JP7683366B2 - Sponge material winding device and method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a sponge material winding device and winding method. In particular, the present invention relates to the manufacture of sponge-covered tires in which a band-shaped sponge for noise control is attached to the inner circumferential surface.

Sponge tires are known, which have a strip of sponge attached to the inner circumferential surface. These sponge tires reduce road noise, which is primarily caused by air sympathetic vibration (cavity resonance).

Until now, sponges have been applied to the inner surface of tires manually by workers. Development of application devices is underway to apply sponges to the inner surface of tires efficiently, with high precision, and evenly (for example, see Patent Document 1 below).

In the application device disclosed in Patent Document 1, a wound body (hereinafter also referred to as a spiral sponge) formed by winding sponge material including a strip-shaped sponge into a spiral shape is set as is in a sponge holding frame. The sponge holding frame is placed inside the tire, and the sponge material is pulled out from the spiral sponge while the sponge is applied to the inner circumferential surface of the tire.

Patent No. 4746421

The shape of the sponge is determined according to the specifications of the tire, and the application device is required to be able to apply sponges of various shapes to tires.
As the length and thickness of the sponge increases, the volume of the spiral sponge obtained by rolling the sponge increases. Depending on the size, it may not be possible to set the spiral sponge in the sponge holding frame mentioned above.
The sponge retaining frame is set inside the tire through the bead seat hole of the tire. There is a limit to how large the sponge retaining frame can be made.
A sponge is an elastic body. To hold the sponge material as a spiral sponge, the spiral sponge needs to be constrained by some means.
In order to manufacture tires with sponge of various specifications, manual work by workers is required. Problems remain to be solved in order to attach the sponge to the inner peripheral surface of the tire efficiently, with high precision, and uniformly.

The present invention was made in consideration of these circumstances, and aims to provide a sponge material winding device and winding method that can contribute to the stable production of high-quality sponge tires.

A sponge material winding device according to one aspect of the present invention is a sponge material winding device that spirally winds sponge material including a band-shaped sponge that is attached to the inner circumferential surface of a tire, and includes a sponge storage cassette that stores the sponge material, a mounting tool to which the sponge storage cassette is attached, and a compression tool that compresses the sponge material. The sponge storage cassette includes a cylindrical winding core on whose outer circumferential surface the sponge material is wound, a shaft portion located inside the winding core and rotatably supporting the winding core, a limiting member located outside the winding core and restraining the sponge material wound on the winding core, and a fixed frame that fixes the limiting member to the shaft portion. The mounting tool includes an attachment portion to which the winding core is attached, a rotating machine that rotates the attachment portion, and a restraining portion that restrains the limiting member. The compression tool includes a pressing member that is arranged opposite the winding core, and a support means that variably supports the position of the pressing member relative to the winding core. The sponge storage cassette is detachable from the mounting tool. The attachment portion and the restraint portion fix the sponge storage cassette to the mounting device. When the core rotates, the sponge material passes between the core and the pressing member, and when the support means brings the pressing member close to the core, the sponge material passing between the pressing member and the core is compressed, and the compressed sponge material is wound around the core.

Preferably, in this sponge material winding device, the position of the pressing member relative to the winding core varies depending on the thickness of the sponge material located between the pressing member and the winding core.

Preferably, in this sponge material winding device, the support means has a cylinder. The pressing member is attached to the rod of the cylinder, and the pressure inside the cylinder is maintained so as not to exceed a certain level.

Preferably, in this sponge material winding device, the pressing member includes a roller and a support holder that rotatably supports the roller. The roller is pressed against the sponge material.

Preferably, in this sponge material winding device, the sponge material is made of a sponge with a release paper on the adhesive surface that is attached to the tire.

Preferably, in this sponge material winding device, the sponge is wound around the core with the sponge facing the core.

A method for winding a sponge material according to one aspect of the present invention is a method for winding a sponge material, comprising spirally winding a sponge material including a strip-shaped sponge to be attached to an inner circumferential surface of a tire, the method comprising the steps of:
(1) setting an end of the sponge material on a core;
(2) A step of rotating the winding core to wind the sponge material onto the winding core. In the step of winding the sponge material onto the winding core, the rotation of the winding core causes the sponge material to pass between the winding core and a pressing member arranged in a position facing the winding core, and the pressing member is brought close to the winding core, thereby compressing the sponge material passing between the pressing member and the winding core, and the sponge material in a compressed state is wound onto the winding core.

The present invention provides a sponge material winding device and winding method that can contribute to the stable production of high-quality sponge tires.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a sponge-equipped tire. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a sponge material before attachment. FIG. 3 is a front view showing an example of a sponge application device. FIG. 4 is a side view of the sponge application device. FIG. 5 is a side view of the application tool. FIG. 6 is a side view of the sponge storage cassette. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a sponge-storing cassette. FIG. 8 is a side view showing an example of a sponge material winding device. FIG. 9 is a front view of the sponge material winding device. FIG. 10 is a front view of the sponge material winding device. FIG. 11 is a side view of a sponge material winding device. FIG. 12 is a side view illustrating a method for winding up the sponge material. FIG. 13 is a side view illustrating a method for winding up the sponge material. FIG. 14 is a side view illustrating a method for winding up the sponge material. FIG. 15 is a side view illustrating a method for winding up the sponge material. FIG. 16 is a side view of a sponge-storing cassette for storing sponge material. FIG. 17 is a front view of the sponge application device. FIG. 18 is a front view of the sponge application device.

The present invention will now be described in detail based on a preferred embodiment, with reference to the drawings as appropriate.

[Sponge-covered tires]
Fig. 1 shows an example of a sponge-equipped tire ST obtained by a method for manufacturing a sponge-equipped tire according to one embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 1 shows a part of a meridian section of the sponge-equipped tire ST. In Fig. 1, the sponge-equipped tire ST is mounted on a rim R. In Fig. 1, a dashed dotted line CL represents the equatorial plane.
The sponge-attached tire ST includes a tire T and a sponge S.

The tire T has elements such as a tread, sidewalls, beads, carcass, belts, and an inner liner. The tire T comes into contact with the road surface at the tread. The inner liner forms the inner peripheral surface of the tire T. These elements are typical elements of a tire T, and a description of them will be omitted.

