Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
  • G01M—TESTING STATIC OR DYNAMIC BALANCE OF MACHINES OR STRUCTURES; TESTING OF STRUCTURES OR APPARATUS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • G01M17/00—Testing of vehicles
  • G01M17/007—Wheeled or endless-tracked vehicles
  • G01M17/02—Tyres
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
  • G01M—TESTING STATIC OR DYNAMIC BALANCE OF MACHINES OR STRUCTURES; TESTING OF STRUCTURES OR APPARATUS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • G01M17/00—Testing of vehicles
  • G01M17/007—Wheeled or endless-tracked vehicles
  • G01M17/02—Tyres
  • G01M17/022—Tyres the tyre co-operating with rotatable rolls
  • G01M17/024—Tyres the tyre co-operating with rotatable rolls combined with tyre surface correcting or marking means

Definitions

• the present invention relates generally to conveyors for transporting articles and, in particular, to an inlet conveyor for transporting tires through a tire uniformity testing system.
• 5. during the testing process may be used to mark specific regions of the tire to alert the buyer/installer to an area of interest, such as an irregularity or point of high force in the tire, which will enable the installer to take corrective or compensating action during 0 installation of the tire onto a wheel.
• a vertically-movable lower rim is supported in the base of the machine and is mounted for movement toward and away from a rim fixed to the top of 5 the machine.
• An elaborate framework including a plurality of spaced apart columns supports the tire testing equipment as well as the sensing, grinding and marking equipment.
• Many of the current machines when fully outfitted with a full compliment of subassemblies 0 are very difficult to service and require great effort to convert from one tire size to another.
• the various subcomponents, such as grinders, sensors and marking equipment are not well integrated because they were 5 added to the basic structure over the course of time.
• Cabling for both power and control signals between the various components and a basic control panel can be very complex and difficult to troubleshoot should problems arise.
• the level at which tires are tested at the testing station is well above the plant floor so as to require maintenance workers and operators to use auxiliary equipment, such as ladders or other devices, to reach componentry needing adjustment or 5 service.
• known testing machines are somewhat limited in flexibility in that they are not easily adapted for use in a variety of manufacturing environments. Once assembled, conventional testing machines typically do not permit changes in the direction tires are moved through the machine, at least not without substantial alteration or rearrangement of the machine components.
• One reason it is difficult to change the direction of tire flow through known machines is that the inlet conveyor typically is fixed to or forms part of the testing station; therefore, it is either impossible or impractical to alter the machine so as to permit the tires to be input at the opposite end of the machine.
• it may be necessary or desirable to provide users with the option of selecting different tire input directions due to, for example, different manufacturing plant layouts or the need to modify an existing plant layout.
• the loadwheel may produce erroneous or inaccurate uniformity measurements as a result of disturbances at the inlet conveyor.
• physical disturbances at or near the inlet conveyor may be transmitted to the testing station so as to adversely affect test results, e.g. , by impacting the readings generated by the load cells carried by the loadwheel, the result of such disturbances being inaccurate or inconsistent uniformity determinations.
• an improved inlet conveyor suitable for use in tire testing machines which provides increased flexibility and accurate, consistent force readings relative to existing inlet conveyors.
• the invention provides an inlet conveyor for use in conveying tires through a tire uniformity testing system.
• the tire testing system includes a tire centering station and a tire testing station.
• the inlet conveyor includes at least one conveying member for transporting tires from the centering station to the testing station and means for moving the conveying member a precise distance which carries a tire from the centering station to the testing station.
• the inlet conveyor includes a frame and a fixed conveyor or tire support member secured to the frame that preferably includes rollers that permit tires to move both longitudinally (i.e., in the direction of flow through the machine) and laterally.
• the fixed conveyor is located in the centering station and a centering mechanism engages the outer periphery of a tire to move the tire on the fixed conveyor.
• the tire is centered about a centering axis located a predetermined distance from the rotational axis of the testing station.
• the actuator moves the conveying member a distance corresponding to the predetermined distance to ensure the tire is delivered to a proper position at the testing station.
• a tire is delivered from a supply of tires to be tested to the centering station by a kick roller and then is centered by the centering mechanism.
• the conveyor includes a pair of spaced conveyor belts carried by a conveyor elevator for raising and lowering the conveyor belts with respect to the frame.
