JP2010032382A - Inspection device of tire, and inspection method of tire using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To inspect easily a structural relative position on the outer surface of a tread part and on the inner surface of the tread part. <P>SOLUTION: This device includes: a support base 2 for holding a pneumatic tire T; an inner irradiator 3, arranged on the lumen side of the pneumatic tire T held by the support base 2 capable of irradiating visible laser light 36 having an optical axis in a tire radial direction to the inner surface 42i of the tread part 42 of the tire T; an outer irradiator 4, arranged on the outside of the tire T held by the support base 2 capable of irradiating visible laser light having the same optical axis as the inner irradiator 3 to the outer surface 42o of the tread part 42 of the tire T; and a moving means 5 for moving relatively the inner irradiator 3 and the outer irradiator 4 in synchronism with each other relative to the pneumatic tire T held by the support base 2. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention makes it possible to easily know the position of the inner surface of the tread corresponding to an arbitrary position on the outer surface of the tread portion. For example, a sponge for a pneumatic tire in which a sponge material is attached to the inner surface of the tread portion with the width center aligned. The present invention relates to a tire inspection apparatus and a tire inspection method capable of easily inspecting a sticking state.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 3, a sponge material 44 having a width in the tire axial direction is attached to the inner surface 42 i of the tread portion 42 along the tire circumferential direction to reduce the road noise. A tire T has been proposed (see Patent Document 1 below). The tire T is attached to the inner surface 42i of the tread portion 42 so that the width center SC of the sponge material 44 is aligned with the width center of the tread portion 42, that is, the tire equator C, in order to suppress deterioration of uniformity and the like. .

JP 2007-161069 A

  However, in order to simultaneously visually inspect an arbitrary position (for example, the tire equator C) of the outer surface 42o of the tread portion 42 and the corresponding position of the inner surface 42i of the tread portion 42, a CT scan as shown in FIG. In addition to obtaining a cross-sectional image, the pneumatic tire T can be cut along a tire meridian cross section. Therefore, in the pneumatic tire T with a sponge material described above, it is not easy to inspect whether the width center SC of the sponge material 44 is aligned with the tire equator C or the like.

  The present invention has been devised in view of the actual situation as described above, and can be used to irradiate the inner surface of the tread portion with visible laser light that is disposed on the lumen side of the pneumatic tire and has an optical axis in the tire radial direction. An outer irradiator that can irradiate the outer surface of the tread portion with visible laser light that is arranged outside the tire and has the same optical axis as the inner irradiator, and the inner and outer irradiators. It is possible to easily know the position of the inner surface of the tread portion corresponding to an arbitrary position on the outer surface of the tread portion from the irradiation position of the laser light based on providing a moving means that moves relative to the tire synchronously. The main object of the present invention is to provide a tire inspection apparatus and a tire inspection method using the same that can facilitate the above-described inspection.

  The invention according to claim 1 of the present invention is a visible laser having a support base for holding a pneumatic tire, and an optical axis in the radial direction of the tire disposed on the inner side of the pneumatic tire held by the support base. An inner irradiator capable of irradiating light to the inner surface of the tread portion of the pneumatic tire, and a visible light disposed on the outer side of the pneumatic tire held on the support base and having the same optical axis as the inner irradiator The inner irradiator and the outer irradiator are moved relative to each other with respect to the outer irradiator capable of irradiating the outer surface of the tread portion with the laser light and the pneumatic tire held on the support base. And moving means.

  The invention according to claim 2 is the tire inspection device according to claim 1, wherein the support base holds the pneumatic tire horizontally and is rotatable about a rotation axis of the pneumatic tire. .

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, the moving means includes a guide member extending in a tire axial direction through a bead lumen surrounded by a bead bottom surface of a pneumatic tire held by the support base, and along the guide member A movable arm part, and at least a part of the arm part extends through the bead lumen in the tire axial direction and an irradiator is fixed to the inner part, and the outer side of the pneumatic tire is a tire. 3. A substantially U-shape comprising an outer piece extending in the axial direction and to which an outer irradiator is fixed, and an intermediate piece extending between the inner piece and the outer piece on the outer side of the tire. The tire inspection apparatus according to the description.

