JP2006168829A - Packaging of tire in high stack - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a tire packaging method and a tire packaging apparatus capable of accurately aligning tires along a rotation axis. <P>SOLUTION: The tire packaging apparatus for packaging tires in a stacked state comprises a positioning means, means (300, 301) for setting the tires in a compressed state and means (400-406) for arranging restraining means, and the positioning means comprises a set of positioning rollers (200, 201) provided rotatably around axes parallel to each other. Each roller can get into contact with each tread of the tire so as to stably retain the tire, and at least one of the rollers can turn all the tires around the rotational axes so as to form the stack of the tires each having an axis substantially aligned along the rotational axis. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to the technical field of tire packaging, and more precisely to a tire cover that is not attached to a rim for transport or storage.

  As a result of constant research to increase productivity in connection with the constant demand to improve the operator's working conditions in this technical field, it relates to storage conditions in the factory warehouse, transportation, unloading work and shipping. By manipulating the production of batches that can be easily identified and moved in line with requirements or requirements for storage area optimization, various vendors in the art have optimized the logistic chain. In addition, the tires must not be separated by these optimizations (the tire bonding property is impaired).

The first solution is to use a specific size pallet that can accept covers of various sizes and diameters. For example, a pallet usually used in a storage warehouse is described in US Pat. No. 5,259,325 (Patent Document 1), in which case the cover is stored in a stacked state or in a roll state. Is done. This kind of pallet constitutes a uniform batch of covers, can be placed on top of each other over a high height, can be operated by forklift truck type mechanical means, and has good cover against various external attacks It has the advantage that it can be a protective measure. On the other hand, these pallets are not particularly suitable for long-distance conveyance in view of the fact that the number of tires they accommodate is relatively small for their bulk and the management of returning empty pallets.
For long-distance transport, technical efforts were made to fit the highest number of covers into a given volume. This is equally good with lorry trailers, marine containers or railway wagons.

  Another commonly used solution is to place the covers on top of each other in a specific arrangement called “fish bone” and place the resulting mass under compression. It is to optimize loading. These methods are described in US Pat. No. 5,092,106 (Patent Document 2) as an example. Although very effective for optimizing the amount to be loaded, these nevertheless have the disadvantage that they must be produced by hand, partly during the unloading operation, which means that It is a limiting factor from an ergonomic point of view in terms of size and weight. In addition, this solution has been found to be particularly inefficient within the storage warehouse. This is because the batches produced in this way are difficult to handle and move, the packaging in the logistic chain on the upstream and downstream sides of the transport operation is interrupted, and several sizes of covers Because they tend to cause confusion if they are packaged in the same shipment. Finally, any deformation that the tire may experience will necessarily adversely affect the tire's integrity.

For this reason, it should be noted that each of the above solutions is an optimal solution for a particular field, such as storage or transportation, but the same technical solution is rarely advantageous throughout the logistic chain. You can see that there is no. This results in additional handling, which in part detracts from the advantages achieved by selection of the solution that best suits the particular point in the chain described above.
This is the reason why a solution has been developed to the extent that it is neither possible nor impossible for the purpose of finding an overall optimum condition. One of these solutions is a stack of approximately 10 covers that are arranged on top of each other to form a cylinder whose outer surface generally has a vertical axis substantially formed by each tread of the cover. It consists of packaging the envelope in the state.

This solution has the advantage of forming a uniform handling batch that can be easily manipulated using modified means. Thereby, this is an advantageous compromise to optimize the logistic chain throughout all operations in the logistic chain, such as warehousing, loading and unloading and even transport, especially for large covers that are difficult to handle by hand And has been found to be particularly suitable when transport can be carried out in several stages.
Once the stack is formed, the cover in the stack is a tie as proposed in German Patent No. 166747 (Patent Document 3) or US Pat. No. 1,507,376 (Patent Document 4). Alternatively, the strap can be secured to each other by a shrink film as described in US Pat. No. 4,858,415 (Patent Document 5) or remains under the effect of its own weight. It's okay.
An industrial machine of the type proposed by US Pat. No. 3,955,491 (Patent Document 6) automatically forms a stack in a first stage and one or more in a second stage. Developed to place retaining straps.

