阅读说明：本技术 制造非充气轮胎辐条的方法 (Method of manufacturing non-pneumatic tire spokes ) 是由 B·D·威尔逊 E·里弗斯 R·戈特 D·C·伦格 于 2018-12-20 设计创作，主要内容包括：提供一种制造用于非充气轮胎的辐条(12)的方法,所述方法涉及提供第一成形件(14)和第二成形件(16),其中所述辐条的第一部件和第二部件(18、20)放置在所述第一成形件(14)上。所述辐条的第三部件(22)放置在所述第二成形件(16)上。所述第一部件和所述第二部件被转移到所述第二成形件(16)。将所述第一部件、所述第二部件和所述第三部件从所述第二成形件转移到模具(48)中。此外,所述第一部件、所述第二部件和所述第三部件上被施加热和压力以用于进行固化。(A method of manufacturing a spoke (12) for a non-pneumatic tire is provided, which involves providing a first shaped member (14) and a second shaped member (16), wherein first and second parts (18, 20) of the spoke are placed on the first shaped member (14). The third part (22) of the spoke rests on the second shaped element (16). The first and second components are transferred to the second form (16). Transferring the first, second and third parts from the second form into a mold (48). Further, heat and pressure are applied to the first member, the second member, and the third member for curing.)

1. A method of manufacturing a spoke for a non-pneumatic tire, comprising:

providing a first forming member;

placing the first part of the spoke and the second part of the spoke on the first shaped piece;

providing a second form;

placing a third part of the spoke on the second form;

transferring the first part and the second part to the second form;

transferring the first part, the second part, and the third part from the second form to a mold; and

applying heat and pressure to cure the first, second, and third components.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first part is a panel that is an inner leg of the spoke, wherein the second part is a panel that is an outer leg of the spoke, and wherein the third part is an extrusion that is a nose of the spoke, wherein the third part engages both the first part and the second part when the first part and the second part are transferred to the second form, and wherein the first part is not engaged with the second part when the first part and the second part are transferred to the second form.

3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein placing the first and second parts on the first shaped member comprises placing a fourth part of the spoke, a fifth part of the spoke, and a sixth part of the spoke on the first shaped member;

wherein transferring the first part and the second part to the second form includes transferring the fourth part, the fifth part, and the sixth part to the second form;

wherein transferring the first part, the second part, and the third part from the second form to the mold includes transferring the fourth part, the fifth part, and the sixth part from the second form to the mold; and is

Wherein the applying comprises applying heat and pressure to cure the fourth, fifth, and sixth members.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the first component has an upper surface, and wherein the second component has an upper surface, wherein the fourth component engages both upper surfaces of the first component and the second component when the fourth component is placed on the first form, wherein the fifth component engages the upper surface of the first component when the fifth component is placed on the first form, and wherein the sixth component engages the upper surface of the second component when the sixth component is placed on the first form.

5. A method according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the fourth part is made of polyester reinforced rubber tissue and is an apex portion opposite the third part and engaging both the first and second parts, wherein the fifth part is an extrusion that is the inner foot of the spoke and engages the first part, and wherein the sixth part is an extrusion that is the outer foot of the spoke and engages the second part.

6. The method of any of claims 1-5, wherein the first shaped piece is a flat fixed plate, wherein the second shaped piece is an angled shaped piece having a first surface and a second surface arranged at a non-zero angle to each other, wherein the second shaped piece has a concave apex located between the first surface and the second surface, wherein the third component is placed in the concave apex, wherein the first component is placed on the first surface, and wherein the second component is placed on the second surface.

7. The method of any of claims 1-6, wherein transferring the first and second components to the second form includes a pick and place device having an end effector that is an actuating hinge mechanism that grasps the first and second components from the first form and lifts the first and second components from the first form, wherein the pick and place device moves the first and second components to the second form and folds the first and second components across the third component located on the second form, wherein the actuating hinge mechanism end effector releases the first and second components on the second form.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the end effector pivots on itself to fold the first and second components.

9. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein during the transfer of the first and second components to the second form, the first and second components are lifted simultaneously from the first form and placed simultaneously on the second form.

10. The method of any of claims 1-9, wherein during the performing of the transferring of the first, second, and third components to the mold, the first, second, and third components are transferred simultaneously from the second form to the mold.

