JP2003089120A - Tire vulcanizing system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a tire vulcanizing system with such advantages that an installation occupancy is small and various kinds of vulcanization conditions can be sufficiently satisfied with increased productivity while equipment cost is effectively curtailed and further an operation to replace a vulcanizing mold can be performed without interference with a vulcanizing operation with further upgraded productivity and easy automatic replacement of the vulcanizing mold. SOLUTION: A plurality of vulcanizing stations 2 each with the vulcanizing mold 13 are arranged, on an arc 3, in a planar fashion and a tire handling station 4 is provided on the inner part of the arc 3, at the outside of which a mold relay station 6 is positioned at an almost equal distance from two or more vulcanizing stations 2 respectively. Further, at the mold relay station 6, a mold mounting and dismounting device 7 which takes the used vulcanizing mold 13 out of the vulcanizing station 2 and makes the vulcanizing mold 13 to be used next cut into the vulcanizing station 2, is provided.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an improvement in a tire vulcanization system, and more particularly, to perform a planar arrangement of a plurality of vulcanization stations under a smaller occupied space and reduce equipment costs. In addition, the moving distance of the tire is shortened as much as possible, and the work of putting in and out the tire with respect to the vulcanization mold and the work of exchanging the mold can be simultaneously performed, thereby greatly improving the productivity.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a vulcanizing equipment for tires, a vulcanizing apparatus 111 as illustrated in a schematic front view in FIG. 5 has been widely used. This device 111 comprises two sets of vulcanization dies 112, shown in the mold open position, both vulcanization dies 112 being actually actuated synchronously with each other, but here for convenience. The left half of the figure shows a state in which an unvulcanized tire 113 is to be put into the vulcanization mold 112, and the right half is a vulcanized tire 11 from the vulcanization mold 112.
4 is shown in a state of being taken out.

In this apparatus 111, each of the vulcanizing dies 112 is arranged in a plane such that the central axes of the tires 113 and 114 are vertical, and vulcanizes two tires at the same time. be able to. In addition, this device 111 moves not only the vulcanizing mold 112 including the upper and lower molds 112A and 112B but also the upper platen 116 and the upper mold 112A with respect to the lower platen 115 so as to open and close the mold 112. The mold opening / closing means 117 and the unvulcanized tire 113 are supplied into the apparatus, or the vulcanized tire 1
It has a carrying-in / carrying-out means (not shown) for taking out 14 from there, and is constructed so as to be able to cope with various production situations.

[0004]

By the way, according to such a device 111, the tire production capacity is determined by the number of the installed devices 111. In recent years, in addition to the increasing trend of the production amount, the tire size is also increased. The vulcanization time tends to increase with the increase in the size of the tires, the performance of the tires, and the like.
One more expansion will be forced.

In reality, however, the installation space and the equipment cost are smaller than those in the case where a large number of the above-mentioned devices 111 are simply arranged in a plane under the restrictions on the installation space of the equipment and the equipment cost. It is strongly desired to develop a tire vulcanization system that can satisfy both of the above tendencies.

In addition, in the conventional vulcanizing process using such a vulcanizing apparatus 111, in many cases, a plurality of apparatuses arranged in a straight line are arranged as shown in the schematic plan view of FIG. 1
The vulcanization mold 1 of the unvulcanized tire GT has a dedicated carrying-in means 118 for each vulcanization mold 112 disposed on one side of the vulcanization mold 1.
On the other hand, the vulcanized tire T is taken out from the vulcanizing mold 112 by the carrying-out means 119 dedicated to each mold 112 arranged on the other side of the device 111 while carrying in the tire T. It is supposed to be carried into the post-cure inflator 120, and the movement route of the tire is the device 11
Since it is on both sides of 1, the used vulcanization mold 112 is taken out of the device 111 and then used when replacing the vulcanization mold 112 of one specific device 111, for example. In order to avoid mutual interference between the work for preparing and performing the insertion of the vulcanization mold 112 and the vulcanization work, not only the device 111 but also the vulcanization work in the adjacent device 111 is performed. In addition, temporary interruption is required, and therefore, especially in the case of small-volume, multi-production, the vulcanization mold 112 and the loading / unloading means 118, 1
There was a problem that the operating rate of 19 was greatly reduced, productivity was deteriorated, and automatic replacement of the vulcanization mold 112 was difficult.

