Tooling for installing stays in designated passages on a tooling for manufacturing a toroidal object and pneumatic tire reinforced by stays installed by said installation tooling

Abstract

A setting tool (20) configured for placing reinforcement elements (108) into passages (15) provided on a tool for manufacturing a toroidal object, and comprising at least two pressers (21), each comprising a fork (23) movable between a rearward position away from the manufacturing tool and a forward position closer to said tool, and a hammer (24) movable relative to the fork (23). The fork (23) is configured to place the reinforcing wire(s) forming the reinforcement element (108) with a spacing between 2.5 mm and 10 mm. Figure for the abbreviation: Fig 3

Description

Title of the invention: Tooling for installing stays in passages provided on tooling for manufacturing a toroidal object and pneumatic tire reinforced by stays installed by said installation tooling Technical field of the invention

[0001] The present invention relates to the general field of manufacturing toroidal tires, and more particularly to pneumatic tires intended to equip the wheels of a vehicle.

[0002] More particularly, the present invention relates to a particular tool for laying wires or stays to constitute a reinforcement of the tire.

[0003] By "tire," we mean a tire designed to form a cavity by cooperating with a mounting support, for example, a rim, this cavity being capable of being pressurized to a pressure greater than atmospheric pressure. A tire according to the invention has a substantially toroidal shape of revolution about a principal axis of the tire, this principal axis coinciding with the axis of rotation of the tire. Prior art

[0004] Generally, a tire comprises a crown having two axial ends, each extended radially inwards by a sidewall and then by a bead intended to come into contact with a rim. The assembly delimits an internal toroidal cavity.

[0005] More specifically, the crown comprises, radially from the outside in, a tread, intended to come into contact with the ground via a tread surface, and a crown reinforcement intended to strengthen the crown of the tire. A carcass reinforcement connects the two sidewalls and is anchored, in each bead, to a circumferential reinforcing element, most often of the bead type.

[0006] In order to improve the behavior, in particular the drift resistance, of pneumatic bandages, the Applicant had the idea of ​​implanting a stiffening structure within the toric inflation cavity that delimits the bandage.

[0007] Reference may be made in this regard to documents WO 2019 / 115917-Al and WO 2020 / 128225-AL

[0008] The tire described in these documents comprises a crown extended radially inward on each side of the tire's median plane by first and second sidewalls, and then by first and second bead ribs intended to contact a mounting support, for example, a rim. Each first and second bead includes a circumferential reinforcing element intended to allow the tire to grip the mounting support.

[0009] The tire includes an internal surface delimiting a toroidal cavity for inflating the tire once the latter is mounted on the mounting support.

[0010] The tire described in these documents comprises a stiffening structure including first wire stiffening elements extending continuously in the toroidal cavity from the first bead to the apex and second wire stiffening elements extending continuously in the toroidal cavity from the second bead to the apex.

[0011] Each first and second wire stiffening element is fixed to each bead from which it extends by a bead interface between the wire stiffening element and a portion of the inner surface of the bead. Similarly, each first and second wire stiffening element is fixed to the apex of the tire by a apex interface between the wire stiffening element and a portion of the inner surface of the apex.

[0012] These wire stiffening elements are commonly called "stays". The advantage of using wire stiffening elements is that they result in a stiffening structure with low mass and minimal hysteresis. Using identical wire stiffening elements ensures a homogeneous distribution of forces among the stiffening elements.

[0013] It is known to integrate the manufacturing of the stiffening structure into the assembly of the tire itself.

[0014] Reference can be made to document EP 0 580 055 - A1, which describes a method and a machine for placing a single reinforcing wire onto a rigid core. The wire is laid in contiguous loops by means of an eyelet moving back and forth around the core. Pressers are used to apply the ends of the loops to the rigid core as they are placed.

[0015] We also know of document EP 1 231 050 - B1 which proposes a swing arm for manufacturing a pneumatic reinforcement from a wire. This document also proposes the use of pressers to apply the ends of the hoops to the rigid core.

[0016] Devices for manufacturing a pneumatic reinforcement from a wire generally include a presser on one first side and a presser on a second, opposite side on the first side. Each presser grasps the wire brought to each end by a guide element and presses it onto the core. The guide element is configured to trace a network of curves or arches.

[0017] By "presser" is meant a setting device comprising, in a known manner, a fork and a hammer.

[0018] The fork is movable between a retracted position away from the core and an advanced position closer to the core. A return element or spring is generally used to hold the fork in the advanced position. The fork presses the wire with sufficient force so that the wire adheres correctly to the desired location. The movement of the wire guide allows it to hook the wire onto the fork when it is in the retracted position. The fork is then moved to the advanced position.

[0019] The hammer is movable between a retracted position away from the core and an advanced position closer to the core. A return mechanism or spring is generally used to hold the hammer in the advanced position. The hammer anchors the wire in the corresponding groove provided on the core. Thus, the hammer is moved toward the core after the fork has pressed the wire against the core. The hammer presses on the wire and holds it in place when the fork is moved to the retracted position.

[0020] The operation of the guide element and the pressers is known from the prior art, in particular from documents EP 0 580 055 - Al and EP 1 231 050 - B1 and will not be described further.

[0021] Furthermore, in order to produce such cable-stayed bandages, the Applicant has developed specific manufacturing tooling.

[0022] In this regard, reference can be made to document FR 3 120 814 - Al which proposes a tool with a grooved core for the manufacture of pneumatic tires reinforced by stays which pass through the inflation cavity.

