Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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LASER HIGH-SPEED TYRE CLEANING DEVICE
TECHNICAL FIELD
The subject matter disclosed herein relates to the field of tyre cleaning
devices.
BACKGROUND
EP 2 674 287 B1 discloses a method for applying a self-sealing puncture
protection layer on the inner side of the tyre of a pneumatic vehicle tyre
with
the steps a) arranging a finished vulcanized tyre in a cleaning device,
wherein
lubricant residues adhere to the tyre inner side as a result of the
vulcanization,
b) arranging a laser optics with a holding device in the cleaning device,
wherein the laser beam of the laser optics can be aligned with the tyre inner
side, c) activating the laser beam, wherein the laser beam directed onto the
inner side of the tyre penetrates at least partially through the lubricant
residues and detaches the adhering lubricant residues from the surface of the
inner side of the tyre by way of the irradiation with energy and a thermal
heating of the surface, wherein the lubricant residues are transformed into a
powdery state at the same time as they are detached from the inner side of
the tyre, wherein the laser beam has a linear projection directed onto the
inner side of the tyre, wherein the inner side of the tyre is irradiated with
the
linear laser beam substantially between the tyre shoulders, d) extracting the
powdered lubricant residues with a suction device, and e) applying a self-
sealing puncture protection layer on the inner side of the tyre of the
pneumatic vehicle tyre which has been cleaned of lubricant residues.
MS:bm
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SUMMARY
In view of the situation described above, there is a need for a technique that
enables tyre cleaning with improved characteristics.
This need is met by the subject matter of the independent patent claims.
Advantageous embodiments are indicated in the dependent patent claims.
According to the first aspect of the subject matter disclosed herein, a device
is
disclosed, in particular a tyre cleaning device for cleaning an inner surface
of a
tyre by means of laser radiation.
According to embodiments of the first aspect, a tyre cleaning device for
cleaning an inner surface of a tyre by means of laser radiation is disclosed,
the
tyre cleaning device comprising: a positioning device configured to position a
tyre having an inner surface and defining a circumferential direction and a
tyre
rotation axis; a cleaning head configured to position a radiation path and
emit
a laser beam along the radiation path onto the inner surface of the tyre; a
control device configured to move the radiation path and the inner surface
relative to each other; wherein a relative movement of an intersection point
of
the radiation path with the inner surface defines a positioning path across
the
inner surface of the tyre and a speed (velocity) along the positioning path;
wherein along the positioning path the average speed of the intersection point
in the circumferential direction is more than 5 m/s.
According to the second aspect of the subject matter disclosed herein, a tyre
cleaning system is disclosed.
According to embodiments of the second aspect, a tyre cleaning system is
disclosed, the tyre cleaning system comprising: a tyre cleaning device
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according to the first aspect or an embodiment thereof; and a laser source for
generating the laser beam.
According to the third aspect of the subject matter disclosed herein, a tyre
is
disclosed.
According to embodiments of the third aspect, a tyre having an inner surface
is disclosed, wherein the inner surface is cleaned by means of a tyre cleaning
device according to the first aspect or an embodiment thereof.
According to the fourth aspect of the subject matter disclosed herein, a
method for cleaning a tyre is disclosed.
According to embodiments of the fourth aspect, the method comprises:
positioning a tyre having an inner surface and defining a circumferential
direction and a tyre rotation axis; positioning a radiation path and emitting
a
laser beam along the radiation path onto the inner surface of the tyre; moving
the radiation path and the inner surface relative to each other; wherein a
relative movement of an intersection point of the radiation path with the
inner
surface defines a positioning path across the inner surface of the tyre and a
speed along the positioning path; wherein along the positioning path the
average speed of the intersection point in the circumferential direction is
more
than 5 m/s.
According to the fifth aspect of the subject matter disclosed herein, a
computer program product is disclosed, in particular a non-transient computer
program product, comprising a program element.
According to embodiments of the fifth aspect, a computer program product is
disclosed, in particular a non-transient computer program product, comprising
a program element, the computer program product being arranged to execute
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a method according to the fourth aspect or an embodiment thereof when the
program element is executed on a processor device.
Various aspects and embodiments of the subject matter disclosed herein are
based on the idea that an efficiency of a cleaning method can be increased by
selecting a high average speed of the relative movement between the
radiation path and the inner surface in the circumferential direction of the
tyre.
Furthermore, embodiments of the subject matter disclosed herein allow for a
high relative speed between the radiation path and the inner surface. The high
relative speed, in turn, allows the use of a laser (also referred to herein as
a
laser source) having a high average power. Typically, high average powers are
achieved by high pulse frequencies. The pulse energy (energy per laser pulse)
cannot be increased arbitrarily, as otherwise undesirable multi-photon
absorption occurs in the beam path of the laser (in particular in optical
fibres
such as a glass fibre).
Lasers having a higher power typically have a better (higher) power/cost
ratio.
Thus, embodiments of the subject matter disclosed herein allow for a more
efficient cleaning of the inner surface of a tyre.
Furthermore, according to embodiments of the subject matter disclosed
herein, the number of reversal points (in which the direction of relative
movement between the radiation path and the inner surface is changed) or
stopping points or a measure of step distances (in which no laser radiation is
emitted onto the inner surface) is reduced compared to conventional
approaches.
According to an embodiment, the average speed of the relative movement
between the radiation path and the inner surface in the circumferential
direction of the tyre can be selected to be large, for example, by reducing
the
number of changes in direction of the positioning path and or the amount of
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the change in direction. This is because a change in direction provides a
limit
for the speed during the change in direction, as otherwise the accelerations
and the loads on the mechanical components would become too high.
According to an embodiment, cleaning the inner surface of a tyre comprises
removing release agent from the inner surface. A release agent is typically
necessary to prevent the tyre from sticking to the tyre bladder used to press
the tyre into the tyre mould during vulcanisation. Removal of the release
agent is necessary in order to apply functional elements to the inner surface
of
the tyre, for example a noise reducing material and/or components that
increase the functionality of the tyre (for example pressure sensors, etc.).
According to embodiments of the first aspect, the tyre cleaning device is
configured to provide the functionality of one or more of the embodiments
disclosed herein and/or to provide the functionality as required for one or
more of the embodiments disclosed herein, in particular the embodiments of
the first, second, third, fourth and/or fifth aspects.
According to embodiments of the second aspect, the tyre cleaning system is
configured to provide the functionality of one or more of the embodiments
disclosed herein and/or to provide the functionality as required for one or
more of the embodiments disclosed herein, in particular the embodiments of
the first, second, third, fourth and/or fifth aspects.
