Bead supply device

Abstract

To provide a bed feeder capable of reducing the sticking between each bead and each spacer.SOLUTION: A bead feeder 2 comprises: a rod 10 passing through beads 4 for a tire and spacers 6; a presser 14 pressed against the spacers 6; and an oscillation device 12 oscillating the rod 10 in a state where the presser 14 is pressed against the spacers 6. Preferably, the presser 14 has a bar-like shape in which a male screw is formed at the outer circumferential face 14A against which the spacers 6 abut. Preferably, the bead feeder 2 comprises a receptacle 18. This receptacle 18 comprises: a base face 36; and plural projections 38 projecting from the base face 36A and arranged at intervals in the axial direction of the rod 10. In the bead feeder 2, the projections 38 support the inner circumferential faces of the beads 4.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a bead supply device for tires.

Background Art

[0002] In tire manufacturing, a ring-shaped bead is prepared. This bead is stocked in a bead supply device. A large number of members including this bead are combined to form a local cover. This local cover is pressurized and heated to obtain a tire from the local cover.

[0003] This bead contains unvulcanized rubber, and the stocked beads tend to adhere to each other. To prevent this adhesion, spacers are sandwiched between the beads and stocked. However, the beads also adhere to the spacers. This adhesion causes the work of peeling the beads from the spacers.

[0004] To automatically peel the beads from the spacers, a bead peeling device is used. A rod provided in the bead peeling device is passed through the beads and the spacers, and the beads and the spacers are supported. The beads and the spacers are swung to peel the beads from the spacers. Such a bead peeling device is disclosed in Patent Document 1.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] Even with the rocking motion of this bead peeling device, the bead may not be peeled off from the spacer. In such a case, the operator has to manually peel the bead off the spacer. The adhesion between this bead and the spacer causes equipment stoppage, requires manual labor by the operator, and reduces the productivity of tire production. From the perspective of productivity, further improvement is required for this bead peeling device.

[0007] An object of the present invention is to provide a bead supply device in which the bead is easily peeled off from the spacer.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0008] The bead supply device according to the present invention includes a rod that penetrates a tire bead and a spacer, a pressing tool that is pressed against the spacer, and a rocking device that rocks the rod while the pressing tool is pressed against the spacer.

[0009] Preferably, unevenness is formed on the contact surface of the pressing tool that contacts the spacer.

[0010] Preferably, the pressing tool has a rod-like shape with a male thread formed on the outer peripheral surface where the spacer contacts.

[0011] Preferably, this bead supply device includes a receiver. This receiver includes a base surface and a plurality of protrusions that protrude from the base surface and are arranged at intervals in the axial direction of the rod. In this bead supply device, the protrusions support the inner peripheral surface of the bead.

[0012] Preferably, the protrusions have a rod-like shape. This protrusion includes a base portion and a tip portion that is thinner than the base portion.

[0013] Preferably, the distance between the tip portion and another tip portion adjacent to the tip portion is 5 mm or less.

[0014] Preferably, the distance between the base portion and another base portion adjacent to the base portion is 2 mm or more.

[0015] The method for manufacturing a tire according to the present invention includes: (A) a step of passing a rod through a tire bead and a spacer, and supporting the bead and the spacer with the rod and (B) a step of swinging the rod while pressing a pressing tool against the spacer. It includes.

[0016] Preferably, this manufacturing method includes: (C) a step of supporting the bead by bringing a plurality of protrusions provided on a receiving tool having a base surface and the plurality of protrusions protruding from the base surface and arranged at intervals in the axial direction of the rod into contact with the inner peripheral surface of the bead. It further includes.

[0017] Preferably, in the step (C), the rod-shaped protrusion having a base portion and a tip portion thinner than the base portion comes into contact with the inner peripheral surface of the bead.

[0018] Preferably, in the step (C), the bead is supported by the receiving tool in which the distance between the tip portion and another tip portion adjacent to the tip portion is smaller than the thickness of the bead and larger than the thickness of the spacer.

