JP2016215706A - tire - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a tire capable of increasing visibility in a pattern area of an outer face of the tire by enhancing uniformity of appearances of a pattern part viewed from different angles.SOLUTION: In a tire, linear protrusions are formed in a pattern area 20, having a protruding height between 0.1 mm and 1.0 mm from a base part 22, and extending to at least one or a plurality of directions in a planar view. Each distance P in an extension direction between the centers of the linear protrusions adjacent to each other is between 0.2 mm and 1.0 mm. Each of the linear protrusions extends in a direction different from the direction of at least one adjacent linear protrusion.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a tire having a pattern formed on an outer surface.

  Conventionally, a pattern having contrast is formed by forming fine protrusions on a side portion of a tire. For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a technique for obtaining a marking exhibiting a large contrast on the surface of the same color by forming a plurality of protrusions distributed over the entire pattern.

International Publication No. 2012/131089

  The pattern having the above contrast exhibits a contrast with the surroundings that reflect the light by controlling the reflection of the light. However, in Patent Document 1, since the protrusion has anisotropy, the pattern portion may not be seen uniformly when the viewing angle is changed. Further ingenuity is required for the irregularities formed in the pattern in order to improve the visibility by controlling the reflection of light.

  In consideration of the above facts, the present invention provides a tire in which visibility is improved by improving the uniformity of the appearance of the pattern portion when the viewing angle is changed in the pattern area on the outer surface of the tire. Is an issue.

  The tire according to claim 1 is formed on the outer surface of the tire, has a pattern region having a base portion, and is formed in the pattern region, and has a protruding height of 0.1 mm or more and 1.0 mm or less from the base portion, A plurality of unit patterns including linear protrusions extending in one or a plurality of directions in a plan view, and the linear protrusions of adjacent unit patterns have a center distance between centers in the extending direction of 0. 0. The one unit pattern is different from at least one of the other adjacent unit patterns in the extending direction of the linear protrusion.

  A pattern region having a base portion is formed on the outer surface of the tire of the present invention. Here, the outer surface of the tire refers to a surface that is visible from the outside of the tire, such as a tire side portion, a tread portion, a tread groove bottom, and a groove wall. The tire of the present invention includes both pneumatic tires and non-pneumatic tires.

  A plurality of unit patterns are formed in the pattern region. The unit pattern has a protrusion height of 0.1 mm or more and 1.0 mm or less from the base portion, and includes linear protrusions that extend in one or a plurality of directions in plan view. The center interval between the centers in the extending direction is 0.2 mm or more and 1.0 mm or less. By forming such a unit pattern, reflection of light incident on the pattern region can be suppressed and contrast with the outside of the pattern region can be obtained. The term “linear” refers to an elongated shape, and includes linear and curved shapes. Further, the linear protrusion refers to a protrusion extending in a straight line shape and a curved line shape. The line shape does not include a perfect circle shape or a square shape in a plan view, and excludes a cylindrical shape, a regular quadrangular prism shape, a regular triangular prism shape, a conical shape, a regular quadrangular pyramid shape, or a regular triangular pyramid shape.

  Further, one unit pattern differs from at least one of the other adjacent unit patterns in the extending direction of the linear protrusion. Therefore, the reflection direction of the light reflected from the pattern region can be changed, and the concentration of the reflected light is suppressed. Thereby, the uniformity of the appearance of the pattern portion when the viewing angle is changed can be improved, and the visibility of the tire outer surface can be improved.

  In the tire according to claim 2, the extension length of the linear protrusion is longer than the center interval.

  Thus, by making the extension length of the linear protrusions longer than the center interval of the plurality of linear protrusions, the unit patterns can be easily placed close to each other, and the unit patterns in the pattern area are densely arranged. Can be arranged. By arranging the unit patterns densely, reflection of light in the pattern region can be further suppressed, and visibility can be improved.

  The tire according to claim 3 is characterized in that the distance between the side wall surfaces on both sides of the linear protrusion increases from the top side toward the base portion when viewed in a cross section orthogonal to the extending direction. .