[0023] The tooling described in this document includes a core provided with groove-type passages intended to receive reinforcing elements, called "stays", which are designed to permanently integrate the structure of the bandage and extend each into the cavity of the bandage by connecting a summit anchor point located in the top of the bandage to a lateral anchor point located in one of the sides or ridges of the bandage.

[0024] The use of such a core makes it possible to position the stays at the desired locations within the volume reserved by the core and consequently in the region of space which will subsequently become the cavity of the bandage after the said bandage has been formed and the core removed.

[0025] However, the tools known for installing stays are difficult to use for installing stays in the grooves of the inner molding part, known as "PIM" or core of the tire.

[0026] Furthermore, in the prior art, the installation pitch in the lower zone is between 0.5 mm and 1 mm. The known forks are therefore made with a low-height end portion configured to achieve such an installation pitch.

[0027] By "no pose", we mean the distance resulting from the sum of the gap between two adjacent wires and the diameter of the wire.

[0028] However, such a spacing does not allow for a good thickness of rubber to be obtained between two adjacent grooves.

[0029] In addition, some stays, such as those used in document WO 2019 / 115917, have a pitch greater than 1mm and cannot be placed in the corresponding groove with a standard presser known from the prior art.

[0030] In order to allow the installation on a core of reinforcing wires or stays, the Applicant has developed a specific installation tool.

[0031] There is a need to remedy the aforementioned disadvantages and to improve existing solutions to allow placement on a core of reinforcing wires or stays with a laying pitch greater than 1mm. Description of the invention

[0032] The invention aims to obtain a good thickness of rubber between two adjacent grooves of a tire.

[0033] More particularly, the invention also aims to precisely control the height of the loop formed between two adjacent wires in order to ensure correct placement of the wires in the corresponding groove.

[0034] The invention relates to a setting tool configured for setting reinforcement elements on a manufacturing tool for a toroidal object comprising a wall having an internal surface which delimits a cavity.

[0035] The tooling for manufacturing the toroidal object includes a receiving surface having a shape conjugate to the internal surface of the wall of the toroidal object and comprising a plurality of passages which extend under the receiving surface and configured to receive at least one reinforcing element or guy wire connecting a summit anchor point located at a vertex of the toroidal object to a lateral anchor point located in one of the flanks or ridges of the toroidal object, and which open onto said receiving surface.

[0036] The toroidal object is intended to be molded on the receiving surface of the tooling for manufacturing the toroidal object.

[0037] The setting tooling comprising at least one first presser or setting member located on a first side and a second presser located on a second side, opposite the first side, each presser being configured to grip a reinforcing wire brought into lateral areas by a guiding member, thus moving it back and forth from one side to the other. single holding said continuous reinforcing wire from one lateral area of ​​the manufacturing tooling to another lateral area passing through a summit area, so as to form a loop around the corresponding presser and define a going wire and a returning wire forming a reinforcing element.

[0038] Each presser includes a movable fork between a retracted position away from the manufacturing tooling and an advanced position, closer to the manufacturing tooling and a movable hammer relative to the fork between a retracted position away from the manufacturing tooling and an advanced position, closer to the manufacturing tooling.

[0039] The tooling fork is configured to lay the reinforcing wire(s) forming the reinforcing element with a laying pitch between 2.5mm and 10mm, preferably equal to 6mm.

[0040] In other words, the circumferential distance between each groove is between 2.5 mm and 10 mm, preferably equal to 6 mm. This allows for a sufficient amount of rubber to be placed between each groove.

[0041] Such a fork makes it possible to obtain a constant installation pitch between 2.5mm and 10mm, preferably equal to 6mm, which makes it possible to improve the mechanical resistance in the cured tire.

[0042] Indeed, such a laying pitch guarantees a good thickness of rubber between the two adjacent wires.

[0043] In general, the installation tooling according to the invention allows the size of the loop to be controlled and the guy wires to be installed in an automated manner.

[0044] Advantageously, the fork includes a laying head configured to make the loop between the forward wire and the return wire of a reinforcement element, the laying head being delimited by a lower surface, for example in the extension of an arm, an upper surface forming a support for the return wire and an end surface comprising an anchoring portion or hook extending from the upper surface to the lower surface and a notch located axially under the anchoring portion and forming a support for the forward wire.

[0045] During the installation of the guy wire, the forward wire is inserted into the notch of the installation head and wound around the anchor portion until the return wire is in contact with the upper surface of the installation head.

[0046] For example, the notch is connected to the lower surface by a rounded portion.

[0047] According to one embodiment, the notch of the fork of the first presser is located in a radial mounting axis while the notch of the fork of the second presser is located in a mounting axis offset from the radial mounting axis by a distance between 1mm and 6mm, preferably equal to 3mm.

[0048] Such asymmetry of the forks on one side and the other of the core is necessary because the stay wires cross at the apex. There is therefore one more step between the two sides.

[0049] For example, the fork includes a movable arm comprising a first end fixed to a mechanism configured to slide said arm, and in which the end portion extends from said arm on the side opposite the first end. The end portion has, for example, but not limited to, a height less than the height of the arm.

[0050] According to one embodiment, the tooling for installing the reinforcement elements is configured to allow the installation of a single reinforcement element or wire per pass or groove.

[0051] Such a fork makes it possible to obtain a constant pitch between 2.5 mm and 10 mm, preferably 6 mm, which improves the mechanical strength of the cured tire. Indeed, such a pitch ensures a good thickness of rubber between the two adjacent cords.

[0052] For example, the anchor portion has a height or air gap between 1mm and 12mm.

[0053] For example, the anchor portion has a width between 2mm and 8mm. The width is the dimension taken along an axis perpendicular to the height and length.