Therefore, according to the present invention, the installation space is small, the equipment cost can be effectively suppressed, and the productivity can be greatly improved by sufficiently responding to various vulcanizing conditions. Mold change work can be performed without affecting the vulcanization work at other vulcanization stations, which also improves productivity and facilitates automatic change of vulcanization molds. To provide a tire vulcanizing system.

[0008]

In a tire vulcanizing system according to the present invention, a plurality of vulcanizing stations provided with a vulcanizing mold are arranged on an arc in a plane, preferably at equal intervals, and The inner part is provided with a tire handling station, for example, which is provided with a tire transfer device, etc., while the outer part of the arc is located at least equidistant from each of the two vulcanization stations. A relay station is provided, and the mold relay station is provided with a mold loading / unloading device for taking out the used vulcanizing mold from the vulcanizing station and inserting the vulcanizing mold to be used next. The "arc" here
Is not limited to an exact arc, but also includes a curve that approximates it, so that
The intended purpose can be fully achieved.

According to this, by providing a tire handling station having a tire transfer device and the like inside the plurality of vulcanizing stations arranged on an arc, the vulcanizing stations can be linearly arranged. Compared to the case of placing
It is possible to effectively reduce the space occupied by the vulcanization system, and at the same time, by moving the tire only in the inner part of the arc, it is necessary to move the tire, and thus the tire transfer device, over a long distance. It is not necessary to improve various operating accuracy, and the productivity is greatly improved by making the loading and unloading distance of raw tires and vulcanized tires to and from each vulcanization station as short and almost equal distances as possible. be able to.

In addition, in this system, while moving work such as loading and unloading of tires is performed only inside the arc connecting the vulcanization stations, at least two vulcanization stations provided outside the arc are provided. By using the mold loading and unloading devices of the mold relay stations located at approximately equal distances, the work spaces can be separated from each other by exchanging the vulcanizing molds on the outside of the arc and performing the setup work. Since these operations can be performed independently without mutual interference, this can also improve the productivity in an advantageous manner, and at the same time, facilitate the automation of die replacement and the like. It can also be realized.

By the way, in such a vulcanization system,
It is preferable that the mold loading / unloading device provided in the mold relay station be a turntable type in order to facilitate the passing of the vulcanizing mold in various directions. Bridging member and
Providing a guide member such as a roller guide for the vulcanization mold and a reciprocating drive means that can be a cylinder, a chain, etc. makes it possible to safely, easily and surely deliver the vulcanization mold, which is a heavy load. Is preferable for performing.

Further, while a used vulcanizing mold is received from the mold loading and unloading device, a carriage for delivering a vulcanizing mold to be used next is disposed on the mold loading and unloading device, and a trolley for delivering the vulcanized mold to be used next is disposed on the dolly. , For example, if two vulcanization dies are placed in the space, the used vulcanization dies on the die in / out device are received in one of the spaces on the trolley, and The vulcanization die to be used next placed in advance can be delivered to the empty die loading / unloading device, and the used vulcanization die on the trolley is based on the traveling of the trolley. It can be easily transported to a mold storage location.

Here, a mold opening / closing mechanism is provided at each vulcanization station, and the tire handling stations are located at substantially equal distances from the respective vulcanization stations so that the tires can be taken in and out of all the vulcanization dies. If one shared tire transfer device that controls the tires is provided, the one tire transfer device is shared by a plurality of vulcanization stations, so that the tires dedicated to each vulcanization device can be used as in the prior art. Both the equipment cost and the occupied space can be greatly reduced as compared with the case where a plurality of loading / unloading means are provided.

Further, here, a common tire transfer device is arranged at the center of a plurality of vulcanization stations arranged on an arc, and the tire transfer device is positioned at substantially the same distance with respect to all the vulcanization stations. As a result, the occupied space of the vulcanization system can be reduced more effectively than in the case where those vulcanization stations are arranged in a straight line. Moreover, since the tire movement path or the distance can be shortened to reduce the variation in the tire loading / unloading time, automation of the vulcanization work can be facilitated and productivity can be improved.

