Bead forming system with a dedicated setting area

Abstract

A bead forming system for forming a tire bead comprises: a housing (110); a first bead forming part (102) configured to facilitate the formation of a tire bead; and a base part (118) fixed to the first bead forming part, wherein the first bead forming part comprises a bead receiving surface rotatable with respect to the base part. The base part may be adjusted so that the first bead forming part (102) moves from a first position to a second position. The first position is on a first side of the housing, and the second position is on a second side of the housing. A second bead forming part (104) is positioned at the second position when the first bead forming part is positioned at the first position, and the second bead forming part is positioned at the first position when the first bead forming part is positioned at the second position.

Description

Technology Field

[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. provisional application No. 62 / 981,221 filed on February 25, 2020, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference. Background Technology

[0002] Vehicle tires typically have two annular bead rings at the innermost diameter, which provide hoop strength and structural integrity to the tire. The bead also provides stiffness at the point where the tire is mounted on the rim. Beads are generally manufactured by winding metal wire into grooves on the outer circumference of a chuck or drum, known as a former. Beads can also be formed from a single wire.

[0003] Often, a single manufacturing facility produces multiple types of beads of various sizes and shapes. Since existing equipment may be unable to form more than one type of bead, each of these facilities requires multiple machines, each associated with a specific bead type. While other equipment can be adjusted to accommodate various bead types, the adjustment process can be burdensome and requires significant modifications to the machinery (thus necessitating downtime). For example, forming units typically associated with a specific bead type must be removed and replaced. Since these forming units are generally heavy equipment and their removal and replacement can take considerable time, adjusting machines to accommodate different beads increases costs and production time. The problem to be solved

[0004] Therefore, an improved bead forming system having a forming part with improved efficiency and ease of use is desirable. means of solving the problem

[0005] Embodiments of the present invention may be better understood by referring to the following drawings and description. The components of the drawings are not necessarily depicted in a fixed proportion, but rather focus on illustrating the principles of the present invention. Additionally, similar reference numerals in the drawings indicate similar or identical features. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0006] FIG. 1 is an exemplary perspective view of a bead forming system according to a specific embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 2 is an exemplary plan view of the bead forming system of Figure 1. FIG. 3 is an exemplary front view of the bead forming system of FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is an exemplary perspective view of the installation side of a housing for a bead forming system providing an installation space according to a specific embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is an exemplary side view of a setting side of a housing for a bead forming system having an automatic setting device according to a specific aspect of the present disclosure. FIG. 6 is an exemplary perspective view of a part of the bead forming system of FIG. 1. FIG. 7 is an exemplary side view of a part of the mid-forming system of FIG. 1 along the movement path of a bead forming part indicating a space that moves through by the forming part when the base plate is rotated according to a specific embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is an exemplary exploded view of a housing for a bead forming system according to a specific embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a drawing illustrating another exemplary embodiment of a bead forming system having multiple manufacturing regions according to a specific embodiment of the present invention. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0007] The embodiments are described with reference to the drawings, in which identical components are indicated by identical reference numerals. The relationships and functions of the various elements of the invention are better understood from the following detailed description. However, the embodiments of the invention are not limited to those depicted in the drawings. In certain embodiments, details that are not necessary for understanding the invention, such as conventional manufacturing and assembly, have been omitted.

[0008] In particular, in addition to the features (and variations thereof) described below, the system herein incorporates readily available equipment and technology for forming annular bead rings, such as components of commercially available products like the SWS-6000 single-wire bead winding system and / or the TDS-860 bead winder system, manufactured by Bartell Machinery Systems, LLC in New York and Rome, respectively. Integrating certain existing components can provide backward compatibility with respect to specific machine parts, thereby reducing initial costs for certain customers.

