JP2011148338A - Tire - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a tire hardly generating a crack in a decorative portion formed on a side of the tire. <P>SOLUTION: A pneumatic tire includes at least one decorative section 24 on a side of the tire. The decorative section 24 is provided with a decorative element which has first ridges 26, and also with troughs 32 which are tilted in the circumferential direction U of the tire and divide the decorative element into two or more regions. The first ridges 26 constituting the decorative element is surely made non-continuous in the circumferential direction U of the tire by the troughs 32. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a tire provided with a decorative portion on a tire side portion.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a side decoration band formed by arranging a plurality of straight or curved ridges in parallel on a side portion of a tire has been widely used.

  For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an example in which a second ridge is formed in a first ridge to form a side decoration band. Patent Document 2 discloses an example in which a side decorative band having a first decorative element composed of only a first ridge and a second decorative element in which a second ridge is arranged in the first ridge is formed. Is disclosed.

US Pat. No. 5,807,446 JP 2008-273505 A

By the way, in a tire, the force which spreads in a tire radial direction (tire radial direction) tends to act on a tire side part. On the other hand, in Patent Documents 1 and 2, troughs and ridges that are continuous along the tire circumferential direction are formed in the side decoration band. For this reason, when such a force acts on the tire, a tearing force acts on the valley bottom or the ridge edge, so that it is considered that cracks are likely to occur along the tire circumferential direction.
In view of the above fact, an object of the present invention is to provide a tire in which cracks are unlikely to occur in a decorative portion formed on a tire side portion.

  The invention according to claim 1 is provided with a decorative portion on a tire side portion, and the decorative portion is inclined with respect to a tire circumferential direction and the decorative element is divided into two or more regions. And a trough discontinuous in the tire circumferential direction, the ridge is a first ridge, and a second ridge having at least one of height and width smaller than that of the first ridge, And at least some of the first ridges are adjacent to each other while being inclined with respect to the tire circumferential direction, so that the valley is formed between the adjacent first ridges.

  The tire is usually a pneumatic tire, but may be a solid tire that does not contain air. Further, a part of the first ridge may constitute a decorative element on both sides of the first ridge. Moreover, as long as it is a tire side surface, the decoration part may be provided not only to the tire side part but to the shoulder part and the bead part.

In the first aspect of the present invention, the valleys reliably prevent the ridges constituting the decorative element from continuing in the tire circumferential direction. Therefore, even if the force spreading in the tire radial direction acts on the tire side portion, the decorative portion formed on the tire side portion is hardly cracked.
Further, the first ridges are adjacent to each other among the plurality of types of ridges, and valleys are formed therebetween. Therefore, it is not necessary to make the bottom of the valley lower than the portion where the ridge is not formed. Thereby, the strength of the tire portion forming the valley is remarkably increased.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the decorative element, an outer edge portion is formed of the first ridge, a first decorative element whose inner side is a smooth surface, and an outer edge portion is formed of the first ridge. And a second decorative element in which the second ridge is arranged inside the outer edge.
In the invention according to claim 2, since the inside of the outer edge portion of the first decorative element is a smooth surface, the visibility of the first decorative element is unlikely to deteriorate even if dirt such as soil is attached to some extent. Moreover, since the inner side of the outer edge of the first decorative element is a smooth surface, the reflectance of light is high and the reflection angle is uniform, and the silhouette is effectively visually recognized in the second decorative element.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the second decorative element is composed of at least two types in which directions of the second ridge are different from each other.
Thereby, in the 2nd decoration element, the reflection direction of the light by the side wall surface of a 2nd ridge can be made into at least 2 directions, and a silhouette is visually recognized from at least 2 directions.

In the invention according to claim 4, a decorative element row is formed in which the first decorative elements and the second decorative elements are alternately arranged along the valley, and between the adjacent decorative element rows, The valleys are continuous along the decorative element row.
Thereby, the external appearance of a valley is good compared with the case where a valley is not continuous. And even if the continuous trough is formed, it is hard to produce a crack in a trough bottom.