According to embodiments of the third aspect, the tyre is configured to
provide the functionality of one or more of the embodiments disclosed herein
and/or to provide the functionality as required for one or more of the
embodiments disclosed herein, in particular the embodiments of the first,
second, third, fourth and/or fifth aspects.
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According to embodiments of the fourth aspect, the method is configured to
provide the functionality of one or more of the embodiments disclosed herein
and/or to provide the functionality as required for one or more of the
embodiments disclosed herein, in particular the embodiments of the first,
second, third, fourth and/or fifth aspect.
According to embodiments of the fifth aspect, the computer program product
is adapted to provide the functionality of one or more of the embodiments
disclosed herein and/or to provide the functionality as required for one or
.. more of the embodiments disclosed herein, in particular the embodiments of
the first, second, third, fourth and/or fifth aspects.
Further advantages and features of the subject matter disclosed herein is
evident from the following exemplary description of currently preferred
embodiments, to which, however, the present disclosure is not limited. The
individual figures of the drawings of this application are to be regarded as
merely schematic and not necessarily to scale.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 schematically shows a tyre cleaning system according to embodiments
of the subject matter disclosed herein.
Fig. 2 shows a part of the tyre cleaning system from Fig. 1 in a top view.
Fig. 3 shows an inner surface of a tyre according to embodiments of the
subject matter disclosed herein.
Fig. 4 shows another inner surface of a tyre according to embodiments of the
subject matter disclosed herein.
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Fig. 5 shows another inner surface of a tyre according to embodiments of the
subject matter disclosed herein.
Fig. 6 shows another inner surface of a tyre according to embodiments of the
subject matter disclosed herein.
Fig. 7 shows a tyre cleaning system according to embodiments of the subject
matter disclosed herein.
Fig. 8 shows another tyre cleaning system according to embodiments of the
subject matter disclosed herein.
DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS
In the following, exemplary embodiments of the subject matter disclosed
herein are described, wherein reference is made for example to a tyre cleaning
device, a tyre cleaning system, a tyre, a method and a computer program
product. It should be emphasised that any combination of features of different
aspects, embodiments and examples is of course possible. In particular, some
embodiments are described with reference to a method or a computer
program product, while other embodiments are described with reference to a
tyre cleaning device, a tyre cleaning system or a tyre. However, it will be
understood by those skilled in the art from the foregoing and subsequent
description, claims and drawings that, unless otherwise indicated, features of
different aspects, embodiments and examples may be combined and such
combinations of features are to be considered as disclosed by this
application.
For example, even a feature relating to a method or computer program
product is combinable with a feature relating to a tyre cleaning device, a
tyre
cleaning system or a tyre, and vice versa. Further, a feature of an
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embodiment relating to a tyre cleaning device, a tyre cleaning system or a
tyre is combinable with a corresponding feature relating to a method or a
computer program product. With the disclosure of a method, an embodiment
of a method or a function, one or more actuators as well as a functionality of
a
control device cooperating with the actuators are also to be regarded as
disclosed, which are designed to execute the method or the function.
Furthermore, with the disclosure of a function of a device, a corresponding
method which defines the function without device features is to be regarded as
disclosed.
As used herein, a reference to the computer program product having a
program element is equivalent to a reference to the program element and/or a
computer-readable medium containing a program element, wherein the
program element is arranged to control the processing device (for instance a
computer system) to effect and/or coordinate the execution of one or more of
the methods described above.
The program element may be implemented as a computer-readable instruction
code using any suitable programming language, such as, for example, JAVA,
C#, etc., and may be stored on a computer-readable medium (removable disc,
volatile or non-volatile memory, embedded memory/processor, etc.). The
instruction code is operable to program a computer or any other
programmable processor device to execute the intended functions. The
program element may be available from a network, for example the
World WideWeb, from which it may be downloaded.
The subject matter disclosed herein may be realised by means of a program
element or software. However, the subject matter disclosed herein may also
be realised by means of one or more specific electronic circuits or hardware.
Furthermore, the subject matter disclosed herein may also be realised in
hybrid form, i.e. in a combination of software modules and hardware modules.
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Unless otherwise specified, numerical values are to be understood including a
A) window, i.e., for example, according to an embodiment, an indication
of speed of 5 m/s comprises a speed within an interval of (5 5 WO m/s =
5 [4.75 m/s; 5.25 m/s] and, according to an embodiment, an indication of
percentage of 50 A) comprises an indication of percentage within an interval
of
50 A) 5 A) = [47.5 %; 52.5 'M. According to another embodiment,
numerical values are to be understood including a 10 A) window.
According to an embodiment, a tyre cleaning device for cleaning an inner
surface of a tyre by means of laser radiation is disclosed. According to an
embodiment, the tyre cleaning device comprises a positioning device
configured to position a tyre, the tyre having an inner surface and defining a
circumferential direction and a tyre rotation axis. According to an
embodiment,
the tyre cleaning device comprises a cleaning head configured to position a
radiation path and emit a laser beam along the radiation path onto the inner
surface of the tyre. According to another embodiment, the tyre cleaning device
comprises a control device configured to move the radiation path and the
inner surface relative to each other. According to an embodiment, a relative
movement of an intersection point of the radiation path with the inner surface
defines a positioning path across the inner surface of the tyre and a speed
along the positioning path. According to another embodiment, the average
speed of the intersection point in the circumferential direction is more than
5
m/s along the positioning path. This speed value thus defines a lower speed
limit for the average speed of the intersection point in the circumferential
direction according to embodiments of the subject matter disclosed herein.
According to an embodiment, the average speed of the intersection point in
the circumferential direction is, for example, more than 5 m/s, more than 10
m/s, more than 15 m/s, more than 20 m/s or, according to yet another
embodiment, more than 25 m/s.
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Accordingly, according to an embodiment, a method comprises one or more of
the following embodiments. According to an embodiment, the method
comprises positioning a tyre, the tyre having an inner surface and defining a
circumferential direction and a tyre rotation axis. According to another
embodiment, the method comprises positioning a radiation path and emitting
a laser beam along the radiation path onto the inner surface of the tyre.
According to an embodiment, the method comprises moving the radiation path
and the inner surface relative to each other. According to another
embodiment, a relative movement of an intersection point of the radiation
path with the inner surface defines a positioning path across the inner
surface
of the tyre and a speed along the positioning path. According to another
embodiment, the average speed of the intersection point in the circumferential
direction is more than a lower speed limit disclosed herein, for example more
than 5 m/s, along the positioning path.