[0019] Preferably, in the step (C), the bead is supported by the receiving tool in which the distance between the base portion and another base portion adjacent to the base portion is larger than the thickness of the spacer.

Effect of the Invention

[0020] In the bead supply device according to the present invention, the swinging device swings the rod in a state where the pressing tool is pressed against the spacer. This bead supply device makes it easy for the bead to be peeled off from the spacer. This bead supply device contributes to the improvement of the productivity of the tire.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0021]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0022] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on preferred embodiments with reference to the drawings as appropriate.

[0023] In FIGS. 1, 2(A) and 2(B), together with the bead supply device 2, a plurality of beads 4 and a plurality of spacers 6 are shown. This bead supply device 2 includes a gantry 8, a pair of rods 10 (10A, 10B), a swing device 12, a pressing device 16 including a pair of pressing tools 14, and a bead receiving device 20 including a receiver 18. A pair of rods 10 penetrate through the beads 4 and the spacers 6 to support the beads 4 and the spacers 6. The left - right direction in FIG. 1 is the front - rear direction of the bead supply device 2, and the direction perpendicular to the paper surface is the left - right direction of the bead supply device 2.

[0024] In the manufacture of tires, the beads 4 are combined with other rubber members to form a local cover. This local cover is pressurized and heated to obtain a tire from the local cover. The bead 4 has a ring - shaped shape. The bead 4 includes a wound wire and unvulcanized rubber.

[0025] Each spacer 6 is disposed between the beads 4 to be arranged to prevent the adhesion of the beads 4 to each other. The spacer 6 has a ring-shaped plate shape. The outer diameter of the spacer 6 is larger than that of the bead 4. The center of the through hole of the spacer 6 is offset from the center of the spacer 6. The material of the spacer 6 is not particularly limited, but for example, it is a lightweight and strong resin.

[0026] The bead supply device 2 includes rods 10A and 10B as a pair of rods 10. Each of the rods 10A and 10B has a rod-like shape extending parallel in the front-rear direction. The cross-sectional shape of the rods 10A and 10B is not particularly limited, but for example, it is circular. The rods 10A and 10B are attached to the swing device 12. The pair of rods 10 is an example, and the number of rods 10 may be 1, 3 or more, and is not particularly limited.

[0027] The swing device 12 is attached to the gantry 8. The swing device 12 includes a front-rear swing device 22 and a rotation swing device 24. The front-rear swing device 22 has a function of moving a pair of rods 10 (rods 10A and 10B) in the front-rear direction. The rotation swing device 24 includes a drive motor 24A, a rotation shaft 24B extending from the drive motor 24A, and an arm 24C attached to the rotation shaft 24B. By this drive motor 24A and rotation shaft 24B, the arm 24C is rotatable. The rod 10A is attached to this arm 24C. The rotation swing device 24 has a function of rotating the rod 10A.

[0028] The swing device 12 has a function of swinging the rod 10A and the rod 10B. The swing device 12 has a function of moving the rods 10A and 10B in the front-rear direction and rotating the rod 10A. The moving direction for this swing is an example, and the moving direction in the present invention is not limited thereto. This moving direction may be only one direction of each of the front-rear direction, left-right direction and up-down direction, or may be a combination of two or more directions. In this swing device 12, the rods 10A and 10B swing, but only one of them may swing.

[0029] The pressing device 16 is attached to the gantry 8. The pressing tool 14 includes a left - right moving device 26, an up - down moving device 28, and a support 30 in addition to the aforementioned pair of pressing tools 14. In this pressing device 16, the up - down moving device 28 can move left and right by the left - right moving device 26. The support 30 can move up and down by the up - down moving device 28. The pair of pressing tools 14 is attached to the support 30. The pair of pressing tools 14 can move in the left - right direction and the up - down direction. The left - right moving device 26 and the up - down moving device 28 are not particularly limited, but for example, a fluid cylinder is used.

