Self-healing tire with integrated self-healing noise-reducing layer

Abstract

The utility model provides a kind of self-repairing tire with integrally-formed self-repairing noise-reducing layer, which comprises: a tire body defining a hollow space inside for accommodating a wheel rim; a tire ground contact surface provided on an outer peripheral surface of the tire body; a tire inner surface provided inside the tire body relative to the tire ground contact surface, and the tire inner surface comprises an annular inner top wall and two inner side walls extending from both sides of the inner top wall; and a self-repairing noise-reducing layer, which is annularly laid by a fluid self-repairing noise-reducing layer material and solidified on the inner top wall of the tire inner surface; wherein the self-repairing noise-reducing layer is an integrally-formed foam or non-foam with a density of 0.7 gm / cc to 1.8 gm / cc, which can simplify the manufacturing process and improve the self-repairing and noise-reducing performance of the tire.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to a tire, and more particularly to a self-healing tire with an integrally molded self-healing and noise-reducing layer. Background Technology

[0002] With the development of the automotive industry, vehicle quietness and safety have become increasingly important indicators for consumers, especially in the electric vehicle market. Due to the lack of noise sources from traditional internal combustion engines, tire noise has become particularly prominent. Therefore, traffic regulations worldwide are becoming increasingly stringent on tire noise, and major tire manufacturers are dedicated to developing noise-reducing tires that can lower driving noise.

[0003] Traditional noise-reducing tires typically involve attaching a layer of porous sound-absorbing material to the inside of the tire to reduce driving noise. However, this method is cumbersome to manufacture, and the adhesion between the sound-absorbing material and the tire liner can weaken due to prolonged exposure to high temperatures, high humidity, or dynamic stress, leading to detachment and failure.

[0004] Regarding the aforementioned types of noise-reducing tires, the industry has disclosed several related technologies, such as: JP 2020-19390 A, EP 1795378 A2, EP 1659004 A1, JP 2008-246868 A and WO 2020 / 022159 A1, etc.

[0005] On the other hand, to improve driving safety and prevent rapid pressure loss due to tire punctures by sharp objects, tires with self-healing or puncture-resistant functions have emerged. These tires typically have a highly viscous sealant coated inside; when the tire is punctured, the sealant automatically flows to the puncture and fills it, preventing air leakage. Alternatively, they may have a puncture-proof space; as long as the puncture does not extend beyond this space, the tire can continue to be used for a period of time.

[0006] Regarding tires with self-healing or puncture-resistant functions, the industry has disclosed several related technologies, such as US9346328 B2 and US 9796144 B2 patents.

[0007] However, the aforementioned existing technologies still present several unresolved issues in practical applications. First, many existing technologies involve attaching pre-fabricated sealing or noise-reducing layers to the inside of the tire, or employing complex multi-step coating processes. These methods are not only cumbersome but also difficult to control in terms of yield. Second, existing technologies may not provide clear guidelines for key physical parameters of materials (such as density and thickness), or the information provided may be outdated and not meet the needs of modern manufacturers. This necessitates significant investment in experimentation and testing before production to find the optimal parameters that meet the requirements of modern manufacturing.

[0008] In summary, existing technologies generally suffer from drawbacks such as complex manufacturing processes and high development costs, failing to provide a solution that simplifies the process, is cost-effective, and offers clearly defined performance parameters to simultaneously meet the self-healing and noise reduction requirements of tires. Therefore, developing a tire that effectively integrates self-healing and noise reduction functions, has a simple manufacturing process, and is cost-effective is a crucial issue that the industry urgently needs to address. Utility Model Content

[0009] The main objective of this invention is to provide a self-healing tire with an integrally molded self-healing noise reduction layer. This self-healing tire includes a tire body and a self-healing noise reduction layer. The self-healing noise reduction layer is formed by laying and solidifying a fluid-like self-healing noise reduction material in a ring on the inner top wall of the tire's inner surface. The self-healing noise reduction layer is an integrally molded foam or non-foamed material with a density between 0.7 gm / cc and 1.8 gm / cc. Manufacturing this invention can effectively simplify the process, reduce manufacturing costs, and simultaneously endow the tire with excellent self-healing and noise reduction properties to meet the demands of the automotive market.