11. The method of any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the mold has a second half onto which the first, second, and third components are transferred from the second form, wherein the mold has a first half, wherein the first half and the second half are pressed together after the second half receives the first, second, and third components, wherein the first half and the second half are locked together after being pressed together.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the locked mold is located in an oven area and the press does not push the first and second halves together when the mold is heated in the oven area during the application of heat and pressure to cure the first, second, and third parts.

13. The method of any of claims 1-12, wherein the mold has a first half and a second half, wherein after applying heat and pressure to cure the first, second, and third parts on the second half, the first half is moved into a subsequent mold having and used with a subsequent second half without a subsequent first half, wherein the second half is demolded at a demold pressing station when the first half is moved to the subsequent mold.

14. The method of claim 3 or 4, wherein placing the first and second parts on the first form comprises placing a seventh part of the spoke, an eighth part of the spoke, and a ninth part of the spoke on the first form;

wherein transferring the first and second components to the second form includes transferring the seventh, eighth, and ninth components to the second form;

wherein transferring the first, second, and third members from the second form to the mold includes transferring the seventh, eighth, and ninth members from the second form to the mold; and is

Wherein the applying comprises applying heat and pressure to cure the seventh, eighth, and ninth members.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the fourth component has an overlap, and wherein the ninth component engages the fourth component and has an overlap when the ninth component is placed on the first form, wherein the seventh component engages the fifth component when the seventh component is placed on the first form, wherein the eighth component engages the sixth component when the eighth component is placed on the first form;

further comprising:

folding the overlap of the fourth and ninth components prior to joining the third component to the first and second components, wherein the folding of the overlap of the fourth component causes the fourth component to fold about an edge of the first component, and wherein the folding of the overlap of the ninth component causes the ninth component to fold about an opposite edge of the first component;

folding the seventh part about the fifth part to a surface of the first part opposite the upper surface of the first part, wherein the folding of the seventh part occurs prior to transferring the seventh part to the second form; and

folding the eighth part about the sixth part to a surface of the second part opposite an upper surface of the second part, wherein the folding of the eighth part occurs prior to transferring the eighth part to the second form.

Technical Field

The subject of the invention relates to a method for manufacturing spokes for use in the construction of a non-pneumatic tire. More particularly, the present application relates to arranging parts of a spoke on a first shaped piece and then transporting them to a second shaped piece for assembly with at least one other part of the spoke.

Background

Non-pneumatic tires are those that do not require air or other fluid to inflate them for use. Some non-pneumatic tires have a plurality of spokes disposed circumferentially around and attached to a hub. On their opposite ends, the spokes are attached to the shear band. To build up spoke parts for non-pneumatic tires, it is known to combine spoke part products together to form an elongated shape that is cut to a desired length. This cutting may be performed before or after the product is cured. Another known method of manufacturing spokes involves placing the components of the spoke in a mold where they are not pre-assembled into a green spoke. Although it is possible to form spokes for non-pneumatic tires comprising a single component or two components, the current methods of manufacturing spokes for non-pneumatic tires having three or more components are either not available, or economically unfeasible, and not robust. Thus, there is still room for variation and improvement in the art.

Drawings

A full and enabling disclosure of the present invention, including the best mode thereof, directed to one of ordinary skill in the art, is set forth in the specification, which makes reference to the appended figures, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a non-pneumatic tire.

FIG. 2 is a side view of a spoke of a non-pneumatic tire made up of six components.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the first and second shaped members.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a process for manufacturing spokes for a non-pneumatic tire, including a green spoke build process and a curing process.

FIG. 5 is a top view of the first shaped member with some of the components of the spokes located thereon.

FIG. 6 is a side view of the second form of the component with the spokes thereon.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a pick and place device having an end effector.

Fig. 8 is a side view of the pick and place device folding a part of the spoke onto another part of the spoke on the second form.

FIG. 9 is a side view of the green spoke on the second half of the mold.

Fig. 10 is a side view of a press pressing green spokes in a die with a lock locking the die in a compressed arrangement.

Fig. 11 is a side view of a locked mold with the spokes located and heated in the oven area.

FIG. 12 is a top view of a first shaped member having spoke members thereon according to another exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a side view of a spoke utilizing the spoke part of FIG. 12.

The use of the same or similar reference symbols in different drawings indicates the same or similar features.

