A post-cure inflator for inflating and cooling a vulcanized tire is disclosed. A lower rim mechanism is easily and certainly fixed, the whole apparatus is miniaturized, and the degree of freedom in designing when the lower rim mechanism is moved is made higher. The lower rim mechanism is lifted so that a locking shaft attached to an upper rim mechanism enters a fitting portion of the lower rim mechanism. After that, the locking shaft is rotated to be engaged with the lower rim mechanism, thereby connecting the lower rim mechanism via the locking shaft to the upper rim mechanism. A tire is inflated and cooled while being held by the upper and lower rim mechanisms. Guide plates are fixed to the upper rim mechanism so as to be along the locking shaft. Insertion grooves are formed in the lower rim mechanism. When the locking shaft enters the fitting portion, the guide plates are inserted into the insertion grooves.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates to a post-cure inflator for inflating and 
cooling a vulcanized tire (hereinafter, referred to as a "tire"). 
2. Description of the Related Art 
According to a post-cure inflator, one side of a tire is held by an upper 
rim mechanism and the other side is held by a lower rim mechanism. Air is 
supplied into the tire which is sealed by the upper and lower rim 
mechanisms, thereby inflating and cooling the tire. In recent years, a 
structure of a vertical turnover type is often used. In the structure, two 
sets each comprising the upper rim mechanism and the lower rim mechanism 
are prepared for one cavity of a tire vulcanizer, so that the inflating 
and cooling time of tire is equal to one or more cycles of the tire 
vulcanizer. The upper and lower rim mechanisms are alternately turned over 
in the vertical direction around the center position between the upper and 
lower rim mechanism as a center. 
In a conventional post-cure inflator as shown in FIG. 5, a lower rim 
mechanism 53 holding the lower side face of a tire 51 which is arranged 
horizontally is lifted from a position shown by an alternate long and two 
short dashes line to a position shown by a solid line, so that the upper 
side face of the tire 51 is held by an upper rim mechanism 52. After that, 
a locking shaft 54 attached to the center of the upper rim mechanism 52 is 
rotated so as to be engaged with the lower rim mechanism 53. Consequently, 
the upper rim mechanism 52 and the lower rim mechanism 53 are connected. 
By rotating a rotary shaft 55, the rim mechanisms 52 and 53 are turned 
over with the tire 51. 
In this case, when the air pressure to the tire is insufficient or when the 
upper rim mechanism 52 and the lower rim mechanism 53 are lifted without 
holding the tire 51, even if the locking shaft 54 is fixed, the lower rim 
mechanism 53 may be turned around the locking shaft 54. There is, 
consequently, a fear such that the lower rim mechanism 53 and the locking 
shaft 54 are disengaged and the lower rim mechanism 53 comes off. In the 
conventional post-cure inflator, a turn-stop arm 56 is horizontally 
provided from the lower rim mechanism 53 and a turn-stop bar 57 is 
provided from the rotary shaft 55 toward the end of the turn-stop arm 56. 
When the lower rim mechanism 53 is connected to the upper rim mechanism 
52, the turn-stop bar 57 is engaged with the turn-stop arm 56 so that the 
lower rim mechanism 53 is prevented from being rotated. 
However, in the conventional structure, it is necessary to engage the 
turn-stop arm 56 with the turn-stop bar 57 at a position where the tire 51 
is unloaded. Therefore, the length of the turn-stop arm 56 and the 
turn-stop bar 57 has to be long. This causes problems such that 
positioning of them upon engagement is difficult, and since a space for 
the turn-stop arm 56 has to be secured, the whole apparatus is accordingly 
large. High processing and assembling accuracy of the whole apparatus is 
required in order to certainly engage the turn-stop arm 56 with the 
turn-stop bar 57, and it causes another problem of high costs. There is 
another problem such that, for example, in a design specification where 
the lower rim mechanism 53 is horizontally moved, the long turn-stop arm 
56 disturbs the horizontal movement of the mechanism 53, so that the 
degree of freedom in designing is lowered. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
It is, therefore, an object of the invention to provide a post-cure 
inflator in which a lower rim mechanism is easily and certainly fixed, a 
whole apparatus is miniaturized, and the degree of freedom in designing 
when the lower rim mechanism is moved is made higher. 
The above object is achieved by a post-cure inflator in which a lower rim 
mechanism is lifted so that a locking shaft attached to an upper rim 
mechanism enters a fitting portion of the lower rim mechanism. After that, 
the locking shaft is rotated to be engaged with the lower rim mechanism, 
thereby connecting the lower rim mechanism via the locking shaft to the 
upper rim mechanism. A vulcanized tire is inflated and cooled while being 
held by the upper and lower rim mechanisms. The post-cure inflator has the 
following features. 