The sponge S is attached to the inner circumferential surface of the tire T. In this sponge-attached tire ST, the sponge S is located radially inside the tread. The sponge S is located on the equatorial plane. The part of the inner circumferential surface of the tire T where the tread is located on the outside is also called the tread inner surface NT. In this sponge-attached tire ST, the sponge S is attached to the tread inner surface NT.

The sponge S is strip-shaped. In the sponge-equipped tire ST, the sponge S extends in the circumferential direction. The main body Sm of the sponge S absorbs and mitigates the resonance sound energy (vibration energy) generated in the tire cavity due to its vibration-proofing and sound-absorbing properties, suppressing cavity resonance. This reduces road noise.

The main body Sm of the sponge S may be a spongy porous structure, such as a sponge itself having open cells formed by foaming rubber or synthetic resin, or a web-like structure formed by intertwining animal fibers, plant fibers or synthetic fibers. The aforementioned "porous structure" includes structures having not only open cells but also closed cells.
In this sponge-equipped tire ST, synthetic resin sponges such as ether-based polyurethane sponge, ester-based polyurethane sponge, and polyethylene sponge; and rubber sponges such as chloroprene rubber sponge (CR sponge), ethylene propylene rubber sponge (EDPM sponge), and nitrile rubber sponge (NBR sponge) are suitably used as the main body Sm of the sponge S.

In the sponge-attached tire ST, deformation and restoration are repeated in the same manner as in a tire without the sponge S. Since the sponge S is attached to the tread inner surface NT, peeling of the sponge S from the tread inner surface NT is prevented.
Although not described in detail, for example, the tire T is obtained by pressurizing and heating a green tire (an unvulcanized tire T, also called a raw cover) in a cavity formed by a mold and a bladder. A release agent such as silicone oil is used to remove the tire T from the cavity. The release agent adheres to the inner peripheral surface of the tire T after vulcanization molding. The release agent affects the adhesion between the sponge S and the tread inner surface NT.
When attaching the sponge S to the inner peripheral surface of the tire T, it is preferable to form a release agent-removed area by removing the release agent by means of buffing, laser irradiation, or the like, and attach the sponge S to this release agent-removed area. This ensures that the sponge S is adhered to the inner peripheral surface of the tire T.
In the sponge-attached tire ST of FIG. 1, the tread inner surface NT is buffed in advance in the circumferential direction to form a release agent-free region Y where the release agent has been removed, and a sponge S is attached to this release agent-free region Y.

Furthermore, in this sponge-equipped tire ST, from the viewpoint of ensuring that the sponge S is adhered to the inner peripheral surface of the tire T, it is preferable that one side of the sponge S is an adhesive surface Sa on which adhesive A is applied. In this case, a double-sided adhesive tape is preferably used as the adhesive A. The main body Sm of the sponge S is adhered to the inner peripheral surface of the tire T via the adhesive A. The sponge S comprises a main body Sm and adhesive A applied to one side of the main body Sm. One side of the sponge S is an adhesive surface Sa made of adhesive A.

[Sponge material]
2 shows the state of the sponge S before it is attached to the tire T. In order to protect an adhesive surface Sa that constitutes one surface of the sponge S, the adhesive surface Sa is covered with a release paper P.
In the present disclosure, the sponge S with an adhesive surface Sa covered with a release paper P is the sponge material M. The sponge material M includes a strip-shaped sponge S and a release paper P covering the adhesive surface Sa that forms one side of the sponge S. In other words, the sponge material M is composed of the sponge S with the adhesive surface Sa being the surface that is attached to the tire T and the release paper P disposed on the adhesive surface Sa.
The length of the sponge material M is set in consideration of the length to be attached per tire T. When attaching the sponge S to the inner peripheral surface of the tire T, the sponge material M is prepared with its length adjusted to the length required for attachment.

[Method of manufacturing sponge-attached tire ST]
A method for manufacturing a sponge-attached tire ST will be described taking as an example the case where a sponge S is attached to the tire T having the aforementioned release agent-free region Y formed thereon.

In this manufacturing method, a wound body of sponge material M (hereinafter also referred to as a spiral sponge SP) is prepared by winding sponge material M in a spiral shape. While pulling out sponge material M from the spiral sponge SP, sponge S is attached to the inner circumferential surface of tire T.

[Sponge application device]
3 and 4, an overview of a sponge application device 2 used for applying the sponge S to the tread inner surface NT while drawing out the sponge material M from the spiral sponge SP will be described. The manufacturing device used in this manufacturing method includes a sponge application device 2 (hereinafter, application device 2).

Fig. 3 is a front view of the application device 2. The left-right direction of the paper surface of Fig. 3 corresponds to the axial direction of the tire T. Fig. 4 is a side view of the application device 2. The direction perpendicular to the paper surface of Fig. 4 corresponds to the axial direction of the tire T.
The application device 2 includes a holding and rotating tool 4, a position adjustment tool 6, and an application tool 8. The holding and rotating tool 4 holds the tire T in an upright state so as to be rotatable. The position adjustment tool 6 supports the application tool 8 and adjusts the position of the application tool 8. The application tool 8 applies the sponge S to the inner tread surface NT of the tire T which is held by the holding and rotating tool 4 and which is rotating.

The holding and rotating tool 4 includes a support means 10, a positioning means 12, and a pressing means 14. The support means 10 supports a tire T. The support means 10 has a pair of support rollers 16 that are spaced apart and on which the tire T is placed. The positioning means 12 includes a pair of side support members 18 that are arranged opposite to the side surfaces of the tire T held by the support means 10. The pair of side support members 18 sandwich the tire T from both sides. The pressing means 14 presses the tire T held by the support means 10 from above.
In this application device 2, a support means 10, a positioning means 12 and a pressing means 14 are attached to a skeleton-like frame 22 formed by joining left and right side frames 20, which are framed in a rectangular shape by vertical frame pieces and horizontal frame pieces, with horizontal connecting frame pieces.
In this application device 2, a tire T is inserted between the left and right side support bodies 18 and the tire T is removed from between the left and right side support bodies 18.

