TW202346078A - Method, system and computer program product for detecting irregularities in one or more tire components on a tire building drum - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a method, a system and a computer program product for detecting irregularities in one or more tire components on a tire building drum, wherein the method comprises the steps of: - obtaining scans of the one or more tire components on the tire building drum at a plurality of angular positions of said tire building drum about a drum axis; - creating a virtual representation of the one or more components based on the scans; and - reorienting one of the virtual representation and the tire building drum in response to a change in orientation of the other of the virtual representation and the tire building drum. The invention further relates to an alternative method for detecting irregularities in one or more tire components on a tire building drum, using one or more virtual boundaries

Description

Methods, systems and computer program products for detecting irregularities in one or more tire components on a tire building drum

The present invention relates to a method, system and computer program product for detecting irregularities in one or more tire components on a tire building drum.

Tire components, particularly tire layers of uncured rubber, are wound around a tire building drum to form a green or uncured tire. The back end of each stack is spliced to the front end of the same stack. The quality of the individual splices, the centering of the layers and the uniformity of the materials can have a significant impact on the overall quality of the tire. It is known to visually inspect the splices of each green tire for defects or irregularities, such as open splices, by an operator. Based on visual inspection and experience, the operator decides to approve or reject the green tire.

A known disadvantage of visual inspection is that the operator must inspect each splice as a whole. The detection and/or assessment of irregularities in one or more tire stacks is therefore limited to what is visible to the naked eye, is subjective and is prone to human error.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a method, system and computer program product for detecting irregularities in one or more tire components on a tire building drum, wherein the detection and/or evaluation of the irregularities can be improved.

According to a first aspect, the invention provides a method for detecting irregularities in one or more tire components on a tire building drum, wherein the method comprises the steps of: Obtaining scans of one or more tire components on the tire building drum at a plurality of angular positions of the tire building drum about the drum axis; Generate a virtual representation of one or more components based on the scan; and Reorienting the virtual representation and the tire building drum in response to a change in the orientation of one of the virtual representation and the tire building drum.

Reorientation ensures that the operator can easily relate the virtual position of any area of interest in the virtual representation to the corresponding real world position at the tire building drum. In other words, an operator can use the virtual representation to analyze and determine any irregularities in the virtual representation and locate such irregularities on the tire building drum in the real world. Therefore, the operator can focus on a specific area of one or more tire components on the tire building drum based on the area of interest in the virtual representation, rather than focusing on the one or more tire components as a whole. In this way, the detection and/or assessment of irregularities can be improved and the chance of human error can be significantly reduced.

In one specific example, generation of the scan-based virtual representation is completed prior to redirection. In another specific example, the acquisition of the scan is completed before redirection. In other words, the scanning and generation of the virtual representation may be part of a preparation mode that collects information about the virtual representation and generates the virtual representation. The preparation mode can be performed automatically. When this preparation mode has been completed, it is possible to switch to operating mode or manual mode, in which the virtual representation and the orientation of the tire building drum can respond to each other "as is", i.e. based on the tire building drum, a or The status of the plurality of tire components and their virtual representations can be adjusted without the need for new or further scans and/or without the need to regenerate the virtual representations from such scans. In particular, the operator's actions to correct irregularities in one or more tire components are not immediately reflected in the virtual representation, but may be scanned again in subsequent cycles of the method. Therefore, the operator can evaluate irregularities in the virtual representation based on the state of one or more tire components on the tire building drum at the end of the preparation mode.

In a specific example, the virtual representation is three-dimensional. A virtual representation is three-dimensional in the sense that it represents one or more components in three dimensions: width, height, and depth. Even when a virtual representation is displayed on a two-dimensional visual user interface such as a display, the virtual representation should still be considered three-dimensional.

In another specific example, the virtual representation extends around a virtual axis representing the drum shaft. Therefore, the operator can visually relate the virtual axis to the drum axis in the real world and vice versa.

Preferably, the step of reorienting involves orienting the virtual representation and the tire building drum about the virtual axis respectively in response to a change in the angular position of one of the virtual representation and the tire building drum about the virtual axis and the drum axis respectively. and drum shaft rotation. The operator can visually relate the virtual rotation to the rotation of the tire building drum in the real world, and/or vice versa.

Preferably, the method further includes the following steps: linking a plurality of virtual angular positions of the virtual representation about a virtual axis to a plurality of real-world angular positions of the tire building drum about the drum axis; and A link pair that rotates the virtual representation and tire building drum to a virtual angular position and a real-world angular position. These link pairs ensure that the virtual representation is in the same virtual angular position for each real-world angular position of the tire building drum. In particular, link pairs may be selected such that, from the operator's perspective, the side of the virtual representation facing the operator at any time corresponds to the side of the tire building drum facing the operator at the same time.

In another specific example, the virtual representation and the tire building drum rotate in the same direction and/or at the same speed. Thus, the operator can correlate the movement of the virtual representation with the movement of the tire building drum in the real world, and vice versa.

