Sealant bottle

Abstract

The present application discloses a sealant bottle, the bottle having a bottle body defining an interior space for storing a sealant, a gas inlet fluidly communicating with the interior space and allowing gas to enter the interior space, a pipe for receiving sealant, at least a portion of which is positioned in the interior space to allow the sealant to enter the pipe, and a sealant outlet communicating with the pipe, the pipe defining a sealant transport path to the sealant outlet, the pipe further comprising a gas inlet on the sealant transport path, the gas inlet configured to allow gas from the interior space to enter the pipe through the gas inlet and mix with the sealant on the sealant transport path.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of automotive maintenance tools, and in particular to sealant bottles. [Background technology]

[0002] When a vehicle is running, tires may experience abnormal conditions such as punctures or damage. In such cases, a spare tire is usually used to replace the punctured or damaged tire, or the tire is repaired or inflated quickly.

[0003] Currently, cars use pneumatic tires. If a tire gets punctured, there is no need to replace the tire. The punctured area of ​​the tire can be repaired by injecting a sealant into the tire.

[0004] The sealant is a polymeric compound, generally in a liquid state, and is stored in a sealant bottle. In the tire repair process described above, air is first pumped into the sealant bottle, then the sealant in the bottle is pumped out, and then into the tire. The sealant that enters the tire comes into contact with the surrounding air and mixes with it, increasing in volume and forming a foam. Once inside the tire, the foamed sealant can reach the punctured area and cover the inner wall of the tire, forming a sealing film. It is ideal to use a small amount of sealant for tire repair.

[0005] Japanese Patent No. 4666613 discloses a sealant injection device, which comprises a reservoir for storing sealant and a mixing section outside the reservoir. Air enters the reservoir and the mixing section through two branch lines. The air entering the reservoir presses the sealant against the mixing section, and the sealant pressed against the mixing section mixes with the air that directly enters the mixing section. The mixed sealant is then output to the tire and injected into the tire through the tire valve core. Valves are disposed at the branch start ends of the two branch lines for distributing the air flow to the respective branch lines. For this reason, the injection device of Japanese Patent No. 4666613 further comprises a controller for manual or automatic control. Summary of the Invention Problems to be solved by the invention and means for solving the problems

[0006] One aspect of the present application provides a sealant bottle, the bottle comprising: a bottle body defining an interior space for storing a sealant; a gas inlet fluidly communicating with the interior space to allow gas to enter the interior space; a pipe for receiving a sealant, at least a portion of which is disposed in the interior space to allow the sealant to enter the pipe; and a sealant outlet communicating with the pipe, the pipe defining a sealant transport path to the sealant outlet, the pipe further comprising a gas inlet on the sealant transport path, the gas inlet configured such that gas from the interior space enters the pipe through the gas inlet and mixes with the sealant on the sealant transport path.

[0007] In one embodiment of the sealant bottle, the bottle body has a container and a cover hermetically connected to the container, and the gas inlet is located in a portion of the pipe located inside the container and / or in another portion of the pipe located inside the cover.

[0008] In one embodiment of the sealant bottle, the gas inlet includes at least one eyelet disposed on the pipe and communicating the interior space with the interior of the pipe.

[0009] In one embodiment of the sealant bottle, the pipe has a sealant passage, at least one eyelet has a gas passage, and the ratio of the area of ​​the sealant passage to the sum of the areas of the gas passages of the at least one eyelet is in the range of 8 to 89.

[0010] In one embodiment of the sealant bottle, the ratio of the area of ​​the sealant passage portion to the sum of the areas of the gas passage portions of at least one eyelet is in the range of 32-89.

[0011] In one embodiment of the sealant bottle, if the at least one eyelet consists of one eyelet, the one eyelet is positioned on the circumferential side of the pipe, if the at least one eyelet consists of two eyelets, the two eyelets are each positioned on opposite sides of the circumferential side of the pipe, and if the at least one eyelet consists of more eyelets, the more eyelets are positioned around the pipe.

[0012] In one embodiment of the sealant bottle, the gas inlet and the sealant outlet are located on the cover, or the gas inlet is located on the container and the sealant outlet is located on the cover.

