Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho

Bridgestone Tire Company Limited

Shinko Electric Company, Ltd.

Sumitomogomu Kougyo Kabushiki Kaisha

Katsumi Ichikawa

Kashiro Ureshino

Itaru Amano

Keiji Ozaki

Yasuhiko Fujieda

Takumi Mizokawa

Yoshimata Maikuma

Masahide Kanzawa

Masaki Naoi

Toshio Yanagihara

Kenji Kubo

Shikao Misumi

Akihiko Masagaki

Shigeru Kaneko

Ko Takakura

Hiroyuki Takebayashi

Toshio Kurosaki

Yasuo Morita

Koichi Nomura

Koji Ota

Kou Takakura

Seiichi Suzuki

Touhachiro Sakon

Etsuro Watanabe

Hisanori Ohshiba

Tadashi Tomita

A bladder clamping device for a tire vulcanizing press is disclosed in which a lower ring on which a lower end portion of a bladder is fitted remains fixed to allow the lower end portion of the bladder to be clamped in a condition in which it has been fitted firmly by an operator. The bladder clamping device for a tire vulcanizing press comprises a lower ring and a clamping ring located on the inner side and the outer side relative to each other at a central portion of a lower mold of the tire vulcanizing press for cooperatively clamping a lower end portion of a bladder, and a hydraulic cylinder having a rod connected to the clamping ring for moving the clamping ring upwardly and downwardly relative to the lower ring.

Bladder clamping device for tire vulcanizing press

It is the object of the present invention to firstly provide a loading system and loading method of high working efficiency, and secondly, to provide a loading system and method in which a high precision of loading onto a center mold can be regularly assured without the need for repeated correction checks. The loading system includes a transport car 2 movable along a plurality of tire vulcanizing presses 1 arranged in a line; a robot arm 3 mounted on said transport car 2 for movement in three XYZ dimensions to a prescribed position in a desired stance; and a green tire chuck 6 fixed to the end of said robot arm 3. A load method essentially comprises the steps of picking-up, transportation, loading and chucking during shaping, of a green tire largely through movement of the robot arm of said system. Further, a position detection sensor such as a visual sensor is mounted on the end of the robot arm 3 together with the chuck 6, and said position detection sensor is used to monitor a prescribed datum such as a tally mark of said vulcanizing press and thereby effect the positioning of said robot arm in at least two dimensions XY.

Loading system and method for a tire vulcanizing machine

A tire vulcanizing system capable of performing high accuracy transportation of a green tire by a loader and of performing high accuracy transportation of a vulcanized tire by an unloader including a group of tire vulcanizing presses having many tire vulcanizing presses 1 arranged in a row and manipulators 2 arranged along the group of the tire vulcanizing presses in such a way that they may freely run. The tire vulcanizing presses 1 are constructed such that the upper and lower molds 80, 81 are stored between the engaging or disengaging upper and lower press members in such a manner that they may be fastened with the green tire mounting table 7 and the post-cure inflator 8 arranged around them. The manipulators 2 are provided with slides 31 which can be connected to the upper press member in such a way that they may be lifted up or descend, loader 32 for transporting the green tire from the center of the green tire mounting table 7 to the centers of the molds 80, 81, and unloader 33 for transporting the vulcanized tire from the centers of the molds 80, 81 to the center of the post-cure inflator 8 or its near center. The manipulators 2 are provided with the position setting element 34 for stopping in respect to the desired tire vulcanizing press 1. At least one of the loader 32 and the unloader 33 is provided with a centering corrector for accommodating for an error in stopping position by the position setting element 34.

Tire vulcanizing system

A conveyor system that performs a conveyance by using pallets for loading green tires and device for conveying these pallets, installs a storage area for storing pallets as they are on the way to convey, and uses robots for transferring the green tires from a pallet to a tire vulcanizer. Pallets being of such a type as to be able to load two or more green tires for planar placement and a conveyor devise is desired to be able to get under these pallets for lifting up. Furthermore, a visual sensor provided on a robot reads at least one of a mark concerning the specification of a green tire, a mark for its positioning on a pallet, and a mark for its positioning on a tire vulcanizer, identifies a green tire to be conveyed, and automatically performs a positioning in transferring the green tire from the relevant pallet and a positioning in transferring the green tire to a tire vulcanizer in the conveyor system. In addition, these tire vulcanizers, conveyor device, and robots are collectively controlled using computers.