  A fourth aspect of the present invention is the tire inspection apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the guide member is provided with a scale for measuring a moving distance of the arm portion.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a tire inspection apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein a sponge material having a constant tire axial width is formed on the inner surface of the tread portion in the tire circumferential direction. This is a method for inspecting the affixed state of a pneumatic tire with a sponge material attached along, and by irradiating the center position in the width direction of the tread portion with the laser beam of an external irradiator, The step of irradiating the inner surface of the corresponding tread portion with the laser beam of the inner irradiator, and the step of determining whether the laser beam irradiated by the inner irradiator is at the center position in the width direction of the sponge material It is characterized by including.

  The tire inspection apparatus according to the present invention includes an irradiator that can irradiate the inner surface of a tread portion of a held pneumatic tire with visible laser light in the radial direction of the tire, and an optical axis that is the same as that of the irradiator. And an outer irradiator capable of irradiating the outer surface of the tread portion with the visible laser light, and a moving means for moving the inner and outer irradiators relative to the tire in synchronization. Therefore, if the outer irradiator is aligned and the laser light is irradiated on the tire equator on the outer surface of the tread portion, for example, the inner irradiator irradiates the inner surface position of the tread portion corresponding to the tire equator with the laser light. it can. Therefore, by observing the relative position between the visible laser beam irradiated on the inner surface of the tread portion and the shape of the inner surface of the tread portion and a specific object attached to the inner surface, various inspections of the tire can be performed. Become.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of a tire inspection device 1 according to the present embodiment, and FIG.

  The tire inspection apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes a support 2 for holding a pneumatic tire T horizontally, an irradiator 3 disposed on the lumen side of the pneumatic tire T, and the pneumatic tire T. And an outer irradiator 4 arranged on the outer side, and a moving means 5 for moving the inner and outer irradiators 3 and 4 relative to the pneumatic tire T in synchronization with each other.

  The support base 2 of this embodiment has a substantially horizontal disk shape, and is supported on the upper part of the base 6 so as to be rotatable about a vertical axis via a rotation means 17. In addition, the support base 2 is formed with a circular hole 2A at the center thereof.

  The base 6 includes an upper frame 8A framed in a substantially rectangular shape in plan view, a lower frame 8B disposed below the upper frame 8A, and a support column that connects the upper and lower frames 8A and 8B in a vertical direction. A portion 9 and an upper plate 10 that covers the upper surface of the upper frame 8A are configured.

  Wheels 12 made of casters, for example, are provided at the four corners of the lower frame 8B. Moreover, it is preferable that at least one of the wheels 12 is provided with a stopper (not shown) that locks rolling. Thereby, the tire inspection apparatus 1 can freely move to the inspection position and can prevent the tire inspection apparatus 1 from being inadvertently moved at that position. In order to improve mobility, the base 6 may be provided with a handle 13, for example.

  The rotating means 17 is fixed to the lower surface of the support base 2 and extends in the circumferential direction along the hole 2A, and the upper guide rail 17a is fixed to the base 6 and fitted into the upper guide rail 17a. It includes a lower guide rail 17b and a roller (not shown) that rolls between them. Thereby, the support base 2 is supported so as to be rotatable about the vertical axis with respect to the base 6. Note that the support base 2 can be rotated about the rotation axis of the pneumatic tire T by placing the pneumatic tire T on the support base 2 with its rotational axis aligned with the rotation center of the support base 2.

  Further, a plurality of guide pieces 14 that are in contact with the outer peripheral surface and the upper surface of the support base 2 are provided on the upper plate 10 of the base 6 in the circumferential direction. The guide piece 14 limits the radial and axial movement of the support base 2 and helps to stably rotate the support base 2.

  Further, the tire inspection apparatus 1 of the present embodiment is provided with a rotation mechanism 18 that rotates the support base 2.

