Title of Invention

"MACHINE FOR PRESENTING A TYRE"

Abstract

Machine for presenting a tyre having a road engaging crown linked with two beads by two lateral side-walls, the rotation axis of said tyre being positioned horizontally, the machine allowing access to the inside of said tyre, and comprising a frame (10) bearing an upright (2) on which is mounted for generally vertical translation a tyre support (3) structure for raising and rotating a tyre with its rotation axis oriented horizontally, said support (3) comprising first support means (4, 5) for supporting the tyre, second support means (6, 7) for holding and spreading the beads of the said tyre and third support means (8) arranged below the first support means to underlie the toric section (AB) of the tyre for supporting and rotating the tyre about its axis, the first, second and third support means together forming a triangulation system ensuring the grasping of the tyre prior to a raising of the tyre and a stable raising and holding of the tyre in a working position of the machine, the support structure being arranged to contact a toric section (AB) of the tyre characterized in that said toric section is located between the upright and a vertical plane containing the rotation axis.

Full Text

This triangulation system is sufficient, contrary to the priori knowledge of a person skilled in the art, to be able to grasp a tyre while guaranteeing its proper holding and its stability. Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from an exemplary embodiment of a machine according to the invention with reference to the drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a partial vertical section of a machine according to the invention in which two tyres of different sizes are shown in the rest position, Figure 2 is a partial vertical section of the machine as claimed in the invention in a working position for one of the tyres shown in the rest position, Figure 3 is a representation, in front view, of the presentation machine according to the invention, Figure 4 is a partial vertical schematic section of certain elements of the machine shown in Figure 1, Figure 5A to 5C are partial representations, in plan view, illustrating the operation of the machine, Figure 6 is a partial vertical section of the machine according to the invention for one of the tyres shown in Figure 1 in two operating positions of the said machine. Herinbelow, the axes X'X, Y'Y and Z'Z shown in the figures will be used to denote the lateral, vertical and transverse directions, respectively. According to Figure 1, the machine 1 has a frame 10 which comprises an upright 2 directly fixed to the floor of the factory or the workshop. Mounted on this upright 2 for vertical translation is a support 3 for receiving a tyre "with the axis horizontal", that is to say that the axis of rotation of the tyre arranged on the support is in a horizontal plane. This support is driven by means of a cable 20 and a control device, such as a push-button (not shown), which allows the operator to arrest the travel of the support at the height of his choice and therefore to choose the height at which the tyre will be presented in accordance with his own height and the size of the tyre. The support 3 bears first means 4, 5 for supporting the exterior surface of the tyre, second means 6, 7 for holding the tyre on the machine and spreading the beads of the said tyre, and third means 8 for supporting and rotating the said tyre about its axis. The first supporting means are formed by two rollers 4 and 5 mounted, so as to rotate freely about mutually parallel axes oriented in the lateral direction, on an end 31 of the support 3 by way of a lever 32 mounted on the said end, the axis of rotation of the tyre to be presented being itself parallel to these axes. Advantageously, the lever 32 is mounted so as to rotate freely about the axis 321, thereby in particular allowing the machine to accept tyres in a greater range of sizes. It can also be envisaged that the first supporting means are formed by a single roller, although the presence of two rollers stabilises the position of the tyre which comes into contact with the two rollers simultaneously, as clearly shown in Figures 2 and 6, and allows, as stated above, the range of tyre sizes accepted by the machine to be extended. The third supporting and rotating means comprise a motorised roller 8 with the axis parallel to the lateral direction, the exterior surface of which is covered by a sleeve 81 bearing grooves so as to drive the tyre rotationally when in contact. Other systems facilitating the rotational driving by the roller 8 can be envisaged, such as a grating for example. The motorised roller 8 is mounted on one of the ends 33 of the support 3. The ends 31 and 33 of the support 3 are shown in Figure 1, the end 31 being arranged vertically above the end 33, and therefore the rollers 4 and 5 being arranged above the roller 8, although a reversal of these two positions can also be envisaged. The second means for holding the tyre are formed by two parallel arms 6, 7 which extend in the transverse direction and the ends of which form an elbow 61,71 and bear forearms 62 and 72. The forearms 62 and 72 extend in a vertical plane, their free ends 63 and 73 bearing respectively a system of fingers 9, 9' for spreading the beads of the tyre to be presented. The arms 6 and 7 are mounted to be translatable in the lateral direction relative to the support 3 so as to come closer to or, conversely, move away from each other. This coming closer allows the tyre to be put in place and then held in position, which holding, as will be seen hereinbelow, nevertheless allows the tyre to turn about its axis of rotation. It is possible to provide advantageously a device (not shown) in the form of a rack and pinion for example, in order to ensure the synchronism and the symmetry of the translational movements of the two arms 6 and 7. The ends of the amis 6 and 7 are also translatable in the transverse direction. To that end, the movement in the transverse direction is