Tire production method and tire

Abstract

Provided is a tire production technique for safely and securely installing a communication device inside of a tire without damaging the communication device.　In a tire production method for a tire that comprises a tire body and a communication device embedded on the outside in the radial direction of a carcass serving as the skeleton of the tire body, after the communication device is disposed on the outside in the radial direction of a carcass of a green tire, the green tire is placed in a mold and vulcanization molding is performed with the shortest interval between the communication device and a vent hole in the mold being greater than 0 mm.

Description

Method for manufacturing a tire and tire

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a tire and a tire.

[0002] Tires in which a communication device such as an RF tag is embedded inside are known. To embed this communication device inside the tire, at the stage of molding a green tire, after attaching the communication device to a predetermined position in advance, vulcanization molding is performed. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a method for manufacturing this type of tire.

[0003] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2024-15903

[0004] According to the above method for manufacturing a tire, the communication device is embedded inside the tire. However, due to the rubber flow generated during vulcanization molding, there is a risk that the communication device may be damaged, and it has been desired to reliably avoid this damage.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing a tire for safely and surely installing a communication device inside the tire without damaging it.

[0006] The gist configuration of the present invention is as follows. 1. A method for manufacturing a tire, comprising a tire body and a communication device embedded on the outer surface side of the carcass that forms the skeleton of the tire body, wherein after arranging the communication device on the radially outer side of the carcass of the green tire, the green tire is housed in a mold, and vulcanization molding is performed with the minimum distance between the communication device and the vent hole of the mold being more than 0 mm.

[0007] 2. The method for manufacturing a tire according to 1 above, wherein the minimum distance is 2 mm or more.

[0008] 3. The method for manufacturing a tire according to 1 or 2 above, wherein the minimum distance is 5 mm or more.

[0009] 4. The method for manufacturing a tire according to any one of 1 to 3 above, wherein the communication device has an IC chip, an antenna extending from the IC chip, and a covering rubber layer covering at least the outer surface side of the IC chip and the antenna.

[0010] 5. The method for manufacturing a tire according to 4, wherein the communication device has a reinforcing rubber layer covering the outer surface side of the tire of the covering rubber layer.

[0011] 6. The tire is a tire manufacturing method according to any one of items 1 to 5 above, wherein the nominal rim diameter of the applicable rim is 20 inches or more.

[0012] 7. A tire comprising a tire body and a communication device embedded radially outward of the carcass that forms the skeleton of the tire body, wherein there are no spews or spew marks in the outer portion of the tire in the tire width direction corresponding to an area at least 5 mm away from the communication device in the tire radial direction.

[0013] According to the present invention, a communication device can be safely and reliably installed inside a tire without damaging it.

[0014] This is a schematic cross-sectional view in the width direction of a tire according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a diagram showing an example of a communication device or a communication device laminate including the communication device that may be used in a method for manufacturing a tire according to one embodiment of the present invention, where (a) is a schematic plan view showing the communication device, (b) is a schematic perspective view showing an example of the communication device laminate, and (c) is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view of the communication device showing another example of the communication device laminate. This is a schematic cross-sectional view in the width direction of a tire showing an example of a mold and a green tire that may be used in a method for manufacturing a tire according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a diagram illustrating the flow of rubber around a communication device in a conventional vulcanization molding process. This is a diagram illustrating the minimum distance between the communication device and the vent holes of the mold. This is an explanatory diagram showing the arrangement of vent holes in the mold.

[0015] The tire manufacturing method according to the present invention can be suitably used as a method for manufacturing any type of tire, such as passenger car tires, truck and bus tires, construction and mining vehicle tires, etc., or as a method for manufacturing them, and is particularly suitable for manufacturing truck and bus tires and construction and mining vehicle tires.

[0016] Hereinafter, embodiments of the tire manufacturing method and the tire according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Common members and parts in each figure are denoted by the same reference numerals. In this specification, "tire circumferential direction" refers to the direction in which the tire rotates around the tire's axis of rotation, "tire radial direction" refers to the direction perpendicular to the tire's axis of rotation, and "tire width direction" refers to the direction parallel to the tire's axis of rotation. In some drawings, the tire circumferential direction is indicated by the numeral "CD", the tire radial direction by the numeral "RD", and the tire width direction by the numeral "WD". Furthermore, in this specification, the side of the tire closer to the tire's axis of rotation along the tire radial direction is referred to as the "inner side in the tire radial direction", and the side of the tire further from the tire's axis of rotation along the tire radial direction is referred to as the "outer side in the tire radial direction". In addition, in this specification, the side of the tire closer to the tire equatorial plane CL along the tire width direction is referred to as the "inner side in the tire width direction", and the side of the tire further from the tire equatorial plane CL along the tire width direction is referred to as the "outer side in the tire width direction". Furthermore, in this specification, "tire inner surface" refers to the surface of the tire facing the inner cavity of the tire, and "tire outer surface" refers to the surface of the tire facing the outside of the tire. In this specification, the terms "tire circumferential direction" and other terms and symbols such as "CD" are used not only for vulcanized tires (i.e., finished tires) but also for unvulcanized green tires. In addition, in this specification, the terms "mold circumferential direction" and other terms and symbols such as "CD" may be used with the same meaning as above for molds used to vulcanize green tires.