  The rotating mechanism 18 is fixed to the base 6, an internal gear 21 fixed to the lower surface of the support base 2, a spur gear 22 that meshes with the internal gear 21 and is supported on the base 6 side, and the base 6. It comprises an electric motor 23 that rotationally drives the spur gear 22. Therefore, by driving the electric motor 23, the support base 2 can be rotated around the vertical axis together with the internal gear 21. For example, a control device (not shown) that can control a stop position, a rotation speed, and the like of the support base 2 may be linked to the rotation mechanism 18.

  The inner irradiator 3 and the outer irradiator 4 are formed of a laser pointer that can irradiate visible laser light using a laser oscillator, for example. Visible laser light is less diffused in light, and is useful for pinpointing and pointing to a specific position of the irradiated tire. In addition, the visible laser light can employ various colors as long as it can be recognized with the naked eye.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the irradiator 3 has a visible laser beam 36 (hereinafter simply referred to as “inner laser beam 36”) of the pneumatic tire T held on the support 2. It attaches to the inspection apparatus 1 so that the inner surface 42i of the tread part 42 may be illuminated. At this time, the position of the irradiator 3 is adjusted so that the inner laser beam 36 has an optical axis substantially in the tire radial direction. The optical axis in the tire radial direction is an optical axis that is substantially orthogonal to the rotation axis of the tire.

  The external irradiator 4 is attached to the inspection apparatus 1 so that the visible laser light 37 (hereinafter, simply referred to as “external laser light 37”) illuminates the outer surface 42o of the tread portion 42. At this time, the mounting position of the outer irradiator 4 is adjusted so that the outer laser beam 37 has the same optical axis as the inner laser beam 36. Accordingly, the inner and outer irradiators 3 and 4 can irradiate the tires with laser beams that are coaxial and have different light beam directions.

  The moving means 5 includes a guide member 25 extending through the bead lumen 41 of the pneumatic tire T held on the support base 2 and extending vertically (that is, in the tire axial direction), and a linear motion bearing 28 on the guide member 25. And an arm part 26 attached to be movable up and down via the.

  The guide member 25 has a lower end fixed to the upper plate 10 of the base 6 and has a rod shape extending upward through the hole 2 </ b> A of the support 2. A scale (scale) 29 is attached to the guide member 25 in the vertical direction. The scale 29 has, for example, a zero reference point 30 (shown in FIG. 8) at an arbitrary position, and numerical values are assigned vertically from there. Such a scale 29 is useful for measuring the position of the arm portion 26. Instead of the scale 29, a digital scale that can measure with higher accuracy may be provided in the linear motion bearing 28, for example.

  The linear motion bearing 28 is provided with a set screw 28 a that can be screwed back and forth toward the guide member 25. Therefore, the linear bearing 28 can be fixed to the guide member 25 at an arbitrary position by tightening the set screw 28a, and can be freely moved by loosening.

  In the present embodiment, the arm portion 26 is formed in a substantially U shape in a front view shown in FIG. More specifically, the arm portion 26 extends on the tire lumen side of the pneumatic tire T and the inner piece 31 to which the irradiator 3 is fixed, and on the outer surface 42o side of the tread portion 42 of the pneumatic tire T. The outer piece 32 extends to the outside and the outer irradiator 4 is fixed, and the inner piece 31 extends from the outer side of the tire and the intermediate piece 33 joins the outer piece 32.

  The inner piece 31 includes, for example, an inner bracket 31a to which the inner irradiator 3 is fixed by a bolt 38, and an inner rod portion 31b extending downward from the inner bracket 31a.

  The inner bracket 31 a is fixed to the linear motion bearing 28 with a coupling fitting 34. As a result, the inner bracket 31a, and thus the arm portion 26, can move up and down (moves in the tire axial direction) along the guide member 25. The height of the inner and outer irradiators 3 and 4 can be finely adjusted by interposing a shim or the like between the inner bracket 31a and the inner irradiator 3.

  A part of the inner rod portion 31b penetrates the bead lumen 41 of the pneumatic tire T and extends in the tire axial direction, and the lower end thereof is the bead lumen 41, the hole 2A of the support base 2, and the upper plate 10. In the present embodiment, it extends to a position between the upper frame 8A and the lower frame 8B of the base 6.