In the support means 10, a pair of support rollers 16 are each rotatably supported on a side frame 20. A drive motor 24 is connected to one of the support rollers 16 via a well-known drive connection means using a sprocket, an endless string, or the like. The tire T rotates when the drive motor 24 is driven.

In the positioning means 12, the pair of side supports 18 each have a support main portion 26 configured in a rectangular shape. The support main portion 26 is supported so as to be movable in the axial direction by a pair of upper and lower guides 28 that extend in the axial direction of the tire T between the left and right side frames 20. The left and right support main portions 26 are configured so as to be able to move closer to or apart from each other by a left and right opening and closing means (not shown). This allows the position of the tire T placed on the support means 10 to be aligned with the position of the tire T when the sponge S is attached.
A plurality of holding rollers 30 are pivotally supported on the side support 18 in order to rotatably hold the tire T. The respective holding rollers 30 are attached to opposing surfaces of the support main portion 26 so as to abut against the maximum width position of the tire T.

The pressing means 14 has a cylinder 32 supported on the upper end of the frame 22 via a mounting bracket. The cylinder 32 has a rod 34 extending downward, and a pressing roller 36 is pivotally attached to the end of the rod 34 via a roller holder. The tire T is pressed from above against the support roller 16 by the extension action of the cylinder 32. This application device 2 can reliably rotate the tire T at a specified rotational speed without positional deviation or speed unevenness.

The position adjustment tool 6 moves the height adjustment table 38 up and down according to the size of the tire T held by the holding rotation tool 4, and can adjust the position of the application tool 8 to a height position where the application tool 8 can be inserted into the tire cavity through the bead seat hole H and the application tool 8 can be removed from the tire cavity.
The position adjustment tool 6 includes a support tool 40 and a height adjustment tool 42 .

The support tool 40 supports the application tool 8. The support tool 40 includes a traverse means 44 and a vertical movement means 46.
The traverse means 44 moves the application tool 8 in the axial direction of the tire T, thereby inserting the application tool 8 into the tire cavity through the bead seat hole H of the tire T and removing the application tool 8 from the tire cavity. The up-down movement means 46 moves the application tool 8 inserted into the tire cavity in the radial direction of the tire T.
The height adjustment tool 42 supports the support tool 40 and moves the support tool 40 up and down to adjust the height position of the application tool 8 supported by the support tool 40 in accordance with the size of the tire T. The height adjustment tool 42 includes the height adjustment table 38 and a vertical guide portion 48.
The vertical guide portion 48 is disposed on a support base 50 that rises from the base plate of the frame 22 and extends vertically. The height adjustment base 38 is guided by the vertical guide portion 48 and can move vertically. Although not shown, the height adjustment device 42 is equipped with an upper and lower linear drive portion that freely moves the height adjustment base 38 up and down. In this application device 2, the upper and lower linear drive portion has a ball screw mechanism. The upper and lower linear drive portion is equipped with a vertical screw shaft whose both ends are pivotally supported by the support base 50, and a nut portion that is attached to the height adjustment base 38 and screws onto the screw shaft. One end of the screw shaft is connected to a lifting motor that is attached to the support base 50.

In the support 40, the traverse means 44 includes a lateral guide portion 52, a lateral movement table 54, and a lateral linear drive portion 56. The lateral guide portion 52 is disposed on the height adjustment table 38. The lateral movement table 54 is guided by the lateral guide portion 52 and can move in the axial direction of the tire T. The lateral linear drive portion 56 moves the lateral movement table 54 between a rear standby position Qr and a front forward position Qf. In this application device 2, the lateral linear drive portion 56 is a rodless cylinder, and a piston portion that moves between one end and the other end is connected to the lateral movement table 54 via an actuator.
At the standby position Qr, the application tool 8 waits outside the tire cavity. In the standby state, the tire T is inserted into the holding and rotating tool 4, the tire T is removed from the holding and rotating tool 4, and the spiral sponge SP is set in the application tool 8. At the forward position Qf, the spiral sponge SP is set in the tire cavity with the width center line of the sponge S aligned with the equatorial plane of the tire T.

The vertical movement means 46 includes a vertical guide portion 58, a lifting body 60, and a vertical linear drive portion 62. The vertical guide portion 58 is disposed on a support base 64 that stands upright from the horizontal movement base 54 and extends vertically. The lifting body 60 can move vertically while being guided by the vertical guide portion 58. The lifting body 60 extends in the axial direction of the tire T. The application tool 8 is held at the front end of the lifting body 60. The vertical linear drive portion 62 moves the lifting body 60 up and down. In this application device 2, the vertical linear drive portion 62 is a cylinder. The vertical linear drive portion 62 moves the application tool 8 held at the front end of the lifting body 60 between the insertion height position into the tire cavity and the application height position of the sponge S.

Fig. 5 shows an application tool 8. Fig. 5 shows a state in which the sponge S is applied to the inner peripheral surface of the tire T. The direction perpendicular to the paper surface of Fig. 5 corresponds to the axial direction of the tire T.
The application tool 8 includes a sponge holding frame 66, a guide means 68, and an application means 70. A sponge storage cassette 72, which will be described later, is attached to the sponge holding frame 66. A sponge material M is stored in this sponge storage cassette 72. The guide means 68 pulls out the sponge material M from the sponge storage cassette 72 and guides the sponge S to the tread inner surface NT. The application means 70 applies the sponge S to the tread inner surface NT.

The sponge holding frame 66 is attached to the front end of the lifting body 60 via a mounting plate 74. The sponge holding frame 66 is in the shape of a container with an annular peripheral frame 76 that holds the sponge storage cassette 72 and is provided around a bottom plate 78. An interrupted portion 80 is provided in part of the annular peripheral frame 76, and a guide portion 82 that guides the sponge material M is provided in this interrupted portion 80. The sponge material M stored in the sponge storage cassette 72 passes through this guide portion 82. Although not described in detail, the width of the guide portion 82 is set so that the sponge material M can pass through this guide portion 82 smoothly.

