Pneumatic tire

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016009142-A1
Application number	US-201514795277-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 9, 2015
Priority date	Jul 14, 2014
Publication date	Jan 14, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

There is provided a pneumatic tire with a tread portion having a plurality of main grooves extending in a tire circumferential direction, and a plurality of land portions partitioned by the main grooves. The tread portion is formed in such a manner that a see-through void area on a first side relative to an equatorial plane of the tire in a tire width direction is greater than a see-through void area on a second side in the tire width direction. Ground contact surfaces of the plurality of land portions formed between the main grooves swell outward from a datum contour line of the tread portion in a tire radial direction, and the amount of swelling of a land portion, positioned on the first side on which the see-through void area is large, relative to the datum contour line is smaller than that of a land portion positioned on the second side.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A pneumatic tire comprising a tread portion comprising a plurality of main grooves extending in a tire circumferential direction, and a plurality of land portions partitioned by the main grooves,
wherein the tread portion is formed in such a manner that a see-through void area on a first side relative to an equatorial plane of the tire in a tire width direction is greater than a see-through void area on a second side relative to the equatorial plane in the tire width direction, and wherein ground contact surfaces of the plurality of land portions formed between the main grooves swell outward from a datum contour line of the tread portion in a tire radial direction, and the amount of swelling of a land portion, positioned on the first side on which the see-through void area is large, relative to the datum contour line is smaller than that of a land portion positioned on the second side.

2 . The pneumatic tire according to claim 1 ,
wherein the plurality of land portions formed between the main grooves include a land portion interposed between two main grooves with different see-through void areas, and a swelling apex of said land portion is positioned offset toward a main groove with a small see-through void area from the center of said land portion in the tire width direction.

3 . The pneumatic tire according to claim 2 ,
which satisfies a relationship of Dt=i×D×(sx/(sx+sy)), wherein sx and sy respectively represent the see-through void areas of the main grooves on both sides of the land portion (sx<sy), D represents a dimension of the land portion in the tire width direction, Dt represents a distance from an edge of the main groove with a small see-through void area to the swelling apex in the tire width direction, and i represents a value from 0.75 to 1.25 based on the condition that Dt is less than 0.5 D.

4 . The pneumatic tire according to claim 1 ,
wherein amounts of swelling of the plurality of land portions, formed between the main grooves, relative to the datum contour line are set to be in a range between 0.5% and 7% of the total groove width of all of the main grooves provided in the tread portion.

5 . The pneumatic tire according to claim 1 ,
wherein an amount of swelling of a land portion, positioned on the equatorial plane of the tire, relative to the datum contour line is greater than an amount of swelling of a land portion positioned on the first side on which the see-through void area is large, and is smaller than an amount of swelling of a land portion positioned on the second side.

6 . The pneumatic tire according to claim 1 ,
which satisfies a relationship of H1/H2=(Sb/Sa)×k, wherein Sa represents a see-through void area on the first side relative to the equatorial plane in the tire width direction in the tread portion, Sb represents a see-through void area on the second side in the tire width direction, H1 represents an amount of swelling of a land portion, positioned on the first side, relative to the datum contour line, H2 represents an amount of swelling of a land portion, positioned on the second side, relative to the datum contour line, and k represents a value from 0.6 to 1.25 based on the condition that H1 is less than H2.

Assignees

• Toyo Tire & Rubber Co

Inventors

• Tada Masaru

Classifications

• B60C5/00

  Inflatable pneumatic tyres or inner tubes (B60C1/00, B60C9/00 - B60C17/00 take precedence) · CPC title

• B60C11/0083 Primary

  characterised by the curvature of the tyre tread · CPC title

• B60C11/04

  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

• B60C11/0304

  Asymmetric patterns · CPC title

• B60C2011/0386

  Continuous ribs · CPC title