DEVICE AND METHOD FOR HANDLING TYRES AND TYRE CURING PRESS

Abstract

A device and a method for handling tires, as well as a tire curing press including a device of this type. The device for handling tires includes a fork which can be moved under a vulcanized tire in a tire curing press, such that the tire can be taken up by the fork and unloaded from the vulcanization chamber of the tire curing press.

Claims

1-15. (canceled)

16. A device for handling tires, comprising: a vertical column; a vertical guide; a vertical drive; a pivoting drive; and a fork that is displaceable in a vertical direction on the vertical guide by the vertical drive and is pivotable in a horizontal direction by the pivoting drive.

17. The device for handling tires according claim 16, wherein the fork has a holder that is displaceably mounted in the vertical direction on the vertical guide.

18. The device for handling tires according claim 17, wherein the holder of the fork is additionally mounted pivotably in the horizontal direction on the vertical guide.

19. The device for handling tires according claim 16, wherein a support for a tire is provided on an upper side of the fork.

20. The device for handling tires according claim 19, wherein the support is configured to be divided in two, with a free central region and an open side.

21. The device for handling tires according claim 20, wherein the fork has two arms that laterally enclose the free central region with the exception of the open side.

22. A tire curing press, comprising: at least one vulcanizing chamber; a base plate that downwardly bounds the vulcanizing chair; a central mechanism assigned to the vulcanizing chamber and operative to raise a vulcanized tire from the base plate; and a device for handling tires according to claim 16.

23. The tire curing press according to claim 22, wherein the device for handling tires is configured to unload tires from the vulcanizing chamber.

24. The tire curing press according to claim 23, further comprising a roller table arranged to convey away the tires unloaded from the vulcanizing chamber.

25. The tire curing press according to claim 24, wherein the roller table slopes away in a downwardly descending manner from the tire curing press in the transporting direction of the tires.

26. The tire curing press according to claim 25, wherein the roller table is sloped so that a tire set down on the roller table rolls on the roller table as a result of the gravitational force acting on the tire.

27. The tire curing press according to claim 24, wherein the roller table has a setting-down region for setting down a tire, the setting-down region having a clearance in the roller table so that the fork of the device for handling tires is movable through the roller table in the vertical direction.

28. The tire curing press according to claim 24, further comprising an arresting device to keep the tire set down on the roller table in a waiting position.

29. A method for handling tires, comprising the steps of: moving a fork of a device for handling tires in a vertical direction into a pivoting-in position; pivoting in the fork under a tire located in an open vulcanizing chamber of a tire curing press; moving the fork upward into a pivoting-out position, the tire being taken up on a support of the fork; pivoting the fork with the tire lying on the fork out of the vulcanizing chamber of the tire curing press; and moving the fork downward into a setting-down position and setting down the tire.

30. The method for handling tires according to claim 29, wherein the device for handling tires comprises a vertical column, a vertical guide, a vertical drive, a pivoting drive and the fork that is displaceable in the vertical direction on the vertical guide by the vertical drive and is pivotable in a horizontal direction by the pivoting drive.

Description

[0084] In the figures described in the text which follows, exemplary embodiments of the invention are represented. In the figures:

[0085] FIG. 1: shows a perspective view of an embodiment according to the invention of a device for handling tires,

[0086] FIG. 2: shows a perspective view of a detail of a tire curing press according to the invention, having a device for handling tires according to the invention and a roller table,

[0087] FIGS. 3-11: show perspective views of a larger detail of the tire curing press represented in FIG. 2 in various operating states, in the implementation of a method for handling tires according to the invention,

[0088] FIG. 12: shows the tire curing press represented in FIGS. 2 to 11 in a plan view,

[0089] FIG. 13: shows a view of a detail of the plan view represented in FIG. 12, with the fork pivoted into the vulcanizing chamber and

[0090] FIG. 14: shows a representation in the manner of a detail of a section through a tire curing press according to the invention, with an open vulcanizing chamber.