In another specific example, the method further includes the following steps: using an inspection reference, particularly a projection, more particularly a laser projection, to indicate a real-world reference position relative to one or more tire components; and A virtual reference is added to the virtual representation in a virtual reference position corresponding to the real world reference position indicated by the verification reference. The operator can relate inspection references to virtual references and vice versa for easier positioning of any area of interest relative to such references.

Preferably, the real world reference position is fixed. Therefore, operators can trust that the real-world reference position is always in the same place.

In another specific example, the method further includes the following steps: analyze scans and identify one or more irregularities in such scans; and Indicates one or more irregularities in the virtual representation. By indicating one or more irregularities in the virtual representation, the operator can correlate the virtual location of the one or more irregularities with corresponding real-world locations on the tire building drum. Operators can focus on these real-world locations rather than inspecting one or more tire components as a whole.

In another embodiment, the change in orientation of the other one of the virtual representation and the tire building drum is controlled by an operator. Thus, the operator himself or herself can change the orientation of the virtual representation or tire building drum so that one of the sides with the area of interest faces the operator.

Alternatively, the virtual representation and the orientation of the other of the tire building drum are automatically controlled to change to exhibit one or more irregularities. In this way, the virtual representation or tire building drum can be brought into an optimal orientation for inspection of identified irregularities. When more than one irregularity is present, the orientation can be changed in steps, allowing some time between steps for inspection or to wait for user confirmation before proceeding to the next step.

In another specific example, the virtual representation is displayed to the operator on an electronic visual display. The electronic visual display can be placed near the tire building drum at a location where the operator can easily observe both the virtual representation and the tire building drum from a dedicated perspective and correlate information and/or position between the two. .

Alternatively, a virtual representation is displayed to the operator at the real-world location of the tire building drum as part of an augmented reality or mixed reality. Thus, the virtual representation can be presented to the operator as an overlay that has a direct relationship to the real world, thereby making it easier for the operator to relate the information and/or locations displayed in the virtual representation to the real world.

In another specific example, the method further includes the following steps: The virtual representation is corrected taking into account parameters indicating the operator's perspective relative to the drum axis. For example, when an operator has a downward perspective relative to the drum axis, the orientation of the virtual representation can be corrected or offset to account for this downward perspective so that the virtual representation better matches the operator's view of the tire building drum .

Preferably, the parameters are entered by the operator. The operator can thus enter, adjust or overwrite previously entered parameters to check by trial and error whether the corrected orientation of the virtual representation corresponds to the operator's view of the tire building drum.

In another specific example, the parameters are one of the group consisting of: eye level, human height, and viewing angle. Such parameters may be used to predict or calculate how the virtual representation should be corrected or the amount by which the virtual representation should be corrected to take into account certain parameters.

In another embodiment, the scan includes height profile information of one or more tire components on the tire building drum. This height profile information can be used to produce an accurate virtual representation of the outer surface of one or more tire components on the tire building drum.

In another specific example, a virtual model of the tire building drum is added to the virtual representation. Therefore, one or more tire components do not appear to float in the air. In fact, it can be displayed as if it were supported on a virtual model of the tire building drum, so that the virtual representation is more realistic and/or more relevant to the real world.

In another embodiment, the scan is obtained by rotating a tire building drum about the drum axis relative to one or more scanners. The tire building drum has been rotated as part of the tire building operation. Therefore, to obtain a scan, the tire building drum can simply rotate at least one turn. Scanning equipment, such as one or more cameras, can be configured in a reliable manner in a fixed position relative to a fixed world. Alternatively, in a less reliable solution, the tire building drum may remain stationary and the scanning equipment may move around the tire building drum.

Preferably, the tire building drum rotates one full revolution during acquisition of the scan. Thus, a scan of one or more tire components can be obtained along the entire circumference of the tire building drum, thus facilitating the generation of a virtual representation across the entire circumference.

According to a second aspect, the invention provides a system for detecting irregularities in one or more tire components on a tire building drum, wherein the system comprises: one or more scanners for scanning the tire building one or more tire components on the drum; a visual user interface; and a control unit operatively connected to the one or more scanners and the visual user interface, wherein the control unit is configured for: Obtaining scans of one or more tire components on the tire building drum at a plurality of angular positions of the tire building drum about the drum axis; Generate a virtual representation of one or more tire components based on the scan and display the virtual representation to an operator via a visual user interface; and Reorienting the virtual representation and the tire building drum in response to a change in the orientation of one of the virtual representation and the tire building drum.

The system according to the second aspect of the invention is used to actually implement the method according to the first aspect of the invention, and therefore has the same technical advantages, which will not be repeated below. Furthermore, the system may be used to implement any of the aforementioned specific examples of the method according to the first aspect of the invention, in particular but not limited to: The system further includes a first embodiment of an electronic visual display, wherein the visual user interface is configured to be displayed on the electronic visual display. The system further includes a second embodiment of an augmented reality device, wherein the visual user interface is configured to display a virtual representation of the tire building drum at a real-world location via the augmented reality device as an augmented reality Or mixed reality.

According to a third aspect, the present invention provides a computer program product that includes a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause one of the specific examples of the second aspect of the invention. Either system performs the steps of the method according to the first aspect of the invention.

