Tire manufacturing method and tires

Abstract

This invention provides a tire manufacturing method for safely and securely installing communication equipment inside the tire without damaging it. [Solution] A method for manufacturing a tire comprising a tire body and a communication device embedded radially on the outside of the carcass that forms the skeleton of the tire body, wherein the communication device is placed radially on the outside of the carcass of a green tire, the green tire is placed in a mold, and vulcanization molding is performed with the minimum distance between the communication device and the vent holes in the mold being greater than 0 mm.

Description

Technical Field

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[0001] The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a tire and a tire.

Background Art

[0002] Tires with a communication device such as an RF tag embedded inside are known. To embed this communication device inside the tire, at the stage of molding the green tire, after attaching the communication device to a predetermined position in advance, vulcanization molding is performed. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a method for manufacturing this type of tire.

Prior Art Documents

[0007] 2. The method for manufacturing a tire according to paragraph 1, wherein the minimum spacing is 2 mm or more.

[0008] 3. The method for manufacturing a tire according to 1 or 2, wherein the minimum spacing is 5 mm or more.

[0009] 4. The method for manufacturing a tire according to any one of 1 to 3, wherein the communication device comprises an IC chip, an antenna extending from the IC chip, and a covering rubber layer covering at least the outer surface side of the tire of the IC chip and the antenna. This configuration allows for the interposition of a coating rubber layer between the communication device and the mold and / or the green tire during the vulcanization process, thereby improving the durability of the communication device and / or its adhesion to the tire body.

[0010] 5. The method for manufacturing a tire according to 4, wherein the communication device has a reinforcing rubber layer covering the outer surface side of the tire of the covering rubber layer. This configuration allows for the interposition of a reinforcing rubber layer between the communication device and the mold and / or green tire during the vulcanization process, thereby further improving the durability of the communication device.

[0011] 6. The tire is a tire manufacturing method according to any one of items 1 to 5 above, wherein the nominal rim diameter of the applicable rim is 20 inches or more. With tires of this size, rubber flow during vulcanization tends to be significant, making the manufacturing method described in (1) above more effective.

[0012] 7. The tire itself and The tire body comprises a communication device embedded in the radially outer side of the carcass, which forms the frame of the tire body, A tire in which there is no spew or spew marks in the outer portion in the tire width direction, corresponding to an area at least 5 mm away from the communication device in the tire radial direction. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to the present invention, a communication device can be safely and reliably installed inside a tire without damaging it. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0014] [Figure 1] This is a schematic cross-sectional view in the width direction of a tire according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This figure shows examples of a communication device or a communication device laminate including the communication device that can be used in a tire manufacturing method according to one embodiment of the present invention, where (a) is a schematic plan view showing the communication device, (b) is a schematic perspective view showing an example of the communication device laminate, and (c) is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view of the communication device showing another example of the communication device laminate. [Figure 3] This is a schematic cross-sectional view in the tire width direction, showing an example of a mold and a green tire that may be used in a tire manufacturing method according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] This diagram illustrates the flow of rubber around a communication device in a conventional vulcanization molding process. [Figure 5] This diagram illustrates the minimum distance between the communication device and the mold's vent holes. [Figure 6] This is an explanatory diagram showing the arrangement of vent holes in the mold. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0015] The manufacturing method of the tire according to the present invention can be suitably used as a manufacturing method for any type of tire. For example, it can be suitably used as a manufacturing method for passenger car tires, truck / bus tires, construction / mining vehicle tires, etc., or as a manufacturing method for these. In particular, it can be suitably used as a manufacturing method for truck / bus tires and construction / mining vehicle tires.

[0016] Hereinafter, the manufacturing method of the tire according to the present invention and embodiments of the tire according to the present invention will be illustrated and described with reference to the drawings. The same reference numerals are given to the members and parts common to each figure. In this specification, the "circumferential direction of the tire" refers to the direction in which the tire rotates around the rotation axis of the tire, the "radial direction of the tire" refers to the direction orthogonal to the rotation axis of the tire, and the "width direction of the tire" refers to the direction parallel to the rotation axis of the tire. In some drawings, the circumferential direction of the tire is indicated by the symbol "CD", the radial direction of the tire is indicated by the symbol "RD", and the width direction of the tire is indicated by the symbol "WD". Also, in this specification, the side closer to the rotation axis of the tire along the radial direction of the tire is referred to as the "inner side in the radial direction of the tire", and the side farther from the rotation axis of the tire along the radial direction of the tire is referred to as the "outer side in the radial direction of the tire". Furthermore, in this specification, the side closer to the tire equatorial plane CL along the width direction of the tire is referred to as the "inner side in the width direction of the tire", and the side farther from the tire equatorial plane CL along the width direction of the tire is referred to as the "outer side in the width direction of the tire". Also, in this specification, the "inner surface of the tire" refers to the surface of the tire facing the tire inner cavity, and the "outer surface of the tire" refers to the surface of the tire facing the outside of the tire. In this specification, the terms such as the above-mentioned "circumferential direction of the tire" and the symbols such as "CD" are used not only for the tire after vulcanization (i.e., the finished tire), but also for the green tire before vulcanization. Also, in this specification, for the mold for vulcanizing the green tire, the terms such as "circumferential direction of the mold" and the symbols such as "CD" may be used in the same meaning as above.

