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Automatic tire inflation system

  • US 4,431,043 A
  • Filed: 10/16/1981
  • Issued: 02/14/1984
  • Est. Priority Date: 07/31/1981
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. In an automatic tire inflation/deflation system having a plurality of wheel assemblies for the tires of a vehicle, each wheel assembly having a rotatable portion connected to its associated tire and a nonrotatable portion connected to the vehicle, the improvement comprising:

  • a nonrotatable elongated annular spindle;

    a hub having an enlarged central interior cavity, said hub being mounted for rotation about said spindle on a pair of spaced bearings;

    an axle passing through said spindle and connected to the hub;

    a pair of annular sealing rings, each sealing ring having a channel-like cross section with a substantially rigid body and a generally horizontally extending flexible lip portion about its inner periphery;

    receiving means in the rotating portion of the wheel assembly on both sides of said cavity and inboard of said bearings, adapted to hold the body of said sealing rings laterally in place so that their respective lip portions ride on the spindle; and

    means defining a sealed air passageway through which tire inflation air may pass during both inflation and deflation of the tire, said passageway extending from an inlet in inner portions of the spindle to an outlet in exterior portions of the hub, said passageway including an opening in said spindle beween the lip portions of said seals and further including said cavity.

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