Detailed Description

Reference now will be made in detail to embodiments of the invention, one or more examples of which are illustrated in the drawings. Each example is provided by way of explanation of the invention, and is not meant as a limitation of the invention. For instance, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment, can be used with another embodiment to yield a third embodiment. It is intended that the present invention include these and other modifications and variations.

The present invention provides a method of constructing a spoke 12 for a non-pneumatic tire 10. The spoke 12 is made up of a plurality of parts 18, 20, 22, 24, 26 and 28 using a pair of formations 14, 16. The third component 22 is placed on the second form 16 and the remaining components 18, 20, 24, 26 and 28 are placed on the first form 14. The pick and place device 42 grasps the components 18, 20, 24, 26 and 28 from the first form 14, folds them, and places them on the second form 16 holding the third component 22. The green spokes 12 are then transported to a storage area and held until ready for curing, at which time the green spokes 12 are loaded onto the second half 48 of the mold 30, and then the press 50 presses the first half 46 of the mold 30 thereon and locks the mold halves 48, 50 together with the included green spokes 12. The locked mold 30 is then transferred to the oven area 54 and heated with the mold 30 locked, thereby applying heat and pressure to cure the spokes 12. The mold 30 is opened and the second half 48 with the cured spokes 12 is moved to the demolding press station 56 while the first half 46 is cycled back to the subsequent second half 48/green spoke 12 for subsequent use. The cured spokes 12 are demolded and sent to downstream inspection and bond preparation stations. Alternatively, the first and second halves 46, 48 are not separated from each other because they mate with each other and remain in line with each other as the spoke 12 is subsequently repeatedly cured. In this regard, the first half 46 waits until the second half 48 demolds the spoke 12, and then when the subsequent spoke 12 is cured, the first half 46 is again mated with its second half 48.

Fig. 1 shows a non-pneumatic tire 10 having an axis 58 at its center, and a radial direction 60 extending from the axis 58. The tread 62 is located outside of the shear band 64 and extends all the way around the non-pneumatic tire 10 in a circumferential direction 66. The shear band 64 is positioned inward from the tread 62 in the radial direction 60 and also extends 360 degrees around the axis 58 in the circumferential direction 66. A series of spokes 12 engage the shear band 64 and extend in the radial direction 60 inwardly from the shear band 64 to a hub 68 of the non-pneumatic tire 10. Any number of spokes 12 may be present and their cross-sectional shape may be different from that shown. In some cases, there are 64-80 spokes 12 in the non-pneumatic tire 10. The hub 68 is positioned inwardly from the spoke 12 in the radial direction 60 and may be mounted on a wheel of a vehicle. When the non-pneumatic tire 10 rests on the ground 70, and when the non-pneumatic tire 10 is rotated in normal operation of the vehicle, the spokes 12 at the top of the non-pneumatic tire 10 are in tension, and the spokes 12 at the bottom are in compression.

FIG. 2 is a side view of an exemplary embodiment of a spoke 12 that can be manufactured in accordance with the disclosed method. Other versions of the spoke 12 that may be made in accordance with the present disclosure may be found in international application number PCT/US2016/069440 entitled "resilient composite structural support" filed on 30/12/2016, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety for all purposes. The components of the spokes 12 may be composed of rubber, polyester cord material and glass fiber reinforced resin of the types commonly used in the construction of conventional rubber pneumatic radial tires. The first part 18 forms the inner leg of the spoke 12 and the second part 20 forms the outer leg of the spoke 12. The components 18, 20 may also be referred to as panels because they have an elongated rectangular cross-sectional shape. The first and second parts 18, 20 may be panels made of fiber reinforced plastic reinforcement surrounded by rubber to form a film. The components 18, 20 may have a thickness of about 140,000N-mm²Bending stiffness of (2). The first and second members 18, 20 can have a greater stiffness than the other members of the spoke 12.

The third member 22 is located at the nose portion of the spoke 12 and may be made of rubber having a modulus of 4.8Mpa in some embodiments. The material comprising the third member 22 may be extruded generally in the cross-sectional shape depicted. The third component 22 engages both the first component 18 and the second component 22 on one side of both the first component 18 and the second component 22. In some cases, portions of the third component 22 may flow through gaps at the nose portion to engage opposite sides of the first and second components 18, 22 such that the front and back sides of the first and second components 18, 22 are engaged by the third component 22.

