Invention relates to a cleaning machine using dry ice to clean tire curing molds suitable for production of vehicle tires.

PRIOR ART

Two-piece curing molds comprising a top and a bottom part as placed on each other are used in the vehicle tire production wherein one part is movable in a vertical direction to an open position. Vulcanization process is completed in such molds and removal of the clean cured rubber residues usually at the recesses of mold forming tire treads or other walls of upper halve (segment) and / or sidewalls of up and bottom part of molds.

It is known from the prior art that dry ice is blasted from a nozzle to inner mold volume to be cleaned in order to operate a non-abrasive cleaning process. Operation leads to a high decibel noise above the work safety limits for an operator. A method and device is disclosed by international patent publication WO9807548A1 wherein frozen gas pellets are used to clean vehicle tires by means of a robotically controlled apparatus. Document teaches receiving heated mold in a sound-proof cabin where a robot arm equipped with a nozzle is direct frozen gas pellets to the mold surface to be cleaned. Arm is disposed on a turntable in and rotated in order to clean complete mold surface. After completion of the operation mold is removed from the cabin. Preferable frozen gas is C02 which access to the micro scaled openings and non-abrasive over the mold. Preferred embodiment requires a carriage assembly in order to transport molds to the sound insulated cabin. Additionally, it is necessary to remove to molds to be cleaned. Both cases increase cost of the production.

International patent application WO0002709A1 discloses a similar embodiment. A dry-ice nozzle is provided at the free end of the support arm in a rotatable manner and integrated with the elongation axis of the support arm. Supply pipe from a dry ice machine is connected to the dry ice nozzle. An adjustment device attached to the support arm ensures adjustment of the dry ice nozzle at an appropriate angle to the rotation axis. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Object of the invention is a providing a cleaning machine that effective cleaning of both sidewalls of the tire curing mold.

Another object of the invention is to reduce the complexity of cleaning mechanism for the sidewalls of the tire curing mold.

In order to achieve above objective, invention is a cleaning machine for tire curing mold that comprises a basket, a rotational base which mounted into thereof, a nozzle provided in a movable manner on the rotational base, of extending towards the open side of the basket and having an intake connected to inlet in a fluid transferrable manner. In a preferred embodiment of the invention comprises the rotating joint which mounted radially to the outward direction on the rotational base and a telescopic arm which carrying the nozzle at the free end thereof and which of fastened on a rotational base with the rotating joint. Thus, adjusting of the angle properly between telescopic arm and rotational base is provided so as to providing do cleaning of the nozzle moved in a radial manner along the sidewall in accordance with diameter of sidewall. The proper angle is formed so as to provides spraying from the nozzle between the outer and inner diameters of sidewall while the rotating at the rotational base.

In a preferred embodiment, rotational base is formed as hollow annular shape and is concentric to sidewall in an operating position. Operating position is formed as the basket closes on the sidewall in a manner of enclosing the open mouth. In this position, the basket positioned as facing up, facing side, facing ground or facing an angular status. A possible embodiment, the basket is also coaxial with the rotational base. In this case, both either basket and rotary base can be nested and circular. The nozzle and the the telescopic arm are carried by the fixing plate in a stable manner over the annular structure.

In a preferred embodiment, invention comprises the rotating joint comprises a bearings and a sled, that the bearings which provided at the proximal end of rotating joint which connected with a telescopic arm formed a cylindrical articulation provided the bearings having radial headway which goes by the rotational base in a manner, and enabled the sled which extending to the outward radially acts upon the rotational base. So, rotary portion of the rotating joint can be arranged in a desired spacing on a sled that can be adjusted radially towards the outside or the inside.

In a preferred embodiment of invention, the maximum length of the telescopic arm is shorter than the length the lateral wall. Thus, sidewall inside of the basket can be located either in an orthogonal position or in an angular position In a preferred embodiment, rotating joint comprises the adjusting element for locking on telescopic arm at a predetermined angle. In a prospective embodiment, comprises a locking member that secures the length of the telescopic arm for fastening at a predetermined distance on the length of telescopic arm. Thus, after securing the adjusted in the required length of arm at the specified angle by means of a rotating joint, cleaning process is completed scanning the whole sidewall by blasting dry ice from nozzle while the rotation of the nozzle on the rotational base.

A preferred embodiment of the invention, nozzle comprises a pivot which connecting the nozzle to the telescopic arm. So, the angle of the nozzle on the telescopic arm can be adjusted. This changing process can be implemented during the cleaning process by the pivot associated with a motor and with an automatic control unit.

A preferred embodiment of the invention, rotating joint is formed at end of near to the rotational base of the telescopic arm. Thus, rotational base can be fixed directly to basket without leaving a gap behind of it in a rotatable manner DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The additional features and advantages of the invention will emerge example that reference to the accompanying drawings embodiments.

Figure 1 is a side schematic illustration of a vehicle carrying the cleaning apparatus of the invention. Figure 2 curing of the inventive cleaning device is a schematic side cross sectional view of the mold sidewalls on the applied state.

Figure 3 is perspective schematic representation of a different embodiment of the inventive cleaning device.

