Tire and method for manufacturing a tire

Abstract

To provide a tire which prevents electromagnetic waves used in communication of an RFID tag from being attenuated.SOLUTION: A tire includes: a tire skeleton member which is obtained by joining a pair of tire skeleton half bodies which are composed of a resin material, and have bead parts, side parts and crown half parts having half widths at tips of the crown half parts in a face-to-face manner; a cord reinforcement layer which is arranged outside in a radial direction of the tire skeleton member; and an RFID tag which is joined to the inner peripheral surface of a joint part where the tips are joined.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a tire provided with an RFID tag and a method for manufacturing a tire.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, due to weight reduction and ease of recycling, it has been required to use thermoplastic resins, thermoplastic elastomers, etc. as tire materials, and tires using resin materials for tire skeleton members have been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In addition, an RFID tag storing tire information or the like may be attached to a tire. However, when a metal cord such as steel is embedded in a reinforcing layer provided in the crown portion, electromagnetic waves used for transmitting and receiving information between the RFID tag and an RFID reader arranged outside the tire may be attenuated by the metal cord.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a tire in which electromagnetic waves used for communication of an RFID tag are hardly attenuated, and a method for manufacturing such a tire.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The tire according to claim 1 is composed of a resin material, and includes a tire skeleton member in which a pair of tire skeleton halves having a bead portion, a side portion, and a half-width crown half portion are butted and joined at the tip of the crown half portion, a cord reinforcing layer disposed on the outer side in the radial direction of the tire skeleton member, and an RFID tag joined to the inner surface of the tire skeleton member at the joint portion where the tips are joined.

[0007] In the tire according to claim 1, since a tire skeleton member made of a resin material is interposed between the cord reinforcing layer and the RFID tag, when a metal cord is embedded in the cord reinforcing layer, the RFID tag can be separated from the metal cord, and the electromagnetic wave used for the wireless communication of the RFID tag is less likely to attenuate.

[0008] The invention according to claim 2 is the tire according to claim 1, wherein the tire skeleton member has a pair of tire skeleton halves having the bead portion, the side portion, and the half-width crown half portion butted and welded at the tip of the crown half portion, and the RFID tag is welded to the butted portion at the tip of the crown half portion.

[0009] In the tire according to claim 2, since the crown halves are joined by welding and the RFID tag is joined to the inner surface of the tire skeleton member at the joint portion by welding, a higher joint strength can be obtained as compared with the case of joining with an adhesive. Further, when welding the crown halves, the RFID tag can be welded at the same time, and the welding operation becomes simpler as compared with the case of separately performing the welding of the crown halves and the welding of the RFID tag.

[0010] The invention according to claim 3 is the tire according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the RFID tag has an RFID chip and an antenna embedded in a resin material of the same kind as the tire skeleton member. 。

[0011] In the tire according to claim 3, since the resin material of the RFID tag and the resin material of the tire skeleton member are the same type of resin material, they are easy to weld and a high bonding strength can be obtained.

[0012] The invention according to claim 4 is the tire according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein on the inner surface side in the tire radial direction of the crown half portion and on the outer side in the tire width direction from the joint portion between the crown half portions, when joining, it engages with the outer surface of a support member that supports the pair of tire skeleton halves from the inner side in the tire radial direction, and the movement in the tire axial direction with respect to the support member Inhibit A convex engaging portion for doing so is formed, and the RFID tag is provided between the convex engaging portion of one of the crown half portions and the convex engaging portion of the other crown half portion.

[0013] In the tire according to claim 4, when joining the RFID tag to the inner peripheral surface of the tire skeleton member, the RFID tag can be disposed between the convex engaging portion of one crown half portion and the convex engaging portion of the other crown half portion, and the convex engaging portion can be used for positioning the RFID tag.

