Tire pressure sensor device

A tire pressure sensor device includes a tire pressure sensor including a housing and a mounting block defining a through portion in a coupling means thereof, and an air valve including an extension rod having a rod body rotatably inserted through the through portion and a stop block located at one end of the rod body and rotatable with the rod body between a first angular position where the stop block is kept in accurate alignment with the through portion and axially movable with the rod body through the through portion for allowing separation between the tire pressure sensor and the air valve and a second angular position where the stop block is stopped at the coupling means of the mounting block in a staggered manner relative to the through portion to prohibit separation between the tire pressure sensor and the air valve.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to tire pressure monitoring technology and more particularly, to a tire pressure sensor device, which facilitates installation.

2. Description of the Related Art

Because the air pressure of a vehicle tire s is of great concern to traffic safety, regular vehicles are commonly equipped with a tire pressure sensor device or monitoring system that provides real-time tire pressure information to the vehicle driver, avoiding traffic accidents.

A conventional tire pressure sensor device is known comprising a tire pressure sensor and an air valve. During installation, a screw bolt is mounted in a through portion of the tire pressure sensor, and then a tool is operated to drive the screw bolt into a screw hole in the air valve, fastening the tire pressure sensor and the air valve together. During fastening up the screw bolt, the user must hold the air valve with one hand to avoid rotation of the air valve with the screw bolt when the screw bolt is being driven into the screw hole in the air valve by the user's other hand by means of the tool. Thus, the assembly procedure of the aforesaid prior art tire pressure sensor device is complicated and takes much time. An improvement in this regard is necessary.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has been accomplished under the circumstances in view. It is the main object of the present invention to provide a tire pressure sensor device, which has a simple structure and facilitates mounting and dismounting.

To achieve this and other objects of the present invention, a tire pressure sensor device in accordance with the present invention comprises a tire pressure sensor and an air valve. The tire pressure sensor comprises a housing having a mounting block. The mounting block defines a first lateral side, a second lateral side opposite to the first lateral side, and a through portion between the first lateral side and the second lateral side. The first lateral side comprises a coupling means. The through portion has its one end terminating in an inlet and located in the second lateral side, and its other end terminating in an outlet and located in the first lateral side. The air valve comprises an extension rod. The extension rod comprises a rod body and a stop block. The outer diameter of the rod body is smaller than the diameter of the through portion. Further, the rod body is inserted through the inlet and outlet of the through portion. The stop block is fixedly located at one end of the rod body, and configured subject to the non-circular cross section of the through portion.

Thus, when the air valve is in the first angular position, the stop block is kept in accurate alignment with the through portion and can be moved with the rod body of the extension rod in and out of the through portion for allowing separation between the tire pressure sensor and the air valve. On the contrary, when the air valve is in the second angular position, the stop block is stopped at the coupling means in a staggered manner relative to the through portion and prohibited from being moved through the through portion, and thus, the air valve and the tire pressure sensor are positively secured together at this time.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring toFIGS. 1 and 2, a tire pressure sensor device in accordance with the present invention is shown. The tire pressure sensor device10comprises a tire pressure sensor20and an air valve30.

The tire pressure sensor20comprises a housing21, a sensor component (not shown) accommodated in the housing21for sensing the pressure of a tire, and a mounting block22formed integral with a part of the housing21. The mounting block22defines a first lateral side23, a second lateral side24opposite to the first lateral side23, and a through portion25between the first lateral side23and the second lateral side24. Further, the first lateral side23defines thereon a coupling means that can be a recessed portion, protruding portion, or any other configuration located on the first lateral side23. In this embodiment, the coupling means is a recessed portion232having a V-shaped cross section (seeFIGS. 4 and 6). The through portion25has its one end terminating in an inlet252at the second lateral side24(seeFIG. 4), and its other end terminating in an outlet254at the center of the recessed portion232(seeFIGS. 2 and 4). The mounting block22further defines two retaining grooves234that are respectively located in the recessed portion232at the first lateral side23at two opposite lateral sides of the outlet254of the through portion25, as shown inFIGS. 2 and 3.

The air valve30comprises a valve body31and an extension rod32. The extension rod32comprises a rod body33and a stop block34. The rod body33extends out of the valve body31having the terminal end thereof configured for the mounting of the stop block34. Further, the outer diameter of the rod body33is smaller than the diameter of the through portion25so that, by means of the rod body33, the air valve30can be rotated relative to the tire pressure sensor20between a first angular position P1(as shown inFIG. 3) and a second angular position P2(seeFIG. 5). Further, the stop block34is a non-circular block member configured to fit the non-circular cross section of the through portion25, comprising two opposite planar side faces342and two opposite arched end faces344. Each planar side face243is connected between the two arched end faces344. Thus, when the air valve30is in the first angular position P1, the stop block34and the through portion25are kept in accurate alignment, allowing movement of the stop block34in and out of the through portion25, as shown inFIGS. 3 and 4. On the contrary, when the air valve30is in the second angular position P2, the stop block34and the through portion25are vertically staggered, prohibiting the stop block34from being moved through the through portion25, as shown inFIGS. 5 and 6.

During installation, rotate the air valve30to the first angular position P1to keep the stop block34and the through portion5in accurate alignment, as shown inFIG. 3, allowing movement of the stop block34in and out of the through portion25. Thereafter, insert the extension rod32of the air valve30from the inlet252into the through portion25to the extend where the stop block34is exposed out of the outlet254of the through portion25, as shown inFIGS. 3 and 4, and then rotate the air valve30to the second angular position P2where the stop block34and the through portion25are vertically staggered, and the stop block34is prohibited from being moved through the through portion25, as shown inFIGS. 5 and 6. At this time, the stop block34is abutted at the recessed portion232of the mounting block22with the arched end faces344respectively positioned in the retaining grooves234in the recessed portion232of the mounting block22, and thus, the tire pressure sensor20and the air valve30are assembled.

On the other hand, as shown inFIG. 7, the air valve30further comprises a adjustment device35. The adjustment device35comprises a screw tube36and an adjustment nut37. The screw tube36is sleeved onto the rod body33of extension rod32and fixedly connected thereto. The adjustment37is threaded onto the screw tube36. Thus, the adjustment nut37can be rotated relative to the screw tube36to move along the axial direction f the screw tube36and to further push the second lateral side24of the mounting block22of the housing21, enhancing the connection stability between the mounting block22of the tire pressure sensor20and the stop block34of the air valve30.

In conclusion, subject to the matching design between the through portion25of the tire pressure sensor20and the stop block34of the air valve30, the tire pressure sensor device10has the benefits of simple structure and ease of use. During operation, the user can achieve dismounting between the tire pressure sensor20and the air valve30simply by means of rotating the air valve30. This dismounting method is faster and convenient when compared to the conventional bolted mounting technique.