Depending on the size of the cover, it is possible to place one or more stacks on a flat pallet, generally unrecoverable, to optimize the size of the handling batch or to handle the stacks individually.
However, the optimization of these solutions is partly related to the number of covers that can be joined together in the same stack, and consequently the maximum height of the stack.
In particular, it is particularly advantageous if a stack can be produced whose height corresponds to the unitary height used for transport, and as a result of the increased height of the trailer used for road transport, a high stack is used. I hope I can do it. “High height” generally means a height of up to 3 m, and in certain cases higher.
It has been found that these stacks are particularly tricky to operate when there is no means to secure the covers that hold them together, as one or more covers may fall during handling. Furthermore, these stacks tend to deform under the action of their own weight or with the action of strap tension, or exhibit a vertical projection of their centroids that are very off-centered with respect to the center of their support base. This support base consists in this case of contact between the first tire in the stack and the ground, which in turn leads to high and unacceptable fear of stack instability and fall.

The object of the present invention is to alleviate these drawbacks.
Thus, precise alignment of the axes of the covers that make up the stack prior to the compression operation can result in a cylindrical stack having a substantially very vertical axis, with the center of gravity substantially at the center of the support base. It has been found that it is possible to produce a stack with a large projected height.
This exact alignment of the axis of rotation of the tire is performed by rotation of all the tires that make up the stack after placing the tire on the alignment roller before placing the stack under compression. . By doing so, the contact areas between the side walls of two adjacent tires are adjusted one by one so that their axes of rotation are precisely aligned and present at these interfaces and later deform the stack Eliminate all the radial stresses that tend to occur.

US Pat. No. 5,259,325 US Pat. No. 5,092,106 German Patent No. 166747 US Pat. No. 1,507,376 US Pat. No. 4,858,415 US Pat. No. 3,955,491

Thus, the method of wrapping tires in a stack is the next step:
-Having the steps of placing tires of the same size configured in a stack on the packaging device, the packaging device having a set of alignment rollers provided so as to be rotatable about axes parallel to each other; Each of the rollers is adapted to contact each tread of the tire to hold the tire in a stable manner, and the axis of rotation of the tire is substantially parallel to the axis of the alignment roller;
-Next, at least one of the rollers is rotated to rotate and rotate all the tires that constitute the stack around each rotation axis of the tire, and finally each rotation axis of the tire is And accurately aligning with the rotation axis CC ′ of the cylindrical body constituted by the stack constituted as follows:
-Stopping the rotation of the alignment roller;
-Compressing the stack in the axial direction using the compression means while maintaining the alignment obtained in the previous step;
-Placing the restraining means along the generatrix of the cylinder,
-Releasing the action of the compression means to release the stack;
-Shipping the stack.

The apparatus used in this method has alignment means, means for placing the tire stack under compression, and means for positioning the restraining means, and the alignment means is provided so as to be rotatable around mutually parallel axes. At least two alignment rollers, each of which is in contact with a respective tread of the tire to hold the tire in a stable manner, at least one of the rollers being a tire Are capable of being rotationally driven around their respective rotational axes.
The alignment rollers may be arranged horizontally or vertically according to a variant embodiment.

The following description relates to a non-limiting exemplary embodiment of an installation whose application is in accordance with the invention with reference to the drawings.
In the following, elements of equipment having the same function shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 are denoted by the same reference numerals.
FIG. 1 is an overall schematic diagram of a manufacturing process with an integrated packaging machine. The lift truck 1 places tires wrapped in a vertical stack P on the supply belt 2.
A loading and turnover device 3 grabs the stack P and places it in the packaging device 3.
As will be described in detail below, it should be noted that this packaging device is placed horizontally and therefore it is necessary to rotate the rotational axis of the cover to bring them into a horizontal position.
In addition, even if the stack to be packaged requires an excessive amount of cover so that the stability of the cover can be controlled during the upstream transfer operation, the cover can be covered with several loading operations. Introduction into the packaging device 4 is possible without problems.
Once the packaging operation has been carried out with the packaging device 4, the same device 3 serves to extract the stack P and to place it on the discharge belt 5 after rotation.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the packaging device 4 of the present invention configured as follows.
The frames 100 and 101 support a horizontal axis line XX ′ on which two compression plates 300 and 301 are arranged. These plates can be translated along the axis XX 'under the action of the rams 302 and 303, and can be rotated around the axis XX' by a drive motor (not shown).
The compression plate supports two alignment rollers 200 and 201, whose axes are parallel to each other and form a substantially horizontal plane. These are arranged symmetrically with respect to a vertical plane passing through the axis XX ′.
The rollers 200 and 201 are rotatably provided, and one of these rollers is provided with a drive motor (not shown). The other roller may also be provided with a driving device for rotationally driving it, or may simply be able to freely rotate about its axis.

