Tire

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9233579-B2
Application number	US-201113821927-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 9, 2011
Priority date	Sep 9, 2010
Publication date	Jan 12, 2016
Grant date	Jan 12, 2016

Abstract

A pneumatic tire ( 1010 ) has a circumferential groove ( 1020 ) that extends in the tire circumferential direction (Tc), and a land part ( 1040 ) that is adjacent to the circumferential groove ( 1020 ) and extends in the tire circumferential direction (Tc). Formed in the circumferential groove ( 1020 ) is an inner groove ( 1110 ) on the bottom ( 1020 b ) of the circumferential groove ( 1020 ) and recessed more in the tire radial inward direction than the bottom ( 1020 b ). The inner groove ( 1110 ) includes an inclined part ( 1120 ) that extends so as to be inclined in the tire circumferential direction (Tc). The land part ( 1040 ) has a hook-like groove portion ( 1210 ) formed along the direction (A 11 ) in which the inclined part ( 1120 ) extends. The extension direction ends ( 1210 a , 1210 b ) of the hook-like groove portion ( 1210 ) end within the land part.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A tire comprising:
a circumferential groove extending in a tire circumferential direction, and
a land portion being adjacent to the circumferential groove and extending in the tire circumferential direction, and
an inner land portion located closer to a tire equator line than the land portion,
wherein
in-groove grooves which are recessed from a groove bottom of the circumferential groove inwardly in a tire radial direction are formed in the circumferential groove,
each of the in-groove grooves includes an inclined portion extending with an inclination relative to the tire circumferential direction,
a groove portion extending in an extending direction of the inclined portion is formed in the land portion,
at least one of end portions of the groove portion in the extending direction is terminated at inside of the land portion,
a circumferential narrow groove extending in the tire circumferential direction is formed in the inner land portion,
a groove width of the circumferential narrow groove is smaller than a groove width of the in-groove grooves,
an end of the circumferential narrow groove communicates with an inner circumferential groove extending in the tire circumferential direction, and
another end of the circumferential narrow groove is terminated at inside of the inner land portion.

2. The tire according to claim 1 , wherein the groove portion is a narrow groove having a linear shape.

3. The tire according to claim 2 , wherein
the groove portion has a hook-like shape including:
a hook groove section having a linear shape extending in the extending direction of the inclined portion; and
a linear groove section which communicates with the hook groove section, and which has a linear shape extending in the tire circumferential direction.

4. The tire according to claim 1 , wherein the groove portion is formed by a plurality of pinhole sipes.

5. The tire according to claim 4 , wherein
the plurality of in-groove grooves are arranged at predetermined intervals in the tire circumferential direction, and
the groove portion formed by the pinhole sipes is formed between each pair of the inclined portions adjacent to each other in the tire circumferential direction.

6. The tire according to claim 1 , wherein
the groove portion includes:
a first groove portion which is a narrow groove having a linear shape; and
a second groove portion formed by a plurality of pinhole sipes, wherein

the second groove portion is formed close to the circumferential groove, and
the first groove portion is formed at a position which is more distant from the circumferential groove than a position of the second groove portion, and which is outside the second groove portion in a tread width direction.

7. The tire according to claim 6 , wherein
the first groove portion has a hook-like shape including:
a hook groove section having a linear shape extending in the extending direction in which the inclined portion extends; and
a linear groove section which communicates with the hook groove section, and which has a linear shape extending in the tire circumferential direction.

8. The tire according to claim 6 or 7 , wherein
the plurality of in-groove grooves are arranged at predetermined intervals in the tire circumferential direction, and
the second groove portion formed by the pinhole sipes is formed between each pair of the inclined portions adjacent to each other in the tire circumferential direction.

9. The tire according to claim 1 , further comprising
an inner land portion located closer to a tire equator line than the land portion is, wherein
a plurality of sipes are formed in the inner land portion, and
the plurality of sipes do not communicate with the circumferential groove adjacent to the inner land portion, but are terminated an inside of the inner land portion.

10. The tire according to claim 1 , comprising
lateral grooves each extending in a tread width direction, wherein
in a contact patch of the tire placed in a state where the tire is set at a standard inner pressure and a standard load is applied to the tire, a circumferential groove volume defined between the circumferential groove and a road surface is greater than a lateral groove volume defined between the lateral grooves and the road surface, and
in the contact patch of the tire, a total value of lengths of the in-groove grooves in the tread width direction is equal to or greater than a total value of lateral groove lengths of the lateral grooves in the tread width direction.

11. The tire according to claim 10 , wherein an angle formed by the circumferential groove and a tire equator line is 45 degrees or smaller in a tread surface view.

12. The tire according to claim 10 or 11 , wherein
an angle formed by each of the lateral grooves and a straight line perpendicular to a tire equator line is smaller than 45 degrees in a tread surface view.

13. The tire according to claim 1 , wherein
each of the in-groove grooves includes:
a high-angle groove section in which an angle formed by the in-groove groove and a straight line perpendicular to a tire equator line is greater than a predetermined angle; and
a low-angle groove section which is continuous to the high-angle groove section and in which an angle formed by the in-groove groove and the straight line is smaller than the predetermined angle, and

at least two kinds of pitches are provided, where each of the pitches is a length in the tire circumferential direction from a position at which a tread surface of the tire has a predetermined shape to a position at which the predetermined shape appears again in the tire circumferential direction.

14. The tire according to claim 13 , wherein
the high-angle groove section extends in the tire circumferential direction, and
the low-angle groove section extends in a tread width direction.

15. The tire according to claim 13 or 14 , wherein
the low-angle groove section is provided on each of both ends of the high-angle groove section.

16. The tire according to claim 13 or 14 , wherein
the low-angle groove section is continuous to the land portion.

Assignees

• Kato Keiichi
• Kiwaki Yukihiro
• Bridgestone Corp

Inventors

• Kato Keiichi
• Kiwaki Yukihiro

Classifications

• B60C2011/1254

  with closed sipe, i.e. not extending to a groove · CPC title

• B60C2011/133

  comprising recesses · CPC title

• B60C11/12

  characterised by the use of narrow slits or incisions, e.g. sipes · CPC title

• B60C11/1353

  with special features of the groove bottom · CPC title

• B60C11/13

  characterised by the groove cross-section, e.g. for buttressing or preventing stone-trapping · CPC title