Tire manufacturing method and tire manufacturing machine

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a tire using a tire manufacturing machine comprising a plurality of manufacturing modules that provide tire components for a tire to be manufactured, the method comprising the steps of: receiving a production instruction indicating the number of tires to be manufactured; operating the tire manufacturing machine in a batch operation mode in which each of the plurality of manufacturing modules can provide its respective tire components according to the number of tires to be manufactured in the production instruction; and switching the tire manufacturing machine from batch operation mode to a bidirectional operation mode in which the plurality of manufacturing modules cooperate to provide their respective tire components for each tire when one or more manufacturing modules emit a nearly empty signal.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a tire using a tire manufacturing machine having a plurality of manufacturing modules for providing components of the manufactured tire. Further, the present invention relates to a tire manufacturing machine having a plurality of manufacturing modules for providing components of the manufactured tire.

[0002] Such a tire manufacturing method is well known in the prior art. This known method includes the steps of supplying a recipe according to the type of tire to be manufactured and a production instruction indicating the number of tires to be manufactured to each manufacturing module of the tire manufacturing machine. After supplying the recipe to each manufacturing module, a step is executed to enable each manufacturing module to manufacture its respective tire component according to the supplied recipe. The step of enabling each manufacturing module to manufacture its respective tire component is continued until the number of tires indicated by the production instruction is manufactured.

Summary of the Invention

[0003] A drawback of the known method is that, immediately before the production of the number of tires specified in the production order, one or more manufacturing modules may run out of material or tire components manufactured in other manufacturing modules. In such a situation, the operator has the option of interrupting the manufacturing process and removing all remaining material or tire components from the remaining manufacturing modules. However, the removed material and tire components cannot be used in other formulations and therefore become waste. Thus, this option results in the undesirable outcome of producing fewer tires than specified in the production order and generating a large amount of waste material and components. Alternatively, in the above situation, the operator may choose to replenish the one or more manufacturing modules that are running short of material or tire components. This is disadvantageous because one or more manufacturing modules are only replenished for a fraction of the tires to be produced, and then all or most of the manufacturing modules' material or tire components must be replaced to produce a different type of tire. Both options result in significant time loss and are detrimental to the efficiency of the tire manufacturing process.

[0004] The object of the present invention is to improve or eliminate one or more drawbacks of known prior art and to provide an improved tire manufacturing method, or at least an alternative method.

[0005] According to a first aspect, the present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a tire using a tire manufacturing machine comprising a plurality of manufacturing modules for providing tire components of a tire to be manufactured, wherein the method is The steps include receiving a production order indicating the number of tires to be manufactured, In a batch operation mode in which each of the plurality of manufacturing modules is made capable of providing its respective tire components according to the number of tires to be manufactured in the production instruction, the steps include operating the tire manufacturing machine, If one or more of the manufacturing modules emit nearly empty signals, the tire manufacturing machine is switched from batch operation mode to bidirectional operation mode in which the multiple manufacturing modules cooperate to provide their respective tire components for each tire. A method that includes this.

[0006] When performing the method according to the present invention, a production instruction indicating, for example, the number of tires to be manufactured is received from a remote server. When one or more manufacturing modules emit a nearly empty signal, the tire manufacturing machine switches to bidirectional operation mode. In the context of this patent application, bidirectional operation mode can be understood as a mode in which, each time a tire is manufactured, the manufacturing modules cooperate to jointly decide whether they can manufacture the next tire. Although bidirectional operation mode is slower than batch operation mode, it mitigates or prevents situations in which one or more manufacturing modules run out of material or components while other manufacturing modules continue to supply tire components. This is advantageous because it reduces the risk of removing remaining material and / or components from the manufacturing modules and wasting them, or the risk of needing to replenish one or more manufacturing modules at or near the end of the manufacturing instruction. Therefore, the method according to the present invention has the advantage of improving the efficiency of the tire manufacturing process.

[0007] In one embodiment, the method is A step of setting a lower limit and an upper limit for the number of tires to be manufactured, based on the aforementioned number of tires to be manufactured. It further includes, The tire manufacturing machine is switched from batch operation mode to bidirectional operation mode when the number of tire components provided by one of the plurality of manufacturing modules is between the lower limit and the upper limit, and one or more of the manufacturing modules are emitting nearly empty signals.

