Tire capable of realizing improvement of rigidity and reduction of noise

Abstract

To provide a tire capable of realizing improvement of rigidity and reduction of noise.SOLUTION: A tire includes a tire body and a plurality of tread pattern structures. The tire body has a tread. The plurality of tread pattern structures each have a pattern block and one or more step-wise blocks. The pattern block has a forth tread part and a back tread part. The forth tread part goes in the revolving direction of the tire, and the back tread part goes in an opposite direction to the revolving direction of the tire. The step-wise block is connected to the back tread part of the pattern block, and has a height smaller than that of the pattern block. Due to the structure feature, the tire can improve rigidity of the tread, and stability at high-speed travel via the step-wise block, and simultaneously, reduce noise caused by abrasion of the tread.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a tire, particularly a tire capable of improving rigidity and reducing noise.

Background Art

[0002] In the tire disclosed in Patent Document 1, a plurality of pattern blocks are arranged on the tread. At least one pattern block has a tread portion, a front tread portion, and a rear tread portion. The front tread portion is formed by extending inward from the front edge of the tread portion. The rear tread portion is formed by extending inward from the rear edge of the tread portion and has a front end portion and a root portion. The front end portion is inclined from the rear tread portion. The root portion extends inward continuously with the front end portion. The above-described structural features can maintain traction and improve stability during braking, but cannot increase the rigidity of the tread or reduce the noise caused by tread wear.

[0003] In the pneumatic tire disclosed in Patent Document 2, a plurality of pattern blocks are arranged on the tread. Each pattern block has a portion where the thickness gradually decreases in the overlapping area, that is, a portion where the thickness of at least two pattern blocks gradually decreases. The above-described structural features can ensure mud performance and traction, but cannot increase the rigidity of the tread or reduce the noise caused by tread wear.

[0004] In the tire disclosed in Patent Document 3, a plurality of blocks are arranged on the tread. Each block has a contact surface, a rear end surface, a front guide surface, and two longitudinal surfaces. The front guide surface has a stepped portion, and the wear resistance of the tire is improved by the stepped portion. However, the above-described structural features cannot increase the rigidity of the tread or reduce the noise caused by tread wear.

[0005] The tire disclosed in Patent Document 4 has a tread and a grounding portion. The grounding portion has a grounding side wall surface facing the outer peripheral groove. The grounding side wall surface has a first surface, a second surface, and a stepped portion between the first surface and the second surface, and the stepped portion improves the snow road running performance. However, the above-described structural features cannot increase the rigidity of the tread or reduce the noise caused by the wear of the tread.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0006]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Patent Document 4

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0007] The main object of the present invention is to provide a tire that can improve rigidity and stability during high-speed driving, and at the same time reduce the noise generated by the impact with the road surface.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0008] To solve the above-mentioned problems, the tire includes a tire body and a plurality of tread pattern structures. The tire body has a tread. The plurality of tread pattern structures are arranged at the center of the tread of the tire body and along the rotation direction of the tire, and each has a pattern block and one or more stepped blocks. The pattern block has a front tread portion and a rear tread portion. The front tread portion faces the rotation direction of the tire. The rear tread portion faces the direction opposite to the rotation direction of the tire. The one or more stepped blocks are connected to the rear tread portion of the pattern block and have a height smaller than the height of the pattern block.

[0009] Specifically, in the tire according to the present invention, since the stepped blocks are connected to the trailing edge portions of the pattern blocks, they support the pattern blocks during running, and at the same time, effectively suppress the deformation of the tread due to high-speed centrifugal force, not only improving the rigidity of the tread and the stability during high-speed running, but also suppressing the vibration generated by the impact between the tread and the road surface and reducing the noise.

[0010] In a relatively preferable case, each pattern block further has a groove. Since the groove is arranged to extend along the center of the pattern block and in the tire rotation direction, the off-road performance can be improved by the soil fitting into the groove.

[0011] In a relatively preferable case, each tread pattern structure has two stepped blocks, namely a first stepped block and a second stepped block. The first stepped block is connected between the pattern block and the second stepped block, and its height is greater than that of the second stepped block. Due to the structural characteristics of the first stepped block and the second stepped block, the rigidity of the tread and the stability during high-speed running can be further improved, and at the same time, the noise generated by the impact between the tread and the road surface can be reduced.

