JP2007331578A - Pneumatic tire, tire-rim wheel assembly, and vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To control lateral force equivalent to camber thrust produced in a pneumatic tire. <P>SOLUTION: A plurality of sub air spaces 26 are formed in a tread. Pressure in the sub air spaces 26 is changed to change the rigidity of the tread. Pressure in the sub air space 26 on one side of a tire equatorial plane is differentiated from pressure in the sub air space 26 on the other side to differentiate the rigidity of the tread 16 on one side of the tire equatorial plane from that on the other side, thus producing lateral force equivalent to camber thrust similarly to the case of applying a camber angle to the tire. A right-left pressure difference is changed to change the magnitude of the lateral force equivalent to the camber thrust. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a pneumatic tire, a tire / rim wheel assembly, and a vehicle, and more particularly, to a pneumatic tire, a tire / rim wheel assembly, and a vehicle that can control a camber force even during traveling.

Conventionally, systems that attempt to improve various performances by controlling the pressure in the tire chamber of a pneumatic tire are disclosed in, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2.
JP 2005-189044 A. JP 2005-198363 A.

In the market, there is a demand for adjusting the camber thrust during traveling as the performance of the vehicle increases.
However, in the above conventional system, the ground contact state can be changed by changing the pressure in the tire chamber, but the camber thrust cannot be changed.
In general, when changing the camber thrust, it is necessary to adjust the suspension of the vehicle. When automatic adjustment is attempted, the structure of the vehicle becomes complicated, which is difficult to realize.
The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a pneumatic tire, a tire / rim wheel assembly, and a vehicle that can control a lateral force equivalent to a camber thrust with a simple configuration. is there.

  The invention described in claim 1 includes a carcass straddling a pair of bead cores, a belt disposed on the outer side in the tire radial direction of the carcass, a tread rubber layer disposed on the outer side in the tire radial direction of the belt, and the tread. A sub air chamber formed inside the rubber layer and disposed at least on both sides of the tire equatorial plane; and the sub air chamber provided inside the tread rubber layer and disposed outside the sub air chamber in the tire radial direction. A communication layer connected to the auxiliary air chamber and communicating with the auxiliary air chamber and the outside of the tire so that gas can be taken in and out of the auxiliary air chamber. It is characterized by having.

Next, the operation of the pneumatic tire according to claim 1 will be described.
In the pneumatic tire according to the first aspect, since the communication passage is connected to the sub air chamber provided in the tread rubber layer, the internal pressure in the sub air chamber can be changed from the outside of the tire.
In addition, when the internal pressure of the sub air chamber is increased, the reinforcing layer suppresses the bulging of the sub air chamber to the outside in the tire radial direction, so that deformation of the tread treads due to partial diameter growth of the tread can be suppressed.

  Further, in this pneumatic tire, the circumferential shear rigidity of the tread rubber located on the outer side of the auxiliary air chamber in the tire radial direction is improved by arranging the reinforcing layer on the outer side of the auxiliary air chamber in the tire radial direction. The sliding deformation of the tread rubber at the outer portion in the tire radial direction of the chamber is suppressed, and the wear resistance is improved.

Further, in this pneumatic tire, a plurality of auxiliary air chambers are provided in the tire width direction, and therefore, for example, the internal pressure between the auxiliary air chamber on one side in the width direction of the tread and the auxiliary air chamber on the other side is reduced. By making them different, it is possible to make a difference between the rigidity on one side and the rigidity on the other side of the tread.
For example, by making the internal pressure of the auxiliary air chamber inside the vehicle mounted relatively higher than the internal pressure of the auxiliary air chamber outside when the vehicle is mounted, the rigidity of the tread portion on the inner side when the vehicle is mounted is reduced. As a result, it is possible to generate a lateral force F (pseudo camber thrust) from the vehicle width direction outer side (vehicle mounting outer side) to the inner side (vehicle mounting inner side) when traveling straight. .

  By generating such a lateral force F, it is possible to improve the steering stability of the vehicle. This improvement in steering stability is almost the same as when the wheels are set to a negative camber in terms of vehicle alignment, and the motion performance is improved by a mechanism substantially similar to that of the negative camber.

  In the case where drainage grooves are formed in the tread rubber layer, it is preferable that the reinforcing layer is positioned on the inner side in the tire radial direction from the groove bottom so that the reinforcing layer is not exposed to the tread at the end of wear.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the pneumatic tire according to the first aspect, the reinforcing layer is more rigid than rubber, and a plurality of the reinforcing layers are arranged so that an angle with respect to the tire circumferential direction is within 45 °. It is characterized by including the code of.
Next, the operation of the pneumatic tire according to claim 2 will be described.
Since the reinforcing layer includes a plurality of cords having rigidity higher than that of the rubber disposed so that the angle with respect to the tire circumferential direction is within 45 °, the auxiliary air when the internal pressure of the auxiliary air chamber is increased A high bulging suppression effect of the chamber is obtained.
As the cord, a cord used as a reinforcing material for a general pneumatic tire, for example, an organic fiber cord, a steel cord, or the like can be used.
If the angle of the cord with respect to the tire circumferential direction exceeds 45 °, the effect of suppressing the expansion of the auxiliary air chamber becomes insufficient.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the pneumatic tire according to the first or second aspect, the auxiliary air chamber is formed annularly continuously in the tire circumferential direction.

