JP7780280B2 - Tension adjusting device, conveying device, tire component manufacturing device, tire manufacturing device, tension adjusting method, conveying method, tire component manufacturing method, tire manufacturing method, and program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a tension adjustment device, a conveying device, a tire component manufacturing device, a tire manufacturing device, a tension adjustment method, a conveying method, a tire component manufacturing method, a tire manufacturing method, and a program.

The following documents are known as adjustment devices and methods for maintaining the tension of the material being conveyed.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a wire tension adjustment device that includes a feed pulley 21 around which the wire is wound, a servo motor 22 that rotates and drives the feed pulley 21 to feed the wire from the upstream side downstream, a tension detection unit 50 that is disposed downstream of the feed pulley 21 and detects the tension of the wire as it is pulled and drawn out from the downstream side, and a speed detection unit 40 that is disposed downstream of the feed pulley 21 and detects the movement speed of the wire as it is pulled and drawn out from the downstream side. This device controls the rotational speed of the servo motor 22 based on the movement speed of the wire detected by the speed detection unit 40, and corrects the rotational speed of the servo motor 22 based on the tension of the wire detected by the tension detection unit 50, thereby adjusting the tension of the wire as it is drawn out from the feed pulley 21.

Patent No. 5308860

In a material conveying system, it is desirable to match the peripheral speeds of the upstream drive roller (sometimes an unwinding drum) and the downstream drive roller (sometimes a winding drum), i.e., to maintain a constant line speed. However, due to mechanical vibrations and fluctuations in core (drum) rotation, matching these speeds is practically difficult. More specifically, the power source for these drive rollers is a motor. While the desired control is the surface speed of the drive roller or drum, it is actually the motor that controls it. As a result, the mechanical load on the driven object differs for each motor, making it difficult to match the surface speed. In addition, in the case of a drum, the winding diameter changes as the long material is unwound and wound, making it difficult to maintain a constant surface speed. Furthermore, because the motor and driven object are connected by a mechanical shaft, torsional vibration occurs, primarily due to the torsional rigidity of the connecting shaft.

Therefore, tension is generated between the upstream drive roller and the downstream drive roller, and this tension is controlled by a dancer arm.

The configuration described in Patent Document 1 above has a dancer arm type wire slack absorption unit 30, and adjusts the tension of the wire W by swinging an arm 31 supporting a slack absorption pulley 32 using the torque of a slack absorption servo motor 33. However, with this configuration, if the temperature of the servo motor rises, the torque output from the servo motor changes.

In addition, there are generally individual differences in output torque for each servo motor, and torque loss due to the servo motor's reducer, bearings, etc. changes with temperature. For this reason, feedback control, which only compares the torque output from the servo motor, poses the problem that the load pulling the wire is not constant, and the tension in the wire fluctuates.

The present invention was developed in response to the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a material conveying device that can adjust the tension of the material being conveyed with high precision and suppress tension fluctuations.

The tension adjustment device of the first embodiment comprises a pair of support rollers that support the material being conveyed; a push roller that presses the material between the pair of support rollers in a direction intersecting the material conveyance direction as viewed from the axial direction of the support rollers; a measurement unit that measures the load with which the push roller presses the material; a drive unit that drives the push roller; and a control unit that controls the drive unit based on the measurement results of the measurement unit to keep the load within a target load range.

The tension adjusting device of the second aspect is the tension adjusting device described in the first aspect, wherein the push roller is a dancer arm including a roller that contacts the material and an arm that rotatably supports the roller at one end and is rotatably supported at the other end around an axis extending along the axial direction of the roller; the drive unit rotates the arm of the dancer arm, and the measurement unit measures the torque generated in the dancer arm.

A third aspect of the invention is the tension adjustment device described in the second aspect, wherein the dancer arm further has a counterweight on the opposite side of the shaft from the roller.

A fourth aspect of the tension adjustment device is the tension adjustment device described in the second or third aspect, in which the control unit further includes a memory unit that stores the correspondence between the angle of the dancer arm and the tension generated in the transported material, and corrects the torque output by the drive unit based on the correspondence stored in the memory unit.

The tension adjustment device of the fifth aspect is the tension adjustment device described in the second or third aspect, further comprising a tension measurement unit that measures the tension generated in the material transported downstream in the material transport direction relative to the support roller, and the control unit corrects the torque output by the drive unit based on the results obtained from the tension measurement unit.

The tension adjustment device of the sixth aspect is the tension adjustment device described in the first aspect, in which the push roller is a linearly moving member having a roller that contacts the material and a linearly moving body that rotatably supports the roller and moves linearly in the intersecting direction, and the measuring unit measures the load that the linearly moving member receives from the material.

The seventh aspect of the tension adjustment device is the tension adjustment device described in the sixth aspect, wherein the pair of support rollers are arranged so that the angular range over which the material wraps around the rollers of the linear motion member is 180°.

The tension adjustment device of the eighth aspect is a tension adjustment device of any one of the second to sixth aspects, further comprising a conveying unit that is arranged upstream of the pair of support rollers in the material conveying direction and applies a conveying force to the material, and the control unit controls the material conveying speed of the conveying unit so that the angle of the dancer arm or the position of the roller that constitutes the linearly moving member remains constant.

The conveying device of the ninth aspect has an unwinding section that unwinds the material, a winding section that winds the material, and a tension adjustment device of any one of the first to seventh aspects that is provided midway along the path along which the material is conveyed from the unwinding section to the winding section.

In a tenth aspect of the tire component manufacturing apparatus, the material is a tire component, and the apparatus has an unwinding section that unwinds the tire component, a winding section that winds the tire component, and a tension adjustment device according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, which is provided midway along the path along which the tire component is transported from the unwinding section to the winding section.

In an eleventh aspect of the tire building apparatus, the material is a tire component, and the tire building apparatus includes an unwinding section that unwinds the tire component, a winding section that winds the tire component, a tension adjusting device according to any one of the first to seventh aspects that is provided midway along the path along which the tire component is transported from the unwinding section to the winding section, and a tire building apparatus that processes tire components obtained from the tire component into tires.

A twelfth aspect of the tension adjustment method includes supporting the material being conveyed with a pair of support rollers, pressing the material between the pair of support rollers in a direction intersecting the conveyance direction of the material as viewed from the axial direction of the support rollers with a push roller driven by a drive unit, measuring the load with which the push roller presses the material with a measurement unit, and controlling the drive unit with a control unit based on the measurement results from the measurement unit so that the load falls within a target load range.

A thirteenth aspect of the tension adjustment method is the tension adjustment method described in the twelfth aspect, wherein the push roller is a dancer arm including a roller that contacts the material and an arm that rotatably supports the roller at one end and is rotatably supported at the other end around a central axis extending along the roller, and the drive unit drives and rotates the arm of the dancer arm, and the measurement unit measures the torque generated in the dancer arm.

A fourteenth aspect of the invention is the tension adjustment method described in the twelfth aspect, wherein the push roller is a linearly moving member having a roller that contacts the material and a linearly moving body that rotatably supports the roller and moves linearly in the intersecting direction, and the measuring unit measures the load that the linearly moving member receives from the push roller.