• the conveyor elevator is slidably engaged with the frame for vertical movement between raised and lowered positions.
• the conveyor belts are supported by first and second support rails that extend away from the centering station in cantilever fashion and run substantially the entire length of the belts, the belts being reeved around pulleys located adjacent opposite ends of the support rails.
• suitable means for moving the elevator such as a pneumatic cylinder
• the support rails and conveyor belts are raised or lowered with respect to the frame so as to either engage or disengage a tire resting on the fixed conveyor.
• the means for moving the conveyor belts in a conveying direction preferably is a rotary pneumatic actuator that precisely controls the distance the belts move so as to properly position the tire with respect to the testing station and, if desired, a tire sorting/marking station and an exit conveyor assembly disposed downstream from the testing station.
• the conveyor belts preferably are movable to adjust the width of the space between the belts to accommodate different size tires.
• a beneficial feature of a testing system including an inlet conveyor constructed according to the invention is that the structure comprising the centering station is self-supporting and mechanically isolated from the testing station; thus, disturbances affecting the centering station are not transmitted to the testing station.
• This feature also allows the inlet conveyor to be moved with respect to the testing station, thereby permitting reversal of the direction of tire flow through the testing machine, such reversal being accomplished by moving the exit subsystems (e.g. , the tire sorting/marking station and exit conveyor) to the former inlet side of the machine, and moving the inlet conveyor to the former exit side of the machine.
• the conveyor itself also is preferably unattached and mechanically isolated from the testing station. Prior art testing machines did not provide such flexibility or easy reversal of the direction of tire flow through the machine.
• Figure 1 is a plan view of a tire testing system including an inlet conveyor constructed according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention
• Figure 2 is a front elevation view of the tire testing system of Figure 1;
• Figure 3 is a plan view of a centering station forming part of the tire testing system of Figure 1;
• Figure 4 is a plan view of a centering mechanism forming part of the centering station of Figure 3 ;
• Figure 5 is a fragmentary end elevation view of the tire testing system of Figure 1 showing the centering mechanism and inlet conveyor;
• Figure 6 is a front elevation view of the tire testing system of Figure 1 showing the inlet conveyor;
• Figure 7 is a fragmentary end elevation view of the centering station taken along lines 7-7 in Figure 3;
• Figure 8 is a fragmentary end elevation view of the centering station taken along lines 8-8 in Figure 3;
• Figure 9 is a fragmentary end elevation view of a tire lubrication device forming part of the tire testing system of Figure 1;
• Figure 10 is a fragmentary front elevation view of the tire lubrication device taken along lines 10-10 in Figure 9;
• Figure 11 is a fragmentary front elevation view of the tire lubrication device of Figure 9 showing the device lubricating a tire; and Figure 12 is a plan view of the tire lubrication device of Figure 9.
• Figure 1 illustrates, in plan view, the overall arrangement of a tire testing system which includes an inlet conveyor constructed according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.
• the overall tire testing system is more fully described in co-pending application Serial No. (Attorney Docket No. 13-866) , filed , and entitled TIRE UNIFORMITY TESTING SYSTEM, the subject matter of which is hereby incorporated by reference. Accordingly, the detailed description which follows relates primarily to the inlet conveyor; however, the overall tire testing system is discussed below briefly for sake of clarity and in order to set forth the environment in which the inventive conveyor is primarily intended for use.
• the overall tire testing system comprises the following major subsystems: an inlet conveyor 10 , a testing station 12 , and an exit module 14 including an optional marking station 14a and tire sorting mechanism 14b.
• a tire positioned at the testing station 12 is tested and optionally ground to adjust the roundness, mechanical uniformity and/or any other physical properties of the tire.
• a tire indicated by reference character 20 (shown in phantom) has been delivered to the testing station by the inlet conveyor 10 so that the tire is clamped between lower and upper rims of an automatic adjustable width chuck apparatus (shown in phantom in Figure 2) .
• the rims are carried, respectively, by a spindle assembly 30 and a movable chuck assembly 32 comprising the chuck apparatus.
• the adjustable width chuck apparatus is more fully disclosed in co-pending application Serial No.
• the tire 20 is clamped between the rims and inflated via the spindle assembly 30.