[0008] Based on the instructed number of tires to be manufactured, a lower limit corresponding to the minimum number of tires to be manufactured and an upper limit corresponding to the maximum number of tires to be manufactured are determined. In this way, the method of the present invention defines a range of the number of tires to be manufactured. The lower limit can prevent the tire manufacturing machine from switching to bidirectional operation mode too early. If a manufacturing module emits a nearly empty signal well before the lower limit, it is unlikely that the number of tires close to the number of tires in the production instruction will be reached even using bidirectional operation mode. Therefore, in such cases, it is more efficient to immediately replenish the manufacturing module so that tires can be continuously produced at a higher speed in batch operation mode, rather than switching early to a slower bidirectional operation mode. If at least one of the manufacturing modules provides a number of tire components between the lower and upper limits, and one or more manufacturing modules emit a nearly empty signal, the tire manufacturing machine can switch to a bidirectional operation mode in which it is more likely to reach the number of tire components in the production instruction.

[0009] Alternatively, this method may include the following steps: The step of receiving input from the operator and, in response to an almost empty signal, interrupting the manufacturing of the tire at the earliest opportunity, It further includes, The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the tire manufacturing machine is switched from batch operation mode to bidirectional operation mode at the earliest opportunity when one or more of the manufacturing modules emit a nearly empty signal after the operator input has been received.

[0010] Therefore, at any point during tire manufacturing, the operator can set the tire manufacturing machine to switch to bidirectional operation mode at the shortest possible opportunity, depending on the next manufacturing module to emit a nearly empty signal, rather than waiting for any manufacturing module to reach the aforementioned lower limit. This state can be activated by the operator when a future interruption or pause in tire manufacturing is anticipated or necessary, for example, when the operator is aware of a future delay in replenishing a particular manufacturing module. Instead of waiting for a future delay, the operator can activate the tire manufacturing machine to switch to bidirectional operation mode earlier to prevent the machine from facing foreseeable problems later.

[0011] In one embodiment, one or more manufacturing modules are configured to emit a nearly empty signal when their supply falls below a predetermined level.

[0012] In one embodiment, the step of switching the tire manufacturing machine to the bidirectional operation mode includes switching the tire manufacturing machine to trial-and-error mode. In a preferred embodiment, the trial-and-error mode initiates the following steps: The steps include: temporarily suspending the plurality of manufacturing modules that have provided components for at least the same number of tires as the one or more manufacturing modules that are emitting a nearly blank signal; A step that enables each of the manufacturing modules that has emitted a nearly blank signal to attempt to provide one or more tire components required for each of the one or more manufacturing modules to manufacture a single tire, If each of the manufacturing modules that has emitted a nearly blank signal succeeds in providing the one or more tire components required to manufacture a single tire, the remaining plurality of manufacturing modules are made capable of providing the one or more tire components required to manufacture each of the single tires. In a more preferred embodiment, the steps of suspending the plurality of manufacturing modules that have provided components for at least the same number of tires as the one or more manufacturing modules that have issued a nearly empty signal, allowing each of the one or more manufacturing modules that has issued a nearly empty signal to attempt to provide one or more tire components required to manufacture a single tire, and if each of the manufacturing modules that has issued a nearly empty signal succeeds in providing one or more tire components required to manufacture a single tire, allowing each of the remaining plurality of manufacturing modules to provide one or more tire components required to manufacture a single tire, are then repeated. According to this embodiment, the tire manufacturing machine can manufacture the next tire only if it is determined that one or more manufacturing modules that have issued a nearly empty signal have succeeded in manufacturing the tire components required to manufacture a tire. This is advantageous because it allows the tire manufacturing machine to manufacture as many tires as possible within the range determined by the lower and upper limits without wasting materials and / or tire components or requiring the replenishment of one or more manufacturing modules.

[0013] In one embodiment, the trial-and-error mode is terminated if one or more manufacturing modules that have emitted a nearly blank signal fail to provide one or more tire components required to manufacture a single tire, or if the number of tires manufactured reaches the upper limit.

[0014] In one embodiment, the process includes selecting one or more manufacturing modules that may trigger the trial-and-error mode. In a preferred embodiment, for each of the manufacturing modules that has emitted a nearly empty signal, a step is performed in relation to the selected one or more manufacturing modules that allows each of the one or more manufacturing modules to attempt to provide one or more tire components required to manufacture a single tire. In the context of this patent application, it should be noted that some manufacturing modules tend to be more deficient in materials and / or components than others. For example, these manufacturing modules may be selected according to this embodiment. Limiting the number of manufacturing modules has the advantage that the time required for each of the one or more manufacturing modules to attempt to provide one or more tire components is kept as short as possible.

