JP6442337B2 - tire - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a tire such as a pneumatic tire, and more particularly to a tire having a decorative band formed on the surface of a side wall portion thereof.

  In order to reduce the weight of the tire, reduce rolling resistance, etc., the thickness of the tire sidewall is reduced. However, as a result of thinning of the side wall portion of the tire, a part of the belt, carcass ply, and the like constituting the tire may appear as irregularities on the surface of the side wall portion through the side wall portion.

  The unevenness appearing on the surface of the side wall portion of the tire is a cause of deteriorating the appearance of the tire. For this reason, conventionally, a decorative strip extending in the circumferential direction of the tire has been formed on the surface of the sidewall portion. The decorative band has a plurality of ridges spaced apart in the circumferential direction of the tire and a plurality of rectangular elements spaced apart from each other, and these function to make the unevenness inconspicuous. .

JP 2013-233854 A

  In view of the function of such a conventional decorative band, an object of the present invention is to provide a tire having a decorative band that makes the unevenness appearing on the surface of the sidewall portion of the tire more inconspicuous. Another object of the present invention is to provide a tire having a decorative band that can further improve the appearance of the side wall portion of the tire.

  The tire according to the present invention includes a decorative band formed on the surface of the sidewall portion and having an outer peripheral edge and an inner peripheral edge extending in the circumferential direction of the tire. The decorative strips are spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction of the tire, and are arranged spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction of the tire, with a plurality of ridges extending from one of the inner and outer peripheral edges of the decorative strip to the other side. And a plurality of ridges having a flat surface extending from one of the inner and outer peripheral edges of the decorative band to the other, each ridge having a first ridge portion and the first ridge portion. On the other hand, a second ridge on one side of the tire in the circumferential direction and connected to the first ridge and extending in the same direction as the first ridge. The extension direction length of the first protrusion is larger than the extension direction length of the second protrusion. As used herein, the term “flat surface” refers to a surface composed of a flat surface or a curved surface that is substantially free of irregularities when viewed by the human eye.

  According to the present invention, the plurality of ridges and the plurality of ridges in the decorative band extending in the circumferential direction of the side wall portion of the tire do not make the unevenness that may occur on the surface of the side wall portion visually inconspicuous. To act. In the present invention, the area of the surface of the ridge having a linear shape is relatively small, while the area of the surface of the ridge having a flat surface is relatively large. For this reason, regarding the light reflected upon the surface of the sidewall of the tire, the amount of light reflected from the ridge is large and the amount of light reflected from the ridge is small. For this reason, a difference in contrast (contrast) occurs between the ridge and the ridge for visual recognition. As a result, a plurality of high lightness ridges are visually recognized as an object of interest against a plurality of low lightness ridges, which makes the unevenness generated on the surface of the side wall portion of the tire less noticeable, and This contributes to an improvement in the appearance of the surface of the side wall portion.

  Each of the ridges includes a first ridge and a second ridge, both the first and second ridges extend in the same direction and are connected to each other, and the first ridge The continuous position of the second ridge part with respect to the part is on the one side of one and the other in the circumferential direction of the tire, and the length of the first ridge part in the extension direction is the second length. Since the length of the protruding portion is larger than the length of the protruding portion, the surfaces of both the first and second protruding portions have a convex shape as a whole, and this makes the protruding portion appear three-dimensional and is combined with the expression of the contrast. Thus, the degree of attention of the ridges is further increased, and the unevenness generated on the surface of the side wall portion of the tire is made more inconspicuous. Moreover, this improves the visibility with respect to the said decoration belt, and further contributes to the improvement of the external appearance of the surface of the said side wall part.

The first protrusion may be larger than the second protrusion with respect to a width dimension which is a length dimension in a direction perpendicular to the extending direction. Moreover, the connection position of the 2nd protrusion part with respect to the 1st protrusion part of several protrusions shall approach gradually toward the inner periphery from the outer periphery of the said decorative belt. The length of the first protrusion in the extending direction may gradually decrease toward one side in the circumferential direction of the tire. Furthermore, each 1st protrusion part has the both ends respectively located in the outer peripheral edge side and inner peripheral edge side of the said decoration belt, and the edge of several 1st protrusion parts located in the said outer peripheral edge side May be on a virtual curve that extends toward one side in the circumferential direction and gradually approaches the inner peripheral edge.

