Process for transporting a belt construction strip for constructing a belt for a pneumatic vehicle tire

• US 6,547,906 B1
• Filed: 10/08/1997
• Issued: 04/15/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/1996
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Reifen Deutschland GmbH (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental AG
• Inventors: Kölker, Martin, Sergel, Horst
• Primary Examiner(s): Knable, Geoffrey L.
• Application Number:
  US08/947,149
• Time in Patent Office: 2,015 Days
• Field of Search: 156/123, 156/130, 156/133, 156/134, 156/405.1, 156/406.4, 156/394.1, 156/64, 156/110.1
• US Class Current: 156/123
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 2030/4406 Adjusting the positions of the layers
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 2030/4418 laterally, e.g. sideways
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 30/44 Stretching or treating the layers before application on the drum during application B29D30/30
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2801/93 Tyres

Abstract

Process and device for transporting a belt construction strip having parallel reinforcing members embedded in a belt construction material for forming a belt for a pneumatic vehicle tire. The process may include feeding the belt construction strip in a feed direction toward a subsequent processing device, such that the feed direction is oblique to the reinforcing members and the belt construction strip includes two lateral sides extending in the feed direction, forming a front edge on a front end of the belt construction strip in the feed direction and a rear edge on a rear end of the belt construction strip in the feed direction, such that the front and rear edges extend obliquely to the feed direction and substantially parallel to the reinforcing members, defining a front tip from a portion of the belt construction strip enclosed by the front edge and one of the two lateral sides, defining a rear tip from a portion of the belt construction strip enclosed by rear edge and the other of the two lateral sides, and feeding the belt construction strip along at least two conveying devices. The process may also include laterally aligning the front tip in accordance with its form and position, laterally aligning the belt construction strip, in a region between the front tip and the rear tip, in accordance with its position, and laterally aligning the rear tip in accordance with its form and position.

Claims

1. A process for transporting a belt construction strip having parallel reinforcing members embedded in a belt construction material for forming a belt for a pneumatic vehicle tire in an apparatus that includes a first and second conveying device arranged to transport the belt construction strip in a feed direction, and the first conveying device is arranged for movement in a direction lateral to the feed direction, comprising:

feeding the belt construction strip in the feed direction over the first and second conveying devices toward a subsequent processing device, the feed direction being oblique to the reinforcing members and the belt construction strip including two lateral sides extending in the feed direction;

forming a front edge on a front end of the belt construction strip in the feed direction and a rear edge on a rear end of the belt construction strip in the feed direction, the front and rear edges extending obliquely to the feed direction and substantially parallel to the reinforcing members;

defining a front tip from a portion of the belt construction strip enclosed by the front edge and one of the two lateral sides;

defining a rear tip from a portion of the belt construction strip enclosed by the rear edge and the other of the two lateral sides;

laterally moving the first conveying device in a direction lateral to the feed direction to align the front tip at a specified lateral position;

laterally aligning the belt construction strip, in a region between the front tip and the rear tip, in accordance with its position and without a lateral stop to guide either of the lateral sides; and

laterally moving the first conveying device in a direction lateral to the feed direction to align the rear tip at a specified position.

2. The process according to claim 1, further comprising:

positioning sensors adjacent to the two lateral sides of the belt construction strip; and

detecting a position of at least one of the front edge and rear edge,

wherein the lateral moving of the first conveying device further aligns a position of the belt construction strip in accordance with the position of the at least one of the front edge and rear edge detected by the sensors.

3. The process according to claim 2, further comprising:

detecting a side edge position of the front tip with the sensor positioned adjacent the lateral side forming the front tip;

aligning the front tip in a position in accordance with the detected side edge position by the lateral moving of the first conveying device, wherein the front tip is deformed so that a lateral edge of a region of the belt construction strip in a vicinity of the front tip corresponds to a desired lateral edge alignment position and contour;

detecting a side edge course of the belt construction strip located between the front tip and the rear tip;

aligning the belt construction strip, located between the front tip and the rear tip, to be symmetrically centered relative to an axis in the feed direction;

detecting a side edge position of the rear tip with the sensor positioned adjacent the lateral side forming the rear tip; and

aligning the rear tip in a position in accordance with the detected side edge position by the lateral moving of the first conveying device, wherein the rear tip is deformed so that a lateral edge of a region of the belt construction strip in a vicinity of the rear tip corresponds to a desired lateral edge alignment position and contour.