[0017] <Tire> First, with reference to Figure 1, an example of a tire that can be obtained by the tire manufacturing method according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. Figure 1 is a drawing for illustrating a tire 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention, and is a schematic cross-sectional view of the tire 10 in the tire width direction. Since the tire 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention is a tire manufactured by the tire manufacturing method according to an embodiment of the present invention, which will be described later, it can enjoy the effects obtained by the tire manufacturing method, which will be described later. In other words, with the tire 10, a communication device can be attached to the outer surface of the tire side portion of the tire in a simple manner during the manufacturing of the tire 10. The tire 10 of the embodiment of the present invention may be configured as a tire of any type and / or any size. For example, the tire 10 of this embodiment, and by extension the tire 10 manufactured by the tire manufacturing method according to one embodiment of the present invention, which will be described later, may be configured as a tire with a nominal rim diameter of 20 inches or more. Examples of nominal rim diameters of 20 inches or more include, for example, 25 inches, 29 inches, 33 inches, 35 inches, 49 inches, 51 inches, 57 inches, 63 inches, etc. When the rim diameter of the applicable rim of the tire 10 is 20 inches or larger, according to this embodiment, the communication device can be easily attached to the outer surface of the tire sidewall of such a large tire, which would otherwise likely cause communication problems if the communication device were attached to the inner surface of the tire.

[0018] Herein, in this specification, "nominal rim diameter of the applicable rim" (hereinafter also simply referred to as "nominal rim diameter") refers to the inner diameter of the tire and, by extension, the rim diameter of the applicable rim. More specifically, it refers to the nominal rim diameter of the applicable rim (in inches) as indicated in the tire size display on the sidewall of the tire, that is, the rim diameter of the applicable rim expressed in inches. For example, if the tire size is "29.5R25", the nominal rim diameter is "25 inches", if the tire size is "18.00R33", the nominal rim diameter is "33 inches", if the tire size is "46 / 90R57", the nominal rim diameter is "57 inches", and if the tire size is "59 / 80R63", the nominal rim diameter is "63 inches".

[0019] In this specification, "Applicable Rim" refers to the standard rim for the applicable size (Measuring Rim in ETRTO's STANDARDS MANUAL, Design in TRA's YEAR BOOK) which is an industrial standard valid in the region where the tire is produced and used, and which is described or will be described in the future in publications such as the JATMA YEAR BOOK of JATMA (Japan Automobile Tire Manufacturers Association) in Japan, the STANDARDS MANUAL of ETRTO (The European Tyre and Rim Technical Organization) in Europe, and the YEAR BOOK of TRA (The Tire and Rim Association, Inc.) in the United States. This refers to the rim, but in the case of sizes not listed in these industry standards, it refers to a rim with a width corresponding to the bead width of a pneumatic tire. "Applicable rims" include current sizes as well as sizes that will be listed in the aforementioned industry standards in the future. An example of "sizes that will be listed in the future" is the size listed as "FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS" in the ETRTO 2013 edition.

[0020] The tire 10 according to this embodiment is a pneumatic tire and, as shown in Figure 1, has a bead portion 1, a sidewall portion 2, and a tread portion 3. The bead portion 1 is the portion configured to contact the rim on the inner side in the radial direction of the tire and on the outer side in the width direction of the tire when the tire 10 is mounted on the rim. The tread portion 3 is the portion of the tire 10 in the tire width direction between a pair of tread ends. The sidewall portion 2 is the portion between the pair of bead portions 1 and the tread portion 3. In this specification, the sidewall portion 2 and the bead portion 1 of the tire 10 may be collectively referred to as the tire side portion 8. The sidewall portion 2 refers to the portion that is at least the portion inside the tire radial direction of the belt 5, which will be described later, and the portion that is outside the tire radial direction of the bead portion 1.

[0021] More specifically, the tire 10 of this embodiment comprises a pair of bead portions 1 having a bead core 11, a carcass 4 consisting of at least one (one in the illustrated example) carcass ply extending in a toroidal shape between the pair of bead portions 1 via a pair of sidewall portions 2 and a tread portion 3, a belt 5 consisting of at least one (six in the illustrated example) belt layer provided on the radially outer side of the carcass 4 (i.e., the crown portion of the carcass 4) in the tread portion 3, and a communication device 6 attached to the tire side portion 8 (more specifically, in this example, the bead portion 1 and the sidewall portion 2). Here, in this specification, "communication device" refers to a device equipped with electronic components, for example, one that has a function to communicate with the outside. In this specification, the part of the tire 10 excluding the communication device 6 or the communication device laminate 60 described later is sometimes referred to as the "tire body," and the part of the green tire 20 described later excluding the communication device 6 or the communication device laminate 60 described later is sometimes referred to as the "green tire body."

[0022] In this example, each bead core 11 is embedded in the corresponding bead portion 1. The bead core 11 may comprise a plurality of bead wires that are covered with rubber. However, the bead core 11 may consist of a single bead wire. The bead wire is preferably made of metal (e.g., steel). The bead wire may consist of, for example, a monofilament or a stranded wire. The bead wire may also be made of organic fibers or carbon fibers. In this example, as shown in Figure 1, the cross-sectional shape of the bead core 11 in the tire width direction is a regular hexagon, but the cross-sectional shape of the bead core 11 may be other shapes, such as polygonal shapes other than a regular hexagon, circular shapes, etc.

