Pirelli Tyre S.p.a.

Valeriano Ballardini

Vincenzo Boffa

Alessandro Held

Fabio Regoli

Giuseppe Casadio Tozzi

Daniele Pecoraro

Luigi Di Stefano

Bernd Leitner

Josef Engelsberger

Maurizio Marchini

Marco Cantu'

Luca Tersi

Alessandro Ghidotti Piovan

Stefano Monti

Gianni Mancini

Albert Berenguer

Stefano Boracco

Riccardo Antoj

Rainer Huber

Gabriele Pece

Bartolomeo Montrucchio

Marco Cantù

Lara Vandini

Marco CantÙ

A station for checking a tyre for vehicle wheels. The checking station includes a background with a support surface lying on a plane perpendicular to a reference axis, an image acquisition apparatus to acquire an image of the tyre arranged with a first outer lateral surface in contact with the support surface and a second outer lateral surface facing the image acquisition apparatus, an illumination system and a computer for generating a working image from the acquired image. The image acquisition apparatus, the illumination system and of the background are arranged to generate a contrast, in the working image, between the entire second outer lateral surface of the tyre and an area circumferentially surrounding the tyre.

Station for checking tyres for vehicle wheels

Method for setting up a tyre checking apparatus, said apparatus () comprising at least: a support base () for a tyre (); a first acquisition device () and a second acquisition device () for acquiring images representative of said tyre () positioned on said support base (); a first robotic member () for moving said second acquisition device (). Said method comprises: providing a setup device () comprising: a first wall () having first predefined shapes (F); a second wall () having second predefined shapes (F), said second wall () being substantially parallel and non-coplanar to said first wall (); a top surface (); a central reference () arranged on said top surface (). Said method also comprises: executing at least one of a first set-up and a second set-up. Said first set-up sets the first acquisition device (), and comprises: positioning said setup device () on said support base () in a first position (PI); carrying out a first group of movements relative to said setup device (); executing a calibration of said first acquisition device () as a function of said first predefined shapes (F) and second predefined shapes (F). Said second set-up sets said first robotic member () that moves said second acquisition device () and comprises: positioning said setup device () on said support base () in a second position (P); carrying out a second group of movements relative to said setup device (); executing a configuration of said first robotic member () as a function of positions taken by said central reference (). The invention also describes a setup device () adapted for being used in said method.

Method for setting up a tyre checking apparatus, setup device used in said method

Apparatus () for checking tyres, comprising: a support frame (); a flange (); and an acquisition system () of three-dimensional images of a surface of a tyre, the acquisition system being mounted on the support frame and comprising: a matrix camera (), a linear laser source (), and a reflecting surface () which intersects the propagation axis () of the linear laser beam and the optical axis () of the matrix camera (), wherein a first angle () formed between a first section () and a second section () of the optical axis () mutually symmetrical with respect to a normal to the reflecting surface in the respective point of incidence to the reflecting surface, is obtuse, and wherein a second angle () formed between a first section () and a second section () of the propagation axis () mutually symmetrical with respect to a normal to the reflecting surface in the respective point of incidence to the reflecting surface, is obtuse.

Apparatus and method for checking tyres

The present invention relates to a device () for checking a tyre (), the device () comprising: a detection system () comprising a camera () having an optical plane () passing through the camera () and defining a focal plane (); a first light source (), a second light source () and a third light source () adapted for emitting a first light radiation, a second light radiation and a third light radiation, respectively to illuminate a surface portion of said tyre at or close to said focal plane (), said second light source () and said third light source () being arranged at opposite sides with respect to said optical plane (); where said first light source () is fixed with respect to said detection system () and said second light source () and third light source () are adapted to be movable from a first inactive configuration where they are controlled to not emit said second light radiation and third light radiation and wherein the distance (d, d) of said second light source () and of said third light source () from said focal plane () is greater than the distance (d) of said first light source () from said focal plane () to an active configuration wherein they are adapted for emitting at least one among said second light radiation and said third light radiation and wherein the distance (d, d) of said second source () and of said third source () from said focal plane () is equal to or less than the distance (d) of said first source () from said focal plane (); and a drive and control unit () adapted for activating said detection system () to acquire a first image and at least a second image of a first surface portion and a second surface portion of said tyre () in said inactive configuration and in said active configuration, respectively.

Method and device for checking tyres

A checking method and line for checking a tyre for vehicle wheels. The tyre is associated with a model associated with a setting for image acquisition devices. Once the model is obtained, preliminary images of the tyre are acquired, from which at least one adjustment value representative of at least one geometric characteristic of the tyre is obtained. A deviation between the at least one adjustment value and a respective reference value associated with the model is then calculated. The setting associated with the model of tyre is then adjusted based on the calculated deviation and the tyre is then inspected to look for possible production defects by acquiring images of at least part of the surface of the tyre using the image acquisition devices, set according to the adjusted setting.

Method and line for checking tyres for vehicle wheels

Apparatus for checking a tyre having: a support plane; a deformation element to generate a deformed surface portion; a positioning actuator to move the deformation element; and a device with a camera, a first light source, a second light source, a processing unit and a drive and control unit. The processing unit is programmed to activate the positioning actuator to move the deformation element towards the tyre to generate a deformed surface portion. The drive and control unit is programmed to: actuate the first light source to illuminate the deformed surface portion of the tyre, the second light source being inactive during the deformation; control the camera to acquire a first image of the deformed surface portion; actuate the second light source to illuminate an undeformed surface portion of the tyre; and control the camera to acquire a second image of the undeformed surface portion.