  The outer piece 32 includes an outer bracket 32a to which the outer irradiator 4 is fixed by a bolt 38, and an outer rod portion 32b extending downward from the outer bracket 32a.

  As with the inner irradiator 3, the outer irradiator 4 can be adjusted in its mounting position by interposing a shim or the like between the outer bracket 32a.

  Moreover, the screw shaft part 32c in which the thread groove was formed is formed in the lower end of the rod part 32b outside this embodiment.

  The intermediate piece 33 of the present embodiment extends substantially horizontally between the upper frame 8A and the lower frame 8B of the base 6, and one end thereof is fixed to the lower end of the inner rod portion 31b. Moreover, the other end of the intermediate piece 33 is formed with a screw hole portion (not shown) into which the screw shaft portion 32c of the outer rod portion 32b is screwed. Thereby, the outer rod part 32b is fixed to the intermediate piece 33 with the nut 35 so that the height can be adjusted up and down. This is useful for adjusting the relative positions of the inner and outer irradiators 3 and 4 with a relatively large amount of operation.

  An example of a tire inspection method using the inspection apparatus 1 of the present embodiment configured as described above will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the pneumatic tire T to be inspected in the present embodiment has a sponge material 44 having a certain width in the tire axial direction attached to the inner surface 42i of the tread portion 42 along the tire circumferential direction. This is a pneumatic tire with sponge material. As shown in FIG. 4, for example, the sponge material 44 may be attached by abutting the sticking start end 44 t 1 and the sticking end 44 t 3, or may be separated.

  The inspection apparatus 1 can easily inspect whether or not the width center SC of the sponge material 44 is aligned with the tire equator C in such a pneumatic tire with a sponge material.

  First, the pneumatic tire T is placed on the support base 2 from above the guide member 25. At this time, for example, the tire is placed on the support base 2 horizontally with one side s1 of the sidewall portion 43 facing upward. Further, the rotation axis of the pneumatic tire T is preferably aligned with the rotation center of the support base 2.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 5, the height of the outer irradiator 3 is adjusted so that the outer laser light 37 illuminates the position of the tire equator C on the outer surface 42 o of the tread portion 42. The position of the tire equator C can be identified from, for example, a tread pattern formed on the tread portion 42, a burr generated by a split mold formed on the outer surface 42o of the tread portion 42, and the like. Further, the tire axial distance from the outer surface of the sidewall portion 43 to the position of the tire equator C may be calculated in advance from the tire size and the like, and may be adjusted to the position of the outer irradiator 4 using the scale 29 of the guide member 25. it can.

  Both the inner laser beam 36 and the outer laser beam 37 irradiated by the inner irradiator 3 have the same optical axis in the tire radial direction. Therefore, in the situation aligned as described above, the inner laser light 36 illuminates the position on the inner surface 42 i side of the tread portion 42 corresponding to the tire equator C identified from the outer surface of the tread portion 42.

  Therefore, the operator looks into the inner surface 42 i of the tread portion 42 from the space of the bead lumen 41 and visually observes the irradiation position of the laser light 36, so that the position matches the width center SC of the sponge material 44. You can determine whether you are doing it. Thereby, the tire inspection apparatus 1 can inspect the displacement of the attaching position of the sponge material 44 with respect to the inner surface 42 i of the tread portion 42. For example, an imaging device (not shown) that can image the inner surface 42 i of the tread portion 42 may be provided in the vicinity of the irradiator 3. By such an imaging device, the inner surface 42i of the tread portion 42 is projected on a monitor or the like, so that the visual inspection of the inner surface 42i can be performed smoothly at a remote position.

  The width center SC of the sponge material 44 can be determined by, for example, the amount of eyes by visual observation. Further, in the case where the groove groove G whose center coincides with the width center SC is provided on the surface like the sponge material 44 of the present embodiment, the determination can be made based on the groove groove G. Further, the width center SC of the sponge material 44 can be displayed in advance.