The fifteenth aspect of the conveying method includes unwinding the material at an unwinding section, winding the material at a winding section, and controlling the tension of the material along the path it is conveyed from the unwinding section to the winding section using the tension adjustment method of any one of the twelfth to fourteenth aspects.

A sixteenth aspect of the tire component manufacturing method includes the step of: the material is a tire component; the tire component is unwound at an unwinding section; the tire component is wound up at a winding section; and the tension adjustment method of any one of the twelfth to fourteenth aspects is performed midway along the path along which the tire component is transported from the unwinding section to the winding section.

A tire manufacturing method of a seventeenth aspect includes the steps of: unwinding the tire component at an unwinding section; winding the tire component at a winding section; and processing the tire component obtained by the tension adjustment method of any one of the twelfth to fourteenth aspects into a tire using a tire building device along the path along which the tire component is transported from the unwinding section to the winding section.

The program of the eighteenth aspect causes a computer to function as a control unit of the tension adjustment device of any one of the first to seventh aspects.

In the tension adjustment device of the first aspect, the measurement unit measures the load with which the push roller presses the material, and the control unit controls the drive unit based on the measurement results from the measurement unit so that the load falls within the target load range. Therefore, fluctuations in tension occurring in the material during the material conveying process can be reduced compared to when the load with which the push roller presses the material is not measured.

The tension adjustment device of the second aspect has a rotationally driven dancer arm and a measuring unit that measures the torque generated in the dancer arm, so the tension adjustment device of the first aspect of the invention can be achieved with a rotationally driven dancer arm.

The tension adjustment device of the third aspect is the tension adjustment device of the second aspect, but further includes a counterweight, allowing the rated capacity of the motor that rotates the dancer arm to be reduced.

The tension adjustment device of the fourth aspect is the tension adjustment device of the second or third aspect, but further includes a memory unit that stores the correspondence relationship. Therefore, by varying the torque output by the motor that rotates the dancer arm according to the angle at which the dancer arm is rotated, it is possible to further reduce tension fluctuations in the material.

The tension adjustment device of the fifth aspect is the same as the tension adjustment device of the second or third aspect, but further includes a tension measurement unit, which makes it possible to further reduce fluctuations in the tension of the material even when the angle of the dancer arm changes.

The tension adjustment device of the sixth aspect has a linearly moving member and a measuring unit that measures the load that the linearly moving member receives from the material, so the tension adjustment device of the first aspect of the invention can be achieved using a linearly moving member.

According to the seventh aspect of the tension adjustment device, the tension adjustment device according to the sixth aspect is arranged so that the angular range in which the material wraps around the roller is 180°, which keeps the bending posture of the material constant and allows for more precise control of the tension generated in the material.

With the tension adjustment device of the eighth aspect, the angle of the dancer arm or the roller position of the linear motion member is constant depending on the conveying speed of the conveying section, so the bending posture of the material is constant and the tension generated in the material can be controlled with greater precision.

The conveying device of the ninth aspect includes a tension adjustment device according to any one of the first to seventh aspects. Therefore, compared to a case where the load with which the push roller presses the material is not measured, the material can be conveyed while further reducing fluctuations in tension that occur in the material.

The tire component manufacturing apparatus of the tenth aspect includes a tension adjustment device according to any one of the first to seventh aspects. Therefore, tire components can be manufactured while further reducing fluctuations in tension in the material compared to when the load with which the push roller presses the material is not measured.

The tire building apparatus of the eleventh aspect includes a tension adjustment device according to any one of the first to seventh aspects. Therefore, compared to a case where the load with which the long-pressing roller presses the material is not measured, tires can be manufactured while further reducing fluctuations in tension in the material.

According to the twelfth aspect of the tension adjustment method, the measurement unit measures the load with which the push roller presses the material, and the control unit controls the drive unit based on the measurement results from the measurement unit so that the load falls within the target load range. Therefore, fluctuations in tension that occur in the material during the material conveying process can be reduced compared to when the load with which the push roller presses the material is not measured.

The tension adjustment method of the thirteenth aspect includes a rotationally driven dancer arm and a measuring unit that measures the torque generated in the dancer arm, thereby achieving the tension adjustment method of the twelfth aspect of the invention with a rotationally driven dancer arm.

The tension adjustment method of the fourteenth aspect includes a linearly moving member and a measuring unit that measures the load that the linearly moving member receives from the material, thereby achieving the tension adjustment device of the twelfth aspect of the invention with the linearly moving member.

The conveying method of the fifteenth aspect includes an unwinding section, a winding section, and the tension adjustment method described in any one of the twelfth to fourteenth aspects, so fluctuations in tension in the material can be reduced compared to when the load with which the push roller presses the material is not measured.

The tire component manufacturing method of the sixteenth aspect includes an unwinding unit that unwinds tire components, a winding unit that winds up tire components, and the tension adjustment method described in any one of the twelfth to fourteenth aspects. This reduces fluctuations in tension in the material compared to when the load with which the push roller presses the material is not measured.

The tire manufacturing method of the seventeenth aspect includes an unwinding unit that unwinds tire components, a winding unit that winds up the tire components, the tension adjustment method described in any one of the twelfth to fourteenth aspects, and a molding device that processes tire components obtained from the tire components into tires. This reduces fluctuations in tension in the material compared to when the load applied by the push rollers to the material is not measured.

According to the program of the eighteenth aspect, the drive unit is controlled based on the measurement results of the measurement unit so that the load falls within the target load range, causing the computer to function as the control unit of the tension adjustment device described in any one of the first to seventh aspects.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a tire component manufacturing apparatus according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a tension adjusting device of the tire component manufacturing apparatus according to the first embodiment. 1 is a diagram illustrating a tire building device of a tire component manufacturing apparatus according to a first embodiment. FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of a control unit according to the first embodiment. 4A to 4C are diagrams illustrating the operation of a tension adjusting device of the tire component manufacturing apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the angle of the dancer arm of the tension adjuster of the tire component manufacturing apparatus according to the first embodiment and the torque output by the dancer rotation motor. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an operation procedure of a control unit according to the first embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a modified example of a tension adjusting device of the tire component manufacturing apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a modified example of the tire component manufacturing apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a tension adjusting device of a tire component manufacturing apparatus according to a second embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an operation procedure of a control unit according to the second embodiment. 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating the operation of a tension adjusting device of a tire component manufacturing apparatus according to a second embodiment.

An example of an embodiment of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to the drawings. Note that in each drawing, the same or equivalent components and parts are designated by the same reference numerals. Also, the dimensional proportions in the drawings have been exaggerated for the sake of explanation and may differ from the actual proportions.

First Embodiment
(Device overview)
1 is a diagram showing a tire component manufacturing apparatus 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The tire component manufacturing apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes an unwinding section 20 that supplies material, a winding section 30 that winds up the material, a crimping section 90 that processes the material, a conveying section 40 that conveys the material, a tension adjusting device 50 that adjusts the tension of the material between the conveying section 40 and the winding section 30, and a control section 70 that controls the operations of the unwinding section 20, the winding section 30, and the tension adjusting device 50.

