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: POKING APPARATUS FOR TIRES
2. Applicant(s)
NAME NATIONALITY ADDRESS
CEAT LIMITED Indian CEAT Ltd At: Get Muwala Po: Chandrapura Ta: Halol - 389 350 Dist: Panchmahal, Gujarat, 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 the poking of tires
and, particularly but not exclusively, to a poking apparatus for tires.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Tires are important elements required to perform the safe
operation of vehicles. A tire is generally mounted on a metal rim of a vehicle and is capable of supporting the vehicle body, cushioning external impact, achieving contact with a road surface, and ensuring the driving performance of the vehicle. The tires are often used under complex and harsh conditions that are subjected to various deformations, loads, forces, and high and low-temperature effects during driving.
[0003] A typical tire manufacturing process includes first producing a
green tire, for example, by winding tire constituent members, such as carcass ply material, etc., annularly on a tire building drum to make it a lamination structure. Thereafter, the green tire is placed inside a mold and inflated to press it against the mold, forming the tread and the tire identification information on the sidewall. After that, the tire is heated at more than 300 degrees Fahrenheit for a specific duration, vulcanizing the tire to bond the components and cure the rubber.
[0004] During the process of forming the green tire, due to the entrapment
of air between layers of the tire constituent members, air bubbles may get created in the green tire. When heavy pressure is applied to the tire, due to the existence of the air bubbles, the tire may burst, thereby impacting the safety of a user of the vehicle. Hence, the presence of the air bubbles in the tire may reduce the safety performance, bearing performance, traction performance, and buffer performance of the tire. The presence of the air

bubbles may also impact the abrasion resistance and the flexing resistance of the tire, attributing to the risk of the tire burst.
[0005] To remove the air bubbles from the green tire, the tire
manufacturer generally uses a technique of tire poking. The purpose of the tire poking operation is to remove the air bubbles that get introduced in the green tire during the molding process of the green tire, thereby reducing the defects caused by the air bubbles in the finished tire.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0006] 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.
[0007] Figure 1 illustrates a side view of a poking apparatus, in
accordance with an implementation of the present subject matter; and
[0008] Figure 2 illustrates a top view of a conveyance station, in
accordance with another implementation of the present subject matter.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0009] The present subject matter relates to a tire poking apparatus for
removing air bubbles trapped inside layers of a green tire.
[0010] Poking is a process of forming holes in a tire's constituent
members such as the carcass ply material, etc., before vulcanization of the
green tire. At present, these holes are formed manually or by tire-poking
machines.
[0011] During manual poking operation, conventionally, workers manually
rotate the green tire and poke the green tire using a poking tool. However, in

manual operation, due to human error, consistency in spacing and depth of holes may not be ensured every time. Also, angle of poking may be different than desired in the manual poking operation, which may impact the quality of the poking operation. Moreover, in the manual poking operation, the labor intensity of the workers is high which may cause fatigue among the workers and severely impact the quality of the poking operation.
[0012] To overcome the issues associated with the manual poking, tire
manufacturers nowadays use poking machines to carry out the poking operation. Conventionally available poking machines include a poking unit, a plurality of needles arranged on the poking unit, and a holder for holding carcass ply. During the poking operation, as the needle descends, the needles penetrate the carcass ply. A hole is formed in the carcass ply by the penetration of the needles. The carcass ply in which these holes are formed is laminated with another rubber member to obtain the green tire. During the vulcanization process, the air is discharged from these holes, thereby preventing the formation of the air bubbles.
[0013] The number of needles for poking, depth of holes created during
the poking operation, and duration of the poking operation may vary depending upon the size of the tires. For example, contour of the carcass ply and its width may change depending on the type and size of the tire, therefore the carcass ply may need to be pricked at sides slightly more than at center. However, in conventional poking machines, there is no mechanism for controlling the depth of holes created during the poking operation. Further, the conventional poking machines have only one station for all the activities. e.g., loading, poking, and unloading. Thus, the overall production time of the tire increases as the poking operation on the next batch of the carcass plies cannot be performed until the poking operation is finished for the current batch.

