Plastic article or earthenware shaping or treating: apparatus – Reshaping – resizing or vulcanizing means for tire – tire... – Plural female molds for plural preforms
Reexamination Certificate
2000-10-11
2004-04-13
Mackey, James P. (Department: 1722)
Plastic article or earthenware shaping or treating: apparatus
Reshaping, resizing or vulcanizing means for tire, tire...
Plural female molds for plural preforms
C425S038000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06719549
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a tire vulcanizing equipment for performing a series of treating operations from the carrying-in of an unvulcanized tire for vulcanization to its carrying-out as a vulcanized tire.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a conventional tire vulcanizing press, the working time of opening and closing a tire mold assembly to perform carrying-in of an unvulcanized tire, shaping, and unloading a vulcanized tire is extremely short, compared with the vulcanization time. Therefore, equipments in which the number of tire vulcanizing devices to one tire mold opening and closing device for opening and closing the tire mold assembly or tire carrying-in and carrying-out device is increased to improve the availability factors of these devices have been variously proposed and executed.
A tire vulcanizing equipment of a first constitution, for example, comprises a vulcanizing station
100
formed by circumferentially arranging a plurality of mold bases
101
for placing tire mold assemblies M as shown in FIG.
7
. The mold bases
101
are provided with an internal pressure supplying device (heating and pressurizing medium supplying device to tire internal part)
102
or an external pressure supplying device (heating medium supplying device to tire circumferential part)
103
, and storage bases for vulcanized tires and unvulcanized tires are arranged on the second floor situated above the vulcanizing station
100
.
One opening and closing station
120
is arranged in the central position of the vulcanizing station
100
. The opening and closing station
120
comprises a delivering mechanism and opening/closing mechanism of the tire mold assembly M, a carrying-out mechanism of vulcanized tires and carrying-in mechanism of unvulcanized tires between the tire mold assembly M and the storage bases, and a rotating mechanism for rotating the opening and closing station itself in an optional assembly direction together with these mechanisms.
According to this first constitution, the opening and closing station
120
itself is rotated in the direction of an intended tire mold assembly M, whereby not only the unloading and opening/closing of a plurality of tire mold assemblies M but also the carrying-out of vulcanized tires from the tire mold assembly and carrying-in of unvulcanized tires thereto can be performed by use of the single opening and closing station
102
.
A tire vulcanizing equipment of a second constitution comprises, as shown in
FIGS. 8 and 9
, a vulcanizing station
131
having a housing shelf
130
having placing parts
130
a
for placing the tire mold assemblies M arranged in horizontal and vertical matrix form to the floor surface. On the side of the vulcanizing station
131
, a tire support device
135
for placing vulcanized tires and unvulcanized tires, a carrying line
134
for supplying unvulcanized tires, and a tire carrying-out device
136
for carrying vulcanized tires to the following step are arranged along the vulcanizing station
131
.
One opening and closing station
132
is provided between the vulcanizing station
131
and the tire support device
135
so as to move in parallel to the vulcanizing station
131
. The opening and closing station
132
comprises a delivering mechanism and opening/closing mechanism of the tire mold assembly M, a carrying-out mechanism of vulcanized tires and carrying-in mechanism of unvulcanized tire to the tire mold assembly M, a lifting mechanism for positioning the delivering mechanism in an optional height position, and a forward and backward moving mechanism for moving forward and backward the opening and closing station
132
itself along the vulcanizing station
131
together with these mechanisms.
According to the second constitution, the opening and closing station
132
itself is moved forward and backward in the direction of an intended tire mold assembly M, and the delivering mechanism is then raised and lowered, whereby the unloading of a plurality of tire mold assemblies M can be performed by use of one opening and closing station
132
similarly to the first constitution described above.
However, in the above conventional first and second constitutions, the rotation and forward/backward movement of the opening and closing stations
120
,
132
including the opening mechanisms and carrying mechanisms themselves cause the following problems.
(1) Since such a movement requires the detachment and attachment of the piping and wiring connected to each mechanism of the opening and closing stations
120
,
132
or the distribution thereof so as not to slide off, the opening and closing stations
120
,
132
are complicated by these piping and wiring members, leading to a cost increase.
(2) The opening and closing stations
120
,
132
are rather heavy since each mechanism is included therein. Therefore, the rotating mechanism or forward/backward moving mechanism used for the rotation or forward/backward movement is required to have a structure capable of generating sufficiently high strength and driving force, which results in the enlargement of these moving mechanisms and a cost increase.
(3) Since the opening and closing stations
120
,
132
are not only heavy but also tall, the moving speed must be limited in order to avoid the danger of falling, vibration or the like in the forward/backward movement or rotation. Therefore, the idle time up to the movement of the opening and closing stations
120
,
132
to the intended tire mold assembly and the carrying time from the loading of the tire mold assembly to the carrying to the stations are extended to extend the cycle time of production.
(4) In the first constitution, it is necessary to circularly arrange the storage bases used for supplying unvulcanized tires and carrying vulcanized tires in the same manner as the vulcanizing station
100
as shown in
FIG. 7
, and this leads to the enlargement and complication of the tire vulcanizing equipment including a control device for tire and a physical distribution apparatus. Although it may be considered to set the storage bases in one place to solve the problem of the enlargement and complication, the extra rotating operation of the opening and closing station
120
is required since pickup of unvulcanized tire and carrying-out of vulcanized tire must be performed in this position every time, which leads to the more remarkable extension of the cycle time.
The second constitution also has the same problems. Namely, in the second constitution, the tire support device
135
, the carrying line
134
and the tire carrying-out device
136
are provided along the vulcanizing station
131
so that unvulcanized tires can be supplied to the moving position of the opening and closing station
132
, and vulcanized tires can be carried out from this moving position. Such an arrangement of the line
134
and the devices
135
,
136
makes the tire vulcanizing equipment larger and more complicate.
(5) In the first constitution, as shown in
FIG. 7
, the tire mold assembly has no means of escape from the vulcanizing station
100
to stop all the movements when the one opening and closing station
120
set in the center breaks down. In such a case, many tires left in the vulcanizing station
100
cannot be taken out from the molds even if the vulcanization time expires, resulting in defective products by over-curing.
(6) In the second constitution, as shown in
FIGS. 8 and 9
, the forward/backward movement of the tall opening and closing station
132
requires a vertically large moving space at least in the forward/backward moving area, so that the building internal space can not be effectively utilized.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention thus has an object to provide a tire vulcanizing equipment capable of realizing a shorter cycle time of production, a smaller size of the tire vulcanizing equipment, and a lower cost.
The tire vulcanizing device of this invention comprises a vulcanizing station having placing parts for placing tire mold assemblies movable in close state
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