[0030] Each pressing tool 14 has a rod - like shape with an outer peripheral surface 14A as a contact surface. A male screw is formed on the outer peripheral surface 14A as unevenness. In this pressing device 16, a so - called full - thread bolt is used as the pressing tool 14, but it is not limited to this.

[0031] The bead receiving device 20 includes a moving base 32 and an up - down moving device 34 in addition to the receiver 18. The moving base 32 can move in the front - rear direction with respect to the gantry 8. The up - down moving device 34 is attached to the moving base 32. The receiver 18 can move in the up - down direction by the up - down moving device 34. The receiver 18 can move in the front - rear direction and the up - down direction. The drive mechanism of the moving base 32 is not particularly limited, but for example, a fluid cylinder is used. The drive mechanism of the up - down moving device 34 is not particularly limited, but for example, a fluid cylinder is used.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 3, the receiver 18 includes a base body 36 and a plurality of protrusions 38. The plurality of protrusions 38 protrude from the base surface 36A of the base body 36 and are arranged at intervals in the front - rear direction. Each protrusion 38 includes a base portion 38A, a tapered portion 38B, and a tip portion 38C. The tip portion 38C is thinner than the base portion 38A. The tapered portion 38B is tapered from the base portion 38A toward the tip portion 38C.

[0033] The double arrow D1 in FIG. 4 represents the interval between adjacent bases 38A. This interval D1 is measured as the shortest distance between adjacent bases 38A in the front-rear direction. The double arrow D2 represents the interval between adjacent tip portions 38C. This interval D2 is measured as the shortest distance between adjacent tip portions 38C in the front-rear direction.

[0034] FIG. 5(A) shows the usage state of the bead supply device 2. A pair of rods 10 penetrate through the bead 4 and the spacer 6. The inner peripheral surface 4A of the bead 4 and the inner peripheral surface 6A of the spacer 6 are in contact with the pair of rods 10. The pair of rods 10 support the bead 4 and the spacer 6. A pair of pressing tools 14 are pressed against the edge of the spacer 6. The spacer 6 is pressed against the pair of rods 10 by the pressing tools 14.

[0035] FIG. 5(B) shows another usage state of the bead supply device 2. Relative to the usage state in FIG. 5(A), the rod 10A has rotated and is positioned downward. The bead 4 and the spacer 6 are positioned downward corresponding to the position of the rod 10A. Relative to the usage state in FIG. 5(A), the pair of pressing tools 14 are positioned on the right side. The spacer 6 is displaced by the pressing tools 14 relative to the usage state in FIG. 5(A). Other usage states in the bead supply device 2 in FIG. 5(B) are the same as those in FIG. 5(A).

[0036] FIG. 6 shows the usage state of the receiver 18. This receiver 18 supports the bead 4 and the spacer 6. The bead 4 has its inner peripheral surface 4A supported by the protrusion 38 of the receiver 18. The spacer 6 has its inner peripheral surface 6A supported by the base surface 36A of the base body 36. The double arrow Tb in FIG. 6 represents the thickness of the bead 4. The double arrow Ts represents the thickness of the spacer 6.

[0037] The thickness Tb of this bead 4 is larger than the thickness Ts of the spacer 6. In the receiver 18, the interval D1 between the bases 38A of the protrusion 38 is larger than the thickness Ts of the spacer 6. The interval D2 between the tip portions 38C is smaller than the thickness Tb of the bead 4 and larger than the thickness Ts of the spacer 6.

[0038] FIG. 7 shows a plurality of spacers 6 supported by the receiver 18. The three spacers 6 are inclined with respect to the front-rear direction. One spacer 6 is deformed and warped. Still another spacer 6 has the front-rear direction as its axial direction. Each spacer 6 is positioned between the bases 38A of the protrusions 38 and abuts against the base surface 36A.

[0039] A method for manufacturing a tire using this bead feeder 2 will be described.

