US 4,663,889 A · Apparatus and method for grinding sidewall areas of tires

Abstract

A grinder for removing a predetermined amount of rubber at a predetermined angle from a raised or recessed area on the sidewall of an inflated tire as the tire rotates. A pair of spaced sensors engage the sidewall area of the tire at predetermined radial spaced locations on opposite sides of the area to be worked. The sensors generate a pair of electrical signals in relationship to the profiles of the sidewall areas engaged thereby. The signals are fed to a microprocessor which calculates the average angle of the raised or recessed area by the difference between the outputs from the two sensors along with the known spacing therebetween and generates a third signal. This third signal is supplied to a servo mechanism which automatically adjusts the grind angle of the grinding wheel to match the average angle of the area to be ground. A fourth signal is supplied by the microprocessor to another servo mechanism which dynamically controls the depth of grind of the grinding wheel in relationship to the profile of the sidewall represented by the signal generated by one of the sensors. In an alternate embodiment the signal generated by the microprocessor representing the average angle of the area to be worked controls the spacing between the tire beads by adjusting the tire mounting chuck to place the sidewall area in a relatively flat plane for perpendicular contact by the grinding wheel eliminating angle adjustment of the grinding wheel.

Claims30

Dependent claims

An apparatus having a grinding device for removing a quantity of rubber from an arcuately extending area of a sidewall of an inflated pneumatic tire rotatably mounted in said apparatus, including:

(a) means rotatably supporting a tire having the said arcuately extending area thereon;
(b) sensor means for detecting the sidewall of the tire generally adjacent spaced edges of said sidewall area and for generating first and second input signals in relationship to spaced profiles generated about the sidewall of the tire detected by said sensor means;
(c) means for comparing the first and second input signals received from the sensor means and for generating a first output signal in response to the average difference between said two input signals, and for generating a second output signal in response to one of the profiles generated by one of the input signals;
(d) means for adjusting the angle of contact of the grinding device with respect to said sidewall area in response to the first output signal from the comparing means:
and
(e) means for moving the grinding device against said area of the sidewall in response to the second output signal whereby the grinding device engages said area in relationship to one of the sidewall profiles generated by said sensor means to remove a quantity of rubber therefrom.

3 more elements

The combination of a tire sidewall grinding machine and a control system therefor including means rotatably supporting an inflated tire for rotation about its axis, said tire having a circumferentially extending area on the sidewall thereof;

and grinding means mounted adjacent the tire and movable into and out of contact with said circumferential area for selectively grinding portions of said area in response to measurements taken circumferentially along the tire adjacent said area, including:
(a) sensor means operatively positioned with respect to the sidewall of the tire for generating signals representing spaced profiles of the sidewall adjacent the circumferential area of the tire as the tire rotates;
(b) means for generating output signals in response to the signals received from the pair of sensor means;
and
(c) actuator means controlled by said output signals for adjusting the angle that the grinding means contacts the circumferential area and for controlling contact of the grinding means with said area in relationship to at least one of the profiles of the sidewall for grinding a predetermined amount of material from said area.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Apparatus and method for grinding sidewall areas of tires

Life of this patent

Apparatus and method for grinding sidewall areas of tires

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims30