JPWO2019003352A1 - Inflatable device - Google Patents

Abstract

The inflation apparatus comprises a lower rim support (11) for supporting the lower rim (10b), an upper rim support (15) for supporting the upper rim (15b), and an upper rim support for the lower rim support (11). (15) A movement restricting portion (37) for restricting downward movement away from (15), a position adjusting rod (21) extending through the lower rim supporting portion (11), and an upper rim A connector (51) attached to the support (15) and connecting the upper rim support (15) to the position adjustment rod (21), and a rim advancer (40 for advancing the lower rim support (11) upward) And.

Description

  The present invention relates to an inflatable device that holds a tire and inflates the tire by inflating air.

  Tires used in vehicles such as passenger cars, trucks and buses are manufactured by being vulcanized under high temperature and high pressure in a tire vulcanizer. The tire vulcanized in the tire manufacturing process is carried from the tire vulcanizer to the cooling device, cooled by the cooling device, and carried out.

  As such a cooling device, there is a device described in Patent Document 1. The cooling device includes an inflation device that inflates the tire after the tire is held by the upper rim and the lower rim. When the lower rim fits into the lower bead portion of the tire and the upper rim fits into the upper bead portion of the tire, the tire is held by the upper rim and the lower rim. Furthermore, the upper bead portion and the lower bead portion of the tire are sealed by the upper rim and the lower rim. When the tire is held and sealed by the upper and lower rims, air is supplied into the tire and the tire is inflated.

  The inflatable device has a position adjusting device capable of adjusting the distance between the upper rim and the lower rim in accordance with the tire width. The position adjusting device has a position adjusting rod and a rotation mechanism. The position adjusting rod has a screw shaft extending in the axial direction around the axis, and a displacement cylinder which forms a cylindrical shape and covers the outer periphery of the screw shaft. The rotation mechanism rotates the screw shaft about the axis. An external thread is formed on the outer periphery of the screw shaft. On the inner periphery of the displacement cylinder, a female screw that can be screwed into a male screw is formed. A lower rim is disposed on the outer peripheral side of the screw shaft and the displacement cylinder. The lower rim is axially immovably fixed relative to the screw shaft. The upper rim is fixed to the displacement cylinder by a connector. When the screw shaft rotates about the axis, the displacement cylinder screwed to the screw shaft moves in the axial direction. As a result, the upper rim moves axially relative to the lower rim.

Patent No. 2670251

  When the tire is held by the inflation device, after the lower rim is fitted to the lower bead portion of the tire, the upper rim is fitted to the upper bead portion of the tire.

  The tire immediately after being vulcanized is soft and easily deformed. Therefore, when the lower rim is fitted into the lower bead portion of the tire, the upper bead portion of the tire hangs down. In particular, in recent years, due to the weight reduction of the tire, the thickness of the tire has become thinner and it is easier to deform, so the amount of sagging of the upper bead portion becomes larger, and the distance between the upper bead portion and the lower bead portion Is getting narrower. For this reason, in the case of a tire having a narrow tire width, it may not be possible to fit the upper rim into the upper bead portion of the tire. If the upper rim is not fitted in the upper bead of the tire, the upper bead can not be inflated because the upper bead is not sealed by the upper rim.

  Therefore, by enlarging the moving range in the axial direction of the displacement cylinder with respect to the screw shaft, the upper rim can be fitted into the upper bead portion of the tire even in a tire having a narrow tire width. However, in order to increase the axial movement range of the displacement cylinder with respect to the screw shaft, it is necessary to increase the axial length of the screw rod and at the same time increase the axial length of the displacement cylinder. The height of the device is increased.

  Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an inflatable device capable of inflating even a tire having a narrow tire width while suppressing an increase in the height of the device.

The inflation apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention is
What is claimed is: 1. An inflatable device for putting air into a tire sandwiched between a first rim and a second rim in the tire width direction, a first rim support portion for supporting the first rim, and an axis with respect to the first rim support portion. A second rim support portion arranged side by side and supporting the second rim, and one rim support portion of the first rim support portion and the second rim support portion in the axial direction; A movement restricting portion for restricting movement to the side away from the other rim support portion; and a position adjustment rod which penetrates the one rim support portion and extends in the axial direction toward the other rim support portion A connector attached to the other rim support and connecting the other rim support to the position adjustment rod, and the one rim support approaching the other rim support in the axial direction And a rim advancing device for advancing to the side.

  In this aspect, by driving the rim advancing device, one rim support can be moved to the side closer to the other rim support. For this reason, in this aspect, the adjustment width of the axial distance between the two rim support portions can be expanded without increasing the axial length of the position adjustment rod. Therefore, according to this aspect, a tire having a narrow tire width can be sandwiched between two rims and the tire can be inflated without increasing the axial length of the position adjustment rod.

The inflation apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention is
In the inflatable device according to the second aspect, the position adjustment rod engages with the axially extending shaft portion and at least a portion of the shaft portion, and the axial position relative to the shaft portion can be displaced. Displacement portion. The coupler couples the other rim support to the displacement of the position adjustment rod.

  In this aspect, the axial distance between the first rim and the second rim can be made equal to the rim width of the tire by moving the other rim supporting portion in the axial direction.

The inflatable device according to the third aspect of the present invention is
In the inflatable apparatus according to the second aspect, the position adjustment rod is configured to move the other rim support portion coupled to the displacement portion by the coupler to a side closer to the one rim support portion in the axial direction. It has a stopper that regulates movement. The stopper is fixed to the displacement portion.