[0013] In one embodiment of the sealant bottle, the portion of the pipe inside the container is a pipe made of a flexible material, and the pipe has a sealant receiving portion at the bottom of the bottle body so that the sealant can enter the pipe from the bottom.

[0014] In one embodiment of the sealant bottle, the bottle further comprises a supply tube on the outside of the bottle body, the supply tube being connected to the sealant outlet.

[0015] In the present invention, the sealant and gas can be mixed in the sealant bottle. The mixing of the sealant and the gas is carried out through the gas introduction section. It has been found that such early and active mixing can make the volume of the sealant much larger than that of the sealant mixed in the tire or the like. For example, the volume can be increased by 30-40% by mixing the sealant with the surrounding air in the tire. In another example, the volume can be increased by less than 10% by shaking the sealant bottle for mixing or by mixing the sealant with air and forcing the mixed sealant into a pipe in the bottle. In contrast, the present invention can increase the volume by more than the above values, and even up to 100% or more. Thus, the sealant bottle according to the present invention can already foam the sealant when it reaches the injection port of the tire (usually the valve core), and the amount of foam is considerable. Thus, on the one hand, the amount of sealant used can be reduced and the efficiency of tire repair can be improved.

[0016] The present invention has a simple structure and high reliability. After the gas is pumped into the sealant bottle, the gas with high pressure in the sealant bottle can push the sealant into the pipe on the one hand, and can enter the pipe through the gas inlet on the pipe during the sealant transportation to meet and mix with the sealant on the other hand. Since the mixing is carried out in the pipe, there is no need to install additional pneumatic devices, additional mixing parts, additional pressure control parts, etc. in the sealant bottle. Therefore, the present invention has the advantages of low cost and easy manufacturing.

[0017] Other aspects and features of the present application will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It should be understood, however, that the drawings are designed for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the appended claims of the present application. It should also be understood that the drawings are intended only to conceptually illustrate the structures and processes described herein and that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale unless otherwise specified.

[0018] The present application will be more fully understood by reference to the following detailed description of specific embodiments in conjunction with the drawings, in which like reference numerals always refer to like elements, and in which: [Brief description of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of a sealant bottle according to the present application. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a sealant bottle after removal of the container according to the present application. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of a cover for a sealant bottle according to the present application. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the sealant bottle according to the present application has been opened. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the inlet of a sealant bottle according to the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0020] In order to aid those skilled in the art in accurately understanding the subject matter of the invention claimed herein, specific embodiments of the present application are described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0021] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of a sealant bottle according to the present invention. For clarity of illustration, the bottle is depicted as being transparent so that its internal structure can be seen. The sealant bottle is comprised of a bottle body 1 that defines the interior of the bottle and provides an interior space 12 for storing a sealant. The bottle body 1 is provided with at least an inlet 16 and an outlet 18. As shown, the inlet 16 and the outlet 18 are each ports that protrude outward from the top surface of the bottle and can be connected to other objects such as tubes. The inlet 16 is used for passing gas, and is therefore a gas inlet. The gas inlet 16 is in communication with the interior space 12 inside the bottle body, and gas can enter the interior space 12 from the gas inlet 16.

[0022] The bottle body 1 further has a pipe 22 therein, which is used to receive the sealant. The pipe 22 defines a sealant transport path and communicates with the outlet 18, so that the sealant can be transported to the outlet 18. The outlet is therefore a sealant outlet. The shape of the pipe 22 determines the sealant transport path. As shown in the figure, the pipe 22 can be bent, and its starting end is positioned against the wall 36 of the internal space 12. The starting end of the pipe 22 is close to the bottom 34 of the bottle body 1, and is approximately located between the bottom 34 of the bottle body 1 and the wall 36 of the internal space 12. The sealant can enter the pipe 22 from the bottom 34 of the bottle body 1. Specifically, the sealant enters the pipe from the starting end of the pipe 22. In the illustrated embodiment, a sealant receiving portion 24 is disposed at the starting end of the pipe 22, which helps more sealant to enter the pipe 22. The sealant receiver 24 may be a one-way valve that only allows the sealant to enter the pipe 22 from the internal space 12 and does not allow backflow. The sealant receiver 24 may also be a positioning device that assists in positioning the beginning of the pipe relative to the wall 36 of the internal space 12. These configurations can help the sealant enter the pipe 22. The shape of the sealant receiver 24 is not limited to the illustrated form.