[0015] In one embodiment, the method includes the step of assigning a component identifier to each of the tire components provided by each of the plurality of manufacturing modules. In yet another embodiment, one of the plurality of manufacturing modules is a tire manufacturing module configured to manufacture a tire using the tire components provided by the remaining manufacturing modules. In a preferred embodiment, the method includes the step of assigning a tire identifier to each tire manufactured by the tire manufacturing module. In a more preferred embodiment, the method includes the step of associating the component identifiers of the tire components used to manufacture the tire with the tire identifier of each of the manufactured tires. An advantage of this embodiment is that each tire is identifiable after manufacture, and it is also possible to identify the materials used in the manufacture of the tire.

[0016] In one embodiment, the lower limit and the upper limit may be set automatically or by an operator.

[0017] In one embodiment, the method includes the step of interrupting the operation of the tire manufacturing machine at a random point in time. Temporarily stopping the plurality of manufacturing modules; Determining which one of the plurality of manufacturing modules provided tire components to the most number of tires and the number of tires to which the components were provided; Enabling each of the other manufacturing modules to continue providing tire components for the same number of tires as the one manufacturing module that provided tire components to the most number of tires until each of the other manufacturing modules provides components for the same number of tires; including.

[0018] In one embodiment, the method includes manufacturing a tire using tire components provided by the plurality of manufacturing modules.

[0019] The step of enabling each of the plurality of manufacturing modules to provide its respective tire components includes monitoring the number of tire components provided by each of the plurality of manufacturing modules.

[0020] A tire manufacturing machine for manufacturing a tire, the tire manufacturing machine comprising: A plurality of manufacturing modules configured to provide tire components for manufacturing a tire; A control device configured to control the operation of the tire manufacturing machine and operably connected to each of the plurality of manufacturing modules; comprising, The control device is configured to execute the steps of the method according to the first aspect of the present invention.

[0021] The tire manufacturing machine according to the second aspect of the present invention has at least the same technical advantages as those described in relation to the method according to the first aspect of the present invention.

[0022] In one embodiment, one or more of the plurality of manufacturing modules include a sub-control device, and the control device is operably connected to the sub-control device of the one or more of the plurality of manufacturing modules.

[0023] In one embodiment, one of the plurality of manufacturing modules is a tire manufacturing module configured to manufacture a tire using tire components provided by the remaining manufacturing modules.

[0024] According to a third aspect, the present invention provides a computer-readable medium having computer-readable instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processor and / or a control device, cause the tire manufacturing machine according to any one of claims 21 to 23 to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 20.

[0025] The various aspects and features described and illustrated herein can be applied individually as much as possible. These individual aspects, particularly those described in the appended dependent claims, can be the subject of a divisional patent application.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0026] The present invention will be described based on exemplary embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings. [Figure 1] FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of a tire manufacturing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 shows a schematic flow chart of a method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0027] Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of a tire manufacturing machine 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. In particular, Figure 1 shows a tire manufacturing machine 1 for manufacturing tire components of a green tire or an unvulcanized tire, and in particular a bead apex manufacturing line for manufacturing and / or assembling bead rings, beads, and / or apex fillers, filler strips, or apex. Schematically shown, the tire manufacturing machine 1 comprises a plurality of manufacturing modules 2-7 for manufacturing tire components of the tire to be manufactured, and a tire manufacturing module 15 for manufacturing the tire. For example, the manufacturing modules 2-7 include, but are not limited to, an extruder module, a cooling module, and / or a handling module. The plurality of manufacturing modules 2-7 are arranged parallel to each other and in series with the tire manufacturing module 15, so that, for example, tire components from each manufacturing module 2-7 can be transported to the manufacturing module 15.

[0028] The tire manufacturing machine 1 is further provided with a control device 8 that controls the operation of the tire manufacturing machine 1. The control device 8 is operably connected to each of the multiple manufacturing modules 2 to 7, in particular to the sub-control devices 9 to 14 of each manufacturing module 2 to 7, and to the tire manufacturing module 15, in particular to its sub-control devices (not shown), thereby enabling the control device 8 to send one or more commands to one or more manufacturing modules 2 to 7 and / or the tire manufacturing module 15, and to receive data from one or more manufacturing modules 2 to 7 and / or the tire manufacturing module 15.