Apparatus for checking tyres

A method for checking a tyre for vehicle wheels in a checking station. The checking station includes a background with a support surface lying on a plane perpendicular to a reference axis, an image acquisition apparatus to acquire an image of the tyre arranged with a first outer lateral surface in contact with the support surface and a second outer lateral surface facing the image acquisition apparatus, an illumination system and a computer for generating a working image from the acquired image. The image acquisition apparatus, the illumination system and of the background are arranged to generate a contrast, in the working image, between the entire second outer lateral surface of the tyre and an area circumferentially surrounding the tyre.

Method for checking tyres for vehicle wheels

An apparatus for checking tyres has a support, deformation systems, positioning actuators and a moving member. The deformation systems apply, in operation, compression forces on respective surfaces of a free wall of the tyre to form deformed portions of the free wall. The positioning actuators move the deformation systems towards and away from the surfaces. The moving member sets the tyre in relative rotation with respect to the deformation systems.

Method and related apparatus for detecting defects on a surface of a tyre, comprising: providing the tyre (); acquiring a digital image comprising a structure comprising sections representative of linear elements of a pattern in a surface portion and representative of possible elongated defects, said sections of the structure having a respective orientation; providing a model of the pattern in the surface portion, wherein each pixel is associated with a first index representative of whether the pixel belongs or not to a pattern section and a second index representative of an at least local orientation of the pattern section passing through said pixel; calculating for each pixel of the structure a third index representative of the orientation of the structure section passing through said pixel; and establishing, for each pixel of the structure having a corresponding pixel in the pattern model belonging to the pattern, whether said pixel of the structure belongs to a proposed defect on the basis of the comparison between the third index and the second index associated with the corresponding pixel in the pattern model.

Method and apparatus for detecting defects on the surface of tyres

Method and related apparatus for analysing a surface of a tyre, includes: acquiring one or more digital images of a surface portion having a pattern that includes a scheme that is repeated substantially equal thereto in a plurality of positions; identifying a plurality of first regions of said one or more digital images, each corresponding to a respective scheme sub-portion; identifying a respective plurality of regions homologous to each first region, wherein the respective scheme sub-portion is substantially identical to the respective scheme sub-portion of each first region; calculating a model of the respective scheme sub-portion, where each pixel is associated with a mean value of the values associated with the pixels of each first region and of the respective homologous regions having the same relative coordinates of said each pixel; and obtaining a pattern model using the calculated scheme sub-portion models.

Method and apparatus for analyzing a surface of a tyre

Method for setting up a tyre checking apparatus, said apparatus () comprising at least: a support base () for a tyre () a first acquisition device () and a second acquisition device () for acquiring images representative of said tyre () positioned on said support base (); a first robotic member () for moving said second acquisition device (). Said method comprises: providing a setup device () comprising: a first wall () having first predefined shapes (F); a second wall () having second predefined shapes (F), said second wall () being substantially parallel and non-coplanar to said first wall (); a top surface (); a central reference () arranged on said top surface (). Said method also comprises: executing at least one of a first set-up and a second set-up. Said first set-up sets the first acquisition device (), and comprises: positioning said setup device () on said support base () in a first position (PI); carrying out a first group of movements relative to said setup device (); executing a calibration of said first acquisition device () as a function of said first predefined shapes (F) and second predefined shapes (F). Said second set-up sets said first robotic member () that moves said second acquisition device () and comprises: positioning said setup device () on said support base () in a second position (P); carrying out a second group of movements relative to said setup device (); executing a configuration of said first robotic member () as a function of positions taken by said central reference (). The invention also describes a setup device () adapted for being used in said method.

The invention relates to a method and line for checking a tyre () for vehicle wheels in which it is provided to determine whether the tyre () is made according to a known model among a plurality of known models. If the tyre () is made according to a known model, the tyre () is inspected to search for any manufacturing defects by acquiring data representative of at least part of the surface of the tyre () through a set of image acquisition devices () set according to a setting associated with the known model of the tyre. If the tyre () is made according to an unknown model, the following steps are carried out in succession: &#x2022;acquiring a first profile () of the tyre (), wherein the acquisition of said first profile comprises acquiring at least a first part () of the first profile () through first profile-acquisition devices () arranged according to predetermined positions; &#x2022;determining a setting for second profile-acquisition devices () based on the first profile () acquired; &#x2022;acquiring a second profile () of the tyre () through the second profile-acquisition devices () set according to the respective determined setting; &#x2022;determining a setting for said set of image acquisition devices () based on the second profile () acquired; &#x2022;cataloguing said unknown model as a known model and adding it to said plurality of known models, associating the setting thus determined therewith.

An apparatus for checking tires described as a linear camera having an objective line lying on an optical plane; a first, a second and a third light source for emitting respectively a first, a second and a third light radiation; a command and control unit for selectively activating at least one from among the first, second and third light source and activating the linear camera in order to acquire a two-dimensional image of a linear surface portion of the tire synchronously with the activation of the first, second and third source. The first and second light source lie on opposite sides of the optical plane. Furthermore, the first, second and third light source include each one or more sub-sources each having a respective main extension direction parallel to the optical plane and the distance of the sub-sources of the third light source from the optical plane is less than the distance of the first and second light source from the optical plane.

Apparatus for controlling tyres in a production line

A method and apparatus for checking tyres in a tyre production line. The method includes alternately illuminating, with a first and second grazing light radiation, a surface portion of the tyre and respectively acquiring a first and second two-dimensional digital image of the illuminated surface portion. For each point of the surface portion, the respective overall light power of the first and second light radiation incident at the point respectively comes from two half-spaces that are opposite with respect to an optical plane passing through the perpendicular to the surface at the point; and comparing the first and second image to obtain information on an altimetric profile of the surface portion.

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Imola, Italy

Valeriano Ballardini