US 5,327,346 AGranted

Automatic control for central tire inflation system

AssigneeHarsco Corporation

InventorFred L. Goodell

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A central tire inflation system for controlling the tire inflation pressure of a driven wheeled vehicle includes a compressed air source connected through a conduit system with the vehicle tires, a controllable valve system connected in the conduit system and a tire pressure controller connected with and controlling operation of the valve system to selectively increase or decrease inflation pressure includes wheel slip detectors and a vehicle speed detector for generating a signal proportional to detected slippage rate and vehicle speed, and signal processing system for utilizing the slippage signal and vehicle speed signals to control the valve system to automatically control tire inflation pressure in response to conditions encountered to minimize slippage and maintain tire inflation pressure at the highest pressure commensurate with safety and economic operation.

Claims10

Dependent claims

In a central tire inflation system for controlling the inflation pressure in the tires of a driven wheeled vehicle, the system including a source of compressed air, conduit means connecting the source of compressed air with each of the vehicle wheels, valve means connected in the conduit means, and valve control means connected with the valve means and operable to actuate said valve means to selectively establish fluid communication with the source of compressed air to increase inflation pressure and to vent the tires to atmosphere to decrease inflation pressure, the improvement comprising,

slip detection means operatively associated with each driven wheel of the vehicle, said slip detection means being operable to detect the slippage rate of the vehicle's driven wheels to generate a slippage signal proportional to the detected slippage rate,
speed detecting means for detecting vehicle speed and providing a speed signal proportional to the detected vehicle speed,
calculating means connected with said slip detecting means, said speed detecting means and said valve control means, said calculating means being operable to process the speed signal and slippage signals to produce a signal to said valve control means upon detecting a predetermined slip rate for a predetermined time to actuate said valve means to vent the vehicle tires to reduce the pressure therein a predetermined amount.

A method of controlling the inflation pressure in the pneumatic tires of a wheeled vehicle having a central tire inflation system including a source of compressed air, a fluid conduit system connecting the vehicle tires to the source of compressed air, valve means connected in the fluid conduit system and selectively operable to admit air from the compressed air source to the tires to increase tire inflation pressure and to vent air from the tires to atmosphere to decrease tire inflation pressure, and valve control means operably connected with the valve means for actuating the valve means to selectively increase or decrease the tire inflation pressure and to maintain the inflation pressure at any one of a plurality of predetermined inflation pressure levels, the improvement comprising,

determining the slip rate of the vehicle's driven wheels and producing a signal representative of the determined slip rate,
determining the vehicle speed and producing a signal representative of the determined speed,
using said slip rate signal and said vehicle speed signal to determine a desired inflation pressure level decrease and producing a pressure decrease signal, and
using said pressure level decrease signal to actuate the valve means to produce the desired tire inflation pressure level decrease.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 07/749,172Filed 23 Aug 1991
Granted: 5 Jul 1994
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification5 codes

B60C 23/061
Signalling devices actuated by deformation of the tyre , e.g. tyre mounted deformation sensors or indirect determination of tyre deformation…
B60C 23/00318
Characterised by the location of the components, e.g. valves, sealings, conduits or sensors: on the wheels or the hubs
B60C 23/00354
Comprising rotational joints between vehicle-mounted pressure sources and the tyres: details of valves
B60C 23/00372
Comprising rotational joints between vehicle-mounted pressure sources and the tyres: characterised by fluid diagrams