Guide plates are fixed to the upper rim mechanism so as to be along the 
locking shaft and notches into which the guide plates are inserted are 
formed in the lower arm mechanism when the locking shaft enters the 
fitting portion. 
According to the structure, when the lower and upper rim mechanisms are 
connected via the locking shaft, the guide plates fixed to the upper rim 
mechanism are in a state where they are inserted into the notches of the 
lower rim mechanism. Therefore, the guide plates come into contact with 
the side faces of the notches, thereby preventing the rotation of the 
lower rim mechanism. In this case, since the guide plates are extended 
along the locking shaft, the notches through which the locking shaft 
passes are formed near the fitting portion that the locking shaft enters. 
Consequently, the mechanism to prevent the rotation of the lower rim 
mechanism is positioned on the inner rim side of the lower rim mechanism. 
For example, in case of a design specification where the lower rim 
mechanism is horizontally moved, the conventionally used turn-stop arm is 
unnecessary, so that the designing can have a higher degree of freedom. 
Since it is unnecessary to assure the space conventionally needed for the 
turn-stop arm, the whole apparatus is miniaturized. Further, the guide 
plates are inserted into the notches at positions in the center space of 
the tire, so that positioning is easy. Since high processing and 
assembling accuracy of the whole apparatus is not required, the costs can 
be accordingly saved. 
Preferably, in the foregoing post-cure inflator, two sets each comprising 
the upper rim mechanism and the lower rim mechanism are turned over in a 
state where the upper and lower rim mechanisms are connected by the 
locking shaft, and a buffering member is provided at least one of the 
front end face of the locking shaft and the bottom face of the fitting 
portion. 
With such a structure, at the time of the turnover of the upper and lower 
rim mechanisms, when the lower rim mechanism is moved towards the upper 
rim mechanism and the fitting portion of the lower rim mechanism comes 
into contact with the locking shaft, the buffer member absorbs the 
mechanical shock upon collision. Consequently, the shock to the locking 
shaft, lower rim mechanism, and upper rim mechanism can be reduced. 
Further, there is an effect such that failure and noises of the post-cure 
inflator can be prevented.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
An embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 
to 4. 
As shown in FIG. 1, a post-cure inflator according to the embodiment has a 
first or lower rim mechanism 2 which holds the lower-side face of a 
horizontally arranged tire 1 and a second or upper rim mechanism 3 which 
holds the upper-side face of the tire 1. The upper rim mechanism 3 
comprises a second or upper rim 4 which holds the bead of the tire 1 and 
an upper rim supporting member 5 which supports the upper rim 4 and is 
fixed to a center frame 6. An air introducing hole 5c is formed in the 
upper rim supporting member 5 so as to be communicated with the side face 
and the lower face of the member 5. The air introducing hole 5c introduces 
compressed air from an air supplying device (not shown) such as a 
compressor into the tire 1. 
A concave portion 5a is formed on the top face of the upper rim supporting 
member 5 so as to made a space with the center frame 6. A through hole 5b 
which is opened on the bottom face of the concave portion 5a and on the 
under face of the upper rim supporting member 5 is formed. A sliding 
portion 7a of a locking shaft 7 is rotatably fit into the through hole 5b. 
A shaft supporting member 8 having a diameter larger than that of the 
locking shaft 7 is attached to the top face of the sliding portion 7a. The 
shaft supporting member 8 is located in the concave portion 5a of the 
upper rim supporting member 5. The lower end of the shaft supporting 
member 8 comes into contact with the bottom face of the concave portion 
5a, thereby preventing the locking shaft 7 from falling down from the 
upper rim supporting member 5. As shown in FIG. 2, a locking lever 9 which 
is turned by a locking cylinder 10 is attached on the top face of the 
shaft supporting member 8. As shown in FIG. 1, the locking lever 9 rotates 
the locking shaft 7 via the shaft supporting member 8 in the forward and 
reverse directions. 
The locking shaft 7 comprises: the sliding portion 7a which passes through 
the through hole 5b of the upper rim supporting member 5 as described 
above; a shaft portion 7b extending downward from the sliding portion 7a; 
and an engagement portion 7c which is formed on the lower end of the shaft 
portion 7b. The engagement portion 7c has at least one non-circular parts 
such as a projection, in particular four first projecting portions 7d . . 
. projected toward the outside. The shaft portion 7b passes through a 
retaining ring 11 fixed to the under surface of the upper rim supporting 
member 5. A pair of guide plates 12--12 are fixed to the retaining ring 11 
on the right and left sides with respect to the locking shaft 7 as a 
center. The guide plates 12--12 are extended downward along the shaft 
portion 7b until the lower ends are positioned near the engagement portion 
7c. 
