WO2021126201A1

WO2021126201A1 - Method of molding a container into a tire using an insert positioned on the tire

Info

Publication number: WO2021126201A1
Application number: PCT/US2019/067363
Authority: WO
Inventors: Daniel Rey; Philippe VAN WYNSBERGE
Original assignee: Compagnie Generale des Etablissements Michelin SCA
Current assignee: Compagnie Generale des Etablissements Michelin SCA
Priority date: 2019-12-19
Filing date: 2019-12-19
Publication date: 2021-06-24
Anticipated expiration: 2022-06-19

Abstract

A method of molding a tire that has a container is provided in which an insert that has a cavity configured for molding the container is positioned onto the uncured tire. The tire and insert are put into the mold and a bladder is inflated to engage the uncured tire. Sufficient heat and pressure are applied to the uncured tire to at least partially cure the tire and the material of the uncured tire flows into the cavity of the insert to form the container such that the container is integrally formed with other portions of the tire. The mold is opened and the insert is removed from the container.

Description

TITLE

METHOD OF MOLDING A CONTAINER INTO A TIRE USING AN INSERT POSITIONED ON THE TIRE

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates generally to a method of molding a tire that has a container in the tire that can be used to hold items such as a sensor. More particularly, the present application involves a method of molding a tire using a flexible bladder that engages a green tire that has an insert used to mold the container.

BACKGROUND

[0002] It is known to place sensors into the tires of vehicles in order to measure such things as tire inflation pressure, tire temperature, tire acceleration, tire velocity, and other parameters. Such electronic sensors typically require a container to be fixed inside of the tire into which the sensor is disposed and retained. The container can have a cavity into which the electronic sensor is placed, and one known sensor container includes a lip that surrounds a portion of the top of an electronic sensor and holds it in place in the cavity. The lip is made of a flexible material and is peeled or inverted upward to allow the sensor to be pushed past it and into the cavity. The flexible lip can then be flipped back into its original position, and in so doing engage the sensor and function to retain it in the cavity. The holding of the electronic sensor within the tire should be strong enough to keep the electronic sensor in place upon being subjected to high acceleration, forces, and temperatures during operation of the vehicle.

[0003] The container can be a piece that is separately formed and then subsequently attached to the tire once the tire has been molded. This attachment can be made by using green rubber or adhesive to bond the rubber container to the inner layer of the tire. However, the subsequent attachment of a separate piece adds weight and additional processing steps to the overall production of the tire. Another way of providing a container to the interior of the tire is by molding it into the tire during the production process. This process results in the formation of a flap on the inner surface of the tire, and requires the positioning of additional separating components and the careful removal of such components once the molding is completed. The resulting flap/container is flat and has an aperture immediately adjacent the inner surface of the tire. Although capable of holding a flat sensor, such a manufacturing process cannot produce a flap/container capable of holding a non-flat shaped electronic sensor and limits the location and shape of the container.

[0004] A yet additional way of forming a container within a tire involves providing a solid core drum that has a cavity into which rubber flows during molding of the tire. A container formed by a solid core drum process may be capable of holding electronic sensors that are not of a flat shape. However, the use of a solid core in the production of tires with containers may require variously sized solid cores to be produced when manufacturing tires of different types and sizes. Although different techniques are known for producing tires that have containers for holding sensors, there remains room for variation and improvement within the art.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0005] 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 more particularly in the remainder of the specification, which makes reference to the appended Figs in which:

[0006] Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a tire that has a container.

[0007] Fig. 2 is a side cross-sectional view of a portion of the tire that includes the container.

[0008] Fig. 3 is a side view of a mold that has a bladder with an insert.

[0009] Fig. 4 is a side cross-sectional view of an insert and a magnetic holder.

[0010] Fig. 5 is a side cross-sectional view of a green tire with cushion gum for formation of the container.

[0011] Fig. 6 is a schematic view of a process of molding a tire with a container in which the green tire is not yet loaded into the mold.

[0012] Fig. 7 is a schematic view of the process in which the insert and the magnetic holder have been attached to the green tire. [0013] Fig. 8 is a schematic view of the process in which the green tire is loaded into the mold.