[0010] To achieve the above objectives, this utility model provides a self-healing tire with an integrally molded self-healing noise reduction layer. The self-healing tire includes a tire body, a tire contact surface, a tire inner surface, and a self-healing noise reduction layer. The tire body defines a hollow space for accommodating a wheel rim. The tire contact surface is located on the outer periphery of the tire body. The tire inner surface is located inside the tire body relative to the tire contact surface, and includes a ring-shaped inner top wall and two inner sidewalls extending from both sides of the inner top wall. The self-healing noise reduction layer is formed by continuously laying and solidifying a fluid self-healing noise reduction layer material in a ring on the inner top wall of the tire inner surface. The self-healing noise reduction layer is an integrally molded foam or an integrally molded non-foam material with a density between 0.7 gm / cc and 1.8 gm / cc.

[0011] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the thickness of the self-healing noise reduction layer is 1 mm or more.

[0012] To achieve the above objectives, this utility model also provides a self-healing tire with an integrally molded self-healing noise reduction layer. The self-healing tire includes a tire body, a tire contact surface, a tire inner surface, and at least one self-healing noise reduction layer. The tire body defines a hollow space for accommodating a wheel rim. The tire contact surface is disposed on an outer peripheral surface of the tire body. The tire inner surface is disposed within the tire body relative to the tire contact surface, and includes a ring-shaped inner top wall and two inner sidewalls extending from both sides of the inner top wall. At least one self-healing noise reduction layer is formed by continuously laying and solidifying a fluid self-healing noise reduction layer material in a ring shape on the inner top wall of the tire inner surface. Each self-healing noise reduction layer is an integrally molded foam or an integrally molded non-foam material with a density between 0.7 gm / cc and 1.8 gm / cc. At least one of the noise reduction layers is formed by continuously laying and solidifying a fluid noise reduction layer material in a ring on the inner top wall of the tire; each of the self-healing noise reduction layers is stacked and connected to each other and solidified on the inner top wall of the tire, so that each self-healing noise reduction layer forms a multi-layer structure with each other in a corresponding relationship of one layer before another.

[0013] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the multi-layer structure further includes a two-layer stacked structure or a three-layer stacked structure.

[0014] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the thickness of the self-healing noise reduction layer is 1 mm or more.

[0015] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, when each noise reduction layer is an integrally formed non-foamed body, the thickness of each noise reduction layer is 1mm to 100mm; wherein when each noise reduction layer is an integrally formed foamed body, the thickness of each noise reduction layer is 0.5mm to 50mm. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the first embodiment of the present utility model.

[0017] Figure 2 This is a plan view of the front cross-section of the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 3 This is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the tire body of this utility model forming a tire upright rotation state on a tire drive device.

[0019] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 A magnified planar schematic diagram of a partial side view.

[0020] Figure 5This is a planar schematic diagram of the front cross-section of the self-healing noise reduction layer material solidified on the inner top wall of the inner surface of the tire according to the first embodiment of this utility model.

[0021] Figure 6 This is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the tire body of this utility model forming an upright rotating state on another tire drive device and being filled with self-healing noise reduction layer material.

[0022] Figure 7 This is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the tire body of this utility model forming an upright rotating state on another tire drive device and injecting noise reduction layer material.

[0023] Figure 8 yes Figure 7 A magnified planar schematic diagram of a partial side view.

[0024] Figure 9 This is a frontal cross-sectional schematic diagram of the self-healing noise reduction layer material and the first type of solidification of the noise reduction layer material on the inner top wall of the inner surface of the tire, according to the second embodiment of this utility model.

[0025] Figure 10 This is a front cross-sectional planar schematic diagram of the second embodiment of the present invention, showing the second type of solidification of the self-healing noise reduction layer material or the noise reduction layer material on the inner top wall of the inner surface of the tire.