  In this aspect, the axial position of the other rim support portion with respect to the displacement portion can be regulated. For this reason, according to the present aspect, when the other rim support portion is connected to the displacement portion, the axial relative position of the other rim support portion with respect to the displacement portion can be easily determined.

The inflation apparatus according to the fourth aspect of the present invention is
In the inflatable device of the second aspect or the third aspect, the rim advancing device has a rod which extends in the axial direction, and a cylinder case which supports the rod so as to be movable back and forth in the axial direction. The first end of the rod is housed in the cylinder case. The second end of the rod protrudes from the cylinder case and is connected to the one rim support. The range in which the cylinder case is provided in the axial direction overlaps the range in which the shaft portion is provided in the axial direction.

  In this aspect, the range in which the cylinder case is provided in the axial direction overlaps the range in which the shaft portion is provided in the axial direction. For this reason, in this aspect, it is possible to suppress an increase in the height of the apparatus by the rim advancing device.

The inflation apparatus according to the fifth aspect of the present invention is
The inflatable device according to the fourth aspect includes a base that supports the shaft in the axial direction on the opposite side to the other rim support with respect to the one rim support. The cylinder case is provided in a range in which the shaft portion and the base are provided in the axial direction.

  In this aspect, the cylinder case is provided in the range in which the shaft portion and the base are provided in the axial direction. For this reason, in this aspect, it is possible to prevent the rim advancing device from increasing the apparatus height.

The inflation apparatus according to the sixth aspect of the present invention is
In the inflation apparatus of the fifth aspect, the cylinder case is connected to and supported by the base.

The inflation apparatus according to the seventh aspect of the present invention is
In the inflation apparatus according to any one of the fourth to sixth aspects, the rim advancing device is an air cylinder that advances and retracts the rod in the axial direction in accordance with the amount of gas in the cylinder case.

  An air cylinder or a linear actuator can be used as the rim advancing device. However, when a linear actuator configured by combining mechanical elements such as gears is used as a rim advancing device, one rim support is moved to the side closer to the other rim support, and the tire is moved by two rims. After inflating, in the process of inflating the tire, it is necessary to control the movement of the operation end to move the rim support away from the other rim support as the tire expands. On the other hand, when an air cylinder is used as the rim advancing device, the working end (the tip of the rod) is moved away from the other rim supporting portion by the force received from the tire as the tire is expanded. For this reason, when an air cylinder is used as the rim advancing device as in the present embodiment, control for moving the operation end to the side away from the other rim support portion becomes unnecessary. Therefore, according to this aspect, the control can be simplified and the device cost can be reduced.

  According to one aspect of the inflation device according to the present invention, it is possible to inflate a tire having a narrow tire width while suppressing an increase in the device height.

It is sectional drawing of the inflation apparatus in one Embodiment which concerns on this invention. It is the II-II sectional view taken on the line in FIG. It is sectional drawing of the inflation apparatus before connection of the upper rim support part in one Embodiment which concerns on this invention. In one embodiment concerning the present invention, it is a sectional view of an inflation device when an upper rim is inserted in a tire. It is a sectional view of an inflation device after inflation of a tire in one embodiment concerning the present invention.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of an inflation apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the inflation apparatus of the present embodiment is an apparatus for inflating the tire T by inserting the upper rim 15 and the lower rim 10 and the tire T in the widthwise direction of the tire and introducing air into the tire T. is there. In the present embodiment, the tire T held in the inflation device is left for a predetermined time to naturally air cool the tire T. That is, the inflation device of the present embodiment functions as a tire cooling device. The tire T vulcanized by the tire vulcanizer is cooled in a blown state by an inflation device functioning as a tire cooling device.

  When the tire T is sandwiched between the upper rim 15 and the lower rim 10, the central axis of the tire is in the vertical direction. The upper rim 15 is fitted into the upper bead portion bu of the tire T in this state, and the lower rim 10 is fitted into the lower bead portion bd of the tire T in this state. Thus, the upper rim 15 is located above the lower rim 10.

  The inflation apparatus of the present embodiment includes a lower rim support (first rim support or one rim support) 11 supporting a lower rim (first rim) 10 and an upper rim (second rim) 15. An upper rim support portion (second rim support portion or the other rim support portion) 16 to be supported, and a position adjustment device 20 for moving the upper rim support portion 16 vertically relative to the lower rim support portion 11; And.

  The lower rim support portion 11 is formed with an air supply passage 12 for introducing air into the tire T fitted in the lower rim 10 supported by the lower rim support portion 11.

  The position adjustment device 20 has a position adjustment rod 21, a rotation mechanism 31 and a base 35. The position adjustment rod 21 has a screw shaft (shaft portion) 22 extending in the axial direction Da around the axis line A, and a displacement cylinder (displacement portion) which forms a tubular shape and covers the outer periphery of a part of the screw shaft 22 I have 25 and. In the present embodiment, the axis A extends in the vertical direction. Further, the axial direction Da is a direction in which the axis Da extends. Thus, the axial direction Da is the vertical direction.

  The rotation mechanism 31 rotates the screw shaft 22 around the axis A. The rotation mechanism 31 has a driven gear 32 fixed to the lower portion of the screw shaft 22, a drive gear 33 meshing with the driven gear 32, and a motor 34 for rotating the drive gear 33. The screw shaft 22 is rotatably supported by the base 35 about the axis A. The driven gear 32 and the drive gear 33 are housed in the base 35. In addition, the case of the motor 34 is fixed to the base 35.

