JP2004017829A - Tire - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve concealment effect on poor appearance such as a bulge and a dent, and the visibility of a mark while enhancing dirt-removing performance, in a serration provided on a side wall surface. <P>SOLUTION: A decorating belt 4 of the serration 3 provided on the side wall surface 2S is virtually divided into an inner area 4i and an outer area 4o. A ridge 6 forming the serration 3 is made from a ridge inner area portion 6i extending to a border K with the outer area 4o without decreasing an outward opening angle α in a radial direction to a radial line T; and a ridge outer area portion 6o curving at the border K, extending in a radial outward direction while decreasing the opening angle α, and having a width expanding portion 8 making a distance D of a recessed portion 7 between the ridges by extending in the radial direction. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a tire having a decorative band provided on a surface of a sidewall and decorated by serrations having juxtaposed ridges.
[0002]
2. Description of the Related Art
On the surface of the sidewall of the tire, in order to make inconspicuous irregularities called so-called bulges and dents inconspicuous and / or to improve the visibility of a mark composed of characters, numerals, figures, etc., FIG. As illustrated in (A) and (B), a band-shaped decorative band c composed of serrations b in which ridges a are arranged in the circumferential direction is provided.
[0003]
Conventionally, the serration b includes a ridge a1 (shown in FIG. 9A) extending along a radius line from the tire axis O and a ridge a2 (FIG. 9A) extending at a predetermined angle θ with respect to the radius line. 9 (B)) and the like, and the ridges a1 and a2 are spaced at a smaller distance in order to conceal the appearance defect and enhance the visibility of the mark. That is, the pattern of the serration b is formed densely.
[0004]
On the other hand, however, the dense formation of the serrations b hinders the appearance from being kept clean, such as making dirt such as mud adhered to the groove-shaped recesses between the ridges a poor. Moreover, since the pattern of the serration b is monotonous, the effect of concealing the appearance defect and the visibility of the mark are insufficient.
[0005]
Therefore, the present invention virtually divides the decorative band into an inner region and an outer region in the radial direction, and further specifies a line shape drawn by a ridge passing through the inner region and a line shape drawn by a ridge passing through the outer region. Basically, the aim is to provide tires that enhance dirt removal, facilitate maintenance of clean appearance, change the serration pattern, conceal appearance defects, and improve mark visibility. .
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 of the present application is characterized in that the ridges are arranged on the surface of the sidewall of the tire by serrations in which concave portions are juxtaposed between adjacent ridges by juxtaposing the ridges, and the ridges are arranged circumferentially. Along with a decorative strip that extends,
The decorative band includes an inner region in which the radial inner side and the radial length Ri are 0.50 to 0.90 times the radial length R of the decorative band, and an outer region outside the radial direction. ,
And the ridge is continuous from the radial inner edge of the inner region to the radial outer edge of the outer region, and the ridge is formed in the outer region without decreasing the opening angle α in the same direction with respect to the radial line and in the radially outward direction. And the ridge inner region portion provided in the inner region continuing to the boundary of the concave portion between the ridges by inflection at the boundary and extending radially outward while reducing the opening angle α and becoming radial. It has a widened portion for maximizing the interval and has a ridge outside region provided in the outside region.
[0007]
Further, in the invention of claim 2, the inner portion of the ridge is formed such that the radially outward opening angle α gradually increases toward the boundary and becomes the maximum opening angle αM at the boundary, whereby the concave portion between the ridges is formed. It is characterized in that the interval is minimized.
[0008]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, the outer ridge region has a reversal portion on a radially outer side of the widened portion to reverse a direction with respect to a radial line with respect to the inner ridge region.
[0009]
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the height of the ridge from the top to the bottom of the recess differs in the length direction.
[0010]
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the decorative band includes a circumferential ridge extending in a circumferential direction intersecting with the ridge.
[0011]
The invention according to claim 6 is characterized in that the top of the ridge or the recess has the same height as the surface of the sidewall.
[0012]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to illustrated examples. FIG. 1 is a side view showing a sidewall of the tire of the present invention.
In FIG. 1, a tire 1 is provided with a band-shaped decorative band 4 which is decorated with serrations 3 and extends in a circumferential direction on a surface 2S of a sidewall thereof, and the decorative band 4 causes poor appearance such as a so-called bulge or dent. Is hidden, and the visibility of the mark 5 composed of, for example, characters, numbers, and figures is improved.
[0013]
The decorative band 4 is a belt-like body extending in the circumferential direction around the tire axis. In this example, the decorative band 4 is an annular band extending continuously over the circumference of the tire. Alternatively, an arc shape may be provided in a plurality of portions.
[0014]
Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the decorative band 4 is virtually divided into an inner region 4i on the inner side in the radial direction and an outer region 4o on the outer side, and the radial length Ri of the inner region 4i is defined as: It is set in the range of 0.50 to 0.90 times the radial length R of the decorative band 4.