• a loadwheel assembly 40 including a loadwheel 42 is moved into abutting relationship with the outer surface of the tire 20.
• the tire is rotated against the loadwheel which monitors the load exerted by the tire via load cells.
• load cells As is known in the art, data taken from the load cells is used to determine the uniformity of the tire. If desired, adjustments to the uniformity of the tire are made by one or more grinders, indicated
• a probe system may form part of the testing station and 5 includes upper and lower sidewall sensor assemblies, upper and lower shoulder sensors, and a center tread sensor (not shown) .
• the probe system is more fully disclosed in the aforementioned co-pending application relating to the overall tire testing system.
• the spindle assembly 30, chuck assembly 32, loadwheel assembly 40, grinders 52 and probe system 56 are mounted to a gantry-like frame system indicated generally by the reference character 60 in Figures 2 and 6.
• the frame 60 is constructed as described in the 5 aforementioned co-pending application relating to the overall tire testing system.
• the inlet conveyor of the invention is described in connection with its preferred and illustrated application, namely, conveying tires to a 0 tire uniformity testing station such as that indicated by reference character 12.
• a uniformity testing 5 machine e.g., apparatus which measure other characteristics of a tire and/or perform a process relating to the manufacture or production of tires. Accordingly, it should be appreciated that the description herein of the conveyor 10 only relates to one possible application of the invention.
• the inlet conveyor of 5 may be viewed as comprising three main components: a frame indicated generally by the reference character 100, a tire conveyor indicated generally by the reference character 200, and a tire centering mechanism located at a centering station and indicated generally by
• frame 100 comprises vertical posts 102 and horizontal beams 104 attached to and extending between posts 102. Support feet 108 support the frame on a floor or other surface and allow the frame 100 to be moved should it become
• the frame unit is of generally rectangular shape with four posts 102 disposed at the four corners and a plurality of horizontal beams 104
• the opposite sides of the frame 100 are located on an operator side and an elevator side of the testing system.
• the operator side is designed to provide easier access to the machine components and, in Figure 1,
• 35 is located on the same side as grinders 52 and probe system 56.
• the frame 100 is provided with means for moving the tire conveyor 200 in a vertical direction relative to the frame.
• the means for raising and lowering the conveyor comprises a pneumatic cylinder 110 including a rod 112 with a clevis 114 connected to a 5_ conveyor elevator 250 via a bracket 120, the butt end 116 of the cylinder being attached to a hinge bracket 118 fixed to frame 100 ( Figure 5) .
• tire conveyor 200 is raised or lowered with respect to frame 100. While a pneumatic cylinder is
• other devices may be used to move the tire conveyor, e.g., a motor driven chain and sprocket assembly, a rotatable ball or lead screw assembly, etc.
• a conveyor 150 is secured to frame 100 preferably at a fixed position to accept and support tires delivered
• the kick roller 130 serves to separate a tire to be tested from a supply of tires located on a feed conveyor (not shown) , the tire being kicked onto the conveyor 150 upon contacting the rotating roller 130.
• the conveyor 150 preferably is an "omni-
• 2H roll type conveyor comprising a plurality of rollers 152 that permit tires to move longitudinally (i.e., in the direction of flow through the machine) and laterally, this movement taking place during centering of the tire upon actuation of centering mechanism 300.
• Conveyor 150
• 25. includes two trays 154 that support two groups of rollers
• the conveyor 150 thus is fixed in a desired vertical position relative to
• tire conveyor 200 preferably comprises a pair of longitudinally extending conveyor belts 202 laterally spaced from each other to define a gap 204 therebetween.
• the belts 202 are
• the rails 210 have ends 216 secured to the conveyor elevator 250 adjacent the centering station (and frame 100) and opposite ends 212 extending away in a cantilever manner. While two belts 202 are preferred, it should be noted that more or less belts could be used.
• the preferred construction forms a space between the belts that allows the spindle assembly 30 of the testing station to pass therethrough upon lowering of the conveyor, the conveyor extending from the centering station to the testing station as shown.
• the elevator 250 includes an elevator plate 252 ( Figures 3 and 5) supporting a pair of elevator forks 254 each of which is strengthened by a gusset 256.
