Pneumatic tires, tire processing machines, wheels, methods, control devices, and computer program products

Abstract

A pneumatic tire is disclosed, comprising a bead having a bead base oriented toward the axis of rotation of the pneumatic tire, wherein the bead base has projections extending toward the axis of rotation and in the circumferential direction of the bead base, and the projections have a geometry that changes in the circumferential direction. Furthermore, a pneumatic tire is disclosed, comprising a bead having a bead base oriented toward the axis of rotation of the pneumatic tire, wherein the bead base has a surface structure created by removing tire material along a machining trajectory in the machining region of the bead base, and the surface structure is corrugated. Furthermore, a method for manufacturing a pneumatic tire and a tire machining machine are disclosed. Furthermore, a method for operating a tire machining machine, a wheel having a pneumatic tire, a control device for controlling the method, and a computer program product for controlling the method are disclosed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of processing pneumatic tires, such as passenger car tires or truck tires, for example.

Background Art

[0002] From German Patent No. 4339775, a method for correcting the concentricity of a pneumatic tire and a device for clamping the tire suitable for performing the method are known. From the seat surface radially inside the tire bead, at least the subsequent radial force fluctuations are removed so as to fall within an allowable range. The removal is performed by a laser beam. The device for clamping the tire and removing rubber from the bead region has a cross-section similar to that of a rim, and includes a seat surface arranged radially inside and a seat surface arranged axially outside, and the seat surface arranged radially inside is recessed over a circumferential region, and within this circumferential region, a removal tool can be brought into contact with the bead from the radially inner surface of the tire bead. The circumferential region where the seat surface arranged radially inside is recessed has an extension of 50 degrees to 160 degrees, preferably 90 degrees.

Summary of the Invention

[0003] There is a need for a technology that enables improvement in the processing of pneumatic tires.

[0004] This requirement is considered by the independent claims. Advantageous embodiments are described in the dependent claims.

[0005] According to a first aspect of the subject matter disclosed herein, a pneumatic tire is provided.

[0006] According to an embodiment of the first aspect, a pneumatic tire is provided, the pneumatic tire including a bead having a bead base facing the axis of rotation of the pneumatic tire, the bead base having a surface structure produced by removal of tire material along a processing locus in a processing region of the bead base, the surface structure being wavy.

[0007] A method is provided according to a second aspect of the subject matter disclosed herein.

[0008] According to one embodiment of the second aspect, a method is provided for processing a pneumatic tire, in particular a method for manufacturing a pneumatic tire according to at least one embodiment of the first aspect, wherein the pneumatic tire comprises a bead base, the pneumatic tire defines an axial direction parallel to the axis of rotation of the pneumatic tire, and the pneumatic tire defines a circumferential direction about the axis of rotation, and the method includes removing tire material in a processing area of ​​the bead base, thereby creating a surface structure, which is a corrugated surface structure, and / or creating a projection extending toward the axis of rotation and circumferentially, which has a circumferentially varying geometry.

[0009] A tire processing machine is provided according to a third aspect of the subject matter disclosed herein.

[0010] According to one embodiment of the third aspect, a tire processing machine is provided for processing a pneumatic tire, in particular for manufacturing a pneumatic tire according to at least one embodiment of the first aspect, wherein the pneumatic tire to be processed has a first bead and a second bead, the pneumatic tire defines an axial direction parallel to the axis of rotation of the tire, the pneumatic tire defines a circumferential direction about the axis of rotation, the tire processing machine comprises at least one first retaining finger engaged with the first bead and at least one second retaining finger engaged with the second bead, and the at least one first retaining finger can be operated to rotate the pneumatic tire with respect to at least one second retaining finger, in particular together with at least one first retaining finger.

[0011] A method is provided according to a fourth aspect of the subject matter disclosed herein.

[0012] According to one embodiment of the fourth aspect, a method is provided for operating a tire processing machine for processing a pneumatic tire, in particular a method for manufacturing a pneumatic tire according to at least one embodiment of the first aspect, wherein the pneumatic tire to be processed has a first bead and a second bead, the pneumatic tire defines an axial direction parallel to the axis of rotation of the pneumatic tire, and the pneumatic tire defines a circumferential direction about the axis of rotation, and the method includes engaging at least one first retaining finger with the first bead, engaging at least one second retaining finger with the second bead, and operating at least one first retaining finger in particular rotational motion so as to rotate the pneumatic tire with at least one second retaining finger, in particular together with at least one first retaining finger.

[0013] A wheel is provided according to a fifth aspect of the subject matter disclosed herein.

[0014] According to one embodiment of the fifth aspect, a wheel is provided, comprising a rim and a pneumatic tire according to the first aspect mounted on the rim.

[0015] According to a sixth aspect of the subject matter disclosed herein, a control device for a tire processing machine is provided.

[0016] According to one embodiment of the sixth aspect, the control device is configured to perform a method according to at least one embodiment of the second aspect and / or a method according to at least one embodiment of the fourth aspect.

[0017] A computer program product is provided according to a seventh aspect of the subject matter disclosed herein.

[0018] According to one embodiment of the seventh aspect, a computer program product is provided, the computer program product comprising a program element configured to perform, when executed on a processor device, a method according to at least one embodiment of the second aspect and / or a method according to at least one embodiment of the fourth aspect.

[0019] Description of Exemplary Embodiments Where specific shortcomings of the prior art are mentioned in this specification, the claimed subject matter is not intended to be limited to an implementation that eliminates some or all of the shortcomings of the prior art mentioned. Furthermore, where specific advantages of the subject matter disclosed herein are mentioned or implied in this disclosure, the claimed subject matter is not intended to be limited to an implementation that has some or all of these advantages.

[0020] Illustrative embodiments of the subject matter disclosed herein are described below, any number and any combination thereof can be realized in implementations of the embodiments of the subject matter disclosed herein. Illustrative implementations of the subject matter disclosed herein include, in particular, at least one of the embodiments and combinations of embodiments described below. According to one embodiment of the first embodiment, a pneumatic tire comprises a bead having a bead base. As is typical, the bead base faces the axis of rotation of the pneumatic tire. In other words, the bead base is defined by the surface portion of the bead facing the axis of rotation. When the pneumatic tire is mounted on a rim, according to one embodiment, the bead base rests on the rim. According to another embodiment, the bead base seals the pneumatic tire to the rim, for example, in the case of a tubeless tire.

[0021] According to one embodiment of the subject matter disclosed herein, the bead base has a surface structure produced by removing tire material along a machining trajectory in the machining region of the bead base, and the surface structure is corrugated.

[0022] According to one embodiment, the bead base has a projection that extends toward the axis of rotation and in the circumferential direction. According to another embodiment, the projection has a geometry that changes in the circumferential direction.

[0023] According to one embodiment, the bead of a pneumatic tire, in particular, defines an axial direction parallel to the axis of rotation of the pneumatic tire and a circumferential direction about the axis of rotation. As is typical, and according to one embodiment, the pneumatic tire has two beads, a first bead and a second bead.

[0024] According to one embodiment of the second aspect, a method for processing a pneumatic tire includes removing tire material in a processing area of ​​the bead base, thereby creating (i) a surface structure, which is a corrugated surface structure, and / or (ii) a projection, which extends toward the axis of rotation and in the circumferential direction and has a geometry that changes in the circumferential direction, by the removal of tire material along the processing trajectory.

[0025] According to one embodiment of the third aspect, a tire processing machine for processing a pneumatic tire comprises at least one first retaining finger that can engage with a first bead and at least one second retaining finger that can engage with a second bead. According to one embodiment, at least one first retaining finger is operable to rotate the pneumatic tire (for example, together with the at least one first retaining finger) with respect to at least one second retaining finger.

[0026] According to an embodiment of the fourth aspect, a method of operating a tire processing machine includes engaging at least one first holding finger with a first bead and engaging at least one second holding finger with a second bead. According to one embodiment, the method further includes operating at least one first holding finger to rotate an inflated tire relative to at least one second holding finger. According to one embodiment, operating at least one holding finger includes driving at least one first holding finger to rotate so as to rotate an inflated tire together with at least one first holding finger relative to at least one second holding finger.

[0027] According to an embodiment of the fifth aspect, a wheel includes a rim and an inflated tire according to at least one embodiment of the first aspect attached to the rim.

[0028] According to an embodiment of the sixth aspect, a control device is configured to execute or control a method according to at least one embodiment of the second aspect and / or a method according to at least one embodiment of the fourth aspect.

[0029] According to an embodiment of the seventh aspect, a computer program is configured to execute (i.e., control) a method according to at least one embodiment of the second aspect and / or a method according to at least one embodiment of the fourth aspect when executed by a processor device.

[0030] In the above and below, in some embodiments, for example, when describing embodiments of various aspects of the subject matter disclosed herein, the feature is preceded by an indefinite article the first time it is mentioned. However, it should be noted that the use of the indefinite article in this disclosure is not limiting, and that the features shown in the various embodiments refer to the same feature in at least one embodiment, regardless of whether the definite or indefinite article is used. Therefore, in combinations of various embodiments, the feature may be preceded by an indefinite article the first time it is mentioned and by a definite article on subsequent mentions. Furthermore, in one embodiment, the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh embodiments are at least partially different aspects of the same subject matter.

[0031] At least some of the aspects and embodiments of the subject matter disclosed herein are based on the idea that the processing of pneumatic tires will be improved by aiming for a proper bead base design. Other aspects and embodiments of the subject matter disclosed herein are based on the idea that the desired bead base design will be made possible by providing a suitable tire processing machine.

[0032] Illustrative embodiments of the subject matter disclosed herein will be described below, including, as examples, pneumatic tires, methods for processing pneumatic tires, tire processing machines, methods for operating tire processing machines, wheels, control devices, and computer program products. Naturally, it should be emphasized that any combination of different aspects, embodiments, and examples is possible. In particular, some embodiments will be described with respect to methods, control devices, and computer program products, while other embodiments will be described with respect to devices or products, such as pneumatic tires, tire processing machines, and wheels. Further embodiments will be described with respect to mechanical structures, particularly the mechanical cooperation of elements of devices and / or products, while other embodiments will be described with respect to control devices for interacting with elements of devices. However, those skilled in the art will be able to read from the above and below descriptions, claims, and drawings that, unless otherwise stated, various aspects, embodiments, and examples can be combined and such combinations of features may be considered to be disclosed by this application. For example, features of a method can be combined with features of a device or product, and vice versa. Furthermore, features can be combined regardless of where they are disclosed, for example, whether they are disclosed in the general description, the illustration description, the claims, or the drawings themselves.

[0033] According to one embodiment, the methods disclosed herein can define the function of the apparatus disclosed herein or the product disclosed herein, without being limited to apparatus-specific features. To that extent, any function of the apparatus or product disclosed herein is intended to implicitly disclose a corresponding method defined solely by the disclosed function. Conversely, according to one embodiment, the methods disclosed herein can be performed using any suitable known apparatus (which may include a single element or multiple cooperating elements). To that extent, any method disclosed herein is intended to implicitly disclose a corresponding apparatus configured to perform the method, or a product configured to be obtained as a result of the method.

[0034] Unless explicitly stated otherwise, numerals (1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.) are used solely to distinguish different elements (e.g., beads, rollers, etc.), and it should be noted that the numerals do not implicitly indicate the order of the methodological stages, nor do they require or imply the existence of any other different element. For example, a mere reference to the 2nd roller does not require the 1st roller to already exist or even exist in the first place.

[0035] Unless explicitly stated otherwise, according to one embodiment, the enumeration of features or method steps does not yet define the order in which the features or method steps are enumerated. However, according to another embodiment, the order of features or method steps corresponds to the order in which they are enumerated.

[0036] The phrase "A and / or B" includes three embodiments: "A only," "B only," and "A and B." The term "in particular" indicates an optional feature. The phrase "at least one of the following" or "at least one of the following features" includes embodiments having only one of the described features and embodiments having any combination of two or more of the described features.

[0037] According to one embodiment, the varying geometry of the projection (of the bead base) extends over the entire circumference of the bead base, i.e., over an angular range of 360 degrees. According to one embodiment, the varying geometry of the projection (bead base) extends over an angular range smaller than 360 degrees, for example, an angular range smaller than 180 degrees. For example, according to one embodiment, the angular range is in the interval between 20 degrees and 350 degrees. Thus, this embodiment includes both an angular range over 20 degrees (the minimum angular range in this embodiment) and an angular range over 350 degrees (the maximum angular range in this embodiment). According to one embodiment, the angular range is in the interval between 40 degrees and 160 degrees. According to one embodiment, the projection extends over an angular range disclosed herein, for example, an angular range smaller than 360 degrees.

[0038] Embodiments of the subject disclosed herein enable machining over a wide angular range. A wide angular range has the advantage that, for example, by completely machining the bead base in a single machining process, both the deviation from the ideal roundness of the pneumatic tire and the conicity of the pneumatic tire can be corrected at least partially. As is known to those skilled in the art, the roundness of a tire refers to the deviation of each part of the pneumatic tire from the ideal distance from the axis of rotation. Thus, the roundness of a tire is a geometric requirement that should be distinguished from tire imbalance, which refers to the mass distribution. As is further known to those skilled in the art, the conicity of a tire means that the outer diameter of the pneumatic tire differs at different axial positions.

[0039] According to one embodiment, the protrusion is a first protrusion, and the bead base has a second protrusion extending in the circumferential direction of the bead base. According to one embodiment, the first protrusion and the second protrusion are spaced apart from each other (in the axial direction). According to one embodiment, the first protrusion and / or the second protrusion of the bead base are deformed by the rim on which the pneumatic tire is mounted. In this way, the airtightness of the pneumatic tire with respect to the rim can be improved. Therefore, in the case of a wheel, according to one embodiment, the protrusion of the bead base is deformed by the rim. For example, the protrusion of the bead base (particularly the first protrusion and / or the second protrusion) has a deformation that changes in the circumferential direction due to the rim.

[0040] According to one embodiment, the first projection and the second projection define a recess between them, particularly a recess that is at least partially barrel-shaped in the axial and / or circumferential directions. For example, the first projection and the second projection extend over the same angular range. According to another embodiment, the first projection may be offset relative to the second projection in the circumferential direction. In other words, according to one embodiment, the first projection extends over a first angular range, the second projection extends over a second angular range, and the first and second angular ranges overlap only partially.

[0041] According to one embodiment, the recess can be formed asymmetrically in the axial direction. For example, the transition from the bottom of the recess to each protrusion can be designed to be different for the first protrusion and the second protrusion.

[0042] According to one embodiment, the projection protrudes above the bottom of the bead base (the aforementioned bottom). In this embodiment, the circumferentially varying geometry may include the circumferentially varying height of the projection relative to the bottom. According to one embodiment, the height of the projection relative to the bottom is a maximum of 1 mm, for example, a maximum of 0.5 mm. According to one embodiment, the difference between the circumferential height of the projection at one angular position relative to the bottom and the height of the projection at another angular position is a maximum of 1 mm, for example, a maximum of 0.5 mm. In another embodiment, the height or difference of the projection relative to the bottom is a maximum of 0.3 mm. In yet another embodiment, additional rubber material is provided on the bead base to increase the amount of material removed relative to the non-circularity during the manufacture of a pneumatic tire. In particular, in this case, the height or difference may be greater than 1 mm, for example, less than 1.5 mm or less than 2 mm.