  Further, in the inspection apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, it is possible to easily inspect whether the sponge material 44 is correctly attached along the tire circumferential direction, that is, the presence or absence of oblique attachment or meandering. For example, the support 2 is slowly rotated from the state of FIG. 5, and the relative positional relationship between the irradiation position of the laser beam 36 and the width center SC of the sponge material 44 is the total length of the sponge material 44 in the tire circumferential direction. Observed over. As shown in FIG. 6, the inner laser beam 36 is continuously illuminated horizontally from the application start end 44t1 of the sponge material 44 to the application end 44t3. By observing the amount of deviation δ from the width center SC, the presence or absence of meandering tension of the sponge material 44 can be inspected.

  As for the inspection of the presence or absence of slanting and meandering of the sponge material 44, as shown in FIG. 7 (a) and FIG. 7 (b), which is a development view of the sponge material 44 as viewed from the inner surface side of the tread portion. The laser beam 36 may be irradiated to the side edge of one side s1 or the other side s2 of the sponge material 44 to rotate the tire slowly, and observe the deviation δ.

  Further, in the pneumatic tire T, when the position of the tire equator C of the tread portion 42 and the position of the width center SC of the sponge material 44 cannot be easily grasped, or when further strict inspection is required, the tread portion 42 is used. In addition, by measuring each dimension of the sponge material 44 with the tire inspection device 1, it is possible to more accurately inspect the displacement of the attachment position of the sponge material 44 and the like. Some examples are described below.

  First, as shown in FIG. 8A, the height of the inner irradiator 3 is adjusted so that the inner laser beam 36 is aligned with the position of the side edge 44 e on the other side s 2 of the sponge material 44. And the position of the arm part 26 at this time is read from the scale 29 of the guide member 25. Thereby, the distance Wa from the zero reference point 30 to the side edge 44e on the other side s2 of the sponge material 44 is measured.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 8B, the height of the inner irradiator 3 is adjusted so that the inner laser beam 36 is aligned with the position of the side edge 44 e on one side s 1 of the sponge material 44. And the position of the arm part 26 at this time is read from the scale 29 of the guide member 25. Thereby, the distance Wb from the zero reference point 30 to the side edge 44e on the one side s1 of the sponge material 44 is measured.

  From the above measurement, the width Wc of the sponge material 44 is obtained as the sum of the distances Wa and Wb (difference in the scale value considering the sign). Further, based on the width Wc, the distance A from the zero reference point 30 to the width center SC of the sponge material 44 is known.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 9A, the height of the outer irradiator 4 is adjusted, and the outer laser light 37 is adjusted to the position of the side edge 42e on the other side s2 of the tread portion 42. And the position of the arm part 26 at this time is read from the scale 29 of the guide member 25. Thereby, the distance Xa from the zero reference point 30 to the side edge 42e on the other side s2 of the tread portion 42 is measured.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 9B, the height of the outer irradiator 4 is adjusted, and the outer laser light 37 is adjusted to the position of the side edge 42 e on the one side s 1 of the tread portion 42. And the position of the arm part 26 at this time is read from the scale 29 of the guide member 25. Thereby, the distance Xb from the zero reference point 30 to the side edge 42e on the one side s1 of the tread portion 42 is measured.

  From the above measurement, the width Xc of the tread portion 42 is obtained as the sum of the distances Xa and Xb (difference in scale values considering the sign). Further, based on the width Xc, the distance B from the zero reference point 30 to the center of the width of the tread portion 42, that is, the tire equator C is known.

  Therefore, the deviation (B−A) between the distance B and the distance A from the zero reference point 30 obtained previously to the width center SC of the sponge material 44 is the difference between the tire equator C and the width center SC of the sponge material 44. Deviation amount in the tire axial direction. Therefore, a case where the deviation (B−A) is larger than a predetermined threshold value can be determined as a tire with poor adhesion. This inspection method is desirable in that the amount of misalignment in the tire axial direction between the tire equator C and the width center SC of the sponge material 44 can be calculated with specific numerical values, so that the attached state of the sponge material 44 can be strictly inspected. .