It is a partial perspective view of a tire.

  Referring to FIG. 1, a portion of a tire, such as a pneumatic tire, is indicated generally at 10. The tire 10 includes a tread portion 12 that is a portion that directly contacts the road surface, a shoulder portion 14 that is a shoulder portion of the tire 10, and a side wall that is a portion where the size, manufacturer name, and the like of the tire 10 are displayed. The part 16 and a bead part (not shown) which is a part which plays the role which fixes the tire 10 to a rim (not shown) are provided. Reference numeral 18 denotes a wheel attached to the tire 10.

  Here, focusing on the side wall portion 16 of the tire 10, the side wall portion 16 is provided with a decorative band 20 that is integrated with the side wall portion and defines a part of the surface 16A. The decorative band 20 extends on the surface 16 </ b> A of the sidewall portion 16 in the circumferential direction of the tire 10. More specifically, the decorative band 20 extends along a virtual circle around the rotation axis (not shown) of the tire 10. The illustrated decorative band 20 is outside the radial direction of the tire 10 than the portion where the width of the tire 10 is maximized when viewed in the cross section of the tire 10 (maximum tire width portion) for the purpose of making the diameter of the tire 10 larger. It is arranged on the side.

  The decorative band 20 visually recognizes irregularities (not shown) in which a part of a belt, a carcass ply or the like (not shown) constituting the tire 10 may appear on the surface 16A of the side wall part 16 through the side wall part 16. It also works to make it difficult to recognize. If necessary, other decorative bands 22 can be provided in addition to the decorative bands 20. The other decorative band 22 is located on the inner side of the decorative band 20 with respect to the radial direction of the tire 10. According to this, visual recognition with respect to the unevenness can be made more difficult. The decorative band 20 has a plurality of ridges 24 and a plurality of protrusions 26, and the other decorative band 22 has a plurality of ridges 28 extending in a zigzag manner that has been conventionally used.

  The illustrated decorative band 20 is formed of a part of a ring, and has an arc-shaped outer peripheral edge 30 and an arc-shaped inner peripheral edge 32 that respectively extend in the circumferential direction of the tire 10. On the other hand, the other decorative band 22 is formed of a ring and has concentric inner and outer peripheral edges. Similarly to the other decorative bands 22, the decorative band 20 can be made of a ring. A shallow groove is formed between the inner and outer peripheral edges 30 and 32 of the decorative band 20 with the surface 16A of the side wall portion 16 as an open top surface. Similarly, shallow grooves are formed between the inner and outer peripheral surfaces of other decorative bands 22.

  The plurality of ridges 24 constituting the decorative band 20 are arranged on the bottom surface of the shallow groove at intervals from each other in the circumferential direction of the tire 10 which is the extending direction of the inner and outer peripheral edges 30 and 32. Each of the illustrated ridges 24 linearly extends from one of the inner and outer peripheral edges 30 and 32 to the other, and intersects the tangent lines of the inner and outer peripheral edges 20 and 32 at a non-perpendicular angle. The magnitude of the angle can be set arbitrarily. Instead of the illustrated example in which the ridge 24 extends linearly, for example, the ridge 24 may extend in a zigzag manner or in a curved shape like the ridge 28 in the other decorative band 22. The ridge 24 has a rectangular or triangular cross-sectional shape, and has a height dimension smaller than a depth dimension that is a distance between the bottom surface of the shallow groove and the open top surface. The width dimension (distance between the inner and outer peripheral edges 30, 32) and depth dimension of the shallow groove in the decorative band 20, the height dimension, the width dimension, and the distance between the ridges 24 are each 20 mm, for example. (Decoration band width) and 0.4 mm (decoration band depth), and 0.3 mm (ridge height), 0.2 mm (smooth surface width of the highest ridge portion), and 1.0 mm (ridge spacing) be able to.

