Method and facility for transferring reels

A method for transferring unwinders for supplying elastomeric products to green tire manufacturing machines using a transfer facility,

• each elastomeric product being wound on a reel,
• the facility comprising a control unit, unwinders, and at least one autonomous mobile platform able to support and to move an unwinder,
• each unwinder being able to support a reel and to collaborate with a green tire manufacturing machine in such a way as to unwind the elastomeric product wound on the reel and supply the green tire manufacturing machine with the elastomeric product,
• the transfer facility comprising:
• evaluation means for evaluating a state of the unwinders, the evaluation means comprising measurement means for measuring a quantity of elastomeric product wound on a reel supported by an unwinder;
• and
• communication means able to transmit data measured by the measurement means to the control unit, and
• the method comprising the following successive steps:
• measuring a quantity of elastomeric product wound on a reel supported by an unwinder supplying the green tire manufacturing machine, using the measurement means, and communicating measured data to the control unit using the communication means;
• on a basis of the measured data, determining, using the control unit, a moment at which to transmit a removal or supply mission instruction to an autonomous mobile platform so that (a) the autonomous mobile platform becomes positioned underneath the unwinder that is intended to be removed from the green tire manufacturing machine before or at a moment at which the unwinder is to be removed, (b) the unwinder intended to supply a green tire manufacturing machine becomes positioned in an immediate vicinity of the green tire manufacturing machine by means of the autonomous mobile platform before or at the moment at which the unwinder is to be transferred into the green tire manufacturing machine, or (c) both (a) and (b);
• transmitting to the autonomous mobile platform at the previously-determined moment, the mission instruction to remove or to supply an unwinder;
• and
• moving the autonomous mobile platform in such a way that the autonomous mobile platform becomes positioned underneath the unwinder that is intended to be removed from the green tire manufacturing machine or moving the autonomous mobile platform supporting the unwinder intended to supply the green tire manufacturing machine so that the autonomous mobile platform becomes positioned in the immediate vicinity of the green tire manufacturing machine.