JP7107005B2 - Tire processing device and tire processing method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a tire processing apparatus and a tire processing method for processing the inner surface of the tread portion of a pneumatic tire.

A sound-damping sponge material is sometimes adhered to the inner surface of the tread portion of the pneumatic tire. In general, a mold release agent such as silicone oil remains on the inner surface of the tread portion in order to enhance the releasability from the bladder for vulcanization molding. This release agent prevents adhesion between the sponge material and the inner surface of the tread portion. In order to increase the adhesiveness between the sponge material and the inner surface of the tread portion, it is known to remove the release agent by polishing the inner surface of the tread portion with a buffing tool, for example.

JP 2007-168242 A

When the buffing tool applies a radially outward force to the inner surface of the tread portion during the polishing process, the tread portion is crushed, and there is a problem that the inner surface of the tread portion cannot be uniformly processed. In particular, for example, in a tire having a small thickness of rubber in the sidewall portion, which has been developed in response to the increasing demand for fuel-efficient tires, the tread portion is greatly crushed.

The present invention has been devised in view of the actual situation as described above, and the main object of the present invention is to provide a tire processing apparatus and a tire processing method capable of suppressing the sagging of the tread portion and uniformly processing the inner surface of the tread portion. purpose.

The present invention is an apparatus for processing the inner surface of the tread portion of a pneumatic tire, which includes a tread portion and a pair of sidewall portions extending radially inward from both sides of the tread portion, wherein the tire circumference of the inner surface is a processing tool for applying a radially outward force to a first portion, which is at least a partial region of the tire radial direction, to perform the processing; and sidewall retaining means for contacting the pair of second portions radially inwardly corresponding to each other and retaining the axial spacing between the pair of second portions.

In the tire processing apparatus according to the present invention, it is preferable that the sidewall retaining means includes a pair of inner retaining members contactable with the inner surface of the second portion.

In the tire processing apparatus according to the present invention, it is preferable that the pair of inner holding members can contact at least a position in the tire radial direction where the distance between the second portions in the axial direction of the tire is maximum.

In the tire processing apparatus according to the present invention, it is desirable that the pair of inner holding members be rotatable around an axis along the rotation axis of the pneumatic tire being processed.

In the tire processing apparatus according to the present invention, it is preferable that the pair of inner holding members have a truncated cone shape that protrudes outward in the tire axial direction of the pneumatic tire being processed.

In the tire processing apparatus according to the present invention, it is desirable that the sidewall retaining means includes a pair of outer retaining members contactable with the outer surface of the second portion.

The present invention provides a method for processing the inner surface of the tread portion of a pneumatic tire including the tread portion and a pair of sidewall portions extending radially inward from both sides of the tread portion, wherein the tire circumference of the inner surface is a step of applying a force outward in the tire radial direction to a first portion, which is at least a partial region of the tire radial direction, to perform the processing; contacting a pair of second portions corresponding to one side to maintain a gap between the pair of second portions in the tire axial direction.

A tire processing apparatus according to the present invention comprises a processing tool for processing a first portion of the inner surface of a tread portion by applying a force directed outward in the tire radial direction, and a pair of second tire processing tools corresponding to the radially inward portion of the first portion. and sidewall retaining means for retaining the axial spacing of the segments. When a force directed outward in the tire radial direction is applied to the first portion, a tensile stress in the tire radial direction acts on the second portion. is narrowed, and the tread portion is crushed. In the present invention, since the sidewall holding means is provided, the movement of the second portion in the direction of narrowing the gap is suppressed, and the tread portion is suppressed from being crushed. Therefore, the processing apparatus of the present invention can uniformly process the inner surface of the tread portion.

It is a front view showing one embodiment of a processing device of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a side view of a tire holding base of the processing apparatus of FIG. 1; It is an enlarged view of a processing tool and sidewall holding means. It is a front view which shows the outline of a sidewall holding means. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the processing procedure of the processing method of this invention. It is a front view explaining the fixing process of the processing method of this invention. It is a front view explaining the holding process of the processing method of this invention, and the process to process.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows a tire processing apparatus 1 (hereinafter simply referred to as "processing apparatus 1") for processing an inner surface Ta of a tread portion T1 of a pneumatic tire T (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as "tire T"). ) is a schematic front view of one embodiment. FIG. 2 is a side view of the processing device 1. FIG. The processing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment is used as a polishing apparatus for buffing the tire T, for example. In the buffed tire T, for example, sound damping sponge material for suppressing resonance vibration in the tire lumen, sealant material for preventing puncture due to nail holes, etc. are buffed on the portion. can be pasted. In addition, the processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment is not limited to what is used as such a polishing apparatus.

