Integral Tire Anti-Skid Assembly With Pop-Up Traction Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional snow chains are cumbersome to install and remove, requiring skill and time, and are not easily integrated with tires for improved driving safety on snowy or icy roads.
Innovation Solution
A tire assembly with an integral anti-skid member that can be hidden during normal driving and easily deployed by a driver-operated button, using a shape memory alloy and grooves in the wheel and tire to move the anti-skid member between hidden and pop-up states, enhancing friction on demand.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If snow chains are used to improve traction on snowy or icy roads, then vehicle safety and driving performance are improved, but the complexity of installation and removal increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the snow chain (anti-skid member) with the tire to form an integrated tire assembly. The anti-skid member is embedded within grooves of the tire, making it a unified structure that eliminates the need for separate installation and removal operations. Users simply need to inflate or deflate the tire to deploy or retract the anti-skid member, respectively.
Solution Approach 2:
The anti-skid member is designed to be dynamically deployable through pressure differential. When tire internal pressure exceeds external pressure, the anti-skid member protrudes outward to contact the ground. When external pressure exceeds internal pressure, the anti-skid member retracts inward. This dynamic mechanism allows easy switching between normal driving mode and snow chain mode without manual intervention.
2Reliability
If snow chains are provided separately to improve traction, then vehicle safety is improved, but the time required for installation and removal increases
Solution Approach 1:
The anti-skid member is pre-integrated into the tire structure during manufacturing, with grooves预先 formed in the tire and wheel. This preliminary integration means the anti-skid member is already in position and only requires pressure differential to deploy, eliminating the time-consuming steps of separate installation and securing operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The snow chain and tire are merged into a single integrated assembly, eliminating the sequential operations of installing snow chains onto tires. The unified structure allows instantaneous deployment through pressure control, reducing installation time from minutes to seconds.
3Ease of operation
If anti-skid member is integrated within tire grooves, then ease of deployment is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The anti-skid member deployment mechanism is self-actuating through pressure differential. The same pressure that inflates the tire also automatically pushes the anti-skid member outward when needed. No separate actuation system, motors, or complex control mechanisms are required - the tire's own inflation pressure serves the dual purpose of both tire expansion and anti-skid member deployment.
Solution Approach 2:
The tire inflation system serves multiple functions: it maintains tire shape, provides driving functionality, and simultaneously acts as the actuation mechanism for deploying the anti-skid member. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for dedicated deployment mechanisms, reducing overall system complexity despite the integrated design.
4Force
If anti-skid member protrudes from tire surface, then friction with ground is improved, but the aerodynamic performance and fuel efficiency deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The anti-skid member dynamically changes its position based on driving conditions. During normal driving on dry or wet roads, the anti-skid member remains retracted inward, maintaining smooth tire surface for optimal aerodynamics and fuel efficiency. When snow or ice detection triggers the need for enhanced traction, the anti-skid member protrudes outward to contact the ground, providing friction only when necessary to minimize energy loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The anti-skid member operates in periodic cycles of deployment and retraction based on road condition detection. It protrudes only during snowy or icy conditions to provide friction, then retracts during normal conditions to restore aerodynamic efficiency. This periodic action minimizes the time the anti-skid member is in the friction-providing position, thereby reducing overall energy loss while maintaining safety when needed.
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
The solution simplifies the use of anti-skid technology by integrating it within the tire assembly, allowing easy activation and deactivation based on road conditions, improving safety and convenience by providing enhanced traction without the need for separate installation or removal processes.
Implementation Method 1
the variable portion may include a shape memory alloy
Data Source
AI summary
A tire assembly includes: a wheel connected to a vehicle, and including a first groove formed in the wheel; a tire coupled to the wheel, and including a second groove, connected to the first groove, formed therein; and an anti-skid member including first and second end portions coupled to the wheel, and movably accommodated in the first groove and the second groove, wherein the tire includes a tread contacting with the ground and a sidewall extending from first and second sides of the tread and coupled to the wheel, wherein the tire assembly is configured to transform to a hide state in which at least a portion of the anti-skid member is located inwardly of a surface of the tread or to a pop-up state in which the at least a portion of the anti-skid member protrudes from the surface of the tread.