Monsanto Company

Picker Corporation

Donald N Heisner

Charles R Bentivegna

Phillip K Loyer

Anthony M Palermo, Jr

An automated tire inspection system employs penetrative emanation such as X-radiation to inspect the integrity of portions of tires fed sequentially along a feed path through a centering station and into a shielded enclosure where an inspection station is defined. An inspection apparatus within the shielded enclosure includes an X-ray emitting tube and an imaging system for producing signals representing the pattern of X-rays directed through the tire by the X-ray tube. A control apparatus for the system includes:

Tire inspection system

An automated tire inspection system employs penetrative emanation such as X-radiation to inspect the integrity of portions of tires fed sequentially along a feed path through a centering station and into a shielded enclosure where an inspection station is defined. An inspection apparatus within the shielded enclosure includes an X-ray emitting tube and an imaging system for producing signals representing the pattern of X-rays directed through the tire by the X-ray tube. A control apparatus for the system includes: (1) A protection apparatus for preventing overtravel of movable components of the system, including apparatus for sensing the positions of the movable components and controlling elements for moving the movable components and responding to the sensing apparatus to limit movement of the movable components to within a first predetermined range of positions. Additional apparatus senses when a movable component reaches the boundary of another range of positions encompassing the first range and deactuates the system in response thereto; (2) A system for detecting and identifying malfunctions in the tire inspection system; (3) A positioning system for maintaining a constant relative position between the X-ray tube and the imaging system; (4) An interrupt system for manually terminating the automatic operation of the tire inspection system and enabling manual control thereof; (5) A speed control system for automatically slowing the motion of each movable component as it approaches a predetermined end point of its path of motion, and (6) A scheduled interrupt system which suspends automatic operation upon the tire inspection system executing a predetermined stop in its automatic operation, to give the operator temporary manual control of a limited number of system operations. Throughout the operation of the tire inspection system, manual or automatic, the system prevents the execution of potentially dangerous or mechanically destructive operations.

An automated tire inspection system employs penetrative emanation such as X-radiation to inspect the integrity of portions of tires fed sequentially along a feed path through a centering station and into a shielded enclosure which where an inspection station is defined. Features of the system include: (1) the positioning of tires for inspection with their central planes in a predetermined plane and with their central axes along a predetermined line; (2) the use of sensors to monitor the positions of the several movable components of the apparatus; and, (3) the use of a centering and tire size sensing apparatus upstream from an inspection station to facilitate tire handling through prepositioning a number of apparatus components prior to the arrival of a tire in the inspection station.

System of positioning and inspecting tires

An automated tire inspection system employs penetrative emanation such as X-radiation to inspect the integrity of portions of tires fed sequentially along a feed path through a centering station and into a shielded enclosure which where an inspection station is defined. Features of the system include: (1) the use of separate drive motors to independently drive each of the movable components of the apparatus along their respective paths of travel; (2) sensors for sensing the positions of the components; and a control system connected between the sensors and the motors to operate the motors to effect tire positioning and inspection in accordance with a predetermined operational sequence.

System of inspecting tires with relatively movable inspection apparatus

An automated tire inspection system employs penetrative emanation such as X-radiation to inspect the integrity of portions of tires fed sequentially along a feed path through a centering station and into a shielded enclosure which where an inspection station is defined. Features of the system include a continuously operating X-ray source movable between inspection and retracted positions, and an X-ray shield for covering the source when it is retracted to permit the doors of the shielded enclosure to be opened without danger from escaping radiation.

Growing community of inventors

Euclid, OH, United States of America

Donald N Heisner