US 4,792,372 A · Automatic sidewall servicer

(a) a twin cassette having a rectangular base with a plurality of upstanding stanchions which extend in parallel relation from the base, at least one of the stanchions separating a pair of spools which are mounted on the stanchions for rotating freely in parallel planes about a common axis;

(b) a liner for protecting stock which is spirally wrapped on each of the spools, the liner being U-shaped and having (i) a planar web which is sufficiently rigid to support the stock thereon and which has a pair of parallel marginal edges and which is composed of material to which unvulcanized sidewall stock will not stick, and (ii) a pair of similar projections extending in the same direction from the marginal edges of the web, the projections having a thickness, measured from the web, which is greater than a correspondingly measured thickness of said stock suitable for building a tire,

(c) a framework fastened on a horizontal surface adjacent a tire building drum in aligned relation with the drum, the framework having a front end closest the drum and a rear end another spaced from the drum than the front end;

(d) a stationary, rectangular indexing table disposed between the ends of the framework for supporting twin cassettes in four positions;

namely, (i) a stand-by position where a twin cassette loaded with stock separated by liner, awaits placement in the servicer, (ii) a let-off position adjacent the front of the framework where a loaded twin cassette pays out two continuous pieces of stock which are supported on similar liners;

(iii) a take-up position, adjacent the rear of the framework, where an empty twin cassette, free of stock and liner, receives liner, separate from the stock, for winding on the spools, and (iiii) a removal position where a twin cassette, loaded with liner, is placed for removal from the servicer to the table including:

(I) at least one pair of conveyors with freely rotatable rollers on which a twin cassette is supported in the standby and removal position, the longitudinal axis of the conveyors being normal to the longitudinal axis of the framework between the front and rear thereof;

(II) a number of multi-directional, freely rotatable ball tranfers on which a twin cassette is supported in the let-off and take-up positions in the same plane that the twin cassette is supported in the stand-by and removal positions;

(III) means for clamping twin cassettes in aligned relation in the let-off and take-up positions, such that the spools thereof will rotate about axes which are parallel to the axis about which the tire building drum rotates;

(IV) means for sequentially moving cassettes from, (i) the take-up position to the removal position, (ii) the let-off position to the take-up position, (iii) the standby position to the let-off position;

(e) a robotic grabber for taking the leading edges of the liners first to leave the spools of a twin cassette in the let-off position, and moving such edges to the rear of the framework for receipt by an operator, the robotic grabber including;

(I) a pair of similar trackways disposed on the framework in overhead relation above twin cassettes in the let-off and take-up positions, the opposing ends of the trackways extending beyond the rotational axes of the twin cassettes in these positions, the trackways being generally curved outwardly away from the indexing table;

(II) a pair of trolleys with wheels that rollingly engage in trackways;

(III) a pair of jaws pivotally mounted on each of the trolleys for receiving and grasping the leading edges of the liners;

(IV) means for rotating the jaws from a liner receiving position adjacent a twin cassette in the let-off position to an angularly opposed, liner let-go position beyond a twin cassette in the take-up position, as the trolleys move between these positions;

(V) means fro moving the trolleys between the liner receiving and let-go positions;

(VI) a first sensor between the jaws of each trolley for activating operation of the trolley moving means when the leading edges of the liners are firmly grasped by the jaws;

(VII) a second sensor for stopping movement of the trolleys when the jaws are in the let-go position;

(f) means for separately rotating each of the spools of twin cassettes in the let-off and take-up positions in synchronized relation;

(g) a pair of parallel, belt-type conveyors mounted on the framework in overhead relation above the trackway of the robotic grabber, the conveyors being generally curved outwardly away from the trackway of the robotic grabber, each of the conveyors including:

(I) a head pulley at the front end of the framework and a freely rotatable tail pulley at the rear end of the framework;

(II) a continuous belt to which unvulcanized sidewall stock will not stick, reeved around and between the head and tail pulleys;

(III) means for separately rotating the head pulleys in synchronized relation with each other and with the rotation of spools of the twin cassettes in the let-off and take-up positions, to drive the overhead conveyors in synchronized relation with the paying out of liner and stock and the winding-up of liner;

(IV) means for sensory movement of each of the belts and stopping operation of the belts and spools to cut the two pieces of stock to length when predetermined movement of the belts, correlated to the desired length of the stock, is sensed;

(h) means disposed at the rear end of the framework in generally vertical alignment with the tail pulleys of the overhead conveyors, for initially aligning pieces of stock for passage onto the overhead conveyors;

(i) a discharge tray extending from the front end of the framework in aligned relation with the overhead conveyors for receiving stock therefrom, the discharge tray having a proximal end which is pivotally mounted adjacent the head pulleys of the overhead conveyors, and a free distal end which is longitudinally spaced from the proximal end;

(j) means for rotating the free distal end of the discharge tray to and from the tire building drum, the tray being rotated from a retracted, generally vertical position adjacent the front end of the framework to an extended position where the tray slopes from the head pulleys angularly downwardly towards the drum and the distal end is closely spaced to the adjacent lower portion of the drum relative to the horizontal surface on which the drum and framework are mounted;

(k) a pair of applicator rolls disposed in end-to-end relation at the distal end of the tray, and being freely rotatable about a common axis which parallels the rotational axis of the drum;

(l) means for rotating the applicator rolls to and from the drum when the tray is in an extended position to press stock against the tire carcass on the drum and stitch down the stock on the tire carcass when the drum is rotated to pull the stock from the tray and wind it onto the tire carcass;

(m) means carried by the tray immediately upstream of the applicator rolls, relative to the movement of stock on the tray, for finally aligning the stock for transfer to the tire carcass, including:

(I) two pairs of guide plates in side-by-side laterally aligned relation across the tray, the guide plates being parallel and extending longitudinally of the tray;

(II) means for separately adjusting the lateral positions of each pair of guide plates independently of each other to vary the alignment of each piece of sidewall stock;

(III) means for varying the spacing between the guide plates of each pair of guide plates to accommodate stock of different widths;

and

(IV) means for spring-loading one of the guide plates of each pair of guide plates to accommodate slight variations in the width of each piece of stock;

(n) a cutting mechanism disposed on the tray upstream from the final stock aligning means (m) for cutting the pieces of stock, including:

(I) a cutting anvil extending laterally across the tray at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the tray, the anvil having a sloped head against which stock rests and the cut is made;

(II) a support conveyor having rows of freely rotatable rollers which parallel the anvil and which are upstream and downstream of the anvil for supporting stock as it moves to and from the anvil;

(III) an ultrasonic cutter poised vertically above the anvil and rows of rollers when the tray is disposed in a horizontal position, the cutter including a double-edged knife blade which is inclined to move along the sloped head of the anvil and cut stock as the knife blade moves in either direction across the tray, the plane of the cut and sloped head of the anvil diverging from the plane of the tray in a direction downstream of the anvil, the included angle between the planes of the cut and the tray being an acute angle when measure downstream of the anvil;

(IV) mean mounting the anvil, support conveyor, and the ultrasonic cutter for unitary limited reciprocating movement longitudinally of the tray to cut stock of different lengths;

(V) means for clamping the stock against the rollers immediately upstream and downstream of the anvil;

and

(VI) means sensing the contour of the stock and varying the speed at which the cutter moves along the anvil in correlated relation to the thickness of the stock.

Automatic sidewall servicer

Life of this patent

Automatic sidewall servicer

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims25