Tire

Abstract

In a tire according to the present invention, a decorative part, in which a specific pattern is repeated in a tire radial direction and a tire circumferential direction, is formed on a side wall part. The specific pattern is formed by ridges and minute protrusions having a width narrower than that of the ridges. The ridges and the minute protrusions are alternately and repeatedly arranged in a predetermined direction.

Description

Tire

[0001] The present invention relates to a tire.

[0002] Conventionally, it has been proposed to form fine protrusions on the decorative part of the sidewall part of a tire to form a pattern area having contrast (see, for example, Patent Document 1). According to this configuration, it is said that contrast can be exhibited over the entire pattern area.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2019-104396

[0004] An object of the present invention is to widen the range of expression of the visual effect of the decorative part of the sidewall part of a tire.

[0005] The gist configuration of the present invention is as follows. (1) A tire in which a decorative part is formed on a sidewall part, in which a specific pattern is repeated in the tire radial direction and the tire circumferential direction, the specific pattern is formed by ridges and minute protrusions having a width narrower than the ridges, and the ridges and the minute protrusions are alternately repeatedly arranged in a predetermined direction. Note that the repeated alternation of the ridges and the minute protrusions means that one or a plurality of adjacent ridges and one or a plurality of adjacent minute protrusions may be repeatedly alternated, and it is not limited to only the case where one ridge and one minute protrusion are alternately repeated.

[0006] In this specification, the maximum width of the minute protrusions is narrower than the maximum width of the ridges, the maximum width per one ridge is 15 mm or less, the inclination angle of the side surface of the minute protrusions is smaller than the inclination angle of the side surface of the ridges, and the inclination angle φ / 2 of the side surface of the ridges is 60° or less.

[0007] According to the present invention, the range of expression of the visual effect of the decorative part of the sidewall part of a tire can be widened.

[0008] This is a side view of an example of a tire according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a partial plan view showing a first example of a decorative part. This is a partial plan view showing a second example of a decorative part. This is a partial plan view showing a third example of a decorative part. This is a partial plan view showing a fourth example of a decorative part. This is a plan view showing a portion in which minute protrusions are formed. This is a diagram for illustrating the dimensions of the ridge. This is a diagram for illustrating the dimensions of the minute protrusions.

[0009] Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Note that the internal structure of the tire can be the same as that of conventional tires, so a detailed explanation will be omitted. For example, a tire may comprise a pair of bead portions, a pair of sidewall portions connected to the pair of bead portions, and a tread portion connected between the pair of sidewall portions. Furthermore, a tire may comprise a carcass that spans the pair of bead portions in a toroidal manner. Additionally, a tire may comprise a belt positioned radially outward on the crown portion of the carcass.

[0010] Figure 1 is a side view of an example of a tire according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 1, this tire 1 has a decorative section on the sidewall portion with letters, patterns, trademarks, etc. This tire 1 has a decorative section 2 having a plurality of recesses or protrusions (two in the illustrated example). In the illustrated example, the decorative section located between the two plurality of recesses or protrusions of the decorative section 2 is exemplified by the letters "ABC", "DEF", "GHI", "JKLMN", the trademark "X", and the tire size, but in reality, it can display a distinctive trademark (product name, series name, company logo, etc.) or the actual tire size.

[0011] Figure 2 is a partial plan view showing a first example of the decorative part. As shown in Figure 2, in this tire 1, a decorative part 2 is formed on the sidewall portion, in which a specific pattern is repeated in the tire radial direction and the tire circumferential direction.

[0012] In the illustrated example, the specific pattern is a weight-shaped design in plan view (a shape where the width of the central part is smaller than the width of the ends in the longitudinal direction, resulting in a recess), but this is not limited to this case, and various planar shapes are possible. Examples include circular, elliptical, polygonal, star-shaped, and leaf-shaped designs in plan view. Furthermore, the weight-shaped design in the illustrated example is a complementary shape, configured such that the ends in the longitudinal direction of one specific pattern fit into the recessed central part in the longitudinal direction of a specific pattern adjacent to it in the longitudinal direction (rotated approximately 90°). Thus, it is also preferable for the specific pattern to be a complementary shape.

[0013] The aforementioned specific pattern is formed by ridges 3 and minute protrusions 4 having a narrower width than the ridges 3. The ridges 3 and minute protrusions 4 are arranged alternately and repeatedly in a predetermined direction (within the specific pattern).

[0014] The aforementioned specific patterns are arranged in multiple rows. Within the same row, in this example, adjacent weight shapes are rotated approximately 90° alternately so that they fit together complementaryly. In adjacent rows to one row, the weight shapes are offset by one pitch (the width of one weight) from the row in question, so that they fit together complementaryly even between rows.

[0015] Figure 7A is a diagram illustrating the dimensions of the ridge. Figure 7B is a diagram illustrating the dimensions of the micro-projections. As mentioned above, the maximum width w1 of the micro-projection 4 is narrower than the maximum width w2 of the ridge 3, and the maximum width w2 of the ridge 3 is 15 mm or less. Also, the inclination angle θ / 2 of the side surface of the micro-projection 4 is smaller than the inclination angle φ / 2 of the side surface of the ridge 3, and the inclination angle φ / 2 of the side surface of the ridge 3 is 60° or less. The height h1 of the micro-projection 4 is not particularly limited, but can be, for example, 0.1 to 0.6 mm, and the maximum width w1 of the micro-projection 4 is not particularly limited, but can be, for example, 0.05 to 0.5 mm. Also, the inclination angle θ / 2 of the side surface of the micro-projection 4 is not particularly limited, but can be, for example, 5 to 35°.

