Method for manufacturing a sponge-tire

Abstract

To provide a manufacturing method of a tire with a sponge capable of contributing to stable production of a tire with a sponge of high quality.SOLUTION: A manufacturing method includes the steps of: (1) fitting a sponge storage cassette 72 with a core 102 to a winding device 152; (2) setting an end of a sponge material M to the core 102; and (3) rotating the core 102 to spirally wind the sponge material M and store the sponge material M in the sponge storage cassette 72. In the step of storing the sponge material M in the sponge storage cassette 72, the core 102 rotates so that the sponge material M passes through between the core 102 and a pressing member 184, and the pressing member 184 is brought closer to the core 102 whereby the sponge material M passing through between the pressing member 184 and the core 102 is compressed, so that the sponge material M in a compressed state is wound around the core 102.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 15

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a sponge - attached tire. More specifically, the present invention relates to the manufacture of a sponge - attached tire in which a strip - shaped sponge for sound insulation is attached to the inner peripheral surface.

Background Art

[0002] A sponge - attached tire in which a strip - shaped sponge is attached to the inner peripheral surface is known. In this sponge - attached tire, road noise mainly caused by the resonant vibration of air (cavity resonance) is reduced.

[0003] Hitherto, the sponge has been attached to the inner peripheral surface of the tire by manual work of workers. In order to attach the sponge to the inner peripheral surface of the tire efficiently, with high precision and uniformly, the development of an attaching device has been promoted (for example, Patent Document 1 below).

[0004] In the attaching device disclosed in this Patent Document 1, a wound body (hereinafter also referred to as a spiral sponge) formed by winding a sponge material including a strip - shaped sponge in a spiral shape is directly set in a sponge holding frame. The sponge holding frame is arranged inside the tire, and the sponge is attached to the inner peripheral surface of the tire while pulling out the sponge material from the spiral sponge.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] The shape of the sponge is set according to the specifications of the tire. The attaching device is required to be able to attach sponges of various shapes to the tire. When the length and thickness of the sponge to be attached increase, the bulk of the spiral sponge obtained by winding the sponge increases. Depending on the size, there may be cases where the spiral sponge cannot be set in the aforementioned sponge holding frame. The sponge holding frame is set inside the tire through the bead seat hole of the tire. There is also a limit to increasing the size of the sponge holding frame. The sponge is an elastic body. In order to hold the sponge material as a spiral sponge, it is necessary to restrain the spiral sponge by some means. In order to manufacture tires with sponges of various specifications, there is a situation where manual work by an operator is required. In order to attach the sponge to the inner peripheral surface of the tire efficiently, with high precision and uniformly, problems remain to be solved.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a method for manufacturing a tire with a sponge that can contribute to the stable manufacture of high-quality tires with a sponge.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0008] A method for manufacturing a tire with a sponge according to one aspect of the present invention is a method for manufacturing a tire with a sponge having a strip-shaped sponge attached to an inner peripheral surface, comprising: (1) A step of mounting a sponge storage cassette having a core on a winding device; (2) A step of setting an end portion of a sponge material including the sponge on the core; (3) A step of rotating the core to wind the sponge material in a spiral shape and storing the sponge material in the sponge storage cassette; (4) A step of mounting the sponge storage cassette storing the sponge material on an attaching device; (5) A step of attaching the sponge to the inner peripheral surface of the tire while pulling out the sponge material from the sponge storage cassette It includes. In the step of storing the sponge material in the sponge storage cassette, as the core rotates, the sponge material passes between the core and a pressing member disposed at a position facing the core, and by bringing the pressing member closer to the core, the sponge material passing between the pressing member and the core is compressed, and the sponge material in a compressed state is wound around the core.

[0009] Preferably, in the method for manufacturing a tire with a sponge, the sponge storage cassette containing the sponge material is directly disposed inside the tire.

[0010] Preferably, in the method for manufacturing a tire with a sponge, the sponge storage cassette includes a shaft portion located inside the core and rotatably supporting the core, a restricting member located outside the core and restricting the sponge material wound around the core, and a fixing frame fixing the restricting member to the shaft portion. The core is attached to the winding device, and the shaft portion is attached to the pasting device.

Advantages of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, a method for manufacturing a tire with a sponge can be obtained, which can contribute to the stable manufacture of high-quality tires with a sponge.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0012]

Figure 1

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Figure 18

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0013] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on preferred embodiments with reference to the drawings as appropriate.

[0014] [Tire with Sponge] Figure 1 shows an example of a sponge-equipped tire ST obtained by the method for manufacturing a sponge-equipped tire according to an embodiment of the present invention. In Figure 1, a part of the meridian cross-section of the sponge-equipped tire ST is shown. In Figure 1, the sponge-equipped tire ST is mounted on a rim R. In Figure 1, the dashed-dotted line CL represents the equatorial plane. The sponge-equipped tire ST includes a tire T and a sponge S.

[0015] The tire T has elements such as a tread, a sidewall, beads, a carcass, a belt, and an inner liner. The tire T contacts the road surface at the tread. The inner liner constitutes the inner peripheral surface of the tire T. These elements are common elements as elements of the tire T, and their description is omitted.

[0016] The sponge S is attached to the inner peripheral surface of the tire T. The sponge S of this sponge - attached tire ST is located inside the tread in the radial direction. The sponge S is located on the equatorial plane. Among the inner peripheral surface of the tire T, the portion where the tread is located on the outer side is also referred to as the tread inner surface NT. In this sponge - attached tire ST, the sponge S is attached to the tread inner surface NT.

[0017] The sponge S is in a band shape. In the sponge - attached tire ST, the sponge S extends in the circumferential direction. The main body Sm of the sponge S absorbs and mitigates the resonance sound energy (vibration energy) generated in the tire cavity and suppresses cavity resonance by its vibration - damping and sound - absorbing properties. Thereby, the road noise is reduced.