• a pair of guides 258 are fixed to elevator plate 250 and slidably engage complimentary guides 106 carried by (or formed integrally with) the frame posts 102 disposed on the elevator side of the machine. Actuation of cylinder 110 extends or retracts rod 112 to raise or lower elevator 250 with respect to frame 100, the cooperating guides 106, 258 facilitating smooth relative movement of the components. See Figure 3.
• the conveyor support rails 210 are provided with pulleys around which the belts 202 are reeved.
• the cantilevered ends 212 of the rails 210 are attached to idler support brackets 214 which mount idler pulleys 220 ( Figure 6) .
• the opposite ends 216 of rails 210 are attached to conveyor support brackets 218 which are secured to a drive shaft 240 ( Figure 3) .
• a pair of drive pulleys 230 are also mounted to the drive shaft 240, for example a splined or keyed shaft, and transmit torque to the pulleys and belts passing therearound, the shaft 240 being rotatably supported by brackets 242 fixed to the elevator fork 254 disposed adjacent kick roller 130.
• the conveyor support brackets 218 are mounted to the drive shaft 240 by bearings that permit the rails 210 to be pivoted about the drive shaft. This feature allows the conveyor to be pivoted up and away from the testing station for maintenance, repair, etc.
• the end of shaft 240 adjacent the elevator side of the machine carries a timing pulley 274 that is rotated by a timing belt 278.
• the timing belt 278 is driven by a timing pulley 272 connected to the output of suitable
• the pulleys 272, 274, timing belt 278, and drive means 276 comprise a conveyor drive mechanism indicated by reference character 270 in Figure 3.
• drive means 276 is a
• An actuator that may be used to drive the belts 202 for example, is a Parkhann 350 deg. rotary pneumatic actuator (model PTR 252-350-4- FPAB21M) . Precise control of the belt drive is desirable
• An encoder (not shown) preferably is provided to detect belt travel and permit movement of the inlet conveyor to be synchronized with movement of an exit conveyor.
• the invention contemplates other types of drive components for the drive means 276.
• the belts may also be precisely driven by an electric motor, under the control of a suitable. control system that includes an encoder for monitoring the movement of the
• the tire conveyor 200 is provided with a mechanism, indicated generally by the reference character 280 and shown best in Figures 3, 7 and 8, for adjusting the lateral position of conveyor belts 202 in order to
• the conveyor support rails 210 inward of their ends that are secured to conveyor brackets 218 mounted on the drive shaft 240, are mounted to a support rail shaft 208.
• Support rail shaft 208 is fixed to a support member 209 that is attached to the forward elevator fork 254 (i.e., the fork located to the left in Figure 3) .
• the support rails 210 are provided with mounting pads 298 secured to the vertical legs of L-shaped width adjustment brackets 206 ( Figure 7) .
• the horizontal legs of the brackets 206 are fixed to the upper portion of linear bearing members 207 slidably secured to rail support shaft 208.
• the width adjustment mechanism 280 includes a screw 282 to facilitate adjustment of the lateral position of the rails 210.
• the screw 282 preferably is formed with a central unthreaded section disposed between two oppositely threaded sections 284, 286.
• the screw 282 is fixed at its opposite ends to the elevator fork 254 by support members 288 which, for example, are welded or fastened to the fork.
• the support members 288 are secured to the screw 282 so as to permit rotation of the screw upon actuation of suitable means for turning the screw, such as crank 290.
• the screw may be provided with nuts or other locking members that engage supports 288 to laterally fix the screw relative thereto.
• the support rails 210 are mounted to the screw 282 such that rotation of the screw moves the rails 210 toward or away from each other .
• the rail mounting pads 298 have fixed thereto a pair of yoke members 292.
• the yoke members 292 are attached to (or formed integrally with) threaded nut portions 294, 296 engaged with adjustment screw 282 ( Figure 8) .
• the yoke disposed adjacent the elevator side of the machine has a right-hand threaded nut portion 296 engaging right-hand threaded screw section 286, while the yoke disposed adjacent the operator side of the
• 5_ machine has a left-hand threaded nut portion 294 engaging left-hand threaded screw section 284. As such, upon rotation of adjustment screw 282 the yokes 292 move toward or away from each other with the rails secured thereto also moving toward or away from each other.
