Tire

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11633990-B2
Application number	US-201916417991-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 21, 2019
Priority date	May 22, 2018
Publication date	Apr 25, 2023
Grant date	Apr 25, 2023

Abstract

A tire having a circumferential groove having a groove bottom and a pair of groove walls. The groove bottom is provided with groove bottom raised portions protruding radially outwardly from a reference plane 5 a . The groove bottom raised portions are a first groove bottom raised portion located on a first side in the width direction of the circumferential groove and a second groove bottom raised portion located on a second side in the width direction. The first and second groove bottom raised portions each has a plurality of repeating units having a first bottom surface extending substantially in the tire radial direction and a second bottom surface inclined with respect to the tire radial direction at a larger angle than the first bottom surface. The inclination direction of the second bottom surfaces of the first groove bottom raised portion is opposite to the inclination direction of the second bottom surfaces of the second groove bottom raised portion.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A tire comprising:
a tread portion having a tread surface and provided with a circumferential groove extending continuously in the tire circumferential direction, the circumferential groove having a groove bottom and a pair of groove walls extending radially outwardly from the groove bottom toward the tread surface, wherein
the groove bottom is provided with groove bottom raised portions protruding radially outwardly from a groove bottom reference plane which is defined by a plane being parallel to the tread surface and positioned at a deepest position of the circumferential groove,
the groove bottom raised portions consist of
a first groove bottom raised portion located on a first side in a width direction of the circumferential groove, and
a second groove bottom raised portion located on a second side in the width direction of the circumferential groove,

the first groove bottom raised portion and the second groove bottom raised portion have their border positioned on the widthwise center line of the circumferential groove in the top view of the circumferential groove, and
each of the first groove bottom raised portion and the second groove bottom raised portion consists of a plurality of repeating units each consisting of
a first bottom surface extending substantially in the tire radial direction at an inclining angle in a range from −10 degrees to +10 degrees with respect to the tire radial direction, and
a second bottom surface inclined with respect to the tire radial direction at a larger angle than the first bottom surface, and wherein

the pair of groove walls are a first groove wall positioned on the first side and a second groove wall positioned on the second side,
each of the first groove wall and the second groove wall is provided with a groove wall protruding portion protruding inward of the circumferential groove from a groove wall reference plane defined by a plane being parallel to the tire circumferential direction and positioned at a widest position of the groove width of the circumferential groove,
the groove wall protruding portion comprises a plurality of repeating units each comprising
a first wall surface extending in the tire widthwise direction, and
a second wall surface inclined with respect to the tire widthwise direction at a larger angle than the first wall surface,

wherein the radial height of the groove wall protruding portion is the same as the depth of the circumferential groove whereby only one groove wall protruding portion is provided in the groove depth direction,

wherein
on the first side of the widthwise center line of the circumferential groove,
the first bottom surfaces are oriented to one side in the longitudinal direction of the circumferential groove, and
the first wall surfaces are oriented to the other side in the longitudinal direction of the circumferential groove, and

on the second side of the widthwise center line of the circumferential groove,
the first bottom surfaces are oriented to said other side in the longitudinal direction of the circumferential groove, and
the first wall surfaces are oriented to said one side in the longitudinal direction of the circumferential groove,

wherein
the first bottom surfaces and the second bottom surfaces of the repeating units of the first groove bottom raised portion extend from the border to the first groove wall so that the second bottom surfaces intersect the second wall surfaces, respectively, of the first groove wall, and the first bottom surfaces and the second bottom surfaces of the repeating units of the second groove bottom raised portion extend from the border to the second groove wall so that the second bottom surfaces intersect the second wall surfaces, respectively, of the second groove wall, whereby each of the second wall surface has two radially extending edges which are an inside edge, and an outside edge positioned outside the inside edge in the widthwise direction of the groove, and the outside edge is shorter than the inside edge, so as to have a trapezoidal shape,

wherein
the first bottom surfaces of the first groove bottom raised portion are respectively disposed at the same positions in the tire circumferential direction as the first bottom surfaces of the second groove bottom raised portion, and
on each of the first side and the second side of the widthwise center line of the circumferential groove, the first bottom surfaces are respectively disposed at the same positions in the tire circumferential direction as the first wall surfaces of the groove wall protruding portion,
whereby circumferential extents of the second bottom surfaces respectively correspond to circumferential extents of the second wall surfaces which are respectively intersected by the second bottom surfaces.

2. A tire comprising:
a tread portion having a tread surface and provided with a circumferential groove extending continuously in the tire circumferential direction, the circumferential groove having a groove bottom and a pair of groove walls extending radially outwardly from the groove bottom toward the tread surface, wherein
the groove bottom is provided with groove bottom raised portions protruding radially outwardly from a groove bottom reference plane which is defined by a plane being parallel to the tread surface and positioned at a deepest position of the circumferential groove,
the groove bottom raised portions consist of
a first groove bottom raised portion located on a first side in a width direction of the circumferential groove, and
a second groove bottom raised portion located on a second side in the width direction of the circumferential groove,

the first groove bottom raised portion and the second groove bottom raised portion have their border positioned on the widthwise center line of the circumferential groove in the top view of the circumferential groove, and
each of the first groove bottom raised portion and the second groove bottom raised portion consists of a plurality of repeating units each consisting of
a first bottom surface extending substantially in the tire radial direction at an inclining angle in a range from −10 degrees to +10 degrees with respect to the tire radial direction, and
a second bottom surface inclined with respect to the tire radial direction at a larger angle than the first bottom surface, and wherein

the pair of groove walls are a first groove wall positioned on the first side and a second groove wall positioned on the second side,
each of the first groove wall and the second groove wall is provided with a groove wall protruding portion protruding inward of the circumferential groove from a groove wall reference plane defined by a plane being parallel to the tire circumferential direction and positioned at a widest position of the groove width of the circumferential groove,
the groove wall protruding portion comprises a plurality of repeating units each comprising
a first wall surface extending in the tire widthwise direction, and
a second wall surface inclined with respect to the tire widthwise direction at a larger angle than the first wall surface,

wherein the radial height of the groove wall protruding portion is the same as the depth of the circumferential groove whereby only one groove wall protruding portion is provided in the groove depth direction,
wherein on the first side of the widthwise center line of the circumferential groove, the first bottom surfaces are oriented to one side in the longitudinal direction of the circumferential groove, and
the first wall surfaces are oriented to the other side in the longitudinal direction of the circumferential groove, and
on the second side of the widthwise center line of the circumferential groove, the first bottom surfaces are oriented to said other side in the longitudinal directio

Assignees

• Sumitomo Rubber Ind

Inventors

• Nakajima Koichi

Classifications

• B60C2011/0341

  Circumferential grooves · CPC title

• B60C11/047

  the groove bottom comprising stone trapping protection elements, e.g. ribs · CPC title

• B60C2011/0353

  characterised by width · CPC title

• B60C11/1307 Primary

  with special features of the groove walls · CPC title

• B60C2011/0355

  characterised by depth · CPC title