[0026] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached drawings: 1-Self-healing tire; 10-Tire body; 11-Hollow space; 20-Tire contact surface; 30-Tire inner surface; 31-Inner top wall; 32-Inner side wall; 33-Roughening layer; 40-Self-healing noise reduction layer; 40a-Self-healing noise reduction layer material; 50-Noise reduction layer; 50a-Noise reduction layer material; 2-Tire drive device; 3-Fluid material injection device; 3a-Injection head; 3b-Mixing container; 3c-First agent container; 3d-Second agent container; 3e-Control unit; 4-Positioning plate. Detailed Implementation

[0027] The structure and technical features of this utility model are described in detail below with reference to the illustrations. The illustrations are only used to illustrate the structural relationships and related functions of this utility model. Therefore, the dimensions of each component in the illustrations are not drawn to actual proportions and are not intended to limit this utility model.

[0028] refer to Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 9 and Figure 10 This utility model is a self-healing tire 1 with an integrally molded self-healing noise reduction layer. Depending on the form of this utility model and the applicable manufacturing process, the self-healing tire 1 of this utility model can have at least one first embodiment (e.g., Figure 1 and Figure 2(as shown) and the second embodiment (as shown) Figure 9 and Figure 10 As shown), but not limited to, the self-healing tire 1 of this utility model, comprising a tire body 10, a tire contact surface 20, and a tire inner surface 30, has largely the same structural construction or technical features in the first and second embodiments, as described below:

[0029] The tire body 10 has a hollow space 11 defined inside for accommodating a wheel rim (not shown), such as... Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 9 and Figure 10 As shown.

[0030] The tire contact surface 20 is disposed on an outer peripheral surface of the tire body 10, such as Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 9 and Figure 10 As shown.

[0031] The inner surface 30 of the tire is disposed inside the tire body 10 relative to the tire contact surface 20. The inner surface 30 includes a ring-shaped inner top wall 31 and two inner side walls 32 extending from both sides of the inner top wall 31, such as... Figure 2 , Figure 9 and Figure 10 As shown.

[0032] The differences between the first and second embodiments of this utility model are described in detail below:

[0033] exist Figure 1 and Figure 2 The embodiment shown is the first embodiment of this utility model. The self-healing tire 1 of this utility model has a self-healing noise reduction layer 40. The self-healing noise reduction layer 40 is made by continuously laying a fluid self-healing noise reduction layer material 40a in a ring shape and solidifying it directly on the inner top wall 31 of the inner surface 30 of the tire. This integrally molded structure ensures excellent bonding between the self-healing noise reduction layer 40 and the inner surface 30 of the tire, avoiding the problem of detachment that may occur with traditional adhesive sound-absorbing layers. The thickness of the self-healing noise reduction layer 40 is 1 mm or more, but is not limited. This thickness design ensures that the layer has sufficient material to fill any possible perforations and can effectively absorb noise.

[0034] The self-healing noise reduction layer material 40a may be composed of a first agent and a second agent, and the weight ratio of the first agent and the second agent in the self-healing noise reduction layer material 40a is 1:0.6 to 1.4. The first agent is 45wt% to 70wt% of polyether polyol with a hydroxyl value of 10 to 50, 30wt% to 55wt% of polyol resin, and 0wt% to 3wt% of pigment for color matching (i.e., the pigment for color matching does not necessarily have to be added to the material combination of the self-healing noise reduction layer material 40a). The second agent is an isocyanate prepolymer with an NCO value of 1.5% to 32.5%, but is not limited thereto. By adjusting the formulation and ratio of the first agent and the second agent, the self-healing noise reduction layer 40 that is finally solidified can become an integrally molded foam or an integrally molded non-foam with a density between 0.7 gm / cc and 1.8 gm / cc. The manufacturer can choose according to product requirements, thereby increasing the product's market competitiveness.