• support rails 210 are supported by both drive shaft 240 and support shaft 208 during use and when adjusting the conveyor belt width.
• the drive shaft 240 preferably is provided with inner and outer pairs of bellows which cover the shaft in the various positions of the support
• the preferred embodiment of the invention also includes the centering mechanism 300 as best seen in Figures 4 and 5.
• the centering .mechanism centers a tire at the centering station upon its delivery by the kick
• each roller 130 includes two pairs of pivoting arms 302 mounted to the frame 100 on either side of the centering axis 54.
• One end of each arm 302 mounts a vertically oriented, rotatable roller 304, while the other end is connected to a shaft 307 pivotally mounted to a bracket
• FIG. 35 308 fixed to one or more upper horizontal beams 104 by fasteners or other means.
• Rotation of shafts 307 pivots arms 302 toward or away from centering axis 54 so as to engage the outer periphery of a tire.
• Figure 4 depicts two positions of the centering mechanism in which the arms 5. 302 engage a tire 22 and a tire 22a.
• the centering arms 302 are rotated by intermeshing pairs of gears 306 fixed to the upper ends of pivot shafts 307.
• the pair of gears 306 located at the elevator 0 side of the machine is driven by a pneumatic cylinder 320 including a cylinder rod 322.
• the butt end 324 of cylinder 320 is mounted to a hinge bracket 326 fixed to a channel-like member 328 attached to the frame unit 100.
• Cylinder rod 322 is connected at 314 to one end of a 5 lever 310 which is connected near its opposite end to the pivot shaft 307 of one the gears 306. Accordingly, extending and retracting rod 322 rotates the gear 306, pivot shaft 307, and arm 302 either clockwise or counterclockwise.
• the gear connected to lever 310 is 0 intermeshed with a mating gear such that the gears rotate together (in opposite directions) upon actuation of cylinder 320, thereby moving one pair of arms 302 toward or away from centering axis 54.
• an interconnecting link 330 extends across the frame 5 structure and has one end 332 connected to one gear pair and another end 334 connected to the other gear pair.
• the centering station is provided with means for applying a suitable lubricant to the upper and lower bead areas of the tire in order to enhance sealing and 5 removal of the tire at the testing station.
• the preferred lubricant applying means is in the form of a lubricating mechanism indicated generally by reference numeral 400 in Figures 9-12.
• the mechanism 400 includes a lubricant containment cylinder 410 that houses a vertically movable applicator roll 430 having a surface 432 adapted to attract lubricant, e.g. a flocked surface, and apply the lubricant to the upper and lower beads of a tire.
• the cylinder 410 has an upper cap 412 and a lower cap 414.
• the cap 412 includes a lubricant inlet 416 ( Figure 11) that receives lubricant from a tank or other supply (not shown) , while the cap 414 includes an outlet 418 via which the lubricant drains back to the tank, the inlet and outlet being connected to the tank by suitable hoses or conduits (not shown) .
• the cylinder has an apertured spray ring 424 through which the lubricant passes into the cylinder in order to evenly coat the applicator roll 430.
• the cylinder 410 preferably is made of plastic and is provided with a tension rod 448 extending along the exterior of the cylinder to reinforce the cylinder, for example, during lateral movement of the cylinder relative to the centering station to engage the bead areas of a tire.
• the applicator roll 430 is closed at its upper end by a cap 434 and at its lower end by a cap 436.
• a hollow piston rod 440 passes through the spray ring 424 and has a closed end that extends through the upper cap 434 of the roll 430.
• the piston rod 440 is mounted to a pair of pistons 442, 444 via a nut 446, the pistons being slidably disposed in the cylinder 410.
• a pressure tube 420 is disposed within the cylinder 410 and communicates with an air inlet 422 that receives pressurized air from any suitable source, e.g., a pneumatic diaphragm pump 454 connected thereto by a conduit 456.
• the air passes through tube 420 into the interior of the piston rod 440 to raise the piston rod and applicator roll 430 out of the cylinder to the position shown in Figure 11.
• the pistons guide the piston rod during movement into or out of the cylinder 410.
• the applicator roll 430 is received in the lubricant contained in cylinder 410 when in the retracted position such that the roll is coated with lubricant when later raised to its in use position projecting into the centering station.
