Pneumatic tire

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10647162-B2
Application number	US-201715409675-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 19, 2017
Priority date	Jan 21, 2016
Publication date	May 12, 2020
Grant date	May 12, 2020

Abstract

A pneumatic tire includes a tread having main grooves extending in circumferential direction, and land portions partitioned by the main grooves. The main grooves include a pair of shoulder main grooves on tread edge sides, the land portions include a pair of shoulder ribs between the shoulder grooves and tread edges, rib has shoulder lug grooves extending from tread edge to axial direction inner side and having inner end terminated without reaching shoulder groove, and shoulder sipes extending from shoulder groove to axial direction outer side between adjacent lug grooves in the circumferential direction and having outer end terminated without reaching tread edge, and the ribs are forming such that circumferential direction length of first region between inner ends of sipe and adjacent lug groove is in range of 2 to 4 times circumferential direction length of second region between inner ends of sipe and the other adjacent lug groove.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A pneumatic tire, comprising:
a tread having a plurality of main grooves extending in a tire circumferential direction, and a plurality of land portions partitioned by the main grooves,
wherein the plurality of main grooves includes a pair of shoulder main grooves formed on tread edge sides, respectively, the plurality of land portions includes a pair of shoulder ribs formed between the shoulder main grooves and tread edges, respectively, each of the shoulder ribs has a plurality of shoulder lug grooves formed such that each of the shoulder lug grooves is extending from a respective one of the tread edges to a tire axial direction inner side and has an inner end terminated without reaching a respective one of the shoulder main grooves, and a plurality of shoulder sipes formed such that each of the shoulder sipes is extending from a respective one of the shoulder main grooves to a tire axial direction outer side between adjacent shoulder lug grooves in the tire circumferential direction and has an outer end terminated without reaching a respective one of the tread edges, the plurality of shoulder ribs is formed such that the shoulder lug grooves and the shoulder sipes are formed alternately with respect to each other and that a tire circumferential direction length of a first region between an inner end of each of the shoulder sipes and an inner end of an adjacent shoulder lug groove is in a range of 2 times to 4 times a tire circumferential direction length of a second region between the inner end of each of the shoulder sipes and an inner end of the other adjacent shoulder lug groove, and the plurality of shoulder ribs is formed such that each of the shoulder sipes has a tire axial direction length in a range of 20% to 50% of a width of each of the shoulder ribs.

2. The pneumatic tire according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of shoulder ribs is formed such that each of the shoulder lug grooves has an axial-direction portion extending along a tire axial direction, and an inclined portion inclined in one direction with respect to the tire axial direction.

3. The pneumatic tire according to claim 2 , wherein the plurality of shoulder ribs is formed such that each of the shoulder sipes is inclined in the same direction as the inclined portion with respect to the tire axial direction, and that a difference between an angle of each of the shoulder sipes with respect to the tire axial direction and an angle of the inclined portion with respect to the tire axial direction is 10 degrees or less.

4. The pneumatic tire according to claim 2 , wherein the plurality of land portions includes a plurality of middle ribs formed on tire axial direction inner sides of the shoulder main grooves, respectively, such that each of the middle ribs has a plurality of middle sipes extending from a respective one of the shoulder main grooves to a tire axial direction inner side, and the plurality of middle sipes is formed such that each of the middle sipes has an inner end terminated in a respect one of the middle ribs and is inclined in the same direction as the inclined portion with respect to the tire axial direction, and that a difference between an angle of each of the middle sipes with respect to the tire axial direction and the angle of the inclined portion with respect to the tire axial direction is 10 degrees or less.

5. The pneumatic tire according to claim 4 , wherein the plurality of middle ribs is formed such that the middle sipes are positioned on extension lines of the inclined portions, respectively.

6. The pneumatic tire according to claim 2 , wherein the plurality of shoulder ribs is formed such that each of the shoulder lug grooves has a tire axial direction length of the axial-direction portion in a range of 55% to 65% of the width of each of the shoulder ribs.

7. A pneumatic tire, comprising:
a tread having a plurality of main grooves extending in a tire circumferential direction, and a plurality of land portions partitioned by the main grooves,
wherein the plurality of main grooves includes a pair of shoulder main grooves formed on tread edge sides, respectively, the plurality of land portions includes a pair of shoulder ribs formed between the shoulder main grooves and tread edges, respectively, each of the shoulder ribs has a plurality of shoulder lug grooves formed such that each of the shoulder lug grooves is extending from a respective one of the tread edges to a tire axial direction inner side and has an inner end terminated without reaching a respective one of the shoulder main grooves, and a plurality of shoulder sipes formed such that each of the shoulder sipes is extending from a respective one of the shoulder main grooves to a tire axial direction outer side between adjacent shoulder lug grooves in the tire circumferential direction and has an outer end terminated without reaching a respective one of the tread edges, the plurality of shoulder ribs is formed such that the shoulder lug grooves and the shoulder sipes are formed alternately with respect to each other and that a tire circumferential direction length of a first region between an inner end of each of the shoulder sipes and an inner end of an adjacent shoulder lug groove is in a range of 2 times to 4 times a tire circumferential direction length of a second region between the inner end of each of the shoulder sipes and an inner end of the other adjacent shoulder lug groove, and the plurality of shoulder ribs is formed such that a distance between the inner end of each of the shoulder lug grooves and the shoulder main groove is in a range of 7% to 12% of a width of each of the shoulder ribs.

8. The pneumatic tire according to claim 7 , wherein the plurality of shoulder ribs is formed such that each of the shoulder sipes has a tire axial direction length in a range of 20% to 50% of the width of each of the shoulder ribs.

9. The pneumatic tire according to claim 7 , wherein the plurality of shoulder ribs is formed such that each of the shoulder lug grooves has an axial-direction portion extending along a tire axial direction, and an inclined portion inclined in one direction with respect to the tire axial direction.

10. The pneumatic tire according to claim 9 , wherein the plurality of shoulder ribs is formed such that each of the shoulder sipes is inclined in the same direction as the inclined portion with respect to the tire axial direction, and that a difference between an angle of each of the shoulder sipes with respect to the tire axial direction and an angle of the inclined portion with respect to the tire axial direction is 10 degrees or less.

11. The pneumatic tire according to claim 9 , wherein the plurality of land portions includes a plurality of middle ribs formed on tire axial direction inner sides of the shoulder main grooves, respectively, such that each of the middle ribs has a plurality of middle sipes extending from a respective one of the shoulder main grooves to a tire axial direction inner side, and the plurality of middle sipes is formed such that each of the middle sipes has an inner end terminated in a respect one of the middle ribs and is inclined in the same direction as the inclined portion with respect to the tire axial direction, and that a difference between an angle of each of the middle sipes with respect to the tire axial direction and the angle of the inclined portion with respect to the tire axial direction is 10 degrees or less.

12. The pneumatic tire according to claim 11 , wherein the plurality of middle ribs is formed such that the middle sipes are positioned on extension lines of the inclined portions, respectively.

13. The pneumatic tire according to

Assignees

• Sumitomo Rubber Ind

Inventors

• Osawa Takuya

Classifications

• B60C11/1236 Primary

  with special arrangements in the tread pattern · CPC title

• B60C2011/0386

  Continuous ribs · CPC title

• B60C11/12

  characterised by the use of narrow slits or incisions, e.g. sipes · CPC title

• B60C11/0311

  Patterns comprising tread lugs arranged parallel or oblique to the axis of rotation · CPC title

• B60C2011/039

  provided at the shoulder portion · CPC title