Pirelli Tyre S.p.a.

Pirelli & C. S. P. A.

Other

Advanced Digital Broadcast S.a.

Vincenzo Boffa

Valeriano Ballardini

Alessandro Held

Fabio Regoli

Gianni Mancini

Daniele Pecoraro

Albert Berenguer

Bernd Leitner

Luigi Di Stefano

Maurizio Marchini

Davide Lupo Conti

Giuseppe Casadio Tozzi

Bartolomeo Montrucchio

Luca Tersi

Marco Cantu'

Christian De Col

Alfredo Ruscitto

Franco Peruzzotti

Stefano Boracco

Alfredo Balini

Riccardo Antoj

Josef Engelsberger

Marco Gallo

Alessandro Ghidotti Piovan

Paolo Semenzato

Giuseppe Grassano

Fabrizio Ricci

Stefano Monti

Gabriele Pece

Fabrizio Gatti

Cristian Di Felice

Simone Germani

Rainer Huber

Giorgio Bertin

Luciano Accatino

Marco Cantu′

Roberto Vallauri

Michele Galbusera

Marco Storto

Marco Cantù

Daniele Barbieri

Luca Risi

Stefano Passi

Stefano Rosario Mervic

Andrea Trabattoni

Ralf Fischer

Jürgen Heinrich

Filippo Molinari

Marco CantÙ

Marc Busquets

Albert Forgas

Martin Solina

Pere Calopa

Javier Marcipar

José Martìn Lara

Fabio Roncella

A method for checking tyres, includes: arranging a tyre in a station for checking tyres; moving a sensor within the tyre; performing first checks on an inner surface of the tyre with the at least one sensor; engaging a radially outer portion of the tyre with grip elements of an overturning device; extracting the sensor from the tyre and spacing the sensor from the tyre; overturning the tyre by 180° by rotation of the grip elements; moving again the sensor within the tyre; performing second checks on the inner surface of the tyre with the sensor; extracting again the sensor from the tyre and spacing the sensor from the tyre; and transporting the tyre outside the station for checking tyres.

Method for checking tyres configured for overturning tyres perpendicular to a tyre rotation axis

A plant () for building tyres comprises a system for managing initial components (); a system for managing the manufacturing of semi-finished products () starting from one or more initial components; a system for managing the building of a green tyre () starting from one or more semi-finished products; a system for managing the curing of said green tyre (). The logical set of a control unit () for the plant () and/or of one or more from among control units (-) for the management systems (-) and/or of a automatic visual control system () is programmed for controlling at least two parameters, assigning to each of these a quality index (I), discarding a tyre being processed when a quality index (I) corresponding to said discard level () is assigned to at least one of said parameters and feedbacking the control result of at least one parameter in order to verify the quality index (I) of the parameters.

Method and plant for building tyres

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

A station for checking tyres includes a support structure defining an operating space for receiving a tyre and an overturning device with grip elements for engaging a radially outer portion of the tyre. A checking device includes a mechanical arm and at least one sensor associated with the mechanical arm. The overturning device overturns the tyre around an overturning axis perpendicular to a rotation axis of the tyre when the tyre is in the operating space. The mechanical arm is operatively active within the operating space and carries the sensor at least partially within the tyre for executing checks on an inner surface of the tyre housed in the operating space.

Station for checking tyres configured for overturning tyres perpendicular to a tyre rotation axis

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

A method for checking a tyre in a tyre production line. A portion of outer surface of the tyre is deformed to form an elastically deformed portion of inner surface and an elastically deformed portion of outer surface while illuminating the elastically deformed portion of outer surface with a first diffused light radiation emitted by a first light source and illuminating the elastically deformed portion of inner surface with a second grazing light radiation emitted by a second light source. Images of the deformed and illuminated portions of outer and inner surfaces are acquired through cameras, and the tyre is set in relative rotation around its rotation axis with respect to the first and second light sources during deformation and illumination.

Method for checking tyres in a tyre production line

An apparatus for checking tyres has at least one check unit at least two consecutively placed check stations defining a check path such that each check station is traversed in one cycle time and by pitches by each tyre to be checked. Each check station includes: a support device for one tyre at a time housed in the respective check station, high-definition image acquisition systems of a surface of the tyre, and movement devices. The high-definition image acquisition systems have systems for acquiring high-definition two-dimensional and three-dimensional images. Only one of the at least two check stations has all the high-definition three-dimensional image acquisition systems of the check unit.

Method and apparatus for checking tyres in a process and a plant for making tyres for vehicle wheels

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

A method for checking tyres. A shift is determined along an acquisition direction between an acquisition point on a surface of a tyre to be checked and a position occupied by the acquisition point following a rotation of the tyre about its rotation axis. A linear laser beam is projected on a linear portion of surface of the tyre, and propagates in a direction parallel to the acquisition direction. A matrix image of a matrix portion of surface of the tyre containing the linear portion of surface is acquired; the image containing a laser line reflected by the linear portion of surface. A sub-portion of the matrix image is determined as a function of the determined shift, containing the reflected laser line. The sub-portion of the matrix image is then processed to determine an elevation profile of the linear portion of surface.

Method for checking tires

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

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

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Milan, Italy

Vincenzo Boffa