FORM 2
THE PATENTS ACT, 1970
(39 of 1970)
&
THE PATENTS RULES, 2003
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
(See section 10, rule 13)
1. Title of the invention: AUTOMATIC MATERIAL CASSETTE LOADING AND
UNLOADING
2. Applicant(s)
NAME NATIONALITY ADDRESS
CEAT LIMITED Indian RPG HOUSE, 463, Dr. Annie Besant
Road, Worli, Mumbai- Maharashtra 400 030, India
3. Preamble to the description
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
The following specification particularly describes the invention and the manner in which it
is to be performed.

TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present subject matter relates, in general, to tire building machines and,
particularly but not exclusively, to let-off stations in the tire building machines.
BACKGROUND
[0002] In tire manufacturing process, tire building material are applied on a tire
building drum, producing a green tire (uncured tire). The tire building materials are wrapped around the tire building drum inwardly around the circumferential margins of the drum. The tire building materials are usually kept in a servicer rack and while applying the tire building materials on the tire building drum, the tire building materials are first taken out from the servicer rack and then tips of the tire building materials are located. A located tip of the tire building material is placed and affixed to a predetermined position on the building drum. After winding of the tire building materials on the tire building drum, the tire building materials, at finishing end, is slashed, and the tire building materials are folded back to the servicer rack. After wrapping all the required tire building materials on the tire building drum, the green tire is disintegrated from the tire building drum and is sent for further processing.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0003] The detailed description is described with reference to the accompanying
figures. In the figures, the left-most digit(s) of a reference number identifies the figure in which the reference number first appears. The same numbers are used throughout the drawings to reference like features and components.
[0004] FIGURE 1 illustrates a block diagram of cassette pull-in system for a tire
building material cassette in a tire building machine, in accordance with an implementation of the present subject matter.
[0005] FIGURE 2 illustrates detailed view of a let-off station of the cassette pull-
in system, in accordance with an implementation of the present subject matter.

[0006] FIGURE 3 illustrates exemplary method for loading and unloading of
material cassette from the let-off station, in accordance with yet another implementation of the present subject matter.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0007] The present subject matter relates to a cassette pull-in system for a tire
building material cassette in a tire building machine.
[0008] During the manufacturing process of a tire, building materials, such as
inner liner, ply 1, ply 2, bead are assembled on a tire building drum to make a tire. The
building materials and their composition may vary, depending on the type and size of
the tire. To meet this diversity, many production steps are required. How these tire
building materials are going to be fed onto the tire building drum is very important for
giving the tire its required strength and shape. Therefore, to supply the tire building
materials onto the tire building drum, a material cassette, having the tire building
material rolled on it, is used. The material cassette is a feeding device, which may be
fixed to a let-off station, to convey the tire building materials, through the feeding
means and can be applied to the tire building drum either centrally or eccentrically.
[0009] The loading and unloading of the material cassette in the let-off station is
a manual process. In the tire building machine, there may be separate let-off station for each building materials, such as inner liner, ply 1, ply 2, bead and each of the let-off station may have a fully loaded material cassette for each of the building material. Each of the fully loaded material cassette may weigh, for example, around four hundred fifty kilograms. Also, the loading and unloading of each material cassette is performed by an operator manually, approximately twenty-five times, in a working shift of eight hours. This affects overall working capacity of the operator resulting in loss in the productivity.
[0010] Further, the manual loading and unloading of the material cassette in the
let-off station by the operator may cause damages to the material cassettes and the let-

