Air Chuck O-Ring Sealing for Leak-Free Schrader Valve Attachment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Prior-art air chucks often suffer from air leaks during attachment and detachment to Schrader valves, reducing air-pressure measurement accuracy and filling efficiency, and causing inconvenience.
Innovation Solution
The air chuck incorporates an O-ring seal that interfaces with the inner surface of the tire stem, allowing for a single rotary motion attachment that ensures a secure seal before opening the Schrader valve, and a single rotary motion detachment that prevents air leaks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If an internal rubber gasket is used to seal against the tire stem, then sealing is attempted, but the gasket is difficult to press sufficiently and tends to leak air during connection and disconnection
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an O-ring seal as an intermediary sealing element that sits in a groove on the valve stem, mediating between the air chuck and the valve stem to create a reliable seal without requiring difficult compression of internal gaskets
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of having the air chuck seal against the valve stem, the patent inverts the approach by having the valve stem itself provide the sealing surface with an integrated O-ring groove, reversing who performs the sealing action
2Ease of operation
If two or more rotary mechanisms are used to attach and open the valve, then attachment and valve opening are achieved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the attachment function and valve-opening function into a single rotary motion sequence, combining two separate operations (attach then open) into one continuous action, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining operational ease
Solution Approach 2:
The single rotary mechanism performs multiple functions: it attaches the air chuck to the valve stem, seals the pneumatic path, and opens the Schrader valve, making the mechanism universal and multi-functional rather than requiring separate specialized mechanisms
3Ease of operation
If the valve opening protrusion extends further than the distal end of the inside threads, then the valve can be opened, but this prevents use for low-loss connection to tire stems
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary sealing action before valve opening by designing the O-ring seal to engage the valve stem first during rotation, ensuring the pneumatic path is sealed before the valve is opened, preventing air loss during the transition
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the rotary motion into distinct phases: first the O-ring seal engages and seals the pneumatic path, then further rotation opens the valve, dividing the single rotary action into functional segments that prevent air loss
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design effectively prevents air leaks, enhances measurement accuracy, improves filling efficiency, and simplifies the operation process, making it suitable for automotive, bicycle, and other pneumatic applications.
Implementation Method 1
an O-ring seal that interfaces with the inner surface of the tire stem
Implementation Method 2
a single rotary motion attachment that, upon multiple rotations successively engaging successive threads of the valve stem
Data Source
AI summary
An air chuck for use with tire stems (or other air vessels) that use Schrader valves. In some embodiments, the air chuck has an outer threaded part that is rotated to urge a core with an O-ring to form a seal with the inner surface of the tire stem, preventing air leaks. The air chuck attaches via a single multi-turn rotary motion, which first creates the seal and then depresses the Schrader valve to allow air flow. This design offers improved air-pressure accuracy, simplicity, efficiency, ease of use, and reliability. Some embodiments further include a manually operable air valve and an air-pressure gauge operatively coupled to the air chuck.