# US 10,870,246 B2 · Method for determining adhesion of foreign matter on green tire > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,870,246 B2 - Document ID: US10870246B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/301,845 - Filed: 2017-04-21 - Published: 2019-09-19 - Granted: 2020-12-22 - Earliest claimed: 2016-06-01 - Assignees: Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd. - Applicants: Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd. - Inventors: Hiroyuki Onimatsu; Kenichi Nagai - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10870246B2 ## CPC - B29D 30/0061: {Accessories, details or auxiliary operations not otherwise provided for} - B29D 30/60: by winding narrow strips - G01B 11/24: for measuring contours or curvatures - G01B 11/2522: {the position of the object changing and being recorded} - G01B 11/30: for measuring roughness or irregularity of surfaces - G01N 21/8851: {Scan or image signal processing specially adapted therefor, e.g. for scan signal adjustment, for detecting different kinds of defects, for compensating for structures, markings, edges (G01N21/8806 and G01N21/93 - G01N21/95692 take precedence; optical measurement of dimensions G01B11/00; optical scanning G02B26/10; image transformation G06T3/00; computerised image enhancement G06T5/00; image processing per se for flaw detection G06T7/0002)} - G01N 21/94: Investigating contamination, e.g. dust (G01N21/85 takes precedence) - G06T 7/0004: {Industrial image inspection} - G06T 17/00: Three-dimensional [3D] modelling for computer graphics - B29D 2030/0066: {Tyre quality control during manufacturing} - G06T 2207/10016: Video; Image sequence - B29D: PRODUCING PARTICULAR ARTICLES FROM PLASTICS OR FROM SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE (making granules B29B9/00; making preforms B29B11/00) - G01B: MEASURING LENGTH, THICKNESS OR SIMILAR LINEAR DIMENSIONS; MEASURING ANGLES; MEASURING AREAS; MEASURING IRREGULARITIES OF SURFACES OR CONTOURS - G01N: INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES (measuring or testing apparatus or processes other than immunoassay, involving enzymes or microorganisms C12M, C12Q) - G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL ## Abstract To reliably and efficiently make foreign matters adhered onto a green tire formed by a strip winding method. It comprises a raw data acquiring step Sa in which raw three-dimensional data D0 about an examination surface 3 are created through rotation of a green tire T and through irradiation with sensor light 2L in an X direction by a two-dimensional displacement sensor 2; an averaging processing step Sb in which processed three-dimensional data D1 are obtained by averaging processing the raw three-dimensional data D0; and an imaging step Sc in which the distance data z in the processed three-dimensional data D1 are each binarized, and an image is created from the binarized processed three-dimensional data D2. The widths Wx and Wy of a range K of the averaging process are set to be greater than a spiral pitch P of a rubber strip G and less than a width Gw of the rubber strip G. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for determining the adhesion of a foreign matter which is a determining method for determining whether a foreign matter is adhered on an outer surface of a green tire which outer surface is formed by spirally winding a rubber strip, comprising: a raw data acquiring step in which an examination surface of the outer surface of the green tire is scanned in the circumferential direction with a two-dimensional displacement sensor, and a raw three-dimensional data D0 of the examination surface is created, an averaging processing step in which by averaging processing distance data z in the raw three-dimensional data D0, processed three-dimensional data D1 are obtained, an imaging step in which distance data z in the processed three-dimensional data D1 are each binarized at a threshold, and an image is created, and a determining step in which, based on the data about the created image, whether a foreign matter is adhered is determined, wherein in the raw data acquiring step, the green tire is rotated about an axis thereof, and the two-dimensional displacement sensor irradiates the examination surface of the rotating green tire with a sensor light which is linear and elongate in X direction perpendicular to the circumferential direction, thereby, the raw three-dimensional data D0 made up of position data x in the X direction, position data y in the circumferential direction, and the distance data z from the two-dimensional displacement sensor to the examination surface, are created, and in the averaging processing step, with respect to the raw three-dimensional data D0, for each of the distance data z, the averaging process is made over a range having a width Wx in the X direction and a width Wy in the circumferential direction, thereby, processed three-dimensional data D1 are obtained, wherein each of the width Wx and the width Wy is larger than a spiral pitch of the rubber strip and is smaller than the width of the rubber strip. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method for determining the adhesion of a foreign matter as set forth in claim 1, wherein the outer surface of the green tire is divided into a plurality of examination surfaces. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method for determining the adhesion of a foreign matter as set forth in claim 2, wherein the examination surfaces are an examination surface 3A on a tread center side, a pair of examination surfaces on tread shoulder sides, a pair of examination surfaces on sidewall upper sides, and a pair of examination surfaces on sidewall lower sides. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The method for determining the adhesion of a foreign matter as set forth in claim 2, wherein the examination surfaces are scanned in the respective circumferential directions with separate two-dimensional displacement sensors prepared for the respective examination surfaces. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method for determining the adhesion of a foreign matter as set forth in claim 1, wherein the threshold is at least 200% of the thickness of the rubber strip G. ### Claim 6 (depends on 3) The method for determining the adhesion of a foreign matter as set forth in claim 3, wherein the examination surfaces are scanned in the respective circumferential directions with separate two-dimensional displacement sensors prepared for the respective examination surfaces. ### Claim 7 (depends on 2) The method for determining the adhesion of a foreign matter as set forth in claim 2, wherein the threshold is at least 200% of the thickness of the rubber strip G. ### Claim 8 (depends on 3) The method for determining the adhesion of a foreign matter as set forth in claim 3, wherein the threshold is at least 200% of the thickness of the rubber strip G.