[0015]
Here, as shown in the enlarged cross-sectional view of FIG. 3, the decorative band 4 has ridges 6 arranged in parallel, so that narrow groove-shaped concave portions 7 are arranged in parallel between adjacent ridges 6. It is formed by serrations 3 in a vertical stripe pattern. As the ridge 6, various conventional cross-sectional shapes can be used, but as in this example, a triangular cross-section having an apex angle β of, for example, about 90 °, or a trapezoidal cross-section in which the apex 6P is chamfered. Is preferably used.
[0016]
At this time, the height of the top 6P of the ridge 6 is even with the surface 2S of the sidewall, that is, the virtual surface connecting the top 6P is substantially the same as the surface 2S of the sidewall. Alternatively, the virtual surface connecting the bottom surfaces of the recesses 7 may be substantially the same as the surface 2S of the sidewall. Also, both of the virtual surfaces may be non-coplanar surfaces different from the surface 2S of the sidewall.
[0017]
3 shows the ridge 6 in a cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and FIGS. 1 and 2 show the ridge 6 by a ridge line drawn by the top 6P for convenience.
[0018]
In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the ridge 6 smoothly and continuously extends from the radial inner edge Ei of the inner region 4i to the radial outer edge Eo of the outer region 4o. Among them, the ridge inner region 6i disposed in the inner region 4i and the ridge outer region 6o disposed in the outer region 4o are specified as follows.
[0019]
That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the ridge inner region 6i is inclined in the same direction (upward to the right in the figure) with respect to the radial line T extending from the tire axis, and has a radially outward opening angle α. Without decreasing, it extends radially outward from the inner edge Ei to the boundary K with the outer region 4o.
[0020]
In particular, in this example, the in-ridge region portion 6i extends toward the boundary K by gradually increasing the opening angle α, so that the opening angle α at the boundary K is an arc-shaped curve having a maximum value αM. It illustrates what is formed. In such a case, in the inner region 4i, the interval D between the concave portions 7 between the adjacent ridges 6, 6 gradually decreases from the inner edge Ei to the boundary K, and becomes the minimum DS at the boundary K.
[0021]
Next, as shown in FIG. 5, the outer ridge region portion 6o is curved at the boundary K and extends radially outward while reducing the opening angle α, thereby gradually increasing the interval D between the concave portions 7. The widened portion 8 is provided. In the widened portion 8, at the outer end position 8e where the widened portion 8 faces in the radial direction, that is, at the position 8e where the opening angle α becomes 0 (zero), the interval D between the concave portions 7 is set to the maximum DM. The arc-shaped curve of the widened portion 8 and the arc-shaped curve of the ridge inner region 6i are not only formed by a single arc, but also a compound arc (elliptic curve, (Including an involute curve, etc.). In addition, from the viewpoint of simplification of the program in the NC machining, it is preferable to form a single arc as in this example.
[0022]
In addition, the ridge outside region 6o is a reversing portion extending to the outer edge Eo by reversing the direction of the radial line T (upward to the left in the drawing) with respect to the ridge inside region 6i outward in the radial direction of the widening portion 8. 9 are connected in series. In the present example, the inverted portion 9 is formed of an arc-shaped curve that is continuous with the widened portion 8.
[0023]
The serrations 3 formed by the ridges 6 have a dense serration pattern in which the distance D between the concave portions 7 is relatively small in the inner region 4i, and the distance D is relatively small in the outer region 4o. A large change can be imparted to the pattern, such as a large sparse serration pattern, and the effect of concealing appearance defects such as bulges and dents and the visibility of the mark can be improved.
[0024]
Further, in the serration 3, the widened portion 8 which is located on the ground side and is sparse in the outer region 4o where dirt such as mud is likely to adhere, and the interval D is the maximum DM is arranged, so that the dirt removal property can be improved. it can.
[0025]
In particular, as in the present example, when the opening angle α is gradually increased toward the boundary K and the interval D is set to the minimum DS at the boundary K in the in-ridge region 6i, the density contrast becomes larger, It is possible to further improve the effect of concealing the appearance defect and the visibility of the mark. In such a case, since the interval D becomes the minimum DS at the boundary K, it is possible to prevent dirt from the ground side from entering the in-ridge region 6i beyond the boundary K.
[0026]
Here, the length Ri in the radial direction of the inner region 4i needs to be in a range of 0.50 to 0.90 times the length R in the radial direction of the decorative band 4, and is 0.50 times. If it is less than 3, the range occupied by the outer region 4o becomes excessively large, and the effect of concealing the poor appearance and the visibility of the mark cannot be improved. On the other hand, if it exceeds 0.9, the area occupied by the outer region 4o becomes too small, and it becomes impossible to sufficiently improve the stain removal property. From such a viewpoint, it is preferable that the length Ri be 0.7 to 0.8 times the length R.
[0027]
Further, the decorative band 4 can be provided with a circumferential ridge 10 which extends in the circumferential direction intersecting with the ridge 6 as in this example. The circumferential ridge 10 is preferably formed such that a radial distance L from the inner region 4i, particularly from the inner edge Ei, is within a range of * to ** times the length Ri. It is prevented from entering radially inward beyond the circumferential ridge 10.