[0040] A ring-shaped bead 4 is formed from a wire and unvulcanized rubber (STEP1). A pair of rods 10 are passed through and penetrate the bead 4 and the spacers 6 prepared separately therefrom (STEP2). In this step (STEP2), as shown in FIG. 1, the bead 4 and the spacers 6 are alternately arranged in the front-rear direction. In the usage state of FIG. 1, as shown in FIG. 2(B), the plurality of beads 4 and the plurality of spacers 6 are supported by the pair of rods 10.

[0041] An up-down moving device 28 presses a pair of retainers 14 against the edges of the spacers 6 supported by the pair of rods 10 (STEP3). The spacers 6 are pressed toward the pair of rods 10. In this step (STEP3), the bead feeder 2 is changed from the usage state of FIG. 2(B) to the usage state of FIG. 5(A).

[0042] While the pair of retainers 14 are pressed against the spacers 6, the pair of rods 10 are swung (STEP4). In step (STEP4), a front-rear swing device 22 swings the pair of rods 10 in the front-rear direction. A rotation swing device 24 rotates the rod 10A. In this way, the swing device 12 swings the bead 4 and the spacers 6. In this bead feeder 2, further, a left-right moving device 26 moves the pair of retainers 14 left and right. The retainers 14 shift the position of the spacers 6 left and right while pressing the spacers 6 against the pair of rods 10. In step (STEP4), the usage state of the bead feeder 2 is set to a plurality of usage states including the usage state of FIG. 5(A) and the usage state of FIG. 5(B).

[0043] The receiving tool 18 is passed through the shaken beads 4 and the spacers 6 (STEP5). In this step (STEP5), the front and rear moving table 32 moves the receiving tool 18 toward the beads 4 and the spacers 6. In step (STEP5), the receiving tool 18 is positioned inside the inner peripheral surface 4A of the bead 4 and the inner peripheral surface 6A of the spacer 6.

[0044] After step (STEP5), the vertical moving device 34 moves the receiving tool 18 upward. The receiving tool 18 supports the bead 4 (STEP6). In this step (STEP6), the receiving tool 18 is brought into contact with the bead 4 and the spacer 6. The protrusion 38 contacts the inner peripheral surface 4A of the bead 4. The base surface 36A of the base body 36 contacts the inner peripheral surface 6A of the spacer 6. In this step (STEP6), the receiving tool 18 is placed in the use state shown in FIG. 6. As shown in FIG. 7, each spacer 6 is positioned between the bases 38A of the protrusions 38 in the front-rear direction.

[0045] The beads 4 supported by the receiving tool 18 are taken out one by one (SETP7). The taken-out beads 4 are combined with other rubber members to form a local cover (STEP8). This local cover is pressurized and heated to obtain a tire from the local cover (STEP9).

[0046] In this bead supply device 2, with the pressing tool 14 pressed against the spacer 6, the swinging device 12 swings the pair of rods 10. In this bead supply device 2, the pressing tool 14 always presses the spacer 6 against the swinging pair of rods 10. Thereby, the spacer 6 is suppressed from separating from the pair of rods 10. Since the spacer 6 does not separate from the pair of rods 10, adhesion between adjacent beads 4 with the spacer 6 in between is prevented.

[0047] Further, the retainer 14 is pressed against the spacer 6 without pressing against the bead 4. By this retainer 14, the spacer 6 is suppressed from swinging while adhering to the bead 4. In this bead feeder 2, the bead 4 is easily peeled off from the spacer 6. This bead feeder 2 is particularly suitable for peeling the bead 4 from the spacer 6 that is lighter than the bead 4.

[0048] In this bead feeder 2, a so-called fully threaded bolt is used as the retainer 14. In this retainer 14, the spacer 6 is difficult to slip. This retainer 14 firmly presses the spacer 6 against the pair of rods 10. From this viewpoint, it is preferable that this retainer 14 has a rod shape with a male thread formed on the outer peripheral surface 14A that the spacer 6 contacts.

[0049] Note that in this bead feeder 2, the retainer 14 only needs to press the spacer 6 against the pair of rods 10, and is not limited to having a rod shape with a male thread formed on the outer peripheral surface 14A. On the other hand, from the viewpoint of making the spacer 6 difficult to slip, it is preferable that the retainer 14 has irregularities formed on the contact surface that contacts the spacer 6.