Next, the operation of the pneumatic tire according to claim 3 will be described.
When the auxiliary air chamber is intermittently provided in the tire circumferential direction, the rigidity of the tread changes in the circumferential direction, which may cause vibration or the like during traveling. Therefore, the auxiliary air chamber is preferably formed in an annular shape continuously in the tire circumferential direction.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the pneumatic tire according to any one of the first to third aspects, the communication path is open to a tire inner surface side, and the auxiliary air is provided in the opening. A connection member for connecting a pipe for taking gas into and out of the chamber is attached.

Next, the operation of the pneumatic tire according to claim 4 will be described.
Since the connecting member is provided on the inner surface of the tire, for example, by connecting a pipe connected to the outside of the rim wheel to the connecting member, gas can be easily taken in and out (pressure adjustment) to the auxiliary air chamber via this pipe. Can be done.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the pneumatic tire according to any one of the first to third aspects, the communication path is open to an inner surface of the tire, and the communication path includes a first An on-off valve is attached.

Next, the operation of the pneumatic tire according to claim 5 will be described.
For example, when the pressure in the auxiliary air chamber is set in advance higher than that in the tire air chamber, and the pressure in the auxiliary air chamber is desired to be reduced midway, the first on-off valve is opened. As a result, part of the gas in the auxiliary air chamber is discharged into the tire air chamber, and the pressure in the auxiliary air chamber can be reduced.

  On the other hand, when the pressure in the auxiliary air chamber is set lower than that in the tire air chamber in advance and the pressure in the auxiliary air chamber is to be increased in the middle, the first on-off valve is opened. Thereby, a part of gas in the tire air chamber is discharged into the sub air chamber, and the pressure in the sub air chamber can be increased.

  In addition, since it is difficult to directly operate the first on-off valve inside the tire from the outside of the tire and the rim wheel, the first on-off valve is a solenoid valve that can be remotely operated. It is preferable to take measures such as passing the wiring through the rim wheel and pulling it out of the rim wheel.

  The invention according to claim 6 is the pneumatic tire according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a pressure sensor that detects an internal pressure of the auxiliary air chamber.

Next, the operation of the pneumatic tire according to claim 6 will be described.
In the pneumatic tire according to claim 6, the internal pressure of the auxiliary air chamber can be detected by a pressure sensor.

  A seventh aspect of the invention is characterized in that in the pneumatic tire of the sixth aspect, the pneumatic tire has transmission means for wirelessly transmitting pressure detection data detected by the pressure sensor.

Next, the operation of the pneumatic tire according to claim 7 will be described.
In the pneumatic tire according to claim 7, the pressure detection data detected by the pressure sensor can be wirelessly transmitted by the transmission means, and the transmitted pressure detection data is received by the tire and the receiver disposed outside the rim wheel. Can be received. Note that when pressure detection data is transmitted using wiring without using a wireless device, a slip ring or the like is separately required between the rim wheel and the vehicle body, and wiring is complicated.

  A tire / rim wheel assembly according to an eighth aspect is characterized in that the pneumatic tire according to any one of the first to seventh aspects is assembled to a rim wheel.

Next, the operation of the tire / rim wheel assembly according to claim 8 will be described.
In the tire / rim wheel assembly according to claim 8, the pneumatic tire according to any one of claims 1 to 7 is assembled to the rim wheel, so that the tire chamber is filled with gas. So, it can be used on a vehicle. Other operations are the same as those of the first to seventh aspects, and will not be described.

  According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the tire / rim wheel assembly according to the eighth aspect, a second on-off valve is attached to the rim wheel, and the second on-off valve has one connection port. It arrange | positions on the rim wheel outer side, and the other connection port is connected to the 1st piping connected with the said sub air chamber, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.

Next, the operation of the tire / rim wheel assembly according to claim 9 will be described.
In order to increase the pressure by filling the sub-air chamber with gas, for example, by connecting a high-pressure hose from an air compressor or a tank filled with gas at high pressure to the second on-off valve, Gas can be supplied to the auxiliary air chamber via the valve and the first pipe. In order to reduce the internal pressure of the auxiliary air chamber, the second on-off valve may be opened to discharge the gas in the auxiliary air chamber to the atmosphere.