  An external thread 23 is formed on the outer periphery of the screw shaft 22. On the inner periphery of the displacement cylinder 25, a female screw 26 that can be screwed to the male screw 23 is formed. The lower rim support portion 11 is disposed on the outer periphery of the displacement cylinder 25 so as to be movable relative to the displacement cylinder 25 in the axial direction Da. In other words, the displacement cylinder 25 penetrates the lower rim support 11 so as to be movable relative to the lower rim support 11 in the axial direction Da. The upper rim 15 is connected to the top of the displacement cylinder 25 by a connector 51. The position adjustment rod 21 further has an upper stopper 28. The upper stopper 28 restricts the movement of the upper rim support portion 16 toward the lower rim support portion 11, that is, toward the lower side in the axial direction Da. The upper stopper 28 is fixed to the displacement cylinder 25.

  The screw shaft 22 and the displacement cylinder 25 partially overlap each other in the axial direction Da. The female screw 26 of the displacement cylinder 25 is screwed into a part of the male screw 23 of the screw shaft 22. That is, the displacement cylinder 25 is engaged with a part of the screw shaft 22. When the screw shaft 22 rotates about the axis A by the drive of the rotation mechanism 31, the displacement cylinder 25 screwed with the screw shaft 22 moves in the axial direction Da. In other words, when the screw shaft 22 rotates, the overlapping width of the displacement cylinder 25 with the screw shaft 22 changes in the axial direction Da, and the length of the axial direction Da of the position adjustment rod 21 changes. As a result, the upper rim 15 supported by the upper rim support 16 moves relative to the lower rim 10 supported by the lower rim support 11 in the axial direction Da. Therefore, the position adjustment device 20 adjusts the distance between the upper rim 15 and the lower rim 10 by moving the upper rim support portion 16 in the axial direction Da.

  The inflation apparatus further includes the aforementioned coupler 51, a coupling driver 52 that causes the coupling 51 to perform coupling operation, and a lifter 55 that moves the coupling driver 52 in the axial direction Da. The coupler 51 is attached to the upper rim support 16. The connector 51 connects the upper rim support 16 to the displacement cylinder 25 as described above. The coupling driver 52 can hold the coupling 51. The coupling driver 52 operates the coupling 51 while holding the coupling 51 to couple the upper rim support 16 to the displacement cylinder 25 with the coupling 51. Further, the coupling driver 52 Will cause this disconnection.

  The coupling driver 52 is attached to the lifter 55. Thus, the coupling driver 52 moves in the axial direction Da by the drive of the lifter 55. If the upper rim support portion 16 is not connected to the displacement cylinder 25 when the connection driver 52 holds the connector 51, the lifter 55 is driven to move along with the movement of the connection driver 52 in the axial direction Da. The connector 51, the upper rim support 16 attached to the connector 51, and the upper rim 15 supported by the upper rim support 16 also move in the axial direction Da.

  The inflatable apparatus further includes, as shown in FIG. 2, a lower rim movement restricting portion 37 which restricts the movement of the lower rim support 11 away from the upper rim support 16, that is, the lower side, and the lower rim support And a rim advancing device 40 for advancing the portion 11 toward the upper rim support portion 16, that is, the upper side.

  The lower rim movement restricting portion 37 has a lower stopper 38 opposed to the lower surface of the lower rim support portion 11 and a stopper supporting leg 39 for supporting the lower stopper 38. The lower stopper 38 has an annular shape around the axis A, and is separated from the displacement cylinder 25 in the radial direction Dr with respect to the axis A. The stopper support leg 39 has a cylindrical shape around the axis A, and is separated from the displacement cylinder 25 in the radial direction Dr. The stopper support leg 39 is fixed on the base 35. The lower stopper 38 is fixed to the upper end of the stopper support leg 39.

  The rim advancing device 40 is an air cylinder. The rim advancing device 40 has a rod 41 extending in the axial direction Da, and a cylinder case 42 supporting the rod 41 so as to be able to advance and retract in the axial direction Da. The first end of the rod 41 is housed in the cylinder case 42. A piston not shown is fixed to the first end. The second end of the rod 41 protrudes from the cylinder case 42 and is connected to the lower rim support portion 11. The inside of the cylinder case 42 is partitioned by the piston into a first chamber on the side where the rod 41 is provided and a second chamber opposite thereto. The cylinder case 42 is fixed to the base 35 and the stopper support leg 39 via a bracket 45. The range in which the cylinder case 42 is provided in the axial direction Da overlaps with the range in which the screw shaft 22 is provided in the axial direction Da. Furthermore, the cylinder case 42 is provided in the range in which the screw shaft 22 and the base 35 are provided in the axial direction Da.

