Patent Grant
7290577
The present invention relates to an improved tire. In particular, it relates to tires that may reduce internal friction and/or heat which may result in decreased drag and/or increased life of the tire.
Conventional tires used for transportation, bicycles, or other recreational vehicles and the like generate considerable friction when the tire is in motion. Some of this friction is caused by the flow of fluids such as air inside an air filled tire.
For example, when a hollow air filled tire rotates, the air inside the tire rotates or flows in a direction opposite the direction of motion. As a result, significant friction is generated within the tire. This friction can cause drag opposite the direction of motion. This drag in turn causes the efficiency of the tire as well as the life of the tire to be reduced.
In an embodiment, the present invention provides an air-flow restrictor that may be installed inside a tire. The air-flow restrictor may restrict or prevent the flow of air in the direction opposite to the direction of rotation of the tire.
Embodiments of the present invention are illustrated by way of example, and not limitation, in the accompanying figures in which like references may denote similar elements or different elements, and in which:
An embodiment of the present invention provides an improved tire in which an air-flow restrictor such as a diaphragm, wall, barricade, spheres (or other shapes) or the like may be used to substantially, partially or fully stop the air or fluid circulation inside the tire. In an embodiment of the invention, the air restrictor may restrict or prevent the flow of air or fluid in the direction opposite to the direction of rotation of the tire. Thus when the air flow is restricted, the air may move substantially, fully or partially in the same direction as the direction of motion of the tire. This results in reduced friction and/or heat inside the air cavity of the tire. In an embodiment of the present invention, the reduced friction and/or heat inside the tire may improve the efficiency of the tire and/or may increase the life of the tire.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the air-flow restrictor such as a diaphragm or the like may be made from, for example, latex, plastic, or other materials such as rubber or acrylic. Optionally, it may be made from, for example, open cell foam or the like. An air-flow restrictor made from open cell foam, for example, may be permeable and may permit the passage of fluids such as air.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the air-flow restrictor such as a diaphragm or the like may be made from, for example, latex, plastic, or other materials such as rubber or acrylic. Optionally, it may be made from, for example, open cell foam or the like. An air-flow restrictor made from open cell foam, for example, may be permeable and may permit the passage of fluids such as air.
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention,
In an embodiment of the present invention, one or more retention collars 6 may be installed or may be built into the assembly 100. The retention collars may be made of any type of material such as a polymer, plastic, rubber, organic or the like, or any combination thereof. Moreover, it is recognized that the retention collars may be made from any type material such as a metal, alloy, polymer, or the like, or any combination thereof. The retention collars 6 may be made of any type of flexible, rigid and/or semi-flexible material. The retention collars may be attached in the assembly 100 using, for example, contact cement, glue, welds, staples, nails, and/or by any other means.
Although the rim 8 is shown in the
An object or device for restricting the flow of air is generically referred to herein as “air restrictor.” Unless otherwise stated, the air restrictor may refer to any of the devices disclosed herein for restricting air-flow inside the tire and any variations thereof. It is recognized that, when the tire is in rotational motion, the air or fluid flow is restricted in the direction opposite to the direction of rotation of the tire. Thus, the air moves in the same direction as the direction of rotation of the tire, reducing at least some of the internal friction. Moreover, an air restrictor may be impermeable or may be permeable. In other words, if indicated, the air restrictor may permit some air to pass through.
In an embodiment of the present invention, an air restrictor may be an object 67 in the shape of a sphere, sphere-like, or any other shaped object that prevents the flow of air. It is recognized that an air restrictor may be square, flat, oval, accordion like, spring like, rectangular and/or any other shape. The air restrictor 67 may be installed within the retention collars 6, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. As indicated above, the retention collars 6 may be used to retain or secure air-flow restrictors 67 in place. Although, two retention collars 6 are shown
As described above, the air restrictor 67 may be installed using one or more retention collars 6, for example. It is recognized that the retention means may be of any shape or form. It is noted that the installation of the air restrictor may cause the rotation direction 3 of air inside the tire 5 to change direction. In other words, the air restrictor, for example, sphere 67 may cause the direction of air-flow 3 inside the tire to be the same as the direction of rotation 9 of the tire 5. The flow of air in the same direction as the direction of rotation 9 may reduce the friction inside the tire.