The rollers 200 and 201 can also move in a horizontal plane and their ends can change their separation distance “e” depending on the size of the tire to be packaged. (Not visible in the drawing). Means for positioning the restraining means are widely commercially available and utilize a technique comprising a stationary station 400 provided with a heat seal strap dispenser, a traveling banding head with tensioner and a thermal welding and cutting tool (not shown). ing. Guide rails 401, 402, 404, and 405 are disposed on a substantially horizontal plane that substantially passes through the axis XX ′ and passes through the equator of the stack, and forms a rectangular parallelepiped surrounding the stack P. The rails 404 and 405 are disposed in the compression plates 300 and 301. Thus, with a banding head, the strap can be run along the rails 401, 404, 402, 405 and then placed under tension by applying a force calibrated by the tensioner. The force has the effect of removing the strap from the rail and pressing it against the two diametrically opposite bus bars of the stack and against the two tire flank at the two ends of the stack. The strap is then cut and the two ends are welded together.
This type of restraining means is marketed under the trade name “Jumbo” by Deronka as an example.
The use of this device consists of a series of steps that can reveal the function of each of the components described above.

In the first stage, the tire is placed on the alignment rollers 200 and 201, and the rotation axis of the tire is arranged in a direction substantially parallel to the alignment roller.
The number of tires that have become part of the stack is carefully determined so that the height of the stack once formed is substantially equal to the height of the most commonly used transport means. This height usually varies from 2.5 m to 3 m depending on the type of standard used for logistics, and in some cases may be up to 3.5 m. Care is taken to deduct the clearance required to carry out the loading and unloading work by mechanical means. The length of the rollers 200 and 201 and the spacing between the compression plates 300 and 301 will be determined accordingly.

Next, once banded, it is necessary to consider the degree of compression necessary to ensure stack bonding.
When obtained through experiments, this degree of compression varies by 10 to 15% depending on the size and shape. Consider the following criteria that determine the optimal compression:
Compression required to ensure stack P binding throughout the subsequent handling operations. This ensures that sliding does not occur between the tire sidewalls, breaking the coaxiality of the stack and consequently introducing an imbalance factor when the stack is stored vertically.
-Deformation under the stress of the cover (temporary) and deformation of the tire located mainly at the two ends of the stack.
As can be seen from the following description, it is particularly useful to have the stack and axis coincide with the rotational axis XX 'of the compression plates 300, 301 so that the positioning of the restraining means as uniform as possible is also obtained. I understand that. By judiciously adjusting the separation “e” between the rollers 200 and 201 according to the size to be packaged, the tire axis and the stack axis are substantially aligned with the axis XX ′. To do.

It is noted that the tire is held in a stable manner in this configuration by placing the tire on each of the alignment rollers 200, 201 via the two axes of these treads. This is because their center of gravity is substantially located on a vertical plane passing through the axis XX 'and between the alignment rollers 200 and 201.
It can be seen that it is useful to re-form the stack and position the tire in as uniform a manner as possible before properly performing the alignment operation. For this purpose, the compression plates 300, 301 are first brought together to cause a slight compression of the stack, and then the plates are connected to their respective inner surfaces and tire sidewalls located at the two ends of the stack. Relieve pressure by positioning as close as possible to the last contact point between.
Rotation of one of the alignment rollers causes rotation of each of the tires about its axis of rotation. The effect of this overall movement is to align each of the tires precisely with respect to each other and the axis of rotation of each of the tires coincides with the cylinder axis CC ′ formed by the stack formed as described above. By doing so, the generatrix of this cylindrical body is tangent to each tread of the tire and is parallel to the axis of the alignment rollers 200 and 201. The purpose is to obtain the maximum required concentricity. What provides the required stability for the stack is combined with compression to maintain its effect on the high accuracy of this alignment.