[0018] Examples of the main body Sm of the sponge S include a sponge - like porous structure, such as the sponge itself having continuous air bubbles formed by foaming rubber or synthetic resin, and a web - like structure formed by intertwining and integrally connecting animal fibers, plant fibers, or synthetic fibers. The aforementioned "porous structure" includes not only structures having continuous air bubbles but also structures having closed cells. In this sponge - attached tire ST, synthetic resin sponges such as ether - based polyurethane sponge, ester - based polyurethane sponge, and polyethylene sponge; and rubber sponges such as chloroprene rubber sponge (CR sponge), ethylene - propylene rubber sponge (EDPM sponge), and nitrile rubber sponge (NBR sponge) are preferably used as the main body Sm of the sponge S.

[0019] In the sponge - attached tire ST, like a tire without the sponge S, deformation and restoration are repeated. Since the sponge S is attached to the inner surface NT of the tread, peeling of the sponge S from the inner surface NT of the tread is prevented. Although not described in detail, for example, by pressurizing and heating a green tire (tire T in an unvulcanized state, also referred to as a local cover) in a cavity composed of a mold and a bladder, the tire T is obtained. To remove the tire T from the cavity, a release agent such as silicone oil is used. The release agent adheres to the inner peripheral surface of the tire T after vulcanization molding. The release agent affects the adhesion between the sponge S and the inner surface NT of the tread. When attaching the sponge S to the inner peripheral surface of the tire T, it is preferable to form a release - agent - removed region where the release agent is removed by means such as buffing or laser irradiation, and attach the sponge S to this release - agent - removed region. Thereby, the sponge S is surely adhered to the inner peripheral surface of the tire T. In the sponge - attached tire ST of FIG. 1, the inner surface NT of the tread is pre - buffed in the circumferential direction to form a release - agent - removed region Y where the release agent is removed, and the sponge S is attached to this release - agent - removed region Y.

[0020] In this sponge - attached tire ST, further, from the viewpoint of surely adhering the sponge S to the inner peripheral surface of the tire T, it is preferable that one surface of the sponge S is an adhesive surface Sa provided with an adhesive A. In this case, a double - sided adhesive tape is preferably used as the adhesive A. Through the adhesive A, the main body Sm of the sponge S is adhered to the inner peripheral surface of the tire T. The sponge S includes the main body Sm and the adhesive A arranged on one surface of the main body Sm. One surface of the sponge S is the adhesive surface Sa composed of the adhesive A.

[0021] [Sponge material] FIG. 2 shows the state of the sponge S before being attached to the tire T. From the viewpoint of protecting the adhesive surface Sa forming one surface of the sponge S, the adhesive surface Sa is covered with a release paper P. In the present disclosure, the sponge S with the adhesive surface Sa covered by the release paper P is the sponge material M. The sponge material M includes a strip-shaped sponge S and a release paper P that covers the adhesive surface Sa forming one surface of the sponge S. In other words, the sponge material M is composed of the sponge S with the adhesive surface Sa being the surface to be attached to the tire T and the release paper P disposed on the adhesive surface Sa. The length of the sponge material M is set in consideration of the attachment length per tire T. When attaching the sponge S to the inner circumferential surface of the tire T, a sponge material M whose length is adjusted to the length required for attachment is prepared.

[0022] [Method for manufacturing a tire ST with a sponge] Taking the case of attaching the sponge S to the tire T in which the release agent removal region Y is formed as an example, the method for manufacturing the tire ST with a sponge will be described.

[0023] In this manufacturing method, a wound body of the sponge material M (hereinafter also referred to as a spiral sponge SP), which is formed by winding the sponge material M in a spiral shape, is prepared. While pulling out the sponge material M from the spiral sponge SP, the sponge S is attached to the inner circumferential surface of the tire T.

[0024] [Sponge attaching device] Using FIGS. 3 and 4, the outline of the sponge attaching device 2 used for attaching the sponge S to the tread inner surface NT while pulling out the sponge material M from the spiral sponge SP will be described. The manufacturing apparatus used in this manufacturing method includes a sponge attaching device 2 (hereinafter referred to as the attaching device 2).

[0025] FIG. 3 is a front view of the attaching device 2. The left - right direction of the paper surface of FIG. 3 corresponds to the axial direction of the tire T. FIG. 4 is a side view of this attaching device 2. The direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 4 corresponds to the axial direction of the tire T. The attaching device 2 includes a holding and rotating tool 4, a position adjusting tool 6, and an attaching tool 8. The holding and rotating tool 4 rotatably holds the tire T in an upright state. The position adjusting tool 6 supports the attaching tool 8 and adjusts the position of the attaching tool 8. The attaching tool 8 attaches the sponge S to the inner tread surface NT of the tire T held and rotated by the holding and rotating tool 4.

[0026] The holding and rotating tool 4 includes a supporting means 10, a positioning means 12, and a pressing means 14. The supporting means 10 supports the tire T. The supporting means 10 has a pair of supporting rollers 16 that are arranged at intervals and on which the tire T is placed. The positioning means 12 includes a pair of side surface supports 18 that are arranged facing the side surface of the tire T held by the supporting means 10. The pair of side surface supports 18 sandwich the tire T from both sides. The pressing means 14 presses the tire T held by the supporting means 10 from above. In this attaching device 2, the supporting means 10, the positioning means 12, and the pressing means 14 are attached to a frame-like frame 22 that is formed by joining between the left and right side frames 20 that are framed in a rectangular shape by a vertical frame piece and a horizontal frame piece with a horizontal joint frame piece. In this attaching device 2, the tire T is inserted between the left and right side surface supports 18 and taken out from between the left and right side surface supports 18.

[0027] In the supporting means 10, each of the pair of supporting rollers 16 is rotatably pivotally supported by the side frame 20. A drive motor 24 is connected to one of the supporting rollers 16 via a well-known drive connection means using a sprocket, an endless chain, or the like. Due to the drive of the drive motor 24, the tire T rotates.

[0028] In the positioning means 12, each of the pair of side supports 18 has a support main body 26 configured in a rectangular shape. The support main body 26 is supported so as to be axially movable by a pair of upper and lower guide guides 28 extending in the axial direction of the tire T between the left and right side frames 20. By left and right opening and closing means (not shown), the left and right support main bodies 26 are configured to be able to approach or separate from each other. Thereby, the position of the tire T placed on the support means 10 is adjusted to the position of the tire T when attaching the sponge S. A plurality of holding rollers 30 are pivotally supported on the side support 18 in order to rotatably hold the tire T. Each holding roller 30 is attached to the facing surface of the support main body 26 so as to abut against the maximum width position of the tire T.

