Central Tire Inflation Wheel Assembly and Valve
First Claim
1. A wheel valve to be utilized on a vehicle including a central tire inflation system, the valve comprising:
- a) a casing securable to a rim of a vehicle, the casing having an open end and a closed end defining a cavity therein;
b) a main valve body engaged with the casing within the cavity, the main body including at least one aperture located at each of a lower and an upper end of an interior thereof, the lower aperture adapted to be positioned in sealing engagement with a pressurized air inlet;
c) a valve member movably disposed within the interior of the main body and sealingly engageable with the main body, the valve member including a number of openings therein to enable fluid communication between the lower aperture in the main body and the cavity in the casing through the valve member; and
d) a biasing member disposed between the main body and the valve member.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention is a valve for use in a central tire inflation system including a casing securable to the rim of a vehicle in communication with the tire that houses a main body connectable to a pressurized fluid supply of the central tire inflation system, and a valve member moveable within the main body to control the flow of air through the valve. The valve can be mounted flush on the exterior surface of the rim or in a recessed position within the rim, and can be connected to a manifold that is able to control the flow of pressurized fluid from the central tire inflation system to each valve and tire connected to the valve. The operation of the manifold and pressurized fluid supply can be controlled utilizing a controller operably connected to the manifold and fluid supply.
32 Citations
18 Claims
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1. A wheel valve to be utilized on a vehicle including a central tire inflation system, the valve comprising:
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a) a casing securable to a rim of a vehicle, the casing having an open end and a closed end defining a cavity therein; b) a main valve body engaged with the casing within the cavity, the main body including at least one aperture located at each of a lower and an upper end of an interior thereof, the lower aperture adapted to be positioned in sealing engagement with a pressurized air inlet; c) a valve member movably disposed within the interior of the main body and sealingly engageable with the main body, the valve member including a number of openings therein to enable fluid communication between the lower aperture in the main body and the cavity in the casing through the valve member; and d) a biasing member disposed between the main body and the valve member. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A central tire inflation system to be utilized on a vehicle, the system comprising:
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a) at least one wheel valve including a casing securable to a rim of a vehicle, the casing having an open end and a closed end defining a cavity therein that is adapted to be in fluid communication with an interior of a vehicle tire, a main valve body engaged with the casing within the cavity, the main body including at least one aperture located at each of a lower and an upper end of an interior thereof, a valve member movably disposed within the interior of the main body and sealingly engageable with the main body, the valve member including a number of openings therein to enable fluid communication between the lower aperture in the main body and the cavity in the casing through the valve member, and a biasing member disposed between the main body and the valve member; and b) a manifold adapted to be secured to the vehicle and operably connected to lower aperture of the main body of the at least one valve and adapted to be operably connected to a pressurized air supply for the central tire inflation system, wherein the manifold includes a unitary housing including a fluid inlet and a number of fluid outlets interconnected with one another by internal passages within the housing, and at least one control valve operably connected to the internal passages within the housing between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlets. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15)
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16. A method for inflating or deflating a tire on a vehicle, the method comprising the steps of
a) providing a central tire inflation system having at least one wheel valve including a casing securable to a rim of a vehicle, the casing having an open end and a closed end defining a cavity therein in fluid communication with an interior of a vehicle tire, a main valve body engaged with the casing within the cavity, the main body including at least one aperture located at each of a lower and an upper end of an interior thereof, a valve member movably disposed within the interior of the main body and sealingly engageable with the main body, the valve member including a number of openings therein to enable fluid communication between the lower aperture in the main body and the cavity in the casing through the valve member, and a biasing member disposed between the main body and the valve member, a manifold secured to the vehicle and operably connected to the at least one valve, the manifold having a unitary housing including a fluid inlet and a number of fluid outlets interconnected with one another by internal passages within the housing and at least one control valve operably connected to the internal passages within the housing between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlets, a pressurized fluid supply operably connected to the manifold to supply the pressurized fluid to the manifold, and a controller operably connected to the at least one valve of the manifold and to the pressurized fluid supply to selectively control the operation of the at least one valve and the pressurized air supply; b) operating the controller to direct a flow of pressurized fluid from the fluid supply through the manifold to the at least one valve sufficient to move the valve member with respect to the main body in conjunction with the biasing member and open the valve. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18)
Specification