Pneumatic tire and tire mounting method

Abstract

To suppress deterioration of balance characteristics of a pneumatic tire in which emblem parts are disposed on external surfaces of side walls.SOLUTION: A pneumatic tire 10 includes: first emblem parts 40A, 41A, 42A, 43A disposed on the surface of a side wall 16A on one side of a tire axial direction; and second emblem parts 40B, 41B, 42B, 43B disposed on the surface of a side wall 16B on the other side of the tire axial direction. The first emblem parts 40A, 41A, 42A, 43A have a recessed shape recessed to the surface of the side wall 16A. The second emblem parts 40B, 41B, 42B, 43B have a projecting shape projecting to the surface of the side wall 16B, and are disposed in positions where they are overlapped on the first emblem parts 40A, 41A, 42A, 43A in the tire axial direction WD.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a pneumatic tire and a tire mounting method. [Background technology]

[0002] In a pneumatic tire, the sidewall is the part that faces the outside of the vehicle when the tire is mounted on the vehicle, so it may be affixed with markings such as letters, symbols, or figures indicating the manufacturer name, brand name, etc. (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] Such markings are represented by, for example, protrusions protruding from the outer surface of the sidewall or recesses recessed into the outer surface of the sidewall, which may result in a difference in the amount of rubber between the area where the markings are provided and the area where the markings are not provided. Such a difference in the amount of rubber may deteriorate the balance characteristics of the tire and affect vibrations during driving. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2020-1666 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and has an object to suppress deterioration of balance characteristics in a pneumatic tire having a marking on the outer surface of the sidewall. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The pneumatic tire of this embodiment has a first marking portion provided on the surface of a sidewall on one side in the tire axial direction, and a second marking portion provided on the surface of the sidewall on the other side in the tire width direction, wherein the first marking portion has a concave shape that is recessed into the surface of the sidewall, and the second marking portion has a convex shape that protrudes from the surface of the sidewall, and is provided at a position that overlaps with the first marking portion in the tire axial direction. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to suppress deterioration of balance characteristics of a pneumatic tire having a marking on the outer surface of a sidewall. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a cross-sectional view of a pneumatic tire according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] 2A is a side view of one side of the pneumatic tire in the tire axial direction of FIG. 1 , and FIG. 2B is a side view of the other side of the pneumatic tire in the tire axial direction of FIG. 1 . [Diagram 3] Enlarged cross-sectional view of a main portion of a sidewall on one side of a tire in the axial direction [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main portion of a sidewall on the other side in the axial direction of the tire. [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is a side view of one side in the tire axial direction of a pneumatic tire according to a modified example of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0010] As shown in FIG. 1, a pneumatic tire 10 according to one embodiment includes a tread 12 forming a contact surface, a pair of left and right beads 14A, 14B, and a pair of left and right sidewalls 16A, 16B interposed between the tread 12 and the beads 14A, 14B.

[0011] The internal structure of the pneumatic tire 10 can be a known structure and is not particularly limited, but in this example, it includes a carcass ply 18 extending toroidally between the left and right beads 14A, 14B, and a belt 20 arranged on the outer circumferential side of the carcass ply 18 in the tread 12 (i.e., on the outer side in the tire radial direction).

[0012] The pneumatic tire 10 has different markings and serrations provided on the sidewalls 16A, 16B on one side and the other side in the tire axial direction, but other configurations are symmetrical with respect to the tire equatorial plane CL.

[0013] In this specification, the tire axial direction WD is a direction parallel to the axis of rotation of the tire as a rotating body, and is synonymous with the tire width direction, and is indicated by the symbol WD in the drawings. The tire radial direction (radial direction) refers to the radial direction of rotation of the tire as a rotating body, and is indicated by the symbol RD in the drawings. The tire circumferential direction refers to the circumferential direction of rotation of the tire as a rotating body, and is indicated by the symbol CD in the drawings.