[0091] In FIG. 1, an embodiment according to the invention of a device for handling tires (1) is represented in a perspective view. The device for handling tires (1) has a fork (2), the upper side of which at least in certain regions forms a support (3), on which a tire (40) can be taken up. The fork (2) is formed by a first arm (4a) and a second arm (4b), the fork (2) having an open side (5) and a free central region (6) between the arms (4). The fork (2) is movably mounted on a vertical guide (9) with the aid of a holder (7), which is connected to the arms (4) by a connecting device (8) realized in the embodiment shown by two struts. The vertical guide (9) is connected in a fixed manner to a vertical column (10), which carries the device for handling tires (1) and absorbs and dissipates the forces occurring during operation.

[0092] The fork (2) is movable in the vertical direction along the vertical guide (9) with the aid of a vertical drive (11).

[0093] In the embodiment represented of the invention, the arms (4) and the connecting device (8) of the fork (2) are designed as steel tubes with a rectangular cross section, which are welded to one another.

[0094] FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of a detail of a tire curing press (20) according to the invention, having a device for handling tires (1) according to the invention and a roller table (30), on which a tire (40) rests.

[0095] Various components of the tire curing press (20) that are not of direct importance for the present invention have been omitted to simplify the representations, even if they are absolutely necessary for the actual operation of the tire curing press (40).

[0096] It can also be seen in this view that the device for handling tires (1) has a pivoting drive (12), with which the fork (2) is pivotable in the horizontal direction about a vertical axis running through the vertical guide (9). For this purpose, the holder (7) of the fork (2) is rotatably mounted on the vertical guide (9), while the pivoting drive (12) is rigidly connected to the vertical guide (9) in the horizontal direction on a bearing device which is designed in the manner of a yoke and reaches around the holder (7) of the fork (2) and on which the drive is only movable together with the fork (2) in the vertical direction on the vertical guide (9). This is realized for example by a blocking device, which supports the yoke-like bearing device against the vertical column (10).

[0097] In FIG. 2, the fork (2) has been pivoted into the vulcanizing chamber (22) of the tire curing press (20). A further vulcanizing chamber (22) of the tire curing press (20) can be seen in the background, since it is a double curing press.

[0098] Through the free central region (6) of the fork (2), the extended central mechanism (24) of the vulcanizing chamber (22) extends in the vertical direction out of the base plate (23) of the vulcanizing chamber (22).

[0099] Furthermore, the tire curing press (20) has a roller table (30), on which vulcanized tires (40) can be set down.

[0100] In FIGS. 3 to 11, perspective views of a larger detail of the tire curing press (20) that is represented in FIG. 2 are represented in various operating states in the implementation of a method for handling tires (40) according to the invention.

[0101] In FIG. 3, the vulcanizing chamber (22) of the tire curing press (20) has already been opened. The fork (2) of the device for handling tires (1) has been moved in the vertical direction into the pivoting-in position. The vulcanized tire (40) lies on the base plate (23) of the vulcanizing chamber (22). Under the base plate (23), the framework (21) of the tire curing press (20) can be seen. Inside the tire (40), the bladder (not represented) expands and clamps the tire (40) from the inside.

[0102] The fork (2) is located above the setting-down region (33) of the roller table (30). On the roller table, a vulcanized tire (40) already unloaded from the vulcanizing chamber (22) is in a waiting position (38), the tire (40) being kept in the waiting position (38) with the aid of an arresting device (35). Altogether, the roller table (30) represented has two waiting positions (38), each equipped with an arresting device (35).

[0103] In FIG. 4, the tire (40) that is in the vulcanizing chamber (22) has been broken out of the mold (not represented) and moved upward with the aid of the central mechanism (24). The mold segments (not represented) are retracted.

[0104] The arresting devices (35) each have two arresting elements (36), which are realized as rods protruding out of the rolling plane of the roller table (30). The arresting elements (36) can be extended out of the rolling plane of the roller table (30) by an arresting drive (37) for each arresting device (35) (arrested state) or can be retracted under the rolling plane (open state).

