Valve stem located control regulator for an air maintenance tire

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9415640-B2
Application number	US-201414457388-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 12, 2014
Priority date	Aug 12, 2014
Publication date	Aug 16, 2016
Grant date	Aug 16, 2016

Abstract

A rim 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 block 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;
a tire-mounted air pumping means for pumping pressurized air into the tire cavity to maintain air pressure within the tire cavity at a preferred pressure level;
a tire having an elongate valve stem projecting outward from the tire cavity, the valve stem having an internal valve stem air passageway in communication with the tire cavity operative to direct pressurized air from the valve stem air passageway into the cavity;
a pressure control assembly positioned at a control location proximate the valve stem and operative to selectively control a flow of pressurized air from the tire-mounted air pumping means into the tire cavity responsive to a detected air pressure level within the tire cavity;
wherein the pressure control assembly comprises a bi-directional air distribution block having a plurality of air pathways, each air pathway coupled to a respective conduit connected to the tire-mounted air pumping means, wherein the plurality of conduits alternatively operating to deliver ambient non-pressurized air to the air pumping means in response to directional tire rotation against a ground surface.

2. The air maintenance tire assembly of claim 1 , wherein each of the air pathways comprises a plurality of serial check valves mounted within the block, the check valves within each pathway selectively opening and closing in response to the directional tire rotation against the ground surface.

3. The air maintenance tire assembly of claim 2 , wherein the pressure control assembly further comprises a relief valve mounted to vent pressurized air from the plurality of air pathways through the bi-directional block, the relief valve operably opening to vent pressurized air when an air pressure within the tire cavity is at or above the preferred pressure level, and the relief valve operably closing when air pressure within the tire cavity is below the preferred pressure level.

4. The air maintenance tire assembly of claim 1 , wherein the pressure control assembly from the control location operably regulates a flow of the non-pressurized ambient air into the tire-mounted air pumping means and controls a flow of the pressurized air from the tire-mounted air pumping means through the valve stem air passageway to the tire cavity.

5. The air maintenance tire assembly of claim 4 , further comprising a rim body supporting the tire, wherein the valve stem is sized and configured to extend from the tire through an aperture extending through the rim body supporting the tire and through the bi-directional air distribution block, and wherein the pressure control assembly is mounted to a radially inner-facing surface of the rim body at the control location proximate the valve stem.

6. The air maintenance tire assembly of claim 5 , wherein the valve stem houses a primary stem-based control valve within an outward region of the valve stem air passageway for controlling pressurized air entry into the air passageway from an external pressurized air source, the tire-mounted air pumping means comprising a tire-mounted ancillary pressurized maintenance air supply.

7. The air maintenance tire assembly of claim 6 , wherein the valve stem passageway comprises at a base location an air collection chamber operably connected to collect pressurized air from the plurality of air pathways through the bi-directional air distribution block and from the stem-based control valve for delivery to the tire cavity.

8. The air maintenance tire assembly of claim 7 , wherein the air collection chamber is positioned within the valve stem air passageway in an axial alignment with the stem-based control valve.

9. The air maintenance tire assembly of claim 8 , wherein the air pumping means comprises at least one elongate tubular air passageway enclosed within a flexing region of a tire wall, the air passageway having an air inlet portal operable to admit air into the tubular air passageway and an air outlet portal spaced apart from the inlet portal operable to withdraw pressurized air from the tubular air passageway, the air passageway operably closing segment by segment in reaction to induced forces from the tire flexing region as the flexing region of the tire wall rotates opposite a rolling tire footprint.

10. The air maintenance tire assembly of claim 9 , wherein the tubular air passageway pumps pressurized air in opposite directions responsive to opposite rotational direction of the tire against the ground surface.

11. An air maintenance tire assembly comprising:
a tire having a tire cavity bounded by first and second sidewalls extending to a tire tread region;
a tire-mounted air pumping means for pumping tire-generated pressurized air into the tire cavity to maintain air pressure within the tire cavity at a preferred pressure level;
a tire having an elongate valve stem projecting outward from the tire cavity, the valve stem having an internal axial valve stem air passageway in communication with the tire cavity operative to direct pressurized air from the valve stem air passageway into the cavity;
a stem-based valve assembly for operably controlling a flow of pressurized air from an external pressurized air source into the valve stem air passageway;
a pressure control assembly positioned at a control location proximate the valve stem operative to control a flow of the tire-generated pressurized air from the tire-mounted air pumping means into the tire cavity through the valve stem responsive to a detected air pressure level within the tire cavity;
wherein the pressure control assembly comprises a bi-directional air distribution block having a plurality of air pathways, each air pathway coupled to a respective conduit connected to the tire-mounted air pumping means, wherein the plurality of conduits alternatively operating to deliver ambient non-pressurized air to the air pumping means in response to directional tire rotation against a ground surface.

12. The air maintenance tire assembly of claim 11 , wherein each of the air pathways comprises a plurality of serial check valves mounted within the block, the check valves within each pathway selectively opening and closing in response to the directional tire rotation against the ground surface.

13. The air maintenance tire assembly of claim 12 , wherein the pressure control assembly further comprises a relief valve mounted to vent pressurized air from the plurality of air pathways through the bi-directional block, the relief valve operably opening to vent pressurized air when an air pressure within the tire cavity is at or above the preferred pressure level, and the relief valve operably closing when air pressure within the tire cavity is below the preferred pressure level.

14. The air maintenance tire assembly of claim 11 , wherein the pressure control assembly from the control location operably regulates a flow of the non-pressurized ambient air into the tire-mounted air pumping means and controls a flow of the pressurized air from the tire-mounted air pumping means through the valve stem air passageway to the tire cavity.

15. The air maintenance tire assembly of claim 14 , further comprising a rim body supporting the tire, wherein the valve stem is sized and configured to extend from the tire through an aperture extending through the rim body supporting the tire and through the bi-directional air distribution block; and wherein the pressure control assembly is mounted to a radially inner-facing surface of the rim body at the control location proximate the va

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

• B60C23/12

  operated by a running wheel · CPC title

• B60C23/135

  activated due to tyre deformation · CPC title

• B60C23/123 Primary

  Elongate peristaltic pumps · CPC title