[0009] Referring to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a bead forming system (100) for forming at least one tire bead. FIG. 2 illustrates a plan view of the bead forming system (100). FIG. 3 illustrates the corresponding front view. The bead forming system (100) and variations thereof illustrated in FIG. 1 through 3 may have the capability to produce tire beads of various sizes. As discussed in detail below, the bead forming system (100) may advantageously rotate a first bead forming unit (102) between an operating position and a loading or setting position. When the first bead forming unit (102) is in a first position (106) (e.g., for bead manufacturing), a second bead forming unit (104) is in a second position (108), thereby allowing the second bead forming unit (104) to be operated to later manufacture a specific bead. At an appropriate time, the first bead forming section (102) and the second bead forming section (104) can be swapped, and thereby a bead of different characteristics (e.g., different diameter) can be formed by the associated bead winding equipment.

[0010] These features are advantageous for providing a fast and efficient method for configuring the bead forming system (100) to form beads of different characteristics (e.g., different sizes) while reducing machine downtime compared to other systems. For example, while other systems require a shutdown for a significant amount of time (e.g., several hours in some situations) when changing the bead size, this embodiment provides a method of configuration that ensures no or almost no machine downtime occurs. For example, machine downtime is required only when the first bead forming unit (102) and the second bead forming unit (104) switch positions (which may occur within 15 seconds in certain exemplary embodiments). A system with such performance may occupy relatively little space relative to its manufacturing capacity (e.g., reduced downtime increases the output of each system).

[0011] As illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3, the housing (110) forms a substantial part of the bead forming system (100). The housing may be formed, for example, from sheet metal. In the illustrated configuration, the first bead forming part (102) is located at a first position (106) on the first side (112) of the housing (110), and the second bead forming part is located at a second position (108) on the second side of the housing (110). The first position (106) may be a position where the corresponding bead forming part engages with the bead winding equipment (116). That is, when the first bead forming part (102) (and / or the second bead forming part (104)) is located at the first position (106), a bead may be formed on the first bead forming part (102) by being positioned with appropriate proximity to the bead winding equipment (116). The second position (108) lacks bead winding equipment. Instead, the second position (108) includes setting equipment (discussed below) and / or suitable floor space for manual setting so that the bead forming section of this position can be adjusted for the future manufacture of a bead having specific characteristics. In particular, the first bead forming section (102) and the second bead forming section (104) can be operated individually so that the bead forming on the first bead forming section (102) does not affect the setting procedure on the second bead forming section (102), and vice versa (e.g., one operation / rotation does not affect the other).

[0012] The base portion (118) may be fixed to the first bead forming portion (102) and / or the second bead forming portion (104). During the bead winding operation in the illustrated direction, for example, the base portion (118) may be maintained in a substantially stationary state (i.e., fixed in place) while at least one tire bead is formed on the bead receiving surface (120) of the first bead forming portion (102). The first bead forming portion (102) rotates relative to the base portion (118) during this bead forming. At the same time, the second bead forming portion (104) is substantially stationary (or at least not affected by the rotation of the first bead forming portion (102)) so that a setting step can be performed.

[0013] When bead winding is completed on the first bead forming part (102) (and / or when the setting of the second bead forming part (104) is completed), the base part (118) is rotated or otherwise moved so that the first bead forming part (102) and the second bead forming part (104) switch locations. Once switched, the second bead forming part (104) may be located at a first location (106) on a first side of the housing (110) (for bead forming using the second bead forming part (104)), and the first bead forming part (102) may be located at a second location (108) on a second side of the housing (110) (e.g., if it can be reconfigured to form a different bead type if desired).

[0014] The setting area (122) may be located on the second side (114) of the housing (110). In some embodiments (such as the embodiment of FIG. 4), the setting area (122) simply comprises floor space sufficient to modify the bead forming unit, which may be occupied by tools, bead forming unit components, workstations, and / or other equipment for use by a worker with expertise in bead forming unit settings. Additionally or alternatively, at least one robot or other automatic modification mechanism may be included. As shown in FIG. 5, a robot arm (124) is included. The robot arm (124) may be configured to change the second bead forming unit (104) between a first bead setting and a second bead setting, wherein these bead settings are associated with different bead characteristics. For example, the robot arm changes the size of the second bead forming part (104) (in the illustrated direction) so that, where appropriate, the second bead forming part (104) can be moved to a first position (106) (which may be a different form previously made on the second bead forming part (104)) that is ready to immediately start manufacturing a bead with desired characteristics when necessary. For illustration, the robot arm (124) moves the chuck part (125) to the location of FIG. 1 (which may replace the previous chuck part).