[0023] In this example, as shown in Figure 1, the carcass 4 comprises a carcass body located between the bead cores 11 of a pair of bead portions 1, and carcass folded portions that are folded back from both ends of the carcass body around each bead core 11 from the inside in the tire width direction to the outside. However, the carcass 4 does not have to have carcass folded portions. Each carcass ply constituting the carcass 4 includes one or more carcass cords and a covering rubber covering the carcass cords. The carcass cords can be formed from, for example, monofilament or stranded wire. In this example, the carcass cords are made of steel. Because the carcass cords are made of steel, sufficient strength can be obtained even if the carcass is made of a simple radial structure in, for example, a large tire. Also, in this example, the carcass 4 has a radial structure. That is, each carcass cord included in the carcass ply of the carcass 4 extends substantially along the tire width direction (i.e., without being inclined at a substantially 0° angle with respect to the tire width direction in a projection view from the tire radially outward of the tread portion 3). However, the carcass cords may be composed of organic fibers such as polyester, nylon, rayon, or aramid. Furthermore, the carcass 4 may have a bias structure.

[0024] In this example, each belt layer constituting the belt 5 includes one or more belt cords and a covering rubber that covers the belt cords. The belt cords can be formed from, for example, monofilaments or stranded wires. The belt cords may be made of metal (e.g., steel) or organic fibers such as polyester, nylon, rayon, or aramid.

[0025] As shown in Figure 1, in this example, more specifically, the communication device 6 is embedded in the vicinity of the outer surface 10a of the tire in the tire side portion 8. Here, in this specification, "near the outer surface of the tire" or "close to the outer surface of the tire" refers to a position at least outside the carcass 4 (more specifically, in this example, the folded portion of the carcass 4) in the tire width direction. In the example of Figure 1, the communication device 6 is embedded in the sidewall portion 2. In this embodiment, the communication device 6 may be embedded in the tire side portion 8 of the tire 10 as a single unit (see Figure 2(a)), or it may be embedded in the tire side portion 8 of the tire 10 as a communication device laminate 60 (see Figures 2(b) to 2(c)) including the communication device 6, with a covering rubber layer 61 on at least a part of the surface of the communication device 6. In other words, the communication device 6 may be used alone (see Figure 2(a)) or as part of the communication device laminate 60 (see Figures 2(b) to 2(c)) in the communication device placement step in the tire manufacturing method according to one embodiment of the present invention, which will be described later. If the communication device 6 is provided with a covering rubber layer 61 on at least a part of its surface in the communication device placement step, the durability of the communication device 6 and / or its adhesion to the tire body can be improved.

[0026] In this embodiment, it is preferable that the communication device 6 is positioned at a depth of 0.1 to 10.0 mm from the outer surface 10a of the tire side portion 8. In this case, the communication device 6 is less likely to be damaged when the tire is running, thereby improving the durability of the communication device 6, and the information of the communication device 6 is easier to read from the outside. From a similar viewpoint, it is even more preferable that the communication device 6 is positioned at a depth of 0.5 to 5.0 mm from the outer surface 10a of the tire side portion 8. If the communication device 6 is an RF tag as shown in any of Figures 2(a) to 2(c) described later, it is preferable that the thin plate-shaped IC chip 6a is attached to the outer surface 10a of the tire so that both sides of the thickness direction TD (for example, the front and back sides of the paper in Figure 2(a)) are aligned with the outer surface 10a of the tire (i.e., they are substantially parallel), and the center of the thickness direction TD of the IC chip 6a is positioned at the above depth position.

[0027] In the illustrated example, the outer side of the belt 5 in the tread portion 3 in the tire radial direction is provided with tread rubber that forms the tread tread surface, which is the outer surface 10a of the tire tread portion 3. A tread pattern is formed on the tread tread surface. In this example, the tread pattern is a lug pattern in which lugs are partitioned in the tire circumferential direction by lug grooves, but the tread pattern is not particularly limited. Furthermore, in the illustrated example, the outer side of the carcass 4 in the tire width direction in the tire side portion 8 is provided with side rubber that forms the outer surface 10a of the tire side portion 8. In addition, the inner surface of the tire 10 in this embodiment is made of an inner liner (not particularly shown) that is permeable to air and / or gas.

[0028] Figure 2 shows examples of a tire according to one embodiment of the present invention, and a communication device or a communication device laminate including the communication device that can be used in a method for manufacturing the tire according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2(a) is a schematic plan view showing an example of the communication device, Figure 2(b) is a schematic perspective view showing an example of the communication device laminate, and Figure 2(c) is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view of the communication device showing another example of the communication device laminate.

[0029] As shown in Figure 2(a), in this example, the communication device 6 is an RF tag having an IC chip 6a with a memory unit and the like, and one or more (two in the illustrated example) antennas 6b that transmit and / or receive electromagnetic waves. RF tags are also generally called RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tags. In this example, the antennas 6b are connected to the IC chip 6a and extend in a linear, wavy, or spiral shape (spiral in the illustrated example). In this example, two antennas 6b extend from the IC chip 6a in opposite directions. However, the antennas 6b may extend from the IC chip 6a in only one direction. Also, in this example, the lengths of the long-side LD of the IC chip 6a described later are the same for the two antennas 6b. However, the lengths of the long-side LD of the IC chip 6a may be different for the two antennas.

