Tire transport device

Abstract

To provide a tire transport device capable of accurately positioning a plurality of types of tires having different sizes.SOLUTION: A tire transport device 1 according to the present invention is a tire transport device capable of transporting a plurality of types of tires T, T1, and T2 having different sizes while positioning them, including: a conveyor body 26 for transporting a tire placed sideways; a conveyor body moving electric cylinder 34 for sliding the conveyor body in a right-left direction (Y direction) perpendicular to a tire transport direction (X direction) by the conveyor body; a multi-row tape switch device 16 disposed at a tire positioning position for positioning a tire by sliding the conveyor body in the right-left direction; and a controller 12 that stops a sliding movement of a sliding device based on tire detection by the multi-row tape switch device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a tire conveying device, and particularly to a tire conveying device capable of conveying a plurality of types of tires having different sizes while positioning them.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a conveying system including a conveyor for conveying a plurality of types of tires having different sizes, and positioning the ends of the tires conveyed by this conveyor in a predetermined direction by stoppers. Further, Patent Document 2 discloses a conveying conveyor that detects the tip of a tire, which is the feeding end side of the tire conveyed by the conveyor, with a photoelectric sensor, and positions the tip of the tire at a predetermined position based on the detection output of this photoelectric sensor.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Here, on the tread surface of a new tire, a label (environmental label) printed with the tire brand name, product name, barcode indicating the tire model number, etc. is often pasted. Such environmental labels and the like may peel off or float from the tread surface of the tire. When such a tire is conveyed by a conveyor and an attempt is made to detect the tire position using, for example, a photoelectric sensor and position it at a predetermined position (for example, when conveying the tire to a tire stacking and separating device on the downstream side and it is necessary to position the tire in advance on the upstream side), there is a problem that the tire position is erroneously detected due to peeling or floating of the environmental label or the like, resulting in a decrease in tire positioning accuracy.

[0005] Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to provide a tire conveying device capable of accurately positioning a plurality of types of tires having different sizes.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is a tire conveying device capable of conveying while positioning a plurality of types of tires having different sizes, comprising a conveyor main body for conveying a tire placed horizontally, a slide device for sliding the conveyor main body in the left-right direction orthogonal to the tire conveying direction by the conveyor main body, a multi-row tape switch device arranged at a tire positioning position for positioning the tire by sliding the conveyor main body in the left-right direction, and a controller for stopping the slide movement of the slide device based on tire detection by the multi-row tape switch device.

[0007] According to the present invention configured as described above, first, since the position of the tire is detected by a contact type multi-row tape switch device, it is possible to prevent misdetection of the tire position due to a peeled or lifted label. That is, a tape switch that does not react unless a predetermined force (pressure) is applied is used so as not to detect a peeled or lifted label. Also, since such tape switches are multi-row, regardless of the size of the tire (especially the width of the tread surface and the outer diameter of the tire) and the width and shape of the tire grooves, any of the multi-row tape switches will contact the tread surface or label of the tire, so the tire position can be accurately detected. Therefore, according to the present invention, a plurality of types of tires with different sizes can be accurately positioned.

[0008] Also, in the present invention, preferably, the multi-row tape switch device is configured such that a plurality of tape switches extend parallel to each other at a predetermined interval, and the multi-row tape switch device is provided such that in a side view, the longitudinal direction of the plurality of tape switches is inclined with respect to the tire conveying surface of the conveyor body. According to the present invention configured as described above, since the multi-row tape switch device extends in an inclined direction with respect to the tire conveying surface of the conveyor body, it is possible to suppress each tape switch from getting caught in the tire groove, and thereby, more accurately detect the tire position and accurately position the tire. Also, compared to the case where the multi-row tape switch device is not provided in an inclined direction with respect to the tire conveying surface, it is also possible to reduce the number of tape switches.

[0009] Also, in the present invention, preferably, further, a photoelectric sensor disposed closer to the conveyor body side than the multi-row tape switch device is provided, and the controller reduces the speed of the sliding movement of the conveyor body by the slide device based on the tire detection by the photoelectric sensor. According to the present invention configured as described above, by detecting the tire with a photoelectric sensor and reducing the sliding speed of the slide device by the controller, the moving speed of the tire moving toward the multi-row tape switch device can be reduced, suppressing the impact on the multi-row tape switch device and improving the positioning accuracy.