[0043] According to one embodiment, the protrusions (e.g., a first protrusion and / or a second protrusion) are located in the axial edge region of the bead base. The axial edge region of the bead base (i.e., the edge region of the bead base when viewed in the axial direction) is often called the bead toe (in the case of the edge region facing inward in a pneumatic tire) or the bead heel (in the case of the edge region facing outward).

[0044] According to one embodiment, protrusions (e.g., a first protrusion and / or a second protrusion) are created by removing tire material in a processing area of ​​the bead base (particularly the aforementioned processing area). According to one embodiment, the removal of tire material is performed using laser radiation, particularly CO2 laser radiation. Generally, the removal may be removal according to the embodiments disclosed herein, for example, removal for creating protrusions and / or removal for creating surface structures.

[0045] In one embodiment, the laser radiation (used to create the removal) was continuous or semi-continuous laser radiation (also called CW laser radiation). In another embodiment, the power distribution of the laser radiation across the beam cross-section had a Gaussian profile. In another embodiment, the laser radiation had a power output exceeding 400 W. In yet another embodiment, the laser radiation had a power output exceeding 800 W. The power output of the laser radiation emitted from a laser device is also called the power output of the laser device (or simply "laser").

[0046] According to one embodiment, the removal of tire material is performed along at least one line. In the case of continuous laser radiation, continuous removal is performed along the line. In the case of pulsed laser radiation, removal is performed by the overlapping of removal locations along the line (each laser pulse produces one removal at one removal location). In this way, substantially continuous removal along the line is also possible by appropriate overlap along the line. According to one embodiment, the term “line” as used herein refers to the line along which the laser radiation or the laser spot generated by the laser radiation is guided. Therefore, the width of the removal along the line (i.e., the width of the removal area of ​​a single line) is determined by the width or diameter of the laser radiation (or the laser spot generated by the laser radiation on the pneumatic tire). Since removal is not a linear function of intensity, the width of the removal area may be smaller than the width of the laser spot.

[0047] According to one embodiment, the laser radiation is configured such that the width of the removal along a single line (i.e., the width of the removal region along a single line) corresponds to the desired total width of the removal (i.e., the width of the processing region). For example, according to one embodiment, the width of the removal region along a single line corresponds to the width of the recess. In this case, it should be noted that the width is always measured in the axial direction. Furthermore, in the case of a Gaussian intensity distribution across the beam cross-section of the laser radiation, the width of the removal region along a single line is approximately 1 / e of the diameter of the laser radiation. 2 I would like to add that this is equivalent to [the above].

[0048] According to one embodiment, the removal of tire material is carried out along multiple parallel lines. In this way, the removal can extend over a larger area laterally than the extension of the removal area in the lateral direction of a single line, in the lateral direction that extends perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the parallel lines.

[0049] According to one embodiment, the parallel lines form an angle with the axial direction in the range of 0 to 60 degrees. According to another embodiment, the parallel lines extend in the circumferential direction. Therefore, according to one embodiment, the removal area or machining trajectory also forms an angle with the axial direction in the range of 0 to 60 degrees, or extends in the circumferential direction.

[0050] According to one embodiment, the removal areas of adjacent lines overlap. For example, according to one embodiment, the overlap of the removal areas of adjacent lines is 10% to 90%. According to another embodiment, the overlap of the removal areas of adjacent lines is 65% to 85%. For example, the overlap of the removal areas of adjacent lines is 10%, 20%, 33.333%, 50%, 66.667%, or 90%. For example, the overlap of the removal areas of adjacent lines is 80%.

[0051] According to one embodiment, the overlap of the removal regions of adjacent lines is constant. For example, the overlap of the removal regions of two adjacent lines is always 80% for all parallel lines.

[0052] In another embodiment, the overlap of the removal regions of adjacent lines depends on the depth of removal. For example, in one embodiment, the deeper the removal, the greater the overlap of the removal regions of adjacent lines, and vice versa. For example, by increasing the overlap of the removal regions of adjacent lines, the depth of removal can be increased.

[0053] According to one embodiment, the removal depth changes continuously in the circumferential direction.

[0054] According to one embodiment, variations in the circumferential and / or axial removal depth are achieved at least partially by changing the output of the laser radiation. Varying the output of the laser radiation to vary the removal depth has the advantage that the overlap of individual removal lines can be kept constant, and process control is not overly complex.

[0055] Laser radiation generates a laser spot (also called a "spot") on the surface of the pneumatic tire, particularly on the bead base surface. The area of ​​the surface irradiated by the laser spot is also referred to herein as the processed area. According to one embodiment, variations in the depth of removal in the circumferential and / or axial direction were achieved, at least partially, by varying the feed rate of the laser spot on the tire surface. This has the advantage, according to one embodiment, that the entire process can be performed at a constant maximum laser power, and therefore with higher efficiency. In particular, in one embodiment, variations in the depth of removal in the circumferential and / or axial direction were achieved, at least partially, by varying the feed rate of the laser spot on the bead base surface.

[0056] According to one embodiment, the bead has a surface structure in the processed area, for example, a surface structure according to the embodiment described herein.

[0057] According to one embodiment, the surface structure was created by removing tire material along a machining trajectory in a machining area. According to one embodiment, the machining trajectory corresponds to a line removal area, for example, the removal area of ​​adjacent lines.

[0058] According to one embodiment, the surface structure is corrugated. For example, the surface structure has multiple wave crests that alternate with wave troughs, so that a wave trough is located between two wave crests.

[0059] According to one embodiment, the wave crests of the surface structure are arranged at least partially parallel to each other. According to one embodiment, the wave crests generally extend parallel to each other, but according to another embodiment, they deviate from precise parallelism. Note that the wave surface structure is not necessarily symmetric in the sense of a sinusoidal shape. Rather, according to one embodiment, the wave shape of the surface structure deviates from a sinusoidal shape. For example, according to one embodiment, the wave is characterized in that the wave crests are narrower than the wave troughs. Furthermore, in one embodiment, the wave crests may be pointed in shape, while the wave troughs may be formed flat.

[0060] According to one embodiment, the surface structure has a first structural part and / or a second structural part. For example, the surface structure may have only the first structural part, or only the second structural part, or may have both the first and second structural parts. For example, the surface structure may have an overlap between the first and second structural parts.

[0061] According to one embodiment, the first structural part has wave crests defined by the overlap of machining trajectories. For example, the overlap of machining trajectories (i.e., the region where parallel lines are removed) is 10% to 90% of the width of the machining trajectories. According to one embodiment, the wave crests of the first structural part extend along the machining trajectories.

[0062] According to one embodiment, the second structural part has wave crests over a distance greater than the width of the machining trajectory. According to one embodiment, the geometry of the wave crests of the second structural part changes in the longitudinal direction of the wave crests.

[0063] According to one embodiment, the distance between wave crests in the first structural part is greater than 0.05 mm. According to another embodiment, the distance between wave crests in the first structural part is less than 2 mm. According to another embodiment, the distance between wave crests in the second structural part is greater than 0.5 mm. According to another embodiment, the distance between wave crests in the second structural part is less than 10 mm. According to another embodiment, the amplitude of the surface structure is between 0.005 mm (= 5 μm) and 0.25 mm (= 250 μm).

[0064] According to one embodiment, the amplitude of the surface structure changes in the circumferential direction. For example, the amplitude of the surface structure decreases continuously in the circumferential direction from the point of maximum amplitude, and according to one embodiment, it decreases continuously in both directions from this point, i.e., in the circumferential direction from the point of maximum amplitude and in the direction opposite to this circumferential direction. According to one embodiment, the amplitude of the surface structure is modulated in the circumferential direction with one or more local maxima / minimum values ​​in the amplitude.

[0065] According to one embodiment, no surface structure is present in at least one edge region of the bead base (e.g., the bead toe and / or bead heel). According to one embodiment, a recess is formed in the processed region of the bead base. In other words, a recess is created in the processed region as a result of processing the bead base (e.g., removal of tire material). In particular, according to one embodiment, a recess is created in the bead base as a result of creating a surface structure. In embodiments where the processed region does not extend to the edge region of the bead base, a protrusion according to the embodiments of the subject disclosed herein is created as a result of removal in the processed region.

[0066] The following describes embodiments relating to the second aspect in particular, but these embodiments are, of course, also embodiments of the other aspects.

[0067] According to the above embodiments, the removal of the tire material is performed over an angular range smaller than 360 degrees, according to one embodiment. Therefore, the protrusion extends over an angular range smaller than 360 degrees, according to one embodiment.

[0068] According to one embodiment, the pneumatic tire is rotated around its axis of rotation while the tire material is being removed. In this way, for example, according to one embodiment, the laser radiation source and / or suction device can be positioned in a fixed location while processing the first or second bead. According to one embodiment, the tire material is removed multiple times in a portion of the processing area. For example, if the output of the laser radiation is not sufficient to reach a desired depth at a particular processing speed, almost any desired depth can be achieved by removing the tire material multiple times.

[0069] According to one embodiment, the protrusion is a first protrusion, and the removal of tire material in the processing area generates a second protrusion extending circumferentially. According to one embodiment, the processing area is located between the first and second protrusions, thereby defining a recess between the first and second protrusions. According to one embodiment, the recess is at least partially bucket-shaped in the axial and / or circumferential directions. According to one embodiment, the removal of tire material is performed to a certain depth, and the depth varies circumferentially from the protrusion. Thus, according to one embodiment, the circumferentially varying geometry can include the circumferentially varying depth of the recess. In one embodiment, the depth of this recess corresponds to the height of the protrusion relative to the bottom. Thus, the description of the height of the protrusion applies accordingly to the depth of the recess, and vice versa. According to another embodiment, the depth of the recess corresponds to the removal depth, i.e., the depth to which tire material is removed from the bead base. According to one embodiment, variations in depth over the circumferential direction can be generated by combining multiple harmonic vibrations, each with different maximum amplitudes and frequencies, for example, by combining two, three, or four such harmonic vibrations. According to one embodiment, a desired variation of the removal depth is defined as a combination of several harmonic oscillations in the form of the Fourier transform of the desired removal function.

[0070] According to another embodiment, the axial symmetry of the recess can vary along the circumferential direction. For example, according to one embodiment, the axial symmetry can depend on the average removal depth in the circumferential direction. For example, according to another embodiment, the recess can be uniform and / or symmetrical in the axial direction at angular positions along the circumferential direction where removal is minimal.

[0071] According to one embodiment, the machining area includes the central region of the bead base, which is axially positioned between the edge regions of the bead base. According to another embodiment, the machining area is located in the central region of the bead base. In other words, according to one embodiment, the edge regions of the bead base (which define the bead base axially) are not part of the machining area.

[0072] According to one embodiment, the removal of tire material is performed using laser radiation, particularly from a CO2 laser. According to one embodiment, the CO2 laser operates continuously during removal. According to another embodiment, the CO2 laser has a Gaussian intensity profile across the beam cross-section. According to another embodiment, the output power of the CO2 laser exceeds 400 W. For example, according to one embodiment, the output power of the CO2 laser exceeds 800 W.

[0073] According to one embodiment, the removal of tire material is performed along at least one line. For example, according to one embodiment, the removal of tire material is performed along a single line. According to another embodiment, the removal of tire material is performed along multiple lines, particularly along multiple parallel lines. According to one embodiment, the parallel lines form an angle with the axial direction in the range of 0 to 60 degrees. According to another embodiment, the parallel lines extend in the circumferential direction.

[0074] According to one embodiment, the removal of tire material along a line defines a removal area. According to one embodiment, the removal areas of adjacent lines overlap. For example, according to one embodiment, 1 / e of laser radiation 2 The diameter is larger than the pitch between parallel lines.

[0075] According to one embodiment, the overlap of the removal regions of adjacent lines is 10% to 90%. Therefore, according to one embodiment, the pitch of adjacent lines is 1 / e of the laser radiation. 2 It is between 90% and 10% of the diameter. According to another embodiment, the overlap of the removal regions of adjacent lines is 65% to 85%. Thus, according to one embodiment, the pitch of adjacent lines is 1 / e of the laser radiation. 2 It is between 35% and 15% of the diameter. According to another embodiment, the overlap of the removal regions of adjacent lines is 10%, 20%, 33.333%, 50%, 66.667%, 80%, or 90%. Thus, according to one embodiment, the pitch of adjacent lines is 1 / e of the laser radiation. 2The percentages are between 90%, 80%, 66.667%, 50%, 33.333%, 20%, or 10% of the diameter. According to one embodiment, the overlap of the removal regions of adjacent lines corresponds to the overlap of adjacent machining trajectories.

[0076] According to one embodiment, the overlap of the removal regions of adjacent lines is constant. Therefore, according to one embodiment, the pitch of adjacent lines is constant.

[0077] According to one embodiment, the overlap of removal areas of adjacent lines depends on the depth of removal. According to one embodiment, during the removal of tire material in the processing area, the output of the laser radiation varies depending on the axial position and / or the circumferential position. According to another embodiment, during the removal of tire material in the processing area, the feed rate, i.e., the speed at which the laser spot is guided over the bead bottom, varies depending on the axial position and / or the circumferential position. According to one embodiment, during the removal of tire material, rotation occurs around the rotation axis of the pneumatic tire, particularly rotation at a constant angular velocity.

[0078] According to one embodiment, the rotation of a pneumatic tire around a rotation axis is compensated when positioning the laser beam in the processing area. For example, to generate parallel lines in the axial direction, the laser beam is tracked in the rotational direction at the peripheral speed of the bead base, then reversed in the opposite direction of this rotation, and then, while tracking the laser beam in the rotational direction at the peripheral speed of the bead base, the parallel lines are generated again in the opposite direction (opposite axial direction). After another reverse, this process is repeated until the desired number of parallel lines are generated.

[0079] If the parallel lines should not be parallel to the axis but extend at an acute angle to the axis, the process is performed similarly, but in that case, the laser radiation is tracked in the rotational direction at a speed higher than the peripheral velocity of the bead base, thereby creating an acute angle between the axis and the parallel lines.

[0080] Tracking of laser radiation parallel to the circumferential direction (i.e., in the direction of rotation and the opposite direction of rotation) and backtracking parallel to the circumferential direction (i.e., in the direction of rotation and the opposite direction of rotation) can be achieved by a laser scanner (hereinafter abbreviated as "scanner") such as a galvanometer scanner. According to one embodiment, the laser radiation is turned off for backtracking (the output of the laser radiation is equal to 0W).

[0081] Embodiments of the subject matter disclosed herein relate to the housing of pneumatic tires in a tire processing machine, or to a manner in which pneumatic tires are held and moved in order to enable efficient processing of pneumatic tires as disclosed herein.

[0082] According to one embodiment of the method, at least one first retaining finger engages with a first bead of a pneumatic tire, and at least one second retaining finger engages with a second bead of a pneumatic tire.