[0029] The control device 8 works in conjunction with the sub-control devices 9 to 14 of the manufacturing modules 2 to 7 and the sub-control device of the tire manufacturing module 15 to enable the tire manufacturing machine 1 to perform a tire manufacturing method according to one embodiment of the present invention. A schematic flowchart of the tire manufacturing method according to one embodiment of the present invention is shown in Figure 2.

[0030] This method includes step S1, which involves receiving a production instruction for manufacturing multiple tires. This production instruction indicates the number of tires to be manufactured. After receiving the production instruction, step S2 determines the lower and upper limits of the number of tires to be manufactured. For completeness, note that the lower limit indicates the minimum number of tires to be manufactured, and this minimum number may be less than the number of tires indicated in the production instruction. The upper limit indicates the maximum number of tires to be manufactured, and this maximum number may be more than the number of tires indicated in the production instruction.

[0031] After receiving the number of tires to be manufactured and determining the lower and upper limits of that number, the control device 8, in step S3, sends one or more commands to each of the manufacturing modules 2-7 and the tire manufacturing module 15, particularly to their respective sub-control devices 9-14. These one or more commands instruct the manufacturing modules 2-7 and the tire manufacturing module 15 to provide tire components and tires, respectively. Subsequently, in step S4, the tire manufacturing machine 1 operates in batch operation mode, and each of the multiple manufacturing modules 2-7 can provide their respective tire components based on the number of tires to be manufactured in the production instruction and the commands received. Batch operation mode means that the manufacturing modules 2-7 provide tire components without receiving input from each other. For completeness, it should be noted that the number of tires to be manufactured and the lower and upper limits determined by the control device 8 are converted by each of the manufacturing modules 2-7 into the number of components to be provided, the minimum number of components to be provided, and the maximum number of components to be provided. It should be emphasized that in the context of this application, the minimum or maximum number of components to be provided may be a multiple of the number of tires to be manufactured. This is because, for example, a tire may require two or more specific components for manufacturing or for waste replacement. Optionally, in step S4, where components are provided, each manufacturing module 2-7 and the tire manufacturing module 15 send an acknowledgment to the control unit 8 after providing their respective components.

[0032] If one or more of the manufacturing modules 2-7 detect that the remaining amount of material and / or components in that one or more manufacturing modules 2-7 is low, that one or more manufacturing modules 2-7 will send a nearly empty signal to the control device 8. Optionally, if the number of tires manufactured reaches between a lower limit and an upper limit, i.e., the minimum number of tires to be manufactured, the tire manufacturing machine 1 is switched to bidirectional operation mode. That is, in step S5, the tire manufacturing machine 1 enters a so-called trial-and-error mode. In trial-and-error mode, in step S6, all manufacturing modules 2-7 and the tire manufacturing module 15 are temporarily suspended. Alternatively, the manufacturing modules 2-7 that have provided the same number of tire components as the one or more manufacturing modules 2-7 that have sent a nearly empty signal are temporarily suspended. In step S7, each of the manufacturing modules 2-7 that have sent a nearly empty signal is made to attempt to provide one or more components necessary for the manufacture of a single tire, while the remaining manufacturing modules 2-7 and the tire manufacturing module 15 remain suspended. If each of the manufacturing modules 2-7, which have emitted mostly empty signals, successfully provides one or more tire components necessary for the manufacture of a single tire, step S8 causes each of the remaining manufacturing modules 2-7 to provide one or more tire components necessary for the manufacture of a single tire. Then, in step S9, the tire manufacturing module 15 manufactures a tire using the components from each of the manufacturing modules 2-7.

[0033] Although not explicitly shown, in alternative embodiments, the trial-and-error mode may also be activated if the number of tires manufactured falls below a lower limit.

[0034] For example, the tire manufacturing machine 1 can receive operator input and suspend tire manufacturing as quickly as possible in response to a nearly empty signal. Immediately after receiving operator input, if one or more manufacturing modules emit a nearly empty signal, the tire manufacturing machine 1 can switch from batch operation mode to bidirectional operation mode. If one of the manufacturing modules 2-7 that emitted a nearly empty signal fails to provide one or more tire components necessary for the manufacture of a single tire, the manufacturing process ends as step S11. However, even if one of the manufacturing modules 2-7 that emitted a nearly empty signal fails to provide one or more tire components necessary for the manufacture of a single tire, the remaining modules 2-7 can continue to provide components until they provide the same number of tire components as the manufacturing module 2-7 that emitted a nearly empty signal and failed to provide one or more components necessary for the manufacture of a single tire.