The guide means 68 includes a peeling roller 84, a take-up roller 86, and a guide roller 88. The peeling roller 84 and the guide roller 88 are disposed on the lower end side of the guide portion 82. The take-up roller 86 is disposed near the guide portion 82. The peeling roller 84, the take-up roller 86, and the guide roller 88 are rotatably supported by the mounting plate 74.
The peeling roller 84 peels off the release paper P from the sponge material M that has passed through the guide section 82. This exposes the adhesive surface Sa, and only the sponge S appears.
The winding roller 86 is adjacent to the peeling roller 84 and winds up the release paper P peeled off from the sponge material M by the peeling roller 84. The winding roller 86 is connected to a drive pulley 90 via a transmission belt. A motor (not shown) drives the drive pulley 90 to rotate, thereby rotating the winding roller 86.
The guide roller 88 guides the sponge S to the tread inner surface NT with the adhesive surface Sa facing outward. A flange 92 is provided on the outer periphery of the guide roller 88 to prevent the sponge S from shifting out of position.

The application means 70 includes an application roller 94. The application roller 94 presses the sponge S guided by the guide roller 88 against the tread inner surface NT to apply it. The application roller 94 is rotatably supported via a roller holder 100 at the lower end of a rod 98 of a cylinder 96 fixed to the mounting plate 74. The outer peripheral surface of the application roller 94 is made of a sponge that is easily elastically deformed. The application roller 94 presses the sponge S against the tread inner surface NT by surface contact.

[Sponge storage cassette]
As described above, a sponge storage cassette 72 according to one embodiment of the present invention is attached to the sponge holding frame 66 of the application device 2. This sponge storage cassette 72 will be described with reference to Figures 6 and 7. The direction perpendicular to the plane of Figure 6 corresponds to the axial direction of the tire T. The front side of the plane of Figure 6 is the front side of this sponge storage cassette 72. The left-right direction of the plane of Figure 7 corresponds to the axial direction of the tire T. The left side of the plane of Figure 7 is the front side of this sponge storage cassette 72.

The sponge storage cassette 72 stores the sponge material M. The sponge storage cassette 72 is used by the winding device described below and the application device 2 described above. The sponge storage cassette 72 is also a component of the winding device and the application device 2.
The sponge-storage cassette 72 includes a winding core 102, a shaft portion 104, a restricting member 106, and a fixed frame 108.

The winding core 102 is cylindrical. The sponge material M is wound around the outer circumferential surface of the winding core 102. The sponge material M is wound in a spiral shape to form a spiral sponge SP. The sponge storage cassette 72 stores the sponge material M as the spiral sponge SP.

The winding core 102 comprises an outer tube 110, an inner tube 112 located inside the outer tube 110, and a support plate 114 that supports the outer tube 110 and the inner tube 112. The outer tube 110 forms the outer peripheral surface of the winding core 102. The inner tube 112 forms the inner peripheral surface of the winding core 102. The support plate 114 is doughnut-shaped. The outer tube 110 is fixed to the outer edge of the support plate 114. The outer tube 110 extends from the outer edge of the support plate 114 toward the front side. The inner tube 112 is fixed to the inner edge of the support plate 114. The inner tube 112 extends from the inner edge of the support plate 114 toward the front side.

In this sponge-storing cassette 72, an interrupted portion 116 is formed in a part of the outer cylinder 110. This interrupted portion is a slit.
The sponge material M is wound around the outer peripheral surface of the winding core 102, with the end of the sponge material M being sandwiched in the slit 116. Since the sponge material M is stably held on the winding core 102, the sponge material M can be smoothly wound up. From this viewpoint, it is preferable that the outer cylinder 110 be provided with the slit 116 for sandwiching the end of the sponge material M.

The support plate 114 has two mounting holes 118 that penetrate the support plate 114. These mounting holes 118 are used for mounting to the winding device described below.

The shaft portion 104 is located inside the winding core 102. The shaft portion 104 rotatably supports the winding core 102. The shaft portion 104 is fitted into an inner cylinder 112 of the winding core 102.
The shaft portion 104 includes a shaft portion body 120 and a bearing portion 122. The bearing portion 122 is located between the shaft portion body 120 and the winding core 102. The sponge storage cassette 72 is configured so that the winding core 102 rotates around the shaft portion body 120. The bearing portion 122 of the sponge storage cassette 72 includes two bearings 124.

In this sponge storage cassette 72, the shaft body 120 of the shaft 104 comprises a trunk 126 and a lid 128. A step is engraved on the outer circumferential surface of the trunk 126, and two bearings 124 are attached to this step. A spacer 130 is placed between the two bearings 124, and the two bearings 124 are placed at a fixed distance. The lid 128 is fixed to the trunk 126 with a bolt 132, and the two bearings 124 are fixed to the shaft body 120.

The inner tube 112 of the winding core 102 described above comprises an inner tube body 134 and a pressing plate 136. The inner tube body 134 has a protrusion 138 that protrudes inward at its front end. When the winding core 102 is attached to the shaft portion 104, the protrusion 138 is supported by the front bearing 124. A pressing plate 136 is attached to the back end of the inner tube body 134, and the back bearing 124 is supported by the pressing plate 136. This fixes the winding core 102 to the shaft portion 104.

The barrel 126 of the shaft body 120 is provided with a fixing hole 140 that extends from the rear end face toward the front side. As will be described later, the fixing hole 140 is used for attachment to the application device 2 described above.

The limiting member 106 is located outside the winding core 102. As described above, the sponge material M is wound around the winding core 102. The limiting member 106 is located outside the sponge material M wound around this winding core 102.
The sponge material M is an elastic body. The sponge material M wound around the winding core 102 attempts to restore to the state before being wound. However, when the sponge material M attempts to restore, it comes into contact with the restricting member 106. This prevents the sponge material M from restoring to its original state.
The limiting member 106 restrains the sponge material M wound around the winding core 102. The sponge material M is held in a state wound around the winding core 102, i.e., as a spiral sponge SP. This sponge storage cassette 72 can control the size of the spiral sponge SP. In this sponge storage cassette 72, the size of the spiral sponge SP is appropriately maintained.
The limiting member 106 of this sponge storage cassette 72 is a curved plate. As long as it can restrain the sponge material M wound around the winding core 102, the limiting member 106 may be formed of, for example, a rod-shaped member extending in the width direction of the sponge material M.