[0083] In one embodiment, at least two first retaining fingers and at least two second retaining fingers are provided. In another embodiment, at least three first retaining fingers and three second retaining fingers are provided. At least three retaining fingers have the advantage that they define a plane, and therefore the spatial position of the bead is determined by at least three retaining fingers. When there are more retaining fingers, for example four, six, or eight retaining fingers per bead, there is the advantage that deformation of the bead due to gravity can be avoided, especially in embodiments in which the pneumatic tire is machined in a horizontal position (i.e., in an arrangement where the axis of rotation extends parallel to the direction of gravity).

[0084] Accordingly, the term “at least one first retaining finger” also explicitly includes embodiments such as “at least two first retaining fingers,” “at least three first retaining fingers,” “at least four first retaining fingers,” “at least six first retaining fingers,” and “at least eight first retaining fingers,” as well as the term “a set of first retaining fingers,” which, according to one embodiment, a set of first retaining fingers includes at least one first retaining finger, at least two first retaining fingers, at least three first retaining fingers, at least four first retaining fingers, at least six first retaining fingers, or at least eight first retaining fingers.

[0085] Accordingly, the term “at least one second holding finger” also explicitly includes embodiments such as “at least two second holding fingers,” “at least three second holding fingers,” “at least four second holding fingers,” “at least six second holding fingers,” and “at least eight second holding fingers,” as well as the term “a set of second holding fingers,” which according to one embodiment includes at least one second holding finger, at least two second holding fingers, at least three second holding fingers, at least four second holding fingers, at least six second holding fingers, or at least eight second holding fingers.

[0086] According to one embodiment, the pneumatic tire is held by at least one first retaining finger and / or at least one second retaining finger. According to another embodiment, in addition to at least one first retaining finger and / or at least one second retaining finger, further retaining elements are provided.

[0087] According to one embodiment, the distance between the first bead and the second bead is adjusted by positioning at least one first retaining finger and at least one second retaining finger relative to each other. For example, according to one embodiment, a pneumatic tire can be expanded axially, that is, the distance between the first bead and the second bead is adjusted by the set of first and second retaining fingers to a value greater than the nominal distance between the first and second bead after mounting to the rim. Expanding the tire axially can facilitate the processing of the tire.

[0088] According to one embodiment, the rotation of the pneumatic tire during the removal of tire material is performed by driving at least one first retaining finger (or a set of first retaining fingers) to cause rotational motion.

[0089] Therefore, according to one embodiment, the set of first retaining fingers performs two functions: firstly, to position the first bead of the pneumatic tire, and secondly, to drive the first bead of the pneumatic tire into rotational motion.

[0090] According to one embodiment, while at least one first retaining finger is driven to rotate, the second bead is roll-engaged with at least one second retaining finger, for example, by releasing at least one roller of the at least one second retaining finger. In other words, according to one embodiment, while at least one first retaining finger is driven to rotate, the second bead is roll-supported on at least one second retaining finger, and the removal (of tire material) is performed on the second bead.

[0091] The fact that the bead from which the tire material is to be removed (the second bead in the above embodiment) is rolled and supported on at least one (second) retaining finger has the advantage that the (second) retaining finger can maintain its position and therefore direct the laser beam onto the bead between two adjacent retaining fingers. This allows the suction device to also be positioned in a fixed position relative to the bead being processed during removal and between the two adjacent retaining fingers. Thus, generally speaking, according to one embodiment, the bead being processed passes alongside the laser beam and the suction device by the rotational motion of the pneumatic tire.

[0092] In another embodiment, the tire material is removed from the first bead after the tire material has been removed from the second bead. In one embodiment, the rotation of the pneumatic tire during the removal of the first bead is performed by driving at least one second retaining finger to rotate. For example, while being driven to rotate, at least one second retaining finger is frictionally engaged with the pneumatic tire, for example by blocking at least one roller of the at least one second retaining finger.

[0093] As described above, the first retaining fingers (e.g., each of at least one of the first retaining fingers, or at least one of the at least one of the first retaining fingers) and / or the second retaining fingers (e.g., each of at least one of the second retaining fingers, or at least one of the at least one of the second retaining fingers) may have at least one roller. For example, the roller (which the retaining fingers may have one or more) may be blockable to prevent the roller from rotating in order to frictionally engage the first retaining finger with a pneumatic tire, for example. According to another embodiment, the roller may be releaseable to allow the roller to rotate in order to roll-engage the roller with the first retaining finger, for example.

[0094] According to one embodiment, the first bead is roll-engaged with at least one first retaining finger while at least one second retaining finger is driven to rotational motion.

[0095] By providing retaining fingers, efficient handling of pneumatic tires can be made possible.

[0096] According to one embodiment, at least one first retaining finger is engaged with the first bead of the pneumatic tire by moving at least one first retaining finger into the pneumatic tire in a first lateral direction (e.g., along the axial direction), and then moving at least one first finger toward the first bead. Similarly, according to another embodiment, at least one second retaining finger is engaged with the second bead of the pneumatic tire by moving at least one second retaining finger into the pneumatic tire in a second lateral direction (e.g., along the axial direction), and then moving at least one second finger toward the second bead.

[0097] According to one embodiment, at least one first retaining finger is attached to a carrier (also referred to here as a first carrier). According to another embodiment, at least one second retaining finger is attached to a second carrier.

[0098] According to one embodiment, at least one first retaining finger is moved into the pneumatic tire in a first lateral direction by lifting the carrier. According to one embodiment, for example, the carrier can be positioned under a conveying device. According to one embodiment, the conveying device is configured to position the pneumatic tire within a tire processing machine.

[0099] According to one embodiment, the carrier is lifted above the conveying device in order to drive at least one first retaining finger to rotate. According to one embodiment, the carrier (and therefore the retaining finger attached thereto) is then driven to rotate.

[0100] In another embodiment, at least one roller may be driveable to drive the pneumatic tire against the retaining fingers to cause rotational motion. In other words, in one embodiment, the retaining fingers can be operated by driving a roller in order to drive the pneumatic tire against the retaining fingers to cause rotational motion. In other words, in this case, the driven retaining fingers do not move together with the pneumatic tire.

[0101] According to one embodiment, the tire processing machine according to a third aspect comprises, in particular, at least one first retaining finger that can engage with a first bead and at least one second retaining finger that can engage with a second bead. According to one embodiment, at least one first retaining finger is operable to rotate the pneumatic tire (e.g., together with the at least one first retaining finger) relative to at least one second retaining finger (i.e., to drive the pneumatic tire to rotate relative to at least one second retaining finger). As already described herein, this embodiment makes it possible to position the beam path and / or suction device of the laser radiation in a fixed position relative to the second retaining finger, and still enable processing of the second bead around its entire circumference. Needless to say, according to the embodiment, the possibility of processing around the entire circumference (i.e., 360 degrees) is not utilized in all cases, and in harmony with some embodiments, the processing of the bead (here, the second bead) is performed only over a limited angular range, such as an angular range of 270 degrees.

[0102] According to one embodiment, at least one second retaining finger is operable to rotate the pneumatic tire (for example, together with at least one second retaining finger) relative to at least one first retaining finger (i.e., to drive the pneumatic tire to rotate relative to at least one first retaining finger). For example, according to one embodiment, it is possible to selectively drive the pneumatic tire to rotate via at least one first retaining finger or via at least one second retaining finger.

[0103] According to one embodiment, at least one first retaining finger and / or at least one second retaining finger are configured to keep the first bead and the second bead at a predetermined distance from each other. As described herein, for example, at least one first retaining finger and / or at least one second retaining finger may be configured to axially expand the pneumatic tire.

[0104] According to one embodiment, at least one first retaining finger is configured to insert at least one first retaining finger into the pneumatic tire from the first side of the pneumatic tire. According to another embodiment, at least one second retaining finger is configured to insert at least one second retaining finger into the pneumatic tire from the second side of the pneumatic tire. According to one embodiment, the second side of the pneumatic tire is located on the side opposite to the first side of the pneumatic tire. For example, the pneumatic tire has a first sidewall and a second sidewall facing opposite each other, with the first sidewall of the pneumatic tire located on the opposite side of the first side of the pneumatic tire and the second sidewall of the pneumatic tire located on the opposite side of the second side.

[0105] According to one embodiment, the tire processing machine is equipped with a suction device. For example, according to one embodiment, the suction device can be moved to a first position to suck up process residue from the processing of a first bead. According to another embodiment, the suction device can be moved to a second position to suck up process residue from the processing of a second bead. According to another embodiment, the suction device has a brush head that is guided to the processing area after the laser in time when the tire is rotating relative to the suction device. For example, the brush head of the suction device is positioned to follow the suction device. The brush head is used to remove any adhering process residue.

[0106] According to one embodiment, the tire processing machine has at least two first retaining fingers, and the suction device is positionable between two adjacent first retaining fingers. Alternatively or additionally, the tire processing machine has at least two second retaining fingers, and the suction device is positionable between two adjacent second retaining fingers. As already described above, during processing, the spatial position of the retaining fingers in which the suction device is positioned does not change. For example, according to one embodiment, the spatial position of the first retaining fingers in which the suction device is positioned does not change during processing of the first bead. Furthermore, according to one embodiment, the spatial position of the second retaining fingers in which the suction device is positioned may not change during processing of the second bead.

[0107] According to one embodiment, the tire processing machine includes a laser emitter for emitting laser radiation onto a pneumatic tire, thereby processing the pneumatic tire. According to one embodiment, the laser emitter is positioned radially outward from the pneumatic tire. In this way, since it is not necessary to house the laser emitter inside the pneumatic tire, design flexibility and / or flexibility in positioning the laser emitter are increased.

[0108] According to one embodiment, the laser emitter has at least one scanner for moving a beam path of laser radiation on a pneumatic tire. The movement of the beam path by at least one scanner is also referred to herein as “beam path scanning motion” (or simply “scanning motion”). According to one embodiment, at least one scanner is configured to move the beam path with a directional component parallel to the axis of rotation. In other words, according to one embodiment, the scanning motion has a directional component parallel to the axis of rotation. According to another embodiment, the scanning motion has a directional component in the circumferential direction.

[0109] According to one embodiment, the laser emission device can be configured to process the bead base of a first bead. Alternatively or additionally, the laser emission device can be configured to process the bead base of a second bead. Alternatively or additionally, according to one embodiment, the laser emission device can be configured to process the inner surface of a pneumatic tire. For example, according to one embodiment, the laser emission device can be configured to process the inner surface portion of a pneumatic tire opposite to the tread.

[0110] According to one embodiment, the tire processing machine has a conveying device, for example, a conveying device capable of conveying a pneumatic tire horizontally. In the sense of one embodiment of the present disclosure, the orientation indication "horizontally" means that the axis of rotation of the pneumatic tire is parallel to gravity or extends substantially parallel to gravity. According to one embodiment, the orientation indication "horizontally" means that one sidewall of the pneumatic tire is positioned on the opposite side of the conveying device. According to one embodiment, the sidewall of the pneumatic tire is on the conveying device (for example, the tread of the pneumatic tire is not on the conveying device). According to one embodiment, the pneumatic tire is placed on the conveying device such that a barcode attached to the bead area of ​​the pneumatic tire is facing upward, i.e., away from the conveying device. According to one embodiment, the barcode is used as a reference point in the circumferential direction of the tire for determining the angular position of removal of the tire material (rubber material).

[0111] According to one embodiment, at least one first retaining finger and at least one second retaining finger are capable of engaging with a pneumatic tire lying on its side on a conveying device.

[0112] According to one embodiment, the pneumatic tire can be lifted from the conveying device to a raised position by at least one first retaining finger and / or at least one second retaining finger, thereby positioning the sidewall of the pneumatic tire at a distance from the conveying device to the opposite side. According to one embodiment, the laser emission device is configured to process the pneumatic tire in the lifted position.

[0113] According to one embodiment, at least one first retaining finger has a mechanical stopper for a surface portion of a first bead (also referred to herein as the first surface portion). Alternatively or additionally, at least one second retaining finger has a mechanical stopper for a surface portion of a second bead (also referred to herein as the second surface portion). According to one embodiment, the mechanical stopper (of the first retaining finger and / or the second retaining finger) is formed by a roller as described herein. In particular, the roller forming the mechanical stopper can be releasable or blockable as described herein. By rolling the surface portion (i.e., the first surface portion or the second surface portion) with the roller, the mechanical load on the surface portion is reduced compared to sliding engagement.

[0114] For example, at least one of the at least one retaining finger has at least one roller on which the first surface portion can roll, and / or at least one of the at least one second retaining finger has at least one roller on which the second surface portion can roll. For ease of distinction, the at least one roller on which the first surface portion (of the first bead) can roll is called the first roller, and the at least one roller on which the second surface portion (of the second bead) can roll is called the second roller. Note that this naming convention using numerals is for the sole purpose of facilitating assignment or shortening the wording. In the description of the drawings, the names first roller and second roller are used in a different sense, but again, they are for the sole purpose of facilitating assignment or shortening the wording.

[0115] According to one embodiment, the tire processing machine has at least one of the following features: the bead side of a first bead can roll over at least one of at least one first roller; the bead base of a first bead can roll over at least one of at least one first roller; the bead side of a second bead can roll over at least one of at least one second roller; the bead base of a second bead can roll over at least one of at least one second roller; at least one of the at least one first roller is capable of blocking its rotation due to frictional engagement between the pneumatic tire and the first roller; at least one of the at least one second roller is capable of blocking its rotation due to frictional engagement between the pneumatic tire and the second roller; at least one of the at least one first roller is rotatably driven to drive the pneumatic tire into rotational motion; and at least one of the at least one second roller is rotatably driven to drive the pneumatic tire into rotational motion. According to one embodiment, the bead side portion of the first bead extends laterally with respect to the bead base of the first bead and is a bead portion adjacent to the bead base of the first bead. According to another embodiment, the bead side portion of the second bead extends laterally with respect to the bead base of the second bead and is a bead portion adjacent to the bead base of the second bead.

[0116] According to one embodiment, at least one first retaining finger is rotatable at least 360 degrees around the axis of rotation at a distance from the axis of rotation. Alternatively or additionally, according to another embodiment, at least one second retaining finger is rotatable at least 360 degrees around the axis of rotation at a distance from the axis of rotation. For example, for this purpose, as described herein, at least one first retaining finger is mounted on a first carrier and / or at least one second retaining finger is mounted on a second carrier. By rotating the carrier (i.e., the first carrier or the second carrier), the retaining fingers mounted on the carriers are made rotatable.

[0117] According to one embodiment, the first retaining fingers are movably mounted on the first carrier. For example, according to one embodiment, the first retaining fingers are movable on the first carrier toward and toward each other. For example, according to one embodiment, the first retaining fingers are movable toward each other in order to insert the first retaining fingers into a pneumatic tire. Furthermore, according to one embodiment, the first retaining fingers are movable toward each other in order to engage the first retaining fingers with the first bead of the pneumatic tire. Thus, according to one embodiment, the second retaining fingers are movable toward each other in order to insert the second retaining fingers into a pneumatic tire. Furthermore, according to one embodiment, the second retaining fingers are movable toward each other in order to engage the second retaining fingers with the second bead of the pneumatic tire.

