Pneumatic tire and method of manufacturing same

Abstract

To provide a pneumatic tire that can achieve both noise suppression and suppression of deterioration in durability of the tire due to a sealant layer.SOLUTION: A pneumatic tire comprises: a pair of beads 10; a pair of side walls 20; a tread 30 having a grounding surface 331; a carcass ply 40; an inner liner 50; a sealant layer 60 arranged on an inner surface at an inner cavity side of the tire, in the inner liner 50; and a sound absorption layer 70 arranged at the inner cavity side of the tire, in the sealant layer 60. The grounding surface 331 of the tread 30 are arranged with a plurality of main grooves 341 extending in a tire circumferential direction. The sealant layer 60 has a plurality of circulation parts 62 provided in annular portions corresponding to the plurality of main grooves 341 respectively, on an inner surface 501 of the inner liner 50. The sound absorption layer 70 is arranged to stride in a tire width direction over the plurality of circulation parts 62.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a pneumatic tire for a vehicle and a method for manufacturing the same. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, pneumatic tires have been known that have a puncture prevention function in which a hole formed in the tire in the event of a puncture is automatically sealed by a sealant layer provided on the inner surface of the tire. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a pneumatic tire in which a sealant layer is formed on the inner surface of the tire and a sound absorbing layer is provided inside the sealant layer. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6184523 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] A tire having a sound absorbing layer reduces noise such as road noise generated by the tire during driving by absorbing the sound absorbing layer. On the other hand, since a sealant layer is usually arranged to cover the entire surface of the tire inner surface in the region corresponding to the tire tread, the tire inner surface covered with the sealant layer accumulates heat, and the tire may deteriorate due to the influence of the heat, resulting in a decrease in durability. Therefore, there is room for improvement in conventional tires in terms of achieving both noise suppression and suppression of a decrease in tire durability caused by the sealant layer.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a pneumatic tire and a manufacturing method thereof that can achieve both noise suppression and suppression of a decrease in tire durability caused by a sealant layer. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The pneumatic tire of the present invention comprises a pair of beads, a pair of sidewalls extending radially outward from each of the pair of beads, a tread disposed between the pair of sidewalls and having a contact surface, a carcass ply spanned between the pair of beads, an inner liner disposed on the tire cavity side of the carcass ply, a sealant layer disposed on the inner surface of the tire cavity side of the inner liner, and a sound absorbing layer disposed on the tire cavity side of the sealant layer, wherein the contact surface of the tread has a plurality of grooves arranged in the tire circumferential direction, the sealant layer has a plurality of circumferential portions provided in a band shape in annular portions corresponding to each of the plurality of grooves on the inner surface of the inner liner, and the sound absorbing layer is arranged in a state spanning the plurality of circumferential portions in the tire width direction.

[0007] The method for manufacturing a pneumatic tire of the present invention includes a sealant layer formation process in which a tire, having a plurality of grooves formed on the contact surface of the tread extending in the tire circumferential direction, is rotated around an axis while ejecting and applying a sealant material to the inner surface of the tire from a nozzle arranged on the tire cavity side, and an acoustic absorbing layer arrangement process in which an acoustic absorbing layer is arranged on the sealant layer, wherein in the sealant layer formation process, groove position information indicating the position of each of the plurality of grooves is grasped, and based on the grasped groove position information, the nozzle is moved relative to the tire in the tire width direction to apply the sealant material to annular portions on the inner surface of the tire corresponding to each of the plurality of grooves, thereby forming a plurality of band-shaped circumferential portions made of the sealant material in the annular portions corresponding to each of the plurality of grooves, and in the acoustic absorbing layer arrangement process, the acoustic absorbing layer is arranged in a state spanning the formed plurality of circumferential portions in the tire width direction. Effect of the Invention

[0008] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and is capable of providing a pneumatic tire and a manufacturing method thereof that can achieve both noise suppression and suppression of a decrease in tire durability caused by a sealant layer. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a cross-sectional view in the tire width direction of a tire according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a development view showing the inner surface of a tire according to an embodiment of the present invention, and is a diagram showing a sealant layer in schematic form. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a state in which a sealant material is applied to an inner surface of a tire by a nozzle of an application device for implementing a tire manufacturing method according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a coating device that can suitably carry out a tire manufacturing method according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a tire widthwise cross section of a tire 1, which is a pneumatic tire according to this embodiment. The tire 1 is, for example, a tire for passenger cars. The basic structure of the tire 1 is symmetrical in a cross section in the tire widthwise direction. In the figure, the symbol S1 indicates the tire equatorial plane. The tire equatorial plane S1 is a plane that is perpendicular to the tire rotation axis (tire meridian) and is located at the center in the tire width direction.