  An air feeder such as a compressor is connected to each chamber of the cylinder case 42. The position of the rod 41 relative to the cylinder case 42 is changed by the change in pressure balance of each chamber according to the supply condition of the air supplied from the air supply machine to each chamber in the cylinder case 42. Specifically, when the pressure in the first chamber is higher than the pressure in the second chamber, most of the rods 41 are accommodated in the cylinder case 42. In this state, the lower rim support 11 connected to the rod 41 is in contact with the lower stopper 38. When the pressure in the first chamber is lower than the pressure in the second chamber, the rod 41 moves upward. As a result, the lower rim support 11 connected to the rod 41 moves upward. As described above, the lower rim support portion 11 moves in the vertical direction (axial direction Da) in accordance with the amount of air supplied into the cylinder case 42.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, both the upper rim support 16 and the lower rim support 11 are movable in the axial direction Da.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the lower limit position (first separation limit position) d1 of the lower rim support portion 11 is a position where the lower rim support portion 11 is in contact with the lower stopper 38. The lower limit position (second proximity limit position) d2 of the upper rim support portion 16 is a position when the length of the axial direction Da of the position adjustment rod 21 is the shortest. The upper rim 15 supported by the upper rim support portion 16 at the lower limit position d2 is slightly spaced upward from the lower rim 10 supported by the lower rim support portion 11 at the lower limit position d1. That is, at the lower limit position d2 of the upper rim support portion 16, the upper rim 15 supported by the upper rim support portion 16 is upper than the lower rim 10 supported by the lower rim support portion 11 at the lower limit position d1. At a position slightly separated from the As shown in FIG. 2, the upper limit position (second separation limit position) u2 of the upper rim support 16 is a position when the length of the axial direction Da of the position adjustment rod 21 is the longest. When the upper rim support portion 16 is positioned at the upper limit position u2 and the lower rim support portion 11 is positioned at the lower limit position d1, the upper rim 15 supported by the upper rim support portion 16 and the lower rim support portion 11 support The distance between the lower rim 10 and the axial direction Da is maximized. The lower rim 10 supported by the lower rim support portion 11 at the upper limit position (first proximity position) u1 is in contact with the upper rim 15 supported by the upper rim support portion 16 at the upper limit position u2. That is, at the upper limit position (first proximity position) u1 of the lower rim support portion 11, the lower rim 10 supported by the lower rim support portion 11 is supported by the upper rim support portion 16 at the upper limit position u2. It is a position in contact with the rim 15. Therefore, the stroke of the rod of the rim advancing device needs a stroke equal to or greater than the distance between the lower limit position d1 and the upper limit position u1 of the lower rim support 11. The lower rim 10 supported by the lower rim support portion 11 at the upper limit position (first proximity position) u1 is not in contact with the upper rim 15 supported by the upper rim support portion 16 at the upper limit position u2, There may be a gap between this and the upper rim 15.

  When the tire T is held by the inflation apparatus of the present embodiment, the lower rim 10 is fitted in the lower bead portion bd of the tire T, and then the upper rim 15 is fitted in the upper bead portion bu of the tire T. At this time, the upper rim 15 is fitted to the upper bead portion bu by setting the distance between the upper rim 15 and the lower rim 10 smaller than the distance between the rims matching the tire T.

  As described in the background art section, the tire T just after being vulcanized is soft and easily deformed. Therefore, when the lower rim 10 is fitted into the lower bead portion bd of the tire T, the upper bead portion bu of the tire T hangs downward. In particular, in recent years, in order to reduce the weight of the tire T, the thickness of the tire T is reduced, and the amount of sagging of the upper bead portion bu is large due to the fact that the tire T is more easily deformed.

  As shown in FIG. 1, when the tire Ta having a wide width is inflated, first, the upper rim support 16 is not connected to the position adjustment rod 21 and the lower rim support 11 is positioned at the lower limit position d1. In this state, the length of the axial direction Da of the position adjustment rod 21 is adjusted. Specifically, if the upper rim support 16 is connected to the position adjustment rod 21 and the upper rim 15 is supported by the upper rim support 16 in this state, the upper rim 15 and the lower rim The length of the axial direction Da of the position adjustment rod 21 is adjusted so that the distance between the position 10 and the distance between the position 10 and the tire Ta is equal to the distance between the rim 10 and the rim. Next, the lower rim 10 supported by the lower rim support portion 11 at the lower limit position d1 is fitted into the lower bead portion bd of the tire Ta.

  Next, the coupling driver 52, the coupler 51 held by the coupling driver 52, the upper rim support portion 16 attached to the coupling 51, and the upper portion supported by the upper rim support portion 16 The rim 15 is positioned above the displacement cylinder 25. Next, the lifter 55 is driven to drive the coupling driver 52, the coupler 51 held by the coupling driver 52, the upper rim support portion 16 attached to the coupler 51, and the upper rim support portion 16 Lower the upper rim 15 supported by the. Then, the lifter 55 is stopped when the upper rim support portion 16 comes in contact with the upper stopper 28. Next, the coupler 51 is operated by the coupling driver 52, and the upper rim support 16 is coupled to the displacement cylinder 25 by the coupler 51. When the upper rim support 16 is connected to the displacement cylinder 25, the holding of the connector 51 by the connection driver 52 is released. Then, the lifter 55 is driven to retract the connection driver 52 upward.

  Next, the rim advancing device 40 is driven to move the lower rim 10 upward to fit the upper rim 15 into the upper bead portion bu of the tire Ta. Here, the rim advancing device 40 is driven, and the upper rim 15 is fitted into the upper bead portion bu of the tire Ta, but in the case of a tire Ta having a wide width, the rim advancing device 40 is not driven. The upper rim 15 can be fitted into the upper bead portion bu of the tire Ta only by adjusting the length of the position adjustment rod 21.

  When the upper rim 15 completely fits into the upper bead portion bu of the tire Ta, the lower rim 10 and the upper rim 15 hold the tire Ta. When the tire Ta is held by the lower rim 10 and the upper rim 15, air from the compressor is supplied into the tire Ta via the air supply passage 12 formed in the lower rim support portion 11, and the tire Ta is inflated.