[0023] Furthermore, the pipe 22 is provided with a gas inlet 26 located on the sealant transport path. Gas from the internal space 12 enters the pipe 22 through the gas inlet 26 and is mixed with the sealant on the sealant transport path.

[0024] Here, "on the sealant transport path" can also be along the sealant transport path. During transport of the sealant, the gas permeates, mixes with the sealant, and flows to the outlet.

[0025] The arrangement of the gas inlet 26 allows premixing of the sealant. As gas is pumped into the bottle body 1 and a certain pressure is built up in the internal space 12, air is forced into the pipe 22 via the gas inlet 26. This active gas supply not only increases the amount of air involved in the mixing, but also makes it possible to omit additional air pressure equipment. In the embodiment shown in Figures 2-3, the double line arrows represent the gas path and the solid line arrows represent the sealant path. When the sealant reaches the tire's injection port, a second mixing takes place.

[0026] Referring again to FIG. 1, the bottle body 1 has a container 13 and a cover 14, which are hermetically connected. The gas inlet 16 and the sealant outlet 18 are disposed on the cover 14 and are integrated with the cover 14. The pipe 22 is composed of at least one of a portion inside the container 13 and a portion inside the cover 14. The portion inside the container 13 of the pipe 22 can be a pipe made of a flexible material such as a hose so that the pipe 22 can be bent, and another portion is integrated with the cover 14. The gas inlet can be disposed in the hose as shown in FIG. 2, or in the cover as shown in FIG. 3. Although the gas inlet is not shown, it can be understood because the gas flows as shown. In these embodiments, the outside of the pipe 22 can be in contact with the gas to facilitate the entry of the gas. The sealant can occupy at least a part of the internal space 12. In general, the height of the gas inlet 26 in the bottle body 1 can be higher than the initial liquid level of the sealant, so that only the gas can enter the gas inlet 26, thereby achieving a better pre-mixing effect.

[0027] Furthermore, the gas introduction section 26 includes at least one eyelet that communicates the internal space 12 with the inside of the pipe 22. There may be one eyelet, or there may be two eyelets as shown in Figures 2 to 3 (it can be seen from Figures 2 to 3 that there are two eyelets according to the arrows indicating the flow of gas, although not shown). When there is one eyelet, it is arranged on one side in the circumferential direction of the pipe. When there are two eyelets, they are arranged on opposite circumferential sides of the pipe 22, respectively. It will be understood that there may be more eyelets arranged around the pipe 22. When there are multiple eyelets, they can be arranged symmetrically or asymmetrically. Since the sealant bottle is often tilted during use, arranging them asymmetrically allows the gas to be introduced into the pipe 22 in a balanced manner.

[0028] The eyelet has a gas passage, i.e., the size of the eyelet. The pipe 22 has a sealant passage, i.e., the cross section of the pipe 22. The size of the eyelet can be configured so that the ratio of the area of ​​the sealant passage to the sum of the areas of the gas passages is in the range of 8 to 89, preferably in the range of 32 to 89. Table 1 shows multiple sets of experimental data in which two eyelets are arranged. The gas passage of the eyelet depends on the diameter of the eyelet and varies in the range of 0 to 2 mm. When the size of the eyelet is 0, it can be considered that the pipe 22 has no gas inlet. The size of the pipe 22 does not change over its entire length, with a diameter of 4 mm and an area of ​​the sealant passage of 12.57 mm. 2 It can be seen that when the ratio of the area of ​​the sealant passage portion to the sum of the areas of the gas passage portions is in the range of 8 to 89, the volume of the sealant after mixing increases compared to the volume of the sealant before mixing. In particular, when the area ratio is in the range of 32 to 89, the volume of the sealant after mixing can increase by more than two times. This shows that a large amount of sealant foam for tire repair is produced. It can also be seen that if the size of the eyelet is too large, it affects the amount of sealant foam produced.