[0014] The invention according to claim 5 is a tire manufacturing method using an annular tire support member made of a resin material, which can be mounted on the outer surface with a pair of tire skeleton halves having a bead portion, a side portion, and a crown half portion of half width, and can be divided into a plurality of pieces. The tire support member is provided with a tag installation portion for temporarily placing the RFID tag on the outer peripheral surface. After temporarily placing the RFID tag on the tag installation portion, the pair of tire skeleton halves are mounted on the outer surface, the tips of the crown half portions are butted against each other, and the tire skeleton halves and the RFID tag are welded to each other.

[0015] In the tire manufacturing method according to claim 5, an RFID tag is temporarily placed on a tag installation portion provided on the outer peripheral surface of a tire support member. Then, a pair of tire skeleton halves are attached to the outer surface, and the tips of the crown halves are butted against each other, and the tire skeleton halves and the RFID tag are welded to each other. For this reason, the welding operation becomes easier as compared with the case where the welding of the tire skeleton halves and the welding of the tire skeleton halves and the RFID tag are performed separately. In addition, since there is a tag installation portion for temporarily placing the RFID tag, the positioning of the RFID tag becomes easy, and the RFID tag can be welded to a predetermined portion of the tire skeleton half.

Advantages of the Invention

[0016] As described above, according to the tire of the present invention, the electromagnetic wave used in the communication of the RFID tag is less likely to be attenuated.

[0017] In addition, according to the tire manufacturing method of the present invention, a tire in which the electromagnetic wave used in the communication of the RFID tag is less likely to be attenuated can be manufactured.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0018]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Embodiments for Carrying out the Invention

[0019] According to FIGS. 1 to 9, a tire 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention and its manufacturing apparatus will be described.

[0020] (Tire Configuration) The tire 10 of the present embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is a pneumatic tire used by filling air inside. The tire 10 includes a tire skeleton member 17. The tire skeleton member 17 includes a pair of bead portions 12, side portions 14 extending radially outward from the bead portions 12 in the tire diameter direction, and a crown portion 16 connecting the radially outer ends of the respective side portions 14 in the tire diameter direction.

[0021] The tire skeleton member 17 is composed of a pair of annular tire skeleton halves 17A having the same shape in which one bead portion 12, one side portion 14, and a half-width crown half 16A are integrally formed. As shown in FIG. 2, the tip 16B of the crown half 16A has a tapered shape on the tire equatorial plane CL side.

[0022] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a rib 32 as an engaging portion is formed on the inner surface of the crown half 16A in the tire radial direction. The rib 32 is disposed on the tire equatorial plane CL side rather than the center of the crown half 16A in the tire axial direction W. The rib 32 is formed in an annular shape over the entire circumference along the tire circumferential direction. Further, the rib 32 has a semi-circular cross section. The rib 32 is engaged with a groove 48D as a support engaging portion described later. The height H1 of the rib 32 is preferably in the range of 0.3 mm to 5 mm. If it is lower than 0.3 mm, the engagement may be disengaged and the tire skeleton half 17A may move in the tire axial direction W with respect to a tire support member 48 described later. If it is higher than 5 mm, it becomes difficult to fit the tire skeleton half 17A into the tire support member 48.

[0023] The pair of tire skeleton halves 17A are abutted against each other at the tip 16B of the crown half 16A and joined at the tire equatorial plane CL portion to form a tire skeleton member 17. For the joining at the tire equatorial plane CL portion, a thermoplastic material 19 for welding is used.

[0024] On the outer side of the crown portion 16 in the tire radial direction, a tread portion 30 that constitutes a tire tread, which is a ground contact portion of the tire, is disposed.

[0025] The tire skeleton member 17 is formed of a resin material. The resin material here does not include vulcanized rubber. Examples of the resin material include thermoplastic resins (including thermoplastic elastomers), thermosetting resins, and other general-purpose resins, as well as engineering plastics (including super engineering plastics).

[0026] A thermoplastic resin (including a thermoplastic elastomer) refers to a polymer compound that softens, flows as the temperature rises, and becomes relatively hard and strong when cooled. In this specification, among these, a polymer compound that softens, flows as the temperature rises, becomes relatively hard and strong when cooled, and has rubber-like elasticity is defined as a thermoplastic elastomer, and a polymer compound that softens, flows as the temperature rises, becomes relatively hard and strong when cooled, and does not have rubber-like elasticity is distinguished as a thermoplastic resin that is not an elastomer.