[0035] In terms of efficacy, the self-healing noise reduction layer 40 has the following effects:

[0036] (1) Self-healing effect: When the self-healing tire 1 is punctured by a sharp object (e.g., a nail) while driving, the self-healing noise reduction layer 40, which is in a semi-cured viscoelastic state, will cover and seal the gap around the sharp object due to its cohesive force, preventing the tire from losing pressure rapidly. After the sharp object is removed, the material will automatically fill the puncture due to its fluidity and viscosity, allowing the tire to continue driving for a distance, greatly improving driving safety. In short, because the self-healing noise reduction layer 40 is composed of the self-healing noise reduction layer material 40a, even if the puncture object exceeds the thickness of the self-healing noise reduction layer 40 and penetrates it, the self-healing noise reduction layer 40, which is in a semi-cured viscoelastic state, has excellent covering ability and thus achieves a self-healing effect. It does not require a special space for puncture on the tire as in the prior art, which helps to reduce manufacturing costs.

[0037] (2) Simplified process: Many existing technologies attach pre-made sealing or noise reduction layers to the inside of the tire or use complex multi-step coating methods. These methods are not only cumbersome but also difficult to control the yield. In this case, the self-healing noise reduction layer 40 is made by continuously laying the fluid self-healing noise reduction layer material 40a in a ring shape and solidifying it directly on the inner top wall 31 of the inner surface 30 of the tire. This solves the problems of the existing technology, which is conducive to simplifying the process and making the yield easy to control.

[0038] (3) Noise reduction effect: In a demonstrative road test, the vehicle equipped with the self-healing tire 1 of this utility model effectively controlled its driving noise under specific test road conditions. For example, when the vehicle was traveling at speeds of 60 km / h, 80 km / h, 100 km / h and 110 km / h respectively, the noise levels measured inside the vehicle were stably maintained at approximately 56.7 dB, 64 dB, 69.9 dB and 71.4 dB respectively. This data proves that the material and structure of the self-healing noise reduction layer 40 can effectively absorb the noise generated when the tire is rolling, providing a quieter and more comfortable driving experience.

[0039] In addition, the self-healing noise reduction layer material 40a has excellent temperature resistance. After solidification, it can stably maintain its self-healing and noise reduction physical properties within a wide temperature range of about -40 degrees Celsius to 160 degrees Celsius.

[0040] refer to Figure 2 A roughening layer 33 may be further processed on the inner top wall 31 of the inner surface 30 of the tire, but this is not limited. The purpose of the roughening layer 33 is to increase the surface roughness of the inner top wall 31, thereby improving the physical adhesion of the fluid self-healing noise reduction layer material 40a when it is laid on it, so that the final self-healing noise reduction layer 40 is more firmly bonded to the tire body 10.

[0041] refer to Figures 2 to 5 The disclosed embodiments illustrate a manufacturing method that can be adopted for the first embodiment of this utility model. The method includes the following steps, but is not limited thereto:

[0042] Step S1: Provide a tire drive device 2 for clamping the tire body 10 and causing it to rotate vertically about its central axis; wherein the tire drive device 2 further includes a roller assembly 2a and a control unit 2b, but is not limited to, for example Figure 3 , Figure 6 and Figure 7 As shown, in this roller assembly 2a, the idler wheel is driven by the driving wheel (e.g., ...). Figure 3 , Figure 4 , Figure 6 , Figure 7 and Figure 8 (As indicated by arrow B in the image) and thereby drive the tire body 10 to rotate (as shown by arrow B in the image). Figure 3 , Figure 4 , Figure 6 , Figure 7 and Figure 8 As indicated by arrow C in the diagram, the control unit 2b is capable of controlling the rotation time or rotation speed of the roller assembly 2a; the cooperation between the roller assembly 2a and the control unit 2b is a common existing technology, and will not be described in detail here.

[0043] Step S2: Provide a fluid material infusion device 3. The fluid material infusion device 3 is provided with an infusion head 3a, a stirring container 3b, a first agent container 3c, a second agent container 3d and a control unit 3e. However, it is not limited to storing the first agent and the second agent in the first agent container 3c and the second agent container 3d respectively, and the flow rate is precisely controlled by the control unit 3e and sent to the stirring container 3b for uniform mixing to form the fluid self-healing noise reduction layer material 40a.

