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: TIRE BUILDING MACHINES
2. Applicant(s)
NAME NATIONALITY ADDRESS
CEAT LIMITED Indian CEAT LIMITED RPG House, 463,
Dr. Annie Besant Road, Worli, Mumbai- 400007, India

TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present subject matter relates, in general, to tire building machines and, in particular, to the tire building machines to indicate data representative of information about the tire building machines.
BACKGROUND
[0002] A tire building machine plays a crucial role in a tire manufacturing process. The tire building machine assembles all components, such as tread, sidewall, inner liner, body ply, bead, and cord body together to build tires. Tire building operations are carried out on automatic or semi-automatic tire building machines.
[0003] A tire building drum is a prime component of the tire building machine. In a typical process of manufacturing a tire, a complete tire is built on the tire building drum and thereafter expanded to toroidal shape in a vulcanized mold. [0004] The tire building drums are of two types. A drum on which a breaker, tread, and cap are applied is called a breaker and tread (B&T) drum. While a drum on which an inner liner, a ply, beads, a chafer, and a sidewall are applied is called a flat carcass drum or a belt building drum.
[0005] Generally, the tire building operation is carried out in stages. In a first stage, a carcass is formed and an underply is turned over beads. The carcass is expanded substantially before applying circumferential belts and a tread. This may involve use of the flat carcass drum. In a second stage, reinforcing belts and the tread are added to the expanded tire. The second stage may be completed using the same carcass drum or using a separate breaker and tread (B&T) drum. [0006] The B&T drum is a rotating cylinder with a flexible central part. The

central part is expanded to bring edges of the laid breaker and tread closer to each other. The B&T drum is collapsed after the use. Apparently, the manufacturing unit comprises a stock of several B&T drums, each having a different diameter and width of the core, for use in building tires of different sizes. For manufacturing the tire of a certain inner width, the B&T drum having a corresponding diameter and a width of a core is used. Thus, as the width of the tire that is to be manufactured changes, the B&T drum having the corresponding diameter has to be mounted on the tire building machine. [0007] To locate the exact B&T drum from the stock of several B&T drums, the B&T drums generally are provided with a corresponding identification tag or legend. The identification tag comprises information about the corresponding B&T drum, such as a drawing number, an order number, a serial number, a minimum range of the drum, and a maximum range of the drum. An operator working on the tire building machine manually checks the identification tag and mounts the appropriate B&T drum according to the selected tire building recipe.
SUMMARY [0008] This summary is provided to introduce concepts related to a tire building machines that indicate data representative of information about the tire building machines. The concepts are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify essential features of the claimed subject matter nor is it intended for use in determining or limiting the scope of the claimed subject matter.
[0009] A tire building machine is described which comprises a breaker and tread (B&T) drum having a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag attached thereto. The RFID tag comprises data representative of information about the B&T drum. A RFID reader reads the data from the RFID tag. A controller, in communication with the RFID reader, receives the data from the

RFID reader and compares the received data with a pre-defined information stored in a memory of the controller. The controller generates an alarm if the received data does not match with the pre-defined information. [0010] In an embodiment of the present subject matter, the controller enables operation of the tire building machine only when the received data from the reader matches with the pre-defined information stored in the memory.
[0011] In another embodiment of the present subject matter, the pre¬defined information stored in the memory comprises parameters corresponding to a plurality of tire building recipes.
[0012] In yet another example of the present subject matter, the parameters corresponding to the plurality of the tire building recipes are a width, a length, and a diameter.
[0013] In yet another embodiment of the present subject matter, the controller comprises an electrically actuated switch for disabling the operation of the tire building machine if the received data does not match with the pre¬defined information.
[0014] In yet another embodiment of the present subject matter, the data representative of information about the B&T drum comprises at least one of a drawing number, an order number, a serial number, a minimum range of the B&T drum, and a maximum range of the B&T drum.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] The detailed description is described with reference to the accompanying figures. It should be noted that the description and the figures are merely examples of the present subject matter and not meant to represent the subject matter itself. [0016] FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a tire building machine

incorporating a radio frequency identification mechanism, according to an example of the present subject matter.
[0017] FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of a tire building machine incorporating a radio frequency identification mechanism, according to another example of the present subject matter.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION [0018] A tire is manufactured as a laminated structure of a toroidal shape having many components, such as carcass, beads, a tread, and a belt. A tire building machine plays an important role in the manufacturing process and performs task of assembling the tire components from flat strips or sheets of material. Each component is placed on a carcass drum and cut to length such that the ends of the components meet or overlap, creating a splice. [0019] In a first stage of assembly, the carcass includes one or more plies, a pair of sidewalls, an inner liner, and a pair of shoulder strips. Annular bead cores may be added and plies may be turned around the bead cores to form a cylindrical carcass. This cylindrical carcass is expanded into a toroidal shape after completion of the first stage of the assembly. Reinforcing belts and the tread are added during a second stage of assembly, which can be done using the same carcass drum or a separate drum called as a breaker and tread (B&T) drum. After application of the tread, a transfer ring picks up the breaker and tread package from the B&T drum. Final shaping, dynamic stitching, and tire unloading by the transfer ring completes the tire building machine cycle. [0020] It is a standard practice to employ a stack of a large number of the B&T drums in various lengths and diameters for use in building tires of different sizes. However, locating an exact B&T drum from the stack of several B&T drums is a cumbersome task. Also, human error may result into mounting of wrong B&T drum on the tire building machine. This may damage the B&T drum and other operational parts of the tire building machine, such as a shaft, a