On the other hand, at the tire handling station, a mold opening / closing means common to all the vulcanization molds, which is located approximately equidistant from the respective vulcanization stations, and a tire for this mold opening / closing means. It is also possible to provide each of the one manipulator that controls the loading and unloading of the tire, and according to this, although the occupancy space is increased due to the arrangement of the mold opening / closing means and the manipulator at the tire handling station, it cannot be denied. This increase in space is performed inside the arc of the vulcanization station, within the moving area of the tire, so there is no particular problem as long as the tire transfer is performed smoothly and efficiently. Compared with the above case, there is a great facility advantage by omitting the mold opening / closing mechanism from each vulcanization station.

In such a system, preferably, an unvulcanized tire stand for temporarily mounting an unvulcanized tire before or after mounting a shaping bladder, and a vulcanized tire with or without a bladder removed A loading / unloading station having a vulcanized tire stand for temporarily mounting the tire is arranged in the operation area of the tire transfer device or the manipulator.

The loading / unloading station functions as a storage space for smoothly delivering the tire to the means inside and outside the vulcanization system without impairing the timing without excess or deficiency, and the tire transfer device or the manipulator is used as a storage space. Functions to smoothly and swiftly transfer tires to the delivery station. Incidentally, the loading of the unvulcanized tire and the unloading of the vulcanized tire to the loading / unloading station are mostly carried out by a conveyor such as a belt conveyor.

In this vulcanization system, the vulcanized tire taken out from the vulcanization mold is subjected to post-vulcanization treatment, for example, post cure inflation (hereinafter referred to as "PCI"), within the operating range of the tire transfer device or the manipulator. ) Can be provided after which the vulcanized tire before or after removing the shaping bladder is removed under the action of one tire transfer device or manipulator. Since it can also be directly loaded and unloaded to and from the vulcanization station,
Further reductions in equipment cost and installation space can be realized.

By the way, it is preferable that both the tire transfer device and the manipulator here are constituted by an articulated robot, especially an articulated robot. In this case, an existing robot is used as a tire transfer device or the like. When the robot is not in use, the whole can be made compact enough under the action of joints, while the robot hand etc. can be made to reach a sufficiently long distance when using the robot. It is possible to dispose the transfer device and each vulcanizing station around it, and the mold opening / closing means and the manipulator closer to each other without fear of mutual interference, and in addition to the occupied space, the tire moving distance. Can be further reduced.

[0020]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic line plan view showing an embodiment of the present invention when two similar tire vulcanization systems are arranged adjacent to each other.

Each tire vulcanization system 1 here is
Four vulcanization stations 2 are arranged in a plane on the circular arc and are located at substantially equal intervals in the circumferential direction, and a tire handling station 4 is provided inside the circular arc 3. Station 4
, A turning arm type tire transfer device 5 which is common to all the vulcanization stations 2 is provided, and the tire transfer device 5 is equidistant from all the vulcanization stations 2. A mold relay station 6 is provided at an outer side portion of the arc 3 and at a substantially equal distance from each of the at least two vulcanization stations 2, and each vulcanization station 2 adjacent to the mold relay station 6 is provided. A used vulcanizing mold is taken out from the vulcanizing mold, and a vulcanizing mold to be used next is put therein, preferably provided with a mold table 7 having a turntable structure.

Here, preferably, each of the unvulcanized tire stand 8 on which the unvulcanized tire GT is temporarily placed and the vulcanized tire stand 9 on which the vulcanized tire T is temporarily placed, For example, the loading / unloading station 10 provided in the mutually adjacent posture is provided in the operation area of the tire transfer device.
In addition, in this figure, it is also possible to arrange the respective stands 8 and 9 which are arranged adjacently in the front and rear in the same plane so as to be adjacent to each other vertically or horizontally, and in any of these cases, It is preferable to carry in the unvulcanized tire GT onto the stand 8 and to carry out the vulcanized tire T from the stand 9 by using a belt conveyor or other carrying-out means (not shown).