[0035] In the context of this patent application, it should be noted that step S5 may be optionally performed when selecting manufacturing modules 2 to 7, and as a result, only the predetermined manufacturing modules 2 to 7 will be able to activate the trial-and-error mode.

[0036] After manufacturing one tire, in step S10, it is checked whether the upper limit has been reached in each of the manufacturing modules 2-7 and the tire manufacturing module 15. If the upper limit has been reached, the manufacturing process ends in step S11. If it is determined that the upper limit has not been reached, the manufacturing process proceeds to step S7, where manufacturing modules 2-7, which have nearly emitted an empty signal, become able to again provide one or more components necessary for manufacturing a single tire. Steps S7-S9 are repeated until the upper limit is reached or one of the manufacturing modules is empty, after which the manufacturing process ends in step S11.

[0037] Furthermore, if no near-empty signals are output from any of the manufacturing modules 2-7, the tire manufacturing machine 1 will continue manufacturing tires 1 until it reaches its upper limit. Once the upper limit is reached, the manufacturing process ends in step S11.

[0038] Although not explicitly shown in Figure 2, the control unit 8 assigns a component identifier to each component manufactured by each manufacturing module 2-7, and the control unit 8 also assigns a tire identifier to each tire manufactured by the tire manufacturing machine 1. As a result, an overview of which component identifiers are associated with a particular tire identifier is obtained, and the components contained in a particular tire are recorded.

[0039] A method according to another embodiment, which includes at least the same steps as those described in relation to Figure 2, further includes the step of interrupting the manufacturing process performed by the tire manufacturing machine 1 at a random point in time. The step of interrupting the operation of the tire manufacturing machine 1 at a random point in time includes the steps of pausing manufacturing modules 2-7 and tire manufacturing module 15, identifying which of the manufacturing modules 2-7 has provided tire components for the most tires and the number of tires for which components have been provided, and allowing the other manufacturing modules 2-7 that have provided components for the same number of tires as the manufacturing module 2-7 that has provided components for the most tires to continue providing tire components. This prevents unused components from being provided by the manufacturing modules 2-7.

[0040] It should be understood that the above description is intended to illustrate the operation of a preferred embodiment and does not limit the scope of the invention. From the above discussion, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many variations fall within the scope of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0041] 1. Tire manufacturing machine 2-7 Manufacturing Modules 8 Control device 9-14 Sub-control device 15 Tire Manufacturing Modules S1-S11 Method Steps

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a tire using a tire manufacturing machine comprising a plurality of manufacturing modules for providing tire components of a tire to be manufactured, wherein the method is The steps include receiving a production order indicating the number of tires to be manufactured, The steps include operating the tire manufacturing machine in a batch operation mode that enables each of the plurality of manufacturing modules to provide its respective tire components according to the number of tires to be manufactured in the production instruction, If one or more of the manufacturing modules emit an almost-empty signal, The steps include switching the tire manufacturing machine from batch operation mode to an interactive operation mode in which the multiple manufacturing modules cooperate to provide each tire component for each tire, A method that includes this.

2. The method described above is - Further includes the step of setting a lower limit and an upper limit on the number of tires to be manufactured, based on the number of tires to be manufactured, The method according to claim 1, wherein the tire manufacturing machine is switched from batch operation mode to bidirectional operation mode when the number of tire components provided by one of the plurality of manufacturing modules is between the lower limit and the upper limit, and one or more of the manufacturing modules emit substantially empty signals.

3. The method described above is - Further including the step of receiving an operator input and interrupting the manufacturing of the tire at the earliest opportunity in response to a nearly empty signal, The method according to claim 1, wherein the tire manufacturing machine is switched from batch operation mode to bidirectional operation mode at the earliest opportunity when one or more of the manufacturing modules emit a nearly empty signal after the operator input has been received.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein one or more of the plurality of manufacturing modules are configured to emit a nearly empty signal when their supply falls below a predetermined level.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of switching the tire manufacturing machine to the bidirectional operation mode includes switching the tire manufacturing machine to a trial-and-error mode.