[0118] As described herein, the rotation of the carrier or the retaining fingers attached to the carrier occurs around the rotation axis of the tire. However, deviations are naturally possible in any actual implementation of any technical process or apparatus. In particular, advantageous embodiments of tire processing machines enable accurate processing of pneumatic tires even when the rotation axis of the carrier or the retaining fingers is offset from the rotation axis of the tire. In this regard, references to the rotation axis of a pneumatic tire within the scope of this disclosure also include references to axes offset from the rotation axis of a pneumatic tire, insofar as the function of the embodiment as defined herein is achieved.

[0119] According to an embodiment of the first aspect, the pneumatic tire is configured to provide one or more functions of the embodiments disclosed herein, and / or functions resulting from one or more of the embodiments disclosed herein, and / or functions required for one or more of the embodiments disclosed herein, particularly the embodiments of the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth and / or seventh aspects.

[0120] According to embodiments of the second aspect, the method is configured to provide one or more functions of the embodiments disclosed herein, and / or functions resulting from one or more of the embodiments disclosed herein, and / or functions required for one or more of the embodiments disclosed herein, particularly the embodiments of the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth and / or seventh aspects.

[0121] According to an embodiment of the third aspect, the tire processing machine is configured to provide one or more functions of the embodiments disclosed herein, and / or functions resulting from at least one or more of the embodiments disclosed herein, and / or functions required for one or more of the embodiments disclosed herein, particularly the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth and / or seventh aspects.

[0122] According to an embodiment of the fourth aspect, the method for operating the tire processing machine is configured to provide one or more functions of the embodiments disclosed herein, and / or functions resulting from one or more of the embodiments disclosed herein, and / or functions required for one or more of the embodiments disclosed herein, particularly the embodiments of the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth and / or seventh aspects.

[0123] According to an embodiment of the fifth aspect, the wheel is configured to provide one or more functions of the embodiments disclosed herein, and / or functions resulting from one or more of the embodiments disclosed herein, and / or functions required for one or more of the embodiments disclosed herein, particularly the embodiments of the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth and / or seventh aspects.

[0124] According to an embodiment of the sixth aspect, the control device is configured to provide one or more functions of the embodiments disclosed herein, and / or functions resulting from one or more of the embodiments disclosed herein, and / or functions required for one or more of the embodiments disclosed herein, particularly the embodiments of the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth and / or seventh aspects.

[0125] According to an embodiment of the seventh aspect, the computer program product is configured to provide one or more functions of the embodiments disclosed herein, and / or functions resulting from one or more of the embodiments disclosed herein, and / or functions required for one or more of the embodiments disclosed herein, particularly embodiments, especially embodiments of the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth and / or seventh aspects.

[0126] According to one embodiment, the computer program product is a non-temporary computer program product. According to one embodiment, the program element is a non-temporary program element.

[0127] As used herein, references to computer program products having program elements are considered equivalent to references to computer programs having program elements and / or media readable by computers having program elements. According to one embodiment, a program element includes instructions for controlling a processor device (e.g., a computer system having one or more microprocessors) to realize and / or coordinate the execution of at least one method described herein.

[0128] (Non-temporary) program elements can be implemented as computer-readable instruction code using any suitable programming language, such as Java®, C#, or Python, and can be stored on a computer-readable medium (such as a removable disk, volatile or non-volatile memory, or embedded memory / processor). According to one embodiment, the instruction code is executable to program a computer or some other programmable processor device to perform an intended function. The computer program can be made available on a network, such as the World Wide Web, from which it can be downloaded, for example.

[0129] Suitable embodiments of the subject matter disclosed herein (e.g., the functions of a control device) can be implemented by computer program products (program elements) or software. However, suitable embodiments can also be implemented by one or more specific electronic circuits or hardware. Furthermore, suitable embodiments can also be implemented in a hybrid form, i.e., a combination of software modules and hardware modules.

[0130] Unless otherwise stated, according to one embodiment, numerical values ​​are understood to include a range of ±5%. For example, according to one embodiment, an angle representation of 10 degrees includes angles within the interval (10±5%) = [9.5 degrees; 10.5 degrees]. Similarly, according to one embodiment, a percentage representation includes a percentage representation within a ±5% window. For example, according to one embodiment, a representation of 50% includes a window of 50%±5% = [47.5%; 52.5%]. According to another embodiment, numerical values ​​should be understood to include a ±10% window.

[0131] Other exemplary embodiments and combinations of embodiments include the following: 1. A pneumatic tire, The aforementioned pneumatic tire has a bead with a bead base facing the axis of rotation, The bead base has a surface structure created by removing tire material along the machining trajectory in the machining region of the bead base. A pneumatic tire having a corrugated surface structure.

[0132] 2. The surface structure has a first structural part and / or a second structural part, The first structural part has wave peaks defined by the overlap of the machining trajectories, and the overlap is 10% to 90% of the width of the machining trajectories. The pneumatic tire according to Embodiment 1, wherein the second structural part has wave crests with a distance greater than the width of the machining trajectory.

[0133] 3. The distance between the wave crests of the first structural part is greater than 0.05 mm, and / or The distance between the wave crests of the first structural part is less than 2 mm. A pneumatic tire as described in Embodiment 2.

[0134] 4. The pneumatic tire according to Embodiment 2 or 3, wherein the distance between the wave crests of the second structural part is greater than 0.5 mm.

[0135] 5. The pneumatic tire according to any one of Embodiments 2 to 4, wherein the distance between the wave peaks of the second structural part is less than 10 mm.

[0136] 6. The wave crests of the machining trajectory extend along the machining trajectory, and / or The geometry of the wave crest of the aforementioned second structure changes in the longitudinal direction of the wave crest. A pneumatic tire according to any one of Embodiments 2 to 5.

[0137] 7. The pneumatic tire according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 6, wherein the amplitude of the surface structure is 0.005 mm to 0.25 mm.

[0138] 8. The pneumatic tire according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 7, wherein the amplitude of the surface structure changes in the circumferential direction, and the amplitude of the surface structure decreases continuously in the circumferential direction from the point of maximum amplitude.

[0139] 9. The pneumatic tire according to any one of embodiments 1 to 7, wherein the wave-like peaks of the surface structure are arranged at least partially parallel to each other.

[0140] 10. The pneumatic tire according to any one of embodiments 1 to 9, wherein the surface structure is absent in at least one edge region of the bead base in the axial direction, which is parallel to the rotation axis of the pneumatic tire.

[0141] 11. The pneumatic tire according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 10, wherein the removal of the tire material is performed using laser radiation.

[0142] 12. The pneumatic tire according to any one of embodiments 1 to 11, wherein a recess is formed in the processed area of ​​the bead base.

[0143] 13. The recess has a wall extending between the unprocessed portion of the bead base and the bottom portion of the bead base. The wall has the surface structure, and / or the bottom has the surface structure. A pneumatic tire as described in Embodiment 12.

[0144] 14. The bead base has a projection that extends toward the axis of rotation and in the circumferential direction, The protruding portion has a geometry that changes in the circumferential direction. A pneumatic tire according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 13.

[0145] 15. The changing geometry and / or surface structure of the projection extends over an angular range less than 360 degrees, particularly less than 180 degrees. The pneumatic tire according to any one of embodiments 1 to 14, wherein the angular range is in the interval between 20 degrees and 350 degrees, particularly between 40 degrees and 160 degrees.

[0146] 16. The projection is a first projection, and the bead base has a second projection extending in the circumferential direction. The first projection and the second projection define a recess between them, and in particular, define a recess that is at least partially barrel-shaped in the axial and / or circumferential direction. In particular, the recess is formed asymmetrically in the axial direction. A pneumatic tire according to embodiment 14 or 15.

[0147] 17. The projection extends above the bottom of the bead base and further comprises at least one of the following: The circumferentially varying geometry includes the circumferentially varying height of the protrusion relative to the bottom, The difference between the height of the protrusion at a certain angular position in the circumferential direction relative to the bottom and the height of the protrusion at a different angular position is a maximum of 1 mm, for example, a maximum of 0.5 mm. The aforementioned protrusion is located in the axial edge region of the bead base. The aforementioned protrusion is formed by removing tire material in the processing area of ​​the bead base, A pneumatic tire according to any one of embodiments 14 to 16.

[0148] 18. The removal of the tire material was carried out using laser radiation, particularly CO2 laser radiation, in particular, The laser radiation was continuous laser radiation, and / or The laser radiation had a Gaussian beam profile, and / or The pneumatic tire according to any one of embodiments 1 to 13 or 17, wherein the laser radiation has an output exceeding 400 W, and in particular has an output exceeding 800 W.

[0149] 19. The removal of the tire material shall be carried out along at least one line, in particular, The removal of the tire material is carried out along multiple parallel lines, and / or, Parallel lines form an angle with the axial direction in the range of 0 to 60 degrees, or the parallel lines extend in the circumferential direction, and / or, A pneumatic tire according to any one of embodiments 1 to 13, 17, or 18, wherein the removal areas of adjacent lines overlap.

[0150] 20. One of the following characteristics, namely, The overlap of the removal areas for adjacent lines is between 10% and 90%. The overlap of the removal areas for adjacent lines is 65% to 85%. The overlap of adjacent lines is 10%, 20%, 33.333%, 50%, 66.667%, 80%, or 90%. The overlap of the removal regions of adjacent lines is constant. The pneumatic tire according to Embodiment 19 further has the property that the overlap of the removal regions of adjacent lines depends on the depth of the removal.

[0151] 21. The pneumatic tire according to any one of embodiments 1 to 13 and 17 to 20, wherein the depth of removal is continuously varied in the circumferential direction.

[0152] 22. The pneumatic tire according to any one of embodiments 1 to 13 and 17 to 21, wherein the circumferential and / or axial variation of the depth of the removal is achieved at least partially by changing the output of the laser radiation and / or by changing the feed rate of the laser spot on the surface of the bead base, the laser radiation generating the laser spot on the surface of the bead base.

[0153] 23. A method for processing a pneumatic tire, particularly a method for manufacturing a pneumatic tire according to any one of embodiments 1 to 22, wherein the pneumatic tire comprises a bead base, the pneumatic tire defines an axial direction parallel to the axis of rotation of the pneumatic tire, the pneumatic tire defines a circumferential direction about the axis of rotation, and the method is Removing the tire material in the processing region of the bead base, and thereby removing the tire material along the processing trajectory, the surface structure is a corrugated surface structure, and / or A method comprising: creating a projection that extends toward the axis of rotation and in the circumferential direction, and having a geometry that changes in the circumferential direction.

[0154] 24. The protrusion and / or the surface structure extends over an angular range smaller than 360 degrees, and / or The pneumatic tire is rotated around its axis of rotation during the removal of the tire material, and / or In at least a portion of the processing area, the tire material is removed multiple times. The method according to Embodiment 23.

[0155] 25. The protrusion is a first protrusion, and the removal of the tire material in the processing area generates a second protrusion extending in the circumferential direction. The processing area is located between the first protrusion and the second protrusion, thereby defining a recess between the first protrusion and the second protrusion. The method according to Embodiment 23 or 24.

[0156] 26. The method according to any one of embodiments 23 to 25, wherein the recess is barrel-shaped in the axial and / or circumferential direction.

[0157] 27. The method according to any one of embodiments 23 to 26, wherein the removal of the tire material is carried out to a certain depth, the depth of which varies in the circumferential direction of the protrusion.

[0158] 28. The method according to any one of embodiments 23 to 27, wherein the processing area includes the central region of the bead base, and the central region of the bead base is axially arranged between the edge regions of the bead base.

[0159] 29. The method according to any one of embodiments 23 to 28, wherein the removal of the tire material is carried out using laser radiation, particularly laser radiation from a CO2 laser.

[0160] 30. At least one of the following characteristics, namely, The CO2 laser operates continuously during removal. CO2 lasers have a Gaussian beam profile. CO2 lasers have output power exceeding 400W, especially those exceeding 800W. The method according to embodiment 29, further comprising:

[0161] 31. The removal of the tire material is carried out along at least one line. The method according to any one of embodiments 23 to 30.

[0162] 32. The removal of the tire material is carried out along a plurality of parallel lines, and / or a plurality of processing trajectories are generated in the processing area. Furthermore, at least one of the following features, namely The parallel lines form an angle with the axial direction in the range of 0 to 60 degrees, or the parallel lines extend in the circumferential direction. The removal areas of adjacent lines overlap. The overlap of the removal areas for adjacent lines is between 10% and 90%. The overlap of the removal areas for adjacent lines is 65% to 85%. The overlap of the removal areas of adjacent lines is 10%, 20%, 33.333%, 50%, 66.667%, 80%, or 90%. The overlap of the removal regions of adjacent lines is constant. The method according to Embodiment 31, wherein the overlap of the removal regions of adjacent lines depends on the depth of the removal generated by the removal.

[0163] 33. The surface structure includes a first structural part and / or a second structural part. Furthermore, at least one of the following features, namely The first structural part has wave peaks defined by the overlap of the machining trajectories, and the overlap is 10% to 90% of the width of the machining trajectories. The second structural part has wave peaks over a distance greater than the width of the machining trajectory. The distance between the wave crests of the first structural part is greater than 0.05 mm. The distance between the wave crests of the first structural part is less than 2 mm. The distance between the wave crests of the second structural part is greater than 0.5 mm. The distance between the wave crests of the second structural part is less than 10 mm. The method according to any one of embodiments 23 to 32, including the method described in any one of embodiments 23 to 32.

[0164] 34. The wave peaks of the machining trajectory extend along the machining trajectory, and / or The geometry of the wave crest of the second structural part changes in the longitudinal direction of the wave crest. The wave peaks of the surface structure are arranged at least partially parallel to each other. The method according to Embodiment 33.

[0165] 35. The amplitude of the surface structure is 0.005 mm to 0.25 mm, and / or The amplitude of the surface structure changes in the circumferential direction. The amplitude of the surface structure decreases continuously in the circumferential direction from the point of maximum amplitude. The method according to any one of embodiments 23 to 34, wherein the surface structure is absent in at least one edge region of the bead base in the axial direction parallel to the rotation axis of the pneumatic tire.

[0166] 36. A recess is formed in the processing area of ​​the bead base. especially, The recess has a wall extending between the unprocessed portion of the bead base and the bottom portion of the bead base. The method according to any one of embodiments 23 to 35, wherein the wall has the surface structure and / or the bottom has the surface structure.

[0167] 37. The method according to any one of embodiments 29 to 36, wherein, during the removal of the tire material in the processing area, the output of the laser radiation is varied according to the axial position and / or the circumferential position.

[0168] 38. The method according to any one of embodiments 23 to 37, wherein, during the removal of the tire material, the pneumatic tire is rotated around the rotation axis, particularly at a constant angular velocity.

[0169] 39. The method according to Embodiment 38, further having the features of Embodiment 29 or Embodiment 30, wherein the rotation of the pneumatic tire around the rotation axis is compensated when the laser radiation is positioned in the processing area.