[0014] The outer surfaces of the pair of left and right sidewalls 16A, 16B are provided with band-like regions 22A, 22B extending in the tire circumferential direction CD. In this example, the band-like regions 22A, 22B are regions that have a constant width and extend all around in the tire circumferential direction CD.

[0015] More specifically, as shown in Figures 1 and 2(a) and (b), the sidewalls 16A, 16B are regions sandwiched between the tread 12 and rim protector ridges 25A, 25B provided on the tops of the rim protectors 24A, 24B. The rim protector ridges 25A, 25B are groove-shaped ridges formed by saw cutting in a tire mold.

[0016] In this example, the outer surface of the sidewalls 16A, 16B is composed of annular labeling areas 27A, 27B for displaying regulatory labeling, which are arranged adjacent to the outer periphery of the rim protector protrusions 25A, 25B, the above-mentioned annular band areas 22A, 22B arranged adjacent to the outer periphery of the labeling areas 27A, 27B, and outer band areas 29A, 29B arranged adjacent to the outer periphery of the band areas 22A, 22B.

[0017] 1, a protrusion formed by a groove-shaped saw cut in the tire mold may be formed at the boundaries 28A, 28B between the labeling regions 27A, 27B and the band-shaped regions 22A, 22B, but such a protrusion may not be present, or a recessed groove extending all around in the tire circumferential direction CD may be formed. Also, parting lines 26A, 26B that are dividing lines between the tread mold and the sidewall mold in the tire mold may be formed at the boundaries between the band-shaped regions 22A, 22B and the outer band-shaped regions 29A, 29B.

[0018] 2(a), a plurality of first marking portions 40A, 41A, 42A, 43A are provided at intervals in the tire circumferential direction CD in the band-like region 22A of the sidewall 16A on one axial side of the tire. In this embodiment, the plurality of first marking portions 40A, 41A, 42A, 43A are provided in this order in the tire circumferential direction CD with a non-patterned portion 34A having a smooth surface without protrusions or the like interposed therebetween.

[0019] The first marking portions 40A, 41A, 42A, 43A are made up of letters, numbers, symbols, figures, etc., and display various information such as the tire manufacturer, brand, type, size, etc.

[0020] As shown in Fig. 3, the first marking portions 40A, 41A, 42A, 43A are recessed relative to the outer surface of the sidewall 16A, i.e., the unpatterned portion 34A. The first marking portions 40A, 41A, 42A, 43A may have a number of ridges 46, which are protruding stripes protruding from a bottom surface 45, arranged at regular intervals. The height of the ridges 46 is preferably lower than the depth of the first marking portions 40A, 41A, 42A, 43A, and therefore, in a preferred embodiment, the ridges 46 are formed lower than the outer surface of the sidewall 16A. The cross-sectional shape of the ridges 46 is not particularly limited and may be, for example, a trapezoid, a triangular shape, a rectangular shape, or a semicircular shape.

[0021] The multiple first marking portions 40A, 41A, 42A, 43A are preferably arranged such that the other first marking portions 40A, 41A, 42A, 43A are positioned opposite each other across the tire rotation axis. Also, it is preferable that the mutually opposing first marking portions are made of the same letters, numbers, symbols, figures, etc.

[0022] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2(a), the first marking portion 40A is positioned opposite the first marking portion 42A across the tire rotation axis, and the first marking portion 41A is positioned opposite the first marking portion 43A across the tire rotation axis, and the opposing first marking portion 40A and first marking portion 41A, and the first marking portion 41A and first marking portion 43A, are composed of the same character string.

[0023] In other words, when the first mark portion 40A is rotated 180 degrees around the tire rotation axis, the first mark portion 40A and the first mark portion 42A are arranged in the band-shaped region 22A so as to overlap with the first mark portion 42A, and when the first mark portion 41A is rotated 180 degrees around the tire rotation axis, the first mark portion 41A and the first mark portion 43A are arranged in the band-shaped region 22A so as to overlap with the second mark portion 43B.