The engagement portion 7c of the locking shaft 7 is engaged with a lower 
rim supporting member 13, thereby connecting the upper rim mechanism 3 and 
the lower rim mechanism 2. The lower rim mechanism 2 includes the lower 
rim supporting member 13, a member 15 which is fixed to the lower rim 
supporting member 13, and a first or lower rim 16 which holds the bead 
portion of the tire 1. The lower rim supporting member 13 has a fitting 
portion 13a into which the engagement portion 7c of the locking shaft 7 is 
inserted. As shown in FIG. 3, second retaining portions 13b . . . are 
projected from at least two, in particular four, positions on the side 
wall face of the fitting portion 13a toward the inside are formed. Each of 
insertion grooves 13c . . . (notched portions) is formed between the 
adjacent retaining portions 13b--18b. The insertion grooves 13c . . . are 
formed so as to pass the projecting portions 7d of the locking shaft 7 
when the lower rim mechanism 2 is lifted. The projecting portions 7d pass 
through the insertion grooves 13c, enter the fitting portion 13a, and are 
located under the retaining portions 13b by a rotation and come into 
contact with the retaining portions 13b. Thus, the locking shaft 7 is 
engaged with the lower rim supporting member 13. 
When the locking shaft 7 enters the fitting portion 13a by a rise of the 
upper rim mechanism 3, the guide plates 12 are inserted into the insertion 
grooves 13c. While the upper end of each guide plate 12 is fixed to the 
upper rim supporting member 5, the lower end comes into contact with the 
side face of the retaining portion 13b, thereby fixing the upper rim 
supporting member 5 and the lower rim supporting member 13 and preventing 
the rotation of the upper rim mechanism 3. A buffer member 14 comprising 
an elastic member such as a rubber or an oleo damper is attached to the 
under face of the engagement portion 7c as an end face of the locking 
shaft 7. When the lower rim mechanism 2 and the upper rim mechanism 3 are 
turned over and the lower rim mechanism 2 is positioned above the upper 
rim mechanism 3, the buffer member 14 absorbs a mechanical shock when the 
fitting portion 13a of the lower rim supporting member 13 collides with 
the locking shaft 7. 
The operation of the post-cure inflator with the above structure will be 
described. 
The lower rim mechanism 2 is horizontally moved toward a tire vulcanizer 
(not shown) and the vulcanized tire 1 is transferred from the tire 
vulcanizer to the lower rim mechanism 2. The lower rim mechanism 2 is 
horizontally moved with the tire 1 so as to be positioned below the upper 
rim mechanism 3. Since no member which is projected from the lower rim 16 
is attached to the lower rim mechanism 2, the passing route of the lower 
rim mechanism 2 can be designed in correspondence to the outer shape of 
the lower rim 16. Consequently, the post-cure inflator has a high degree 
of freedom in designing when the lower rim mechanism 2 is horizontally 
moved. 
When the lower rim mechanism 2 is positioned below the upper rim mechanism 
3 as mentioned above, the lower rim mechanism 2 is raised toward the upper 
rim mechanism 3 by an elevating device (not shown) in a state where the 
lower rim mechanism 2 holds the tire 1. As shown in FIG. 4, the projecting 
portions 7d of the locking shaft 7 pass through the insertion grooves 13c 
of the lower rim supporting member 13 and enter the fitting portion 13a. 
The lower ends of the guide plates 12--12 which are extended downward 
along the locking shaft 7 are positioned in the insertion grooves 
13c--13c. 
The locking cylinder 10 shown in FIG. 2 turns the locking lever 9, thereby 
rotating the locking shaft 7. The projecting portions 7d are moved from 
the positions below the insertion groove 13c to positions under the 
retaining portions 13b. After that, the elevating device (not shown) is 
moved downward. As shown in FIG. 1, when the lower rim supporting member 
13 is moved downward with the elevating device, the retaining portions 13b 
of the lower rim supporting member 13 come into contact with the 
projecting portions 7d of the locking shaft 7, so that the lower rim 
supporting member 13 is engaged with the locking shaft 7. When air is 
supplied into the tire 1 via the air introducing hole 5c of the upper rim 
supporting member 5, the tire 1 is inflated. The lower rim supporting 
member 13 is energized so that the retaining portions 13b are firmly come 
into contact with the projecting portions 7d. Thus, the lower rim 
supporting member 13 is firmly engaged with the locking shaft 7. 