  A tenth aspect of the present invention is the tire / rim wheel assembly according to the eighth aspect, wherein the first gas tank provided in the rim wheel and filled with a gas to be supplied to the auxiliary air chamber, It has the 2nd piping which connects a subair chamber and the 1st gas tank, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.

Next, the operation of the tire / rim wheel assembly according to claim 10 will be described.
In the tire / rim wheel assembly according to the tenth aspect, for example, the first gas tank is previously filled with gas at a high pressure. By supplying the gas in the first gas tank to the sub air chamber via the second pipe, the pressure in the sub air chamber can be increased.

  According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the tire / rim wheel assembly according to the tenth aspect, the first gas tank is provided in a wheel disc portion.

Next, the operation of the tire / rim wheel assembly according to claim 11 will be described.
In the tire / rim wheel assembly according to the eleventh aspect, since the first gas tank is provided in the wheel disc portion, the inner diameter of the rim does not become smaller than that of the conventional one.

  According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in the tire / rim wheel assembly according to the eleventh aspect, the first gas tank does not have a smaller diameter on the side of the drop portion of the rim than the inner diameter of the drop portion. It is characterized by being formed.

Next, the operation of the tire / rim wheel assembly according to claim 12 will be described.
In the tire / rim wheel assembly according to claim 12, the first gas tank is formed on the side of the drop portion of the rim so as not to be smaller than the inner diameter of the drop portion. There is no small diameter in comparison.

  A thirteenth aspect of the present invention is the tire / rim wheel assembly according to any one of the tenth to twelfth aspects, wherein the rim wheel includes a first gas tank and a sub air chamber. It has the 1st pressure change means which changes the internal pressure of the above-mentioned sub air chamber by performing gas movement between.

Next, the operation of the tire / rim wheel assembly according to claim 13 will be described.
When changing the internal pressure of the auxiliary air chamber, the gas is moved between the first gas tank and the auxiliary air chamber using the first pressure changing means. For example, if the gas in the first gas tank is moved to the sub air chamber, the pressure in the sub air chamber can be increased. Further, if the gas in the auxiliary air chamber is moved to the first gas tank, the pressure in the auxiliary air chamber can be reduced.

  According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, in the tire / rim wheel assembly according to the eighth aspect of the present invention, a second gas pressure is changed between the atmosphere and the auxiliary air chamber by changing the internal pressure of the auxiliary air chamber. It has a pressure change means.

Next, the operation of the tire / rim wheel assembly according to claim 14 will be described.
When the internal pressure of the auxiliary air chamber is changed, the gas is moved between the auxiliary air chamber and the atmosphere using the second pressure changing means. For example, if the atmospheric gas (air) is moved to the auxiliary air chamber, the pressure of the auxiliary air chamber can be increased. Further, if the gas in the auxiliary air chamber is discharged (moved) to the atmosphere, the pressure in the auxiliary air chamber can be reduced.

  According to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, in the tire / rim wheel assembly according to the eighth aspect, a second gas tank is provided on an outer periphery of the rim wheel and is filled with a gas to be supplied to the auxiliary air chamber. And a third pipe that connects the auxiliary air chamber and the second gas tank, and an on-off valve that is connected to at least the third pipe.

Next, the operation of the tire / rim wheel assembly according to claim 15 will be described.
In the tire / rim wheel assembly according to the fifteenth aspect, for example, the second gas tank is previously filled with gas at a high pressure. By opening the on-off valve and supplying the gas in the second gas tank to the sub air chamber via the third pipe, the pressure in the sub air chamber can be increased.

A sixteenth aspect of the present invention is the tire / rim wheel assembly according to the fifteenth aspect, wherein the second gas tank is an annular tube made of an elastic body.
In the tire / rim wheel assembly according to the sixteenth aspect, the annular tube made of an elastic body can be filled with gas.

  The invention according to claim 17 is the tire / rim wheel assembly according to claim 8, wherein the rim wheel is provided with a double-acting cylinder driven by an actuator, and the auxiliary air chamber on one side of the tire equatorial plane is provided. The double-acting cylinder is connected to one cylinder chamber, and the auxiliary air chamber on the other side of the tire equatorial plane is connected to the other cylinder chamber of the double-acting cylinder.

Next, the operation of the tire / rim wheel assembly according to claim 17 will be described.
In the tire and rim wheel assembly according to claim 17, for example, a sub air chamber on one side of a tire equatorial plane connected to a cylinder chamber on one side by moving one cylinder rod of a double acting cylinder with an actuator. Thus, the pressure in the auxiliary air chamber on the other side of the tire equatorial plane connected to the cylinder chamber on the other side can be reduced. Further, if the cylinder rod is moved in the opposite direction, the pressure in the sub-air chamber on one side of the tire equator plane connected to the cylinder chamber on one side is reduced and the pressure on the tire equator plane connected to the cylinder chamber on the other side is reduced. The pressure in the other side air chamber can be increased.

