Apparatus for inspecting the disposition of steel ply cords in pneumatic tires

An apparatus for automatically insecting the disposition of reinforcing steel ply cords in pneumatic tires, comprising in combination:

• a tire feeding mechanism for feeding tires one by one toward a predetermined position on said apparatus;
• a tire retaining mechanism having a rim member split into upper and lower halves for rotatably retaining a tire in an inspecting position;
• a rotational driving mechanism mechanically connected to said rim member for rotatingly driving the same;
• cord disposition detecting means including a carriage mounted on a machine frame so as to be movable toward and away from said inspecting position, and electric detectors mounted on said carriage to be movable toward and away from respective inspecting positions facing opposite side wall portions of said tire;
• tire size detecting means comprising a cam shaft, an arm member securely mounted on said cam shaft and rotatingly movable toward a tread surface of a tire in said predetermined position, a number of cam plates securely mounted on said cam shaft and having angularly displaced cam surfaces relative to the axis of said cam shaft, and a number of limit switches securely mounted on a machine frame opposingly to said cam plates, said cam plates actuating said limit switches in a number corresponding to an angle of rotational movement of said arm member to produce a signal indicative of the size of said tire, and a limit mechanism for limiting the movement of said cord disposition detecting carriage, said limit mechanism comprising a plate member securely mounted on said carriage and having a number of consecutively stepped surfaces and a number of limit switches securely mounted on a machine frame opposingly to said consecutively stepped surfaces of said plate member so as to produce a step signal for stopping said cord disposition detecting carriage upon a specified distance movement thereof as determined by the tire size detecting means signal;
• electric control circuit means connected to said electric detectors for producing a disqualifying signal upon detection of an irregularity in the disposition of the steel ply cords in said tire;
• and
• classifying means for distinguishing a disqualified tire from qualified ones.