Tire Building Drum Shaft Alignment via Mechanical Drive

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing tire building machines face issues with tilting and increased wear due to flexible constructions and pneumatic drives, leading to inaccuracies and quality deterioration in tire carcass production, along with complex alignment requirements.

Innovation Solution

An axially displaceable displacement sleeve surrounds the central shaft, with a ball screw mechanism for precise axial movement, and a cone mechanism for radial expansion of the bellows carrier, minimizing play and allowing repeatable accuracy and efficient production.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If pneumatic drives are used for bellows support displacement and expansion, then the structure can be simplified and operation is easier, but defined intermediate positions cannot be reached and positioning precision deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveease of operationVSAvoidpositioning precision
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces pneumatic drives with a mechanical drive system consisting of a drive shaft, drive gears, and pinions. This mechanical substitution enables precise positioning at defined intermediate positions while maintaining ease of operation through the gear mechanism's inherent ability to hold positions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces a mechanical transmission system with gears and pinions as an intermediary between the drive shaft and the bellows supports. This intermediary mechanism translates rotational motion into precise linear displacement, enabling accurate positioning at intermediate positions while keeping the overall system easy to operate.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Device complexity

If individual push rods are used to transmit forces for displacement and expansion, then the structure can be simpler, but jamming occurs and wear increases due to flexibility of the surrounding structure

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedevice complexityVSAvoidreliability
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges multiple individual push rods into a single, integrated force transmission system. The drive shaft connects all bellows supports through a unified mechanical structure, eliminating the flexibility and jamming issues of individual push rods while maintaining relatively simple device complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent segments the force transmission into modular components (drive shaft, drive gears, pinions for each bellows support) that work together as a coordinated system. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for reliability while maintaining overall system simplicity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

3Ease of manufacture

If the bellows support drives have too much play, then the structure can be more flexible and easier to manufacture, but inaccuracies in the tire building process occur and quality deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveease of manufactureVSAvoidmanufacturing precision
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces play-prone pneumatic or individual push rod systems with a rigid mechanical gear system. The meshing gears and pinions provide inherent mechanical precision with minimal play, achieving high manufacturing precision while remaining manufacturable through standard gear fabrication processes.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

4Device complexity

If a common machine shaft is used for the tire building drum and bellows supports, then the structure can be simpler, but shaft deflection occurs and complex alignment is required

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedevice complexityVSAvoidalignment complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the bellows support drive system from the common machine shaft and creates a separate, independent drive system. This separation eliminates shaft deflection issues and complex alignment requirements while maintaining relatively simple device complexity through modular design.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The solution achieves high precision and quality in tire carcass production, reduces waste, and simplifies shaft alignment, enabling cost-efficient and accurate tire building with minimized rejection of non-specification tire casings.

Implementation Method 1

a ball screw mechanism for precise axial movement

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectBall screw mechanism: Screw

Implementation Method 2

a cone mechanism for radial expansion of the bellows carrier

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectCone mechanism: Wedge

Data Source

PatentEP4488043A1Device for building a carcass for a vehicle tyre
Publication Date: 2025.01.08 CONTINENTAL REIFEN DEUTSCHLAND GMBH
  • EP4488043A1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP4488043A1 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP4488043A1 patent drawing

AI summary

The invention relates to a device (10) for constructing a tire carcass, comprising: i) a first base body (12), ii) a rotatably mounted central shaft (14), iii) a tire construction drum (16) arranged on the central shaft, and iv) a first sliding sleeve (18) with a first bellows carrier (20) that is reversibly and non-destructively displaceable along the central shaft direction Z, wherein the first bellows carrier (20) is designed to be reversibly and non-destructively expandable along the radial direction, wherein the first sliding sleeve (18) is mounted in a first slide (24) connected to the first base body (12) via a first positioning device (22) and reversibly and non-destructively displaceable along the central shaft direction Z, wherein the first slide (24) is connected via a second positioning device (26) to a second slide (28) that is reversibly and non-destructively displaceable along the central shaft direction Z.wherein the device (10) is configured such that the first bellows carrier (20) can be expanded in a radial direction as a result of a displacement of the second slide (28) relative to the first slide (24).