[0010] Further, in the present invention, preferably, the multi-row tape switch device is provided so as to be movable in the left-right direction orthogonal to the tire conveyance direction of the conveyor main body between the tire positioning position and a predetermined retracted position. According to the present invention configured as described above, since the multi-row tape switch device is provided so as to be movable in the left-right direction orthogonal to the tire conveyance direction of the conveyor main body between the tire positioning position and a predetermined retracted position, the multi-row tape switch device can be moved to the retracted position away from the tire. Thus, for example, when the tire is conveyed downstream after completing the tire positioning, rubbing between the multi-row tape switch device and the conveyed tire can be prevented.

Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, a plurality of types of tires having different sizes can be accurately positioned.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0012]

Figure 1A

Figure 1B

Figure 1C

Figure 1D

Figure 1E

Figure 1F

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4A

Figure 4B

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0013] Next, a tire conveying device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0014] First, with reference to FIG. 1, the overall configuration of a conveying system to which a tire conveying device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied will be described. FIG. 1A is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of an entire conveying system including a tire conveying device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and is a diagram for explaining a standby process and a first tire conveying process of the tire conveying device and its tire positioning device. FIG. 1B is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of the entire conveying system shown in the same manner as FIG. 1A, and is a diagram for explaining a standby process of the tire conveying device and its tire positioning device according to the present embodiment. FIG. 1C is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of the entire conveying system shown in the same manner as FIG. 1A, and is a diagram for explaining a first switch movement process in which the tire positioning device according to the present embodiment moves to a preparation position. FIG. 1D is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of the entire conveying system shown in the same manner as FIG. 1A, and is a diagram for explaining a tire positioning process of the tire conveying device according to the present embodiment. FIG. 1E is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of the entire conveying system shown in the same manner as FIG. 1A, and is a diagram for explaining a second switch movement process in which the tire positioning device according to the present embodiment moves to a retracted position. FIG. 1F is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of the entire conveying system shown in the same manner as FIG. 1A, and is a diagram for explaining a standby process and a second tire conveying process of the tire conveying device and its tire positioning device. FIGS. 1A to 1F show a tire positioning procedure (method) by the tire conveying device.

[0015] First, as shown in FIG. 1A, reference numeral 1 denotes a tire conveying device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and reference numeral 2 denotes a tire conveying system to which this tire conveying device 1 is applied. As shown in FIG. 1A, the tire conveying system 2 includes a roller conveyor 4 for tire conveying provided upstream of the tire conveying device 1, and a roller conveyor 6 with a direction changing mechanism for changing the conveying direction of the tire downstream thereof. In the figure, the tire (virtual line) to be conveyed is denoted by reference numeral T.

[0016] The tire conveying system 2 further includes a belt conveyor 8 provided on the downstream side of the tire conveying device 1 and a known tire stacking device 10 that operates in cooperation with the belt conveyor 8. The tire stacking device 10 is a device that stacks horizontally placed tires T vertically while centering them. Although the description thereof is omitted here, its basic structure is described, for example, in Patent Document 1 mentioned above. Note that the "horizontal orientation" of the tire means that in the tire conveying device 1 and the conveying system 2, the side surface (mainly the sidewall) of the tire is placed on the tire conveying surface. In this orientation, the tire width direction coincides with the vertical direction, and the tread surface of the tire faces horizontally (in a side view, the tread surface of the tire is visible).

[0017] Reference numeral 12 is a controller (control device) that controls the operation of the tire conveying device 1 according to the present embodiment and also controls the overall operation of the conveying system 2, and forms a part of the tire conveying device 1. The controller 12 is composed of a processing device (circuit) that is one or more processors (typically a CPU), a memory (such as ROM and RAM) that stores various programs, and a computer including an input / output device and the like.

[0018] Reference numeral 14 is a tire positioning device, which will be described later with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4. The tire positioning device 14 includes a multi-column tape switch device 16 and a photoelectric sensor 20 as will be described later. The configurations of the tire conveying device 1 and the tire conveying system 2 described above are the same as those in FIGS. 1B to 1F to be described later, and the descriptions thereof will be omitted below.