[0050] This bead feeder 2 includes a receiver 18 having a base surface 36A and a plurality of protrusions 38. The receiver 18 supports the inner peripheral surface 4A of the bead 4 with the protrusions 38 and supports the spacer 6 with the base surface 36A between the protrusions 38. Thereby, further, the bead 4 is easily peeled off from the spacer 6. From this viewpoint, it is preferable that this bead feeder 2 includes the receiver 18.

[0051] In the bead feeder 2, the protrusions 38 have a rod shape, but are not limited thereto. The receiver 18 only needs to be configured to support the inner peripheral surface 4A of the bead 4 with the protrusions 38 and position the spacer 6 between the protrusions 38.

[0052] As shown in FIG. 7, the spacer 6 may be inclined with respect to the front-rear direction. Further, the spacer 6 may be deformed and warped. In this bead supply device 2, the protrusion 38 has a rod-like shape. Thereby, even in the case of the inclined spacer 6 or the warped spacer 6, it is easy to fit between the protrusions 38. In this receiver 18, the bead 4 is easily peeled off from the spacer 6. From this viewpoint, it is preferable that the protrusion 38 has a rod-like shape.

[0053] By providing the protrusion 38 with a base portion 38A and a tip portion 38C that is thinner than the base portion 38A, the spacer 6 can easily fit between the protrusions 38 and also has excellent durability. From this viewpoint, it is preferable that the protrusion 38 has a base portion 38A and a tip portion 38C that is thinner than the base portion 38A, and more preferably, it has a tapered portion 38B that tapers from the base portion 38A toward the tip portion 38C.

[0054] In the receiver 18 where the interval D2 between the tip portions 38C of the protrusions 38 is large, the bead 4 is sandwiched between the tip portions 38C. From the viewpoint of preventing this, it is preferable that this interval D2 is smaller than the thickness Tb of the bead 4. From this viewpoint, in the manufacture of general tires, the interval D2 is preferably 5 mm or less, and more preferably 4 mm or less. On the other hand, in the receiver 18 where this interval D2 is large, the spacer 6 can easily fit between the protrusions 38. From this viewpoint, the interval D2 is preferably 2 mm or more, and more preferably 3 mm or more.

[0055] In the receiver 18 where the interval D1 between the base portions 38A of the protrusions 38 is large, the spacer 6 can easily fit between the base portions 38A. From this viewpoint, it is preferable that this interval D1 is larger than the thickness Ts of the spacer 6. The thickness Ts of the spacer 6 is preferably thinner within the range that satisfies durability. In the manufacture of general tires, this thickness Ts is less than 2 mm. Therefore, the interval D1 is preferably 2 mm or more.

[0056] Also, in this method of manufacturing a tire, in step (STEP4), the bead 4 and the spacer 6 are swung, and after the completion of the swinging, in step (STEP6), the bead 4 is supported by the receiver 18, but it is not limited to this. The bead 4 may be supported by the receiver 18 while the bead 4 and the spacer 6 are swinging.

[0057] In this bead supply device 2, the swinging device 12 only needs to be able to swing the bead 4 and the spacer 6, and is not limited to one including the front-back swinging device 22 and the rotation swinging device 24. The swinging device 12 may further include a left-right swinging device and an up-down swinging device. Also, the swinging device 12 may be any one of the front-back swinging device 22, the rotation swinging device 24, the left-right swinging device, and the up-down swinging device, or any combination of a plurality of them.

[0058] In this bead supply device 2, the pressing device 16 only needs to press the swinging spacer 6 against the pair of rods 10. From this perspective, the pressing device 16 may include only the up-down moving device 28 without including the left-right moving device 26.

Example

[0059] Hereinafter, the effects of the present invention will be clarified by examples, but the present invention should not be construed in a limited manner based on the description of these examples.