A vehicle according to claim 18 is characterized in that the tire / rim wheel assembly according to any one of claims 8 to 17 is mounted.
The operation of the vehicle according to claim 18 is the same as that of claims 8 to 17, and therefore the description thereof is omitted.

  As described above, since the pneumatic tire, tire / rim wheel assembly, and vehicle of the present invention have the above-described configuration, the lateral force equivalent to the camber thrust can be controlled, thereby improving the turning performance and the like. It has an excellent effect of being able to.

[First Embodiment]
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a tire / rim wheel assembly 14 in which a pneumatic tire 10 is assembled to a rim wheel 12. The tire / rim assembly 14 is mounted on a vehicle (not shown) (for example, a four-wheeled passenger car).
(Pneumatic tire structure)
As shown in FIG. 1, the pneumatic tire 10 of the present embodiment has a general structure except for an internal structure of a tread 16 described later, and includes a carcass 20 straddling a pair of bead cores 18. One or more belts 22 and a tread 16 are disposed on the radially outer side. The basic structure of the pneumatic tire 10 may be a radial structure or another structure such as a bias structure.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a plurality of auxiliary air chambers 26 are formed inside the tread 16. The auxiliary air chamber 26 is continuous in the tire circumferential direction, and the shape viewed from the tire axial direction is annular. FIG. 2 shows a cross section when the tread 16 is developed into a flat plate shape.

As shown in FIG. 2, a reinforcing layer 27 is embedded in the tread 16 on the outer side in the tire radial direction of the auxiliary air chamber 26 to prevent the auxiliary air chamber 26 from bulging outward in the radial direction of the tire.
The reinforcing layer 27 has a property that it is difficult to extend in the tire circumferential direction as compared with the rubber of the tread 16. The reinforcing layer 27 preferably includes a plurality of cords arranged so that an angle with respect to the tire circumferential direction is within 45 °.
As the cord, for example, an organic fiber cord such as an aromatic polyamide fiber (aramid), a steel cord, or the like can be used.

  The tread 16 is not illustrated with circumferential grooves, lug grooves, or the like, but may be formed with known grooves such as circumferential grooves or lug grooves. When grooves such as a circumferential groove and a lug groove are formed in the tread 16, the auxiliary air chamber 26 and the reinforcing layer 27 are disposed in the land portion such as a rib partitioned by the groove, and at the end of wear. It is preferable to dispose the reinforcing layer 27 on the inner side in the tire radial direction from the groove bottom (the deepest groove) so that the reinforcing layer 27 is not exposed.

As shown in FIG. 1, a communication hole 30 is formed in the pneumatic tire 10 from the auxiliary air chamber 26 toward the tire inner peripheral surface.
A tire connection member (connector) 34 for connecting a pipe 32 is fixed to the communication hole 30 on the tire inner peripheral surface side, and one end of the pipe 32 is connected to the tire connection member 34. ing. Since the pneumatic tire 10 is elastically deformed during traveling, the pipe 32 is preferably formed of a material such as rubber or synthetic resin that can be elastically deformed.
In FIG. 1, the pipes 32 are connected to one auxiliary air chamber 26, but the tire connection members 34 and the pipes 32 are connected to all the auxiliary air chambers 26. Moreover, in order to balance the rotation of the pneumatic tire 10, the pipe 32 and the tire connection member 34 are preferably arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction.

(Rim wheel structure)
In addition to a valve (not shown in FIG. 1) for filling the tire air chamber with a gas such as air, the rim wheel 12 is connected to a rim for taking in and out a gas such as air with respect to the auxiliary air chamber 26. A member 36 is attached. The other end of the pipe 32 is connected to the rim connection member 36. Although not shown in FIG. 1, the tire connection member 34, the pipe 32, and the rim connection member 36 are respectively connected to the plurality of sub air chambers 26. The gas can be supplied independently.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, a pipe 40 is connected to the rim connection member 36. As shown in FIG. 3, the pipe 40 connected to the rim connection member 36 is connected to a pipe 42 from an air compressor 38 provided in the vehicle via a rotation seal 44. Thereby, air can be supplied to the auxiliary air chamber 26 even while the tire is rotating.

In addition, an electrically controlled on / off valve 46, a pressure sensor 50, and an electrically controlled pressure release valve 52 are provided in the middle of the pipe 42, and an air compressor 38, an on / off valve 46, a pressure sensor 50, The pressure relief valve 52 is connected to the controller 54.
With these configurations, each auxiliary air chamber 26 can independently change the internal pressure.