[0019] Next, as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the tire T is conveyed onto the conveyor main body 26 (see FIGS. 2 and 3) of the tire conveying device 1, and as shown in FIG. 1B, it stops at a position facing the tire positioning device 14 on the conveyor main body 26 (first conveying step). The conveyance of the tire T is performed by the rotational drive of the conveyor roller 22 (see FIGS. 2 and 3) of the tire conveying device 1 based on an instruction from the controller 12. Also, the stop of the tire T is performed by stopping the rotational drive of the conveyor roller 22 based on an instruction from the controller 12 in the same manner. As described above, the steps shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B indicate the first conveying step of conveying the tire T onto the tire conveying device 1 and the standby step of the tire positioning device 14. Note that the arrow X shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B indicates the conveying direction of the tire T.

[0020] Next, as shown in FIG. 1C, after the above-described first conveying step (after the tire T has stopped), based on an instruction from the controller 12, the tire positioning device 14 moves a predetermined distance from the "standby position" as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B to the "positioning position" (see FIG. 1D) on the conveyor main body 26 (switch movement step). Here, the "standby position" is a position where the tire positioning device 14 does not interfere with the tire T being conveyed on the conveyor main body 26, and the "positioning position" is the position in the conveyor width direction (see FIG. 1D) where the tire T should be positioned, which is required in the tire stacking device 10.

[0021] Here, as can be understood from FIGS. 1B and 1C, the moving direction of the tire positioning device 14 is the width direction of the conveyor main body 26 (hereinafter also referred to as the left-right direction), which is a direction orthogonal to the tire conveying direction X. For example, in FIG. 1C, the tire positioning device 14 moves in the direction opposite to the direction indicated by the arrow Y (-Y direction).

[0022] Incidentally, the predetermined distance described above (the moving distance from the "waiting position" (see FIGS. 1A and 1B) to the "positioning position" (see FIGS. 1C and 1D)) is set to 150 mm in this embodiment, but it may be set to other distances.

[0023] Next, as shown in FIG. 1D, after the switch moving step (after the tire positioning device 14 moves to the "positioning position" and stops), the conveyor body 26 is slid in the Y direction (the left-right direction of the conveyor body 26) in the figure at a predetermined moving speed, so that the tire T moves relatively toward the tire positioning device 14 (positioning step). Here, in this embodiment, as will be described later mainly with reference to FIGS. 4A and 4B, the tire positioning device 14 is configured such that the optical axis L of the photoelectric sensor 20 is on the tire side of the plurality of tape switches 18 of the multi-row tape switch device 16.

[0024] Therefore, in the positioning step shown in FIG. 1D, when the tire T moves along with the sliding movement of the conveyor body 26, first, the photoelectric sensor 20 detects the tire T (the position of the tread surface that protrudes most in the left-right direction of the conveyor body 26, or the label provided on the tread surface), and when the tire T further moves, the multi-row tape switch device 16 detects the tire T (the position of the tread surface that protrudes most in the left-right direction of the conveyor body 26, or the label provided on the tread surface).

[0025] Here, in this embodiment, the controller 12 controls the moving speed of the conveyor body 26 (referred to as V1) until the photoelectric sensor 20 detects the tire T, and the moving speed of the conveyor body 26 (referred to as V2) after the photoelectric sensor 20 detects the tire T until the multi-row tape switch device 16 detects the tire T. In this embodiment, it is controlled such that V2 < V1. The details of this control will be described later with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7.

[0026] Next, as shown in FIG. 1E, after the positioning process is completed, at the instruction of the controller 12, the tire positioning device 14 moves from the "positioning position" (see FIG. 1D) on the conveyor main body 26 described above to the "standby position" (see FIGS. 1A and 1B) described above by the same distance as the predetermined distance described above (switch retraction process). That is, the tire positioning device 14 returns to the original "standby position". Note that the moving direction of the tire positioning device 14 in this switch retraction process is the direction indicated by the arrow Y shown in FIG. 1E.

[0027] Next, as shown in FIG. 1F, after the switch retraction process is completed, the conveyor roller 22 and the belt conveyor 8 of the tire conveying device 1 are operated to convey the tire T for which positioning has been completed toward the downstream tire stacking device 10 (in the X direction). Here, in the present embodiment, as can be understood from FIGS. 1E and 1F, before conveying the tire T for which positioning has been completed downstream, the tire positioning device 14 is retracted so that the conveyed tire T and the tire positioning device 14 do not interfere with each other.