[0012] In a relatively preferable case, the arc length of the second stepped block is shorter than that of the first stepped block. That is, by the design of gradually reducing the arc length, the power can be concentrated and the stability can be improved.

[0013] In a relatively preferable case, each tread pattern structure is evenly distributed at intervals along the tire rotation direction, so that the off-road performance can be improved by the soil fitting into the space between two adjacent tread pattern structures.

[0014] In a relatively preferable case, each pattern block is a polygon that can guide the direction.

[0015] The detailed structure, features, assembly, or usage method of the tire capable of achieving improved rigidity and reduced noise according to the present invention will be clarified through the following detailed description of the embodiments. Also, the following detailed description and the embodiments presented by the present invention are merely examples for explaining the present invention, and it should be understandable to those with common sense in the field related to the present invention that they cannot limit the claims of the present invention.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0016]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5a

Figure 5b

Figure 6

Figure 7

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0017] Hereinafter, a tire capable of achieving improved rigidity and reduced noise according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the specification and the drawings, the directional terms are expressed based on the directions in the drawings. The same reference numerals indicate the structural features of the same parts or similar parts.

[0018] (One Embodiment) As shown in FIG. 1, a tire 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention advances forward and rolls along a rotation direction D around a rotation axis A, and includes a tire body 20, a plurality of tread pattern structures 30, and a plurality of shoulder pattern structures 40.

[0019] The tire body 20 has a tread 22, two sidewalls 24, and two shoulders 26. Each shoulder 26 is connected between the tread 22 and the sidewall 24.

[0020] The plurality of tread pattern structures 30 are evenly arranged at the center of the tread 22 of the tire body 20 and along the rotation direction D of the tire. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, each tread pattern structure 30 has a pattern block 31 and a groove 32. The pattern block 31 presents a polygon and is arranged symmetrically left and right facing the equatorial plane E of the tire 10. The equatorial plane E is perpendicular to the rotation axis A of the tire 10 and penetrates the central plane of the tread 22. The groove 32 extends from the center of the pattern block 31 along the rotation direction D of the tire 10 and penetrates the equatorial plane E. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the pattern block 31 has a leading tread surface 312, a trailing tread surface 314, and a contact surface 316. The leading tread surface 312 faces the rotation direction D of the tire 10. The trailing tread surface 314 faces the direction opposite to the rotation direction D of the tire 10. The contact surface 316 connects the leading tread surface 312 and the trailing tread surface 314. Each pattern block 31 further has a first stepped block 33 and a second stepped block 34. The first stepped block 33 is connected between the trailing tread surface 314 of the pattern block 31 and the second stepped block 34 and has a contact surface 332 that contacts the road surface. The second stepped block 34 has a contact surface 342 that contacts the road surface. As shown in FIG. 4, the height H1 of the first stepped block 33 is smaller than the height H3 of the pattern block 31 and larger than the height H2 of the second stepped block 34. In the present embodiment, the height H1 is twice the height H2. As shown in FIG. 3, the arc length W2 of the second stepped block 34 is shorter than the arc length W1 of the first stepped block 33. In the present embodiment, the arc length W2 is 0.75 to 0.8 times the arc length W2. That is, the first stepped block 33 and the second stepped block are arranged in a manner of gradually decreasing width, and an angle θ is formed between the outer end surface 334 of the first stepped block 33 and the rotation direction D and between the outer end surface 344 of the second stepped block 34 and the rotation direction D. In the present embodiment, the angle θ is between 5 and 30 degrees.

[0021] The two shoulder pattern structures 40 and the two shoulders 26 of the tread 22 are joined together and connected. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, each shoulder pattern structure 40 has a plurality of polygonal pattern blocks 42. The plurality of pattern blocks 42 are evenly arranged along the rotation direction D of the tire 10 to maintain stability during direction change.

