IP Library Granted Patent US 11,701,926
Granted Patent B2
US 11,701,926 · App. 16/486,798 · Granted Jul 18, 2023

Pneumatic tire

Inventors: Takanori Uemura (Hiratsuka, JP); Takayuki Shiraishi (Hiratsuka, JP); Hiraku Kouda (Hiratsuka, JP); Tatsuro Shinzawa (Hiratsuka, JP)
Assignee: The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd.
B60C11/1281B60C11/1204B60C11/1236B60C11/1259B60C2011/1213
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,701,926
App. No.
16/486,798
Granted
Jul 18, 2023
Kind
B2
Abstract

In a pneumatic tire, a sipe includes an edge on a leading side and an edge on a trailing side; the edge and the edge each include a chamfered portion shorter than a sipe length of the sipe; a non-chamfered region in which other chamfered portions are not present is provided at portions facing the chamfered portions of the sipe; and for all chamfered portions, including at least the chamfered portions of the sipe, formed on grooves other than main grooves, with a ground contact width being equally divided into three in the tire lateral direction, a total projected area A CE of chamfered portions provided in a center region centrally located in the tire lateral direction and each of total projected areas A SH of chamfered portions provided in shoulder regions located on either side of the center region satisfy a relationship A CE <A SH .

Claims (22)

1. A pneumatic tire, comprising:

in a tread portion, main grooves extending in a tire circumferential direction; and

a sipe extending in a tire lateral direction disposed in ribs defined by the main grooves; wherein

the sipe comprises an edge on a leading side and an edge on a trailing side;

the edge on the leading side and the edge on the trailing side each comprise a chamfered portion shorter than a sipe length of the sipe;

a non-chamfered region in which other chamfered portions are not present is provided at portions facing the chamfered portions of the sipe; and

for all chamfered portions, comprising at least the chamfered portions of the sipe, formed on grooves other than the main grooves, with a ground contact width being equally divided into three in the tire lateral direction, a total projected area A CE of chamfered portions provided in a center region centrally located in the tread portion in the tire lateral direction and each of total projected areas A SH of chamfered portions provided in shoulder regions located on either side of the center region satisfy a relationship A CE <A SH , wherein

at least one of the chamfered portions on the leading side or the trailing side opens to one of the main grooves; and

each of the edge of the leading side and the trailing side of the sipe has a first profile line extending along the chamfered portion on a road contact surface, a second profile line extending along the non-chamfered region on a road contact surface, and a third profile line connecting the first profile line and the second profile line, the first profile line and the third profile line forming an acute angle, and the second profile line and the third profile line forming an acute angle.

2. The pneumatic tire according to claim 1 , wherein

a maximum depth x (mm) of the sipe and a maximum depth y (mm) of the chamfered portions satisfy a relationship x×0.1≤y≤x×0.3+1.0; and

a sipe width of the sipe is constant in a range from an end portion located on an inner side in a tire radial direction of each chamfered portion to a groove bottom of the sipe.

3. The pneumatic tire according to claim 2 , wherein for all chamfered portions, the total projected area A CE of the chamfered portions provided in the center region and each of the total projected areas A SH of the chamfered portions provided in the shoulder regions satisfy a relationship 10%≤(A SH −A CE )/A CE ×100%≤100%.

4. The pneumatic tire according to claim 3 , wherein the sipe is disposed in two or more ribs of the ribs defined by the main grooves.

5. The pneumatic tire according to claim 4 , wherein all chamfered portions are configured by the chamfered portions of the sipe.

6. The pneumatic tire according to claim 5 , wherein for all chamfered portions, a total volume S CE of the chamfered portions provided in the center region and each of total volumes S SH of the chamfered portions provided in the shoulder regions satisfy a relationship S CE ≥S SH .

7. The pneumatic tire according to claim 6 , wherein for all chamfered portions, the total volume S CE of the chamfered portions provided in the center region and each of the total volume S SH of the chamfered portions provided in the shoulder regions satisfy a relationship 1%≤(S CE −S SH )/S CE ×100%≤10%.

8. The pneumatic tire according to claim 1 , wherein for all chamfered portions, the total projected area A CE of the chamfered portions provided in the center region and each of the total projected areas A SH of the chamfered portions provided in the shoulder regions satisfy a relationship 10%≤(A SH −A CE )/A CE ×100%≤100%.

9. The pneumatic tire according to claim 1 , wherein the sipe is disposed in two or more ribs of the ribs defined by the main grooves.

10. The pneumatic tire according to claim 9 , wherein all chamfered portions are configured by the chamfered portions of the sipe.

11. The pneumatic tire according to claim 1 , wherein for all chamfered portions, a total volume S CE of the chamfered portions provided in the center region and each of total volumes S SH of the chamfered portions provided in the shoulder regions satisfy a relationship S CE ≥S SH .

12. The pneumatic tire according to claim 11 , wherein for all chamfered portions, the total volume S CE of the chamfered portions provided in the center region and each of the total volumes S SH of the chamfered portions provided in the shoulder regions satisfy a relationship 1%≤(S CE −S SH )/S CE ×100%≤10%.

Assignments (2)
CHANGE OF ADDRESS FOR ASSIGNEE Recorded Nov 18, 2023
From: THE YOKOHAMA RUBBER CO., LTD.
To: THE YOKOHAMA RUBBER CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 065626/0740 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 16, 2019
From: UEMURA, TAKANORI; SHIRAISHI, TAKAYUKI; KOUDA, HIRAKU; SHINZAWA, TATSURO
To: THE YOKOHAMA RUBBER CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 050079/0520 →