[0011] The cross-sectional view in Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view in the tire width direction (cross-sectional view at the tire meridian) of a tire 1 mounted on a standard rim and inflated to a standard internal pressure in an unloaded state. The standard rim refers to a standard rim determined by JATMA for a tire size. The standard internal pressure is, for example, 180 kPa when the tire is for a passenger car.

[0012] Here, the tire width direction is a direction parallel to the tire rotation axis, and corresponds to the left-right direction on the paper surface in the cross-sectional view of Fig. 1. In Fig. 1, this direction is illustrated as tire width direction X. The inner side in the tire width direction is the direction approaching the tire equatorial plane S1, and is the center side of the paper in Fig. 1. The outer side in the tire width direction is the direction away from the tire equatorial plane S1, and is the left and right sides of the paper in Fig. 1. The tire radial direction is a direction perpendicular to the tire rotation axis, and is the up-down direction on the paper surface in Fig. 1. In Fig. 1, this direction is illustrated as tire radial direction Y. The outer side in the tire radial direction is the direction away from the tire rotation axis, and is the lower side on the paper in Fig. 1. The inner side in the tire radial direction is the direction approaching the tire rotation axis, and is the upper side on the paper in Fig. 1.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 1, the tire 1 includes a pair of beads 10 provided on both sides in the tire width direction, a pair of sidewalls 20 extending radially outward from each of the pair of beads 10, a tread 30 disposed between the pair of sidewalls 20, a carcass ply 40 disposed between the pair of beads 10, and an inner liner 50 disposed on the tire cavity side of the carcass ply 40.

[0014] The bead 10 includes a bead core 11, a bead filler 12 extending radially outward of the bead core 11, a chafer 13, and a rim strip rubber 14.

[0015] The bead core 11 is an annular member formed by winding a rubber-coated metal bead wire multiple times, and serves to fix the tire 1 filled with air to a rim. The bead filler 12 is a rubber member that tapers toward the outside in the tire radial direction. The bead filler 12 is a member provided to increase the rigidity of the peripheral portion of the bead 10 and ensure high maneuverability and stability. The bead filler 12 is made of rubber that is harder than the surrounding rubber members, for example.

[0016] The chafer 13 is provided on the inner side in the tire radial direction of the carcass ply 40 provided around the bead core 11. The rim strip rubber 14 is disposed on the outer side in the tire width direction of the chafer 13 and the carcass ply 40. The rim strip rubber 14 is a member that comes into contact with the rim on which the tire 1 is mounted.

[0017] The sidewall 20 includes a sidewall rubber 21 disposed on the outer side of the carcass ply 40 in the tire width direction. The sidewall rubber 21 constitutes the outer wall surface of the tire 1. The sidewall rubber 21 is the portion that bends the most when the tire 1 performs a cushioning function, and flexible rubber having fatigue resistance is usually used for the sidewall rubber 21.

[0018] The tread 30 includes an endless belt 31 , a cap ply 32 , and a tread rubber 33 .

[0019] The belt 31 is disposed on the outer side in the tire radial direction of the carcass ply 40. The cap ply 32 is disposed on the outer side in the tire radial direction of the belt 31. The belt 31 is a member that reinforces the tread 30. The belt 31 of this embodiment has a two-layer structure including an inner belt 311 and an outer belt 312. Both the inner belt 311 and the outer belt 312 have a structure in which a plurality of cords such as steel cords are covered with rubber. Note that the belt 31 is not limited to a two-layer structure, and may have a one-layer structure, or a three-layer or more structure.

[0020] The cap ply 32 is a member that reinforces the tread 30 together with the belt 31. The cap ply 32 has a structure in which a plurality of insulating organic fiber cords, such as polyamide fiber, are covered with rubber. By providing the cap ply 32, it is possible to improve durability and reduce road noise during driving.

[0021] The tread rubber 33 is disposed on the outer side of the cap ply 32 in the tire radial direction. The tread rubber 33 is a member that constitutes a contact surface 331 that comes into contact with the road surface during running. The contact surface 331 of the tread rubber 33 is provided with a tread pattern 34 that is composed of, for example, a plurality of grooves. The tread pattern 34 has a plurality of main grooves 341 aligned in the tire width direction. Each of the plurality of main grooves 341 extends along the tire circumferential direction. The main groove 341 is an example of a groove.

