US-12617643-B2 - Unwinding system and method for unwinding a tire component from a stock reel and for outputting said tire component in a transport direction

US12617643B2US 12617643 B2US12617643 B2US 12617643B2US-12617643-B2

Abstract

The invention relates to an unwinding system for unwinding a tire component from a stock reel and outputting said tire component in a transport direction, wherein the unwinding system comprises a reel station, a conveyor and a transfer device, wherein the conveyor extends at least partially above the reel station, wherein the transfer device comprises a retaining surface for releasably retaining the tire component along a guide path between a pick-up position for picking up the tire component from the reel station and a release position for disposing the tire component on the conveyor, wherein, in the release position, the retaining surface is facing towards the conveyor, and wherein the retaining surface is offset between the release position and the pick-up position over an offset angle of at least ninety degrees around an inverting axis that is parallel to the conveyor and perpendicular to the transport direction.

Inventors

Ruben VISSER
Antonie Slots
Herman Sebastiaan SCHERPENHUIZEN

Assignees

VMI HOLLAND B.V.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20220509
Priority Date: 20210527

Claims (20)

1 . An unwinding system for unwinding a tire component from a stock reel and for outputting said tire component in a transport direction, the unwinding system comprising: a reel station configured for receiving the stock reel; an output conveyor for conveying the tire component in the transport direction; and a transfer device for transferring a leading end of the tire component from the reel station to said output conveyor, wherein the output conveyor extends at least partially above the reel station and comprises a support surface extending in a support plane parallel to the transport direction, wherein said support surface is arranged for receiving the tire component from the transfer device and for supporting said tire component at a first side of the support plane, wherein the transfer device comprises a retaining member which is movable along a guide path between a pick-up position at a second side of the support plane opposite to the first side of the support plane, for picking up the leading end of the tire component from the reel station, and a release position at the first side of the support plane for disposing the leading end of the tire component on the support surface of the output conveyor, wherein the retaining member comprises a retaining surface for releasably retaining the leading end of the tire component to said retaining member, wherein, in the release position, the retaining surface is facing towards the support plane at the first side of said support plane, and wherein the retaining surface is offset between the release position and the pick-up position over an offset angle of at least ninety degrees around an inverting axis that is parallel to the support plane and perpendicular to the transport direction.
2 . The unwinding system according to claim 1 , wherein the retaining member comprises a retaining body that defines the retaining surface and one or more retaining elements for retaining the leading end of the tire component to said retaining body at the retaining surface.
3 . The unwinding system according to claim 1 , wherein the retaining member is movable along the guide path to an intermediate position between the pick-up position and the release position, and wherein, in the intermediate position, the retaining surface faces away from the support plane at the second side of said support plane.
4 . The unwinding system according to claim 1 , wherein the unwinding system further comprises the stock reel at the reel station, wherein the stock reel is rotatable about a stock reel axis, and wherein the retaining surface of the retaining member faces away from the stock reel axis when the retaining member is in the pick-up position, and faces towards the stock reel axis when the retaining member is in the release position.
5 . The unwinding system according to claim 1 , wherein the retaining member comprises one or more vacuum retaining elements for picking-up or retaining the leading end by suction.
6 . The unwinding system according to claim 1 , wherein the guide path is a circular path.
7 . The unwinding system according to claim 1 , wherein the transfer device comprises an arm that is rotatable about an arm axis between the pick-up position and the release position, wherein the retaining member is carried by said arm and spaced apart from the arm axis.
8 . The unwinding system according to claim 7 , wherein the retaining surface is offset with respect to the arm axis in an offset direction perpendicular to said retaining surface.
9 . The unwinding system according to claim 7 , wherein the retaining member is rotatable with respect to the arm about a retaining axis parallel to and spaced apart from the arm axis.
10 . The unwinding system according to claim 7 , wherein the transfer device further comprises a pressing member for pressing down the leading end of the tire component on the support surface of the output conveyor when said transfer device has released said leading end, wherein the pressing member is carried by the arm between the pick-up position and the release position.
11 . The unwinding system according to claim 10 , wherein the pressing member comprises a pressing roller which is rotatable about a roller axis.
12 . The unwinding system according to claim 7 , wherein the transfer device further comprises a securing member that is movable between a secured position for securing the leading end to the retaining member and an unsecured position for releasing the leading end from the retaining member, wherein said securing member is carried by the arm.
13 . The unwinding system according to claim 1 , wherein the transfer device further comprises a securing member that is movable between a secured position for securing the leading end to the retaining member and an unsecured position for releasing the leading end from the retaining member, wherein the securing member is supported separately from the transfer device for pressing the tire component against the retaining surface of the retaining member.
14 . The unwinding system according to claim 1 , wherein the transfer device comprises an endless drive for driving the retaining member along the guide path between the pick-up position and the release position.
15 . The unwinding system according to claim 14 , wherein the guide path extends parallel to and spaced apart from the support plane at or near the release position.
16 . The unwinding system according to claim 14 , wherein the guide path extends in a guide plane, wherein the endless drive comprises two endless drive elements extending parallel to said guide plane and mutually spaced apart in a lateral direction perpendicular to the guide plane.
17 . The unwinding system according to claim 16 , wherein the endless drive elements are belts or chains.
18 . The unwinding system according to claim 14 , wherein the unwinding system further comprises a support member that is positioned opposite to the retaining surface at the pick-up position for supporting the leading end of the tire component relative to the retaining surface.
19 . The unwinding system according to claim 1 , wherein the retaining member comprises at least two retractable nails that are movable between a retracted position, in which the nails are recessed with respect to the retaining surface, and a gripping position, in which said nails protrude from the retaining surface for retaining the tire component to said retaining surface.
20 . The unwinding system according to claim 19 , wherein the at least two nails each extend in a respective nail direction transverse or perpendicular to the retaining surface, wherein the nail direction of a first one of the at least two nails and the nail direction of a second one of the at least two nails extend at an oblique angle with respect to one another.

