Tire

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10195906-B2
Application number	US-201615066161-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 10, 2016
Priority date	Apr 3, 2015
Publication date	Feb 5, 2019
Grant date	Feb 5, 2019

Abstract

A tire includes a tread portion having an installing direction to a vehicle so as to have an outboard tread edge. The tread portion is provided with a plurality of first inclined grooves each having an inclination to a circumferential direction of the tire and extending from at least a tire equator to the outboard tread edge, a plurality of second inclined grooves each having an opposite inclination to the inclination of the first inclined grooves and extending from at least the tire equator toward the outboard tread edge, and a plurality of blocks separated by the first inclined grooves and the second inclined grooves. Each second inclined groove includes an outboard end that terminates at one of the first inclined grooves so that a plurality of substantially trapezoidal shoulder blocks are arranged along the outboard tread edge.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A tire comprising:
a tread portion having an installing direction to a vehicle and a designated rotational direction, the tread portion having an outboard tread edge and an inboard tread edge;
the tread portion being provided with a plurality of first inclined grooves each having an inclination with respect to a circumferential direction of the tire and extending from at least a tire equator to the outboard tread edge, a plurality of second inclined grooves each having an opposite inclination to the inclination of the first inclined grooves and extending from at least the tire equator toward the outboard tread edge, and a plurality of blocks separated by the first inclined grooves and the second inclined grooves; and
each second inclined groove comprising an outboard end that terminates at one of the first inclined grooves so that a plurality of substantially trapezoidal shoulder blocks are arranged along the outboard tread edge,
wherein the second inclined grooves are inclined forward in the rotational direction from the tire equator toward the outboard tread edge,
wherein each of the second inclined grooves extends in an arc shape that protrudes backwardly in the rotational direction, and
wherein an axial distance between a center of the arc shape and a tire equator is in a range from 10% to 45% of a tread width.

2. The tire according to claim 1 ,
wherein each of the first inclined grooves is inclined at an angle of from 30 to 45 degrees with respect to the circumferential direction of the tire.

3. The tire according to claim 1 ,
wherein the tread portion, in order toward the inboard tread edge, further comprises a first block, a second block and a third block, and the first block, the second block and the third block satisfy the following relation:
S 1< S 2< S 3,

where S1, S2 and S3 are top surface areas of the first block, the second block and the third block, respectively.

4. The tire according to claim 1 ,
wherein in a development view of the tread portion, each of the second inclined grooves is curved in an arc shape having a radius of curvature, and the center of the curvature is located on the side of the inboard tread edge with respect to the tire equator.

5. The tire according to claim 1 ,
wherein each of the second inclined grooves extends continuously and smoothly between the outboard end and an inboard end.

6. The tire according to claim 1 ,
wherein each second inclined groove has an inboard end located on the side of the inboard tread edge with respect to the tire equator and the outboard end located on the side of the outboard tread edge with respect to the tire equator.

7. The tire according to claim 6 ,
wherein each second inclined groove has an axial length (L 3 ), which is an axial distance between the inboard end and the outboard end on a groove centerline, in a range of from 50% to 65% of a tread width.

8. The tire according to claim 7 ,
wherein each second inclined groove extends continuously in an arc shape from the outboard end to the inboard end.

9. The tire according to claim 7 ,
wherein each second inclined groove extends continuously in a single arc shape from the outboard end to the inboard end.

10. The tire according to claim 3 ,
wherein ratios S2/S1 and S3/S2 of the top surface areas are in a range of from 1.1 to 1.4.

11. A tire comprising:
a tread portion having an installing direction to a vehicle and a designated rotational direction, the tread portion having an outboard tread edge and an inboard tread edge;
the tread portion being provided with a plurality of first inclined grooves each having an inclination with respect to a circumferential direction of the tire and extending from at least a tire equator to the outboard tread edge, a plurality of second inclined grooves each having an opposite inclination to the inclination of the first inclined grooves and extending from at least the tire equator toward the outboard tread edge, and a plurality of blocks separated by the first inclined grooves and the second inclined grooves; and
each second inclined groove comprising an outboard end and an inboard end, the outboard end terminating at, and forming a T-shaped groove junction with, one of the first inclined grooves on the outboard tread edge side of the tire equator so that a plurality of substantially trapezoidal shoulder blocks are arranged along the outboard tread edge, the inboard end terminating at, and forming a T-shaped junction with, another of the first inclined grooves on the inboard tread edge side of the tire equator,
wherein the second inclined grooves are inclined forward in the rotational direction from the tire equator toward the outboard tread edge,
wherein each of the second inclined grooves extends in an arc shape that protrudes backwardly in the rotational direction, and
wherein an axial distance between a center of the arc shape and a tire equator is in a range from 10% to 45% of a tread width.

12. The tire according to claim 11 ,
wherein each second inclined groove crosses through a plurality of the first inclined grooves between the outboard end and the inboard end.

13. A tire comprising:
a tread portion having an installing direction to a vehicle and a designated rotational direction, the tread portion having an outboard tread edge and an inboard tread edge;
the tread portion being provided with a plurality of first inclined grooves each having an inclination with respect to a circumferential direction of the tire and extending from at least a tire equator to the outboard tread edge, a plurality of second inclined grooves each having an opposite inclination to the inclination of the first inclined grooves and extending from at least the tire equator toward the outboard tread edge, and a plurality of blocks separated by the first inclined grooves and the second inclined grooves; and
each second inclined groove comprising an outboard end that terminates at one of the first inclined grooves so that a plurality of substantially trapezoidal shoulder blocks are arranged along the outboard tread edge,
wherein the second inclined grooves are inclined forward in the rotational direction from the tire equator toward the outboard tread edge, and wherein each of the second inclined grooves extends in an arc shape that protrudes backwardly in the rotational direction, the arc shape being a curved arc shape having a concave side that faces forward in the rotational direction, and
wherein an axial distance between a center of the arc shape and a tire equator is in a range from 10% to 45% of a tread width.

14. The tire according to claim 13 ,
wherein the curved arc shape has a radius of curvature, a center of the curvature being located on the inboard tread edge side of the tire equator and forward of the arc shape in the rotation direction.

Assignees

• Sumitomo Rubber Ind

Inventors

• Nakano Keita

Classifications

• B60C2011/0339

  Grooves · CPC title

• B60C11/1236

  with special arrangements in the tread pattern · CPC title

• B60C2011/0374

  Slant grooves, i.e. having an angle of about 5 to 35 degrees to the equatorial plane · CPC title

• B60C11/0304 Primary

  Asymmetric patterns · CPC title

• B60C11/0302

  directional pattern, i.e. with main rolling direction · CPC title