The fixed frame 108 fixes the limiting member 106 to the shaft portion 104. The limiting member 106 is integral with the shaft portion 104.
There are no particular limitations on the configuration of the fixed frame 108 as long as it can fix the limiting member 106 to the shaft portion 104. The fixed frame 108 of this sponge-storing cassette 72 is made of an L-shaped plate.
In this sponge-storing cassette 72, the fixed frame 108 is attached at its corner portion 108c to the shaft portion 104. The fixed frame 108, together with the cover portion 128 of the shaft portion 104, is fixed to the body portion 126 by bolts 132. Both end portions 108e of the fixed frame 108 are attached to the ends of the limiting members 106, respectively.
In this sponge storage cassette 72, a handle 142 is attached to the fixed frame 108 to facilitate carrying.

[Sponge material winding device]
As described above, in the manufacturing method of the sponge-equipped tire ST, the sponge material M is wound in a spiral shape to prepare the spiral sponge SP before the sponge S is attached to the inner peripheral surface of the tire T. For this preparation, a sponge material winding device 152 (hereinafter, winding device) is used to wind the sponge material M in a spiral shape. The sponge storage cassette 72 described above is also used in this winding device 152.
8 to 15, an overview of a sponge material winding device 152 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described. The manufacturing device used in the manufacturing method of the sponge-equipped tire ST includes the winding device 152 in addition to the above-mentioned application device 2.

Figure 8 is a side view of the winding device 152. Figure 9 is a front view of the winding device 152. The direction perpendicular to the paper surface of Figure 8 corresponds to the axial direction of the tire T. In Figure 8, the front side of the paper surface is the front side of the winding device 152. The left-right direction of the paper surface of Figure 9 corresponds to the axial direction of the tire T. In Figure 9, the left side of the paper surface is the front side of the winding device 152.

The winding device 152 includes a mounting tool 154 and a compression tool 156. The sponge storage cassette 72 is mounted on the mounting tool 154. The compression tool 156 compresses the sponge material M stored in the sponge storage cassette 72. The winding device 152 is a device that winds up the sponge material M while compressing it.

The mounting device 154 includes an attachment portion 158, a rotating machine 160, and a restraining portion 162. The attachment portion 158 is supported by the rotating machine 160. The rotating machine 160 and the restraining portion 162 are supported by a support base 168 attached to the end of a support rod 166 that extends upward from a floor plate 164. The floor plate 164, the support rod 166, and the support base 168 form a frame 170 of the winding device 152.

The mounting portion 158 is located on the front side of the winding device 152. The mounting portion 158 includes a pair of mounting pins 172. The pair of mounting pins 172 are supported by a holding plate 174. Each of the mounting pins 172 extends from the holding plate 174 toward the front side.
In this winding device 152, the mounting pin 172 in the mounting portion 158 is positioned so that it can pass through the mounting hole 118 provided in the support plate 114 of the winding core 102. As shown in Figure 10, the mounting pin 172 of the mounting device 154 is passed through the mounting hole 118 of the winding core 102. This causes the winding core 102 of the sponge storage cassette 72 to be attached to the mounting portion 158 of the mounting device 154. The sponge storage cassette 72 is detachable from the mounting device 154.

The rotating machine 160 has a rotating shaft 176. The above-mentioned mounting portion 158 is attached to the tip of this rotating shaft 176. When the rotating machine 160 is driven, the mounting portion 158 rotates. The rotating machine 160 rotates the mounting portion 158.
The rotating machine 160 is an air motor. The rotating machine 160 may be, for example, an electric motor.

The restraint portion 162 includes two stoppers 178 and a contact plate 180 .
The two stoppers 178 are attached to a holding member 182 extending upward from the support base 168. The two stoppers 178 extend from the holding member 182 toward the front side. The two stoppers 178 are arranged with a gap between them in the up-down direction. Like the stoppers 178, the contact plate 180 is also attached to the holding member 182 and extends from the holding member 182 toward the front side. The contact plate 180 is located between the two stoppers 178 in the up-down direction.

As described above, in the sponge storage cassette 72, the shaft portion 104 rotatably supports the winding core 102, and the limiting member 106 is integral with the shaft portion 104 together with the fixed frame 108. In the winding device 152, the limiting member 106 is in a state in which it can rotate relative to the winding core 102.

In this winding device 152, as shown in FIG. 11, two stoppers 178 and a contact plate 180 are arranged so as to surround the limiting member 106 of the sponge storage cassette 72. The upper stopper 178 is arranged so as to contact an end (hereinafter, a first end 108ea) of the fixed frame 108 attached to the upper end of the limiting member 106. The upper stopper 178 prevents the limiting member 106 from rotating counterclockwise. The lower stopper 178 is arranged so as to contact an end (hereinafter, a second end 108eb) of the fixed frame 108 attached to the lower end of the limiting member 106. The lower stopper 178 prevents the limiting member 106 from rotating clockwise. The contact plate 180 contacts the limiting member 106 from the outside between the upper stopper 178 and the lower stopper 178.
The two stoppers 178 and the contact plate 180, i.e., the restraining portion 162, restrain the limiting member 106. In other words, the restraining portion 162 limits the movement of the sponge-storing cassette 72 attached to the attachment portion 158. This prevents the limiting member 106 from rotating relative to the winding core 102.

The compression tool 156 is located on the front side of the support bar 166 and is supported by this support bar 166. The compression tool 156 includes a pressing member 184 and a support means 186.
The pressing member 184 is located below the sponge storage cassette 72. The pressing member 184 is disposed facing the winding core 102 of the sponge storage cassette 72. The pressing member 184 includes a roller 188 and a support holder 190 that rotatably supports the roller 188. In this winding device 152, the number of rollers 188 provided on the pressing member 184 is three. It is sufficient that the pressing member 184 is provided with at least one roller 188, and there is no particular limit to the number of rollers 188 provided on the pressing member 184.
The support means 10 has a cylinder 194 attached to the support rod 166 via a connecting member 192. The support holder 190 of the pressing member 184 described above is attached to a rod 196 of this cylinder 194.
In this winding device 152, the pressing member 184 approaches the winding core 102 due to the extension operation of the cylinder 194. As will be described later, this causes the roller 188 of the pressing member 184 to be pressed against the sponge material M. In this winding device 152, the pressing member 184 moves away from the winding core 102 due to the contraction operation of the cylinder 194. As shown in Figure 10, the pressing member 184 moves back and forth between a standby position Pw and a contact position Pc. The support means 186 supports the position of the pressing member 184 relative to the winding core 102 so that the position can be changed.