[0016] As shown in Figure 2, a border 5 is formed between the specific patterns. In the first example shown in Figure 2, the border 5 is made up of a plane having the same height as the base surface of the sidewall portion of the tire 1. The effects and advantages of the tire 1 of this embodiment will be described below.

[0017] In this embodiment, the tire 1 has a decorative section 2 formed by repeating a specific pattern in the tire's radial and circumferential directions. The specific pattern is formed by ridges 3 and minute protrusions 4 having a narrower width than the ridges 3, and the ridges 3 and minute protrusions 4 are arranged alternately in a predetermined direction. Light incident on the decorative section 2 is attenuated by repeatedly reflecting off the sides of adjacent minute protrusions 4 and is reflected to the outside of the tire 1. As a result, the minute protrusions 4 produce a contrast effect, making the parts where they are formed appear darker. According to the configuration of this embodiment, since the ridges 3 and minute protrusions 4 are arranged alternately, parts that appear bright due to the ridges 3 and parts that appear dark due to the minute protrusions 4 are alternately repeated, so the specific pattern as a whole appears to have an intermediate brightness. Furthermore, when the light is strong, the specific pattern is easily recognizable due to the reflection by the ridges 3, while even when the light is weak, the specific pattern is easily recognizable due to the contrast effect of the minute protrusions 4. As described above, the tire 1 of this embodiment can broaden the range of expression of the visual effect of the decorative section 2 on the sidewall of the tire 1 by providing a different visual effect from the conventional.

[0018] It is preferable that edges are formed between specific patterns, which makes it easier to recognize each individual pattern.

[0019] Figure 3 is a partial plan view showing a second example of the decorative section. In the example shown in Figure 2, each specific pattern is identical. That is, within each specific pattern, the direction of extension of the ridge 3 was the same as the direction of the weight's short side (it is also possible to unify the direction of extension of multiple ridges 3 to the direction of the long side). The specific patterns are arranged in multiple rows, and the ridges 3 extend in different directions between adjacent rows. On the other hand, in the second example shown in Figure 3, the decorative section 2 has two types: one in which the direction of extension of the ridge 3 is the direction of the weight's short side, and another in which the direction of extension of the ridge 3 is the direction of the weight's long side, and different types are arranged between adjacent specific patterns. As a result, the ridges 3 extend in the same direction throughout the entire decorative section 2. In the example in Figure 2, the change in the orientation of the ridges 3 makes it easier to recognize each specific pattern. Also, in the example in Figure 3, the fact that the ridges 3 are all in the same direction enhances the effect of the entire decorative section 2 to glow.

[0020] Figure 4 is a partial plan view showing a third example of the decorative part. The example shown in Figure 4 differs from the first example shown in Figure 2 in that minute protrusions (similar to the minute protrusions 4 in a specific pattern shown in Figure 7B, etc.) are formed over the entire edge 5. With this configuration, compared to the first example shown in Figure 2, the edge 5 becomes relatively easier to recognize due to the contrast effect of the minute protrusions, and the specific pattern can be made relatively less conspicuous.

[0021] Figure 5 is a partial plan view showing a fourth example of the decorative part. The example shown in Figure 5 differs from the first example shown in Figure 2 and the third example shown in Figure 4 in that minute protrusions 5a (similar to the minute protrusions 4 in a specific pattern shown in Figure 7B, etc.) are formed only on a part of the edge 5. Specifically, in the illustrated example, the minute protrusions 5a are arranged to form the width centerline of the edge 5. This configuration makes it easier to recognize the contour of a specific pattern.

[0022] The maximum diameter (the maximum distance between two points on the contour line of a particular pattern) in a plan view of a particular pattern is not particularly limited, but can be, for example, 5.0 to 30.0 mm.

[0023] The density of specific patterns in the decorative section 2 is not particularly limited, but for example, 0.5 to 4 patterns / cm². ２ It can be done this way.

[0024] Figure 6 is a plan view showing the portion where the micro-protrusions are formed. As shown in Figure 6, the micro-protrusions 4 are preferably asterisk-shaped in plan view. That is, the micro-protrusions 4 are preferably shaped having multiple extending portions radiating from the center in plan view. The number, width, and length of the extending portions are not particularly limited and can be set as appropriate. The spacing between the centers of the multiple asterisk shapes is also not particularly limited and can be set as appropriate. Furthermore, as shown in the figure, some of the extending portions between the multiple asterisk shapes may be connected to each other. The planar shape of the micro-protrusions 4 can be various, and the above asterisk shape is an example.

[0025] The number density of the minute projections 4 is not particularly limited, but for example, 10 to 40 projections / cm² ２ It can be done this way.

[0026] 1: Tire, 2: Decorative part, 3: Ridge, 4: Micro-protrusion, 5: Edge

Claims

1. A tire having a decorative portion formed on the sidewall portion, wherein a specific pattern is repeated in the tire radial direction and tire circumferential direction, wherein the specific pattern is formed by ridges and minute protrusions having a narrower width than the ridges, and the ridges and minute protrusions are arranged alternately and repeatedly in a predetermined direction.

2. The tire according to claim 1, wherein edges are formed between the specific patterns.

3. The tire according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the particular pattern is arranged in multiple rows, and the ridges extend in different directions between adjacent rows.

4. The tire according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the ridges extend in the same direction throughout the entire area of ​​the decorative portion.

5. The tire according to claim 2, or claim 3 or 4 dependent on claim 2, wherein the minute protrusions are formed over the entire area of ​​the edge.

6. The tire according to claim 2, or claim 3 or 4, which is dependent on claim 2, wherein the minute protrusions are formed only on a portion of the edge.

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