[0028] Next, with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, the schematic configuration of the tire conveying device 1 according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the schematic configuration of the tire conveying device according to the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a side view showing the schematic configuration of the tire conveying device according to the embodiment of the present invention. In FIGS. 2 and 3, for convenience of explanation, the tire conveying device 1 is illustrated in a direction opposite to that of FIGS. 1A to 1F (the upstream side and the downstream side are in opposite directions) so as to be understandable in the direction of the arrow X.

[0029] First, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the tire conveying device 1 according to the present embodiment includes a plurality of conveyor rollers 22 extending in a direction orthogonal to the tire conveying direction X, and a pair of roller support frames 24 that respectively support both ends of these conveyor rollers 22. The conveyor main body 26 is mainly constituted by these rollers 22 and the support frames 24.

[0030] Next, as shown in FIG. 3, a conveyor body support device 28 is provided on the roller support frame 24. This conveyor body support device 28 includes a fixed support column 30 installed on the floor surface G, a movable support column 32 slidably attached to the upper end of this fixed support column 30, and an electric cylinder (slide device) 34 for sliding the conveyor body 26. The upper end of the movable support column 32 is fixed to the roller support frame 24. Further, the electric cylinder 34 is attached to the fixed support column 30 and the movable support column 32 via connecting members 36 and 38, respectively. The electric cylinder 34 drives the movable support column 32 via the connecting member 38 to move relative to the fixed support column 30, thereby sliding the conveyor body 26.

[0031] Next, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the tire positioning device 14 includes a sensor fixing frame member 40, a multi-row tape switch device 16 and a photoelectric sensor 20 fixed to the sensor fixing frame member 40, respectively. The multi-row tape switch device 16 has a plurality of tape switches 18 (see FIG. 4B) provided in parallel with each other as will be described later. The photoelectric sensor 20 is arranged such that its optical axis L is on the tire T side with respect to the plurality of tape switches 18.

[0032] Here, T1 shown by a virtual line in FIG. 2 indicates the tire with the largest diameter assumed in this embodiment (in this example, φ700 mm), and T2 shown by a virtual line indicates the tire with the smallest diameter assumed in this embodiment (in this example, φ490 mm). On the other hand, also in FIG. 3, the above-described tires T1 and T2 are similarly shown by virtual lines, and each of the tires T1 and T2 is shown in a state of being placed laterally on a tire conveyance surface S (shown by a virtual line) formed by a plurality of conveyor rollers 22. The width w of the tire T1 with the largest diameter assumed in this embodiment is 350 mm in this example, and the width w of the tire T1 with the smallest diameter assumed in this embodiment is 90 mm in this example.

[0033] In the state shown in FIG. 3, the side surface of the tire (mainly the sidewall) is in contact with the conveyor roller 22, and the tires T1 and T2 are conveyed by driving the conveyor roller 22. On the other hand, in a state where the driving of the conveyor roller 22 is stopped, for example, in the above-described positioning step (FIG. 1D), on the conveyor main body 26, while keeping the tires T1 and T2 stationary, the tires T1 and T2 are moved toward the tire positioning device 14 by moving the conveyor main body 26.

[0034] Next, as shown in FIG. 2, an actuator 42 for moving the tire positioning device 14 in the left-right direction of the conveyor main body 26 is attached to the sensor fixing frame member 40, and the above-described sensor moving step and sensor retracting step are performed by this actuator 42.

[0035] Next, the schematic configuration of the tire positioning device 14 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 4A and 4B. FIG. 4A is an enlarged plan view showing the tire positioning device of the tire conveying device according to the present embodiment shown in FIG. 2, and FIG. 4B is an enlarged side view showing the tire positioning device of the tire conveying device according to the present embodiment shown in FIG. 3. In FIG. 4A, the illustration of the actuator 42 is omitted. First, as shown in FIG. 4A, the multi-row tape switch device 16 is fixed to the central portion of the frame member 40. As shown in FIG. 4B, this multi-row tape switch device 16 is configured such that a plurality of tape switches 18 extend in parallel with each other at a predetermined interval. In the present embodiment, the multi-row tape switch device 16 is configured such that its height is 150 mm, its width is 350 mm, there are six tape switches 18, and the tire detection range in the width direction of each tape switch 18 is 290 mm. Such a configuration is an example, and as a modification, a multi-row tape switch device 16 having other dimensions or the number of tape switches may be used.