[0054] For example, the anchor portion forms an angle for positioning the return wire on the anchor portion with the extension axis of the fork of between 20° and 40°, preferably equal to 30°.

[0055] According to another embodiment, the tooling for installing the reinforcement elements is configured to allow the installation of two reinforcement elements or wires per pass or groove.

[0056] For example, the anchor portion has a height or air gap between 1mm and 8mm.

[0057] Such a fork makes it possible to obtain a loop of sufficient size, between 2.5mm and 8mm, preferably equal to 3.5mm in order to guarantee the placement of the outgoing wire and the return wire in the same groove side by side, without overlapping.

[0058] For example, the anchoring portion has a width between 2mm and 8mm.

[0059] For example, the anchoring portion forms an angle for positioning the return wire on the anchoring portion with the fork extension axis between 20° and 40°, preferably equal to 30°.

[0060] According to another aspect, the invention relates to a tool for manufacturing a toroidal object comprising a wall having an internal surface that delimits a cavity. The tool for manufacturing the toroidal object includes a receiving surface having a shape conjugate to the internal surface of the toroidal object's wall and comprising a plurality of passages extending beneath the receiving surface and configured to receive at least one reinforcing element connecting a summit anchor point located at a vertex of the toroidal object to a lateral anchor point located in one of the toroidal object's flanks or ridges, and opening onto said receiving surface, the toroidal object being intended to be molded onto the receiving surface of the toroidal object manufacturing tooling. The reinforcing element is placed in the corresponding passage by the setting tooling as described above.

[0061] Preferably, the object is a toroidal tire band.

[0062] Such a bandage preferably constitutes a pneumatic bandage intended to equip a wheel of a vehicle, to ensure the connection of said vehicle with the ground.

[0063] For example, the toroidal tire includes a top intended to form a tread, a first annular bead and a second annular bead designed to allow the tire to be hooked onto a mounting support, as well as a first flank and a second flank which connect the top respectively to the first bead and the second bead, the top, the first and second flanks and the first and second bead together forming the wall having the concave internal surface which delimits the cavity of the tire.

[0064] Said tooling comprises a toroidal core having, around its central axis, the receiving surface which has a shape conjugate to the internal surface of the wall of the bandage and which comprises for this purpose a radially external apex zone intended to receive constituent components of the apex of the bandage, and, on either side axially of said apex zone, a first lateral zone folded towards the central axis and intended to receive constituent components of the first sidewall and the first bead as well as a second lateral zone folded towards the central axis and intended to receive constituent components of the second sidewall and the second bead, so that the core materializes a volume which is delimited externally by the receiving surface and which corresponds to the cavity of the bandage, the core comprising the plurality of passages which extend inside the reserved volume, under the receiving surface,and which open onto said receiving surface in such a way that each of said passages connects the apex zone of the receiving surface to one of the first and second lateral zones so that the core can receive, within said passages, the reinforcing elements, which are designed to permanently integrate the structure of the bandage and extend each into the cavity of the bandage by connecting an apex anchor point located in the apex of the bandage to a lateral anchor point located in one of the sides or ridges of the bandage.

[0065] Preferably, the passages for reinforcing elements are formed by grooves, preferably blind, which are cut from the receiving surface into the thickness of the reserved volume so as to present a continuous opening along the profile of the receiving surface, from the summit area to the relevant lateral area.

[0066] According to another aspect, the invention relates to a toroidal tire comprising a top for forming a tread, a first annular bead and a second annular bead designed to allow the tire to be attached to a mounting support, and a first flank and a second flank that connect the top to the first and second bead respectively, the top, the first and second flanks, and the first and second bead together forming the wall having the concave inner surface that delimits the tire cavity. The tire includes reinforcing elements designed to be permanently integrated into the tire structure and each extending into the tire cavity by connecting a top anchor point located in the top of the tire to a lateral anchor point located in one of the flanks or bead of the tire.The reinforcing elements are distributed uniformly in azimuth around the central axis, with a spacing between 2.5mm and 10mm, preferably 6mm. Brief description of the drawings

[0067] Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description, given solely by way of non-limiting example, and made with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0068] [Fig.1A] illustrates a cross-sectional view in a radial plane of an example of a guyed bandage;

[0069] [Fig.1B] illustrates a partial perspective view of the guyed bandage of [Fig.1A];

[0070] [Fig.lC] is a detailed view of [Fig.1B];

[0071] [Fig.2] illustrates in perspective an example of tooling with a receiving surface comprising a plurality of passages or grooves for the manufacture of a pneumatic tire reinforced by stays;

[0072] [Fig.3] illustrates in partial perspective a laying tool according to a first embodiment for laying stays in the grooves of the receiving surface of the tool of the [Fig.2];

[0073] [Fig.3A] is a detail of [Fig.3];

[0074] [Fig.4] is a detailed view of a fork of the installation tool of the [Fig.3], according to a foreground;

[0075] [Fig.5] is a detailed view of a fork of the installation tool of the [Fig.3], according to a second plane, perpendicular to the first plane;

[0076] [Fig.6] illustrates in partial perspective a laying tool according to a second embodiment for laying stays in the grooves of the receiving surface of the tool of the [Fig.2];

[0077] [Fig.6A] is a detail of [Fig.6], illustrating a fork of a first presser of the laying tool of [Fig.6];

[0078] [Fig.7] is a detail view of a fork of a second presser of the installation tooling of the [Fig.6]; and

[0079] [Fig. 8] is a detail view of a fork of the installation tool of the [Fig.3], according to a foreground.

[0080] Detailed description of at least one embodiment

[0081] Figures 3 to 8 illustrate a tool 20 intended for laying stays on a toroidal bandage 100, as illustrated in figures IA, IB and IC.

