Apparatus and method for reorienting a tire and core assembly in a tire manufacturing line

Apparatus for reorienting a toroidally shaped core configured to carry a green tire, the apparatus comprising:

• at least a first tapered recess within a first end of the core along a major core axis and including a first locking mechanism within the tapered recess;
• a core support structure including a base and a reorientation member connected for movement relative to said base;
• a core coupling member connected for movement with said reorientation member, said core coupling member comprising a tapered outer structure complementary to the first tapered recess of the core for mating therewith;
• a core locking mechanism coupled with said core coupling member and configured to lock with the first locking mechanism within the core recess when said tapered outer structure is received in the first tapered recess of the core;
• and
• a drive system coupled with said reorientation member and operative to move said reorientation member so as to change the orientation of the core major axis from a first orientation to a second, different orientation transverse to the first orientation.

A method for reorienting a toroidally shaped core configured to carry a green tire, the method comprising:

• deploying first and second oppositely facing tapered recesses respectively within opposite ends of the core along a major core axis, the tapered recesses respectively including first and second locking mechanisms therein;
• inserting a tapered outer structure of a core coupling member into a selected one of either the first or second oppositely facing tapered recesses of the core with the central axis of the core in a first orientation;
• locking the core coupling member with the corresponding one of the first or second locking mechanisms within the core recesses;
• and
• reorienting the core coupling member so as to change the orientation of the core major axis from a first orientation to a second, different orientation transverse to the first orientation,
• and wherein in the second orientation an uncoupled one of the first and second core recesses opposite to the selected core recess is operatively exposed for coupling with a secondary like-configured coupling member.