[0014] Fig. 9 is a schematic view of the process in which the magnetic holder is removed from the green tire before the mold is closed.

[0015] Fig. 10 is a schematic view of the process in which the mold is closed and the tire is molded.

[0016] Fig. 11 is a schematic view of the process in which the mold is opened and the tire removed.

[0017] Fig. 12 is a schematic view of the process in which the insert is removed from the container.

[0018] Fig. 13 is a side cross-sectional view of an insert with adhesive for use in holding onto the green tire.

[0019] Fig. 14 is a side cross-sectional view of an insert with a suction device for holding onto the green tire.

[0020] Fig. 15 is a side cross-sectional view of an insert with prongs inserted into the green tire for use in holding the insert thereon.

[0021] Fig. 16 is a side cross-sectional view of an insert held onto the green tire through the use of a retaining feature of the green tire.

[0022] Fig. 17 is a front view of an insert retained onto the interior surface of the green tire through the use of tape.

[0023] Repeat use of reference characters in the present specification and drawings is intended to represent the same or analogous features or elements of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF REPRESENTATIVE EMBODIMENTS

[0024] Reference will now 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 not meant as a limitation of the invention. For example, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment can be used with another embodiment to yield still a third embodiment. It is intended that the present invention include these and other modifications and variations. [0025] It is to be understood that the ranges mentioned herein include all ranges located within the prescribed range. As such, all ranges mentioned herein include all sub-ranges included in the mentioned ranges. For instance, a range from 100-200 also includes ranges from 110-150, 170-190, and 153-162. Further, all limits mentioned herein include all other limits included in the mentioned limits. For instance, a limit of up to 7 also includes a limit of up to 5, up to 3, and up to 4.5.

[0026] A method of molding a container 12 into a tire 10 is provided that includes an insert 20 carried on a flexible bladder 16. The insert 20 is removably attached to the green tire 10 so that it can maintain its position thereon, but is not permanently attached thereto.

The green tire 10 with the removably attached insert 20 are placed into the mold 14 and the bladder 16 is inflated so that it presses against the insert 20, and curing of the tire 10 causes the container 12 to be formed by the insert 20. After the mold 14 is opened and the bladder 16 deflated, the insert 20 can be removed from the container 12 that was just molded onto the tire 10. The insert 20 can be configured in a variety of manners in accordance with different exemplary embodiments of the process and different ways of removably attaching the insert 20 to the green tire 10 are possible.

[0027] Fig. 1 shows a tire 10 with an axis 32 that extends in the axial direction and tread

74 that extends completely 360 degrees around the axis 32 in the circumferential direction of the tire 10. The axial direction 38 extends in the direction of the axis 32 and is parallel to the axis 32. The tire 10 has a pair of sidewalls 26, 28 that are included in a carcass portion of the tire 10 onto which the tread 74 is located. An inner surface 24 of the tire 10 is located opposite the tread 74 and extends between the inner sides of the first sidewall 26 and the second sidewall 28. The container 12 is formed on the inner surface 24 and extends from the inner surface 24 towards the axis 32 in a radial direction of the tire 10 such that the container 24 is located closer to the central axis 32 than the inner surface 24.

[0028] A cross-section of the container 12 and a portion of the tire 10 is illustrated with reference to Fig. 2. The tread 74 is at the outer surface 42 of the tire 10 and resides on top of a carcass of the tire 10 that can include a number of layers that may have belts therein. The inner surface 24 of the tire 10 includes the container 12. The container 12 may be made out of the same material as that which makes up the inner surface 24, or could be made out of a different material than the inner surface 24. The container 12 may be thought of as being part of the inner surface 24 or may be thought of as being attached to the inner surface 24. This is because the container 12 could be made out of a layer or patch of cushion gum 30 that is placed onto the inner surface 24 of the green tire 10 before curing. Once cured, this layer or patch of cushion gum 30 can form the container 12 and it may be referred to as being on the inner surface 24, or may be referred to as being part of the inner surface 24 as these two descriptions are interchangeable with one another as used herein the present application. Regardless, the container 12 is integrally formed with the inner surface 24 because the container 12 is formed at the same time the inner surface 24 of the tire 10 is cured in the mold 14 and is not attached subsequent to molding of the tire 10 or inner surface 24. It is to be understood that integral formation of the container 12 includes arrangements where the container 12 is made of a different material than the tire 10 or the inner surface 24 but is attached thereto via the molding process of the tire 10.

