Tire

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10668775-B2
Application number	US-201715587074-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 4, 2017
Priority date	May 25, 2016
Publication date	Jun 2, 2020
Grant date	Jun 2, 2020

Abstract

A tire 1 comprises a tread portion 2 provided with an outer shoulder main groove 3 in a part closest to an outside tread edge (To) and an outer crown main groove 4 on a side of an inside tread edge (Ti) of the outer shoulder main groove 3 both extending continuously in the tire circumferential direction, and outer transverse grooves 9 connecting between the outside tread edge (To) and the outer crown main groove 4 so that an outer shoulder land region 7A is defined between the outside tread edge (To) and the outer shoulder main groove 3 and an outer middle land region 7B is defined between the outer shoulder main groove 3 and the outer crown main groove 4. A maximum axial width Ws of the outer shoulder land region 7A is larger than a maximum axial width Wm of the outer middle land region 7B.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A tire comprising a tread portion having a designated mounting direction to a vehicle to define an outside tread edge located toward the outside of the vehicle when the tire is mounted on the vehicle and an inside tread edge located toward the inside of the vehicle when the tire is mounted on the vehicle, wherein,
the tread portion is provided with an outer shoulder main groove extending continuously in the tire circumferential direction in a part closest to the outside tread edge, an outer crown main groove extending continuously in the tire circumferential direction on a side of the inside tread edge of the outer shoulder main groove, a plurality of outer transverse grooves connecting between the outside tread edge and the outer crown main groove, an outer shoulder land region defined between the outside tread edge and the outer shoulder main groove, and an outer middle land region defined between the outer shoulder main groove and the outer crown main groove,
a maximum width of the outer shoulder land region in the tire axial direction is larger than a maximum width of the outer middle land region in the tire axial direction,
each of the outer transverse grooves is inclined to one side with respect to the tire axial direction such that a virtual linear line inclined to the one side would extend within the outer transverse groove over the entire length of the outer transverse groove,
the tread portion is further provided with a plurality of crown transverse grooves extending from the outer crown main groove toward the inside tread edge and inclined to one side with respect to the tire axial direction, and a plurality of outer middle transverse grooves connecting between the outer crown main groove and the outer shoulder main groove,
the crown transverse grooves are inclined to the opposite side to the outer middle transverse grooves,
the tread portion is provided with an inner crown main groove extending linearly and continuously in the tire circumferential direction on the side of the inside tread edge of the outer crown main groove,
each of the crown transverse grooves extends so as to connect between the outer crown main groove and the inner crown main groove, and
the outer middle transverse grooves are inclined to the same side as the outer transverse grooves with respect to the tire axial direction such that a virtual linear line inclined to the same side would extend within a respective one of the outer middle transverse grooves over the entire length of the respective outer middle transverse groove.

2. The tire according to claim 1 , wherein the maximum width of the outer middle land region in the tire axial direction is in a range from 70% to 85% of the maximum width of the outer shoulder land region in the tire axial direction.

3. The tire according to claim 1 , wherein, a groove width of at least one of the outer transverse grooves gradually decreases toward the inside tread edge.

4. The tire according to claim 1 , wherein, at least one of the outer transverse grooves is provided with a shallow bottom portion having a smaller groove depth than the rest of the at least one of the outer transverse grooves and extending toward the outside tread edge from a position where the at least one of the outer transverse grooves is connected with the outer crown main groove.

5. The tire according to claim 1 , wherein,
the outer shoulder main groove has a zigzag configuration in which first portions inclined to one side with respect to the tire circumferential direction and second portions inclined to the opposite side to the first portions are arranged alternately in the tire circumferential direction, and
each of the outer transverse grooves extends through one of intersections between the first portions and the second portions.

6. The tire according to claim 1 , wherein,
the tread portion is further provided with an inner crown main groove extending continuously in the tire circumferential direction on the side of the inside tread edge of the outer crown main groove, and an inner shoulder main groove extending continuously in the tire circumferential direction on the side of the inside tread edge of the inner crown main groove, and
a groove width of the outer shoulder main groove is smaller than groove widths of the outer crown main groove, the inner crown main groove and the inner shoulder main groove.

7. The tire according to claim 1 , wherein,
the outer shoulder land region is divided by the plurality of the outer transverse grooves into outer shoulder blocks arranged in the tire circumferential direction,
at least some of the outer shoulder blocks are each provided with an outer circumferential narrow groove connecting between a pair of the outer transverse grooves adjacently disposed to each other on both sides of each of the at least some of the outer shoulder blocks in the tire circumferential direction,
the outer circumferential narrow groove comprises a first oblique portion inclined to one side with respect to the tire circumferential direction with a length not less than 30% of a maximum length of corresponding one of the some of the outer shoulder blocks in the tire circumferential direction, and a second oblique portion inclined to an opposite side to the first oblique portion with a length not less than 30% of the maximum length of the corresponding one of the some of the outer shoulder blocks in the tire circumferential direction.

8. The tire according to claim 1 , wherein,
at least one of the outer transverse grooves comprises a pair of groove edges extending in the tire axial direction,
one of the pair of the groove edges comprises a first groove edge portion extending smoothly in the tire axial direction and a second groove edge portion connected with the first groove edge portion and inclined toward a groove center line of the at least one of the outer transverse grooves at a greater angle than the first groove edge portion,
the other one of the pair of the groove edges comprises a third groove edge portion extending smoothly in the tire axial direction and a fourth groove edge portion connected with the third groove edge portion and inclined toward the groove center line at a greater angle than the third groove edge portion, and
the second groove edge portion and the fourth groove edge portion are misaligned in the tire axial direction.

9. The tire according to claim 1 , wherein
each of the outer transverse grooves includes an outer portion disposed between the outside tread edge and the outer shoulder main groove, and an inner portion disposed between the outer shoulder main groove and the outer crown main groove, and
in at least one of the outer transverse grooves, a groove width of the inner portion gradually and continuously decreases toward the inside tread edge.

10. The tire according to claim 1 , wherein
the tread portion is further provided with an inner crown main groove extending linearly and continuously in the tire circumferential direction on the side of the inside tread edge of the outer crown main groove, and an inner shoulder main groove extending linearly and continuously in the tire circumferential direction on the side of the inside tread edge of the inner crown main groove, and
the outer shoulder main groove width is smaller than each of the groove widths of the outer crown main groove, the inner crown main groove, and the inner shoulder main groove.

11. The tire according to claim 1 , wherein
each of the outer transverse grooves includes an outer portion disposed between the outside tread edge and the outer shoulder main groove, and an inner portion disposed between the outer shoulder main groove and the o

Assignees

• Sumitomo Rubber Ind

Inventors

• Nakajima Sho

Classifications

• B60C11/0302

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

• B60C2011/0369

  with varying depth of the groove · CPC title

• B60C11/0306 Primary

  Patterns comprising block rows or discontinuous ribs · CPC title

• B60C11/1236

  with special arrangements in the tread pattern · CPC title

• B60C11/11 Primary

  in which the raised area of the pattern consists only of isolated elements, e.g. blocks (B60C11/12, B60C11/13 take precedence) · CPC title