Air maintenance tire

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016176243-A1
Application number	US-201514876184-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 6, 2015
Priority date	Aug 12, 2014
Publication date	Jun 23, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A wheel mounted control assembly receives therethrough the tire valve stem from an air maintenance tire. A control assembly regulator controls a flow of air to and from a tire-mounted air pumping tube. The control assembly includes a bi-directional air distribution flow control system having multiple parallel air pathways, each air pathway coupled to a respective conduit connected to an air pumping tube mounted within a tire sidewall. The pathways alternatively operate to deliver ambient non-pressurized air to the air pumping tube in response to directional tire rotation against a ground surface.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An air maintenance tire assembly comprising:
a tire having a tire cavity bounded by first and second sidewalls extending to a tire tread region; an air tube for pumping pressurized air into the tire cavity, said air tube having a first end an a second end; a first tube passage having a first end connected to a barbed end of a connector and a second end in fluid communication with a fluid control system; said connector having a second end connected to the first end of the air tube, said fluid control system operative to control the flow of pressurized air from the air tube into the tire cavity.

2 . The air maintenance tire assembly of claim 1 wherein the fluid control system further includes a valve stem, wherein the valve stem has an air passageway in communication with the tire cavity operative to direct pressurized air from the air passageway into the cavity.

3 . The air maintenance tire assembly of claim 1 wherein a spring is received over the first end of the air tube and the barbed end of the first tube passage.

4 . The air maintenance tire assembly of claim 1 further comprising a second tube passage having a barbed end connected to a second end of the air tube, and a second end connected to the fluid control system.

5 . The air maintenance tire assembly of claim 1 wherein the second end of the first tube passage is connected to the fluid control system with a barbed fluid connector.

6 . The air maintenance tire assembly of claim 4 wherein the second end of the second tube passage is connected to the pressure control assembly with a barbed fluid connector.

7 . The air maintenance tire assembly of claim 6 wherein a spring is received over the second end of the second tube passage and the barbed fluid connector.

8 . The air maintenance tire assembly of claim 4 wherein a spring is received over the second end of the second tube passage and the barbed fluid connector.

Assignees

• Goodyear Tire & Rubber

Inventors

• Lin Cheng-Hsiung

Classifications

• B60C23/004 Primary

  the control being done on the wheel, e.g. using a wheel-mounted reservoir · CPC title

• F04D27/00

  Control, e.g. regulation, of pumps, pumping installations or pumping systems specially adapted for elastic fluids · CPC title

• G05D7/0676

  by action on flow sources (G05D7/0688, G05D7/0694 take precedence) · CPC title

• B60C23/135

  activated due to tyre deformation · CPC title

• B60C23/123 Primary

  Elongate peristaltic pumps · CPC title