[0029] The container 12 has an internal void into which a sensor, such as an electronic sensor, could be located. A sidewall of the container 12 extends upwards from the inner surface 24 in the radial direction of the tire 10, over 9 millimeters in some arrangements, and can be of any shape such as circular, oval, or rectangular. In other embodiments, the sidewall of the container 12 extends from 8 to 10 millimeters, from 8 to 13 millimeters, from 12 to 20 millimeters, or greater than 12 millimeters in the radial direction from the inner surface 24. The container 12 has a lip 60 that extends from the sidewall at the portion of the sidewall that is closest to the axis 32 to cover a portion of the cavity of the container 12. An opening into the interior of the container 12 is defined by the lip 60 to allow the sensor to be placed therein. As previously described, the lip 60 could be peeled up to allow insertion of the sensor and then subsequently pushed back into the Fig. 2 position to securely hold the sensor into the container 12. The container 12 may be configured so that only a single, and no more than a single, opening into the interior of the container 12 exists and faces only in the radial direction of the tire 10, and does not face in the axial direction.

[0030] Fig. 3 shows a portion of the mold 14 that can be used to cure the tire 10. The mold 14 includes a bladder 16 that has a flexible portion 18 that can be made of rubber and has an interior in fluid communication with a supply source or pressure source via a conduit (not shown). The bladder 16 is in the deflated state in Fig. 3 in which fluid 34 is not present within the interior of the flexible portion 18 sufficient to expand the flexible portion 18. The flexible portion 18 has an outer surface 36 that can expand or contract radially depending upon whether the fluid 34 is inserted therein.

[0031] Fig. 4 shows a cross-sectional view of pieces that are used to form a tire 10 with a container 12 in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the process. The insert 20 may be made of a single piece and can be made of steel. In the illustrated embodiment, however, the insert 20 is not a single piece but is instead made out of two pieces attached to one another via a fastener 76. Both pieces could be of the same material however. The two pieces when attached define a cavity 22 into which material will flow in order to mold the container 12 to a desired size and shape. The end of the insert 20 that engages the green tire 10 can be a flat surface. This end may be a convex surface in other embodiments. Also shown in Fig. 4 is a magnetic holder 40 that generates a magnetic field. The magnetic holder 40 has an end that has a flat surface that faces and engages the green tire 10. In other versions, this end can be a concave surface that engages the green tire 10. The magnetic holder 40 has a pair of gripping handles 56 that make it easier for a person or robot 44 to grasp the magnetic holder 40. With a robot 44 arm this may be helpful so that the magnetic holder 40 does not become magnetically attracted to the robot 44 arm that is manipulating and placing the magnetic holder 40. The magnetic holder 40 attracts the insert 20 so that these two pieces 20 and 40 are drawn towards one another. In so far as the magnetic holder 40 will repel the insert 20, the pieces 20 and 40 are arranged with respect to one another in the process so that their placement effects attraction of them towards one another, and not repulsion of them away from one another. Although described as being magnetic, the magnetic holder 40 could in other embodiments not be magnetic. In these embodiments, the insert 20 is magnetic and generates a magnetic field so that it attracts the non-magnetic holder 40 towards it. The pieces 20 and 40 are arranged in the process so that they are magnetically attracted to one another.