[0017] <Tire> First, while referring to FIG. 1, an example of a tire obtained by the method for manufacturing a tire according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a drawing for explaining a tire 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and is a schematic cross-sectional view of the tire 10 in the tire width direction. The tire 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention is a tire manufactured by the method for manufacturing a tire according to an embodiment of the present invention, which will be described later. Therefore, the effects obtained by the method for manufacturing the tire, which will be described later, can be enjoyed. In other words, according to the tire 10, a communication device can be attached near the outer surface of the tire side portion in a simple manner during the manufacture of the tire 10. The tire 10 of the embodiment of the present invention may be configured as a tire of any type and / or any size. For example, the tire 10 of the present embodiment, and thus the tire 10 manufactured by the method for manufacturing a tire according to an embodiment of the present invention, which will be described later, may be configured as a tire having a nominal rim diameter of the applicable rim of 20 inches or more. Examples of the nominal rim diameter of the applicable rim being 20 inches or more include, for example, 25 inches, 29 inches, 33 inches, 35 inches, 49 inches, 51 inches, 57 inches, 63 inches, and the like. When the nominal rim diameter of the applicable rim of the tire 10 is 20 inches or more, according to the present embodiment, when the communication device is attached to the inner surface side of the tire, for example, problems are likely to occur in communication. For such a large-sized tire, the communication device can be easily attached near the outer surface of the tire side portion.

[0018] In this specification, the "nominal rim diameter of the applicable rim" (hereinafter also simply referred to as "nominal rim diameter") refers to the inner diameter of the tire and, by extension, the rim diameter of the applicable rim. More specifically, it refers to the nominal rim diameter (in inches) of the applicable rim as indicated in the tire size display on the sidewall of the tire, that is, the rim diameter of the applicable rim expressed in inches. For example, if the tire size is "29.5R25", the nominal rim diameter is "25 inches", if the tire size is "18.00R33", the nominal rim diameter is "33 inches", if the tire size is "46 / 90R57", the nominal rim diameter is "57 inches", and if the tire size is "59 / 80R63", the nominal rim diameter is "63 inches".

[0019] In this specification, "applicable rim" refers to the standard rim (Measuring Rim in the ETRTO STANDARDS MANUAL, Design Rim in the TRA YEAR BOOK) for the applicable size, which is listed or will be listed in the industrial standards valid in the region where the tire is produced and used, such as the JATMA YEAR BOOK of JATMA (Japan Automobile Tire Manufacturers Association) in Japan, the STANDARDS MANUAL of ETRTO (The European Tyre and Rim Technical Organisation) in Europe, and the YEAR BOOK of TRA (The Tire and Rim Association, Inc.) in the United States. However, for sizes not listed in these industrial standards, it refers to a rim with a width corresponding to the bead width of a pneumatic tire. "Applicable rim" includes not only current sizes but also sizes that will be listed in the aforementioned industrial standards in the future. An example of "sizes that will be listed in the future" is the size listed as "FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS" in the ETRTO 2013 edition.

[0020] The tire 10 according to this embodiment is a pneumatic tire and, as shown in Figure 1, has a bead portion 1, a sidewall portion 2, and a tread portion 3. The bead portion 1 is the part of the tire 10 that contacts the rim on the inner side in the radial direction of the tire and the outer side in the width direction of the tire when the tire 10 is mounted on the rim. The tread portion 3 is the part of the tire 10 in the width direction between a pair of tread ends. The sidewall portion 2 is the part between the pair of bead portions 1 and the tread portion 3. In this specification, the sidewall portion 2 and the bead portion 1 of the tire 10 may be collectively referred to as the tire side portion 8. The sidewall portion 2 refers to the part that is at least the part in the radial direction of the tire that is inside the belt 5, which will be described later, and the part that is outside the radial direction of the tire that is outside the bead portion 1.

[0021] More specifically, the tire 10 of this embodiment comprises a pair of bead portions 1 having a bead core 11, a carcass 4 consisting of at least one (one in the illustrated example) carcass ply extending in a toroidal shape between the pair of bead portions 1 via a pair of sidewall portions 2 and a tread portion 3, a belt 5 consisting of at least one (six in the illustrated example) belt layer provided on the radially outer side of the carcass 4 (i.e., the crown portion of the carcass 4) in the tread portion 3, and a communication device 6 attached to the tire side portion 8 (more specifically, the bead portion 1 and the sidewall portion 2 in this example). Herein, in this specification, "communication device" refers to a device equipped with electronic components, for example, one that has a function for communicating with the outside world. In this specification, the portion of the tire 10 excluding the communication device 6 or the communication device laminate 60 described later may be referred to as the "tire body," and the portion of the green tire 20 described later excluding the communication device 6 or the communication device laminate 60 described later may also be referred to as the "green tire body."

[0022] In this example, each bead core 11 is embedded in the corresponding bead portion 1. The bead core 11 may comprise a plurality of bead wires that are covered with rubber. However, the bead core 11 may consist of a single bead wire. The bead wire is preferably made of metal (e.g., steel). The bead wire may consist of, for example, a monofilament or a stranded wire. The bead wire may also be made of organic fibers or carbon fibers. In this example, as shown in Figure 1, the cross-sectional shape of the bead core 11 in the tire width direction is a regular hexagon, but the cross-sectional shape of the bead core 11 may be other shapes, such as polygonal shapes other than a regular hexagon, or circular shapes.

