Tire set and tire wheel assembly

Abstract

This tire set comprises a plurality of non-pneumatic tires and is configured such that all the non-pneumatic tires constituting the tire set are attached to one wheel. The cross-sectional width of at least one of the plurality of non-pneumatic tires is 75 mm or less (or the ratio of the cross-sectional width w of at least one of the plurality of non-pneumatic tires to the total sum W of the cross-sectional widths of all the non-pneumatic tires is 0.5 or less), and the total sum of the cross-sectional widths of all the non-pneumatic tires is 100 mm or more. This tire wheel assembly is obtained by assembling the tire set to a rim part of the wheel. All the non-pneumatic tires are arranged in a width direction and assembled to the rim part, and a space is provided between the non-pneumatic tires adjacent to each other in the width direction.

Description

Tire set and tire-wheel assembly

[0001] The present invention relates to a tire set consisting of non-pneumatic tires and a tire-wheel assembly consisting of the non-pneumatic tire set and a wheel.

[0002] Conventionally, there has been known a non-pneumatic tire (see, for example, Patent Document 1) that includes a ring member that includes a mounting body that is attached to an axle, an inner cylindrical body that is fitted onto the mounting body, and an outer cylindrical body that surrounds the inner cylindrical body from the outside in the tire radial direction, and a plurality of connecting members that are arranged between the inner cylindrical body and the outer cylindrical body along the tire circumferential direction and that connect these two cylindrical bodies together.

[0003] Conventionally, non-pneumatic tires have been designed to have vertical spring properties comparable to those of pneumatic tires by adjusting the width of the connecting member, etc.

[0004] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-55928

[0005] On the other hand, the connecting member is plate-shaped, and its rigidity in the lateral direction (the width direction of the non-pneumatic tire) is higher than that of a pneumatic tire.

[0006] If the lateral rigidity is high, the ride comfort and NV performance (performance against noise and vibration) will be reduced.

[0007] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a tire set including non-pneumatic tires and a tire-wheel assembly that can reduce lateral stiffness and improve ride comfort and NV performance.

[0008] The gist of the present invention is as follows: (1) A tire set consisting of a plurality of non-pneumatic tires, wherein all of the non-pneumatic tires constituting the tire set are configured to be mounted on one wheel, at least one of the plurality of non-pneumatic tires has a section width of 75 mm or less, and the sum of the section widths of all of the non-pneumatic tires is 100 mm or more.

[0009] (2) A tire set consisting of a plurality of non-pneumatic tires, wherein all of the non-pneumatic tires constituting the tire set are configured to be mounted on one wheel, the ratio of the cross-sectional width w of at least one of the plurality of non-pneumatic tires to the sum W of the cross-sectional widths of all of the non-pneumatic tires is 0.5 or less, and the sum of the cross-sectional widths of all of the non-pneumatic tires is 100 mm or more.

[0010] A tire-wheel assembly comprising the non-pneumatic tire according to (1) or (2) mounted on a rim portion of a wheel, wherein a plurality of the non-pneumatic tires are aligned in the width direction and mounted on the rim portion, and a gap is provided between adjacent non-pneumatic tires in the width direction.

[0011] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a tire set including non-pneumatic tires and a tire-wheel assembly that can reduce lateral stiffness and improve ride comfort and NV performance.

[0012] FIG. 1 is a side view showing the structure of a non-pneumatic tire that constitutes a non-pneumatic tire set according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing a conventional non-pneumatic tire. FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing a non-pneumatic tire set according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of two non-pneumatic tires arranged in the width direction. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of two non-pneumatic tires arranged in the width direction. FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a main part of a tire-wheel assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a main part of a tire-wheel assembly according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of a tire-wheel assembly according to another example. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of the tire-wheel assembly of FIG. 6. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of the tire-wheel assembly of FIG. 7. FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a main part of the tire-wheel assembly of FIG.