  Further, the plurality of protrusions 26 of the decorative band 20 are spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction, which is the extending direction of the inner and outer peripheral edges 30 and 32, on the bottom surface of the shallow groove, preferably a relatively narrow distance (for example, 1 .5 mm). Each of the ridges 26 extends linearly from one of the inner and outer peripheral edges 30 and 32 to the other and forms a non-perpendicular angle with respect to both tangents of the inner and outer peripheral edges 30 and 32. The magnitude of the angle can be set arbitrarily. As in the illustrated example, the protrusion 26 preferably intersects the ridge 24 so as to form a mountain shape. The ridge 24 that intersects the ridge 26 continues to the ridge 26 at the intersection.

  The protrusion 26 has a flat surface and has a height dimension that is the same as the depth dimension of the shallow groove. Further, the surface of the protrusion 26 has a larger area than the surface of the ridge 24. Therefore, the light hitting the surface 16A of the side wall portion 16 reflects a relatively small amount and a large amount of light at the ridge 24 and the protrusion 26. For this reason, a difference in brightness (contrast) is generated between the ridge 24 and the protrusion 26 due to the amount of reflected light. As a result, the plurality of ridges 26 with high lightness serve as an object that stimulates vision with the plurality of ridges 24 with low lightness as the background. Thereby, the unevenness appearing on the surface 16A of the side wall portion 16 is made less conspicuous, and accordingly, the appearance of the surface 16A of the side wall portion 16 is improved.

  Each ridge 26 includes a first ridge portion 26a and a second ridge portion 26b that is continuous with the first ridge portion and extends in the same direction as the first ridge portion 26a. The illustrated first protrusion 26a has a generally elongated rectangular surface shape, and the second protrusion 26b has a generally elongated trapezoidal surface shape. The length of the first ridge portion 26a in the extending direction is larger than the length of the second ridge portion 26b in the extending direction. The second protrusion 26b is located on one side (the left side in the drawing) of one and the other in the circumferential direction of the decorative band 20 with respect to the first protrusion 26a. The two protrusions 26a, 26b have convex surfaces on their surfaces. Furthermore, the surface of the protrusion 26 having the convex shape is higher than the surface of the ridge 24 when viewed from the bottom surface of the shallow groove in the decorative band 20. The surface shape of the convex shape and the height difference of the surface contribute to making the ridges 26 appear three-dimensionally, further increasing the degree of attention to the ridges 26, and occurring on the surface 16A of the side wall portion 16 of the tire 10. Make the unevenness that is more inconspicuous. Furthermore, this further increases the visibility of the decorative band 20 and further contributes to the improvement of the appearance of the surface 16A of the side wall portion 16.

  The first protrusion 26a may have a width dimension W1, which is a length dimension in a direction perpendicular to the extending direction thereof, larger than the width dimension W2 of the second protrusion 26b. According to this, the portion where the first ridge portion 26a and the second ridge portion 26b are connected to each other has a larger width dimension than the first ridge portion 26a. The second ridge portion 26b having a small size is easily visually recognized as a stepped shape in cooperation with the first ridge portion 26a, and this form causes a stereoscopic effect to the viewer. These contribute to making the protrusions 26 more prominent, making the unevenness on the surface 16A of the side wall portion 16 of the tire 10 less noticeable, and the appearance of the surface 16A of the side wall portion 16. Contributes to improvement.

  The continuous position of the second protrusion 26b with respect to the first protrusion 26a of the plurality of protrusions 26 extends from the outer peripheral edge 30 of the decorative band 20 to the inner peripheral edge 32 toward the one side in the circumferential direction of the tire 10. It can be set so that it gradually approaches. Since the unevenness appears more in the tire width maximum portion and the vicinity thereof when viewed in the cross section of the tire 10, the decorative band 20 is closer to the outer side in the radial direction of the tire 10 than the tire width maximum portion. In the example shown in the figure, when the continuous position of the second protrusion 26b with respect to the first protrusion 26a is set in this way, the second protrusion 26b of the decorative band 20 is provided. A three-dimensional effect that gathers toward the inner peripheral edge 32 can be produced, and a large number of the irregularities can be made inconspicuous.