As shown in FIG. 3, the tire T includes a tread portion T1 in contact with the road surface, a pair of sidewall portions T2 extending radially inward from both sides of the tread portion T1, and a pair of sidewall portions T2 extending radially inward of the sidewall portions T2. and a bead portion T3 extending in the opposite direction. Each sidewall portion T2 has, for example, a projecting portion Tm that is formed in an arcuate shape protruding outward in the axial direction of the tire and that protrudes most outwardly in the axial direction of the tire.

As the tire T to be processed by the processing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, various tires may be employed without particular limitation. A thickness of about 0 mm is preferably adopted.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the processing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment includes a tire holding base 3 for holding a tire T, a processing tool 4 for processing the tire T, and a sidewall portion T2 of the tire T. and sidewall retaining means 5 capable of retaining the .

The tire holding base 3 of this embodiment includes a frame 7 forming its outer shell and a driving means 8 .

The frame 7 includes, for example, a pair of side frames 7L and 7R arranged on both sides in the tire axial direction of the tire T to be processed, and a horizontal joint frame piece 7C joining the side frames 7L and 7R. ing.

The driving means 8 is for rotating the tire T around its rotation axis Tc, for example. The driving means 8 of this embodiment are attached to the frame 7 . The drive means 8 includes tire support means 11 , positioning means 12 and pressing means 13 in this embodiment.

The tire support means 11 of this embodiment includes a pair of support rollers 11a and 11b. The pair of support rollers 11a and 11b are arranged parallel to each other with a distance in the tire circumferential direction. The support rollers 11a and 11b of this embodiment extend horizontally along the tire axial direction. Both ends of the pair of support rollers 11a and 11b are rotatably supported by the side frames 7L and 7R via bearings (not shown). Of the pair of support rollers 11a and 11b, one support roller 11a is rotationally driven by a first motor 19 provided on the side frame 7L. Such a tire support means 11 places the tire T between the pair of support rollers 11a and 11b and holds the tire T in an upright state, and rotates the tire T by the rotation of one of the support rollers 11a.

The positioning means 12 of this embodiment includes a pair of side support bodies 15, 15 that sandwich the sidewall portion T2 of the tire T from both sides. Each side support 15 includes, for example, a main support portion 16 and a holding roller 17 .

The support body main portion 16 of the present embodiment is configured as a rectangular frame. Each support body main portion 16 is movably guided in the X direction by, for example, a pair of guide guides 18 extending in the tire axial direction between the pair of side frames 7L and 7R. Each main support section 16, 16 is movable in opposite directions in this embodiment via a well-known gear and rack mechanism (not shown). In this specification, the X direction is parallel and horizontal to the tire axial direction of the tire T positioned by the positioning means 12 . The Y direction is a horizontal direction perpendicular to the X direction. The Z direction is a vertical direction perpendicular to the X and Y directions.

A plurality of holding rollers 17 of this embodiment are provided on the surfaces of the supporting body main portions 16 , 16 facing each other. In this embodiment, the holding roller 17 has a well-known structure that is rotatable around its axis 17c. As shown in FIG. 2, the axis 17c of each holding roller 17 is arranged toward the rotation axis Tc of the tire T. As shown in FIG. The holding roller 17 is arranged, for example, so as to come into contact with the sidewall portion T2 of the tire T that has been processed. Such positioning means 12 hold the tire T from both sides of the sidewall portion T2 and hold the tire T without hindering its rotation.

The pressing means 13 of this embodiment includes a cylinder 20 and a pressing roller 21 . The cylinder 20 is supported on the upper end of the frame 7, for example. The pressing roller 21 is, for example, rotatably held with the rotation of the tire T and attached to the lower end of the rod 23 of the cylinder 20 . Such pressing means 13 can press the tire T against the pair of support rollers 11a and 11b by the extension operation of the cylinder 20, and can rotate the tire T stably.

The processing tool 4 is for polishing the inner surface Ta of the tread portion T1 of the tire T in this embodiment. The processing tool 4 of this embodiment includes a buff 25 , buff support means 26 for supporting the buff 25 , and buff movement means (not shown) for moving the buff 25 . In addition, the processing tool 4 is not limited to one including the buff 25, and may be, for example, a mode capable of processing by well-known dry ice cleaning. Moreover, the processing tool 4 may include a mode in which processing can be performed by laser cleaning or liquid cleaning using a chemical solution, an acid, an alkali, or the like.