Description

BACKGROUND The invention relates to an unwinding system and a method for unwinding a tire component, for example a side wall or a breaker ply, from a stock reel and for outputting said tire component onto an output conveyor of a tire component servicer to be subsequently used for the manufacture of tires on a tire building drum. Known unwinding systems are arranged for receiving a cartridge with a stock reel that holds the length of a tire component. The cartridge is commonly arranged such that the tire component exits the cartridge in a direction in-line with the transport direction of an output conveyor. When the stock reel is depleted, the cartridge is replaced by an operator and the leading end of the tire component has to be manually placed on the output conveyor. The leading end of the tire component is spliced to the trailing end of the previously supplied tire component to allow for the leading end of the tire component to be pulled by the trailing end of the previously supplied tire component over the output conveyor towards the tire building drum to be subsequently used for the manufacture of tires. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A disadvantage of the known unwinding systems is that the system has to be stopped or slowed down to allow for the manual intervention of an operator. Hence, during this period, the supply of the tire component to the tire component servicer is temporarily interrupted, thereby potentially creating downtime in the entire tire building process. Moreover, to facilitate the splicing of the leading end of the tire component to the trailing end of the previously supplied tire component, said previously supplied tire component has to remain in place on the supply conveyor until the splicing has been completed. Hence, the supply of the previously supplied tire component cannot be completed and the whole tire building process is interrupted. Additionally, safe operating spaces have to be established around the unwinding system to allow the operator to transfer the leading end of the tire component from the stock reel to the output conveyor. Said operating spaces hugely increase the footprint of the unwinding system. Even when the machine is slowed down or stopped, the manual intervention of the operator may prove hazardous. It is an object of the present invention to provide an unwinding system and a method, wherein at least one of the above-mentioned drawbacks can be improved. According to a first aspect, the invention provides an unwinding system for unwinding a tire component from a stock reel and for outputting said tire component in a transport direction, wherein the unwinding system comprises a reel station configured for receiving the stock reel, an output conveyor for conveying the tire component in the transport direction and a transfer device for transferring a leading end of the tire component from the reel station to said output conveyor, wherein the output conveyor extends at least partially above the reel station and comprises a support surface extending in a support plane parallel to the transport direction, wherein said support surface is arranged for receiving the tire component from the transfer device and for supporting said tire component at a first side of the support plane, wherein the transfer device comprises a retaining member which is movable along a guide path between a pick-up position at a second side of the support plane opposite to the first side of the support plane for picking up the leading end of the tire component from the reel station, and a release position at the first side of the support plane for disposing the leading end of the tire component on the support surface of the output conveyor, wherein the retaining member comprises a retaining surface for releasably retaining the leading end of the tire component to said retaining member, wherein, in the release position, the retaining surface is facing towards the support plane at the first side of said support plane, and wherein the retaining surface is offset between the release position and the pick-up position over an offset angle of at least ninety degrees around an inverting axis that is parallel to the support plane and perpendicular to the transport direction. In other words, the transfer device is arranged to mechanically and/or automatically flip or invert the tire component between the pick-up position and the release position over at least ninety degrees. Hence the tire component can be conveyed in a transport direction differing from the output direction of the reel. Consequently, the reel can be placed at least partly below the output conveyor. Consequently, the footprint, i.e. the surface area, of the unwinding system can be reduced. Additionally, the transfer device can reliably transfer the leading end of the tire component from the stock reel to the output conveyor without the intervention of an operator. Consequently, workplace safety can be improved. By retaining the tire compone