Rapid-Inflate Valve Stem Assembly for Fast Tire Pressure Changes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional tire valve stems have small gas flow passageways, making the inflation and deflation processes tedious and time-consuming, especially when transitioning between off-road and on-road tire pressures.
Innovation Solution
The development of rapid-inflate valve stems with high-flowrate configurations, including ball-checked, plate-checked, and poppet-checked designs, which allow for faster gas transfer into and out of the tire pressure chamber, compatible with standard valve stem form factors and tire pressure monitoring systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional valve cores with small gas flow passageways are used, then gas retention and sealing are improved, but inflation and deflation processes become tedious and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The valve core is segmented into multiple independent check valves arranged in parallel, each with its own gas flow passageway. This segmentation allows multiple gas flow paths to operate simultaneously, dramatically increasing the overall gas flow rate while each individual check valve maintains its sealing function, thus resolving the contradiction between gas retention reliability and inflation/deflation productivity
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple check valves are merged into a single valve core assembly, combining their gas flow capabilities while maintaining individual sealing functions. This merging of multiple functional units into one integrated component achieves both high gas flow rate (improved productivity) and reliable gas retention (improved reliability) simultaneously
2Device complexity
If the same core needle is used for both inflation and deflation, then device complexity is reduced, but both processes become time-consuming due to small passageway size
Solution Approach 1:
The valve core is designed with dynamic functionality where the same core needle can selectively activate different check valves based on operational mode. During inflation, the needle opens all check valves for rapid gas intake; during deflation, the needle configuration changes to open all check valves for rapid gas discharge. This dynamic adaptability allows one component to perform multiple functions with optimized performance for each operation, reducing device complexity while minimizing loss of time
Solution Approach 2:
The operational parameters of the check valves are changed based on the mode of operation. The same core needle structure achieves different gas flow characteristics by changing its position and orientation, thereby optimizing gas flow rate for both inflation and deflation without requiring separate dedicated structures for each function, thus reducing device complexity and operational time
3Adaptability or versatility
If manual deflation is performed to achieve lower tire pressure for off-road conditions, then tire compliance and traction are improved, but the process requires significant time and effort
Solution Approach 1:
The rapid-inflate valve core enables self-service rapid deflation by simply translating the core needle inward, which automatically opens all check valves simultaneously. This self-actuating mechanism allows the operator to achieve rapid pressure reduction without complex manual operations or tools, significantly improving ease of operation for adapting tire pressure to off-road conditions while maintaining the desired tire compliance
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
These rapid-inflate valve stems significantly reduce the time required for inflation and deflation, achieving rates about twenty to thirty times faster than conventional valves, facilitating quicker tire pressure adjustments for various driving conditions.
Implementation Method 1
The check ball can be biased to a closed position by the pressure in the inner chamber and/or a biasing spring to prevent gas from escaping the tire
Data Source
AI summary
A valve assembly for controlling inflation and deflation is provided. The valve assembly includes a rapid-inflate valve having an annular body configured to couple to a valve stem port of a wheel and selectively permit gas flow into a tire. The valve has a sealing surface in a chamber with a slidable sealing member biased toward the sealing surface. In a closed position, the sealing member can be positioned in contact with the sealing surface to prohibit gas flow through the valve, and in an open position, the sealing member can be positioned away from the sealing surface to permit gas flow through the valve. Wheel can include dual valve stem ports. In this configuration, the first port has the rapid-inflate valve assembly and the second port can have a rapid-deflate valve stem, a rapid-deflate valve stem cap, a rapid-deflate to pressure set valve stem, or a standard valve stem.