Abstract:
A tire deflation device capable of being remotely operated to extend and retract a spike assembly into the path of a vehicle to controllably deflate one or more of its tires is described. An embodiment includes a self contained supply of pressurized air that is in communication with an actuator that operatively extends and retracts the spike assembly based on a signal received from a wireless remote control.

Description:
[0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/465,662 filed on Mar. 23, 2011. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    This invention relates generally to tire deflation devices and more particularly to tire deflation devices that allow the tire deflation device to be operated from a safe location using a remote control. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    It is well recognized that police officials from time to time find it necessary to stop a vehicle being operated by persons who are fleeing or attempting to avoid being stopped. 
         [0004]    Portable barricades have often been used in attempts to stop a vehicle. The blockade may be framed structures but often a portable barricade is formed with police vehicles placed to extend transversely across a roadway. It is not uncommon, however, that fugitives will attempt to drive through a blockade of saw-horse type or other framed structures or around or even through a blockade of vehicles. Naturally, there is a potentially high element of danger to police officers manning a road block and the cost is very high should a fugitive attempt to crash his vehicle through a barricade, particularly if the barricade is made of police vehicles. 
         [0005]    Generally, also, it requires a large number of police personnel to set up and man a road blockade. 
         [0006]    The need for a means of disabling a vehicle that can be established and manned by even a single police officer and that will effectively disable a vehicle containing one or more fleeing individuals has been recognized in the past. Thus, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,995,756 to Kilgrow et al., (incorporated herein in its entirety by reference) there is disclosed a vehicle disabling means in the form of a plurality of hollow, spike-like devices adapted to extend perpendicular to a road surface to puncture one or more tires of a fleeing vehicle. The device may be folded up and stored in the trunk of a police cruiser. In order to be deployed however, a police officer must wait by the side of the road for the fleeing vehicle to approach, and then manually throw the device into the path of the fleeing vehicle. Once the fleeing vehicle drives over the extend device, the officer then retrieves the device from the road surface by pulling a rope attached to the device to prevent damage to police cars that are in pursuit of the fleeing vehicle. 
         [0007]    Other tire puncturing devices, using hollow needles arranged to point vertically upwardly or upwardly at an angle and supported by metal bars or heavy canvas and/or rubber mats have also been known. 
         [0008]    Since the introduction of these manual type devices, the most popular to date being marketed as the “Stinger” and the “Stop Stick”, there have been dozens of police officers killed while deploying this type of tire deflation device. It has been found that in some cases, the fleeing vehicle will attempt to avoid the spikes by driving around the device and strike the police officer that is standing on the side of the road. This issue has caused some police departments to stop using this type of tire deflation devices altogether. 
         [0009]    There therefore is a need for a tire deflation device that can be easily extended and retracted by a police officer from a safe location away from the placement of the device. The device must be lightweight so that it can be placed along the road easily by a single person and it must be compact so that it may be stored in the trunk of a police cruiser. 
       OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
       [0010]    In addition, other objects of the invention are to provide a remotely controlled tire puncturing device that is compactly folded and stored; that can be immediately used without prior assembly; that can be used to disable a vehicle regardless of the direction of travel of the vehicle; and that can be made of lightweight materials that will leave hollow spikes in tires passed thereover and that will leave the base support for the spikes undamaged and ready for re-use. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0011]      FIG. 1  is a simplified exploded isometric view in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; 
           [0012]      FIG. 2  is a simplified exploded isometric view in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; 
           [0013]      FIG. 3  is a simplified exploded isometric view in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; 
           [0014]      FIG. 4  is a partial isometric view of a spike assembly and actuator in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; 
           [0015]      FIG. 5  is a simplified schematic diagram in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0016]    Referring first to  FIGS. 1 to 4 , which depicts various isometric views of an embodiment of the tire deflation device  10  which comprises a main housing  12  that is sized and configured to house the majority of the components of the device  10 . A top cover  14  is removably attached to the main housing  12  such that it allows for easy access to the various components contained in the device  10 . A reservoir  13  is provided integral to the main housing  12  which allows for the storage of a pressurized fluid/gas within the device  10 . In this embodiment, the reservoir  13  is configured to hold a pressurized fluid or gas such as, for example, pressurized air. In the embodiment shown, the reservoir  13  is fabricated from a single piece of bent aluminum plate that is welded into the main housing  12 , thereby providing a lightweight but structurally rigid volume in which to store the pressurized fluid/gas. The reservoir  13  may be designed to contain up to 140 psi of pressurized air. 
         [0017]    A shutoff valve  18  affixed to a wall of the reservoir  13  may be optionally provided to selectively open and close the flow of pressurized fluid/gas from the reservoir  13 . In the embodiment shown, the handle to the shutoff valve  18  may extend through the top cover  14  so that it may be easily operated by the user. An inlet valve  36  also affixed to a wall of the reservoir may be provided to allow for the transfer of a pressurized fluid/gas into the reservoir  13 . In the embodiment shown, the inlet valve  36  is a shrader type air inlet valve that is configured to interface with a standard air compressor. 