[0036] Also, as shown in FIG. 4A, each tape switch 18 includes a pair of thin electrode plates 18a and 18b that are arranged at a predetermined distance from each other in a plan view. One electrode plate 18a is a positive electrode, and the other electrode plate 18b is a negative electrode (ground electrode). Each of the electrode plates 18a and 18b has a convex cross-section as is known in the art. For example, in the present embodiment, a tape switch having a top portion (about 5 mm in width) at the center in the width direction in the cross-section, an inclined portion directed toward the top portion, and an overall width of 20 mm is used.

[0037] Each tape switch 18 is configured such that when the tires T1 and T2 contact one or more electrode plates 18a and the electrode plate 18a contacted by the tire is displaced by a predetermined distance by the force (pressure) received from the tire, it contacts the other electrode plate 18b, and at that time, the tires T1 and T2 are detected based on the detected voltage change (current change). Then, in the above-described positioning step (FIG. 1D), when the tires T1 and T2 are detected by the multi-row tape switch device 16, the movement of the conveyor body 26 described above is stopped at the detection time, and the positioning of the tires T1 and T2 is performed (see FIG. 1D and FIGS. 6 and 7 described later). Note that various detection loads of the tape switch 18 are known, but in the present embodiment, a tape switch is used such that the positioning accuracy is ±2 mm according to the assumed tires (T1, T2). Further, the detection load of the tape switch 18 does not detect a label that is about to peel off from the tread surface of the tire (a label with peeling or floating), while it is set to a value that detects only when a label that is entirely attached to the tread surface of the tire or the tread surface contacts. Alternatively, a tape switch having such a defined detection load is used.

[0038] Thus, in this embodiment, by utilizing the characteristic of the tape switch 18 that it does not react unless a predetermined force (pressure) is applied, false detection of the tire position is prevented. That is, for example, a label that is about to peel off does not apply a predetermined force (pressure) to the tape switch 18, so the tape switch 18 does not react. On the other hand, when the tread surface of the tires T1, T2 or a label that is entirely attached to the tread surface comes into contact with the tape switch 18 and a predetermined force (pressure) is applied, the tape switch 18 reacts to detect the tire, and the positioning of the tire can be accurately performed.

[0039] On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, a pair of photoelectric sensors 20 are respectively fixed to both ends of the frame member 40. One of the pair of photoelectric sensors 20 is a light source and the other is a reflector. The controller 12 detects that the time when the light (optical axis L) emitted from the light source is blocked by the tire and not reflected by the reflector is when the tire T reaches the position of the optical axis L.

[0040] Here, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4B, the multi-row tape switch device 16 is fixed to the frame member 40 so as to extend obliquely with respect to the direction in which the frame member 40 extends in a side view. Similarly, the pair of photoelectric sensors 20 are fixed to the frame member 40 so that their optical axes L extend obliquely with respect to the direction in which the frame member 40 extends in a side view. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4B, the inclination of the multi-row tape switch device 16 and the inclination of the optical axes L of the pair of photoelectric sensors 20 are made different from each other. As a modification, the multi-row tape switch device 16 and the optical axes L of the pair of photoelectric sensors 20 may have the same inclination as each other.

[0041] In this embodiment, both the multi-row tape switch device 16 and the pair of photo-electric sensors 20 are provided so as to extend in an oblique direction with respect to the tire conveying surface S in a side view as shown in FIG. 3. In this embodiment, particularly by making the multi-row tape switch device 16 extend obliquely with respect to the tire conveying surface S, as is apparent from FIG. 3, the tread surfaces of the assumed large-diameter to small-diameter tires (T1, T2) all come into contact with the multi-row tape switch device 16 relatively obliquely. Thereby, for example, it is possible to prevent the tape switch 18 from fitting into the groove extending in the circumferential direction of the tread surface.

[0042] Note that, as the tire positioning device 14 according to a modification, as shown in FIG. 5, both the multi-row tape switch device 16 and the pair of photo-electric sensors 20 may be provided so as to extend in a direction parallel to the tire conveying surface S in a side view. For example, such a modification may be applied when a tire with a small groove width of the groove extending in the circumferential direction is assumed.

[0043] Further, in the tire conveying device 1 according to the above-described embodiment, the positioning of the tire T in the width direction of the conveyor is performed. However, as a modification, if the positional relationship between the tire positioning device 14 and the conveyor main body 26 (such as the conveyor roller 22) is changed, it is possible to perform the positioning of the tire T in the conveying direction of the conveyor.

