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US 11,993,042 B2Granted
Stitching roller for stitching a strip
AssigneeVmi Holland B.V.
InventorsGerben Mulder, Henrick Theodoor Posthumus
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A stitching roller is provided for stitching a strip, in particular a continuous strip for strip-winding. The stitching roller includes a roller body that is rotatable about a roller axis. The roller body comprises a circumferential member and a support member provided with a connection end that is connected to the circumferential member and a base end for coupling of the stitching roller to a rotation shaft. The support member is made of a flexible material that allows for the circumferential member to tilt relative to the base end from a neutral orientation into a tilted orientation. The support member includes one or more reinforcements that reinforce the axial stiffness of the support member from the outer radius towards the inner radius.
Claims28
A tire building machine comprising:
- a stitching roller for stitching a strip;
- and
- a tire building drum,
- wherein the stitching roller comprises a roller body that is rotatable about a roller axis,
- wherein the roller body comprises a circumferential member having a circumference extending about the roller axis,
- wherein the circumferential member defines a stitching surface that, considered in a radial direction perpendicular to the roller axis, faces away from the roller axis and an internal surface that, considered in the radial direction, faces towards the roller axis,
- wherein the roller body further comprises a support member extending in a circumferential direction about the roller axis for supporting the circumferential member relative to a rotation shaft,
- wherein the support member has a connection end that is connected to the circumferential member at the internal surface, a base end for coupling of the stitching roller to the rotation shaft and a radial length in the radial direction between the base end and the connection end,
- wherein the circumferential member is elastically deformable in a tilt direction about the circumferential direction,
- wherein the support member is made of a flexible material that allows for the circumferential member to tilt relative to the base end from a neutral orientation into a tilted orientation at at least one position along the circumference,
- wherein the support member, in the neutral orientation of the circumferential member, has an inner radius at the base end, an outer radius at the connection end and a middle radius at the middle between the inner radius and the outer radius,
- wherein the support member, in an axial direction parallel to the roller axis, comprises a first reinforcement at the middle radius that reinforces an axial stiffness of the support member with respect to an axial stiffness of the support member at the outer radius such that the axial stiffness of the support member at the middle radius is greater than the axial stiffness of the support member at the outer radius.
9 more elements
A method of stitching a strip, the method comprising:
- providing a stitching roller on a tire building drum,
- wherein the stitching roller comprises a roller body that is rotatable about a roller axis,
- wherein the roller body comprises a circumferential member having a circumference extending about the roller axis,
- wherein the circumferential member defines a stitching surface that, considered in a radial direction perpendicular to the roller axis, faces away from the roller axis and an internal surface that, considered in the radial direction, faces towards the roller axis,
- wherein the roller body further comprises a support member extending in a circumferential direction about the roller axis for supporting the circumferential member relative to a rotation shaft,
- wherein the support member has a connection end that is connected to the circumferential member at the internal surface, a base end for coupling of the stitching roller to the rotation shaft and a radial length in the radial direction between the base end and the connection end,
- wherein the circumferential member is elastically deformable in a tilt direction about the circumferential direction,
- wherein the support member is made of a flexible material that allows for the circumferential member to tilt relative to the base end from a neutral orientation into a tilted orientation at at least one position along the circumference,
- wherein the support member, in the neutral orientation of the circumferential member, has an inner radius at the base end, an outer radius at the connection end and a middle radius at the middle between the inner radius and the outer radius,
- wherein the support member, in an axial direction parallel to the roller axis, comprises a first reinforcement at the middle radius that reinforces an axial stiffness of the support member with respect to an axial stiffness of the support member at the outer radius such that the axial stiffness of the support member at the middle radius is greater than the axial stiffness of the support member at the outer radius;
- and
- stitching with said stitching roller a strip on said tire building drum.
9 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.