[0022] In this embodiment, four main grooves 341 are formed in the contact surface 331. The four main grooves 341 are arranged symmetrically with respect to the center of the contact surface 331 in the tire width direction. It should be noted that there is no limitation to the number and arrangement of the main grooves 341. For example, the main grooves 341 may be arranged asymmetrically rather than symmetrically about the center in the tire width direction.

[0023] In the contact surface 331 of the tread 30, a plurality of central land portions 342 are arranged between a plurality of main grooves 341. Each of the central land portions 342 extends in the tire circumferential direction. In addition, the contact surface 331 of the tread 30 has side land portions 343 having a tire thickness similar to that of the central land portions 342 in portions on the outer side in the tire width direction of the two main grooves 341 arranged on the outermost sides in the tire width direction.

[0024] The carcass ply 40 constitutes a ply that serves as the framework of the tire 1. The carcass ply 40 is embedded in the tire 1 in a manner that passes between a pair of beads 10, a pair of sidewalls 20, and the tread 30. The carcass ply 40 includes a plurality of carcass cords that form the framework of the tire 1. The plurality of carcass cords extend, for example, in the tire width direction and are arranged side by side in the tire circumferential direction. The carcass cords are made of insulating organic fiber cords such as polyester or polyamide. The carcass ply 40 is formed by covering the plurality of carcass cords with rubber.

[0025] The carcass ply 40 has a ply body 401 extending from one bead core 11 to the other bead core 11 and extending between the tread 30 and the bead 10, a pair of bends 402 folded back from the ply body 401 at the bead core 11, and a pair of turn-up portions 403 extending outward in the tire radial direction from each of the bends 402. The ply body 401, the bends 402, and the turn-up portions 403 are continuous.

[0026] The ply body portion 401 is disposed on the inner side in the tire radial direction, on the inner side in the tire width direction, of the bead core 11 and the bead filler 12. The turned-up portion 403 is disposed on the outer side in the tire width direction, of the bead core 11 and the bead filler 12, on the inner side in the tire radial direction. In the portion other than the bead core 11 and the bead filler 12, the turned-up portion 403 is overlapped with the ply body portion 401. The bent portion 402 constitutes the innermost portion of the carcass ply 40 in the tire radial direction.

[0027] Although the carcass ply 40 in this embodiment has a single-layer structure, the carcass ply 40 is not limited to a single-layer structure, and may have a two-layer, three-layer or more layer structure.

[0028] The chafer 13 of the bead 10 described above is provided so as to surround the end portion on the inner side in the tire radial direction of the carcass ply 40 including the bent portion 402. The rim strip rubber 14 is disposed on the outer side in the tire width direction of the chafer 13 and the folded-up portion 403 of the carcass ply 40. The outer end portion in the tire radial direction of the rim strip rubber 14 is covered with the sidewall rubber 21 described above.

[0029] The inner liner 50 covers the inner surface of the tire between a pair of beads. The inner liner 50 covers the inner surface of the ply body portion 401 of the carcass ply 40 and the inner surfaces of the chafers 13 of the pair of beads 10. The inner liner 50 is made of air-resistant rubber and prevents air within the tire cavity from leaking to the outside.

[0030] 1, the tire 1 according to this embodiment further includes a sealant layer 60. The tire 1 further includes the sealant layer 60 and a sound absorbing layer 70.

[0031] 1, the sealant layer 60 is provided on an inner surface 501 of an inner liner 50, which is the inner surface of a tire. In this embodiment, the sealant layer 60 includes a circumferential portion 62 provided in a band shape in an annular portion corresponding to a plurality of main grooves 341 provided in the contact surface 331 of the tread 30. The sealant layer 60 is attached to the inner surface 501 of the inner liner 50 by its own adhesiveness.

[0032] Fig. 2 is a development view showing the inner surface of the tire 1, and illustrates a sealant layer 60 provided on the inner surface of the tire 1. In Fig. 2, arrow X indicates the tire width direction, and arrow Z indicates the tire circumferential direction.

[0033] 2, the sealant layer 60 is formed of a strip of sealant material 61 that is wrapped around the inner surface 501 of the inner liner 50 in the tire circumferential direction and attached to the inner surface 501. The sealant layer 60 has a plurality of annular circumferential portions 62 and a plurality of transition portions 63 formed by the sealant material 61.

