The Goodyear & Tire Rubber Company

Douglas Raymond Weaver

Joseph Carmine Lettieri

Gary Edwin Tubb

William Allen Rex

Dennis Alan Lundell

Steven Leonard Kitz

Joseph Anthony Farelli

William Dudley Currie

James Michael Hart

Kenneth Dean Conger

Francis Cornet

Mark John Montgomery

Jean-Marie Durand

Lawrence Dean Shull

Kristian Daniel Johnson

Dwayne Richard Huston

Robert Allen Birch

Jeffrey Joseph Kavali

A tire building drum and a method of building a tire carcass is disclosed. The tire building drum has a center section comprised of a plurality of segments that are radially and axially movable. The sleeve of the tire building drum over the center section has been eliminated, and instead has two seals located on the outer ends or shoulders of the center section of the tire building drum. The building drum further comprises shoulder sections that are axially movable. The shoulder sections include radially expandable bead locks. The method employs the steps of applying one or more carcass layers, locking the bead locks and moving the center section radially outwardly while moving the bead locks axially inwardly.

Sleeveless tire building drum

The invention is directed to a center deck assembly for a tire building drum. The tire building drum is rotatably mounted on a central drive shaft and includes a center section. The center deck assembly is disposed in the center section of the drum and includes a hub that seats on and is secured to the central drive shaft. At least one piston extends circumferentially in the tire building drum about the hub and a plurality of segment bars are disposed about the circumference of the center deck assembly. The at least one piston is operably connected to the segment bars by a plurality of linkages, in which each of the linkages includes a scissor-lever mechanism.

Center deck assembly for tire building drum

An intermediate article of manufacture formed as a first stage bead area subassembly for a split ply pneumatic tire carcass is disclosed. The bead area subassembly has an annular bead core; a bead apex; a ply strip; and preferably a sidewall affixed to the ply strip. The subassembly is formed into a disk-shaped bead area monocomponent. The ply strip is wrapped about the bead core and the apex to form a ply turnup and both the ply strip and the ply turnup extend radially outwardly from the bead core. The bead area subassembly when formed into the disk-shaped bead area monocomponent is placed on an annular holder device.

Split ply tires and bead area monocomponents

An intermediate article of manufacture formed as a first stage bead area subassembly for a split ply pneumatic tire carcass is disclosed. The bead area subassembly has an annular bead core; a bead apex; a ply strip; and preferably a sidewall affixed to the ply strip. The subassembly is formed into a disk-shaped bead area monocomponent. The ply strip is wrapped about the bead core and the apex to form a ply turnup and both the ply strip and the ply turnup extend radially outwardly from the bead core. The bead area subassembly when formed into the disk-shaped bead area monocomponent is placed on an annular holder device. The combination of the bead area monocomponent on the holder device can be stacked for storage and latter assembly into a split ply carcass. Preferably, the ply turnup can be oriented extending inside or axially inward of the bead core on final assembly to form a split ply tire having axially inside turnups. In the preferred embodiment the ply strip is reinforced by radially extending ply cords.

Apparatus and methods of forming a tire. A drum has an expansion device that is configured to turn-up the lateral ends of the tire carcass about respective bead-and-apex assemblies while generally maintaining a constant orientation of the bead-and-apex assemblies. Further, the expansion device turns-up the lateral ends of the tire carcass while at the same time radially expanding the tire carcass. The methods entail turning-up the lateral ends of the tire carcass around the bead-and-apex assemblies and also moving a portion of the tire carcass lying between the bead-and-apex assemblies in a radially-outward direction relative to an axis of rotation of the drum.

Tire-forming apparatus and related methods

Apparatus and method in the use thereof attaches an annular transponder unit to an annular tire surface, the transponder unit being of a type having a sensor housing coupled to an annular antenna. The apparatus includes a rotary turntable for supportably rotating a tire having an annular tire surface in an accessible disposition and an arm proximately disposed to the turntable and having end-of-arm tooling for attaching the transponder unit section by section to the annular tire surface as the tire is rotated. The tooling includes a gripping mechanism engaging the sensor housing and placing the sensor housing at a preselected location on the annular tire surface and a guide mechanism engaging the annular antenna and positioning the annular antenna section by section along the annular tire surface as the tire is rotated. An adhesive material applicator nozzle is disposed between the guide mechanism and the gripping means for application of the adhesive material between the annular antenna and the annular tire surface as the tire is rotated. A pre-staging station supporting the transponder unit may further be utilized, the arm moving between the pre-staging station and the turntable and the gripping mechanism engaging the sensor housing at the pre-staging station to transport the transponder unit from the pre-staging station to the turntable.