[0029] The pressing means 14 has a cylinder 32 supported at the upper end of the frame 22 via a mounting bracket. The cylinder 32 has a rod 34 extending downward, and a pressing roller 36 is pivotally attached to the end of the rod 34 via a roller holder. By the extension operation of the cylinder 32, the tire T is pressed toward the support roller 16 from above. This pasting device 2 can surely rotate the tire T at a predetermined rotational speed without any displacement or speed unevenness.

[0030] The position adjuster 6 moves the height adjustment table 38 up and down according to the size of the tire T held by the holding and rotating tool 4, and can adjust the position of the pasting tool 8 to a height position where the pasting tool 8 can be inserted into and taken out from the tire inner cavity through the bead seat hole H. The position adjuster 6 includes a support 40 and a height adjuster 42.

[0031] The support 40 supports the pasting tool 8. The support 40 includes a traversing means 44 and a vertical movement means 46. The traversing means 44 moves the pasting tool 8 in the axial direction of the tire T to insert the pasting tool 8 into and take it out from the tire inner cavity through the bead seat hole H of the tire T. The vertical movement means 46 moves the pasting tool 8 inserted into the tire inner cavity in the radial direction of the tire T. The height adjuster 42 supports the support tool 40 and adjusts the height position of the applicator 8 supported by the support tool 40 according to the size of the tire T by moving the support tool 40 up and down. The height adjuster 42 includes the aforementioned height adjustment table 38 and a vertical guide portion 48. The vertical guide portion 48 is arranged on a support base 50 rising from the base plate of the frame 22 and extends vertically. The height adjustment table 38 is guided by the vertical guide portion 48 and can move up and down. Although not shown, the height adjuster 42 includes upper and lower linear drive portions that move the height adjustment table 38 up and down freely. In this pasting device 2, the upper and lower linear drive portions have a ball screw mechanism. The upper and lower linear drive portions include a vertical screw shaft pivotally supported at both ends on the support base 50 and a nut portion attached to the height adjustment table 38 and screwed onto the screw shaft. A lifting motor attached to the support base 50 is connected to one end of the screw shaft.

[0032] In the support tool 40, the traversing means 44 includes a horizontal guide portion 52, a horizontal moving table 54, and a horizontal linear drive portion 56. The horizontal guide portion 52 is arranged on the height adjustment table 38. The horizontal moving table 54 is guided by the horizontal guide portion 52 and can move in the axial direction of the tire T. The horizontal linear drive portion 56 moves the horizontal moving table 54 between a rear standby position Qr and a front forward position Qf. In this pasting device 2, the horizontal linear drive portion 56 is a rodless cylinder, and a piston portion moving between one end and the other end thereof is connected to the horizontal moving table 54 via an actuator. In the standby position Qr, the applicator 8 waits outside the tire inner cavity. In the standby state, the tire T is inserted into the holding and rotating tool 4, the tire T is taken out from the holding and rotating tool 4, and the spiral sponge SP is set on the applicator 8. In the forward position Qf, the spiral sponge SP is set in the tire inner cavity with the width center line of the sponge S aligned with the equatorial plane of the tire T.

[0033] The vertical movement means 46 includes a vertical guide portion 58, a lifting body 60, and upper and lower linear drive portions 62. The vertical guide portion 58 is disposed on a support base 64 erected from the lateral movement table 54 and extends vertically. The lifting body 60 is guided by the vertical guide portion 58 and can move vertically. The lifting body 60 extends in the axial direction of the tire T. An applicator 8 is held at the front end of the lifting body 60. The upper and lower linear drive portions 62 move the lifting body 60 vertically. In this pasting device 2, the upper and lower linear drive portions 62 are cylinders. The upper and lower linear drive portions 62 move the applicator 8 held at the front end of the lifting body 60 between the insertion height position into the tire inner cavity and the pasting height position of the sponge S.

[0034] FIG. 5 shows the applicator 8. FIG. 5 shows a state where the sponge S is pasted on the inner peripheral surface of the tire T. The direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 5 corresponds to the axial direction of the tire T. The applicator 8 includes a sponge holding frame 66, a guiding means 68, and a pasting means 70. A sponge storage cassette 72 described later is mounted on the sponge holding frame 66. A sponge material M is stored in this sponge storage cassette 72. The guiding means 68 pulls out the sponge material M from the sponge storage cassette 72 and guides the sponge S to the tread inner surface NT. The pasting means 70 pastes the sponge S on the tread inner surface NT.

[0035] The sponge holding frame 66 is attached to the front end of the lifting body 60 via a mounting plate 74. The sponge holding frame 66 has a container shape in which an annular peripheral frame 76 for holding the sponge storage cassette 72 is provided around a bottom plate 78. A cutout portion 80 is provided in a part of the annular peripheral frame 76, and a guiding portion 82 for guiding the sponge material M is provided in this cutout portion 80. The sponge material M accommodated in the sponge storage cassette 72 passes through this guiding portion 82. Although not described in detail, the width of the guiding portion 82 is set so that the sponge material M can smoothly pass through this guiding portion 82.

[0036] The guiding means 68 includes a peeling roller 84, a winding roller 86, and a guiding roller 88. The peeling roller 84 and the guiding roller 88 are arranged on the lower end side of the guiding portion 82. The winding roller 86 is arranged near the guiding portion 82. The peeling roller 84, the winding roller 86, and the guiding roller 88 are rotatably supported by the mounting plate 74. The peeling roller 84 peels the release paper P from the sponge material M that has passed through the guiding portion 82. As a result, the adhesive surface Sa is exposed, and only the sponge S appears. The winding roller 86 is adjacent to the peeling roller 84 and winds up the release paper P peeled from the sponge material M by the peeling roller 84. The winding roller 86 is connected to the driving pulley 90 via a transmission belt. When a motor (not shown) drives and the driving pulley 90 rotates, the winding roller 86 rotates. The guiding roller 88 guides the sponge S to the inner surface NT of the tread with the adhesive surface Sa facing outward. A flange 92 for preventing displacement of the sponge S is provided on the outer peripheral portion of the guiding roller 88.