A computer program product may be provided separately from the system to configure, upgrade and/or install the aforementioned functionality in the system, thereby producing the technical advantages previously discussed.

According to a fourth aspect, the invention provides a method for detecting irregularities in one or more tire components on a tire building drum, wherein the method comprises the steps of: Obtaining scans of one or more tire components on the tire building drum at a plurality of angular positions of the tire building drum about the drum axis; Generate a virtual representation of one or more components based on the scan; overlaying one or more virtual boundaries representing one or more tolerance ranges of one or more tire components over the virtual representation; and Markers are provided in the virtual representation at which one or more tire components exceed a first of the one or more tolerance ranges based on the scan.

The method according to the fourth aspect of the invention may be combined with any of the specific examples of the method according to the first aspect of the invention or applied independently.

Although it is known to provide markers indicating irregularities, the markers themselves do not provide useful information for accurately assessing the cause of the irregularity, such as exceeding tolerance limits and its severity. The marking also does not provide any information on how to correct the irregularity, for example, in which direction one or more tire components should be repositioned so that they are within the relevant tolerances.

The method according to the fourth aspect of the invention has the following technical advantage: in addition to marking a virtual representation of one or more tire components out of tolerance, the same virtual representation also displays the associated tolerance range by visualizing it using visual boundaries. Cause one or more tire components are out of tolerance. As a result, operators can more accurately assess the cause of flagging and the severity of tolerance violations relative to one or more virtual boundaries. Visualizing tolerance ranges by using visual boundaries can assist the operator in determining the best way to correct irregularities, for example by determining in which direction a tire component should be repositioned to be within the relevant tolerance range. The operator can also ignore tolerance violations based on experience when the tolerance violation is only insignificant and/or when the trajectory of the contour lies mainly within the relevant tolerance range and only very locally exceeds the virtual boundary.

In a preferred embodiment, the one or more virtual boundaries include a first boundary line representing a lower limit and an upper limit of the first tolerance range respectively, and a second boundary line parallel to and spaced apart from the first boundary line. By visualizing the lower and upper limits of the first tolerance range, the operator can understand why portions of the tire component extending outside the region between the lower and upper limits are marked as out of tolerance.

In another specific example, the one or more virtual boundaries include third and fourth boundary lines extending perpendicular to the first and second boundary lines to form a boundary box. By providing bounding boxes, the box-shaped area between boundary lines can be visually easier to determine.

Preferably, the third boundary line and the second boundary line respectively represent the lower limit and the upper limit of the second tolerance range in one or more tolerance ranges. Therefore, the bounding box can visualize two tolerance ranges simultaneously, that is, two tolerance ranges in two orthogonal directions. For example, the bounding box may visualize a height tolerance range between a first boundary line and a second boundary line, while visualizing a width tolerance range between a third boundary line and a fourth boundary line.

In another embodiment, one or more virtual boundaries define a box-shaped area, wherein the box-shaped area has a pattern or a transparent fill. As a result, the box-shaped region may be easier to visually determine while also keeping the underlying features of one or more tire components visible.

In another specific example, one or more tolerance ranges apply to one or more profiles of one or more tire components, wherein indicia highlight one or more profiles of one or more tire components beyond one or more The location of the tolerance range. Therefore, it can be visually determined why some portions of the contour are marked as being outside the first tolerance range.

Preferably, the markings are traced portions of the contours of one or more tire components. Therefore, it is possible to accurately visualize which parts of the contour are outside the first tolerance range.

In another specific example, the virtual representation includes a two-dimensional view in which one or more virtual boundaries overlay the virtual representation. In a 2D view, it is easier to determine the relationship between markers and visual boundaries.

Preferably, the virtual representation includes a three-dimensional view associated with the two-dimensional view, wherein one or more virtual boundaries, markers, or both are provided in both the three-dimensional view and the two-dimensional view. Simultaneous visualization in both two-dimensional and three-dimensional views allows the operator to relate markers and/or virtual boundaries in one of the two views to markers and/or virtual boundaries in the other of the two views Union.

Wherever possible, the various aspects and features described and shown in this specification may be applied individually. These individual aspects, in particular the aspects and features described in the attached dependent claims, may be the subject of a divisional patent application.

Figures 1 and 2 show a system 1 for detecting irregularities X in one or more tire components T on a tire building drum D according to a first illustrative embodiment of the invention. Tire building drum D may be any drum or wheel used in the tire manufacturing process to receive, build, shape and/or transfer one or more tire components T. One or more tire components T are used to construct a green or uncured tire. One or more tire components T may comprise layers, laminates, strips or the like, for example, inner liners, sidewalls, breaker, tread, cap strips, rubber strips or combinations thereof.

The tire building drum D contains a cylindrical support surface that is rotatable about the drum axis A1. System 1 includes a drive 2 for driving the rotation of a tire building drum D about drum axis A1. During the application of one or more tire components T on the tire building drum D, the rotation of the tire building drum D about the drum axis A1 is automatically controlled. However, the system 1 may also comprise a manual control 3 for manually controlling the rotation of the tire building drum D about the drum axis A1 by an operator H, for example for inspection purposes or maintenance.