[0044] Step S3: Insert the injection head 3a into the hollow space 11 of the rotating tire body 10, and use the injection head 3a to continuously or intermittently inject and lay the evenly mixed self-healing noise reduction layer material 40a onto the rotating inner top wall 31 (e.g., Figure 3 and Figure 4 As indicated by arrow A in the diagram, at least one ring is formed. The centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the tire body 10 causes the fluid-like self-healing noise-reducing layer material 40a to automatically and evenly spread to both sides, spreading evenly across the predetermined width of the entire inner top wall 31. The tire body 10 is rotated continuously or intermittently until the self-healing noise-reducing layer material 40a solidifies on the inner top wall 31 to form a self-healing noise-reducing layer 40 with the target thickness and density. At this point, the self-healing tire 1 is complete.

[0045] refer to Figure 5 Before step S3, a positioning plate 4 can be further provided on each of the two inner sidewalls 32 of the inner surface 30 of the tire body 10, but this is not limited. This is to prevent the self-healing noise reduction layer material 40a from flowing outward from the inner top wall 31, and to ensure that the self-healing noise reduction layer material 40a solidifies only on the inner top wall 31. Figure 5 As shown.

[0046] exist Figure 9 and Figure 10 The embodiment shown is the second embodiment of this utility model. This embodiment has most of the same structure as the first embodiment, so the same elements are given the same symbols and will not be described again. The main difference between the second embodiment of this utility model and the first embodiment is that, in this embodiment, in addition to providing at least one self-healing noise reduction layer 40, at least one noise reduction layer 50 is also provided at the inner top wall 31 of the inner surface 30 of the tire. The self-healing noise reduction layer 40 and the noise reduction layer 50 are stacked and connected to each other and solidified at the inner top wall 31 of the inner surface 30 of the tire, forming a multi-layer structure with a corresponding front layer and a rear layer.

[0047] In this embodiment, each of the self-healing and noise-reducing layers 40 is primarily responsible for providing a self-healing sealing function, while each of the noise-reducing layers 50 is primarily responsible for absorbing noise. This layered design allows for the selection of the most suitable materials for different functions, thereby optimizing overall performance.

[0048] Each noise reduction layer 50 is formed by continuously laying and solidifying a fluid-like noise reduction layer material 50a in a ring shape. The composition of the noise reduction layer material 50a may include 8.8wt% tri-functional polyether polyol, 12wt% Graft tri-functional polyether polyol, 24wt% di-functional polyether polyol, 20wt% isocyanate, 32wt% filler, 0.8wt% anti-settling agent, 0.24wt% catalyst, and 2.16wt% dehydrating agent, but is not limited thereto. When the noise reduction layer 50 is an integrally molded non-foamed body, the thickness of the noise reduction layer 50 is 1mm to 100mm. When the noise reduction layer 50 is an integrally molded foamed body, the thickness of the noise reduction layer 50 is 0.5mm to 50mm.

[0049] The manufacturing method of the second embodiment of this utility model is largely the same as that of the first embodiment, but there are more variations in step S3, which are described below: (Refer to...) Figure 6 and Figure 7 During manufacturing, at least one fluid material injection device 3 (or the same device but with material replacement in batches) is used to alternately inject and lay the self-healing noise-reducing layer material 40a and the noise-reducing layer material 50a onto the rotating inner top wall 31. Figure 6 and Figure 7 In the illustrated embodiment, two fluid material infusion devices 3, each containing the self-healing noise reduction layer material 40a and the noise reduction layer material 50a respectively, are disclosed in turn. However, this is not a limitation. In this way, two different materials can be alternately infused onto the inner top wall 31. For example, in a specific embodiment, one layer of the self-healing noise reduction layer material 40a can be infused first. After it has initially solidified (i.e., after a solidification time), another layer of the noise reduction layer material 50a can be infused. After the noise reduction layer material 50a has solidified, another layer of the self-healing noise reduction layer material 40a can be infused, and so on. This allows the self-healing noise reduction layer material 40a and each noise reduction layer material 50a to be stacked and connected at the inner top wall 31 and solidified into a multi-layer structure with a corresponding relationship between the previous layer and the next layer, consisting of at least one self-healing noise reduction layer 40 and at least one noise reduction layer 50.