[0034] In Fig. 2, reference numeral 61A denotes an application start end of the sealant 61, and reference numeral 61B denotes an application end end of the sealant 61. As shown in Fig. 2, the sealant 61 is applied continuously from one end side to the other end side in the tire width direction (from left to right in Fig. 2) while going around as shown by the arrow from the application start end 61A to the application end end 61B.

[0035] The circumferential portion 62 is formed by attaching the sealant material 61 to the inner surface 501 of the inner liner 50 in parallel to the tire circumferential direction. The sealant material 61 is attached to the inner surface 501 of the inner liner 50 one revolution or multiple revolutions, thereby forming one band-shaped circumferential portion 62.

[0036] The multiple circumferential portions 62 are arranged in parallel at intervals in the tire width direction. Each of the multiple circumferential portions 62 is provided in a band shape in annular portions on the inner surface 501 of the inner liner 50 corresponding to each of the multiple main grooves 341. In other words, each of the multiple circumferential portions 62 is arranged on the inner side of the multiple main grooves 341 in the tire radial direction. In this embodiment, since there are four main grooves 341, four circumferential portions 62 are formed. The width of each of the plurality of circumferential portions 62 is equal to or greater than the width of the corresponding main groove 341. It is preferable that each of the plurality of circumferential portions 62 covers the corresponding main groove 341 in the tire width direction.

[0037] The transition portion 63 is a portion where the sealant material 61 transitions to one side in the tire width direction (the right side in FIG. 2 ) after the sealant material 61 is attached to the inner surface 501 of the inner liner 50 approximately once or multiple times to form one winding portion 62. That is, the transition portion 63 is provided between a pair of winding portions 62 adjacent to each other in the tire width direction. The next winding portion 62 is attached to one side in the tire width direction of the already attached winding portion 62 via the transition portion 63 with a gap therebetween. The gap between the pair of adjacent winding portions 62 corresponds to the central land portion 342. The next winding portion 62 adjacent to one side in the tire width direction is repeatedly formed via the transition portion 63 to provide the sealant layer 60.

[0038] Each of the transition portions 63 extends linearly and is inclined at a predetermined angle relative to the tire circumferential direction. In this embodiment, since there are four main grooves 341, a total of three transition portions 63 are provided, one between each of the circumferential portions 62. As shown in Fig. 2, in this embodiment, the three transition portions 63 are arranged in a substantially straight line overall while being offset in the tire circumferential direction. The multiple transition portions 63 may be arranged in parallel in the tire width direction, but the arrangement is not limited thereto.

[0039] In this manner, when applying the sealant material 61 to the inner surface of the tire, the application method in which the circumferential portions 62 parallel to the tire circumferential direction are applied sequentially in the tire width direction, passing through the transition portions 63, may be referred to as step application below.

[0040] As the sealant 61, for example, a sealing material having adhesiveness, which is made by compounding unvulcanized or semi-vulcanized butyl rubber with a plasticizer such as polyisobutylene or polybutene, a tackifier such as a thermoplastic olefin / diolefin copolymer, and a filler such as carbon black or silica, can be used. However, the sealant 61 is not limited to this, and may be any other known sealing material that has been used conventionally.

[0041] To apply the sealant 61 in a stepwise manner, as shown in FIG. 3, the tire 1 is rotated around its axis while the nozzle 131 is moved in the tire width direction, and the sealant 61 is ejected from the nozzle 131 and applied to the inner surface 501 of the inner liner 50, which is the inner surface of the tire 1. 3, a widthwise cross section of the tire 1 is shown, and the tire width direction X, tire radial direction Y, and tire circumferential direction Z are respectively indicated. In FIG.

[0042] When applying the sealant 61 to the inner surface of the tire 1 in a stepwise manner as shown in FIG. 3, a sealant application device 100 shown in FIG. 4 can be used.

[0043] FIG. 4 shows a schematic configuration of the sealant application device 100. The sealant application device 100 includes a tire rotation mechanism 110, a nozzle slide mechanism 120, a sealant discharge mechanism 130, and a control unit 140.

[0044] The tire rotation mechanism 110 is a mechanism for rotating the tire 1, which has been vulcanized and on which the sealant layer 60 has not yet been formed, around an axis as shown in FIG. The nozzle slide mechanism 120 is a mechanism for moving the nozzle 131 in the tire width direction relative to the tire 1 set on the tire rotation mechanism 110.