In the invention according to claim 5, the direction in which the valley extends forms an angle in the range of 20 to 90 ° with respect to the tire circumferential direction.
The angle may be either a clockwise angle or a counterclockwise angle with respect to the tire circumferential direction.
If this angle is smaller than 20 °, the tensile stress generated at the valley bottom or ridge edge when a force spreading in the tire radial direction acts on the tire side portion tends to increase.
In addition, this angle is more preferably 70 ° or less from the viewpoint of suppressing the tensile stress generated in the valley bottom and the ridge edge when the force spreading in the tire circumferential direction acts on the tire side portion.

In a sixth aspect of the present invention, the bottom width of the valley is not less than 0.2 mm and not more than the longest width of the decorative element.
If the valley bottom width is narrower than 0.2 mm, cracks are likely to occur in the valley bottom. Moreover, when the valley bottom width is wider than the longest width of the decorative element, the appearance of the decorative portion is likely to deteriorate.

In a seventh aspect of the present invention, the height of the decorative element is 0.1 mm or more and less than 0.3 mm.
If it is lower than 0.1 mm, the visibility of the decorative element tends to be lowered. Further, if it is 0.3 mm or more, it becomes difficult to sufficiently prevent the occurrence of cracks in the decorative portion.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it can be set as the tire which a crack does not generate | occur | produce easily in the decoration part formed in the tire side part.

It is a side view of the vehicle outside of a pneumatic tire concerning one embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a side view of the inside of a pneumatic tire according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is the elements on larger scale of the decoration part formed in the side part of the pneumatic tire which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is the elements on larger scale of the decoration part formed in the side part of the pneumatic tire which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is the elements on larger scale of the decoration part formed in the side part of the pneumatic tire which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the 1st ridge which comprises the decoration part of the side part of the pneumatic tire which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. FIGS. 7A and 7B are each a step showing forming a recess corresponding to the first ridge and the second ridge in the mold for manufacturing the pneumatic tire according to the embodiment of the present invention. It is explanatory drawing of. It is the elements on larger scale which show the modification of the decoration part formed in the side part of the pneumatic tire which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments will be described and embodiments of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a side view of the pneumatic tire 10 according to the present embodiment on the vehicle outer side, and FIG. 2 is a vehicle inner side view of the pneumatic tire 10 according to the present embodiment.

(Pneumatic tire vehicle outside)
As shown in FIG. 1, two arc-shaped side decorative bands 16 are formed on the side portion 14 on the vehicle outer side of the pneumatic tire 10. Two side decorative strips 16 are formed so as to be arranged at symmetrical positions with the tire central axis C (see FIG. 1) in between. A large number of ridges 18 that are inclined with respect to the tire circumferential direction U are arranged on each side decorative strip 16.

Furthermore, an arc-shaped mark portion 20 is formed on the side portion 14 between one side decorative band 16J and the other side decorative band 16K. Accordingly, the two mark portions 20 are also formed so as to be arranged at symmetrical positions with the tire central axis C in between. The mark 22 is displayed with characters “ABCDEFGH” displayed on a smooth surface, for example.
A decorative portion 24 is formed between the side decorative band 16 and the mark portion 20. Therefore, the decoration part 24 is formed in four places.

(Decoration part 24)
The decoration part 24 is composed of two decoration halves 24A and 24B adjacent to each other in the tire circumferential direction U. The decorative halves 24A and 24B are both parallelogram-shaped, but the decorative halves 24A are slightly located on the tire outer peripheral side, and the decorative halves 24B are slightly located on the tire inner peripheral side.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the decorative halves 24A and 24B both have a first ridge 26 extending in a direction inclined at an inclination angle θ of about 45 ° with respect to the tire circumferential direction U, and a first ridge 26 A second ridge 28 having at least one of a height and a width smaller than that and a valley 32 extending in a direction inclined with respect to the tire circumferential direction U are formed. The valley 32 is formed between the first ridges 26 adjacent to each other. The valley 32 divides the decorative elements forming the decorative half 24A into a plurality of regions, and the same applies to the decorative half 24B.