[0082] Such a tire 100 preferably constitutes a pneumatic tire intended to equip a wheel of a vehicle, to ensure the connection of said vehicle with the ground.

[0083] The tire 100 has a shape of revolution around an axis called "central axis" XI-XI which corresponds substantially, in practice, to the axis of rotation of the wheel.

[0084] This central axis Xl-Xl defines three directions classically used by a person skilled in the art: an axial direction, a radial direction and a circumferential direction.

[0085] By "axial direction" is meant a direction collinear with the central axis Xl-Xl of the bandage 100, that is to say collinear with the axis of rotation of the bandage 100.

[0086] By "radial direction" is meant a direction which extends along a radius of the band 100, that is to say any direction which is secant and perpendicular to the central axis Xl-Xl.

[0087] By "circumferential direction" is meant a direction which is perpendicular to both the axial direction and to a radius of the band 100, and which corresponds, in a plane normal to the central axis Xl-Xl, to the tangent to a circle whose center is on the axis of rotation of the band 100.

[0088] The bandage 100 comprises, in a manner known per se, a vertex 101 intended to form a tread, a first annular bead 102 and a second bead 103 annular designed to allow the 100 bandage to be attached to a mounting support, such as a rim.

[0089] The bandage 100 further comprises a first flank 104 and a second flank 105 which connect the apex 101 respectively to the first ridge 102 and the second ridge 103.

[0090] By simple convention, it may be considered that, in a meridian plane P_Mer, the limit between the vertex 101 and the flank 104, 105 considered corresponds to the axially outermost point of the external surface of the bandage 100 for which the angle between the tangent to the external surface of the bandage 100 and a line parallel to the central axis XI-XI is equal to 30°.

[0091] By "meridian plane" P_Mer, or radial plane, we mean a plane parallel to, and containing, the central axis XI-XL. Such a meridian plane is normal to the circumferential direction.

[0092] By "equatorial plane" P_Eq, we mean a plane normal to the central axis XI-XI and which passes through the radially outermost point of the bandage, which is preferably located axially halfway between the axially outermost points of the bandage 100.

[0093] Said equatorial plane P_Eq therefore axially divides the band 100 into two toroidal halves, preferably substantially equal, called, by analogy with the terrestrial globe, "hemispheres".

[0094] The summit 101, the first and second flanks 104, 105 and the first and second ridges 102, 103 together form a wall 106 having a concave internal surface 106_in which delimits an internal cavity 107 of the bandage 100.

[0095] In practice, the internal cavity 107 of the tire 100 is toric, and advantageously forms the inflation cavity of the tire 100, which is intended to receive a fluid under pressure, such as air, to support the apex 101 of the pneumatic tire 100 relative to the rim.

[0096] Preferably, as can be seen in figures IA, IB and IC, each bead 102, 103 is located axially inset from the axially most salient position of the corresponding flank 104, 105, that is to say that the bead 102, 103 is closer to the equatorial plane P_Eq than the flank 104, 105 to which said bead is connected. Thus, the flank 104, 105 forms, between the summit 101 and the corresponding bulge 102, 103, in section in the meridian plane P_Mer, a profile that is generally convex outwards and whose end forming the bulge 102, 103 is axially re-entrant, so that the cavity 107 presents, in section in the said meridian plane, substantially a Q shape (capital Omega).

[0097] The bandage 100 includes reinforcing elements 108, called "stays", designed to permanently integrate the structure of the bandage 100 and extend into the internal cavity 107 of said bandage by connecting a summit anchor point 109 located at the top 101 of the bandage 100 to a lateral anchor point 110 located in one of the flanks 104, 105 or the ridges 102, 103 of the bandage 100.

[0098] As illustrated in Figures IA, IB, IC, the top anchor points 109 and lateral 110 of each stay 108 are located at the same azimuth around the central axis XI-XI of the band 100, so that the stays 108 extend along radial planes containing the central axis Xl-Xl of the band 100.

[0099] The stays 108 can represent different configurations, including a variety of orientations, without going out of the scope of the invention.

[0100] Each stay 108 is preferably contained in a single hemisphere, in that no stay 108 crosses the equatorial plane P_Eq inside the internal cavity 107 of the bandage 100.

[0101] Each stay 108 is intended to work in tension and therefore to connect the summit anchorage point 109 to the corresponding lateral anchorage point 110 along a straight segment, that is to say, geometrically forming a taut or quasi-taut rope, under the arc which is formed by the internal surface 106_in of the wall 106 between the summit anchorage point 109 and the lateral anchorage point 110 in the bandage 100 at rest, and this so that the stay opposes the mutual separation of said anchorage points 109, 110 from each other, and thus increases the lateral rigidity of the bandage 100.

[0102] The stays 108 are, as illustrated, distributed in azimuth around the central axis Xl-Xl, here, uniformly, according to a constant repeating angular pitch.

[0103] Fig. 2 illustrates an example of tooling 1 for manufacturing the pneumatic tire 100 reinforced by stays.

[0104] The tooling 1 includes a toroidal core 10 having, around its central axis X2-X2, an external surface 10_out, called the receiving surface, which has a shape conjugate to the internal surface 106_in of the wall 106 of the bandage 100.

[0105] The external surface 10_out includes a radially external summit area 11, intended to receive constituent components of the summit 101 of the band 100, and, on either side axially of said summit area 11, a first lateral area 12 folded towards the central axis X2-X2 of the core 10 and intended to receive constituent components of the first flank 104 and the first bead 102, as well as a second lateral area 13 intended to receive constituent components of the second flank 105 and the second bead 103.