[0045] The sealant material discharging mechanism 130 has the nozzle 131 and an extruder (not shown) to the tip of which the nozzle 131 is attached. The nozzle 131 is inserted inside the tire 1 set in the tire rotation mechanism 110. The sealant material discharging mechanism 130 discharges the sealant material 61 extruded from the extruder from the tip of the nozzle 131 to apply the sealant material 61 to the inner surface of the tire 1.

[0046] Groove position information is input to the control unit 140. The control unit 140 controls the operations of the tire rotation mechanism 110, the nozzle slide mechanism 120, and the sealant material dispensing mechanism 130 based on the input groove position information.

[0047] In this embodiment, the groove position information includes coordinates indicating the positions in the tire width direction, widths, and widths of central land portions 342 between the main grooves 341 formed in the tread 30 of the tire 1, and the circumferential length of the inner surface 501 of the inner liner 50 to which the sealant material 61 is applied. Such groove position information can be obtained, for example, based on CAD data at the time of tire design. The coordinates of the main grooves 341 in the tire width direction can also be obtained by scanning and reading the contact surface 331 of the tread 30 of the vulcanized tire 1 with a laser beam. The method of acquiring the groove position information is not limited to these, and other appropriate methods may be adopted.

[0048] The control unit 140 to which the groove position information is input grasps the groove position information and controls the operations of the tire rotation mechanism 110, the nozzle slide mechanism 120, and the sealant material discharge mechanism 130.

[0049] The sealant application device 100 operates as follows, whereby the sealant 61 is applied in steps to the inner surface of the tire 1 to form the sealant layer 60, and then the sound absorbing layer 70 is disposed on the sealant layer 60. The formation of the sealant layer 60 and the disposition of the sound absorbing layer 70 described below are one example of a method for manufacturing a tire according to this embodiment. The method for manufacturing a tire according to this embodiment includes a sealant layer forming step and a sound absorbing layer disposing step.

[0050] (Sealant layer forming process) While continuously discharging the sealant 61 from the nozzle 131 and rotating the tire 1 around its axis, the tire 1 is rotated with the movement of the nozzle 131 in the tire width direction stopped, thereby coating the first winding portion 62 on one end side in the tire width direction. Next, the nozzle 131 is moved to one side in the tire width direction to place the nozzle 131 at a position for forming the next winding portion 62. During this movement, the transition portion 63 is coated. Next, the movement of the nozzle 131 in the tire width direction is stopped, and the winding portion 62 is coated. By repeating the above operations, the sealant 61 is applied in steps. When a predetermined number of winding portions 62 (four in this embodiment) are formed by the sealant 61, discharging of the sealant 61 from the nozzle 131 is stopped.

[0051] The control unit 140 controls the sliding operation of the nozzle 131 in the tire width direction by the nozzle slide mechanism 120 so that the sealant 61 is applied to the main grooves 341 based on the coordinates of the main grooves 341 in the tire width direction. The control unit 140 also controls the circumferential portion 62 extending in the tire circumferential direction so that the sealant 61 is applied to the entire inner surface 501 based on the circumferential length of the inner surface 501 of the inner liner 50. One circumferential portion 62 is formed by applying the sealant 61 for one revolution. Alternatively, one circumferential portion 62 is formed by applying the sealant 61 for multiple revolutions by moving the tire 1 slightly multiple times in the tire width direction.

[0052] The sound absorbing layer 70 is disposed across the plurality of winding portions 62 of the above-mentioned sealant layer 60 in the tire width direction. Between the sealant layer 60 and the inner surface 501 of the inner liner 50, the winding portion 62 having a predetermined thickness serves as a spacer to form a gap. That is, the sealant layer 60 is disposed in a floating state with respect to the inner surface 501 of the inner liner 50. In the region where the sealant layer 60 is disposed, a plurality of cavities 80 are formed, each surrounded by the sealant layer 60, the inner surface 501 of the inner liner 50, and a pair of winding portions 62 adjacent to each other in the tire width direction. The plurality of cavities 80 are formed in an annular shape along the tire circumferential direction.

[0053] (Sound absorption layer placement process) The sound absorbing layer 70 is composed of a sound absorbing material 71 made of a foam material such as a sponge. The sound absorbing material 71 is an open-cell foam with many pores and is breathable to the outside air. An example of such a material is soft urethane foam.

