GB2543297A

GB2543297A - Puncture-proof tube

Info

Publication number: GB2543297A
Application number: GB1518127.4A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Galaon Vranceanu Ciprian
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2015-10-14
Filing date: 2015-10-14
Publication date: 2017-04-19
Also published as: GB201518127D0

Abstract

A run-flat tyre has three separately inflatable annular pressurised chambers A,B,C and a valve (4, Fig 1) capable of being rotated to any of three positions, each of which will allow a specific pressurised chamber to be inflated. The tyre also features a number of non-pressurised compartments (37, Fig 3) between the central pressurised chamber and the crown of the tyre. The central pressurised chamber may be strengthened against punctures by layers of reinforced composite material 32, 34.

Description

PUNCTURE-PROOF TUBE

The present invention relates to a puncture-proof tube, a puncture-proof tyre assembly and a run-flat tyre assembly. The invention has particular - but not exclusive, i.e., it has been conceived and is suited to apply to a cart, trolley or bicycle as well - application to tyres for a wheel of a motor vehicle, such as a car, a truck, a bus or an airplane. Embodiments of the present invention seek to ameliorate one or more problems associated with the prior art. The tube - or the tyre assembly as described further bellow - is adapted to cope with the potential dangers for human life of driving - especially at high speed or heavy loaded - with a deflated pneumatic tyre. The invention relates as well to wheels fitted with a tube or a tyre assembly, according to the present invention as described further bellow, and to vehicles fitted with such wheels. Vehicles run or stop only through their tyres, therefore safe running of the vehicles greatly relies on the safety of the tyres. Majority of tyre troubles are due to accidental punctures and most of such punctures are caused by sharp angular cutting objects - such as nails and glass/metal shards - struck into the crown and/or the shoulders of the tyre or tyres while mnning. The main weak point of the prior art of tyres, either tubed or tubeless, is that all have a Single Point of Failure (SPOF). After a puncture, once the air escapes more or less rapidly and the tyre starts slipping circumferentially around the wheel - i.e. it flails, steering control is considerably impaired. Grip, traction and braking may as well be compromised. Moreover, when larger holes are created in a tyre, none of the prior art possibilities reduce the risk or avoid in any way a tyre defect. This problem is particularly aggravated on aircraft tyres wherein the tyres can reach speed of over 200 mph (321.87 km/h) at take-off and landing. In these cases, tyres fitted with, for instance, run-flat devices, well fillers assemblies or reinforced belts do little to overcome this problem - especially when puncture is caused by long foreign sharp bodies or creates large holes - and effectively reduce or eliminate the risks involved, i.e., they all have a SPOF. This invention aims to make tyres more reliable and considerably reduce or eliminate the risks implied by a failed/ing tyre while running, and it does so by adding redundancy to the system, i.e., to the wheel/tyre assembly.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying figures in which:

Figure 1 shows an orthographic view of a tube 3 - according to the present invention - fitted with a valve 4 and its bracket 5.

Figure 2 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a tube 3 fitted in a tyre 2 mounted on a rim 1, dividing the inner compartment of a tyre 2 in three separated chambers of pressurised air, as shown, A in the middle and B and C on the sides.

Figure 3 depicts an orthographic projection of a portion of a tube 3, including a valve 4, shown in Figure 1 along with an enlarged view of a portion of a tube 3 depicting the open end of an air hose 6.

Figure 4 shows an upper view of a cutaway portion of part, the crown 31, of a tube 3 aimed to depict the shape and the honey-comb like positioning of the air compartments 37 in the crown 31 of the tube 3.

Figure 5 and figure 6 illustrate alternative arrangements 31b and 31c of the crown 31 in which compartments 37 could be alternatively distributed either longitudinally 31b or diagonally 31c.

Figure 7 shows an orthographic view of a valve 4 and a bracket 6 in which two air hoses 6a and 6b are fitted.

