Abstract: Apparatus for automating a high volume instrument (HVI) used for the classification of all Upland and American Pima cotton, including determining trash and color. A sub-sample delivery tube sub-system and a sample drum air chamber sub-system allow the HVI to receive sub-samples from an automated cotton system. A delivery tube, with an air dissipater, delivers the automated sub-sample to the HVI sample drum while an air chamber below the sample drum applies a negative air pressure to the drum. A sub-sample air-knife extraction sub-system and an autoMIC transfer tube assist sub-system allow the HVI to release automated sub-samples after the sample drum in the HVI has completed its operations on the sub-sample. An air-knife applies air jets to the sample plate of the HVI sample drum to release the sub-sample. As the sub-sample leaves the drum an air jet is actuated to push the sub-sample along a transfer tube.

Abstract: Apparatus for a cotton sampling system. The system includes a first station that provides a stream of samples to a main conveyor. The main conveyor routes the samples to a testing station that includes a sub-sampler, an automated cotton containment mechanism, an indexer, and an HVI. The conveyors include a shroud that moves samples over and under the conveyor. In this way samples that need to be retested pass to the testing station after failing the first test. The sub-sampler includes a walking beam mechanism to advance the samples into a fiber extraction mechanism. The automated cotton containment mechanism includes a gate valve and a diverter valve. The gate valve has a normal position configured to allow passage of cotton fibers, but blocking clumps. Upon detection of a clump, the diverter valve operates and the gate valve opens so that the clump is diverted to a waste receptacle.

Abstract: Apparatus for a cotton sample acquisition and tracking system. The system includes a loading station in which a pair of primary sample halves are loaded in a carrier. The primary samples are identified and transported to a sub-sample station that extracts a sub-sample from the primary sample. The sub-samples are conditioned and transported to various testing stations. The primary samples are transported via a conveyor system. The sub-samples are transported through a pneumatic system. The sub-sample station advances the primary sample against a pick drum that pulls tufts from the primary sample. The tufts flow through a cotton containment system into an indexer that collects, conditions, and routes the tufts as a sub-sample. The sub-samples are staged in a carousel for continued conditioning and storage until the test equipment is ready to process the sub-sample.

Abstract: A transfer ring suitable for use in the manufacture of vehicle tires including a skeletal cylindrical cage which houses an oscillatable circular drive member. The drive member includes a plurality of cam followers disposed about the outer perimeter thereof and which operatively engage respective camming grooves defined in each of a plurality of hinged driven links which are individually hingedly mounted internally of the cage about the outer perimeter of the cage. Each driven link includes an inboard end hinged within the cage and an outboard end having an articulating shoe mounted thereon. The shoes are interconnected to provide like simultaneous substantially equal articulative and rotational movement of the shoes radially inwardly or radially outwardly of the cage upon rotational movement of the drive member and resultant rotational movement of the hinged driven links effected through the cam followers and camming grooves of the driven links.

Abstract: Apparatus for a cotton sample acquisition and tracking system. The system includes a loading station in which a pair of primary sample halves are loaded in a carrier. The primary samples are identified and transported to a sub-sample station that extracts a sub-sample from the primary sample. The sub-samples are conditioned and transported to various testing stations. The primary samples are transported via a conveyor system. The sub-samples are transported through a pneumatic system. The sub-sample station advances the primary sample against a pick drum that pulls tufts from the primary sample. The tufts flow through a cotton containment system into an indexer that collects, conditions, and routes the tufts as a sub-sample. The sub-samples are staged in a carousel for continued conditioning and storage until the test equipment is ready to process the sub-sample.

Abstract: A transfer ring suitable for use in the manufacture of vehicle tires including a skeletal cylindrical cage which houses an oscillatable circular drive member. The drive member includes a plurality of cam followers disposed about the outer perimeter thereof and which operatively engage respective camming grooves defined in each of a plurality of hinged driven links which are individually hingedly mounted internally of the cage about the outer perimeter of the cage. Each driven link includes an inboard end hinged within the cage and an outboard end having an articulating shoe mounted thereon. The shoes are interconnected to provide like simultaneous substantially equal articulative and rotational movement of the shoes radially inwardly or radially outwardly of the cage upon rotational movement of the drive member and resultant rotational movement of the hinged driven links effected through the cam followers and camming grooves of the driven links.