• the cylinder 410 and applicator roll 430 are mounted 5. to the frame 100 by a base plate 450 ( Figures 10 and 12) and a pair of braces 452.
• a carriage plate 466 is mounted to the cylinder 410 by upper and lower saddle members 462, 466 for facilitating moving the cylinder and applicator roll into engagement with a tire.
• a pair of 10 blocks 458 are fixed to the base plate 450 and mount a bearing shaft 460.
• the carriage plate 466 is provided with bearings 470 slidably engaged with the shaft 460.
• the carriage plate 466 is driven along the bearing shaft by any suitable means.
• a preferred means is a pneumatic 15. actuator, indicated schematically by reference numeral 468, which may be, for example, a Parkhann rodless air cylinder (model 25CFMRCTUCX7.5) mounted to the base plate 450.
• the pump 454 is activated to pressurize the piston rod and raise the applicator roll 430 out of the cylinder into the central opening of the tire.
• the actuator 468 then is actuated to move the applicator roll 430 into the bead areas, for 25 example, to the right as indicated by the arrow in Figure 11. While this movement is in an opposite direction to the flow of tires through the system (which flow is indicated by the arrow in Figure 12) , alternate methods of engaging the roll 430 with the tire may be used.
• the 30 tire is rotated at the centering station such that the entire bead areas are lubricated by the roll 430.
• a preferred means of rotating the tire comprises driving one of the centering rollers 304 by a motor, although other means may be used to rotate the tire.
• the inlet conveyor operates as follows. Prior to receiving a tire at the centering station, the inlet conveyor 200 and elevator 250 are lowered by the actuator 110 to the position shown in phantom in Figure 6. A tire 22 then is driven onto the fixed conveyor 150 by the kick roller 130. Once a tire is positioned at the centering station, centering mechanism 300 is actuated to move centering arms 302 toward the tire until the rollers 304 center the tire. One of the centering rollers 304 is actuated to rotate the tire and the lubricant applicator is operated to raise the applicator roll.
• the applicator roll then is moved laterally into the rotating tire and the lubricant is applied to the upper and lower beads of the tire.
• the applicator roll then is lowered and rotation of the centering roller is stopped.
• the centered and lubricated tire is ready to be conveyed to the testing station.
• the elevator 250 and inlet conveyor 200 are raised by actuator 110 until the conveyor belts 202 pick up the tire and, in effect, raise it above the fixed conveyor 150, this position of the conveyor being shown in solid lines in Figure 6.
• Each roller 304 is mounted such that it can be moved vertically a predetermined distance in order to accommodate relative movement between the tire and the centering arms 302 as the conveyor engages and lifts the tire.
• the centering arms 302 then are moved outwardly to their retracted positions.
• conveyor actuator 276 then would be reverse actuated to return the belts 202 to their starting 5. position. While the conveyor 200 is in its lowered position, another tire “T" may be brought into the centering station by kick roller 130 and subsequently centered while a tire is being tested at the testing station 12. Conveyor 200 then is raised to the position
• One benefit of the preferred embodiment of the inlet conveyor is that there is no direct mechanical coupling between the inlet conveyor and the testing station of the machine, i.e., neither the centering station nor the tire conveyor is mechanically coupled to the testing station.
• the inlet conveyor of the invention may easily be relocated relative to the remaining components of the testing machine to permit reversal of the direction of tire flow. For example, referring to
• the inlet conveyor 10 may be moved to the left end of the machine while the exit assembly 14 is moved to the right end. Consequently, should the need arise, the inlet conveyor of the invention permits reversing the direction of tire flow though an existing machine in a relatively quick and easy manner.
• This aspect of the invention provides additional flexibility in that a user 5_ can select an optimum tire flow direction when initially installing a tire testing machine. Prior art inlet conveyors used with tire testing systems did not provide such flexibility. While it is preferred to mechanically isolate the inlet conveyor of the invention from the

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• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Testing Of Balance (AREA)
• Tires In General (AREA)
• Tyre Moulding (AREA)

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• 1997
  • 1997-12-10 US US08/988,478 patent/US6082191A/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
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  • 1998-01-22 WO PCT/US1998/001332 patent/WO1998035213A2/en not_active Ceased
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