In an embodiment of the present invention, a second air restrictor 56 may be inserted within the assembly 110, as shown in
Referring to
In an embodiment of the present invention, the air restrictor 56 may be impermeable to air. In other words, air restrictor 56 may also prevent the flow of air between chambers A and B. In this case, the air restrictor 56 may be made from any material or materials that prevent the passage of air, for example. Optionally or additionally, air the air restrictors may include a latex membrane 34 to stop circulation of air in the tire as shown in
In an embodiment of the invention, if air restrictor 56 does not permit passage of air (i.e., if air restrictor 56 is impermeable), then air restrictor 67 may allow air to pass through instead (i.e., air restrictor 67 may be permeable). In this case, air restrictor 67 may be made from open cell foam or other material that allows air to pass and/or may include vent holes 63 or another type of air passage. Where one of the air restrictors allows air to pass through, only one valve 52 may be needed to pressurize the tire 5 since air will be able to flow through at least one of the other restrictors.
In an embodiment of the invention where two or more air chambers A and B are created, the direction 3 of the air-flow in the chambers will be the same as direction 9 of rotation of the tire 5.
In an embodiment of the invention, air restrictors 56 and/or 67 may be inflatable spheres and may include inflation valves 57.
Although two air restrictors 56 and 67 are shown in
In an embodiment of the present invention, a single air restrictor such as restrictor 67 as shown in
In an embodiment of the present invention, multiple air restrictors may be installed inside a tire to prevent the flow of air inside the tire as shown in
In an embodiment of the invention, an air-flow restrictor 109 may be installed at any angle as shown. Optionally or additionally, the air restrictor may be in the shape of an accordion such as restrictor 115. The air restrictors may be made from rubber, plastic, foam and/or other type of material, for example. The air restrictors may be permeable or impermeable to air. One or more of the various air restrictors shown can be used. The air restrictors may be retro-fitted into the tire after the tire has been manufactured and/or may be built inside the tire during the manufacturing process.
In an embodiment, a one or more flow restrictors (such as shown in
In an embodiment, a diaphragm, other type of air-flow restrictor or the like may be used for blocking the air movement inside the tire. In an embodiment, single and/or double air balloons may be used to block air inside the tire. The balloons may or may not include inflation valves or nozzles.
In an embodiment of the invention, the flow restrictor may be one or more hollow balloons of any shape and/or made from any material. The balloon or balloons may be located inside a tire to reduce or prevent air-flow. In this embodiment, the balloon(s) or the like may be manufactured into the tire or may be glued into place and/or other retaining means may be used. Optionally or additionally, the one or balloons or the like may be held into place by any type of retention collars, columns, framing, etc. It is recognized that any type of structure or mechanism may be used to retain the diaphragm or flow restrictor. In an embodiment, the structure may be attached to the tire and/or may be attached to the rim and/or wheel. The structure may be glued on, nailed on, welded on, and/or attached to the tire and/or rim using any known means. In an embodiment, the diaphragm or flow restrictor may be provided as an attachment to the rim or wheel.
In an embodiment of the present invention, an air-flow restrictor in the form of, for example, a balloon or diaphragm may be located in the tire or several balloons or diaphragms may be distributed in the tire. The balloons may be pre-inflated before installation or may be inflated after installation. In another embodiment of the present invention, the one or more balloons or another type insertion (e.g., foam ball, hybrid foam/balloon insert, etc.) may be installed in the tire and may be able to freely move within the tire while still reducing or preventing circulation of air inside the tire.
In an embodiment of the present invention, an flow restrictor may be one or more solid and/or partially hollow objects to reduce or prevent the circulation of air inside the tire. The object may be made from foam or any other material and may be of any shape (e.g., round, oval, square, rectangular. triangular, etc.). In an embodiment, the object may be a sheet, panel, etc. made from any material and/or of any shape. The object may be located inside a tire to reduce or prevent air-flow inside the tire.
In an embodiment of the invention, an air-flow restrictor such as a diaphragm, single or multiple spheres or the like may be manufactured into the tire or may be glued into place. Optionally or additionally, the air-flow restrictors may be held into place by any type of retention collars, rings or columns. It is recognized that any type of structure or mechanism may be used to retain the air-flow restrictors. In an embodiment of the present invention, a single object may be located in the tire or several objects may be distributed in the tire.
In an embodiment of the invention, if the flow restrictors such as the balloons contain air, they may be pre-inflated before installation or may be inflated after installation. In an embodiment of the invention, one or more air-flow restrictors may be installed in the tire and may be able to freely move within the tire while still reducing or preventing circulation of air inside the tire.
