the gauge value inside changes.

Further, since the eddy current displacement sensor is used for the detector 10, the distance from the surface of the forming drum 2 can be accurately detected, and a highly accurate measurement result can be always obtained.

Further, in the present embodiment, the inspection can be performed promptly while the laminated rubber 1 is wound around the molding drum 2. Therefore, for example, after the laminated rubber 1 is wound around the molding drum 2, a splice pressing step is performed. If the inspection is performed in parallel with (the forming drum 2 is stopped), there is an advantage that the inspection does not need to be performed in a process different from the manufacturing process, and the production efficiency does not decrease.

Further, in order to cope with a plurality of types of tires having different radial sizes, for example, the forming drum 2 is composed of a plurality of circumferentially divided sector plates, and the gaps between the sector plates are covered with cover plates. In this case, if the mounting position of the detector 10 is set so that the measurement of the gauge value is performed on the sector plate, more accurate data can be obtained than when the measurement is performed on the cover plate. it can.

In the above-described embodiment, an example is described in which the purpose is to check whether members have been left behind after the winding step. However, the present invention is not limited to such an example. It can also be used for monitoring purposes.

[0022]

As described above, according to the method for inspecting the thickness of the unvulcanized rubber according to the first aspect, the thickness of the rubber on the forming drum can be inspected accurately and quickly without manual operation. So, for example, in the manufacture of tires, even if some parts are forgotten due to human error or the like, it is possible to reliably detect the thickness defect due to this, and it is extremely effective in preventing the occurrence of defective products. is there. In addition, since the inspection can be performed promptly in a state where the rubber is wound around the forming drum, there is no need to separately provide a step for the inspection,
There is an advantage that the production efficiency does not decrease.

According to the method for inspecting the thickness of unvulcanized rubber according to the second aspect, in addition to the effect of the first aspect, an accurate judgment result is always obtained even if the gauge value during measurement changes due to elastic deformation of the rubber. Can be obtained, so that the reliability of the inspection can be improved.

Further, according to the apparatus for inspecting the thickness of unvulcanized rubber according to the third aspect, it is possible to realize an apparatus capable of obtaining the effect of the first aspect, which is extremely advantageous for practical use.

According to the unvulcanized rubber thickness inspection apparatus of the fourth aspect, in addition to the effect of the third aspect, the distance to the surface of the molding drum can be accurately detected, so that the accuracy is always high. High measurement results can be obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an unvulcanized rubber thickness inspection apparatus showing one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of an arithmetic processing unit;

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Laminated rubber, 2 ... Drum, 10 ... Detector, 11 ...
Driving mechanism, 12: arithmetic processing unit.

Continued on front page (72) Inventor Miya ▲ Saki ▼ Nobutaka 2-1 Oiwake, Hiratsuka-shi, Kanagawa F-term in Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd. Hiratsuka Works 2F063 AA16 BA09 BB08 DA02 DA05 GA08 2F069 AA46 BB40 DD15 GG01 GG02 GG06 GG71 HH30 4F212 AH20 AP11 AQ03 VA02 VK02 VL25 VQ02 VQ07 VQ08

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. An unvulcanized rubber thickness inspection method for inspecting the thickness of a sheet-shaped unvulcanized rubber wound around a molding drum, comprising: The distance between the surface of the rubber and the surface of the molding drum is measured while pressing a detector capable of detecting the distance at a predetermined pressure, and the measured value is compared with a predetermined reference value, and based on the comparison result, A method for inspecting the thickness of unvulcanized rubber, comprising determining the thickness of rubber on a forming drum. 2. The distance between the surface of the rubber and the surface of the molding drum is continuously measured at least as long as the detector is pressed against the surface of the rubber, and the minimum value of the measured value is compared with the reference value. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the thickness of the unvulcanized rubber is measured. 3. An unvulcanized rubber thickness inspection device for inspecting a thickness of a sheet-shaped unvulcanized rubber wound around a molding drum, comprising: a detector capable of detecting a distance from a surface of the molding drum. Measuring means for measuring the distance between the surface of the rubber and the surface of the forming drum while pressing the detector against the surface of the laminated rubber on the forming drum at a predetermined pressure; and measuring the measured value of the measuring means with a predetermined reference value. An unvulcanized rubber thickness inspection device, comprising: a determination unit for comparing the thickness of the rubber on the molding drum based on the comparison result. 4. The unvulcanized rubber thickness inspection apparatus according to claim 3, wherein an eddy current displacement sensor is used as the detector.