[0023] In this example, as shown in Figure 1, the carcass 4 comprises a carcass body portion located between the bead cores 11 of a pair of bead portions 1, and carcass folded portions that are folded back from both ends of the carcass body portion around each bead core 11 from the inside to the outside in the tire width direction. However, the carcass 4 does not necessarily have to have carcass folded portions. Each carcass ply constituting the carcass 4 includes one or more carcass cords and a covering rubber covering the carcass cords. The carcass cords can be formed, for example, from monofilaments or stranded wires. In this example, the carcass cords are made of steel. The fact that the carcass cords are made of steel allows for sufficient strength to be obtained, for example, when the carcass is made of a simple radial structure in a large tire. Furthermore, in this example, the carcass 4 has a radial structure. That is, each carcass cord included in the carcass ply of the carcass 4 extends substantially along the tire width direction (i.e., without being inclined at a substantially 0° angle with respect to the tire width direction in a projection view from the radially outward direction of the tread portion 3). However, the carcass cord may be composed of organic fibers such as polyester, nylon, rayon, or aramid. Furthermore, the carcass 4 may have a bias structure.

[0024] In this example, each belt layer constituting belt 5 includes one or more belt cords and a covering rubber that covers the belt cords. The belt cords can be formed, for example, from monofilaments or stranded wires. The belt cords may be made of metal (e.g., steel) or organic fibers such as polyester, nylon, rayon, or aramid.

[0025] As shown in Figure 1, in this example, more specifically, the communication device 6 is embedded in the vicinity of the outer surface 10a of the tire in the tire side portion 8. Here, in this specification, "near the outer surface of the tire" or "close to the outer surface of the tire" refers to a position at least outside the carcass 4 (more specifically, in this example, the folded portion of the carcass 4) in the tire width direction. In the example shown in Figure 1, the communication device 6 is embedded within the sidewall section 2. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the communication device 6 may be embedded in the tire side portion 8 of the tire 10 as a single unit (see Figure 2(a)), or it may be embedded in the tire side portion 8 of the tire 10 as a communication device laminate 60 (see Figures 2(b) to 2(c)) including the communication device 6, wherein at least a portion of the surface of the communication device 6 is covered with a rubber coating layer 61. In other words, the communication device 6 may be used as a single unit (see Figure 2(a)) or as the above-mentioned communication device laminate 60 (see Figures 2(b) to 2(c)) in the communication device placement step in the tire manufacturing method according to one embodiment of the present invention described later. If the communication device 6 is covered with a rubber coating layer 61 on at least a portion of the surface of the communication device 6 in the communication device placement step, the durability of the communication device 6 and / or its adhesion to the tire body can be improved.

[0026] In this embodiment, it is preferable that the communication device 6 is positioned at a depth of 0.1 to 10.0 mm from the outer surface 10a of the tire sidewall 8. In this case, the communication device 6 is less likely to be damaged during tire movement, thereby improving the durability of the communication device 6, and the information from the communication device 6 is easier to read from the outside. From a similar viewpoint, it is even more preferable that the communication device 6 is positioned at a depth of 0.5 to 5.0 mm from the outer surface 10a of the tire sidewall 8. Furthermore, if the communication device 6 is an RF tag as shown in any of the Figures 2(a) to 2(c) described later, the thin IC chip 6a may be attached to the tire outer surface 10a side such that both sides of the thickness direction TD (for example, in Figure 2(a), the front and back sides of the paper) are aligned with the tire outer surface 10a (i.e., the two are substantially parallel), and the center of the thickness direction TD of the IC chip 6a may be positioned at the depth position.

[0027] In the illustrated example, the outer side of the belt 5 in the tread portion 3 in the radial direction of the tire is provided with tread rubber that forms the tread surface, which is the outer surface 10a of the tread portion 3. A tread pattern is formed on the tread surface. In this example, the tread pattern is a lug pattern in which lugs are partitioned in the circumferential direction of the tire by lug grooves, but the tread pattern is not particularly limited. Furthermore, in the illustrated example, the outer side of the carcass 4 in the tire width direction of the tire side portion 8 is provided with side rubber that forms the outer surface 10a of the tire side portion 8. Furthermore, the inner surface of the tire 10 in this embodiment is made of an inner liner (not shown in particular) that is less permeable to air and / or gas.

[0028] Figure 2 shows examples of a tire according to one embodiment of the present invention and a communication device or a communication device laminate including the communication device that can be used in a method for manufacturing the tire according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2(a) is a schematic plan view showing an example of the communication device, Figure 2(b) is a schematic perspective view showing an example of the communication device laminate, and Figure 2(c) is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view of the communication device showing another example of the communication device laminate.

[0029] As shown in Figure 2(a), in this example, the communication device 6 is an RF tag having an IC chip 6a with a memory unit and the like, and one or more (two in the illustrated example) antennas 6b that transmit and / or receive electromagnetic waves. RF tags are also commonly called RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tags. In this example, antenna 6b is connected to IC chip 6a and extends in a linear, wavy, or spiral shape (spiral in the illustrated example). In this example, two antennas 6b extend from IC chip 6a in opposite directions. However, antenna 6b may extend from IC chip 6a on only one side. Also, in this example, the lengths of the long-side LDs of the IC chip 6a described later are the same for the two antennas 6b. However, the lengths of the long-side LDs of the IC chip 6a may be different for the two antennas.