The fourth member 24 is located at the nose portion of the spoke 12 and on the opposite side of the first and second members 18, 22 from that of the third member 22. the fourth member 24 may be a structure having a membrane structure composed of polyester fibers made of 1100 × 2 cords having a spacing of about 1mm and a tensile modulus of about 3,750 mpa.reinforcing fibers may be similar to those found in radial cords of pneumatic tires.the rubber surrounding the reinforcing fibers may have a modulus of about 5 mpa.the fifth and sixth members 26, 28 may also be located on the same side of the first and second members 18, 20 as the fourth member 24. the fifth member 26 is the inner leg of the spoke 12 and may engage the hub 68 so as to be located radially inward on the spoke 12. the sixth member 28 is the outer leg of the spoke 12 and when the spoke 12 is incorporated into the tire 10, the sixth member 28 engages the shear band 64. the sixth member 28 is located radially outward relative to the other portions of the spoke 12. the sixth member 28 may be in the shape of a finished spoke as a spoke 12, the spoke 12 may have a cross-sectional shape that the rubber 26 is extruded.

Fig. 3 depicts a first form 14 and a second form 16 that may be used in the process of building the spoke 12. The first shaped member 14 is a flat shaped member having a flat upper surface. The port to the flat upper surface may apply a vacuum thereon to draw or hold an object against the flat upper surface. The second shaped piece 16 is an angled shaped piece rather than a flat shaped piece. In this regard, the second form 16 has a first surface 36 and a second surface 38 disposed at a non-zero angle to each other. The angle between the first surface 36 and the second surface 38 may be 60 degrees to 90 degrees, 90 degrees to 120 degrees, or up to 150 degrees. The surfaces 36, 38 do not lie in the same plane as one another and do not lie in planes parallel to one another. A concave apex 40 exists between the two surfaces 36, 38 and is configured so that the two surfaces 36, 38 are separated from and do not engage each other, and so that there is no point or convexity at the apex of the top of the second shape 16.

Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of various stations that perform the process of building the spokes 12. At the lower left hand side of the drawing, the reinforcing tissue which may constitute the first and second sections 18, 20 may be fed to a panel application station designated by reference numerals 18, 20 in which the sections are cut to length and placed on the flat upper surface of the first formwork panel 14. This placement may be by any machine or mechanism, and referring to fig. 5, a top view of the first form 14 with the first and second components 18, 20 applied is shown. First member 18 has an upper surface 32, which upper surface 32 faces away from the upper surface of first shaped member 14 and does not contact the upper surface of first shaped member 14. Likewise, second member 20 has an upper surface 34, which upper surface 34 faces in the same direction as upper surface 32 and does not engage the upper surface of first forming member 14.

As used herein, various parts are provided with reference numbers that relate both to the part and also to the station that is capable of processing the part. For example, in fig. 4, the panel application stations are identified by reference numerals 18 and 20, with the reference numerals 18 and 20 also being used to identify the first and second parts 18 and 20 being processed at the panel application stations. By correlating the number of parts with the number of stations that process them, the reader is better able to understand which stations are processing which parts. However, it should be understood that other stations may process the same parts even though they do not share the same reference numbers.

After the first and second components 18, 20 are applied to the first shaped member 14, the first shaped member 14 may be moved to foot press application stations 26, 28 as designated in fig. 4. Here, the conveyor may supply extruded rubber or other material to the foot extrusion application stations 26, 28, the foot extrusion application stations 26, 28 being cut to length and applying the fifth and sixth parts 26, 28 as the feet of the spokes 12. Fifth member 26 and sixth member 28 are transferred to first forming member 14 by any process or mechanism. In this regard, the fifth member 26 is placed on and engaged with the upper surface 32 of the first member 18. The sixth component 28 is placed on and engaged with the upper surface 34 of the second component 20 by any machine or process. The various components of the raw spokes 12 may be held together by the tackiness or inherent adhesiveness of the uncured rubber or other material that makes up the components of the spokes 12.