The tyre rotation axis is the axis around or about which the tyre rotates
during
use. The tyre rotation axis can therefore also be referred to as the
functional
axis. The circumferential direction extends perpendicular to the tyre rotation
axis of the tyre.
According to an embodiment, the cleaning is a removal of release agent
residues from the production process of the tyre. According to another
embodiment, the cleaning involves removing a part of the rubber from the
inner surface of the tyre and/or roughening or enlarging the surface.
According to an embodiment, the inner surface is an inner surface that is
arranged facing away from the profile or tread of the tyre. According to
another embodiment, the inner surface is the inner surface of a sidewall of
the
tyre.
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According to an embodiment, the average speed of the intersection point with
respect to the inner surface in the circumferential direction is defined over
a
time interval (i.e. the speed of the intersection point with respect to the
inner
surface is averaged over the time interval). For example, according to an
embodiment, the time interval is defined by the cycle time of the cleaning of
the tyre, i.e. from the start of a feed of the tyre to the start of the feed
of the
next tyre. According to another embodiment, the time interval is defined by a
cleaning time of the inner surface from the first laser contact to the last
laser
contact with this tyre. According to another embodiment, the time interval is
defined by a cleaning time of an (arbitrary) partial area of the inner
surface,
for example a partial area > 10 cm2. According to another embodiment, the
time interval is defined by a predetermined period of time, for example a time
period of 20 seconds (20 s). According to another embodiment, the
predetermined time period is 10 s (or 5 s; or 2 s), or, according to yet
another
.. embodiment, 1 s. According to yet another embodiment, the predetermined
time period is at least 0.1 s; 0.3 s; 0.5 s; or, according to another
embodiment, 0.9 s. According to yet another embodiment, the time interval is
defined by a rotation of the radiation path and the inner surface relative to
each other by 360 degrees.
According to an embodiment, at least 50 A) of the relative movement is
generated by rotation of at least one rotatable element. According to a
further
embodiment, at least 70 A), or in another embodiment, at least 90 A), of the
relative movement is generated by rotation of at least one rotatable element.
According to a further embodiment, the at least one rotatable element
comprises at least one of the following elements: the tyre; the radiation
path;
an optical element. For example, according to an embodiment, the relative
movement may be generated at least in part by rotation of the tyre and/or
rotation of the radiation path. According to a further embodiment, the
relative
movement is partially generated by a linear movement of at least one
element. For example, the relative movement may be partially generated by a
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linear movement of the cleaning head and/or the tyre. According to an
embodiment, the linear movement is parallel to the tyre rotation axis or at an
inclination angle to the tyre rotation axis. According to an embodiment, the
inclination angle is at most 45 degrees, for example at most 30 degrees or at
most 20 degrees. For example, according to an embodiment, it may be
provided that the cleaning head is configured for a linear movement and that
the positioning device is configured for rotating the tyre about the tyre
rotation axis. In this way, a scanner that pivots the radiation path within a
scan range is not required. The absence of a scanner simplifies the
construction of the tyre cleaning device while at the same time, according to
embodiments of the subject matter disclosed herein, a high cleaning speed
can be achieved. Accordingly, according to an embodiment, the radiation path
is not pivotable. According to an embodiment, a movability of the radiation
path (if any) comprises only a rotatability or a linear movability. A linear
movement of the radiation path (for example, by linear movement of the
cleaning head) can simplify extraction removal by suction of contaminants
adjacent to the radiation path (or the cleaning head) compared to an
embodiment in which the cleaning head is rotated.
According to an embodiment, the positioning path defines at each point (of the
positioning path) a path direction along the positioning path, the path
direction
having a first directional portion in the circumferential direction and a
second
directional portion parallel to the tyre rotation axis. In other words, the
vector
defining the path direction at a point along the positioning path is
decomposable into the first directional portion in the circumferential
direction
and the second directional portion parallel to the tyre rotation axis.
Generally,
a vector defining the path direction at a point of the positioning path in
three
dimensions is fully defined by the first directional portion in the
circumferential
direction, the second directional portion parallel to the tyre axis and a
third
directional portion in the radial direction (perpendicular to the tyre
rotation
axis and perpendicular to the circumferential direction). The second
directional
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portion may also be referred to as the axial directional portion and the third
directional portion may also be referred to as the radial directional portion.
According to an embodiment, an inner surface which is arranged opposite the
tread of the tyre may be approximately describable by a cylindrical surface,
so
that in this case the third directional portion in the radial direction is
zero or at
least relatively small. For an inner surface, which is arranged at the tyre
sidewalls, the third directional portion in radial direction is different from
zero
at least for partial sections of the positioning path. However, in accordance
with an embodiment, the first directional portion and the second directional
portion are defined in each case, independent of the amount of the third
directional portion.
According to an embodiment, the path direction in a point of the positioning
path is defined by the tangent to the positioning path through this point.
According to an embodiment, for at least 50 A) of the positioning path, the
first directional portion is greater than the second directional portion. For
example, according to an embodiment, for at least 70 A) (or, according to
another embodiment, for at least 80 A) or for at least 90 WO of the
positioning
path, the first directional portion is greater than the second directional
portion.
According to an embodiment, at the indicated percentage (for example, for at
least 50 A) or for at least 70 A) of the positioning path), the first
directional
portion in the circumferential direction of the tyre is at least twice as
large (or,
according to another embodiment, at least three times as large) as the second
directional portion parallel to the tyre rotation axis.
According to an embodiment, the second directional portion is zero for at
least
part of the positioning path (i.e. this part of the positioning path extends
in
the circumferential direction).
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According to an embodiment, the laser beam generates a plurality of laser
spots on the positioning path. According to another embodiment, each laser
spot of the plurality of laser spots on the inner surface generates one
processing spot on the inner surface. For example, according to an
embodiment, the laser spot cleans the inner surface, thereby generating the
processing spot.
According to an embodiment, several successive processing spots (in
particular temporally successive processing spots) on the inner surface of the
tyre define a processing path along which the inner surface is cleaned.