It is recognized that in an embodiment, the air-flow restrictor such as the diaphragm, spheres, etc. may be built into the tire during the rubber manufacturing process. In an embodiment, the flow restrictor, diaphragm, etc. may be glued, welded, tacked and/or other wise attached to the tire. In an embodiment, the air-flow restrictor, diaphragm, etc. may be attached to the wheel and/or rim. In an embodiment, an attachment for the tire rim may be provided. In an embodiment, an air-flow restrictor or diaphragm may be built into the rim and/or wheel when it is manufactured or may be attached later. It may be attached via, for example, nails, staples, tacks, weld, glue and/or other means.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the air-flow restrictors as described herein may be available as a kit which may be retrofitted onto an existing tire. The kits may include, for example, one or more air-flow restrictors, one or more retention collars, an adhesive or other means for attachment, and/or any other material to install the air-flow restrictor, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
An embodiment of the present invention may completely restrict air-flow inside a tire. This restriction of the air-flow may significantly reduce the friction inside the tire and may increase the fuel efficiency of the vehicle on which the tire is installed.
In an embodiment of the invention, an air-flow restrictor may be made of a flexible material and may be positioned inside an inflatable tire to reduce or prevent air-flow.
In an embodiment of the invention, an air-flow restrictor may be used to block air movement. In one embodiment, a diaphragm, or a single or double air balloons having valves may be used as air-flow restrictors. If balloons or objects containing air are used, these may be pre-inflated before installation or inflated after installation. In an embodiment of the present invention, a tire may include at least two forms of air-flow restrictors. In this case, one of the air-flow restrictors may be permeable to fluids such as air, while the other air-flow restrictor may be impermeable to fluids, such as air. In this manner, one of the air-flow restrictors may block the flow of air within the tire while the other air-flow restrictor does not. In an embodiment of the present invention, only one diaphragm may be installed inside a tire.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the air-flow restrictor such as a diaphragm or the like may be made from, for example, latex, plastic, or other materials such as rubber or acrylic. Optionally, it may be made from, for example, open cell foam or the like. An air-flow restrictor made from open cell foam, for example, may be permeable and may permit the passage of fluids such as air.
In an embodiment of the invention, a single or multiple air-flow restrictors may be included inside a tire to stop air-flow inside the tire. For example, they may be distributed throughout the tire and/or may be used as counter balance units. The air-flow restrictors may be a single or double units, as described herein.
In an embodiment of the invention, one or more air-flow restrictors may be made from permeable material such as open cell foam or may include passages or vent holes to permit the passage of air. Such air-flow restrictors when installed may permit air to pass through and maintain equal pressure inside the tire. In one embodiment, if for example, two air-flow restrictors are installed and if one of the air-flow restrictors allows air to pass through, then a single air chamber inside the tire may be created. Since one of the air-flow restrictors does not permit passage of air, the air may not flow counter to the direction of tire rotation. In this case, a single valve may only be needed to inflate the tire since all but one of the air-flow restrictors may permit the passage of air inside of the tire. If multiple air flow restrictors that do not permit the passage of air are used, then additional valves may be added to inflate the tire.
In an embodiment of the present invention, if multiple air-flow restrictors that do not permit the passage of air are installed, then multiple chambers may be created in the tire. In such a case, each chamber may need its own inflation valve so that the chamber can be inflated separately.
In an embodiment of the present invention, a pressure monitoring device may be incorporated within one or more chambers of the tire to monitor the pressure in each chamber and/or to generate an alert if there is discrepancy and/or low or high pressure in one or more chambers. The alert may be presented to an operator of the vehicle or a remote operator through a remote monitoring device.
In an embodiment of the invention, a diaphragm or other type of air-flow restrictor may be made of or may include Lycra®, Teflon, nylon, or other synthetic or other type of materials for additional strength and/or durability. For example, netting made from Lycra®, Teflon, nylon, or other synthetic type of material may be used and/or placed around the a diaphragm or other type of air-flow restrictor for extra strength and durability. In an embodiment, additionally or optionally, foam or a foam type material may be inserted inside the tire. Foam or similar material may be spread throughout the tire to prevent air-flow and reduce friction inside the tire, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
In an embodiment of the invention, a diaphragm or other type of air-flow restrictor may reduce friction inside the tire. In an embodiment, one or more diaphragms or air-flow restrictors may create a fly-wheel effect that may store energy. In one example, a diaphragm or other type of air-flow restrictor in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention may be very light (e.g., 8 oz. or less, or may be more than 8 oz.). It is recognized that if the air restrictor is like the air restrictor shown in, for example,
In an embodiment of the present invention, the air-flow restrictors installed in one or more tires may be of varying weights. For example, some of the air-flow restrictors may be of one weight and/or other air-flow restrictors may be heavier or lighter. Air-flow restrictors installed in different tires may also vary in weight. For example, air-flow restrictors installed in front tires may be heavier or lighter than the air-flow restrictors installed in rear wheels of a vehicle.
