IP Library Granted Patent US 11,964,514
Granted Patent B2
US 11,964,514 · App. 17/310,741 · Granted Apr 23, 2024

Pneumatic tire

Inventor: Toyoaki Endo (Kanagawa, JP)
Assignee: The Yokohama Rubber Co., LTD.
B60C11/0306B60C11/0311B60C11/12B60C11/1204B60C11/1218B60C11/1236B60C11/1259B60C11/1263B60C11/1369B60C2011/0341B60C2011/0346B60C2011/0358B60C2011/0367B60C2011/0388B60C2011/1213B60C2011/1227B60C2011/1295B60C2011/133B60C2011/1338
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,964,514
App. No.
17/310,741
Granted
Apr 23, 2024
Kind
B2
Abstract

A tread pattern of a pneumatic tire includes three or more circumferential main grooves extending in a tire circumferential direction, a plurality of lug grooves provided in a land portion defined by two circumferential main grooves, and a sipe provided between adjacent lug grooves. The sipe is a composite sipe having a two-dimensional portion and a three-dimensional portion. Among open ends on both sides of the lug groove, an open end on an identical side to an end portion of the sipe at which the two-dimensional portion is provided is provided with a raised bottom portion.

Claims (48)

1. A pneumatic tire, comprising:

a tread pattern, the tread pattern comprising

three or more circumferential main grooves extending in a tire circumferential direction;

a plurality of land portions defined by one or two of the circumferential main grooves of the three or more circumferential main grooves;

the plurality of land portions includes a shoulder land portion on the outer side of one of the circumferential main grooves and a middle land portion on the inner side of the shoulder land portion;

a plurality of lug grooves provided in the middle land portion and the shoulder land portion; and

a plurality of sipes provided in the middle land portion and the shoulder land portion and provided between the lug grooves that are adjacent,

the lug grooves of the middle land portion extending continuously from an edge on an outer side of the middle land portion in a tire width direction to an edge on an inner side of the middle land portion in the tire width direction and passing through the middle land portion;

the sipes in the middle land portion extending continuously from the edge on the outer side of the middle land portion in the tire width direction to the edge on the inner side of the middle land portion in the tire width direction and passing through the middle land portion;

the sipes being composite sipes each having a two-dimensional portion and a three-dimensional portion;

the two-dimensional portion being provided at one open end of the sipes; and

the three-dimensional portion being provided at an other open end of the sipes;

wherein

among open ends on both sides of the lug grooves of the middle land portion, an open end on an identical side to the one open end of the sipe at which the two-dimensional portion is provided is further provided with a raised bottom portion;

the three-dimensional portion of the sipes is provided on the outer side of the sipes in the tire width direction in the middle land portion;

the two-dimensional portion of the sipes is provided on the inner side of the sipes in the tire width direction in the middle land portion;

the three-dimensional portion of the sipes is provided on the inner side of the sipes in the tire width direction in the shoulder land portion; and

all of the sipes in the middle land portion have a same arrangement of the two-dimensional portion and the three-dimensional portion in the tire width direction.

2. The pneumatic tire according to 1 , wherein among the open ends on both sides of the lug grooves of the middle land portion, an open end on an identical side to an end portion of the sipes at which the three-dimensional portion is provided is not provided with a raised bottom portion.

3. The pneumatic tire according to 1 , wherein a ratio of a length of the three-dimensional portion in the tire width direction of the sipes in the middle land portion to a ground contact width in the tire width direction of the middle land portion is 0.25 or more and 0.80 or less.

4. The pneumatic tire according to 1 , wherein a ratio of a length of the raised bottom portion in the tire width direction to a ground contact width of the middle land portion in the tire width direction is 0.15 or more and 0.50 or less.

5. The pneumatic tire according to 1 , wherein in the lug grooves of the middle land portion, a ratio of a groove depth of a portion where the raised bottom portion is provided to a groove depth of a portion where the raised bottom portion is not provided is 0.40 or more and 0.80 or less.

