Tire inflating and deflating system and apparatus
First Claim
1. A system for controlling the inflation pressure of at least one pneumatic tire of a vehicle comprising, a source of air under pressure, flow line means between said source and said tire, pneumatically actuated tire isolating valve means in said flow line means normally biased closed by air in said tire to maintain air under pressure in said tire, inflating and deflating control means including means to open said isolating valve means, means to continuously produce a first signal having a given magnitude representing a desired tire pressure, means to continuously produce a second signal having a variable magnitude and representing the pressure of air in said tire, and means receiving and continuously comparing said first and second signals and continuously providing control signal output means representing the difference between the magnitudes of said first and second signals, a normally closed tire inflating valve in said flow line means between said source and said isolating valve means, said inflating valve being opened by said control signal output means when said first signal first greater than said second signal to provide for air flow from said source to said tire, a normally closed tire deflating valve in said flow line means between said source and said isolating valve means, said deflating valve being opened by said control signal output means when said first signal is less than said second signal to provide for air flow from said tire to atmosphere across said deflating valve, an exhaust valve in said flow line means between said isolating valve means and said source, said exhaust valve being closed during inflating and deflating of said tire and being opened by said control signal output means when said first and second signals are equal to provide for exhausting all of the air in said flow line means between said isolating valve means and said source to atmosphere across said exhaust valve, and said means for opening said isolating valve means including a normally closed flow restricting control valve in said flow line means and means to open said control valve for a predetermined period of time while said inflating valve and said deflating valve are in said normally closed dispositions thereof, said control valve when open providing restricted flow of air from said source to said isolating valve means for said predetermined period of time to control the opening of said isolating valve means.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system for inflating and deflating pneumatic tires of a vehicle through pneumatically actuated tire isolating valves which isolate air under pressure in the tires from the system comprises electronically controlled valves for achieving opening of the tire isolating valves, inflating or deflating of the vehicle tires and the quick exhausting of air under pressure from the system when the desired tire pressure is reached so as to immediately enable closure of the tire isolating valves to assure obtaining the desired pressure in the tires. Optimum rates of inflating and deflating together with accuracy in obtaining a desired tire pressure are achieved through a unique tire isolating valve construction and electronic controlled circuitry by which signals corresponding to desired and existing tire pressures are electronically compared to provide output signals by which the inflating, deflating and exhaust functions are controlled.
82 Citations
29 Claims
- 1. A system for controlling the inflation pressure of at least one pneumatic tire of a vehicle comprising, a source of air under pressure, flow line means between said source and said tire, pneumatically actuated tire isolating valve means in said flow line means normally biased closed by air in said tire to maintain air under pressure in said tire, inflating and deflating control means including means to open said isolating valve means, means to continuously produce a first signal having a given magnitude representing a desired tire pressure, means to continuously produce a second signal having a variable magnitude and representing the pressure of air in said tire, and means receiving and continuously comparing said first and second signals and continuously providing control signal output means representing the difference between the magnitudes of said first and second signals, a normally closed tire inflating valve in said flow line means between said source and said isolating valve means, said inflating valve being opened by said control signal output means when said first signal first greater than said second signal to provide for air flow from said source to said tire, a normally closed tire deflating valve in said flow line means between said source and said isolating valve means, said deflating valve being opened by said control signal output means when said first signal is less than said second signal to provide for air flow from said tire to atmosphere across said deflating valve, an exhaust valve in said flow line means between said isolating valve means and said source, said exhaust valve being closed during inflating and deflating of said tire and being opened by said control signal output means when said first and second signals are equal to provide for exhausting all of the air in said flow line means between said isolating valve means and said source to atmosphere across said exhaust valve, and said means for opening said isolating valve means including a normally closed flow restricting control valve in said flow line means and means to open said control valve for a predetermined period of time while said inflating valve and said deflating valve are in said normally closed dispositions thereof, said control valve when open providing restricted flow of air from said source to said isolating valve means for said predetermined period of time to control the opening of said isolating valve means.
-
21. In a system for inflating and deflating a pneumatic tire of a vehicle and which system comprises a source of air under pressure, flow line means between said source and said tire, normally closed tire isolating valve means in said flow line means to maintain an existing air pressure in said tire, and control means for inflating and deflating said tire across said isolating valve means, the improvement comprising:
- said isolating valve means including housing means having upstream and downstream ends with respect to the direction of flow from said source to said tire and a single flow passageway therethrough between said ends, means providing a valve seat in said housing means intermediate said ends, pneumatically actuable valve element means in said housing having upstream and downstream surface areas, said value element means including poppet valve member means displaceable relative to said seat and providing said downstream surface area, air under pressure in said tire acting against said downstream surface area to normally close said poppet valve member means against said seat, said valve element means further including pneumatically displaceable diaphragm means providing said upstream surface area and tubular push rod means having an upstream end attached to said diaphragm and a downstream end engaging said poppet valve member, said diaphragm means having a central aperture opening into said upstream end of said tubular push rod means, said poppet valve member means being displaceable away from said seat by said push rod means in response to air under pressure from said source against said upstream surface area of said valve element means, and said upstream and downstream surface areas having a ratio of from about 1.25;
1 to about 2.5;
1. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
- said isolating valve means including housing means having upstream and downstream ends with respect to the direction of flow from said source to said tire and a single flow passageway therethrough between said ends, means providing a valve seat in said housing means intermediate said ends, pneumatically actuable valve element means in said housing having upstream and downstream surface areas, said value element means including poppet valve member means displaceable relative to said seat and providing said downstream surface area, air under pressure in said tire acting against said downstream surface area to normally close said poppet valve member means against said seat, said valve element means further including pneumatically displaceable diaphragm means providing said upstream surface area and tubular push rod means having an upstream end attached to said diaphragm and a downstream end engaging said poppet valve member, said diaphragm means having a central aperture opening into said upstream end of said tubular push rod means, said poppet valve member means being displaceable away from said seat by said push rod means in response to air under pressure from said source against said upstream surface area of said valve element means, and said upstream and downstream surface areas having a ratio of from about 1.25;
Specification