[0170] 40. At least one first retaining finger engages with the first bead of the pneumatic tire, and at least one second retaining finger engages with the second bead of the pneumatic tire. The distance between the first bead and the second bead is adjusted by positioning the at least one first retaining finger and the at least one second retaining finger relative to each other. The rotation of the pneumatic tire during the removal of the tire material is performed by driving the at least one first retaining finger to cause rotational motion. The method according to any one of embodiments 23 to 39.

[0171] 41. The method according to Embodiment 40, wherein the second bead roll-engages with the at least one second retaining finger while the first retaining finger is driven to rotational motion, and the removal is performed on the second bead.

[0172] 42. The removal of the tire material from the first bead is performed after the removal of the tire material from the second bead. In particular, the rotation of the pneumatic tire during removal from the first bead is performed by driving the at least one second retaining finger to rotate it. In particular, the method according to embodiment 40 or 41, wherein the at least one second retaining finger is frictionally engaged with the pneumatic tire, in particular by blocking at least one roller of the at least one second retaining finger while it is being driven and rotating.

[0173] 43. The method according to embodiment 42, wherein the first bead is in rolling engagement with the at least one first retaining finger while the at least one second retaining finger is driven to rotational motion.

[0174] 44. The method according to any one of embodiments 40 to 43, wherein the at least one first retaining finger is moved into the pneumatic tire in a first lateral direction, and then the at least one first retaining finger is moved toward the first bead, thereby engaging the at least one first retaining finger with the first bead of the pneumatic tire.

[0175] 45. The method according to any one of embodiments 40 to 44, wherein the at least one second retaining finger is moved into the pneumatic tire in a second lateral direction, and then the at least one second finger is moved toward the second bead, thereby engaging the at least one second retaining finger with the second bead of the pneumatic tire.

[0176] 46. ​​The at least one first retaining finger is attached to the carrier. By lifting the carrier, the at least one first retaining finger is moved into the first lateral pneumatic tire, and the carrier is positioned beneath the conveying device. The method according to Embodiment 45.

[0177] 47. In order to drive the at least one first retaining finger to rotate, the carrier is lifted above the conveying device. Next, the carrier is driven and rotated. The method according to Embodiment 46.

[0178] 48. A tire processing machine for processing pneumatic tires, particularly for manufacturing a pneumatic tire according to any one of embodiments 1 to 22, wherein the pneumatic tire to be processed has a first bead and a second bead, the pneumatic tire defines an axial direction parallel to the axis of rotation of the pneumatic tire, the pneumatic tire defines a circumferential direction about the axis of rotation, and the tire processing machine, At least one first retaining finger that can engage with the first bead, The device comprises at least one second retaining finger that is engaged with the second bead, A tire processing machine capable of rotating the pneumatic tire with respect to at least one second retaining finger, and in particular, operating the at least one first retaining finger to rotate it together with the at least one first retaining finger.

[0179] 49. A tire processing machine according to embodiment 48, wherein the at least one second retaining finger can be operated to rotate the pneumatic tire with respect to the at least one first retaining finger, in particular to rotate it together with the at least one second retaining finger.

[0180] 50. The tire processing machine according to embodiment 48 or 49, wherein the at least one first retaining finger and / or the at least one second retaining finger are configured to hold the first bead and the second bead at a predetermined distance from each other.

[0181] 51. The at least one first retaining finger is configured to be inserted into the pneumatic tire from the first side of the pneumatic tire. The at least one second retaining finger is configured to be inserted into the pneumatic tire from the second side of the pneumatic tire, and the second side of the pneumatic tire is located on the side opposite to the first side of the pneumatic tire. A tire processing machine according to any one of embodiments 48 to 50.

[0182] 52. A tire processing machine according to any one of embodiments 48 to 51, further comprising a suction device.

[0183] 53. The suction device may be moved to a first position to suck up process residue from the processing of the first bead, and / or the suction device may be moved to a second position to suck up process residue from the processing of the second bead. A tire processing machine according to Embodiment 52.

[0184] 54. The tire processing machine has at least two of the first retaining fingers, and the suction device can be positioned between two adjacent first retaining fingers, and / or the tire processing machine has at least two of the second retaining fingers, and the suction device can be positioned between two adjacent second retaining fingers, In particular, the tire processing machine according to embodiment 52 or 53, wherein the spatial position of the retaining finger, between which the suction device is positioned, does not change during processing.

[0185] 55. The invention further comprises a laser emission device for emitting laser radiation onto the pneumatic tire and thereby processing the pneumatic tire, In particular, the laser emission device is positioned radially outward of the pneumatic tire, In particular, the laser emission device has at least one scanner for moving the beam path of the laser radiation on the pneumatic tire, and in particular, the scanning motion of the beam path has a directional component parallel to the axis of rotation. A tire processing machine according to any one of embodiments 48 to 54.

[0186] 56. The laser emission device can be configured to process the bead base of the first bead, and / or The laser emission device can be configured to process the bead base of the second bead, and / or The laser emission device can be configured to process the inner surface of the pneumatic tire. A tire processing machine according to Embodiment 55.

[0187] 57. The conveying device further comprises a device capable of transporting the pneumatic tire horizontally, The at least one first retaining finger and the at least one second retaining finger are engageable with the pneumatic tire lying on its side on the conveying device. A tire processing machine according to any one of embodiments 48 to 56.

[0188] 58. The tire processing machine according to Embodiment 57, wherein the pneumatic tire can be lifted from the conveying device to a position by the at least one first retaining finger and / or the at least one second retaining finger, so that the sidewall of the pneumatic tire is positioned at a distance on the opposite side of the conveying device.

[0189] 59. A tire processing machine having the features of Embodiment 58 and Embodiment 55, wherein the laser emission device is configured to process the pneumatic tire in the lifted position.

[0190] 60. The at least one first retaining finger has a mechanical stopper for the first surface portion of the first bead, and / or The at least one second retaining finger has a mechanical stopper for the second surface portion of the second bead. A tire processing machine according to any one of embodiments 48 to 59.

[0191] 61. At least one of the at least one first retaining finger has at least one roller on which the first surface portion can roll, and / or A tire processing machine according to any one of embodiments 48 to 60, wherein at least one of the at least one second retaining fingers has at least one second roller on which the second surface portion can roll.

[0192] 62. At least one of the following characteristics, namely, The bead side of the first bead can roll on at least one of the at least one first rollers, The bead base of the first bead can roll over at least one of the at least one first rollers, The bead side of the second bead can roll on at least one of the at least one second rollers, The bead base of the second bead can roll over at least one of the at least one second rollers, At least one of the at least one first roller is capable of blocking rotation due to frictional engagement between the pneumatic tire and the first roller. At least one of the at least one second roller is capable of blocking rotation due to frictional engagement between the pneumatic tire and the second roller. At least one of the above-mentioned first rollers is rotatably driven to drive the pneumatic tire into rotational motion, The tire processing machine according to embodiment 61, further comprising: at least one of the at least one second rollers being rotatably driven to drive the pneumatic tire into rotational motion.

[0193] 63. The tire processing machine according to any one of embodiments 48 to 62, wherein the at least one first retaining finger is rotatable at least 360 degrees about the axis of rotation at a distance from the axis of rotation, and / or the at least one second retaining finger is rotatable at least 360 degrees about the axis of rotation at a distance from the axis of rotation.

[0194] 64. Operating a tire processing machine for processing a pneumatic tire, in particular a method for manufacturing a pneumatic tire according to any one of embodiments 1 to 22, wherein the pneumatic tire to be processed has a first bead and a second bead, the pneumatic tire defines an axial direction parallel to the axis of rotation of the pneumatic tire, the pneumatic tire defines a circumferential direction about the axis of rotation, and the method is Engaging at least one first retaining finger with the first bead, Engaging at least one second retaining finger with the second bead, A method comprising rotating the pneumatic tire relative to the at least one second retaining finger, in particular operating the first retaining finger to rotate together with the at least one first retaining finger, in particular rotational motion.

[0195] 65. A wheel comprising a rim and a pneumatic tire according to any one of embodiments 1 to 22 attached to the rim.

[0196] 66. The protrusions and / or surface structure of the bead base are deformed by the rim, In particular, the wheel according to embodiment 65, wherein the protruding portion of the bead base undergoes deformation that changes circumferentially due to the rim.

[0197] 67. A control device configured to perform the method described in at least one of embodiments 23 to 47 and / or the method described in embodiment 64.

[0198] 68. A computer program product comprising a program element configured to perform, when executed on a processor device, the method described in at least one of embodiments 23 to 47 and / or the method described in embodiment 64.

[0199] Other features and advantages of this disclosure will become apparent from the following exemplary description of an exemplary implementation of a currently preferred embodiment, but the claimed invention is not limited thereto. The individual figures in the drawings of this document are schematic and should not be considered to scale. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0200] [Figure 1] This is a cross-sectional view of a portion of a wheel according to an embodiment of the subject disclosed herein. [Figure 2] This is an enlarged view of a portion of the first bead in Figure 1. [Figure 3]This is a partial diagram of another (first) bead according to embodiments of the subject matter disclosed herein. [Figure 4] Figure 1 is a schematic side view of a pneumatic tire. [Figure 5] This is a plan view of a bead base according to an embodiment of the subject disclosed herein. [Figure 6] This is a schematic cross-sectional view of the surface structure of the bead-based machining area in Figure 5, according to an embodiment of the subject disclosed herein. [Figure 7] This is a plan view of a portion of another bead-based machining area according to an embodiment of the subject disclosed herein. [Figure 8] This is a plan view of a portion of another bead-based machining area according to an embodiment of the subject disclosed herein. [Figure 9] This figure shows one embodiment of a method for generating parallel lines according to an embodiment of the subject disclosed herein. [Figure 10] This figure shows a tire processing machine according to an embodiment of the subject disclosed herein. [Figure 11] Figure 10 shows a tire processing machine in which at least one first retaining finger and at least one second retaining finger are located radially outward. [Figure 12] This figure shows another tire processing machine according to an embodiment of the subject disclosed herein. [Figure 13] This figure shows the tire processing machine in a different state than Figure 12. [Figure 14] Figures 12 and 13 show the tire processing machine with the pneumatic tire lifted from the conveying device. [Figure 15] This figure shows another tire processing machine according to an embodiment of the subject disclosed herein. [Figure 16] Figure 15 is a side view of the tire processing machine as seen from line XIII-XIII in Figure 15. [Figure 17] Figures 15 and 16 show a tire processing machine, including further details for illustrating other embodiments of the subject matter disclosed herein. [Figure 18]Figure 17 is a side view of a part of the tire processing machine. [Figure 19] Figure 18 shows a diagram of the tire processing machine used during the processing of the bead base of the second bead 112. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0201] It should be noted that similar or identical elements or components in different figures are either given the same reference numeral, or are given reference numerals where only the first digit is 2 or 3 instead of 1, or 5 or 6 instead of 4. Features or components that are the same as, or at least functionally equivalent to, corresponding features or components in another figure are described in detail only when they appear in the following text, and these features and components (or their corresponding reference numerals) are not repeated in subsequent references.

[0202] Needless to say, exemplary implementations of the elements described and referenced below are shown in the drawings and, unless otherwise specified, are configured as described in the corresponding drawings.

[0203] Furthermore, it should be noted that embodiments described in relation to exemplary implementations (i.e., exemplary combinations of embodiments) with reference to specific drawings are not limited to these implementations. Rather, as already stated above, the embodiments described herein can be combined in any way. Accordingly, embodiments described with reference to different implementations in different drawings can also be combined with each other.

[0204] Figure 1 shows a partial cross-sectional view of wheel 100 according to an embodiment of the subject disclosed herein.

[0205] According to one embodiment, the wheel 100 has a rim 102 according to the subjective embodiments disclosed herein and a pneumatic tire 104 mounted on the rim. According to one embodiment, the pneumatic tire 104 has a first sidewall 106 and a second sidewall 108 opposite to the first sidewall 106.

[0206] The pneumatic tire 104 further comprises a first bead 110 and a second bead 112. In the radial direction 114, the pneumatic tire 104 rests on the rim 102 by the bead base 116 of the beads 110, 112. The bead base 116 further comprises a first edge region 120, also referred to herein as the bead toe, which faces inward towards the pneumatic tire 104 when viewed in the axial direction 118. Furthermore, the bead base 116 has a second edge region 122, also referred to herein as the bead heel, which is located opposite the first edge region 120 in the axial direction 118. The bead base 116 extends in the circumferential direction of the tire. To that extent, in one embodiment, the bead base 116 also defines the circumferential direction of the tire (in Figure 1, the direction perpendicular to the plane of the drawing, not shown). According to one embodiment, the bead base has a projection (not shown in Figure 1) that extends in the circumferential direction, and the projection has a geometry that changes in the circumferential direction, and in the circumferential direction, it undergoes deformation that changes in the circumferential direction due to contact with the rim 102.

[0207] The tread 124 of the pneumatic tire 104 is positioned between the first sidewall 106 and the second sidewall 108.

[0208] Figure 2 shows a magnified view of a portion of the first bead 110 in Figure 1.

[0209] According to one embodiment, the bead base 116 has a projection 126 that extends toward the axis of rotation and in the circumferential direction of the bead base, as shown, for example, in Figure 2. The axis of rotation is schematically shown as 128 in Figure 2, and the dimensions, particularly the distance between the bead base 116 and the axis of rotation 128, are not to scale.

[0210] According to one embodiment, the projection 126 has a geometry that changes in the circumferential direction. For example, in the circumferential direction, the height 130 of the projection relative to the bottom 132 of the bead base may change in the circumferential direction, for example, from a first height (e.g., height 130) to a second height 134. The level of the bottom 132 of the bead base at the second height 134 is shown by a dashed line 136 in Figure 2. According to one embodiment, the projection 126 is located in a first (inner) axial edge region 120, for example, as shown in Figure 2.

[0211] According to one embodiment, the shape of the transition portion 138 from the protrusion 126 to the bottom 132 of the bead base 116 changes in the circumferential direction. According to one embodiment, the transition portion 138 forms a wall, as disclosed in other embodiments, between the raw bead base 116 and the bottom 132 of the bead base (in one embodiment, the protrusion 126 includes a portion of the raw bead base).

[0212] According to one embodiment, the bead 110 has a bead core 140. As is known to those skilled in the art, the bead core is formed of, for example, an annular steel wire or a plurality of annular strands (e.g., steel), some of which are shown as example 142 in Figure 2.

[0213] According to one embodiment, the projection 126 is created by removing tire material in a processed area 144 of the bead base 116. In this way, the removal shortens the distance 146 from the bead core 140 to the bottom 132 of the bead base 116. According to one embodiment, the level of the original bottom 148 of the bead base coincides with the level of the projection 126, as shown, for example, in Figure 2. In this specification, the term level refers to the level of the tire relative to the axis of rotation unless otherwise explicitly stated.

[0214] Figure 3 shows a partial view of another (first) bead 110 according to an embodiment of the subject disclosed herein.