(unwinding section)
The unwinding section 20 holds a fibrous body F (an example of a material) that is a raw material for manufacturing tire components in a wound state.

The unwinding section 20 has a cylindrical material drum 22 around which the fibrous material F is wound, and an unwinding motor 24 that controls the rotation angle of the material drum 22.

The fibrous body F according to the present invention is, for example, a cord, which is a component that forms a tire, and is made of organic fibers such as nylon, aramid, and polyester woven in a lattice pattern.

As an example, the material drum 22 is rotatably supported on a support base at its shaft, and an unwinding motor 24 is connected to the shaft of the material drum 22.

The axial direction of the material drum 22 is perpendicular to the conveying direction of the fibrous body F (tire component TP, described later) (the direction into the depth of the paper in each figure), and unless otherwise specified, the same applies to the rotational axis direction of each roller and drum, described later.

The unwinding motor 24 rotates so that the transport speed of the fibrous material F is constant, thereby transporting the fibrous material F wound around the material drum 22 to the tension adjustment device 50.

(Crimped part)
The pressing unit 90 includes, as an example, an unvulcanized rubber supply unit (not shown) and a pressing roller 92 .

As an example, the pressure roller 92 is rotatably supported on its shaft, and a pressure motor 94 is connected to the shaft of the pressure roller 92.

The pressing motor 94 rotates and drives the unvulcanized rubber to be pressed onto the fibrous body F at a constant speed, thereby pressing the unvulcanized rubber onto the fibrous body F and processing the fibrous body F into a sheet-like tire component TP (another example of a material) covered with unvulcanized rubber.

The tire components TP are then transported to the transport section 40.

(Transportation section)
The conveying section 40 is provided between the crimping section 90 and a tension adjusting device 50 (described later), and conveys the tire components TP conveyed from the crimping section 90 to the tension adjusting device 50 .

As an example, the conveying unit 40 includes a conveying roller 42 that conveys the tire component TP, a conveying motor 44 that rotates the conveying roller 42, and a pinch roller 46 that pinches the tire component TP between the conveying roller 42 and the tire component TP to transport the tire component TP without slipping.

The conveying roller 42 is rotatably supported on a support (not shown) and is connected to and rotated by a conveying motor 44. The conveying roller 42 conveys the tire component TP by rotating while in contact with the tire component TP.

The conveying motor 44 is preferably a servo motor whose rotation angle and rotation speed can be controlled, and is controlled by the control unit 70, which will be described later.

(Tension adjustment device)
The tension adjustment device 50 is provided midway along the path on which the tire component TP is transported from the conveying section 40 to the winding section 30, and includes a tension adjustment section 52 that adjusts the tension of the tire component TP being transported to the winding section 30, and a control section 70 that controls the operation of the tension adjustment section 52.

In this embodiment, the control unit 70 controls the operation of the tension adjustment unit 52, as well as the operation of the unwinding unit 20, winding unit 30, crimping unit 90, and conveying unit 40.

(Tension adjustment part)
The tension adjusting section 52 has a pair of support rollers 54, a dancer arm 58 (an example of a push roller), a dancer rotation motor 60 (an example of a drive section), and a torque meter 62 (an example of a measurement section).

The dancer arm 58 includes a tensioner roller 56 that contacts the tire component TP between a pair of support rollers 54, and an arm 58A that rotatably supports the tensioner roller 56 at one end and is journaled at the other end to a shaft 58B that extends along the axial direction of the roller.

The dancer rotation motor 60 transmits torque to (rotates) the arm 58A of the dancer arm 58.

The torque meter 62 measures the torque generated in the dancer arm 58.

As shown in Figure 2, the pair of support rollers 54 are each rotatably supported and are disposed below the tire component TP.

The tensioner roller 56 applies a load to the tire component TP from above, i.e., on the opposite side of the pair of support rollers 54, at one end of the dancer arm 58.

The dancer rotation motor 60 is connected to the dancer arm 58 via shaft 58B, and transmits the torque output by the dancer rotation motor 60 to the dancer arm 58.

As a result, a load is applied to the tire component TP being transported as described above. The dancer arm transmits torque so that the torque output by the dancer rotation motor 60 is balanced with the moment due to the reaction force (push load) from the tire component TP.

The dancer rotation motor 60 is a servo motor whose rotation angle and rotation speed can be controlled, and the rotation angle and output torque are controlled by the control unit 70, as described below.

The torque meter 62 measures the torque generated in the dancer arm 58, or more specifically, the torque generated in the shaft 58B on which the dancer arm 58 is supported, as a physical quantity related to the load that the tensioner roller 56 applies to the tire component TP.

For example, in this embodiment, the torque meter 62 may be provided on the output shaft of the dancer rotation motor 60, or if the dancer rotation motor 60 has a reducer, the torque meter 62 may be provided on the output shaft end of the reducer.

In this way, the tire component TP is transported to the winding unit 30 while the tension in the material is adjusted by the tension adjustment unit 52 during transport.

In one example, the dancer arm 58 is configured to apply a load from above to below the tire component TP, but this is not limited to this and the dancer arm 58 may also be configured to apply a load from below to above the tire component TP.

(winding section)
The winding unit 30 has, for example, a cylindrical winding drum 32 that rotates to wind up the tire component TP, and a winding motor 34 that drives the winding drum 32 to rotate.

The winding drum 32 is, for example, a molding drum used to form tire components. The winding drum 32 is rotatably supported on a shaft, and a winding motor 34 is connected to the shaft of the winding drum 32. The winding motor 34 is controlled by the control unit 70.

The winding motor 34 rotates so that the winding speed of the transported tire component TP is constant, thereby winding up the tire component TP transported from the tension adjustment device 50.

The tire component TP is wound up by the winding section 30. The wound tire component TP is then transported to the tire building device 80, which will be described later.

(Tire building device)
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a tire building device 80 that processes tire components TP into tires according to this embodiment.

As shown in Figure 3, the tire building device 80 has a belt unwinding drum 84 around which tire components TP are wound, a conveyor 82, and a tire building drum 86.

The tire components TP transported to the tire building device 80 are hung on a belt unwinding drum 84 and then transported by a conveyor 82 to a tire building drum 86, where they are molded into a green tire together with other tire components such as treads and bead wires (not shown).

The molded raw tire is then processed into a tire by applying heat and pressure during the vulcanization process.

(Control unit)
FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the control unit 70 according to this embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 4, the control unit 70 includes, for example, a memory unit 76, a CPU 78A (Central Processing Unit), a ROM 78B (Read Only Memory), and a RAM 78C (Random Access Memory).

The torque meter 62, unwinding motor 24, winding motor 34, conveying motor 44, crimping motor 94, dancer rotation motor 60, and memory unit 76 are each connected via an interface (I/O), and the CPU 78A, ROM 78B, RAM 78C, and interface are connected to each other via bus 79 so that they can communicate with each other.

The CPU 78A is a central processing unit that executes various programs and controls each component. That is, the CPU 78A reads programs from the ROM 78B or the memory unit 76, and executes the programs using the RAM 78C as a working area.

The CPU 78A controls the above configuration and performs various calculations in accordance with programs stored in the ROM 78B or memory unit 76.

