Method for optimizing tire uniformity

Claim 1

A method for optimizing the uniformity of a pneumatic tire comprising: mounting the pneumAtic tire on a rotatable rim, inflating the pneumatic tire at a predetermined internal pressure, applying a predetermined external load to the pneumatic tire, rotating the tire about an axis of rotation of the rim together with the rim, measuring lateral force deviation of the tire while rotating the tire, the direction of said lateral force deviation being perpendicular to a plane of the tire equator, and removing shoulder rubber of the tire from that side thereof which is opposite to the sense of the lateral force deviation thus detected, relative to said plane, the amount of said shoulder rubber removal being related to the magnitude of said lateral force deviation.

Claim 2

A method for optimizing the uniformity of a pneumatic tire comprising: mounting the pneumAtic tire on a rotatable rim, inflating the pneumatic tire at a predetermined internal pressure, applying a predetermined external load to the pneumatic tire, rotating the tire about an axis of rotation of the rim together with the rim, measuring lateral force deviation of the tire while rotating the tire, the direction of said lateral force deviation being perpendicular to a plane of the tire equator, and removing shoulder rubber of the tire from that side thereof which is opposite to the sense of the lateral force deviation thus detected, relative to said plane, the amount of said shoulder rubber removal being related to the magnitude of said lateral force deviation.

Claim 4

A method for optimizing the uniformity of a pneumatic tire, comprising: mounting the pneumatic tire on a rotatable rim, inflating the pneumatic tire at a predetermined internal pressure, applying a predetermined external load to the tire, rotating the tire about an axis of rotation of the rim together with the rim, measuring lateral force deviation and radial force variation of the tire, the direction of the lateral force deviation being perpendicular to a plane of the tire equator, the direction of the radial force variation being radial about the axis of rotation of the tire, producing composite signals representing the magnitudes of both the lateral force deviation and the radial force variation thus measured, and removing the shoulder rubber of the tire in response to the composite signals.

Claim 5

A method for optimizing the uniformity of a pneumatic tire, comprising: mounting the pneumatic tire on a rotatable rim, inflating the pneumatic tire at a predetermined internal pressure, applying a predetermined external load to the tire, rotating the tire about an axis of rotation of the rim together with the rim, measuring lateral force deviation and radial force variation of the tire, the direction of the lateral force deviation being perpendicular to a plane of the tire equator, the direction of the radial force variation being radial about the axis of rotation of the tire, producing composite signals representing the magnitudes of both the lateral force deviation and the radial force variation thus measured, and removing the shoulder rubber of the tire in response to the composite signals.

Claim 6

A method for optimizing the uniformity of a pneumatic tire comprising: mounting the pneumatic tire on a rotatable rim, inflating the pneumatic tire at a predetermined internal pressure, applying a predetermined external load to the tire, rotating the tire about an axis of rotation of the rim together with the rim, measuring lateral force deviation, the direction of the lateral force deviation being perpendicular to a plane of the tire equator; generating lateral force deviation corrective signals whose magnitude being proportional to the magnitude of the lateral force deviation thus measured, the lateral force deviation corrective signal being positive for the lateral force deviation directed to a first side of said plane while the lateral force deviation corrective signal being negative for the lateral force deviation directed to a second side of said plane opposite to said first side; measuring the radical force variation along with said lateral force deviation, the direction of the radial force variation being radial relative to the axis of rotation of the tire; generating radial force variation corrective signals whose magnitude corresponds to the difference between the radial force variation thus determined and a predetermined maximum allowable limit for radial force variation, the sense of the radial force variation corrective signal being positive relative to a reference potential; generating two composite signals consisting of a first composite signal representing the sum of said radial force variation corrective signal and positive part of said lateral force deviation corrective signal and a second composite signal representing the sum of the radial force variation corrective signal and the absolute value of the negative portion of said lateral force deviation corrective signal; and grinding the first and second side shoulder edges of the tire tread in response to said second and first composite signals, respectively.

Claim 7

A method for optimizing the uniformity of a pneumatic tire comprising: mounting the pneumatic tire on a rotatable rim, inflating the pneumatic tire at a predetermined internal pressure, applying a predetermined external load to the tire, rotating the tire about an axis of rotation of the rim together with the rim, measuring lateral force deviation, the direction of the lateral force deviation being perpendicular to a plane of the tire equator; generating lateral force deviation corrective signals whose magnitude being proportional to the magnitude of the lateral force deviation thus measured, the lateral force deviation corrective signal being positive for the lateral force deviation directed to a first side of said plane while the lateral force deviation corrective signal being negative for the lateral force deviation directed to a second side of said plane opposite to said first side; measuring the radical force variation along with said lateral force deviation, the direction of the radial force variation being radial relative to the axis of rotation of the tire; generating radial force variation corrective signals whose magnitude corresponds to the difference between the radial force variation thus determined and a predetermined maximum allowable limit for radial force variation, the sense of the radial force variation corrective signal being positive relative to a reference potential; generating two composite signals consisting of a first composite signal representing the sum of said radial force variation corrective signal and positive part of said lateral force deviation corrective signal and a second composite signal representing the sum of the radial force variation corrective signal and the absolute value of the negative portion of said lateral force deviation corrective signal; and grinding the first and second side shoulder edges of the tire tread in response to said second and first composite signals, respectively.