  In this way, by configuring the side wall surface, it is possible to widen the distance between the linear protrusions on the top (projecting tip) side of the linear protrusions, and to allow light to enter between the linear protrusions in a wide range. Since the light incident between the linear protrusions is reflected by the inclined side wall surface, it is possible to suppress the reflected light from returning from between the linear protrusions to the outside. Further, the linear protrusion is stably suppressed from falling down, and the durability can be improved.

  The tire according to claim 4 is characterized in that the linear protrusion is curved so that the top portion is convex toward the protruding tip side.

  Thus, by curving the top portion so as to be convex toward the protruding tip side, the direction of the reflected light can be dispersed compared to the case where the top portion is flat. Therefore, the concentration of reflected light is suppressed by changing the reflection direction of the light reflected from the pattern region. Thereby, the uniformity of the appearance of the pattern portion when the viewing angle is changed can be enhanced, and the visibility can be improved.

  According to the present invention, in the pattern region on the outer surface of the tire, the visibility can be improved by improving the uniformity of the appearance of the pattern portion when the viewing angle is changed.

1 is a side view of a tire according to a first embodiment. It is a part of pattern area | region of the tire which concerns on 1st Embodiment. (A) is sectional drawing of the AA line of FIG. 2, (B) is sectional drawing of the BB line of FIG. It is a partial enlarged view of the mark part of the tire concerning a 1st embodiment. It is sectional drawing of the part corresponding to FIG. 3 (A) (B) of the tire which concerns on the modification of 1st Embodiment. It is a part of pattern area | region of the tire which concerns on the modification of 1st Embodiment. It is a part of pattern area | region of the tire which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a part of pattern area | region of the tire which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a partial perspective sectional view of the tread of the tire concerning a 4th embodiment. It is Table 1 which shows the result of a test example.

[First Embodiment]
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a side view of a tire 10 according to this embodiment. In the present embodiment, the tire circumferential direction is indicated by C, and the tire radial direction is indicated by R.

  A mark portion 14 is formed on the tire side portion 12 of the tire 10. The mark portion 14 has a belt-like arc shape and is formed at two symmetrical positions with the tire center axis CE (see FIG. 1) in between. A pattern area 20 and a character area 16 are arranged in the mark portion 14. The character area 16 is displayed with characters “ABCDEFGH” displayed on a smooth surface, for example. In the mark portion 14 </ b> A on the upper side of FIG. 1, the pattern region 20 is a part of the mark portion 14 </ b> A other than the character region 16 and is a kind of decorative band, and is formed so as to surround the character region 16. On the other hand, in the mark portion 14B on the lower side of the paper surface of FIG. 1, the pattern region 20 is the same region as the character region 16 of the mark portion 14B, and the portion other than the character region 16 of the mark portion 14B is the tire side portion. The outer surface other than the twelve mark portions 14 is the same. In the present embodiment, the mark portion 14A will be described. In addition, the mark part 14 containing the pattern area | region 20 can be formed by providing the unevenness | corrugation in a tire mold by laser processing. Moreover, it is preferable that the pattern area | region 20 is arrange | positioned on the outer side of the tire radial direction R rather than the tire maximum width part (maximum part of the linear distance between tire side parts).

  As shown in FIG. 2, the pattern region 20 has a base portion 22. The base portion 22 forms a bottom surface in the pattern region 20, and a first linear protrusion 25 and a second linear protrusion 27 are projected from the base portion 22 as a unit pattern.