[0030] In this example, the IC chip 6a is a thin, thin plate with a roughly rectangular shape in plan view (see Figure 2(a)). Here, the "thickness" of the IC chip 6a refers to the thickness in the direction parallel to the direction along the long side of the IC chip 6a in plan view (hereinafter also referred to as the "long side direction of the IC chip (6a)") LD, the direction parallel to the direction along the short side of the IC chip 6a in plan view (hereinafter also referred to as the "short side direction of the IC chip (6a)") SD, and the direction perpendicular to both of these (hereinafter also referred to as the "thickness direction of the IC chip (6a)") TD. In this example, the long side direction LD of the IC chip (6a) is also the long side direction of the communication device (6), the short side direction SD of the IC chip (6a) is also the short side direction of the communication device (6), and the thickness direction TD of the IC chip (6a) is also the thickness direction of the communication device (6). The IC chip 6a has, for example, a storage unit which is any known memory and a control unit which is any known processor. The IC chip 6a may operate using induced electromotive force generated by electromagnetic waves received by one or more antennas 6b. That is, the communication device 6 may be a passive communication device. Alternatively, the communication device 6 may further include a battery and be able to communicate by generating electromagnetic waves with its own power. That is, the communication device 6 may be an active communication device. The control unit of the IC chip 6a can, for example, read data such as tire manufacturing management, shipping management, and usage history management stored in the storage unit, or write such data to the storage unit.

[0031] Figure 2(b) shows an example of a communication device laminate 60 including a communication device 6, wherein the communication device 6 has a covering rubber layer 61 on at least a portion of its surface. That is, in this example, the communication device 6 has a covering rubber layer 61 on at least a portion of its surface. More specifically, in this example, the communication device 6 is configured as a communication device laminate 60 comprising a one-side covering rubber layer 61a provided on the entire surface of one side of the communication device 6 in the thickness direction TD, and a other-side covering rubber layer 61b provided on the entire surface of the other side of the communication device 6 in the thickness direction TD. As shown in Figure 2(b), in this example, the covering rubber layer 61 (one-side covering rubber layer 61a and other-side covering rubber layer 61b) is, for example, a thin sheet of rubber. In other words, in this example, the communication device 6 is configured as a communication device laminate 60 in which the entire surfaces of one side and the other side in the thickness direction TD are covered with, so to speak, a sheet of covering rubber. In this case, it is preferable to use a rubber material with a lower dielectric constant than the rubber material of the tire body for the covering rubber layer 61. Note that the configuration of the communication device 6 in the example shown in Figure 2(b) is the same as the configuration of the communication device 6 in Figure 2(a) described above, when the communication device 6 is shown as a standalone unit.

[0032] Figure 2(c) shows another example of a communication device laminate 60 including a communication device 6, further comprising a reinforcing rubber layer 62 (surface sheet rubber) provided on at least the entire surface of one side (outer side in the tire width direction) of the coating rubber layer 61 disposed on the surface of the communication device 6 in the thickness direction TD of the communication device 6. In this example as well, similar to the coating rubber layer 61 (one-side coating rubber layer 61a and the other-side coating rubber layer 61b) in Figure 2(b), the reinforcing rubber layer 62 can be, for example, a rubber sheet. That is, the reinforcing rubber layer 62 is located on the outer side in the tire width direction of the communication device 6 and the coating rubber layer 61, and is responsible for protecting the antenna portion 6b of the communication device 6 in particular. When a reinforcing rubber layer 62 is provided, it is preferable to apply a rubber material with a lower dielectric constant than the reinforcing rubber layer 62 to the coating rubber layer 61. In addition, the reinforcing rubber layer 62 can function sufficiently with just one layer, but it may be composed of two or more layers as shown in Figure 2(c), or three or more layers. Furthermore, the configuration of the communication device 6 itself in the example of Figure 2(c) is the same as the configuration of the communication device 6 in Figure 2(a) described above, which was explained as a standalone communication device 6.

[0033] In the examples shown in Figures 2(b) and 2(c) above, the communication device 6 is provided with a covering rubber layer 61 and a reinforcing rubber layer 62 over its entire surface. However, when the communication device 6 is configured as a communication device laminate 60, the communication device 6 may be provided with a covering rubber layer 61 over at least a portion of its surface. Preferably, as shown in the examples in Figures 2(b) and 2(c), the communication device 6 is provided with a covering rubber layer 61 and a reinforcing rubber layer 62 over at least the entire surface of one side of the communication device 6 in the thickness direction TD.

[0034] As described above, the communication device 6 alone or the communication device laminate 60 including the communication device 6 can be used in the tire manufacturing method according to one embodiment of the present invention, which will be described later. Consequently, the communication device 6 alone or the communication device laminate 60 including the communication device 6 may be embedded in the tire side portion 8 of a tire manufactured by the tire manufacturing method, that is, a tire 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention described with reference to Figure 1. Although Figure 1 shows a simplified representation of the communication device laminate 60 including the communication device 6, in the example in Figure 1, the communication device 6 is embedded inside the tire near the outer surface 10a such that one and the other surfaces of the thin plate-shaped IC chip 6a in the thickness direction TD are aligned with the outer surface 10a of the tire (i.e., they are approximately parallel).