Further, preferably, in place of or in addition to the above, a post-vulcanization station 11 is provided in the operation area of the tire transfer device 5, and this station 11 is taken out from the vulcanization mold, PC in the vulcanized tire T with the bladder included or the bladder removed
A post accu inflator 12 for applying I is arranged.

Here, each vulcanization station 2 has a vulcanization mold 13 as shown in a schematic side view in FIG.
Each of the vulcanization mold 13 and the opening / closing mechanism 14 is provided, and here, the vulcanization mold 1 is heated by a heat medium.
On the lower platen 15 that contributes to the heating of
While positioning the vulcanization mold 13 with a mark, the upper platen 17 that contributes to the heating of the vulcanization mold 13 in the same manner,
The cylinder 19 attached to the gate-shaped frame 18 enables vertical displacement, and the upper platen 17 is connected to the upper plate 21 of the container 16 by the connecting means 20 so as to be freely connected and disconnected, whereby the vulcanization mold 13 and the opening / closing mechanism 14 are interconnected.

According to this, when the unvulcanized tire GT is loaded into the vulcanization mold 13 and the vulcanized tire T is taken out from the vulcanization mold 13, the upper platen 17 of the upper plate 21 is loaded. When the cylinder 19 is operated in the connected state, the upper platen 17 and the upper surface plate 21 as well as the upper mold portion of the vulcanization mold 13 are displaced upward, whereby the vulcanization mold 13 can be opened.

On the other hand, the unvulcanized tire GT to the vulcanizing mold 13
For the vulcanization of the vulcanized mold after its charging, the upper mold part is moved downward together with the upper platen 17 by the cylinder 19 to bring about closing and reduction of the vulcanizing mold 13, and at the same time, the vulcanizing mold 13 Can be performed by heating to a predetermined temperature.

In the vulcanizing process, the pressurized bladder or the like is supplied into the shaping bladder attached to the unvulcanized tire GT, for example, on the lower platen 15 side by a joint cylinder or the like not shown. It can be done by connecting a gas source etc. to the bladder,
In this case, at the end of vulcanization, it is preferable to disconnect the gas supply source or the like from the bladder and still maintain the supply internal pressure in the bladder.

On the other hand, when the vulcanization mold 13 is replaced, it is separated from the upper platen 17 by the connecting means 2.
Under the action of 0, the upper platen 17 and the container top plate 2
1 by releasing the connection with the lower platen 1 of the vulcanization mold 13 by displacing the upper platen 17 higher above the vulcanization mold 13.
When the fixing of the vulcanization mold 13 is completed, the vulcanization mold 13 can be replaced smoothly and easily.

Further, the one tire transfer device 5 provided with the swing arm 22 and arranged at substantially the same distance from each of the vulcanization stations 2 is preferably an articulated robot, more preferably an articulated robot. The tire transfer device 5 includes, for example, a loading / unloading station 1
The unvulcanized tire GT on the unvulcanized tire stand 8 of 0 is gripped by the hand or the like and loaded into the vulcanized mold 13 in the mold open posture, and vulcanized by the mold 13. The vulcanized tire T thus obtained is taken out therefrom, and directly onto the vulcanized tire stand 9 of the loading / unloading station 10, or
The post-accure inflator 12 of the post-vulcanization station 11 performs PCI to prevent thermal contraction of the carcass ply cord and improve the performance of the product tire, and then indirectly conveys the product.

By the way, this tire transfer device 5 is preferably an articulated robot as illustrated in FIG.
Is located near the vulcanization station 2
And the other stations 10 and 11 and can be in a compact posture that does not interfere with the equipment in any of those stations when it is not used, while the tires are transferred when using it. At the time of loading / unloading, under the action of each joint, the hands, etc. of each station 2, while avoiding interference with other equipment.
The required positions 5, 11 can be reached.

