Control valve for influencing the tire pressure of a vehicle wheel

• US 4,805,681 A
• Filed: 06/02/1987
• Issued: 02/21/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/1986
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Daimler-Benz AG (Mercedes-Benz Group AG)
• Original Assignee: Daimler-Benz AG (Mercedes-Benz Group AG)
• Inventors: Keilpflug, Klaus, Vollmer, Karl
• Primary Examiner(s): Ball, Michael W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bokan, Thomas
• Application Number:
  US07/056,706
• Time in Patent Office: 630 Days
• Field of Search: 152/415-417, 137/224, 137/225, 301/6 WB, 301/124 R, 251/63.4, 251/63.5, 251/25
• US Class Current: 152/417
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/00318 on the wheels or the hubs
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/00354 Details of valves
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0039 specially adapted for driven wheels
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/36 With pressure-responsive pressure-control means

Abstract

A control valve for increasing or reducing the air pressure in a tire of a vehicle wheel that is to be carried out over a short period of time, has a valve chamber that is connected, on one side, to the interior of the tire and, on the other side, to a supply duct. The valve chamber has a space that extends axially through the wheel hub, the interior end of this space being sealed off with respect to an axle part carrying the vehicle wheel. In this space, an automatically closing valve member is arranged that can be controlled into its open position against the interior pressure of the tire by a control piston that is also guided in this space and can be acted upon by a pressure medium. For supplying air to and removing air from the tire, the axle part projects into an axial duct of the control piston with a cylindrical projection that is penetrated by the supply duct. For the opening of the control valve for the removal of air and, if necessary, also for supplying air to the tire, the pressure medium is supplied via a supply duct provided in the axle part and leading out into an intermediate space located between the axle part and the control piston.

Claims

1. A control valve for influencing the tire pressure of a vehicle wheel, having a valve chamber that on one end, is connected to an interior of a tire of said wheel and, on another end, is connected to a supply duct and a control duct, said valve chamber having a penetrating space that axially penetrates a wheel hub and is sealed off with respect to an axle part carrying the vehicle wheel, said control valve having automatically closing valve means, and control piston means acted upon by a pressure medium via said control duct for directing said automatically closing valve means into an open position against the interior pressure of the tire, said supply duct and said control duct extending through said axle part, and air being suppliable to and removable from said supply duct independently of said control duct via a supply control valve, and wherein said closing means is capable of being opened by pressurized air in said supply duct and said control duct being connectable with a fluid pressure medium source at least while air is removed simultaneously from said supply duct, wherein said control piston means is penetrated by an axial duct, and said axle part has a nonbearing cylindrical projecting that is penetrated by said supply duct, said cylindrical projection projecting into said axial duct, and wherein said axle part and said control piston means define an annular intermediate space therebetween into which said control duct leads out.

2. A control valve according to claim 1, wherein said penetrating space is inside a sleeve that is arranged in a torsionally fixed manner in said wheel hub, and wherein said control piston means is guided in said sleeve such that said control piston means is non-rotatable and axially slidable.

3. A control valve according to claim 2, wherein said sleeve has an inner end which projects into a cylindrical hub recess that is coaxial to a wheel axle, said hub recess having an interior sealing means that in a sealing manner rests against said cylindrical projection, said projection having a cylindrical end piece that has a reduced diameter which projects into said control piston means.

4. A control valve arrangement for influencing the tire pressure of a vehicle wheel carried on an axle part, comprising:

supply duct means for fluidly communicating air to and from said tire;

automatically closing valve means connected between said supply duct means and said tire for selectively allowing and preventing fluid communication between said tire and said supply duct means; and

wherein said closing valve means is capable of being opened by pressurized air in said supply duct;

control duct means for providing a fluid control pressure for controlling said closing valve means wherein said control duct means and said control pressure is independent of said supply duct means; and

control piston means for controlling said closing valve means in response to said control pressure, wherein said control duct means opens into a space between said control piston means and an axle part wherein said axle part has a projection, and said control piston means has an axial duct for receiving said projection.

5. A control valve according to claim 4, wherein said supply duct means extends through said axle part and said projection into said axial duct.