At this point, the first shaped element 14 is recycled to another application station, as illustrated with reference to fig. 4. The conveyor can supply tissue to a nasal tissue application station from which the fourth parts 24 of the spokes 12 are applied to the forming member 14. The fourth component 24 is picked or otherwise placed on the two upper surfaces 32, 34 so that it engages both the first component 18 and the second component 20. If there is a space between the first component 18 and the second component 20, the fourth component 24 spans the empty space. Fig. 5 shows the positioning of fourth part 24 on first form 14. The members 24, 26, 28 may be located on only one side of the members 18, 20 and do not engage their opposite side, and likewise do not engage the upper surface of the first form 14. Other arrangements are possible in the event that the components 24, 26, 28 actually engage the first form 14.

The various stations in fig. 4 for building the green spokes 12 may be supplied from a conveyor supply, cut to the appropriate length, or supplied such that the material is cut to length at the station for the spokes 12. Each station shown and described may be provided with its own automatic pick and place device, which receives the cut products and places them precisely on the forming members 14, 16 in question.

Referring back to fig. 4, the conveyor may supply rubber to the nose extrusion application station 22 of the third part 22 forming the spoke 12. The first and second forms 14, 16 may be circulated with one another or may be circulated separately through the application stations 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, as depicted on the left hand side of fig. 4. The third part 22 is placed on the second form 16 by any machine or process capable of being performed at the nose squeeze application station 22. Fig. 6 shows a side view of the second form 16 with the third component 22 placed in the concave apex 40 at the top of the second form 16. In some embodiments, the third component 22 may engage both the first surface 36 and the second surface 38. In other arrangements, the third component 22 does not engage the surfaces 36, 38. The fixtures are cycled as shown at 14 and 16 in fig. 4, but in some embodiments the fixtures may remain stationary while the application station is cycled to the fixtures 14, 16, or the application station may remain stationary while a robot or other process moves the parts onto the fixtures 14, 16, or in other embodiments all or some combination of the application station and fixtures 14, 16 may be moved. Regardless, the process functions by placing the components 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, and 28 at a certain point on the fixtures 14, 16.

The first and second parts 18, 20 have only those parts 24, 26, 28 on the first shaped member 14 that are located on one side 32, 34, but not the opposite side, which is completely free from contact with any part of the spoke 12. In contrast, the second shaped member 16 comprises only the parts 22 located on said opposite side, the second shaped member 16 not retaining the parts of the spoke 12 except those engaged on said opposite side. In this regard, the parts on opposite sides of the first and second parts 18, 20 that form the legs of the spoke 12 are located on different forms 14, 16.

The parts 18, 20, 22, 24, 26 and 28 are assembled to create the spoke 12 by moving the parts 18, 20, 24, 26 and 28 from the first fixture 14 onto the third part 22 on the second form 16. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a pick and place device 42 that is capable of automated movement between forms 14, 16 and is used to move components 18, 20, 24, 26 and 28 from first form 14. The pick and place device 42 has an end effector 44, which end effector 44 is a hinged actuation mechanism at its end that performs the task of picking up the parts and folding them into place. The actuated hinge mechanism end effector 44 has a pair of plates that pivot relative to each other about a pivot axis 72 so that the faces of the plates are angled toward and away from each other. The face of the plate is provided with a port to receive a vacuum so that the component can be pulled toward the face of the plate and can be removed from the face of the plate by applying air or positive pressure. The plates of end effector 44 may be angled away from each other such that the two faces lie in the same plane as each other, and pick and place device 42 may be moved to first form 14 having components 18, 20, 24, 26, 28 thereon. The actuated hinge mechanism 44 may grasp and pick up the components 18, 20, 24, 26, and 28 from the first member 14. When this occurs, the third part 22 may already be on the second profile 16 or may be placed on the second profile 16. The pick and place device 42 may move the retained components 18, 20, 24, 26, and 28 onto the second form 16, which second form 16 includes the third component 22 thereon. The actuated hinge mechanism 44 pivots about an axis 72 to cause the retained components 18, 20, 24, 26 and 28 to likewise fold into the arrangement shown in fig. 8. The folding may occur before the retained components 18, 20, 24, 26, 28 are brought into contact with the second form 16 so that the components are folded and then moved relative to the second form 16 so that they engage the third component 22 and the second form 16. Alternatively, folding may occur by moving the components 18, 20, 24, 26, 28 into contact with the third component 22, at which point the actuated hinge mechanism 44 actuates to pivot the plate about the pivot axis 72, thereby folding the components 18, 20, 24, 26, 28 across the third component 22 and the second component 16. As shown in the figures, the fifth and sixth components 26, 28 are compressed by being held by the actuated hinge mechanism 44. This compression may be due to the actuated hinge mechanism 44 having a flat plate, or may be due to the actuated hinge mechanism 44 pressing against the second form 16 when the component 18, 20, 24, 26, 28 is placed thereon, or may be due to some combination. The compression of the fifth and sixth members 26, 28 may be slight in that they may rebound and assume their uncompressed shape as shown, for example, with reference to fig. 9. In other arrangements, the fifth and sixth members 26, 28 are not compressed or deformed when moving from the first form 14 to the second form 16. Alternatively, the movement and folding of the actuated hinge mechanism 44 may cause some compression of the fifth and sixth components 26, 28, which is corrected when these components 26, 28 are subsequently molded so that they assume their desired shape.

