Tire load test CT scanner
AssigneesBridgestone Corporation, Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
InventorsShigeo Nakamura, Katsutoshi Nakashima
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A tire load testing CT scanner includes a load applying mechanism for applying a load to a tire under a condition in which the tire is rotatably held, a radiation imaging device for obtaining radiation transmittance data of the tire cross section, a moving mechanism for relatively moving the radiation imaging device and the tire which is placed in a condition loaded by the load applying mechanism, in a direction along the circumference of the tire, a drive control unit for controlling the drive of the load applying mechanism, the radiation imaging device, and the moving mechanism, and an image formation and processing unit for forming an image, based on the transmittance data supplied by the radiation imaging device.
Claims17
A tire load testing CT scanner for reconstructing a computer tomographic image of an overall cross section of a tire based on a radiation transmittance data for the cross section generated by irradiating the tire with fan beams, comprising:
- (a) load applying means for applying a load to the tire which is filled with air;
- (b) means for supporting the tire filled with air;
- (c) radiation imaging means for obtaining radiation transmittance data of an overall cross section of the tire by irradiating the tire with fan beams;
- (d) moving means for relatively moving said radiation imaging means and the overall cross section of the tire to which a load is applied by said load applying means such that a cross section of the tire is irradiated with the fan beams within an angle of more than (180 degrees+a fan angle of the fan beam) so as to obtain radiation transmittance data by which a computer tomographic image of the overall cross section is reconstructed;
- and
- (e) drive control means for driving and controlling said load applying means, said radiation imaging means, and said moving means.
A method of reconstructing a computer tomographic image of an overall cross section of a tire based on a radiation transmittance data of the cross section, comprising the steps of:
- (a) supplying air to the tire;
- (b) applying a load to the tire which is filled with air;
- and
- (c) irradiating a cross section of the tire with fan beams within an angle of more than (180.degree.+ a fan angle of the fan beam) so as to obtain radiation transmittance data of the overall cross section of the tire to which the load is applied.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.