[0050] Thus, the self-healing noise reduction layer material 40a, the noise reduction layer material 50a, and another self-healing noise reduction layer material 40a can be sequentially poured in to form a three-layer stacked structure containing the self-healing noise reduction layer 40, the noise reduction layer 50, and another self-healing noise reduction layer 40 in sequence. Alternatively, the noise reduction layer material 50a, the self-healing noise reduction layer material 40a, and another noise reduction layer material 50a can be sequentially poured in to form a three-layer stacked structure containing the noise reduction layer 50, the self-healing noise reduction layer 40, and another noise reduction layer 50 in sequence. As can be seen from the above, the stacking order of the multi-layer structure composed of at least one self-healing noise reduction layer 40 and at least one noise reduction layer 50 can be adjusted according to product design requirements.

[0051] The self-healing tire 1 provided in the second embodiment of this utility model is a tire with a composite layer structure, which is designed to provide more customized performance and help improve the competitiveness of the product.

[0052] The above are merely preferred embodiments of the present utility model and are illustrative rather than restrictive. Those skilled in the art will understand that many changes, modifications, and even equivalent alterations can be made within the spirit and scope defined by the claims of the present utility model, but all such changes will fall within the protection scope of the present utility model.

Claims

1. A self-healing tire with an integrally molded self-healing noise reduction layer, characterized in that, Include: A tire body, the interior of which defines a hollow space for accommodating a wheel rim; A tire contacts the ground, which is located on an outer peripheral surface of the tire body; An inner surface of a tire, which is disposed inside the tire body relative to the tire contact surface, and the inner surface of the tire includes a ring-shaped inner top wall and two inner side walls extending from both sides of the inner top wall; and A self-healing noise reduction layer is formed by continuously laying and solidifying a fluid self-healing noise reduction layer material in a ring on the inner top wall of the tire. The self-healing noise reduction layer is an integrally molded foam or an integrally molded non-foam with a density between 0.7 gm / cc and 1.8 gm / cc.

2. The self-healing tire as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The thickness of the self-healing noise reduction layer is more than 1 mm.

3. A self-healing tire with an integrally molded self-healing and noise-reducing layer, characterized in that, Include: A tire body, the interior of which defines a hollow space for accommodating a wheel rim; A tire contacts the ground, which is located on an outer peripheral surface of the tire body; An inner surface of a tire is disposed inside the tire body relative to the tire contact surface, and the inner surface of the tire includes a ring-shaped inner top wall and two inner side walls extending from both sides of the inner top wall. At least one self-healing noise reduction layer, each of which is formed by continuously laying and solidifying a fluid self-healing noise reduction material in a ring shape on the inner top wall of the tire, and each of which is a monolithically molded foam or a monolithically molded non-foam material with a density between 0.7 gm / cc and 1.8 gm / cc; and At least one noise reduction layer, each of which is formed by continuously laying and solidifying a fluid noise reduction layer material in a ring shape on the inner top wall of the tire. Each of the self-healing noise reduction layers is solidified and bonded to the inner top wall of the tire, stacked and connected to each other, forming a multi-layer structure with each of the noise reduction layers corresponding to each other as a preceding layer and a following layer.

4. The self-healing tire as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The multi-layer structure also includes two-layer stacked structures or three-layer stacked structures.

5. The self-healing tire as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The thickness of the self-healing noise reduction layer is more than 1 mm.

6. The self-sealing tire as described in claim 3, characterized in that, When each noise reduction layer is a monolithic non-foamed material, the thickness of each noise reduction layer is 1mm to 100mm; when each noise reduction layer is a monolithic foamed material, the thickness of each noise reduction layer is 0.5mm to 50mm.

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