It will be appreciated that as described with reference to fig. 4, several, for example four or more, of each of the forms 14, 16 may be cycled on the indexing conveyor from station to station in the area of application of the parts on the forms 14, 16. With this arrangement, four spokes 12 can be manufactured simultaneously through the process, each at a different stage of the build process at the same time so that they are in different steps in the sequence. The applications depicted by reference numerals 26, 28, 24, 22, 18 and 20 in fig. 4 all may be run simultaneously, building four separate green spokes 12 simultaneously. In some embodiments, the cycle time may be 3 seconds. Although the present disclosure describes a particular sequence of steps to build the green spoke 12, it should be understood that other sequences are possible such that the components 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, and 28 are not placed on the forms 14, 16 in the same order.

After assembling the green spokes 12 onto the second form 16, the green spokes 12 may be removed from the second form 16 and sent to a green spoke storage area as shown in fig. 4. The green spoke storage area is located between the green spoke building process on the left-hand side of FIG. 4 and the curing process on the right-hand side of FIG. 4. Up to that point, all parts placed in the spokes 12 may be uncured. The storage area may provide a buffer for potential stalls of equipment used in the build process. The green spokes 12 may be stored on the second form 16 in the green spoke storage area, or may be removed from the second form 16 and held by a separate device, or may be placed in the mold 30 directly after being lifted from the second form 16. In any event, the green spokes 12 are moved from the second form 16 onto the second half 48 of the mold 30, as shown in fig. 9. The transfer may be by a pick and place device and the second half 48 may be the lower half of the mold 30 on which the green spokes 12 rest. The loading of the green spokes 12 into the mold 30 is identified by reference numeral 48 as the "load green spokes into mold" station of the process in fig. 4.

The curing process may then move to the next step shown in fig. 4, the press and lock mold step 50. Fig. 10 shows a press 50 that pushes the upper half 46 of the mold 30 onto the second half 48. The press 50 has one or more hydraulic cylinders that actuate to force the top of the first half 46 down onto the bottom of the second half 48 with the green spokes 12 between the first half 46 and the second half 48. The compression causes some extrusion and deformation of the green spokes 12 into the desired final form. After or simultaneously with pressing by the press 50, a lock 52 may be applied to the die 30 to lock it in the pressed position. The cylinder force of the press 50 can be released and the die 30 will remain in the pressing position so that the green spokes 12 in the die 30 still feel compressive force even if the compression of the press 50 is released. Any mechanism may be used to lock the die 30 in the pressing position. Fig. 10 depicts two arms on either side of the mold 30 that pivot from the first half 46 and engage the bottom of the second half 48. When the first half 46 is pressed against the second half 48, the arm may pivot. Alternatively, the first and second halves 46, 48 may be first pressed against each other, and then subsequently the lock 52 may be engaged with pressure applied to hold the halves 46, 48 against each other. As stated, the lock 52 may be configured differently and need only be able to hold the two halves 46, 48 together after they are pressed together by the press 50.