Further, provided on the outer side of the arc 3,
The mold loading and unloading device 7 arranged in the mold relay station 6 that is shared by the plurality of vulcanization stations 2 has a turntable structure as a whole, as illustrated in the schematic side view of FIG. The bridge member 24 is hinge-coupled to the device main body 23 which is rotatable around the horizontal plane,
A cylinder 25 for actuating the bridging member 24 between a working position in which it spans the vulcanization station 2, for example the lower platen 15 fixedly arranged there, and a non-working position in which it jumps up approximately 90 ° therefrom. Device body 2
3 and a motor 26 attached to the apparatus main body 23
Is provided with a chain 27 that travels from the apparatus main body 23 to the bridging member 24, and a hooking member 28 for the vulcanization mold 13 is attached to the chain 27. Guide rollers 29 for guiding the smooth movement of the vehicle in the traveling direction.
Can be constructed by laying from the apparatus main body 23 to the bridging member 24.

By using the mold loading / unloading device 7 as described above, the vulcanization mold 13 that has been used at a specific vulcanization station 2 is used.
To replace the vulcanizing mold 13 to be used next,
First, while the apparatus main body 23 of the turntable structure is in a rotation posture in which the chain 27 extends toward the specific vulcanization station 2, the bridging member 24 is displaced and displaced to its working posture, The tip of the bridging member 24 is engaged with the lower platen 15, and then the engaging member 28 attached to the chain 27 is engaged with, for example, the container 16 of the vulcanization mold 13 and the chain 2
7, the vulcanization mold 13 is completely pulled out onto the apparatus main body 23 through the bridging member 24 and positioned and placed there under the action of the guide roller 29, and then the bridging member 2 is moved.
4 is pulled up to a non-acting position shown by a phantom line in the figure, and in a state where the lower platen 15 and the lower platen 15 are disengaged from each other, the chain 27 of the device main body 23 has a turning position in which the chain 27 extends toward the carriage 30, for example. In addition, the bridge member 24 and the carriage 3
0, where the used vulcanizing mold 13 on the device body 23 is delivered to its trolley 30 under the action of the chain 27 and the engaging member 28 and the like.

After relaying the removal of the used vulcanizing mold 13 by the mold loading / unloading device 7 in this manner, the trolley 30 is operated while the bridging member 24 is in the inactive position, and the vulcanization mold 13 is previously moved there. Vulcanization mold 1 to be used next positioned and placed
3 is received by the action of the bridging member 24, the chain 27, the engaging member 28 and the like on the device main body 23 of the mold loading / unloading device 7, and then the device main body 23 is rotated in a horizontal plane to be used. The vulcanization mold 13 is opposed to the vulcanization station 2 from which the vulcanization mold 13 has been taken out, and then the vulcanization mold on the apparatus main body 23 is also based on the action of the bridging member 24, the chain 27, the engaging member 28, and the like. , Its vulcanization station 2
Place it by pushing it inside.

The replacement of the vulcanization mold 13 as described above is
Outside the arc 3, the vulcanization work involved in loading and unloading the tire is not hindered and is performed independently of the vulcanization work at the other vulcanization stations 2. Wait for the next replacement of the vulcanization mold 13.

Further, it is arranged in the post-vulcanization processing station 11 existing in the operation area of the tire transfer device 5,
The illustrated post-cure inflator 12 cools, for example, a plurality of vulcanized tires T with or without a bladder carried out from the vulcanization mold 14 by the tire transfer device 5. The tire T that has been subjected to the required PCI is also transferred by the tire transfer device 5.
It is taken out to the loading / unloading station 10.

In the tire vulcanizing system as described above, the unvulcanized tire stand 8 of the loading / unloading station 10 is held by the conveying means (not shown) inside the arc 3.
The unvulcanized tire GT conveyed to the vulcanization mold 14 of one of the vulcanization stations 2 is held by the tire transfer device 4.
It is charged inside.

On the other hand, the vulcanized tire T which has been vulcanized in the vulcanization mold 13 is
The post cure inflator 1 of the post-vulcanization station 11 is taken out from the tire transfer device 5 by the tire transfer device 5.
2 and the PCI is ended there, the tire is transferred onto the vulcanized tire table 9 of the loading / unloading station 10 based on the operation of the tire transfer device 5 again, and then transferred by a transporting means (not shown). It is delivered to the process.