In this embodiment, the ROM 78B or memory unit 76 stores the tension adjustment program according to the present invention and the dancer arm angle-torque correction relationship described below.

ROM 78B stores various programs and data. RAM 78C serves as a working area for temporarily storing programs or data.

The storage unit 76 is composed of a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid state drive (SSD), and stores various programs, including the operating system, and various data.

The interface acquires the torque measured by the torque meter 62, and outputs the results calculated by the CPU 78A to the unwinding motor 24, winding motor 34, conveying motor 44, crimping motor 94, and dancer rotation motor 60.

The interface may communicate with each device in any manner, but standards such as USB (Universal Serial Bus), RS-232C, Ethernet (registered trademark), and Wi-Fi (registered trademark) may be used.

The control unit 70 that controls the unwinding motor 24, winding motor 34, conveying motor 44, crimping motor 94, and dancer rotation motor 60 is not limited to the above configuration, and may be, for example, an integrated PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) and servo amplifier.

(Tension adjustment)
Next, the tension adjustment in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 5-A.

First, as shown in Figure 2, the tire component TP is conveyed between a pair of support rollers 54, with the conveying direction changing as a load is applied to the tensioner roller 56.

The control unit 70 also controls the speed of the conveying motor 44, which rotates the conveying roller 42, based on information from an encoder built into the winding motor 34 that drives the winding drum 32.

In other words, the control unit 70 controls the speed of the conveying motor 44 using the peripheral speed of the winding drum 32 as a control target. As a result, the tire material TP being conveyed to the tension adjustment unit 52 is isolated from tension fluctuations on the material drum 22.

In this embodiment, tension is applied to the tire component TP being transported between the pair of support rollers 54 by the tensioner roller 56 from the opposite side of the pair of support rollers 54 when viewed axially from the pair of support rollers 54.

In addition, while the tire component TP is being transported, the control unit 70 feeds back the measurement results of the torque meter 62 to the dancer rotation motor 60, and controls the dancer rotation motor 60 so that the measurement results fall within the control target range.

The output torque of the dancer rotation motor 60 is correlated with the tension of the tire component TP, and the above control keeps fluctuations in the tension of the tire component TP within a certain range.

However, the angle of the dancer arm 58 may change as a result of the above control, as shown in Figure 5-A. In this case, the tensioner roller 56 moves on an imaginary line I whose radius is the length of the dancer arm 58 from the shaft 58B.

Here, when the dancer arm 58 rotates as shown in Figure 5-A, even if the tension of the tire component TP does not change, the angular range in which the tire component TP wraps around the tensioner roller 56 changes, causing the torque measurement result measured by the torque meter 62 to change.

In addition, since tire component TP generally has bending rigidity, bending resistance (bend loss) occurs when bending the tire component TP while it is wrapped around the tensioner roller 56.

As described above, if the angular range over which the tire component TP wraps around the tensioner roller 56 changes, the bending resistance also changes, which in turn changes the torque measurement results measured by the torque meter 62.

In this way, when the dancer arm 58 rotates, even if the tension of the tire component TP does not change, the measurement results of the torque meter 62 change before and after the dancer arm 58 rotates, and therefore the correlation between the output torque of the dancer rotation motor 60 and the tension of the tire component TP changes.

In this embodiment, the correspondence between the angle of the dancer arm 58 and the corrected torque output by the dancer rotation motor 60 (hereinafter referred to as the "dancer arm angle-torque correction relationship"), which takes into account changes in the correlation between the output torque of the dancer rotation motor 60 and the tension of the tire component TP, is derived in advance and stored in the memory unit 76.

The control unit 70 corrects the torque transmitted to the dancer arm 58 based on this dancer arm angle-torque correction relationship. Details of this control will be described later.

The control unit 70 obtains angle information for the dancer arm 58 from the motor pulse signal sent to the dancer rotation motor 60.

Next, the processing operation of the control unit 70 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 6.

Figure 6 is a flowchart showing the flow of the process by which the control unit 70 adjusts the tension of the tire component TP. The tension adjustment process is performed by the CPU 78A reading a tension adjustment program from the ROM 78B or the memory unit 76, expanding it into the RAM 78C, and executing it.

In step S101, the control unit 70 obtains the target tension of the tire component TP being transported from the memory unit 76, and the CPU 78A calculates the torque value output by the dancer rotation motor 60 to derive the target load range.

The derived torque value is stored in RAM78C.

In step S102, the control unit 70 obtains the measurement results of the torque being applied to the shaft 58B of the dancer arm 58 from the torque meter 62 of the tension adjustment unit 52.

In step S103, the control unit 70 detects the angle of the dancer arm 58 from the dancer rotation motor 60, which is a servo motor of the tension adjustment unit 52.

In step S104, the control unit 70 corrects the torque output by the dancer rotation motor 60 from the value derived in step S101 based on the angle of the dancer arm 58 obtained in step S103 and the dancer arm angle-torque correction relationship stored in the memory unit 76.

The corrected torque value is stored in RAM78C.

In step S105, the control unit 70 calculates the difference between the torque value corrected in step S104 and the torque acting on the shaft 58B of the dancer arm 58 obtained in step S102.

The calculated torque value is stored in RAM78C.

In step S106, the control unit 70 causes the servo motor to output torque to the shaft 58B of the dancer arm 58 based on the torque value calculated in step S105.

In step S107, the control unit 70 checks whether to continue transporting the tire component TP, and if transporting is to continue, returns to step S102 to continue tension adjustment. If transporting is to end, the process ends.

(Action and effect)
As described above, the control unit 70 controls the speed of the conveying motor 44 with the peripheral speed of the winding drum 32 as the control target, and it is desirable to match the peripheral speeds of the conveying roller 42 of the conveying unit 40 and the winding drum 32 of the winding unit 30.

However, due to mechanical vibrations and fluctuations in the rotation of the conveying roller 42 and winding drum 32, it is practically difficult to match the above speeds.

In other words, it is difficult to maintain a constant tension in the tire component TP by making the peripheral speeds of the conveying roller 42 of the conveying unit 40 and the winding drum 32 of the winding unit 30 the same.

Here, the tire component manufacturing apparatus 10 according to this embodiment generates tension in the tire component TP by rotating the dancer arm 58 with the dancer rotation motor 60 and applying a load to the tire component TP with the tensioner roller 56.

This makes it possible to maintain the load applied to the tire component TP within a constant range, thereby adjusting the tension of the tire component TP within a constant range regardless of the rotation speed of the rollers that transport the tire component TP, such as the unwinding section 20, winding section 30, and transport section 40.

In addition, the tire component manufacturing apparatus 10 according to the present invention uses a torque meter 62 to measure the torque acting on the dancer arm 58 of the tension adjustment unit 52 as a physical quantity related to the load applied by the dancer arm 58 to the tire component TP.

In the tire component manufacturing apparatus 10, the control unit 70 feedback-controls the dancer rotation motor 60 using the torque of the dancer arm 58 measured by the torque meter 62.