According to an embodiment, the processing path runs at least in sections in
parallel circular paths and/or the processing path runs at least in sections
helically. For example, according to an embodiment, the processing path has a
rectilinear section and a transverse section that runs obliquely to the
rectilinear section. For example, the rectilinear section may be a (parallel)
circular path. Generally, according to an embodiment, the processing path has
two or more parallel sections. For example, according to an embodiment, the
transverse section bridges a path difference between adjacent parallel
circular
paths. According to an embodiment, the transverse section may extend with
.. respect to the tyre rotation axis over an angular range (i.e. over an
angular
segment) of at least 10 degrees, for example at least 20 degrees, at least 30
degrees, or at least 50 degrees. In this sense, a transverse section extending
over 360 degrees corresponds to a helical processing path. According to an
embodiment, the angular range is at most 180 degrees, for example at most
120 degrees or at most 90 degrees. The greater the angular range, the lower
the gradient in the transverse section and the lower the mechanical stresses
on parts of the tyre cleaning device when changing from a first parallel
circular
path to an adjacent second parallel circular path. According to an embodiment,
it may be provided that the transverse section may intersect (i.e. overlap
with) at least one parallel circular path.
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According to an embodiment, the plurality of laser spots is a proper subset of
all laser spots generated on the positioning path, i.e. the plurality of laser
spots does not comprise all laser spots generated on the positioning path.
According to an embodiment, the laser beam generates a plurality of laser
spots on the positioning path, wherein adjacent laser spots overlap each
other.
According to a further embodiment, (any) two adjacent laser spots overlap
along a first direction over a length that is 0 A), 50 A), 67 A), 75 A),
80 A) or
90 A) of the extent of one of the laser spots in the first direction. For the
indicated numerical values, a homogeneous ablation (homogeneous cleaning)
is achieved. In other words, for the indicated numerical values, the inner
surface along the first direction is homogeneously illuminated with a certain
number of laser spots. For example, for an overlap of 50 A) (overlap 1/2),
the
inner surface (or each part of the inner surface) along the first direction is
illuminated twice with a laser spot, and for 67 A) (overlap 2/3) three times.
According to an embodiment, the laser spots adjacent in the first direction
are
temporally successive laser spots. According to another embodiment, the laser
spots adjacent in the first direction are laser spots that overlap in a
direction
parallel to the tyre rotation axis (i.e. in the axial direction). According to
an
embodiment, laser spots overlap both along the positioning path and
transversely (for example perpendicularly) to the positioning path, for
example
in the circumferential direction and in the axial direction. For example,
according to an embodiment, it may be provided that the overlap along the
positioning path is 67 A) and the overlap perpendicular to the positioning
path
is also 67 A), whereby the overlapping areas are illuminated a total of nine
times with a laser spot.
According to an embodiment, at least a part of the laser spots adjacent in the
direction of the tyre rotation axis are displaced from each other in the
circumferential direction of the tyre by more than 10 A) of their extension
in
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the circumferential direction. According to a further embodiment, the
displacement of axially adjacent laser spots in the circumferential direction
is
at least 15 A) (or in yet another embodiment, at least 20 WO of the extension
of the processing spots in the circumferential direction.
The overlap is defined within the usual tolerances, for example with an
accuracy of 5 percentage points. For example, an overlap of 50 A) within
the
tolerance includes an overlap in the range between 45 A) and 55 %. According
to another embodiment, the tolerance is 10 percentage points, in particular
with an overlap range of 0 A) (i.e. when the adjacent (in the first
direction)
laser spots are directly adjacent to each other).
According to an embodiment, 50 A) of all laser spots have a corresponding
overlap with (at least) one adjacent laser spot.
According to an embodiment, the first direction runs along the positioning
path. For example, according to an embodiment, the two adjacent laser spots
are temporally immediately successive laser spots and the first direction
corresponds to the direction of a distance vector between two temporally
immediately successive laser spots. According to another embodiment, the
first direction is defined by the direction of a distance vector between two
adjacent laser spots that are not immediately consecutive in time, for example
two laser spots that are adjacent in the direction of the tyre rotation axis.
According to an embodiment, the laser beam generates the plurality of laser
spots / processing spots one after the other in time. According to an
embodiment, the plurality of laser spots is generated by using a pulsed laser.
In this case, the pulse overlap of two temporally successive laser spots is
defined by the pulse frequency of the laser, the size of the laser spot and
the
relative speed between the intersection point (intersection point of the
radiation path with the inner surface of the tyre) and the inner surface of
the
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tyre. According to a further embodiment, the laser is at least temporarily
switched off by the control device or blocked by a shutter and the overlap is
defined by the time of switching on the laser / opening the shutter.
According to an embodiment, the laser spots (i.e. the spots of the laser beam)
define processing spots (i.e. surface areas) on the inner surface in which the
inner surface is processed (cleaned). In this sense, the part of the
positioning
path in which the laser beam was emitted onto the inner surface defines a
processing path along which the inner surface was processed. The path
direction of the processing path therefore coincides at least in partial areas
(for example, except at stopping or settling points) with the respective path
direction of the positioning path.
According to an embodiment, the laser beam is emitted onto the inner surface
.. over 100 A) of the positioning path or, according to another embodiment,
only
over at least 95 A) (or at least 90 A) or, according to yet another
embodiment,
at least 80 WO of the positioning path. In areas of the positioning path where
the laser beam is not emitted, the laser may be switched off for example or
the laser beam may be blocked by a shutter. In other words, according to an
embodiment, the positioning path and the processing path are 100 A)
identical. According to the corresponding other embodiments, the positioning
path and the processing path are at least 95 A), at least 90 A) and at least
80
A) identical, respectively.
According to an embodiment, the positioning device is configured to rotate the
tyre and the control device is configured to cause the relative movement of
the intersection point at least in part by rotating the tyre about its axis of
rotation.
According to an embodiment, the cleaning head is configured to rotate the
radiation path. For example, according to an embodiment, the cleaning head
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has at least one rotatable optical element. According to another embodiment,
the cleaning head is rotatable to thereby rotate the radiation path. According
to an embodiment, the control device is configured to cause the relative
movement of the intersection point at least in part by rotating the radiation
path, in particular by rotating the radiation path about the tyre rotation
axis.
According to an embodiment, the cleaning head comprises a beam emitting
element (e.g. an optical element) from which the radiation path extends in a
straight line to the inner surface.
According to an embodiment, the beam emitting element is rotatable.
According to another embodiment, the beam emitting element is arranged
rotationally fixed with respect to the cleaning head and is rotated together
with the cleaning head. According to a further embodiment, the beam emitting
element is rotatably arranged with respect to the cleaning head.