REFERENCE NUMBERS

1 Carriage 2 Foldable arm

3 Pivot 4 Support arm

5 Handle 6 Joint

10 Basket 12 Bottom

14 Lateral wall 16 Inner part

20 Rotational base 22 Gear

30 Fixing plate 31 First fixing point 32 Second fixing point 33 Third fixing point

40 rotating joint 42 Sled

4 Bearings 46 Adjustment member

50 Telescopic arm 51 Guide

52 Boom 54 Holder part

55 Locking member 60 Nozzle

62 Inlet 63 Intake

64 Pivot 70 Segment mold

80 Sidewall 84 Center post

90 Bladder

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In Figure 1 , a cleaning machine used for cleaning of tire curing sidewall (80) comprising a basket (10) and a carriage (1 ) to carry the basket (10) is shown from the side view schematically. There is a foldable arm (2) located at the end of carriage (1 ). the basket (10) is mounted to the a free end the foldable arm (2) by means of a pivot (3).

In Figure 2, the carriage (1 ) connected with the a free end the foldable arm (2) through a handle (5) of basket (10) by a joint, the basket (10) by reversing its position is suppressed on to the sidewall (80) which located on the ground, positioned as facing up, surrounded with segment molds (70).

Basket(10) is formed cylindrically comprises a bottom (12) and at inner part (16) thereof and standing up along the peripheral edges to form a lateral wall (14). In an operating position, the lateral wall (14) which interposed between sidewall (80) and the segment mold (70) provides to form a closed cylindrically chamber between basket (10) and sidewall (80). In such position, a rotating joint (40) provided radially outer portion of the rotational base (20) mounted at the bottom (12) of the basket (10) is positioned from a proximal end of a telescopic arm (50).

Nozzle (60) mounted at the free end of the telescopic arm (50) with the help of a pivot (64).

The angle between telescopic arm (50) and rotating joint (40) is adjusted radially outward in order to prevent contact with the telescopic arm (50) and a bladder (90) which is extending through center post (84) of the center of the sidewall (80) during the movement of the telescopic arm (50) inside of the chamber while the rotational base (20) is rotating. In Figure 3 a representative embodiment of the cleaning machine as the subject invention is shown in the perspective view. Accordingly, the rotational base (20) formed as a hollow ring empty cavity inside thereof. Rotational base (20) is in a flat form and a gear (22) is surrounding the inner periphery. A series consecutive of holes are drilled on the top edge of the rotatable base (20). A first, second and third fixing point (31 , 32, 33) on a flat fixing plate (30) is secured to the rotatable base (20) by means of the the holes where each of them are aligned. Position of the fixing points (31 , 32, 33) create an imaginary beam overlapping intersection points to the ring shaped rotatable base (20). Accordingly, fixing plate (30) is secured to the rotatable base (20) in a balanced manner.

A rotating joint (40) is attached to the fixing plate (30) from an edge at radially outer direction in relation to the rotatable base (20). Rotating joint (40) comprising a radially outwardly extending slide (42) in a plate form and a bearing (44) attached to its outer edge. Bearing (44) correspond to a freely rotating joint bearing. An adjustment member (46) is provided on the bearing (44). Adjustment member (46) ensure fixation of the telescoping arm (50) at a predetermined angle from an edge of bearing (44) where the bearing (44) is pivoted.

The telescopic arm (50) is a thin elongated plate and axialy extend at an angle relative to the rotatable base (20). A guide (51 ) formed as a slit extending inside the arm (52) at a proximal end of the telescopic arm (50) hold a holder part (54) by means of a locking member (55). A nozzle (60) is mounted at the free end of the holder part (54) with a pivot (64). The pivot (64) could be a freely rotating hinge or rotatable end of a motor at the holder part (54) adjusting nozzle (60) position with a control element. Nozzle (60) comprising an intake (63) with narrowing cross-section and an inlet (62) connected to a dry-ice machine in a fluid transportable manner.

Cleaning machine disposed adjacent to a curing mold by means of a carriage (1). Folding arms (2) extend to position the basket (10) closer to the mold halve. The support arm (4) enclose the basket (10) over the sidewall (80).

Subsequently, nozzle (60) rotated at the rotatable base (20) central rotation axis in a way to prevent contact of the nozzle (60) to the bladder (90) by means of the radially outwardly angular position of the rotating joing (40) with respect to the inner radius of the sidewall (80). Nozzle (60) swipe between inner and outer radius by an agitation from its pivot (64) while blasting dry-ice to clean sidewall (80). In a preferred embodiment, basket (10), rotatable base (20) and sidewall (80) are aligned coaxiaily. Noise due to the blast of dry ice from the nozzle (60) is reduced for outer environment by means of the chamber structure of the basket (10) over the sidewall (80). When another sidewall (80) is selected, rotating joint (40) is both moved radially outer or inner direction on the slide (42) with respect to its bladder (90) diameter to fix axial position and extention angle of the telescopic arm (50) over the bearing (44) selected radially outer or inner direction to fix the rotational position. Additionaly, the extending distance of the telescopic arm (50) inside the chamber is configured by sliding of the holder part (54) and secured by the locking member