4. The process according to claim 1, further comprising:

laterally moving a front end of the front tip into a desired lateral alignment position; and

securing the front end against lateral movement,

wherein when a side edge position of the front end is unchanged and is secured against lateral movement caused by lateral movement of portions of the belt construction strip positioned after it in the feed direction, the process further comprises;

changing a position of a lateral edge position of the front tip relative to the feed direction until the lateral edge of the front tip is assumes a desired course.

5. The process according to claim 4, further comprising:

feeding the belt construction strip with the first conveying device;

detecting the front portion of the front tip with a sensor for detecting the side edge position in a transition region to a second conveying device;

laterally moving the belt construction strip until the side edge position of the front end detected by the sensor corresponds to a desired position of the side edge of the front end;

feeding the belt construction strip until holding contact is made with the second conveying device that secures the belt construction strip against lateral movement;

upon making the holding contact, interrupting the feeding;

laterally moving the belt construction strip via the first conveying device until the side edge position of the front tip detected by the sensor corresponds to the desired position,

conveying the belt construction strip and detecting the other lateral edge of the belt construction strip with a sensor for detecting the side edge position located in the transition region to the second conveying device;

laterally moving the first conveying device in a manner controlled as a function of actual lateral positions of the two side edges so that side edge courses are substantially symmetrical to an axis extending in the feed direction; and

conveying the belt construction strip until a side edge leaves the sensor detecting region in the feed direction.

6. The process according to claim 5, the process further comprising:

lowering a support roll in a controlled manner onto the tip of the belt construction strip in the region of the second conveying device to exhibit holding contact between the belt construction strip and the second conveying device; and

raising the support roll before aligning the portion of the belt construction strip between the front tip and the rear tip.

7. The process according to claim 6,

lowering a support roll in a controlled manner onto the front tip in the region of the first conveying device to exhibit holding contact between the belt construction strip and the first conveying device;

and

raising the support roll before aligning the portion of the belt construction strip between the front tip and the rear tip.

8. The process according to claim 5,

wherein after the side edge has left a sensor detection region in the feed direction, the process further comprising:

detecting a side edge position of the other side edge;

laterally moving the rear tip relative to the belt construction strip secured against lateral movement on the second conveying device via laterally moving the first conveying device, the rear tip being laterally moved in accordance with the detected position; and

positioning the rear tip in a desired position.

9. The process according to claim 8,

wherein after the portion of the belt construction strip between the front tip and the rear tip has left the transition region between the first and second conveying devices, the process further comprising:

lowering support rolls onto the rear tip to secure holding contact, the lowering of the support rolls comprising lowering one support roll in a region of the first conveying device and lowering another support roll in a region of the second conveying device; and

raising the support rolls when the rear end of the rear tip has left the transition region between the first and second conveying devices.

10. The process according to claim 1,

wherein a desired side edge position for at least one of the front tip and the rear tip deviates from a straight line in the feed direction by an amount of a subsequent side edge deformation expected after the alignment.

11. The process according to claim 1,

cutting the belt construction strip on the first conveying device from a belt band material, thereby forming the rear edge of the belt construction strip;

detecting a desired length of the belt construction strip to be cut off via sensors for detecting a front edge of the belt construction strip in the region of a second conveying device positioned downstream from the first conveying device; and

actuating the cutting of the belt construction strip in accordance with the detection of the front edge.

12. The process according to claim 1, further comprising:

conveying subsequent construction strips, wherein in conveying the subsequent belt construction strips, the process further comprises;

utilizing actual side edge positions of a previously adjusted conveyed belt construction strip as set point position values; and

wherein when a first belt construction strip is processed, the process further comprises;

predetermining reference values as the set point values for desired edge positions of the two tips.

13. The process according to claim 1, the parallel reinforcing members comprising steel.

14. The process according to claim 1, the subsequent processing device comprising a belt construction drum.

15. The process according to claim 1, the front tip and rear tip forming acute angles being between approximately 10°

to 35°

.

16. The process according to claim 1, the belt construction material comprising rubber.