As a result, even if the torque output by the dancer rotation motor 60 changes due to disturbances such as a rise in the temperature of the dancer rotation motor 60, the output torque of the dancer rotation motor 60, i.e., the load with which the tensioner roller 56 presses the tire component TP, can be kept constant.

Therefore, compared to when fluctuations in the torque of the dancer arm 58 are not detected or when the torque command value output to the dancer rotation motor 60 is controlled to a constant value, the tire component manufacturing apparatus 10 according to this embodiment can adjust the tension of the tire component TP with higher precision.

In addition, the tire component manufacturing apparatus 10 according to the present invention corrects the torque output by the dancer rotation motor 60 according to the angle of the dancer arm 58 of the tension adjustment unit 52 in order to adjust the tension of the tire component TP within a certain range.

In other words, based on the dancer arm angle-torque correction relationship, the torque output by the dancer rotation motor 60 is corrected to a value that takes into account changes in the angle at which the tire component TP wraps around the tensioner roller 56 and changes in the correlation between the output torque of the dancer rotation motor 60 and the tension of the tire component TP due to bend loss in the tire component TP, depending on the rotation angle θ of the dancer arm 58 as shown in Figure 5-A.

More specifically, the angle at which the tensioner roller 56 wraps around the tire component TP changes depending on the angle of the dancer arm 58, so the torque output to maintain a constant tension acting on the tire component TP is changed as shown in Figure 5-B.

The relationship between the output torque and the angle of the dancer arm 58 to maintain a constant tension acting on the tire component TP is experimentally determined and stored in the memory unit 76, and the torque output by the dancer rotation motor 60 is corrected according to the angle of the dancer arm 58.

This allows the tension of the tire component TP to be adjusted with higher precision than when the angle of the dancer arm 58 is not detected or when the tension generated in the tire component TP is adjusted by the torque or rotational speed of the conveying roller 42 of the conveying section 40.

As shown in Figure 5-B, in the range of -20° to -10°, the amount of change in the output torque correction amount relative to changes in angle increases. Therefore, in order to adjust the tension of the tire component TP with higher precision, it is more preferable to set the angle of the dancer arm 58 in the range of -10° to 20°.

(First Modification)
7 shows an example of a modification of this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 7, in this modification, a counterweight 64 is provided on the dancer arm 58 on the opposite side of the shaft 58B of the dancer arm 58 from the tensioner roller 56.

In this modified example, as shown in Figure 7, the counterweight 64 is provided on the opposite side of the shaft 58B of the dancer arm 58 from the tensioner roller 56.

As a result, (at least a portion of) the moment due to the weight of the tensioner roller 56 acting on the shaft 58B of the dancer arm 58 is canceled out by the moment due to the weight of the counterweight 64.

Therefore, by configuring the dancer arm 58 to have a counterweight 64, as in this modified example, the moment of inertia of the dancer arm 58 is reduced.

This reduces the torque required to rotate the dancer arm 58, allowing the capacity of the dancer rotation motor 60 to be reduced.

(Second Modification)
8 , as an example, a tension measuring unit 66 is provided downstream in the conveying direction from the tension adjusting unit 52. The tension measuring unit 66 measures the tension of the tire component TP immediately before it is conveyed to the winding unit 30.

As an example, the tension measuring unit 66 preferably employs a contact-type tension measuring device 68, which continuously measures the tension of the tire component TP being transported and transmits the measured tension to the control unit 70.

Instead of the tension adjustment operation described in the first embodiment, which is based on the angle of the dancer arm 58, the tire component manufacturing apparatus 10 of this modified example corrects the output torque of the dancer rotation motor 60 based on the results obtained by the tension measurement unit 66.

In this way, by feeding back the results of the tension adjustment of the tire component TP by the tension adjustment unit 52, if tension fluctuations occur downstream in the conveying direction relative to the tension adjustment unit 52, the tension of the tire component TP can be adjusted with high precision regardless of the angle of the dancer arm 58.

However, in this case, compared to the tire component manufacturing apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment, the tension measuring device 68 cannot be omitted.

(Third Modification)
Furthermore, the conveying roller 42 of the conveying section 40 may be feedback-controlled by the angle of the dancer rotation motor 60 so that the rotation angle of the dancer arm 58 becomes a predetermined target value.

For example, the control unit 70 maintains the rotation angle of the dancer arm 58 constant by decreasing the rotation speed of the transport roller 42 of the transport unit 40 when the rotation angle θ of the dancer arm 58 increases, and by increasing the rotation speed of the transport roller 42 of the transport unit 40 when the rotation angle θ of the dancer arm 58 decreases.

As a result, the tire component TP maintains a constant conveying posture while tension is applied by the dancer arm 58, eliminating the need to correct the torque to maintain a constant tension on the tire component TP due to changes in the angular range in which the tire component TP wraps around the tensioner roller 56.

Note that the torque correction according to the angle of the dancer arm 58 in the first embodiment described above may be used in combination with the control of this modified example that maintains a constant rotation angle θ of the dancer arm 58.

In this case, even if the rotation angle θ of the dancer arm 58 fluctuates for some reason while maintaining the rotation angle θ of the dancer arm 58 constant, the control unit 70 can maintain a constant tension in the tire component TP by correcting the torque according to the angle of the dancer arm 58.

In this case, the control unit 70 may perform control to return the rotation angle θ of the dancer arm to the angle before the change, or may perform control to keep the rotation angle θ of the dancer arm constant at the angle after the change.

In this modified example, the conveying unit 40 can be considered a component of the tension control device.

(Fourth Modification)
Alternatively, the rotation angle range of the dancer arm 58 may be set to a predetermined angle range obtained in advance, and the rotation speed of the transport roller 42 of the transport unit 40 may be adjusted according to the angle of the dancer rotation motor 60 .

For example, in Figure 5-A, if the rotation angle θ of the dancer arm 58 exceeds a predetermined rotation angle, the rotation speed of the conveying roller 42 of the conveying unit 40 is reduced so that the rotation angle θ of the dancer arm 58 falls within the predetermined angle range.

Furthermore, if the rotation angle θ of the dancer arm 58 falls below a predetermined rotation angle, the rotation speed of the conveying roller 42 of the conveying unit 40 is increased so that the rotation angle θ of the dancer arm 58 falls within the predetermined angle range.

In this way, by adjusting the rotation speed of the conveying roller 42 of the conveying unit 40 according to the angle of the dancer rotation motor 60, it is possible to prevent the dancer arm 58 from going outside the rotatable angular range and hitting the mechanical stopper.

(Other Modifications)
In the above description, the torque meter 62 provided on the output shaft of the dancer rotation motor 60 is used to obtain the torque acting on the dancer arm 58, but this is not limiting and any device capable of detecting the torque acting on the dancer arm 58 will suffice.

For example, instead of the torque meter 62, a strain gauge may be attached to the dancer arm 58 to measure the bending moment of the dancer arm 58 and detect the torque applied to the dancer arm 58.

Even in this case, the same effects as those of the tire component manufacturing apparatus 10 according to the present invention can be obtained, as described above.

In addition, in the above description, the tension adjustment program was stored in ROM 78B or memory unit 76, but this is not limited thereto. The tension adjustment program may also be provided in a form recorded on a recording medium such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory) on which the above-mentioned tension adjustment program is recorded.

