Central tire inflation wheel assembly, valve and central tire inflation system

• US 8,844,596 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2010
• Issued: 09/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Global Engineering Marketing, LLC
• Original Assignee: Global Engineering Marketing, LLC
• Inventors: Medley, Martin A., Miller, Douglas P., Blackman, Donald E., Varghese, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Kotter, Kip T
• Application Number:
  US12/967,745
• Publication Number:
  US 20110175716A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,386 Days
• Field of Search: 152/415, 152/417, 152/427, 152/428, 137/224, 731/463, 417/233, 340/442, 301/5.24
• US Class Current: 152/428
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/002 by monitoring conditions other than tyre pressure or deformation
• 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 23/00363 Details of sealings
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/36 With pressure-responsive pressure-control means

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, and to sensing devices that supply information regarding the operational conditions of the vehicle to the controller to assist in adjusting the inflation of the tires as necessary.

Claims

1. A central tire inflation system for a work vehicle supported by a set of inflatable wheels, the central tire inflation system comprising:

a) a load transducer coupled to the work vehicle and configured to sense a load of an implement connected to the vehicle and to generate load signals representative thereof;

b) an electronic control unit coupled to the load transducer configured to receive the load signals and to generate control signals at least partly in response thereto;

c) an air manifold configured to receive the control signals from the electronic control unit, the control signals controlling actions of the air manifold to regulate the air supplied to the set of inflatable wheels; and

d) at least one wheel valve operably connected to a wheel of the vehicle and including a casing securable to a rim of a vehicle, the casing having an open end and a closed end defining a cavity therein, a main valve body engaged with the casing within the cavity and extending outwardly from the casing through the open end, 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 positioned in sealing engagement with a pressurized air inlet, 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.

2. The central tire inflation system of claim 1, wherein the load transducer is configured to sense the loads placed on a hitch assembly of the work vehicle.

3. The central tire inflation system of claim 1, wherein the load transducer comprises at least one load pin, the at least one load pin communicating an electrical signal to the electronic control unit, the electrical signal having a substantially known relationship to a force applied to the at least one load pin.

4. The central tire inflation system of claim 1, wherein the electronic control unit is configured to generate display signals, the central tire inflation system further comprising:

a) a visual display coupled to the electronic control unit configured to provide central tire inflation system information to a user in response to the display signals; and

b) a manual control input coupled to the electronic control unit for generating manual control signals, wherein, when the electronic control unit operates in a manual mode, the control signals provided to the air manifold are based upon the manual control signals.

5. The central tire inflation system of claim 1 further comprising a speed sensor, the speed sensor communicating an electrical signal to the electronic control unit, the electronic control unit configured to generate the control signals based on the electrical signal.

6. The central tire inflation system of claim 1 wherein the valve member of the wheel valve comprises:

a) a hollow lower section disposed within the interior of the main body;

a narrow central section connected to the lower section and including the number of openings therein; and

c) a wide upper section connected to central section opposite the lower section, the upper section including a top portion sealingly engageable with the main body.

7. The central tire inflation system of claim 1 wherein the cavity of the wheel valve is in direct fluid communication with the interior of the tire to allow the air pressure within the tire to urge the valve member into a closed position against the bias of the biasing member.

8. A central tire inflation system to be utilized on a vehicle, the system comprising:

a) a load transducer coupled to the vehicle for generating sensed load signals representative of operating loads placed on inflatable wheels of the vehicle;

b) an electronic control unit mounted on the work vehicle and coupled to the load transducer, wherein the electronic control unit is configured to receive the sensed load signals and to generate control signals at least partly in response thereto;

c) an air supply capable of supplying pressurized air;

d) at least two air lines coupled to the inflatable wheels;

e) an air manifold mounted on the work vehicle and coupled to the air supply, the at least two air lines, and the control unit, wherein the air manifold receives the control signals from the electronic control unit, the control signals controlling actions of the air manifold to regulate the distribution and amount of pressurized air supplied via internal passages in the manifold to the at least two air lines through a manifold fluid outlet from the air supply entering the internal passages through a manifold fluid inlet;

f) at least one wheel valve including a casing secured to a rim of wheel, the casing having an open end and a closed end defining a cavity therein that is in fluid communication with an interior of a vehicle tire, a main valve body engaged with the casing within the cavity and extending outwardly from the casing through the open end, 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 from at least one of the air lines from the manifold and the cavity in the casing through the valve member to the tire, and a biasing member disposed between the main body and the valve member;

wherein the load transducer comprises at least one sensing device, the sensing device communicating an electrical signal to the electronic control unit, the electrical signal having a substantially known relationship to a force measured by the sensing device.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the manifold further comprises:

a) a first control valve disposed between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet; and

b) a second control valve disposed between the fluid outlet and a pressure relief fluid outlet.

10. The system of claim 9 further comprising a pressure transducer operably connected to the internal passages within the housing between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlets to monitor the fluid pressure in the manifold.

11. A method of regulating the tire pressure of a tire on a vehicle, the method comprising the steps of:

a) providing a central tire inflation system comprising;

i) at least one wheel valve including a casing secured to a rim of a wheel, 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 and extending outwardly from the casing through the open end, 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;

ii) 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;

iii) a pressurized fluid supply operably connected to the manifold to supply the pressurized fluid to the manifold; and

iv) 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 and to at least one sensing device positioned on the vehicle to monitor one or more operating conditions of the vehicle;

b) generating sensed signals representative of operating conditions of the vehicle by the at least one sensing devices;

c) generating control signals at least partly in response to the sensed signals; and

d) regulating the air supplied to the tire based on the control signals.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the flow of pressurized fluid has a pressure greater than the fluid pressure within the tire to inflate the tire.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the flow of pressurized fluid has a pressure less than the fluid pressure within the tire to deflate the tire.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising receiving additional control signals from a manually-operated switch and regulating the air supplied to the tire based on the additional control signals.