[0027] Examples of thermoplastic resins (including thermoplastic elastomers) include polyolefin-based thermoplastic elastomers (TPO), polystyrene-based thermoplastic elastomers (TPS), polyamide-based thermoplastic elastomers (TPA), polyurethane-based thermoplastic elastomers (TPU), polyester-based thermoplastic elastomers (TPC), and dynamically crosslinked thermoplastic elastomers (TPV), as well as polyolefin-based thermoplastic resins, polystyrene-based thermoplastic resins, polyamide-based thermoplastic resins, and polyester-based thermoplastic resins, etc.

[0028] In addition, as the above thermoplastic material, for example, those having a heat distortion temperature (at a load of 0.45 MPa) specified in ISO 75-2 or ASTM D648 of 78 °C or higher, a tensile yield strength specified in JIS K7113 of 10 MPa or higher, a tensile fracture elongation also specified in JIS K7113 of 50% or higher, and a Vicat softening temperature (Method A) specified in JIS K7206 of 130 °C can be used.

[0029] A thermosetting resin refers to a polymer compound that forms a three-dimensional network structure and cures as the temperature rises. Examples of thermosetting resins include phenolic resins, epoxy resins, melamine resins, urea resins, etc.

[0030] In addition to the above-described thermoplastic resins (including thermoplastic elastomers) and thermosetting resins, general-purpose resins such as (meth)acrylic resins, EVA resins, vinyl chloride resins, fluorine-based resins, and silicone-based resins may be used as the resin material.

[0031] In this embodiment, the case where the tire skeleton member 17 is formed of a thermoplastic resin will be described.

[0032] The tire skeleton semi-body 17A formed using a thermoplastic material can be molded, for example, by vacuum molding, pressure-air molding, injection molding, melt casting, etc. Compared with the case of molding (vulcanizing) with rubber, the manufacturing process can be significantly simplified, and the molding time can also be shortened.

[0033] Note that the tire skeleton member 17 may be composed of a single thermoplastic material, or, similar to a conventional general rubber pneumatic tire, thermoplastic materials having different characteristics may be used for each part of the tire skeleton member 17 (such as the side part 14, the crown part 16, the bead part 12, etc.).

[0034] An annular bead core 15 is embedded in the bead part 12 of the tire skeleton member 17. The bead core 15 is made of a steel cord, similar to a conventional general pneumatic tire. Note that if the rigidity of the bead part 12 is ensured and there is no problem in fitting with a rim (not shown), the bead core 15 may be omitted. Further, the bead core 15 may be formed of a cord other than steel, such as an organic fiber cord or a cord in which an organic fiber is resin-coated, and furthermore, the bead core 15 may be formed of a hard resin by injection molding or the like instead of a cord.

[0035] A cord reinforcing layer 28 including a steel cord 26S wound in a spiral shape is provided in the crown part 16 of the tire skeleton member 17. The cord reinforcing layer 28 corresponds to a belt disposed on the outer peripheral surface of the carcass of a conventional rubber pneumatic tire.

[0036] The tire skeletal member 17 is formed with a covering layer 24 extending from the bead portion 12 to the outside in the tire axial direction W of the crown portion 16. The end portion of the covering layer 24 on the bead portion 12 side is disposed inside the tire relative to the contact portion with the rim (not shown) of the bead portion 12. The covering layer 24 of the present embodiment includes a first covering layer 24A extending from one bead portion 12 to a position slightly beyond the tire equatorial plane CL, and a second covering layer 24B extending from the other bead portion 12 to a position slightly beyond the tire equatorial plane CL and overlapping the first covering layer 24 on the tire equatorial plane CL.

