Directional Tire Tread Segments for Snow Grip
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Solution Overview
Problem
Pneumatic vehicle tires with directional profiled treads face misinterpretation of tread deformations by electronic assistance systems during winter driving, leading to undesirable engine power throttling and increased braking distances on snow and ice, compromising driving safety.
Innovation Solution
The tire design features incoming block segments with a larger outer surface and at least one closed incision parallel to the traversing incisions, providing higher circumferential and transverse stiffness, additional gripping edges, and controlled rigidity, while outgoing block segments lack closed incisions, maintaining contact and grip with the ground, reducing electronic intervention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the incoming block segment has a larger outer surface and closed incisions, then circumferential and transverse stiffness are increased improving contact with the ground, but the structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements local quality by concentrating the complexity-enhancing features (closed incisions and larger outer surface) only in the incoming block segment, while keeping the outgoing block segment simpler. This localized approach increases stiffness where needed for ground contact without unnecessarily complicating the entire tread structure, as the outgoing segment maintains a simpler design without closed incisions.
2Reliability
If closed incisions are added to the incoming block segment, then additional gripping edges are provided improving snow grip, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by placing closed incisions only in the incoming block segment where they provide additional gripping edges for improved snow grip. The outgoing block segment lacks these closed incisions, which reduces the overall manufacturing precision requirements compared to having closed incisions in all block segments. This localized implementation maintains the grip benefit while limiting the precision burden to a specific area of the tread.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
AI summary
Vehicle pneumatic tires with a directional tread pattern comprising tread blocks (1, 1', 1"), each with one or more parallel slits (3) extending at an angle of 0° to 45° to the axial direction and traversing the respective tread block (1, 1', 1"), the slits having a width of 0.4 mm to 1.0 mm and a depth of up to 100% of the tread depth, wherein the traversing slits (3) divide the tread blocks (1, 1', 1") into block segments (1a, 1'a, 1"a, 1b, 1'b, 1"b), such that when the tire rolls forward, each tread block (1, 1', 1") has a leading edge block segment (1a, 1'a, 1"a) and a trailing edge block segment. (1b, 1'b, 1"b), The incoming block segment (1a, 1'a, 1"a) has a larger outer surface area than the outgoing block segment (1b, 1'b, 1"b), wherein the incoming block segment (1a, 1'a, 1"a) has at least one,with respect to its longitudinal extent parallel to the crossing cut(s) (3), the closed cut (5, 6, 7, 8) is provided with a depth of up to 100% of the profile depth and wherein the terminating block segment (1b, 1'b, 1"b) does not have a closed cut.