[0022] When the tire 10 moves forward and rolls along the rotation direction D, first the front tread surface portion 312 of the pattern block 31 of the tread pattern structure 30 contacts the road surface, and then the contact surface 316 of the pattern block 31 of the tread pattern structure 30 contacts the road surface. Subsequently, depending on the road conditions, the contact surface 332 of the first stepped block 33 and the contact surface 342 of the second stepped block 34 or one of them contacts the road surface. The first stepped block 33 and the second stepped block 34 can not only effectively suppress the deformation of the tread 22 due to high-speed centrifugal force and improve the rigidity of the tread 22 and the stability during high-speed driving, but also suppress the vibration generated by the impact between the tread 22 and the road surface and reduce the noise. Also, since the first stepped block 33 and the second stepped block 34 are arranged in a manner of gradually decreasing the arc length, the power can be concentrated to improve the stability during high-speed driving. Also, when the tire 10 moves forward and rolls along the rotation direction D, the off-road performance can be improved by the soil fitting into the groove 32. Also, since there is a space S (see FIG. 4) where the soil fits in between two adjacent tread pattern structures 30 and they are not connected to each other, the off-road performance can be improved.

[0023] As shown in Fig. 5a, the different cross-sections P1 to P7 are planes that are perpendicular to the equatorial plane E and are located at positions where a 1.5 cm width is equally divided into seven parts. As shown in Fig. 5b, as a result of testing under the test conditions of a wind pressure of 180 kPa and a load of 130 kgf, it was found that the longitudinal rigidity of the tire 10 having a stepped portion is higher than that of a conventional tire without the stepped portion. As shown in Fig. 6, as a result of testing under the test conditions of the JASO C606 standard, a wind pressure of 180 kPa, and a load of 130 kgf, it was found that the noise generated in the tread of the tire 10 having a stepped portion is lower than the noise generated in the tread of a conventional tire without the stepped portion. Also, as shown in Fig. 7, it was found that in the medium frequency band (200 - 2000 Hz), the noise generated in the tread of the tire 10 having a stepped portion is lower than the noise generated in the tread of a conventional tire without the stepped portion. In other words, compared with a conventional tire without a stepped portion, the tire 10 according to the present invention has relatively good tread rigidity and has the effect of reducing the noise generated in the tread.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0024] 10: Tire 20: Tire body 22: Tread 24: Sidewall 26: Shoulder 30: Tread pattern structure 31: Pattern block 312: Front tread surface 314: Rear tread surface 316: Contact surface 32: Groove 33: First stepped block 332: Contact surface 334: Outer end surface 34: Second stepped block 342: Contact surface 344: Outer end surface 40: Shoulder pattern structure 42: Pattern block A: Axis of rotation D: Direction of rotation E: Equatorial plane H1: Height of the first stepped block H2: Height of the second stepped block H3: Height of the pattern block P1 to P7: Cross-section S: Space W1: Arc length of the first stepped block W2: Arc length of the second stepped block

Claims

1. Comprising a tire body and a plurality of tread pattern structures, wherein the tire body has a tread, the plurality of tread pattern structures are arranged along the center of the tread of the tire body and in the rotational direction of the tire, each having a pattern block and one or more stepped blocks, the pattern block having a leading tread surface and a trailing tread surface, the leading tread surface facing the rotational direction of the tire, the trailing tread surface facing the direction opposite to the rotational direction of the tire, and one or more of the stepped blocks being connected to the trailing tread surface of the pattern block and having a height smaller than the height of the pattern block. A tire characterized by this.

2. Each of the pattern blocks further has a groove, and the groove is arranged so as to extend along the center of the pattern block and in the rotational direction of the tire. The tire according to Claim 1, characterized by this.

3. Each of the tread pattern structures has two of the stepped blocks, namely a first stepped block and a second stepped block, the first stepped block being connected between the pattern block and the second stepped block and having a height greater than the height of the second stepped block. The tire according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, characterized by this.

4. The height of the first stepped block is twice the height of the second stepped block. The tire according to Claim 3, characterized by this.

5. The arc length of the second stepped block is shorter than the arc length of the first stepped block. The tire according to Claim 3, characterized by this.

6. The arc length of the second stepped block is 0.75 to 0.8 times the arc length of the first stepped block. The tire according to Claim 5, characterized by this.

7. Each of the tread pattern structures is distributed at equal intervals along the rotational direction of the tire. The tire according to Claim 1, characterized by this.

8. Each of the pattern blocks is polygonal. The tire according to Claim 1, characterized by this.

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