[0037] In the first covering layer 24 and the second covering layer 24B, the reinforcing material is covered with a resin material. As the resin material, for example, the same material as the resin material constituting the tire skeletal member 17 is used. The covering with the resin material may be on one side or both sides of the reinforcing material. When covering both sides of the reinforcing material with the resin material, the reinforcing material can be disposed at the center in the thickness direction of the first covering layer 24 and the second covering layer 24B. In the case of double-sided covering, different resin materials may be used for one side and the other side.

[0038] The reinforcing material is, for example, a twisted cord or an aggregate of a plurality of filaments. The material of the reinforcing material is, for example, a metal such as aliphatic polyamide, polyethylene terephthalate, glass, aramid, or steel. In the first covering layer 24 and the second covering layer 24B, the reinforcing material extends at least along the tire radial direction. A reinforcing material extending in the tire circumferential direction may be combined with this reinforcing material so that the reinforcing materials overlap each other and cross. In this case, the reinforcing material may be woven or knitted into a cloth shape. Note that the reinforcing material may be inclined with respect to the tire radial direction or the tire circumferential direction.

[0039] On the outer side in the tire diameter direction of the tire skeletal member 17, a tread portion 30 is disposed outside the covering layer 24, and on the outer side in the tire width direction of the tire skeletal member 17, a side member 31 is disposed outside the covering layer 24. The tread portion 30 constitutes the tire tread which is the ground contact portion of the tire 10.

[0040] The tread portion 30 is formed of rubber that is more wear-resistant than the thermoplastic resin of the tire skeletal member 17. As the rubber used for the tread portion 30, the same type of rubber as that used for conventional rubber pneumatic tires can be used. Note that, as the tread portion 30, a member composed of another type of thermoplastic resin that is more wear-resistant than the thermoplastic resin forming the side portion 14 may be used. The side member 31 can be made of the same type of rubber as that used for conventional rubber pneumatic tires.

[0041] (RFID tag) An RFID tag 60 is attached to the inner peripheral surface of the tire skeletal member 17. As shown in FIG. 3, the RFID tag 60 has an RFID chip 62 and an antenna 64 connected to the RFID chip 62 embedded in a thin resin sheet 66, and is deformable according to the deformation of the tire 10 (see FIG. 3(B)). As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, in the present embodiment, the RFID tag 60 is arranged between the ribs 32 with its longitudinal direction along the tire equatorial plane CL.

[0042] As the resin material of the resin sheet 66, it is preferable to use the same type of resin material as the thermoplastic resin constituting the tire skeletal member 17 and the thermoplastic material 19 for welding described later. The resin sheet 66 of the present embodiment is welded to the inner peripheral surface of the tire skeletal member 17 by the thermoplastic material 19 for welding described later for joining one tire skeletal half 17A and the other tire skeletal half 17A.

[0043] (Tire manufacturing apparatus) FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of a molding machine 40 used when joining a pair of tire skeletal halves 17A. The molding machine 40 has a geared motor 43 that rotates a horizontally arranged shaft 42 attached to the upper part of a pedestal 41 grounded on the floor surface.

[0044] On the end side of the shaft 42, a support 44 for supporting the tire carcass half 17A from the inner side in the tire radial direction is attached. As also shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the support 44 includes a central attachment portion 45, an arm portion 46, and a tire support member 48.

[0045] A hole 45A for inserting the shaft 42 through the center is formed in the central attachment portion 45. Further, four clamping portions 45B protruding radially outward in the tire radial direction are formed around the hole 45A. Each clamping portion 45B has a shape in which two plates are arranged in the tire axial direction, and the arm portion 46 is attached so as to be sandwiched between the two plates. A male screw 45C to be inserted into a long hole 46C described later is fixed to one of the two plates constituting the clamping portion 45B.

[0046] One end of the arm portion 46 is sandwiched between the clamping portions 45B and extends outward in the tire radial direction. The other end (the tip portion 46A in the tire radial direction) of the arm portion 46 has a substantially fan shape with the outer side in the tire radial direction widening toward the end, and the outer end has an arc shape. A long hole 46C along the tire radial direction is formed in the arm portion 46 on the extension of the clamping portion 45B. Further, the male screw 45C is inserted through the long hole 46C from one side of the arm portion 46 and protrudes to the other side. A set screw 46B having a female screw formed on the inner circumference is screwed onto the male screw 45C. Each arm portion 46 is individually expandable and contractible in the tire radial direction. When expanding and contracting, the set screw 46B is loosened, the male screw 45C is moved along the long hole 46C, and the set screw 46B is tightened again at the moved position.