Green tire conveyor system in a tire vulcanizer factory

A vulcanizing mold setting apparatus for setting a vulcanizing mold assembly (21) on the platen (6) of a tire vulcanizing apparatus (1) comprises: a mold transfer mechanism (54) comprising a mold carriage (49) for horizontally moving the vulcanizing mold assembly (21) to and away from the tire vulcanizing machine (1), a pair of guide units (41) disposed respectively on the opposite sides of the platen (6), and a pair of mold supporting units (24) disposed respectively on the opposite sides of the platen (6) behind the guide units (41) to support the vulcanizing mold assembly (21) above the platen (6); a pair of lifting mechanisms (27) for vertically moving the mold supporting units (24) to place the vulcanizing mold on the platen (6); a centering mechanism (29) for centering the vulcanizing mold assembly (21) on the platen (6); and clamping members (26) for fastening the fixed mold (7) of the vulcanizing mold assembly (21 ) to the platen (6) after the vulcanizing mold assembly (21) has been centered on the platen (6).

Vulcanizing mold setting apparatus

Disclosed is a center mechanism of a tire curing press which is capable of easy installation and removal of a bladder assembly. The center mechanism comprises the bladder assembly with the upper and lower ends of a bladder supported with upper and lower support members, a piston rod vertically moving into, and out of, engagement with the upper support members, and a lift cylinder vertically moving into, and out of, engagement with the lower support members. In this center mechanism, there is provided a stepped projecting section formed large in diameter in the upper part and small in diameter in the lower part; the upper support members can easily be installed to, and removed from, the upper end of the piston rod by the use of a stepped block which engages the stepped projecting section and is horizontally divided into a plurality of segments, and a restricting member for restricting the horizontal movement of the stepped block, thereby enabling easy installation and removal of the bladder assembly.

Center mechanism of tire curing press

Tire vulcanizing press

A bladder carrying apparatus for a tire vulcanizing press by which a bladder assembly can be carried readily and rapidly onto and off of a center mechanism is disclosed. The bladder carrying apparatus includes an arm mounted on a chuck of a loader, which is mounted for upward and downward movement and also for turning movement for seating a green tire onto a lower metal mold of the tire vulcanizing press preferably mounted, for rotation motion between a center position on the center of the chuck and a retracted position outside of the perimeter of the loader, and a latch mounted on the arm for gripping an upper portion of a bladder assembly on a center mechanism of the tire vulcanizing press.

Bladder carrying apparatus for tire vulcanizing press

A post-cure inflator wherein an upper rim is automatically exchanged. A locking shaft is mounted for rotation on a rotary frame, and an upper rim support is mounted for rotation on the locking shaft. An upper rim is removably supported on the upper rim support. Also a lower rim support is removably supported on the locking shaft, and a lower rim is removably supported on the lower rim support and cooperates with the upper rim to hold therebetween a vulcanized tire, into which high pressure air is blown to inflate and cool the tire. The upper rim support and the upper rim have cooperating tapered fitting portions, and the upper rim has an outer peripheral circumferential groove formed at an upper portion thereof. A latching member is mounted on the upper rim support for movement into and out of the outer peripheral circumferential groove of the upper rim. The upper rim support includes a first member secured to the rotary frame and a second member mounted for movement into and out of contact with the first member, and a lifting apparatus is disposed on one of the first and second members and moves the second member toward and away from the first member.