[0035] In the tire 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention shown in Figure 1, if the communication device 6 is, for example, an RF tag as shown in Figure 2(a) and has an antenna 6b, the communication device 6 may be attached to the tire 10 such that, in a view of the tire rotation axis, the antenna 6b extends in a direction intersecting the extending direction of the carcass cords included in the carcass plies of the carcass 4 (preferably in a direction perpendicular to said extending direction). If the carcass 4 has a radial structure, in this case, the entire longitudinal LD ​​of the communication device 6 is suppressed from being greatly bent due to the bending strain of the sidewall portion 2, and the durability of the communication device 6 can be improved.

[0036] In the tire 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention shown in Figure 1, there are no spews or spew marks in the outer portion in the tire width direction that overlaps with the communication device 6, including the antenna 6b. Furthermore, it is preferable that there are no spews or spew marks in the outer portion in the tire width direction that corresponds to a region at least 2 mm away from the communication device 6 in the tire radial direction. More preferably, there are no spews or spew marks in the outer portion in the tire width direction that corresponds to a region at least 5 mm away from the communication device 6 in the tire radial direction. With the above tire, it is possible to avoid the relatively low durability of the rubber of the coating rubber layer being absorbed from the spew and exposed on the tire surface, thereby preventing a decrease in the durability of, for example, the tire sidewall portion in which the communication device is embedded.

[0037] <Tire manufacturing method> Next, a method for manufacturing a tire according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figure 3. Figure 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view in the tire width direction, showing an example of a mold and a green tire that may be used in a tire manufacturing method according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0038] First, we will describe a mold that can be used in a tire manufacturing method according to one embodiment of the present invention. In Figure 3, reference numeral 30 denotes a tire vulcanizing apparatus, which can manufacture a tire 10, for example, as shown in Figure 1, by vulcanizing an unvulcanized tire, i.e., a green tire 20. The green tire 20, like the tire 10, comprises a pair of bead portions 21, sidewall portions 22 extending radially outward from each bead portion 21, and a tread portion 15 connecting the radially outer ends of these sidewall portions 22. In this specification, the sidewall portions 22 and bead portions 21 of the green tire 20 are sometimes collectively referred to as the tire side portion 28. Here, in Figure 3, internal tire components that the green tire 20 has, like the tire 10, such as the bead core, carcass, belt, etc., are omitted from description to avoid complexity.

[0039] In this example, the tire vulcanizing apparatus 30 has a mold 31, which consists of at least a substantially ring-shaped lower mold 32 and a substantially ring-shaped upper mold 33. The lower mold 32 has a tire side molding surface 323 on its upper surface in the substantially central region in the radial direction of the tire, which molds various markings (letters, numbers, and patterns: for example, brand name, product model, tire size, etc.) onto at least a portion of the tire side portion 28 on one side (lower side) of the raw tire 20. Similarly, the upper mold 33 has a tire side molding surface 333 on its lower surface in the substantially central region in the radial direction of the tire, which molds (same as above) onto at least a portion of the tire side portion 28 on the other side (upper side) of the raw tire 20.

[0040] In Figure 3, reference numerals 321 and 331 indicate the tread molding surfaces in the mold 31 used to mold the tread portion 23 of the raw tire 20, and reference numerals 322 and 332 indicate the lug groove forming bones in the mold 31 used to form lug grooves in one (lower) half and the other (upper) half of the raw tire 20, respectively. As shown in Figure 3, the lug groove forming bones 322 and 332 protrude inward in the tire radial direction from the outer end portion in the tire radial direction of the lower mold 32 and the outer end portion in the tire radial direction of the upper mold 33, respectively, and are arranged at, for example, equidistant distances in the tire circumferential direction.

[0041] In this example, the tire vulcanizing apparatus 30 has a shaping unit 34. The shaping unit 34 has a one-side support 35 on which the bead portion 21 on one side (lower side) of the green tire 20 is seated and which can mainly tidy up the bead portion 21, and a other-side support 36 on which the bead portion 21 on the other side (upper side) of the green tire 20 is seated and which can mainly tidy up the bead portion 21. These one-side support 35 and other-side support 36 can be detachably connected by a connecting mechanism (not shown). In Figure 3, reference numeral 80 denotes a flexible bladder provided on the shaping unit 34, with one end and the other end in the tire width direction securely locked to the one-side support 35 and the other-side support 36, respectively.

[0042] In this example, as shown in Figure 3, the aforementioned communication device 6 (including the communication device 6 included in the aforementioned communication device stack 60; the same applies hereinafter) is located on the tire side portion 28 of the raw tire 20. However, the communication device 6 only needs to be positioned on at least one of the surfaces of the tire side portion 28 on the side of the tire that contacts the lower mold 32, and the surface of the tire side portion 28 on the side of the tire that contacts the upper mold 33, when the green tire 20 is housed in the vulcanization space VS, the lower mold 32 and the upper mold 33 are closed to each other, and vulcanization has not yet begun.

[0043] The following describes a method for manufacturing a tire according to one embodiment of the present invention. The tire manufacturing method of this embodiment involves manufacturing a tire 10 using a tire vulcanizing apparatus 30, and by extension, a mold 31, a lower mold 32, an upper mold 33, etc., as described with reference to Figure 3. The tire manufacturing method according to this embodiment is a tire manufacturing method for obtaining a tire 10 in which a communication device 6 is embedded in the tire side portion 8, as described above with reference to Figure 1. As mentioned above, the type and / or size of the tire 10 may be arbitrary, but the tire 10 may be configured as a tire in which the nominal rim diameter of the applicable rim is 20 inches or more.