(Function)
Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.
In the tire / rim wheel assembly 14 of the present embodiment, a lateral force equivalent to a camber thrust can be generated by changing the internal pressure of the auxiliary air chamber 26 from the outside of the tire as follows.
In order to increase the pressure in the auxiliary air chamber 26, the air compressor 38 is operated and the open / close valve 46 is opened. Here, in order to increase the auxiliary air chamber 26 to a desired internal pressure (for example, it can be determined by an instruction from the driver, a running state, etc.), the opening / closing of the opening / closing valve 46 is controlled while the pressure is detected by the pressure sensor 50. This can be achieved. In order to reduce the pressure in the auxiliary air chamber 26 to a desired internal pressure, the open / close valve 46 is closed, the pressure release valve 52 is opened while measuring the pressure, and the gas in the auxiliary air chamber is discharged to the atmosphere. Thereby, the pressure of the sub air chamber 26 can be reduced to a desired value.

  For example, by making the internal pressure of the two or three auxiliary air chambers 26 on the inner side of the vehicle relatively higher than the inner pressures of the other auxiliary air chambers 26 on the outer side when the vehicle is mounted, The rigidity can be made relatively higher than the rigidity of the outer tread portion when the vehicle is mounted. As a result, it is possible to generate a lateral force F (equivalent to a camber thrust) in the pneumatic tire 10 from the vehicle width direction outer side (vehicle mounting outer side) to the inner side (vehicle mounting inner side) when traveling straight.

  By generating such a lateral force F, the steering stability of the vehicle can be improved. This improvement in steering stability is almost the same as when the wheels are set to a negative camber in terms of vehicle alignment, and the movement performance is improved by a mechanism substantially the same as that of the negative camber. In addition, if the magnitude relationship of the internal pressure of the auxiliary air chamber 26 is reversed to that described above, it becomes substantially the same as that set for the positive camber.

Further, when the internal pressure of the auxiliary air chamber 26 is increased, the reinforcing layer 27 prevents the auxiliary air chamber 26 from bulging outward in the tire radial direction, so that the tread 16 has an uneven surface due to partial diameter growth of the tread 16. Deformation is suppressed. In addition, since the reinforcing layer 27 is disposed on the outer side in the tire radial direction of the auxiliary air chamber 26, the circumferential shear rigidity of the tread rubber located on the outer side in the tire radial direction of the auxiliary air chamber 26 is improved. Slip deformation of the tread rubber at the outer portion in the tire radial direction is suppressed, and wear resistance is improved.
Note that the pressure in the auxiliary air chamber 26 may be automatically changed based on the state of the vehicle, or may be arbitrarily changed by the driver.

The auxiliary air chamber 26 of the present embodiment is disposed inside the tread 16 outside the belt, and the width of the auxiliary air chamber 26 is set to be relatively small with respect to the ground contact width. The volume of the tire air chamber formed between the rim wheel 12 and the rim wheel 12 is relatively small, and a small amount of gas is taken in and out, so that the auxiliary air chamber 26 can be used even during traveling depending on the state of the vehicle. The internal pressure of can be changed quickly.
In the present embodiment, the reinforcing layer 27 is one layer, but it may be two or more layers, and the number of the reinforcing layers 27 may be different depending on each auxiliary air chamber 26.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment of the tire / rim wheel assembly of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same structure as 1st Embodiment, and the description is abbreviate | omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 4A, in the rim wheel 12 of the present embodiment, a gas tank 56 having a hollow shape is formed in the disk portion 12A. Note that an air valve (with a valve core) (not shown) is attached to the gas tank 56 in order to fill the tank with gas from the outside of the rim wheel.

A pressure control valve 58 is attached to the gas tank 56, and the other end of the pipe 32 is connected to the pressure control valve 58 in this embodiment.
The pressure control valve 58 includes an on-off valve and a pressure sensor, and the on-off valve and the pressure sensor are connected to a controller 54 (not shown in FIG. 4) via wiring (not shown), a slip ring provided in the vehicle, and the like. Has been.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4B, in the tire / rim wheel assembly 14 of the present embodiment, the tire connecting member 34 and the pipe 32 are connected at a position different from the portion shown in FIG. The pipe 32 is connected to an on-off valve 59 provided on the rim wheel 12. The on-off valve 59 is connected to the controller 54.

In the present embodiment, the gas tank 56 is filled with gas at a higher pressure than the tire air chamber 11.
When increasing the pressure in the auxiliary air chamber 26, the on-off valve of the pressure control valve 58 is opened. Thereby, the gas in a gas tank moves to the sub air chamber 26, and the pressure of the sub air chamber 26 can be raised. On the other hand, when the pressure in the auxiliary air chamber 26 is decreased, the on-off valve 59 is opened. Thereby, the gas in the sub air chamber 26 is discharged | emitted to air | atmosphere, and the pressure of the sub air chamber 26 can be reduced.

The internal pressure of the auxiliary air chamber 26 is set to a desired value by controlling the open / close valve of the pressure control valve 58 or the open / close valve 59 while measuring the pressure on the auxiliary air chamber side with the pressure sensor of the pressure control valve 58. It can be set.
In the present embodiment, since the gas tank 56 is provided in the disk portion 12A, the brake device of the vehicle can be disposed inside the rim as usual without reducing the inner diameter of the rim.
Other functions and effects are the same as those of the first embodiment.

