Tire Sidewall Structure for Durable Embedded Device Identification

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Solution Overview

Problem

Identifying the location of a communication device embedded inside a tire body from outside a pneumatic tire is difficult, and protrusions used as indicators for this purpose are prone to damage.

Innovation Solution

A pneumatic tire design with a tire side portion having a thinner side-covering rubber thickness in the region containing the communication device, accompanied by a subtle protrusion to indicate the device's location, ensuring durability.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Difficulty of detecting and measuring

If a protrusion is provided as an indicator to externally indicate the location of the communication device, then the location identification is improved, but the durability of the protrusion deteriorates due to damage from external impacts

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvelocation identificationVSAvoiddurability of protrusion

Core Design Contradiction:

Difficulty of detecting and measuringVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The side-covering rubber thickness is varied locally: it is thinner in the device region (where the communication device is embedded) and thicker in regions away from the device. This local thickness variation causes the outer surface to protrude in the device region, providing location identification while the surrounding thicker rubber protects against damage

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The thicker side-covering rubber in regions away from the device region acts as a protective cushion that absorbs external impacts before they reach the vulnerable protruding indicator portion, preventing damage while maintaining visibility

Inventive Principle:

Principle #11Beforehand cushioning (Prior cushioning)

2Reliability

If the side-covering rubber thickness is reduced in the device region to create a protrusion, then the durability of the protruding portion is improved, but the protective coverage of the communication device deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedurability of protruding portionVSAvoidexposure to external damage

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The side-covering rubber thickness is selectively reduced only in the device region (where the communication device is embedded) while maintaining greater thickness in surrounding regions. This creates a controlled protrusion that improves durability by reducing material stress concentration, while the adjacent thicker rubber provides continued protective coverage

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentUS20250367976A1Pneumatic tire

Publication Date: 2025.12.04 BRIDGESTONE CORP

AI summary

A pneumatic tire including: a tire body including a tire side portion whose outer surface is composed of side-covering rubber; a communication device embedded in the tire side portion of the tire body. When a region in which the communication device is located in the tire radial direction and the tire circumferential direction of the tire side portion is defined as a device region, the outer surface of the tire side portion protrudes in the device region, and thickness of the side-covering rubber is thinner in the device region than around the device region.