[0044] The tire manufacturing method according to this embodiment uses a lower mold 32 and an upper mold 33 as the mold 31 for vulcanizing the green tire 20. The configuration of the mold 31, lower mold 32 and upper mold 33 is not particularly limited as long as the lower mold 32 is located vertically below and the upper mold 33 is located vertically above the lower mold 32. For example, the mold 31, lower mold 32 and upper mold 33 described above with reference to Figure 3 can be used.

[0045] The tire manufacturing method according to this embodiment includes a communication device installation step and a vulcanization step.

[0046] (Communication equipment installation process) Referring to Figure 3, in the communication device mounting process, the communication device 6 is placed on at least one of the surfaces of the tire side portion 28 on the side of the green tire 20 that contacts the lower mold 32, and the surface of the tire side portion 28 on the side of the green tire 20 that contacts the upper mold 33. Here, the "tire side portion 28 on the side of the green tire 20 that contacts the lower mold 32 (or upper mold 33)" refers to the tire side portion 28 of the tire half of the green tire 20 that contacts the lower mold 32 (or upper mold 33) in the vulcanization process described later.

[0047] More specifically, in this example using the tire vulcanizing apparatus 30 shown in Figure 3, in the communication device placement step, the communication device 6 is placed on the lower mold 32 and the upper mold 33 (specifically, the tire side mold mounting surface 323 of the lower mold 32 and the tire side mold mounting surface 333 of the upper mold 33). However, as described above, in the communication device mounting step, the communication device 6 only needs to be mounted on at least one of the surfaces of the tire side portion 28 of the green tire 20 that contacts the lower mold 32, and the surface of the tire side portion 28 of the green tire 20 that contacts the upper mold 33. The communication device 6 may be placed in the aforementioned location as a standalone communication device 6 as described above with reference to Figure 2(a), or it may be attached to the aforementioned location as a communication device 6 included in a communication device stack 60 as described above with reference to Figures 2(b) to 2(c), by placing the communication device stack 60 in the aforementioned location.

[0048] The mounting position of the communication device 6 described above is crucial for the vulcanization molding of the green tire 20 when the green tire 20 is housed in the mold 31 and the mold is closed, such that the minimum distance between the communication device 6 and the vent holes of the lower mold 32 and upper mold 33 is greater than 0 mm, that is, the communication device 6 and the vent holes of the lower mold 32 and upper mold 33 are arranged so that they do not overlap in the tire width direction. The minimum distance is preferably 2 mm or more, and more preferably 5 mm or more.

[0049] In other words, in the next vulcanization step, the lower mold 32 and upper mold 33 are closed, and the green tire 20 with the communication device 6 attached is set (hoisted) inside the mold 31, i.e., inside the vulcanization space VS. Then, a high-temperature, high-pressure vulcanizing medium is supplied into the bladder 80 to vulcanize the green tire 20. In this vulcanization step, various markings are transferred and engraved onto the tire side portion 28 of the green tire 20, and after vulcanization, various markings are formed on the tire side portion 28 of the tire 10, i.e., the manufactured tire 10, by creating indentations and recesses.

[0050] In this vulcanization process, in order to ensure proper molding of the tire, it is customary to provide numerous vent holes in the lower mold 32 and upper mold 33 to discharge gas generated within the rubber during the vulcanization process to the outside of the mold through the vent holes. In particular, it is customary to provide recesses and vent holes in the mold area where the raised parts for the various markings mentioned above are transferred.

[0051] Here, Figure 4(a) schematically shows the state in which the communication device 6 is attached to the tire side portion 28 of the green tire 20 and set in the mold region where the recess 70 and vent hole 71 are provided as shown. As vulcanization progresses in this set state, as shown in Figure 4(b), a phenomenon occurs in which the rubber around the communication device 6 (including the rubber for the coating rubber layer 61) flows toward the recess 70 and vent hole 71. This rubber flow partially moves the IC chip 6a and antenna 6b of the communication device 6, resulting in bending occurring at the connection between the IC chip 6a and the antenna 6b and within the antenna 6b. In particular, since the connection between the IC chip 6a and the antenna 6b is relatively fragile, the connection may break, which could impair the communication function of the communication device 6.

[0052] Therefore, in this example, the minimum distance between the communication device 6 and the vent holes 71 of the lower mold 32 and upper mold 33 is set to more than 0 mm, that is, the communication device 6 and the vent holes 71 of the lower mold 32 and upper mold 33 are arranged so that they do not overlap in the tire width direction, thereby avoiding the situation in which rubber flow occurs as shown in Figure 4.

[0053] The minimum spacing mentioned above refers to the minimum spacing between the communication device 6 and the vent hole 71 when the green tire 20 is housed in the vulcanization space VS within the lower mold 32 and upper mold 33, the lower mold 32 and upper mold 33 are closed, and the green tire 20 with the communication device 6 attached is set (stored) in the vulcanization space VS within the mold 31. In other words, as shown in Figure 5, when the tire side portion 28 of the green tire 20 is in contact with the inner wall surfaces of the lower mold 32 and upper mold 33, the minimum spacing is defined as the minimum distance d between the tip of the antenna 6b of the communication device 6 and the vent hole adjacent to the communication device 6, in the direction along the outer surface of the tire.

