US-12623423-B2 - Method for manufacturing tire blanks

US12623423B2US 12623423 B2US12623423 B2US 12623423B2US-12623423-B2

Abstract

A method of laying elastomeric elements using a facility including a drum for manufacturing tire blanks and at least one collaborative robotized arm equipped with at least one effector. A stage of laying an elastomeric element includes a predetermined sequence of steps. The sequence comprises the steps of grasping and drawing the elastomeric element towards the drum using the robotized arm. The laying of elastomeric elements includes instructions which can be executed by the processor of a control unit in order to implement. The sequence includes a stage of automatic performance of a step according to the sequence. The sequence also includes a stage of interruption of the sequence. The sequence further includes a stage of manual performance of the interrupted step or the next step according to the sequence.

Inventors

Jean-Marie Dettorre
NICOLAS BARD
QUENTIN DENIAU
Michel Druet
MATTHIEU LUTZ

Assignees

COMPAGNIE GENERALE DES ETABLISSEMENTS MICHELIN

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20211117
Priority Date: 20201118

Claims (9)

1 . A method for automatically and successively laying elastomeric elements using a facility for manufacturing tire blanks, comprising: a drum for manufacturing tire blanks, at least one collaborative robotized arm equipped with at least one effector, a stage of laying a plurality of elastomeric elements on the drum, comprising a predetermined sequence of steps, the sequence comprising the steps of grasping and drawing each of the elastomeric elements towards the drum using said arm, wherein the automatic and successive laying of the elastomeric elements on the drum includes instructions which can be executed by a processor of a control unit in order to implement: a stage of automatic performance of a step according to said sequence; a stage of interruption of said sequence; and a stage of manual performance of the interrupted step or the next step according to said sequence, wherein the interruption stage comprises a sub-stage of identifying an indication that a stage of automatic performance of a step has not been successfully performed, wherein to implement said sub-stage, the manufacturing facility comprises first measurement means able to evaluate the state of the tire blank during production, second measurement means able to evaluate the state of the manufacturing facility, and a database containing data taken from said first and second measurement means and associated with the automatic steps previously performed and associated with the success or failure of said steps.
2 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the interruption stage comprises a sub-stage of detecting an operator at the laying station of the manufacturing facility using operator detection means.
3 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first measurement means comprise three-dimensional vision means, and wherein the second measurement means comprise force sensors arranged on the collaborative robotized arm.
4 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the interruption stage comprises, following the sub-stage of identifying the indication that a stage of automatic performance of a step has not been successfully performed, a sub-stage of selecting a corrective action to be performed from a list of known corrective actions and according to predefined criteria.
5 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the stage of manual performance of the interrupted step or the next step in said sequence comprises a capitalization sub-stage in which the database is updated with data taken from the first measurement means during the manual performance of said step.
6 . The method as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the stage of manual performance of the interrupted step or the next step in said sequence comprises a capitalization sub-stage in which the list of known corrective actions is updated on a basis of data taken from the second measurement means during the manual performance of said step.
7 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a step or a corrective action is scheduled according to a model comprising sequences of images of said steps or said corrective actions previously performed, according to an initial configuration of said image sequence and according to a final configuration of said image sequence.
8 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the stage of automatic performance of a step according to said sequence comprises a capitalization sub-stage in which the database is updated with data taken from the first measurement means during the automatic performance of said step.
9 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the stage of automatic performance of a step according to said sequence comprises a capitalization sub-stage in which the list of known corrective actions is updated on a basis of data taken from the second measurement means during the automatic performance of said step.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application claims priority to and the benefit of PCT Patent Application No. PCT/FR2021/052028 filed on 17 Nov. 2021, entitled “METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING TIRE BLANKS”, and French Patent Application No. FR2011827, filed on 18 Nov. 2020, entitled “METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING TIRE BLANKS”. BACKGROUND 1. Field The disclosure concerns the field of tire manufacture, and more particularly concerns a method for manufacturing tire blanks and a facility allowing implementation of such a method. 2. Related Art A tire is divided into three separate zones, comprising a crown reinforcement and a tread intended to come into contact with the ground, beads intended to ensure the attachment of the tire to the rim of a wheel, and sidewalls intended to connect the crown to the beads. In order to connect the crown to the beads, a tire generally comprises a carcass reinforcement. To manufacture a tire blank, elements in the form of bead cores, strips or plies, are successively assembled so as to form a cylindrical carcass reinforcement. Then the cylindrical carcass reinforcement is transformed into a toroidal carcass reinforcement during a stage known as conformation. During this transformation, the crown of the carcass reinforcement is stretched so as to increase the diameter and the beads are moved axially closer together. Finally, elements in the form of strips or plies are successively positioned on the crown of the carcass reinforcement so to form a crown reinforcement and a tread on top. The assembly and conformation stages are generally performed on a cylindrical drum for manufacturing tire blanks, which is movable in rotation about an axis of revolutionary symmetry. Elements in the form of threads, strips or plies are laid circumferentially on the drum or on the tire blank during production. The laying stages are performed manually or automatically. When the laying stages are performed manually, an operator situated facing the drum takes the end of an element, e.g. a ply wound around a reel, draws it up to the drum, positions it and fix it to the drum or the tire blank during production. The drum is then set in rotation so as to perform a complete revolution. During rotation of the drum, the operator guides the ply such that the winding of the ply forms a substantially straight cylinder. The operator then cuts the ply and adjusts the joint between the two ends of the ply. However, manual performance has well-known drawbacks. In particular, the speed and precision of the operator are limited. Approaching or exceeding these limits also leads to an increase in difficulty of the operator's work and his cognitive load, which may lead to a reduction in quality of the tire blanks produced or even the safety of the operator. In addition, automation of the laying stages as performed manually has significant technical difficulties, such as design of a production machine able to implement said laying stages, and above all programming of said machine so that it is able to execute said laying stages. When a tire blank is manufactured automatically, there are multiple design strategies which result in various methods and machines. For example, a tire blank manufacturing machine is known in which a drum is movable by means of a carriage or robotized arm between several laying stations, each laying station being able to lay a specific element such as a bead core or strip. Since each station has a different production rate, the fastest laying stations are not fully employed, which reduces their efficiency. Furthermore, the design, production and use of such an assembly machine are very complex and costly. In fact, the reliability of the machine—or in other words, its ability to produce a tire blank without defect—is reduced since this results from the product of the reliability of each laying station taken individually. Consequently, the net operating time of such a machine is less advantageous than the net operating time of a machine having fewer laying stations. A tire blank manufacturing machine is also known which comprises only two laying stations, each laying station being able to lay a set of preassembled elements. Thus two complete revolutions of the drum are sufficient to lay a first set intended to constitute a carcass reinforcement, and a second set intended to constitute a crown reinforcement and a tread. Nonetheless, such a manufacturing machine requires adaptation of the architecture and composition of the tire blank, which imposes considerable constraints on the process of design and industrialization of the tire. It is an object of the disclosure to remedy the drawbacks of the prior art and provide a flexible and productive solution. SUMMARY This object is achieved by the disclosure which, in a first aspect, concerns a method for automatically and successively laying elastomeric elements using a facility for manufacturing tire blanks, comprising a drum for manufacturing tire blanks,