[0037] The pasting means 70 includes a pasting roller 94. The pasting roller 94 presses and pastes the sponge S guided by the guiding roller 88 against the inner surface NT of the tread. The pasting roller 94 is rotatably pivotally supported at the lower end of the rod 98 of a cylinder 96 fixed to the mounting plate 74 via a roller holder 100. The outer peripheral surface of the pasting roller 94 is made of a sponge that is easily elastically deformed. The pasting roller 94 presses the sponge S against the inner surface NT of the tread by surface contact.

[0038] [Sponge storage cassette] As described above, a sponge storage cassette 72 according to an embodiment of the present invention is mounted on the sponge holding frame 66 of the pasting device 2. This sponge storage cassette 72 will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7. The direction perpendicular to the plane of FIG. 6 corresponds to the axial direction of the tire T. In FIG. 6, the front side of the plane of the drawing is the front side of this sponge storage cassette 72. The left - right direction of the plane of FIG. 7 corresponds to the axial direction of the tire T. In FIG. 7, the left side of the plane of the drawing is the front side of this sponge storage cassette 72.

[0039] The sponge storage cassette 72 stores the sponge material M. The sponge storage cassette 72 is used in the winding device described later and the pasting device 2 described above. The sponge storage cassette 72 is also a component of the winding device and the pasting device 2. The sponge storage cassette 72 includes a winding core 102, a shaft portion 104, a limiting member 106, and a fixing frame 108.

[0040] The winding core 102 is cylindrical. The sponge material M is wound around the outer peripheral surface of the winding core 102. The sponge material M is wound in a spiral shape to form a spiral sponge SP. In the sponge storage cassette 72, the sponge material M is stored as a spiral sponge SP.

[0041] The winding core 102 includes an outer cylinder 110, an inner cylinder 112 located inside the outer cylinder 110, and a support plate 114 that supports the outer cylinder 110 and the inner cylinder 112. The outer cylinder 110 constitutes the outer peripheral surface of the winding core 102. The inner cylinder 112 constitutes the inner peripheral surface of the winding core 102. The support plate 114 is in the shape of a donut disk. The outer cylinder 110 is fixed to the outer edge of the support plate 114. The outer cylinder 110 extends from the outer edge of the support plate 114 toward the front side. The inner cylinder 112 is fixed to the inner edge of the support plate 114. The inner cylinder 112 extends from the inner edge of the support plate 114 toward the front side.

[0042] In this sponge storage cassette 72, a cut portion 116 is formed in a part of the outer cylinder 110. This cut portion is a slit. Although the sponge material M is wound around the outer peripheral surface of the winding core 102, the end portion of the sponge material M is sandwiched between the slits 116. Since the sponge material M is stably held on the winding core 102, the winding of the sponge material M is performed smoothly. From this viewpoint, it is preferable that the slit 116 for sandwiching the end portion of the sponge material M is provided in the outer cylinder 110.

[0043] Two mounting holes 118 that penetrate the support plate 114 are provided in the support plate 114. These mounting holes 118 are used for mounting to the winding device described later.

[0044] The shaft portion 104 is located inside the core 102. The shaft portion 104 rotatably supports the core 102. The shaft portion 104 is fitted into the inner cylinder 112 of the core 102. The shaft portion 104 includes a shaft portion main body 120 and a bearing portion 122. The bearing portion 122 is located between the shaft portion main body 120 and the core 102. This sponge storage cassette 72 is configured such that the core 102 rotates about the shaft portion main body 120. The bearing portion 122 of this sponge storage cassette 72 includes two bearings 124.

[0045] In this sponge storage cassette 72, the shaft portion main body 120 of the shaft portion 104 includes a body portion 126 and a lid portion 128. Steps are engraved on the outer peripheral surface of the body portion 126, and two bearings 124 are mounted on these steps. A spacer 130 is disposed between the two bearings 124, and the two bearings 124 are arranged at a certain interval. The lid portion 128 is fixed to the body portion 126 with bolts 132, and the two bearings 124 are fixed to the shaft portion main body 120.

[0046] The inner cylinder 112 of the aforementioned core 102 includes an inner cylinder main body 134 and a pressing plate 136. The inner cylinder main body 134 has a convex portion 138 that protrudes inward at its front end. When the core 102 is attached to the shaft portion 104, the convex portion 138 is supported by the front bearing 124. The pressing plate 136 is attached to the back end of the inner cylinder main body 134, and the back bearing 124 is supported by the pressing plate 136. Thereby, the core 102 is fixed to the shaft portion 104.

[0047] A fixing hole 140 extending from the back end face toward the front is provided in the body portion 126 of the shaft portion main body 120. As will be described later, the fixing hole 140 is used for attachment to the aforementioned pasting device 2.

[0048] The restricting member 106 is located outside the core 102. As described above, the sponge material M is wound around the core 102. The restricting member 106 is located outside the sponge material M wound around this core 102. The sponge material M is an elastic body. The sponge material M wound around the core 102 attempts to restore to its state before being wound. However, when the sponge material M attempts to restore, it comes into contact with the restricting member 106. Thereby, the restoration of the sponge material M is prevented. The restricting member 106 restrains the sponge material M wound around the core 102. The sponge material M is held in a state wound around the core 102, that is, as the spiral sponge SP. This sponge storage cassette 72 can control the size of the spiral sponge SP. In this sponge storage cassette 72, the size of the spiral sponge SP is appropriately maintained. The restricting member 106 of this sponge storage cassette 72 is a curved plate. As long as it can restrain the sponge material M wound around the core 102, for example, the restricting member 106 may be constituted by a rod-shaped member extending in the width direction of the sponge material M.

[0049] The fixing frame 108 fixes the restricting member 106 to the shaft portion 104. The restricting member 106 is integral with the shaft portion 104. The fixing frame 108 only needs to be able to fix the restricting member 106 to the shaft portion 104, and there is no particular limitation on its configuration. The fixing frame 108 of this sponge storage cassette 72 is composed of an L-shaped plate. In this sponge storage cassette 72, the fixing frame 108 is attached to the shaft portion 104 at its corner portion 108c. The fixing frame 108 is fixed to the body portion 126 with bolts 132 together with the lid portion 128 of the shaft portion 104. Both end portions 108e of the fixing frame 108 are respectively attached to the end portions of the restricting member 106. In this sponge storage cassette 72, for ease of carrying, a handle 142 is attached to the fixing frame 108.