[0028]
In this example, the ridge 6 is formed such that the height H (shown in FIG. 3) from the top 6P to the bottom of the recess 7 is substantially constant in the longitudinal direction of the ridge 6. ing. However, as exaggeratedly shown in FIG. 6A, the height Hi in the inner region 4i can be made relatively smaller than the height Ho in the outer region 4o. Can suppress the deterioration of the stain removal property in the inner region 4i where the serration pattern is dense, and can improve the stain removal property of the entire decorative band 4. At this time, the heights Hi and Ho are preferably in the ranges of 0.2 to 0.4 mm and 0.4 to 0.8 mm, respectively.
[0029]
Conversely, as shown exaggeratedly in FIG. 6B, the height Ho in the outer region 4o can be made relatively smaller than the height Hi in the inner region 4i. In this case, it is possible to further improve the dirt removal property in the outer region 4o where dirt is likely to adhere. The heights Hi and Ho may be changed continuously and smoothly from the inner edge Ei to the outer edge Eo, or may be changed intermittently.
[0030]
FIGS. 7A and 7B show other examples of the ridge outside region 6o. In FIG. 7 (A), instead of the inverted portion 9, the ridge outside region 6o has a radial line portion 11 extending radially from an outer end position 8e outside the widened portion 8. In FIG. 7 (B), the widened portion 8 terminates at the outer edge Eo of the outer ridge region 6o without including the inverted portion 9 or the radius line portion 11. In any case, the operation and effect of the present application can be effectively exhibited.
[0031]
Further, the ridge inner region 6i may be formed in an inclined line shape with the opening angle α being constant.
[0032]
Further, in the tire of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, when the tire is mounted on the vehicle in a direction in which the tire rotation direction F <b> 1 and the direction of the inclination of the ridge inner region 6 i coincide with each other, it is possible to remove dirt in the recess 7. This is preferable in that the tire is discharged radially outward by centrifugal force of the tire. At this time, as the cross-sectional shape of the concave portion 7, as shown in FIG. It is preferable that the inclination angle γ1 of the wall surface W1 on the upstream side in the direction with respect to the normal line of the surface 2S of the sidewall be larger (γ2> γ1). Thereby, adhesion of mud or the like to the concave portion 7 during rotation can be suppressed, and dirt can be reduced.
[0033]
As described above, particularly preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail. However, the present invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiments, and can be implemented in various forms.
[0034]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, the present invention virtually divides the decorative band into an inner region and an outer region in the radial direction, and specifies the shapes of the ridge inner region passing through the inner region and the ridge outer region passing through the outer region, respectively. As a result, it is possible to enhance dirt-removing property, to easily maintain a clean appearance, to significantly change the serration pattern, to conceal the appearance defect, and to improve the visibility of the mark. it can.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a side view of a tire according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an enlarged side view showing a decorative band.
FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a ridge.
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a region inside a ridge.
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a region outside a ridge.
FIGS. 6A and 6B are cross-sectional views showing exaggerated cases where the height of the ridge changes in the length direction.
FIGS. 7A and 7B are diagrams showing another example of the region outside the ridge. FIG.
FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along line A1-A2 of FIG. 2, showing another example of the sectional shape of the concave portion.
9A and 9B are side views illustrating serrations in a conventional decorative band.
[Explanation of symbols]
2S Sidewall surface 3 Serration 4 Decorative band 4i Inner region 4o Outer region 6 Ridge 6i Ridge inner region 6o Ridge outer region 7 Recess 8 Widened portion 9 Inverted portion 10 Circumferential ridge D Space Ei Radial inner edge Eo Radial direction Outer edge K Boundary T Radius

Claims (6)

Along the surface of the sidewall of the tire, by providing a strip-shaped decorative band which is decorated by serrations in which the concave portions are juxtaposed between the adjacent ridges by juxtaposing the ridges and extends in the circumferential direction,
The decorative band includes an inner region in which the radial inner side and the radial length Ri are 0.50 to 0.90 times the radial length R of the decorative band, and an outer region outside the radial direction. ,
And the ridge is continuous from the radial inner edge of the inner region to the radial outer edge of the outer region, and the ridge is formed in the outer region without decreasing the opening angle α in the same direction with respect to the radial line and in the radially outward direction. And the ridge inner region portion provided in the inner region continuing to the boundary of the concave portion between the ridges by inflection at the boundary and extending radially outward while reducing the opening angle α and becoming radial. A tire having a widened portion for maximizing the interval, and a ridge outside region provided in the outside region. In the ridge inner region, the radially outward opening angle α gradually increases toward the boundary and becomes the maximum opening angle αM at the boundary, so that the interval between the recesses between the ridges is minimized. The tire according to claim 1, wherein 3. The tire according to claim 1, wherein the outer ridge region has a reversal portion on a radially outer side of the widened portion to reverse a direction with respect to a radial line from the inner ridge region. 4. The tire according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the height of the ridge from the top to the bottom of the recess differs in the length direction. The tire according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the decorative band includes a circumferential ridge extending in a circumferential direction crossing the ridge. The tire according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the top of the ridge or the recess has the same height as the surface of the sidewall.

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