[0030] In this example, the IC chip 6a is a thin, thin plate with a roughly rectangular shape in plan view (see Figure 2(a)). Here, the "thickness" of the IC chip 6a refers to the thickness in the direction parallel to the direction along the long side of the IC chip 6a in plan view (hereinafter also referred to as the "long side direction of the IC chip (6a)") LD, the direction parallel to the direction along the short side of the IC chip 6a in plan view (hereinafter also referred to as the "short side direction of the IC chip (6a)") SD, and the direction perpendicular to both of these (hereinafter also referred to as the "thickness direction of the IC chip (6a)") TD. In this example, the long side direction LD of the IC chip (6a) is also the long side direction of the communication device (6), the short side direction SD of the IC chip (6a) is also the short side direction of the communication device (6), and the thickness direction TD of the IC chip (6a) is also the thickness direction of the communication device (6). The IC chip 6a has, for example, a storage unit which is any known memory and a control unit which is any known processor. The IC chip 6a may operate using induced electromotive force generated by electromagnetic waves received by one or more antennas 6b. That is, the communication device 6 may be a passive communication device. Alternatively, the communication device 6 may further include a battery and be able to communicate by generating electromagnetic waves with its own power. That is, the communication device 6 may be an active communication device. The control unit of the IC chip 6a can, for example, read data such as tire manufacturing management, shipping management, and usage history management stored in the storage unit, or write such data to the storage unit.

[0031] Figure 2(b) shows an example of a communication device laminate 60 including a communication device 6, wherein at least a portion of the surface of the communication device 6 is covered with a coating rubber layer 61. That is, in this example, the communication device 6 is provided with a coating rubber layer 61 on at least a portion of the surface of the communication device 6. More specifically, in this example, the communication device 6 is configured as a communication device laminate 60 comprising a one-side coating rubber layer 61a provided on the entire surface of one side of the communication device 6 in the thickness direction TD, and a other-side coating rubber layer 61b provided on the entire surface of the other side of the communication device 6 in the thickness direction TD. As shown in Figure 2(b), in this example, the coating rubber layer 61 (one-side coating rubber layer 61a and other-side coating rubber layer 61b) is, for example, a thin sheet of rubber. In other words, in this example, the communication device 6 is configured as a communication device laminate 60 in which the entire surfaces of one side and the other side in the thickness direction TD are covered with, so to speak, a sheet of coating rubber. Here, it is preferable to use a rubber material with a lower dielectric constant than the rubber material of the tire body for the covering rubber layer 61. Note that the configuration of the communication device 6 itself in the example of Figure 2(b) is the same as the configuration of the communication device 6 in Figure 2(a) described above as a standalone communication device 6.

[0032] Figure 2(c) shows another example of a communication device laminate 60 including a communication device 6, further comprising a reinforcing rubber layer 62 (surface sheet rubber) provided on at least the entire surface of one side (outer side in the tire width direction) of the coating rubber layer 61 disposed on the surface of the communication device 6 in the thickness direction TD of the communication device 6. In this example as well, similar to the coating rubber layer 61 (one-side coating rubber layer 61a and the other-side coating rubber layer 61b) in Figure 2(b), the reinforcing rubber layer 62 can be, for example, a rubber sheet. That is, the reinforcing rubber layer 62 is located on the outer side in the tire width direction of the communication device 6 and the coating rubber layer 61, and is responsible for protecting the antenna portion 6b of the communication device 6 in particular. When a reinforcing rubber layer 62 is provided, it is preferable to apply a rubber material with a lower dielectric constant than the reinforcing rubber layer 62 to the coating rubber layer 61. In addition, although a single layer of the reinforcing rubber layer 62 is sufficient, it may be composed of two or more layers as shown in Figure 2(c). Furthermore, the configuration of the communication device 6 itself in the example of Figure 2(c) is the same as the configuration of the communication device 6 in Figure 2(a) described above, which was explained as a standalone communication device 6.

[0033] In the examples shown in Figures 2(b) and 2(c) above, the communication device 6 is provided with a covering rubber layer 61 and a reinforcing rubber layer 62 over its entire surface. However, when the communication device 6 is configured as a communication device laminate 60, the communication device 6 may be provided with a covering rubber layer 61 over at least a portion of its surface. Preferably, as shown in the examples in Figures 2(b) and 2(c), the communication device 6 is provided with a covering rubber layer 61 and a reinforcing rubber layer 62 over at least the entire surface of one side of the communication device 6 in the thickness direction TD.

[0034] As described above, the communication device 6 alone or the communication device laminate 60 including the communication device 6 can be used in the tire manufacturing method according to one embodiment of the present invention, which will be described later. In fact, the communication device 6 alone or the communication device laminate 60 including the communication device 6 may be embedded in the tire side portion 8 of a tire manufactured by the tire manufacturing method, that is, a tire 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention, which has been described with reference to Figure 1. Although the communication device laminate 60 including the communication device 6 is shown in a simplified manner in Figure 1, in the example of Figure 1, the communication device 6 is embedded inside the tire near the outer surface 10a such that the surfaces of one side and the other side in the thickness direction TD of the thin plate-shaped IC chip 6a are aligned with the outer surface 10a of the tire (i.e., they are substantially parallel).

[0035] In the tire 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention shown in Figure 1, if the communication device 6 is, for example, an RF tag as shown in Figure 2(a) and has an antenna 6b, the communication device 6 may be attached to the tire 10 such that, in a view of the tire rotation axis, the antenna 6b extends in a direction intersecting the extending direction of the carcass cord included in the carcass ply of the carcass 4 (preferably in a direction perpendicular to the extending direction). If the carcass 4 has a radial structure, in this case, the entire longitudinal LD ​​of the communication device 6 is suppressed from being greatly bent due to the bending strain of the sidewall portion 2, and the durability of the communication device 6 can be improved.

