Method and apparatus for precision longitudinal registration of a movable
tire building drum (120, 620) to an automated tire building system (100)
work station (110, 610), wherein the automated tire building system
comprises one or more work stations with application drums (112), and the
tire building drum is moved longitudinally forward (105) into and out of
each work station, comprising: providing a work station longitudinal
reference point (115, 615) upon a forward-facing surface (115, 615) of a
laterally extendible portion (114, 614) of the work station; providing a
drum reference point (125, 625) upon a rearward-facing surface (125, 625)
of the tire building drum; and after the tire building drum has been moved
into a work station, halting the tire building drum movement, laterally
extending the work station longitudinal reference point rearward of the
tire building drum, and then moving the tire building drum longitudinally
rearward to abut the drum reference point against the work station
longitudinal reference point. The tire building drum can be moved by a
self-propelled vehicle (102, 602) which is flexibly connected to the tire
building drum with a coupling (560, 660) which can be uncoupled. Then the
tire building drum is moved longitudinally rearward by: coupling the work
station to the tire building drum; uncoupling the tire building drum from
the vehicle; and longitudinally moving the tire building drum relative to
the vehicle. The flexible connecting means allows controlled lateral and
vertical movement of the tire building drum relative to the vehicle while
the vehicle is moving the tire building drum forward.
