US 5,135,601 AGranted

Ply material server apparatus

AssigneeCooper Tire & Rubber Company

InventorsKarl W. Klose, Richard K. Crooks

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Abstract

A ply server for applying a preselected length of ply material drawn from a supply roll thereof onto a tire carcass building drum. The desired length of ply material is measured by a programmable mechanism, then severed at the length desired. The incoming ply material is center guided onto the ply conveyor, or (optionally) a transverse scanner device is used to determine the location of the longitudinal centerline of the length of ply material. The carcass building drum is precisely located with respect to the longitudinal centerline of the ply material. At the opposite end of the server, there is a receptor arrangement into which a cart bearing the supply roll can be brought to the server and the ply material fed into the server, with the separator for the rolled uncured ply material being rewound as part of the material pay-out process.

Claims12

Dependent claims

A server assembly for receiving ply material from a continuous supply of ply material and applying a preselected length of ply material onto the outer surface of a building drum, comprising:

a building drum having a generally cylindrical building surface and supported for rotation about a predetermined axis;
a continuous conveyor belt;
a conveyor frame located adjacent and to one side of said drum;
a plurality of cylindrical guide means on said conveyor frame supporting said conveyor belt along said frame and defining an upper flight of said belt movable along a path extending at right angles to the surface of the building drum and a lower return flight of said belt, said frame including an applicator head and at least two of said cylindrical guide means being located on said applicator head in vertically spaced positions to guide a portion of said belt in a generally vertical direction at said applicator head adjacent the drum surface, said portion of said belt providing an applicator section;
feeding means for feeding the ply material onto said conveyor belt at the end of said frame opposite from said applicator section of said belt;
means for locating the centerline of the ply material on said conveyor belt parallel to the path of movement of said conveyor belt;
knife means for cutting the ply material in a direction generally perpendicular with respect to the centerline leaving a predetermined length of ply material supported on said conveyor belt;
drive means for selectively driving said conveyor belt to move its upper flight along said path toward the drum surface to define the predetermined length of ply material to be cut by said knife means, and for subsequently diving said conveyor belt to carry a leading portion of such predetermined length of ply material onto said applicator section;
and
means for moving said conveyor frame toward said building drum surface to press the portion of such predetermined ply length between the two cylindrical guide means on said applicator section of said conveyor belt against a substantial area, lengthwise and circumferentially, of said building drum surface;
said belt causing the predetermined length of ply material to conform to said building drum surface as said building drum is subsequently rotated to transfer the predetermined ply length onto said building drum surface.

8 more elements

A server assembly having a receiving end for receiving ply material from a continuous supply thereof and a delivery end for applying a preselected length of the ply material onto the outer surface of a building drum located at a delivery position adjacent the server delivery end;

comprising
a building drum having a generally cylindrical building surface and supported for rotation about a predetermined axis;
a continuous belt conveyor having an upper carrying flight;
a conveyor frame including means supporting said conveyor belt with said upper flight arranged to move from said receiving end toward said delivery end of the server assembly;
means for selectively driving said conveyor belt along said conveyor frame to carry ply material toward said delivery end;
said conveyor frame including an applicator head at said delivery end;
said means for supporting said conveyor belt including at least two vertically spaced apart cylindrical guide means in said applicator head directing a portion of said conveyor belt generally vertically of said applicator head adjacent to said drum surface, said portion of said belt providing an applicator section;
feeding means for feeding the ply material onto said conveyor belt at said receiving end of the server assembly and locating the ply material on said conveyor belt;
power driven knife means mounted above and across said conveyor belt to traverse said receiving end of said server for cutting the ply material fed onto said conveyor belt in a direction generally perpendicular to the length of said conveyor belt leaving a predetermined length of ply material supported on said conveyor belt;
and
means for moving said applicator section of said conveyor belt between the two cylindrical guide means against a substantial area, lengthwise and circumferentially, of the building drum surface to adhere a substantial portion of the predetermined length of ply material onto the outer surface of the building drum.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.