[0029] [Table 1]

[0030] 4-5 are internal cross-sectional views of the cover 14 of the sealant bottle. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, it can be seen that the pipe 22 is located in the center of the cover 14 and communicates with the sealant outlet 18. The pipe 22 is located along the longitudinal axis l of the cover, the sealant outlet 18 is located transversely to the longitudinal axis l, and the solid arrows indicate the flow of sealant from the pipe to the sealant outlet, which also serves as a transport path for the sealant. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the gas inlet 16 extends inwardly to be offset a certain distance from the center of the cover 14 (longitudinal axis l as shown), thereby communicating with the interior space 12. The interior space 12 surrounds the pipe 22 located in the center of the cover 14. The double-lined arrows indicate the path of air. FIG. 5 shows an embodiment in which the gas inlet 16 is integrated with the cover. The gas inlet 16 can also be integrated with the container 13, such as being located at the top of the container 13, so as to communicate with the interior space 12.

[0031] In use, the gas inlet 16 of the sealant bottle is connected to an air compressor via a tube. The sealant outlet 18 of the sealant bottle is connected to a supply tube (not shown). FIG. 1 shows a positioning part 32 for fixing the supply tube. The supply tube is connected to the valve core of the tire. The air compressor injects air into the sealant bottle, so that at this time, a large pressure is applied inside the sealant bottle. The air compresses the sealant in the sealant bottle and forces it into the pipe 22. At the same time, the air can enter the pipe 22 from the gas inlet 26 and mix with the sealant in the pipe 22 to form a sealant foam.

[0032] Although particular embodiments of the present application have been illustrated and described in detail for the purpose of explaining the principles of the present application, it should be understood, however, that the present application can be embodied otherwise without departing from the principles herein. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0033] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent No. 4666613

Claims

1. A sealant bottle comprising: A bottle body (1) defining an interior space (12) for storing a sealant; a gas inlet (16) in fluid communication with said interior space (12) for allowing gas to enter said interior space (12); a pipe (22) for receiving the sealant, at least a portion of which is disposed in the interior space (12) to allow the sealant to enter the pipe (22); and A bottle body (1) having a sealant outlet (18) communicating with the pipe (22), the pipe (22) defines a sealant transport path to the sealant outlet (18), the pipe (22) further comprises a gas inlet (26) on the sealant transport path, the gas inlet (26) being configured such that the gas from the internal space (12) passes through the gas inlet (26) into the pipe (22) and premixes with the sealant on the sealant transport path before the sealant is discharged from the sealant outlet (18) and foamed; the gas inlet (26) is disposed on the pipe (22) and includes at least one eyelet connecting the interior space (12) with the interior of the pipe (22); The pipe (22) has a sealant passage, the at least one eyelet has a gas passage, and the ratio of the area of ​​the sealant passage to the sum of the areas of the gas passages of the at least one eyelet is in the range of 8 to 89. A sealant bottle characterized by:

2. 2. The sealant bottle according to claim 1, characterized in that the bottle body (1) has a container (13) and a cover (14) hermetically connected to the container (13), and the gas inlet (26) is arranged in a part of the pipe (22) located inside the container (13) and / or in another part of the pipe (22) located inside the cover (14).

3. 2. The sealant bottle according to claim 1, wherein a ratio of the area of ​​the sealant passage to the sum of the areas of the gas passages of the at least one eyelet is in the range of 32 to 89.

4. 2. The sealant bottle of claim 1, wherein when the at least one eyelet consists of one eyelet, the one eyelet is arranged on a circumferential side of the pipe (22), when the at least one eyelet consists of two eyelets, the two eyelets are respectively arranged on opposite sides of the circumferential side of the pipe (22), and when the at least one eyelet consists of more eyelets, the more eyelets are arranged around the pipe (22).

5. 3. The sealant bottle according to claim 2, characterized in that the gas inlet (16) and the sealant outlet (18) are arranged on the cover (14), or the gas inlet (16) is arranged on the container (13) and the sealant outlet (18) is arranged on the cover (14).

6. 6. The sealant bottle according to claim 5, characterized in that a part of the pipe (22) inside the container (13) is a pipe made of a flexible material, the pipe having a sealant receiving portion (24) at a bottom (34) of the bottle body (1) so that the sealant can enter the pipe from the bottom (34).

7. 6. The sealant bottle according to claim 5, further comprising a supply tube on the outside of the bottle body (1), the supply tube being connected to the sealant outlet (18).

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