Pirelli Tyre S.p.a.

Alessandro Held

Vincenzo Boffa

Valeriano Ballardini

Giuseppe Casadio Tozzi

Daniele Pecoraro

Albert Berenguer

Fabio Regoli

Bernd Leitner

Josef Engelsberger

Maurizio Marchini

Gianni Mancini

Christian De Col

Francesco D'Oria

Marco Cantu'

Riccardo Antoj

Rainer Huber

Cristian Di Felice

Bartolomeo Montrucchio

Lorenzo Roberti

Jürgen Heinrich

Luciano Augliera

A method for checking tyres, includes: arranging a tyre in a station for checking tyres; moving a sensor within the tyre; performing first checks on an inner surface of the tyre with the at least one sensor; engaging a radially outer portion of the tyre with grip elements of an overturning device; extracting the sensor from the tyre and spacing the sensor from the tyre; overturning the tyre by 180° by rotation of the grip elements; moving again the sensor within the tyre; performing second checks on the inner surface of the tyre with the sensor; extracting again the sensor from the tyre and spacing the sensor from the tyre; and transporting the tyre outside the station for checking tyres.

Method for checking tyres configured for overturning tyres perpendicular to a tyre rotation axis

A station for checking tyres includes a support structure defining an operating space for receiving a tyre and an overturning device with grip elements for engaging a radially outer portion of the tyre. A checking device includes a mechanical arm and at least one sensor associated with the mechanical arm. The overturning device overturns the tyre around an overturning axis perpendicular to a rotation axis of the tyre when the tyre is in the operating space. The mechanical arm is operatively active within the operating space and carries the sensor at least partially within the tyre for executing checks on an inner surface of the tyre housed in the operating space.

Station for checking tyres configured for overturning tyres perpendicular to a tyre rotation axis

A method for checking a tyre in a tyre production line. A portion of outer surface of the tyre is deformed to form an elastically deformed portion of inner surface and an elastically deformed portion of outer surface while illuminating the elastically deformed portion of outer surface with a first diffused light radiation emitted by a first light source and illuminating the elastically deformed portion of inner surface with a second grazing light radiation emitted by a second light source. Images of the deformed and illuminated portions of outer and inner surfaces are acquired through cameras, and the tyre is set in relative rotation around its rotation axis with respect to the first and second light sources during deformation and illumination.

Method for checking tyres in a tyre production line

An apparatus for checking tyres has at least one check unit at least two consecutively placed check stations defining a check path such that each check station is traversed in one cycle time and by pitches by each tyre to be checked. Each check station includes: a support device for one tyre at a time housed in the respective check station, high-definition image acquisition systems of a surface of the tyre, and movement devices. The high-definition image acquisition systems have systems for acquiring high-definition two-dimensional and three-dimensional images. Only one of the at least two check stations has all the high-definition three-dimensional image acquisition systems of the check unit.

Method and apparatus for checking tyres in a process and a plant for making tyres for vehicle wheels

Apparatus () for checking tyres, comprising: a support frame (); a flange (); and an acquisition system () of three-dimensional images of a surface of a tyre, the acquisition system being mounted on the support frame and comprising: a matrix camera (), a linear laser source (), and a reflecting surface () which intersects the propagation axis () of the linear laser beam and the optical axis () of the matrix camera (), wherein a first angle () formed between a first section () and a second section () of the optical axis () mutually symmetrical with respect to a normal to the reflecting surface in the respective point of incidence to the reflecting surface, is obtuse, and wherein a second angle () formed between a first section () and a second section () of the propagation axis () mutually symmetrical with respect to a normal to the reflecting surface in the respective point of incidence to the reflecting surface, is obtuse.