[0032] The process of molding the container 12 into the tire 10 may include providing a tire 10 that has a patch or layer of cushion gum 30 on its inner surface 24. The cushion gum 30 is not located on the outer surface 42 onto which the tread 74 will be molded. Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a green tire 10 prepared for having the container 12 molded therein. The container 12 is molded by the insert 20, and material must be available to flow into the insert 20 for this purpose. In this regard, a patch 30 is placed onto the inner surface 24 of the green tire 10. The patch 30 can be a section of uncured cushion gum, or any type of desired uncured rubber and can be applied onto the inner surface 24 in any manner. In some instances, instead of a patch 30 the cushion gum 30 can be applied as a layer of material that extends completely 360 degrees around the axis 32 on the inner surface 24. If applied as a patch 30, the patch 30 does not extend 360 degrees around the axis 32 on the inner surface 24, but is limited in location to just the area that the container 12 will be formed. The embodiment in Fig. 5 shows the cushion gum 30 as a layer, not a patch, that extends 360 degrees about the axis 32 completely around the inner surface 24. The cushion gum 30 does not extend from one sidewall 26 to the other sidewall 28, but is spaced from both of the sidewalls 26, 28 in the axial direction 38. The cushion gum 30 can be material provided into the green tire 10 for the express purpose of forming the container 12, and not material introduced into the tire 10 for purposes of forming the inner layer of the tire 10, which is generally a layer that inhibits air transfer through the tire 10. However, other embodiments are possible where the patch 30 is an entire inner layer of the tire 10 and thus makes up the inner layer of the tire 10 that is more air impermeable than the rest of the tire 10. This layer may extend all the way from one sidewall 26 to the other sidewall 28. In some instances, the patch 30 is cushion gum that is added to the inner surface 24 which is also made of cushion gum so that the layer making up the inner surface 24 is increased in thickness by 1 or 1.5 times and this extra cushion gum is profiled onto the inner surface 24 so that it does not extend across the entire width of the inner surface 24 from one sidewall 26 to the other sidewall 28. The cushion gum 30 could be a thicker portion of an inner layer of the tire 10 that makes up the inner surface 24. This layer could be laid down in the tire 10 building process and an increased section of the layer includes the cushion gum 30 that is used to mold the container 12.

[0033] Fig. 6 shows a step in the process of forming the container 12 in the tire 10. The green tire 10 may be that as previously described in Fig. 5 in that a patch or layer of cushion gum 30 may be on the inner surface 24. A transport 62 can be used to move the green tire 10 to the mold 14 for curing. Before placement into the mold 14 the insert 20 may be removably attached to the green tire 10 so that it is carried on the green tire 10. A robot 44 can be present in order to hold and move the insert 20 and the magnetic holder 40. In other embodiments, the robot 44 is not present and instead a person can move the components 20 and 40 into their desired positions. The robot 44 is shown as positioning the insert 20 inside of the tire 10 so that it directly faces the inner surface 24. The robot 44 also positions the magnetic holder 40 outside of the tire 10 so as to be proximate to and directly facing the outer surface 42. The transport 62 holds the green tire 10 so that the axis 32 extends through the center of the mold 14, and the green tire 10 is between the upper mold half 64 and the lower mold half 66 which are opened. However, this arrangement is not the case in other embodiments in which the positioning of the insert 20 and magnetic holder 40 can occur before the green tire 10 is even at the mold 14, or can occur when the mold 14 is closed such that the upper and lower mold halves 64, 66 are in contact with one another.

[0034] The next step in the process is in Fig. 7 and involves the robot 44 moving the insert 20 into engagement with the inner surface 24, and moving the magnetic holder 40 into engagement with the outer surface 42. The green tire 10 is between the parts 20 and 40, and are close enough so that the magnetic field of the magnetic holder 40 draws the insert 20 towards the magnetic holder 40. The robot 44 may release both the insert 20 and the magnetic holder 40 and the two components 20 and 40 are drawn together and pressed against the green tire 10 and held in the desired place on the green tire 10. The arms of the robot 44 may be removed from the interior of the green tire 10 and out of the way into the position illustrated in Fig. 7. The insert 20 is thus retained at a desired spot on the inner surface 24, and in particular onto and in engagement with the cushion gum 30 that was placed onto the inner surface 24.