[0044] Next, with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7, the operation of the slide movement of the conveyor main body 26 executed by the controller 12 in the above-described positioning process will be described. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the controller included in the tire conveying device according to the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the relationship between the slide movement speed and the slide movement amount of the conveyor main body executed by the controller included in the tire conveying device according to the embodiment of the present invention. First, as shown in FIG. 6, output signals from the multi-column tape switch device 16 and the photoelectric sensor 20 are input to the controller (control device) 12. The controller 12 has a tire detection determination unit 50 that determines whether the multi-column tape switch device 16 has detected the tire T or whether the photoelectric sensor 20 has detected the tire T based on each of the input signals.

[0045] Further, the controller 12 determines the slide movement speed of the conveyor body 26 according to the determination result by the tire detection determination unit 50, and has a conveyor body slide movement speed instruction unit (speed instruction unit) 54 that transmits an output signal regarding the determined slide movement speed to the electric cylinder 34 for moving the conveyor body (see FIG. 3).

[0046] In the present embodiment, in the positioning process (see FIG. 1D) described above, when neither the multi-column tape switch device 16 nor the photoelectric sensor 20 has detected the tire T, the speed instruction unit 54 slides the conveyor body 26 in the Y direction shown in FIG. 1D at a predetermined slide movement speed. The slide movement speed at this time is preferably set close to the maximum speed allowed in the tire transfer device 1 in order to improve the tire positioning efficiency in the tire transfer device 1.

[0047] On the other hand, when the tire T is detected by the photoelectric sensor 20, the slide movement speed of the conveyor body 26 is decreased. The decreased slide movement speed is appropriately set to a speed that suppresses the impact caused by the tire T colliding / contacting the multi-column tape switch device 16 and improves the positioning accuracy of the tire T in the multi-column tape switch device 16. Furthermore, when the tire T is detected by the multi-column tape switch device 16, the slide movement of the conveyor body 26 is stopped.

[0048] FIG. 7 shows the moving speed of the above-described slide movement of the conveyor body 26 executed by the controller 12. In FIG. 7, reference symbol O indicates the origin position O (the position shown in FIGS. 1A to 1C) of the conveyor body 26, reference symbol A indicates the position of the conveyor body 26 when the tire T is detected by the photoelectric sensor 20, and reference symbol B indicates the position of the conveyor body 26 when the tire T is detected by the multi-row tape switch device 16. In FIG. 7, the horizontal axis is shown as the moving distance of the conveyor body 26 in the Y direction. Instead, if the horizontal axis is regarded as the detection time in the positioning process, a similar diagram will be obtained.

[0049] As shown in this FIG. 7, the controller 12 slides the conveyor body 26 from its origin position O to the time / point of reference symbol A at a predetermined speed V1. When the tire T is detected by the photoelectric sensor 20 at the time / point of reference symbol A, the slide movement speed is reduced to a predetermined speed V2. Thereafter, when the tire T is detected by the multi-row tape switch device 16 at the time / point of reference symbol B, the slide movement of the conveyor body 26 is stopped, whereby the positioning of the tire T is completed.

[0050] As described above, in this embodiment, when the tire T is detected by the photoelectric sensor 20, the control is performed so that the speed of the slide movement of the conveyor body 26 is reduced, thereby suppressing the impact on the multi-row tape switch device 16, particularly on the multi-row tape switch 18 described later, and improving the positioning accuracy of the tire T by the multi-row tape switch device 16.

[0051] Next, the operation and effect of the tire conveying device according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described. First, the tire conveyor device 1 according to the present embodiment and the modified example is a tire conveyor device capable of conveying a plurality of types of tires T, T1, and T2 having different sizes while positioning them, and includes a conveyor main body 26 for conveying a tire placed horizontally, a conveyor main body movable actuator (slide device) 34 for sliding the conveyor main body in the left - right direction (Y - direction) orthogonal to the tire conveying direction (X - direction) of the conveyor main body, a multi - row tape switch device 16 arranged at a tire positioning position for positioning the tire by sliding the conveyor main body in the left - right direction, and a controller 12 for stopping the slide movement of the slide device based on the tire detection by the multi - row tape switch device. According to the present embodiment configured as described above, since the position of the tire T is detected by the contact - type multi - row tape switch device 16, it is possible to prevent misdetection of the tire position due to a peeled or lifted label, and thereby accurately position a plurality of types of tires having different sizes. Further, since the tape switches 18 are multi - row, any size of tire (especially the width of the tread surface and the outer diameter of the tire) and any width or shape of the tire groove, any one of the multi - row tape switches will contact the tread surface or label of the tire, so the tire position can be accurately detected.