off station. In addition, down time may increase due to improper loading of the material cassette in the let-off station.
[0011] The present subject matter provides a cassette pull-in system for automatic
loading of a material cassette in a let-off station and automatic unloading of the consumed material cassette from the let-off station of a tire building machine. The cassette pull-in system comprises a material cassette, which contain a tire building material, which is to be wrapped on a tire building drum. The cassette pull-in system further comprises a let-off station, wherein the let-off station acts as a carriage of the tire building materials. The material cassette containing the tire building material is automatically placed on the let-off station and then from the let-off station, the tire building material is transferred onto the tire building drum by pulling the tire building material from the material cassette.
[0012] In an example implementation of the present subject matter, the let-off
station comprises a positioning cylinder, which may operate to properly position the
material cassette on the let-off station. Once, the material-cassette is placed on the let-
off station, a loading locking cylinder fixes the material cassette on the let-off station
by detachably clamping the material cassette on the let-off station. A drive unit
provided with the let-off station automatically pulls the material cassette towards a
first end of the let-off station, up to a predetermined distance. The let-off station further
comprises an electromagnet which locks the material cassette on the let-off station
upon the detection of a presence of the material cassette at a locking position.
[0013] For automatic unloading of the consumed material cassette from the let-off
station, firstly the electromagnet is de-energized and after de-energizing the electromagnet, an unloading locking cylinder provided with the let-off station clamps the material cassette and the drive unit start rotating reverse direction to unload the material cassette from the let-off station.
[0014] The present invention provides techniques to automatically load the fully
loaded material cassette in the let-off station and unload the consumed material

cassette from the let-off station. Technique of the present invention overcomes the
limitations associated with the conventional techniques of loading and unloading of
the material cassette, and eliminates the damages that may be caused to the material
cassette and the let-off station, during the manual loading and unloading of the material
cassette. Furthermore, automatic cassette pull-in system described herein requires
substantially low attention of the operator and may be operated with minimum manual
intervention, which reduces production time of a green tire, thus increasing efficiency.
[0015] The above-mentioned implementations are further described herein with
reference to the accompanying figures. It should be noted that the description and figures relate to exemplary implementations and should not be construed as a limitation to the present subject matter. It is also to be understood that various arrangements may be devised that, although not explicitly described or shown herein, embody the principles of the present subject matter. Moreover, all statements herein reciting principles, aspects, and embodiments of the present subject matter, as well as specific examples, are intended to encompass equivalents thereof.
[0016] FIGURE 1 illustrates a block diagram of a cassette pull-in system 102, in
accordance with an implementation of the present subject matter. In an example implementation, a material cassette 104 shown in figure 1, contains the tire building material. The material cassette 104 may contain the tire building materials, such as inner liner, ply 1, and ply 2. The tire building material may be encased in the material cassette 104 in a form of a roll (not shown). One feature of the present invention resides in the provision of the material cassette 104 for storage of rolls of convoluted web or strip shaped raw tire building material and for dispensing of such material, particularly onto a tire building drum (not shown) or an analogous tire building unit. The material cassette 104 may comprise an open-and-shut housing (not shown) having an internal chamber (not shown), means for rotatably supporting the roll of the convoluted tire building material in the chamber, and an outlet for evacuation of the tire building material from the chamber.

[0017] The material cassette 104 may further comprise means for unwinding the
tire building material from the roll and means for relaxing the tire building material in the chamber between the roll and the outlet, so that the tire building material which leaves the housing through the outlet to enter on a surface of a tire building drum is free from any, or any pronounced, tensional stresses. In another example embodiment, the material cassette 104 may further comprise a means, such as a positioning member (not illustrated), for supporting the material cassette 104 on any device or plate on which the material cassette 104 may be placed for extraction of a selected length of the tire building material for applying on the tire building drum. The material cassette 104 may rotate in a clockwise or in an anticlockwise direction for winding and unwinding of the tire building material from the material cassette 104. In an example, the rotation of the material cassette 104 in the clockwise direction ensures unwinding of a length of the tire building material, which may suffice the need of applying the tire building material on the tire building drum. In an example, the material cassette 104 may be provided with a separating layer to prevent sticking of the tire building material. Further although, in the present subject matter, the material cassette 104 is exemplified in circular shape, but the material cassette 104 may be of any shape and size such as oval or elliptical etc.
[0018] The material cassette 104 may be removably fixed in a let-off station 106
(shown in figure 2) of the cassette pull-in system 102. The let-off station 106 is for supplying the tire building material, by pulling it from the material cassette 104, to the surface of the tire building drum (not shown). The let-off station 106 further comprises positioning cylinders 108a, and 108b. The positioning cylinders 108a and 108b, operate to position the material cassette 104 properly on the let-off station 106. The positioning cylinders 108a and 108b, may comprise two double acting, pneumatically operated cylinders, wherein both of the positioning cylinders 108a, 108b may simultaneously extend and retract. In an example, the positioning cylinders 108a, 108b