[0015] FIG. 6 illustrates a part of a bead forming system (100) without a housing (110) (see FIG. 1). The base housing is omitted in FIG. 6, where the base element (126) of the base part is shown. The base part (118) includes an actuator for operating a first bead forming part (102) and a second bead forming part (104) (note that the second bead forming part (104) is shown in a smaller setting in this image). For example, the first actuator (128) may be included to rotate the first bead forming part (102) around the bead forming part axis (132). A second actuator (130) may be included to control the radial position of at least one bead receiving surface (120) (having a groove (136)) of the first bead forming part (102) (e.g., so that the bead receiving surface (120) can move to connect with or disconnect from the bead). A similar or identical actuator may be associated with the second bead forming part (104). Optionally, the actuator associated with the first bead forming part (102) and the actuator associated with the second bead forming part (104) are operated completely independently (as discussed above) so that the operation of one bead forming part does not affect the other bead forming part.

[0016] The base portion (118) is rotatable (e.g., via attachment to a rotatable base plate (138), as discussed in more detail below). For example, the base portion (118) rotates around a base axis (134) (shown in FIG. 7). This rotation is used to move the first bead forming portion (102) and / or the second bead forming portion (104) between the operating position and the setting position, as discussed above. As shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, the base axis (134) may be perpendicular to the bead forming portion axis (132). In particular, the base axis (134) may be at an angle to true vertical (where "true horizontal" is defined as a plane parallel to a flat ground and determined by the Earth's gravity, and "true vertical" is defined as a direction perpendicular to the "true horizontal"). For example, the base axis (134) may be tilted at least 5 degrees, e.g., at least 15 degrees, e.g., at least 30 degrees (or more) relative to true vertical. This angle prevents contact between the bead forming unit and the winding equipment while the bead forming unit moves. That is, as illustrated in FIG. 7 (showing the space (140) that can be occupied during the rotation of the forming unit), the path of the first bead forming unit (102) does not interfere with any bead winding equipment (116) or other components. This feature is advantageous over certain other embodiments because the bead winding equipment (116) can remain fixed in place during the movement of the bead forming unit without interference, which further reduces downtime and further improves the efficiency of the bead forming system (100).

[0017] FIG. 8 illustrates an exploded view of the housing (110) of the bead forming system (100) together with the base plate (138). The base plate (138), which is rotatable relative to the illustrated housing component, includes an upper surface (142) that is fixed to the base portion (118) (discussed above). The upper surface (142) may be substantially flat and remains flat when rotated. Thus, the rotation axis of the base plate (138) (which may define the base axis discussed above) may be perpendicular to the upper surface of the base plate (138). This arrangement is advantageous for providing predictable and stable rotation of the base plate (138) (and thus the base (118) and the associated bead forming portion discussed above).

[0018] Although not illustrated in the drawings, other components coupled to the base plate (138) and / or base portion (118) (Fig. 1) may be driven by actuators such as pneumatic or hydraulic actuators and electric motors. If actuators are included, they may be fixed to the housing, for example. Alternatively, the base plate (138) may be manually rotated by a human operator. In this embodiment, the base plate (138) preferably includes a fastening device so as to be fixed so as not to rotate relative to the housing, at least when the bead is formed.

[0019] FIG. 8 also illustrates that the housing (110) may have various openings where appropriate. For example, a first housing opening (144) may be located on the first side (112) of the housing (110), and a second housing opening (146) may be located on the second side of the housing (110). Thus, the first housing opening accommodates the bead forming part when the bead forming part is at the first position (106) of FIG. 2. The second housing opening (146) accommodates the bead forming part when it is at each second position (108). Although only two openings are included, additional openings may also be considered (e.g., when three or more bead forming parts are attached to the base and / or when there are multiple setting stations).