[0054] The sound absorbing layer 70 has at least one sheet-like sound absorbing material 71 wound in a ring shape and attached to the inner surface 621 of the plurality of winding portions 62 of the sealant layer 60. As shown in Fig. 1, the sound absorbing material 71 is arranged so as to straddle the plurality of winding portions 62 in the tire width direction, and is wound in a ring shape and attached to the inner surface 621 of the plurality of winding portions 62. Each of both end portions in the tire width direction of the sound absorbing layer 70 extends outward in the tire width direction beyond each of the main grooves 341 arranged outermost in the tire width direction. The sound absorbing layer 70 may be configured by arranging two or more sound absorbing materials 71 in a connected ring shape.

[0055] The characteristics of the sound absorbing material 71 are a density of 60 kg / m from the viewpoint of weight balance in a pneumatic tire. 3 The following is preferred: density 40 kg / m 3 The following are more preferable: From the viewpoint of durability, the sound absorbing material 71 preferably has a tensile strength of 30 kPa or more and a tear strength of 2.0 N / cm or more (JIS K 6400-5).

[0056] According to the tire 1 of the above-described embodiment, a puncture inducer such as a nail or tack is more likely to reach the tire cavity and cause a puncture if it penetrates through the main groove 341 than if it penetrates the central land portion 342 or the side land portion 343 between the main grooves 341, since the resistance when penetrating is smaller due to the smaller tire thickness. Conversely, since the central land portion 342 and the side land portion 343 are thicker, the resistance when the puncture inducer penetrates is larger, and therefore even if the puncture inducer penetrates the central land portion 342 or the side land portion 343, a puncture is less likely to occur.

[0057] In the tire 1 according to the present embodiment, the circumferential portion 62 of the sealant layer 60 is formed in a strip shape on the inner surface 501 of the inner liner 50 on the tire cavity side of the main groove 341, corresponding to the main groove 341 which is a part that is prone to puncture as described above. Therefore, if a hole reaching the circumferential portion 62 is caused by a puncture inducer that has passed through the main groove 341, the hole is automatically blocked by the circumferential portion 62, and puncture is prevented beforehand. Therefore, the sealant layer 60 has a high probability of preventing puncture, and the puncture prevention function is maintained. The thickness of the circumferential portion 62 that prevents puncture is preferably, for example, about 1 mm or more and 10 mm or less.

[0058] In this embodiment, the sealant layer 60 is provided in a strip shape on the inner surface 501 of the inner liner 50 on the tire cavity side of each main groove 341 in correspondence with the plurality of main grooves 341, and does not cover the entire surface of the tire inner surface in the region corresponding to the tread 30. That is, in this embodiment, the puncture prevention function is provided by the plurality of circumferential portions 62 arranged in correspondence with each main groove 341. In addition to the structure in which the sealant layer 60 has the plurality of circumferential portions 62 distributed in the tire width direction, the sound absorbing layer 70 covering the sealant layer 60 is arranged in a floating state above the inner surface 501 of the inner liner 50, so that the sealant layer 60 suppresses heat accumulation in the tire 1, and as a result, the decrease in tire durability caused by the heat accumulation is suppressed.

[0059] Furthermore, according to the tire manufacturing method according to this embodiment using the above-described sealant application device 100, the tire 1 according to this embodiment having the sealant layer 60 can be suitably formed.

[0060] Moreover, according to the tire 1 of the above-described embodiment, noises such as road noise during driving are absorbed and reduced by the sound absorbing layer 70. The sound absorbing layer 70 is attached to the inner surface 621 of the multiple winding portions 62 of the sealant layer 60, and is therefore floating above the inner surface 501 of the inner liner 50, and multiple cavities 80 are formed between the inner surface 501 and the sealant layer 60. When noises such as road noises generated on the tread 30 side pass through the multiple cavities 80 and then through the sound absorbing layer 70, the sound energy is reduced when passing through the cavities 80, and therefore the noise is effectively reduced.

[0061] According to the present embodiment described above, the following effects are achieved.

[0062] (1) The tire 1 according to this embodiment includes a pair of beads 10, a pair of sidewalls 20 extending radially outward from each of the pair of beads 10, a tread disposed between the pair of sidewalls 20 and having a contact surface 331, a carcass ply 40 spanned between the pair of beads 10, an inner liner 50 disposed on the tire cavity side of the carcass ply 40, a sealant layer 60 disposed on the inner surface of the tire cavity side of the inner liner 50, and a sound absorbing layer 70 disposed on the tire cavity side of the sealant layer, and the contact surface 331 of the tread 30 has a plurality of main grooves 341 arranged in the tire circumferential direction, the sealant layer 60 has a plurality of circumferential portions 62 provided in a band shape in annular portions corresponding to the plurality of main grooves 341 on the inner surface 501 of the inner liner 50, and the sound absorbing layer 70 is disposed in a state spanning the plurality of circumferential portions 62 in the tire width direction.

