Device for monitoring maintenance and adjustment of pressure in a tire

• US 7,117,731 B2
• Filed: 12/05/2002
• Issued: 10/10/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sithold SRO
• Original Assignee: Frantisek Hrabal
• Inventors: Hrabal, Frantisek
• Primary Examiner(s): Lefkowitz, Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): ALLEN, ANDRE J
• Application Number:
  US10/498,145
• Publication Number:
  US 20050126273A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,405 Days
• Field of Search: 731/46, 731/462, 731/463, 731/464, 731/465, 731/468, 152/415, 152/424, 340/442
• US Class Current: 73/146
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/123 Elongate peristaltic pumps
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/135 activated due to tyre deformation

Abstract

Device for monitoring, maintenance and/or adjustment of pressure in a tire includes the chamber with shape memory deformable for the period of application of external mechanical forces when the tire rolls on the road surface, connected valve with the inside space of the tire and valve with the outside environment. At least one wall of the chamber is adjacent to the inside wall of the tire or is a part of the inside wall of the tire. Furthermore, the device operates on the peristaltic pump principle consisting of the chamber, which is deformable up to the zero cross section. At least one chamber with block with shape memory is freely open at one end and equipped with at least one valve at the other end or next to it. The minimum volume of the part of the chamber at the end equipped with the internal valve or external valve is from 1 to 80% of the total maximum volume of the chamber.

Claims

1. The apparatus for monitoring, maintaining and adjustment of pressure comprising:

a tire having an interior space and a wall, said tire being suitable for receiving external mechanical forces when rolling on a road surface;

a chamber having a shape memory, said chamber being deformable during the receiving of the external mechanical forces, said chamber having a lengthwise shape at least partially copying a shape of said tire, said chamber being connected with said interior space of said tire and an outside environment, at least one wall of said chamber being either adjacent to said wall of said tire or being part of said wall of said tire, a portion of said chamber being deformable up to a zero cross section, said chamber having a block with shape memory, said chamber being freely open at one end to an outside environment and having at least one internal valve at or adjacent to an opposite end, said at least one internal valve connecting said chamber to said interior space of said tire, said opposite end of said chamber being deformable so as to have a cross-sectional area greater than zero.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, one of said ends of said chamber having the internal valve, said end being located outside an area of application of external mechanical forces deforming said chamber up to a zero cross-section.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one status sensor selected from the group consisting of a tire pressure sensor, a tire profile sensor, a chamber profile sensor, a chamber volume sensor, a sensor reading a difference between a pressure inside said chamber and a pressure on the interior space of said tire, said sensor reading a difference of pressure inside said chamber and the outside environment, said at least one status sensor being connected by a control to said internal valve.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one movement sensor selected from the group consisting of a tire rotation speed sensor and a tire rotation acceleration sensor, said at least one movement sensor being connected by a control to said internal valve.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one status sensor selected from the group consisting of a tire pressure sensor, a tire profile sensor, a chamber profile sensor, a chamber volume sensor, a sensor reading a difference between a pressure inside said chamber and a pressure on the interior space of said tire, said sensor reading a difference of pressure inside said chamber and the outside environment; and

at least one movement sensor selected from the group consisting of a tire rotation speed sensor and a tire rotation acceleration sensor, said internal valve being connected by a control to said at least one status sensor and said at least one movement sensor.

5. The apparatus of clam, 1, said end being deformable so as to have a cross-sectional area greater than zero, having a minimum volume which is 1% to 80% of maximum volume of the chamber.

6. The apparatus of monitoring, maintaining and adjustment of pressure comprising:

a tire having an interior space and a wall, said tire being suitable for receiving external mechanical forces when rolling on a road surface;

a chamber having a shape memory, said chamber being deformable during the receiving of the external mechanical forces, said chamber having a lengthwise shape at least partially copying a shape of said tire, said chamber being connected with said interior space of said tire and an outside environment, at least one wall of said chamber being either adjacent to said wall of said tire or being part of said wall of said tire, at least a portion of said chamber being deformable up to a zero cross section, said chamber having a block with shape memory, said chamber being freely open at one end to an interior space of said tire and having at least one external valve at or adjacent to an opposite end, said at least one external valve connecting said chamber to said outside environment.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, said opposite end being deformable so as to have a cross-sectional area greater than zero.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, one of said ends of said chamber having the external valve, said end being located outside an area of application of external mechanical forces deforming said chamber up to a zero cross-section.

9. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising:

at least one status sensor selected from the group consisting of a tire pressure sensor, a tire profile sensor, a chamber profile sensor, a chamber volume sensor, a sensor reading a difference between a pressure inside said chamber and a pressure on the interior space of said tire, said sensor reading a difference of pressure inside said chamber and the outside environment, said at least one status sensor being connected by a control to said external valve.

11. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising:

at least one movement sensor selected from the group consisting of a tire rotation speed sensor and a tire rotation acceleration sensor, said at least one status sensor being connected by a control to said external valve.

12. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising:

at least one status sensor selected from the group consisting of ate pressure sensor, a tire profile sensor, a chamber profile sensor, a chamber volume sensor, a sensor reading a difference between a pressure inside said chamber and a pressure on the interior space of said tire, said sensor reading a difference of pressure inside said chamber and the outside environment; and

at least one movement sensor selected from the group consisting of a tire rotation speed sensor and a tire rotation acceleration sensor, said external valve being connected by a control to said at least one status sensor and said at least one movement sensor.

13. The apparatus of claim 6, said end being deformable so as to have a cross-sectional area greater than zero, having a minimum volume which is 1% to 80% of maximum volume of the chamber.