One or more tire components T are formed in continuous strip form by winding preformed layers of the one or more tire members T onto a tire building drum D, or by using an additive process similar to strip winding. should be applied to the cylindrical support surface. One or more tire components T may form a so-called "package" or "assembly" on the tire building drum D. In particular, one or more tire components T may form a "pre-assembly" of the inner liner, body layers and/or sidewalls or a "package" of the belt and tire tread.

One or more tire components T typically comprise one or more splices S where the leading end of one laminate is joined, sewn or spliced to the rear end of the same or another laminate. The splice S may be formed by overlapping the ends of one or more tire members T (a so-called "overlap splice") or by butt-joining the ends of one or more tire members T (a so-called "butt splice"). Common faults when splicing are that the ends of one or more tire components T are not fully joined along the splice S (so-called "open splices") or that the ends overlap when forming a "butt splice". It is known to manually check splice S for such faults.

The system 1 as shown in Figure 1 includes one or more imaging devices or scanners 4 for obtaining height profile data, images, scans of one or more tire components T on a tire building drum D. In this example, each scanner 4 comprises an optical camera with a field of view directed towards or covering at least a part of the tire building drum D. The optical camera may cooperate with the laser to obtain height profile information of one or more tire components T along the laser line. In this particular case, the system 1 consists of a plurality of scanners 4 arranged side by side, each with its own field of view, so that together they cover the entire width of the tire building drum D or at least the area covered by one or more tire components T width. Alternatively, a line scan camera can be used to view a single row of pixels at a time.

In this example, one or more scanners 4 are in a stationary position relative to the fixed world. In other words, the tire building drum D can rotate about the drum axis A1 relative to the scanner or scanners 4 . Alternatively, the tire building drum D may remain stationary relative to the fixed world, and the one or more scanners 4 may move around the stationary tire building drum D.

The system 1 further comprises one or more projectors 5 for projecting one or more real world references R1 onto the tire building drum D and/or one or more tire components T at real world reference positions. In this example, the real world reference position is in a fixed position relative to the fixed world and/or drum axis A1. In other words, the tire building drum D may rotate about the drum axis A1 relative to one or more real world references R1 held in fixed angular positions.

The system 1 is further provided with an electronic visual display 60, such as a television screen, for displaying the visual user interface 6 to the operator H.

The system 1 further comprises a control unit 7 electronically, functionally and/or operatively connected to the drum drive 2 , the manual control 3 , one or more scanners 4 , the projector 5 and an electronic visual display 60 . The control unit 7 includes a processor and a memory, in particular a non-transitory computer-readable medium for storing instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the system 1 to operate in a manner as described in more detail below.

As shown in Figure 1, the system 1 is further provided with an encoder 8, in particular a rotary encoder, for detecting and generating a signal indicative of the angular position of the tire building drum D.

A method for detecting irregularities X in one or more tire components T on a tire building drum D using the aforementioned system 1 will now be explained with reference to Figures 1, 2 and 3.

As shown in the flow chart of Figure 3, the method starts around a drum axis A1 between a tire building drum D and one or more scanners 4, in particular by rotating the tire building drum D around this drum axis A1 Relative rotation is generated (step S1), and at the same time, one or more scanners 4 obtain one or more components T on the tire building drum D at a plurality of angular positions P1 of the tire building drum D around the drum axis A1. Scan (step S2). Preferably, the scan is obtained during a full or complete revolution of the tire building drum D about the drum axis A1 (for example a rotation of at least three hundred and sixty degrees). Alternatively, the scan may be limited to a specific range of the circumference of the tire building drum D, which may be less than a full revolution. Each scan is stored in a memory or database and linked to the angular position P1 of the tire building drum D at which a respective scan is taken based on the signal received from the encoder 8 in Figure 1 (step S3 ).

The control unit 7 is configured, programmed and/or structured for processing the scans and generating a virtual representation V of one or more components T based on the scans (step S4). The control unit 7 may further be configured, programmed and/or structured to add the virtual model M of the tire building drum D to the virtual representation V at a position relative to the virtual representation of the one or more tire components T, which position Corresponds to the real world position of the tire building drum D relative to one or more tire components T.

In this example, the virtual representation V is or appears to be three-dimensional. In particular, the virtual representation V extends around a virtual axis A2 representing the drum axis A1. More specifically, the virtual representation V is actually rotatable about the virtual axis A2. Each virtual angular position P2 of the virtual representation V about the virtual axis A2 is linked to a respective real-world angular position P1 of the tire building drum D about the drum axis A1 , as shown in table L in Figure 3 .

In this example, the virtual angular position P2 is offset relative to the real world angular position, as detected by the encoder 8, where the parameter K is shown schematically by the Δ symbol in Figure 3 indicating the viewing angle B of the operator H, As shown in Figure 1. The parameter K can be used to correct the orientation of the virtual representation V so that the virtual representation V better matches the operator H's view of the tire building drum D. Typically, the viewing angle B is somewhere between forty and sixty degrees, depending on the human height of the operator H, and especially eye level. Because the offset parameter H can be different for each operator H and can be subject to user preference, it can be manually entered or adjusted by the operator H. In table L of Figure 3, all values of the virtual angular position P2 are offset relative to the real world angular position P1 by a parameter K having a value of forty-five degrees.