According to an embodiment, the tyre cleaning device has a compensation
element which compensates for a rotation of the laser beam about its central
axis generated by the rotation of the radiation path. In other words, the
compensation element compensates for a rotation of the laser spot around the
central axis of the laser beam (or around the central axis of the radiation
path
or around the centre of the laser spot).
According to a further embodiment, the compensation element is arranged in
a radiation path of the laser beam (in particular between a laser source and
the beam emitting element). For example, the compensation element
comprises at least one (further) rotating optical element. According to an
embodiment, the compensation element is a Dove prism or, according to
another embodiment, for example an array of 2n+1 serial mirrors, where n is
a natural number. According to an embodiment, if the beam emitting element
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is a rotating optical element, the compensation element rotates at half or
twice the angular velocity of the rotating beam emitting element.
According to an embodiment, more than 90 A) of the relative movement of the
intersection point results from (is caused by) the rotation of the tyre and/or
the rotation of the radiation path (for example, about an axis parallel to the
tyre rotation axis or an axis inclined by less than 10 degrees with respect to
the tyre rotation axis). According to another embodiment, more than 80 A)
(or, according to another embodiment, more than 95 WO of the relative
movement of the intersection point results from the rotation of the tyre
and/or
from the rotation of the radiation path. According to an embodiment, the
rotation of the tyre and/or the rotation of the radiation path takes place
about
the tyre rotation axis.
.. According to an embodiment, the cleaning device has a suction device for
sucking off impurities resulting from the cleaning of the tyre. According to
another embodiment, the suction device has a suction opening through which
the impurities are sucked off. According to an embodiment, the suction
opening is positioned adjacent to the intersection point of the radiation path
with the inner surface. For example, according to an embodiment, the suction
opening tracks or follows the intersection point of the radiation path with
the
inner surface. For example, the suction opening may be positioned adjacent to
the cleaning head and may be movable with the cleaning head. According to a
further embodiment, the suction device can be designed to suck off the entire
inner space of the tyre (which is defined in particular by the inner surface
of
the tyre). According to an embodiment, a volume flow of the suction device is
adapted to the position and/or the size of the suction opening.
According to an embodiment, the laser beam is a pulsed laser beam.
According to another embodiment, the laser beam has an average power of at
least 500 watts (500 W). According to another embodiment, the laser beam
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has an average power of at least 1000 W. According to an embodiment, the
laser beam is a pulsed laser beam with a pulse frequency between 1 kHz and
1000 kHz at an average power between 1 kW and 10 kW. For example,
according to an embodiment, the pulse frequency is between 10 kHz and 300
kHz at an average power between 1 kW and 3 kW, for example 2 kW.
According to another embodiment, the pulse frequency is between 30 kHz and
500 kHz at an average power between 3 kW to 5 kW, for example 4 kW.
According to an embodiment, the fluence (per pulse) is between 1
joule/square centimetre (J/cm2) to 3 J/cm2, for example between 1.5 J/cm2
and 2.5 J/cm2. The speed of the intersection point depends on the laser
parameters used (power, pulse overlap and fluence). For example, at 2000 W
power, the speed of the intersection point according to an embodiment is in
the range of from 10 m/s to 25 m/s. At 1000 W, the speed of the intersection
point is in the range of from 5 m/s to 12.5 m/s.
According to an embodiment, the laser spot is a rectangular laser spot, in
particular a rectangular laser spot having a longer side and a shorter side,
the
longer side having a dimension (length) that is at least 1.5 times the
dimension of the shorter side (width) of the laser spot. The shape of the
laser
spot (or the cross-sectional shape of the laser beam) can be defined, for
example, by a fibre with a corresponding fibre cross-section.
According to an embodiment, the laser spot is a rectangular laser spot and for
at least 70 A) of the positioning path, the path direction forms an angle
between 80 and 100 , in particular an angle of 90 , with one side of the
rectangular laser spot. In an embodiment in which the rectangular laser spot
has a longer side and a shorter side, according to a further embodiment, the
path direction forms an angle of between 80 and 100 , in particular an angle
of 90 , with the longer side of the rectangular laser spot.
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According to an embodiment, for at least 80 A) of the positioning path, the
path direction forms an angle of between 800 and 1000, in particular an angle
of 900, with one side (for example the longer side) of the rectangular laser
spot.
A rectangular laser spot, which has a longer side and a shorter side, wherein
the longer side forms an angle of between 80 degrees and 100 degrees with
the path direction, has the advantage that a certain overlap of adjacent laser
pulses is possible in the path direction, even with a relatively low relative
speed between the intersection point and the inner surface.
According to an embodiment, the tyre cleaning device is a separate tyre
cleaning device which is distributed without a laser source and which can be
coupled to an external laser source.
According to an embodiment, a tyre cleaning system comprises a tyre cleaning
device according to one or more of the embodiments disclosed herein.
According to another embodiment, the tyre cleaning system comprises a laser
source for generating the laser beam. According to an embodiment, the laser
source is interchangeably arranged in the tyre cleaning system.
According to an embodiment, the tyre cleaning system further comprises (at
least) one further tyre cleaning device according to one or more of the
embodiments disclosed herein and a switching device. According to an
embodiment, the switching device is adapted to alternatively supply the laser
beam to the tyre cleaning device (for example, a first tyre cleaning device)
or
to the (or one of the at least one) further tyre cleaning device (for example,
a
second tyre cleaning device). By means of the switching device, the power of
the laser source may be efficiently distributed to the first and the second
cleaning device (and, if applicable, further tyre cleaning device). For
example,
it may be provided that while the first cleaning device is cleaning a first
tyre, a
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second tyre is positioned in the second cleaning device and after cleaning the
first tyre, the laser source is switched to the second cleaning device (swing
operation). The swing operation becomes more economical the shorter the
cleaning times become compared to the positioning times. A switching device
therefore becomes particularly useful in the implementation of embodiments
of the subject matter disclosed herein, which shorten a cleaning time
compared to conventional solutions and thereby the time required for
positioning the tyre in the cleaning device becomes relevant for the entire
cleaning cycle, which comprises in particular the positioning of the tyre as
well
as the cleaning of the inner surface of the tyre.
According to an embodiment, the cleaning device or the cleaning system
comprises at least one actuator which, in response to control signals from the
control device, causes movement and/or positioning of elements according to
embodiments of the subject matter disclosed herein.
According to an embodiment, the control device comprises a memory device
for storing a program element according to embodiments of the subject matter
disclosed herein. Further, according to an embodiment, the control device
comprises a processor device adapted to execute the program element (or to
execute instructions contained in the program element).