In an embodiment of the invention, one or more diaphragms or other type of air-flow restrictors may be included inside the tire to stop air-flow or circulation inside the tire. The one or more diaphragms or air-flow restrictors may be fully, partially or substantially filled with air. In an embodiment, the one or more diaphragms or air-flow restrictors may be made from foam or other material. It is recognized that the one or more diaphragms or air-flow restrictors may be fully, partially or substantially filled with air and other one or more diaphragms or air-flow restrictors, located in the same tire, may be solid (e.g., made form foam or other material).
In an embodiment of the invention, a baffle (e.g., foam ball 33 and/or 31) may be included for reduced vibration.
In an embodiment of the invention, a counterbalance sphere or diaphragm may be installed in addition to the air restrictor diaphragms. The counter balance may be installed to balance out the tires. It is recognized that additional wheel balancing may be needed to balance out the tires. This additional wheel balancing may be provided by external weights, internal weights, and/or other counter balances of different shapes, weights and/or sizes.
In an embodiment of the invention, an air chamber and/or vent holes may be provided in, for example, the counterbalance spheres or diaphragms so that air may be provided via a single stem and the pressure throughout the tire can be equal. In an embodiment, no air chamber and/or vent holes may be provided. In this case, additional air stems may be provided to add air in the tire and/or to make air pressure inside the tire equal throughout the tire. In an embodiment, sensors may be placed inside the tire to monitor the air pressure in, for example, the various chambers that may be created by using the air restrictor, counter balance, etc.
An embodiment of the present invention may extend the life of the tire and/or provide additional and/or extend mileage. An embodiment may extend life of the tire because of reduced friction and/or reduced heat generated. An embodiment of the present invention may provide faster acceleration and/or increased top speed due to for example a fly wheel effect.
Any embodiment of the present invention may reduce overall fuel consumption of the vehicle including tires as described herein. For example, overall fuel consumption may be reduced by 20%-30% or more. In some cases, the overall fuel consumption may be reduced less than 20%. An embodiment of the present may provide increased fuel efficiency of all types of vehicles or the like. An embodiment of the present invention may increase miles-per-gallon ratings for vehicles. The vehicles may include cars, trucks (e.g., 18 wheelers, etc), buses, vans, bicycles, motorcycles, go-carts, military vehicles, airplanes or other types of transportation and/or recreational vehicles or the like. An embodiment of the present invention may find application within any type of inflatable tire and/or any type of vehicle or device.
It is recognized that, in a vehicle having an air filled tire all or only a few of the tires may include the air restrictor(s) or diaphragm(s), in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. For example, in a car, only the front two or rear two tires may be equipped with the diaphragm(s), as described herein, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. In another example, only one of the front tires and/or only one of the rear tires may be equipped with the diaphragm(s), as described herein, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Likewise, less than all the tires of a truck, bike, motorcycle, etc. may be equipped with the air restrictor(s) or diaphragm(s), as described herein, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
Retaining collars or structure for the one or more diaphragms or air-flow restrictors used may be open cell foam retaining collars, for example.
In an embodiment of the invention, an air-flow restrictor or diaphragm may be provided that may install or activate automatically and/or at the request of a user. For example, the flow restrictor or diaphragm may eject out from the rim, wheel and/or tire when the tire and/or vehicle reaches a predetermined speed and/or based on a request from the driver or user. The flow restrictor or diaphragm may retract when the tire or vehicle is below a certain speed, for example, or based on a request from a driver or user.
Several embodiments of the present invention are specifically illustrated and/or described herein. However, it will be appreciated that modifications and variations of the present invention are covered by the above teachings without departing from the spirit and intended scope of the invention.
This application claims the benefit of, and incorporates by reference, U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/572,754, filed May 21, 2004.
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| Number | Date | Country | |
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| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60572754 | May 2004 | US |