[0024] The outer band-like region 29A of the sidewall 16A on one side in the tire axial direction is provided with a first serration 47 consisting of a number of ridges protruding from the outer surface of the sidewall 16A. The first serration 47 is, for example, provided with a number of ridges extending along the tire radial direction at intervals in the tire circumferential direction CD.

[0025] As shown in Fig. 5, first serrations 50 consisting of a large number of ridges may be provided in some of the areas of the band-shaped region 22A where the first marking portions 40A, 41A, 42A, 43A are not provided, for example, between the first marking portions 40A and 41A, 41A and 42A, 42A and 43A, and 43A and 40A, to the extent that the tire balance characteristics are not deteriorated. The first serrations 50 provided in the band-shaped region 22A may be ridges similar to the first serrations 47 in the outer band-shaped region 29A protruding from the outer surface of the sidewall 16A. Although Fig. 5 shows an embodiment in which additional serrations are provided in the outer band-shaped region 29A and in some of the band-shaped region 22A, the first serrations may be provided only in the band-shaped region 22A. Furthermore, the shape of the area of ​​the band-like region 22A where the first serration 50 is provided when viewed from the axial direction of the tire may adopt any decorative pattern, and may be, for example, a flat shape with one side gently curved as shown in Figure 5, and is not particularly limited to a specific shape.

[0026] 2(b), the band-like region 22B of the sidewall 16B on the other axial side of the tire is provided with a plurality of second marking portions 40B, 41B, 42B, 43B spaced apart in the tire circumferential direction CD. In this embodiment, the second marking portions 40B, 41B, 42B, 43B are arranged in this order at intervals in the tire circumferential direction CD.

[0027] As shown in Figures 2 and 4, the multiple second marking portions 40B, 41B, 42B, 43B consist of convex letters, numbers, symbols, figures, etc. that protrude from the outer surface of the sidewall 16B, and display various information such as the tire manufacturer, brand, variety, size, etc.

[0028] The second markings 40B, 41B, 42B, and 43B are provided at positions overlapping in the tire axial direction WD with the first markings 40A, 41A, 42A, and 43A provided in the band-shaped region 22A of the sidewall 16A on one axial side of the tire.

[0029] In other words, the second mark portion 40B is positioned at a position overlapping with the first mark portion 40A when projected in the tire axial direction WD toward the band-shaped region 22A, the second mark portion 41B is positioned at a position overlapping with the first mark portion 41A when projected in the tire axial direction WD toward the band-shaped region 22A, the second mark portion 42B is positioned at a position overlapping with the first mark portion 42A when projected in the tire axial direction WD toward the band-shaped region 22A, and the second mark portion 43B is positioned at a position overlapping with the first mark portion 43A when projected in the tire axial direction WD toward the band-shaped region 22A.

[0030] In addition, the second marking portion 40B is positioned opposite the second marking portion 42B across the tire rotation axis, and the second marking portion 41B is positioned opposite the second marking portion 43B across the tire rotation axis, and the second marking portion 40B and the second marking portion 41B, and the second marking portion 41B and the second marking portion 43B, which are opposed to each other, are composed of the same character string.

[0031] In this embodiment, the second mark portion 40B is composed of the same character string as the first mark portion 40A, the second mark portion 41B is composed of the same character string as the first mark portion 41A, the second mark portion 42B is composed of the same character string as the first mark portion 42A, and the second mark portion 43B is composed of the same character string as the first mark portion 43A, and when the second mark portions 40B, 41B, 42B, and 43B are projected in the tire axial direction WD, they coincide with the first mark portions 40A, 41A, 42A, and 43A. However, the second mark portions 40B, 41B, 42B, and 43B only need to be arranged so as to overlap at least a portion of the first mark portions 40A, 41A, 42A, and 43A in the tire axial direction WD, and may be letters, numbers, symbols, figures, etc. different from the first mark portions 40A, 41A, 42A, and 43A.