Figure 8 shows an enlarged side view of a portion of a valve 4 containing a pointer 44 and a label 45 marked with three positions - middle and two sides - in which the extension of the valve 4 works as an air access switch.

Figure 9 illustrates an enlarged orthographic cross-sectional view of a portion of a valve 4 containing a spring ball plunger composed accordingly by a ball 43, a spring 42 and a tap 41.

Figure 10 depicts a cross-sectional view of a Schrader valve 4 fitted with an extension, according to the present invention, meant to work as a flow-of-air sequential switch between the three chambers of air, Λ, B and C.

Figure 11 illustrates an enlarged view, partially cross-sectional, of a portion of a valve 4 and its extension. Figure 12 shows a cross-sectional view of an alternative arrangement of a tube 3, with only one air chamber A, fitted in a tyre 2 mounted on a rim 1.

Figure 13 shows a cross-sectional view of an alternative arrangement of a tyre 2 mounted on a rim 1, where, sparing the tube, the air compartments 37 are integrated straight into the tyre. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS AND OF THEIR FUNCTIONS The tube 3 it has been designed to be inserted into a pneumatic tyre. The size and shape of the tube 3 will accordingly vary in order to fit into each type and size of tyres available in the market. Although (from the point of view of the entire tyre assembly) the tube 3 is meant to work as an open tube inserted into a tyre, it could be well said that it actually works as a tubeless tyre on its own. Its main function is to add to any tubeless tyre as many air chambers/compartments - pressurised or not - as technologically feasible. This will reduce or even eliminate the problems implied by rapidly losing the air of a pneumatic tyre or the entire volume of air in the event of a puncture - with all the risks derived from it when driving a vehicle. It could be argued that the tube described here works more as a deflating-proof and a run-flat device than a puncture-proof tube or tyre.

According to this invention, what differentiate the air chamber A, B or C and the air compartment 37 (and all its analogues) is that the air chambers are pressurised, i.e., above the atmospheric pressure, unlike the uncommunicated air compartments 37 that work at atmospheric pressure (the standard being 101325 Pa). The main concern of the present invention is to keep the main air chamber A in the middle - or the unique air chamber, as in Figure 12 and Figure 13 - as secure and as constantly pressurised as possible; i.e., not allowing the air pressure in the chamber decrease and so the grip between the tyre 2 (or tube, in this case) and the wheel rim 1. The crown 31 - in the event of a puncture and having all three air chambers A, B and C failed, i.e. having lost their pressure - works both as a puncture-proof and a last resort rolling device of the tyre 2 assembly, ensuring a minimal rolling and grip and not allowing the tyre 2 to flail. It does so by filling the well of the rim 1 and avoiding the rim 1 to damage the tyre 2. In the prior art, in the event of a tyre deflation whilst the vehicle is in motion, the tyres beads can move inwards from the wheel rims seats. Once the air escapes from the tyre, it will increasingly start to slip circumferentially around the wheel. Consequently, the vehicle considerably loses traction and braking efficiency - as the wheel can rotate within the tyre and its beads. The known art do not effectively avoid or, at least, safely reduce the risks of running with a loose/slipping tyre on the rim, presenting all of them higher risks when this occurs on a steering wheel. This invention is aimed to overcome all these problems and drawbacks.

The tube 3 is composed of: a crown 31 - which contains the air compartments 37; puncture-proof sidewalls 33 and reinforced protective layers 32; puncture-proof belt 34; bead wire 36 and bead wrap 35.