[0060] [Example 1] A tire was manufactured using the bead supply device shown in FIG. 1. In this bead receiving device, the protrusion of the receiver had a round bar shape, the diameter of the base was 7 mm, and the diameter of the tip was 5 mm.

[0061] [Comparative Example] A tire was manufactured using a bead supply device that did not include a pressing device and the protrusion of the receiver had a plate shape. The thickness of this protrusion was constant from the base to the tip, and both the interval D1 and the interval D2 were 3 mm. Other configurations were the same as in Example 1.

[0062] [Examples 2 - 3] A tire was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 1, except that the shape of the protrusions, the interval D1, and the interval D2 were as shown in Table 1.

[0063] [Evaluation] In the manufacture of the tire, the manual operation time for peeling the bead was measured. The evaluation results are represented by indices in the work item column of the table. For the manufactured tire, the defective rate due to bead adhesion was calculated. The evaluation results are represented by indices in the defective rate item column of the table. The equipment downtime due to bead adhesion was measured. The evaluation results are represented by indices in the equipment downtime item column of the table. All of these indices are represented with the numerical value of the comparative example set as 100. The smaller this index, the smaller the obtained numerical value, which is preferable.

[0064]

Table 1

[0065] As shown in Table 1, the manufacturing method of the example has a higher evaluation than the manufacturing method of the comparative example. From this evaluation result, the superiority of the present invention is clear.

Industrial Applicability

[0066] The method described above can be widely applied to the manufacturing method of tires.

Explanation of Signs

[0067] 2 ··· Bead supply device 4 ··· Bead 6 ··· Spacer 10 ··· Pole 12 ··· Oscillating device 14 ··· Pressing tool 18 ··· Receiver 36 ··· Substrate 36A ··· Base surface 38 ··· Protrusion 38A ··· Base part 38C ··· Tip part

Claims

1. A rod penetrating a bead for a tire and a spacer, a pressing tool for pressing the spacer against the rod, and a swinging device for swinging the rod with the pressing tool pressing the spacer against the rod. A bead supply device.

2. The bead supply device according to claim 1, wherein unevenness is formed on the contact surface of the pressing tool that contacts the spacer.

3. The bead supply device according to claim 2, wherein the pressing tool has a rod-like shape with a male screw formed on the outer peripheral surface where the spacer contacts.

4. A receiver comprising a base surface and a plurality of protrusions protruding from the base surface and arranged at intervals in the axial direction of the rod, and supporting the inner peripheral surface of the bead with the protrusions. The bead supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising.

5. The protrusion has a rod-like shape, The bead supply device according to claim 4, comprising a base portion and a tip portion thinner than the base portion.

6. The bead supply device according to claim 5, wherein the distance between the tip portion and another tip portion adjacent to the tip portion is 5 mm or less.

7. The bead supply device according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the distance between the base portion and another base portion adjacent to the base portion is 2 mm or more.

8. (A) A step of passing a rod through a bead for a tire and a spacer and supporting the bead and the spacer with the rod and (B) A step of swinging the rod with the pressing tool pressing the spacer against the rod. A method for manufacturing a tire, including.

9. (C) A step of supporting the bead by bringing the protrusions into contact with the inner peripheral surface of the bead with a receiver comprising a base surface and a plurality of protrusions protruding from the base surface and arranged at intervals in the axial direction of the rod. The method for manufacturing a tire according to claim 8, further comprising.

10. The method for manufacturing a tire according to claim 9, wherein in the step (C), the rod-like protrusion having a base portion and a tip portion thinner than the base portion is brought into contact with the inner peripheral surface of the bead.

11. The method for manufacturing a tire according to claim 10, wherein in the step (C), the distance between the tip portion and another tip portion adjacent to the tip portion is smaller than the thickness of the bead and larger than the thickness of the spacer, and the bead is supported by the receiver.

12. The method for manufacturing a tire according to claim 11, wherein in the step (C), the distance between the base portion and another base portion adjacent to the base portion is larger than the thickness of the spacer, and the bead is supported by the receiver.

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