  When the air supply amount into the tire Ta increases and the internal pressure of the tire Ta increases, a force acts on the upper rim 15 and the lower rim 10 in a direction to separate the upper rim 15 and the lower rim 10 from the tire Ta. Do. That is, an upward force from the tire Ta acts on the upper rim support portion 16, and a downward force from the tire Ta acts on the lower rim support portion 11. The displacement cylinder 25 of the position adjusting device 20 for moving the upper rim support portion 16 in the axial direction Da has a screw shaft 22 because the female screw 26 of the displacement cylinder 25 is engaged with the male screw 23 of the screw shaft 22. It does not move in the axial direction Da unless it rotates. Therefore, the upper rim support portion 16 does not move upward even if an upward force is applied from the tire Ta. On the other hand, the rim advancing device 40 for moving the lower rim supporting portion 11 in the axial direction Da has compressible air as its driving source, so when a downward force acts on the lower rim supporting portion 11, the inside of the cylinder case 42 The air is compressed, and the rod 41 and the lower rim support 11 connected to the rod 41 move downward. The lower rim support 11 finally stops moving downward when it contacts the lower stopper 38, that is, when it reaches the lower limit position. At this point of time, the distance between the upper rim 15 supported by the upper rim support 16 and the lower rim 10 supported by the lower rim support 11 is the rim interval matching the tire Ta.

  Even after the distance between the lower rim 10 and the upper rim 15 becomes equal to the rim distance matching the tire Ta, the air supply into the tire Ta is continued. When air is sufficiently supplied into the tire Ta, inflation is completed. After inflation is complete, the tire Ta is left for a predetermined time to be cooled.

  When the cooling of the tire Ta is completed, the lifter 55 is driven to lower the connection driver 52 and cause the connection driver 52 to hold the connector 51. Next, after the air in the tire Ta is exhausted, the coupling driver 52 operates the coupling 51 to release the coupling between the upper rim support 16 and the displacement cylinder 25. Next, the lifter 55 is driven to drive the coupling driver 52, the coupler 51 held by the coupling driver 52, the upper rim support portion 16 attached to the coupler 51, and the upper rim support portion 16 The upper rim 15 supported by is retracted upward.

  When the upper rim supporting portion 16 and the upper rim 15 retract upward, the tire Ta is lifted up, and the lower rim 10 is pulled out from the lower bead portion bd of the tire Ta. As a result, removal of the cooled tire Ta is completed.

  Next, the case of inflating a tire Tb having a narrow tire width will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

  The operation of the inflation apparatus in the case of inflating the tire Tb having a narrow width is also similar to the operation of the inflation apparatus in the case of inflating the tire Ta having a wide width described above.

  As shown in FIG. 3, first, the upper rim support 16 is not connected to the position adjustment rod 21, and the lower rim support 11 is located at the lower limit position d1. Adjust the length of direction Da. Specifically, if the upper rim support 16 is connected to the position adjustment rod 21 and the upper rim 15b is supported by the upper rim support 16 in this state, the upper rim 15b and the lower rim The length of the axial direction Da of the position adjustment rod 21 is adjusted so that the distance to 10 b is the rim distance that matches the tire Tb. Next, the lower rim 10b supported by the lower rim support portion 11 is fitted into the lower bead portion bd of the tire Tb. The lower rim 10b is a lower rim 10b for a tire Tb having a narrow tire width.

  Next, as in the case of inflating the tire Ta having a wide tire width, the connection driver 52, the connector 51, and the lifter 55 are driven to displace the upper rim support portion 16 supporting the upper rim 15b. Connect to 25. The upper rim 15b is an upper rim 15b for a tire Tb having a narrow tire width. As a result, the tire Tb is present between the upper rim 15 b supported by the upper rim support 16 and the lower rim 10 b supported by the lower rim support 11. At this time, the distance between the lower rim 10b supported by the lower rim support portion 11 located at the lower limit position d1 and the upper rim 15b supported by the upper rim support portion 16 is as shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. As shown, it is rim interval Ib of this tire Tb.

  The upper bead portion bu of the tire Tb hangs down largely for the reason described above. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 3, even if the upper rim support portion 16 connected to the position adjustment rod 21 is temporarily positioned at the lower limit position d2, the upper rim 15b supported by the upper rim support portion 16 Can not be fitted into the upper bead portion bu of the tire Tb. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, at the current stage where the distance between the lower rim 10b and the upper rim 15b is the rim interval Ib of the tire Tb, the upper rim 15b is the upper bead portion bu of the tire Tb. Not fit.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 4, the rim advancing device 40 is driven to move the lower rim support portion 11 at the lower limit position d1 upward. By the upward movement of the lower rim supporting portion 11, the distance between the upper rim 15b and the lower rim 10b is gradually narrowed, and the upper rim 15b is fitted into the upper bead portion bu of the tire Tb. The upward movement of the lower rim support portion 11 is continued until the upper rim 15b is completely fitted into the upper bead portion bu of the tire Tb. Thus, the upward movement of the lower rim support 11 may be continued until the lower rim 10b contacts the upper rim 15b.

  When the upper rim 15b is completely fitted into the upper bead portion bu of the tire Tb, the lower rim 10b and the upper rim 15b hold the tire Tb. When the tire Tb is held by the lower rim 10b and the upper rim 15b, air from the compressor is supplied into the tire Tb through the air supply passage 12 formed in the lower rim support portion 11, and the tire Tb is inflated.