It is considered that after completing a tire stack consisting of only a few turns, approximately 10 turns (ie, 10 tires) are considered satisfactory.
Once the alignment state is obtained, it is necessary to compress the stack and bring the two compression plates 300, 301 together.
However, it should be noted that once this alignment operation is performed, it is particularly advantageous to prevent the tires from losing their alignment due to the lack of axial coupling. This is the reason suggested above to position the compression plates 300, 301 as close as possible to the outer surface of the tire located at the two ends of the stack.
However, in order to avoid friction which occurs during the alignment phase between the inner surface of the compression plate and the outer sidewalls of the tire located at the two ends of the stack and which tends to detract from their exact alignment. It is particularly advantageous to provide a device for promoting sliding on the inner surface of the compression plate. The device may comprise a film of low coefficient of friction material, such as a film of polytetrafluoroethylene or a set of bearings.

The compression of the stack is performed by moving the plates 300 and 301 by operating the rams 302 and 303 in the axial direction. It can be seen that it is wise to compress the stack to a value slightly greater than the desired final value, taking into account the elasticity of the strap.
During this work, care is taken not to impair the alignment obtained during the previous stage.
Once the stack is placed under compression and held between the two frames 300, 301, restraining means can be arranged to stop the movement of the stack in the axial direction. In order to ensure the best uniformity of the stack clamp, at least two straps are provided to define a sector with substantially equal contours of the straps on the sidewalls located at the two ends of the stack It is recommended that Thus, two straps are provided at a 90 ° angle, three straps are provided at a 60 ° angle, and in some cases, four straps are provided at a 45 ° angle.
Care is taken to ensure that the strap tension is constant.

  It can also be seen that it is particularly advantageous if the restraint means can be arranged in as uniform a manner as possible by turning the stack around its axis CC ′. For this purpose, the simultaneous rotation of the plates about the axis XX ′ in alignment with the stack axis CC ′ is positioned with the stack kept under compression to prevent radial movement of the tires relative to each other. Stacks can be placed at the same number of angular positions as the restraining means to be. For this purpose, the plates 300 and 301 each have as many sets of rails as necessary to ensure the continuity of the guiding of the banding head, in other words in a form that serves as a support for this description. Two rails are provided at 90 ° at reference numerals 403, 404, 405, and 406 (not visible in the drawing). If it is desired to arrange three straps, it is advantageous to provide each plate 300, 301 with three rails arranged at 60 °.

The selection of the strap 407 (FIG. 3B) is performed according to the size to be packaged. That is, the width and thickness depend on the stress experienced by the strap, but also on the pressure that can be exerted on the tire sidewalls located at the two ends of the stack without further permanent set. The Thus, a 25 mm strap is selected for the size of the private car type and a 35 mm strap is selected for the size of the large covered vehicle type.
The strap may consist of a soft material such as polyester, polyamide or polyethylene. In some cases, metallic tires may be used in large-sized covered vehicles depending on preference.
Once the restraining means is fastened, the plates 300, 301 placed under pressure are returned to their initial angular positions, and the compression plates are moved away from each other to release the stack P, thereby subsequently unloading means. 3 can be sent out and exchanged in a vertical position.
The stack thus formed has sufficient internal connectivity to allow all subsequent handling without detrimental changes.

FIGS. 3A and 3B show a stack obtained by the conventional means (FIG. 3A) and a stack obtained by the above-described method (FIG. 3B).
The arrangement of the device which serves as a support for the description of the invention corresponds to an advantageous embodiment. Nevertheless, it should be noted that equivalent embodiments can be proposed within the scope of the teaching proposed by the present invention.
Thus, those skilled in the art can arrange the two alignment rollers 200 and 201 horizontally and in parallel to each other, but the apparatus can be modified without difficulty so as to form a plane that forms an angle with the horizontal. Similarly, it is possible to construct a device having three or more rollers while keeping the alignment rollers horizontal and parallel to each other.

Another form consists of the rollers arranged vertically, which may provide advantages in terms of handling and packaging plant organization.
In this connection, it is necessary to grip the stack to be packaged in a stable manner using at least three alignment rollers. These rollers are arranged such that the intersection of the horizontal plane and the axis of the alignment roller forms a substantially regular polygon. It would be necessary to provide a mechanism that allows the rollers to be taken in and out in the radial direction to make room for tires to be taken in and out of the alignment device. Finally, the restraining device will be positioned accordingly.
In this configuration, it is also necessary to adapt the radial pressure of the rollers applied to the tire tread to accurately align the tire in the radial direction while resisting the frictional forces that exist between each sidewall of the tire in the stack. Will.
Choosing banding through the diametrically opposite busbar still constitutes an optimal embodiment. However, a line that passes through the outer bus of the stack, passes through a radial path that is adjacent to this bus and is located on the two tire flank located at the two axial ends of the stack, and through the interior of the stack It is possible to perform banding by passing a strap along This necessitates providing rails that pass through the interior of the stack and removing them at each end of the cycle, which necessarily affects the overall bulk and cycle time of the packaging device.