  More specifically, three decorative halves 24A and 24B are parallel to the upper left corner of the paper from the lower right side of the paper (that is, in the direction inclined from the inner side to the outer side in the tire radial direction with respect to the tire circumferential direction U). And two wavy first ridges 26Q extending in parallel from the lower left side to the upper right side of the paper. The three-type first ridge 26P and the two-type first ridge 26Q are both constituted by the first ridge 26. The two first ridges 26P form two wavy troughs 32P that are inclined with respect to the tire circumferential direction U, and the two first ridges 26Q are inclined with respect to the tire circumferential direction U. Thus, one wavy trough 32Q extending is formed. The valley 32P is continuous from one end to the other end.

  A plurality of three-type first ridges 26P are arranged at equal intervals, and a plurality of two-type first ridges 26Q are also arranged at equal intervals. A decorative element row 34P is formed along the three-type first ridge 26P (that is, along the valley 32P) between the adjacent three-type first ridges 26P. In the decorative element row 34P, the first decorative elements 36 and the second decorative elements 38 are alternately arranged.

  The first decorative element 36 is a decorative element having an outer edge portion formed of the first ridge 26 and an inner side of the outer edge portion formed of a smooth surface 37. The second decorative element 38 is a decorative element having an outer edge portion formed by the first ridge 26 and a plurality of second ridges 28 arranged in parallel to each other inside the outer edge portion. The second ridge 28 is a ridge that extends linearly from the lower left of the drawing to the upper right of the drawing.

  Further, a decorative element row 34Q is formed between the adjacent two-type first ridges 26Q along the two-type first ridges 26Q (that is, along the valley 32Q). The arrangement of the smooth surfaces 37 and the second ridges 28 is set in a staggered manner so that the first decorative elements 36 and the second decorative elements 38 are alternately arranged in the decorative element row 34Q.

(Preferred dimension example)
Hereinafter, in the pneumatic tire 10 according to the present embodiment, preferable specific examples such as the first ridge 26, the second ridge 28, and the arrangement interval thereof will be described. 6 is a cross-sectional view as seen from the direction 6-6 in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 6, the first ridge 26 has a trapezoidal cross section. The width B1 of the plane 26F that forms the top of the first ridge 26 is 0.2 mm at the maximum. The angle α formed by the slope (side wall) 26S of the first ridge 26 with respect to the normal direction N of the side portion 16 is 45 °. The height h1 of the first ridge 26 is 0.2 mm. The interval (pitch) P between adjacent first ridges is 1.0 mm, and the bottom width W1 of the adjacent first ridges 26 is 0.4 mm. With this setting, in consideration of a processing intersection 0.05 mm of a first recess 44 (to be described later) that forms the first ridge 26, the minimum bottom width WS is 0.3 mm. The maximum height hM of the ridge 26 is 0.25 mm). If the bottom width W1 is 0.2 mm or more, it is possible to make a structure in which cracks are unlikely to occur at the bottom of the valley 32, and this dimension example can sufficiently prevent the occurrence of cracks.
The second ridge 28 is also trapezoidal in cross section.

  Moreover, the suitable dimension range of the 1st decoration element 36 and the 2nd decoration element 38 is a range whose tire circumferential direction length is 2-10 mm, and a tire radial direction length is 2-10 mm. The pitch of the second ridges 28 is preferably 0.5 mm or more from the viewpoint of preventing cracks between the adjacent second ridges 28 and 1.5 mm or less from the viewpoint of appearance. preferable.

The first ridge 26 and the second ridge 28 can be formed at the time of vulcanization molding by forming a recess in advance on the inner wall surface of a mold for vulcanization molding of a raw tire.
In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, a second recess 42 for forming the second ridge 28 is formed on the inner wall 48 of the mold for forming the second decorative element 38 using a drill (FIG. 7 ( A)), and further, a first recess 44 for forming the first ridge 26 is formed (see FIG. 7B).
Here, in the case where the second recess 42 is a discontinuous portion and the first recess 44 is formed in the discontinuous portion, the drill for forming the second ridge 26 is replaced with the first recess formation scheduled portion 44Y. Move while shaving. For example, after one second concave portion 42M is formed by drilling to the end portion, the first concave portion forming planned portion 44Y is moved to the end portion position of the adjacent second concave portion forming position while being drilled, and the next second Two recesses 42N are formed.