[0050] [Sponge Winding Device] As described above, in the method for manufacturing the sponge-equipped tire ST, before attaching the sponge S to the inner peripheral surface of the tire T, the sponge material M is wound in a spiral shape to prepare the spiral sponge SP. For this preparation, a sponge winding device 152 (hereinafter referred to as the winding device) that winds the sponge material M in a spiral shape is used. The aforementioned sponge storage cassette 72 is also used in this winding device 152. Therefore, with reference to FIGS. 8 to 15, an overview of the sponge winding device 152 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. The manufacturing apparatus used in the method for manufacturing the sponge-equipped tire ST includes the winding device 152 in addition to the aforementioned attaching device 2.

[0051] FIG. 8 is a side view of the winding device 152. FIG. 9 is a front view of this winding device 152. The direction perpendicular to the plane of FIG. 8 corresponds to the axial direction of the tire T. In FIG. 8, the front side of the plane of the paper is the front side of the winding device 152. The left-right direction of the plane of FIG. 9 corresponds to the axial direction of the tire T. In FIG. 9, the left side of the plane of the paper is the front side of the winding device 152.

[0052] The winding device 152 includes a mounting tool 154 and a compressing tool 156. The sponge storage cassette 72 is mounted on the mounting tool 154. The compressing tool 156 compresses the sponge material M stored in the sponge storage cassette 72. This winding device 152 is a device that winds the sponge material M while compressing it.

[0053] The mounting tool 154 includes a mounting portion 158, a rotating machine 160, and a restraining portion 162. The mounting portion 158 is supported by the rotating machine 160. The rotating machine 160 and the restraining portion 162 are supported by a support base 168 attached to the tip of a support rod 166 extending upward from the floor plate 164. The floor plate 164, the support rod 166, and the support base 168 constitute the frame 170 of the winding device 152.

[0054] The mounting portion 158 is located on the front side of the winding device 152. The mounting portion 158 includes a pair of mounting pins 172. The pair of mounting pins 172 are supported by a holding plate 174. Each mounting pin 172 extends from the holding plate 174 toward the front side. In this take-up device 152, the mounting pin 172 in the mounting portion 158 is arranged so as to be able to be passed through a mounting hole 118 provided in the support plate 114 of the core 102. As shown in FIG. 10, the mounting pin 172 of the mounting tool 154 is passed through the mounting hole 118 of the core 102. Thereby, the core 102 of the sponge storage cassette 72 is attached to the mounting portion 158 of the mounting tool 154. The sponge storage cassette 72 is detachable from the mounting tool 154.

[0055] The rotating machine 160 has a rotating shaft 176. The aforementioned mounting portion 158 is attached to the tip of this rotating shaft 176. When the rotating machine 160 is driven, the mounting portion 158 rotates. The rotating machine 160 rotates the mounting portion 158. The rotating machine 160 is an air motor. The rotating machine 160 may be, for example, an electric motor.

[0056] The restraining portion 162 includes two stoppers 178 and a contact plate 180. The two stoppers 178 are attached to a holding member 182 extending upward from the support base 168. The two stoppers 178 extend from the holding member 182 toward the front side. The two stoppers 178 are arranged at intervals in the vertical direction. The contact plate 180 is also attached to the holding member 182 and extends from the holding member 182 toward the front side. The contact plate 180 is located between the two stoppers 178 in the vertical direction.

[0057] As described above, in the sponge storage cassette 72, the shaft portion 104 rotatably supports the core 102, and the restricting member 106 is integral with the shaft portion 104 together with the fixed frame 108. In the take-up device 152, the restricting member 106 is in a rotatable state with respect to the core 102.

[0058] In this take-up device 152, as shown in FIG. 11, two stoppers 178 and a contact plate 180 are arranged so as to surround the limiting member 106 of the sponge storage cassette 72. The upper stopper 178 is arranged to contact an end portion of the fixed frame 108 (hereinafter, the first end portion 108ea) attached to the upper end portion of the limiting member 106. The upper stopper 178 prevents the counterclockwise rotation of the limiting member 106. The lower stopper 178 is arranged to contact an end portion of the fixed frame 108 (hereinafter, the second end portion 108eb) attached to the lower end portion of the limiting member 106. The lower stopper 178 prevents the clockwise rotation of the limiting member 106. The contact plate 180 contacts the limiting member 106 from the outside between the upper stopper 178 and the lower stopper 178. The two stoppers 178 and the contact plate 180, that is, the restraining portion 162 restrain the limiting member 106. In other words, the restraining portion 162 restricts the movement of the sponge storage cassette 72 attached to the mounting portion 158. Thereby, the limiting member 106 is prevented from rotating with respect to the winding core 102.

[0059] The compressing tool 156 is located on the front side of the support rod 166 and is supported by this support rod 166. The compressing tool 156 includes a pressing member 184 and a supporting means 186. The pressing member 184 is located below the sponge storage cassette 72. The pressing member 184 is arranged to face the winding core 102 of the sponge storage cassette 72. The pressing member 184 includes a roller 188 and a support holder 190 that rotatably supports this roller 188. In this take-up device 152, the number of rollers 188 provided on the pressing member 184 is three. It is sufficient that at least one roller 188 is provided on the pressing member 184, and there is no particular limitation on the number of rollers 188 provided on the pressing member 184. The supporting means 10 has a cylinder 194 attached to the support rod 166 via a connecting member 192. The support holder 190 of the aforementioned pressing member 184 is attached to the rod 196 of this cylinder 194. In this winding device 152, the pressing member 184 approaches the core 102 by the extension operation of the cylinder 194. As will be described later, the roller 188 of the pressing member 184 is thereby pressed against the sponge material M. In this winding device 152, the pressing member 184 moves away from the core 102 by the contraction operation of the cylinder 194. As shown in FIG. 10, the pressing member 184 moves back and forth between the standby position Pw and the contact position Pc. The support means 186 supports the position of the pressing member 184 relative to the core 102 so as to be variable.