[0054] Next, we will explain in detail the method for making the minimum distance between the communication device 6 and the mold's vent hole 71 greater than 0 mm. [Method 1] When performing vulcanization molding using an existing mold, the communication device 6 is attached to the tire side portion 28 of the green tire 20 according to the specified position, after identifying a position that can secure the minimum spacing between the vent holes provided in the mold. That is, for example, as shown in Figure 6, when the inner circumferential surface of the lower mold 32 (and upper mold 33) is viewed from the tire axis direction, the portion of the lower mold 32 (and upper mold 33) that contacts the tire side portion 28 may have multiple rows of vent holes arranged on circumferential lines of different diameters, each row having a large number of vent holes 71 at equal intervals on the same circumferential line. In the example shown in Figure 6, rows of vent holes 71a to 71e are arranged. In this example, the arrangement of rows of vent holes 71a to 71e is designed such that the radial spacing between rows of vent holes 71b and 71c is wider than the spacing between other rows of vent holes. When performing vulcanization molding using such a mold, the minimum spacing described above can be secured by attaching the communication device 6 to the tire side portion 28 such that the communication device 6 is located in the radial intermediate area of ​​the circumferential region 72 between the rows of vent holes 71b and 71c.

[0055] [Method 2] Regarding other methods, we will explain using the example of a mold with a vent hole arrangement design that does not have a wide circumferential area between vent hole rows. In such a case, the minimum spacing can be ensured for the communication device 6 attached to the tire side portion 28 by filling in the vent holes 71 that are located within the minimum spacing mentioned above. As described above, after the installation of the communication device 6 is completed, with the minimum distance between the communication device 6 and the vent hole 71 of the mold being greater than 0 mm, the green tire is subjected to vulcanization molding. Vulcanization molding can be carried out under normal conditions, and for example, the following vulcanization molding is advantageously suitable.

[0056] (Vulcanization process) Referring to Figure 3, in the vulcanization process, after the communication device placement process described above, the green tire 20 is set in the mold 31 and vulcanized. More specifically, in this example using the tire vulcanization apparatus 30 shown in Figure 3, during the vulcanization process, for example, after both bead portions 21 of the unvulcanized green tire 20 are seated on the one-side support 35 and the other-side support 36 respectively, these one-side support 35 and the other-side support 36 are connected by a connecting mechanism (not shown), and then, when internal pressure is filled into the bladder 80, the green tire 20 deforms into a roughly toroidal shape and is supported by the shaping unit 34 consisting of the one-side support 35, the other-side support 36 and the bladder 80. Next, the green tire 20 mounted on the shaping unit 34 in this manner is transported into the upper mold 33 in an open state by a transport means (not shown), and then placed on the lower mold 32 while aligning the lug groove forming bones 322 of the lower mold 32 with the lug groove forming grooves formed on one side (lower side) of the green tire 20. After that, the lower mold 32 and the upper mold 33 are closed, and the green tire 20 is set (stored) inside the mold 31, i.e., inside the vulcanization space VS. Then, a high-temperature, high-pressure vulcanizing medium is supplied into the bladder 80 to vulcanize the green tire 20.

[0057] Furthermore, in the vulcanization process described above, the communication device 6 attached to the green tire 20 is integrally molded with the green tire body, and in the vulcanized tire 10, i.e., the manufactured tire 10, the communication device 6 is embedded in the tire 10. In this vulcanization process, the flow of rubber around the communication device 6 is reliably suppressed, so that the manufactured tire 10 has an undamaged communication device 6.

[0058] The following describes preferred configurations and modifications of the tire manufacturing method according to this embodiment. As described above, in the communication device mounting process, it is preferable that the communication device 6 is provided with a covering rubber layer 61 (one-sided covering rubber layer 61a and / or the other-sided covering rubber layer 61b) on at least a part of the surface of the communication device 6. In other words, it is preferable that the communication device 6 is configured as a communication device laminate 60 including the communication device 6, as shown in Figure 2(b). In this case, in the vulcanization process, it becomes possible to interpose the covering rubber layer 61 between the communication device 6 and the lower mold 32, upper mold 33 and / or the green tire 20, thereby improving the durability of the communication device 6 and / or its adhesion to the tire body.

[0059] Furthermore, in the communication device mounting process, it is preferable that the communication device 6 further comprises a reinforcing rubber layer 62 provided on at least the entire surface of one side (outer side in the tire width direction) of the coating rubber layer 61 in the thickness direction TD of the communication device 6, as shown in Figure 2(c). In this case, it becomes possible to more reliably suppress the flow of rubber around the communication device 6 during the vulcanization process, and damage to the communication device 6 during vulcanization molding can be more reliably avoided. Consequently, the durability of the communication device 6 and / or its adhesion to the tire body can be improved.

[0060] Here, the reinforcing rubber layer 62 is not particularly limited as long as it is a rubber material having a dielectric constant higher than that of the covering rubber layer. While it is desirable that the reinforcing rubber layer 62 be a rubber material that does not contain carbon black, or a rubber material with a lower carbon black content than the reinforcing rubber, it is not particularly limited as long as it is a rubber material with a lower dielectric constant than the reinforcing rubber, and any such material can be suitably used. For example, it may be the same rubber material as the side rubber.