[0036] In the tire 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention shown in Figure 1, there are no spews or spew marks in the outer portion of the tire in the tire width direction that overlaps with the communication device 6 including the antenna 6b. Furthermore, it is preferable that there are no spews or spew marks in the outer portion of the tire in the tire width direction that corresponds to a region at least 2 mm away from the communication device 6 in the tire radial direction. More preferably, there are no spews or spew marks in the outer portion of the tire in the tire width direction that corresponds to a region at least 5 mm away from the communication device 6 in the tire radial direction. With the above tire, it is possible to avoid the relatively low durability of the rubber of the coating rubber layer being absorbed from the spew and exposed on the tire surface, thereby preventing a decrease in the durability of, for example, the tire sidewall portion in which the communication device is embedded.

[0037] <Tire Manufacturing Method> Next, a tire manufacturing method according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figure 3. Figure 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view in the tire width direction showing an example of a mold and a green tire that may be used in the tire manufacturing method according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0038] First, a mold that can be used in a tire manufacturing method according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described. In Figure 3, reference numeral 30 denotes a tire vulcanizing apparatus, and this tire vulcanizing apparatus 30 can manufacture a tire 10, for example, as shown in Figure 1, by vulcanizing an unvulcanized tire, i.e., a green tire 20. The green tire 20, like the tire 10, comprises a pair of bead portions 21, sidewall portions 22 extending outward in the tire radial direction from each bead portion 21, and a tread portion 15 connecting the radially outer ends of these sidewall portions 22. In this specification, the sidewall portions 22 and bead portions 21 of the green tire 20 may be collectively referred to as the tire side portion 28. Here, in Figure 3, internal tire components that the green tire 20 has, like the tire 10, such as the bead core, carcass, belt, etc., are omitted from description to avoid complexity.

[0039] In this example, the tire vulcanizing apparatus 30 has a mold 31, which consists of at least a substantially ring-shaped lower mold 32 and a substantially ring-shaped upper mold 33. The lower mold 32 has a tire side mold molding surface 323 on its upper surface in a region approximately in the center of the tire in the radial direction, for molding various markings (letters, numbers, and patterns: for example, brand name, product model, tire size, etc.) onto at least a portion of the tire side portion 28 on one side (lower side) of the raw tire 20. Similarly, the upper mold 33 has a tire side mold molding surface 333 on its lower surface in a region approximately in the center of the tire in the radial direction, for molding (same as above) onto at least a portion of the tire side portion 28 on the other side (upper side) of the raw tire 20.

[0040] In Figure 3, reference numeral 321 and 331 indicate the tread molding surfaces in the mold 31 used to mold the tread portion 23 of the green tire 20, and reference numeral 322 and 332 indicate the lug groove forming bones in the mold 31 used to form lug grooves in one (lower) half and the other (upper) half of the green tire 20, respectively. As shown in Figure 3, the lug groove forming bones 322 and 332 protrude inward in the tire radial direction from the outer end portion in the tire radial direction of the lower mold 32 and the outer end portion in the tire radial direction of the upper mold 33, respectively, and are arranged at, for example, equidistant distances in the tire circumferential direction.

[0041] In this example, the tire vulcanizing apparatus 30 has a shaping unit 34. The shaping unit 34 has a one-side support 35 on which the bead portion 21 on one side (lower side) of the green tire 20 is seated and which can mainly tidy up the bead portion 21, and a other-side support 36 on which the bead portion 21 on the other side (upper side) of the green tire 20 is seated and which can mainly tidy up the bead portion 21. These one-side support 35 and other-side support 36 can be detachably connected by a connecting mechanism (not shown). In Figure 3, reference numeral 80 denotes a flexible bladder provided on the shaping unit 34, with one end and the other end in the tire width direction securely locked to the one-side support 35 and other-side support 36, respectively.

[0042] Here, in this example, as shown in FIG. 3, the aforementioned communication device 6 (including the communication device 6 included in the aforementioned communication device laminate 60. The same shall apply hereinafter) is disposed on the tire side portion 28 of the green tire 20. However, the communication device 6 may be disposed on at least one of the surfaces of the tire side portion 28 on the side contacting the lower mold 32 of the green tire 20 and the surface of the tire side portion 28 on the side contacting the upper mold 33 of the green tire 20 in a state before the green tire 20 is accommodated in the vulcanization space VS, the lower mold 32 and the upper mold 33 are closed with each other, and vulcanization is started.

[0043] Hereinafter, a method for manufacturing a tire according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. The method for manufacturing a tire of the present embodiment manufactures the tire 10 using, for example, a tire vulcanizing device 30, and thus, a mold 31, a lower mold 32, an upper mold 33, and the like, as described with reference to FIG. 3. The method for manufacturing a tire according to the present embodiment is, for example, a method for manufacturing a tire for obtaining the tire 10 in which the communication device 6 is embedded in the tire side portion 8 as described above while referring to FIG. 1. As described above, the type and / or size of the tire 10 may be arbitrary, but the tire 10 may be configured as, for example, a tire having a nominal rim diameter of the applicable rim of 20 inches or more.

