Tire Valve Assembly with Adjustable Gap for Rapid Air Flow
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional tire valve assemblies have a limited space between the passage and valve shaft, leading to slow inflation and deflation due to restricted air flow, making it time-consuming to achieve desired tire pressure.
Innovation Solution
A tire valve assembly with a valve shaft, guide tube, and adjustment mechanism that allows for adjustable gaps between seals and shoulders, enabling control of air flow by rotating an adjustment tube to widen or narrow the passage, facilitating quick air entry or release.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the valve shaft moves with limited space between the passage and valve shaft, then the structure is simple, but the air flow is restricted causing slow inflation and deflation
Solution Approach 1:
The valve assembly is divided into multiple functional components: an outer tube with a passage, a valve shaft with a seal, and an adjustment tube with threads. This segmentation allows each component to perform a specific function - the outer tube provides the passage, the valve shaft controls sealing, and the adjustment tube regulates the gap - thereby increasing air flow control capability without creating a single complex integrated structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The adjustment tube introduces a dynamic element to the valve assembly. By rotating the adjustment tube, the gap between the seal and the passage can be dynamically adjusted between a first gap position (for rapid air flow) and a second gap position (for restricted air flow). This dynamic adjustability allows the system to optimize air flow rate according to different operational needs while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure.
2Productivity
If a limited space is formed between the passage and valve shaft, then the manufacturing is simple, but only a small amount of air can pass through causing time-consuming tire pressure adjustment
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the critical parameter of the gap size between the seal and the passage by rotating the adjustment tube. The adjustment tube has threads that engage with corresponding threads on the valve shaft, allowing precise control of the seal's axial position. This enables the gap to be adjusted between a first value (for high air flow rate during rapid inflation/deflation) and a second value (for restricted air flow during precise pressure control), thereby optimizing both air flow rate and pressure adjustment time according to different operational stages.
3Productivity
If the gap between the first seal and shoulder is widened, then high volume air flow is achieved, but precise pressure control becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The adjustment tube provides dynamic control over the gap size, allowing the system to switch between two operational states. When rapid inflation or deflation is needed, the adjustment tube is rotated to position the seal at the first gap position, enabling high volume air flow. When precise pressure control is required, the adjustment tube is rotated to position the seal at the second gap position, restricting air flow for fine-tuned pressure adjustment. This dynamic switching capability resolves the contradiction between high air volume flow and precise pressure control.
Data Source
AI summary
A tire valve assembly includes a valve shaft movably inserted into a first diameter section of the outer tube. The valve shaft includes a passage and a radial hole which communicates with the passage. A first seal is mounted to the end of the valve shaft that is inserted into the outer tube and is movable relative to a shoulder in the outer tube. A guide tube is mounted to the valve shaft and has a guide portion protruding therefrom which is guided in guide groove in the outer tube. An adjustment tube is threadedly mounted to the first outer threads on the valve shaft. When rotating the adjustment tube, the valve shaft is axially movable in the outer tube to control the gap between the first seal and the shoulder in the outer tube. The gap is changeable and communicates with the radial hole and the passage.