Adhesive bonding and miscellaneous chemical manufacture – Methods – Surface bonding and/or assembly therefor
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-28
2001-08-28
Osele, Mark A. (Department: 1734)
Adhesive bonding and miscellaneous chemical manufacture
Methods
Surface bonding and/or assembly therefor
C156S304500, C156S304100, C156S507000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06280556
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a strip material aligning and splicing apparatus and method, and more particularly to such apparatus and method that are used to efficiently align and splice on a conveyer a plurality of strips each obtained by cutting a continuous strip material to a predetermined length.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
For example, the belt layer of a pneumatic radial tire is produced in such a manner that a band-shaped body of a large width comprising a number of aligned reinforcing cords impregnated with unvulcanized rubber is bias-cut at a predetermined angle and width, the bias-cut band strips are spliced side to side thereby forming an elongate belt material and the elongate belt material is wound around a cell so as to be temporarily stocked. This belt material is drawn out from the cell at the time of forming the belt layer and is cut along the longitudinal direction of the reinforcing cords to a length corresponding to the peripheral length of the belt layer thereby obtaining a belt material for one tire.
However, the width and length of the belt material for one tire differ depending on the size of the tire, and the cord angle also differs depending on the specifications of the tire so that it is necessary to stock the belt materials produced in the above-described manner as those which have different sizes with every tire specifications. Accordingly, in order to prepare quite a variety of kinds of belt materials as intermediate members, there has hitherto been a problem that a wide space for stocking the tire materials is required.
As a countermeasure against the above-described problem, the present inventor once proposed a method of forming a belt material for one tire wherein a strip material of a small width comprising a plurality of reinforcing cords coated with unvulcanized rubber is fed to a conveyer, then the strip material is cut at a predetermined cutting angle to obtain a plurality of strips each having a predetermined length and a predetermined integer number of the cut strips are spliced to thereby obtain a belt material for one tire, so that the troublesomeness of having to prepare a variety of kinds of belt materials is eliminated. However, since the width of the strip material is as small as less than 60 mm, the lateral rigidity of the strip material itself is low and therefore, when the strip material is fed to the conveyer in the above-described manner, it becomes displaced or deformed so that it is difficult to accurately align and splice the strips after cutting the strip material. Accordingly, there has hitherto been the problem that the productivity of the belt material is greatly influenced by whether or not the splicing accuracy or splicing efficiency is favorable.
An object of the present invention is to provide a strip material aligning and splicing apparatus and method wherein strips each cut from a continuous strip material to a predetermined length can be aligned and spliced accurately and efficiently.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
The strip material aligning and splicing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention is for achieving the above-described object functions such that a continuous strip material is cut to a plurality of strips each having a predetermined length while intermittently feeding the strip material in a direction traversing a conveyer and then the cut strips are aligned and spliced in sequence in a direction in which the strips are conveyed while intermittently moving the conveyer to thereby form a belt material and the apparatus is characterized by the provision of a first guide having a bottom plate for supporting the rear edge of the strip material along a feeding path through which the strip material is fed to the conveyer and a side plate for regulating the rear end position of the strip material, a second guide capable of moving vertically and having a side plate for regulating the front edge position of the strip material and a splicing press capable of moving vertically along the second guide.
Further, the strip material aligning and splicing method according to one embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that the width of the feeding path regulated by the first and second guides is set substantially identical with that of the strip material and the strips cut from the strip material are aligned along the second guide by using the above-described strip material aligning and splicing apparatus.
Thus, due to the provision of the first guide for guiding the rear edge of the continuous strip material, the vertically movable second guide for guiding the front edge of the strip material and the splicing press movable vertically along the second guide, the strip material can be carried correctly onto the conveyer without getting displaced or bent while it is guided by the first and second guides, the strips cut from the strip material can be aligned in sequence in the conveying direction and can be pressed and spliced to the preceding strips. Accordingly, the strips are aligned and spliced accurately and efficiently.
The strip material aligning and splicing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention is for achieving the above-described object functions such that a continuous strip material is cut into a plurality of strips each having a predetermined length while the strip material is intermittently fed in a direction traversing a conveyer and then the strips are aligned and spliced in sequence in a direction in which the strips are conveyed while the conveyer is moved intermittently to thereby form a belt material and the apparatus is characterized by the provision of a first guide having at least a bottom plate for supporting the rear edge of the strip material along a feeding path through which the strip material is fed, a second guide capable of moving vertically and having a side plate for regulating the front edge position of the strip material and a splicing press capable of moving vertically along the second guide, the first guide being capable of moving forward and backward in the direction normal to the side surface thereof.
Further, the strip material aligning and splicing method according to another embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that the width of the feeding path regulated by the first and second guides is set larger than that of the strip material by using the above described aligning and splicing apparatus and upon completion of feeding the strip material, the first guide is caused to advance toward the second guide to thereby align the strip material along the second guide.
That is, in order to minimize the frictional resistance between the side plates of the first and second guides, and the strip material, the width of the feeding path can be set larger than the total width of the strip material. In this case, the first guide is moved to the second guide after feeding the strip material so that the strip material is applied to the inner side surface of the second guide and aligned due to the frictional resistance between the bottom plate of first the guide plate and the strip material or due to contact of the strip material with the side plate attached to the first guide and then the aligned strip material is pressure-spliced to the preceding strip by the splicing press. Therefore, it is possible to increase the accuracy of splicing the strips.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3325328 (1967-06-01), Henley
patent: 3859152 (1975-01-01), Brey et al.
patent: 3933565 (1976-01-01), Printz et al.
patent: 4025384 (1977-05-01), Shiozaki et al.
patent: 5131971 (1992-07-01), Elia et al.
patent: 5145542 (1992-09-01), Tanaka et al.
patent: 5514233 (1996-05-01), Miyamoto
patent: 5749998 (1998-05-01), Skinner
Hasegawa Haruhisa
Okada Noboru
Arent Fox Kintner & Plotkin & Kahn, PLLC
Osele Mark A.
The Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd.
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