[0044] The method for manufacturing a tire according to the present embodiment uses the lower mold 32 and the upper mold 33 as the mold 31 for vulcanizing the green tire 20. The configurations of the mold 31, the lower mold 32, and the upper mold 33 are not particularly limited as long as the lower mold 32 provided on the lower side in the vertical direction and the upper mold 33 provided on the upper side in the vertical direction from the lower mold 32 are used, but as the mold 31, the lower mold 32, and the upper mold 33, for example, the mold 31, the lower mold 32, and the upper mold 33 as described above while referring to FIG. 3 can be used.

[0045] The method for manufacturing a tire according to the present embodiment includes a communication device mounting step and a vulcanization step.

[0046] (Communication device mounting process) Referring to FIG. 3, in the communication device mounting process, the communication device 6 is disposed on at least one of the surfaces of the tire side portion 28 on the side contacting the lower mold 32 of the green tire 20 and the surface of the tire side portion 28 on the side contacting the upper mold 33 of the green tire 20. Here, the “tire side portion 28 on the side contacting the lower mold 32 (or the upper mold 33) of the green tire 20” means the tire side portion 28 in the tire half portion of the green tire 20 contacting the lower mold 32 (or the upper mold 33) in the vulcanization process described later.

[0047] More specifically, in this example using the tire vulcanizing apparatus 30 shown in FIG. 3, in the communication device arranging process, the communication device 6 is arranged on the lower mold 32 and the upper mold 33 (specifically, the tire side portion molding surface 323 of the lower mold 32 and the tire side portion molding surface 333 of the upper mold 33). However, as described above, in the communication device mounting process, the communication device 6 may be attached to at least one of the surfaces of the tire side portion 28 on the side contacting the lower mold 32 of the green tire 20 and the surface of the tire side portion 28 on the side contacting the upper mold 33 of the green tire 20. The communication device 6 may be arranged at the above-mentioned part as the communication device 6 alone as described above while referring to FIG. 2(a), or as the communication device 6 included in the communication device laminate 60 as described above while referring to FIGS. 2(b) to 2(c). The communication device 6 may be attached to the above-mentioned part when the communication device laminate 60 is arranged at the above-mentioned part.

[0048] The mounting position of the communication device 6 described above should ensure that when the green tire 20 is accommodated in the mold 31 and the mold is closed, the minimum distance between the communication device 6 and the vent holes of the lower mold 32 and the upper mold 33 is more than zero millimeters, that is, the communication device 6 and the vent holes of the lower mold 32 and the upper mold 33 do not overlap in the tire width direction. It is important to subject the green tire 20 to vulcanization molding. The minimum distance is preferably 2 mm or more, and more preferably 5 mm or more.

[0049] In other words, in the next vulcanization step, the lower mold 32 and upper mold 33 are closed, and the green tire 20 with the communication device 6 attached is set (hoisted) inside the mold 31, i.e., inside the vulcanization space VS. Then, a high-temperature, high-pressure vulcanizing medium is supplied into the bladder 80 to vulcanize the green tire 20. In this vulcanization step, various markings are transferred and engraved onto the tire side portion 28 of the green tire 20, and after vulcanization, various markings are formed on the tire side portion 28 of the tire 10, i.e., the manufactured tire 10, by creating raised and recessed areas.

[0050] In this vulcanization process, in order to ensure proper molding of the tire, it is customary to provide numerous vent holes in the lower mold 32 and upper mold 33 to discharge gas generated within the rubber during the vulcanization process to the outside of the mold through the vent holes. In particular, it is customary to provide recesses and vent holes in the mold area where the raised parts for the various markings mentioned above are transferred.

[0051] Here, Figure 4(a) schematically shows the state in which the communication device 6 is attached to the tire side portion 28 of the green tire 20 and set in the mold region where the recess 70 and vent hole 71 are provided as shown. As vulcanization progresses in this set state, as shown in Figure 4(b), a phenomenon occurs in which the rubber around the communication device 6 (including the rubber for the coating rubber layer 61) flows toward the recess 70 and vent hole 71. This rubber flow partially moves the IC chip 6a and antenna 6b of the communication device 6, resulting in bending occurring at the connection between the IC chip 6a and the antenna 6b and within the antenna 6b. In particular, since the connection between the IC chip 6a and the antenna 6b is relatively fragile, the connection may break, which could impair the communication function of the communication device 6.

[0052] Therefore, in this example, the minimum distance between the communication device 6 and the vent holes 71 of the lower mold 32 and upper mold 33 is set to more than 0 mm, that is, the communication device 6 and the vent holes 71 of the lower mold 32 and upper mold 33 are arranged so that they do not overlap in the tire width direction, thereby avoiding the situation in which rubber flow occurs as shown in Figure 4.

[0053] The minimum spacing mentioned above refers to the minimum spacing between the communication device 6 and the vent hole 71 when the green tire 20 is housed in the vulcanization space VS within the lower mold 32 and upper mold 33, the lower mold 32 and upper mold 33 are closed, and the green tire 20 with the communication device 6 attached is set (stored) in the vulcanization space VS within the mold 31. In other words, as shown in Figure 5, when the tire side portion 28 of the green tire 20 is in contact with the inner wall surfaces of the lower mold 32 and upper mold 33, the minimum spacing is defined as the minimum distance d between the tip of the antenna 6b of the communication device 6 and the vent hole adjacent to the communication device 6, in the direction along the outer surface of the tire.