The tension adjustment program may also be downloaded from an external device via a network.

In addition, in the above explanation, the target tension of the tire component TP was obtained from the memory unit 76, but this is not limited to this, and the target tension may also be input by the worker using an external input device such as a touch panel.

Furthermore, for example, the tire building apparatus 80 described above may further be provided with a tension adjustment device 50 along the transport path, similar to the tire component manufacturing apparatus 10.

In this case, the tension of the tire components TP wound around the tire building drum 86 in the tire building device 80 can be controlled with greater precision, making it possible to further stabilize the quality of the raw tire.

In addition, while the above explanation has been given of the tire component manufacturing apparatus 10 and tire building apparatus 80 according to the present invention, the tire component manufacturing apparatus 10 and tire building apparatus 80 can also be combined to form a tire manufacturing apparatus.

In addition, in the above description, the tire component manufacturing apparatus 10 according to the present invention has a crimping unit 90, but it is also possible to use a fibrous body F that is pre-coated with rubber without this, thereby creating a tire manufacturing apparatus that does not have a crimping unit 90.

In addition, in the above description, the tire component TP according to the present invention is wound around the winding drum 32, but this is not limited thereto and it may also be wound around, for example, a tire building drum 86.

In other words, the tire component manufacturing apparatus 10 and tire building apparatus 80 can also be used as an integrated tire manufacturing apparatus without the winding section 30, belt unwinding drum 84, or conveyor 82.

In addition, while the above description uses organic fibers such as cords as an example of the material, this is not limited to this. For example, the material may be a tire component such as unvulcanized rubber, including rubber for tire treads, or a tire component such as a metal wire rod, such as a bead wire or steel belt. In other words, all components related to tire manufacturing can be subject to tension adjustment by the tension adjustment device 50, can be manufactured by the tire component manufacturing device 10, and can be materials used by the tire building device 80.

Furthermore, the material according to the present invention is not limited to raw materials for tire components, but can be suitably used in any material that is deformable in a direction intersecting the conveying direction, such as film-shaped, sheet-shaped, string-shaped, or strip-shaped materials.

In addition to being used as a tire component manufacturing device, the tire component manufacturing device 10 according to the present invention can also be used as a fibrous body F conveying device having a tension adjustment device 50.

Second Embodiment
Next, a tire component manufacturing apparatus 100 according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with appropriate reference to Figures 9 and 10. The tire component manufacturing apparatus 100 differs from the first embodiment in that it includes a tension adjusting unit 152 instead of the tension adjusting unit 52. Note that the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof may be omitted.

(Tension adjustment part)
9, the tension adjusting unit 152 according to this embodiment is modified from the tension adjusting unit 152 according to the first embodiment as follows: The push roller is a tensioner roller 56 and a linearly moving member 158 having a linear body 158A and moving linearly, the drive unit is a drive motor 160, and the measurement unit is a load meter 162.

The linear motion member 158 moves linearly in a direction approximately perpendicular to the conveying direction of the tire component TP, and, as an example, is installed below the tire component TP.

The tensioner roller 56 is rotatably supported at one end of the linear body 158A, and, as in the first embodiment, applies a load to the tire component TP between the pair of support rollers 154 in a direction intersecting the conveying direction of the tire component TP.

The load meter 162 measures the load applied by the tensioner roller 56 to the tire component TP.

The drive motor 160 is connected to the linear moving body 158A via a linear moving mechanism and moves the linear moving body 158A linearly.

The drive motor 160 is a servo motor whose rotation angle and rotation speed can be controlled, and the rotation angle and output torque are controlled by the control unit 70, as in the first embodiment.

Note that the linear motion mechanism and method for linearly moving the linear moving body 158A are not particularly limited, but as an example, a method in which the rotational motion output from the drive motor 160 is converted into linear motion using a rack and pinion mechanism is preferably used.

(Tension adjustment)
In this embodiment, as in the first embodiment, a load is applied to the tire component TP being transported between the pair of support rollers 154 by the tensioner roller 56 from the side opposite the pair of support rollers 154, thereby adjusting the tension of the tire component TP being transported.

In addition, while the tire component TP is being transported, the control unit 70 feeds back the measurement results of the load meter 162 to the drive motor 160 and controls the drive motor 160 so that the measurement results fall within the target control range.

The measurement results of the load meter 162 correlate with the tension of the tire component TP, and the above control keeps fluctuations in the tension of the tire component TP within a certain range.

Here, when the linear moving body 158A moves linearly as shown in Figure 9, as in the first embodiment, even if the tension of the tire component TP does not change, the angular range in which the tire component TP wraps around the tensioner roller 56 changes, and the load measurement result measured by the load meter 162 changes.

Furthermore, as in the first embodiment, the tire component TP generally has bending rigidity, and therefore, when the tire component TP is wound around the tensioner roller 56, bending resistance (bend loss) is generated to bend the tire component TP.

As described above, if the angular range over which the tire component TP wraps around the tensioner roller 56 changes, the bending resistance also changes, which in turn changes the torque measurement results measured by the load meter 162.

In this way, when the linear moving body 158A moves linearly, even if the tension of the tire component TP does not change, the measurement results of the load meter 162 change before and after the linear moving body 158A moves linearly, and therefore the correlation between the output torque of the drive motor 160 and the tension of the tire component TP changes.

In this embodiment, the correspondence between the position of the linear moving body 158A and the corrected torque output by the drive motor 160 (hereinafter referred to as the "linear moving body position-torque correction relationship"), which takes into account the changes in the correlation between the output torque of the drive motor 160 and the tension of the tire component TP, is derived in advance and stored in the memory unit 76.

Based on this position-torque correction relationship of the linear moving body, a value for correcting the torque output by the drive motor 160 is derived.

Next, with reference to Figure 10, the processing operation of the control unit 70 and the operation of the tire component manufacturing apparatus 10 according to this embodiment will be described.

Figure 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of the process by which the control unit 70 adjusts the tension of the tire component TP. The tension adjustment process is performed by the CPU 78A reading a tension adjustment program from the ROM 78B or the memory unit 76, expanding it into the RAM 78C, and executing it.

In step S201, the control unit 70 obtains the target tension of the tire component TP being transported from the memory unit 76, and the CPU 78A calculates the torque value output by the drive motor 160 to derive the target load range.

The derived torque value is stored in RAM78C.

In step S202, the control unit 70 acquires the load being applied to the linear moving body 158A from the load meter 162 of the tension adjustment unit 152.

In step S203, the control unit 70 detects the position of the linear body 158A from the drive motor 160 of the tension adjustment unit 152.

In step S204, the control unit 70 corrects the load output by the drive motor 160 from the value derived in step S201 based on the position of the linear moving body 158A acquired in step S203 and the position-torque correction relationship of the linear moving body 158A stored in the memory unit 76.

The corrected load value is stored in RAM78C.

In step S205, the control unit 70 calculates the difference between the load value corrected in step S204 and the load being applied to the linear moving body 158A obtained in step S202.

The calculated load value is stored in RAM78C.