[0013] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0014] <Non-pneumatic tire set> Fig. 1 is a side view showing the structure of a non-pneumatic tire (hereinafter, "non-pneumatic tire" will also be simply referred to as "tire" and "non-pneumatic tire set" will also be simply referred to as "tire set") constituting a non-pneumatic tire set according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 1, this tire 1 includes an inner cylindrical body 2, an outer cylindrical body 3 surrounding the inner cylindrical body 2 from the outer side in the tire radial direction, an elastically deformable connecting member 4 connecting the inner cylindrical body 2 and the outer cylindrical body 3 to each other, and a tread 5 arranged radially outward of the outer cylindrical body 3.

[0015] Fig. 2A is a schematic diagram showing a conventional non-pneumatic tire. As described above, the conventional non-pneumatic tire 91 has high lateral rigidity. Fig. 2B is a schematic diagram showing a non-pneumatic tire set according to one embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of two non-pneumatic tires arranged in the width direction, and Fig. 4 is a perspective view of two non-pneumatic tires arranged in the width direction.

[0016] The non-pneumatic tire set of this embodiment is made up of a plurality of (two in the illustrated example) non-pneumatic tires 1. The number of tires 1 constituting one tire set may be three or more. As will be described later, all of the non-pneumatic tires 1 constituting the tire set are configured to be mounted on one wheel 10.

[0017] In this embodiment, the cross-sectional width (maximum width when viewed in cross section in the tire width direction) of at least one non-pneumatic tire 1 of the multiple non-pneumatic tires 1 constituting a tire set is 75 mm or less. Two or more of the multiple non-pneumatic tires 1 may also have a cross-sectional width of 75 mm or less, or all of the multiple non-pneumatic tires 1 may have a cross-sectional width of 75 mm or less. On the other hand, it is preferable that at least one of the multiple non-pneumatic tires 1 has a cross-sectional width of 20 mm or more. It is preferable that the ratio of the cross-sectional width w of at least one non-pneumatic tire of the multiple non-pneumatic tires to the sum W of the cross-sectional widths of all of the non-pneumatic tires is 0.2 or greater and 0.5 or less.

[0018] In this embodiment, the sum of the cross-sectional widths of all the non-pneumatic tires 1 constituting one tire set is 100 mm or more. It is more preferable that the sum of the cross-sectional widths of all the non-pneumatic tires 1 constituting one tire set is 120 mm or more. On the other hand, it is preferable that the sum of the cross-sectional widths of all the non-pneumatic tires 1 constituting one tire set is 150 mm or less.

[0019] The outer diameter of the non-pneumatic tire 1 is not particularly limited, but can be, for example, 505 to 565 mm. The non-pneumatic tire of the present disclosure is suitably used as a non-pneumatic tire for passenger cars, particularly for small mobility vehicles, etc.

[0020] <Tire-wheel assembly> Fig. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a main part of a tire-wheel assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a main part of a tire-wheel assembly according to another example. Fig. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a main part of a tire-wheel assembly according to yet another example.

[0021] Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a main portion of the tire-wheel assembly of Figure 6, and Figure 9 is a perspective view showing a main portion of the tire-wheel assembly of Figure 6. Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a main portion of the tire-wheel assembly of Figure 7, and Figure 11 is a perspective view showing a main portion of the tire-wheel assembly of Figure 7.

[0022] 5 to 11, a tire-wheel assembly 100 of this embodiment is formed by assembling the tire set of the above-described embodiment onto the rim portion 11 of a wheel 10. That is, all of the non-pneumatic tires 1 (two in the illustrated example) that make up the tire set are aligned in the width direction and assembled onto the rim portion 11. A gap 20 is provided between adjacent non-pneumatic tires 1 in the width direction.

[0023] In the illustrated example, the gap 20 extends continuously in the radial direction. Alternatively, the gap 20 may extend so as to gradually increase from the outer side toward the inner side in the radial direction, as shown in Figures 3 and 4.

[0024] 3 and 4, the connecting member 4 has an inverted trapezoidal shape in a widthwise cross-sectional view. The "inverted" in "inverted trapezoid" here means that, when the radially outer side is the upper side as shown in the figures, the upper side is longer than the lower side. However, in the present disclosure, the cross-sectional shape of the connecting member 4 can be various and is not limited to this example.