  The inspection method is preferably performed at a plurality of locations in the tire circumferential direction. For example, the deviation may be obtained at a total of at least three locations including the application start end 44t1 of the sponge material 44, the application end 44t3, and an intermediate portion thereof. As a result, the tire inspection apparatus 1 can more strictly inspect the oblique circumferential sticking and the meandering condition in the tire circumferential direction.

  The inspection apparatus 1 of the present embodiment is not limited to use for inspection of a pneumatic tire with a sponge material. For example, in a pneumatic tire with a sponge material, a polishing surface 50 buffed to the inner surface 42i of the tread portion 42 is formed as shown in FIG. In order to prevent tire weight imbalance, the polished surface 50 also has a constant width KW and its center width KC is aligned with the tire equator C. Therefore, it is possible to inspect whether or not the polished surface 50 is formed at a correct position in the pneumatic tire before the sponge material 44 is attached by the same method as described above.

  As mentioned above, although the especially preferable form of this invention was explained in full detail, this invention is not limited to embodiment of illustration, It can deform | transform and implement in a various aspect.

1 is an overall perspective view of a tire inspection apparatus according to an embodiment. It is the principal part front view. It is a sectional view of a pneumatic tire inspected with a tire inspection device of this embodiment. It is sectional drawing in the tire equator. It is sectional drawing explaining the test | inspection of whether the width center of sponge material is aligned with the tire equator. It is an expanded view of the sponge material seen from the inner surface side of the tread portion. (A) It is sectional drawing explaining the test | inspection of the presence or absence of diagonal sticking of a sponge material or meandering tension, (b) The expanded view of the sponge material seen from the inner surface side of the tread part. (A) Cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which the distance from the zero reference point to the other side edge of the sponge material is measured, (b) the distance from the zero reference point to one side edge of the sponge material is measured FIG. (A) Cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which the distance from the zero reference point to the other side edge of the tread portion is measured. (B) The distance from the zero reference point to one side edge of the tread portion is measured. FIG. 1 is a diagram of a pneumatic tire having a polished surface buffed to the inner surface of a tread portion.

Explanation of symbols

2 Support stand 3 Irradiator 4 Outside irradiator 5 Moving means 36 Visible laser light 37 Visible laser light 42 Tread part 42i Inner surface

Claims (5)

A support for holding a pneumatic tire;
An irradiator in the inner surface of the tread portion of the pneumatic tire, which is arranged on a lumen side of the pneumatic tire held by the support and has a visible laser beam having an optical axis in the tire radial direction;
An outer irradiator that is arranged on the outer side of the pneumatic tire held on the support base and can irradiate the outer surface of the tread portion with visible laser light having the same optical axis as the inner irradiator;
A tire inspection apparatus, comprising: a moving unit that relatively moves the inner irradiator and the outer irradiator in synchronization with the pneumatic tire held on the support base.   The tire inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the support base holds the pneumatic tire horizontally and is rotatable about a rotation axis of the pneumatic tire. The moving means includes a guide member extending in a tire axial direction through a bead lumen surrounded by a bead bottom surface of a pneumatic tire held by the support;
An arm portion movable along the guide member,
The arm portion has at least a portion extending in the tire axial direction along the bead lumen and an inner irradiator fixed thereto, and an outer irradiator extending outside the pneumatic tire in the tire axial direction. The tire inspection device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the tire inspection device has a substantially U shape including an outer piece to be fixed and an intermediate piece that extends between the inner piece and the outer piece.   The tire inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the guide member is provided with a scale for measuring a moving distance of the arm portion. With the tire inspection apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, with a sponge material in which a sponge material having a certain width in the tire axial direction is attached to the inner surface of the tread portion along the tire circumferential direction. A method for inspecting affixed state of a pneumatic tire,
Irradiating the laser beam of the inner irradiator to the position of the inner surface of the tread portion corresponding to the center position by irradiating the laser beam of the outer irradiator to the center position in the width direction of the tread portion;
And a step of determining whether or not the laser beam emitted from the irradiator is at a center position in the width direction of the sponge material.

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