6. The aforementioned trial-and-error mode proceeds through the following steps: The steps include: temporarily suspending the plurality of manufacturing modules that have provided components for at least the same number of tires as the one or more manufacturing modules that are emitting a nearly blank signal; A step that enables each of the manufacturing modules that has emitted a nearly blank signal to attempt to provide one or more tire components required for each of the one or more manufacturing modules to manufacture a single tire, If each of the manufacturing modules that has emitted a nearly blank signal succeeds in providing the one or more tire components required to manufacture a single tire, the remaining manufacturing modules are made capable of providing the one or more tire components required to manufacture their respective single tires. The method according to claim 5, which initiates the process.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the steps of: suspending the plurality of manufacturing modules that have provided components for at least the same number of tires as the one or more manufacturing modules that have emitted a nearly empty signal; enabling each of the plurality of manufacturing modules that have emitted a nearly empty signal to attempt to provide one or more tire components required for each of the one or more manufacturing modules to manufacture a single tire; and if each of the plurality of manufacturing modules that have emitted a nearly empty signal succeeds in providing one or more tire components required for manufacturing a single tire, enabling each of the remaining plurality of manufacturing modules to provide one or more tire components required for manufacturing a single tire, are subsequently repeated.

8. The method according to claim 6, further comprising the step of terminating the trial-and-error mode if one or more of the manufacturing modules that have emitted nearly empty signals fail to provide one or more tire components required to manufacture a single tire.

9. The method described above, - Further includes the step of setting a lower limit and an upper limit on the number of tires to be manufactured, based on the number of tires to be manufactured, When the number of tire components provided by one of the plurality of manufacturing modules is between the lower limit and the upper limit, and one or more of the manufacturing modules emit nearly empty signals, the tire manufacturing machine is switched from the batch operation mode to the bidirectional operation mode. The method described above is The method according to claim 6, further comprising the step of terminating the trial-and-error mode when the number of tires manufactured reaches the upper limit.

10. The method according to claim 5, further comprising the step of selecting one or more manufacturing modules that can initiate the trial-and-error mode.

11. The method of claim 6, comprising the step of selecting one or more manufacturing modules that can initiate the trial-and-error mode, wherein for each of the manufacturing modules that has emitted a substantially blank signal, the step of enabling each of the one or more manufacturing modules to attempt to provide one or more tire components required to manufacture a single tire is performed in relation to the selected one or more manufacturing modules.

12. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of assigning a component identifier to each of the tire components provided by each of the plurality of manufacturing modules.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein one of the plurality of manufacturing modules is a tire manufacturing module configured to manufacture a tire using tire components provided by the rest of the plurality of manufacturing modules.

14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising the step of assigning a tire identifier to each tire manufactured by the tire manufacturing module.

15. The method of claim 13, comprising the steps of assigning a tire identifier to each tire manufactured by the tire manufacturing module, and associating the component identifiers of the tire components used to manufacture the tire with the tire identifier of each of the manufactured tires.

16. The method according to claim 2, wherein the lower limit and the upper limit can be set automatically or by an operator.

17. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of interrupting the operation of the tire manufacturing machine at a random point in time.

18. The step of interrupting the operation of the tire manufacturing machine at a random point in time, The above-mentioned multiple manufacturing modules are temporarily suspended, To determine which of the aforementioned manufacturing modules supplied the most tire components to the most tires, and the number of tires to which those components were supplied, To enable other manufacturing modules to continue providing tire components until each of the other manufacturing modules provides components for the same number of tires as the one manufacturing module that provided tire components for the largest number of tires, The method according to claim 17, including the method described in claim 17.

19. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of manufacturing a tire using tire components provided by the plurality of manufacturing modules.

20. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of enabling each of the plurality of manufacturing modules to provide its respective tire components includes monitoring the number of tire components provided by each of the plurality of manufacturing modules.

21. A tire manufacturing machine for manufacturing tires, wherein the tire manufacturing machine is Multiple manufacturing modules configured to provide tire components for manufacturing tires, A control device configured to control the operation of the tire manufacturing machine and operably connected to each of the plurality of manufacturing modules, Equipped with, A tire manufacturing machine wherein the control device is configured to perform the steps of the method according to claim 1.

22. The tire manufacturing machine according to claim 21, wherein one or more of the plurality of manufacturing modules are equipped with a sub-control device, and the control device is operably connected to one or more of the sub-control devices of the plurality of manufacturing modules.

23. The tire manufacturing machine according to claim 21, wherein one or more of the plurality of manufacturing modules is a tire manufacturing module configured to manufacture a tire using tire components provided by the remaining manufacturing modules.

24. A computer-readable medium having stored computer-readable instructions that, when executed by a processor or control device, cause the tire manufacturing machine according to claim 21 to perform the method according to claim 1.

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