may be in a form of a circular portion which is integrally molded with the let-off station 106, at different ends, in a direction opposite to each other.
[0019] In an embodiment, the let-off station 106, further comprises a loading
locking cylinder 110, which may be used to lock the material cassette 104 during the time of loading of the material cassette 104 in the let-off station 106. The loading locking cylinder 110 may also be used to pull the material cassette 104 towards the first end 216 of the let-off station 106. Once the material cassette 104 is placed in the let-off station 106, the loading locking cylinder 110 detachably clamps the material cassette 104 on the let-off station 106. The loading locking cylinder 110 may have a vertical cylinder lock (not shown) to clamp the material cassette 104 on the loading locking cylinder 110.
[0020] The let-off station 106 of the cassette pull-in system 102, further comprises
a proximity sensor 112. The proximity sensor 112 may be used to confirm the presence of the material cassette 104, during the loading and unloading cycle of the material cassette 104. In an example implementation, the proximity sensor 112, may be suitably calibrated to sense the presence of the material cassette once the material cassette is placed in the proximity of the proximity sensor 112.
[0021] It is to be understood that the proximity sensor 112 may comprise means
to receive power for its operation, for example, the proximity sensor 112 may comprise
a positive pin and a negative pin for receiving power supply; and a ground pin. For the
sake of brevity, such pins of the proximity sensor 112 and other similar components
that will be readily understood by one skilled in the art have not been discussed herein.
[0022] In another embodiment of the present subject matter, a pair electromagnet
114a and 114b is provided in the let-off station 106 of the cassette pull-in system 102. When the material cassette 104 is determined to be within a field of the proximity sensor 112, the electromagnets 114a and 114b releasably locks the material cassette 104 to the let-off station 106. A position at which the material cassette 104 is locked by the electromagnets 114a and 114b may be considered as a locking position. In an

example implementation, the electromagnets 114a and 114b may be energized to lock the material cassette 104 on the let-off station 106. A solenoid coil (not shown) may be used to electrically energize the electromagnets 114a and 114b. The electromagnets 114a and 114b may also be de-energized in response to a signal from the proximity sensor 112, on a condition that may be related to the consumption of the tire building material from the material cassette 104. For example, once the tire building material, winded around the material cassette 104, is fully consumed in a process of building a green tire, the electromagnets 114a and 114b may then be de-energized to unlock the consumed material cassette 104 from the let-off station 106. In another example, the electromagnets 114a and 114b may be manually de-energized by the operator at any point of time.
[0023] Further, according to the present subject matter, the let-off station 106,
comprises an unloading locking cylinder 116. The unloading locking cylinder 116 is used to unlock the material cassette 104, during the time of unloading of the material cassette 104 from the let off station 106. For unlocking the material cassette 104 from the let-off station 106 the electromagnets 114a and 114b may be de-energized. Further, the material cassette 104 may be pushed back from the let-off station 106 by the unloading locking cylinder 116. The unloading locking cylinder 116 clamps the material cassette 104 and a drive unit 202 (shown in figure 2), starts to rotate in reverse direction to unload the material cassette 104.
[0024] In an example implementation, the cassette pull-in system 102 may be
controlled by a programable logic control (PLC) 118, to enable the movement of components of the cassette pull-in system 102. In an example, for PLC 118 to control the movement of the components of the cassette pull-in system 102, the cassette pull-in system 106 may be coupled to one or more actuators that may cause movement of different components of the cassette pull-in system 102.
[0025] In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, the
invention includes a control panel 120, wherein the control panel 120 is interfaced