  Further, the length of the plurality of first protrusions 26a can be set so as to gradually decrease toward the one side (the left side in the figure) in the circumferential direction of the tire 10. In the illustrated example, both ends 34 and 36 of the six first protrusions 26a located on the other end side in the circumferential direction (the right end side in the figure) are respectively connected to the inner and outer peripheral edges 30 and 32 of the decorative band 20. It is lined up. Further, only one of the ends 36 of the plurality of first protrusions 26a located on one side in the circumferential direction (the left side in the figure) of these six first protrusions 26a is the decorative band 20. Continuing to the inner peripheral edge 32, the distance between the other end 34 of the both ends and the outer peripheral edge 30 gradually increases toward one side in the circumferential direction, and along with this, the length dimension of the first protrusion 26a gradually decreases. Yes. According to this, the magnitude of the rigidity in the decorative band 20 changes corresponding to a gradual decrease toward one side in the circumferential direction of the flat region defined by the plurality of first protrusions 26a, and thereby the side It is possible to suppress the occurrence of side cracks (cracks) caused in the wall portion 16 due to the distortion.

  In this example, the ends 34 of the plurality of first protrusions 26a located on the outer peripheral edge 30 side of the decorative band 20 extend toward one side in the circumferential direction (left side in the figure) and It can be set to be on a virtual curve 38 that gradually approaches the inner peripheral edge 32. According to this, it is possible to visually recognize that the plurality of first protrusions 26a draw a curve between the inner and outer peripheral edges 30, 32, and this appears continuously in the circumferential direction. Make the irregularities inconspicuous. Instead of this, the virtual curve 38 can be a virtual straight line inclined from the outer peripheral edge 30 toward the inner peripheral edge 32.

  The first protrusion 26a and the second protrusion 26b have rectangular and trapezoidal planar shapes, respectively, in the illustrated example. Preferably, the corners of these rectangles and trapezoids are rounded (rounded corners). ). Further, the planar shape of the second protrusion 26b can be, for example, a rectangle, a triangle, or the like instead of the trapezoid.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Tire, 16 ... Side wall part, 20 ... Decoration band, 24 ... Ridge, 26 ... Projection, 26a ... First projection, 26b ... No. 2 ridges, 30 ... outer periphery of the decorative band, 32 ... inner periphery of the decorative band, 34, 36 ... both ends of the first ridge.

Claims (5)

A tire comprising a decorative band formed on a surface of a side wall portion of the tire and having an outer peripheral edge and an inner peripheral edge extending in a circumferential direction of the tire;
The decorative strips are spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction of the tire, and are arranged spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction of the tire, with a plurality of ridges extending from one of the inner and outer peripheral edges of the decorative strip to the other side. A plurality of ridges having a flat surface extending from one of the inner and outer peripheral edges of the decorative band to the other,
Each ridge is on the first ridge portion and on the first ridge portion on one side of the first ridge portion and one and the other in the circumferential direction of the tire with respect to the first ridge portion. A second ridge that is continuous and extends in the same direction as the first ridge,
The tire in which the length in the extension direction of the first protrusion is larger than the length in the extension direction of the second protrusion. 2. The tire according to claim 1, wherein the first protrusion has a width dimension that is a length dimension in a direction perpendicular to an extending direction thereof, which is larger than a width dimension of the second protrusion.   The tire according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a continuous position of the second ridge portion with respect to the first ridge portion of the plurality of ridges gradually approaches from the outer peripheral edge to the inner peripheral edge of the decorative band.   The tire according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a length of the first protrusion is gradually reduced toward one side in a circumferential direction of the tire. Each first protrusion has both ends positioned on the outer peripheral edge side and the inner peripheral edge side of the decorative band,
The ends of the plurality of first protrusions positioned on the outer peripheral edge side are on a virtual curve that extends toward one side in the circumferential direction and gradually approaches the inner peripheral edge. tire.

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