[0035] The transport 62 may then lower the green tire 10 with the insert 20 and magnetic holder 40 into the lower mold half 66 as shown in Fig. 8. The mold 10 is still open in that the upper mold half 64 and lower mold half 66 are not in engagement with one another. Once the green tire 10 is within the lower mold half 66, the bladder 16 can be inflated by introducing fluid 34 into the interior of the bladder 16. This fluid 34 can be any type of fluid such as air, water, steam, or nitrogen. Further, the fluid 34 may be any combination of fluids such as being both water and steam, or some combination of air and nitrogen. The bladder 16 need not be fully inflated in Fig. 8 but should be inflated to such a degree that it engages the insert 20 and forces the insert 20 against the inner surface 24. The magnetic holder 40 is still engaged to the outer surface 42 while the bladder 16 is inflated and the tire 10 is within the open mold 14. [0036] The magnetic holder 40 should be removed from the mold 14 before the mold 14 is closed and the tire 10 is cured. Fig. 9 shows a subsequent step in the process in which the robot 44 moves its arm inside of the lower mold half 66 and engages the magnetic holder 40. The arm of the robot 44 can grab the magnetic holder 40, in particular the gripping handles 56 if present, and remove the magnetic holder 40 from the outer surface 42. The force of the robot 44 on the magnetic holder 40 may be strong enough to overcome the magnetic force between the insert 20 and the magnetic holder 40 so that the magnetic holder 40 is removed form the tire 10 and pulled out of the lower mold half 66 into the position shown in Fig. 9. The amount of force applied by the bladder 16 onto the insert 20 holds it onto the desired position on the inner surface 24 even when the magnetic holder 40 is removed. In this regard, the bladder 16 should be inflated so that the outer surface 36 of the flexible portion 18 of the bladder 16 engages the insert 20 before the magnetic holder 40 is removed from the tire 10. Once the insert 20 is firmly held in place by the bladder 16 the holding by the magnetic holder 40 is no longer needed and it can be moved off of the tire 10.

[0037] Once the magnetic holder 40 is removed, the mold 14 can be closed and the tire

10 can be cured. Fig. 10 shows the mold 14 in a closed position with the tire 10 therein. The bladder 16 is located within the interior portion of the mold 14 so as to be generally located inside of a mold cavity formed by the upper and lower mold halves 64, 66. The mold halves 64, 66 includes mold sectors that can move towards or away from one another in order to open up the mold 14 to allow the mold 14 to close onto the tire 10 and apply pressure to the tire 10. The mold halves 64, 66 also have elements on them that form the sidewalls 26, 28 of the tire 10. Heating elements can be located within the various sectors, or they may be otherwise heated in order to transfer heat into the tire 10 that is within the mold 14.

Although described as all being movable, it may be the case that some of the sectors are not movable while others are in fact movable to open and close the mold 14. The sectors may be movable in that they move relative to the ground onto which the mold 14 rests. The upper mold half 64 can be moved into engagement with the lower mold half 66 and the bladder 16 can be fully inflated via the fluid 34 so that the flexible portion 16 fully engages the inner surface 24 and apply an amount of pressure for curing of the tire 10. The bladder 16 thus forms an interior surface against which the tire 10 is pressed via application of pressure to the exterior of the tire 10 from the sectors of the mold halves 64, 66. [0038] The bladder 16 may also apply its own pressure to the interior of the tire 10 to cause the tire 10 to be compressed between all of the sectors. Heating elements within the various mold sectors, forming elements, or other portions of the mold 14 may be used to transfer heat into the tire 10 and container 12. Pressure applied by the mold sectors, forming elements, and by the bladder 16 causes pressure to be applied to the green tire 10 to impart the tread 74 and other architectural features into the tire 10 and to cause, with heat and time, curing of the tire 10. Additionally, the insert 20 is pressed against the cushion gum 30 and the material of the cushion gum 30 flows into the cavity 22 that is defined in the insert 20.

The cavity 22 is shaped and sized so that this material will be molded into a container 12 of an accordingly desired shape and size. All of the material of the cushion gum 30 can flow into the cavity 22, or some of the cushion gum 30 material can flow into the cavity 22 while other material of the cushion gum 30 remains on the inner surface 24 and does not flow into the cavity 22 to form the container 12. In some instances, at least 60 bar of pressure can be applied against the tire 10 so that material flows into the cavity 22. However, in other embodiments less than 60 bar of pressure is applied to the tire 10 to cause material to flow into the cavity 22 to form the container 12.

