# US 2012/0073716 A1 · Distributed pump self-inflating tire assembly > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2012/0073716 A1 - Document ID: US20120073716A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 12/890,738 - Filed: 2010-09-27 - Published: 2012-03-29 - Earliest claimed: 2010-09-27 - Assignees: The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company - Inventors: Robert Leon Benedict - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20120073716A1 ## CPC - B60C 23/123: {Elongate peristaltic pumps} - B60C 23/135: {activated due to tyre deformation} - B60C: VEHICLE TYRES; TYRE INFLATION; TYRE CHANGING; CONNECTING VALVES TO INFLATABLE ELASTIC BODIES IN GENERAL; DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS RELATED TO TYRES ## Abstract A self-inflating tire assembly includes one or more air tube(s) connected to a tire and having a plurality of adjoining diaphragm chambers separated by a one-way valve. An air passageway extends through the air tube and the diaphragm chambers. The one-way valve allows a directional passage of air through the valve from an inlet valve side an outlet valve side. The footprint in a rotating tire sequentially collapses the diaphragm chambers to directionally pump air through the one-way valve between the diaphragm chambers and along the air passageway from an air tube inlet device to an air tube outlet device. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A self-inflating tire assembly comprising: (A) a rim having a tire mounting surface extending between first and second rim flanges; (B) a tire mounted to the rim tire mounting surface, the tire having a tire cavity, first and second sidewalls extending respectively from first and second tire bead regions to a tire tread region; (C) at least one air tube connected to the tire and having a plurality of adjoining diaphragm segments containing respective adjoining diaphragm chambers and an air passageway extending through the air tube and the diaphragm chambers, at least one adjacent pair of the adjoining diaphragm chambers separated by a one-way check valve allowing a directional passage of air through the valve from an inlet valve side to an outlet valve side, the air tube being composed of an elastic material operative to sequentially at least partially collapse the adjacent diaphragm segments passing near a rolling tire footprint to pump air through the one-way valve between the adjacent diaphragm chambers along the air passageway; (D) an inlet device positioned within the air passageway operative to pass air into the air passageway; (E) an outlet device positioned within the passageway operative in an open position to pass air within the air passageway into the tire cavity. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The tire assembly of claim 1, wherein the adjacent diaphragm segments have respective volumes sized to compress one segment at a time in a rolling tire. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The tire assembly of claim 2, wherein the adjacent diaphragm segments have a respective segment length substantially equivalent to a segment length of the air tube flattened by a tire footprint deformation. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The tire assembly of claim 1, wherein the tube segment resiliently returns to an un-flattened condition when repositioned by tire rotation outside the tire tread footprint. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The tire assembly of claim 4, wherein the air tube comprises a radial segment extending from the inlet device to a radially inward tire location. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The tire assembly of claim 1, wherein the one-way check valve comprises a membrane body substantially blocking the air passageway between the diaphragm chambers in a closed condition and at least partially deforming in an open condition to allow a flow of air through the membrane body toward the outlet device. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The tire assembly of claim 6, wherein the membrane body is composed of an elastomeric material composition. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The tire assembly of claim 7, wherein the membrane body comprises at least one through-slit closed to air flow through the membrane body toward the inlet device and open to air flow through the membrane body toward the outlet device. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The tire assembly of claim 8, wherein the outlet device comprises an outlet portal in air flow communication with the tire cavity. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The tire assembly of claim 1, wherein the air tube comprises a substantially circular array of air tube segments that sequentially flatten segment by segment near a tire footprint as the tire assembly rotates against a ground surface. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The tire assembly of claim 10, wherein the diaphragm chambers of the adjacent diaphragm segments sequentially partially compress as a respective adjacent diaphragm segment passes near the rolling tire footprint and elastically expand as the respective adjacent diaphragm segment moves away from the rolling tire footprint. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The tire assembly of claim 11, wherein the outlet device and the inlet device are mounted to the annular air tube substantially 180 degrees apart. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The tire assembly of claim 12, wherein the air tube is sequentially flattened by the rolling tire footprint to pump air along the air passageway between the diaphragm chambers of the adjacent pair of air tube segments in a flow direction from the inlet device to the outlet device. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The tire assembly of claim 13, wherein a partially flattened tube segment resiliently returns to an un-flattened condition when repositioned by tire rotation away from the rolling tire footprint. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The tire assembly of claim 14, wherein the one-way valve comprises a membrane body substantially blocking the air passageway between the diaphragm chambers in a closed condition and at least partially deforming in an open condition to allow a flow of air through the membrane body toward the outlet device. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The tire assembly of claim 15, wherein the membrane body is composed of an elastomeric material composition. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The tire assembly of claim 16, wherein the membrane body comprises at least one through-slit closed to air flow through the membrane body toward the inlet device and open to air flow through the membrane body toward the outlet device. ### Claim 18 A self-inflating tire assembly comprising: (A) a rim having a tire mounting surface extending between first and second rim flanges; (B) a tire mounted to the rim tire mounting surface, the tire having a tire cavity, first and second sidewalls extending respectively from first and second tire bead regions to a tire tread region; (C) at least one air tube connected to the tire and having a plurality of adjoining diaphragm segments containing respective diaphragm chambers and an air passageway extending through the air tube and the diaphragm chambers, at least one adjacent pair of the adjoining diaphragm chambers separated by a one-way check valve, check valve substantially blocking the air passageway between the diaphragm chambers in a closed condition and at least partially opening in an open condition to allow a flow of air toward the outlet device; (D) the air tube being composed of an elastomeric material operative to sequentially compress the diaphragm chambers of the adjacent pair of the adjoining air tube segments to pump air through the one-way valve between the diaphragm chambers along the air passageway; (E) an inlet device positioned within the air passageway operative to pass air into the air passageway; (F) an outlet device positioned within the passageway operative in an open position to pass air within the air passageway into the tire cavity. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The tire assembly of claim 18, wherein the adjacent diaphragm segments have respective volumes sized to compress one segment at a time in a rolling tire. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The tire assembly of claim 19, wherein the adjacent diaphragm segments have a respective segment length substantially equivalent to a segment length of the air tube flattened by a tire footprint deformation.