An aspect of the subject matter disclosed herein relates to a tyre having an
inner surface that is cleaned in accordance with embodiments of the subject
.. matter disclosed herein.
According to an embodiment, a tyre having an inner surface is provided,
wherein the inner surface is cleaned by means of a tyre cleaning device
according to one or more embodiments of the subject matter disclosed herein.
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According to an embodiment, the tyre has a processing path along which the
inner surface is cleaned.
According to an embodiment, the processing path defines at each point (of the
processing path) a path direction along the processing path, the path
direction
having a first directional portion in the circumferential direction and a
second
directional portion parallel to the tyre rotation axis. According to an
embodiment, for at least 70 % of the processing path, the first directional
portion is greater than the second directional portion. According to an
embodiment, for at least 70 % of the processing path, the first directional
portion is at least twice as large as the second directional portion.
According to
another embodiment, for at least 70 % of the processing path, the first
directional portion is at least three times as large as the second directional
portion. According to other embodiments, the above specification of the first
and the second directional portion applies to at least 80 % of the processing
path or, according to a further embodiment, to 90 % of the processing path.
According to an embodiment, the above explanations regarding the path
direction of the positioning path apply accordingly.
According to an embodiment, the processing path comprises a plurality of
processing spots, wherein adjacent processing spots overlap each other.
According to a further embodiment, any two adjacent processing spots overlap
along a first direction over a length that is 0 %, 50 %, 67 %, 75 %, 80 % or
90 % of the extent of one of the processing spots in the first direction.
According to an embodiment, the processing path runs at least in sections in
parallel circular paths and/or the processing path runs at least in sections
helically.
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According to an embodiment, the processing spot is a rectangular processing
spot. According to another embodiment, for at least 90 A) of the processing
path, the path direction forms an angle of between 800 and 1000, in particular
an angle of 900, with one side of the rectangular processing spot. According
to
a further embodiment, the rectangular processing spot has a longer side and a
shorter side and the path direction forms an angle of between 80 and 100 ,
in particular an angle of 90 , with the longer side of the rectangular
processing
spot.
According to an embodiment, processing spots adjacent in the direction of the
tyre rotation axis are displaced from each other in the circumferential
direction
of the tyre by more than 10 A) of their extension in the circumferential
direction. According to a further embodiment, the displacement in the
circumferential direction is at least 15 A) (or in yet another embodiment, at
least 20 WO of the extension of the processing spots in the circumferential
direction.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
In the following, exemplary embodiments of the subject matter disclosed
herein are described with reference to the drawings. It is noted that in
different figures similar or identical elements or components are sometimes
provided with the same reference numbers, or with reference numbers
differing only in the first digit and/or an appended digit. Features or
components which are identical or at least functionally identical to the
corresponding features or components in another figure are described in detail
only on their first occurrence in the following text and the description is
not
repeated on subsequent occurrences of these features and components (or the
corresponding reference numbers). According to an embodiment, the above
definitions apply to subsequent embodiments, and vice versa. Furthermore,
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the features and embodiments described above can be combined with the
features and embodiments described below.
Fig. 1 schematically shows a tyre cleaning system 100 according to
embodiments of the subject matter disclosed herein.
According to an embodiment, the tyre cleaning system 100 comprises a tyre
cleaning device 102 and a laser source 104. The tyre cleaning device 102
comprises a positioning device 106 configured to position a tyre 108. The tyre
108 defines a tyre rotation axis 110. The tyre cleaning device 102 further
comprises a cleaning head 112 configured to position a radiation path 114 and
emit a laser beam 116 along the radiation path 114 onto an inner surface 118
of the tyre 108. For this purpose, the cleaning head 112 is optically coupled
to
the laser source 104, indicated at 119.
The tyre cleaning device 102 further comprises a control device 120
configured to move the radiation path 114 and the inner surface 118 relative
to each other. For this purpose, according to an embodiment, the control
device 120 may be controllably connected to a first actuator 122. According to
an embodiment, the first actuator 122 is arranged to move the cleaning head
112 in a linear motion 126 parallel to the tyre rotation axis 110 in response
to
control signals 124 from the control device 120. According to an embodiment,
the control device 120 is controllably connected to a second actuator 128.
According to an embodiment, the second actuator 128 is arranged to rotate
(indicated at 130) the positioning device 106 together with the tyre 108 held
by the positioning device 106 in response to control signals 124 from the
control device 120. According to an embodiment, the cleaning head or parts
thereof are arranged to control a functionality of the cleaning head 112 (for
example a shutter, an optical element, etc.) in response to control signals
124
from the control device 120. According to an embodiment, the laser source is
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controllably connected to the control device 120 (not shown in Fig. 1) for
controlling the laser source 104 by the control device 120.
According to an embodiment, the control device 120 comprises a storage
device 121 for storing a program element according to embodiments of the
subject matter disclosed herein. Further, according to an embodiment, the
control device 120 comprises a processor device 123 configured to execute the
program element (or to execute instructions included in the program
element).
The radiation path 114 and the inner surface 118 define an intersection point
132 of the radiation path 114 and the inner surface 118.
According to an embodiment, the cleaning device 102 comprises a suction
device 134 for sucking off impurities resulting from the impingement of the
laser beam 116 on the inner surface 118 (i.e. for sucking off impurities
resulting from the cleaning of the inner surface 118). According to an
embodiment, the suction device 134 is controlled by the control device 120 via
control signals 124. According to an embodiment, the suction device 134 may
be mechanically connected (for example, attached) to the cleaning head 112
so that the suction device 134 moves with the cleaning head 112.
According to an embodiment, the tyre cleaning system 100 comprises a
transport device 136, which is for example a conveyor belt, for transporting
the tyre to the positioning device 106. According to an embodiment, the
transport device 136 is controlled by the control device 120 via control
signals
124.
Fig. 2 shows a part of the tyre cleaning system 100 from Fig. 1 in a top view.
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According to an embodiment, a centring device 138 may be provided which
brings (for example centres) the tyre 108 on the transport device 136 into a
defined position in which the tyre 108 can be picked up (for example gripped)
by the positioning device 106 (not shown in Fig. 2).
According to an embodiment, the tyre 108 may contain information 140 that
can be read by the control device (for example, by means of a suitable reading
device). According to an embodiment, the control device is arranged to output
control signals (for example the control signals 124 described with reference
to Fig. 1) depending on the information 140 in order to control components of
the tyre cleaning system 100. According to an embodiment, the information
140 may be in digital form, for example in the form of a matrix code such as a
QR code or a data matrix code.