  When the air supply amount into the tire Tb increases and the internal pressure of the tire Tb increases, a force acts on the upper rim 15b and the lower rim 10b in a direction to separate the upper rim 15b and the lower rim 10b from the tire Tb. Do. For this reason, as described above, the air in the cylinder case 42 of the rim advancing device 40 is compressed, and the rod 41 and the lower rim supporting portion 11 connected to the rod 41 move downward. The lower rim support 11 finally stops moving downward when it contacts the lower stopper 38, in other words, when it reaches the lower limit position, as shown in FIG. At this time, the distance between the upper rim 15b supported by the upper rim support portion 16 and the lower rim 10b supported by the lower rim support portion 11 becomes a rim distance Ib that matches the tire Tb.

  Even after the distance between the lower rim 10b and the upper rim 15b becomes the rim distance Ib matching the tire Tb, the air supply into the tire Tb continues as in the case of inflating the tire Ta having a wide tire width. Be done. The inflation is completed when air is sufficiently supplied into the tire Tb. After inflation is complete, the tire Tb is left for a predetermined time to be cooled.

  When the cooling of the tire Tb is completed, the air in the tire Tb is exhausted and the lifter 55, the coupling driver 52, and the coupler 51 are operated, as in the case of inflating the wide tire Ta. The connection between the rim support 16 and the displacement cylinder 25 is released. Then, the lifter 55 is driven to drive the connection driver 52, the connector 51 held by the connection driver 52, the upper rim support 16 attached to the connector 51, and the upper rim support 16. The supported upper rim 15b is retracted upward.

  When the upper rim support portion 16 and the upper rim 15b retract upward, the tire Tb is lifted upward, and the lower rim 10b is pulled out from the lower bead portion bd of the tire Tb. As a result, removal of the cooled tire Tb is completed.

  If the narrow tire Tb is sandwiched between the upper rim 15b and the lower rim 10b without providing the rim advancing device 40, the upper rim 15b supported by the upper rim support portion 16 is the lower rim support at the lower limit position. It is necessary to move downward until it comes in contact with the lower rim 10b supported by the portion 11 or very close to the lower rim 10b. In this case, in order to increase the relative movement distance of the displacement cylinder 25 with respect to the screw shaft 22, it is necessary to increase the length of the screw shaft 22 and the axial direction Da of the displacement cylinder 25. Therefore, in this case, the minimum length in the axial direction Da of the position adjustment rod 21 is increased, and the device height is increased.

  In the present embodiment, by driving the rim advancing device 40, the lower rim support portion 11 is moved upward to bring the lower rim 10b supported by the lower rim support portion 11 into contact with the upper rim 15b. it can. Therefore, the tire Tb can be inflated by interposing the narrow tire Tb between the upper rim 15b and the lower rim 10b without lengthening the minimum length of the position adjustment rod 21 in the axial direction Da. .

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, it is possible to inflate the tire Tb having a narrow tire width while suppressing the increase in the device height.

  Further, in the present embodiment, an air cylinder is provided as the rim advancing device 40, but in the range where the cylinder case 42 of the air cylinder is provided in the axial direction Da, the axial portion is provided in the axial direction Da. Overlap with the range. Furthermore, the cylinder case 42 is provided in the range in which the screw shaft 22 and the base 35 are present in the axial direction Da. Therefore, although the rim advancing device 40 is provided in the present embodiment, it is possible to prevent the apparatus height from being increased by the rim advancing device 40.

  In the present embodiment, the position of the upper rim support 16 with respect to the displacement cylinder 25 in the axial direction Da can be regulated. Therefore, in the present embodiment, when the upper rim support 16 is connected to the displacement cylinder 25 by the connector 51, a sensor or the like for detecting the position of the upper rim support 16 in the axial direction Da is not provided. The relative position of the upper rim support 16 with respect to the displacement cylinder 25 in the axial direction Da can be easily determined.

  In the case of the tire Ta having a wide width, the distance between the lower rim 10 and the upper rim 15 is made equal to the rim distance of the tire Ta by driving of the position adjusting device 20, and then the rim advancing device 40 is driven. The tire Ta is sandwiched between the upper rim 15 and the lower rim 10 by moving the lower rim 10 upward. However, in the case of a tire Ta having a wide tire width, the tire Ta may be sandwiched between the upper rim 15 and the lower rim 10 only by driving the position adjustment device 20 without driving the rim advancing device 40. In this case, the distance between the lower rim 10 and the upper rim 15 is made narrower than the rim distance of the tire Ta by the drive of the position adjustment device 20.

  Further, in the above, after adjusting the length of the position adjustment rod 21 so that the distance between the lower rim 10 and the upper rim 15 becomes the rim distance of the tire T, the lower rim 10 is fitted to the lower bead portion bd of the tire T It is crowded. However, after fitting the lower rim 10 into the lower bead portion bd of the tire T, adjust the length of the position adjustment rod 21 so that the distance between the lower rim 10 and the upper rim 15 becomes the rim distance of the tire T It is also good.

"Modification"
While the embodiments of the inflatable device according to the present invention have been described above, this embodiment is presented as an example and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. This embodiment can be implemented in other various forms, and various omissions, replacements and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. It is intended that the embodiments and the modifications thereof are included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalent scope as well as included in the scope and the gist of the invention.

