Tire Sidewall High-Contrast Patterns Without Fragile Tufts
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing tire sidewall and tread patterns, particularly those with tufts, suffer from visibility issues due to their black rubber color, making letters or numbers difficult to read, and tufts are prone to breaking during demolding.
Innovation Solution
A high contrast pattern is created using wavy lines or geometric shapes, such as parallel wavy lines, intersecting lines forming hexagons or snowflakes, and overlapping circles, which are laser engraved in the tire mold to enhance visibility and durability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If tufts are used to form high contrast pattern, then visibility of letters and numbers is improved, but tips of tufts break during demolding
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the problematic tuft elements from the mold surface while retaining the high contrast pattern function. The design extracts only the necessary visual contrast feature without the fragile three-dimensional tuft structure, eliminating the root cause of tip breakage during demolding.
Solution Approach 2:
The high contrast pattern is segmented into multiple discrete elements (letters, numbers, symbols) that are directly integrated into the mold surface rather than formed as separate tuft structures. This segmentation allows each element to be independently optimized for both visibility and structural integrity.
2Ease of manufacture
If black rubber material is used for tire sidewall, then manufacturing is simplified, but readability of letters and numbers deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies color contrast principles by creating high contrast patterns through varying rubber compound colors or pigments in the molded elements. This allows letters and numbers to stand out clearly against the black rubber background while maintaining the simplicity of rubber manufacturing processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent modifies physical parameters of the pattern elements such as thickness, depth, or material composition to create visual contrast. By changing these parameters during the molding process, the patent achieves improved readability without complicating the overall manufacturing procedure.
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 proposed pattern significantly improves readability and durability by providing high contrast and avoiding tuft-related issues, ensuring clear visibility of letters or numbers while maintaining aesthetic appeal.
Implementation Method 1
laser engraved in the tire mold
Data Source
AI summary
A tire having a high contrast design pattern is described, wherein one design has a first set of spaced apart wavy lines oriented in a first direction, and a second set of spaced apart wavy lines oriented in a first direction, wherein the first set of wavy lines is out of phase with the second set of wavy lines. A second high contrast design pattern is described, and is formed of a plurality of circles, wherein the plurality of circles do not overlap with each other and are tangent to each other.