brought about by an actuator 12 mounted on each of the arms 6, 7 and the pressure of which can be regulated by the operator. This regulation allows, as will be seen in the description of the operation of the machine, an adaptation of the machine to the size of the tyre. In order to ensure the synchronism of the arms in their transverse displacement, a connecting bar 13 connects the two arms 6 and 7 to each other, as shown in Figure 6. Each forearm 62, 72 bears, as has been stated, at its free end 63, 73 which is furthest from the support 3, a system of fingers 9, 9' for grasping the tyre and spreading the beads of the said tyre. Since the systems of fingers 9, 9' borne by each forearm 62, 72 are identical and symmetrical relative to a vertical plane parallel to the axes of the arms 6 and 7 passing through the centre of the support, only one of these systems will be described here, with reference to Figure 4. The system 9' borne by the arm 7 consists of three fingers 91', 92' and 93' mounted so as to rotate freely on their shaft, two fingers 91' and 93' of which are fixed respectively by one of their ends on the free end 73 of the forearm 72 and oriented in a substantially transverse direction, whereas the third finger 92' arranged vertically between the other two is oriented in the lateral direction and fixed by way of the ends of its shaft to the said end 73. The free ends 911', 931' of the fingers 91' and 93', respectively, are oriented towards the inside of the presentation machine 1, forming a kind of return so as to ensure the holding and the spreading of the beads of the tyre. Furthermore, the fingers 91' and 93' are oriented symmetrically relative to a horizontal plane comprising the axis of the third finger 92', and their ends 911' and 931' are slightly spread from each other relative to this plane so as to ensure proper rotation of the fingers, the direction of their respective axis of rotation then being closer to the radial direction of the zone of the beads of the tyre with which they are in contact. The third linger 92' ensures the correct positioning of the tyre at the time of the loading of the latter, through its contact with the bead, and, with the aid of the other two fingers 91', 93', the holding of the tyre in position. It should be noted that the operator may influence the pressure of the actuators in order to adjust it in accordance with the size of the tyre, and therefore adjust the force of the finger 92' on the bead of the tyre, a validation system at the same time maintaining a minimum pressure of the actuators in order to prevent a backward movement of the arms. To allow a tyre to be held with the aid of the three aforementioned means, a triangulation is produced between the said three means which consists in positioning the two amis 6 and 7 vertically between the two rollers 4 and 5 and the motorised roller 8, the two rollers moreover not being in the same vertical plane as the motorised roller 8 and the systems of fingers 9 also being in a different vertical plane from the rollers 4, 5, so that the end of the arms 62, 72, the motorised roller 8 and the two rollers 4, 5 taken together, in a projection onto a vertical plane parallel to the arms, form a triangle. Thus, a tyre is held stably by the three means together by gripping only one tyre section AB arranged substantially vertically. This tyre section AB shown in Figure 4 and delimited by the radial section planes A and B is, in fact, such that the segments A'B' and A"B", respectively, are substantially vertical. It is found therefore, surprisingly, given the weight of the tyres under consideration, that this "lateral-gripping" triangulation system is sufficient to be able to grasp and hold the tyre with complete security, including during the spreading of its beads and when it is rotating about its axis. The aforementioned features of a machine according to the invention allow a great deal of flexibility with regard to the acceptance of the tyres. In fact, such a machine will be able to receive tyres irrespective of the shape of their beads, whether they are of small sizes (passenger car, for example) or large sizes (heavy vehicles, civil engineering, etc...) and for tread widths ranging from 100 to 500 mm. In what follows, the operation of a presentation machine according to the invention will be described briefly with reference to Figures 2, 4 and 5A to 5C. 9 denotes the finger system borne by the arm 6 and 9' that borne by the arm 7. According to Figure 5A, the presentation machine 1 is at rest: the support 3 is in its position closest to the floor as can be seen in Figure 1, the arms 6 and 7 are retracted in the transverse direction Z'Z, that is to say that they are in their position closest to the support 3, the systems 9 and 9' of fingers being in their position closest to each other in the lateral direction X'X. As shown in Figure 5B, to receive a tyre P, the arms 6 and 7 are moved away from each other laterally, their movement being synchronised by the rack device, and the arms are extended transversely relative to the support 3 by actuating the actuator. The tyre P is then presented with its axis of rotation PA in a horizontal plane and more precisely here parallel to the lateral direction X'X. The tyre is advanced in the transverse direction until its tread PI is in contact with the motorised roller 8, as can be seen in Figure 1. The projection of the systems of fingers 9 and 9' is then adjusted transversely so that they are arranged laterally opposite the cylindrical space delimited by the base of the beads of the tyre P. Furthermore, the ensuring of the correct vertical positioning of the systems 9 and 9' relative to this cylindrical space is linked, during the manufacture of the machine, to the size range of the tyres which are accepted, as emphasised above. The arms 6 and 7 are firstly moved laterally closer until the fingers 91, 93 and 91', 93', respectively, enter the inside of the tyre P and then retracted transversely until the beads P5 and P6 of the tyre come into contact with the fingers 92 and 