  For example, the rim advancing device 40 of the above embodiment is an air cylinder. However, as long as the lower rim support 11 can be moved to the side closer to the upper rim support 16, another device may be used. Such devices include, for example, hydraulic cylinders and linear actuators. However, when a linear actuator configured by a combination of mechanical elements such as gears is used as the rim advancing device, the operating end is moved upward and the upper rim 15 is fitted to the upper bead portion bu of the tire T, In the process of inflating the tire T, control is required to move the working end downward as the tire T expands. On the other hand, when an air cylinder is used as the rim advancing device 40 as in the above embodiment, as described above, due to the downward force that the working end (the tip of the rod 41) receives from the tire T as the tire T expands. , The operating end moves downward. For this reason, when an air cylinder is used as the rim advancing device 40 as in the above embodiment, control for moving the operation end downward is unnecessary. Therefore, using the air cylinder as the rim advancing device 40 as in the above embodiment is preferable in terms of simplification of control and reduction of the device cost.

  By changing the length of the position adjustment rod 21 of the above embodiment, the upper rim 15 connected to the position adjustment rod 21 moves. However, the position adjustment rod may be one whose length does not change. In this case, the outer rim of the position adjustment rod is provided with a plurality of projections or a plurality of recesses aligned in the axial direction Da, and the upper rim supported by the connector 51 in any of the plurality of projections or the plurality of recesses. The parts 16 are connected.

  The inflation device of the above embodiment is of a type in which the tire T is naturally cooled. However, the tire T may be forcibly cooled. As a method of forcibly cooling the tire T, a method of rotating the tire T sandwiched between the upper rim 15 and the lower rim 10 about the axis A by rotating the base 35 about the axis A, a fan, etc. There is a method of blowing air to the tire T sandwiched between the upper rim 15 and the lower rim 10.

  The inflation device of the present embodiment includes a pair of rim support portions. However, as in the inflatable device described in Patent Document 1, four pairs of rim supports may be provided. In this case, as in the inflatable device described in Patent Document 1, of the four pairs of rim supports, the first two pairs of rim supports are rotatably supported around an axis extending in the horizontal direction, and the second The two pairs of rim supports may be rotatably supported about a horizontally extending axis to constitute a turnover type inflation apparatus.

  According to one aspect of the inflation device according to the present invention, it is possible to inflate a tire having a narrow tire width while suppressing an increase in the device height.

10, 10b: Lower rim (first rim)
11: Lower rim support (first rim support or one rim support)
12: Air supply passage 15, 15b: Upper rim (second rim)
16: Upper rim support (second rim support or other rim support)
20: position adjusting device 21: position adjusting rod 22: screw shaft (shaft portion)
23: Male thread 25: Displacement cylinder (displacement part)
26: female screw 28: upper stopper 31: rotation mechanism 32: driven gear 33: drive gear 34: motor 35: base 37: lower rim movement restricting portion 38: lower stopper 39: stopper support leg 40: rim advancing device 41: rod 42: cylinder case 45: bracket 51: coupler 52: coupling driver 55: lifter T: tire T1: (tire width wide) tire T2: (tire width narrow) tire bd: lower bead part bu: upper bead part A: Axis Da: Axis direction (vertical direction)
Dr: Radial direction

The inflation apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention is
What is claimed is: 1. An inflatable device for putting air into a tire sandwiched between a first rim and a second rim in the tire width direction, a first rim support portion for supporting the first rim, and an axis with respect to the first rim support portion. A second rim support portion arranged side by side and supporting the second rim, and one rim support portion of the first rim support portion and the second rim support portion in the axial direction; A movement restricting portion for restricting movement to the side away from the other rim support portion; and a position adjustment rod which penetrates the one rim support portion and extends in the axial direction toward the other rim support portion A connector attached to the other rim support and connecting the other rim support to the position adjustment rod, and a side closer to the other rim support in the axial direction of the one rim support The rim advancing device made to advance to a.

The inflation apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention is
In blown apparatus of the first state-like, the position adjustment rod includes a shaft portion extending in the axial direction, engages at least a portion of the shaft portion, said axial position relative to the shaft portion displacement And possible displacements. The coupler couples the other rim support to the displacement of the position adjustment rod.

An air cylinder or a linear actuator can be used as the rim advancing device. However, when a linear actuator configured by combining mechanical elements such as gears is used as a rim advancing device, one rim support is moved to the side closer to the other rim support, and the tire is moved by two rims. After inflating, in the process of inflating the tire, it is necessary to control the movement of the operation end to move the rim support away from the other rim support as the tire expands. On the other hand, the use of an air cylinder as the rim expanding apparatus, with the Rise Zhang tires, operation ends (tip of the rod) is by a force received from the tire, which moves to the side away from the other limb support portion. For this reason, when an air cylinder is used as the rim advancing device as in the present embodiment, control for moving the operation end to the side away from the other rim support portion becomes unnecessary. Therefore, according to this aspect, the control can be simplified and the device cost can be reduced.

Blown apparatus of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, sandwiching the tire T between the upper rim 15 and lower rim 10 in the tire width direction, put the air inflating the tire T on the tire T It is an apparatus. In the present embodiment, the tire T held in the inflation device is left for a predetermined time to naturally air cool the tire T. That is, the inflation device of the present embodiment functions as a tire cooling device. The tire T vulcanized by the tire vulcanizer is cooled in a blown state by an inflation device functioning as a tire cooling device.

When the upper rim 15 completely fits into the upper bead portion bu of the tire Ta, the lower rim 10 and the upper rim 15 hold the tire Ta. The tire Ta is held by the lower rim 10 and upper rim 15, via the air supply path 12 that is formed in the lower rim supporting portion 11, the air from the compressor is supplied into the tire Ta, this tire Ta is inflated.