[0215] According to one embodiment, the bead base 116 has a second projection 150 located at an axial distance 151 from the first projection 126. According to one embodiment, the first projection 126 and the second projection 150 define a recess 152 between them, which is generally barrel-shaped. According to one embodiment, the transition portions 138 and 153 between the bottom 132 and the projections 126 and 150 can extend substantially in a straight line, as shown in Figure 3, for example. In this case, the barrel-shaped recess 152 can have a trapezoidal cross-section in the axial direction, as shown in Figure 3, for example. According to one embodiment, as shown in Figure 3, for example, the first projection 126 is located in the bead toe region 120, and the second projection 150 is located in the bead heel region 122. As illustrated in Figure 3, arranging the protrusions 126 and 150 on opposing axial edge regions 120 and 122 of the bead base 116 has the advantage of distributing the compressive load on the bead base more evenly than in the case of having only one protrusion (for example, protrusion 126 as shown in Figure 2).

[0216] Figure 4 shows a schematic side view of the pneumatic tire 104 shown in Figure 1.

[0217] For clarity, the rim 102 is not shown in Figure 4. According to one embodiment, the projection 126 extends circumferentially 154 over an angular range of less than 360 degrees. In other words, in one embodiment, the projection 126 does not extend around the entire circumference of the bead base 116. According to one embodiment, the removal is performed continuously in the circumferential direction 154, i.e., the depth of the removal (according to one embodiment, this corresponds to the height 130 of the projection 126, see Figure 2) changes continuously in the circumferential direction 154, as shown, for example, in Figure 4.

[0218] Removing the rubber material (tire material) changes the distance 132 of the bottom of the bead base 116 from the rotation axis 156, which corresponds to an improvement in the concentricity of the pneumatic tire 104. According to one embodiment, the raw bead base 116, whose radial level is given by the projection 126 according to one embodiment, does not extend concentrically around the rotation axis 156, as schematically shown in Figure 4, for example. In other words, according to one embodiment, as shown in Figure 4, for example, the first distance 157 of the raw bead base from the rotation axis 156 is different from the second distance 158 of the raw bead base from the rotation axis 156. According to one embodiment, removing the tire material in the processed area 144 of the bead base 116 brings the bottom of the bead base 116 to an equidistant distance 160 (or at least approximately 158) from the rotation axis 156. In this way, the concentricity of the tire can be improved.

[0219] Needless to say, tire concentricity, or improved concentricity, always applies to the tire mounted on the rim. Therefore, the bottom 132 of the bead base 116 is also important for concentricity, while the protrusion 126 is deformed during mounting to the tire, according to one embodiment.

[0220] Figure 4 shows only a simple case of concentricity correction for a pneumatic tire, and it should be understood that, according to one embodiment, higher-order deviations can also be corrected by removing tire material. As a result, the height of the protrusion (e.g., the height 138 of the protrusion 126, see Figure 2) may have a circumferential maximum and / or minimum (not shown). Therefore, the geometry of the protrusion, or the geometry of the bottom 132 of the bead base, or the geometry of the recess 152 may have a circumferential maximum and / or minimum. However, it should be noted that these geometric deviations must be distinguished from the surface structure of the machined area created by the removal of tire material along the machining trajectory in the machined area.

[0221] Exemplary embodiments for removing tire material (i.e., for performing the removal) are described below.

[0222] Figure 5 shows a plan view of the bead base 116 according to an embodiment of the subject disclosed herein.

[0223] According to one embodiment, the processed area 144 from which the tire material is removed extends adjacent to the protrusion 126. According to one embodiment, the removal is performed using laser radiation, particularly from a CO2 laser. According to one embodiment, the removal of the tire material in the processed area 144 is performed along parallel lines (in Figure 5, some of the parallel lines or their lateral extensions, i.e., perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the lines, are shown as 162). According to one embodiment, the removal areas 162 of the parallel lines overlap, and as shown in Figure 5, for example, the removal areas 162 overlap over two-thirds of their line width 164. The removal of the tire material along the lines removes the tire material in the removal areas 162, thereby generating a processed trajectory in the sense of the present disclosure, according to one embodiment. Thus, the processed trajectory is defined, according to one embodiment, by the removal areas from which the tire material is removed. According to one embodiment, the terms “removal area” and “processed trajectory” as used herein are therefore interchangeable. Needless to say, if the removal areas overlap, the removal area 162 can be at least partially removed by subsequent removal in the overlapping removal areas, thereby becoming invisible in the final pneumatic tire 104.

[0224] According to one embodiment, the parallel line removal region 162 extends in the circumferential direction 154, that is, as shown in Figure 5 for example, the longitudinal direction of the line is parallel to the circumferential direction 154.

[0225] According to one embodiment, the parallel line removal region 162 (i.e., the machining trajectory) has a defined extent laterally with respect to the longitudinal direction, and thus defines the edge 163 of the removal region / machining trajectory 162.

[0226] Figure 6 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of the surface structure 168 of the bead base processing area 144 in Figure 5, according to an embodiment of the subject disclosed herein.

[0227] According to one embodiment, in the transition region 138 between the protrusion 126 and the bottom 132 of the bead base 116, the number of overlapping removal regions 132 differs, as described with reference to Figure 5, for example. In this way, a stepped surface structure is created in the transition region 138 between the protrusion 126 and the bottom 132 in a direction perpendicular to the parallel lines, which is schematically and ideally shown in Figure 6, 164. Needless to say, removal by laser radiation is never geometrically ideal and always deviates from the ideal geometric shape. This is especially true, according to one embodiment, when the laser radiation has a Gaussian intensity profile across the beam cross-section, as schematically shown in Figure 6, 166. Thus, with at least appropriate process control, a corrugated surface structure 168, as shown by the dashed line in Figure 6, is obtained instead of a stepped surface profile.

[0228] According to one embodiment, a surface structure 168 is also created on the bottom 132 of the bead base by overlapping removal regions 162 and / or edges 163 or edge regions of the removal regions 162. For example, according to one embodiment, the rubber material 170 that was not removed from the edges 163 of the removal regions 162 is left as is on the bottom 132 of the processing region 144 (i.e., the bottom of the bead base). According to one embodiment, the rubber material 170 provides a similar corrugated surface structure 168 on the bottom 132 by, for example, a Gaussian intensity profile 166 of laser radiation, in which case the wave crests 165 may have a pointed shape. A surface structure in which the pitch of the wave crests 165 (distance between the peaks of the wave crests) is less than or equal to the width 164 of the removal region 162, such as the surface structure 168 described with reference to Figures 5 and 6, is also referred to herein as the first structure. According to one embodiment, the surface structure 168 (particularly the first structural part of the surface structure) is defined by parallel lines by the edges of the machining trajectory or the edges 163 of the removal area 162. Therefore, according to one embodiment, the position of the edge 163 corresponds to the position of the wave crests of the surface structure, some of which are shown as 165 in Figure 6.

[0229] Figure 7 shows a plan view of a portion of the machining area 144 of another bead base 116 according to an embodiment of the subject disclosed herein.

[0230] According to one embodiment, the tire material is removed along a plurality of parallel overlapping lines in the processing area 144 of the bead base 116, for example as shown in Figure 7, where some of these lines or the edges of the lines shown in Figure 7 form a removal area 162 that forms an angle 172 with the axial direction 118 in the range of 0 to 60 degrees, for example, an angle of about 50 degrees. Furthermore, the overlap of the illustrated removal areas 162 is the same as shown in Figure 5.

[0231] As described above with reference to Figure 6, in one embodiment, the edge 163 of the machining path or removal area 162 defines the wave crest 165 of the surface structure 168, as schematically shown in Figure 7. Thus, in one embodiment, the wave crest 165 of the surface structure 168 extends at an angle 172 with respect to the axial direction 118. Machining oblique to the axial direction 118 (i.e., the angle 172 is, for example, 5 to 60 degrees) has the advantage that, given the axial width of the machining area 144, the longitudinal extension of individual machining paths or removal areas 162 is greater than the axial width of the removal area 144. By adjusting the angle 172 in this way, the longitudinal extension of the removal area 162 can be adapted to the available scanning path of the laser scanner, thereby making the longitudinal extension of the removal area 162 as long as possible but not longer than the maximum scanning path of the laser scanner. In this way, the efficiency of removal can be increased.

[0232] Figure 8 shows a plan view of a portion of the machining area 144 of another bead base 116 according to an embodiment of the subject disclosed herein.

[0233] According to one embodiment, the surface structure has a structural portion (also referred to herein as the second structural portion 169), the wave crests 165 having a distance 173 greater than the width of the removal area 162 or processing trajectory, and according to one embodiment, the second structural portion is also generated by the removal of tire material along the removal area of ​​the line (or processing trajectory) according to the embodiments disclosed herein, particularly by the removal area 162 described with reference to Figures 5, 6 and 7. In particular, the wave crests 165 of the second structural portion 169 are generated such that, in one embodiment, they do not extend perfectly parallel to each other, and according to another embodiment, they do not extend perfectly straight. Therefore, according to one embodiment, the distance 173 of the wave crests 165 of the second structural portion 169 is, according to one embodiment, the average distance of the wave crests 165 of the second structural portion 169. Furthermore, according to one embodiment, the amplitude of the wave crests 165 of the second structural portion 169 can be varied in the longitudinal direction 171 of the wave crests 165 of the second structural portion 169. According to one embodiment, the wave crest 165 of the second structural part 169 extends in the longitudinal direction 171 of the wave crest 165 only over a portion of the processed area 144.

[0234] According to one embodiment, the pneumatic tire 104 rotates around its axis of rotation during machining of the machining area 144. In this case, the rotation of the pneumatic tire is compensated for by appropriately guiding the beam path of the laser radiation in order to generate parallel lines or parallel machining trajectories.

[0235] Figure 9 shows one embodiment of a method for generating parallel lines according to an embodiment of the subject disclosed herein.

[0236] Figure 9 shows one embodiment of a beam path 174 on a bead base 116, where the bead base 116 moves circumferentially 154 at a velocity 175. The beam path 174 on the bead base corresponds to the path of the laser spot generated by the laser radiation on the bead base, insofar as the laser radiation is emitted. According to one embodiment, the laser radiation is turned off in several path portions, so below we will focus only on the beam path on the bead base. According to one embodiment, the path 174 includes a first path portion 176 starting from a first starting point, in which the beam path of the laser radiation is moved in the circumferential direction component 154. This movement of the beam path along the path 174 on the bead base 116 is performed, for example, by a laser scanner. According to one embodiment, the laser radiation is turned off at the end of the first path portion (e.g., the edge of the processing area or the end of the scanning path of the laser scanner), and the beam path is returned to the second starting point in the reverse direction of the circumferential direction 154 on the second path portion 177 (also referred to herein as a reverse movement), from there according to one embodiment, the beam path is again moved along the third path portion 178 in the directional component of the circumferential direction 154. According to one embodiment, at the end of the third path portion, the laser radiation is turned off again, and another reverse movement to the first starting point is performed along the fourth path portion 179. In this way, the first path portion 176 creates a first removal region 262 on the bead base, and the second path portion 178 creates a second removal region 362 (shown by lines in Figure 9). These extend parallel to each other in the longitudinal direction perpendicular to the circumferential direction 154, for example, when the velocities (velocities of the laser radiation beam paths along the first and third path portions 176 and 178, and the velocity 175 of the bead base 116) are appropriately adjusted. In this case, the distance between the parallel removal regions 262 and 362 is determined by the duration of the reverse movement (path portions 177 and 179) and the velocity 175.

[0237] Figure 10 shows a tire processing machine 400 according to an embodiment of the subject disclosed herein.

[0238] The tire processing machine has at least one first retaining finger 402, for example two first retaining fingers 402, as shown in Figure 10. According to one embodiment, the tire processing machine 400 has at least one second retaining finger 404, for example two first retaining fingers 404, as shown in Figure 10. According to one embodiment, at least one first retaining finger is operable to rotate the pneumatic tire 104 together with at least one first retaining finger 402 with respect to at least one second retaining finger 404.

[0239] According to one embodiment, at least one first retaining finger 402 is attached to a first carrier 406, and at least one second retaining finger 404 is attached to a second carrier 408. According to one embodiment, at least one first retaining finger 402 and at least one second retaining finger 404 are movable laterally, for example axially 118, into (and again out of) the pneumatic tire 104. For example, at least one first retaining finger 402 and at least one second retaining finger 404 are movable radially 114 relative to their carriers 406, 408, and in particular, are movable to a radially inward position 409, as shown in Figure 10, for example.

[0240] According to one embodiment, at least one first retaining finger 402 and at least one second retaining finger 404 are movable relative to the carriers 406, 408 to a radially outward position (not shown in Figure 10) in which at least one first retaining finger 402 engages with the first bead 110 and at least one second retaining finger 404 engages with the second bead 112.

[0241] In another embodiment, at least one retaining finger 402 and at least one retaining finger 404 each have at least one roller that can be configured to roll on the surface of the pneumatic tire 104. For example, each retaining finger 402, 404 may have a first roller 410 and / or a second roller 414, as described below. In other embodiments (not shown), sliding engagement of at least one retaining finger is also possible instead of rolling engagement (by providing the first and / or second rollers). However, rolling engagement is less damaging and thus protects the surface of the pneumatic tire.

[0242] For example, at least one roller includes a first roller 410 which can or can be configured to roll on the inner surface 412 of the bead of the pneumatic tire. According to one embodiment, the inner surface 412 of the bead faces axially inward and is located next to the bead base 116, for example, as shown in Figure 10.

[0243] According to another embodiment, at least one roller of each retaining finger 402, 404 includes a second roller 414 which can or can be configured to roll on an assigned bead base 116 of a pneumatic tire 104.

[0244] According to one embodiment, at least one first roller 410 and / or at least one second roller 414 can be configured to allow or block rotation about the axis of the roller (also referred to herein as the “roller axis”).

[0245] Figure 11 shows the tire processing machine 400 of Figure 10, in which at least one first retaining finger 402 and at least one second retaining finger 404 are located at a radially outward position 418. The radially outward position 418 is also referred herein to as the engagement position because the retaining fingers engage with the pneumatic tire 104 at this position.

[0246] According to one embodiment, the rollers 410, 414 of at least one first holding finger 402 are engaged with the first bead 110 of the pneumatic tire 104 at a position 418 radially outside thereof, as shown in, for example, FIG. 11. According to another embodiment, the rollers 410, 414 of at least one second holding finger 404 are engaged with the second bead 112 of the pneumatic tire 104 at a position 418 radially outside thereof, as shown in, for example, FIG. 11.

[0247] According to one embodiment, at least one first holding finger 402 can be operated to rotate the pneumatic tire 104 together with the at least one first holding finger 402 with respect to at least one second holding finger 404. For example, according to one embodiment, the first roller 410 and / or the second roller 414 of at least one first holding finger 402 are configured to be in frictional engagement with the first bead 110. For this purpose, for example, the first roller 410 and / or the second roller 414 are configured to block rotation about their respective axes in order to generate frictional engagement.

[0248] According to one embodiment, the first roller 410 and the second roller 414 of the second holding finger 404 are configured to allow rotation of the first roller 410 and the second roller 414 of the second holding finger 404. In this way, while the pneumatic tire 104 is rotating about its rotation axis 128, the second bead 112 can roll on the first roller 410 (and also on the second roller 414 according to one embodiment), whereby the second bead 112 is held at a predetermined distance from the first bead 110, and yet the second bead 112 is rotatable with respect to the second holding finger 404 and can rotate without being particularly hindered. In this way, accurate machining of the second bead 112 becomes possible.