[0020] FIG. 9 illustrates an alternative embodiment of a bead forming system (200). In FIG. 9, two manufacturing steps are included. For example, a set of bead winding equipment (216) may be located on the first side of the housing (210), and a set of apex application equipment (217) (which looks similar to equipment (216) but may actually be substantially different) may be located on the first side (212) of the housing (210). A base section (similar or identical to the base section (118) discussed above) may be included to switch the positions of the first bead forming section (202) and the second bead forming section (204) in a manner consistent with the above embodiment (and variations thereof). Advantageously, several steps of the tire forming process can be achieved without manual intervention. Although only two steps are illustrated in this example, three or more forming sections may be combined with the base section (218), and thus three or more manufacturing steps (and / or setting steps) may be included. If two forming parts are included, a common drive shaft rotates these forming parts (however, this function is optional and a separate actuator may be preferred).

[0021] Although various embodiments of the present invention have been described, the present invention is not limited to what is seen in light of the appended claims and their equivalents. Furthermore, the advantages described herein are not necessarily the only advantages of the present invention, and it is not expected that all embodiments of the present invention will achieve all the advantages described.

[0022] Without limitation, the subject matter of the present invention may also relate to one or more of the following embodiments (and combinations thereof):

[0023] In a first embodiment, a bead forming system for forming a tire bead may include a housing, a first bead forming part configured to facilitate the formation of a tire bead, and a base part fixed to the first bead forming part, wherein the first bead forming part includes a bead receiving surface rotatable with respect to the base part. The base part may be adjusted so that the first bead forming part can move from a first position to a second position. The first position may be on a first side of the housing, and the second position may be on a second side of the housing. When the first bead forming part is located at the first position, a second bead forming part may be located at the second position, and when the first bead forming part is located at the second position, the second bead forming part is located at the first position.

[0024] The bead forming part may engage with one or more bead winding machine components when the first bead forming part is in a first position. When the first bead forming part is in a second position, the first bead forming part is located in a setting area. The setting area includes at least one robot component configured to change the first bead forming part between a first bead setting and a second bead setting.

[0025] The bead receiving surface can rotate around the axis of the bead forming part, and the first bead forming part can rotate about the axis of the first bead forming part with respect to the base. The base part can rotate about the base axis, and the base axis is perpendicular to the axis of the first bead forming part. The base axis can be tilted relative to true vertical.

[0026] The base portion may be fixed to the surface of a base plate, and the surface of the base plate may be rotatable to move the first bead forming portion between a first position and a second position. The surface of the base plate may remain flat when the base plate rotates, and the flat plane forms an angle with respect to the actual horizontal. The rotation of the base plate may be controlled through at least one actuator fixed to the housing.

[0027] The above housing may include a first opening and a second opening, wherein the first opening is on a first side of the housing and receives a bead when the first bead forming part is in a first position, and the second opening is on a second side of the housing and receives a bead when the first bead forming part is in a second position.

[0028] The base portion may include a first actuator for rotating the first bead forming portion around the axis of the bead forming portion, and the base portion includes a second actuator for controlling the radial position of the bead receiving surface of the bead.

[0029] In a second embodiment, a bead forming system for forming a tire bead comprises a bead forming part configured to facilitate the formation of a tire bead, and a base fixed to the bead forming part, wherein the bead forming part includes a bead receiving surface rotatable about a base part around a first axis. The base part rotates about a second axis so that the bead forming part can move from a first position to a second position.

[0030] The first axis mentioned above is perpendicular to the second axis.

[0031] The above second axis forms an angle with respect to the true vertical direction.

[0032] The first position is on the first side of the housing and corresponds to the first housing opening, and the second position is on the second side of the housing and corresponds to the second housing opening.

[0033] The above bead forming part engages with one or more bead winding machine components when the bead forming part is in a first position.

