Method for making a vehicle tire

Abstract

A method for making a vehicle tire in which a tire carcass is expanded radially on a shaping drum, wherein the sidewalls arranged on the tire carcass are turned up by inflatable shaping bladders. This involves moving two pusher bells, which are arranged to the sides of the tire carcass, in the direction of the center of the blank, wherein the pusher bells are respectively mounted on a movable first and second carriage and are respectively moved in the axial direction by a first and second drive by way of a coupling, wherein the pusher bells are pressed laterally against the shaping bladders. When disequilibrium of forces on the two sides of the shaping bladders is set, the pressing positions of the two pusher bells are balanced, the two drives being arranged on a freely mounted third carriage.

Claims

1. A method for making a vehicle tire having a tire carcass having an outer side, side walls arranged on the tire carcass, tire beads having cores, a tire belt and a tread, the method comprising the steps of: a) finishing a tire carcass on a carcass drum; b) moving and positioning the tire carcass on a shaping drum; c) performing a shaping process wherein the tire carcass is expanded; d) turning up the side walls arranged on the tire carcass via inflatable shaping bladders; e) laterally moving a first and a second pusher bell arranged laterally with respect to the tire carcass in the direction of a tire blank center, the first pusher bell being mounted on a first movable carriage and configured to be driven by a first drive, the second pusher bell being mounted on a second movable carriage and configured to be driven by a second drive, the first and second pusher bells being coupled to the first and second drives, respectively, and the first and second pusher bells thereby are configured to be movable; f) laterally pressing the first and second pusher bells against the shaping bladders, the shaping bladders being deformed and the turned up sidewalls being pressed against the outer sides of the shaped tire carcass, thereby creating a force imbalance on both sides of the shaping bladders; g) balancing the force imbalance by balancing the pressing positions of the first and second pusher bells, the first and second drives of the pusher bells being arranged on a mounted third carriage that is freely movable, the first, second and third carriages being arranged on a rail system such that they are freely moved together laterally, as a result of which the force imbalance is balanced and the sidewalls on both sides of the tire carcass are connected uniformly to the outer side of the tire carcass; and, h) finishing the vehicle tire.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein during the balancing of the force imbalance in step g), the mutual spacing of the pusher bells from one another in an axial direction is substantially maintained.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first drive for the first pusher bell is coupled to the first pusher bell via a first drive spindle and the second drive for the second pusher bell is coupled to the second pusher bell via a second drive spindle, and, in step e) said first pusher bell is moved in an axial direction via a rotation of the first drive spindle and the second pusher bell is moved in the axial direction via a rotation of the second drive spindle.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the rail system has two guide rails and the first, second and third carriages are arranged in an axial direction on the guide rails in a floating mounting.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a balancing device is arranged on the third carriage, and, in step g) a displacement movement of a center offset of the first and the second pusher bells in relation to the tire blank center is regulated via the balancing device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the balancing device is a ball screw drive.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the ball screw drive is coupled to the third carriage via a coaxially arranged thread.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein in step g), a counteracting counterforce is applied to the third carriage via a servomotor if a limit value for a center offset of the two pusher bells is exceeded.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein in step g), the limit value for the center offset lies in a range from 2 to 10 millimeters.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein in step g), a distance measurement of the center offset of the first and second pusher bells takes place via a sensor arranged in the servomotor.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second pusher bells define a first spacing between each other, the first pusher bell defines a second spacing to the tire blank center and the third pusher bell defines a third spacing to the blank center; and, in step g), the first, second and third spacings are each at least one of measured, monitored, and regulated.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The invention will now be described with reference to the drawings wherein:

(2) FIGS. 1 to 3 show one exemplary embodiment of the method.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

