Flat tire airbag system

A flat tire airbag system for use with a pneumatic tire having a wheel portion and a tire portion, the flat tire airbag system comprising:

• an inner tube having an inner portion adapted to be mounted upon the wheel portion of the pneumatic tire, and an outer portion adapted to support the tire portion when inflated;
• a tire pressure monitoring system operably mounted to monitor pressure within the pneumatic tire;
• an airbag inflation mechanism for automatically inflating the inner tube responsive to the tire pressure monitoring system detecting a loss of pressure within the pneumatic tire;
• a pair of annular belts, each positioned on opposite sides of the inner tube, adjacent the inner portion of the inner tube;
• a plurality of puncture-resistant plates disposed over the outer portion of the inner tube, each of the plurality of puncture-resistant plates having side edges that are each attached to one of the pair of belts with elastic cords;
• and
• wherein the elastic cords hold the plurality of puncture-resistant plates in a collapsed position, adjacent the inner portion of the inner tube, when the inner tube is deflated, but are elastic enough to enable the puncture-resistant plates to move to the inflated position when the inner tube is inflated, wherein when in the inflated position, the puncture-resistant plates are adjacent the tire portion of the pneumatic tire.