[0249] As described herein, according to another embodiment, machining of the first bead is made possible by configuring the first roller 410 and second roller 414 of the first retaining finger 402 to allow rotation around their respective roller axes, while configuring the first roller 410 and second roller 414 of the second retaining finger 404 to block rotation, thereby frictionally engaging the second retaining finger 404 with the second bead 112. Thus, this configuration of the rollers 410, 414 allows the pneumatic tire 104 to also be driven to rotate around the rotation axis 128, as the second retaining finger 404 rotates around the rotation axis 128 while the first bead 110 rolls on the rollers 410, 414 of at least one of the first retaining fingers 402. In this way, precise machining of the first bead is possible.

[0250] Figure 12 shows another tire processing machine 500 according to an embodiment of the subject disclosed herein.

[0251] According to one embodiment, the tire processing machine 500 includes a carrier 406 to which at least two first retaining fingers 402 are attached, as shown in Figure 12, for example. Needless to say, more than two first retaining fingers 402, for example four or more first retaining fingers 402, can be attached to the carrier 406. However, for the sake of simpler illustration and clarity, only two first retaining fingers are shown in Figure 12.

[0252] According to one embodiment, each of at least two first retaining fingers 402 has a roller 410 (also referred to herein as the first roller), for example, the first roller 410 described with reference to Figures 10 and 11.

[0253] According to one embodiment, the carrier 406 having the first retaining fingers 402 and the first roller 410 can be placed below the conveying device 420, for example, as shown in Figure 12. When the carrier and the first retaining fingers 402 are in this position, the pneumatic tire 104 can be easily fed into the tire processing machine 500.

[0254] Figure 13 shows the tire processing machine 500 from Figure 12 in a different state.

[0255] According to one embodiment, the first retaining finger 402 engages with the first bead 110, and at least two second retaining fingers 404 engage with the second bead 112 of the pneumatic tire 104. According to one embodiment, the engagement of the first and second retaining fingers 402, 404 with the assigned beads 110, 112 can be achieved by the engagement of the roller 410 with the assigned first bead 110 or the second bead 112, for example, as shown in Figure 13. In this case, according to one embodiment, the first retaining finger 402 extends through the conveying device 420, for example, as shown in Figure 13. According to one embodiment, the conveying device has spaced-apart conveying sections for this purpose, between which the first carrier 106 and the first retaining finger 402 can pass. According to one embodiment, the first bead 110 and the second bead 112 are held at a predetermined distance from each other by at least two first retaining fingers 402 and at least two second retaining fingers 404. According to one embodiment, at least two first retaining fingers 402 and at least two second retaining fingers 404 are movable together in an axial direction 118, for example, as shown in Figure 13. According to one embodiment, in this case, the distance between the first bead 110 and the second bead 112 remains constant, and at least in the final position (e.g., the lifted position as described with reference to Figure 14), a predetermined distance is taken.

[0256] Figure 14 shows the tire processing machine 500 from Figures 12 and 13, with the pneumatic tire 104 in a position lifted from the conveying device 420.

[0257] According to one embodiment, the first carrier 406 is configured to be positioned on the conveying device 420, for example, as shown in Figure 14. In this way, according to one embodiment, the first carrier 406 is freely rotatable in the lifted position together with the first holding finger 402.

[0258] According to one embodiment, at least in the lifted position, the distance 429 between the first bead 110 and the second bead 112 has a predetermined value. This allows for precise machining of the bead base, as the orientation and / or position of the bead base 116 may change, especially when the pneumatic tire deforms.

[0259] According to one embodiment, the tire processing machine 500 includes a first drive unit 450 configured to drive a first carrier 406 together with the first retaining fingers 402 to rotate, thereby rotating the pneumatic tire 104, when the roller 410 of the first retaining fingers 402 is configured to frictionally engage with the pneumatic tire 104.

[0260] According to another embodiment, the tire processing machine 500 includes a second drive unit 452 configured to drive a second carrier 408 together with the second retaining fingers 404 to rotate, thereby rotating the pneumatic tire 104, when the roller 410 of the second retaining fingers 404 is configured to frictionally engage with the pneumatic tire 104.

[0261] Figure 15 shows another tire processing machine 600 according to an embodiment of the subject disclosed herein.

[0262] According to one embodiment, the tire processing machine 600 includes a conveying device 420 having a first conveying section 422 and a second conveying section 424 arranged at a distance from each other, as shown in Figure 15, for example. According to one embodiment, a first carrier 406 is positioned between the first conveying section 422 and the second conveying section 424, and the first carrier 406 is fitted with four first retaining fingers 402, each having a roller, particularly a first roller 410, as described with reference to Figures 10 to 14.

[0263] The conveying sections 422 and 424 can be formed by two belt sections 426 of a conveyor belt that are spaced apart from each other, as shown in Figure 15, for example.

[0264] According to one embodiment, the conveying device 420 is configured to convey the pneumatic tire 104 lying sideways, that is, for example, as shown by the dashed line in FIG. 15, both sidewalls of the pneumatic tire 104 are placed on the conveying device 420.

[0265] FIG. 16 shows a side view of the tire processing machine 600 of FIG. 15 as viewed from line XIII-XIII of FIG. 15.

[0266] According to one embodiment, the first carrier 406 is arranged at a first position below the conveying device 420, for example, as shown in FIG. 15. In this way, the pneumatic tire 104 can be fed into the tire processing machine 501 without the risk of collision with at least one first holding finger 402 or its roller 410.

[0267] FIG. 17 shows the tire processing machine 600 of FIGS. 15 and 16 including further details for explaining another embodiment of the subject matter disclosed herein.

[0268] According to one embodiment, the carrier 406 is lifted above the conveying device 420 at a second position, for example, as shown in FIG. 17, to engage the first holding finger 402 with the pneumatic tire 104 and enter into the pneumatic tire 104. According to another embodiment, the tire processing machine 600 can have a suction device 428. According to one embodiment, the conveying device is arranged on the opposite side of the first sidewall of the pneumatic tire 104, and the suction device 428 is positioned into the pneumatic tire from the opposite side located on the opposite side of the second sidewall of the pneumatic tire 104, whereby the suction device is positioned on the opposite side of the processing location 433 to be processed (especially in the processing area 144 on the bead base 116) of the pneumatic tire 104, for example, as shown in FIG. 17.

[0269] According to one embodiment, the tire processing machine 600 is configured to process a pneumatic tire 104 using laser radiation 430. For example, according to one embodiment, the tire processing machine 600 has a laser emitter 432 that can emit laser radiation 430. According to one embodiment, a suction device 428 is configured to pass the laser radiation 430 through the suction device 428. In this way, the suction device 428 can be positioned very close to the processing area 433 of the pneumatic tire 104 that is processed using laser radiation 430.

[0270] According to one embodiment, the laser processing apparatus 600 includes components of the laser processing machine 600, such as a laser emitter 432, a transporter 420, a carrier 406, or a drive unit 450, 452, and / or a control device 434 assigned to the carrier 406 according to embodiments disclosed herein and configured to control an actuator that enables the movement of the carrier.

[0271] According to one embodiment, the control device includes a processor device 436 and, according to one embodiment, a storage device 438 that stores a computer program product, for example, a program element configured to control the laser processing machine 600 in particular, to perform a method according to one or more embodiments disclosed herein when executed on the processor device 436.

[0272] According to one embodiment, the first carrier 406 is moved to the processing position 440 before the processing of the first bead by the laser radiation 430, and is fixed in this processing position 440 during the processing of the first bead.

[0273] According to one embodiment, the processing position 440 of the first carrier 406 is rotated, for example, 45 degrees, as shown in Figure 17, relative to the introduction position for introducing it into the pneumatic tire 104 shown in Figure 15. For example, according to one embodiment, the first carrier 406 is moved to the processing position 440 together with the first retaining finger 402 in order to enable or facilitate the positioning of the suction device 428 with respect to the first bead and the laser radiation 430 on the first bead 110.

[0274] Figure 18 shows a partial side view of the tire processing machine 600 shown in Figure 17.

[0275] In Figure 18, the retaining fingers are not shown in order to facilitate the illustration of the laser radiation 430 or its beam path. According to one embodiment, the laser emitter 432 is configured (e.g., designed and positioned) to guide the laser radiation 430 to the bead base 116 of the first bead 110 at a distance on the first sidewall 106 in order to process the bead base 116 of the first bead, as shown in Figure 18, for example.

[0276] According to one embodiment, the suction device 428 has a park position (not shown in Figure 18) located opposite the second sidewall 108 of the pneumatic tire 104, thereby allowing the suction device 428 to be moved, according to one embodiment, in the axial direction 118 through an opening 442 defined by the bead base 116 of the second bead to a suction position, a first suction position 444, as shown in Figure 18. According to one embodiment, at the first suction position 444, as shown in Figure 18, for example, the beam path of the laser radiation 430 passes through the suction device 428 when processing the bead base 116 of the first bead 110.

[0277] Needless to say, during operation, the suction device is connected to a negative pressure source (not shown in Figure 18) via a suction channel (not shown in Figure 18).

[0278] Figure 19 shows the tire processing machine 600 shown in Figure 18 during processing of the bead base 116 of the second bead 112.

[0279] According to one embodiment, the suction device 428 is moved to a second suction position 446 in order to process the bead base 116 of the second bead 112. According to one embodiment, at the second suction position 446, for example as shown in Figure 19, the beam path of the laser radiation 430 passes through the suction device 428 when processing the bead base 116 of the second bead 112.

[0280] It should be noted that the tire processing machines described herein are not limited to specific entities, as described in some embodiments and with reference to certain figures. Rather, while the subject matter disclosed herein can be implemented in numerous ways and at various levels of granularity, these still provide the specific functions disclosed.

[0281] According to embodiments of the subject matter disclosed herein, any suitable entity (e.g., component, unit, and device) or its functions can be provided, at least in part, in the form of a corresponding computer program or computer program product that enables a processor device to provide the functions of the corresponding entity described herein. According to other embodiments, any suitable entity described herein can be provided in hardware. According to other hybrid embodiments, some entities can be provided in software while others are provided in hardware.

[0282] It should be noted that any entities disclosed herein (e.g., components, units, and devices) are not limited to specific entities described in some embodiments. Rather, the subject matter described herein can be provided in various ways, at varying levels of granularity, at the device level or software module level, while still providing the described functions. Furthermore, it should be added that, according to embodiments, a separate entity (e.g., a software module, a hardware module, or a hybrid module) can be provided for each function disclosed herein. According to other embodiments, an entity (e.g., a software module, a hardware module, or a hybrid module) can be configured to provide two or more functions described herein. According to yet another embodiment, two or more entities (e.g., components, units, and devices) can be configured to provide the functions described herein together.

[0283] According to one embodiment, the control device comprises a processor device having at least one processor for executing at least one program element which may correspond to a corresponding software module.

[0284] References to laser radiation can, naturally, be similarly defined as references to the radiation pathways of laser radiation, and vice versa. To that extent, references to laser radiation in this specification disclose similarly to references to the radiation pathways of laser radiation.

[0285] It should be noted that the exemplary implementations described herein represent only a limited selection of possible combinations of embodiments of the present disclosure. Therefore, it is possible to appropriately combine features of various embodiments with one another, and thus the exemplary implementations explicitly disclosed herein should be considered to disclose a number of combinations of various embodiments to those skilled in the art. Furthermore, it should be noted that singular terms do not preclude plural forms. Terms such as “includes” or “has” do not preclude other features or method steps. Thus, according to one embodiment, the term “has” or “includes” means “has, in particular.” According to another embodiment, the term “has” or “includes” means “consists of.” According to one embodiment, the term “set to be” includes the meaning “configured, in particular.”

[0286] It should also be noted that reference numerals in the claims should not be construed as limiting the scope of protection of the claims. Furthermore, it should be noted that reference numerals in the description and references to the drawings in the description should not be construed as limiting the scope of the description. Rather, the drawings merely illustrate exemplary implementations of specific combinations of multiple embodiments of the subject matter disclosed herein, and any other combinations of embodiments are possible and can be considered as disclosed herein.

[0287] In exemplary implementations, including advantageous combinations of the embodiments disclosed herein, the following can be confirmed:

[0288] Disclosed is a pneumatic tire having a bead having a bead base oriented toward the axis of rotation of the pneumatic tire, the bead base having a projection extending circumferentially toward the axis of rotation, the projection having a geometry that changes circumferentially. Furthermore, a pneumatic tire is disclosed having a bead having a bead base oriented toward the axis of rotation of the pneumatic tire, the bead base having a surface structure created by removing tire material along a machining trajectory in the machining region of the bead base, the surface structure being corrugated. Furthermore, a method for manufacturing this pneumatic tire and a tire machine are disclosed. Furthermore, a method for operating the tire machine, a wheel having a pneumatic tire, a control device for controlling the method, and a computer program product for controlling the method are disclosed.

Claims

1. It is a pneumatic tire, The aforementioned pneumatic tire has a bead with a bead base facing the axis of rotation, The bead base has a surface structure created by removing tire material along the machining trajectory in the machining region of the bead base. A pneumatic tire having a corrugated surface structure.

2. The surface structure has a first structural part and / or a second structural part. The first structural part has wave peaks defined by the overlap of the machining trajectories, and the overlap is 10% to 90% of the width of the machining trajectories. The pneumatic tire according to claim 1, wherein the second structural part has wave crests with a distance greater than the width of the machining trajectory.

3. The distance between the wave crests of the first structural part is greater than 0.05 mm, and / or The distance between the wave crests of the first structural part is less than 2 mm. The pneumatic tire according to claim 2.

4. The pneumatic tire according to claim 2, wherein the distance between the wave peaks of the second structural part is greater than 0.5 mm.

5. The pneumatic tire according to claim 2, wherein the distance between the wave peaks of the second structural part is less than 10 mm.

6. The wave peaks of the machining trajectory extend along the machining trajectory, and / or The geometry of the wave crest of the second structural part described above changes in the longitudinal direction of the wave crest. The pneumatic tire according to claim 2.

7. The pneumatic tire according to claim 1, wherein the amplitude of the surface structure is 0.005 mm to 0.25 mm.

8. The pneumatic tire according to claim 1, wherein the amplitude of the surface structure changes in the circumferential direction, and the amplitude of the surface structure decreases continuously in the circumferential direction from the point of maximum amplitude.

9. The pneumatic tire according to claim 2, wherein the wave-like peaks of the surface structure are arranged at least partially parallel to each other.

10. The pneumatic tire according to claim 1, wherein the surface structure is absent in at least one edge region of the bead base in the axial direction parallel to the rotation axis of the pneumatic tire.

11. The pneumatic tire according to claim 1, wherein the removal of the tire material is performed using laser radiation.

12. The pneumatic tire according to claim 1, wherein a recess is formed in the processed area of ​​the bead base.

13. The recess has a wall extending between the unprocessed portion of the bead base and the bottom portion of the bead base. The wall has the surface structure, and / or the bottom has the surface structure. The pneumatic tire according to claim 12.