[0060] In this winding device 152, the cylinder 194 is an air cylinder. This cylinder 194 may be, for example, a hydraulic cylinder.

[0061] Next, a method of winding the sponge material M according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described based on the operation of the winding device 152. This winding method is part of a method for manufacturing a tire ST with a sponge. This winding method includes (1) a step of mounting the sponge storage cassette 72 on the winding device 152 (hereinafter, the mounting step), (2) a step of setting the end of the sponge material M on the core 102 (hereinafter, the setting step), and (3) a step of rotating the core 102 to wind the sponge material M around the core 102 (hereinafter, the winding step) In the manufacturing method of the tire ST with a sponge, this mounting step is also referred to as the first mounting step.

[0062] In the mounting step, as shown in FIG. 11, the sponge storage cassette 72 is mounted on the winding device 152. The core 102 is attached to the attachment portion 158, and the restricting member 106 is restricted by the restricting portion 162. Thereby, the sponge storage cassette 72 is fixed to the mounting tool 154. Since the sponge storage cassette 72 is detachable from the mounting tool 154, the sponge storage cassette 72 can be easily removed from the mounting tool 154.

[0063] In the setting process, the sponge material M is introduced into the winding device 152. As shown in FIG. 12, the sponge material M passes over the introduction roller 198. The sponge material M further passes between two guide rollers 200. Thereby, the end of the sponge S is disposed near the core 102. In this introduction, with the sponge S on the upper side (in other words, with the release paper P on the lower side), the sponge material M is introduced into the winding device 152. After the introduction, the end of the sponge material M is sandwiched in the slit 116 of the core 102. The end of the sponge material M is set on the core 102, and the sponge material M is held by the core 102. The size of the slit 116 is set to a size such that the sponge S of the sponge material M can pass through this slit 116 by slightly crushing it. In the pasting device 2, the end of this sponge material M is extracted from the slit 116. The size of this slit 116 is appropriately determined in consideration of the ease of inserting and removing the end of the sponge S.

[0064] When the end of the sponge material M is set on the core 102, the winding process is started. In the winding process, the core 102 is rotated, and as shown in FIG. 13, the sponge material M is disposed between the core 102 and the pressing member 184. The rotating machine 160 is driven, and the mounting portion 158 is rotated. Since the core 102 is attached to the mounting portion 158, the core 102 rotates by driving the rotating machine 160. Thereby, the sponge material M passes between the core 102 and the pressing member 184.

[0065] In this winding process, when the rotation machine 160 is driven to start winding the sponge material M, the support means 186 is driven. The support means 186 brings the pressing member 184 located at the standby position Pw closer to the core 102. The pressing member 184 reaches the contact position Pc and presses the sponge material M located between the pressing member 184 and the core 102 toward the core 102 as shown in FIG. 14. Thereby, the sponge material M is compressed. In this winding device 152, when the support means 186 brings the pressing member 184 closer to the core 102, the sponge material M passing between the pressing member 184 and the core 102 is compressed. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 15, the sponge material M in the compressed state is wound around the core 102.

[0066] When the entire sponge material M is wound around the core 102, the winding process is completed. The completion of the winding process means that the storage of the sponge material M in the sponge storage cassette 72 is completed. The winding process is also a process of rotating the core 102 to wind the sponge material M in a spiral shape and storing the sponge material M in the sponge storage cassette 72 (hereinafter referred to as the storage process).

[0067] FIG. 16 shows a sponge storage cassette 72 storing the spiral sponge SP obtained by the winding device 152. In this winding device 152, the sponge material M is wound around the core 102 in multiple layers while being compressed. Since the sponge material M located inside is constrained by the sponge material M located outside, the compressed state of the sponge material M located inside is generally maintained. Since the limiting member 106 constrains the sponge material M located outermost, in the sponge material M located outermost, the sponge S restores at least in the portion in contact with the limiting member 106. Therefore, the thickness of the sponge material M constituting the spiral sponge SP stored in the sponge storage cassette 72 is not uniform. In the spiral sponge SP stored in the sponge storage cassette 72 by this winding device 152, the sponge material M in the portion in contact with the limiting member 106 is thicker than the sponge material M located inside the spiral sponge SP.

[0068] When the storage of the sponge material M in the sponge storage cassette 72 is completed, that is, when the winding process is completed, the sponge storage cassette 72 is removed from the winding device 152. Then, using the sponge storage cassette 72 containing the sponge material M, the sponge S is attached to the inner surface NT of the tread. In this sponge storage cassette 72, as described above, the restricting member 106 restrains the sponge material M wound around the core 102. Therefore, even when the sponge storage cassette 72 is removed from the winding device 152, the sponge material M remains wound around the core 102, that is, it is held as the spiral sponge SP.

[0069] Next, a method of attaching the sponge S to the inner peripheral surface of the tire T (specifically, the inner surface NT of the tread) using the sponge storage cassette 72 will be described. In this attachment method, the above-described attachment device 2 is used. This attachment method is part of the method for manufacturing the sponge-equipped tire ST. This attachment method (1) A step of mounting the sponge storage cassette 72 containing the sponge material M on the attachment device 2 (hereinafter, the mounting step) and (2) A step of attaching the sponge S to the inner surface NT of the tread while pulling out the sponge material M from the spiral sponge SP stored in the sponge storage cassette 72 (hereinafter, the attachment step) is included. Note that this mounting step is also referred to as the second mounting step in the method for manufacturing the sponge-equipped tire ST.

[0070] In the mounting step, the sponge storage cassette 72 containing the sponge material M is mounted on the attachment device 2. In this mounting, the sponge storage cassette 72 is attached to the sponge holding frame 66 of the attachment device 2.

[0071] FIG. 17 shows a part of the attachment device 2. FIG. 17 shows the sponge holding frame 66 of the applicator 8. The left-right direction of the paper surface of FIG. 17 corresponds to the axial direction of the tire T. In FIG. 17, the right side of the paper surface is the front side of the attachment device 2.