[0106] In this way, the core 10 materializes a volume, called "reserved", which is delimited externally by the receiving surface 10_out and which corresponds to the internal cavity 107 of the bandage 100.

[0107] The core 10 can thus occupy, and therefore temporarily reserve, during the manufacture of the bandage 100, the volume whose shape and dimensions correspond to the internal cavity 107, volume which will become the internal cavity 107 of the bandage when the core 10 has been removed from said bandage 100, during the demolding operation which will complete the manufacturing cycle of the bandage 100.

[0108] It will be noted that, in practice, the central axis X2-X2 of the core 10, around which said core 10 forms a ring, will coincide with the central axis Xl-Xl of the band 100 made on the core 10. For convenience of description, one can therefore designate indifferently either one by the expression "central axis".

[0109] As illustrated, the core 10 comprises a plurality of passages 15 or grooves which extend inside the reserve volume, under the receiving surface 10_out, and which open onto said receiving surface 10_out in such a way that each of said passages 15 connects the summit area 11 of the receiving surface 10_out to one of the first and second lateral areas 12, 13 so that the core 10 can receive, inside said passages 15, the reinforcement elements 108 of the bandage 100.

[0110] The passages 15 thus correspond to empty spaces which are provided in the core 10, inside the reserve volume, in order to accommodate the stays 108, and thus allow each stay 108 to cross the reception surface 10_out, a first time to enter the reserved volume, in order to accommodate the stays 108, and thus allow each stay 108 to cross the reception surface 10_out, a first time to enter the reserved volume, here through the lateral zone 12, 13, and a second time to exit the reserved volume, here in the summit zone 11, or vice versa.

[0111] Advantageously, whatever the configuration of the stays 108, the core 10 according to the invention allows the said stays 108 to be implanted in the volume reserved by the core 10, and therefore in the space which will become the internal cavity 107 of the tire 100, prior to the formation of the tire 100, according to a distribution and arrangement which will correspond substantially, or even exactly, to the distribution and arrangement which the said stays 108 will have within the finished tire 100, ready to be mounted on the rim, since the stays 108 remain in place inside the internal cavity 107, in the desired position, and attached to the tire 100, when the core 10 is removed.

[0112] Thanks to the use of such a core 10, we are therefore assured that the bandage 100 will have a well controlled and reproducible configuration from one bandage 100 to another.

[0113] Furthermore, the stays 108 being thus protected in the passages 15 of the core 10 during the laying of the constituent components of the wall 106 of the bandage 100, there is no risk of accidentally moving, tearing off or damaging said stays 108 during the manufacturing process of the wall 106 of the bandage 100.

[0114] In a particularly preferential manner, the passages 15 may be arranged according to open, demoldable shapes, allowing the creation of a core 10 permanent, reusable, which can be extracted from bandage 100, after manufacture of said bandage 100, without damage to the stays 108, and then reused to manufacture the next bandage.

[0115] In this respect, the passages 15 for stays 108 will preferably be formed by grooves cut from the receiving surface 10_out in the thickness of the reserved volume so as to present a continuous opening along the profile of the receiving surface 10_out, from the summit area 11 to the relevant lateral area 12, 13.

[0116] Advantageously, since each groove 15 creates, at the level of the receiving surface 10_out, a slot-type opening which extends over the entire length of the receiving surface 10_out from the lateral anchor point 110 of the relevant stay 108 to the summit anchor point 109 of said stay 108, it is possible to engage the stay 108 in the passage 15 with an installation tool 20 according to the invention before the installation of the constituent components of the wall 106 of the bandage 100, simply by sliding said stay 108 into the corresponding groove 15, from the outside of the core 10, so that the stay 108 passes through the receiving surface 10_out to sink into the reserved volume, in the direction of the central axis X2-X2 of the core 10.

[0117] Advantageously, after the constituent components of the wall 106 of the bandage 100 have been placed on the receiving surface 10_out, so that the wall 106 covers the grooves 15, it will be possible to extract the core 10 from the inside of the bandage 100, by progressively bringing out the stays 108, now fixed to the wall 106 and thus integrated into the bandage 100, through the openings of the grooves 15 of the core 10 which is released, and thus leaving the stays 108 in their final place in the internal cavity 107 of the bandage 100.

[0118] For convenience of description, and to avoid overloading the figures, the same reference "15" will be used to designate the passages for stays 108 and the grooves which constitute a preferred specific shape of said passages for stays 108.

[0119] Other shapes could also be provided for the grooves, for example that they be blind.

[0120] The installation tool 20 according to the invention is intended to be used in a device for manufacturing a pneumatic reinforcement from a spool of known wire. The manufacturing device allows the installation of the stays 108, during which at least one reinforcing wire, intended to form a stay 108, is passed through each passage 15 of the core 10 of the manufacturing tool 1.

[0121] Preferably, a single continuous reinforcing wire, single-strand or multi-strand, is used to form several stays 108, preferably more than 25%, more than 50%, or even the entire number of stays 108 of the bandage 100.

[0122] To do this, the continuous reinforcing wire is preferably arranged in a serpentine fashion through the successive passages 15, here by inserting said reinforcing wire into the grooves 15, under the receiving surface 10_out, and by bringing said reinforcing wire out over the receiving surface 10_out in the summit area 11 and in the lateral areas 12, 13, at the level of the desired anchoring points 109, 110, thus making said continuous reinforcing wire go and come back in one piece from one lateral area 12 of the core 10 to the other lateral area 13 via the summit area 11, so as to form undulations, for example of amplitude substantially symmetrical with respect to the equatorial plane P_EQ.

