Patent ID: 8662127
Filing Date: 2014-03-04
Classification: B60C

Abstract:
1. A self-inflating tire system comprising: a tire having a tire carcass comprising a tire cavity defined by a tire inner liner, first and second sidewalls extending respectively from first and second tire bead regions to a tire tread region; compression actuator means mounted to the tire carcass for compressing air for delivery to the tire cavity, the compression actuator means comprising a hollow containment body formed from a resilient deformable material composition and containing a quantity of a non-compressible medium, the containment body affixed to a relatively high flex-deformation region of the tire carcass and the containment body reciprocally transforming between a deformed state and a non-deformed state responsive to deformation and recovery of the tire high flex-deformation region in a rolling tire, respectively; and wherein the actuator means containment body in the deformed state displacing a pressurized displaced quantity of the non-compressible medium, the pressurized displaced quantity of the non-compressible medium operative to generate a compression force from which a volume of air delivered to the tire cavity is pressurized; a pump assembly affixed to the tire carcass, the pump assembly comprising a compressor body affixed to the containment body and having an internal air chamber, the pump assembly operative to compress air within the compressor body internal air chamber responsive to the displaced quantity of the non-compressible medium; wherein the internal air chamber of the compressor body having an inlet opening for admitting air into the internal air chamber and an outlet opening for conducting pressurized air from the internal air chamber to the tire cavity; the air compressor body further comprising first valve means and second valve means within the air compressor body for reciprocally opening and closing the inlet opening and the outlet opening, respectively, synchronously with the cyclic transformation of the containment body.