Tire Sidewall Concavity Pattern for Stronger Black Contrast
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing tires with pattern regions for enhancing design and appearance through light absorption do not achieve sufficient black color intensity and contrast.
Innovation Solution
A tire design featuring pattern regions with projections having concavities and conical barrel portions, where the depth of the concavities exceeds the projecting height, enhancing light absorption and contrast.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If a pattern region with fine projections is provided on the sidewall to enhance light absorption, then the design effect and appearance are improved, but the black color intensity and contrast are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the geometric parameters of the projections by introducing concavities with specific depth-to-height ratios (0.5 to 2.0), inverted conical or pyramidal inner surfaces, and conical barrel portions. These parameter modifications optimize light trapping efficiency, enabling deeper light penetration and multiple internal reflections that significantly enhance black color intensity and contrast beyond conventional flat or simple protruding patterns.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs curved surfaces including inverted conical inner surfaces and conical barrel portions with specific curvature radii (0.01 to 0.1 times the projection outer diameter). These curved geometries optimize light reflection paths within the projections, causing incident light to undergo multiple bounces and increasing absorption efficiency. The curved surfaces prevent direct light escape and enhance the light trapping effect, thereby improving black color intensity.
2Illumination intensity
If the depth of concavities in projections is increased to enhance light absorption, then black color intensity improves, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent establishes specific parameter ranges to balance performance and manufacturability: concavity depth-to-projection height ratio of 0.5 to 2.0, curvature radius of 0.01 to 0.1 times the projection outer diameter, and barrel portion cone angles of 30 to 60 degrees. These optimized parameters ensure sufficient light absorption enhancement while maintaining feasibility for conventional tire molding processes, avoiding excessive complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The projection structure is segmented into distinct functional zones: the concavity region for primary light trapping, the conical barrel portion for light redirection, and the outer edge portion for structural integrity. This segmentation allows each zone to be optimized independently for its specific function while maintaining overall manufacturability through standardized molding techniques.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The tire achieves higher black color intensity and contrast by effectively absorbing light through repeated reflections within the concavities and barrel portions, ensuring a visually darker appearance.
Implementation Method 1
the pattern region includes a plurality of projections projecting from a reference surface of the pattern region. Each of the plurality of projections includes a concavity having an inverted conical or inverted pyramid inner surface... a depth of the concavity is greater than a projecting height of each of the plurality of projections
Implementation Method 2
Such a pattern region, in which incident light is repeatedly reflected between the projections, has a light absorption effect, and consequently, the pattern region is visually recognized to be blacker than the outer surface of the sidewall around the pattern region
Data Source
AI summary
A tire includes a pattern region at least on a part of an outer surface of a sidewall of the tire, the pattern region being visually recognizable as being different from a perimeter of the part. The pattern region includes a plurality of projections projecting from a reference surface of the pattern region. Each of the plurality of projections includes a concavity having an inverted conical or inverted pyramid inner surface, an outer edge portion surrounding a circumference of the concavity, and a conical barrel portion continuing from the outer edge portion to the reference surface, and a depth of the concavity is greater than a projecting height of the projection.