Oscillating-arm apparatus for producing a tire reinforcement from a single thread
AssigneeMichelin Recherche et Technique S.A.
InventorJean-Claude Mayet
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The thread 4, intended to form a carcass reinforcement, is laid in continguous hoops on a rigid core 1 by a system with at least two oscillating arms transporting an orifice 6 so as to enable it to pass over a core 1 and thus lay adjacent hoops.
Claims23
Apparatus for producing a tire reinforcement from a thread delivered substantially continuously and on request by an appropriate dispenser, the apparatus being intended to be used in cooperation with a substantially toroidal form on which the reinforcement is progressively constructed by laying hoops of the thread between spaced ends of a desired path for the thread on the surface of the form, the apparatus comprising:
- a guiding member in which the thread can slide freely;
- an oscillating-arm system having
- (a) at least a first arm oscillating about a first geometrical axis of rotation and oriented substantially perpendicular thereto, the oscillating first arm comprising a head remote from the first geometrical axis of rotation, the head of the oscillating arm transporting said guiding member directly, or indirectly via one or more other arms, to guide the thread along the desired path by causing said guiding member to pass over, but without substantially contacting, the form, with movement of said guiding member being substantially contained in a movement plane that is substantially perpendicular to said first geometrical axis of rotation;
- and
- (b) means for varying a radial distance, in said movement plane, between said guiding member and said first geometrical axis of rotation during said movement of said guiding member;
- control means for imparting to the oscillating first arm an oscillatory movement about the first geometrical axis of rotation;
- and
- pressure means adjacent each of the ends of the path for applying the thread to the form at the respective ends of the path.
A method for producing a tire, in which a reinforcement is produced from a thread delivered substantially continuously and on request by an appropriate dispenser, using a substantially toroidal form on which the reinforcement is progressively constructed by laying hoops of the thread between spaced ends of a desired path for the thread on the surface of the form, by means of
- a guiding member in which the thread can slide freely;
- an oscillating-arm system having
- (a) at least a first arm oscillating about a first geometrical axis of rotation and oriented substantially perpendicular thereto, the oscillating first arm comprising a head remote from the first geometrical axis of rotation, the head of the oscillating arm transporting said guiding member directly, or indirectly via one or more other arms, to guide the thread along the desired path by causing said guiding member to pass over, but without substantially contacting, the form, with movement of said guiding member being substantially contained in a movement plane that is substantially perpendicular to said first geometrical axis of rotation;
- and
- (b) means for varying a radial distance, in said movement plane, between said guiding member and said first geometrical axis of rotation during said movement of said guiding member;
- control means for imparting to the first arm an oscillatory movement about said first geometrical axis of rotation, the apparatus being arranged so that the head of the oscillating arm transports the guiding member directly, or indirectly via one or more other arms;
- pressers close to the respective ends of the path for applying the thread to the form at the ends;
- the guiding member having a cyclical movement included in said movement plane, in order to bring the guiding member in successive cycles into the vicinity of each of the spaced ends for the thread in the path;
- and
- the pressers acting in synchronism with the cyclical movement of the guiding member to apply lengths of thread from one of the beads of the tire to the other bead.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.