Vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9950746-B2
Application number	US-201415107898-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 22, 2014
Priority date	Dec 25, 2013
Publication date	Apr 24, 2018
Grant date	Apr 24, 2018

Abstract

A vehicle is provided with wheels fitted with pneumatic tires, and a vehicle body including wheel wells that surround the wheels. The pneumatic tire includes a plurality of protrusions on a sidewall portion that faces a predetermined wheel well side surface. An average normal vector of the wheel well side surface is inclined with respect to a rotation axis of the wheel. In such a configuration, when the vehicle is traveling and the tires are rotating, an air flow promotion effect and rectification effect are produced due to the protrusions on the sidewall portion, and negative pressure forms between the tire and the wheel well side surface.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicle comprising:
a wheel fitted with a pneumatic tire; and
a vehicle body including a wheel well that surrounds the wheel; wherein
the pneumatic tire includes a plurality of protrusions on a sidewall portion that faces a wheel well side surface, the wheel well side surface corresponding to a portion of an inner wall of the wheel well located within a region the pneumatic tire is projected in a rotation axis direction of the wheel when a steering angle and a camber angle is 0 degrees; and
an average normal vector of the wheel well side surface is inclined in a vehicle forward direction with respect to the rotation axis of the wheel.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the inner wall of the wheel well continuously surrounds at least:
a region of an outer circumference of the pneumatic tire from a rim check line on one side to a tire equatorial plane, when viewed in a cross section taken along a tire meridian direction, and
a region of the outer circumference of the pneumatic tire equivalent to 120 degrees in a tire circumferential direction when the sidewall portion is viewed in plan view.

3. The vehicle according to claim 2 , wherein
the average normal vector of the wheel well side surface is inclined in a road surface direction with respect to the rotation axis of the wheel.

4. The vehicle according to claim 3 , wherein
the average normal vector of the wheel well side surface has an inclination angle in the road surface direction in a range of from not less than 3 degrees to not greater than 45 degrees.

5. The vehicle according to claim 4 , wherein
the average normal vector of the wheel well side surface has an inclination angle in the vehicle forward direction in a range of from not less than 3 degrees to not greater than 45 degrees.

6. The vehicle according to claim 5 , wherein
the plurality of protrusions have a long shape in a tire radial direction and are disposed at predetermined intervals in the tire circumferential direction; and
a height, a width, and a number of the protrusions have a relationship where the number of the protrusions×height/width is in a range of from not less than 5 to not greater than 200.

7. The vehicle according to claim 6 , wherein
the wheel well side surface is located inward of the pneumatic tire in a vehicle width direction.

8. The vehicle according to claim 7 , wherein
the pneumatic tire includes a plurality of recesses on a sidewall portion located outward in the vehicle width direction.

9. The vehicle according to claim 8 , wherein
a depth, a size, and a number of the recesses have a relationship where the number of the recesses×depth/size is in a range of from not less than 5 to not greater than 100000.

10. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the average normal vector of the wheel well side surface is inclined in a road surface direction with respect to the rotation axis of the wheel.

11. The vehicle according to claim 10 , wherein
the average normal vector of the wheel well side surface has an inclination angle in the road surface direction in a range of from not less than 3 degrees to not greater than 45 degrees.

12. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the average normal vector of the wheel well side surface has an inclination angle in the vehicle forward direction in a range of from not less than 3 degrees to not greater than 45 degrees.

13. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the plurality of protrusions have a long shape in a tire radial direction and are disposed at predetermined intervals in a tire circumferential direction; and
a height, a width, and a number of the protrusions have a relationship where the number×height/width is in a range of from not less than 5 to not greater than 200.

14. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the wheel well side surface is located inward of the pneumatic tire in a vehicle width direction.

15. The vehicle according to claim 14 , wherein
the pneumatic tire includes a plurality of recesses on a sidewall portion located outward in the vehicle width direction.

16. The vehicle according to claim 15 , wherein
a depth, a size, and a number of the recesses have a relationship where the number×depth/size is in a range of from not less than 5 to not greater than 100000.

17. A vehicle comprising:
a wheel fitted with a pneumatic tire; and
a vehicle body including a wheel well that surrounds the wheel; wherein
the pneumatic tire includes a plurality of protrusions on a sidewall portion that faces a wheel well side surface, the wheel well side surface corresponding to a portion of an inner wall of the wheel well located within a region the pneumatic tire is projected in a rotation axis direction of the wheel when a steering angle and a camber angle is 0 degrees;
an average normal vector of the wheel well side surface is inclined with respect to the rotation axis of the wheel;
the wheel well side surface is located inward of the pneumatic tire in a vehicle width direction;
the pneumatic tire includes a plurality of recesses on a sidewall portion located outward in the vehicle width direction; and
a depth, a size, and a number of the recesses have a relationship where the number×depth/size is in a range of from not less than 5 to not greater than 100000.

Assignees

• Yokohama Rubber Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kodama Yuji

Classifications

• B62D25/16 Primary

  Mud-guards or wings; Wheel cover panels (equipped with means for freeing wheels or tyres from foreign matter B60S) · CPC title

• B60C13/02

  Arrangement of grooves or ribs · CPC title

• B62D25/18 Primary

  Parts or details thereof, e.g. mudguard flaps · CPC title

• B62D35/02

  Streamlining the undersurfaces {(B62D35/005, B62D35/007, B62D35/008 take precedence)} · CPC title

• B62D35/00

  Vehicle bodies characterised by streamlining · CPC title