  Thus, after forming the 2nd recessed part 42 like one stroke writing, the 1st recessed part 44 is formed with a drill. As a result, as shown in FIG. 7B, the first recess 44 is formed in the first recess formation planned portion 44Y, and the first recess formation planned portion 44Y is traced by a drill that forms the second recess 42. Does not remain. Thereby, the 2nd recessed part 42 can be formed in a short time like one stroke writing.

(Pneumatic tire inside the vehicle)
As shown in FIG. 2, the side portion 54 on the vehicle inner side of the pneumatic tire 10 has two arc-shaped side decoration bands 16 and two arc-shaped mark portions, like the side portion 14 on the outer side of the vehicle. 20 is formed.

  A decorative portion 64 is formed between one side decorative band 16 and the mark portion 20. Accordingly, the decorative portions 64 are formed at two locations on both ends in the tire circumferential direction of the one side decorative strip 16.

  Furthermore, a decorative portion 66 is also formed between the other side decorative band 16 and the mark portion 20. Accordingly, the decorative portions 66 are formed at two locations on both ends in the tire circumferential direction of the other side decorative band 16.

(Decoration 64)
The decoration part 64 is configured by two decoration halves 64A and 64B adjacent to each other in the tire circumferential direction U. The decorative half portions 64A and 64B are both parallelogram-shaped in shape, but the decorative half portion 64A is located slightly on the tire outer peripheral side, and the decorative half portion 64B is slightly located on the tire inner peripheral side.

  As shown in FIG. 4A, the decoration halves 64A and 64B are both compared with the first ridge 76 and the first ridge 76 extending substantially linearly in a direction inclined with respect to the tire circumferential direction U. Thus, a second ridge 78 having at least one of a height and a width and a valley 82 extending in a direction inclined with respect to the tire circumferential direction U are formed. The valley 82 is formed between the first ridges 76 adjacent to each other. The valley 82 is formed between the first ridges 76 adjacent to each other. The valley 82 divides the decorative elements forming the decorative half 64A into a plurality of regions, and the same applies to the decorative half 64B.

  More specifically, the first ridge 76 extends in a direction inclined at an inclination angle δ of about 60 ° with respect to the tire circumferential direction U. In the decorative halves 64A and 64B, two double-type first ridges 76Q extending in parallel and in a wavy shape are formed from the lower left of the paper to the upper right of the paper. It is composed of one ridge 76. A trough 82 that is inclined with respect to the tire circumferential direction U is formed between the parallel first ridges constituting the two-type first ridge 76Q. The valley 82 is continuous from one end to the other end.

  A plurality of two-type first ridges 76Q are arranged at equal intervals. A decorative element row 84 is formed along the valley 82 between the adjacent two-type first ridges 76Q. In the decorative element row 84, the first decorative elements 86 and the second decorative elements 88 are alternately arranged.

  In the present embodiment, the first decorative element 86 and the second decorative element 88 include a regular triangle 92 convex outward in the radial direction (hereinafter referred to as an outward regular triangle 92), or a regular triangle 94 convex inward in the radial direction. (Hereinafter referred to as an inward regular triangle 94).

  The first decorative element 86 is formed by a first ridge 76 forming an outer edge of an isosceles triangle having a central angle of 120 °, and an isosceles triangle-shaped smooth surface 77 formed in the first ridge 76. ing. The second decorative element 88 includes a first ridge 76 that forms an outer edge of an isosceles triangle having a central angle of 120 °, and a second ridge 78 that is arranged in the first ridge 76. In the present embodiment, the second ridge 78 extends in the tire radial direction R.

  The outward regular triangle 92 (see FIG. 4B) is composed of two first decorative elements 86 adjacent to each other and one second decorative element 88. In addition, the two first decorative elements 86 share the first ridge 76P at portions adjacent to each other, and the first ridge 76P constitutes both the first decorative elements 86.