When the lower rim supporting member 13 and the upper rim supporting member 
5 are connected via the locking shaft 7 by the engagement of the lower rim 
supporting member 13 and the locking shaft 7, the center frame 6 is 
rotated. Consequently, the lower rim supporting member 13 and the upper 
rim supporting member 5 are turned over so that their positional relation 
is reversed in the vertical direction. When the pressure of air in the 
tire 1 is insufficient or the tire 1 is not held in this instance, the 
lower rim supporting member 13 is moved toward the upper rim supporting 
member 5 and the retaining portions 13b of the lower rim supporting member 
13 are apart from the projecting portions 7d of the locking shaft 7. Since 
the guide plates 12 fixed to the upper rim supporting member 5 are 
inserted into the insertion grooves 13c, the lower rim supporting member 
13 is not rotated with respect to the upper rim supporting member 5 and 
the locking shaft 7. Therefore, even when the lower rim supporting member 
13 is moved in the direction opposite to the upper rim supporting member 5 
due to vibration or the like upon turnover, since the retaining portions 
13b of the lower rim supporting member 13 always come into contact with 
the projecting portions 7d of the locking shaft 7, the lower rim 
supporting member 13 does not come off. 
When the lower rim supporting member 13 is moved toward the upper rim 
supporting member 5 at the time of the turnover, there is a case where the 
fitting portion 13a comes into contact with the engagement portion 7c of 
the locking shaft 7. In this case, the buffer member 14 attached to the 
engagement portion 7c absorbs the mechanical shock upon collision, so that 
the shock casting on the locking shaft 7, lower rim mechanism 2, and upper 
rim mechanism 3 is little. Consequently, failure or noise of the post-cure 
inflator is reduced. 
Although the structure of the vertical turnover type in which two sets each 
comprising the lower rim mechanism 2 and the upper rim mechanism 3 are 
prepared for one cavity and the positional relation between the mechanisms 
2 and 3 is alternately reversed has been described in the embodiment, the 
invention is not limited to such a structure. That is, even in a structure 
where a set of the lower rim mechanism 2 and the upper rim mechanism 3 is 
prepared for one cavity and the positional relation between the upper rim 
mechanism 3 and the lower rim mechanism 2 is not reversed, by inserting 
the guide plates 12 into the fitting portion 13a of the lower rim 
supporting member 13, the rotation of the lower rim mechanism 2 due to 
vibration or the like is prevented and the lower rim mechanism 2 is 
prevented from being come off. 
Although the space between the retaining portions 13b--13b is used as the 
insertion groove 13c into which the guide plate 12 is inserted in the 
embodiment, the invention is not limited to the insertion groove 13c. A 
through hole opened in the retaining portion 13b can be also used. 
Although the buffer member 14 of the embodiment is attached to the front 
end face of the locking shaft 7, it can be also attached to the bottom 
face of the fitting portion 13a. 
According to the post-cure inflator as mentioned above, the lower rim 
mechanism is lifted so that the locking shaft attached to the upper rim 
mechanism enters the fitting portion of the lower rim mechanism. After 
that, the locking shaft is rotated to be engaged with the lower rim 
mechanism, thereby connecting the lower rim mechanism via the locking 
shaft to the upper rim mechanism. A vulcanized tire is inflated and cooled 
while being held by the upper rim mechanism and the lower rim mechanism. 
In such a post-cure inflator, the guide plates are fixed to the upper rim 
mechanism so as to be along the locking shaft. The notches into which the 
guide plates are inserted when the locking shaft enters the fitting 
portion are formed in the lower rim mechanism. 
That is, the mechanism to prevent the rotation of the lower rim mechanism 
is provided on the inner rim side of the lower rim mechanism. Therefore, 
for example, in case of a design specification where the lower rim 
mechanism is horizontally moved, since there is no need to consider the 
conventional turn-stop arm when designing, the designing can have a high 
degree of freedom. Since it is not necessary to assure the space 
conventionally required for the turn-stop arm, the whole apparatus can be 
miniaturized. Further, the guide plates are inserted into the notches in 
the center space of the tire, so that positioning when the guide plates 
are inserted into the notches is easy. There is, consequently, an effect 
such that the high processing and assembling accuracy of the whole 
apparatus is not required and the costs can be accordingly saved. 
Preferably, the post-cure inflator has the structure such that each of two 
sets each comprising the upper rim mechanism and the lower rim mechanism 
can be turned over in a state where the upper and lower rim mechanisms are 
connected by the locking shaft. The buffering member is provided at least 
one of the front end face of the locking shaft and the bottom face of the 
fitting portion. 
At the time of turnover of the upper rim mechanism and the lower rim 
mechanism, even when the lower rim mechanism is moved toward the upper rim 
mechanism and the fitting portion of the lower rim mechanism comes into 
contact with the locking shaft, the buffering member absorbs the 
mechanical shock upon collision. Consequently, the shock to the locking 
shaft, lower rim mechanism, and upper rim mechanism can be reduced. 
Further, there is an effect such that failure and noise of the post-cure 
inflator can be prevented.