In step S206, the control unit 70 causes the drive motor 160 to output a load that causes the linear moving body 158A to move linearly based on the load value calculated in step S205.

In step S207, the control unit 70 checks whether to continue transporting the tire component TP, and if transporting is to continue, returns to step S202 to continue tension adjustment. If transporting is to end, the process ends.

(Action and effect)
In the tire component manufacturing apparatus 100 according to this embodiment, the drive motor 160 is driven to linearly move the linearly moving member 158, and tension is generated in the tire component TP by applying a load to the tire component TP by bringing the tensioner roller 56 into contact with the tire component TP.

In the tire component manufacturing apparatus 10, the control unit 70 performs feedback control of the drive motor 160 using the load with which the tensioner roller presses the tire component TP, measured by the load meter 162.

This allows the load applied by the drive motor 160 to the tensioner roller 56 pressing against the tire component TP to be kept constant even if it changes due to an external disturbance such as a temperature rise in the drive motor 160.

Therefore, compared to when the tensioner roller 56 does not detect fluctuations in the load pressing on the tire component TP, or when the position command value output to the drive motor 160 is controlled to a constant value, the tire component manufacturing apparatus 100 according to this embodiment can adjust the tension of the tire component TP with higher precision.

In addition, the tire component manufacturing apparatus 10 according to the present invention corrects the torque output by the drive motor 160 according to the position of the tensioner roller 56 of the tension adjustment unit 152 in order to adjust the tension of the tire component TP within a certain range.

In other words, based on the position-torque correction relationship of the linear moving body 158A, the torque output by the drive motor 160 is corrected according to the position of the linear moving body 158A so that the torque output by the drive motor 160 is a value that takes into account changes in the angle at which the tire component TP wraps around the tensioner roller 56 and changes in the correlation between the output torque of the drive motor 160 and the tension of the tire component TP due to bend loss in the tire component TP.

This allows the tension of the tire component TP to be adjusted with higher precision than when the position of the linear moving body 158A is not detected or when the tension generated in the tire component TP is adjusted by the torque or rotational speed of the conveying rollers 42 of the conveying unit 40.

(First Modification)
In the tire component manufacturing apparatus 100 according to this embodiment, the conveying rollers 42 of the conveying section 40 may be feedback-controlled based on the position of the tensioner roller 56 so that the vertical position of the tensioner roller 56 reaches a predetermined target value.

For example, the control unit 70 maintains the position of the tensioner roller 56 constant by decreasing the rotation speed of the conveying roller 42 of the conveying unit 40 when the position of the tensioner roller 56 rises, and by increasing the rotation speed of the conveying roller 42 of the conveying unit 40 when the position of the tensioner roller 56 falls.

As a result, the tire component TP maintains a constant conveying posture while tension is applied by the linear motion member 158, eliminating the need to correct the torque to maintain a constant tension on the tire component TP due to changes in the angular range in which the tire component TP wraps around the tensioner roller 56.

Note that the torque correction according to the angle of the dancer arm 58 in the first embodiment described above may be used in combination with the control of this modified example that keeps the position of the tensioner roller 56 constant.

In this case, even if the position of the tensioner roller 56 fluctuates for some reason while maintaining the position of the tensioner roller 56 constant, the control unit 70 can maintain a constant tension on the tire component TP by correcting the torque according to the position of the tensioner roller 56.

In this case, the control unit 70 may perform control to return the position of the tensioner roller 56 to the position before the change, or may perform control to keep the position of the tensioner roller 56 constant at the position after the change.

In this modified example, the conveying unit 40 can be considered a component of the tension control device.

(Second Modification)
As described above, when the linear moving body 158A shown in FIG. 9 moves linearly, the distance between the tensioner roller 56 and the support roller 154 changes, and therefore the angular range in which the tire component TP is wound around the tensioner roller 56 also changes.

As shown in Figure 11, in this modified example, the tension adjustment device 150 according to the second embodiment narrows the gap between the pair of support rollers 154, and the linear moving body 158A is positioned so that the angular range over which the tire component TP wraps around the tensioner roller 56 is 180°.

In this way, if the angular range over which the tire component TP wraps is set to 180°, even if the position of the linear moving body 158A changes, i.e., even if the linear moving body 158A moves linearly upward in Figure 11, the angular range over which the tire component TP wraps around the tensioner roller 56 does not change.

In this way, by setting the angular range over which the tire component TP is wound to 180°, the angular range over which the tire component TP is wound does not change, and therefore the position of the linear moving body 158A that generates tension in the tire component TP can be derived without relying on the position-torque correction relationship of the linear moving body 158A.

Therefore, by setting the angular range over which the tire component TP is wound to 180°, the tension of the tire component TP can be adjusted with greater precision.

(Other Modifications)
In the present embodiment, the load meter 162 directly detects the load applied to the linear moving body 158A, but the load meter 162 according to the present embodiment is not limited to this.

For example, as in the first embodiment, a torque meter 62 incorporated into the output shaft of the drive motor 160 may be used to measure the load from the torque output by the drive motor 160.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the linear moving body 158A converts the rotational torque of the drive motor 160 into linear motion using a linear motion mechanism, but the linear motion method according to this embodiment is not limited to this. For example, linear motion may be directly achieved using a linear servo motor or hydraulic cylinder. Furthermore, a feed screw mechanism may be used instead of the rack and pinion mechanism described above.

Note that the modifications that can be adopted in the first embodiment can also be adopted and combined as appropriate in this embodiment.

Embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, it is clear that a person with ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains can conceive of various modifications and applications within the scope of the technical ideas set forth in the claims, and it is understood that these also naturally fall within the technical scope of the present disclosure.

The tension adjustment device disclosed herein can be used in tension adjustment devices, conveying devices, tire component manufacturing devices, and tire manufacturing devices that convey material while adjusting its tension with high precision.

10... Tire component manufacturing apparatus, 20... Unwinding section, 22... Material drum, 24... Unwinding motor, 30... Winding section, 32... Winding drum, 34... Winding motor, 40... Conveying section, 42... Conveying roller, 46... Pinch roller, 50... Tension adjusting device, 52... Tension adjusting section, 54... Support roller, 56... Tensioner roller, 58... Dancer arm, linear moving member (an example of a push roller), 58A... Arm, linear moving body, 58B... Shaft, 60... Dancer rotation motor (an example of a drive section), 62... Torque meter (an example of a measurement section), 64... Counterweight, 6 6...tension measuring unit, 68...tension measuring device, 70...control unit, 76...memory unit, 78A...CPU, 78B...ROM, 78C...RAM, 79...bus, 80...tire building machine, 82...conveyor, 84...belt unwinding drum, 86...tire building drum, 90...pressing unit, 92...pressing roller, 94...pressing motor, 100...tire component manufacturing machine, 150...tension adjusting device, 152...tension adjusting unit, 154...support roller, 158...linearly moving member, 158A...linearly moving member, 160...drive motor, 162...load meter, F...fiber body, I...virtual line, TP...tire component