  The first linear protrusions 25 extend in the tire radial direction R, and the second linear protrusions 27 extend in the tire circumferential direction C. The first linear protrusions 25 and the second linear protrusions 27 are alternately arranged in the tire radial direction R and the tire circumferential direction C. The center in the extending direction of the first linear protrusion 25 is defined as a center O1, and the center in the extending direction of the second linear protrusion 27 is defined as a center O2.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, the cross section in the direction orthogonal to the extending direction of the first linear protrusions 25 has a substantially isosceles triangle shape having a flat top. Hereinafter, the top of the first linear protrusion 25 is referred to as a first top 23. The height from the base portion 22 to the first top portion 23 (hereinafter referred to as “projection height H1”) is set to 0.1 mm or more and 1.0 mm or less. The protrusion height H1 is more preferably set within the range of 0.2 mm or more and 0.8 mm or less.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3B, the cross section in the direction orthogonal to the extending direction of the second linear protrusion 27 has a substantially isosceles triangular shape having a flat top like the first linear protrusion 25. It is said that. Hereinafter, the top of the second linear protrusion 27 is referred to as a second top 28. The height from the base portion 22 to the second top portion 28 (hereinafter referred to as “projection height H2”) is set to 0.1 mm or more and 1.0 mm or less. The protrusion height H2 is more preferably set within the range of 0.2 mm or more and 0.8 mm or less.

  The base portion 22 between the first linear protrusion 25 and the second linear protrusion 27 may be flat or curved. By making the base portion 22 a curved surface, reflection of incident light is suppressed, contrast with the outside of the pattern region 20 is increased, and visibility is improved.

  The first side wall surface 23W constituting the oblique side of the isosceles triangle of the first linear protrusion 25 and the second side wall surface 28W constituting the oblique side of the isosceles triangle of the second linear protrusion 27 extend in the extending direction. , The distance S between the side wall surfaces on both sides increases from the first top portion 23 side and the second top portion 28 side toward the base portion 22. The first side wall surface 23 </ b> W and the second side wall surface 28 </ b> W form an angle θ with respect to a virtual vertical surface F with respect to the base portion 22. The angle θ is in the range of 5 ° to 30 °. The angle θ is more preferably in the range of 15 ° to 25 °. When the angle θ is larger than the angle 30 °, the ratio of the reflected light on the first side wall surface 23W and the second side wall surface 28W to return to the outside from between the first linear protrusion 25 and the second linear protrusion 27 is large. And the improvement in visibility is reduced. That is, the light is reflected, the difference in contrast with the outside of the pattern region 20 is reduced, and the improvement in visibility is reduced. On the other hand, when the angle θ is smaller than 5 °, the first linear protrusion 25 and the second linear protrusion 27C are likely to fall down. Therefore, the effect of suppressing the reflected light of the light incident between the first linear protrusion 25 and the second linear protrusion 27 from returning from between the first linear protrusion 25 and the second linear protrusion 27 to the outside. Considering the durability of the first linear protrusion 25 and the second linear protrusion 27, the angle θ is preferably 5 ° to 30 °.

  Further, in the first linear protrusion 25 and the second linear protrusion 27, the projecting heights H1 and H2 are 0. of the base length B1 of the isosceles triangle (the distance between the base portions of the side wall surfaces in the base portion 22). It is preferably 8 to 6 times. When the protruding heights H1 and H2 are smaller than 0.8 times the base length B1, the reflected light on the first side wall surface 23W and the second side wall surface 28W is reflected by the first linear protrusion 25 and the second linear protrusion 27. The ratio of returning from the space to the outside increases, and the improvement in visibility decreases. That is, the light is reflected, the difference in contrast with the outside of the pattern region 20 is reduced, and the improvement in visibility is reduced. On the other hand, if the protruding heights H1 and H2 are larger than 6 times the base length B1, the first side wall surface 23W and the second side wall surface 28W are at an angle close to perpendicular to the base portion 22, and therefore the first line The protrusion 25 and the second linear protrusion 27 easily fall down. Therefore, the effect of suppressing the reflected light of the light incident between the first linear protrusion 25 and the second linear protrusion 27C from returning from between the linear protrusions to the outside, and the first linear protrusion 25 and the second linear protrusion 25C. Considering the durability of the linear protrusion 27, it is preferable that the protrusion heights H1 and H2 are 0.8 to 6 times the base length B1.