[0034] When the above bead forming part is located at the second position, the above bead forming part is located in the set area.

[0035] In a third embodiment, a bead forming system for forming a tire bead comprises one or more of a housing having a first side and a second side, and a base coupled to a first forming part and a second forming part. The first forming part is on the first side of the housing, and the second forming part is on the second side of the housing. The base is rotatable so that the first forming part moves to the second side of the housing and the first forming part moves to the second side of the housing.

[0036] In addition to the features mentioned in each of the independent embodiments listed above, some embodiments may exhibit optional features, either alone or in combination, as mentioned in the dependent embodiments and / or disclosed in the description above and illustrated in the drawings. Explanation of the symbols

[0037] 100: Bead forming system 102: First bead forming part 104: Second bead forming part 106: 1st position 108: Second position

Claims

Claim 1 A bead forming system for forming a tire bead, wherein the bead forming system comprises: a housing having a first side and a second side; and a base portion coupled to a first bead forming portion and a second bead forming portion; wherein the first bead forming portion is located on a first side of the housing and the first bead forming portion has a first diameter, and when the first bead forming portion is located on the first side of the housing, the second bead forming portion is located on a second side of the housing and the second bead forming portion has a second diameter, wherein the second diameter is different from the first diameter, and the base portion rotates so that the first bead forming portion is movable to the second side of the housing and the second bead forming portion is movable to the first side of the housing, and the bead forming system comprises a bead winding device, wherein the first bead forming portion or the second bead forming portion is located on the first side, and the first bead forming portion or the second A bead forming system characterized in that a bead forming part is positioned at a predetermined proximity to the bead winding equipment, and a bead is formed on the first bead forming part or the second bead forming part. Claim 2 A bead forming system according to claim 1, wherein the second side includes a setting area, and the setting area includes at least one robot element configured to change a first bead forming part between a first bead setting and a second bead setting. Claim 3 A bead forming system according to claim 1, wherein the first bead forming part includes a bead receiving surface, the bead receiving surface circumnavigates the axis of the bead forming part, and the first bead forming part is rotatable about the axis of the bead forming part with respect to the base part. Claim 4 A bead forming system according to claim 3, wherein the base portion is rotatable about a base axis, and the base axis is perpendicular to the bead forming portion axis. Claim 5 A bead forming system according to claim 4, characterized in that the base axis forms an angle of at least 5 degrees with respect to the true vertical. Claim 6 A bead forming system according to claim 1, wherein the base portion is fixed to the surface of a base plate, and the surface of the base plate is rotatable to move the first bead forming portion between the first side and the second side. Claim 7 A bead forming system according to claim 6, wherein the surface of the base plate remains in a plane when the base plate rotates, and said plane forms an angle with respect to the true horizontal. Claim 8 A bead forming system according to claim 6, characterized in that the rotation of the base plate is controlled through at least one actuator fixed to the housing. Claim 9 A bead forming system according to claim 1, wherein the housing includes a first opening and a second opening, the first opening is on a first side of the housing and accommodates the first bead forming part when the first bead forming part is at the first position, and the second opening is on a second side of the housing and accommodates the first bead forming part when the first bead forming part is at the second side. Claim 10 A bead forming system according to claim 1, wherein the base part includes a first actuator for rotating the first bead forming part around the axis of the bead forming part, and the base part includes a second actuator for controlling the radial position of the bead receiving surface of the first bead forming part. Claim 11 A bead forming system according to claim 1, wherein the first bead forming part is located in a setting area, and the setting area includes at least one robot element configured to change the first bead forming part between a first bead setting and a second bead setting when the first bead forming part is located on a second side. Claim 12 A bead forming system according to claim 1, further comprising a bead winding machine element engaged with a first bead forming portion located on a first side of the housing. Claim 13 A bead forming system according to claim 12, characterized in that the bead winding machine element completes the formation of a tire bead on a first side of the housing. Claim 14 delete Claim 15 delete Claim 16 delete Claim 17 delete Claim 18 delete Claim 19 delete Claim 20 delete

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