Tire pressure drop alarming apparatus

• US 4,254,398 A
• Filed: 09/27/1978
• Issued: 03/03/1981
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/1977
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Bridgestone Tire Company Limited (Bridgestone Corporation), Mitaka Instrument Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Bridgestone Tire Company Limited (Bridgestone Corporation), Mitaka Instrument Company Limited
• Inventors: Nishino, Hiroshi, Matsuda, Akira, Iwasaki, Motoaki, Yasuda, Shigeo, Goshima, Norio
• Primary Examiner(s): Caldwell, Sr., John W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nowicki, Joseph E.
• Application Number:
  US05/946,373
• Time in Patent Office: 888 Days
• Field of Search: 340/58, 200/61.22, 200/61.25, 200/61.26, 73/146.3, 73/146.5, 73/146.8, 24/73 AS, 24/73 BP, 24/81 BA, 301/39 C
• US Class Current: 340/448
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0428 using passive wheel mounted resonance circuits
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/043 using transformer type signal transducers, e.g. rotary transformers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 24/3437 Coil spring biased
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 24/3449 and hook

Abstract

This invention is concerned with a tire pressure drop alarming apparatus for signaling an abnormal pressure drop of a pneumatic tire by transforming the pressure drop into an electric signal.

The apparatus comprises a resonating circuit including a resonance coil and a resonance condenser and includes a retaining body made of metal. The retaining body includes a bottom plate portion interposed between and separating the resonance coil from a vertical portion of a rim flange in such a way that the vertical portion of the rim flange can prevent effects imparting characteristics of the resonance coil, and a side plate portion integrally connected with the base plate portion to be interposed connected with the base plate portion to be interposed between and separating the resonance coil from the parallel portion of the rim flange in such a way that a parallel portion of the rim flange can prevent effects imparting characteristics of the resonance coil, the retaining body being attached to the rim flange with the base plate portion and the side plate portion not deformed.

Claims

1. A tire pressure drop alarming apparatus for alarming an abnormal pressure drop of a tire by transforming said pressure drop into an electric signal, comprising a detection switch for detecting pressure drop of pressurized air in a tire;

an air pipe connecting said detecting switch and a valve stem of said tire for allowing said pressurized air into said detection switch;

a resonance coil resonating to electric waves radiated from an oscillation coil positioned opposite thereto when said detection switch detects a predetermined pressure drop of said pressurized air;

said tire pressure drop alarming apparatus being positioned axially outwardly from a rim flange of a wheel rim which has a vertical portion substantially vertical to a rotational axis of said tire and a parallel portion connected at the radially outward end of said vertical portion in substantially parallel relation to the rotational axis of said tire and is adapted to retain said detection switch, said air pipe, and said resonance coil, the apparatus further including a resonance condenser and a retaining body made of metal including a base plate portion interposed between and separating said resonance coil from said vertical portion of said rim flange in such a way that said vertical portion of said rim flange is prevented from imparting characteristics to said resonance coil, and a side plate portion integrally connected with said base plate portion interposed between and separating said resonance coil from said parallel portion of said rim flange in such a way that said parallel portion of said rim flange is prevented from imparting characteristics to said resonance coil, said retaining body being attached to said rim flange with said base plate portion and said side plate portion remaining undeformed.

2. A tire pressure drop alarming apparatus as set forth in claim 1, which further comprises a grasping device including a first grip end portion formed in a longitudinal one end inserted within and secured to a tire valve bore so as to partially surround an inner edge of said valve bore, an intermediate flat base portion integrally connected with said first grip end portion to extend axially of said tire along the inner peripheral of said rim, and a second grip end portion formed in a longitudinal other end portion to be in engagement with said retaining body for preventing said retaining body from being dropped from said rim flange, and an air pipe grasping projection provided on said intermediate flat base portion to grasp said air pipe along said intermediate flat base portion.

3. A tire pressure drop alarming apparatus as set forth in claim 2, wherein a square bar is attached to said intermediate flat base portion opposite said rim so as to extend along said intermediate flat portion said square bar having a height measured in the radial direction of said tire at least substantially identical to the diameter of said air pipe.

4. A tire pressure drop alarming apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said retaining body includes a pair of retainers each having a hook member in engagement with said parallel portion of said rim flange to surround and tightly fit on said parallel portion of said rim flange, said hook member having a radially extending inner end, said retaining body further including a flat base portion connected with the radially extending inner end of said hook member and formed so as to extend along the axially outer profile of said vertical portion of said rim flange, said flat base portion having a radially extending inner end portion, said retaining body further including a pair of spaced gird portions extending axially inwardly of said tire from the radially extending inner end portion of said flat base portion;

and a retaining plate having a flat base plate portion extending along an outer face profile of said vertical portion of said rim flange, a side plate portion having a radially extending inner end, said side plate portion being integrally connected to the radially extending outer end of said flat base plate portion and inclined at an obtuse angle with respect to said flat base plate portion so as to extend along a radially inner face profile on said parallel portion of said rim flange, and a standing portion integrally connected with the radially extending inner end of said base plate portion so as to extend vertically with respect to said flat base plate portion, wherein said retaining plate is firmly connected to said pair of retainers.

5. A tire pressure drop alarming apparatus as set forth in claim 4, wherein each of said retainers further has a pair of turnup portions disposed at and integrally formed with both sides of said flat base portion to be brought into engagement wih the radially inner face of said parallel portion of said rim flange for preventing said retainers from being easily removed out of said rim flange when said retainers are attached to said rim flange.

6. A tire pressure drop alarm apparatus as in claim 1, wherein said retaining body includes a pair of retainer members each having a hook portion for securely engaging said parallel portion, a flat base portion secured to each of said retainer members so as to extend along the axially outer profile of said vertical portion, said flat base portion having a radially extending inner end portion, a pair of spaced gird portions extending axially inwardly of said tire from the radially extending inner end portion of said flat base portion, a retaining plate having a flat base plate portion with a radially extending outer end, said flat base plate portion extending along the outer face profile of said vertical portion, a side plate portion having a radially extending inner end, said side plate portion being integrally connected to the radially extending outer end of said flat base plate portion and inclined at an obtuse angle with respect to said flat base plate portion so as to extend along the profile of said parallel portion, and a standing portion integrally connected with the radially extending inner end of said base plate portion so as to extend vertically with respect to said flat base plate portion.