[0014] To this end, the present subject matter provides a technique to
overcome the above-described problem associated with the conventional poking machines. The technique described in the present subject matter improves the efficiency of the poking machine without affecting the quality of the poking.
[0015] In accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter, a
poking apparatus for tires is disclosed. The poking apparatus includes a conveyance station that comprises a plurality of tire supporting arms. The supporting arm is to carry an uncured tire to a predetermined location for poking and hold the uncured tire in a suspended position at the predetermined location.
[0016] The poking apparatus further includes a poking unit for poking the
uncured tire that is held at the predetermined location by the supporting arm.
The poking unit comprises a plurality of needles that are arranged linearly in
a direction corresponding to a width of the uncured tire. Each of the plurality
of needles is individually controlled. Individually controlling the needles
allows for selecting poking time based on a size of the uncured tire. Also,
since the needles are individually controlled, the number of needles to be
used during the poking and the depth at which the poking is to be done may
also be effectively controlled based on the size of the uncured tire.
[0017] The conveyance station is further configured to rotate the uncured
tire along a circumference of the uncured tire after every stroke of the poking
unit. This ensures that uniform poking is performed throughout the
circumference of the uncured tire, thereby reducing cured tire defects.
[0018] The above and other features, aspects, and advantages of the
subject matter will be better explained with regard to the following description and accompanying figures. It should be noted that the description and figures merely illustrate the principles of the present subject matter along with

examples described herein and should not be construed as a limitation to the present subject matter. It is thus understood that various arrangements may be devised that, although not explicitly described or shown herein, embody the principles of the present disclosure. Moreover, all statements herein reciting principles, aspects, and examples thereof, are intended to encompass equivalents thereof. Further, for the sake of simplicity, and without limitation, the same numbers are used throughout the drawings to reference like features and components.
[0019] Figure 1 illustrates a poking apparatus 100 configured to perform
poking operation on an uncured tire 102, in accordance with an implementation of the present subject matter. Though the explanation of embodiment depicted in Figure 1 refers to the uncured tire 102 alone, it will be appreciated that the poking apparatus 100 is configured to perform poking operation on more than one uncured tire at a time.
[0020] The poking apparatus 100 for poking the uncured tire 102, in an
implementation of the present subject matter, comprises a conveyance station 104. The conveyance station 104 is provided to carry the uncured tire 102 to a predetermined location 106 for poking. Further, the conveyance station 104 may stand on platform 107, which is capable of horizontally rotating the conveyance station 104 by means of a lever (not illustrated) driven by a motor (not illustrated). A detailed description of the conveyance station 104 is provided in reference to Figure 2.
[0021] The poking apparatus 100 further comprises a poking unit 108.
The poking unit 108 is configured for poking the uncured tire 102 that is held at the predetermined location 106 on the conveyance station 104. Herein, the predetermined location 106 may be understood as a location where the uncured tire 102 needs to be brought by the conveyance station 104 for the poking unit 108 to be able to perform the poking operation. In an example,