with the PLC 118. To load the material cassette 104 onto the let-off station 106, an operator needs to select a load selector switch (not shown), provided on the control panel 120. The operator, by using the control panel 120, is to bring the material cassette 104, up to the positioning cylinders 108a and 108b, in the let-off station 106 and thereafter the material cassette 104 may be loaded by the techniques as described above. Similarly, for unloading the consumed material cassette 104, the operator needs to select the unload selector switch in the control panel 120 and then after pressing the unload selector switch, the electromagnets 114a and 114b may be de-energized. Once the electromagnets 114a and 114b are de-energized, the material cassette 104 is pushed back from the let-off station 106 by the unloading locking cylinder 116 as described above. This system may be particularly helpful in minimizing material cassette damage that usually occurs during manual loading and unloading of the material cassettes due to improper handling, misplacement of the material cassette on the let-off station, etc.
[0026] In an example embodiment, the control panel 120 may have a display
screen, wherein the display screen may be further provided with a control keyboard for providing input to the PLC 118 for controlling cassette pull-in system 102. The control panel 120 may further comprise switches that may control the movement of the components of the let-off station 106. For the sake of brevity, switches of the control panel 120, and other similar components that will be readily understood by one skilled in the art have not been discussed herein.
[0027] FIGURE 2 depicts the let-off station 106 of the cassette pull-in system 102,
in greater detail, according to an implementation of the present subject matter. The let-off station 106 comprises the positioning cylinders 108a and 108b on either side of the let-off station 106 as shown in the figure 2. The let-off station 106 further comprises the loading locking cylinder 110 which is placed on a sliding unit 214, wherein the sliding unit 214 facilitates sliding of the material cassette 104 between the first end 216 and a second end 218 of the let-off station 106. The let-off station 106 also

comprises the proximity sensor 112 placed towards the first end 216 of the let-off station 106. The electromagnets 114a and 114b are also provided towards the first end 216 of the let-off station 106. The unloading locking cylinder 116 of the let-off station 106 is also placed on the sliding unit 214, adjacent to the loading locking cylinder 110, as shown in the figure 2. The electromagnets 114a and 114b, in the present embodiment, is provided at the first end 216 of the let-off station 106 as shown in the figure 2.
[0028] In an example, the cylinder body of the positioning cylinders 108a and
108b, is fixedly connected to different ends of the let-off station 106, in opposite direction of each other, wherein the cylinder body of the positioning cylinders 108a and 108b may be movable pneumatically in axial direction. For example, the positioning cylinders 108a and 108b are operable to provide an engagement with the positioning member of the material cassette 104 to position the material cassette 104 on the let-off station 106 when the material cassette 104 is mounted to a mounting position of the let-off station 106. The mounting position may be considered as a position, near the second end 218 of the let-off station, where the material cassette 104 is to be manually placed before loading onto the let-off station.
[0029] In the present invention, the let-off station 106 supplies the tire building
material winded on the material cassette 104 on the tire building drum. The let-off station 106 comprises the drive unit 202 which may be used to automatically pull the material cassette 104 towards the first end 216, up to a predetermined distance on the let-off station 106. In an example, the predetermined distance may be considered as an axial distance between the mounting position of the material cassette 104 and the locking position of the material cassette 104. The drive unit 202 may be the combination of a servo motor (not shown) with a gear box, wherein an output shaft (not shown) of the gear box is connected to a drive pulley (not shown).
[0030] The let-off station 106 further comprises, a timing belt 204 and a driven
pulley 206. The timing belt 204 is used to transmit the power from the drive pulley to

the driven pulley 206. The driven pulley 206 provides a housing for the timing belt 204 and also supports the movement of the timing belt 204. The outer surface of the timing belt 204 is fixed with the sliding unit 214, wherein the movement of the timing belt 204 on the driven pulley 206, allows the movement of the sliding unit on a liner module (LM) rail 208 as shown in the figure 2. In the present implementation, the driven pulley 206 is a linearly fixed pulley that is coupled with the timing belt 204. The driven pulley 206 has no linear movement but is rotatable to enable the rotation of material cassette 104.
[0031] In one of the embodiments of the present subject matter, the LM rail 208
may be used as a guide the movement of the sliding unit 214 smoothly on the LM rail 208, without any jerk and vibrations. With LM rail 208, a LM block 210 is provided, which is a part of the LM rail 208. The LM block 210, slides on the LM rail 208 with the help of metal balls. The sliding unit 214 rests on the LM block 210, wherein the LM block 210 ensures that the sliding unit 214 move to and fro on the LM block 210 via the LM rail 208, without deviating from the linear alignment.
[0032] In one of the embodiments of the present subject matter, in operation, the
proximity sensor 112 produces a light beam. The light beam travels up to a reflector 212. The reflector 212, reflects the beam to the proximity sensor 212. Any interruptions between the proximity sensor 112 and the reflector 212 may give an output signal. The reflector 212 is placed in front of the proximity sensor 112 in axially straight line. In an example, the reflector 212 may be positioned on an opposite side of the proximity sensor 112 and towards the first end 216 of the let-off station 106, wherein the reflector 212 is configured to receive the light beam from the proximity sensor 112 and reflect the received light beam to the proximity sensor 112 in order to indicate the presence or absence of the material cassette 104. The electromagnets 114a, 114b, then lock the material cassette 104 on the let-off station 106 based on the feedback of the proximity sensor 112.