Fixing apparatus and method for attaching an annular transponder unit to tire

Apparatus and method for attaching an annular transponder unit to tire

Nozzle apparatus and method for affixing an annular transponder unit to an annular surface of a tire includes a nozzle block having an adhesive conduit extending therein to an inward end; a transverse channel open along an outward side and extending into the block, the channel being dimensioned for close receipt segment by segment of the annular transponder unit therein; and at least one adhesive port opposite the open channel side in fluid communication with the channel and the adhesive conduit inward end. The block channel open side is positioned opposite the annular tire surface and the adhesive port is positioned to direct adhesive material therefrom into the block channel to surround a segment of the annular transponder unit located within the channel.

Shaping nozzle and method for attaching an annular transponder unit to a tire

Guide mechanism and method for axially directing an annular transponder unit segment by segment to an adhesive application station for subsequent attachment of the annular transponder unit segment by segment to an annular tire surface, the transponder unit being of a type having a sensor housing coupled to an annular antenna. The guide mechanism includes opposed fingers proximately positioned adjacent to an adhesive application station. The opposed fingers pivot to capture the annular assembly therebetween and slideably direct the assembly segment by segment to the adhesive application station. The guide mechanism is adjustable to a preferred proximal height from the annular surface of a tire and presents the annular transponder unit to the adhesive application station at a specified diameter and height above the tire surface.

Guide mechanism and method for axially directing an annular transponder unit

The method of folding overlap side edges of a wide breaker ply over side edges of a narrow breaker ply wrapped around the wide breaker ply on circumferentially spaced modules wherein the modules have axially movable belt lifting and conveying nose members to carry the overlap side edges of the wide breaker ply axially over the side edges of the narrow breaker ply and position the wide side edges of the wide breaker ply over the narrow breaker ply side edges. The nose members are then retracted to peel the belt away from the folded overlap side edges of the wide breaker ply.

Method of folding tire breaker ply edges

This invention relates to an improved radially expansible tire assembly drum ( ) and a method forming tires ( ) from an assemblage of tire components utilizing the assembly drum ( ).

Radially expansible tire assembly drum and method for forming tires

A method for mounting beads on a tire carcass which is being laid up on tire building drum, particularly applicable to cases wherein the drum has a free end and an opposite end which is supported by a drum support (or comparable impediment to installing a bead from the opposite end of the drum). The method comprises disposing a first of two beads on the drum in an area which is between a carcass layup area and the drum support. The bead is moved into this position from the free end of the drum, and this is done before the process of laying up the carcass has resulted in there being an impediment to installing the bead from the free end of the drum, such as bumps resulting from tire insert components. This may be prior to any carcass components have been laid up, or after an inner liner has been laid up, or after an inner liner and inserts and a ply have been laid up on a drum having pockets (recesses) to alleviate bump formation. With the bead &ldquo;parked&rdquo; on the drum, yet out of the way of laying up the carcass, the carcass may be laid up. After laying up the carcass the bead is moved into position on the carcass. Then, additional tire components may be laid up on the tire carcass and/additional steps performed in the formation of the carcass. The other bead is installed onto the carcass in a conventional manner. In this manner, both beads may be installed from a one free end of a drum. A bead loading system includes a rail, two carriers hanging from the rail, and a bead holder at the end of each carrier. In a flexible, automatic tire building system having a sequence of work stations, after a completed carcass is removed from a drum at a last one of the workstations, a first bead for a subsequent carcass can be placed onto the drum at the last workstation, before the drum is re-circulated to the first work station.

Bead loading method and apparatus

Circumferentially spaced folding modules of a tire building drum have axially movable belt lifting and conveying nose pieces which carry wide breaker ply edges over narrow breaker ply edges laid on the drum.

Growing community of inventors

Uniontown, OH, United States of America

Douglas Raymond Weaver