In this winding device 152, the cylinder 194 is an air cylinder. This cylinder 194 may also be, for example, a hydraulic cylinder.

Next, a method for winding the sponge material M according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described based on the operation of the winding device 152. This winding method forms a part of a method for manufacturing a sponge-fitted tire ST.
This winding method is
(1) a step of mounting the sponge-storing cassette 72 on the winding device 152 (hereinafter, the mounting step);
(2) a step of setting an end of the sponge material M on the winding core 102 (hereinafter, the setting step); and (3) a step of rotating the winding core 102 to wind the sponge material M around the winding core 102 (hereinafter, the winding step).
This mounting step is also referred to as a first mounting step in the manufacturing method of the sponge-fitted tire ST.

11 , in the mounting process, the sponge-storing cassette 72 is mounted on the winding device 152. The winding core 102 is attached to the mounting portion 158, and the limiting member 106 is restrained by the restraining portion 162. As a result, the sponge-storing cassette 72 is fixed to the mounting fixture 154.
Since the sponge-storing cassette 72 is detachable from the mounting fixture 154, the sponge-storing cassette 72 can also be easily removed from the mounting fixture 154.

In the setting process, the sponge material M is introduced into the winding device 152. As shown in FIG. 12 , the sponge material M passes over an introduction roller 198. The sponge material M further passes between two guide rollers 200. This positions an end of the sponge S near the winding core 102. In this introduction, the sponge material M is introduced into the winding device 152 with the sponge S on the upper side (in other words, with the release paper P on the lower side). After introduction, the end of the sponge material M is sandwiched in the slit 116 of the winding core 102. The end of the sponge material M is set on the winding core 102, and the sponge material M is held by the winding core 102.
The size of the slit 116 is set to a size that allows the sponge S of the sponge material M to pass through the slit 116 by lightly squashing it. In the application device 2, the end of the sponge material M is pulled out through the slit 116. The size of the slit 116 is appropriately determined taking into consideration the ease with which the end of the sponge S can be inserted and removed.

Once the end of the sponge material M is set on the winding core 102, the winding process begins.
In the winding process, the winding core 102 is rotated, and the sponge material M is placed between the winding core 102 and the pressing member 184, as shown in Fig. 13. The rotating machine 160 is driven to rotate the mounting portion 158. Since the winding core 102 is attached to the mounting portion 158, the winding core 102 is rotated by the driving of the rotating machine 160. As a result, the sponge material M passes between the winding core 102 and the pressing member 184.

In this winding process, when the rotating machine 160 is driven to start winding the sponge material M, the support means 186 is driven. The support means 186 brings the pressing member 184, which is located at the standby position Pw, close to the winding core 102. The pressing member 184 arrives at the contact position Pc, and as shown in FIG. 14, presses the sponge material M located between the pressing member 184 and the winding core 102 toward the winding core 102. This compresses the sponge material M. In this winding device 152, the support means 186 brings the pressing member 184 close to the winding core 102, thereby compressing the sponge material M passing between the pressing member 184 and the winding core 102. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 15, the sponge material M in a compressed state is wound around the winding core 102.

The winding process is completed when the entire sponge material M is wound around the winding core 102. Completion of the winding process means that storage of the sponge material M in the sponge storage cassette 72 is complete. The winding process is also a process of rotating the winding core 102 to wind the sponge material M in a spiral shape and store the sponge material M in the sponge storage cassette 72 (hereinafter referred to as the storage process).

16 shows a sponge storage cassette 72 storing the spiral sponge SP obtained by the winding device 152. In this winding device 152, the sponge material M is wound around the winding core 102 in multiple layers while being compressed.
Since the sponge material M located on the inside is restrained by the sponge material M located on the outside, the sponge material M located on the inside generally maintains its compressed state. Since the sponge material M located on the outermost side is restrained by the limiting member 106, the sponge S of the sponge material M located on the outermost side is restored at least in the portion of the sponge material M that contacts the limiting member 106. Therefore, the thickness of the sponge material M constituting the spiral sponge SP stored in the sponge storage cassette 72 is not uniform. In the spiral sponge SP stored in the sponge storage cassette 72 by this winding device 152, the sponge material M in the portion that contacts the limiting member 106 is thicker than the sponge material M located on the inside of the spiral sponge SP.

When storage of the sponge material M in the sponge storage cassette 72 is completed, that is, when the winding process is completed, the sponge storage cassette 72 is removed from the winding device 152. Then, the sponge storage cassette 72 containing the sponge material M is used to attach the sponge S to the tread inner surface NT.
As described above, in this sponge storage cassette 72, the limiting member 106 restrains the sponge material M wound around the winding core 102. Therefore, even if the sponge storage cassette 72 is removed from the winding device 152, the sponge material M is maintained in a state wound around the winding core 102, i.e., as the spiral sponge SP.

Next, a method for attaching the sponge S to the inner circumferential surface of the tire T (specifically, the tread inner surface NT) using the sponge storage cassette 72 will be described. In this attachment method, the above-mentioned attachment device 2 is used. This attachment method forms a part of a method for manufacturing a sponge-fitted tire ST.
This attachment method is
(1) a step of mounting a sponge storage cassette 72 containing sponge material M to an application device 2 (hereinafter, “mounting step”), and (2) a step of attaching the sponge S to the tread inner surface NT while drawing out the sponge material M from the spiral sponge SP stored in the sponge storage cassette 72 (hereinafter, “application step”).
This mounting step is also referred to as a second mounting step in the manufacturing method of the sponge-fitted tire ST.

In the mounting process, the sponge storage cassette 72 containing the sponge material M is mounted to the application device 2. In this mounting, the sponge storage cassette 72 is attached to the sponge holding frame 66 of the application device 2.

Figure 17 shows a part of the application device 2. Figure 17 shows the sponge holding frame 66 of the application tool 8. The left-right direction of the paper in Figure 17 corresponds to the axial direction of the tire T. In Figure 17, the right side of the paper is the front side of the application device 2.