[Third Embodiment]
Next, a third embodiment of the tire / rim wheel assembly of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same structure as embodiment mentioned above, and the description is abbreviate | omitted.
The tire / rim wheel assembly 14 of the present embodiment is a modification of the tire / rim wheel assembly 14 according to the second embodiment described above. As shown in FIG. A gas tank 60 is formed on the side of 12B in the form of an annular cavity that is continuous in the circumferential direction.

In the present embodiment, the pressure control valve 58 is attached to the gas tank 60. In addition, an air valve (not shown) is attached to the gas tank 60 in order to fill the tank with gas.
Similarly to the second embodiment, the tire / rim wheel assembly 14 of the third embodiment also fills the gas tank 60 with gas at a pressure higher than that of the tire air chamber 11, and the pressure control valve 58 and the opening / closing valve 59. (Not shown in FIG. 5), the pressure in the auxiliary air chamber can be adjusted.

In this embodiment, since the gas tank 60 is provided on the side of the well portion 12B, the brake device of the vehicle can be disposed inside the rim as usual without reducing the rim inner diameter.
Other functions and effects are the same as those of the second embodiment.

[Fourth Embodiment]
Next, a fourth embodiment of the tire / rim wheel assembly of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same structure as embodiment mentioned above, and the description is abbreviate | omitted.
Unlike the second embodiment and the third embodiment, the rim wheel 12 of the present embodiment has a general structure.

In the tire / rim wheel assembly 14 of the present embodiment, an annular tube 62 made of an elastic body such as rubber is disposed in the tire chamber instead of the gas tank of the second and third embodiments.
In the present embodiment, the pipe 32 is connected to the tube 62 via the pressure control valve 58.

Note that an air valve 64 is attached to the tube 62 in order to fill the tube with gas, and an end of the air valve 64 protrudes toward the inner peripheral side of the rim wheel.
In the present embodiment, the tube 62 is filled with gas at a pressure higher than that of the tire air chamber 11, and the pressure in the auxiliary air chamber is adjusted by the pressure control valve 58 and the on-off valve 59 (not shown in FIG. 6). it can.
Other functions and effects are the same as those of the second and third embodiments described above.

[Fifth Embodiment]
Next, a fifth embodiment of the tire / rim wheel assembly of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same structure as embodiment mentioned above, and the description is abbreviate | omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 7, in the tire / rim wheel assembly 14 of the present embodiment, a gas tank 60 is formed integrally with the rim wheel 12. The rim wheel 12 is provided with an air supply / exhaust device 66 for moving gas between the auxiliary air chamber 26 and the gas tank 60.

The air supply / exhaust device 66 is composed of a small air compressor, a flow path switching valve, a pressure sensor, and the like. The gas supply / exhaust device 66 moves the gas in the gas tank to the sub-air chamber 26 or transfers the gas in the sub-air chamber to the gas tank 60. By moving, the pressure of the auxiliary air chamber 26 can be changed. The air supply / exhaust device 66 is connected to the controller 54 via a wiring (not shown) and a slip ring.
In addition, the effect at the time of changing the pressure of the sub air chamber 26 is the same as that of 1st Embodiment.

[Sixth Embodiment]
Next, a sixth embodiment of the tire / rim wheel assembly of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The present embodiment is a modification of the fifth embodiment described above, and the same reference numerals are given to the same components as those in the fifth embodiment, and the description thereof is omitted.

As shown in FIG. 8, the rim wheel 12 of the tire / rim wheel assembly 14 of this embodiment has a general structure, and an air supply / exhaust device 66 is attached to the rim wheel 12. In the present embodiment, the air supply / exhaust device 66 moves the gas between the sub air chamber 26 and the atmosphere, thereby changing the pressure of the sub air chamber 26.
In addition, the effect at the time of changing the pressure of the sub air chamber 26 is the same as that of 1st Embodiment.

[Seventh Embodiment]
Next, a seventh embodiment of the tire / rim wheel assembly of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same structure as embodiment mentioned above, and the description is abbreviate | omitted.
In the sixth embodiment, the internal pressure of the auxiliary air chamber 26 is reduced by discharging the gas of the auxiliary air chamber 26 to the atmosphere. However, when the pressure of the auxiliary air chamber 26 is higher than that of the tire air chamber 11. The internal pressure of the auxiliary air chamber 26 can be reduced by discharging the gas in the auxiliary air chamber 26 to the tire air chamber 11.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 9, the internal pressure of the auxiliary air chamber 26 can be reduced by attaching an opening / closing valve 59 to the communication hole 30 and opening the opening / closing valve 59.
In addition, the effect at the time of changing the pressure of the sub air chamber 26 is the same as that of 1st Embodiment.