[0025] As shown in Figures 5 to 11, this tire-wheel assembly has a gap 21 between the treads 5 of adjacent non-pneumatic tires 1 in the width direction. In the illustrated example, the gap 20 extends to the position of the tread 5, and therefore the gap 21 and the gap 20 are integrated. The width of the gap 21 is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 8 mm to 12 mm. The depth of the space formed by the integrated gap 20 and the gap 21 is preferably approximately the same as the radial length of the connecting member 4. For example, in the case of applications such as compact mobility, the depth is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 80 mm to 120 mm. The gap 20 and the gap 21 function as grooves in the tread 5. Therefore, the gap 20 and the gap 21 having the above-described depth (for example, deeper than that of a pneumatic tire) can improve the drainage performance of the tire.

[0026] In this embodiment, the connecting members 4 of widthwise adjacent non-pneumatic tires 1 are arranged with a phase difference in the circumferential direction. In other words, when the non-pneumatic tires 1 are lined up in the widthwise direction and viewed from the axial direction (widthwise), the connecting member 4 of the front non-pneumatic tire 1 is located circumferentially between the two connecting members 4 of the rear non-pneumatic tire 1.

[0027] 5 shows an example of a dual-wheel structure. In this example, a wheel 10 has a plurality of (two in the illustrated example) rim portions 11 divided in the width direction and a plurality of (two in the illustrated example) discs 12 divided in the width direction. The divided discs 12 are attached to an axle in a state of being in close contact with each other. A plurality of non-pneumatic tires 1 are attached to each of the plurality of rim portions 11.

[0028] 6 to 11 show examples of double tire structures (however, the number of non-pneumatic tires 1 may be three or more, and is not limited to "double"). In these examples, portions of adjacent non-pneumatic tires 1 in the width direction are fixed together by fixing members 13, 14. The fixed multiple non-pneumatic tires 1 are then attached to (one) rim portion 11. In the illustrated examples, the fixing members 13, 14 are insert rings. The insert rings are not particularly limited, but can be made of stainless steel or aluminum.

[0029] In the examples shown in Figures 6, 8 and 9, the insert ring has a T-shaped cross section.

[0030] In the examples shown in Figures 7, 10 and 11, the insert ring has an I-shaped cross section.

[0031] The following describes the effects of the non-pneumatic tire set and tire-wheel assembly of this embodiment. First, regarding the tire set, the tire set of this embodiment is a tire set consisting of a plurality of non-pneumatic tires 1, all of which are configured to be mounted on a single wheel 10, and at least one of the plurality of non-pneumatic tires 1 has a section width of 75 mm or less, and the sum of the section widths of all of the non-pneumatic tires 1 is 100 mm or more. Mounting all of the non-pneumatic tires 1 whose sum of the section widths is 100 mm or more on a single wheel 10 in this manner provides a structure suitable for supporting a predetermined load, such as that of a passenger vehicle. On the other hand, by using a set of multiple non-pneumatic tires 1, at least one of which has a section width of 75 mm or less, rather than using only one non-pneumatic tire with a large section width, it is possible to reduce the lateral rigidity (of the entire set of multiple non-pneumatic tires 1) compared to using only one non-pneumatic tire with a large section width, thereby improving ride comfort and NV performance. In this case, durability and steering stability are hardly degraded. As described above, according to the tire set of this embodiment, when all of the non-pneumatic tires 1 constituting the tire set are mounted on one wheel 10, the lateral rigidity can be reduced, and ride comfort and NV performance can be improved.

[0032] Next, the tire-wheel assembly 100 of this embodiment is formed by assembling the tire set of the above-described embodiment onto the rim portion 11 of the wheel 10. All of the non-pneumatic tires 1 are aligned in the width direction and mounted on the rim portion 11, with a gap 20 between adjacent non-pneumatic tires 1 in the width direction. As described above, the tire-wheel assembly 100 of this embodiment uses a set of non-pneumatic tires 1, at least one of which has a cross-sectional width of 75 mm or less, and by providing a gap 20 between adjacent non-pneumatic tires 1 in the width direction, as described above, the lateral rigidity (of the entire set of non-pneumatic tires 1) can be reduced, thereby improving ride comfort and NV performance. Furthermore, durability and handling stability are hardly degraded. Furthermore, as described above, this structure is also suitable for supporting a predetermined load, such as that of a passenger car. As described above, the tire-wheel assembly of this embodiment can reduce lateral rigidity and improve ride comfort and NV performance.