  The inward regular triangle 94 (see FIG. 4C) is composed of one first decorative element 86 and two second decorative elements 88. The two second decorative elements 88 share the first ridge 76P at portions adjacent to each other, and the first ridge 76P constitutes both of the second decorative elements 88.

  The outward regular triangles 92 and the inward regular triangles 94 are alternately arranged along the valleys 82.

(Decoration 66)
The decoration portion 66 includes two decoration halves 66A and 66B adjacent to each other in the tire circumferential direction U. The decoration halves 66A and 66B are both parallelogram-shaped, but the decoration half 66A is located slightly on the tire outer periphery side, and the decoration half 66B is slightly positioned on the tire inner periphery side.

  In each of the decorative halves 66A and 66B, as shown in FIG. 5, a lattice-like ridge 98 is formed by a ridge extending from the lower right side of the paper to the upper left side of the paper surface and a ridge extending from the lower left side of the paper surface to the upper right side of the paper surface.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the decorative portion 24 of the side portion 14 outside the vehicle has a plurality of valleys 32 (32P, 32Q) inclined with respect to the tire circumferential direction U and both sides of the valley 32. The first decorative element 36 and the second decorative element 38 are formed. Therefore, the valley 32 reliably prevents the first ridge 26 and the second ridge 28 constituting the first decorative element 36 and the second decorative element 38 from continuing in the tire circumferential direction U. Therefore, even if a force spreading in the tire radial direction (tire radial direction) R acts on the side portion 14, the decorative portion 24 is hardly cracked. This is particularly effective when a step is generated on the back surface side of the side portion 14 due to the folded end of the carcass ply and the decorative portion 24 is disposed at a position across the step.

  Further, since the first ridges 26 are adjacent to each other while being inclined with respect to the tire circumferential direction U, a valley 32 is formed between the adjacent first ridges 26. Therefore, it is not necessary to make the bottom of the valley 32 lower than the flat portion such as the smooth surface 37. Therefore, the strength of the tire portion forming the valley 32 is sufficiently high.

  Furthermore, since the inner side of the outer edge portion of the first decorative element 36 is a smooth surface 37, the visibility of the first decorative element 36 is unlikely to deteriorate even if dirt such as dirt is attached. Further, the smooth surface 37 has a high light reflectance and a uniform reflection angle, and the silhouette is effectively visually recognized by the second decorative element 38. And, compared with the case where a ridge is formed inside the first decorative element 36, the number of processing steps for a mold or the like can be reduced by using the smooth surface 37.

  In addition, decorative element rows 34P and 34Q are formed in the decorative portion 24. In the decorative element row 34P, the first decorative elements 36 and the second decorative elements 38 are alternately arranged along the valleys 32P, and in the decorative element row 34Q, the first decorative elements 36 and the second decorative elements 38 are arranged. They are arranged alternately along the valley 32Q. And the trough 32 (32P, 32Q) is extended so that it may continue from the edge part of an ornamental element row | line | column to an edge part. Thereby, the external appearance of the valley 32 is better than when the valleys are not continuous. And even if the continuous trough 32 is formed, it is hard to produce a crack in a trough bottom.

  Further, since the valley 32 forms an angle θ of about 45 ° with respect to the tire circumferential direction U, even if a force spreading in the tire radial direction R or a force spreading in the tire circumferential direction U acts on the side portion 14, It is possible to sufficiently prevent the tensile stress generated at the bottom and the ridge bottom edge (particularly the ridge bottom edge of the first ridge 26) from becoming large. Here, not only 45 ° but also the angle θ is in the range of 20 to 90 ° so that when the force spreading in the tire radial direction R acts on the side portion 14, the bottom of the valley 32 or the ridge The tensile stress generated at the edge can be effectively reduced. In view of suppressing the tensile stress generated at the bottom of the valley 32 and the bottom edge of the ridge when a force spreading in the tire circumferential direction U acts on the side portion 14, the angle θ is more preferably 70 ° or less.