[0123] Preferably, it is the loops forming the extremes of the undulations of the continuous reinforcing wire coil, and which therefore correspond to the transition zones between two successive stays 108 belonging to the same hemisphere, which form the portions of the stays 108 which will be captive to lateral anchorage structures placed on the lateral zones 12, 13, to form the lateral anchorage points 110 of the stays, while the intermediate portions of the continuous reinforcing wire which connect two successive stays 108 belonging to two different hemispheres, emerging from the groove 15 of the first stay in order to travel through the summit zone 11 of the receiving surface 10_out and cross the equatorial plane P_EQ then plunge back into the groove 15 of the second stay 108, will be captive to a summit anchorage structure.

[0124] The manufacturing device is known and will not be described further.

[0125] As illustrated in detail in Figures 3, 3A, 4 and 5, the cable-laying tooling 20 is configured to allow the laying of a single cable 108 per groove 15.

[0126] The setting tool 20 comprises a presser 21 on one side and a presser (not visible in the figures) on a second side, opposite the first side. Each presser 21 grips the wire brought into the lateral zones 12, 13 by a guide member (not shown) of the manufacturing device, thus moving the continuous reinforcing wire 108 from one lateral zone 12 of the core 10 to the other lateral zone 13 via the top zone 11 in a single movement, so as to form a loop 110A around the corresponding presser 21 and define a forward wire 108A and a return wire 108B. The fork 23 then presses the wire 108 onto the core 10 of the manufacturing tool 1.

[0127] Each presser 21 or setting member comprises a fork 23 and a hammer 24.

[0128] The fork 23 is movable between a rearward position away from the core 10 and a advanced position, close to the core 10, visible in Figures 3 and 3A. A return mechanism (not shown) or spring configured to hold the fork 23 in the advanced position is generally used. The fork 23 presses the wire 108 with sufficient force for the wire to adhere correctly to the desired location. The movement of The wire guide mechanism allows it to hook the wire onto the fork when it is in the retracted position. The fork 23 is then moved to the forward position.

[0129] The hammer 24 is movable between a retracted position away from the core 10, visible in [Fig. 3], and a forward position closer to the core 10. A return element or spring (not shown) is generally used to hold the hammer 24 in the forward position. The hammer 24 anchors the wire 108 in the corresponding groove 15 provided on the core 10. Thus, the hammer 24 is moved towards the core 10 after the fork 23 has pressed the wire 108 against the core 10. The hammer 24 presses on the wire 108 and retains the wire when the fork 23 is moved to the retracted position.

[0130] The operation of the guide element and the pressers is known from the prior art, in particular from documents EP 0 580 055 - Al and EP 1 231 050 - Bl, and will not be described further.

[0131] The fork 23 includes a movable arm 23a comprising a first end attached to a mechanism (not shown) configured to slide said arm 23a.

[0132] The fork further comprises an end portion 23b extending from the arm 23a on the side opposite the first end. The end portion 23b has, here, in no way limiting the case, a height less than the height of the arm 23a.

[0133] The end part 23b includes a laying head 25 configured to make the loop 110A between the outbound wire 108A and the return wire 108B of a guy wire 108.

[0134] The laying head 25 is delimited by a lower surface 25a in the extension of the arm 23a, an upper surface 25b forming a support for the return wire 108B and an end surface 26.

[0135] The end surface 26 includes an anchoring portion 26a extending from the upper surface 25b to the lower surface 25a and a notch 26b located axially below the anchoring portion 26a to retain the go wire 108A.

[0136] The notch 26b is connected to the lower surface 25a by a rounded portion 26c.

[0137] During the installation of the guy wire, the forward wire 108A is inserted into the notch 26b of the installation head 25 and wound around the anchor portion 26a until the return wire 108B is in contact with the upper surface 25b of the installation head.

[0138] The height H1 or air gap of the anchoring portion 26a is between 1mm and 12mm.

[0139] The pitch P, i.e. the sum of the distance between each groove 15 and the diameter of the wire is between 2.5mm and 10mm, preferably equal to 6mm.

[0140] The width L1 of the anchor portion 26a is between 2mm and 8mm. The width is the dimension taken along an axis perpendicular to the height and the length.

[0141] The angle al of positioning the return wire 108B on the anchoring portion 26a is between 20° and 40°, preferably equal to 30°.

[0142] Such a fork 20 makes it possible to obtain a constant pitch between 2.5 mm and 10 mm, preferably equal to 6 mm, which improves the mechanical strength in the cured tire. Indeed, such a pitch ensures a good thickness of rubber between the two adjacent cords.

[0143] In the embodiment illustrated in detail in figures 6, 6A, 7 and 8, in which the same elements bear the same references, the setting tool 20' of the stays is configured to allow the setting of two stay wires 108 by groove 15.

[0144] The setting tool 20' comprises a presser 21' on one side and a presser 22', visible in [Fig.7], on a second side, opposite the first side. Each presser 21', 22' grasps the wire brought into the lateral zones 12, 13 by a guide member (not shown) of the manufacturing device, thus moving the continuous reinforcing wire 108 in one piece from one lateral zone 12 of the core 10 to the other lateral zone 13 via the top zone 11, so as to form a loop 110A around the corresponding presser 21', 22' and define a forward wire 108A and a return wire 108B.

[0145] Each presser 21', 22' or setting member comprises a fork 23' and a hammer 24'.

[0146] The fork 23' has a shape similar to the fork 23 described with reference to the first embodiment.

