Sensor shoe for tire grinding machine
AssigneeUniroyal, Inc.
InventorJohn W. Ugo
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A pivotable sensor shoe in a tire grinding machine for tracking the tread surface of a pneumatic tire. The sensor shoe comprises a pivot point and a curved tracking surface. The tracking surface includes a minimum length long enough to provide point contact with the tread surface at opposite ends of the tracking surface length. The tracking surface has an arc whose radius is such that at least two point contact between the sensor tracking surface and the tire surface may be effected. This abstract is not to be taken as a complete position or as a limitation of the present invention, however, the full nature and extent of the invention being discernible only by reference to and from the entire disclosure.
Claims12
In a machine for grinding the surface of the tread of a rotating pneumatic tire, said machine having a grinding wheel and a sensor shoe adjacent said wheel for tracking said tread surface and for positioning said grinding wheel substantially adjacent said tread surface, and said tread having a plurality of spaced apart projections forming recesses therebetween, the combination comprising:
- a sensor shoe having a tracking surface for contacting said tread surface and for bridging said recesses during rotation of the tire, said tracking surface having a length curved toward said tire whereby greater than one point contact between the tread surface and the tracking surface may be effected;
- and
- means connected to the sensor shoe for positioning said shoe such that optimum contact between the tread surface and tracking surface may be attained.
In a machine for grinding the surface of the tread of a pneumatic tire, which tread has a plurality of spaced apart projections forming recesses therebetween;
- the combination comprising:
- a grinding wheel and means for driving the same;
- means for mounting the tire for rotation with the tread thereof in juxtaposition to said grinding wheel;
- a sensor shoe mounted adjacent said grinding wheel, said sensor shoe having a tracking surface which is engageable with said tread surface and has a length that, as viewed circumferentially of the tire along the tread, is sufficient to bridge the largest recess in the tread for providing greater than one-point contact between said tread surface and said tracking surface;
- means connected to said sensor shoe for adjusting the same to achieve optimum contact between said tracking surface and said tread surface;
- and
- means responsive to contact between said sensor shoe and said tread surface of the tire during rotation of the latter for properly positioning said grinding wheel in operative relation to said tread surface.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.