clutch, a linear variable differential transformer (LVDT), etc. [0021] The present subject matter describes a tire building machine comprising a radio frequency identification mechanism for identifying information about a breaker and tread (B&T) drum and controlling operation of the tire building machine. The B&T drum of the tire building machine has a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag attached to it. The RFID tag holds the data representing information about the B&T drum. A RFID reader, attached to the tire building machine, reads the data from the RFID tag when the B&T drum is mounted on the tire building machine. A controller of the tire building machine communicates with the RFID reader to receive the data read by the RFID reader. Based upon the received data, the controller controls the operation of the tire building machine.
[0022] In case of mounting of a wrong B&T drum by an operator, the controller may generate an alarm and halt the operation of the tire building machine. Thus, damage to the B&T drum or to any other operational parts of the tire building machine may be avoided.
[0023] The following detailed description described with respect to FIGS. 1-2 relates to example implementation, 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 one or more 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 thereof, are intended to encompass equivalents thereof. [0024] FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 illustrate a perspective view of a tire building machine 100 incorporating a radio frequency identification mechanism, according to an example of the present subject matter. The tire building machine 100 comprises a B&T drum 102 upon which breaker-tread assemblies are formed. The B&T drum 102 is radially expansible and contractible with

respect to its outer surface 104. The breaker-tread assemblies are formed on a recessed or grooved outer surface of the B&T drum 102 which is provided with a plurality of circumferentially extending grooves 106. In an example, the extending grooves 106 may be filled with a magnetic elastomeric material. The magnetic elastomeric material attracts metallic cords of the breaker to the B&T drum 102 to aid in maintaining precise alignment of the breaker relative to the B&T drum 102.
[0025] A driving means 108 is provided, which includes an electric motor (not shown), a reduction gear (not shown), and an electromagnetic clutch (not shown) for rotating the B&T drum 102.
[0026] As depicted in FIG. 2, a RFID tag 200 is attached to the B&T drum 102. The RFID tag 200 is a read/write tag, such that the data can be written to and retrieved from the RFID tag 200. Data of a particular B&T drum is written into the RFID tag 200 such that the RFID tag 200 can be used for identifying the B&T drum 102. Identification of the B&T drum 102 based on the data, provides for identification of the B&T drum 102, from amongst several other similar B&T drums, in a time efficient and error-free manner.
[0027] As other parts of the B&T drum 102, such as the extending grooves 106 are collapsed after the use, the RFID tag 200 may be conveniently attached on one of sidewalls 202 of a core 204 of the B&T drum 102. It should be noted that although the RFID tag 200 is attached on the sidewall 202 of the core 204 as shown in FIG. 2, the RFID tag 200 may be attached to any other suitable portion of the B&T drum 102 without deviating from the scope of the present subject matter.
[0028] The RFID tag 200 is incorporated as a thin polymer substrate with an adhesive applied on one face of the substrate. The RFID tag 200 has a protective surface covering the adhesive face. The attachment of the RFID tag 200 requires removing the protective surface from the RFID tag 200 and pressing the adhesive surface to the B&T drum 102. The attachment may be

performed manually or by a machine.
[0029] Data representative of information about the B&T drum 102 is written into the RFID tag 200. In an example implementation, the data pertaining to the B&T drum 102 may comprise at least one of a drawing number, an order number, a serial number, a minimum range, and a maximum range. It should be noted that any other suitable information about the B&T drum 102 may be written into the RFID tag 200 without deviating from the scope of the subject matter.
[0030] As referred to in FIG. 1, a RFID reader 110 is mounted on the tire building machine 100 for communicating with and reading the data from the RFID tag 200 attached to the B&T drum 102. In an example implementation of the present subject matter, the RFID reader 110 is mounted on an upper column 112 of the tire building machine 100, however, the RFID reader 110 may be attached on any other places of the tire building machine 100 at which the data pertaining to the B&T drum 102 can be easily read from the RFID tag 200.
[0031] The tire building machine 100 includes a controller (not shown) that executes programmed instructions. The controller receives input or instructions from an operator to control operations of the tire building machine 100. In an example, the operations may include mounting, translation, cutting, and application of the strips or sheets of the material.
[0032] In an example, the controller may include a processing unit, a memory storage device, such as RAM and ROM, and input/output cables for communicating with the tire building machine 100. The operator may utilize a user interface of the controller to provide input to, and to control the operation of the tire building machine 100 that includes performing each method and step associated with forming and translating the sheets, cutting strips, and applying strips to the B&T drum 102 for assembling the tire. Further, the controller may be in communication with each of the carcass drum and the B&T drum 102, and