1 is a schematic view of a factory layout having a packaging device of the present invention. 1 is a schematic view of the packaging device of the present invention. (A) is a schematic view of a stack of tires manufactured by a conventional method, and (b) is a schematic view of a stack of tires manufactured by the method of the present invention in which the tires are packaged in a stacked state.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Lift truck 2 Supply belt 3 Loading and turnover apparatus 4 Packing apparatus 5 Delivery belt 100, 101 Frame 200, 201 Positioning roller 300, 301 Compression plate 302, 303 Ram 304 Slot 400 Fixing station 401-405 Guide rail 407 Strap P tire stack

Claims (15)

A method of packaging tires in a stack, comprising:
-A step of arranging tires of the same size, which constitute a stack (P), on the packaging device (4), the packaging device being arranged in a set rotatably arranged around mutually parallel axes Alignment rollers (200, 201), each of which is in contact with a respective tread of the tire to hold the tire in a stable manner, and the axis of rotation of the tire is the axis of the alignment roller Is substantially parallel to
-Next, at least one of the rollers is rotated to rotate and rotate all the tires that constitute the stack around each rotation axis of the tire, and finally each rotation axis of the tire is And accurately aligning with the rotation axis CC ′ of the cylindrical body constituted by the stack constituted as follows:
-Stopping the rotation of the alignment roller;
-Compressing the stack in the axial direction using the compression means (300, 301) while maintaining the alignment state obtained in the previous step,
-Disposing the restraining means (407) along the generatrix of the cylinder,
-Releasing the action of the compression means to release the stack;
-A method comprising the step of shipping the stack.   2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the alignment means comprise at least two alignment rollers (200, 201) provided substantially horizontally to hold the tire in a stable manner.   The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the alignment means comprise at least three alignment rollers (200, 201) provided substantially vertically to hold the tire in a stable manner.   The method according to claim 1, wherein the tire has a degree of compression of 10 to 15%.   The method of claim 1, wherein the restraining means (407) comprises a continuous strap under tension.   In an apparatus for packaging tires in a stack state, the positioning means is provided to be rotatable around mutually parallel axes, the positioning means, means for compressing the tire stack, and means for positioning the restraining means. At least two alignment rollers (200, 201), each of which is in contact with a respective tread of the tire to hold the tire in a stable manner, at least of the rollers One is an apparatus characterized in that all tires can be rotationally driven around their respective rotational axes.   7. A device according to claim 6, characterized in that the alignment rollers (200, 201) are provided substantially horizontally.   7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the at least three alignment rollers (200, 201) are provided substantially vertically.   The compression means is formed by two plates (300, 301), the inner surfaces of the plates being parallel to each other and perpendicular to the axis of the alignment roller, at least one of the plates being an alignment roller 9. A device according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that it can be translated along an axis parallel to the axis.   The inner surface of the plate (300, 301) is coated with a film made of a material that provides a low coefficient of friction and facilitates sliding of the tire sidewall on the inner surface of the plate. Item 10. The apparatus according to Item 9.   10. A device according to claim 9, characterized in that the inner surface of the plate (300, 301) has a bearing adapted to facilitate the sliding of the tire sidewall on the inner surface of the plate.   The means (400, 401, 402, 403, 404, 405, 406) for disposing the restraining means are two cylinders formed by the stack and the tire sidewalls located at the two axial ends of the stack. 9. An apparatus according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that the restraining means are arranged under tension along a line passing through a generatrix outside and diametrically opposite.   The means for disposing the restraining means passes through a radial path located on the flank of two tires passing through the external bus of the stack, adjacent to the bus and located at the two axial ends of the stack, and 9. An apparatus according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the restraining means is arranged under tension along a line passing through the interior of the stack.   The plates (300, 301) are capable of rotational movement about an axis XX 'parallel to the axis of the alignment roller so as to direct the stack circumferentially according to the same number of angular positions as the restraining means to be arranged. Item 14. The device according to Item 12 or 13.   The distance (e) between the alignment rollers (200, 201) can be adjusted according to the size to be packaged so that the axis CC ′ of the stack once formed substantially coincides with the axis XX ′ of the compression plate. The apparatus according to claim 14.

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