TPMS Valve-Sensor Assembly for Adjustable Rim Mounting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing tire inflation valves with integrated TPMS sensors face challenges in adapting to different rim shapes, materials, and thicknesses, requiring complex orientation and secure mounting, while ensuring sensor safety during tire mounting and unmounting.
Innovation Solution
A valve-sensor assembly with a T-shaped mounting rod and a valve head featuring a domed portion and sealing portion, allowing angular adjustment and secure bayonet coupling, enabling easy mounting and adjustment to various rim configurations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the valve is designed with fixed sensor orientation, then the sensor positioning is simple, but the valve cannot adapt to different rim shapes and sensor orientations
Solution Approach 1:
The valve head is designed with a spherical coupling mechanism that allows dynamic angular adjustment of the sensor orientation. The spherical joint enables the sensor to be positioned at different angles relative to the valve body, adapting to various rim configurations while maintaining a relatively simple overall valve structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The valve is divided into separate functional components: a valve body, an adjustable valve head, and a sensor assembly. The valve head can be independently adjusted angularly relative to the valve body, allowing the sensor orientation to be optimized for different rim shapes without redesigning the entire valve structure.
2Reliability
If the sensor is tightly secured to the rim, then the sensor safety against impacts is improved, but the mounting and unmounting operations become complex
Solution Approach 1:
The locking mechanism incorporates a spring-loaded latch that dynamically adjusts during the mounting process. The latch engages automatically when the valve is inserted into the rim hole and locked in place, providing secure sensor mounting without requiring complex manual operations. The same mechanism allows easy release by actuating the release lever.
Solution Approach 2:
The valve assembly includes self-aligning and self-locking features that automatically position and secure the sensor during installation. The spherical coupling self-aligns the sensor orientation, and the spring latch self-locks the assembly in place, reducing the complexity of mounting operations while ensuring reliable sensor security.
3Manufacturing precision
If the valve requires multiple adjustment operations, then the sensor positioning precision is improved, but the assembly time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The valve head features a spherical joint with a limited angular range that allows single-step adjustment to the required orientation. The spherical coupling provides precise positioning within its angular constraints, eliminating the need for multiple adjustment operations while maintaining adequate sensor positioning precision for different rim configurations.
Solution Approach 2:
The valve is designed with pre-configured angular positions on the spherical joint that correspond to common sensor orientations. This allows the installer to select the appropriate pre-configured position in a single adjustment action, achieving precise sensor positioning without requiring multiple iterative adjustments, thus maintaining both precision and assembly speed.
Data Source
Figure 1a~1b
Figure 2
Figure 3a~3d
AI summary
The vehicle tire inflation valve (30) in accordance with the present invention comprises: a valve body (31) provided with a proximal end (314) ending with a mounting rod (32) having a rod body (33) with a locking head (34); a valve head (35), slidably fitted onto the valve body (31), provided with a domed portion (350) and a sealing portion (351); an adjustment nut (36) screwable onto the valve body (31). When the valve is assembled, the domed portion (350) is arranged proximal with respect to the sealing portion (351) and the locking head (34) of the mounting rod (32) is arranged proximal with respect to said valve head (35). Advantageously, such a valve is provided with a system for adjusting the position of the TPMS sensor while being easily mountable to and removed from the rim of the tire.