(3) FIG. 1 shows the shaping station with the shaping drum and the left-hand and right-hand shaping head 9 and 10 in a sectional view. The tire carcass 8 is shown in a shaped state and is held by way of the shaping heads 9 and 10. The left-hand and right-hand sidewall 11 and 12 in each case lie on a left-hand and a right-hand shaping bladder 5 and 6, the shaping bladders being shown in the non-inflated state. It is likewise conceivable that another insert end lies over the sidewalls 11 and 12, which insert end is likewise to be turned up with the sidewalls. A left-hand pusher bell 1 and a right-hand pusher bell 2 are arranged in each case in a waiting position on both sides of the tire carcass 8. The shaping drum is driven, in particular, by way of the drum shaft 7 which rotates about the center axis 16 of the drum shaft. The pusher bells 1 and 2 are arranged in each case on a movable carriage 3 and 4. The carriages are held via the rail system 23 with an upper guide rail 24 and a lower guide rail 25. The two carriages 3 and 4 are moved toward one another in the axial direction 20, in order to assist the turning up of the sidewalls as a result. The second carriage 3 is driven by way of the drive 13 via the drive spindle 21. The drive spindle 21 is held on the opposite side by way of a bearing 26. Upon rotation of the drive spindle 21, the carriage 3 moves in the axial direction 20 to the left or to the right. Upon a rotational movement of the drive spindle 22, the carriage 4 likewise moves in the axial direction 20 to the left or right. The drive spindle 22 is guided through the carriage 3 and is mounted at two positions via the bearing 26. The drive spindle 22 is driven by the servomotor 14. The servomotors 13 and 14 are mounted with the drive spindles 21 and 22 on a third carriage 17. The third carriage 17 is in turn arranged movably on the rail system 23 such that it can be moved in the axial direction. In this way, all three carriages 17, 3 and 4 are arranged such that they can be moved together to the blank center 15. As a result, floating mounting of the two pusher bells 1 and 2 in relation to the blank center 15 is realized. The servomotor 18 is arranged on the third carriage 17 and has the function of a balancing means in the case of overmodulation of the center offset of the left-hand or right-hand pusher bell 1 and 2.

(4) FIG. 2 shows the method step in which the sidewalls 11 and 12 are turned up on the tire carcass 8 by way of the inflated shaping bladders 5 and 6. During this procedure, the two pusher bells 1 and 2 are moved in the axial direction to the blank center 15, with the result that the pusher bells press against the inflated shaping bladders and, as a result, the upper ends of the sidewalls are likewise pressed against the tire carcass 8. The figure shows a state in which a force imbalance has been produced on account of a different quality of the bladders. The left-hand side shaping bladder 5 can be compressed more than the right-hand shaping bladder 6. A center offset of the two pusher bells 1 and 2 in relation to the original blank center 15 takes place on account of the force imbalance. As a result of the balancing of the center offset, the line of symmetry of the pusher bells 27 after the center offset migrates to the left in the axial direction 20. During this procedure, the spacing in the axial direction between the two pusher bells 1 and 2 is substantially maintained. The center offset of the two pusher bells 1 and 2 takes place by way of the floating mounting of the three carriages which are arranged on the rail system 23. During the center offset, all three carriages 17, 3 and 4 move in the same direction, the spacing from one another being maintained. All three carriages are coupled to one another in terms of their movement by way of the rail system 23 and by way of the drive spindles 21 and 22.

(5) The center offset can be regulated by way of the servomotor 18 in the case of overmodulation. FIG. 2 substantially shows the state in which the force balance is established again. The two pushers 1 and 2 are positioned asymmetrically with respect to the blank center 15, and the shaping bladders rise up to different extents around the tire blank which is shown. In the normal case, this type of balancing can be used in an optimum manner in order for it to be possible to turn up the sidewalls uniformly on both sides. If, however, the force difference on both sides is too great, it can occur that the sidewall 12 on the side with the greater contact pressure is not turned up completely or the case can occur, however, that the pusher bell 1 on the side with the weaker pressure is pressed against the carcass 8. In order to counteract a state of this type, a servomotor 18 is arranged on the third carriage as balancing means.

(6) FIG. 3 shows the servomotor 18 with the ball screw drive 19. A counterforce can be applied to the third carriage 17 by way of the ball screw drive 19. Overmodulation of the center offset can be counteracted by way of the counterforce. A thread 29 which is connected to the third carriage 17 is arranged coaxially with respect to the ball screw drive 19. The third carriage 17 is arranged on the upper rail 24 such that it can be moved freely.

(7) It is understood that the foregoing description is that of the preferred embodiments of the invention and that various changes and modifications may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

REFERENCE NUMERALS

(8) (Part of the Description)

(9) 1 Left-hand pusher bell 2 Right-hand pusher bell 3 Second carriage 4 First carriage 5 Left-hand shaping bladder for sidewall and/or carcass insert end 6 Right-hand shaping bladder for sidewall and/or carcass insert end 7 Shaft for shaping drum 8 Shaped tire carcass 9 Left-hand shaping head 10 Right-hand shaping head 11 Left-hand sidewall 12 Right-hand sidewall 13 Drive for second carriage 14 Drive for first carriage 15 Blank center in the starting position 16 Center axis of the drum shaft 17 Third carriage 18 Servomotor for the third carriage 19 Ball screw drive 20 Axial direction 21 Second drive spindle for second carriage 22 First drive spindle for first carriage 23 Rail system 24 Upper guide rail 25 Lower guide rail 26 Bearings for drive spindles 27 Original line of symmetry of the pusher bells 28 Line of symmetry of the pusher bells after center offset 29 Thread