Wheelwright machines – Rubber tire mounting and/or demounting apparatus – For collapsing or shifting tire axially
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-24
2001-05-22
Smith, James G. (Department: 3723)
Wheelwright machines
Rubber tire mounting and/or demounting apparatus
For collapsing or shifting tire axially
C157S001000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06234232
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a robotic apparatus for assembling a tire to a rim in an automated fashion with programmable movement capable of adapting for different size tires and rims on the same production line.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Previous devices and methods have been proposed for mounting vehicle tires on rims when automatic means are used to spread the tire bead and force the tire over the rim to produce the assembling operation. In the state of the known devices, the rim is mounted on a conveyor, and a tire is supported on the rim in a preliminarily assembled relationship. The rim and tire are then moved to the mounting apparatus. The mounting apparatus spreads the bead of the tire and forces the tire over the wheel rim to locate the tire between the wheel rims so that the tire is then ready for inflation. In the case of a tube-type tire, an additional step is required in order to place and locate the tube within the tire carcass.
The tubeless tire configuration has been conventional in the art for an extended period of time, however in recent years the diameter of the rims, width of the tires and height of the tires have been subject to enormous variation and different combinations in an attempt to design a vehicle tire suited to a particular vehicle model having the desired handling and performance characteristics sought by the purchasing public. In view of the wide variety of vehicle tire and rim configurations, it has been difficult to provide an automatic mounting device capable of adapting to various rim sizes and wheel sizes in different combinations without undue downtime in order to reconfigure the tire mounting head for the specific size of rim and tire to be assembled. Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a tire mounting apparatus capable of efficient, rapid and economical operation when faced with a variety of rim sizes and tire sizes on the same tire mounting production line.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a tire mounting apparatus and method which is continuous and automatic, efficient, rapid and economical in operation. The present invention discloses a tire mounting apparatus for mounting a flexible tire on a rim. The apparatus includes a robot having at least one articulated joint and a wrist. The robot is moveable with at least three degrees of freedom along at least one of a plurality of programmable predetermined paths. The predetermined path can include varying one or more of the three dimensional positions of the path, as well as one or more of the three orientations of the tool, during a single cycle or rotation. A central processing unit selectively executes any one of the plurality of programmable predetermined paths stored in memory. A bead mounting tool is attachable to the wrist of the robot for movement along the selected one of the plurality of programmable predetermined paths of the robot. The tool can be oriented with at least three degrees of freedom independent of the selected one of the plurality of programmable predetermined paths. A workpiece support positions the rim in a predetermined location with respect to the robot and positions the tire in a predetermined orientation with respect to the rim. Means for generating at least one signal to the robot is provided, where the signal corresponds to a size of the rim and tire. The central processing unit selects one of the plurality of programmable predetermined paths corresponding to the rim and tire size indicated by the signal. This configuration permits the central processing unit or robot to sense the rim and tire size, or to receive other input corresponding to the rim and tire size in order to adapt “on-the-fly” to various rim and tire sizes being produced on the production line. The present invention also allows the control of the bead mounting tool to be infinitely variable, such that the elevation, angle and/or pitch of the tool can be changed during its path around the outer periphery of the rim for a particular rim and tire size configuration, and/or the three dimensional path of the tool can be changed to accommodate the particular rim and tire size being mounted. By way of example and not limitation, the path of the tool can be programmed to be either elliptical or circular, or curved in three dimensions (e.g. x-axis, y-axis, and z-axis) as required to effectively mount a particular rim and tire size configuration, while the orientation of the tool can be programmed to change during a single cycle from a pitch of 0° with respect to a vertical axis to a pitch of 45° with respect to the vertical axis, while maintaining the yaw angle at a substantially constant angle with respect to the vertical axis or changing the yaw angle with respect to the vertical axis, as the rotational orientation of the tool about the vertical axis changes (e.g. rotating through 360°) to maintain a substantially consistent presentation of the tool face with respect to the rim.
Preferably, the path of the tool is designed and selected to provide the minimum resistance to mounting a particular rim and tire size combination. It is also desirable in the present invention to monitor the internal load sensing functions built into typical robotic drives or arms and compare the sensed load to a predetermined value. The load sensors can take the form of current sensors for the motors driving the movement of the various joints, and/or stress and strain gauges mounted at appropriate locations on the robotic arm, or combinations thereof. In the preferred configuration, the current used to power the motors responsible for moving the joints of the robotic arm are monitored and compared to predetermined values in order to determine if a load greater than the predetermined value is experienced as the bead mounting tool is moved in the selected programmable path for mounting the rim and tire combination. It is desirable in the present invention to diagnose if there is a processing problem. By way of example and not limitation, a processing problem can include an incompatible combination of tire and rim (e.g. tire to big for rim, tire to small for rim, missing rim, missing tire, etc.), or lubrication problems, such as a soaper malfunction. The processing problem is diagnosed by sensing the load required to move the tool along the selected programmed path for the particular rim and tire size combination. It is also desirable in the present invention, to program the least resistance path in order to provide less stress on the tire as it is mounted on the rim to produce the assembled wheel ready for inflation. Furthermore, it is desirable in the present invention to provide a closed loop feedback system not available in prior known tire mounting systems.
Other objects, advantages and applications of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art when the following description of the best mode contemplated for practicing the invention is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
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Kane John P.
Sachs Karl D.
Aim Automotive Integrated Manufacturing, Inc.
Smith James G.
Young & Basile P.C.
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