Pneumatic Tire Sidewall Marking Protection via Nested Recess Rib

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing pneumatic vehicle tires with protective ribs to safeguard sidewall markings or decorations require a significant amount of material, leading to increased tire weight due to the need for a substantial relief height to effectively protect against scuffing contacts.

Innovation Solution

A protective rib with a lower negative contour featuring recesses that correspond to the positive contour of the sidewall marking or decoration, allowing the marking or decoration to be housed within the rib, thereby reducing material usage while maintaining effective protection against scuffing.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the protective rib has a greater relief height to effectively protect sidewall markings from scuffing contacts, then the protection reliability is improved, but the tire weight increases due to greater material usage

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprotection reliabilityVSAvoidtire weight

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSWeight of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The sidewall marking is nested within the protective rib structure. The recess in the protective rib is shaped to correspond to the positive contour of the sidewall marking, allowing the marking to be housed within the rib. This nesting arrangement provides effective protection while minimizing the material required for the protective rib.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

Solution Approach 2:

The protective rib has different cross-sectional contours at different locations. The lower contour includes a recess that corresponds to the sidewall marking, while the upper contour remains relatively uniform. This local variation in geometry allows the rib to provide targeted protection where needed while reducing overall material usage.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

2Ease of manufacture

If the protective rib uses a uniform cross-sectional contour throughout its circumference, then the manufacturing simplicity is improved, but the material usage increases leading to greater tire weight

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemanufacturing simplicityVSAvoidtire weight

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSWeight of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The protective rib features a recess in its lower contour that corresponds to the sidewall marking, creating a location-specific structural variation. This recess is positioned to accommodate the upper half of the sidewall marking, providing targeted protection while minimizing the overall material required compared to a uniform cross-sectional design.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

Data Source

PatentUS8733414B2Pneumatic vehicle tire with protected sidewall markings

Publication Date: 2014.05.27 CONTINENTAL REIFEN DEUTSCHLAND GMBH

AI summary

A pneumatic vehicle tire has a profiled tread, two side walls, and at least one protective rib running on the surface of the side wall over its circumference. The protective rib is disposed above and with a spacing distance from a side wall marking or a side wall decoration. The protective rib has a lower negative contour with at least one recess, which is configured to correspond to the positive contour of the side wall marking or side wall decoration facing the protective rib, such that the protective rib at least partially accommodates the upper half of the side wall marking or side wall decoration in the recess.