Tyre Building Drum with External Pull/Push Rod Drive

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing tyre building drums are bulky, complex, and difficult to maintain due to the use of coaxial spindles and connectable couplings, which are expensive and prone to repair issues.

Innovation Solution

A tyre building drum design featuring pull/push rods movable within the drum shaft, coupled to an external drive mechanism, eliminating the need for spindles within the drum shaft, allowing for a more compact and maintenance-friendly design with low play transmission and easy access to the drive mechanism.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If coaxial spindles and connectable couplings are used to drive drum halves and folding arms, then synchronous movement can be achieved, but the device becomes bulky, complex, and difficult to maintain

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesynchronous movementVSAvoidstructure complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the drive mechanism from the hollow drum shaft and places it externally. Pull/push rods extend axially from the external drive mechanism through the drum shaft to connect to drum halves and folding arms, eliminating the need for complex coaxial spindle arrangements inside the drum shaft while maintaining synchronous movement capability

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The drive system is segmented into independent pull/push rods for different functions (folding arm actuation, drum half movement). Each rod can be independently controlled and maintained, reducing overall system complexity while achieving coordinated synchronous movement through centralized external control

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Ease of operation

If coaxial spindles are placed in the hollow drum shaft, then driving of drum components is enabled, but the drum shaft becomes relatively long and bulky

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedriving capabilityVSAvoiddrum shaft length
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSLength of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The drive mechanism is extracted from the interior of the drum shaft and positioned externally. Pull/push rods transmit force axially through the drum shaft without requiring the drum shaft to house complex rotating spindle mechanisms, thereby reducing the drum shaft's length and bulk

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Ease of manufacture

If connectable coupling is used to couple spindles, then assembly flexibility is improved, but repair difficulty and cost increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveassembly flexibilityVSAvoidrepair difficulty
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSEase of repair

Solution Approach 1:

The external drive mechanism design allows for easy access and self-service maintenance. Pull/push rods and their connections can be independently inspected, adjusted, or replaced without disassembling complex internal spindle couplings, enabling faster and less costly repairs while maintaining assembly flexibility

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentEP2464508B1Tyre building drum for building an unvulcanised tyre
Publication Date: 2014.01.01 VMI HOLLAND BV
  • EP2464508B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2464508B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2464508B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Tyre building drum comprising a main housing (24) having a drum shaft (21) extending from the main housing and two first (22) and second drum (23) halves arranged at least almost substantially symmetrical with respect to the centre of the tyre building drum and around the drum shaft, which drum halves can be moved in axial direction along the drum shaft. Each drum half comprises a folding arm (34) unit having folding arms (34) that are connected to the drum half in question in a swivelling manner and wherein the folding arm unit can be moved in axial direction along the drum shaft. In the drum shaft at least two pull/push rods (203, 205) are arranged that are movable in axial direction and extend up into the main housing and in the main housing on the one hand are coupled to a drive mechanism (30). On the other hand a first pull/push rod is coupled to the folding arm unit of the first drum half, and a second pull/push rod is coupled to the folding arm unit of the second drum half.