If the cooling of the tire Ta is completed, by driving the lifter 55 lowers the coupling driving device 52, causing retaining the connector 51 to the coupling driving device 52. Next, after the air in the tire Ta is exhausted, the coupling driver 52 operates the coupling 51 to release the coupling between the upper rim support 16 and the displacement cylinder 25. Next, the lifter 55 is driven to drive the coupling driver 52, the coupler 51 held by the coupling driver 52, the upper rim support portion 16 attached to the coupler 51, and the upper rim support portion 16 The upper rim 15 supported by is retracted upward.

The inflation apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention is
What is claimed is: 1. An inflatable device for putting air into a tire sandwiched between a first rim and a second rim in the tire width direction, a first rim support portion for supporting the first rim, and an axis with respect to the first rim support portion. A second rim support portion arranged side by side and supporting the second rim, and one rim support portion of the first rim support portion and the second rim support portion in the axial direction; A movement restricting portion for restricting movement to the side away from the other rim support portion; and a position adjustment rod which penetrates the one rim support portion and extends in the axial direction toward the other rim support portion A connector attached to the other rim support and connecting the other rim support to the position adjustment rod, and a side closer to the other rim support in the axial direction of the one rim support a rim expansion device to move into, in the axial direction, the one The by the rim supporting portion as a reference the other rim supporting portion on the opposite side, and a base for supporting the shaft portion. The position adjustment rod has a shaft portion extending in the axial direction, and a displacement portion engaged with at least a part of the shaft portion and capable of displacing the axial position with respect to the shaft portion. The connector connects the other rim support to the displacement of the position adjustment rod. The rim advancing device has the axially extending rod, and a cylinder case supporting the rod so as to be movable back and forth in the axial direction. The first end of the rod is housed in the cylinder case, and the second end of the rod protrudes from the cylinder case and is connected to the one rim support. The cylinder case is provided in a range in which the shaft portion and the base are provided in the axial direction.

In this aspect, by driving the rim advancing device, one rim support can be moved to the side closer to the other rim support. For this reason, in this aspect, the adjustment width of the axial distance between the two rim support portions can be expanded without increasing the axial length of the position adjustment rod. Therefore, according to this aspect, a tire having a narrow tire width can be sandwiched between two rims and the tire can be inflated without increasing the axial length of the position adjustment rod.
Further, in this aspect, by axially moving the other rim support portion, the axial distance between the first rim and the second rim can be made to be a distance that matches the rim width of the tire.
In this aspect, the cylinder case is provided in the range in which the shaft portion and the base are provided in the axial direction. For this reason, in this aspect, it is possible to prevent the rim advancing device from increasing the apparatus height.

Here, in the inflated device of the state-like, the position adjustment rod, the other rim supporting portion connected to the displacement portion in the connector approaches the rim support portion of the one in the axial direction side It has a stopper that regulates movement to the The stopper may be fixed to the displacement portion .

In the inflatable device of any of the above aspects, the cylinder case may be connected to and supported by the base .

In the inflation apparatus according to any one of the above aspects, the rim advancing device may be an air cylinder that advances and retracts the rod in the axial direction according to the amount of gas in the cylinder case .

Claims (7)

In a inflatable device for inflating a tire sandwiched between a first rim and a second rim in the tire width direction,
A first rim support for supporting the first rim;
A second rim support disposed axially in line with the first rim support and supporting the second rim;
A movement restricting portion that restricts movement of one rim support portion of the first rim support portion and the second rim support portion in a direction away from the other rim support portion in the axial direction;
A position adjustment rod extending through the one rim support and extending towards the other rim support;
A connector attached to the other rim support and connecting the other rim support to the position adjustment rod;
A rim advancing device for advancing the one rim supporting portion toward the side closer to the other rim supporting portion in the axial direction;
Inflated device comprising. In the inflatable device according to claim 1,
The position adjustment rod has a shaft portion extending in the axial direction, and a displacement portion engaged with at least a part of the shaft portion and capable of displacing the axial position with respect to the shaft portion.
The coupler couples the other rim support to the displacement of the position adjustment rod.
Inflatable device. In the inflatable device according to claim 2,
The position adjustment rod has a stopper that restricts the movement of the other rim support portion, which is connected to the displacement portion by the connector, toward the side closer to the one rim support portion in the axial direction.
The stopper is fixed to the displacement portion.
Inflatable device. In the inflatable device according to claim 2 or 3,
The rim advancing device comprises: the axially extending rod; and a cylinder case supporting the rod in an axially movable manner.
The first end of the rod is housed in the cylinder case, and the second end of the rod protrudes from the cylinder case and is connected to the one rim support.
The range in which the cylinder case is provided in the axial direction overlaps with the range in which the shaft portion is provided in the axial direction.
Inflatable device. In the inflatable device according to claim 4,
And a base supporting the shaft on the side opposite to the other rim support in the axial direction with respect to the one rim support.
The cylinder case is provided in a range in which the shaft portion and the base are provided in the axial direction.
Inflatable device. In the inflatable device according to claim 5,
The cylinder case is connected to and supported by the base.
Inflatable device. The inflation apparatus according to any one of claims 4 to 6.
The rim advancing device is an air cylinder that advances and retracts the rod in the axial direction according to the amount of gas in the cylinder case.
Inflatable device.

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