[0061] Furthermore, the reinforcing rubber layer 62 is preferably 0.7 mm or thicker (Figure 2(c)). This is because it improves resistance to damage. Also, if the thickness T is less than 0.7 mm, there is a possibility that the RF tag may become visible on the tire surface during the internal pressure filling, use, and driving process in the finished tire. On the other hand, the reinforcing rubber layer is preferably 3.0 mm or less in thickness. If this thickness exceeds 3.0 mm, localized protrusions will form on the surface of the green tire, and the formation of localized protrusions will increase the risk of rubber indentation during vulcanization molding.

[0062] Furthermore, when attaching the communication device to the surface of a raw tire, if the sizes of the covering rubber layer 61 and the reinforcing rubber layer 62 differ, and a step is created between the edge of the covering rubber layer 61 and the edge of the reinforcing rubber layer 62, it is preferable that the distance of this step in the thickness direction of the communication device is 3.0 mm or less. In other words, by making this step 3.0 mm or less, the formation of the localized protrusions described above is suppressed, and thus the pinching of the rubber during vulcanization molding can be further suppressed.

[0063] In the communication device installation process, it is preferable to place the communication device 6 on the green tire 20 via adhesive. In this case, for example, in a later vulcanization process, it is possible to prevent the communication device 6 from shifting or falling off the green tire 20.

[0064] In the communication device installation process, it is preferable to position the communication device 6 on both sides of the tire side portion 28 of the green tire 20. In this case, in the manufactured tire 10, the communication device 6 will be embedded near the outer surface 10a of the tire side portion 8 on one half of the tire, and near the outer surface 10a of the tire side portion 8 on the other half of the tire, with the tire equatorial plane CL as the boundary. As a result, information stored in the communication device 6 can be read from both sides of the tire width direction, ensuring the communication of the communication device 6 even if it is a large tire, regardless of the mounting direction of the tire 10 on the vehicle. Furthermore, even if one side of the communication device 6 malfunctions and becomes inoperable, information can be read from the other side of the communication device 6. However, during the communication device installation process, the communication device 6 may be placed on only one of the tire side portions 28 of the raw tire 20.

[0065] Furthermore, the communication devices 6 may be installed at multiple positions spaced apart in the circumferential direction on each tire side portion 28 of the raw tire 20, thereby providing three or more communication devices 6. In this case, even if at least one of the three or more communication devices 6 fails or detaches in the manufactured tire 10, there is a higher probability that one of the other communication devices 6 will remain functional, thereby preventing, for example, the inability to read or write information about the tire 10 using the communication devices 6.

[0066] In the above case, it is preferable that the communication devices 6 be arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of each tire side portion 28 of the raw tire 20. This arrangement makes it possible to more reliably ensure that at least one of the communication devices 6 remains functional in the manufactured tire 10 by mitigating the effects of events that cause failure or delamination during tire operation. [Industrial applicability]

[0067] The tire manufacturing method and the tire according to the present invention can be suitably used as a method for manufacturing any type of tire and as a tire of any type, for example, as a tire for passenger cars, a tire for trucks and buses, a tire for construction and mining vehicles, etc., or as a method for manufacturing them, and in particular can be suitably used as a tire for construction and mining vehicles or as a method for manufacturing them. [Explanation of symbols]

[0068] 10: tire, 20: raw tire, 10a: tire outer surface, 1, 21: Bead section, 11: Bead core 2, 22: Sidewall section, 3, 23: Tread section, 4: Carcass, 5: Belt, 6: Communication device, 6a: IC chip, 6b: Antenna, 60: Communication device stack, 61: Covering rubber layer, 61a: Covering rubber layer on one side, 61b: Covering rubber layer on the other side, 62: Reinforcement rubber layer 70: recess, 71: vent hole, 8, 28: Tire sidewall, 30: Tire vulcanizing machine, 31: Mold, 32: Lower mold, 33: Upper mold, 321, 331: Tread molding surface, 322, 332: Lug groove forming bone, 323, 333: Tire sidewall molding surface, 34: Shaping unit, 35: One-sided support, 36: Other-sided support, 80: Brada, CD: Circumferential direction of the tire, CL: Equatorial plane of the tire, LD: Long side direction (longitudinal direction), O: Tire rotation axis, RD: Tire radial direction, SD: Short side direction, TD: Thickness direction, VS: Vulcanization space WD: Tire width direction

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a tire comprising a tire body and a communication device embedded on the outer surface side of the carcass that forms the skeleton of the tire body, A tire manufacturing method comprising: arranging the communication device radially outside the carcass of a green tire; placing the green tire in a mold; and performing vulcanization molding with the minimum distance between the communication device and the vent holes in the mold being greater than 0 mm.

2. The method for manufacturing a tire according to claim 1, wherein the minimum interval is 2 mm or more.

3. The method for manufacturing a tire according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the minimum interval is 5 mm or more.

4. The method for manufacturing a tire according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the communication device comprises an IC chip, an antenna extending from the IC chip, and a covering rubber layer covering at least the outer surface side of the tire of the IC chip and the antenna.

5. The method for manufacturing a tire according to claim 4, wherein the communication device has a reinforcing rubber layer that covers the outer surface side of the tire of the covering rubber layer.

6. The tire is a tire manufacturing method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the nominal rim diameter of the applicable rim is 20 inches or more.

7. The tire itself, The tire body comprises a communication device embedded in the radially outer side of the carcass, which forms the frame of the tire body, A tire in which there is no spew or spew marks in the outer portion in the tire width direction, corresponding to an area at least 5 mm away from the communication device in the tire radial direction.

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