[Eighth Embodiment]
Next, an eighth embodiment of the tire / rim wheel assembly of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same structure as embodiment mentioned above, and the description is abbreviate | omitted.
In the above-described embodiment, the gas previously filled in the gas tank or the air in the atmosphere is supplied to the sub air chamber 26. However, the gas in the tire air chamber 11 is supplied to the sub air chamber 26. You can also take.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 10, the pressure control valve 58 is attached to the communication hole 30, and when the pressure in the auxiliary air chamber 26 is increased, the opening / closing valve of the pressure control valve 58 is opened. On the other hand, when the pressure in the sub air chamber 26 is decreased, the gas in the sub air chamber may be discharged to the atmosphere.
In addition, the effect at the time of changing the pressure of the sub air chamber 26 is the same as that of 1st Embodiment.

[Ninth Embodiment]
Next, a ninth embodiment of the tire / rim wheel assembly of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same structure as embodiment mentioned above, and the description is abbreviate | omitted.
As shown in FIG. 11, in the present embodiment, four auxiliary air chambers 26 are provided, and two auxiliary air chambers 26 on one side across the tire equator plane are connected to one of the double-acting cylinders 68 via a pipe 32. Two auxiliary air chambers 26 on the other side of the tire equatorial plane are connected to the other cylinder chamber 68L of the double rod double acting cylinder 68 via the pipe 32.

The cylinder rod 70 of the double rod double acting cylinder 68 is movable by an electric actuator 72 controlled by a controller 54 (not shown in FIG. 11).
The double rod double acting cylinder 68 and the actuator 72 may be attached to the rim wheel 12 or to the vehicle.

  In the present embodiment, for example, by moving the cylinder rod 70 to the cylinder chamber 68R side by the actuator 72, the pressure in the cylinder chamber 68R can be increased and the pressure in the cylinder chamber 68L can be decreased. Further, by moving the cylinder rod 70 toward the cylinder chamber 68L, the pressure in the cylinder chamber 68L can be increased and the pressure in the cylinder chamber 68R can be decreased. Thereby, the rigidity of the tread can be changed on the left and right of the tire equator plane.

Note that the internal pressures of both the auxiliary air chambers 26 may be set in advance equal to the tire air chamber 11, or may be set higher or lower than the tire air chamber 11.
The actuator 72 is not limited to an electric type, and may be a pneumatic type or a hydraulic type.
In the present embodiment, the double rod double acting cylinder 68 is used to change the pressure balance of the auxiliary air chamber 26, but the above-described air supply / exhaust device 66 may be used instead of the double rod double acting cylinder 68.

[Other Embodiments]
The auxiliary air chamber 26 of the above embodiment has an annular shape continuous in the tire circumferential direction, but the auxiliary air chamber 26 may be provided intermittently in the tire circumferential direction.
Further, when the tread 16 has a block pattern, the auxiliary air chamber 26 may be provided in each block.
In the above embodiment, five auxiliary air chambers 26 are formed in the tire width direction, but the number formed in the tire width direction is not limited to that in the present embodiment.

In addition, one communication hole 30 may be provided for one auxiliary air chamber 26 to be used for both supply and exhaust, or two communication holes 30 may be provided, one for intake and the other for exhaust.
When the tire / rim wheel assembly 14 is provided with a pressure sensor, the pressure detection signal may be transmitted wirelessly using a wireless device in addition to the method of transmitting the pressure detection signal to the controller 54 via wiring.

(Test example)
Next, in order to confirm the effect of the present invention, six types of tire / rim assemblies to which the present invention was applied and one type of tire / rim assembly according to a comparative example were prepared and subjected to an abrasion resistance test.
The evaluation (index) of the wear resistance test is that the running amount, the load condition, and the tire normal air chamber pressure are the same, and the wear amount of all tread land portions after running a certain distance is measured. Since it is divided by the wear amount of the invention tire, the larger the index, the smaller the wear amount and the better the performance. The tire size is 225 / 45ZR17.

  As a result of the test, Examples 1 to 6 in which the reinforcing layer is provided on the outer side in the tire radial direction of the auxiliary air chamber have less wear amount and excellent wear resistance than the comparative example in which the reinforcing layer is not provided. I understand. In the comparative example in which the reinforcing layer was not provided, the amount of wear increased compared to the example because the tread surface on the auxiliary air chamber swelled.

