US 11,981,162 B2
Tire
Naoki Iwamoto, Kobe (JP)
Assigned to Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd., Hyogo (JP)
Filed by Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd., Hyogo (JP)
Filed on May 10, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/741,037.
Claims priority of application No. 2021-084144 (JP), filed on May 18, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2022/0371376 A1, Nov. 24, 2022
Int. Cl. B60C 11/03 (2006.01); B60C 11/11 (2006.01)
CPC B60C 11/0304 (2013.01) [B60C 11/0306 (2013.01); B60C 2011/0358 (2013.01)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A tire comprising:
a tread portion,
the tread portion including a plurality of circumferential grooves continuously extending in a tire circumferential direction between a first tread end and a second tread end, and a plurality of land portions demarcated by the plurality of circumferential grooves,
the plurality of land portions include a crown land portion disposed on a tire equator, a middle land portion between the first tread end and the crown land portion, and a second middle land portion between the second tread end and the crown land portion,
the middle land portion has a plurality of first middle lateral grooves fully traversing the middle land portion in a tire axial direction,
each of the first middle lateral grooves includes a first groove portion inclined relative to the tire axial direction from a first end on an outer side in the tire axial direction thereof, a second groove portion inclined relative to the tire axial direction in the same direction as the first groove portion from a second end on an inner side in the tire axial direction thereof, and a third groove portion located between the first groove portion and the second groove portion and inclined relative to the tire axial direction in a direction opposite to that of the first groove portion such that each of the first middle lateral grooves has a bent portion at two locations,
the first groove portion has a groove width increasing from the third groove portion side toward the outer side in the tire axial direction,
the second groove portion has a groove width increasing from the third groove portion side toward the inner side in the tire axial direction,
the middle land portion has a plurality of second middle lateral grooves, each fully traversing the middle land portion in the tire axial direction and having no bent portion, and
the second middle lateral grooves are inclined relative to the tire axial direction in the same direction as the first groove portion,
the middle land portion has a first recess connected to an end portion on the outer side in the tire axial direction of each of the second middle lateral grooves, and a second recess connected to an end portion on the inner side in the tire axial direction of each of the second middle lateral grooves,
each of the first recess and the second recess is open on a ground-contact surface and a side surface in the tire axial direction of the middle land portion,
the middle land portion has a plurality of middle blocks demarcated by the plurality of first middle lateral grooves,
the plurality of middle blocks each includes a ground-contact surface, a first middle circumferential edge extending in the tire circumferential direction on the outer side in the tire axial direction of the ground-contact surface, and a second middle circumferential edge extending in the tire circumferential direction on the inner side in the tire axial direction of the ground-contact surface,
at least one first middle sipe extending from the first middle circumferential edge and including a termination end within the ground-contact surface and at least one second middle sipe extending from the second middle circumferential edge and including a termination end within the ground-contact surface are on the ground-contact surface of at least one middle block of the plurality of middle blocks,
the termination end of the second middle sipe is located on the inner side in the tire axial direction with respect to the termination end of the first middle sipe, and
the bent portions of the first middle lateral grooves are located between the termination end of the first middle sipe and the termination end of the second middle sipe in the tire axial direction.