An apparatus for checking tyres is described. The apparatus has a first check unit having an inlet for tyres and a plurality of check tools. The apparatus also has a second check unit having an outlet for the tyres and a plurality of check tools. The apparatus further has an overturning and transport device operatively interposed between the first check unit and the second check unit. The first check unit, the second check unit and the overturning and transport device define a check path configured to be traversed by each tyre step by step. The first check unit and the second check unit have the same check tools configured for executing the same checks on respective axial halves of the tyres.

An apparatus and a method to control manufacturing and feeding of semifinished products in a tyre building process, includes detecting at least one first image representative of a semifinished product; dividing the at least one first image into a plurality of first sub-parts, wherein each one of first sub-parts is composed of a plurality of first portions, each one associated with a respective brightness value; defining a first threshold for the brightness values; making a first comparison between the brightness values of the first portions and the first threshold; as a function of the first comparison, determining for each one of the first sub-parts a first operative parameter representative of a total area occupied in each first sub-part by the first portions associated with a brightness value smaller or greater than the first threshold; making a second comparison between each one of the first operative parameters and a second threshold; and causing the generation of a first notification signal as a function of said second comparison.

In a tire uniformity testing apparatus which measures uniformity of a tire by measuring a load applied to the tire pressed against a rotary drum, a load estimation model is generated which is used to control a pressing position of the rotary drum, and generates a load estimation model indicating a relation between the pressing position of the tire with respect to the rotary drum and the load applied to the tire. The load estimation model is generated by: holding the tire in which uniformity has already been measured for each characteristic value; acquiring a nominal model depending on the characteristic value of the tire; and generating based on the acquired nominal model.

A tire distortion detection method includes a first step of forming a metallic portion to be detected in a plurality of locations of at least one of tire components, a second step of detecting the portion to be detected in any two states including before and after a manufacturing process for obtaining a product tire from a plurality of tire components including the above tire components, and a third step of comparing positions of the respective portions to be detected in the two states obtained in the second step.

A tire load application device includes a support base having a support surface against which part of a tread surface of a tire abuts, a support member configured to support an inner circumferential side of the tire and protrude toward both end sides in a tire axial center direction, and a longitudinal load application mechanism configured to apply a load to both end portions of the support member and press the tire toward the support surface.

An inspection method according to an embodiment includes a step of constructing a template by imaging a symbol based on design data, a stop of detecting a symbol group including a plurality of templates, a step of template matching that searches for a symbol set part having the same shape as the symbol groin in a measured image, makes the positions and the sizes of the symbol group and the symbol set part having been searched for identical, and superimposes all symbols in the design data on all symbols in the measured image, a step of contour matching that compares the contours of the superimposed symbols in the design data with the contours of the symbols in the measured image, and a step of deciding whether the symbols corresponding to each other in the measured image and the design data match based on the template matching and the contour matching.

An apparatus and a method for checking tires is described. The apparatus has a first check unit having an inlet for tires and a plurality of check tools. The apparatus has a second check unit having an outlet for the tires and a plurality of check tools. The apparatus has an overturning and transport device operatively interposed between the first check unit and the second check unit. The first check unit, the second check unit and the overturning and transport device define a check path configured to be traversed by each tire step by step. The first check unit and the second check unit have the same check tools configured for executing the same checks on respective axial halves of the tires.

A plant (2) for building tyres comprises a system for managing initial components (3); a system for managing the manufacturing of semi-finished products (4) starting from one or more initial components; a system for managing the building of a green tyre (5) starting from one or more semi-finished products; a system for managing the curing of said green tyre (6). The logical set of a control unit (8) for the plant (2) and/or of one or more from among control units (8a-8e) for the management systems (3-6) and/or of a automatic visual control system (7) is programmed for controlling at least two parameters, assigning to each of these a quality index (I), discarding a tyre being processed when a quality index (I) corresponding to said discard level (5) is assigned to at least one of said parameters and feedbacking the control result of at least one parameter in order to verify the quality index (I) of the parameters.

To reliably and efficiently make foreign matters adhered onto a green tire formed by a strip winding method. It comprises a raw data acquiring step Sa in which raw three-dimensional data D0 about an examination surface 3 are created through rotation of a green tire T and through irradiation with sensor light 2L in an X direction by a two-dimensional displacement sensor 2; an averaging processing step Sb in which processed three-dimensional data D1 are obtained by averaging processing the raw three-dimensional data D0; and an imaging step Sc in which the distance data z in the processed three-dimensional data D1 are each binarized, and an image is created from the binarized processed three-dimensional data D2. The widths Wx and Wy of a range K of the averaging process are set to be greater than a spiral pitch P of a rubber strip G and less than a width Gw of the rubber strip G.

Method for checking the formation of beads of tyres including: arranging a carcass sleeve with formed beads with the carcass sleeve in rotation, acquiring at least an image of a circumferential portion of external surface including the respective edges of the end flaps turned up; processing the image in order to determine a circumferential trend of the axial distance of each edge from an axial reference plane; and detecting possible defects of the beads as a function of such trend.