Bridgestone Corporation

Kouji Okuyama

Makoto Yamamoto

Taizo Ito

Hidetoshi Kimura

Hiroki Touya

A device for holding an end portion of a band-like material comprising a frame, a suctional attraction roller rotatably supported by the frame and having a suctional attraction part at the periphery of the roller, and a pincher which is supported by the frame and can be moved toward and away from the peripheral surface of the roller. The end portion of the band-like material is attracted by the suctional attraction roller through suction. The roller is thereafter turned so that the end portion of the band-like material is wound upward. The pincher is then moved toward the suctional attraction roller so that the end portion of the band-like material is surely held by the pincher and the roller.

End holder for band-like material

In a cylindrical tire forming member building method or apparatus, after the front end portion of a belt-shaped material is pressed against the drum, the belt-shaped material is wound on the drum while being centered, and with the central portion of the rear end portion of the belt-shaped material pressed against the drum with a robot hand, both edge portions of the rear end portion of the belt-shaped material are elongated longitudinally and pressed against the drum with the robot hand, so that the front and rear ends of the belt-shaped material are butt-joined without forming a gap therebetween or without being overlapped.

Cylindrical tire forming member manufacturing method and apparatus

An apparatus for sticking a tire component member (a cord cloth with rubber) having cords inserted therein at a predetermined bias angle and having its opposite ends cut respectively in parallel to the cords into a fixed length onto a forming drum upon manufacturing a rubber tire. This apparatus comprises a belt conveyor containing attracting means therein for receiving the cut tire component member and conveying it to the forming drum, widthwise positioning means for correcting a position in the widthwise direction of the tire component member on the belt conveyor by holding the tire component member from its both lateral sides, and front end and rear end reshaping means adapted to butt against cut edge surfaces at the front end and the rear end of the tire component member for correcting the shapes of these cut edges. Since positioning and front and rear end reshaping of the tire component member are effected on the belt conveyor, when the tire component member has been sticked onto the forming drum, the front end and the rear end of the tire component member can be aligned at a high precision, and so, the quality of the finished tire can be improved. The sticking step for the tire component member can be perfectly automated and a production efficiency can be raised.

Apparatus for sticking a tire component member

In a cylindrical tire forming member building method or apparatus, after the front end portion of a belt-shaped material is pressed against the drum, the belt-shaped material is wound on the drum while being centered, and with the central portion of the rear end portion of the belt-shaped material pressed against the drum with a robot hand, both edge portions of the rear end portion of the belt-shaped material are elongated longitudinally and pressed against the drum with the robot hand, so tha front and rear ends of the belt-shaped material are butt-joined without forming a gap therebetween or without being overlapped.

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Kouji Okuyama