[0063] As a result, noise is suppressed by the sound absorbing layer 70, while the puncture prevention function of the sealant layer 60 is maintained, and tire deterioration caused by heat accumulation by the sealant layer 60 is suppressed, thereby suppressing a decrease in tire durability. In addition, the sound absorbing layer 70 suppresses deviation due to movement of the sealant layer 60 in the tire width direction.

[0064] (2) In the tire 1 according to the present embodiment, it is preferable that the width of the circumferential portion 62 of the sealant layer 60 is equal to or greater than the width of the main groove 341, and that the circumferential portion 62 covers the main groove 341 in the tire width direction.

[0065] As a result, puncture-inducing objects such as nails and rivets passing through the main groove 341 can reliably penetrate the circumferential portion 62 of the sealant layer 60, thereby preventing punctures caused by puncture-inducing objects passing through the main groove 341 by the sealant layer 60.

[0066] (3) In the tire 1 according to this embodiment, the sealant layer 60 is formed of a strip-shaped sealant material 61 that is wrapped around and attached to the inner surface 501 of the inner liner 50, and the multiple circumferential portions 62 are arranged such that the sealant material 61 is attached to annular portions corresponding to each of the multiple main grooves 341, and a transition portion 63 is arranged between a pair of circumferential portions 62 adjacent to each other in the tire width direction, where the sealant material 61 transitions from one of the pair of circumferential portions 62 to the other.

[0067] As a result, the sealant layer 60 extending in the tire circumferential direction corresponding to the main grooves 341 is accurately formed on the inner surface 501 of the inner liner 50. The circumferential portions 62 formed corresponding to the main grooves 341 are spaced apart from one another corresponding to the intervals between the main grooves 341. The sealant layer 60 is not disposed in the portions corresponding to the central land portion 342 and the side land portions 343 of the tread 30 where heat is likely to accumulate. As a result, heat accumulation in the tire 1 is suppressed, and deterioration of tire durability is suppressed.

[0068] (4) In the tire 1 according to the present embodiment, the circumferential portion 62 of the sealant layer 60 includes a configuration in which the sealant material 61 is wound multiple times in the tire circumferential direction.

[0069] This allows the width of the circumferential portion 62 to be adjusted in accordance with the dimension of the main groove 341 in the tire width direction.

[0070] (5) The method for manufacturing a pneumatic tire according to the present embodiment includes a sealant layer forming step of ejecting and applying a sealant material 61 from a nozzle 131 disposed on the tire cavity side to an inner surface of the tire while rotating a tire 1, in which a plurality of main grooves 341 extending in the tire circumferential direction are formed on a contact surface 331 of a tread 30, around an axis, and a sound absorbing layer arranging step of arranging a sound absorbing layer 70 on the sealant layer 60. In the sealant layer forming step, groove position information indicating the positions of each of the plurality of main grooves 341 is grasped, and based on the grasped groove position information, the nozzle 131 is moved relative to the tire 1 in the tire width direction to apply the sealant material 61 to annular portions on the inner surface of the tire corresponding to each of the plurality of main grooves 341, thereby forming a plurality of band-shaped circumferential portions 62 made of the sealant material 61 in the annular portions corresponding to each of the plurality of main grooves 341. In the sound absorbing layer arranging step, the sound absorbing layer 70 is arranged across the formed circumferential portions 62 in the tire width direction.

[0071] This makes it possible to preferably manufacture a tire that maintains the puncture prevention function of the sealant layer 60 while suppressing a decrease in tire durability caused by heat storage in the sealant layer 60, and that can reduce noise due to the sound-absorbing layer 70.

[0072] (6) In the manufacturing method of a pneumatic tire according to this embodiment, it is preferable that the groove position information includes the coordinates of each of the multiple main grooves 341 in the tire width direction and the circumferential length of the tire inner surface to which the sealant material 61 is applied.

[0073] This makes it possible to accurately form the sealant layer 60 having dimensions according to the lengths of the main grooves 341 in the tire width direction and the tire circumferential direction.