The application tool 8 of the application device 2 is provided with a fixed shaft 202 that extends from the bottom plate 78 of the sponge holding frame 66 to the front side. The fixed shaft 202 of the application device 2 is composed of a plate-shaped flange portion 202f located on the bottom plate 78 side, and a main body 202m that extends from the flange portion 202f to the front side. In the application device 2, the flange portion 202f is sandwiched between the bottom plate 78 and the mounting plate 74, and the main body 202m is passed through a through hole 78p provided in the bottom plate 78, thereby fixing the fixed shaft 202 to the application tool 8.

As described above, the body 126 of the shaft body 120 that constitutes the shaft 104 of the sponge storage cassette 72 is provided with a fixing hole 140. In this application device 2, as shown in FIG. 18, the sponge storage cassette 72 is attached to the sponge holding frame 66 by inserting the fixing shaft 202 into the fixing hole 140.

In this application device 2, the cross section of the body 202m of the fixed shaft 202 and the cross section of the fixing hole 140 are rectangular. Therefore, the shaft portion 104 does not rotate relative to the fixed shaft 202, and the sponge storage cassette 72 is held in the sponge holding frame 66. In this application device 2, there are no particular limitations on the cross-sectional shapes of the body 202m of the fixed shaft 202 and the fixing hole 140, as long as the shaft portion 104 is configured not to rotate relative to the fixed shaft 202.

As described above, in the sponge-storing cassette 72, the limiting member 106 and the fixed frame 108 are integral with the shaft portion 104. Therefore, in this application device 2, the limiting member 106 does not rotate with respect to the fixed shaft 202.
In this application device 2, as shown in Fig. 5, a convex portion 204 that protrudes inward is provided on a part of the annular peripheral frame 76 of the sponge holding frame 66. This convex portion 204 is used as a mark when setting the sponge storage cassette 72 in the sponge holding frame 66. In this application device 2, the convex portion 204 is disposed near the first end 108ea of the fixed frame 108. By aligning the position of the first end 108ea of the fixed frame 108 with this convex portion 204 and inserting the fixed shaft 202 of the sponge holding frame 66 into the fixed hole 140 of the sponge storage cassette 72, this sponge storage cassette 72 is attached to the sponge holding frame 66 so that the limiting member 106 of the sponge storage cassette 72 does not interfere with the discontinuous portion 80 of the sponge holding frame 66.

In this application method, when the sponge-containing cassette 72 has been completely attached to the application device 2, the application process starts.
In this application process, first, the horizontally moving table 54 is placed at the standby position Qr (see FIG. 3 ), and the application tool 8 is placed outside the side support 18. In this standby state, the tire T is inserted into the holding and rotating tool 4, and the tire T is set in the application device 2.

When the tire T is set in the application device 2, the position of the application tool 8 relative to the tire T is adjusted. After adjustment, the application tool 8 is introduced into the tire cavity, and application of the sponge S to the inner tread surface NT begins.

In this application process, as shown in FIG. 5, the release paper P of the sponge material M drawn from the sponge storage cassette 72 is peeled off from the sponge S by the peeling roller 84 and taken up by the take-up roller 86. The sponge S is guided to the tread inner surface NT by the guide roller 88 with its adhesive surface Sa facing outward. The sponge S is applied to the tread inner surface NT by the application roller 94.

The sponge S is applied to the tread inner surface NT while rotating the tire T. The shaft portion 104 is fixed to a fixed shaft 202, and the winding core 102 rotates relative to the shaft portion 104, so that the sponge material M is smoothly pulled out from the sponge storage cassette 72 in accordance with the rotation of the tire T.
In this application process, the sponge S is applied to the tread inner surface NT while the sponge material M is being drawn out of the sponge storage cassette 72. The entire sponge S stored in the sponge storage cassette 72 is applied to the tread inner surface NT to obtain the sponge-equipped tire ST shown in FIG.

In this sponge storage cassette 72, the restricting member 106 restricts the sponge material M wound around the core 102, so that the shape of the sponge material M is maintained as a spiral sponge SP.
Moreover, the winding core 102 of the sponge storage cassette 72 is attached to the winding device 152, and the shaft portion 104 of this sponge storage cassette 72 is attached to the application device 2. In this sponge storage cassette 72, the spiral sponge SP prepared by the winding device 152 can be directly supplied to the application device 2. In other words, the sponge storage cassette 72 containing the sponge material M is placed inside the tire T as it is.
In the winding device 152 and winding method using this sponge storage cassette 72, the sponge material M in a compressed state is wound around the winding core 102. Therefore, whether the sponge material M is thick or long, the sponge material M can be stored in the sponge storage cassette 72 and its shape is maintained as a spiral sponge SP. Whether a thick sponge material M is stored in the sponge storage cassette 72 or a long sponge material M is stored in the sponge storage cassette 72, the size of the sponge storage cassette 72 attached to the sponge holding frame 66 of the application device 2 does not change.
The sponge S is not limited to having a rectangular cross section, and the same effects can be obtained even if the sponge S has a cross section of, for example, a trapezoidal, triangular, semicircular, bridge girder, or other shape.
In the manufacturing method of a sponge-equipped tire using the sponge storage cassette 72 and the winding device 152, it is possible to manufacture sponge-equipped tires ST of various specifications. Since most of the work from winding the sponge material M to attaching the sponge S is performed by the winding device 152 and the attaching device 2, this manufacturing method can attach the sponge S to the inner circumferential surface of the tire T efficiently, with high accuracy, and uniformly.
The sponge storage cassette 72, the sponge winding device 152 and the winding method, as well as the manufacturing method of a sponge-fitted tire, can contribute to the stable manufacture of high-quality sponge-fitted tires ST.

When the sponge material M is wound using this sponge storage cassette 72, the sponge material M is wound around the winding core 102 with the sponge S facing the winding core 102. The release paper P presses the sponge S from the outside, further suppressing the restoration of the sponge S. In this manufacturing method, the sponge material M is wound in a sufficiently compressed state. The sponge storage cassette 72 has a high storage capacity for the sponge material M.
In the method for manufacturing a sponge-equipped tire ST using this sponge-storing cassette 72 and winding device 152, it is possible to manufacture sponge-equipped tires ST of various specifications.
From this viewpoint, in this manufacturing method, it is preferable that the sponge material M is wound around the winding core 102 with the sponge S facing the winding core 102 side.