[0032] In the present embodiment, a case will be described in which four of the first marking portions 40A, 41A, 42A, 43A and four of the second marking portions 40B, 41B, 42B, 43B are provided on the surface of each of the sidewalls 16A and 16B, but any number of first marking portions and second marking portions may be provided on the surface of each of the sidewalls 16A and 16B. Preferably, two or more of the first marking portions and second marking portions are provided on the surface of each of the first sidewalls 16A and 16B.

[0033] The amount of depression of the first markings 40A, 41A, 42A, and 43A from the surface of the sidewall 16A and the amount of protrusion of the second markings 40B, 41B, 42B, and 43B from the surface of the sidewall 16B are not particularly limited. For example, the amount of depression may be 0.2 to 1.0 mm, and the amount of protrusion may be 0.2 to 3.0 mm.

[0034] As shown in Fig. 2(b), second serrations 48 consisting of multiple ridges protruding from the outer surface of the sidewall 16B may be provided in the entire area or at least a part of the area in the band-shaped region 22B where the second marking portions 40B, 41B, 42B, 43B are not provided. Also, the outer band-shaped region 29B may be provided with second serrations 49 consisting of multiple ridges protruding from the outer surface of the sidewall 16B. As a result, in this embodiment, the area of ​​the second serrations 48, 49 provided in the sidewall 16B on the other axial side of the tire is larger than the area of ​​the first serrations 47 provided in the sidewall 16A on one axial side of the tire.

[0035] For example, a number of ridges extending along the tire radial direction are provided at intervals in the tire circumferential direction CD in the second serrations 48, 49. In this embodiment, the ridges provided in the second serrations 48 are connected to the ridges provided in the second serrations 49 to form a continuous ridge.

[0036] The cross-sectional shape of the ridges provided on the first serrations 47 and the second serrations 48, 49 is not particularly limited and may be, for example, a trapezoid, a triangle, a rectangle, or a semicircular shape. The height of the ridges provided on the first serrations 47 and the second serrations 48, 49 is also not particularly limited and may be, for example, 0.2 to 1.0 mm. The width of the ridges is also not particularly limited and may be, for example, 0.2 to 2.0 mm. The pitch interval of the ridges (the shortest distance between the centers of two adjacent ridges) is also not particularly limited and may be, for example, 0.3 to 3.0 mm.

[0037] In the pneumatic tire 10 of this embodiment, a concave first marking portion 40A, 41A, 42A, 43A is provided on the surface of the sidewall 16A on one side in the tire axial direction, and a convex second marking portion 40B, 41B, 42B, 43B is provided on the surface of the sidewall 16B on the other side in the tire axial direction at a position overlapping with the first marking portion in the tire axial direction WD.

[0038] As a result, even if convex or concave marking portions are provided on the surfaces of sidewalls 16A, 16B, the amount of rubber is offset between the first marking portions 40A, 41A, 42A, 43A and the second marking portions 40B, 41B, 42B, 43B, which are arranged in a position that overlaps with the tire axial direction WD, so that the weight in the tire circumferential direction CD is made uniform and deterioration of balance characteristics is suppressed.

[0039] Furthermore, in the pneumatic tire 10 of this embodiment, the first marking portions 40A, 41A, 42A, 43A are arranged at intervals in the tire circumferential direction so as to face each other on either side of the tire rotation axis, and the second marking portions 40B, 41B, 42B, 43B are arranged at intervals in the tire circumferential direction so as to face each other on either side of the tire rotation axis, thereby suppressing deterioration of the tire balance characteristics.

