Bridgestone Corporation

Kenjiro Yamaya

Hiroshi Kawabe

Takashi Kaneko

Yukihiro Kiwaki

Shungo Fujita

Kazuo Hayashi

Takaaki Kojima

Yutaka Naruse

Yutaka Yamaguchi

Yoshihiro Fukamachi

Hiroshi Nishigata

A pneumatic tire which comprises a land portion () and a land portion (). A main groove () extending along the tire circumferential direction is formed between the land portion () and the land portion (). The land portion () comprises a groove wall () that forms the main groove (). The land portion () comprises a groove wall () that forms the main groove (). The groove wall () and the groove wall () are serpentine along the tire circumferential direction (R) when seen from a plane of the tread surface, and the groove width of the main groove () in the tread width direction (W) varies in a predetermined repetition interval (&#x3bb;) along the tire circumferential direction. The ratio of the minimum width (W) of the groove to the maximum width (W) of the groove satisfies a relation of 35%&#x2266;W/W&#x2266;85%.

Pneumatic tire with main groove having serpentine groove walls

A pneumatic radial tire comprises a radial carcass, a belt, and a row of many blocks having different lengths along a circumference of a ground contact region under pitch variation defined in a tread rubber of the tread portion by at least two straight main grooves and a plurality of lateral sub-grooves extending between the mutual main grooves at an inclination angle of less than 90&deg; with respect to the circumference of the ground contact region, in which the block row satisfies such relationships that an inclination angle &phgr; of an edge of a long-pitch block is larger than that &phgr; of an edge of a short-pitch block and an inclination angle &agr; of each block wall face of a long-pitch block is larger than that &agr; of each block wall face of a short-pitch block, or further an inclination angle &bgr; of a block wall face of a short-pitch block is larger than that &bgr; of a block wall face of a long-pitch block.

Pneumatic radial tire including blocks having different lengths

An apparatus for assisting the mounting of a tire-wheel assembly onto an axle in a high precision without eccentrically arranging the assembly from the axle comprises a pair of opposite clasping members sandwiching the tire-wheel assembly from its side surfaces therebetween, a vibration applying machine fixed to one of the clasping members, and a fastening means for temporarily fastening the clasping members at a given position.

Process for assisting the mounting of a tire-wheel assembly onto an axle

Apparatus and process for assisting the mounting of a tire-wheel

The present invention provides a method for adjusting vehicle wheel alignment in which a positional angle of a wheel corresponding to the characteristics of a tire can be set easily, running stability suited for an actual road surface can be obtained, and one-sided wear can be reduced. The method for adjusting vehicle wheel alignment includes the steps of: placing a wheel of a vehicle, which is an object of adjustment, on a tire driving surface on which a step of a predetermined height is formed at at least one place along a rotating direction in which the tire driving surface is driven by a rotational force; measuring variations in forces applied in the rotating direction of the tire driving surface and a rotation axis direction which is orthogonal to the rotating direction at the time the wheel passes over the step while the tire driving surface is being driven/rotated so that the wheel is rotated in a proceeding direction of the vehicle; and adjusting a positional angle of the wheel, on the basis of results of measurement, such that a variation in lateral force generated by a vehicle tire when the wheel passes over the step is a minimum.

Method of adjusting vehicle wheel alignment

An inner pressure filling apparatus for a tire-rim assembly comprises a support table which is removably fixed to a base plate via a clamp and is easily replaceable; an outer cylinder which is easily replaceable and of which upper peripheral edge is inclined with respect to a vertical-direction axis of the outer cylinder; an elevator device formed by one cylinder which moves upward and downward and a plurality of springs; an air filling device for filling pressurized air into a tire of the tire-rim assembly; and a control device supplying pressurized air into the elevator device and the air filling device to move the elevator device upward and downward and controlling the elevator device and the air filling device so as to actuate the air filling device to fill pressurized air into the tire. Accordingly, the inner pressure filling apparatus as a whole becomes simple in construction and enables simple replacement of the base plate and the outer cylinder in accordance with the size of the tire-rim assembly.

Growing community of inventors

Kodaira, Japan

Kenjiro Yamaya