[0039] After a sufficient amount of time, the pressure in the bladder 16 can be released by venting or otherwise removing some or all of the fluid 34 from the interior of the bladder 16 so that the flexible portion 18 disengages the inner surface 24 and removes pressure on the tire 10. The tire 10, with the included container 12, may be completely cured upon the deflation of the bladder 16, or curing of these warm items 10, 12 may continue for some time after the bladder 16 is deflated and the mold halves 64, 66 opened and the tire 10 and attached container 12 removed from the mold 14. The sectors of the mold halves 64, 66 can be moved out of the closed position, and the mold halves 64, 66 may otherwise be moved away from one another to effect opening of the mold 14. Fig. 11 shows the step in the process in which the mold 14 has been opened and the cured tire 10 removed from the lower mold half 66 via the transport 62. After deflation of the bladder 16 and removal of the tire 10 from the mold 14, the insert 20 is still attached to the tire 10 due to it being retained onto now integrally formed container 12. The robot 44 is shown in Fig. 11 as positioning an arm inside of the tire 10 in preparation for removal of the insert 20. The robot 44 engages the insert 20 but has not yet removed the insert 20 from the container 12 in Fig. 11. [0040] Fig. 12 shows the next step in the process after that of Fig. 11. Here, the robot 44 pulls the insert 20 from the container 12 by applying force sufficient to pull the insert 20 off of the lip 60 of the container 12. If the lip 60 were not present, it would probably still be the case that the insert 20 would need to be demolded from the container 12. The robot 44 will move the insert 20 out of the inside of the tire 10, and the tire 10 with the now integrally formed container 12 can be moved by the transport 62 to the next station in line after curing for processing. The container 12 can thus be integrally formed with the tire 10 without the need of a separate process such as curing and gluing of the container 12 onto the tire 10 after the tire 10 is cured.

[0041] It is therefore the case that the insert 20 should be capable of being attached to the tire 10 for purposes of molding the container 12, but then also removable from the tire 10 once the container 12 is formed. The attachment mechanism of the insert 20 to the tire 10 should thus be a removable attachment. Any variety of removable attachment mechanisms can be used, and a magnetic attachment need not be used in all embodiments of the process.

In these other processes, the insert 20 may or may not be a magnetically attractive. Fig. 13 shows another way of configuring the insert 20 for removable attachment with the tire 10.

The insert 20 is again made of two pieces joined by fastener 76 and has a cavity 22 into which the container 12 can be molded. The end of the insert 20 includes an adhesive 48 that can engage the inner surface 24 to hold the insert 20 onto the inner surface 24. The tire 10 with attached insert 20 can then be loaded into the mold 14 and the bladder 16 inflated as previously discussed. The heat from the molding may cause the adhesive to dissolve, but the bladder 16 may retain the insert 20 onto the inner surface 24 at the desired location. Upon opening the mold 14 when the curing is finished, the insert 20 may be removed from the container 12 as previously discussed. If the adhesive 48 is still present it may be weakened at this stage of the process so that it will break when the insert 20 is grasped by the robot 44 and pulled from the container 12. The adhesive 48 may thus be capable of holding the insert 20 onto the tire 10 but not strong enough to remain permanently attached to the tire 10 when the container 12 is formed.

[0042] Another variation of the insert 20 illustrated in Fig. 14 in which the insert 20 is formed as one piece instead of two and as having the cavity 22 formed therein. The mechanism for releasably attaching the insert 20 to the tire 10 is a suction device 52. In this embodiment, two suction devices 52 are present, but any number of suction devices 52 could be present in other embodiments. The insert 20 is placed against the inner surface 24 and the suction devices 52 are activated to form a vacuum that draws the insert 20 against the inner surface 24 to retain the insert 20 thereon in the desired position. Once the mold 14 is opened and the bladder 16 deflated, the robot 44 can release the suction by actuating the suction devices 52. The insert 20 can then be removed from the formed container 12 by the robot 44. Alternatively, the pressing of the bladder 16 against the insert 20 when in the mold 14 may function to deactivate the suction of the suction devices 52 while at the same time holding the insert 20 into the desired position against the inner surface 24. This type of design will eliminate the need for the robot 44 to remove suction when removing the insert 20 from the container 12. In yet other embodiments, the suction generated by the suction device 52 is sufficient enough to retain the insert 20 onto the inner surface 24, but weak enough so that it can be overcome by pulling by the robot 44 when pulling the insert 20 off of the molded container 12 during demolding after cure.