[0147] The fork 23' is movable between a retracted position away from the core 10 and an advanced position closer to the core 10, as shown in Figures 6 and 6A. A return element (not shown) or spring is generally used to hold the fork 23' in the advanced position. The fork 23' presses the wire 108 with sufficient force to ensure that the wire adheres correctly to the desired location. The movement of the wire guide allows it to hook the wire onto the fork when it is in the retracted position. The fork 23' is then moved to the advanced position.

[0148] The hammer 24' is movable between a retracted position away from the core 10, visible in [Fig. 6], and a forward position closer to the core 10. A return member or spring (not shown) is generally used to hold the hammer 24' in the forward position. The hammer 24' anchors the wire 108 in the corresponding groove 15 provided on the core 10. Thus, the hammer 24' is moved towards the core 10 after the fork 23 has pressed the wire 108 against the core 10. The hammer 24' presses on the wire 108 and retains the wire when the fork 23' is moved to the retracted position.

[0149] The fork 23' includes a movable arm 23a' comprising a first end attached to a mechanism (not shown) configured to slide said arm 23a'.

[0150] The fork further comprises an end portion 23b' extending from the arm 23a' on the side opposite the first end. The end portion 23b' has, here, in no way limitingly, a height less than the height of the arm 23a'.

[0151] The end part 23b' includes a laying head 25' configured to make the loop 110A between the outbound wire 108A and the return wire 108B of a guy wire 108.

[0152] The laying head 25' is delimited by a lower surface 25a' in the extension of the arm 23a', an upper surface 25b' forming a support for the return wire 108B and an end surface 26'.

[0153] The end surface 26' includes an anchor portion 26a' extending from the upper surface 25b' to the lower surface 25a' and a notch 26b' located axially below the anchor portion 26a to retain the forward wire 108A.

[0154] The notch 26b' is connected to the lower surface 25a' by a rounded portion 26c'.

[0155] During the installation of the guy wire, the forward wire 108A is inserted into the notch 26b' of the installation head 25' and wound around the anchor portion 26a' until the return wire 108B is in contact with the upper surface 25b' of the installation head.

[0156] The height H2 or air gap of the anchoring portion 26a' is between 1mm and 8mm.

[0157] The pitch P, i.e. the sum of the distance between each groove 15 and the diameter of the wire is between 2.5mm and 10mm, preferably equal to 6mm.

[0158] The width (not visible in the figures) of the anchor portion 26a' is between 2mm and 8mm. The width is the dimension taken along an axis perpendicular to the height and length.

[0159] The angle a2 of positioning of the return wire 108B on the anchoring portion 26a' is between 20° and 40°, preferably equal to 30°.

[0160] The notch 26b' of the fork 20' of the first presser 21' is located in a radial mounting axis Al while the notch 26b' of the fork 20' of the second presser 22', visible on the [Fig.7], is located in a mounting axis A2 offset from the radial mounting axis Al by a distance D between 1mm and 6mm, preferably equal to 3mm.

[0161] Such asymmetry of the forks on one side and the other of the core 10 is necessary because the stay wires cross at the apex. There is therefore one more step between the two sides.

[0162] Such asymmetry is also applicable to the pressers of the tooling of the first embodiment.

[0163] Such a 20' fork allows a loop 110A of sufficient size, between 2.5mm and 8mm, preferably equal to 3.5mm in order to guarantee the placement of the outgoing wire 108A and the return wire 108B in the same groove 15 side by side, without overlapping.

[0164] In general, the installation tooling according to the invention allows the size of the loop to be controlled and the guy wires to be installed in an automated manner.

[0165] Of course, the invention is by no means limited to the variant embodiments described above, the person skilled in the art being able in particular to isolate or freely combine the aforementioned characteristics, or to substitute equivalents for them.

Claims

1. Demands Tooling (20, 20') configured for placing reinforcement elements (108) onto tooling (1) for manufacturing a toroidal object (100) comprising a wall (106) having an internal surface (106_in) that delimits a cavity (107), the tooling (1) for manufacturing the toroidal object (100) comprising a receiving surface (10_out) having a shape conjugate to the internal surface (106_in) of the wall (106) of the toroidal object (100) and comprising a plurality of passages (15) that extend under the receiving surface (10_out) and are configured to receive at least one reinforcement element (108) connecting a summit anchor point (109) located at a vertex (101) of the toroidal object (100) to a lateral anchor point (110) located in a flanks (104, 105) or ridges (102, 103) of the toroidal object (100), and which open onto said receiving surface (10_ out),The toroidal object (100) is intended to be molded onto the receiving surface (10_out) of the tooling (1) for manufacturing the toroidal object (100). The tooling (20, 20') for setting the object comprises at least one first presser (21; 21') located on one side and a second presser (22') located on a second side, opposite the first side. Each presser (21, 21', 22') is configured to grip a reinforcing wire brought into lateral zones (12, 13) by a guide element, thus moving the continuous reinforcing wire from one lateral zone (12) of the manufacturing tooling (1) to another lateral zone (13) via a top zone (11) in a single movement, so as to form a loop (110A) around the corresponding presser (21, 21', 22') and define a forward wire. (108A) and a return wire (108B) forming a reinforcing element (108), each presser (21, 21', 22') includes a fork (23,23') movable between a retracted position away from the manufacturing tool (1) and an advanced position closer to the manufacturing tool (1), and a hammer (24, 24') movable relative to the fork (23, 23') between a retracted position away from the manufacturing tool (1) and an advanced position closer to the manufacturing tool (1), characterized in that the fork (23, 23') of the tool (20, 20') is configured to lay the reinforcing wire(s) forming the reinforcing element (108) with a laying pitch between 2.5mm and 10mm, preferably 6mm.

