Tire

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11046117-B2
Application number	US-201815954846-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 17, 2018
Priority date	Apr 18, 2017
Publication date	Jun 29, 2021
Grant date	Jun 29, 2021

Abstract

A tire comprises a tread portion 2 . The tread portion 2 comprises a plurality of oblique grooves 10 extending obliquely from a first tread edge Te 1 positioned on one side in a tire axial direction toward a tire equator C, and a plurality of oblique land regions 13 each defined between a pair of the oblique grooves 10 adjacent to each other in a tire circumferential direction. Each of the oblique land regions 13 is provided with a plurality of joint grooves 15 each connecting between the pair of the oblique grooves 10.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A tire comprising:
a tread portion comprising
a plurality of oblique grooves extending obliquely from a first tread edge positioned on one side in a tire axial direction toward a tire equator and terminating without crossing the tire equator, and
a plurality of oblique land regions each defined between a pair of the oblique grooves adjacent to each other in a tire circumferential direction, wherein
each of the oblique land regions is provided with a plurality of joint grooves each connecting between the pair of the oblique grooves, wherein
the joint grooves include
an inner joint groove arranged closest to the tire equator,
two middle joint grooves arranged adjacently to the inner joint groove on the first tread edge side, and
an outer joint groove arranged closest to the first tread edge in addition to the middle joint grooves, wherein

the middle joint grooves have a smaller angle than that of the inner joint groove with respect to the tire circumferential direction,
the outer joint groove has a larger angle than that of the middle joint grooves with respect to the tire circumferential direction, and
the outer joint groove has a smaller angle than that of the inner joint groove with respect to the tire circumferential direction, wherein
the tread portion is provided with a plurality of center lateral grooves each crossing the tire equator so as to connect between a pair of the oblique grooves adjacent to each other in the tire axial direction,
the center lateral grooves have larger groove widths than the joint grooves,
the inner joint groove is connected with one of the center lateral grooves with one of the oblique grooves therebetween such that an end of the inner joint groove and an end of one of the plurality of center lateral grooves are located in a same position as with each other in a longitudinal direction of the one of the oblique grooves,
and
the middle joint groove has grooves each has two bent portions that are convex in opposite directions to each other.

2. The tire according to claim 1 wherein
the at least one middle joint groove and the outer joint groove are inclined in a direction opposite to the oblique grooves.

3. The tire according to claim 1 , wherein
an outer lateral groove is provided between the outer joint groove and the first tread edge, and
the outer lateral groove extends from one of the pair of the oblique grooves and terminates within the oblique land region without reaching the other one of the pair of the oblique grooves.

4. The tire according to claim 1 , wherein
each of the center lateral grooves has a larger groove width over an entire length thereof than a maximum groove width of the inner joint groove.

5. The tire according to claim 4 , wherein
an angle of the inner joint groove with respect to the tire axial direction is smaller than an angle of each of the center lateral grooves with respect to the tire axial direction.

6. The tire according to claim 5 , wherein
a difference between the angle of each of the center lateral grooves with respect to the tire axial direction and the angle of the inner joint groove with respect to the tire axial direction is not more than 20 degrees.

7. The tire according to claim 1 , wherein
the center lateral grooves extend straight.

8. The tire according to claim 1 , wherein
the center lateral grooves have greater lengths in the tire axial direction than the joint grooves.

9. The tire according to claim 1 , wherein
the middle joint grooves each has a pair of main oblique portions inclined in the same direction and a sub oblique portion forming the bent portions therebetween,
an angle of the pair of main oblique portions is in a range of 45 to 55 degrees with respect to the tire circumferential direction, and
an angle of the sub oblique portion is in a range of 65 to 85 degrees with respect to the tire circumferential direction.

10. The tire according to claim 1 , wherein
the middle joint grooves each has a pair of main oblique portions inclined in the same direction and a sub oblique portion forming the bent portions therebetween, and
an angle of the sub oblique portion with respect to the tire circumferential direction is larger than angles of the main oblique portions with respect to the tire circumferential direction.

11. A tire comprising:
a tread portion comprising
a plurality of first oblique grooves extending obliquely from a first tread edge positioned on one side in a tire axial direction toward a tire equator and terminating without crossing the tire equator,
a plurality of second oblique grooves extending obliquely from a second tread edge positioned on another side in the tire axial direction toward the tire equator and terminating without crossing the tire equator, and
a plurality of oblique land regions each defined between a pair of the first oblique grooves adjacent to each other in a tire circumferential direction, wherein
each of the oblique land regions is provided with a plurality of joint grooves each connecting between the pair of the first oblique grooves, wherein
the joint grooves include
an inner joint groove arranged closest to the tire equator,
two middle joint grooves arranged adjacently to the inner joint groove on the first tread edge side, and
an outer joint groove arranged closest to the first tread edge in addition to the middle joint grooves, wherein

the tread portion is provided with a plurality of center lateral grooves each crossing the tire equator so as to connect between a pair of one of the first oblique grooves and one of the second oblique grooves adjacent to each other in the tire axial direction,
the inner joint groove is connected with one of the center lateral grooves with one of the first oblique grooves therebetween such that an end of the inner joint groove and an end of one of the plurality of center lateral grooves are located in a same position as with each other in a longitudinal direction of the one of the first oblique grooves, and
the middle joint grooves each has two bent portions that are convex in opposite directions to each other.

12. The tire according to claim 11 , wherein
the outer joint groove has a smaller angle than that of the inner joint groove with respect to the tire circumferential direction.

13. The tire according to claim 11 , wherein
the middle joint grooves and the outer joint groove are inclined in a direction opposite to the first oblique grooves.

14. The tire according to claim 11 , wherein
an outer lateral groove is provided between the outer joint groove and the first tread edge, and
the outer lateral groove extends from one of the pair of the first oblique grooves and terminates within the oblique land region without reaching the other one of the pair of the first oblique grooves.

15. The tire according to claim 11 , wherein
the center lateral grooves have larger groove widths than the joint grooves.

16. The tire according to claim 11 , wherein
the middle joint grooves each have a pair of main oblique portions inclined in the same direction and a sub oblique portion forming the bent portions therebetween,
an angle of the pair of main oblique portions is in a range of 45 to 55 degrees with respect to the tire circumferential direction, and
an angle of the sub oblique portion is in a range of 65 to 85 degrees with respect to the tire circumferential direction.

Assignees

• Sumitomo Rubber Ind

Inventors

• Tahara Kotaro
• Ishino Hiroyuki
• Arakawa Saki
• Yagi Kenta

Classifications

• B60C2011/0369

  with varying depth of the groove · CPC title

• B60C2011/0381

  Blind or isolated grooves · CPC title

• B60C2011/1213

  sinusoidal or zigzag at the tread surface · CPC title

• B60C2011/0379

  characterised by depth · CPC title

• B60C11/1236

  with special arrangements in the tread pattern · CPC title