By repeating the above steps, when the vulcanization mold 13 used at a specific vulcanization station 2 is to be replaced with the vulcanization mold 13 to be used next, the mold of the vulcanization station 2 is to be replaced. After releasing the restraint of the opening / closing mechanism 14 with respect to the container upper surface plate 21 by the connecting means 20 and by extension the restraint on the entire used vulcanization mold 13, the upper platen 17 is displaced upward by the cylinder 19 to be vulcanized. With a large space secured above the container 16 of the mold 13, the vulcanization mold 13 is
The mold loading / unloading device 7 of the mold relay station 6, which is located closest to the outer side of the circular arc 3, particularly the device main body 23.
As described above, the bridging member 24, the chain 27,
It is delivered by the action of the engaging member 28, the guide roller 29, etc., and is further delivered to the carriage 30 from there.

On the other hand, the vulcanizing mold 13 to be used next, which is prepared in advance on the carriage 30, is handed over to the specific vulcanizing station 2 through the mold relay station 6 in the same manner. The vulcanization mold 13 is connected to the mold opening / closing mechanism 14
Attach to.

Thus, according to this tire vulcanizing system, a plurality of vulcanizing stations 2 are arranged on the circular arc 3, and at the central portion of the circular arc 3, one tire common to all the vulcanizing stations 2 is provided. By disposing the transfer device 5, both the space occupied by the vulcanization system and the equipment cost can be advantageously reduced, and the tire transfer device 5 can be provided for each vulcanization station 2. By arranging them sufficiently close to each other and arranging them substantially equidistantly, it is possible to greatly improve productivity without requiring high precision for each operating mechanism.

Further, here, the vulcanization mold 13 is exchanged by using the mold loading / unloading device 7 of the mold relay station 6 shared by a plurality of vulcanization stations 2 provided on the outer side of the arc 3 By independently and without interfering with the vulcanization work in the inner part of the vulcanization, the operating rate of the vulcanization mold 13 and the like can be greatly increased, and the productivity can be advantageously improved. Automation can be facilitated.

The case where the vulcanization system according to the present invention is vulcanized and molded on the molded unvulcanized tire GT by using the shaping bladder has been described above. However, this vulcanization system does not use the shaping bladder. When directly shaping an unvulcanized tire and having an outer surface shape corresponding to the inner surface shape of the product tire, the unvulcanized tire GT is molded on a decomposable rigid core, and the unvulcanized tire GT is It can also be applied to the case where the rigid core is charged into the vulcanization mold 13 for vulcanization molding, and the rigid core is taken out from the tire T after vulcanization.

FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view showing another embodiment, in which a plurality of vulcanization stations 2 are provided on the arc 3 and the tire handling station 4 inside the arc 3 is provided.
And one die opening / closing means 31 located at the center of the arc 3.
And a manipulator 32 that controls the loading and unloading of tires to and from the mold opening / closing means 31, and a vulcanization unit 33 including a vulcanization mold and upper and lower platens disposed in each vulcanization station 2. Can be reciprocated between the vulcanization station 2 and the mold opening / closing means 31, and the arc 3
A mold relay station 6 similar to the one described above is provided on the outer side of the mold, and a mold loading / unloading device 7 is disposed there. In the figure, 10 and 11 are manipulators 3, respectively.
The same loading / unloading station and post-vulcanization processing station as described above, which are provided in the operation area of No. 2, are shown.

In this tire vulcanization system 1, the vulcanization unit 33 is moved to the vulcanization station 2 inside the arc 3 by the action of driving means and guide means (not shown).
To a common mold opening / closing means 31, and while the vulcanization mold is opened there, the vulcanized tire T is taken out by the manipulator 32 and the unvulcanized tire GT is loaded therein. After the completion of the above series of operations, the vulcanization mold is closed by the action of the mold opening / closing means 31 again,
The vulcanization work can be performed by returning the vulcanization unit 33 to the original vulcanization station 2.

The replacement of the vulcanizing dies here is performed by the dolly loading / unloading device 7 similar to the one shown in FIG. It can be performed in the same manner as described in. In addition,
In the former case, the mold opening / closing mechanism 14 of the vulcanization station 2 is left as it is, and only the vulcanization mold 13 separated from the vulcanization station 2 is replaced. However, here, the vulcanization mold and the upper and lower platens, etc. The entire vulcanization unit 33 in which the above are integrated will be replaced.

