Collision management system for compartment-mounted automotive spare tire
AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC
InventorsJonathan Venuto, John Fazio, Kirk Arthurs, Jason Prior
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A collision management system for an automotive spare tire includes a pneumatic spare tire mounted upon a wheel, and a body structure for axially displacing the spare tire in the direction of a combination tire deflator and wheel retainer which engages the spare tire and pierces it to deflate the spare tire, while subsequently locking upon the wheel rim, so as to assist in retaining the spare tire in a desired location within a storage compartment of the vehicle.
Claims13
A collision management system for an automotive spare tire, comprising:
- a spare tire, comprising a pneumatic tire mounted upon a wheel, with said spare tire being stowed within an automotive vehicle compartment;
- a body structure for displacing said spare tire in the event of an impact directed against said compartment and having sufficient force to deform said compartment;
- and
- a combination tire deflator and wheel retainer mounted within said compartment, with said combination tire deflator and wheel retainer sequentially breaching said tire and clamping said wheel to a surface of said compartment in response to axial displacement of said spare tire.
A collision management system for an automotive spare tire, comprising:
- a spare tire, comprising a pneumatic tire mounted upon a wheel, with said spare tire being stowed within an automotive vehicle compartment by means of a hold down mechanism;
- at least one body structure for axially displacing said spare tire in the event of an external impact directed axially against said compartment and having sufficient force to deform said compartment;
- and
- a combination tire deflator and wheel retainer mounted to the floor of said compartment, with said combination tire deflator and wheel retainer configured to sequentially breach said tire and clamp said wheel and deflated tire to the floor of said compartment in response to axial displacement of said spare tire beyond a predetermined threshold.
A collision management method for a spare tire mounted within a compartment of a motor vehicle, comprising:
- permitting the spare tire to move freely with respect to a combination tire deflator and wheel retainer during a first part of an impact event;
- impinging upon a tire portion of the spare tire with a cutter portion of said combination tire deflator and wheel retainer during a later part of an impact event;
- cutting said tire portion open with said cutter portion during a later part of an impact event following said impingement;
- and
- permitting the spare tire to move closer to said combination tire deflator and wheel retainer during subsequent impact-driven deformation of the compartment, such that a wheel portion of said spare tire becomes engaged with a hook portion of said combination deflator and wheel retainer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.