IP Library Granted Patent US 12,202,299
Granted Patent B2
US 12,202,299 · App. 17/310,747 · Granted Jan 21, 2025

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 12,202,299
App. No.
17/310,747
Granted
Jan 21, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A tread pattern of a pneumatic tire includes two or more circumferential main grooves in a half region demarcated by the equatorial plane, and land portions defined by the circumferential main grooves. A center land portion closest among the land portions to the equatorial plane includes a center sipe extending in the width direction, the center sipe is a composite sipe including a two-dimensional portion and three-dimensional portions provided on both sides of the two-dimensional portion in the width direction, a middle land portion that is adjacent to an outer side of the center land portion in the width direction includes a middle sipe extending in the width direction, and the middle sipe is a composite sipe comprising a two-dimensional portion provided on an inner side in the width direction and a three-dimensional portion provided on an outer side of the two-dimensional portion in the width direction.

Claims (39)

1. A pneumatic tire, comprising:

a tread pattern comprising

two or more circumferential main grooves provided in a half region demarcated by a tire equatorial plane, and a plurality of land portions defined by the circumferential main grooves,

a center land portion that is a closest land portion of the plurality of land portions to the tire equatorial plane comprising a center sipe extending in a tire width direction;

the center sipe being a composite sipe comprising a two-dimensional portion and three-dimensional portions provided on both sides of the two-dimensional portion in the tire width direction;

a middle land portion that is a land portion adjacent to an outer side of the center land portion in the tire width direction comprising a middle sipe extending in the tire width direction;

the middle sipe being a composite sipe comprising a two-dimensional portion provided on an inner side in the tire width direction and a three-dimensional portion provided on an outer side of the two-dimensional portion in the tire width direction;

the three-dimensional portion having a sipe wall surface having a shape bent in a sipe width direction when viewed in a cross-sectional view perpendicular to the length direction of the sipe; and

the two-dimensional portion of the middle sipe being connected to the circumferential main groove of the inner side in the tire width direction of the middle land portion.

2. The pneumatic tire according to claim 1 , wherein a ratio of a total length of the three-dimensional portions of the center sipe in the tire width direction to a length of the center sipe in the tire width direction is 0.30 or more and 0.70 or less.

3. The pneumatic tire according to claim 1 , wherein the center sipe has a Z-shape with two bent portions.

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

5. The pneumatic tire according to claim 1 , wherein

the middle sipe has 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.

6. The pneumatic tire according to claim 1 , wherein

an edge on an 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 an edge on an inner side of the middle land portion in the tire width direction has a straight shape, and

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

7. The pneumatic tire according to claim 6 , wherein the middle sipe is connected to a maximum amplitude position of the zigzag edge in the tire width direction.

8. The pneumatic tire according to claim 6 , wherein a ratio of a minimum value of distances between protrusion portions of the zigzag shape to a maximum value of the distances between the protrusion portions of the zigzag shape is 0.50 or more.

9. The pneumatic tire according to claim 6 , wherein the middle land portion comprises a plurality of lug grooves and, between the lug grooves that are adjacent, two or more of the middle sipes and three or more protrusion portions of the zigzag shape.

10. The pneumatic tire according to claim 9 , wherein distances in a tire circumferential direction between connection portions of the two or more middle sipes with the circumferential main groove on the inner side in the tire width direction, the two or more middle 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.

11. The pneumatic tire according to claim 9 , wherein

distances in a tire circumferential direction between connection portions of the two or more middle sipes with a circumferential main groove on the inner side in the tire width direction, the two or more middle 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 the protrusion portions of connection portions of a plurality of the middle sipes with the circumferential main groove on an outer side in the tire width direction, the plurality of middle 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.

12. The pneumatic tire according to claim 1 , further comprising a shoulder land portion that is a land portion on an outer side of the middle land portion in the tire width direction, wherein

the shoulder land portion comprises a shoulder sipe extending in the tire width direction,

the shoulder sipe is a composite sipe comprising a three-dimensional portion provided on the inner side in the tire width direction and a two-dimensional portion provided on an outer side of the three-dimensional portion in the tire width direction.

13. The pneumatic tire according to claim 12 , wherein a ratio of a length of the three-dimensional portion of the shoulder sipe in the tire width direction to a ground contact width of the shoulder land portion in the tire width direction is 0.25 or more and 0.65 or less.

14. The pneumatic tire according to claim 12 , wherein groove wall surfaces of both sides of the circumferential main groove between the middle land portion and the shoulder land portion are wall surfaces in which zigzag edges face each other.

15. A pneumatic tire, comprising:

a tread pattern comprising

two or more circumferential main grooves provided in a half region demarcated by a tire equatorial plane, and a plurality of land portions defined by the circumferential main grooves,

a center land portion that is a closest land portion of the plurality of land portions to the tire equatorial plane comprising a center sipe extending in a tire width direction;

the center sipe being a composite sipe comprising a two-dimensional portion and three-dimensional portions provided on both sides of the two-dimensional portion in the tire width direction;

a middle land portion that is a land portion adjacent to an outer side of the center land portion in the tire width direction comprising a middle sipe extending in the tire width direction and a plurality of lug grooves;

the middle sipe being a composite sipe comprising a two-dimensional portion provided on an inner side in the tire width direction and a three-dimensional portion provided on an outer side of the two-dimensional portion in the tire width direction; and

a raised bottom portion being provided in the lug grooves at an open end on an identical side to an end portion of the middle sipe at which the two-dimensional portion is provided.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 25, 2024
From: ENDO, TOYOAKI
To: THE YOKOHAMA RUBBER CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 067826/0883 →
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 →
Priority Claims (4)
JP 2019-030383 · Feb 22, 2019 · national
JP 2019-069804 · Apr 1, 2019 · national
JP 2019-113862 · Jun 19, 2019 · national
JP 2019-114134 · Jun 19, 2019 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20220105755A1 · Apr 7, 2022
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Cited By (1)
US 12,576,674