[0074] Although specific embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and even if modifications and improvements are made within the scope of the present invention, they will still be included in the scope of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, the main grooves 341 are symmetrically arranged with respect to the center of the tire width direction of the contact surface 331, but the main grooves 341 may be arranged asymmetrically instead of symmetrically with respect to the center of the tire width direction. The circumferential portion 62 of the sealant layer 60 is arranged on the inner surface 501 of the inner liner 50 in correspondence with the asymmetric main grooves 341. When applying the sealant material 61 in steps to form multiple circumferential portions 62, instead of moving the nozzle 100 in the tire width direction, the tire 1 may be moved in the tire width direction, or both the tire 1 and the nozzle 131 may be moved in the tire width direction. In the above embodiment, the multiple wound portions 62 of the sealant layer 60 are provided by applying the sealant material 61 in a step manner as described above, but the multiple wound portions 62 may be provided by winding the sealant material 61 in a spiral shape.

[0075] In the cavity 80 formed between the inner surface 501 of the inner liner 50 and the sound absorbing layer 70, if an orifice that narrows the air passage is provided midway in the tire circumferential direction, the orifice can reduce noise. [Explanation of symbols]

[0076] 1. Tires (pneumatic tires) 10 Beads 20 Sidewall 30 Tread 40 Carcass ply 50 Inner Liner 60 Sealant Layer 61 Sealant 62 Orbital Division 63 Transition 70 Sound absorbing layer 331 Ground plane 341 Main groove (groove) 501 Inner liner (inner surface of tire)

Claims

1. A pair of beads; a pair of sidewalls extending radially outward from each of the pair of beads; a tread disposed between the pair of sidewalls and having a ground contact surface; a carcass ply disposed between the pair of beads; An inner liner disposed on the tire cavity side of the carcass ply; A sealant layer disposed on an inner surface of the inner liner on the tire cavity side; a sound absorbing layer disposed on the tire cavity side of the sealant layer, A plurality of grooves extending in a tire circumferential direction are arranged on the contact surface of the tread, the sealant layer is provided in a band-like shape in annular portions corresponding to the plurality of grooves on the inner surface of the inner liner, and has a plurality of circumferential portions spaced apart from each other, and a transition portion provided between a pair of the circumferential portions spaced apart from each other and adjacent to each other, The sound absorbing layer is disposed across the plurality of spaced-apart circumferential portions in the tire width direction.

2. The width of the circumferential portion is equal to or greater than the width of the groove, The pneumatic tire according to claim 1 , wherein the circumferential portion covers the groove in a tire width direction.

3. the sealant layer is formed of a strip-shaped sealant material that is wrapped around and attached to the inner surface of the inner liner, The plurality of circumferential portions are arranged such that the sealant material is attached to annular portions corresponding to the plurality of grooves, 3. The pneumatic tire according to claim 1, wherein the transition portion is disposed between a pair of the circumferential portions adjacent to each other in the tire width direction, and the transition portion is attached so that the sealant material transitions from one of the pair of the circumferential portions to the other of the pair of the circumferential portions.

4. The pneumatic tire according to claim 3 , wherein the circumferential portion is formed by wrapping the sealant material around the tire circumferential direction a plurality of times.

5. A method for manufacturing a pneumatic tire, comprising: a sealant layer forming step of applying a sealant material to an inner surface of the tire by ejecting the sealant material from a nozzle disposed on the tire cavity side while rotating a tire having a plurality of grooves formed on a ground contact surface of a tread and extending in a tire circumferential direction, and a sound absorbing layer disposing step of disposing a sound absorbing layer on the sealant layer, In the sealant layer forming process, groove position information indicating the positions of each of the plurality of grooves is obtained, and the nozzle is moved relative to the tire in the tire width direction based on the obtained groove position information to apply the sealant to annular portions corresponding to each of the plurality of grooves on the inner surface of the tire, and when the nozzle is moved relative to the tire in the tire width direction, a transition portion made of the sealant is formed between the annular portions corresponding to each of the plurality of grooves, while a plurality of band-shaped circumferential portions made of the sealant are formed in the annular portions in a state spaced apart in the tire width direction, In the sound absorbing layer arranging step, the sound absorbing layer is arranged across the plurality of circumferential portions formed to be spaced apart from each other in a tire width direction.

6. 6. The method of manufacturing a pneumatic tire according to claim 5, wherein the groove position information includes coordinates of each of the plurality of grooves in a tire width direction and a circumferential length of the inner surface of the tire to which the sealant is applied.

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