Figures 4, 5 and 6 depict alternative crowns, 31a, 31b and 31c, for alternative tube 3 assemblies, where the air compartments 37 could be arranged radially, Figure 4; longitudinally, Figure 5; or diagonally, Figure 6. Figure 7 separately shows a valve 4 fitted on a bracket 6 in which two air hoses 6a and 6b are fitted, allowing for the air to be, one by one, pumped into or extracted from the chambers B and C. On its final stages of manufacturing, the bracket 5 carrying the valve 4 will be glued to the tube 3 - on its bead area, as shown in Figure 1. When the tyre is inflated and ready for use, the air chambers A, in the middle, and B and C on each side - Figure 2, will be all pressurised and uncommunicated; they could only be inflated/deflated through the valve 4, the air passage 48 (chamber A) and the tubes 6 (chambers B and C, accordingly). When optimally inflated (air pressure will vary according to each type of tyre - air pressure specifications do not make the object of the present invention), all the air chambers will in the end have the same or slightly different pressures. Inflation and deflation of the tube 3 and the tyre 2 (chambers B and C created by the tube 3) will be operated as in any other tyre of the known art. The difference introduced by the present invention, as the pressurised chambers are uncommunicated, is that the valve 4 - a standard Schrader valve - has a rotatable extension built in, as showed in Figure 10, in order to allow the operator to switch between the three chambers, A, B and C and successively inflate or deflate them to the required pressure, either for use or for change/repair. An electronic valve (or any other pilot-operated or automatic control valve fitted for this purpose), battery powered and preferably fitted with a chip and an air pressure control sensor and switch, could well supplant the analogic valve manually operated and its extension, according to the present invention, and perform the functions of switching and air pressure optimizing. Figure 8 shows an enlarged side view of a portion of a valve 4 containing a pointer 44 and a panel 45 marked with three positions (corresponding to the chambers A, B and C) in which the extension of the valve 4 is to be switched. When the extension of the valve 4 is manually rotated and the pointer 44 points the middle, chamber A will be accessed for inflating or deflating, where appropriate. The same applies for the side chambers, B and C.

Figure 9 illustrates an enlarged orthographic cross-sectional view of a portion of a valve 4 containing a spring ball plunger composed by: ball 43, spring 42 and tap 41. The valve 4 with its extension is fitted with a spring ball plunger in order to align and hold the rotatable extension of the valve in the desired position, middle (A) or sides (B or C), for an optimal inflating or deflating of the tube/tyre.

Figure 10 depicts a cross-sectional view of a Schrader valve 4 fitted with an extension 40a and 40b meant to work as a flow-of-air switch between the three chambers of air, A, B and C. Apart from the parts of the

Schrader valve which are not described here, the valve 4 is composed by: an extension core 40a forming one piece with the Schrader valve; a rotatable ring of the valve extension 40b; a spring ball plunger composed by a ball 43, a spring 42 and a tap 41; a panel 45 and a pointer 44; a rubber coating 46 of the ring 40b for a better grip and protection; rubber ring sealing gaskets 47a and 47b; inlet/outlet air passages 48a and 48b; and a steel retaining washer 49. The rotatable extension of the valve will allow the operator to inflate/deflate the chambers A, B and C, like in any other pneumatic tyre of the prior art, by sequentially switching it from one position to the others until the ball 43 of the plunger falls into the notch habilitated in the extension 40a and corresponding to each of the three positions, one in the middle and one on each side. Figure 11 illustrates an enlarged view, partially cross-sectional, of a portion of a valve 4 and its extension. This view depicts details as: the rubber gasket 47a, the retaining washer 49 and the fitting of the air hoses 6a and 6b in their corresponding air passages leading to chambers B and C.

Figure 12 shows a cross-sectional view of an alternative arrangement of a tube 3 fitted in a tyre 2 mounted on a rim 1.

Figure 13 shows a cross-sectional view of a further alternative arrangement of a tyre 2 mounted on a rim 1, where, sparing the tube, the air compartments 37 are integrated straight into the tyre. This means that both arrangements, showed by way of example in Figure 12 and Figure 13, have only one air chamber in the middle, like A, and do not require an extension in the Schrader valve, i.e. a standard one is to be fitted in the rim 1 as in any tubeless tyre commercially available. The tube 3 in Figure 12 could be fitted in any such tyre. In this case, the size and shape of the tube 3 will accordingly vary in order to fit into each type and size of the tyre.