The buff 25 of the present embodiment is formed, for example, as a disc-shaped core 25a including a buff brush with filament material planted around it. As the filament material, for example, a substrate made of a synthetic resin such as nylon or a metal substrate containing abrasive grains containing silicon carbide is preferably used.

The buff support means 26 of this embodiment has a known structure that supports the buff 25 rotatably around the first axis A1 via a motor (not shown). The first axis A1 of this embodiment extends parallel to the rotation axis Tc of the tire T. As shown in FIG.

The buff moving means of this embodiment has, for example, an actuator having a well-known structure such as a ball screw mechanism or a cylinder mechanism, and can move the buff 25 in the X, Y and Z directions. The buff moving means, for example, brings the buff 25 into contact with the first portion Te (shown in FIG. 3) of the inner surface Ta, and further applies a tire radial outward force F to the first portion Te via the buff 25. . In addition, when the outward force F is small, there is a possibility that processing unevenness occurs.

The first portion Te is, for example, a portion to which the sponge material or the sealant material is applied, and is a region S1 having a certain length in the tire axial direction. The first portion Te may have, for example, a total length in the axial direction of the tire over which the sponge material or the sealant material is applied. Moreover, the tire T is rotated around the rotation axis Tc. Therefore, the region S1 may be formed, for example, as a region in which the first portion Te is continuous in the tire circumferential direction. Note that the region S1 is not limited to such a mode, and may be a mode in which the length in the tire circumferential direction is smaller than the length of one circumference of the tire T, for example.

Of the pair of sidewall portions T2, the sidewall holding means 5 of the present embodiment comes into contact with a pair of second portions Ti corresponding to the inner side of the first portion Te in the tire radial direction, thereby It is for maintaining the distance P in the axial direction. The second portion Ti is, for example, a portion on which tensile stress in the tire radial direction acts due to the tire radially outward force F applied to the first portion Te by the processing tool 4, and the sidewall holding means 5 is provided. If not, it is a portion that moves in the direction of narrowing the interval P. In this embodiment, since the sidewall holding means 5 is provided, movement in the direction of narrowing the interval P of the second portion Ti is suppressed. Therefore, crushing of the tread portion T1 is suppressed.

The second portion Ti is formed including, for example, the projecting portion Tm of each sidewall portion T2 where the distance P is the maximum. The projecting portion Tm is a portion where the tensile stress acts greatly due to the outward force F. As shown in FIG. Therefore, by maintaining the distance P at the projecting portion Tm, the crushing of the tread portion T1 is effectively suppressed.

In the present embodiment, in the tire T to be processed, the first portion Te is formed continuously in the tire circumferential direction, so the second portion Ti is also formed as a region continuous in the tire circumferential direction. In the present embodiment, the second portion Ti includes an inner surface Th facing the tire inner cavity N side and an outer surface Tk opposite to the inner surface Th.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the sidewall holding means 5. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the sidewall retaining means 5 in this embodiment includes a pair of inner retaining members 29 contactable with the inner surface Th of the second portion Ti.

The inner holding member 29 of the present embodiment includes a roller portion 29A that contacts the inner surface Th of the second portion Ti, a roller support portion 29B that rotatably supports the roller portion 29A, and a roller support portion 29B that extends in the X and Z directions. and a moving portion 29C that can move to the In this embodiment, the roller portion 29A is formed in a truncated cone shape that protrudes outward in the tire axial direction of the tire T that has been processed. Specifically, the roller portion 29A is formed in the shape of a truncated cone whose cross-sectional area gradually decreases toward the second portion Ti. Such a roller portion 29A ensures a large contact area with the inner surface Th of the second portion Ti, effectively maintains the distance P, and can suppress damage to the inner surface Th. The roller portion 29A is not limited to such an aspect, and various shapes can be adopted from the viewpoint of suppressing damage to the inner surface Th.

The roller support portion 29B supports, for example, the roller portion 29A so as to be rotatable around the axis A2 along the rotation axis Tc of the tire T being processed. The axis A2 is parallel to the rotation axis Tc in this embodiment. Such a roller support portion 29B can further effectively suppress the movement of the second portion Ti in the direction of narrowing the interval P, thereby maintaining the interval P. As shown in FIG. The roller support portion 29B is formed, for example, as a support shaft 30 extending in the tire axial direction (X direction) of the processed tire T, and includes a bearing (not shown) that rotationally holds the roller portion 29A.