The tyre 108 defines a circumferential direction 142, for example as shown in
Fig. 2. According to an embodiment, the rotation 130 of the tyre 108 and/or
the linear movement 126 of the processing head 112 moves the radiation path
114 and the inner surface 118 relative to each other (see also Fig. 1).
According to embodiments of the subject matter disclosed herein, the relative
movement of the radiation path 114 and the inner surface 118 defines a
positioning path (not shown in Fig. 2) across the inner surface 118 and a
speed of the intersection point 132 with respect to the inner surface 118
along
the positioning path.
According to an embodiment, along the positioning path (i.e. with respect to
the inner surface 118), the average speed of the intersection point in the
circumferential direction 142 is more than 5 m/s.
Fig. 3 shows an inner surface 118 of a tyre according to embodiments of the
subject matter disclosed herein.
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According to an embodiment, the laser beam 116 (not shown in Fig. 3)
generates a plurality of laser spots on the positioning path 144, of which a
first
laser spot 146 and a second laser spot 148 are exemplarily shown in Fig. 3. It
is understood that the laser spots 146 and 148 according to an embodiment
are not generated simultaneously, but one after the other in time (temporally
successive), for example by individual pulses of a pulsed laser. According to
an
embodiment, the positioning path 144 defines a path direction 145 along the
positioning path 144 at each point of the positioning path.
According to an embodiment, each laser spot generates a processing spot 150
on the inner surface 118, i.e. an area of the inner surface 118 in which the
inner surface 118 is cleaned. Thus, it is understood that the laser spots, for
example the laser spots 146 and 148, exist only for a certain period of time
(for example for the pulse duration of the laser beam), while the processing
spots (for example the processing spots 150) are permanently generated on
the inner surface 118. The processing spots, of which processing spot 150 is
shown in Fig. 3, define a processing path 152 on the inner surface 118 of the
tyre, along which the inner surface 118 is cleaned.
According to an embodiment, the laser beam generates a plurality of laser
spots on the positioning path 144, in particular the laser spots 146 and 148,
as exemplarily shown in Fig. 3, wherein according to an embodiment adjacent
laser spots 146, 148 overlap each other, for example as shown in Fig. 3.
According to an embodiment, two adjacent laser spots 146, 148 overlap along
a first direction 154 for (over) a length 156 which according to an embodiment
is 50 A) of the extension 158 of one of the laser spots in the first
direction
154, for example as shown in Fig. 3. According to an embodiment, the first
direction 155 is parallel to the path direction 145. According to an
embodiment, the positioning path 144 or the processing path 152 is parallel to
the circumferential direction 142 at least in sections, for example as shown
in
Fig. 3.
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According to an embodiment, the laser spot 146, 148 is a rectangular laser
spot, for example as shown in Fig. 3. Accordingly, the processing spot 150 is
also a rectangular processing spot according to an embodiment.
Fig. 4 shows another inner surface 118 of a tyre according to embodiments of
the subject matter disclosed herein.
According to an embodiment, a processing path 152 is helical at least in
sections, for example as shown in Fig. 4. Fig. 4 shows three processing path
sections 160, 162 and 164, which overlap in the direction 166 of the tyre
rotation axis (110, see Fig. 1). Here, the processing path sections 160, 164
are shown in solid lines and the processing path section 162 is shown in
dashed lines to facilitate differentiation. According to an embodiment, the
overlap in the direction 166 of the tyre rotation axis is 50 A) of the
extension
168 of the processing path 152 in the direction 166 of the tyre rotation axis,
for example as shown in Fig. 4. According to an embodiment, this overlap may
be 67 A) or 75 A) (not shown in Fig. 4). In these embodiments, the direction
166 of the tyre rotation axis is thus the first direction according to some
embodiments.
According to an embodiment, the path direction 145 has a first directional
portion 170 in the circumferential direction 142 and a second directional
portion 172 parallel to the tyre rotation axis 110 (i.e. in the direction 166
of
the tyre rotation axis) at each point of the positioning path or processing
path.
According to an embodiment, for at least 70 A) of the positioning path, the
first directional portion 170 is greater than the second directional portion
172,
for example as shown in Fig. 4.
Fig. 5 shows another inner surface 118 of a tyre according to embodiments of
the subject matter disclosed herein.
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According to an embodiment, the inner surface 118 shows a first processing
path section 160 and a second processing path section 162 overlapping in the
direction 166 of the tyre rotation axis, for example as shown in Fig. 5. The
processing path sections 160, 162 each have a plurality of processing spots,
some of which are marked with 150 in Fig. 5. The dashed lines in Fig. 5
indicate that the series of processing spots continues in the path direction
145.
The processing spots have an extension in the circumferential direction 142
indicated with 158 in Fig. 5. According to an embodiment, processing spots
150 (i.e. processing spots 150 of the first processing path section 160 and
processing spots 150 of the second processing path section 162) adjacent to
each other in the direction 166 of the tyre rotation axis are displaced from
each other in the circumferential direction 142 by a displacement path 174,
for
example as shown in Fig. 5. According to an embodiment, the displacement
path 174 is more than 10 A) of the extension 158 of the processing spots in
the circumferential direction, for example as shown in Fig. 5. According to
another embodiment, the displacement path 174 is more than 15 A) or, in yet
another embodiment, more than 20 A) of the extension 158.
According to an embodiment, the processing spots 150 do not overlap in the
circumferential direction 142, for example as shown in Fig. 5. For example,
the
processing spots 150 can be directly adjacent to each other in the
circumferential direction 142 (overlap 0 %). In this case, a gapless cleaning
is
ensured in particular by the overlapping of the processing spots in the
direction 166 of the tyre rotation axis. According to another embodiment (not
shown in Fig. 5), the processing spots 150 overlap both in the circumferential
direction 142 and in the direction 166 of the tyre rotation axis.
Fig. 6 shows another inner surface 118 of a tyre according to embodiments of
the subject matter disclosed herein.
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According to an embodiment, several successive processing spots (not shown
in Fig. 6) on the inner surface 118 define a processing path along which the
inner surface 118 is cleaned. According to an embodiment, the processing
path 152 runs at least in sections in parallel circular paths, such as in the
angular regions (segments) 176 and 178 in Fig. 6. According to a further
embodiment, the processing path 152 runs at least in sections helically, such
as in the angular region 180 in Fig. 6.