Alternatively, the coordinate system of the virtual representation V can be offset relative to the coordinate system of the tire building drum D by the same parameter K, in which case the values of the real world angular position P1 and the virtual angular position P2 can remain the same.

The control unit 7 is further configured, programmed and/or structured for analyzing the scans and identifying one or more irregularities X in the scans (step S5). A virtual pointer, mark or index is added to the virtual representation V at a virtual position, as schematically shown in Figure 2 with a square mark, corresponding to the real world position of the respective irregularity X of one or more tire components T . The markers may generally indicate an area of interest, or they may specifically highlight or trace the contours of the irregularity X or even pinpoint the location of the irregularity X.

In this example, steps S1 to S5 may be part of a preparatory mode to be completed before proceeding to the next step of the method. Steps S1 to S5 can be performed automatically. The control unit 7 is designed for switching between a preparation mode and a manual mode or operating mode. In the operating mode, the operator H has manual control over the virtual representation V and/or the tire building drum D.

In the operating mode, a virtual representation V including the marked irregularity X is sent to the electronic visual display 60 for display to the operator H via the visual user interface 6 (step S6). The virtual representation V is displayed such that, from the perspective of the operator H, the side of the virtual representation V facing the operator H corresponds to the side of the tire building drum D currently facing the operator H.

When the virtual representation V is being displayed to the operator H, the control unit 7 is further configured, configured and/or programmed to monitor the angular orientation of one of the tire building drum D and the virtual representation V (step S7). The control unit 7 continuously monitors whether the angular orientation has changed (step S8). The "N" loop works when no orientation change is detected.

When a change in orientation is detected, the control unit 7 proceeds to the next step, as shown by arrow "Y". In this next step, the control unit 7 is configured, configured and/or programmed to obtain the angular positions P1, P2 linked to that of the tire building drum D and the virtual representation V in the table L New angular positions P1, P2 (step S9).

In a final step (step S10 ), the control unit 7 is configured, programmed and/or configured for responding to a change in the orientation of one of the virtual representation V and the tire building drum D to the linking angular position P1 , P2 redirects the other one of the virtual representation V and the tire building drum D. The virtual representation V and the tire building drum D rotate in the same direction and/or at the same speed. Thus, the operator H can correlate the movement of the virtual representation V with the movement of the tire building drum D in the real world, and vice versa. More specifically, steps S7, S8, S9 and S10 are performed so quickly that the movement of the virtual representation V and the tire building drum D appears to be simultaneous or synchronized.

In this example, the rotation of the tire building drum D is controlled by the operator H via the manual control 3 and the virtual representation V is constructed to passively follow changes in the angular orientation of the tire building drum D. The updated virtual representation V is sent to and displayed by visual user interface 60 . Alternatively or alternatively, the operator H may be able to change the angular orientation of the virtual representation V, for example via controls in the visual user interface 6 , in which case the tire building drum D may be controlled to passively follow the virtual representation V Change in angular orientation.

Alternatively, the control unit 7 is configured, programmed and/or configured to automatically control the orientation of the virtual representation V and/or the tire building drum D so as to exhibit one or more irregularities X. In this way, the virtual representation V and/or the tire building drum D can be optimally positioned for checking the identified irregularities X. When more than one irregularity

During the preceding steps of the method, one or more projectors 5 are controlled to project one or more real world references R1 at a real world reference position onto the tire building drum D and/or one or more tire components T, As shown in Figures 1 and 2. The control unit 7 is further configured, programmed and/or configured for adding one or more virtual references R2 to the virtual reference position corresponding to the real world reference position indicated by the one or more verification references R1 Represents V. In this example, the one or more real world references R1 are formed by two triangular pointers projected onto the tire building drum D at the same angular position on opposite sides of the one or more tire components T . Virtual reference R2 has a similar shape to real-world references R1 and can therefore be easily related to these real-world references R1.

One or more real world references R1 indicate lines or areas on the tire building drum D that correspond to lines or areas indicated by one or more virtual references R2 in the virtual representation V, and vice versa. In particular, the angular positions P1 , P2 of one or more real world references R1 and one or more virtual references R2 are linked in table K in FIG. 3 .

To further assist the operator H in understanding the relationship between the virtual representation V and the angular positions P1, P2 of the tire building drum D, the control unit 7 may be further configured, programmed and/or configured to add a positional view C to Visual user interface 6, as shown in Figures 1 and 2. The orientation view C may act as a compass showing the virtual representation V currently facing the operator H and/or the angular positions P1 , P2 of the tire building drum D. Orientation view C may further display the aforementioned virtual reference R2 at the current angular positions P1 and P2.