[0043] Another way to make the insert 20 releasably attachable to the tire 10 is illustrated in Fig. 15 and involves an insert that has a collection of prongs 46 that extend from the end that faces and engages the tire 10. The prongs 46 may be pressed, by the robot 44, into the cushion gum 30, and in some instances may extend into/past the inner surface 24 onto which the cushion gum 30 rests and into one or more subsequent layers of the tire 10. In other embodiments, the prongs 46 only extend into the cushion gum 30 and do not go past/into the inner surface 24. The prongs 46 are projections that may or may not have points on the end. Any number of prongs 46 can be used to effect attachment, and when the insert 20 is to be removed, the robot 44 can pull the prongs 46 back out of the cushion gum 30/container 12 or out of the inner surface 24 if the prongs 46 were extended that far into the tire 10. If the holes made by the prongs 46 are not desired they can be filled in or the cushion gum 30 into which they are located can be scraped off the cured tire 10.

[0044] Another mechanism of releasably attaching the insert 20 to the tire 10 for molding the container 12 is shown in Fig. 16 and is a retaining feature 54 formed in the cushion gum 30. The retaining feature 54 can be a lip, ridge or other feature that receives the insert 20 and holds the insert 20 onto the tire 10. The retaining feature 54 may extend all the way around the perimeter of the insert 20 so that the insert 20 is in effect squeezed or pushed into the retaining feature 54 and held therein via a frictional fit. The robot 44 can grasp the insert 20 and push the insert 20 into the retaining feature 54 for securement. The container 12 can be molded and then the insert 20 can be pulled off of the container 12 and out of the retaining feature 54. The cured retaining feature 54 can be left on the cured tire 10 or can be scraped off if desired. The retaining feature 54 need not extend around the entire perimeter of the insert 20 but could only be one or two ridges/ledges that hold the insert 20. Another configuration of the retaining feature would be apertures into which edges or projections of the insert 20 are inserted in order to effect attachment.

[0045] Fig. 17 shows the inside of the tire 10 in which a square patch of cushion gum 30 is located onto the inner surface 24. The insert 20 is square shaped and tape 50 is used to secure the insert 20 to the cushion gum 30. The robot 44 can apply the tape 50, and any number of strips of tape 50 can be used, and the insert 20 need not be square shaped in accordance with other exemplary embodiments. After curing the tire 10, the robot 44 can pull the insert 20 off and the tape 50 may likewise be removed. The tape 50 may be burned or otherwise dissolved during curing or portions of it may be left on the tire 10 after the curing process.

[0046] Additional ways of releasably attaching the insert 20 to the tire 10 so that it is in a desired location for molding the container 12 are possible. For example, the cushion gum 30 itself can be a sticky material and the insert 20 can simply be pressed against a sufficient thickness of cushion gum 30 and held thereto via the natural stickiness of the material. Another way of locating the insert 20 at a desired position on the tire 10 would be through the use of gravity. Here, if the mold 14 were arranged so that the axis 32 were parallel to the ground, then a portion of the inner surface 24 would look upwards. The insert 20 could simply be placed upon this portion of the inner surface 24 and it would just sit there via gravity. A variety of mechanisms are possible in order to cause the insert 20 to be temporarily positioned at a desired spot on the green tire 10 before curing, and the manners disclosed herein are only examples of how this can be accomplished.

[0047] The described process allows for the container 12 to be built into the tire 10 using a conventional tire building process in which a solid core is not needed. The pressure of the fluid 34 within the bladder 16 may be at 16 bar in some embodiments, and the tire 10 when going into the mold 14 can be a cold green tire 10. In other embodiments, from 10 to 20 bar of pressure may be applied within the bladder 16 during the curing process when the bladder 16 is forced against the tire 10. The container 12 is formed without having to attach an insert 20 onto the bladder 16, but instead by having the insert 20 temporarily attached to the tire 10. The flexible portion 18 of the bladder 16 can be made of rubber and may be made of a different material than the insert 20. The surface that the container 12 is formed on is the inner surface 24 that is below the tread 74, and the container 12 is not formed on either one of the sidewalls 26 or 28.