[0105] In FIG. 5, the fork (2) has been pivoted in with the aid of the pivoting drive (12) into the vulcanizing chamber (22) of the tire curing press (20). The pivoting in takes place in this case below the lower clamping plate (not represented) of the central mechanism (24) of the vulcanizing chamber (32), so that the fork (2) is located between the base plate (23) and the tire (40).

[0106] In FIG. 6, the bladder (not represented) is extended by moving of the lower clamping plate (not represented) downward into the lower position in the region of the base plate (23) and of the upper clamping plate (not represented) upward, which is arranged at the upper end (26) of the central mechanism (24) that is then projecting up out of the tire (40). As a result, the tire (40) is no longer fixed in a clamping manner from the inside by the bladder and is movable in the vertical direction.

[0107] In FIG. 7, the fork (2) has been moved upward with the aid of the vertical drive (11) into the pivoting-out position, in which the highest point of the extended central mechanism (24) lies under the fork (22). During the upward moving of the fork (2), the tire (40) was taken up on the support (3) of the fork (2) and now rests on it.

[0108] In FIG. 8, the fork (2) with the resting tire (40) has been pivoted out of the vulcanizing chamber (22) of the tire curing press (20) with the aid of the pivoting drive (12). Since the vulcanizing chamber (22) is then free, it can be loaded again with a green tire.

[0109] In FIG. 9, the fork (2) of the device for handling tires (1) has already been moved downward with the aid of the vertical drive (11), but has still not yet reached the setting-down position. The fork (2) goes straight into the clearance (34) realized in the setting-down region (33) of the roller table (30) and the tire (40) still rests on the support (3) of the fork (2).

[0110] In FIG. 10, the fork (2) has been moved with the aid of the vertical drive (11) into the setting-down position under the roller table (30). The tire (40) is larger than the fork (2) or has a different contour, so that it does not pass through the roller table (30) with the fork (2), but is set down on it in the setting-down region (33).

[0111] In FIG. 11, the tire (40) previously set down in the setting-down region (33) has been rolled into a waiting position (38) on the roller table (30), which descends away from the vulcanizing chamber (22) of the tire curing press (20).

[0112] FIG. 12 shows in a plan view the tire curing press (20) represented in FIGS. 2 to 11 according to the operating state shown in FIG. 11.

[0113] On the roller table (30), formed by a multiplicity of rollers (33) arranged next to one another, two tires (40) respectively lie in a waiting position (38), in which the tires (40) are kept with the aid of the arresting elements (36) of the respectively assigned arresting device (35).

[0114] In the setting-down region (33) of the roller table (30), the clearance (34) can be seen, corresponding to the shape of the fork (2) and realized by the arrangement of roller segments (32) and corresponding distances in the direction of the axis of rotation of the roller segments (32).

[0115] In FIG. 13, a view of a detail of the plan view that is represented in FIG. 12 is shown, with a fork (2) of the device for handling tires (1) pivoted into the vulcanizing chamber (22) of the tire curing press (20).

[0116] It can be seen well that the open side (5) and the free central region (6) of the fork (2) are required to reach around the central mechanism (24) in the pivoted-in position and at the same time to ensure dependable take-up of a tire (40), not represented here, on the support (3) formed with the aid of the fork (2).

[0117] FIG. 14 shows a representation in the form of a detail of a section through an embodiment of a tire curing press (20) according to the invention with an open vulcanizing chamber (22). The tire (40) rests on the fork (2) of the device for handling tires (1), the fork (2) already having been moved into the pivoting-out position. In this case, the underside of the fork (2) is located above the upper end of the central mechanism (24) in the region of the upper clamping plate (26), so that the central mechanism (24) does not lie in the pivoting path of the fork (2) during the pivoting out.

[0118] Also visible in this representation is the bladder (27), which has been extended by the upward moving of the upper clamping plate (26) and the downward moving of the lower clamping plate (25).

[0119] Arranged on the base plate (23) of the tire curing press (20) is the lower mold part (28) of the mold, from which the tire (40) was broken out after the vulcanization.