  The first linear protrusions 25 and the second linear protrusions 27 are alternately arranged in the tire radial direction R and the tire circumferential direction C so as to fill the entire pattern region 20. The first linear protrusion 25 and the second linear protrusion 27 that are adjacent in the tire radial direction R and the tire circumferential direction C have an interval between the center O1 and the center O2 (hereinafter referred to as “center interval P”) of 0.2 mm or more. 1.0 mm or less. The length L (extension length) L in the extending direction of the first linear protrusion 25 and the second linear protrusion 27C is set longer than the center interval P. When the center distance P is less than 0.2 mm, the lengths of the first linear protrusions 25 and the second linear protrusions 27 are shortened, and it is difficult to ensure moldability during manufacturing. On the other hand, if the center interval P exceeds 1.0 mm, the first linear protrusions 25 and the second linear protrusions 27 are not densely arranged, and the visibility of the pattern region 20 is reflected by the reflected light from the base portion 22. The improvement is less. Therefore, the center interval P is set to 0.2 mm or more and 1.0 mm or less. The center interval P is more preferably set within the range of 0.2 mm or more and 0.8 mm or less. Adjacent first linear protrusion 25 and second linear protrusion 27 are spaced apart.

  Next, the function and effect of the tire according to this embodiment will be described.

  In the pattern region 20 of the tire side portion 12 as described above, the light incident on the first linear protrusion 25 and the second linear protrusion 27 formed in the pattern region 20 is the first sidewall surface 23W, the second It hits the side wall surface 28W. And it attenuate | damps while repeating reflection between the 1st side wall surface 23W and the 2nd side wall surface 28W. As a result, the light reflected to the outside of the pattern area 20 is reduced, and as shown in FIG. 5, the pattern area 20 appears black and the other areas (the character area 16 and the other tire side portions 12) are relatively Looks white. Therefore, the contrast between the pattern region 20 and other regions can be obtained. As in the present embodiment, the contrast between the pattern region 20 and the character region 16 surrounded by the pattern region 20 increases, so that the character region 16 can be clearly seen and visibility can be improved.

  In the pattern region 20 of the present embodiment, the first linear protrusions 25 and the second linear protrusions 27 are alternately arranged in the tire radial direction R and the tire circumferential direction C, and the first linear protrusions 25, The second linear protrusions 27 have different extending directions. Therefore, the reflection direction of the light reflected by the pattern region 20 can be varied, and the concentration of the reflected light is suppressed. Thereby, the uniformity of the appearance of the pattern portion when the viewing angle is changed can be improved and the visibility can be improved.

  In the present embodiment, the extending length L of the first linear protrusion 25 and the second linear protrusion 27 is longer than the center interval P between the adjacent first linear protrusion 25 and the second linear protrusion 27. . Accordingly, the first linear protrusions 25 and the second linear protrusions 27 as unit patterns can be easily placed close to each other, and the unit patterns in the pattern region 20 can be densely arranged. By arranging the unit patterns densely, reflection of light in the pattern region 20 can be further suppressed, and visibility can be improved.

  Further, since the first linear protrusions 25 and the second linear protrusions 27 are arranged independently (each separated from each other), even when a crack occurs in the pattern region 20, the progress of the crack is suppressed. can do.

  The first linear protrusion 25 and the second linear protrusion 27 are substantially isosceles triangular in cross section, and the first side wall surface 23W and the second side wall surface 28W are cross sections orthogonal to the extending direction. As seen, the distance S between the side wall surfaces on both sides increases from the top side toward the base portion 22. Accordingly, the interval between the adjacent first top portion 23 and the second top portion 28 is wider than the interval between the first linear protrusion 25 and the second linear protrusion 27 on the base portion 22 side, and light is transmitted between the linear protrusions in a wide range. Can be made incident. Since the light incident between the linear protrusions is repeatedly reflected on the side wall surface, the reflected light can be prevented from returning from between the linear protrusions to the outside.