[0047] The tire support member 48 is composed of eight divided pieces 48P and forms an annular shape when assembled to the arm portion 46. The outer diameter of the tire support member 48 is set larger than the inner diameter of the crown portion 16 of the tire skeleton half 17A. One divided piece 48P has an arcuate outer peripheral surface 48A. An annular concave groove 48D is formed on the outer peripheral surface 48A over the entire circumference at a position corresponding to the rib 32 of the tire skeleton half 17A. One concave groove 48D is formed for one tire skeleton half 17A, and a total of two concave grooves 48D are formed in the tire support member 48. A joining concave groove 48C is formed linearly over the entire circumference between the two concave grooves 48D. The joining concave groove 48C is disposed at the joining portion of the pair of tire skeleton halves 17A, that is, on the tire equatorial plane CL.

[0048] As shown in FIG. 6(A), a groove portion 48B is formed on the inner side in the tire radial direction of the divided piece 48P. The tip portion 46A of the arm portion 46 is fitted into the groove portion 48B. The groove portion 48B is deeper on the outer side in the tire circumferential direction of the divided piece 48P and shallower at the central portion.

[0049] The divided piece 48P is assembled with the tip portion 46A of the arm portion 46 engaged with the groove portion 48B. The length of the arm portion 46 in the tire radial direction is adjusted according to the diameter of the tire support member 48. Four out of the eight divided pieces 48P are each disposed at the central portion in the tire circumferential direction of the tip portion 46A. The other four are disposed across between adjacent tip portions 46A.

[0050] As shown in FIGS. 4 and 7, in any one of the divided pieces 48P, a tag installation recess 70 is formed on the outer peripheral portion, the shape of which in plan view is the same as that of the RFID tag 60 and the depth dimension of which is set to the same thickness dimension as that of the RFID tag 60. As an example of the tag setting section Thus, the RFID tag 60 can be fitted into and positioned in the tag installation recess 70. The tag installation recess 70 of the present embodiment is formed between the concave grooves 48D and the concave groove 48D.

[0051] As shown in FIG. 8, an extruder 50 for extruding the thermoplastic material 19 for welding is disposed near the molding machine 40. The extruder 50 is provided with a resin discharge nozzle 52 that discharges the molten thermoplastic material 19 for welding downward.

[0052] The thermoplastic material 19 for welding is preferably of the same type as the thermoplastic material constituting the tire skeleton member 17, but different types may be used as long as they can be welded. Using the same type of material enables the tire skeleton member 17 to be composed of a single type of thermoplastic material as a whole, resulting in low costs. Also, if different materials are used, it is possible to select materials with favorable characteristics for each of the thermoplastic material for the tire skeleton member and the thermoplastic material 19 for welding used for joining.

[0053] Near the resin discharge nozzle 52, on the downstream side in the rotational direction of the tire skeleton member 17 (the direction of arrow A), a leveling roller 53 for pressing and leveling the thermoplastic material 19 attached to the tire outer surface, and a cylinder device 54 for moving the leveling roller 53 in the vertical direction are disposed. The cylinder device 54 is supported by a column 50A of the extruder 50 via a frame (not shown).

[0054] A cooling air ejection nozzle 55 for ejecting cooling air is disposed on the downstream side in the rotational direction of the tire skeleton member of the leveling roller 53. Also, on the side opposite to the rotational direction side of the tire case of the resin discharge nozzle 52 (the side opposite to the direction of arrow A), a fan 56 is disposed, and a hot air blocking roller 57 is disposed between the fan 56 and the resin discharge nozzle 52.

