Symorex Inc.

The Firestone Tire & Rubber Company

John Strand

James J Gould

David P Krause

Gordon L Higman

Chris D Erickson

Charles E Miller

Christopher D Erickson

An automated material handling system utilizing one or more train-type guided vehicles moving along a rail with each train including a locomotive pulling a plurality of trolleys. Each trolley includes a tiltable tray, an onboard CPU, and onboard sensors for sensing information with respect to the product being carried by the tray. The sensed information is transmitted to the CPU of the trolley where it is stored and also transmitted to a CPU in the locomotive. The locomotive CPU is in radio frequency contact with an off-track dispatch computer controlling the overall operation of the material handling system. The CPU of each trolley is also in infrared communication with local CPU's positioned at unloading stations so that the CPU on each car may receive information by infrared transmission from local CPU's, information generated onboard by the onboard sensors, and command information from the locomotive CPU. The information sensed onboard may include the disposition of the tray, the presence or absence of a product load on the tray, and the size, position, orientation, weight, identification, and temperature of the product load. The system includes a shift mechanism for moving the tray between a left tilt position and a right tilt position to facilitate loading, transport and unloading of a product from the trolleys.

Trolley car for material handling train

An automated material handling system including one or more train assemblies moving along a rail with each train assembly including a locomotive pulling a plurality of trolley cars. The locomotive includes a front truck adapted for movement along the rail; a rear truck adapted for movement along the rail in spaced trailing relation to the front truck; a body structure mounted on and extending between the front and rear trucks; a tractor positioned between the front and rear trucks, disassociated from the body structure, and including a motor and a traction drive wheel driven by the motor and adapted to drivingly engage the rail; and a link pivotally interconnecting the tractor and the rear truck. The body structure defines a central downwardly opening compartment between the front and rear trucks and the tractor is positioned in the compartment. The tractor is thus free to essentially independently perform the pulling function for the train without concern for the carrying function of the locomotive. The tractor also includes a guide wheel coacting with the drive wheel of the locomotive to exert a clamping force on the rail and a traction control mechanism operative in response to variations in the draft load applied to the tractor by the associated train to vary the clamping force and thereby the locomotive traction.

Locomotive for material handling train

A grinder for removing a predetermined amount of rubber at a predetermined angle from a raised or recessed area on the sidewall of an inflated tire as the tire rotates. A pair of spaced sensors engage the sidewall area of the tire at predetermined radial spaced locations on opposite sides of the area to be worked. The sensors generate a pair of electrical signals in relationship to the profiles of the sidewall areas engaged thereby. The signals are fed to a microprocessor which calculates the average angle of the raised or recessed area by the difference between the outputs from the two sensors along with the known spacing therebetween and generates a third signal. This third signal is supplied to a servo mechanism which automatically adjusts the grind angle of the grinding wheel to match the average angle of the area to be ground. A fourth signal is supplied by the microprocessor to another servo mechanism which dynamically controls the depth of grind of the grinding wheel in relationship to the profile of the sidewall represented by the signal generated by one of the sensors. In an alternate embodiment the signal generated by the microprocessor representing the average angle of the area to be worked controls the spacing between the tire beads by adjusting the tire mounting chuck to place the sidewall area in a relatively flat plane for perpendicular contact by the grinding wheel eliminating angle adjustment of the grinding wheel.

Apparatus and method for grinding sidewall areas of tires

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Ann Arbor, MI, United States of America

John Strand