92'. This is achieved by means of a minimal pressure so that there is contact between the tyre and the upper freely rotating rollers 4 and 5, although this pressure can be adjusted by the operator in accordance with the sizes of the tyres. This arrangement allows the tyre to be held without subsequently preventing its rotation. An adjustment of the lateral spacing of the arms 6 and 7 from each other is then made in order to ensure the contact between the beads P5 and P6 and the inside of the fingers 91, 93 and 91', 93', which position is shown in Figure 5C. It is then possible to raise the support 3 bearing the tyre P to a height determined by the operator in accordance with his own height (Figure 2). Depending on the type of operation to be performed, the spreading of the beads of the tyres P5 and P6 can then be carried out by moving the arms 6 and 7 away from each other again in the lateral direction until the fingers 91 and 93 (91', 93') exert a slight traction on the edges of the tyre, allowing the desired spreading of the beads to be accomplished. This operation may also be performed during the rotation of the tyre driven by the motorised roller 8. The rotation of the tyre may be effected in either direction, thereby allowing easy inspection of the whole of the tyre simultaneously on both sides and over its entire circumference and provides the possibility of going back relative to the direction of the inspection if it is desired to have a look at something again. It is clearly apparent that this presentation machine can be used equally well for performing inspecting, buffing, repairing, semifinished product- or covering-applying operations, etc. on the inside or the outside of the tyre. WE CLAIM: 1. Machine for presenting a tyre having a road engaging crown linked with two beads by two lateral side-walls, the rotation axis of said tyre being positioned horizontally, the machine allowing access to the inside of said tyre, and comprising a frame (10) bearing an upright (2) on which is mounted for generally vertical translation a tyre support (3) structure for raising and rotating a tyre with its rotation axis oriented horizontally, said support (3) comprising first support means (4, 5) for supporting the tyre, second support means (6, 7) for holding and spreading the beads of the said tyre and third support means (8) arranged below the first support means to underlie the toric section (AB) of the tyre for supporting and rotating the tyre about its axis, the first, second and third support means together forming a triangulation system ensuring the grasping of the tyre prior to a raising of the tyre and a stable raising and holding of the tyre in a working position of the machine, the support structure being arranged to contact the toric section (AB) of the tyre; characterized in that said toric section is located between the upright and a vertical plane containing the rotation axis. 2. Machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first means for supporting the tyre comprise at least one freely rotating roller (4, 5), the third supporting means comprises a motorised roller (8), the respective axes of these freely rotating rollers (4, 5) and motorized roller (8) being mutually parallel and situated in horizontal planes, and the second means comprise arms (6, 7) with axes perpendicular to those of the rollers (4, 5, 8), wherein a projection of the free ends (62, 72) of the arms (6, 7), of the centre of the motorised roller (8) and of the centre of the free roller (4, 5) onto a vertical plane perpendicular to the axis of the rollers (4, 5, 8) forms a triangle. 3. Machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second means comprise arms (6, 7) with axes perpendicular to the upright (2) of the frame (10), the arms being laterally translatable and each free end (62, 72) of which is displaceable transversely relative to the said frame. 4. Machine as claimed in claim 3, wherein the two arms (6, 7) are synchronised so as to come closer to or move away from each other simultaneously and symmetrically during lateral translation and during transverse movement. 5. Machine as claimed in claim 2, wherein the arms (6, 7) possess respectively a free end (62, 72) bearing a system (9) with three fingers (91, 92, 93) for gripping and spreading the beads of the tyre to be presented. 6. Machine as claimed in claim 5, wherein each system (9) of fingers has two fingers (91, 93) for spreading the tyre beads, extending substantially in the transverse direction, and of a third finger (92) for positioning the system of fingers (9) relative to the tyre, arranged vertically between the other two and extending in the lateral direction. 7. Machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first supporting means (4, 5) are arranged vertically above the third supporting and rotating means (8) and transversely nearer to the upright (2) than the said third means, free ends (62, 72) of the second means for holding the tyre being vertically arranged between the first means (4, 5) and third means (8). 8. Machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the third supporting and rotating means (8) are arranged vertically above the first supporting means (4, 5) and transversely nearer to the upright than the said first means, free ends (62, 72) of the second means (6, 7) for holding the tyre being vertically arranged between the first means (4, 5) and third means (8). 9. Machine as claimed in claim 2, wherein the first supporting means comprise two freely rotating rollers (4, 5), mounted respectively on one of the ends of a lever (32) itself mounted so as to rotate freely on the support (3), the respective axes of rotation of the rollers (4, 5) and of the lever (32) being mutually parallel. 10. Use of the machine as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9, for inspecting the state of the inside and/or the outside of the tyre, or for buffing or repairing the inside and/or the outside of the tyre, or for applying semi finished products or coverings to the inside and/or the outside of the tyre.