The moving portion 29C includes, for example, a first moving portion 32 that moves the roller portion 29A in the X direction, and a second moving portion 33 that moves the roller portion 29A in the Z direction.

The first moving section 32 includes a first guide section 39, a first moving table 40, and a first linear driving section (not shown). The first guide portion 39 extends along the X direction. The first moving table 40 is provided so as to be movable in the X direction under the guidance of the first guide portion 39 . The linear drive section has, for example, a ball screw mechanism, and can move the first moving table 40 in the horizontal direction. The first moving table 40 is provided with an L-shaped rod 31 connected to the roller support portion 29B. By moving the first moving table 40, the roller portion 29A can be moved in the X direction via the rod 31. As shown in FIG.

The second moving section 33 includes a second support table 43, a second guide section 44, a second lifting table 45, and a second linear driving section (not shown). The second support base 43 is fixed to the base plate 7a of the frame 7 (shown in FIG. 1). The second guide portion 44 is fixed to the side portion of the second support base 43 and extends in the Z direction. The second lift table 45 is provided so as to be movable in the Z direction under the guidance of the second guide portion 44 . The second linear drive section has, for example, a ball screw mechanism, and can move the second lift table 45 in the Z direction. By moving the second platform 45, the roller portion 29A can be moved in the Z direction. The second lift table 45 is fixed to the first guide portion 39 in this embodiment.

29 C of moving parts are not limited to such an aspect, It can take various aspects. The moving portion 29C may include, for example, a third moving portion (not shown) that moves the roller portion 29A in the Y direction.

The sidewall retaining means 5 further includes a pair of outer retaining members 50 contactable with the outer surface Tk of the second portion Ti in this embodiment. Such an outer holding member 50 cooperates with the inner holding member 29 to sandwich the second portion Ti from inside and outside in the axial direction of the tire, thereby firmly holding the interval P between the second portions Ti.

The outer holding member 50 of this embodiment is formed in the shape of a rotatable roller. The outer holding member 50 includes, for example, a guide roller portion 51 that contacts the outer surface Tk of the second portion Ti of the tire T to be processed, and a guide holder 52 that rotatably supports the guide roller portion 51. formed.

The guide roller portion 51 is formed, for example, in a cylindrical shape whose axial length is greater than the cross-sectional height of the tire T. As shown in FIG. The axis 51c of the guide roller portion 51 of this embodiment is arranged toward the rotation axis Tc of the tire T (shown in FIG. 2). It should be noted that the guide roller portion 51 is not limited to such an aspect, and can have various known structures as long as the tire T can be smoothly rotated.

The guide holder 52 rotatably supports the guide roller portion 51 via, for example, a bearing (not shown). Both ends of the guide holder 52 are held by the main support portion 16, for example. As a result, the outer holding member 50 is moved in the axial direction of the tire together with the main support portion 16 by the guide 18 . It should be noted that the outer holding member 50 is not limited to being held by the support body main portion 16. For example, by being held by the moving portion 29C of the inner holding member 29, the outer holding member 50 can be held in at least the X direction and the Z direction. It may be a mode in which it is possible to move to

Moreover, the sidewall holding means 5 is not limited to such an aspect. The sidewall holding means 5 may have a structure that holds the gap P by, for example, sucking the outer surface Tk of each of the second portions Ti from the axially outer side of the second portions Ti, for example, by vacuum suction.

Next, a method for processing the inner surface Ta of the tread portion T1 using the processing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as "processing method") will be described. In the processing method of this embodiment, the inner surface Ta is polished. FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing an example of a processing procedure of a method for processing the inner surface Ta of the tread portion T1. 6 and 7 are front views for explaining movement of the processing tool 4 and sidewall holding means 5. FIG.

As shown in FIG. 5, in the processing method of the present embodiment, first, a step of fixing the tire T (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as a "fixing step") K1 is performed. As shown in FIG. 6, in the fixing step K1, first, the core 25a of the processing tool 4 and the roller portion 29A of the inner holding member 29 are made to stand by outside the tire T (tire holding table 3). A tire T is loaded onto a platform 3 (shown in FIGS. 1 and 2).

In the fixing step K1, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the tire T is placed between the pair of support rollers 11a and 11b of the drive means 8, and the side supports 15 of the pair of positioning means 12 and 12 are fixed to the tire. The side wall portion T2 of the tire T is held by moving inward in the axial direction. In this embodiment, the outer holding member 50 is fixed to the main support portion 16, so the holding roller 17 and the outer holding member 50 come into contact with the outer surface Td of the sidewall portion T2 of the tire T. As shown in FIG.