the predetermined location 106 may lie below the poking unit 108, as shown
in Figure 1. As will be apparent, the predetermined location 106 is in close
proximity to the poking unit 108 such that the poking unit 108 can interface
with the uncured tire 102 to carry out the poking operation at the
predetermined location 106. Correspondingly, the poking unit 108 is adapted
to be movable up to a range that covers the predetermined location 106.
[0022] The poking unit 108 comprises a plurality of needles 110 that are
arranged linearly in a direction corresponding to a width W of the uncured tire 102, as shown in Figure 1. The poking unit 108 is located above the conveyance station 104 by one or more frames 112 provided on both a first side 114 and a second side 116 of the conveyance station 104. The poking unit 108 is supported by the one or more frames 112 at a predefined height in such a manner that the plurality of needles 110 face the width W of the uncured tire 102 when the uncured tire 102 is brought by the conveyance station 104 below the poking unit 108 for the poking. The shape of each of the one or more frames 112 may be rectangular, by way of a non-limiting example. In an example, the one or more frames 112 may be metallic frames made out of iron or steel or similar rigid material.
[0023] When the uncured tire 102 is held at the predetermined location
106 below the poking unit 108 by the conveyance station 104, the poking unit 108 is appropriately aligned so as to be enabled to perform the poking operation on the uncured tire 102. In other words, the poking unit 108 comprising the plurality of needles 110 is positioned facing the uncured tire 102 so that the poking operation on the uncured tire 102 may be performed uniformly. In an example, an elevator apparatus 118, such as a rod mechanism that moves up and down hydraulically or by means of a motor, may be provided for moving the poking unit 108 up and down up, thereby enabling the poking unit 108 to perform the poking operation.

[0024] The specific structure and operation of the elevator apparatus 118
discussed above will be well understood by one skilled in the art. The detailed description of such known aspects of the poking apparatus 100 has been omitted herein.
[0025] In an example implementation, a plurality of pneumatic cylinders
120 may be disposed of in the poking unit 108. Each of the plurality of
pneumatic cylinders 120 is connected to a first electric motor 103 which is
then connected to each of the plurality of needles 110, as shown in Figure 1.
[0026] Each of the plurality of pneumatic cylinders 120 is configured to
move the first electric motor 103, that relates to each of the plurality of needles 110. The first electric motor 103 in turn moves each of the plurality of needles 110 individually between a first position 122 and a second position 124. In the first position 122, the first electric motor 103 remains in a state of rest, while the second position 124 corresponds to the predetermined location 106 where the poking unit 108 interfaces with the tire to carry out the poking operation.
[0027] When the poking unit 108 is brought down to the second position
124, to perform the poking operation on the uncured tire 102, the first electric motor 103 applies torque to the needles 110 with which the first electric motor 103 is connected. In accordance with an example implementation of the present subject matter, the poking unit 108 may be operable by an operator to cause the poking unit 108 to move to the second position 124. In accordance with another example implementation of the present subject matter, the poking unit 108 may be operable by an electro-mechanical arrangement to cause the poking unit 108 to move to the second position 124. As will be understood, the electro-mechanical arrangement may comprise any mechanical device configured to cause a vertical up-and-down

movement of the poking unit 108 electrically which is movably supported on the frames 112.
[0028] The torque applied by the first electric motor 103 may cause an
upward or downward movement of the needles 110. During the poking operation, this vertical movement of the needle 110 may correspondingly increase or decrease the depth at which the uncured tire 102 is poked, which otherwise would have been constant throughout the width W of the uncured tire 102 if the plurality of needles 110 were not controlled individually by means of the first electric motor 103.
[0029] Thus, by allowing individual movement in each of the plurality of
needles 110, the number of needles during the poking operation, poking time, and depth of the poking may be selected. This has the advantage that uniform or non-uniform selective poking of uncured tires of different types and sizes can be performed with a single poking apparatus 100 which reduces cured tire defects and helps in reducing rework and scrap. Although in Figure 1, twelve needles 110 are depicted, it may be understood that the number of needles 110 may vary depending upon the width of the uncured tire and thus the needles 110 constitute no limitative description of the embodiments and are only examples.
[0030] In an example, each of the plurality of needles 110 may be
removably connected to the first electric motor 103. Such removable connection allows the operator to remove one or more of the plurality of needles 110 for any of a variety of reasons. In one example, any one of the needles 110 may be removed to interchangeably fit a variety of needles with different poking radii according to the desired poking operation. This has the advantage that in case any one of the plurality of the needles 110 gets damaged, only the damaged needle may be replaced without having to replace the whole poking unit 108. Similarly, in another example, any one of