[0052] Also, in the present embodiment, the multi - row tape switch device 16 is configured such that a plurality of tape switches 18 extend parallel to each other at a predetermined interval, and the multi - row tape switch device is provided such that in a side view, the longitudinal direction of the plurality of tape switches 18 is inclined with respect to the tire conveying surface S of the conveyor main body 26. Thus, it is possible to suppress each tape switch 18 from getting caught in the tire groove, and thereby more accurately detect the tire position and accurately position the tire. Also, compared with the case where the multi - row tape switch device is not provided in an inclined direction with respect to the tire conveying surface S, it is also possible to reduce the number of tape switches 18.

[0053] In addition, in the present embodiment, a photoelectric sensor 20 is provided on the conveyor main body 26 side rather than the multi-row tape switch device 16. The controller 12 reduces the speed of the slide movement of the conveyor main body 26 by the electric cylinder for conveyor main body movement based on the tire detection by the photoelectric sensor. Therefore, the moving speed of the tire T moving toward the multi-row tape switch device 16 can be reduced, the impact on the multi-row tape switch device can be suppressed, and the tire positioning accuracy can be improved.

[0054] In addition, in the present embodiment, the multi-row tape switch device 16 is provided so as to be movable in the left-right direction (Y direction) orthogonal to the tire conveyance direction (X direction) of the conveyor main body 26 between the tire positioning position and the retracted position. Therefore, the multi-row tape switch device 16 can be moved in a direction away from the tire T. Thereby, for example, when the tire is conveyed downstream after the tire positioning is completed, rubbing between the multi-row tape switch device 16 and the conveyed tire T can be prevented.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0055] 1 Tire Conveying Device 2 Tire Conveying System 4 Upstream Roller Conveyor 6 Roller Conveyor with Direction Changing Mechanism 8 Downstream Belt Conveyor 10 Tire Stacking Device 12 Controller (Control Device) 14 Tire Positioning Device 16 Multi-row Tape Switch Device 18 Tape Switch 18a Positive Electrode Plate 18a Negative Electrode Plate 20 Photoelectric Sensor 22 Conveyor Roller 24 Roller Support Frame 26 Conveyor Main Body 28 Conveyor Main Body Support Device 30 Fixed Support Column 32 Movable Support Column 34 Electric cylinder for moving conveyor body (slide device) 36, 38 Connecting members 40 Sensor fixing frame member 42 Actuator for tire positioning device L Optical axis of photoelectric sensor T, T1, T2 Tires G Floor surface S Tire conveying surface O Origin of conveyor body A Photoelectric sensor detection position B Tape switch detection position

Claims

1. A tire conveying device capable of conveying a plurality of types of tires having different sizes while positioning them, comprising: a conveyor body for conveying a tire placed horizontally; a slide device for sliding the conveyor body in the left-right direction orthogonal to the tire conveying direction by the conveyor body; a multi-row tape switch device arranged at a tire positioning position for positioning the tire by sliding the conveyor body in the left-right direction; a controller for stopping the slide movement of the slide device based on tire detection by the multi-row tape switch device. The tire conveying device is characterized by the above.

2. The multi-row tape switch device is configured such that a plurality of tape switches extend parallel to each other at a predetermined interval; The multi-row tape switch device is provided such that, in a side view, the longitudinal direction of the plurality of tape switches is inclined with respect to the tire conveying surface of the conveyor body. The tire conveying device according to claim 1.

3. Furthermore, it includes a photoelectric sensor arranged closer to the conveyor body side than the multi-row tape switch device; The controller reduces the speed of the slide movement of the conveyor body by the slide device based on tire detection by the photoelectric sensor. The tire conveying device according to claim 1 or claim 2.

4. The multi-row tape switch device is provided so as to be movable in the left-right direction orthogonal to the tire conveying direction of the conveyor body between the tire positioning position and a predetermined retracted position. The tire conveying device according to claim 1 or claim 2.

Images