Non-pneumatic tire

• US 10,011,146 B2
• Filed: 07/29/2013
• Issued: 07/03/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bridgestone Corporation
• Original Assignee: Bridgestone Corporation
• Inventors: Fudemoto, Hiroyuki, Izumoto, Ryuji, Kotsubo, Hidefumi
• Primary Examiner(s): VANAMAN, FRANK BENNETT
• Application Number:
  US14/430,429
• Publication Number:
  US 20150246577A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,800 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60B 2360/30 Synthetic materials
• CPC Class Codes: B60B 2900/111 Weight
• CPC Class Codes: B60B 2900/20 Avoidance of
• CPC Class Codes: B60B 9/04 in leaf form
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 7/18 disposed radially relative to wheel axis

Abstract

A non-pneumatic tire includes an attachment body (11) attached to an axle, a ring member (14) including an inner rim (12) fitted onto the attachment body (11) and an outer rim (13) configured to surround the inner rim (12) from the outside in a tire radial direction, and a plurality of connecting members (15) disposed between the inner rim (12) and the outer rim (13) in a tire circumferential direction and configured to connect the rims (12) and (13) to each other, wherein at least a portion of the ring member (14) and the plurality of connecting members (15) are formed of a synthetic resin material having a bending modulus of elasticity obtained through a 3-point bending test pursuant to International Standard ISO 178 of 300 MPa or more, and a breaking strain obtained through a tension test pursuant to International Standard ISO 527-1 and 2 of 3% or more.

Claims

1. A non-pneumatic tire comprising:

an attachment body configured to be attached to an axle;

a ring member including an inner rim fitted onto the attachment body and an outer rim configured to surround the inner rim from the outside in a tire radial direction; and

a plurality of connecting members disposed between the inner rim and the outer rim in a tire circumferential direction and configured to connect the rims to each other,

wherein at least the outer rim of the inner rim and the outer rim, and the plurality of connecting members consist and are integrally formed of a synthetic resin material having a bending modulus of elasticity obtained through a 3-point bending test pursuant to International Standard ISO 178 of 300 MPa or more, and a breaking strain obtained through a tension test pursuant to International Standard ISO 527-1 and 2 of 3% or more,

wherein the connecting members comprise first elastic connecting plates and second elastic connecting plates configured to connect the rims to each other,

first end sections of the first elastic connecting plates connected to the outer rim are disposed to be shifted from the second end sections of the first elastic connecting plates connected to the inner rim in the tire circumferential direction,

first end sections of the second elastic connecting plates connected to the outer rim are disposed to be shifted from second end sections of the second elastic connecting plates connected to the inner rim in the tire circumferential direction, and

the plurality of first elastic connecting plates are disposed in the tire circumferential direction at first positions in a tire width direction, and the plurality of second elastic connecting plates are disposed in the tire circumferential direction at second positions in the tire width direction different from the first positions in the tire width direction, and

wherein first end side portions of the first and second elastic connecting plates extending from central sections of the first and second elastic connecting plates to the first end sections in the tire radial direction have larger thicknesses than second end side portions of the first and second elastic connecting plates extending from the central sections to the other end sections in the tire radial direction.

2. The non-pneumatic tire according to claim 1, wherein the ring member is divided into one split ring member disposed at one side in the tire width direction and another split ring member disposed at the other side in the tire width direction,

the one split ring member is integrally formed with the first elastic connecting plates, and

the other split ring member is integrally formed with the second elastic connecting plates.

3. The non-pneumatic tire according to claim 2, wherein a first end section of a first elastic connecting plate and a first end section of a second elastic connecting plate of one of the connecting members are disposed at different positions in the tire width direction and connected at the same position in the tire circumferential direction in an inner circumferential surface of the outer rim, and

the connecting member is line-symmetrically formed with respect to an imaginary line passing through each of the first end sections and extends in the tire radial direction when the tire is seen in a side view of the tire from the tire width direction.

4. The non-pneumatic tire according to claim 2, wherein the one split ring member and the first elastic connecting plates, and the other split ring member and the second elastic connecting plates are integrally formed through injection molding.

5. The non-pneumatic tire according to claim 4, wherein a first end section of a first elastic connecting plate and a first end section of a second elastic connecting plate of one of the connecting members are disposed at different positions in the tire width direction and connected at the same position in the tire circumferential direction in an inner circumferential surface of the outer rim, and

the connecting member is line-symmetrically formed with respect to an imaginary line passing through each of the first end sections and extends in the tire radial direction when the tire is seen in a side view of the tire from the tire width direction.

6. The non-pneumatic tire according to claim 1, wherein a first end section of a first elastic connecting plate and a first end section of a second elastic connecting plate of one of the connecting members are disposed at different positions in the tire width direction and connected at the same position in the tire circumferential direction in an inner circumferential surface of the outer rim, and

the connecting member is line-symmetrically formed with respect to an imaginary line passing through each of the first end sections and extends in the tire radial direction when the tire is seen in a side view of the tire from the tire width direction.

7. The non-pneumatic tire according to claim 1, wherein the synthetic resin material includes an additive.

8. The non-pneumatic tire according to claim 1, wherein the outer rim includes a circumferential surface which has a uniform outer diameter.