[0033] In the tire-wheel assembly, it is preferable that the gap 20 extend continuously in the radial direction, in order to more reliably exert the effect of reducing lateral stiffness.

[0034] In addition, in a tire-wheel assembly, it is preferable that the gap 20 gradually increases from the outer side toward the inner side in the radial direction. This is because the width of the tread side can be made wider than the rim side to ensure a sufficient contact area. Furthermore, it is preferable that the connecting member 4 has an inverted trapezoidal shape in a widthwise cross section. This is because the width of the tread side can be made wider than the rim side to ensure a sufficient contact area.

[0035] In addition, in the tire-wheel assembly, it is preferable to have a gap 21 between the treads 5 of the non-pneumatic tires 1 adjacent in the width direction, because this can improve drainage.

[0036] Furthermore, in the tire-wheel assembly, the connecting members 4 of widthwise adjacent non-pneumatic tires 1 are preferably arranged with a phase difference in the circumferential direction, because axial force fluctuations caused by the connecting members 4 can be canceled out between widthwise adjacent non-pneumatic tires 1, thereby further improving NV performance.

[0037] Furthermore, in the tire-wheel assembly, it is preferable that the wheel 10 has a plurality of rim portions 11 divided in the width direction, and that each of the plurality of non-pneumatic tires 1 is attached to a respective one of the plurality of rim portions 11, forming a dual wheel structure. Alternatively, it is also preferable that portions of adjacent non-pneumatic tires 1 in the width direction are fixed to each other by fixing members 13, 14 and attached to one rim portion 11 (a double tire structure when there are two non-pneumatic tires 1).

[0038] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. For example, in the above embodiments, the non-pneumatic tires 1 constituting a tire set have the same cross-sectional width, but they may be different. In this case, it is advantageous for steering stability and the like to position the non-pneumatic tire 1 with the larger cross-sectional width on the outer side when mounted on a vehicle, but it is also possible to position the non-pneumatic tire 1 with the larger cross-sectional width on the inner side when mounted on a vehicle. Various other modifications and variations are possible.

[0039] In another embodiment, a tire set is provided that includes multiple non-pneumatic tires, all of which are mounted on a single wheel, and the ratio of the section width w of at least one of the multiple non-pneumatic tires to the sum W of the section widths of all of the non-pneumatic tires is 0.5 or less, and the sum of the section widths of all of the non-pneumatic tires is 100 mm or greater. According to another embodiment, by using a set of multiple non-pneumatic tires in which the ratio of the section width w of at least one non-pneumatic tire is 0.5 or less, the lateral rigidity (of the multiple non-pneumatic tires 1 as a whole) can be reduced compared to when only one non-pneumatic tire with a large section width is used, thereby improving ride comfort and NV performance. Furthermore, because the sum of the section widths of all of the non-pneumatic tires 1 is 100 mm or greater, all of the non-pneumatic tires 1 whose sum of the section widths is 100 mm or greater are mounted on a single wheel 10, resulting in a structure suitable for supporting a predetermined load, such as that of a passenger vehicle. On the other hand, the ratio is preferably 0.2 or more.

[0040] In another embodiment, it is preferable that the cross-sectional width (maximum width when viewed in cross section in the tire width direction) of at least one non-pneumatic tire 1 of the multiple non-pneumatic tires 1 constituting a tire set is 75 mm or less. Two or more of the multiple non-pneumatic tires 1 may have a cross-sectional width of 75 mm or less, or all of the multiple non-pneumatic tires 1 may have a cross-sectional width of 75 mm or less. On the other hand, it is preferable that at least one of the multiple non-pneumatic tires 1 has a cross-sectional width of 20 mm or more.

