# US 11,298,983 B2 · Pneumatic vehicle tires > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,298,983 B2 - Document ID: US11298983B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/610,177 - Filed: 2018-02-27 - Published: 2020-03-05 - Granted: 2022-04-12 - Earliest claimed: 2017-05-11 - Assignees: Continental Reifen Deutschland GmbH - Applicants: Continental Reifen Deutschland GmbH - Inventors: Jesus Ocana Amezcua; Andre Lutz - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11298983B2 ## CPC - B60C 11/042: {further characterised by the groove cross-section} - B60C 11/0323: {tread comprising channels under the tread surface, e.g. for draining water} - B60C 11/045: {the groove walls having a three-dimensional shape} - B60C 11/047: {the groove bottom comprising stone trapping protection elements, e.g. ribs} - B60C 11/1315: {having variable inclination angles, e.g. warped groove walls} - B60C 2011/0353: {characterised by width} - B60C 2011/0355: {characterised by depth} - B60C 2200/06: for heavy duty vehicles - B60C: VEHICLE TYRES; TYRE INFLATION; TYRE CHANGING; CONNECTING VALVES TO INFLATABLE ELASTIC BODIES IN GENERAL; DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS RELATED TO TYRES ## Abstract A pneumatic vehicle tire, in particular a commercial vehicle tire, includes a tread which has a profile and has at least one circumferential groove (1) which is encircling in the circumferential direction, is embodied to a profile depth (PT) and in the cross section, starting at the tread external face, is composed of three adjoining groove portions, one outer groove portion (2) that expands in a funnel-shaped manner toward the outside, one 1 mm to 3 mm wide contracted groove portion, and one inner groove portion (4) which lies radially inward, is expanded in relation to the contracted groove portion (3) and has the largest cross-sectional face of all portions, and which is delimited by two cover flanks (4a), lateral groove flanks (4′b, 4″b) that adjoin said cover flanks (4a), and a groove base (4c). ## Claims ### Claim 1 A pneumatic vehicle tire comprising a tread which has a profile and has at least one circumferential groove encircling in a circumferential direction and having a profile depth (PT), wherein in a cross section and starting at an external face of the tread, the at least one circumferential groove is composed of three adjoining groove portions including: one outer groove portion that expands in a funnel-shaped manner toward outsides of the pneumatic vehicle tire; one 1 mm to 3 mm wide contracted groove portion; and, one inner groove portion which lies radially inward, and is expanded in relation to the contracted groove portion and has the largest cross-sectional face of all portions, and which is delimited by two cover flanks, lateral groove flanks that adjoin the cover flanks, and a groove base; wherein the lateral groove flanks in an expanded groove portion, while reducing the mutual spacing thereof from the groove base, run at an angle (γ) of 5° to 25° in relation to a radial direction and in a direction of the circumferential extent of the lateral groove flanks run in a wave form; wherein the lateral groove flanks comprise the wave form having an amplitude (A) which continuously decreases from a radially outer end of the lateral groove flanks to the groove base, and decreases to a value of zero toward the groove base and wherein the wave form is sinusoidal; wherein the lateral groove flanks are two mutually opposite lateral groove flanks in the at least one circumferential groove; wherein the wave forms of the two mutually opposite lateral groove flanks are symmetrical in relation to a centric symmetry plane, and provided the wave forms of the two mutually opposite lateral groove flanks do not run in a mutually parallel manner; wherein the lateral groove flanks comprise the wave form having a constant amplitude (A) and having a constant wave length (λ); and, wherein the constant amplitude (A) of the wave form of the lateral groove flanks is from 0.5 mm to 2.0 mm. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The pneumatic vehicle tire as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lateral groove flanks comprise the wave form having the constant wave length (λ) which corresponds to at least ⅛ of a pitch length (L), and at most the pitch length (L). ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The pneumatic vehicle tire as claimed in claim 1, wherein the expanded groove portion has a largest cross-sectional width (b3) thereof at the radially outer end of the groove flanks, and wherein the largest cross-sectional width (b3) is determined according to the correlation: b3=b1×(a2+a1), where b1 is a cross-sectional width of the radially outer groove portion on the tread external face, and where a1 and a2 are parameters to which 0≤a1≤0.1 b1 and 0.4≤a2≤1 applies. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The pneumatic vehicle tire as claimed in claim 1, wherein the groove base has a cross-sectional width b4 which is determined according to the correlation: b4=b1×(a3+a1), where b1 is a cross-sectional width of the radially outer groove portion on the tread external face, and where a1 and a3 are parameters to which 0≤a1 ≤0.1 b1 and 0.2≤a3 ≤0.6 applies. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The pneumatic vehicle tire as claimed in claim 1, wherein the two cover flanks that participate in delimiting the expanded groove portion mutually run in the manner of a pointed roof and at an obtuse external angle (β) of from 95° to 135° in relation to the radial direction. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The pneumatic vehicle tire as claimed in claim 1, wherein the radially outer funnel-shaped groove portion is formed by two groove flanks which in relation to the radial direction run at an angle (α) of from 25° to 70°. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The pneumatic vehicle tire as claimed in claim 1, wherein a width (b1) of the radially outer groove portion that is funnel-shaped in the cross section is from 3.0 mm to 22.0 mm on the tread external face. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The pneumatic vehicle tire as claimed in claim 1, wherein the contracted groove portion has groove flanks that run in the radial direction and reach down to a depth (t2) of from 30% to 60% of the profile depth (PT). ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The pneumatic vehicle tire as claimed in claim 1, wherein the radially outer groove portion that is funnel-shaped in the cross section reaches down to a depth (t1) of from 15% to 30% of the profile depth (PT). ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The pneumatic vehicle tire as claimed in claim 1, wherein the mutually opposite groove flanks in the radially inner groove portion have wave forms that run in a mutually parallel manner. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The pneumatic vehicle tire as claimed in claim 1, wherein the mutually opposite groove flanks in the radially inner groove portion have wave forms that run in a mutually symmetrical manner in relation to a central plane of the circumferential groove that runs in the radial direction. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The pneumatic vehicle tire as claimed in claim 1, wherein the circumferential groove is embodied so as to be symmetrical in relation to a central plane thereof that runs in the radial direction.