the plurality of needles 110 may be removed to service the needle in case the needle needs sharpening or replacement.
[0031] In one example, the first electric motor 103 may be a DC motor,
which may be a brushed, brushless, or un-commutated type. The first electric
motor 103 may be a stepper motor and maybe a Permanent Magnet (PM)
motor, a Variable reluctance (VR) motor, or a hybrid synchronous stepper.
[0032] In an example, the poking apparatus 100 may include a human-
machine interface (HMI) (not illustrated) coupled with a programmable logic
controller (PLC). The HMI may be configured to provide position value
settings to the PLC to control the actuation of each of the plurality of needles
110 by the first electric motor 103 with respect to a position of the uncured
tire 102 on the conveyance station 104. Herein, each of the plurality of
needles 110 may be programmed to perform the poking at a prespecified
location on the uncured tire 102 at a predefined depth. The HMI may also be
configured to provide position value settings to the PLC to control the
actuation of the poking unit 108 up to the predetermined location 106. Herein
the predetermined location 106 may change depending on the types and
sizes of the uncured tires to be poked. As discussed above, the
predetermined location 106 may be understood as a location where the
uncured tire 102 needs to be brought by the conveyance station 104 for the
poking unit 108 to be able to perform the poking operation. Alternatively, the
depth of the poking by the first electric motor 103 may be adjusted manually
by a turn-buckle mechanism that may be provided with the poking unit 108.
[0033] Figure 2 illustrates a top view of the conveyance station 104, in
accordance with an implementation of the present subject matter. The conveyance station 104, as shown in Figure 2, comprises a plurality of supporting arms 202, 204, 206, 208. A first supporting arm 202 may be used for loading the uncured tire 102 on the conveyance station 104 for poking.

Also, the first supporting arm 202 may be used for unloading the uncured tire
102 after the poking. A second supporting arm 204 may be used to hold the
uncured tire 102 below the poking unit 108 during the poking operation. Third
supporting arm 206 and fourth supporting arm 208 may serve as
intermediate arms for holding the uncured tire 102 after the poking.
[0034] During a poking operation, the uncured tire 102 is loaded on the
first supporting arm 202. After loading the uncured tire 102 on the first supporting arm 202, the conveyance station 104 is horizontally rotated by the lever as discussed in reference to Figure 1, and the first supporting arm 202 carrying the uncured tire 102 is brought to the predetermined location 106 for the poking. At the predetermined location 106, the first supporting arm 202 serves as the second supporting arm 204 and holds the uncured tire 102 below the poking unit 108 throughout the poking operation.
[0035] Once the poking operation is completed, the second supporting
arm 204 carrying the poked uncured tire 102 rotates horizontally and moves
away from the poking unit 108 thereby paving a way for the first supporting
arm 202 to bring another uncured tire for the poking without having the
operator to first unload the previous poked tire. The second supporting arm
204 carrying the poked uncured tire 102 may serve as the third supporting
arm 206 and the fourth supporting arm 208 and hold the uncured tire 102
after the poking until the operator unloads the poked uncured tire 102. In
other words, each of the plurality of supporting arms 202, 204, 206, 208
come to the predetermined location 106 once during a poking cycle.
[0036] Accordingly, each of the plurality of supporting arms 202, 204, 206,
208 may be used for separate activities in reference to the poking operation, such as loading, poking, holding, and unloading.
[0037] Thus, by providing the plurality of supporting arms 202, 204, 206,
208 with the conveyance station 104 that is capable of rotating at 360