Documents:

1822-DELNP-2003-Abstract-23-05-2008.pdf

1822-delnp-2003-abstract.pdf

1822-DELNP-2003-Claims-05-12-2008.pdf

1822-DELNP-2003-Claims-23-05-2008.pdf

1822-delnp-2003-claims.pdf

1822-DELNP-2003-Correspondence-Others-23-05-2008.pdf

1822-delnp-2003-correspondence-others.pdf

1822-DELNP-2003-Description (Complete)-05-12-2008.pdf

1822-delnp-2003-description (complete)-23-05-2008.pdf

1822-delnp-2003-description (complete).pdf

1822-DELNP-2003-Drawings-23-05-2008.pdf

1822-delnp-2003-drawings.pdf

1822-DELNP-2003-Form-1-23-05-2008.pdf

1822-delnp-2003-form-1.pdf

1822-delnp-2003-form-18.pdf

1822-DELNP-2003-Form-2-23-05-2008.pdf

1822-delnp-2003-form-2.pdf

1822-delnp-2003-form-3.pdf

1822-delnp-2003-form-5.pdf

1822-DELNP-2003-GPA-23-05-2008.pdf

1822-delnp-2003-gpa.pdf

1822-DELNP-2003-Others Document-23-05-2008.pdf

1822-delnp-2003-pct-210.pdf

1822-DELNP-2003-Petition-137-23-05-2008.pdf