[0041] In other embodiments, the sum of the section widths of all the non-pneumatic tires 1 constituting one tire set is 100 mm or more. It is more preferable that the sum of the section widths of all the non-pneumatic tires 1 constituting one tire set is 120 mm or more. On the other hand, it is preferable that the sum of the section widths of all the non-pneumatic tires 1 constituting one tire set is 150 mm or less.

[0042] In other embodiments, the outer diameter of the non-pneumatic tire 1 is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 505 to 565 mm. The non-pneumatic tire of the present disclosure is suitably used as a non-pneumatic tire for passenger cars, particularly for small mobility vehicles, etc.

[0043] The tire-wheel assembly of the present disclosure may be formed by assembling the non-pneumatic tire set of the other embodiment described above onto the rim portion of the wheel. The configuration of the tire-wheel assembly when the tire set of the other embodiment is mounted, such as the spacing, gaps, fixing members, etc., may be the same as those of the above-described embodiment.

[0044] 1: Non-pneumatic tire, 2: Inner cylinder, 3: Outer cylinder, 4: Connecting member, 5: Tread, 10: Wheel, 11: Rim portion, 12: Disc, 13: Fixing member, 14: Fixing member, 20: Gap, 21: Gap portion, 91: Non-pneumatic tire, 100: Tire-wheel assembly

Claims

1. A tire set consisting of a plurality of non-pneumatic tires, wherein all of the non-pneumatic tires constituting the tire set are configured to be mounted on one wheel, at least one of the plurality of non-pneumatic tires has a section width of 75 mm or less, and the sum of the section widths of all of the non-pneumatic tires is 100 mm or more.

2. A tire set consisting of a plurality of non-pneumatic tires, wherein all of the non-pneumatic tires constituting the tire set are configured to be mounted on one wheel, the ratio of the cross-sectional width w of at least one of the plurality of non-pneumatic tires to the sum W of the cross-sectional widths of all of the non-pneumatic tires is 0.5 or less, and the sum of the cross-sectional widths of all of the non-pneumatic tires is 100 mm or more.

3. The tire set according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the non-pneumatic tire comprises: an inner cylindrical body; an outer cylindrical body surrounding the inner cylindrical body from the outside in the tire radial direction; an elastically deformable connecting member connecting the inner cylindrical body and the outer cylindrical body to each other; and a tread arranged on the radial outside of the outer cylindrical body.

4. A tire / wheel assembly comprising the tire set according to claim 1 or 2 mounted on the rim of the wheel, wherein all of the non-pneumatic tires are aligned in the width direction and mounted on the rim, and there is a gap between adjacent non-pneumatic tires in the width direction.

5. A tire-wheel assembly comprising the tire set according to claim 3 mounted on the rim of the wheel, wherein all of the non-pneumatic tires are aligned in the width direction and mounted on the rim, and there is a gap between adjacent non-pneumatic tires in the width direction.

6. The tire-wheel assembly according to claim 4 or 5, wherein said interval extends continuously in the radial direction.

7. The tire-wheel assembly according to claim 6, wherein said spacing increases gradually from the radially outer side toward the radially inner side.

8. A tire-wheel assembly as set forth in claim 5, or claim 6 or 7 depending on claim 5, wherein the connecting member has an inverted trapezoidal shape when viewed in cross section in the width direction.

9. The tire / wheel assembly according to claim 4, further comprising a gap between the treads of widthwise adjacent non-pneumatic tires.

10. A tire / wheel assembly as set forth in claim 5 or any one of claims 6 to 9 dependent on claim 5, wherein the connecting members of the non-pneumatic tires adjacent in the width direction are arranged with a phase difference in the circumferential direction.

11. A tire / wheel assembly as claimed in any one of claims 4 to 10, wherein the wheel has a plurality of rim sections divided in the width direction, and each of the plurality of non-pneumatic tires is attached to each of the plurality of rim sections, forming a dual-wheel structure.

12. A tire-wheel assembly according to any one of claims 4 to 10, wherein adjacent portions of the non-pneumatic tires in the width direction are fixed to each other by a fixing member.

13. The tire / wheel assembly according to claim 12, wherein the fixing member is an insert ring.

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