Once the molds 30 are locked together by the locks 52, the locked molds 30 may be transferred to a heated mold management system/transfer station, indicated by reference numeral 54 in fig. 4. As shown in fig. 11, the locked mold 30 is in the oven region 54 of the oven and is heated in the oven region 54. Heating may be by induction, conduction, convection, radiation, or any combination of methods. Oven area 54 may include steam, water, nitrogen, or other fluid into which locked mold 30 is immersed. The locked mold 30 may be hot dipped in the oven area 54. The press 50 that forces the mold 30 closed is not located in the oven area 54. Instead, once pressure is applied, the mold 30 is locked by the lock 52, and when the mold 30 is within the oven area 54, the lock 52 maintains pressure on the mold 30 so that the spokes 12 are cured in the oven area 54 by a combination of heat and pressure. The function of the mold 30 being lockable by the lock 52 and heated in the oven area 54 allows the press 50 to be free so that it can press a subsequent mold 30/green spoke 12 assembly. Although described as including only a single green spoke 12, in some arrangements, the halves 46, 48 may have multiple cavities so that the mold 30 may hold multiple green spokes 12, rather than just a single green spoke 12.

Once the spokes 12 have cured for a sufficient period of time, the locked mold 30 may be removed from the station 54 as shown in fig. 4 and moved to a stripper press station 56 as indicated in fig. 4. Curing of the spoke 12 causes the various components 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, and 28 to bond to one another. In some cases, the mold 30 may be held in the oven area 54 for a period of 5-8 minutes for the spokes 12 to cure. In some arrangements, the cycle time of the curing process may be 3 seconds, and in some implementations, there may be 150 molds 30 to perform the curing process. At the knockout press station 56, the lock 52 is removed and the first half 46 is lifted or otherwise moved away from the second half 48. The stripper press station 56 then removes the cured spoke 12 from its cavity within the second half 48 and the cured spoke 12 is transferred to a spoke inspection and bonding preparation station designated by reference numeral 12 in fig. 4. The spokes 12 may then be incorporated into the non-pneumatic tire 10 by attachment to the hub 68 and the shear band 64.

Once the locked mold 30 is unlocked at the knockout press station 56, the first half 46 can be cycled back to the press and locked mold station 50 as designated by reference numeral 46 in fig. 4. In demolding the spokes 12, the lower second half 48 may be cycled back into the loading of the green spokes into the mold station 48, as indicated by reference numeral 48 in fig. 4. As can be appreciated, any number of halves 46, 48 may be incorporated into the curing process, and the first half 46 and the second half 48 need not be in the same number of cycles during the curing process. The curing process on the right hand side of fig. 4 may be performed simultaneously with the green spoke 12 building process on the left hand side of fig. 4. The cycle time for the curing process may be 3 seconds.

The various stations represented by the boxes in fig. 4 may each include one or more of their own unique pick and place devices or fixtures to build the spokes 12 in parallel and to implement an automated process with a minimum number of steps to manufacture in low cycle time. Any of the described pick and place devices can use vacuum and compressed air to assist in grasping, transporting, and removing the parts, the green spokes 12, or the cured spokes 12 therefrom. Another alternative to manufacturing the spoke 12 involves eliminating the construction of the green spoke 12 with the forming members 14, 16 and instead includes placing the components 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28 directly in the first half 46 and/or the second half 48. However, using such a process would increase the number of dies 30 necessary, and would also prevent the possibility of a buffer between the building of the green spoke 12 and the curing of the spoke 12. The forms 14, 16 and the feed system may be configured to handle multiple spokes 12 at each step of the process. For example, each station may have three spoke 12 positions, and each station may apply material for three spokes 12 during each cycle.

While six components 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28 are discussed in the construction of the spoke 12, it should be understood that in other exemplary embodiments, more or less than six components may be incorporated into the spoke 12. In some arrangements, there are only three components 18, 20, and 22. When six components are used, it may be the case that only four of the six components are unique in composition and cross-sectional shape. For example, the two foot members 26, 28 may have the same composition and cross-sectional shape as one another, and the two legs 18 and 20 may likewise have the same cross-sectional shape and composition as one another.

As a further example, another exemplary embodiment of the spokes 12 and associated parts is illustrated with reference to fig. 12 and 13. In fig. 12, the first forming member is provided with eight parts. The first and second parts 18, 20 are again panels of the spoke 12 and are placed adjacent to each other, but not in contact with each other on the upper surface of the first shaped member 14. Fifth member 26, which may be an inner leg, is placed on upper surface 32 of first member 18 and sixth member 28, which may be an outer leg, is placed on upper surface 34 of second member 20. A seventh member 74 is included, which seventh member 74 may be a rubber tissue and may be positioned on top of fifth member 26 and not engage upper surface 32. The seventh member 74 may extend away from the fifth member 26. An eighth member 76 is also present and may be a rubber tissue positioned on top of the sixth member 28 and not engaged with the upper surface 34. Eighth section 76 may extend away from sixth section 28.

