Correction for asymmetrical buffing
AssigneeMichelin Recherche et Technique S.A.
InventorsStephen Manuel, Robert Young
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Methods, apparatus and computer programs for correcting a buff of tread from a crown of a tire, the steps of the method including measuring the distance between the tire crown surface and the belt at each of the plurality of locations; calculating a projected distance between the crown surface and the belt at each of the plurality of transverse locations across the crown using proposed buff radii, choosing a new position of the buffing radius origin from the one or more proposed origin positions; and buffing the tread from the tire crown along the arc described by the buff radius having the buffing radius origin at the new position.
Claims18
A method for correcting a buff of tread from a crown of a tire, the buff being an asymmetrical buff, the method comprising:
- receiving a signal from a sensor, the sensor scanning a transverse path across at least a portion of the crown of the tire, the signal being received from each of a plurality of transverse locations across the portion of the tire crown, the signal being generated by the sensor as a function of a distance between the tire crown surface and a belt in the tire;
- interpreting the sensor signal as a measured distance between the tire crown surface and the belt at each of the plurality of locations;
- selecting one or more proposed origin positions for a new buffing radius, wherein each of the proposed origin positions are not on a centerline of the tire;
- calculating a projected distance between the crown surface and the belt at each of the plurality of transverse locations across the crown, wherein each projected distance is based upon an arc described by a buffing radius having the one or more proposed origin positions;
- choosing a new origin position for the new buff radius from the one or more proposed origin positions;
- and
- buffing the tread from the tire crown along the arc described by the new buff radius.
A computer program product including instructions embodied on a computer readable storage medium, the computer program product acting to correct a buff of tread from a crown of a tire, the buff being an asymmetrical buff, the computer program comprising:
- receiving instructions for receiving a signal from a sensor, the signal being received from each of a plurality of transverse locations across a portion of the tire crown, the signals being generated by the sensor as a function of a distance between the tire crown surface and a belt in the tire;
- interpreting instructions for interpreting each sensor signal as a measured distance between the tire crown surface and the belt at each of the plurality of locations;
- selecting instructions for selecting one or more proposed origin positions for a buffing radius, wherein the proposed origin positions are not on a centerline of the tire;
- calculating instructions for calculating a projected distance between the crown surface and the belt at each of the plurality of transverse locations across the crown, wherein each projected distance is based upon an arc described by the buffing radius having the one or more proposed origin positions;
- choosing instructions for choosing a new position of the buffing radius origin from the one or more proposed origin positions;
- and
- buffing instructions for buffing the tread from the tire crown along the arc described by the buff radius having the buffing radius origin at the new position.
A tire buffing machine for buffing a tread from a crown of a tire, the buffing machine comprising:
- a sensor that provides a sensor output signal that is a function of a distance between the tire crown surface and a belt in the tire, the sensor being operably mounted in fixed relation to the buffing head;
- a buffing head for buffing the tire;
- and
- a controller, the controller comprising a processor and a memory storage device that stores instructions executable by the processor, such executable instructions including instructions to control the contact between the crown of the tire and the buffing head;
- and
- determining instructions executable by the processor for determining a location of the sensor relative to a centerline of the tire based upon the fixed relation of the sensor to the buffing head.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.