[0048] While the present invention has been described in connection with certain preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the subject matter encompassed by way of the present invention is not to be limited to those specific embodiments. On the contrary, it is intended for the subject matter of the invention to include all alternatives, modifications and equivalents as can be included within the spirit and scope of the following claims.

Claims

CLAIMS What is claimed is:

1. A method of molding a tire that has a container, comprising: providing an uncured tire; providing a bladder that has a flexible portion; providing an insert that has a cavity configured for molding the container into the positioning the insert onto the uncured tire; placing the uncured tire into a mold; inflating the bladder within the mold to engage the uncured tire after positioning the insert onto the uncured tire, wherein the bladder has a fluid within the bladder; applying sufficient heat and pressure to the uncured tire to at least partially cure the tire when the uncured tire is in the mold, wherein material of the uncured tire flows into the cavity of the insert, wherein the material in the insert forms the container such that the container is integrally formed with other portions of the tire; opening the mold; and removing the insert from the container.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the uncured tire on an inner surface of the uncured tire between two sidewalls of the uncured tire has a layer of cushion gum that is the material that flows into the cavity of the insert to form the container, wherein the layer of cushion gum extends 360 degrees around an axis of the uncured tire and is spaced from and not in contact with the two sidewalls in an axial direction.

3. The method as set forth in claim 1 or 2, wherein the insert is positioned onto the uncured tire before the uncured tire and the insert are placed into the mold.

4. The method as set forth in any one of claims 1-3, wherein positioning the insert onto the uncured tire comprising placing a magnetic holder against an outer surface of the uncured tire that holds by magnetism the insert onto the uncured tire with the uncured tire between the insert and the magnetic holder.

5. The method as set forth in claim 4, wherein inflating the bladder within the mold to engage the uncured tire after positioning the insert onto the uncured tire causes the bladder to engage the insert and hold the insert against the uncured tire, wherein subsequent to holding the insert against the uncured tire by the bladder the magnetic holder is removed from the outer surface of the uncured tire; wherein subsequent to removal of the magnetic holder from the outer surface of the uncured tire the mold is closed and the applying sufficient heat and pressure to the uncured tire to at least partially cure the tire when the uncured tire is in the mold is executed.

6. The method as set forth in claim 5, wherein a robot executes the placing the magnetic holder against the outer surface of the uncured tire, wherein the robot executes the magnetic holder removal from the outer surface of the uncured tire, and wherein the robot executes the removal of the insert from the container.

7. The method as set forth in any one of claims 1-3, wherein the insert has prongs, and wherein the positioning the insert onto the uncured tire comprising inserting the prongs into the uncured tire to hold the insert onto the uncured tire.

8. The method as set forth in any one of claims 1-3, wherein the positioning the insert onto the uncured tire comprising applying adhesive to at least one of the insert and the uncured tire to hold the insert onto the uncured tire.

9. The method as set forth in any one of claims 1-3, wherein the positioning the insert onto the uncured tire comprising applying tape to the insert and the uncured tire to hold the insert onto the uncured tire.

10. The method as set forth in any one of claims 1-3, wherein the positioning the insert onto the uncured tire comprising applying suction from the insert to the uncured tire to hold the insert onto the uncured tire.

11. The method as set forth in any one of claims 1-3, wherein the positioning the insert onto the uncured tire comprising pressing the insert against the uncured tire to hold the insert onto the uncured tire via stickiness of material of the uncured tire.

12. The method as set forth in any one of claims 1-3, wherein the positioning the insert onto the uncured tire comprising retaining the insert onto a retaining feature of the uncured tire.

13. The method as set forth in any one of claims 1-3, wherein the positioning the insert onto the uncured tire comprising placing the insert onto the uncured tire such that gravity holds the insert onto the uncured tire.

14. The method as set forth in any one of claims 1-13, wherein the cavity is configured for molding a lip into the container.