[0055] The fan 56 is supported by a column 50A of the extruder 50 via a frame (not shown). The fan 56 has a nozzle 56A for blowing hot air toward the joint portion in order to preheat the joint portion between one tire skeleton half 17A and the other tire skeleton half 17A.

[0056] Above the hot air blocking roller 57, a cylinder device 58 for moving the hot air blocking roller 57 in the vertical direction is arranged. The cylinder device 58 is supported by the support column 50A of the extruder 50 via a frame (not shown).

[0057] (Forming process of tire skeleton member) Next, the forming process of the tire skeleton member in this embodiment will be described. First, by mold forming, a tire skeleton half body 17A in which the bead core 15 is embedded is formed. The convex strip 32 is integrally formed with the tire skeleton half body 17A by providing a corresponding concave strip in the mold. Since the convex strip 32 has a semi-circular cross-section, it is easy to perform demolding.

[0058] Next, as shown in FIG. 5, a support tool 44 having an outer diameter slightly larger than the inner diameter of the tire skeleton half body 17A is assembled, and the RFID tag 60 is fitted into the tag installation recess 70 formed on the outer peripheral surface of the tire skeleton half body 17A. Then, each tire skeleton half body 17A is fitted and attached to the outer peripheral side of the tire support member 48 from the outside in the tire axial direction W. At this time, the convex strip 32 of the tire skeleton half body 17A is engaged with the concave strip 48D of the tire support member 48.

[0059] In this embodiment, since the outer diameter of the support tool 44 is larger than the inner diameter of the tire skeleton half body 17A, the movement of the tire skeleton half body 17A in the tire circumferential direction with respect to the tire support member 48 can be suppressed. Also, since the convex strip 32 of the tire skeleton half body 17A and the concave strip 48D of the tire support member 48 are engaged, the movement of the tire skeleton half body 17A in the tire axial direction W with respect to the tire support member 48 can be suppressed. Therefore, the pair of tire skeleton half bodies 17A can be arranged at accurate positions.

[0060] Next, the extruder 50 is moved, and as shown in FIG. 8, the joint portion of the two tire skeleton half bodies 17A (the tire equatorial plane CL of the tire skeleton member 17) is arranged below the fan 56, the hot air blocking roller 57, the resin discharge nozzle 52, the leveling roller 53, and the cooling air ejection nozzle 55.

[0061] Next, lower the hot air blocking roller 57 and the leveling roller 53, and bring the hot air blocking roller 57 and the leveling roller 53 into contact with the outer periphery of the abutting portion of the two tire skeleton halves 17A. Then, while rotating the tire skeleton member 17 supported by the tire support member 48 in the direction of arrow A, blow the hot air from the fan 56 toward the joint portion of the pair of tire skeleton halves 17A. Thereby, the surface of the portion where the hot meltable material 19 for welding is to be adhered is sequentially softened or melted (preheating step).

[0062] Thereafter, the preheated portion moves to the downstream side in the rotation direction (the direction of arrow A), and the molten hot meltable material 19 for welding extruded from the resin discharge nozzle 52 is sequentially adhered to the joint portion (joint step).

[0063] Thereafter, the molten hot meltable material 19 for welding is sequentially pressed from the outer side to the inner side in the radial direction by the leveling roller 53. As shown in FIG. 6(B), the surface is leveled to be substantially flat, and a part of it is extruded from between the tire skeleton halves 17A toward the inner side in the tire radial direction and filled in the joint concave groove 48C formed on the outer peripheral surface of the tire support member 48.

[0064] At the joint portion, the substantially triangular recess formed by the tip 16B of one crown half 16A and the tip 16B of the other crown half 16A is filled with the hot meltable material 19 for welding. Also, a part of the molten hot meltable material 19 for welding is filled in the joint concave groove 48C, and the molten hot meltable material 19 for welding adheres to the inner peripheral surface with a certain width from the abutting portion of the tip 16B. Also, as shown in FIG. 7(B), at the portion where the RFID tag 60 is disposed, a part of the molten hot meltable material 19 for welding can be brought into contact with the resin material of the RFID tag 60.

