US 12,391,072 B2
Pneumatic tire for a vehicle
Wilke Eikermann, Hannover (DE); Florian Kristen, Burgwedel (DE); Frank Steinlüke, Wunstorf (DE); and Alexander Wüst, Seelze (DE)
Assigned to Continental Reifen Deutschland GmbH, Hannover (DE)
Appl. No. 18/568,138
Filed by Continental Reifen Deutschland GmbH, Hannover (DE)
PCT Filed Dec. 17, 2021, PCT No. PCT/DE2021/200266
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Dec. 7, 2023,
PCT Pub. No. WO2022/258089, PCT Pub. Date Dec. 15, 2022.
Claims priority of application No. 10 2021 205 792.6 (DE), filed on Jun. 8, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2024/0270024 A1, Aug. 15, 2024
Int. Cl. B60C 11/12 (2006.01); B60C 11/03 (2006.01); B60C 11/13 (2006.01)
CPC B60C 11/0323 (2013.01) [B60C 11/1281 (2013.01); B60C 2011/0353 (2013.01); B60C 2011/0388 (2013.01)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A pneumatic tire for a vehicle, comprising a tread having at least one profile rib, which is delimited on at least one side by a circumferential groove, wherein the circumferential groove has, when viewed in cross section, a portion running in the radial direction and having a width of up to 3.0 mm and, adjoining it, a radially inner channel region, wherein the radially inner channel region is delimited by two channel walls and a channel base forming the groove base, and has a larger cross-sectional area and is made wider in each case than the portion running in the radial direction,
wherein
the profile rib is provided over its circumference with sipes, which merge into the circumferential groove, run at an angle of 0° to 50° with respect to the axial direction and have a width of 0.4 mm to 1.2 mm and a maximum depth of 70% to 100% of the profile depth, and have sipe walls, wherein each sipe is locally widened by at least one channel which is open to the tread periphery and merges into the radially inner channel region of the circumferential groove, wherein the channel is formed by a depression formed in one sipe wall and a depression formed in the other sipe wall, opposite the first depression, and
each sipe has, at the tread periphery, a slot-shaped sipe widening which runs over its entire extent in plan view and has a bottom, a depth, determined in the radial direction, of 10% to 30%, of the depth of the sipe and a width of 250% to 370%, of the width of the sipe, wherein the channel starts from the bottom of the sipe widening.