.. According to an embodiment, the processing path 152 has different
processing
path sections 181, 182, 183 that run on different planes in the direction 166
of
the tyre rotation axis. According to an embodiment, a transition between these
planes (i.e. a bridging of a path difference) takes place in an angular
region,
which is also referred to herein as a transverse section, for example in the
angular region 180 in Fig. 6. According to an embodiment, the angular region
180 extends in the circumferential direction 142 over at least 10 degrees, for
example as shown in Fig. 6.
Fig. 7 shows a tyre cleaning system 200 according to embodiments of the
subject matter disclosed herein.
According to an embodiment, the tyre cleaning system 200 comprises a tyre
cleaning device 102 and at least one further tyre cleaning device, for example
two further tyre cleaning devices 202, 302, for example as shown in Fig. 7.
According to an embodiment, at least two tyre cleaning devices 102, 202, 302
of the tyre cleaning system 200 are associated with a single laser source 104
for generating a laser beam. To generate the laser beam along the radiation
path (not shown in Fig. 7), laser radiation 184 from the laser source 104 is
supplied to a switching device 186, which selectively transmits the laser
radiation 184 to one of the tyre cleaning devices 102, 202, 303, for example
to the tyre cleaning device 102, for example as shown in Fig. 7.
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The selective transmission of the laser radiation 184 to the further tyre
cleaning devices 202, 302 is shown in Fig. 7 by dashed lines 188. According to
an embodiment, the switching device 186 and/or the laser source 104 is
controlled by control signals from a control device according to embodiments
of the subject matter disclosed herein (for example, a control device 120 as
disclosed with reference to Fig. 1).
Fig. 8 shows another tyre cleaning system 300 according to embodiments of
the subject matter disclosed herein.
The tyre cleaning system 300 is analogous to the tyre cleaning system 100 of
Fig. 1, except for some modifications which are described below. The
description of the corresponding features described with reference to Fig. 1
and shown in Fig. 8 is not repeated with reference to Fig. 8.
According to an embodiment, the tyre cleaning system 300 comprises a tyre
cleaning device 402 comprising a control device 120 configured to move the
radiation path 114 and the inner surface 118 relative to each other. To this
end, according to an embodiment, the control device is controllably connected
to a first actuator 122. According to an embodiment, the first actuator 122 is
arranged to move the transport device 136 in a linear motion 126 parallel to
the tyre rotation axis 110 in response to control signals 124 from the control
device 120. According to an embodiment, the transport device 136 forms at
least a part of a positioning device according to embodiments of the subject
matter disclosed herein.
According to an embodiment, the cleaning head 112 is configured to rotate the
radiation path 114. For example, according to an embodiment, the cleaning
head 112 itself may be rotatable, for example by means of a second actuator
128 that is controllably connected to the control device 120, for example as
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shown in Fig. 7. According to an embodiment, the second actuator 128 is
arranged to rotate the cleaning head 112 in response to control signals 124
from the control device 120, in particular about the tyre rotation axis 110.
According to an embodiment, the optical coupling 119 of the laser source 104
to the cleaning head 112 and the controllable connection of the control device
120 to the cleaning head 112 is along a torque transmission member 190, for
example a shaft, with which the cleaning head 112 is rotatably connected to
the second actuator 128. According to an embodiment, the control device 120
is configured to cause the relative movement of the intersection point 132 at
least in part by rotating the radiation path 114, in particular by rotating
the
radiation path 114 about the tyre rotation axis 110.
According to an embodiment, the tyre cleaning device 402 comprises a
compensation element 192 which is arranged to compensate for a rotation of
the laser beam 116 about its central axis 194 generated by the rotation of the
radiation path 114 about the tyre rotation axis 110. For example, according to
an embodiment, the laser beam 116 would rotate about its central axis 194
without a compensation element 192. As a result, when the radiation path 114
rotates (and thus when the laser beam 116 rotates about the tyre rotation
axis 110), the laser spot would additionally also rotate about its centre axis
194.
According to an embodiment, the compensation element 192 is a Dove prism.
.. It should be noted that elements or members disclosed herein (such as a
control device, a positioning device, a transport device, an actuator, etc.)
are
not limited to the decided entities as described in some embodiments. Rather,
the elements or members disclosed herein may be implemented in various
ways while still providing the specific functionality disclosed.
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It is noted that each entity disclosed herein (for example, device, element,
feature, and process step) is not limited to a decided entity as described in
some embodiments. Rather, the subject matter described herein may be
provided in different ways with different granularity at the device level, at
the
process level, or at the software level, while still providing the specified
functionality. It should further be noted that according to embodiments, a
separate entity may be provided for each of the functions disclosed herein.
According to other embodiments, an entity may be configured to provide two
or more functions as described herein. According to yet other embodiments,
two or more entities may be configured to collectively provide a function as
described herein.
It is noted that the implementations described herein in the drawings
represent only a limited selection of possible embodiments of the subject
matter disclosed herein. Thus, it is possible to combine the features of
individual embodiments in a suitable manner, so that for the person skilled in
the art, a plurality of different embodiments is to be considered disclosed
with
the embodiments made explicit herein. Furthermore, it should be mentioned
that terms such as "a" or "an" do not exclude a plurality. Terms such as
"comprising", "containing" or "having" do not exclude further features or
process steps. The terms "comprising" "containing" or "having" each include
the two meanings "comprising, inter alia" and "consisting of".
It should further be noted that while the exemplary tyre cleaning systems,
tyre cleaning devices and tyres in the drawings show a particular combination
of several embodiments of the subject matter disclosed herein, any other
combination of embodiments is equally possible and is to be considered
disclosed by this application.
An advantageous combination of embodiments of the subject matter disclosed
herein may be summarised as follows:
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-08-05
CA 03129138 2021-08-05
PCT/EP2020/054202 (WO 2020/169579)
- 35 -
A tyre cleaning device for cleaning an inner surface of a tyre by laser
radiation, comprises: a positioning device configured to position a tyre
having
an inner surface and defining a circumferential direction and a tyre rotation
axis; a cleaning head configured to position a radiation path and emit a laser
beam along the radiation path onto the inner surface of the tyre; a control
device configured to move the radiation path and the inner surface relative to
each other; wherein a relative movement of an intersection point of the
radiation path with the inner surface defines a positioning path across the
inner surface of the tyre and a speed along the positioning path; wherein
along the positioning path the average speed of the intersection point in the
circumferential direction is greater than 5 m/s.
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-08-05