[0065] Thus, in the present embodiment, since the hot meltable material 19 for welding is adhered to the inner peripheral surface on the outer peripheral side of the tire skeleton half 17A to increase the adhesion area, a high adhesion strength is obtained, and it is particularly resistant to bending deformation.

[0066] Thereafter, the thermoplastic material 19 for welding attached to the tire skeleton half body 17A gradually solidifies, and the pair of tire skeleton half bodies 17A are welded by the thermoplastic material 19 for welding, and a tire skeleton member 17 in which the two tire skeleton half bodies 17A are completely integrated is obtained. Further, the thermoplastic material 19 that has come into contact with the RFID tag 60 gradually solidifies, and the RFID tag 60 is welded (fixed) to the tire skeleton member 17.

[0067] Next, the extruder 50 is retracted, a cord supply device (not shown) is arranged near the support 44, and a heated reinforcing cord is spirally wound around the outer peripheral surface of the tire skeleton member 17 to form a cord reinforcing layer 28. The reinforcing cord can be easily embedded in the resin material by winding the resin-coated steel cord 26S while melting the resin by heating.

[0068] Next, a covering layer 24 is formed on the outer surface of the tire skeleton half body 17A.

[0069] Next, a vulcanized belt-shaped tread portion 30 and a side member 31 are wound around the outer surface of the covering layer 24 of the tire skeleton member 17 for one turn, and the tread portion 30 and the side member 31 are adhered to the outer surface of the tire skeleton member 17. The adhesion is performed using an adhesive, unvulcanized rubber (when unvulcanized rubber is used, vulcanization for adhesion is performed in a subsequent process), etc.

[0070] Then, the tire 10 is removed from the tire support member 48. At this time, as shown in FIG. 9(A), from the state where the arm portion 46 is extended and supports the tire support member 48, the set screw 46B is loosened, and as shown in FIG. 9(B), the arm portion 46 is contracted. Thereby, the tip portion 46A is separated from the tire support member 48, and each divided piece 48P is removed from the inside of the tire skeleton member 17. In this way, the tire 10 is completed.

[0071] In the tire 10 of the present embodiment, a rib 32 is formed on the radially inner surface of the crown half 16A of the tire skeleton half 17A. Therefore, by engaging the rib 32 with a groove 48D formed on the radially outer surface of the tire support member 48, movement of the tire skeleton half 17A in the tire axial direction W with respect to the tire support member 48 can be suppressed. Thereby, the tire skeleton half 17A can be supported at an accurate position by the tire support member 48, and good joining can be obtained.

[0072] Further, since the rib 32 has a semi-circular cross section, the strength against deformation during tire rolling can be increased. Also, when the tire skeleton half 17A is mold-molded, demolding can be facilitated. Note that the rib 32 does not necessarily have to have a semi-circular cross section and may have a rectangular shape. However, it is preferable that the corners of the cross section of the rib 32 have an R shape.

[0073] In the present embodiment, the rib 32 is provided on the tire skeleton half 17A side and the groove 48D is provided on the tire support member 48 side. However, the rib 32 may be provided on the tire support member 48 side and the groove may be provided on the tire skeleton half 17A side. By providing the rib 32 on the tire skeleton half 17A side as in the present embodiment, a thin portion is not formed in the tire skeleton member 17 as compared with the case where a concave portion is formed, and the strength of the tire can be maintained. Also, the thickness of the crown half 16A of the tire skeleton half 17A may be increased on the tip 16B side to form a step, and a corresponding step may be formed on the tire support member 48 side and engaged.

[0074] In the present embodiment, since the rib 32 is formed over the entire circumference of the tire skeleton half 17A in the tire circumferential direction, movement of the tire skeleton half 17A in the tire axial direction W with respect to the tire support member 48 can be favorably suppressed in each part in the tire circumferential direction.

