Tire

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11214100-B2
Application number	US-201816038920-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 18, 2018
Priority date	Aug 3, 2017
Publication date	Jan 4, 2022
Grant date	Jan 4, 2022

Abstract

A tire comprises a tread portion 2 . The tread portion 2 is provided with at least one main groove 3 extending continuously in a tire circumferential direction. A first groove wall 10 , which is one of groove walls of the main groove 3 , is provided with at least one first recessed portion 11 recessed outwardly in a groove width direction from a corresponding one of groove edges 6 of the main groove on a ground contacting surface of the tread portion 2 . In the first recessed portion 11 , a recess amount from the corresponding one of the groove edges 6 gradually decreases toward both sides in the tire circumferential direction from a deepest portion 15 recessed most outwardly in the groove width direction.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A tire comprising a tread portion wherein
the tread portion is provided with at least one main groove extending continuously in a tire circumferential direction,
a first groove wall, which is one of groove walls of the main groove, is provided with at least one first recessed portion which is undercut so as to be recessed outwardly in a groove width direction from a corresponding one of groove edges of the main groove on a ground contacting surface of the tread portion, and
in the first recessed portion, a recess amount from the corresponding one of the groove edges gradually decreases toward both sides in the tire circumferential direction from a deepest portion recessed most outwardly in the groove width direction, wherein
the first groove wall is provided with at least one second recessed portion which is undercut so as to be recessed outwardly in the groove width direction from the corresponding one of the groove edges and having the recess amount from the corresponding one of the groove edges constant in the tire circumferential direction; and
the second recessed portion has a length in the tire circumferential direction smaller than that of the first recessed portion.

2. The tire according to claim 1 , wherein
the first recessed portion is provided on a side of a groove bottom of the groove wall.

3. The tire according to claim 1 , wherein
the first recessed portion has a contour portion formed in an arcuate shape in a cross section passing through the deepest portion and taken in parallel with the ground contacting surface.

4. The tire according to claim 1 , wherein
in a lateral cross-sectional view of the first recessed portion passing through the deepest portion, the recess amount gradually decreases outwardly in a tire radial direction from the deepest portion.

5. The tire according to claim 1 , wherein
the recess amount at the deepest portion is in the range of from 0.1 to 0.5 times a groove width, which is a length between the groove edges, of the main groove.

6. The tire according to claim 1 , wherein
a maximum recess amount of the second recessed portion is smaller than the recess amount at the deepest portion of the first recessed portion.

7. The tire according to claim 1 , wherein
the first groove wall has the first recessed portions and the second recessed portions arranged alternately in the tire circumferential direction.

8. The tire according to claim 1 , wherein
a second groove wall, which is the other one of the groove walls of the main groove, is provided with at least one first recessed portion.

9. The tire according to claim 8 , wherein
each of the first groove wall and the second groove wall is provided with a plurality of the first recessed portions, and
the first recessed portions provided in the first groove wall and the first recessed portions provided in the second groove wall are arranged alternately in the tire circumferential direction.

10. The tire according to claim 9 , wherein
the main groove includes a first main groove and a second main groove adjacent to each other, and
in each of the first main groove and the second main groove, the first recessed portions provided in the first groove wall and the first recessed portions provided in the second groove wall are arranged alternately in the tire circumferential direction in the same phase with each other.

11. The tire according to claim 1 further comprising a sipe extending outwardly in the groove width direction from the main groove, wherein
the sipe is connected with the first recessed portion.

12. The tire according to claim 2 , wherein
the first recessed portion has a contour portion formed in an arcuate shape in a cross section passing through the deepest portion and taken in parallel with the ground contacting surface.

13. The tire according to claim 2 , wherein
in a lateral cross-sectional view of the first recessed portion passing through the deepest portion, the recess amount gradually decreases outwardly in a tire radial direction from the deepest portion.

14. The tire according to claim 3 , wherein
in a lateral cross-sectional view of the first recessed portion passing through the deepest portion, the recess amount gradually decreases outwardly in a tire radial direction from the deepest portion.

15. The tire according to claim 2 , wherein
the recess amount at the deepest portion is in the range of from 0.1 to 0.5 times a groove width, which is a length between the groove edges, of the main groove.

16. The tire according to claim 3 , wherein
the recess amount at the deepest portion is in the range of from 0.1 to 0.5 times a groove width, which is a length between the groove edges, of the main groove.

17. The tire according to claim 4 , wherein
the recess amount at the deepest portion is in the range of from 0.1 to 0.5 times a groove width, which is a length between the groove edges, of the main groove.

18. The tire according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one first recessed portion and the at least one second recessed portion are provided on a same first groove wall.

19. The tire according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one first recessed portion is connected with the at least one second recessed portion.

Assignees

• Sumitomo Rubber Ind

Inventors

• Nakajima Koichi

Classifications

• B60C11/042 Primary

  further characterised by the groove cross-section · CPC title

• B60C11/1323

  asymmetric · CPC title

• B60C11/1236

  with special arrangements in the tread pattern · CPC title

• B60C2200/04

  for road vehicles, e.g. passenger cars · CPC title

• B60C11/045

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