is therefore able to determine rotational position of each of the drums during rotation. The RFID reader 110 is connected to the controller to transmit the RFID tag data to the controller in real-time. In an example, the connection between the RFID reader 110 and the controller may be a wired connection or a wireless connection.
[0033] In an operation, the operator selects a tire building recipe by using the user interface (not shown) of the controller. In an example, selecting the tire building recipe may include selecting at least one of limiting factors that requires to be manually entered by the operator. The limiting factors may include a customer number or an order number. Once the limiting factors are selected, widths, lengths, and angles of the raw material are automatically selected by the recipe.
[0034] Take an example, where a list of several customers is pre-stored in the memory of the controller, such as customer “A”, customer “B”, and customer “C”. For each of these customers, there is a separate recipe defined by the operator and stored in the memory. Thus, the recipe for customer “A” may define width of the tire as “W1”, length of the tire as “L1”, and diameter of the tire as “D1. Similarly, the recipe for customer “B” may define “W2”, “L2”, and “D3”. If the operator selects the customer “1”, the corresponding values “W1”, “L1”, and “D1” stored in the memory are retrieved by the controller and selected as a tire building recipe for the customer “1”.
[0035] In an alternate example, the limiting factor may include a vehicle type. Thus, there may be separate tire building recipes defined and stored in the memory for each of a two-wheeled vehicle, a three-wheeled vehicle, and a four-wheeled vehicle. If the operator selects the limiting factor as the three-wheeled vehicle, the corresponding recipe stored in the memory is retrieved and selected as a tire building recipe.
[0036] The limiting factors explained above are for illustrative purpose. It should be noted that any other factors and the corresponding recipes may be

defined and stored in the memory of the controller without deviating from the scope of the present subject matter.
[0037] Further, the operator mounts the B&T drum 102 onto the tire building machine 100 according to the selected tire building recipe. As soon as the B&T drum 102 is mounted, the RFID reader 110 reads the data representative of the information about the B&T drum 102 from the RFID tag 200. The controller in communication with the RFID reader 110 receives the data from the RFID reader 110. The controller then compares the received data with a pre-defined information stored in the memory of the controller. If the received data matches with the pre-defined information, the operation of the tire building machine 100 continues and the tread and breaker are laid on the B&T drum 102 to form the tire.
[0038] However, if the received data does not match with the pre-defined information, the controller determines that inappropriate B&T drum is mounted on the tire building machine 100. Upon determination, the controller may disable the operation of the tire building machine 100 and may generate an alarm (not shown) concurrently. For disabling the operation of the tire building machine 100, the controller may comprise an electrically actuated switch (not shown). The switch is electrically switchable between a machine enable status, in which it connects a main electric power line of a power supply to a power supply line of the tire building machine 100, and a machine disable status, in which it connects to a secondary power line of the power supply to a power line having a normally open reactivation switch activatable by a manual enabling switch of the tire building machine 100.
[0039] The controller enables the operation of the tire building machine 100 only when the received data from the RFID reader 110 matches with the pre-defined information stored in the memory. This, in turn, reduces any chances of damage to the B&T drum 102 and other operational components of the tire building machine 100, such as the shaft, the clutch, the LVDT, etc.

[0040] As described above, the present subject matter seeks to provide a more efficient and error-free means for identification of the B&T drum that is mounted on the tire building machine. Although examples for the present disclosure have been described in language specific to structural features and/or methods, it should be understood that the appended claims are not necessarily limited to the specific features or methods described. Rather, the specific features and methods are disclosed and explained as examples of the present disclosure.

I/We Claim:
1. A tire building machine (100) comprising:
a breaker and tread (B&T) drum (102) having a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag (200) attached thereto, the RFID tag (200) comprising data representative of information about the B&T drum (102);
a RFID reader (110), wherein the RFID reader (110) is to read the data from the RFID tag (200); and
a controller in communication with the RFID reader (110), wherein the controller is configured to:
receive the data from the RFID reader (110); compare the received data with a pre-defined information stored in a memory; and
generate an alarm if the received data does not match with the pre-defined information.
2. The tire building machine (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the controller is to enable operation of the tire building machine (100) only when the received data from the RFID reader (110) matches with the pre-defined information stored in the memory.
3. The tire building machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pre-defined information stored in the memory of the controller comprises parameters corresponding to a plurality of tire building recipes.
4. The tire building machine (100) as claimed in claim 2, wherein the parameters corresponding to the plurality of the tire building recipes are a width, a length, and a diameter.

5. The tire building machine (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the controller comprises an electrically actuated switch for disabling the operation of the tire building machine (100) if the received data does not match with the pre-defined information.
6. The tire building machine (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the RFID tag (200) is attached to one of sidewalls (202) of the B&T drum (102).
7. The tire building machine (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the RFID tag (200) is attached to the B&T drum (102) such that when the B&T drum (102) is mounted on the tire building machine (100), the RFID tag (200) faces the RFID reader (110) attached to the tire building machine (100).
8. The tire building machine (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the data representative of information about the B&T drum (102) comprises at least one of a drawing number, an order number, a serial number, a minimum range of the B&T drum (102), and a maximum range of the B&T drum (102).
9. The tire building machine (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the controller and the RFID reader (110) communicate with each other via at least one of a wired communication and a wireless communication.