[0072] The applicator 8 of this pasting device 2 is provided with a fixed shaft 202 extending from the bottom plate 78 of the sponge holding frame 66 to the front side. The fixed shaft 202 of this pasting device 2 is composed of a plate-shaped flange portion 202f located on the bottom plate 78 side and a main body 202m extending from this flange portion 202f to the front side. In this pasting device 2, the fixed shaft 202 is fixed to the applicator 8 by sandwiching the flange portion 202f between the bottom plate 78 and the mounting plate 74 and passing the main body 202m through the through hole 78p provided in the bottom plate 78.

[0073] As described above, a fixing hole 140 is provided in the body portion 126 of the shaft body 120 constituting the shaft portion 104 of the sponge storage cassette 72. In this pasting device 2, as shown in FIG. 18, the sponge storage cassette 72 is attached to the sponge holding frame 66 by inserting the fixed shaft 202 into the fixing hole 140.

[0074] In this pasting device 2, the cross section of the main body 202m of the fixed shaft 202 and the cross section of the fixing hole 140 are rectangular. Therefore, the shaft portion 104 does not rotate with respect to the fixed shaft 202, and the sponge storage cassette 72 is held by the sponge holding frame 66. In this pasting device 2, if the shaft portion 104 is configured not to rotate with respect to the fixed shaft 202, there is no particular limitation on the cross-sectional shape of the main body 202m of the fixed shaft 202 and the fixing hole 140.

[0075] As described above, in the sponge storage cassette 72, the restricting member 106 and the fixed frame 108 are integral with the shaft portion 104. Therefore, in this pasting device 2, the restricting member 106 does not rotate with respect to the fixed shaft 202. In this pasting device 2, as shown in FIG. 5, a convex portion 204 that protrudes inward is provided on a part of the annular peripheral frame 76 of the sponge holding frame 66. This convex portion 204 is used as a mark when setting the sponge storage cassette 72 onto the sponge holding frame 66. In this pasting device 2, the convex portion 204 is disposed near the first end portion 108ea of the fixed frame 108. By inserting the fixed shaft 202 of the sponge holding frame 66 into the fixing hole 140 of the sponge storage cassette 72 with the position of the first end portion 108ea of the fixed frame 108 aligned with this convex portion 204, the sponge storage cassette 72 is mounted on the sponge holding frame 66 so that the restricting member 106 of the sponge storage cassette 72 does not interfere with the cut portion 80 of the sponge holding frame 66.

[0076] In this pasting method, when the mounting of the sponge storage cassette 72 to the pasting device 2 is completed, the pasting process is started. In this pasting process, first, the lateral movement table 54 is disposed at the standby position Qr (see FIG. 3), and the pasting tool 8 is disposed outside the side support 18. In this standby state, the tire T is inserted into the holding and rotating tool 4, and this tire T is set in the pasting device 2.

[0077] When the tire T is set in the pasting device 2, the position of the pasting tool 8 with respect to the tire T is adjusted. After the adjustment, the pasting tool 8 is introduced into the tire inner cavity, and the pasting of the sponge S onto the tread inner surface NT is started.

[0078] In this pasting process, as shown in FIG. 5, the release paper P of the sponge material M pulled out from the sponge storage cassette 72 is peeled off from the sponge S by the release roller 84 and wound up by the winding roller 86. The sponge S is guided to the tread inner surface NT by the guide roller 88 with its adhesive surface Sa facing outward. The sponge S is pasted onto the tread inner surface NT by the pasting roller 94.

[0079] The sponge S is attached to the inner surface NT of the tread while the tire T is rotated. The shaft portion 104 is fixed to the fixed shaft 202, and the core 102 rotates with respect to the shaft portion 104. Therefore, the sponge material M is smoothly drawn out from the sponge storage cassette 72 in accordance with the rotation of the tire T. In this attachment step, the sponge S is attached to the inner surface NT of the tread while the sponge material M is drawn out from the sponge storage cassette 72. By attaching the entire sponge S stored in the sponge storage cassette 72 to the inner surface NT of the tread, the sponge tire ST shown in FIG. 1 is obtained.

[0080] In this sponge storage cassette 72, the restricting member 106 restricts the sponge material M wound around the core 102, so that its shape is maintained as the spiral sponge SP. Moreover, the core 102 of the sponge storage cassette 72 is attached to the winding device 152, and the shaft portion 104 of this sponge storage cassette 72 is attached to the attaching device 2. In this sponge storage cassette 72, the spiral sponge SP prepared by the winding device 152 can be directly supplied to the attaching device 2. In other words, the sponge storage cassette 72 storing the sponge material M is directly arranged inside the tire T. In the winding device 152 and the winding method using this sponge storage cassette 72, the sponge material M in a compressed state is wound around the core 102. Therefore, even if the sponge material M is thick or long, the sponge material M can be stored in the sponge storage cassette 72, and its shape is maintained as the spiral sponge SP. Even if a thick sponge material M is stored in the sponge storage cassette 72 or a long sponge material M is stored in the sponge storage cassette 72, the size of the sponge storage cassette 72 attached to the sponge holding frame 66 of the attaching device 2 does not change. Not only the sponge S having a rectangular cross section, but also the sponge S having a cross section of, for example, a trapezoidal shape, a triangular shape, a semi-circular shape, a bridge shape, etc. can obtain the same operational effects. In the method for manufacturing a sponge - attached tire using this sponge storage cassette 72 and the winding device 152, it is possible to manufacture sponge - attached tires ST with various specifications. Since the winding device 152 and the attaching device 2 are responsible for most of the operations from winding the sponge material M to attaching the sponge S, this manufacturing method can efficiently, with high precision and uniformly, attach the sponge S to the inner peripheral surface of the tire T. This sponge storage cassette 72, the sponge winding device 152 and the winding method, as well as the method for manufacturing a sponge - attached tire, can contribute to the stable manufacture of high - quality sponge - attached tires ST.

[0081] When winding the sponge material M using this sponge storage cassette 72, with the sponge S facing the winding core 102 side, the sponge material M is wound around the winding core 102. Since the release paper P presses the sponge S from the outside, the restoration of the sponge S is further suppressed. In this manufacturing method, the sponge material M is wound in a state where it is sufficiently compressed. The storage capacity of the sponge material M in this sponge storage cassette 72 is high. In the method for manufacturing a sponge - attached tire ST using this sponge storage cassette 72 and the winding device 152, it is possible to manufacture sponge - attached tires ST with various specifications. From this perspective, in this manufacturing method, it is preferable that with the sponge S facing the winding core 102 side, the sponge material M is wound around the winding core 102.