As described above, in this winding device 152, the support means 186 has a cylinder 194, and the pressing member 184 is attached to the rod 196 of this cylinder 194.
The spiral sponge SP is formed by winding the sponge material M around the winding core 102, and as the number of times the sponge material M is wound increases, the thickness of the spiral sponge SP increases.
This increases the force acting on the spiral sponge SP located between the winding core 102 and the pressing member 184. If an excessive force acts on the sponge material M, the sponge S may be damaged, such as torn off.
However, in this winding device 152, when the thickness of the spiral sponge SP increases and the pressure inside the cylinder 194 reaches a certain value, the pressure is reduced. In this winding device 152, the pressure inside the cylinder 194 is maintained so as not to exceed a certain level. The reduced pressure causes the cylinder 194 to contract, so that the pressing member 184 is moved away from the winding core 102. In this winding device 152, the position of the pressing member 184 relative to the winding core 102 varies depending on the thickness of the sponge material M located between the pressing member 184 and the winding core 102.
In this winding device 152, the force acting on the sponge material M located between the pressing member 184 and the winding core 102 is appropriately maintained so that excessive force is not applied to the sponge material M. This winding device 152 can wind up the sponge material M without causing damage to the sponge S, such as tearing.

As described above, in this winding device 152, the support means 186 has a cylinder 194. The pressure inside the cylinder 194 is adjusted appropriately taking into consideration the material and shape of the sponge S. In this winding device 152, there is no particular limit to the pressure inside the cylinder 194 as long as the sponge material M can be wound without causing damage to the sponge S. The pressure inside the cylinder 194 is set, for example, in the range of 0.1 MPa to 10 MPa.

As described above, in this winding device 152, the sponge material M is wound up by rotating the winding core 102 with the rotating machine 160. At this time, the pressing member 184 is pressed against the sponge material M. In this winding device 152, the sponge material M is wound around the winding core 102 while being stretched. This makes the sponge material M thinner, so that the sponge material M can be densely wound around the winding core 102. This increases the storage capacity of the sponge storage cassette 72 for the sponge material M. Increasing the torque of the rotating machine 160 improves the storage capacity of the sponge material M.
The torque of the rotating machine 160 affects the tension generated in the sponge material M. If the tension generated in the sponge material M becomes excessively high, the sponge S may be damaged, such as torn off.
In this winding device 152, the torque of the rotating machine 160 is appropriately adjusted, taking into consideration the strength of the sponge S, etc., so as not to damage the sponge S.
This winding device 152 can effectively increase the storage capacity of the sponge storage cassette 72 for sponge material M. This winding device 152 can store sponge materials M of various shapes and sizes in the sponge storage cassette 72. In other words, it is not necessary to prepare a sponge storage cassette 72 according to the shape and size of the sponge material M to be stored.
In the method for manufacturing a sponge-equipped tire using this sponge-storing cassette 72 and winding device 152, it is possible to manufacture sponge-equipped tires ST of various specifications.

As described above, the present invention provides a sponge material winding device and a sponge material winding method that can contribute to the stable production of high-quality sponge-equipped tires ST.

The sponge material winding device and winding method described above can be applied to the manufacture of various tires.

2: sponge application device 8: application tool 66: sponge holding frame 72: sponge storage cassette 102: winding core 104: shaft portion 106: limiting member 108: fixed frame 110: outer tube 112: inner tube 114: support plate 116: interrupted portion (slit)
118: Mounting hole of winding core 102 120: Shaft body of shaft portion 104 122: Bearing portion of shaft portion 104 152: Sponge winding device 154: Mounting tool 156: Compression tool 158: Mounting portion 160: Rotating machine 162: Restraint portion 172: Mounting pin 176: Rotating shaft of rotating machine 160 184: Pressing member 186: Support means 188: Roller of pressing member 184 194: Cylinder of support means 186 202: Fixed shaft of sponge holding frame 66

ST: Tire with sponge T: Tire NT: Tread inner surface (inner surface of tire T)
S: Sponge Sm: Main body of sponge S Sa: Adhesive surface of sponge S M: Sponge material P: Release paper Y: Area where release agent is removed

Claims (6)

A sponge material winding device that spirally winds up a sponge material including a band-shaped sponge that is attached to an inner circumferential surface of a tire, comprising:
a sponge storage cassette for storing the sponge material;
a mounting fixture to which the sponge storage cassette is attached;
a compression tool for compressing the sponge material,
the sponge storage cassette comprises a cylindrical core around which the sponge material is wound, a shaft portion located inside the core and rotatably supporting the core, a restricting member located outside the core and constraining the sponge material wound around the core, and a fixing frame for fixing the restricting member to the shaft portion,
The mounting device includes an attachment portion to which the winding core is attached, a rotating machine that rotates the attachment portion, and a restraining portion that restrains the limiting member,
The compression tool includes a pressing member disposed opposite the winding core, and a support means for supporting the pressing member so as to be capable of varying a position relative to the winding core,
The sponge storage cassette is detachable from the wearing tool,
The attachment portion and the restraint portion fix the sponge-storage cassette to the wearing tool,
When the core rotates, the sponge material passes between the core and the pressing member,
The support means brings the pressing member close to the winding core, whereby the sponge material passing between the pressing member and the winding core is compressed,
A compressed sponge material is wound onto the core.
A sponge material winding device. The position of the pressing member with respect to the winding core varies depending on the thickness of the sponge material located between the pressing member and the winding core.
2. The sponge material winding device according to claim 1. the support means having a cylinder;
The pressing member is attached to the rod of the cylinder,
The pressure in the cylinder is maintained so as not to exceed a certain level.
3. The sponge material winding device according to claim 2. The pressing member includes a roller and a support holder that rotatably supports the roller,
The roller is pressed against the sponge material.
4. A sponge material winding device according to claim 1. The sponge material is made of a sponge having a surface to be attached to the tire as an adhesive surface and a release paper provided on the adhesive surface.
5. A sponge material winding device according to claim 1. The sponge material is wound around the core with the sponge facing the core.
6. The sponge material winding device according to claim 5.

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