[0033] In another embodiment, the sliding unit 214 resembles a small assembly.
LM bearings, the loading locking cylinder 110, the unloading locking cylinder 116, the timing belt 204 may be fixed on the sliding unit 214. The whole assembly fixed on the sliding unit 214 may slide on the LM rail 208.
[0034] In an embodiment of the present subject matter, for loading the material
cassette 104 on the let-off station 106, a load selector switch (not shown) is selected, which is provided on the control panel 120. The material cassette 104 is positioned on the let-off station 106 by the positioning cylinders 108a and 108b. Once the material cassette 104 is placed, the loading locking cylinder 110 clamps the material cassette 104 and the drive unit 202 is triggered to pull the material cassette 104 up to the first end 216 of the let-off station 106. The proximity sensor 112 senses the presence of the material cassette 104 at the first end 216 of the let-off station 106 and the PLC 118 commands to the electromagnets 114a and 114b to lock the material cassette 104 in the let-off station 106, based on the input of the proximity senor 112. For unloading the consumed material cassette 104, an unload selector switch (not shown) is selected, which is provided in the control panel 120 of the PLC 118. The electromagnets 114a and 114b are de-energized, and then the unloading locking cylinder 116 pushes the material cassette 104 vertically upwards, wherein the material cassette was initially detachably locked by the loading cylinder 110. Therefrom, the drive unit 202 starts to rotate in reverse direction to unload the material cassette 104 from the let-off station 106.
[0035] FIGURE 3 illustrates the process flow diagram for cassette pull-in system,
such as the cassette pull-in system 102. At block 302, a material cassette, such as the
material cassette 104, is loaded in a let-off station, such as the let-off station 106. As
explained earlier, the material cassette acts as a storage for tire building material.
[0036] At block 304, a loading locking cylinder, such as the loading locking
cylinder 110, clamps the material cassette in the let-off station. The method thereafter,

proceeds to block 306, wherein, at block 306, a drive unit pulls the material cassette up to a first end of the let-off station.
[0037] Further, at block 308 a proximity sensor, senses the presence of the material
cassette 104 at the first end of the let-off station.
[0038] At block 310, a pair of electromagnets, such as the pair of electromagnets
114a and 114b, locks the material cassette 104 in the let-off station. At block 312, for
unloading the material cassette after consumption, the pair of electromagnets are de-
energized. After de-energizing the pair of electromagnets, the material cassette is
pushed up vertically by an unloading locking cylinder and the drive unit starts to rotate
in reverse direction to unload the material cassette from the let-off station.
[0039] Therefore, the present subject matter, provides for an automatic loading of
the fully winded material cassette in the let-off station and automatic unloading of the
material cassette after consumption, overcoming the above-mentioned limitations
associated with the conventional techniques of loading and unloading of the material
cassette, and eliminates the damages that may be caused to the material cassette and
the let-off station, during the manual loading and unloading of the material cassette.
Furthermore, automatic cassette pull-in system described herein requires substantially
low attention of the operator and may be operated with minimum manual intervention,
which reduces time in the preparation of a green tire and the cost towards spares is
also reduced, which further enhances the life time of the material cassette.
[0040] Although the subject matter has been described in considerable detail with
reference to certain examples and implementations thereof, other implementations are possible. As such, the present disclosure should not be limited to the description of the preferred examples and implementations contained therein.