Next, in the fixing step K1, as shown in FIG. 2, the cylinder 20 of the pressing means 13 is extended downward. As a result, the tire T is sandwiched between the pressing roller 21 and the pair of support rollers 11a and 11b. Thus, in the fixing step K1, the tire T is held in the X direction and the Z direction.

Next, in the processing method of the present embodiment, a step (hereinafter, sometimes simply referred to as a “holding step”) K2 of holding the axial distance P of the second portion Ti of the sidewall portion T2 is performed.

In the holding step K2 of the present embodiment, first, the roller portion 29A of the inner holding member 29 is arranged in the tire inner cavity N surrounded by the sidewall portion T2 of the tire T, as shown in FIG. Specifically, the second linear drive section (not shown) is driven to move the second lifting table 45 (shown in FIG. 3) in the Z direction, and the first linear drive section (not shown) is driven to move the first movable table. 40 is moved in the X direction to dispose the roller portion 29A in the tire inner cavity N.

Next, in the holding step K2, the second lifting table 45 and the first moving table 40 are driven to bring the roller portion 29A into contact with the inner surface Th of the second portion Ti of the sidewall portion T2. At this time, the roller portion 29A and the guide roller portion 51 of the outer holding member 50 are adjacent to each other inside and outside in the axial direction of the tire via the second portion Ti.

Next, a step K3 of processing the inner surface Ta of the tread portion T1 is performed. First, the buff 25 of the processing tool 4 waiting outside the tire T is arranged at a position inward in the tire radial direction from the first portion Te by the buff moving means (not shown). Next, as shown in FIG. 1, the first motor 19 is driven to rotate one support roller 11a, and the tire T is rotated. Next, for example, the buff 25 is rotated in the direction opposite to the tire T, and is brought into contact with the first portion Te of the tire T by the buff moving means, and a force directed outward in the tire radial direction is applied to the first portion Te. Add F. Thereby, the first portion Te of the tread portion T1 is polished. At this time, the second portion Ti is in contact with the inner holding member 29 and the outer holding member 50 to maintain the distance P between them, so that the tire T is suppressed from being crushed. Therefore, the first portion Te is processed uniformly.

Although the particularly preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiments and can be modified in various ways.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 tire processing device 4 processing tool 5 sidewall holding means P spacing T pneumatic tire T1 tread portion T2 sidewall portion Ta inner surface Te first portion Ti second portion

Claims (7)

An apparatus for processing the inner surface of the tread portion of a pneumatic tire including a tread portion and a pair of sidewall portions extending radially inward from both sides of the tread portion,
The pneumatic tire has a first portion, which is at least a partial region of the inner surface in the tire circumferential direction, and the pair of sidewall portions, when a force directed outward in the tire radial direction is applied to the first portion. and a pair of second portions that tend to move in a direction to narrow the distance in the tire axial direction,
Previousa processing tool for performing the processing by applying a tire radially outward force to the first portion;
Previoussidewall holding means for contacting the pair of second portions and holding the axial distance between the pair of second portions;
Tire processing equipment. 2. The tire processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein said sidewall retaining means includes a pair of inner retaining members contactable with the inner surface of said second portion. 3. The tire processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the pair of inner holding members are capable of contacting at least a position in the tire radial direction where the distance between the second portions in the tire axial direction is maximum. 4. The tire processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said pair of inner holding members are rotatable around an axis along the rotation axis of said pneumatic tire being processed. 5. The tire processing apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the pair of inner holding members have a truncated cone shape that protrudes outward in the axial direction of the pneumatic tire being processed. 6. The tire processing apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein said sidewall holding means includes a pair of outer holding members contactable with the outer surface of said second portion. A method for processing the inner surface of the tread portion of a pneumatic tire including a tread portion and a pair of sidewall portions extending radially inward from both sides of the tread portion,
The pneumatic tire has a first portion, which is at least a partial region of the inner surface in the tire circumferential direction, and the pair of sidewall portions, when a force directed outward in the tire radial direction is applied to the first portion. and a pair of second portions that tend to move in a direction to narrow the distance in the tire axial direction,
Previous a step of performing the processing by applying a tire radially outward force to the first portion;
Previous contacting the pair of second portions to maintain the axial distance between the pair of second portions;Whenincluding,
Tire processing method.

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