Bridgestone Corporation

Jun Nagano

Koji Okuyama

Yoshihiro Fukamachi

Takashi Ishiwatari

Shigeru Tada

A state of an operation of cutting a rubber sheet having a number of parallel cords embedded therein by moving a cutter in a cutting direction which is in parallel with a direction in which the cords extend is detected by monitoring a first displacement of the cutter in a direction of a thickness of the rubber sheet and a second displacement of the cutter in direction perpendicular to the cutting direction. When the first displacement of the cutter exceeds a predetermined threshold value, there is produced a comparison signal having a predetermined time period. In response to the comparison signal, the second displacement of the cutter is compared with a second threshold value within the time period of the comparison signal, and when the second displacement of the cutter exceeds the second threshold value, there is produced an alarm signal which represents that the cutting operation is not carried out correctly.

Method of detecting state of cutting rubber sheet having parallel cords

The front end and rear end of a belt-shaped member having a predetermined length are grasped by front end grasping pawls and rear end grasping pawls, respectively, movable in synchronism with and independently from each other when required. The front and rear end grasping pawls are moved in synchronism with each other until the front end of the belt-shaped member arrives at the forming drum. After the front end of the belt-shaped member has been pressure-joined with the forming drum, only the rear end grasping pawls grasping the rear end of the belt-shaped member are moved to attach the belt-shaped member to the circumference of the forming drum. The length of the belt-shaped member is modified to a predetermined length or the circumferential length of the forming drum while the front and rear ends are grasped by the front and rear end grasping pawls, respectively, or the belt-shaped member is being attached to the forming drum.

Method and apparatus for attaching belt-shaped member to forming drum

The belt-shaped member supplying method and apparatus are used for cutting a long material paid out of a winding roll into a belt-shaped member of a predetermined length and supplying the belt-shaped member onto a winding drum by means of a transfer device. The method includes steps of modifying an extending direction of a front edge of a long material, whose initial front end portion has been cut off, into a desired direction by applying an external force upon a front end portion of the long material, holding the front end portion of the long material, paying out the long material of a predetermined length, cutting the paid long material to form a belt-shaped member, modifying an extending direction of a rear edge of the belt-shaped member into a desired direction by applying an external force upon a rear end portion of the belt-shaped member, holding the rear end portion of the belt-shaped member, transferring the entire belt-shaped member to a predetermined position, taking up any slack of the belt-shaped member, holding the belt-shaped member against a plate-shaped transfer device, and moving the plate-shaped transfer device together with the belt-shaped member to the winding drum.

Belt-shaped member supplying method and apparatus

A system for measuring an amount of a rubber bank between rolls having a camera arranged in front of rubber banked between a pair of rolls for obtaining an image of the banked rubber. A screen acts as a background for the banked rubber when said screen is photographed by said camera along a straight line connecting the camera with the banked rubber. A light source irradiating light onto the screen illuminates by back lighting. A processor calculates the amount of the banked rubber from an image produced by the camera.

Growing community of inventors

Tokorozawa, Japan

Jun Nagano