Figure 4 shows an alternative system 101 according to a second illustrative embodiment of the present invention, which differs from the aforementioned system 1 in that the virtual representation V is presented to the operator H via a mixed reality device or augmented reality device 160, The device is capable of displaying a virtual representation V at the real-world location of the tire building drum D as part of a mixed reality or augmented reality AR. In this particular example, the augmented reality device 160 is a wearable device including augmented reality glasses 161 through which the operator H can view the real-world tire building drum D from any viewing angle. The augmented reality device 160 is preferably electronically, functionally and/or operatively connected via a wireless connection to the control unit 7 to receive the virtual representation V, which is provided by the control unit 7 and/or the augmented reality device 160 . The device 160 is constantly updated to match the current perspective of the operator H relative to the tire building drum D. The virtual representation V is presented to the operator H via augmented reality glasses 161 as part of the visual user interface 106 covering the tire building drum D.

FIG. 5 shows another alternative system 201 according to a third illustrative embodiment of the present invention. The difference from the alternative system 101 of FIG. 4 is that the mixed reality device or augmented reality device 260 is a handheld device. , such as a tablet computer or a smart phone, which has a screen 261 and a camera 262 for photographing the tire building drum D from any viewing angle. The tire building drum D photographed by the camera 262 is displayed on the screen 261 in real time through the visual user interface 206 . Similar to the aforementioned augmented reality device 160, the augmented reality device 260 of Figure 5 is connected to the control unit 7 to receive a virtual representation V, which is continuously updated by the control unit 7 and/or the augmented reality device 260 to Match the current angle of view of the camera 262 relative to the tire building drum D. A virtual representation V is added to the visual user interface 206 on the screen 261.

FIG. 6 shows an alternative visual user interface 306 for identifying irregularities X in one or more tire components T on the tire building drum D of FIG. 1 . The alternative visual user interface 306 differs from the aforementioned visual user interfaces 6, 106, 206 in that it has several views, including a three-dimensional view V0 and five two-dimensional views V1 to V5.

Each view V0 to V5 shows a virtual representation V of one or more tire components T based on scans obtained as previously described. In the three-dimensional view V0, irregularities X are identified using fit pointers, indicators or markers Z1, Z2. Markers Z1, Z2 may generally indicate the area of interest, or they may specifically highlight or trace the outline of the irregularity X or even pinpoint the location of the irregularity X. In this example, an irregularity X is detected on a portion of the splice S, and this portion is provided with a first marker Z1, such as a trace of the relevant contour, which is the cause of the irregularity X. Another irregularity is detected in the lateral position of one of the beads, as highlighted with the second marker Z2. It should be noted that in Figure 6, the first mark Z1 is shown as the thicker line portion of the splice S. Alternatively, the first mark Z1 may have the same line thickness as the splice S, while having a different color.

The five two-dimensional views V1 to V5 include a first two-dimensional view V1 showing the first outline G1 of the splice S in more detail. In particular, the first two-dimensional view V1 is taken along the width of the splice S and shows the height profile of the splice S in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the tire building drum D. The shape, height and/or width of the splice S can be derived from this first outline G1.

In the first two-dimensional view V1, the same first mark Z1 is provided as in the three-dimensional view V0 to highlight the irregularity X of the position corresponding to the position of the mark Z in the three-dimensional view V0. Furthermore, the first two-dimensional view V1 includes one or more virtual boundaries R1 to R5 shown in dashed lines, which virtual boundaries are added to, superimposed on or overlay the virtual representation V. Virtual boundaries R1 to R5 represent one or more tolerance ranges of one or more tire components T. In this example, the tolerance range specifically relates to the design specifications of splice S. More specifically, in this example, splice S is divided into several regions each with its own tolerance range as reflected by different virtual boundaries R1 to R5. These areas may be shown as different areas, or they may alternatively be combined into a single area.

The other two-dimensional views V2 to V5 are cylindrical projections of one or more tire components T, taken in the circumferential direction around the tire building drum D, as represented by the values 0, +180 and - on the vertical axis. 180 reflected. Therefore, the other two-dimensional views V2 to V5 may show different tire-related features of one or more tire components T, such as liners, body layers, breaker layers, beads, sidewalls, pre-assemblies, chafers, tire caps Strips or other contours of the tire tread G2 to G5. In particular, these contours G2 to G5 may be used to determine the lateral positioning and/or alignment of side edges, splices, junctions, or the like. Other virtual boundaries R6 to R9 are provided in other two-dimensional views V2 to V5, representing one or more tolerance ranges related to the contours G2 to G5 as shown. The outer limits of these other virtual boundaries R6 to R9 are shown in dashed lines.

The first virtual boundary R1 among the virtual boundaries R1 to R5 will be discussed in more detail below. However, it should be understood that the same situation applies mutatis mutandis to the other virtual boundaries R2 to R5.

As shown in FIG. 6 , the first virtual boundary R1 includes a first boundary line E1 representing a lower limit and an upper limit of the first tolerance range respectively, and a second boundary line E2 parallel to and spaced apart from the first boundary line E1 . In this example, the first virtual boundary R1 further includes third and fourth boundary lines E3 and E4 extending perpendicularly to the first and second boundary lines E1 and E2 to form the boundary box E. The bounding box E defines a rectangular, square or box-shaped area. Preferably, the box-shaped area is provided with a pattern, such as a hatch pattern or a transparent fill, to visually distinguish the box-shaped area from the rest of the respective view V1.