[0040] When the pneumatic tire 10 of the present embodiment described above is mounted on a four-wheel vehicle, it is preferable to mount the tire on each of the front left and front right wheels so that the first marking portions 40A, 41A, 42A, 43A provided on the sidewall 16A on one axial side of the tire face outward from the four-wheel vehicle, or alternatively, to mount the tire on each of the front left and front right wheels so that the second marking portions 40B, 41B, 42B, 43B provided on the sidewall 16B on the other axial side of the tire face outward from the four-wheel vehicle.

[0041] By providing a concave first marking portion 40A, 41A, 42A, 43A on sidewall 16A on one side in the axial direction of the tire and providing a convex second marking portion 40B, 41B, 42B, 43B on sidewall 16B on the other side in the axial direction of the tire, a pneumatic tire 10 having a bias in the tire weight in the axial direction WD is mounted on a four-wheeled vehicle in the above manner, so that the lateral forces (conicity) acting on the left and right wheels of the four-wheeled vehicle while traveling cancel each other out, thereby improving the straight-line stability of the vehicle while traveling.

[0042] The above-described embodiment is presented as an example and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. This novel embodiment can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0043] Reference Signs List 10...pneumatic tire, 12...tread, 14A...bead, 14B...bead, 16A...sidewall, 16B...sidewall, 22A...banded region, 22B...banded region, 27A...labeling region, 27B...labeling region, 29A...outer banded region, 29B...outer banded region, 34A...plain portion, 40A, 41A, 42A, 43A...first marking portion, 40B, 41B, 42B, 43B...second marking portion, 45...bottom surface, 46...ridge, 47...first serration, 48...second serration, 49...second serration, 50...first serration, CD...tire circumferential direction, WD...tire axial direction

Claims

1. A pneumatic tire having a first marking portion provided on a surface of a sidewall on one side in the tire axial direction and a second marking portion provided on a surface of a sidewall on the other side in the tire axial direction, The first marking portion has a concave shape recessed relative to a surface of the sidewall, The second marking portion has a convex shape that protrudes from the surface of the sidewall, and is provided at a position that overlaps with the first marking portion in the tire axial direction.

2. A plurality of the first marking portions are provided at intervals in the tire circumferential direction so as to face each other across the tire rotation axis, The pneumatic tire according to claim 1 , wherein a plurality of the second marking portions are provided at intervals in the tire circumferential direction so as to face each other across the tire rotation axis.

3. a first serration consisting of a plurality of protrusions arranged at intervals on a surface of a sidewall on one side in the axial direction of the tire; and a second serration consisting of a plurality of protrusions arranged at intervals on a surface of a sidewall on the other side in the axial direction of the tire, 3. The pneumatic tire according to claim 1, wherein an area of ​​the first serrations provided on a surface of a sidewall on one axial side of the tire is smaller than an area of ​​the second serrations provided on a surface of a sidewall on the other axial side of the tire.

4. a ring-shaped band-like region on a surface of a sidewall on one axial side of the tire, and an outer band-like region provided adjacent to an outer periphery of the ring-shaped band-like region, 4. The tire according to claim 3, wherein the first marking portion is provided in the annular band-like region, and the first serrations are provided in the outer band-like region.

5. a ring-shaped band-like region on a surface of a sidewall on the other side in the tire axial direction; 5. The tire according to claim 3, wherein the second marking portion is provided in the annular band-like region, and the second serrations are provided in at least a portion of the band-like region where the second marking portion is not provided.

6. The tire further includes an outer band-shaped region provided adjacent to an outer periphery of the annular band-shaped region on the surface of the sidewall on the other side in the axial direction, The tire of claim 5 , wherein the second serrations are provided in the outer banded region.

7. A method for mounting the pneumatic tire according to any one of claims 1 to 6 on a front wheel of a four-wheel vehicle, comprising: A tire mounting method for mounting pneumatic tires on each of a front left wheel and a front right wheel of the four-wheel vehicle such that the first marking portion faces toward the outside of the four-wheel vehicle or the second marking portion faces toward the outside of the four-wheel vehicle.

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