1 is a cross-sectional view of a tire / rim wheel assembly according to a first embodiment. It is an expanded sectional view of a tread. It is a block diagram which shows piping and wiring. (A), (B) is sectional drawing of the tire and rim wheel assembly which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is sectional drawing of the tire and rim wheel assembly which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is sectional drawing of the tire and rim wheel assembly which concerns on 4th Embodiment. It is sectional drawing of the tire and rim wheel assembly which concerns on 5th Embodiment. It is sectional drawing of the tire and rim wheel assembly which concerns on 6th Embodiment. It is sectional drawing of the tire and rim wheel assembly which concerns on 7th Embodiment. It is sectional drawing of the tire and rim wheel assembly which concerns on 8th Embodiment. It is a piping diagram of the tire and rim wheel assembly concerning a 9th embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Pneumatic tire 11 Tire air chamber 12 Rim wheel 12B Well part 12A Disk part 14 Tire / rim wheel assembly 24 Circumferential groove 26 Sub air chamber 27 Reinforcement layer 30 Communication hole 32 Piping 34 Tire connection member 38 Air compressor 46 Opening and closing Valve 50 Pressure sensor 52 Valve 54 Controller 56 Gas tank 58 Pressure control valve 59 Open / close valve 60 Gas tank 62 Tube 66 Air supply / exhaust device 68 Double rod double acting cylinder 72 Actuator

Claims (18)

A carcass straddling a pair of bead cores;
A belt disposed on the outer side in the tire radial direction of the carcass;
A tread rubber layer disposed on the outer side in the tire radial direction of the belt;
A sub air chamber formed inside the tread rubber layer and disposed at least on both sides of the tire equatorial plane;
A reinforcing layer that is provided inside the tread rubber layer and is arranged on the outer side in the tire radial direction of the auxiliary air chamber to suppress the bulging of the auxiliary air chamber toward the outer side in the tire radial direction;
A communication path connected to the auxiliary air chamber, allowing communication between the auxiliary air chamber and the outside of the tire to allow gas to be taken in and out of the auxiliary air chamber;
A pneumatic tire characterized by comprising:   2. The pneumatic tire according to claim 1, wherein the reinforcing layer includes a plurality of cords that are higher in rigidity than rubber and disposed so that an angle with respect to a tire circumferential direction is within 45 °.   The pneumatic tire according to claim 1, wherein the auxiliary air chamber is formed in an annular shape continuously in the tire circumferential direction.   The communication path is open to the tire inner surface side, and a connection member for connecting a pipe for taking gas into and out of the auxiliary air chamber is attached to the opening. The pneumatic tire according to any one of claims 1 to 3.   The said communicating path is opened to the tire inner surface side, The 1st on-off valve is attached to the said communicating path, The any one of Claim 1 thru | or 3 characterized by the above-mentioned. Pneumatic tire.   The pneumatic tire according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a pressure sensor that detects an internal pressure of the auxiliary air chamber.   The pneumatic tire according to claim 6, further comprising a transmission unit that wirelessly transmits pressure detection data detected by the pressure sensor.   A tire / rim wheel assembly, wherein the pneumatic tire according to any one of claims 1 to 7 is assembled to a rim wheel.   A second on-off valve is attached to the rim wheel, and the second on-off valve has a first connecting port disposed outside the rim wheel and the other connecting port connected to the auxiliary air chamber. The tire / rim wheel assembly according to claim 8, wherein the tire / rim wheel assembly is connected to a pipe. A first gas tank provided in the rim wheel and filled with a gas to be supplied to the auxiliary air chamber;
A second pipe connecting the auxiliary air chamber and the first gas tank;
The tire / rim wheel assembly according to claim 8, comprising:   The tire / rim wheel assembly according to claim 10, wherein the first gas tank is provided in a wheel disk portion.   The tire / rim wheel assembly according to claim 11, wherein the first gas tank is formed on a side of the drop portion of the rim so as not to have a diameter smaller than an inner diameter of the drop portion. .   The said rim wheel has a 1st pressure change means which changes the internal pressure of the said sub air chamber by moving gas between the said 1st gas tank and the said sub air chamber, It is characterized by the above-mentioned. The tire / rim wheel assembly according to any one of Items 10 to 12.   9. The tire / rim wheel set according to claim 8, further comprising second pressure changing means for changing an internal pressure of the auxiliary air chamber by moving gas between the atmosphere and the auxiliary air chamber. Solid. A second gas tank provided on an outer periphery of the rim wheel and filled with a gas to be supplied to the auxiliary air chamber;
A third pipe connecting the auxiliary air chamber and the second gas tank;
An on-off valve connected to at least the third pipe;
9. The tire / rim wheel assembly according to claim 8, further comprising:   The tire / rim wheel assembly according to claim 15, wherein the second gas tank is an annular tube made of an elastic body. A double-acting cylinder driven by an actuator is provided on the rim wheel,
The auxiliary air chamber on one side of the tire equator plane is connected to one cylinder chamber of the double acting cylinder, and the auxiliary air chamber on the other side of the tire equator surface is connected to the other cylinder chamber of the double acting cylinder. The tire / rim wheel assembly according to claim 8.   A vehicle comprising the tire / rim wheel assembly according to any one of claims 8 to 17.

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