The third boundary line E3 and the second boundary line E4 may only be used to close the box-shaped area. However, the additional boundary lines E3 and E4 may also respectively represent the lower limit and the upper limit of the second tolerance range in one or more tolerance ranges. For example, the first boundary line E1 and the second boundary line E2 may define a first tolerance range in a first direction, such as a height direction, and the third boundary line E3 and the fourth boundary line E4 may represent a vertical direction perpendicular to the first tolerance range. The second direction of the direction, such as the second tolerance range in the width direction.

It should be understood that virtual boundaries R1 to R9 need not be closed. It also does not have to be linear or rectangular. In some cases, a tolerance range may apply to angle, curvature, or another parameter, thereby requiring a different kind of visualization that is also within the scope of the present invention.

Note that a first mark Z1 is provided in the first two-dimensional view V1 where, based on the scan, one or more tire components T are outside the first tolerance range represented by the first virtual boundary R1. Specifically, the aforementioned control unit 7 is used to determine or calculate which part of the detected contour G1 of the splice S exceeds the tolerance range. This information is then used to determine which part of the contour G1 should be marked by the first mark Z1.

Based on the information provided by both the first mark Z1 and the first virtual boundary R1, the operator can more accurately assess the cause of the mark and the severity of the tolerance violation relative to the first virtual boundary R1. It should be understood that the above description is included to illustrate the operation of preferred embodiments and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. From the above discussion, many variations encompassed by the scope of this invention will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art.

1: System 2: Drum drive 3: Manual control parts 4:Scanner 5:Projector 6:Visual user interface 7:Control unit 8: Encoder 60: Electronic visual display 101: Alternative systems 106:Visual User Interface 160:Augmented reality device 161:Augmented reality glasses 201: Other alternative systems 206:Visual User Interface 260:Augmented reality device 261:Screen 262:Camera 306:Alternative visual user interface A1: Drum shaft A2: Virtual axis AR: augmented reality B:Perspective C: Orientation view D:Tire building drum E: bounding box E1: first boundary line E2: Second boundary line E3: The third boundary line E4: The fourth boundary line G1: first outline G2: Second contour G3: third contour G4: fourth contour G5: fifth contour I:Scan K: offset/parameter/table H: Operator/offset parameters L: table M: virtual model P1: Real world angle position P2: virtual angle position R1: First virtual boundary/real world reference/inspection reference R2: Second virtual boundary/virtual reference R3: The third virtual border R4: The fourth virtual border R5: The fifth virtual border R6: The sixth virtual border R7: The seventh virtual border R8: The eighth virtual border R9: The ninth virtual border S: splice S1: Steps S2: Step S3: Steps S4: Steps S5: Steps S6: Steps S7: Steps S8: Steps S9: Steps S10: Steps T: tire component/tire layup V: virtual representation V0: 3D view V1: First 2D view V2: Second 2D view V3: Third 2D view V4: 2D view V5: 2D view W: wireless connection X:Irregularity Z1: first mark Z2: second mark

The invention will be elucidated on the basis of illustrative specific examples shown in the accompanying schematic drawings, in which: [Fig. 1] A perspective view showing a tire building drum having one or more tire components and a system for detecting irregularities in the one or more tire components according to a first illustrative embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] Shows a perspective view of the tire building drum and system according to Figure 1 after the tire building drum has been rotated to different angular positions; [Fig. 3] A flowchart showing the steps of a method for detecting irregularities in one or more tire components on a tire building drum using the system according to Figs. 1 and 2; [Fig. 4] A perspective view showing the tire building drum of Fig. 1 and an alternative system according to the second illustrative embodiment of the present invention; [Fig. 5] A perspective view showing the tire building drum of Fig. 1 and another alternative system according to the third exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and [FIG. 6] A screen showing an alternative visual user interface for identifying irregularities in one or more tire components on the tire building drum of FIG. 1, according to a fourth illustrative embodiment of the present invention.

1: System

2: Drum drive

3: Manual control parts

4:Scanner

5:Projector

6:Visual user interface

7:Control unit

8: Encoder

60: Electronic visual display

A1: Drum shaft

A2: Virtual axis

B:Perspective

C: Orientation view

D:Tire building drum

H: Operator/offset parameters

M: virtual model

P1: Real world angle position

P2: virtual angle position

R1: First virtual boundary/real world reference/inspection reference

R2: Second virtual boundary/virtual reference

S: splice

T: tire component/tire layup

V: virtual representation

Claims (36)

