Tire inspection apparatus for inspecting the sidewall of the tire

• US 10,118,448 B2
• Filed: 10/16/2014
• Issued: 11/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bridgestone Corporation
• Original Assignee: Bridgestone Corporation
• Inventors: Mizutani, Akinobu
• Primary Examiner(s): Macchiarolo, Peter
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jenkins, Jermaine
• Application Number:
  US15/030,670
• Publication Number:
  US 20160263952A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,482 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 2030/0066 Tyre quality control during manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 30/0061 Accessories, details or auxiliary operations not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 30/72 Side-walls
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2021/00 Use of unspecified rubbers as moulding material
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2105/258 Tubular
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 13/001 Decorating, marking or the like
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 19/00 Tyre parts or constructions not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 25/007 outside surface measuring profile depth G01B11/22
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/2522 the position of the object changing and being recorded
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/30 for measuring roughness or irregularity of surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 17/027 using light, e.g. infrared, ultraviolet or holographic techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2021/8887 based on image processing techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/8851 Scan or image signal processing specially adapted therefor, e.g. for scan signal adjustment, for detecting different kinds of defects, for compensating for structures, markings, edges G01N21/8806 and G01N21/93 - G01N21/95692 take precedence; optical measurement of dimensions G01B11/00; optical scanning G02B26/10; image transformation G06T3/00; computerised image enhancement G06T5/00; image processing per se for flaw detection G06T7/0002
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/95 characterised by the material or shape of the object to be examined G01N21/89 - G01N21/91, G01N21/94 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/952 Inspecting the exterior surface of cylindrical bodies or wires G01N21/956 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10004 Still image; Photographic image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30108 Industrial image inspection
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/001 using an image reference approach
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/337 involving reference images or patches
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/74 involving reference images or patches
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/7515 : Shifting the patterns to accommodate for positional errors

Abstract

In order to provide a tire inspection apparatus which is capable of identifying, when performing an appearance inspection of a tire, a location of a rubber burr from a captured image of a tire side and avoiding detection of the rubber burr as a defect in a subsequent inspection step using image processing, the tire inspection apparatus is provided with a storage unit for storing a model pattern of a molded object to be molded on the tire side to be inspected and a master image of the tire side, the master image being prepared when the molded object(s) and an unnecessary molded object(s) are molded together as a conforming article, a model pattern locating unit for locating the model pattern on the captured image of the tire side to be inspected in a position of the captured image showing a highest degree of agreement, and an unnecessary molded object location identifying unit for identifying a location of the unnecessary molded object from the captured image by comparing the position of the model pattern located on the captured image against a position of the model pattern on the master image.

Claims

1. A tire inspection apparatus configured to inspect a tire side of a tire to be inspected, the tire inspection apparatus comprising:

an image capture device configured to create a captured image of the tire side of the tire to be inspected;

a storage device configured to store;

(i) a model pattern of a molded object to be molded on the tire side of the tire to be inspected, and

(ii) a master image of the tire side, the master image being prepared when the molded object and an unnecessary molded object are molded together as a conforming article; and

a processor configured to perform the following;

locate the model pattern on the captured image of the tire side to be inspected in a position of the captured image showing a highest degree of agreement with the model pattern; and

identify a location of the unnecessary molded object from the captured image by comparing the position of the model pattern located on the captured image against a position of the model pattern on the master image.

2. The tire inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the model pattern comprises characters constituting a character string to be molded on the tire side.

3. The tire inspection apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the processor is configured to calculate a dislocation amount of the position of the model pattern located on the captured image from the position of the model pattern on the master image, and add the dislocation amount to the location of the unnecessary molded object relative to the molding object in the master image and identifies the location of the unnecessary molded object on the captured image.

4. The tire inspection apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the unnecessary molded object is an air hole provided in a mold for molding the tire.

5. The tire inspection apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the unnecessary molded object is an air hole provided in a mold for molding the tire.

6. The tire inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to calculate a dislocation amount of the position of the model pattern located on the captured image from the position of the model pattern on the master image, and add the dislocation amount to the location of the unnecessary molded object relative to the molding object in the master image and identifies the location of the unnecessary molded object on the captured image.

7. The tire inspection apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the unnecessary molded object is an air hole provided in a mold for molding the tire.

8. The tire inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the unnecessary molded object is an air hole provided in a mold for molding the tire.