US 6,362,443 B1Granted

Method of storing products and storage system

AssigneeBridgestone Corporation

InventorsKazuhide Kinoshita, Osamu Fukaura

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Abstract

A product storage method is carried out by a product storage system comprising an intermediate storage yard, a product moving means capable of holding a product, of moving vertically, laterally and longitudinally and of placing the product at any place in the intermediate storage yard, a first conveying means for conveying products to the intermediate storage yard, a second conveying means for conveying the products out of the intermediate storage yard, and a control means for controlling the product moving means, the first conveying means and the second conveying means. The control means identifies the type of a product conveyed to the intermediate storage yard by the first conveying means and decides whether or not the product is to be sent to a terminal position, the tire moving means transfers the tire be sent to the terminal position to the second conveying means, the second conveying means carries the same product to the terminal position, and the product moving means carries products other than those to be sent to the terminal position to any places in the intermediate storage yard to store the products in groups of types at the places.

Claims7

Dependent claims

A tire storing method that conveys tires to a storage yard and to a tire inspecting machine, comprising the steps of:

providing a first conveying device that conveys tires to said storage yard;
providing a second conveying device that conveys said tires from said storage yard to said tire inspecting machine;
identifying a type of each tire which is to be conveyed by said first conveying device to said storage yard and delivering a tire type signal;
supplying a tire inspection signal regarding a type of tires being inspected by the tire inspecting machine;
determining that a tire being conveyed by said first conveying device is to be transferred to said second conveying device when said tire type signal and said tire inspection signal coincide with each other regarding the type;
determining that the tire being conveyed by said first conveying device is to be moved said storage yard when said tire type signal and said tire inspection signal do not coincide with each other regarding the type;
operating a moving mechanism to move the tire on said first conveying device directly to said second conveying device when it is determined that the tire being conveyed by said first conveying device is to be transferred to said second conveying device;
operating said moving mechanism to move the tire on said first conveying device to a location in said storage yard when it is determined that the tire being conveyed by said first conveying device is to be moved to said storage yard;
and
storing tires thus moved to the storage yard in groups of types of tires.

7 more elements

A tire storage system comprising:

a storage yard provided at an inlet side of a tire inspecting machine;
a tire inspecting information device that supplies a tire inspection signal regarding a type of tires being inspected by the tire inspecting machine;
a first conveying device that conveys tires to said storage yard;
a second conveying device that conveys the tires out of said storage yard and to said tire inspecting machine;
a reader that identifies a type of each tire which is to be conveyed by said first conveying device to said storage yard and delivers a tire type signal;
a tire moving mechanism provided above the storage yard to hold a tire and to move the tire in a vertical direction, in a lateral direction and in a longitudinal direction to put the tire at a place in the storage yard;
a control device that controls said tire moving mechanism, said control device including;
a tire type identifying device that receives the tire type signal from said reader and identifies the type of tire being conveyed to the storage yard;
a coordinate map storage device for storing data of position of a tire in said storage yard with respect to a coordinate made up of said vertical, lateral and longitudinal directions;
a tire selecting device operating in response to a signal from said tire type identifying device and said tire inspection signal from the tire inspecting information device, to determine that the tire being conveyed by said first conveying device is to be transferred to said second conveying device when the signals of tire type from the tire type identifying device and the tire inspecting information device coincide with each other and to determine that the tire being conveyed by said first conveying device is to be transferred to said storage yard when the signals of tire type from the tire type identifying device and the tire inspecting information device do not coincide with each other;
a tire delivering operation controller that operates said tire moving mechanism (M) to deliver the tire to the second conveying device when said tire selecting device (87) determines that the tire being conveyed by said first conveying device is to be transferred to said second conveying device;
and
a storage position determining device that operates in association with said coordinate map storage device to cause said tire moving mechanism to place the tire to a selected location within the storage yard, when said tire selecting device determines that the tire being conveyed by said first conveying device is to be transferred to the storage yard.

10 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 09/585,291Filed 2 Jun 2000
Priority: JP 11-1597377 Jun 1999
Granted: 26 Mar 2002
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification13 codes

B65G 63/022
With essentially horizontal transit otherwise than by bridge: for articles
B29D 30/0016
Producing pneumatic or solid tyres or parts thereof: handling tyres or parts thereof, e.g. supplying, storing, conveying
B29D 30/005
Producing pneumatic or solid tyres or parts thereof: general arrangement or lay-out of plants for the processing of tyres or parts thereof
B65G 1/0464
Mechanical: with access from above