Therefore, also by this implementation, it is possible to bring about the same action and effect as in the previous case.

[0047]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, the installation space and equipment cost of the tire vulcanization system can be effectively suppressed, and the productivity under various vulcanization conditions etc. can be improved. It can be greatly improved, and the vulcanization mold replacement work can be performed without interference with the vulcanization work.
It can bring further improvement of productivity, and
The automatic exchange of the vulcanization mold can be facilitated.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic line plan view showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of a vulcanizing mold, a mold opening / closing mechanism, and a tire transfer device.

FIG. 3 is a side view showing a mold loading / unloading device.

FIG. 4 is a schematic line plan view showing another embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a schematic line front view showing conventional equipment.

FIG. 6 is a schematic line plan view illustrating a conventional vulcanizing step.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Tire vulcanization system 2 Vulcanizing station 3 arcs 4 tire handling station 5 Tire transfer device 6 Mold relay station 7 Mold loading / unloading device 8 Unvulcanized tire stand 9 Vulcanized tire stand 10 loading / unloading station 11 Post-vulcanization station 12 Posture Inflator 13 Vulcanizing mold 14 Opening / closing mechanism 15 Lower platen 16 containers 17 Upper Platen 18 portal frame 19 cylinders 20 Connection means 21 Top plate 22 swivel arm 23 Device body 24 Bridge members 25 cylinders 26 motor 27 chains 28 Engagement member 29 Guide roller 30 dolly 31 Mold opening / closing means 32 Manipulator 33 Vulcanizing unit GT unvulcanized tire T vulcanized tire

Continued front page    (72) Inventor Masayuki Ichinose             3-1-1 Ogawa Higashi-cho, Kodaira-shi, Tokyo Stock market             Bridgestone Technology Center (72) Inventor Toshiyuki Horie             3-1-1 Ogawa Higashi-cho, Kodaira-shi, Tokyo Stock market             Bridgestone Technology Center F-term (reference) 4F202 AH20 AM15 AM21 CA21 CB01                       CC03 CZ04 CZ11                 4F203 AH20 AM15 AM21 DA11 DB01                       DC01 DN01 DN10

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of vulcanizing stations provided with vulcanizing dies are arranged in a plane on an arc, and a tire handling station is provided on the inside of the arc, while at least two vulcanizing stations are provided on the outside of the arc. A mold relay station is located approximately equidistant from each of the vulcanization stations.The used vulcanization mold is taken out from the vulcanization station and the vulcanization mold to be used next is placed in this mold relay station. A tire vulcanization system that is equipped with a mold loading and unloading device. 2. The tire vulcanizing system according to claim 1, wherein the mold loading / unloading device is a turntable type. 3. The tire vulcanization system according to claim 1, wherein the mold loading / unloading device is provided with a bridging member for the vulcanizing station, a guide member for the vulcanizing mold, and a reciprocating driving means. 4. A trolley for handing over a vulcanization die to be used next is disposed on the die loading / unloading device while receiving a used vulcanization die from the die loading / unloading device. 3. The tire vulcanization system according to any one of 3 above. 5. A mold opening / closing mechanism is provided at each vulcanization station, and tires are placed in and taken out of all the vulcanization molds at a tire handling station located at substantially the same distance from each vulcanization station. The tire vulcanization system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, which is provided with a single shared tire transfer device. 6. A tire handling station, which is located approximately equidistant from each vulcanization station and is common to all vulcanization dies, and which is common to all vulcanization dies, and a tire opening / closing means for the dies / opening / closing means. The tire vulcanization system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein each of the one manipulator controlling the tire is provided. 7. A loading / unloading station for a loading / unloading station, comprising an unvulcanized tire stand for temporarily mounting unvulcanized tires and a vulcanized tire stand for temporarily mounting vulcanized tires. Alternatively, the tire vulcanizing system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the tire vulcanizing system is arranged in an operating area of the manipulator. 8. The tire vulcanization system according to claim 1, wherein a post-vulcanization station is provided in the operation area of the tire transfer device or the manipulator.