14. The bead base has a projection that extends toward the axis of rotation and in the circumferential direction, The protruding portion has a geometry that changes in the circumferential direction. The pneumatic tire according to claim 1.

15. The changing geometry and / or surface structure of the protrusion extends over an angular range less than 360 degrees, particularly less than 180 degrees. The pneumatic tire according to claim 14, wherein the angular range is in the interval between 20 degrees and 350 degrees, and particularly between 40 degrees and 160 degrees.

16. The aforementioned projection is a first projection, and the bead base has a second projection extending in the circumferential direction. The first projection and the second projection define a recess between them, and in particular, define a recess that is at least partially barrel-shaped in the axial and / or circumferential direction. In particular, the recess is formed asymmetrically in the axial direction. The pneumatic tire according to claim 14.

17. The aforementioned protrusion extends above the bottom of the bead base, and furthermore, at least one of the following: The circumferentially varying geometry includes the circumferentially varying height of the protrusion relative to the bottom, The difference between the height of the protrusion at a certain angular position in the circumferential direction relative to the bottom and the height of the protrusion at a different angular position is a maximum of 1 mm, for example, a maximum of 0.5 mm. The aforementioned protrusion is located in the axial edge region of the bead base. The aforementioned protrusion is formed by removing tire material in the processing area of ​​the bead base, The pneumatic tire according to claim 14.

18. The removal of the aforementioned tire material was carried out using laser radiation, particularly from a CO2 laser, in particular, The laser radiation was continuous laser radiation, and / or The laser radiation had a Gaussian beam profile, and / or The pneumatic tire according to claim 1, wherein the laser radiation has an output exceeding 400 W, and in particular has an output exceeding 800 W.

19. The removal of the tire material is carried out along at least one line, in particular, The removal of the tire material is carried out along a plurality of parallel lines, and / or, Parallel lines form an angle with the axial direction in the range of 0 to 60 degrees, or the parallel lines extend in the circumferential direction, and / or, The pneumatic tire according to claim 1, wherein the removal areas of adjacent lines overlap.

20. One of the following characteristics, namely, The overlap of the removal areas of adjacent lines is between 10% and 90%. The overlap of the removal areas for adjacent lines is between 65% and 85%. The overlap of adjacent lines is 10%, 20%, 33.333%, 50%, 66.667%, 80%, or 90%. The overlap of the removal regions of adjacent lines is constant. The pneumatic tire according to claim 19, further comprising the condition that the overlap of the removal regions of adjacent lines depends on the depth of the removal.

21. The pneumatic tire according to claim 1, wherein the depth of the removal changes continuously in the circumferential direction.

22. The pneumatic tire according to claim 18, wherein the circumferential and / or axial variation of the depth of the removal is achieved at least partially by changing the output of the laser radiation and / or by changing the feed rate of the laser spot on the surface of the bead base, the laser radiation generating the laser spot on the surface of the bead base.

23. A method for processing a pneumatic tire, particularly a method for manufacturing the pneumatic tire described in claim 1, wherein the pneumatic tire comprises a bead base, the pneumatic tire defines an axial direction parallel to the axis of rotation of the pneumatic tire, the pneumatic tire defines a circumferential direction about the axis of rotation, and the method is Removing the tire material in the processing region of the bead base, and thereby removing the tire material along the processing trajectory, the surface structure is a corrugated surface structure, and / or A method comprising: creating a projection that extends toward the axis of rotation and in the circumferential direction, and having a geometry that changes in the circumferential direction.

24. The aforementioned protrusions and / or surface structures extend over an angular range smaller than 360 degrees, and / or The pneumatic tire is rotated around its axis of rotation during the removal of the tire material, and / or In at least a portion of the processing area, the tire material is removed multiple times. The method according to claim 23.

25. The aforementioned protrusion is a first protrusion, and the removal of the tire material in the processing region generates a second protrusion extending in the circumferential direction. The method according to claim 23, wherein the processing area is located between the first protrusion and the second protrusion, thereby defining a recess between the first protrusion and the second protrusion.

26. The method according to claim 25, wherein the recess is barrel-shaped in the axial and / or circumferential direction.

27. The method according to claim 23, wherein the removal of the tire material is carried out to a certain depth, the depth of which varies in the circumferential direction of the protrusion.

28. The method according to claim 23, wherein the processing region includes the central region of the bead base, and the central region of the bead base is arranged axially between the edge regions of the bead base.

29. The method according to claim 23, wherein the removal of the tire material is performed using laser radiation, particularly laser radiation from a CO2 laser.

30. At least one of the following characteristics, namely, The CO2 laser operates continuously during removal. CO2 lasers have a Gaussian beam profile. CO2 lasers have output power exceeding 400W, especially those exceeding 800W. The method according to claim 29, further comprising:

31. The removal of the tire material is carried out along at least one line. The method according to claim 23.

32. The removal of the tire material is carried out along a plurality of parallel lines, and / or a plurality of processing trajectories are generated in the processing area. Furthermore, at least one of the following features, namely The parallel lines form an angle with the axial direction in the range of 0 to 60 degrees, or the parallel lines extend in the circumferential direction. The removal areas of adjacent lines overlap. The overlap of the removal areas of adjacent lines is between 10% and 90%. The overlap of the removal areas for adjacent lines is between 65% and 85%. The overlap of the removal areas of adjacent lines is 10%, 20%, 33.333%, 50%, 66.667%, 80%, or 90%. The overlap of the removal regions of adjacent lines is constant. The method according to claim 31, wherein the overlap of the removal regions of adjacent lines depends on the depth of the removal generated by the removal.

33. The surface structure includes a first structural part and / or a second structural part. Furthermore, at least one of the following features, namely The first structural part has wave peaks defined by the overlap of the machining trajectories, and the overlap is 10% to 90% of the width of the machining trajectories. The second structural part has wave peaks over a distance greater than the width of the machining trajectory. The distance between the wave crests of the first structural part is greater than 0.05 mm. The distance between the wave crests of the first structural part is less than 2 mm. The distance between the wave crests of the second structural part is greater than 0.5 mm. The distance between the wave crests of the second structural part is less than 10 mm. The method according to claim 23, including the method described in claim 23.

34. The wave peaks of the machining trajectory extend along the machining trajectory, and / or The geometry of the wave crest of the second structural part described above changes in the longitudinal direction of the wave crest. The wave peaks of the surface structure are arranged at least partially parallel to each other. The method according to claim 33.

35. The amplitude of the surface structure is 0.005 mm to 0.25 mm, and / or The amplitude of the surface structure changes in the circumferential direction. The amplitude of the surface structure decreases continuously in the circumferential direction from the point of maximum amplitude. The method according to claim 23, wherein the surface structure is absent in at least one edge region of the bead base in the axial direction parallel to the rotation axis of the pneumatic tire.

36. In the bead base, a recess is formed in the processing region. especially, The recess has a wall extending between the unprocessed portion of the bead base and the bottom portion of the bead base. The method according to claim 23, wherein the wall has the surface structure and / or the bottom has the surface structure.

37. The method according to claim 29, wherein, during the removal of the tire material in the processing region, the output of the laser radiation is varied according to the axial position and / or the circumferential position.

38. The method according to claim 23, wherein during the removal of the tire material, the pneumatic tire is rotated around the rotation axis, particularly at a constant angular velocity.

39. The method according to claim 38, wherein the rotation of the pneumatic tire around the rotation axis is compensated when the laser radiation is positioned in the processing area.

40. At least one first retaining finger engages with the first bead of the pneumatic tire, and at least one second retaining finger engages with the second bead of the pneumatic tire. The distance between the first bead and the second bead is adjusted by positioning the at least one first retaining finger and the at least one second retaining finger relative to each other. The rotation of the pneumatic tire during the removal of the tire material is performed by driving the at least one first retaining finger to cause rotational motion. The method according to claim 38.

41. The method according to claim 40, wherein while at least one first retaining finger is driven to rotational motion, the second bead roll-engages with the at least one second retaining finger, and the removal is performed on the second bead.

42. The removal of the tire material from the first bead is performed after the removal of the tire material from the second bead. In particular, the rotation of the pneumatic tire during removal from the first bead is performed by driving the at least one second retaining finger to cause rotational motion. The method according to claim 40, in particular, the at least one second retaining finger is frictionally engaged with the pneumatic tire, in particular by blocking at least one roller of the at least one second retaining finger while it is being driven and rotating.

43. The method according to claim 42, wherein the first bead is in rolling engagement with the at least one first retaining finger while the at least one second retaining finger is driven to rotational motion.

44. The method according to claim 40, wherein the at least one first retaining finger is moved into the pneumatic tire in a first lateral direction, and then the at least one first finger is moved toward the first bead, thereby engaging the at least one first retaining finger with the first bead of the pneumatic tire.

45. The method according to claim 44, wherein the at least one second retaining finger is moved into the pneumatic tire in a second lateral direction, and then the at least one second finger is moved toward the second bead, thereby engaging the at least one second retaining finger with the second bead of the pneumatic tire.

46. The at least one first retaining finger is attached to the carrier. By lifting the carrier, the at least one first retaining finger is moved into the first lateral pneumatic tire, and the carrier is positioned below the conveying device. The method according to claim 45.

47. In order to drive the at least one first holding finger to rotate, the carrier is lifted above the conveying device. Next, the carrier is driven and rotated. The method according to claim 46.

48. A tire processing machine for processing pneumatic tires, and more particularly for manufacturing a pneumatic tire according to any one of claims 1 to 22, wherein the pneumatic tire to be processed has a first bead and a second bead, the pneumatic tire has an axial direction defined parallel to the axis of rotation of the pneumatic tire, the pneumatic tire has a circumferential direction defined about the axis of rotation, and the tire processing machine, At least one first retaining finger that can engage with the first bead, It comprises at least one second retaining finger that is engaged with the second bead, A tire processing machine capable of rotating the pneumatic tire with respect to at least one second retaining finger, and in particular, operating the at least one first retaining finger to rotate the pneumatic tire together with the at least one first retaining finger.

49. The tire processing machine according to claim 48, wherein the at least one second retaining finger can be operated to rotate the pneumatic tire with respect to the at least one first retaining finger, and in particular to rotate the at least one second retaining finger together with the at least one second retaining finger.

50. The tire processing machine according to claim 48, wherein the at least one first retaining finger and / or the at least one second retaining finger are configured to hold the first bead and the second bead at a predetermined distance from each other.

51. The at least one first retaining finger is configured to be inserted into the pneumatic tire from the first side of the pneumatic tire. The at least one second retaining finger is configured to be inserted into the pneumatic tire from the second side of the pneumatic tire, and the second side of the pneumatic tire is located on the side opposite to the first side of the pneumatic tire. The tire processing machine according to claim 48.

52. The tire processing machine according to claim 48, further comprising a suction device.

53. The suction device can be moved to a first position to suck up process residue from the processing of the first bead, and / or the suction device can be moved to a second position to suck up process residue from the processing of the second bead. The tire processing machine according to claim 52.

54. The tire processing machine has at least two of the first retaining fingers, and the suction device can be positioned between two adjacent first retaining fingers, and / or the tire processing machine has at least two of the second retaining fingers, and the suction device can be positioned between two adjacent second retaining fingers, In particular, the tire processing machine according to claim 52, wherein the spatial position of the retaining fingers positioned between the suction device does not change during processing.

55. The system further comprises a laser emission device for emitting laser radiation onto the pneumatic tire and thereby processing the pneumatic tire, In particular, the laser emission device is positioned radially outward of the pneumatic tire, In particular, the laser emission device has at least one scanner for moving the beam path of the laser radiation on the pneumatic tire, and in particular, the scanning motion of the beam path has a directional component parallel to the axis of rotation. The tire processing machine according to claim 48.

56. The laser emission device can be configured to process the bead base of the first bead, and / or The laser emission device can be configured to process the bead base of the second bead, and / or The laser emission device can be configured to process the inner surface of the pneumatic tire. The tire processing machine according to claim 55.

57. The conveying device further comprises a device capable of transporting the aforementioned pneumatic tire horizontally, The at least one first retaining finger and the at least one second retaining finger are engageable with the pneumatic tire lying on its side on the conveying device. The tire processing machine according to claim 55.

58. The tire processing machine according to claim 57, wherein the pneumatic tire can be lifted from the conveying device to a position by the at least one first retaining finger and / or the at least one second retaining finger, so that the sidewall of the pneumatic tire is positioned at a distance on the opposite side of the conveying device.

59. The tire processing machine according to claim 58, wherein the laser emission device is configured to process the pneumatic tire at the raised position.

60. The at least one first retaining finger has a mechanical stopper for the first surface portion of the first bead, and / or The at least one second retaining finger has a mechanical stopper for the second surface portion of the second bead. The tire processing machine according to claim 48.

61. At least one of the at least one first retaining finger has at least one first roller on which the first surface portion can roll, and / or At least one of the at least one second retaining finger has at least one second roller on which the second surface portion can roll. The tire processing machine according to claim 48.

62. At least one of the following characteristics, namely, The bead side of the first bead can roll on at least one of the at least one first rollers, The bead base of the first bead can roll over at least one of the at least one first rollers, The bead side of the second bead can roll on at least one of the at least one second rollers, The bead base of the second bead can roll over at least one of the at least one second rollers, At least one of the above-mentioned first rollers is capable of blocking rotation due to frictional engagement between the pneumatic tire and the first roller. At least one of the at least one second roller is capable of blocking rotation due to frictional engagement between the pneumatic tire and the second roller. At least one of the above-mentioned first rollers is rotatably driven to drive the pneumatic tire into rotational motion, The tire processing machine according to claim 61, further comprising: at least one of the at least one second roller being rotatably driven to drive the pneumatic tire into rotational motion.

63. The tire processing machine according to claim 48, wherein the at least one first retaining finger is rotatable at least 360 degrees about the axis of rotation at a distance from the axis of rotation, and / or the at least one second retaining finger is rotatable at least 360 degrees about the axis of rotation at a distance from the axis of rotation.

64. A method for operating a tire processing machine for processing pneumatic tires, particularly a method for manufacturing a pneumatic tire according to any one of claims 1 to 22, wherein the pneumatic tire to be processed has a first bead and a second bead, the pneumatic tire defines an axial direction parallel to the axis of rotation of the pneumatic tire, the pneumatic tire defines a circumferential direction about the axis of rotation, and the method is Engaging at least one first retaining finger with the first bead, Engaging at least one second retaining finger with the second bead, A method comprising rotating the pneumatic tire with respect to the at least one second retaining finger, in particular operating the at least one first retaining finger to rotate together with the at least one first retaining finger, in particular rotational motion.

65. A wheel comprising a rim and a pneumatic tire according to any one of claims 1 to 22 attached to the rim.

66. The protruding portion and / or surface structure of the bead base is deformed by the rim, In particular, the wheel according to claim 65, wherein the protruding portion of the bead base is deformed in the circumferential direction by the rim.

67. A control device configured to perform the method described in any one of claims 23 to 47.

68. A computer program comprising a program element configured to perform the method described in any one of claims 23 to 47 when executed on a processor device.

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