[0082] As described above, in this winding device 152, the support means 186 has a cylinder 194, and the pressing member 184 is attached to the rod 196 of this cylinder 194. When the sponge material M is wound around the winding core 102, a spiral sponge SP is formed. As the number of winding turns of the sponge material M increases, the thickness of this spiral sponge SP increases. Therefore, the force acting on the spiral sponge SP located between the winding core 102 and the pressing member 184 increases. If an excessive force acts on the sponge material M, there is a risk of damage such as tearing occurring in the sponge S. However, in this winding device 152, when the thickness of the spiral sponge SP increases and the pressure in the cylinder 194 reaches a certain value, the pressure is reduced. In this winding device 152, the pressure in the cylinder 194 is maintained so as not to exceed a certain level. Since the cylinder 194 contracts due to the pressure reduction, the pressing member 184 is moved away from the core 102. In this winding device 152, the position of the pressing member 184 relative to the core 102 varies according to the thickness of the sponge material M located between the pressing member 184 and the core 102. In this winding device 152, the force acting on the sponge material M is appropriately maintained so that an excessive force does not act on the sponge material M located between the pressing member 184 and the core 102. This winding device 152 can wind the sponge material M without causing damage such as tearing to the sponge S.

[0083] As described above, in this winding device 152, the support means 186 has a cylinder 194. The pressure in the cylinder 194 is appropriately adjusted in consideration of the material and shape of the sponge S, etc. In this winding device 152, there is no particular limitation on the pressure in the cylinder 194 as long as the sponge material M can be wound without causing damage to the sponge S. The pressure in this cylinder 194 is set, for example, in the range of 0.1 MPa or more and 10 MPa or less.

[0084] As described above, in this winding device 152, the sponge material M is wound by rotating the core 102 by the rotating machine 160. At this time, the pressing member 184 is pressed against the sponge material M. In this winding device 152, the sponge material M is wound around the core 102 while being stretched. As a result, the sponge material M becomes thinner, so that the sponge material M can be tightly wound around the core 102. This increases the storage capacity of the sponge material M in the sponge storage cassette 72. Increasing the torque of the rotating machine 160 improves the storage capacity of the sponge material M. The torque of the rotating machine 160 affects the tension generated in the sponge material M. If the tension generated in the sponge material M becomes excessively high, there is a risk of damage such as tearing occurring in the sponge S. In this winding device 152, the torque of the rotating machine 160 is appropriately adjusted in consideration of the strength of the sponge S and the like so that the sponge S is not damaged. This winding device 152 can effectively enhance the storage capacity of the sponge material M included in the sponge storage cassette 72. This winding device 152 can store sponge materials M having various shapes and sizes in the sponge storage cassette 72. In other words, it is not necessary to prepare the sponge storage cassette 72 according to the shape and size of the sponge material M to be stored. In the method for manufacturing a sponge - attached tire using this sponge storage cassette 72 and winding device 152, it is possible to manufacture sponge - attached tires ST with various specifications.

[0085] As described above, according to the present invention, a method for manufacturing a sponge - attached tire that can contribute to the stable manufacture of high - quality sponge - attached tires is obtained.

Industrial Applicability

[0086] The method for manufacturing a sponge - attached tire described above can be applied to the manufacture of various sponge - attached tires.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0087] 2 ··· Sponge attaching device 8 ··· Attachment tool 66 ··· Sponge holding frame 72 ··· Sponge storage cassette 102 ··· Winding core 104 ··· Shaft portion 106 ··· Limiting member 108 ··· Fixed frame 110 ··· Outer cylinder 112 ··· Inner cylinder 114 ··· Support plate 116 ··· Discontinuous portion (slit) 118 ··· Mounting hole of the winding core 102 120 ··· Shaft body of the shaft portion 104 122 ··· Bearing portion of the shaft portion 104 152 ··· Sponge winding device 154 ··· Mounting tool 156 ··· Compressing tool 158 ··· Mounting part 160 ··· Rotating machine 162 ··· Restraining part 172 ··· Mounting pin 176 ··· Rotating shaft of the rotating machine 160 184 ··· Pressing member 186 ··· Supporting means 188 ··· Roller of the pressing member 184 194 ··· Cylinder of the supporting means 186 202 ··· Fixed shaft of the sponge holding frame 66 ST ··· Tire with sponge T ··· Tire NT ··· Tread inner surface (inner peripheral surface of the tire T) S ··· Sponge Sm ··· Main body of the sponge S Sa ··· Adhesive surface of the sponge S M ··· Sponge material P ··· Release paper Y ··· Release agent removal area

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a sponge - attached tire in which a strip - shaped sponge is attached to the inner peripheral surface, comprising: a step of mounting a sponge storage cassette having a core on a winding device; a step of setting an end portion of a sponge material including the sponge on the core; a step of rotating the core to wind the sponge material in a spiral shape and storing the sponge material in the sponge storage cassette; a step of mounting the sponge storage cassette storing the sponge material on an attaching device; a step of attaching the sponge to the inner peripheral surface of the tire while pulling out the sponge material from the sponge storage cassette; and in the step of storing the sponge material in the sponge storage cassette, as the core rotates, the sponge material passes between the core and a pressing member disposed at a position facing the core; by bringing the pressing member closer to the core, the sponge material passing between the pressing member and the core is compressed; the sponge material in a compressed state is wound around the core; the sponge storage cassette includes a shaft portion located inside the core and rotatably supporting the core; a restricting member located outside the core and restricting the sponge material wound around the core; and a fixing frame for fixing the restricting member to the shaft portion; and the core is attached to the winding device and the shaft portion is attached to the attaching device. A method for manufacturing a sponge - attached tire.

2. The method for manufacturing a sponge - attached tire according to claim 1, wherein the sponge storage cassette storing the sponge material is disposed as it is inside the tire. The method for manufacturing a sponge - attached tire according to claim 1.

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