Pneumatic tire

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9783006-B2
Application number	US-201213563177-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 31, 2012
Priority date	Aug 10, 2011
Publication date	Oct 10, 2017
Grant date	Oct 10, 2017

Abstract

A pneumatic tire including a tread portion, side wall portions, and bead portions, wherein the tread portion includes a plurality of circumferential grooves having a groove width of not less than 3.0 mm and which extend in a tire circumferential direction while meandering, and a plurality of lateral grooves having a groove width of not less than 3.0 mm and which communicate between a pair of circumferential grooves adjacent in a tire width direction. The circumferential grooves and the lateral grooves partition two rows of polygonal blocks formed by arranging a plurality of polygonal blocks, having a polygonal shape with not less than five corners, in a staggered manner along the tire circumferential direction. A polygonal rib extending in the tire circumferential direction is disposed between the two rows of polygonal blocks. The polygonal rib is adjacent to the two rows of polygonal blocks.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A pneumatic tire comprising a tread portion extending in a tire circumferential direction to form an annular shape, a pair of side wall portions disposed on both sides of the tread portion, and a pair of bead portions disposed on inner sides in a tire radial direction of the side wall portions; the tread portion of said pneumatic tire comprising a plurality of circumferential grooves having a groove width of not less than 3.0 mm and which extend in the tire circumferential direction while meandering, and a plurality of lateral grooves having a groove width of not less than 3.0 mm and which communicate between a pair of circumferential grooves adjacent in a tire width direction, wherein,
the circumferential grooves and the lateral grooves partition two rows of polygonal blocks formed by arranging a plurality of polygonal blocks, having a polygonal shape with not less than five corners, in a staggered manner along the tire circumferential direction;
a polygonal rib extending in the tire circumferential direction is disposed between the two rows of polygonal blocks, the polygonal rib being disposed adjacent to the two rows of polygonal blocks,
linearly extending sipes or shallow grooves are provided in each of the polygonal blocks,
a shape of each of the polygonal blocks is a convex hexagon, the shape having a perimeter defining the convex hexagon which is uninterrupted by a groove, and
the rows of polygonal blocks and the polygonal rib are mutually configured to have a similar shape, wherein the similar shape shared by the rows of polygonal blocks and the polygonal rib is defined as a structure in which the polygonal rib has corners corresponding to the polygonal blocks included in the rows of polygonal blocks, the staggered arrangement pattern of the rows of polygonal blocks and the polygonal rib match each other, and a total area of the polygonal rib and a total area of the polygonal blocks included in the rows of polygonal blocks are substantially the same.

2. The pneumatic tire according to claim 1 , wherein an extending direction of the sipes or shallow grooves is configured to be parallel with one side of the polygonal blocks.

3. The pneumatic tire according to claim 1 , wherein all the sipes or shallow grooves are substantially parallel in each of the polygonal blocks, and extending directions of the sipes or shallow grooves are configured so as to be mutually different in all pairs of polygonal blocks adjacent in the tire circumferential direction.

4. The pneumatic tire according to claim 1 , wherein sipes or shallow grooves are provided in the polygonal rib.

5. The pneumatic tire according to claim 1 , wherein dimples or recesses are provided in the polygonal rib.

6. The pneumatic tire according to claim 1 , wherein at least four sides of the convex hexagon have a same length.

7. The pneumatic tire according to claim 1 , wherein the convex hexagon is a regular hexagon.

8. The pneumatic tire according to claim 1 , wherein each of the rows of polygonal blocks is sandwiched by a pair of polygonal ribs, each of the polygonal ribs extends in the tire circumferential direction.

9. The pneumatic tire according to claim 1 , wherein the polygonal rib is defined by the circumferential grooves.

10. The pneumatic tire according to claim 1 , wherein another polygonal rib is disposed at a position on an outer side of at least one of the two rows of the polygonal blocks in the tire width direction.

11. A pneumatic tire comprising a tread portion extending in a tire circumferential direction to form an annular shape, a pair of side wall portions disposed on both sides of the tread portion, and a pair of bead portions disposed on inner sides in a tire radial direction of the side wall portions; the tread portion of said pneumatic tire comprising a plurality of circumferential grooves which extend in the tire circumferential direction and a plurality of lateral grooves which communicate between a pair of circumferential grooves adjacent in a tire width direction,
wherein the circumferential grooves and the lateral grooves partition two rows of polygonal blocks formed by arranging a plurality of polygonal blocks, having a polygonal shape in a staggered manner along the tire circumferential direction, wherein each of the polygonal blocks comprise a plurality of substantially parallel linearly extending sipes;
a polygonal rib extending in the tire circumferential direction is disposed between the two rows of polygonal blocks, the polygonal rib being disposed adjacent to the two rows of polygonal block;
a shape of each of the polygonal blocks is a convex hexagon, the shape having a perimeter defining the convex hexagon which is uninterrupted by a groove; and
the rows of polygonal blocks and the polygonal rib are mutually configured to have a similar shape, wherein the similar shape shared by the rows of polygonal blocks and the polygonal rib is defined as a structure in which the polygonal rib has corners corresponding to the polygonal blocks included in the rows of polygonal blocks, the staggered arrangement pattern of the rows of polygonal blocks and the polygonal rib match each other, and a total area of the polygonal rib and a total area of the polygonal blocks included in the rows of polygonal blocks are substantially the same.

12. The pneumatic tire according to claim 11 , wherein the plurality of linearly extending sipes extend from one side of a polygonal block to an opposing side of the polygonal block and wherein adjacent sipes are not connected to one another.

13. The pneumatic tire according to claim 12 , wherein the plurality of linearly extending sipes in a first polygonal block are oriented non parallel with respect to the plurality of linearly extending sipes in an adjacent second polygonal block.

14. The pneumatic tire according to claim 11 , wherein each of the rows of polygonal blocks is sandwiched by a pair of polygonal ribs, each of the polygonal ribs extends in the tire circumferential direction.

15. The pneumatic tire according to claim 11 , wherein another polygonal rib is disposed at a position on an outer side of at least one of the two rows of the polygonal blocks in the tire width direction.

Assignees

• Kouda Hiraku
• Yokohama Rubber Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kouda Hiraku

Classifications

• B60C2011/0355

  characterised by depth · CPC title

• B60C2011/0346

  with zigzag shape · CPC title

• B60C2011/036

  Narrow grooves, i.e. having a width of less than 3 mm · CPC title

• B60C11/1376

  Three dimensional block surfaces departing from the enveloping tread contour · CPC title

• B60C11/0306

  Patterns comprising block rows or discontinuous ribs · CPC title