Tire Injection Mixing Control System for Ratio Stability

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing systems for mixing flatproofing materials for tires face challenges in maintaining a consistent ratio of ground rubber to virgin rubber due to wear and tear, back pressures, and material inconsistencies, leading to potential weakening of the final product and equipment damage, with manual adjustments being inadequate for handling pump or injector failures.

Innovation Solution

An automatic control system that measures the ratio of ground cured polyurethane core bits to virgin polyurethane after each tire is filled and adjusts the relative percentages by a fraction of the difference from a pre-stored preferred ratio, using the auger speed to maintain the ratio within a desired band, thereby preventing overshooting and ensuring consistent product quality.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If manual adjustment of injector auger speed is used to control mixture ratio, then operator can make adjustments, but system cannot automatically correct ratio deviations caused by pump or injector failures

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemixture ratio consistencyVSAvoidautomatic control capability
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSExtent of automation

Solution Approach 1:

The system continuously measures the actual mixture ratio and compares it to the desired ratio, then automatically adjusts the injector auger speed to correct deviations. This closed-loop feedback mechanism ensures consistent mixture ratio even when equipment performance drifts over time or experiences partial failures.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The control system automatically detects and corrects mixture ratio deviations without requiring operator intervention. The system monitors its own performance and self-adjusts the injector auger speed to maintain proper mixture ratios, enabling preventative maintenance before system failure occurs.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

2Quantity of substance

If high percentage of ground rubber is used in mixture to decrease costs and increase recycling, then recycling rate increases, but final product strength decreases and equipment wear increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveground rubber percentageVSAvoidfinal product strength
Core Design Contradiction:
Quantity of substanceVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically adjusts the injector auger speed parameter to maintain the optimal ground rubber percentage in the mixture. By continuously monitoring and adjusting this parameter, the system ensures the mixture maintains proper strength characteristics while maximizing the use of recycled ground rubber material.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Speed

If aggressive adjustments are made to correct ratio deviations, then ratio returns to target faster, but system overshoots and continuously readjusts

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveadjustment speedVSAvoidmixture ratio stability
Core Design Contradiction:
SpeedVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The control system applies partial adjustments rather than full corrections to mixture ratio deviations. By adjusting the injector auger speed by a fraction of the required correction amount, the system avoids overshooting the target ratio and eliminates continuous oscillations, achieving stable convergence to the desired mixture ratio.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Data Source

PatentEP3972799B1Control system for tire injection filling mixing machine
Publication Date: 2023.06.07 CARLISLE CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS LLC
  • EP3972799B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3972799B1 patent drawingFigure 2A
  • EP3972799B1 patent drawingFigure 2B

AI summary

A method of controlling operation of a tire filling mixing machine, by: (a) mixing a rubber/polyurethane and a catalyst in a first mixer to form a virgin polyurethane; (b) grinding cured polyurethane core bits in a grinder; (c) mixing the virgin material and the ground material in a second mixer thereby forming a mixed flatproofing material; (d) injecting the mixed flatproofing material into a tire; (e) measuring the ratio of ground material to virgin material in the mixed flatproofing material; (f) comparing the measured ratio of ground material to virgin material to a pre-stored preferred ratio of ground material to virgin material; and (g) increasing or decreasing the relative percentages of virgin material and ground material entering the second mixer by an amount that is a fraction of the difference between the measured ratio and the pre-stored preferred ratio.