[0054] Next, a method for making the minimum distance between the communication device 6 and the vent holes 71 of the mold greater than 0 mm will be explained in detail. [Method 1] When performing vulcanization molding using an existing mold, a position is identified in the vent holes provided in the mold that can secure the above minimum distance, and the communication device 6 is attached to the tire side portion 28 of the green tire 20 according to the identified position. That is, for example, as shown in Figure 6, when the inner circumferential surface of the lower mold 32 (and upper mold 33) is viewed from the tire axis direction, there are cases in which the portion of the lower mold 32 (and upper mold 33) that contacts the tire side portion 28 has multiple rows of vent holes arranged on circumferential lines of different diameters, with a large number of vent holes 71 provided at equal intervals on the same circumferential line. In the example shown in Figure 6, rows of vent holes 71a to 71e are arranged. In this example, the arrangement of rows of vent holes 71a to 71e is designed such that the radial distance between rows of vent holes 71b and 71c is wider than the distance between other rows of vent holes. When performing vulcanization molding using such a mold, the minimum spacing described above can be secured by attaching the communication device 6 to the tire side portion 28 such that the communication device 6 is located in the radial intermediate area of ​​the circumferential region 72 between the rows of vent holes 71b and 71c.

[0055] [Method 2] Regarding other methods, we will explain using the example of a mold with a vent hole arrangement design that does not have a wide circumferential area between vent hole rows. In this case, the minimum spacing can be secured by filling the vent holes 71 that are within the minimum spacing for the communication device 6 attached to the tire side portion 28. As described above, after the installation of the communication device 6 is completed so that the minimum spacing between the communication device 6 and the vent holes 71 of the mold is greater than 0 mm, the green tire is subjected to vulcanization molding. Vulcanization molding can be carried out under normal conditions, and for example, the following vulcanization molding is advantageously suitable.

[0056] (Vulcanization Process) Referring to Figure 3, in the vulcanization process, after the communication device placement process described above, the green tire 20 is set in the mold 31 and vulcanized. More specifically, in this example using the tire vulcanization apparatus 30 shown in Figure 3, in the vulcanization process, for example, after both bead portions 21 of the unvulcanized green tire 20 are seated on the one-side support 35 and the other-side support 36 respectively, these one-side support 35 and the other-side support 36 are connected by a connecting mechanism (not shown), and then when internal pressure is filled into the bladder 80, the green tire 20 deforms into a roughly toroidal shape and is supported by the shaping unit 34 consisting of these one-side support 35, the other-side support 36 and the bladder 80. Next, the green tire 20 mounted on the shaping unit 34 in this manner is transported into the upper mold 33 in an open state by a transport means (not shown), and then placed on the lower mold 32 while aligning the lug groove forming bones 322 of the lower mold 32 with the lug groove forming grooves formed on one side (lower side) of the green tire 20. After that, the lower mold 32 and the upper mold 33 are closed to set (store) the green tire 20 inside the mold 31, i.e., inside the vulcanization space VS, and then a high-temperature, high-pressure vulcanizing medium is supplied into the bladder 80 to vulcanize the green tire 20.

[0057] Furthermore, in the vulcanization process described above, the communication device 6 attached to the green tire 20 is integrally molded with the green tire body, and in the vulcanized tire 10, that is, the manufactured tire 10, the communication device 6 is embedded in the tire 10. In this vulcanization process, the flow of rubber around the communication device 6 is reliably suppressed, so that the manufactured tire 10 has an undamaged communication device 6.

[0058] The following describes preferred configurations and variations of the tire manufacturing method according to this embodiment. As mentioned above, in the communication device mounting process, it is preferable that the communication device 6 is provided with a covering rubber layer 61 (one-sided covering rubber layer 61a and / or the other-sided covering rubber layer 61b) on at least a part of the surface of the communication device 6. In other words, it is preferable that the communication device 6 is configured as a communication device laminate 60 including the communication device 6, as shown in Figure 2(b). In this case, in the vulcanization process, it becomes possible to interpose the covering rubber layer 61 between the communication device 6 and the lower mold 32, upper mold 33 and / or the green tire 20, thereby improving the durability of the communication device 6 and / or its adhesion to the tire body.

[0059] Furthermore, in the communication device installation process, it is preferable that the communication device 6 further comprises a reinforcing rubber layer 62 provided on at least the entire surface of one side (outer side in the tire width direction) of the coating rubber layer 61 in the thickness direction TD of the communication device 6, as shown in Figure 2(c). In this case, it becomes possible to more reliably suppress the flow of rubber around the communication device 6 during the vulcanization process, and damage to the communication device 6 during vulcanization molding can be more reliably avoided. Consequently, the durability of the communication device 6 and / or its adhesion to the tire body can be improved.

[0060] Here, the reinforcing rubber layer 62 is not particularly limited as long as it is a rubber material having a dielectric constant higher than that of the covering rubber layer. While it is desirable that the reinforcing rubber layer 62 be a rubber material that does not contain carbon black, or a rubber material with a lower carbon black content than the reinforcing rubber, it is not particularly limited, and any rubber material with a lower dielectric constant than the reinforcing rubber can be suitably used. For example, it may be the same rubber material as the side rubber.