6. The pneumatic tire according to 1 , wherein a ratio of a groove depth of the sipes to a groove depth of the circumferential main grooves is 0.50 or more and 0.85 or less.

7. The pneumatic tire according to 1 , wherein

the two-dimensional portion of the sipes in the middle land portion is further provided with a sipe raised bottom portion,

a ratio of a groove depth of a portion where the sipe raised bottom portion is provided to a groove depth of a portion where the sipe raised bottom portion is not provided is 0.50 or more and 0.85 or less.

8. The pneumatic tire according to 1 , wherein

the three-dimensional portion of the sipes in the middle land portion comprises a linear portion at or near an open end and a portion deeper than the linear portion,

the portion deeper than the linear portion has a shape with an amplitude that curves or bends with respect to a sipe depth direction, and

a ratio of the amplitude to a groove width of the linear portion is 0.40 or more and 0.80 or less.

9. The pneumatic tire according to 16, wherein

the sipes in the middle land portion have a Z-shape with two bent portions, and

a ratio of a distance in the tire width direction between a bent portion that is a closer of the two bent portions to a center line, the center line passing through a midpoint position of the middle land portion in the tire width direction, and the center line to a width of the middle land portion in the tire width direction is 0 or more and 0.40 or less.

10. The pneumatic tire according to 1 , wherein

the edge on the outer side of the middle land portion in the tire width direction is a zigzag edge having a zigzag shape with recesses/protrusions that has a position periodically changing in the tire width direction and the edge on the inner side of the middle land portion in the tire width direction has a straight shape, and

the three-dimensional portion of the sipes of the middle land portion is connected to the zigzag edge.

11. The pneumatic tire according to 10 , wherein the sipes of the middle land portion is connected to the zigzag edge at a maximum amplitude position of the zigzag edge in the tire width direction.

12. The pneumatic tire according to 10 , wherein a ratio of a minimum value of distances between protrusion portions of the zigzag shape to a maximum value of the distances between protrusion portions of the zigzag shape is 0.50 or more.

13. The pneumatic tire according to 10 , wherein the middle land portion comprises three or more protrusion portions of the zigzag shape between lug grooves that are adjacent.

14. The pneumatic tire according to 13 , wherein distances in the tire circumferential direction between connection portions of two or more of the sipes with a circumferential main groove on the inner side in the tire width direction, the two or more sipes provided between the lug grooves that are adjacent, are Ls 1 , Ls 2 , . . . , Lsn, where n is a natural number of three or greater, and Ls 1 <Lsn.

15. The pneumatic tire according to 13 , wherein

distances in the tire circumferential direction between connection portions of two or more of the sipes with a circumferential main groove on the inner side in the tire width direction, the two or more sipes provided between the lug grooves that are adjacent, are Ls 1 , Ls 2 , . . . , Lsn, where n is a natural number of three or greater,

distances in the tire circumferential direction between protrusion portions of the connection portions of the two or more sipes with a circumferential main groove on the outer side of in the tire width direction, the two or more sipes provided between the lug grooves that are adjacent, are Lz 1 , Lz 2 , . . . , Lzn, where n is a natural number of three or greater, and

Ls 1 <Lz 1 and Lsn>Lzn.

16. The pneumatic tire according to claim 1 , wherein a center land portion is located on the tire equator line, inward of the middle land portion.

17. The pneumatic tire according to claim 1 , wherein a center land portion is located on the tire equator line, inward of the middle land portion, and the center land portion has a rib shape without lug grooves.

18. The pneumatic tire according to claim 1 , wherein the circumferential main grooves have a groove depth of 7.5 mm or more.

19. The pneumatic tire according to 1 , wherein a ratio of a length of the three-dimensional portion in the tire width direction of the sipes in the middle land portion to a ground contact width in the tire width direction of the middle land portion is 0.25 or more and 0.55 or less.

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 Dec 19, 2022
From: ENDO, TOYOAKI
To: THE YOKOHAMA RUBBER CO., LTD
Reel/Frame 062143/0325 →