Tire Sidewall Contrast Patterns That Survive Demolding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing tire sidewall and tread patterns are difficult to read due to low contrast, and existing methods for enhancing contrast, such as laser engraving, result in tip breakage during demolding, and are costly to maintain.
Innovation Solution
A high contrast pattern is created by engraving a negative of the pattern on a tire mold or directly on a cured tire, using wavy lines and geometric shapes like circles and hexagons, which are then transferred or applied to the tire surface during molding, ensuring durability and low maintenance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If laser engraving is used to form tufts on the tire surface, then high contrast pattern is achieved, but the tips of the tufts break during demolding
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the geometric parameters of the pattern elements by using intersecting wavy lines that form closed regions, rather than isolated tufts. This structural modification allows the pattern to maintain integrity during demolding while still providing high contrast visibility when the tire is inflated and the pattern becomes taut.
Solution Approach 2:
The pattern is segmented into multiple intersecting wavy lines that create a network of closed regions. This segmentation distributes structural stress across multiple elements rather than concentrating it at single tuft tips, preventing breakage during demolding while maintaining visual contrast.
2Loss of information
If a high contrast pattern is created on the tire surface, then visibility is improved, but manufacturing complexity and maintenance cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The mold surface is given a dual function: it both forms the tire structure and imprints the high contrast pattern simultaneously. The engraved wavy line pattern on the mold serves as both the forming tool and the pattern source, eliminating the need for separate pattern application processes and reducing manufacturing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The pattern is pre-engraved onto the mold surface before tire production. This preliminary action ensures that every tire automatically receives the high contrast pattern during normal molding operations, without requiring additional maintenance or replacement of pattern-transfer components.
3Loss of information
If tufts are formed to create high contrast pattern, then visibility is enhanced, but the pattern requires significant maintenance and replacement
Solution Approach 1:
The high contrast pattern is copied directly from the engraved mold surface onto the tire during molding. This copying process creates a permanent, integrated pattern that becomes part of the tire structure itself, eliminating the need for separate pattern components that would require maintenance or replacement.
Solution Approach 2:
The mold automatically transfers the pattern to each tire during the molding process. The system is self-sustaining as long as the mold remains intact, requiring no additional maintenance or replacement of pattern-transfer components throughout the tire production lifecycle.
Data Source
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AI summary
A tire is disclosed having a pattern (100, 200, 300) at its surface for enhancing contrast. The pattern (100, 200, 300) comprises: (i) a first set of spaced apart wavy lines (110) oriented in a first direction, and a second set of spaced apart wavy lines (120) oriented in the first direction, wherein the first set of wavy lines (110) is out of phase with the second set of wavy lines (120); and/or (ii) a plurality of circles (310), wherein the plurality of circles (310) do not overlap with each other and are tangent to each other; and/or (iii) a first set, a second set and a third set of lines (210, 220, 230) that intersect with each other in such a way that they form a plurality of hexagons (240).