Post-cure inflator

A rim clearance adjusting device of a postcure tire inflator is capable of automatically adjusting a clearance between upper and lower rims, A vulcanized tire from a vulcanizer is filled with high-pressure air for inflating and cooling purposes. For these purposes there is installed a rotating screw member which holds the tire between the separable upper and lower rims, and moves the lower rim upwards and downwards between the lower rim and its support member. Also there is provided a sliding device for moving the lower rim, together with the support member thereof, between the lower position of the upper rim and the intermediate position on the vulcanizer side. And furthermore there is mounted a driving mechanism for driving the rotating screw member to the intermediate position.

Postcure tire inflator having rim clearance adjusting device

A tire vulcanizing machine includes a bladder; an upper clamping ring for holding the upper end of the bladder; an upper clamping ring for holding the upper end of the bladder; a first lifting mechanism for vertically moving the lower clamping ring; a second lifting mechanism for vertically moving the upper clamping ring; a loader for holding a green tire so as to surround the bladder extended between the upper and lower clamping rings with the horizontal center plane of the green tire in coincidence with the middle point between the upper and lower ends of the bladder; a third lifting mechanism for vertically moving the loader; and a controller for controlling the operation of the first, second and third lifting mechanisms. When shaping the green tire, the strokes of the first and second lifting mechanisms and the vertical position of the loader are detected respectively by first, second and third position detectors, and the controller controls the operation of the first and second lifting mechanisms according to detection signals provided by the first and second position detectors so that the upper and lower clamping rings are moved synchronously toward each other respectively at equal moving speeds and the horizontal center plane of the green tire is kept in coincidence with the middle point between the upper and lower ends of the bladder.

Tire vulcanizing machine and method

In a mold clamping device for clamping a mold to, and unclamping the mold from, a mold mounting member of a tire vulcanizing machine, a locking member has a neck section projectingly installed on the mounting surface of a mold. A guide hole of the mold mounting member, in which the locking member is inserted, has a larger-diameter section in a portion corresponding to the neck section. A chuck member has an expansion section which is slidably inserted in the guide hole, and expands in the larger-diameter section, engaging the neck section in the guide hole. A chuck withdrawing device withdraws the chuck member into the guide hole.

Mold clamping device for tire vulcanizing machine

Disclosed herein is a standing well post type center mechanism in a tire press which comprises a bladder well disposed vertically liftably in the center of the tire press, the bladder well comprising a bead ring at the upper end thereof, an upper clamp ring assembly for holding the upper end of a bladder, the upper clamp ring assembly disposed concentrically with the bladder well and being vertically liftable independently of the bladder well, and a lower clamp ring assembly concentrical with the upper clamp ring assembly and vertically liftable independently of the bladder well and the upper clamp ring assembly, wherein an air cylinder for lifting the upper clamp ring assembly is disposed liftably in the bladder well, the upper clamp ring assembly is fitted to the upper end of a piston rod in the air cylinder, the lower clamp ring assembly is fitted to the upper end of the air cylinder, and the lower end of the air cylinder is constrained engageably and disengageably through a stopper.

Standing well post type center mechanism in tire press

A tire vulcanizing press, including a vertical metal mold capable of being opened and closed; a central mechanism arranged on a center portion of a lower portion of the metal mold; a bladder held in the central mechanism in a liftable, extendable, and contractible manner; a centering device for a tire to be removed from the mold; and a tire removal arm provided on a first side of the vulcanizing press so as to be horizontally movable back and forward with respect to the vulcanizing press movable perpendicularly up and down at a center portion of the metal mold; the centering device including a centering arm which includes a plurality of centering bars and which is movable back and forward with the removal arm, is separately movable up and down perpendicularly at the center of the metal mold, and is movable back and forward in a radial direction of the tire within a tire opening edge.

Tire centering and removal device for a tire vulcanizing press

A vertically opening and closing type tire vulcanizer in which a plurality of vulcanizing molds installed on a vulcanizer frame are individually driven. A mold clamping mechanism and a mold height adjusting mechanism which are simplified in terms of construction are provided. A high rigidity heat insulating plate for transmitting a clamping force is interposed between a top slide and an upper mold.

Growing community of inventors

Takasago, Japan

Katsumi Ichikawa