A method for detecting irregularities in one or more tire components on a tire building drum, wherein the method includes the following steps: Obtaining scans of the one or more tire components on the tire building drum at a plurality of angular positions of the tire building drum about a drum axis; Generate a virtual representation of the one or more components based on the scans; and Reorienting the virtual representation and the other of the tire building drum in response to a change in orientation of one of the virtual representation and the tire building drum. The method of claim 1, wherein the generation of the virtual representation based on the scans is completed before the redirection. The method of claim 1, wherein the acquisition of the scan is completed before the redirection. The method of claim 1, wherein the virtual representation is three-dimensional. The method of claim 4, wherein the virtual representation extends about a virtual axis representing the drum axis. The method of claim 5, wherein the reorienting step involves causing the virtual representation and the tire building in response to a change in the angular position of one of the virtual representation and the tire building drum about the virtual axis and the drum axis, respectively. The other of the drums rotates about the virtual axis and the drum axis respectively. For example, the method of request item 6, wherein the method further includes the following steps: Link virtual angular positions of the virtual representation about the virtual axis to real-world angular positions of the tire building drum about the drum axis; and The virtual representation and the tire building drum are rotated to a linked pair of the virtual angular positions and the real world angular positions. The method of claim 6, wherein the virtual representation and the tire building drum rotate in the same direction or at the same speed. Such as the method of request item 1, wherein the method further includes the following steps: using a verification reference to indicate a real-world reference position relative to the one or more tire components; and A virtual reference is added to the virtual representation in a virtual reference position corresponding to the real world reference position indicated by the verification reference. The method of claim 9, wherein the check reference is a projection. The method of claim 9, wherein the real-world reference position is fixed. Such as the method of request item 1, wherein the method further includes the following steps: analyze the scans and identify one or more irregularities in the scans; and Indicates the one or more irregularities in the virtual representation. The method of claim 1, wherein the change in orientation of the other of the virtual representation and the tire building drum is controlled by an operator. The method of claim 1, wherein the change in orientation of the other of the virtual representation and the tire building drum is automatically controlled to exhibit one or more irregularities. The method of claim 1, wherein the virtual representation is displayed to an operator on an electronic visual display. The method of claim 1, wherein the virtual representation is displayed to an operator at a real-world location of the tire building drum as part of an augmented reality or mixed reality. Such as the method of request item 1, wherein the method further includes the following steps: The virtual representation is corrected taking into account a parameter indicative of an operator's angle of view relative to the drum axis. Such as the method of claim 17, wherein the parameter is entered by the operator. The method of claim 17, wherein the parameter is one of the following groups: eye level, human height, and viewing angle. The method of claim 1, wherein the scans include height profile information of the one or more tire components on the tire building drum. The method of claim 1, wherein a virtual model of the tire building drum is added to the virtual representation. The method of claim 1, wherein the scans are obtained by rotating the tire building drum about the drum axis relative to one or more scanners. The method of claim 22, wherein the tire building drum rotates one full revolution during the acquisition of the scans. A system for detecting irregularities in one or more tire components on a tire building drum, wherein the system includes: one or more scanners for scanning the one or more tire components on the tire building drum a plurality of tire components; a visual user interface; and a control unit operatively connected to the one or more scanners and the visual user interface, wherein the control unit is configured for: Obtaining scans of the one or more tire components on the tire building drum at a plurality of angular positions of the tire building drum about a drum axis; Generate a virtual representation of the one or more components based on the scans and display the virtual representation to an operator via the visual user interface; and Reorienting the virtual representation and the other of the tire building drum in response to a change in orientation of one of the virtual representation and the tire building drum. The system of claim 24, wherein the system further includes an electronic visual display, and wherein the visual user interface is configured to be displayed on the electronic visual display. The system of claim 24, wherein the system further comprises an augmented reality device, wherein the visual user interface is configured for displaying the tire building drum at a real-world location via the augmented reality device. The virtual representation, as part of an augmented reality or mixed reality. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause a system such as claim 24 to perform the steps of the method of claim 1. A method for detecting irregularities in one or more tire components on a tire building drum, wherein the method includes the following steps: Obtaining scans of the one or more tire components on the tire building drum at a plurality of angular positions of the tire building drum about a drum axis; generate a virtual representation of the one or more components based on the scans; overlaying one or more virtual boundaries representing one or more tolerance ranges of the one or more tire components on the virtual representation; and Markers are provided in the virtual representation at which the one or more tire components exceed a first of the one or more tolerance ranges based on the scans. The method of claim 28, wherein the one or more virtual boundaries include a first boundary line respectively representing a lower limit and an upper limit of the first tolerance range and a first boundary line parallel to and spaced apart from the first boundary line. Second boundary line. The method of claim 29, wherein the one or more virtual boundaries include a third boundary line and a fourth boundary line extending perpendicularly to the first boundary line and the second boundary line to form a bounding box. The method of claim 30, wherein the third boundary line and the second boundary line respectively represent a lower limit and an upper limit of a second tolerance range in the one or more tolerance ranges. The method of claim 28, wherein the one or more virtual boundaries define a box-shaped area, wherein the box-shaped area has a pattern or a transparent fill. The method of claim 28, wherein the one or more tolerance ranges apply to one or more profiles of the one or more tire components, and wherein the markings highlight the one or more profiles of the one or more tire components A position where a contour exceeds one or more of the tolerance ranges. The method of claim 33, wherein the markers are tracking portions of the contours of the one or more tire components. The method of claim 28, wherein the virtual representation includes a two-dimensional view, and wherein the one or more virtual boundaries overlay the virtual representation in the two-dimensional view. The method of claim 35, wherein the virtual representation includes a three-dimensional view associated with the two-dimensional view, wherein the one or more virtual boundaries, the markers, or both are simultaneously present in the three-dimensional view and the two-dimensional view. supply.