IP Library Granted Patent US 9,880,072
Granted Patent B2
US 9,880,072 · App. 14/763,156 · Granted Jan 30, 2018

Tire holding device and tire testing system

Inventors: Makoto Tachibana (Hiroshima, JP); Morihiro Imamura (Hiroshima, JP)
Assignee: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES MACHINERY TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION
G01M17/021B29D30/0016G01M1/045G01M17/024B29D2030/0027B29D2030/0066
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,880,072
App. No.
14/763,156
Granted
Jan 30, 2018
Kind
B2
Abstract

A tire holding device includes a guide which is provided between a pair of conveyors in a plan view and is provided on at least one of an upstream side and a downstream side of any one of an upper rim and a lower rim in a tire transport direction, and the guide guides a tire so that the center of the tire is coincident with the center of any one of the upper rim and the lower rim in the tire transport direction as the tire approaches any one of the upper rim and the lower rim by means of a lifting device.

Claims (21)

1. A tire holding device which interposes and holds a tire between an upper rim and a lower rim from both sides in a vertical direction, in which the tire is transported in a state where the center axis of the tire is directed toward the vertical direction by a pair of conveyors disposed with a gap therebetween, comprising:

a lifting device which moves the pair of conveyors and any one of the upper rim and the lower rim, and causes the tire transported by the conveyors to approach any one of the upper rim and the lower rim; and

a guide which is provided between the pair of conveyors in a plan view, is provided on at least one of an upstream side and a downstream side of any one of the upper rim and the lower rim in a tire transport direction, and guides the tire so that the center of the tire is coincident with the center of any one of the upper rim and the lower rim in the tire transport direction as the tire approaches any one of the upper rim and the lower rim by means of the lifting device,

wherein the guide includes a concave guide surface which is recessed on the upper rim side or the lower rim side in a transport direction, having a curvature radius being the same as the radius of the tire.

2. The tire holding device according to claim 1 ,

wherein the guide includes a roller main body which rolls in the vertical direction, and a plurality of rollers disposed at outer periphery of the roller main body, which roll in a horizontal direction intersecting the transport direction in addition to in the vertical direction.

3. The tire holding device according to claim 1 ,

wherein the lifting device moves a position of the conveyor downward in a state where the position of the lower rim is fixed, and guides the tire to the guide.

4. The tire holding device according to claim 3 ,

wherein the guide is disposed below the conveyor when the position of the conveyor is a transport position at which the tire is transported.

5. The tire holding device according to claim 1 ,

wherein the guide includes a detection unit which detects whether or not a positional deviation of the tire exceeds an allowable range of a preset positional deviation.

6. The tire holding device according to claim 1 , further comprising:

an adjustment mechanism which adjusts the position of the guide in the transport direction; and

an advancing-retreating mechanism which advances and retreats the guide between a guide position at which the tire is guided and a retreat position.

7. A tire testing system, comprising:

the tire holding device according to claim 1 ; and

a measurement device which measures a tire held by the tire holding device.

8. The tire holding device according to claim 1 , wherein the guide surface has an inclined surface on at least the upper portion of the guide surface, of which radial dimension is continuously extended in an upward direction.

9. The tire holding device according to claim 1 , wherein the guide has a vertical dimension of larger than the width of the tire.

10. The tire holding device according to claim 1 , wherein the rollers are disposed to the guide surface in the vertical direction and/or circumferential direction of the tire.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 16, 2018
From: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES MACHINERY TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION
To: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES MACHINERY SYSTEMS, LTD.
Reel/Frame 044951/0069 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 23, 2015
From: TACHIBANA, MAKOTO; IMAMURA, MORIHIRO
To: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES MACHINERY TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 036168/0839 →
Continuity (1)
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