[0061] Furthermore, the reinforcing rubber layer 62 is preferably 0.7 mm or thicker (Figure 2(c)). This is because it improves resistance to damage. Also, if the thickness T is less than 0.7 mm, there is a possibility that the RF tag may become visible on the tire surface during the internal pressure filling, use, and driving process in the finished tire. On the other hand, the reinforcing rubber layer is preferably 3.0 mm or less in thickness. If this thickness exceeds 3.0 mm, localized protrusions will form on the surface of the green tire, and the formation of localized protrusions will increase the risk of rubber indentation during vulcanization molding.

[0062] Furthermore, when attaching the communication device to the surface of a raw tire, if the size of the covering rubber layer 61 and the reinforcing rubber layer 62 differs, and a step is created between the edge of the covering rubber layer 61 and the edge of the reinforcing rubber layer 62, it is preferable that the distance of this step in the thickness direction of the communication device is 3.0 mm or less. In other words, by making this step 3.0 mm or less, the formation of the localized protrusions described above is suppressed, and thus the pinching of the rubber during vulcanization molding can be further suppressed.

[0063] In the communication device installation process, it is preferable to place the communication device 6 on the green tire 20 via adhesive. In this case, for example, in a later vulcanization process, it is possible to prevent the communication device 6 from shifting or falling off the green tire 20.

[0064] In the communication device installation process, it is preferable to place the communication device 6 on both sides of the tire side portion 28 of the raw tire 20. In this case, in the manufactured tire 10, the communication device 6 will be embedded in both the vicinity of the outer surface 10a of the tire side portion 8 on one half of the tire and the vicinity of the outer surface 10a of the tire side portion 8 on the other half of the tire, with the tire equatorial plane CL as the boundary. Therefore, information stored in the communication device 6 can be read from the outside on both sides in the tire width direction, and the communication of the communication device 6 can be ensured regardless of the mounting direction of the tire 10 on the vehicle, even if it is a large tire. Furthermore, even if, for example, one side of the communication device 6 malfunctions and becomes non-functional, it is possible to read information from the other side of the communication device 6. However, in the communication device installation process, the communication device 6 may be placed on only one side of the tire side portion 28 of the raw tire 20.

[0065] Furthermore, the communication devices 6 may be installed at multiple positions spaced apart in the circumferential direction on each tire side portion 28 of the raw tire 20, thereby providing three or more communication devices 6. In this case, even if at least one of the three or more communication devices 6 fails or detaches in the manufactured tire 10, there is a higher probability that one of the other communication devices 6 will remain functional, thereby preventing, for example, the inability to read or write information about the tire 10 using the communication devices 6.

[0066] In the above case, it is preferable that the communication devices 6 be arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of each tire side portion 28 of the raw tire 20. With such an arrangement, the effects of events that cause failure or delamination during tire driving in the manufactured tire 10 can be mitigated, and it can be made even more certain that at least one of the communication devices 6 will remain functional.

[0067] The tire manufacturing method and the tire according to the present invention can be suitably used as a method for manufacturing any type of tire and as a tire of any type, for example, as a tire for passenger cars, a tire for trucks and buses, a tire for construction and mining vehicles, etc., or as a method for manufacturing them, and in particular can be suitably used as a tire for construction and mining vehicles or as a method for manufacturing them.

[0068] 10: Tire, 20: Green tire, 10a: Tire outer surface, 1, 21: Bead section, 11: Bead core, 2, 22: Sidewall section, 3, 23: Tread section, 4: Carcass, 5: Belt, 6: Communication device, 6a: IC chip, 6b: Antenna, 60: Communication device laminate, 61: Coating rubber layer, 61a: One-sided coating rubber layer, 61b: Other-sided coating rubber layer, 62: Reinforcement rubber layer, 70: Recess, 71: Vent hole, 8, 28: Tire side section, 30: Tire vulcanization device, 31: Mold, 32: Lower mold, 33: Upper mold, 321, 331: Tread section molding surface, 322, 332: Lug groove forming frame, 323, 333: Tire side section molding surface, 34: Shaping unit, 35: One-sided support, 36: Other-sided support, 80: Bladder, CD: Tire circumferential direction, CL: Tire equatorial plane, LD: Long side direction (longitudinal direction), O: Tire rotation axis, RD: Tire radial direction, SD: Short side direction (short side direction), TD: Thickness direction, VS: Vulcanization space, WD: Tire width direction

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a tire, comprising a tire body and a communication device embedded on the outer surface side of the carcass that forms the skeleton of the tire body, wherein the communication device is positioned radially outward of the carcass of a green tire, the green tire is placed in a mold, and vulcanization molding is performed with the minimum distance between the communication device and the vent holes in the mold being greater than 0 mm.

2. The method for manufacturing a tire according to claim 1, wherein the minimum spacing is 2 mm or more.

3. The method for manufacturing a tire according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the minimum spacing is 5 mm or more.

4. The method for manufacturing a tire according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the communication device comprises an IC chip and an antenna extending from the IC chip, and a covering rubber layer covering at least the outer surface side of the tire of the IC chip and the antenna.

5. The method for manufacturing a tire according to claim 4, wherein the communication device has a reinforcing rubber layer that covers the outer surface side of the tire of the covering rubber layer.

6. The method for manufacturing a tire according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the tire has a nominal rim diameter of 20 inches or more.

7. A tire comprising a tire body and a communication device embedded radially outward of the carcass that forms the skeleton of the tire body, wherein there are no spews or spew marks in the portion of the tire width that corresponds to an area at least 5 mm away from the communication device in the tire radial direction.

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