2. Tooling (20, 20') according to claim 1, wherein the fork (23, 23') comprises a setting head (25, 25') configured to form the loop (110A) between the forward wire (108A) and the return wire (108B) of a reinforcing element (108), the setting head (25, 25') being delimited by a lower surface (25a, 25a'), an upper surface (25b, 25b') forming a support for the return wire (108B), and an end surface (26, 26') comprising an anchoring portion (26a, 26') extending from the upper surface (25b, 25b') to the lower surface (25a, 25a') and a notch (26b, 26b') located axially below the anchoring portion. (26a, 26a') and forming support for the go wire (108A).

3. Tooling (20, 20') according to claim 2, wherein the notch (26b,26b') of the fork (20, 20') of the first presser (21, 21') is located in a radial mounting axis (Al) while the notch (26b, 26b') of the fork (20, 20') of the second presser (22') is located in a mounting axis (A2) offset from the radial mounting axis (Al) by a distance (D) between 1mm and 6mm, preferably equal to 3mm.

4. Tooling (20, 20') according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the fork (23, 23') comprises a movable arm (23a, 23a') comprising a first end integral with a mechanism configured to slide said arm (23a, 23a'), and wherein the end portion (23b, 23b') extends from said arm (23a, 23a') on the side opposite the first end.

5. Tooling (20) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the tooling for setting (20) the reinforcement elements (108) is configured to allow the setting of a single reinforcement element (108) per pass (15).

6. Tooling (20) according to claims 2 and 5, wherein the anchoring portion (26a) has a height (Hl) between 1mm and 12mm.

7. Tooling (20) according to claims 2 and 5 taken in combination with any of the preceding claims, wherein the anchoring portion (26a) has a width (Ll) between 2mm and 8mm.

8. Tooling (20) according to claims 2 and 5 taken in combination with any one of the preceding claims, wherein the anchoring portion (26a) forms an angle (al) of positioning position of the return wire (108B) on the anchor portion (26a) with the extension axis of the fork (20) between 20° and 40°, preferably equal to 30°.

9. Tooling (20') according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the tooling for setting (20') the reinforcement elements (108) is configured to allow the setting of two reinforcement elements (108) per pass (15).

10. Tooling (20') according to claims 2 and 9, the anchoring portion (26a') has a height (H2) between 1mm and 8mm.

11. Tooling (20') according to claims 2 and 9, wherein the anchoring portion (26a') has a width between 2mm and 8mm.

12. Tooling (20') according to claims 2 and 9, wherein the anchoring portion (26a') forms an angle (a2) for positioning the return wire (108B) on the anchoring portion (26a') with the extension axis of the fork (20') between 20° and 40°, preferably equal to 30°.

13. Tooling (1) for manufacturing a toroidal object (100) comprising a wall (106) having an internal surface (106_in) that delimits a cavity (107), tooling (1) for manufacturing the toroidal object (100) comprising a receiving surface (10_out) having a shape conjugate to the internal surface (106_in) of the wall (106) of the toroidal object (100) and comprising a plurality of passages (15) that extend under the receiving surface (10_out) and are configured to receive at least one reinforcing element (108) connecting a summit anchor point (109) located at a vertex (101) of the toroidal object (100) to a lateral anchor point (110) located in one of the flanks (104, 105) or ridges (102, 103) of the toroidal object (100), and which open onto said receiving surface (10_out), the toroidal object (100) being intended to be molded on the receiving surface (10_out) of the tooling (1) for manufacturing the toroidal object (100),wherein the reinforcing element (108) is placed in the corresponding passage (15) by means of the installation tool (20, 20') according to any one of the preceding claims.

14. Tooling (1) according to claim 13, wherein the object (100) is a toroidal tire band.

15. Tooling (20, 20') according to claim 14, wherein the toroidal tire (100) comprises a vertex (101) for forming a tread, a first annular bead (102) and a second annular bead (103) designed to allow hooking of the bandage (100) on a mounting support, as well as a first flank (104) and a second flank (105) which connect the apex (101) respectively to the first bead (102) and the second bead (103), the apex (101), the first and second flanks (104, 105) and the first and second bead (102, 103) together forming the wall (106) having the concave inner surface (106_in) which delimits the cavity (107) of the bandage (100), said tooling (1) comprising a toroidal core (10) having, around its central axis (X2-X2), the receiving surface (10_out) which has a shape conjugate to the inner surface (106_in) of the wall (106) of the bandage and which for this purpose comprises a radially external apex zone (11) intended to receive constituent components of the apex (101) of the bandage (100), and, on either side axially of said apex zone (11),a first lateral zone (12) folded towards the central axis (X2-X2) and intended to receive constituent components of the first flank (104) and the first bead (102), and a second lateral zone (13) folded towards the central axis (X2-X2) and intended to receive constituent components of the second flank (105) and the second bead (103), such that the core (10) forms a volume which is delimited externally by the receiving surface (10_out) and which corresponds to the cavity (107) of the bandage, the core (10) comprising the plurality of passages (15) which extend inside the reserved volume, under the receiving surface (10_out), and which open onto said receiving surface (10_out) such that each of said passages (15) connects the apex zone (11) of the receiving surface to one of the first and second lateral zones (12, 13) so that the core (10) can receive, within said passages (15), the reinforcing elements (108),which are designed to be permanently integrated into the structure of the bandage (100) and to extend each into the cavity (107) of the bandage by connecting a summit anchor point (109) located in the apex (101) of the bandage to a lateral anchor point (110) located in one of the sides (104, 105) or the ridges (102, 103) of the bandage (100).

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