[0075] In the tire 10 of the present embodiment, the crown portion 16 of the tire skeleton semi-body 17A is interposed between the antenna 64 of the RFID tag 60 and the steel cord 26S of the cord reinforcing layer 28, and since the antenna 64 is separated from the steel cord 26S, electromagnetic waves for communication between the RFID tag 60 and an external RFID reader / writer (not shown) are less likely to attenuate.

[0076] On the outer peripheral portion of the split piece 48P, a tag installation recess 70 is formed which has a shape in plan view similar to that of the RFID tag 60 and a depth dimension equal to the thickness dimension of the RFID tag 60, so that it is easy to fit and position the RFID tag 60 in the tag installation recess 70.

[0077] Also, in the RFID tag 60 of the present embodiment, by using, for the resin material of the resin sheet 66, the same resin materials as the thermoplastic resin constituting the tire skeleton member 17 and the thermoplastic material 19 for welding, the resin sheet 66 becomes easy to weld.

[0078] In order to protect the RFID chip 62 of the RFID tag 60 from the heat during welding, it is preferable to ensure a certain thickness (for example, 1 mm or more) of the resin sheet 66 (the gauge on the crown portion side from the RFID chip 62).

[0079] [Other Embodiments] Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above, and it goes without saying that various modifications can be made without departing from the gist thereof.

[0080] In the above embodiment, the RFID tag 60 is arranged with the longitudinal direction facing the tire circumferential direction, but it may be arranged with the longitudinal direction facing a direction inclined with respect to the tire circumferential direction, or it may be arranged with the longitudinal direction facing the tire width direction.

[0081] In the above embodiment, the RFID chip 62 and the antenna 64 of the RFID tag 60 were embedded in a resin material. However, the RFID tag 60 may be configured such that the RFID chip 62 and the antenna 64 are embedded in rubber and adhered to the tire skeleton member 17 with an adhesive.

[0082] In the above embodiment, the tag installation recess 70 was formed in the outer peripheral portion of the split piece 48P. However, the tag installation recess 70 may be provided as necessary or may not be provided. When the tag installation recess 70 is not used, when adhering the RFID tag 60 to the inner peripheral surface of the tire skeleton member 17 using an adhesive, the tire skeleton member 17 can be disposed between the pair of ridges 32, and the ridges 32 can be used for positioning.

Explanation of Signs

[0083] 10… Tire, 16A… Crown half, 17… Tire skeleton member, 17A… Tire skeleton half body, 28… Cord reinforcing layer, 48… Tire support member, 60… RFID tag, 62… RFID chip, 64… Antenna

Claims

1. A tire skeleton member in which a pair of tire skeleton halves made of a resin material and having a bead portion, a side portion, and a half-width crown half portion are butted and joined at the tip of the crown half portion; A cord reinforcing layer disposed radially outside the tire skeleton member; An RFID tag joined to the inner surface of the tire skeleton member at the joint portion where the tips are joined; Comprising: The crown halves are joined by welding; The RFID tag is joined by welding to the inner surface in the tire radial direction of the joint portion of the crown half portion. A tire.

2. The RFID tag has an RFID chip and an antenna embedded in a resin material of the same type as the tire skeleton member. The tire according to claim 1.

3. On the inner side in the tire radial direction of the crown half portion and on the outer side in the tire width direction from the joint portion between the crown halves, it engages with the outer surface of a support member that supports the pair of tire skeleton halves from the inner side in the tire radial direction during joining, A convex engaging portion is formed to suppress the movement in the tire axial direction with respect to the support member, An RFID tag is provided between the convex engaging portion of one crown half portion and the convex engaging portion of the other crown half portion. The tire according to claim 1 or claim 2.

4. A tire manufacturing method using an annular tire support member made of a resin material and having a bead portion, a side portion, and a half-width crown half portion, which can be attached to the outer surface and can be divided into a plurality of parts, The tire support member is provided with a tag installation portion for temporarily placing an RFID tag on the outer peripheral surface, After temporarily placing the RFID tag on the tag installation portion, the pair of tire skeleton halves are attached to the outer surface, the tips of the crown halves are butted together, and the tire skeleton halves and the RFID tag are welded to each other. Tire manufacturing method.

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