The fourth part 24 may appear again and may be used at the nose section of the final spoke 12. Fourth component 24 is positioned to engage both upper surfaces 32 and 34 and is offset from the left edges of first and second components 18 and 20. The fourth component 24 has an overlap 80, the overlap 80 extending away from the right side edge of the first and second components 18, 20. The fourth component 24 engages a greater amount of the upper surface 34 than the upper surface 32. There is a further ninth part 78 which may be made of rubber tissue and may be of the same material as the fourth part 24 and provided as a strip of the same size as the fourth part 24. The ninth feature 78 engages the fourth feature 24 and covers the fourth feature 24 and is offset from the fourth feature 24 such that its area across the upper surface 32 is greater than the area across the upper surface 34. The ninth section 78 has an overlap 82, the overlap 82 extending away from the left side edges of the first and second sections 18, 20. The ninth component 78 is medially offset from the right side edge of the first and second components 18, 20. The ninth member 78 may or may not engage the upper surfaces 32, 34 at different points depending on its flexibility. The components 18, 20, 24, 26, 28, 74, 76, 78 may be placed on the upper surface of the flat first form 14 and the tackiness of the components may hold them together to some degree.

The components 18, 20, 24, 26, 28, 74, 76, 78 may be placed on the first formed member 14 by using the previously described stations and, if necessary, by using other stations for the components 74, 76, 78. The embodiment also requires some other steps disclosed in other arrangements. In particular, the overlaps 80 and 82 are folded so that they are under the first and second components 18 and 20, and thus on the side opposite the upper surfaces 32, 34. The folding may be performed simultaneously, or either of the overlapping portions 80, 82 may be folded before the other. This folding can be achieved in a number of ways. In some cases, the components 18, 20, 24, 26, 28, 74, 76, 78 are lifted off the form 14 and the device folds the overlap 80, 82 under the components 18, 20. The device may have a pair of protrusions that engage the overlapping portions 80, 82 while the components 18, 20, 24, 26, 28, 74, 76, 78 are held by the end effector 44 of the pick and place device 42. The overlapping portions 80, 82 may be folded down with the components in a flat orientation as shown in fig. 12. In other arrangements, the rollers engage the overlapping portions 80, 82 when the components are held, so as to fold the overlapping portions 80, 82. In other arrangements, the overlapping portions 80, 82 may be manually folded under the first and second components 18, 20 by hand.

The process in the embodiment of fig. 12 and 13 may also utilize a second form 16 having a third member 20 located in a concave apex 40 as in the previously discussed embodiment. With the overlaps 80, 82 folded into place, the components 18, 20, 24, 26, 28, 74, 76, 78 move into place to engage with the third component 20. However, additional folding of the seventh and eighth sections 74, 76 occurs prior to joining with the third section 20. Here, there is a pair of rollers through which the end effector 44 moves. The seventh and eighth members 74, 76 engage the pair of rollers as the members 20, 24, 26, 28, 74, 76, 78 move past them, so that the rollers roll the seventh member 74 around the edges of the fifth and first members 18 and against the lower surface of the first member 18. At the same time, the roller rolls the eighth member 76 around the edges of the sixth member 28 and the second member 20 and against the lower surface of the second member 20. Other mechanisms of folding seventh and eighth members 74, 76 are possible and need not use rollers in all embodiments. With the first folding of the components 24, 78, 74, 76, the components 20, 24, 26, 28, 74, 76, 78 are folded by the end effector 44 and pressed onto the third component 22 when the third component 22 rests on the second form 16. The shaped green spokes 12 are then moved into a green spoke storage stage, as previously described, or the green spokes 12 are placed in a mold at station 48, as previously described, and the information need not be repeated. The green spokes 12 may then be cured in an oven area 54 in the mold 30 to produce cured spokes 12.

While the present subject matter has been described in detail with respect to specific embodiments and methods thereof, it will be appreciated that those skilled in the art, upon attaining an understanding of the foregoing, may readily produce alterations to, variations of, and equivalents to such embodiments. Accordingly, the scope of the present disclosure is by way of example rather than by way of limitation, and the present disclosure does not preclude inclusion of such modifications, variations and/or additions to the present subject matter as would be readily apparent.