Rim-Mounted Pneumatic Tire Pressure Maintenance System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional pneumatic tires experience air pressure loss due to punctures and diffusion, leading to underinflation, which requires frequent driver intervention to maintain recommended pressure, affecting fuel economy, tire life, and vehicle handling.
Innovation Solution
A rim-mounted system with multiple pumps and a stop mechanism, including springs and a control valve, that maintains tire pressure by inflating the tire cavity when necessary, using gravitational force and a multi-chamber pump configuration with one-way check valves to control air flow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of stationary object
If pneumatic tires are designed for long service life, then tire durability is improved, but air pressure loss from diffusion and punctures increases leading to underinflation
Solution Approach 1:
The tire system performs self-service through an automated air maintenance mechanism mounted on the wheel rim. The system includes a pump driven by a weight that automatically refills air into the tire cavity when pressure drops, eliminating the need for driver intervention and maintaining reliable pressure throughout the tire's extended service life.
Solution Approach 2:
The air maintenance system takes preliminary action by continuously monitoring and replenishing air pressure before the tire becomes underinflated. The weight-driven pump mechanism is pre-positioned and automatically activates when pressure drops, preventing underinflation rather than correcting it after the fact.
2Measurement precision
If TPMS is used to warn drivers of low tire pressure, then pressure monitoring is improved, but driver intervention is still required to re-inflate tires
Solution Approach 1:
The system eliminates driver intervention by implementing self-service functionality. The weight-driven pump automatically detects pressure drops and refills the tire cavity without requiring the driver to notice warnings or manually inflate tires. The system monitors and corrects pressure autonomously.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates feedback mechanisms where the tire pressure state directly controls pump operation. When pressure drops below a threshold, the system receives feedback and automatically activates the pump to refill air. When pressure is restored, feedback stops the pump operation, creating a closed-loop control system.
3Reliability
If multiple pumps with stop mechanisms are mounted on the wheel rim, then tire pressure maintenance is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs pneumatic principles through the use of air pressure to drive the pump mechanism and control the stop/release valves. The weight-driven piston compresses air into the tire cavity, and pneumatic pressure differential controls the automatic stopping mechanism, leveraging gas compression and expansion rather than complex mechanical linkages.
Solution Approach 2:
The pump operates periodically rather than continuously, activating only when tire pressure drops below a threshold. The weight-driven mechanism creates cyclic pumping action as the wheel rotates, with the stop mechanism ensuring the pump operates in discrete cycles rather than continuously, reducing energy consumption and mechanical wear.
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 system effectively maintains tire pressure without driver intervention, reducing the need for frequent re-inflation and enhancing tire performance and fuel efficiency by ensuring consistent air pressure.
Implementation Method 1
a first spring and a second spring, when air pressure in the tire cavity reaches the set pressure, the set pressure overcomes a force of the first spring against the stop piston
Implementation Method 2
each pump having a piston for inflating the tire cavity and a weight for moving the piston
Data Source
AI summary
A system is used with a pneumatic tire mounted on a wheel rim to keep a tire cavity of the pneumatic tire from becoming underinflated from a set pressure. The first system includes a plurality of pumps attached circumferentially to the wheel rim, each pump having a piston for inflating the tire cavity and a weight for moving the piston, and a stop mechanism for each pump, the stop mechanism including a stop piston, a stop cylinder, a first spring, and a second spring, when air pressure in the tire cavity reaches the set pressure, the set pressure overcomes a force of the first spring against the stop piston and moves the stop piston into a stopping engagement with the weight, when air pressure in the tire cavity is below the set pressure, the second spring overcomes the force of the first spring and moves the stop piston away from the weight.