  In the present embodiment, the cross section in the direction orthogonal to the extending direction of each of the first linear protrusion 25 and the second linear protrusion 27 is a substantially isosceles triangle, but other shapes such as FIG. As shown to (A) and (B), it is good also as the 1st top part 23R and the 2nd top part 28R by making the vicinity of the 1st top part 23 and the 2nd top part 28 into the curved surface shape which becomes convex at the front end side. Thus, by curving the first apex portion 23 and the second apex portion 28 so as to be convex toward the projecting tip side, the direction of the reflected light can be dispersed as compared with the case of becoming a flat surface. Therefore, the concentration of reflected light is suppressed by changing the reflection direction of the light reflected from the pattern region. Thereby, the uniformity of the appearance of the pattern portion when the viewing angle is changed can be enhanced, and the visibility can be improved.

  In this embodiment, the unit pattern is formed by one linear protrusion (the first linear protrusion 25 or the second linear protrusion 27), but the unit pattern is formed by combining two or more linear protrusions. May be.

  Further, in this embodiment, the extending direction of the first linear protrusions 25 is the tire radial direction R, and the extending direction of the first linear protrusions 27 is the tire circumferential direction C. As shown in FIG. The first linear protrusions 25 may be arranged in an irregular extending direction. When arranged irregularly, the adjacent first linear protrusions 25 are not arranged parallel to each other.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the present embodiment, the same parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  In the tire 10 of this embodiment, the linear protrusions are not linearly extended in one direction like the first linear protrusions 25 and the second linear protrusions 27 of the first embodiment, but extend in a plurality of directions. The main difference is that they are linear.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the linear protrusion 40 of the present embodiment has a shape in which the first linear protrusion 25 of the first embodiment is bent at the center O1. Hereinafter, the straight portion extending from the center O1 to one side is referred to as a first straight portion 42, and the straight portion extending from the center O1 to the other side is referred to as a second straight portion 44.

  The linear protrusion 40 has four patterns rotated by 90 °, and these four patterns are repeatedly arranged in order in the tire radial direction R and the tire circumferential direction C so as to fill the entire pattern region 20. Yes. The sum of the length L1 of the first linear portion 42 and the length L2 of the second linear portion 44 (hereinafter referred to as “extension length L0”) is the interval between the centers O1 of adjacent linear protrusions 40 (center interval P). Is set longer than.

The cross-sectional shape of the linear protrusion 40 and the protruding height H1 from the base portion 22 are the same as those of the first linear protrusion 25 of the first embodiment.

  Since the linear protrusions 40 of the present embodiment are linearly extended in a plurality of directions, the number of linear portions with different extending directions increases. Therefore, the reflection direction of the light reflected by the pattern region 20 can be varied, and the concentration of the reflected light is suppressed. Thereby, the uniformity of the appearance of the pattern portion when the viewing angle is changed can be improved and the visibility can be improved.

[Third Embodiment]
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the present embodiment, the same parts as those in the first and second embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  The tire 10 of the present embodiment is mainly different in that the linear protrusions 40 of the second embodiment have a linear shape extending in a plurality of directions as a curved shape.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the linear protrusion 50 of the present embodiment has an arc shape in which the first linear protrusion 25 of the first embodiment is curved at the center O1. Hereinafter, the arc portion extending from the center O1 to one side is referred to as a first arc portion 52, and the arc portion extending from the center O1 to the other side is referred to as a second arc portion 54.

  The linear protrusion 50 has four patterns rotated by 90 °, and these four patterns are repeatedly arranged in order in the tire radial direction R and the tire circumferential direction C so as to fill the entire pattern region 20. Yes. The sum of the length L3 of the first arc portion 52 and the length L4 of the second arc portion 54 (hereinafter referred to as “extension length L5”) is the interval between the centers O1 of the adjacent linear protrusions 50 (center interval P). Is set longer than.

The cross-sectional shape of the linear protrusion 50 and the protruding height H1 from the base portion 22 are the same as those of the first linear protrusion 25 of the first embodiment.