Abstract: A transfer ring especially suitable for use in the manufacture of vehicle tires including a skeletal cylindrical cage which houses an oscillatable circular drive member therewithin. The drive member includes a plurality of cam followers disposed about the outer perimeter thereof and which operatively engage respective camming grooves defined in each of a plurality of hinged driven links which are individually hingedly mounted internally of the cage about the outer perimeter of the cage. Each driven link includes an inboard end hinged within the cage and an outboard end having an articulating shoe mounted thereon. The shoes on the several driven links are interconnected to provide like simultaneous substantially equal articulative and rotational movement of the shoes radially inwardly or radially outwardly of the cage upon rotational movement of the drive member and resultant rotational movement of the hinged driven links effected through the cam followers and camming grooves of the driven links.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for establishing a range of diameters of the cylindrical working surface of a drum and like devices for grasping, handling, shaping, or other like function, of round or tubular objects, such as tire carcasses and belt and tread packages as employed in the manufacture of vehicle tires. The device includes a plurality of segmented modules adapted to be quickly and releasably manually affixed to a drum or like device in a manner which establishes the range of obtainable diameters of the cylindrical working surface of the existing device. No material structural and/or operational modifications in the basic elements and/or operation of the drum are required. Rather, the existing structural and operational aspects of the existing drum are employed in combination with the present invention.

Abstract: A transfer ring especially suitable for use in the manufacture of vehicle tires including a skeletal cylindrical cage which houses an oscillatable circular drive member therewithin. The drive member includes a plurality of cam followers disposed about the outer perimeter thereof and which operatively engage respective camming grooves defined in each of a plurality of hinged driven links which are individually hingedly mounted internally of the cage about the outer perimeter of the cage. Each driven link includes an inboard end hinged within the cage and an outboard end having an articulating shoe mounted thereon. The shoes on the several driven links are interconnected to provide like simultaneous substantially equal articulative and rotational movement of the shoes radially inwardly or radially outwardly of the cage upon rotational movement of the drive member and resultant rotational movement of the hinged driven links effected through the cam followers and camming grooves of the driven links.

Abstract: In accordance with one aspect of the present invention there is provided apparatus and a method for converting circular motion to radial motion. In one embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention, a mandrel is provided which includes a generally circular tubular housing. Internally of the tubular housing there are disposed a plurality of partitions which are anchored at spaced apart locations about the toroidal dimension of the housing and which define fixed fluid-tight seals across the cross-sectional area of the housing. Within the chamber defined between adjacent ones of the partitions, there is provided a piston member, each piston member has operatively associated therewith the proximal end of a linkage adapted to convert circular motion of its piston member within the housing into radial movement of the distal end of the linkage.

Abstract: In accordance with one aspect of the present invention there is provided apparatus and a method for converting circular motion to radial motion. The present invention is particularly useful in variable diameter mandrels (drums and/or transfer rings) employed in the manufacture of vehicle tires. In one embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention, a mandrel is provided which includes a generally circular tubular housing. Internally of the tubular housing there are disposed a plurality of partitions which are anchored at spaced apart locations about the toroidal dimension of the housing and which define fixed fluid-tight seals across the cross-sectional area of the housing. Adjacent ones of the partitions define therebetween a fluid-tight chamber whose outer wall is defined by the housing wall.

Abstract: A rotatable drum useful in the manufacture of vehicle tires. A plurality of segments collectively define the outer circumferential surface of the drum. These segments are divided into two sets, one set being disposed on each of the opposite sides of a transverse center plane of the drum, the center plane being oriented normal to the rotational axis of the drum. The two sets of segments are mounted for selective positioning thereof axially of the drum from a location external of the drum to adjust the overall working width of the drum. Further, the segments are selectively positionable between expanded positions radially of the rotational axis of the drum to provide a relatively continuous circumferential outer surface of the drum for the layup of a tire carcass thereon, and collapsed positions radially of the drum to permit the removal of a formed toroidal carcass from the drum.

Abstract: A rotatable drum (10) for use in the manufacture of vehicle tires, the drum including a plurality of segments which collectively define an outer circumference (32) of the drum. The segments are divided into first and second end portions (15,17) which are individually mounted for axial and radial movement between expanded and retracted positions relative to the rotational axis (16) of the drum.

Abstract: A bearing assembly for rotatably supporting a conveyor roller tube for a belt conveyor or the like about a fixed shaft includes a housing to which a roller tube is attached, an end cover positioned on the fixed shaft adjacent one side of the housing, and a bearing interposed between the housing and end cover permitting rotation of the housing relative to the end cover. The housing and end cover cooperate with the bearing in a manner facilitating the assembly of the bearing assembly and preventing axial shifting of the assembly components relative to one another when assembled.