Apparatus and method for checking tyres

The present invention relates to a device () for checking a tyre (), the device () comprising: a detection system () comprising a camera () having an optical plane () passing through the camera () and defining a focal plane (); a first light source (), a second light source () and a third light source () adapted for emitting a first light radiation, a second light radiation and a third light radiation, respectively to illuminate a surface portion of said tyre at or close to said focal plane (), said second light source () and said third light source () being arranged at opposite sides with respect to said optical plane (); where said first light source () is fixed with respect to said detection system () and said second light source () and third light source () are adapted to be movable from a first inactive configuration where they are controlled to not emit said second light radiation and third light radiation and wherein the distance (d, d) of said second light source () and of said third light source () from said focal plane () is greater than the distance (d) of said first light source () from said focal plane () to an active configuration wherein they are adapted for emitting at least one among said second light radiation and said third light radiation and wherein the distance (d, d) of said second source () and of said third source () from said focal plane () is equal to or less than the distance (d) of said first source () from said focal plane (); and a drive and control unit () adapted for activating said detection system () to acquire a first image and at least a second image of a first surface portion and a second surface portion of said tyre () in said inactive configuration and in said active configuration, respectively.

Method and device for checking tyres

Apparatus for checking a tyre having: a support plane; a deformation element to generate a deformed surface portion; a positioning actuator to move the deformation element; and a device with a camera, a first light source, a second light source, a processing unit and a drive and control unit. The processing unit is programmed to activate the positioning actuator to move the deformation element towards the tyre to generate a deformed surface portion. The drive and control unit is programmed to: actuate the first light source to illuminate the deformed surface portion of the tyre, the second light source being inactive during the deformation; control the camera to acquire a first image of the deformed surface portion; actuate the second light source to illuminate an undeformed surface portion of the tyre; and control the camera to acquire a second image of the undeformed surface portion.

Apparatus for checking tyres

An apparatus for checking tyres has a support, deformation systems, positioning actuators and a moving member. The deformation systems apply, in operation, compression forces on respective surfaces of a free wall of the tyre to form deformed portions of the free wall. The positioning actuators move the deformation systems towards and away from the surfaces. The moving member sets the tyre in relative rotation with respect to the deformation systems.

An apparatus for checking a tyre, having a support, a deformation system, a lighting arrangement, a moving member and a processing unit. The deformation system is configured to form an elastically deformed portion of inner surface and an elastically deformed portion of outer surface on the tyre. The lighting arrangement includes light sources and cameras to illuminate and detect deformed inner and outer surface portions of the tyre, and generate corresponding control signals. The moving member sets the support in relative rotation with respect to the light sources and the deformation system around a rotation axis of the tyre. The processing unit is configured so that while the light sources illuminate the deformed portions of outer and inner surfaces, the deformation system acts and the moving member imparts the relative rotation.

An apparatus for checking tires described as a linear camera having an objective line lying on an optical plane; a first, a second and a third light source for emitting respectively a first, a second and a third light radiation; a command and control unit for selectively activating at least one from among the first, second and third light source and activating the linear camera in order to acquire a two-dimensional image of a linear surface portion of the tire synchronously with the activation of the first, second and third source. The first and second light source lie on opposite sides of the optical plane. Furthermore, the first, second and third light source include each one or more sub-sources each having a respective main extension direction parallel to the optical plane and the distance of the sub-sources of the third light source from the optical plane is less than the distance of the first and second light source from the optical plane.

Apparatus for controlling tyres in a production line

Device and method for analysis of tyres are presented. The device includes a support frame, a flange, and first/second image acquisition systems. According to one aspect, the first acquisition system is two-dimensional and includes a first camera having a first optical axis, a first focal plane, a first focal point, and a first depth of field, and a first illumination system that illuminates around the first focal point. According to another aspect, the second image acquisition system is three-dimensional and includes a second camera having a second optical axis, a second focal plane, and a second depth of field, and a second illumination system. A translation plane, substantially orthogonal to the first optical axis, is defined by the first focal point, and an intersection between the second optical axis and the second depth of field.

Device and method for analysis of tyres comprising first and second image acquistion systems

Apparatus and method for checking tyres in a tyre production line. The apparatus includes a support frame for mounting the tyre, a flange for attaching the support frame to a movement member, and an acquisition system for acquiring digital images of a surface of the tyre. The acquisition system includes a linear camera and an illumination system for illuminating an objective line of the camera. The illumination system includes a light source and an optical lens system having a second optical axis. The optical lens system includes first and second converging lenses arranged on the side opposite the light source with respect to the first lens so that the light source, the first lens and the second lens are coaxial with the second optical axis.

Station and method for checking tyres

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.

Growing community of inventors

Milan, Italy

Alessandro Held