  Since the linear protrusion 50 of the present embodiment has an arc line shape extending in a plurality of directions, the extending direction changes continuously. Therefore, the reflection direction of the light reflected by the pattern region 20 can be varied, and the concentration of the reflected light is suppressed. Thereby, the uniformity of the appearance of the pattern portion when the viewing angle is changed can be improved and the visibility can be improved.

[Fourth Embodiment]
Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the present embodiment, the same parts as those in the first to third embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  The tire 10 of the present embodiment is different from the first to third embodiments in that the pattern region 20 is formed on the tread 30, and the configuration of the pattern region 20 is the same as that of the first to third embodiments. .

  As shown in FIG. 9, the tire 10 includes a tread 30 on the outer side in the tire radial direction. A plurality of circumferential grooves 32 are formed in the tread 30. A mark portion 14 having a character area 16 and a pattern area 20 is formed on the groove bottom 32 </ b> A of one circumferential groove 32. The pattern region 20 can be formed in the same configuration as in the first to fourth embodiments.

  In the present embodiment, the contrast between the character region 16 of the mark portion 14 formed on the groove bottom 32A of the tread 30 and the pattern region 20 can be increased, and the visibility of the tread 30 can be improved.

  Note that the tire 10 of the first to fourth embodiments may be a pneumatic tire or a non-pneumatic tire.

  <Test example>

  In order to prove the effect of the present invention, tires of Examples 1 to 7 to which the present invention was applied and tires of Comparative Examples 1 to 4 were prepared, and the following tests were performed.

  (Test conditions)

  As the test tires, tires having a size of 205 / 55R16 and a tire cross-section height SH of 114 mm were used.

  The tires of Examples 1 to 7 and Comparative Examples 1 to 4 are tires having the same structure as the tire according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and the first linear shape formed in the pattern region 20 of the mark portion 14A. As shown in Table 1 of FIG. 10, the interval P, the protrusion height H1, and the angle θ of the protrusion 25 and the second linear protrusion 27 are different.

  In the test, the visibility when the pattern region was viewed from each direction was evaluated.

  First, each test tire was assembled on an applied rim, and then 20 observers observed and conducted a questionnaire survey to see if the pattern area appeared blacker than a normal tire. The results are shown in Table 1 as “visibility”. In Table 1, when the number of viewers who answered that the pattern area looked blacker than a normal tire was 18 or more, A, when 10 to 17 people were B, and when 9 or less people were evaluated as C did. Table 1 also shows the number of viewers who answered that the pattern portion looked black.

  As shown in Table 1, it can be seen that the tires of Examples 1 to 7 to which the present invention is applied have improved visibility as compared with the tires of Comparative Examples 1 to 4.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Tire, 12 Tire side part, 20 Pattern area | region, 22 Base part 25 1st linear protrusion (linear protrusion) 27 2nd linear protrusion (linear protrusion)
23, 23R First top (top) 28, 28R Second top (top)
32 Circumferential groove (groove), P center spacing, H1 protrusion height

Claims (4)

A pattern region formed on the outer surface of the tire and having a base portion;
A plurality of unit patterns formed in the pattern region, having a protrusion height of 0.1 mm or more and 1.0 mm or less from the base portion, and including linear protrusions extending in one or a plurality of directions in a plan view;
Have
The linear protrusions of the adjacent unit patterns have a center interval between the centers in the extending direction of 0.2 mm or more and 1.0 mm or less, and one unit pattern is the other of the other unit patterns adjacent to each other. The tire in which the extending direction of the linear protrusion is different from at least one.   The tire according to claim 1, wherein an extension length of the linear protrusion is longer than the center interval.   The distance between the side wall surfaces on both sides of the linear protrusion increases from the top side toward the base portion when viewed in a cross section orthogonal to the extending direction. The tire described.   The tire according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the linear protrusion is curved so that a top portion is convex toward a protruding tip side.

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