degrees, the poking time cycle may be reduced significantly thereby increasing the productivity during the poking operation.
[0038] In an example implementation, each of the plurality of supporting
arms 202, 204, 206, 208 may be provided with at least two rollers 210, 212. Each of the at least two rollers 210, 212 may be configured to be rotatable by a driving force transferred through a second motor 214 disposed of the on conveyance station 104 one for each of the plurality of supporting arms 202, 204, 206, 208. The second motor 214 is configured to rotate the at least two rollers 210, 212 in such a manner that the uncured tire 102 held by the second supporting arm 204 below the poking unit 108 is also rotated vertically along a circumference of the uncured tire 102 after every stroke of the plurality of needles 110 during the poking operation.
[0039] Thus, by enabling the uncured tire 102 to be rotated after every
stroke of the plurality of needles 110, it may be ensured that poking is done uniformly across the whole circumference of the uncured tire 102 facing the poking unit 108. In an example, the plurality of supporting arms 202, 204, 206, 208 are located at equal intervals with respect to each other on the conveyance station 104. In another example, the second motor 214 may be a stepper motor mechanically linked to each of the at least two rollers 210, 212, although any convenient motor can be used.
[0040] As would be understood, the poking apparatus described in the
present subject matter allows accommodating all types and sizes of tires for uniform poking without manual intervention. Also, by providing the conveyance station with multiple supporting arms, for example, four as given in Figure 2, continuity of the poking operation may be ensured even while performing the loading and unloading operation of the un-poked and poked tire, respectively. Also, having multiple supporting arms allows for more tires

to be poked in parallel, thereby reducing the poking operation time as the wait time for the loading and unloading operation is reduced.
[0041] Although implementations for a poking apparatus 100 for poking
an uncured tire 102 are described, it is to be understood that the present subject matter is not necessarily limited to the specific features of the systems described herein. Rather, the specific features are disclosed as implementations for the poking apparatus 100 for poking the uncured tire 102.

I/We claim:
1. A poking apparatus (100) for tires, comprising:
a conveyance station (104) comprises a plurality of supporting arms (202, 204, 206, 208) to:
carry an uncured tire (102) to a predetermined location (106)
for poking; and
hold the uncured tire (102) in a suspended position at the
predetermined location (106); and
a poking unit (108) for poking the uncured tire (102) held at the predetermined location (106), the poking unit (108) comprising:
a plurality of needles (110) arranged linearly in a direction
corresponding to a width (W) of the uncured tire (102), wherein each
of the plurality of needles (110) is individually controllable such that a
predefined number of needles, from amongst the plurality of needles
(110), and poking time is selected based on a size of the uncured tire
(102),
wherein the conveyance station (104) is further configured to rotate the uncured tire (102) along a circumference of the uncured tire (102) after every stroke of the poking unit (108).
2. The poking apparatus (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of supporting arms (202, 204, 206, 208) are at equal intervals with respect to each other.
3. The poking apparatus (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of tire supporting arms (202, 204, 206, 208) is configured to be synchronously rotatable in 360 degrees.

4. The poking apparatus (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of needles (110) is individually controlled by a first electric motor (103), wherein movement of the first electric motor (103) is controlled by a pneumatic cylinder (120) disposed of in the poking unit (108).
5. The poking apparatus (100) as claimed in claim 4, wherein each of the plurality of needles (110) is removably connected to the first electric motor (103).
6. The poking apparatus (100) as claimed in claim 4, further comprising a human-machine interface (HMI) coupled with a programmable logic controller (PLC), wherein the HMI is configured to provide position value settings to the PLC to control the actuation of each of the plurality of needles (110) by the first electric motor (120) with respect to a position of the uncured tire (102) on the conveyance station (104).
7. The poking apparatus (100) as claimed in claim 4, wherein the first electric motor (120) is a stepper motor.
8. The poking apparatus (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of supporting arms (202, 204, 206, 208) comprises at least two rollers (210, 212).
9. The poking apparatus (100) as claimed in claim 8, wherein each of the at least two rollers (210, 212 may) is rotatable by a driving force transferred through a second motor (214).

10. The poking apparatus (100) as claimed in any one of claims 7-8,
wherein the second motor (214) is to rotate the at least two rollers (210, 212) in such a manner that the uncured tire (102) held by one of the plurality of supporting arms (202, 204, 206, 208) below the poking unit (108) is also rotated vertically along a circumference of the uncured tire (102) after every stroke.