Claims (16)

a pair of support rollers for supporting the material to be conveyed;
a push roller that pushes the material between the pair of support rollers in a direction intersecting a conveying direction of the material as viewed from an axial direction of the support rollers;
a measuring unit for measuring a load with which the pressing roller presses the material;
a drive unit that drives the push roller;
a control unit that controls the drive unit based on the measurement result of the measurement unit so that the load falls within a target load range;
Equipped with
the push roller is a dancer arm including a roller that contacts the material, and an arm that rotatably supports the roller at one end and is rotatably supported at the other end with its axial direction extending along the axial direction of the roller;
the drive unit drives the arm of the dancer arm to rotate;
the measuring unit measures the load based on a torque generated in the dancer arm,
the control unit further includes a memory unit that stores a correspondence relationship between the angle of the dancer arm and the tension generated in the material being conveyed, and corrects the torque output by the drive unit based on the correspondence relationship stored in the memory unit.
Tension adjustment device. a pair of support rollers for supporting the material to be conveyed;
a push roller that pushes the material between the pair of support rollers in a direction intersecting a conveying direction of the material as viewed from an axial direction of the support rollers;
a measuring unit for measuring a load with which the pressing roller presses the material;
a drive unit that drives the push roller;
a control unit that controls the drive unit based on the measurement result of the measurement unit so that the load falls within a target load range;
Equipped with
the push roller is a dancer arm including a roller that contacts the material, and an arm that rotatably supports the roller at one end and is rotatably supported at the other end with its axial direction extending along the axial direction of the roller;
the drive unit drives the arm of the dancer arm to rotate;
the measuring unit measures the load based on a torque generated in the dancer arm,
a tension measuring unit for measuring a tension generated in the material conveyed downstream of the support roller in the material conveying direction,
the control unit corrects the torque output by the drive unit based on the result obtained from the tension measurement unit.
Tension adjustment device. The dancer arm further includes a counterweight on the opposite side of the roller relative to the shaft supporting the arm .
The tension adjusting device according to claim 1 or 2. a pair of support rollers for supporting the material to be conveyed;
a push roller that pushes the material between the pair of support rollers in a direction intersecting a conveying direction of the material as viewed from an axial direction of the support rollers;
a measuring unit for measuring a load with which the pressing roller presses the material;
a drive unit that drives the push roller;
a control unit that controls the drive unit based on the measurement result of the measurement unit so that the load falls within a target load range;
Equipped with
the push roller is a linearly moving member having a roller that contacts the material and a linearly moving body that rotatably supports the roller and moves linearly in the intersecting direction,
the measuring unit measures a load that the linear motion member receives from the material,
The pair of support rollers are arranged so that the angular range in which the material is wrapped around the rollers of the linear moving member is 180°.
Tension adjustment device. a conveying unit disposed upstream of the pair of support rollers in a conveying direction of the material and configured to apply a conveying force to the material;
The control unit further controls the conveying speed of the material by the conveying unit so that the angle of the dancer arm is constant.
The tension adjusting device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 . a conveying unit disposed upstream of the pair of support rollers in a conveying direction of the material and configured to apply a conveying force to the material;
The control unit further controls the conveying speed of the material by the conveying unit so that the position of the roller constituting the linear motion member is constant.
5. The tension adjusting device of claim 4 . an unwinding unit that unwinds the material;
a winding section that winds the material;
The tension adjusting device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , which is provided midway along a path along which the material is transported from the unwinding section to the winding section;
A conveying device having the above structure. the material is a tire component,
an unwinding unit that unwinds the tire component;
a winding section that winds up the tire component;
the tension adjusting device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , which is provided midway along a path along which the tire component is transported from the unwinding section to the winding section;
A tire component manufacturing apparatus having: the material is a tire component,
an unwinding unit that unwinds the tire component;
a winding section that winds up the tire component;
the tension adjusting device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , which is provided midway along a path along which the tire component is transported from the unwinding section to the winding section;
a tire building device that processes tire components obtained from the tire members into tires;
A tire manufacturing apparatus comprising: The material being conveyed is supported by a pair of support rollers,
between the pair of support rollers, the material is pressed by a press roller driven by a drive unit in a direction intersecting a conveying direction of the material as viewed in an axial direction of the support rollers;
a load applied by the pressing roller to the material is measured by a measuring unit;
a control unit controls the drive unit based on the measurement result of the measurement unit so that the load falls within a target load range.
This includes:
the push roller is a dancer arm including a roller that contacts the material, and an arm that rotatably supports the roller at one end and is rotatably supported at the other end with an axial direction extending along the roller,
the drive unit drives the arm of the dancer arm to rotate;
the measuring unit measures the load based on a torque generated in the dancer arm,
the control unit further includes a memory unit that stores a correspondence relationship between the angle of the dancer arm and the tension generated in the material being conveyed, and corrects the torque output by the drive unit based on the correspondence relationship stored in the memory unit.
Tension adjustment method. The material being conveyed is supported by a pair of support rollers,
between the pair of support rollers, the material is pressed by a press roller driven by a drive unit in a direction intersecting a conveying direction of the material as viewed in an axial direction of the support rollers;
a load applied by the pressing roller to the material is measured by a measuring unit;
a control unit controls the drive unit based on the measurement result of the measurement unit so that the load falls within a target load range.
This includes:
the push roller is a dancer arm including a roller that contacts the material, and an arm that rotatably supports the roller at one end and is rotatably supported at the other end with an axial direction extending along the roller,
the drive unit drives the arm of the dancer arm to rotate;
the measuring unit measures the load based on a torque generated in the dancer arm,
a tension measuring unit for measuring a tension generated in the material conveyed downstream of the support roller in the material conveying direction,
the control unit corrects the torque output by the drive unit based on the result obtained from the tension measurement unit.
Tension adjustment method. The material being conveyed is supported by a pair of support rollers,
between the pair of support rollers, the material is pressed by a press roller driven by a drive unit in a direction intersecting a conveying direction of the material as viewed in an axial direction of the support rollers;
a load applied by the pressing roller to the material is measured by a measuring unit;
a control unit controls the drive unit based on the measurement result of the measurement unit so that the load falls within a target load range.
This includes:
the push roller is a linearly moving member having a roller that contacts the material and a linearly moving body that rotatably supports the roller and moves linearly in the intersecting direction,
the measuring unit measures the load that the linear motion member receives from the push roller;
The pair of support rollers are arranged so that the angular range in which the material is wrapped around the rollers of the linear moving member is 180° .
Tension adjustment method. The material is unwound at an unwinding section;
The material is wound in a winding section;
The tension adjusting method according to any one of claims 10 to 12 is included in controlling the tension of the material along a path along which the material is transported from the unwinding section to the winding section.
Transportation method. the material is a tire component,
The tire component is unwound at an unwinding section,
The tire component is wound up by a winding section,
The tension adjusting method according to any one of claims 10 to 12 is included in a path along which the tire component is transported from the unwinding section to the winding section.
A tire component manufacturing method. the material is a tire component,
The tire component is unwound at an unwinding section,
The tire component is wound up by a winding section,
The method includes processing a tire component obtained by the tension adjusting method according to any one of claims 10 to 12 into a tire midway along a path along which the tire component is transported from the unwinding section to the winding section.
Tire manufacturing method. A program that causes a computer to function as a control unit of the tension adjusting device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 .