Tyre inflation/deflation device

• US 8,443,852 B2
• Filed: 05/11/2012
• Issued: 05/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pneumatic Components Ltd. (Indus Holding AG)
• Original Assignee: Pneumatic Components Ltd. (Indus Holding AG)
• Inventors: McCaughey, Mark Christopher
• Primary Examiner(s): Maust, Timothy L
• Assistant Examiner(s): KELLY, TIMOTHY PATRICK
• Application Number:
  US13/469,155
• Publication Number:
  US 20120285581A1
• Time in Patent Office: 375 Days
• Field of Search: 141/38, 141 65- 66, 141/94, 141/98, 141/231, 141/237
• US Class Current: 141/237
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 5/046 using electrical or electronical means

Abstract

A device (1) for effecting automatic nitrogen filling, or nitrogen-for-air substitution, for the simultaneous inflation/deflation of a plurality of vehicle tires, comprising multiple controllers (17) corresponding to the number of tires to be inflated/deflated, each having an individual display (8), a pressure sensor (9), an inflation valve (4) and a deflation valve (11), whereby multiple vehicle tires may be inflated/deflated simultaneously, with user input interfaces (10) for pressure setting adjustments.

Claims

1. A device (1) for effecting automatic nitrogen filling from a nitrogen source, or nitrogen-for-air substitution, for the simultaneous inflation/deflation of a plurality of vehicle tyres, comprising:

multiple controllers (17), each of said controllers adapted to deliver nitrogen to at least one of the tyres based at least partially on a pressure within that tyre, each controller including a processor located on a PCB and each controller being in communication with each of the following;

an individual display (8) for displaying the pressure in the tyre;

a pressure sensor (9) for sensing the pressure in the tyre;

an inflation valve (4) for receiving nitrogen from the nitrogen source and delivering the nitrogen to the tyre;

a deflation valve (11) for releasing pressure from the tyre; and

means for enabling simultaneous setting of a target pressure by linking two of the multiple controllers via an interface link between the processors;

whereby the plurality of vehicle tyres may be inflated/deflated simultaneously, with user input interfaces (10) for pressure setting adjustments.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1, comprising four controllers (17), and four associated inflation/deflation hoses (5).

3. A device as claimed in claim 1, the multiple controllers comprising a first and a second independent controller adapted to coordinate simultaneous completion of inflation/deflation associated with at least two individual displays (8).

4. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the multiple controllers is adapted to effect independent completion of inflation/deflation of individual tyres and independently indicate completion of a given inflation/deflation cycle.

5. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein each controller is in communication with multiple individual displays (8), multiple individual pressure sensors, and inflation valves;

and

wherein each controller utilizes one processor, using a multiplexed control to maintain independent control of the inflation/deflation of each tyre associated with a given controller.

6. A device as claimed in claim 5, having independent indication of an inflation/deflation cycle.

7. A device as claimed in claim 3, further including two hoses for delivering nitrogen to two of the tyres, wherein the device includes independent tyre inflation control but with completion when the two hoses (5) are in an end state of an inflation/deflation cycle completion.

8. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of the controllers is further in communication with a second pressure sensor, a second inflation valve, and a second deflation valve, and wherein the controller is adapted to initiate a cycle for adjusting the nitrogen content and pressure in a pair of the plurality of tyres, with simultaneous completion at the end of the cycle.

9. A device as claimed in claim 1, mounted on a wheeled, metal stand (13), for portability.

10. A device (1) for effecting automatic nitrogen filling from a nitrogen source, or nitrogen-for-air substitution, for the simultaneous inflation/deflation of a plurality of vehicle tyres, comprising:

multiple controllers (17), each of said controllers adapted to deliver nitrogen to a plurality of the tyres based at least partially on a pressure within each of the plurality of tyres, each controller being in communication with each of the following;

multiple individual displays (8) for displaying the pressure in at least one of the tyres;

multiple individual pressure sensors (9) for sensing the pressure in at least one of the tyres;

multiple inflation valves (4) for receiving nitrogen from the nitrogen source and delivering the nitrogen to at least one of the tyres; and

a deflation valve (11) for releasing pressure from at least one of the tyres;

whereby the plurality of vehicle tyres may be inflated/deflated simultaneously, with user input interfaces (10) for pressure setting adjustments; and

wherein each controller utilizes one processor, using a multiplexed control to maintain independent control of the inflation/deflation of each of the plurality of tyres associated with a given controller.

11. A device as claimed in claim 10, wherein each controller (17) includes a processor located on a PCB (7).

12. A device as claimed in claim 11, comprising means for enabling simultaneous setting of a target pressure by linking two of the multiple controllers (17) via an interface link between the processors.

13. A device as claimed in claim 10, the multiple controllers comprising a first and a second independent controller adapted to coordinate simultaneous completion of inflation/deflation associated with at least two individual displays (8).

14. A device as claimed in claim 10, wherein each of the multiple controllers is adapted to effect independent completion of inflation/deflation of individual tyres and independently indicate completion of a given inflation/deflation cycle.

15. A device as claimed in claim 10, further comprising means for independent indication of completion of an inflation/deflation cycle.

16. A device as claimed in claim 10, further including two hoses for delivering nitrogen to two of the tyres, wherein the device includes independent tyre inflation control but with completion when the two hoses (5) are in an end state of an inflation/deflation cycle completion.

17. A device as claimed in claim 10, mounted on a wheeled, metal stand (13), for portability.