Tire

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11059328-B2
Application number	US-201816209565-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 4, 2018
Priority date	Dec 20, 2017
Publication date	Jul 13, 2021
Grant date	Jul 13, 2021

Abstract

A tire comprises a tread portion provided with at least one longitudinal groove extending in a tire circumferential direction. The longitudinal groove has a groove bottom surface and a pair of groove wall surfaces extending outwardly in a tire radial direction from the groove bottom surface. The groove bottom surface is provided with a groove bottom protruding portion protruding outwardly in the tire radial direction. At least one of the pair of the groove wall surfaces is provided with a groove wall protruding portion protruding toward a side of a groove center of the longitudinal groove.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A tire comprising:
a tread portion comprising at least one longitudinal groove extending in a tire circumferential direction, wherein
the longitudinal groove has a groove bottom surface and a pair of groove wall surfaces extending outwardly in a tire radial direction from the groove bottom surface,
the groove bottom surface is provided with at least one groove bottom protruding portion protruding outwardly in the tire radial direction,
at least one groove wall surface of the pair of groove wall surfaces is provided with at least one groove wall protruding portion protruding toward a side of a groove center of the longitudinal groove,
the at least one groove wall protruding portion includes a plurality of groove wall protruding portions arranged in a longitudinal direction of the longitudinal groove,
the at least one groove bottom protruding portion includes a plurality of groove bottom protruding portions arranged in the longitudinal direction of the longitudinal groove,
pitches of the groove wall protruding portions are the same as pitches of the groove bottom protruding portions,
each of the groove bottom protruding portions includes a first inclined surface inclined so that a groove depth decreases toward one side in the tire circumferential direction and a second inclined surface connected with the first inclined surface and inclined so that the groove depth increases toward the one side in the tire circumferential direction,
the tread portion is bound with an intended tire rotational direction,
the first inclined surface is inclined so that the groove depth decreases toward a toe-side in the tire rotational direction,
the groove wall protruding portions are each inclined toward a toe-side in the tire rotational direction as each of the groove wall protruding portions goes radially outwardly, and
each of the groove wall protruding portions are directly connected with a radially outermost edge of the first inclined surface.

2. The tire according to claim 1 , wherein
a height in the tire radial direction of each of the groove bottom protruding portions is not less than 0.5 mm.

3. The tire according to claim 1 , wherein
a length in the longitudinal direction between the groove bottom protruding portions adjacent to each other is not more than 15 mm.

4. The tire according to claim 1 , wherein
the groove wall protruding portions are each formed in a rib shape extending in the tire radial direction.

5. The tire according to claim 1 , wherein
a protruding length of each of the groove wall protruding portions is in a range of from 0.5 to 5 mm.

6. The tire tyre according to claim 1 , wherein
the groove wall protruding portions extend to a ground contacting surface of a land region of the tread portion.

7. The tire according to claim 1 , wherein
in a standard state in which the tire is mounted on a standard rim, inflated to a standard inner pressure, and loaded with no tire load, an angle of each of the groove wall protruding portions with respect to the tire radial direction is in a range of from 40 to 90 degrees at an inner end thereof in the tire radial direction.

8. The tire according to claim 1 , wherein
the groove wall protruding portions are disposed overlapping with the groove bottom protruding portions so that an imaginary line in the tire radial direction passes through both one of the groove wall protruding portions and an edge of a top portion of one of the groove bottom protruding portions, and wherein
the edge of the top portion extends in an axial direction of the tire.

9. The tire according to claim 1 , where
a length in the tire circumferential direction of each of the groove bottom protruding portions is in a range of from 0.5 to 2 times a groove width of the longitudinal groove.

10. The tire according to claim 1 , wherein
an inclination direction of the first inclined surface of the at least one groove bottom protruding portion of a first longitudinal groove is opposite to an inclination direction of the first inclined surface of the at least one groove bottom protruding portion of a second longitudinal groove with respect to the tire radial direction, and
an inclination direction of the at least one groove wall protruding portion of the first longitudinal groove is opposite to an inclination direction of the at least one groove wall protruding portion of the second longitudinal groove with respect to the tire radial direction.

11. The tire according to claim 10 , wherein
the first longitudinal groove and the second longitudinal groove are a crown longitudinal groove and a shoulder longitudinal groove,
the crown longitudinal groove is arranged adjacent to a tire equator in the tire axial direction, and
the shoulder longitudinal groove is arranged axially outside the crown longitudinal groove.

12. The tire according to claim 1 , wherein
a length in the tire circumferential direction of the first inclined surface is larger than a length in the tire circumferential direction of the second inclined surface.

13. The tire according to claim 12 , wherein
the length of the first inclined surface is in a range of from 80% to 95% of a length in the tire circumferential direction of each of the at least one groove bottom protruding portion.

14. The tire according to claim 13 , wherein
a length in a longitudinal direction between groove bottom protruding portions among the at least one groove bottom protruding portion that are adjacent to each other is not more than 15 mm.

15. The tire according to claim 13 , wherein
a length in a longitudinal direction between groove bottom protruding portions among the at least one groove bottom protruding portion that are adjacent to each other is smaller than the length in the tire circumferential direction of the first inclined surface and larger than the length in the tire circumferential direction of the second inclined surface.

Assignees

• Sumitomo Rubber Ind

Inventors

• Ishigaki Yuichi
• Nakajima Koichi

Classifications

• B60C11/04 Primary

  in which the raised area of the pattern consists only of continuous circumferential ribs, e.g. zig-zag (B60C11/12, B60C11/13 take precedence) · CPC title

• B60C2011/1338

  comprising protrusions · CPC title

• B60C11/045

  the groove walls having a three-dimensional shape · CPC title

• B60C11/0302

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

• B60C2011/1361

  with protrusions extending from the groove bottom · CPC title