Properly reinforced by protective layers 32 and 34 of aramid fibre material or a composite material such as Kevlar, the main parts of the tube, crown 31 and side walls 33, could be manufactured out of, for instance, styrol-butadiene rubber, which is a super lightweight rubber with good abrasion resistance and tensile properties. This and the uncommunicated multi-chamber/compartment arrangement object of the present invention will allow for a tyre 2 with thinner - and so, lighter and cheaper - crown and sidewalls, or will allow for dispensing with the puncture-proof heavy layers or run-flat assemblies present in many commercial expensive tyres. All this while preserving the abrasive resistance of the rubber the tyre 2 is made of or its resistance to ozone, chemicals, water, weathering, and oil.

Claims

Having described the preferred embodiments, what is claimed is:

1. A puncture-proof tyre assembly, either tubed or tubeless, in which an air pressured tube 3, fitted with a valve 4 with a rotatable extension fixed on a bracket 5, is inserted.

2. A deflating-proof tyre assembly as set in claim 1.

3. A run-flat tyre assembly as set in claim 1.

4. A tyre and wheel assembly according to claim 1, wherein the tyre 2 and the tube 3 with its air chambers A, B and C are co-operable to resist relative rotation between the tyre 2 and the rim 1 of a wheel, keep the tyre 2 inflated and ensure an optimised rolling.

5. A tyre and wheel assembly according to claim 1, wherein unpressurised air compartments 37 and the pressurised air chambers B and C in the tube 3, in the event of a puncture on the crown of the tyre 2, keep air chamber A protected, pressurised and fixed on the rim 1 of a wheel.

6. A tyre and wheel assembly according to claim 1, wherein uncommunicated and unpressurised air compartments 37, in the event of a puncture on both or one of the side walls, keep air chamber A protected, pressurised and fixed on the rim 1 of a wheel.

7. A tyre and wheel assembly according to claim 1, wherein, in the event of a puncture on both or one of the side walls and a sufficiently long foreign sharp body penetrating the air compartment 37 to reach chamber A, the reinforced protective layers 32 and 34 made of aramid fibre material or a composite material such as Kevlar keep air chamber A protected, pressurised and fixed on the rim 1 of a wheel.

8. A tyre and wheel assembly according to claim 1, wherein, in the event of a puncture on both or one of the side walls and a sufficiently long foreign sharp body penetrating any of the air compartments 37 and the protective layers 32 and 34 chamber A, the crown 31, by being pressed by the vehicle’s weight in between the beads of the tube 3, prevents the tyre 2 from slipping around the rim 1 and ensuring a sufficient and safe rolling.

9. A tyre and wheel assembly according to claim 1, wherein the tube 3 is fitted with a standard Schrader valve 4 arrangement with a rotatable extension which allows switching between two or more air passages 48 leading to uncommunicated pressurised air chambers for inflating/deflating.

10. A tyre and wheel assembly, wherein the tube 3 fitted in a tyre 2 and mounted on a rim 1, dispensing with the air chambers B and C as set in any preceding claims 1 to 8, has a thicker crown 31 with an increased number - undetermined, depending on their individual varying sizes -of unpressurised air compartments 37. This arrangement presents a unique air chamber in the middle, reinforced with protective layers 32 and 34 according to any preceding claim, and requires a standard Schrader valve to be fitted in the rim 1 like in any prior art tubeless tyre.

11. A tyre and wheel assembly, wherein the tyre 2, dispensing with the air chambers B and C as set in any preceding claims 1 to 8, has a crown 31 - according to claim 9 - built in. This arrangement presents a unique air chamber in the middle, reinforced with protective layers 32 and 34 according to any preceding claim, and requires a standard Schrader valve to be fitted in the rim 1 like in any prior art tubeless tyre.

12. A wheel comprising a tyre assembly according to any preceding claim.

13. A vehicle comprising a wheel according to claim 12.