I/We Claim:
1. An automated cassette pull-in system (102) for a tire building material cassette
(104) in a tire building machine, the cassette pull-in system (104) comprising:
a let-off station (106) having a first end (216) and a second end (218), the second end (218) being opposite to the first end (216), wherein the let-off station (106) receives the material cassette (104) at the second end (218) of the let-off station, the let-off station (106) comprising:
at least one positioning cylinder (108a, 108b) provided on the let-off station (106), for engagement with a corresponding positioning member of the material cassette (104) to position the material cassette (104) on the let-off station (106) when the material cassette (104) is mounted to a mounting position of the let-off station (106), the mounting position being in proximity of the second end (218);
a loading locking cylinder (110) for detachably clamping the material cassette (104) to the let-off station (106) when the material cassette (104) is placed at the mounting position of the let-off station (106);
a drive unit (202) for pulling the material cassette (104), upon said clamping, towards the first end (216) of the let-off station (106), up to a predetermined distance; and
at least one electromagnet (114a, 114b) for releasably locking the material cassette (104) to the let-off station (106) when the material cassette (104) is determined to be at a locking position of the let-off station (106), the mounting position being in proximity of the first end (216).
2. The system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an unloading locking cylinder (116) for detachably clamping the material cassette (104) to the let-off station (106) while unloading the material cassette (104) from the let-off station (106).
3. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the loading locking cylinder (110) and the unloading locking cylinder (116) comprises a vertical cylinder lock to clamp

the material cassette (104) on the let-off station (106), while loading and unloading, respectively.
4. The system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the loading locking cylinder (110) is placed on a sliding unit (214), the sliding unit (214) to facilitate a movement of the material cassette (104) between the first end (216) and the second end (218) of the let-off station (106).
5. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one positioning cylinder (108a, 108b) is in a form of a circular portion which is integrally molded with the let-off station (106), at different ends, in a direction opposite to each other.
6. The system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a proximity sensor (112) for sensing a presence of the material cassette (104) on the let-off station (106), wherein the proximity sensor (112) is placed towards the first end (216) of the let off station (106), and wherein the at least one electromagnet (114a, 114b) is energized to lock the material cassette (104) on the let-off station (106) when the material cassette (104) is determined to be within the field of the proximity sensor (112).
7. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one electromagnet (114a, 114b) is de-energized to release the material cassette (104) from the let-off station (106).
8. The system as claimed in claim 6, further comprises a reflector (212) positioned on an opposite side of the proximity sensor (112) and towards the first end (216) of the let-off station (106), wherein the reflector (212) is to:
receive a light beam from the proximity sensor (112); and
reflect the light beam to the proximity sensor (112) to ascertain the presence of the material cassette (104);
wherein the at least one electromagnet (114a, 114b) is to lock the material cassette (104), based on the feedback of the proximity sensor (112).
9. The system as claimed in any one of the preceding claim 1-7, wherein the let-
off station (106) further comprising:

a driven pulley (206) having a housing;
a liner module (LM) rail (208); and
a timing belt (204) removably mounted in the housing of the driven pulley (206) and winded around the driven pulley (206) which is fixed to the LM rail (208),
wherein the timing belt (204) transmits power from the drive unit (202) to the driven pulley (206), and
wherein an outer surface of the timing belt (204) is fixed with the sliding unit (214) and wherein a movement of the timing belt (204) on the driven pulley (206), allows a movement of the sliding unit (214) on the LM rail (208).
10. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the automated cassette pull-in
system (102) is controlled by a programmable logic control (PLC) (118), the PLC
(118) being interfaced with a control panel (120), the control panel (120) comprising:
a load selector switch to load the material cassette (104) onto the let-off station (106); and
an unload selector switch to unload the material cassette (104) from the let-off station (106).
11. A method (300) for cassette pull-in, the method comprising:
loading (302) a material cassette (104), by at least one positioning cylinder (108a, 108b), on a let-off station (106);
clamping (304) the material cassette (104), by a loading locking cylinder (110), to the let-off station (106);
pulling (306) the material cassette (104), by a drive unit (202), up to a locking position, towards a first end (216), of the let-off station (106); and
releasably locking (310) the material cassette (104), by at least one electromagnet (114a, 114b), to the let-off station (106), when the material cassette (104) is determined to be at the locking position.