  A plurality of valleys 82 that are inclined with respect to the tire circumferential direction U are also formed on the decorative portion 64 of the side portion 54 on the vehicle inner side, and the first decorative element 86 and the second decorative element 88 are between the adjacent valleys 82. It is formed, and the same effect as the decoration part 24 of the side part 54 inside a vehicle is show | played.

  The bottom width of the valley 32 is preferably 0.2 mm or more and not more than the longest width of the first decorative element 36 and the second decorative element 38. Thereby, it can be set as the structure where a crack is hard to produce in the bottom of the trough 32, without reducing the external appearance of the decoration part 24. FIG. The same applies to the valley 82.

  Furthermore, the heights of the first decorative element 36 and the second decorative element 38, that is, the heights of the first ridges 26 and 76 and the second ridges 28 and 78 are preferably 0.1 mm or more and less than 0.3 mm. . Thereby, the crack generation | occurrence | production of the decoration part 24 can fully be prevented, without reducing the visibility of the 1st decoration element 36 and the 2nd decoration element 38. FIG. The same applies to the first decorative element 86 and the second decorative element 88.

  Further, instead of the smooth surfaces 37 and 77, a pattern may be formed by a ridge or the like. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, the second ridges 108 may be arranged in place of the smooth surface 37 (see FIG. 3). In this case, the second ridge 108 is arranged so that the direction of the second ridge 108 is different from that of the second ridge 28 by about 90 °. Thereby, the light reflection direction differs by about 90 ° between the second ridge 28 and the second ridge 108. Therefore, since the shade of the shadow due to the difference in the viewing direction changes regularly, the appearance (designability) of the tire side surface is further improved.

  In the present embodiment, the decorative portions 24 are formed at four locations on the side portion 14 on the vehicle outer side, and the decorative portions 64 are formed on both ends in the tire circumferential direction of one side decorative strip 16 on the side portion 54 on the vehicle inner side. Although the example in which the decorative portions 66 are formed on both ends in the tire circumferential direction of the other side decorative band 16 has been described, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the decorative portion 24 and the decorative portions are provided on the side portion 14 outside the vehicle. The part 64 may be arranged, and the number of decoration parts may be more than four or less.

  The embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to the embodiments. However, the above embodiments are merely examples, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. Needless to say, the scope of rights of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment.

10 Pneumatic tire (tire)
14 Side part (tire side part)
24 decorative portion 26 first ridge 28 second ridge 32, 32P, 32Q valley 34P, 34Q decorative element row 36 first decorative element 37 smooth surface 38 second decorative element 54 side portion 64 decorative portion 76 first ridge 77 smooth surface 78 Second ridge 82, 82P, 82Q Valley 84 Decoration element row 86 First decoration element 88 Second decoration element 108 Second ridge W1, WS Bottom width h1 Height U Tire circumferential direction θ Inclination angle

Claims (7)

With a decorative part on the tire side,
The decorative part is
A decorative element having a ridge;
A valley that is inclined with respect to the tire circumferential direction and divides the decorative element into two or more regions, thereby discontinuously forming the ridge in the tire circumferential direction;
Have
The ridge is
The first ridge,
A second ridge having at least one of a height and a width smaller than that of the first ridge;
Have
A tire in which at least a part of the first ridges are adjacent to each other while being inclined with respect to the tire circumferential direction, so that the valley is formed between the adjacent first ridges. The decorative element is
A first decorative element having an outer edge formed of the first ridge, and an inner side of the outer edge being a smooth surface;
A second decorative element having an outer edge formed by the first ridge and the second ridge arranged inside the outer edge;
The tire according to claim 1, comprising:   The tire according to claim 2, wherein the second decorative element is configured of at least two types in which directions of the second ridge are different from each other. A decorative element row in which the first decorative element and the second decorative element are alternately arranged along the valley is formed;
The tire according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the valleys are continuous along the decorative element row between the adjacent decorative element rows.   The tire according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a direction in which the valley extends forms an angle in a range of 20 to 90 ° with respect to a tire circumferential direction.   The tire according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a bottom width of the valley is 0.2 mm or more and not more than a longest width of the decorative element.   The tire according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein a height of the decorative element is 0.1 mm or more and less than 0.3 mm.

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