         [0018]    A handle  16  may be affixed to the main housing  12  to facilitate the lifting, carrying and placement of the device  10  by a single person. In the embodiment shown, the handle extends along the back side of the main housing  12  and is appropriately sized so that the device  10  may be carried in one hand. 
         [0019]    Affixed by a pair of actuator brackets  24  to an inside wall of the main housing  12  is an actuator  22 . In the embodiment shown, the actuator  22  is a double acting piston that is configured to extend and retract along the longitudinal axis of the main housing  12 . Further, in the embodiment shown, the actuator  22  is a pneumatic piston with a total stroke of around 12 inches. 
         [0020]    Disposed in the main housing  12  may be a receiver  34  that is configured to communicate with a remote control  19 . The receiver  34  may be powered by an onboard battery pack  32 . In the embodiment shown, the battery pack  32  is comprised of 8 AA batteries that provide 12 volts DC to the receiver  34 . While the embodiment shown depicts the use of a wireless remote control system, it would be very easy for someone skilled in the art to replace the wireless remote control with a wired or direct connection type control. The present invention contemplates all such modifications. The receiver  34  is essentially a remote controlled electrical switch that is connected between the battery pack  32  and an electronic control valve  20 . The electronic control valve  20  is powered by the battery pack  32  and configured to selectively direct the flow of the pressurized fluid/gas from the reservoir  13  to the actuator  22 . In the embodiment shown, the control valve  20  is configured to direct the flow of the pressurized fluid/gas such that the actuator  22  is maintained in an extended position when no power is provided to the control valve  20 . Again, in the embodiment shown, when power is applied to the control valve  20 , the pressurized fluid/gas is directed to the actuator  22  to retract the actuator. With this arrangement, the remote control  19  is in communication with the receiver  34 , the receiver  34  selectively controls the control valve  20  which in turn extends and retracts the actuator  22  using the pressurized fluid/gas in the reservoir  13 . In the embodiment shown, the control valve may be a 4-way, 2 position solenoid valve that operates on 12 VDC voltage. 
         [0021]    Pivotally attached to a distal end of the actuator  22  at a link attachment point  26  is a first link  62  of a spike assembly  28  that extends through a slot  30  disposed on a wall of the main housing  12 . The configuration of the spike assembly  28  is comprised of a plurality of interconnected and pivoting upper links  58  and lower links  61 . The spike assembly  28  is well known in the art and is configured to pivotally extend and retract using a scissor like motion. The advantage of this type of spike assembly arrangement is when retracted it takes up very little space, but it can be extended over quite a distance when pivoted to an extend configuration. This type of spike assembly  28  is described in more detail in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,995,756 and 7,850,392, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
         [0022]    As more clearly shown in  FIG. 4 , a plurality of spikes  60  may be removably disposed along the longitudinal axis of each upper link  58  such that when the spike assembly  28  is extended across a road, the spikes  60  are able to penetrate the tire(s) of a fleeing vehicle. The spikes  60  are configured to penetrate into an automobile tire and may release from the upper link  58  and remain in the tire. The spikes  60  may be hollow to create a controlled leakage path of air from the fleeing vehicle&#39;s tire which may result in a controlled stop of the fleeing vehicle. 
         [0023]    The spike assembly  28  is operatively extended and retracted by the actuation of the actuator  22 . A fixed pivot  31  is disposed on an outside wall of the main housing  12  adjacent the slot  30 . The first link  62 , as mentioned previously, is pivotally connected to the actuator  22  at the link attachment point  26  such that when the actuator  22  is retracted, as shown by the arrow  64 , the spike assembly  28  pivots to an extended position as shown by arrow  65 . When the actuator  22  is extended as shown by arrow  64 , the spike assembly  28  will fold up to a retracted position as shown by arrow  65 . With this arrangement, the spike assembly  28  may be quickly and controllably extended and retracted into the path of a fleeing vehicle by extending and retracting the actuator  22 . 
         [0024]    It should be mentioned that the exact configuration of the actuator  22  to the spike assembly  28  may take on many variations. For example, the extension and retraction of the actuator  22  could be reversed such that when the actuator  22  extends, so does the spike assembly  28  and vice versa. Another variation is the attachment point of the actuator  22  to the spike assembly  28  could be easily reconfigured to result in the same or similar operation. For example, the link attachment point  26  could be arranged such that the actuator  22  is pivotably connected to the center pivot point of the first pair of links. With this configuration the actuator  22  would not operate along the longitudinal axis of the main housing  12 , but would be approximately perpendicular to the main housing  12 . All such variations are fully contemplated by the invention. 
         [0025]    In order to provide additional safety and to prevent inadvertent operation of the device  10 , an optional lock bracket  38  may be affixed to the main housing  12  adjacent the slot  30  and a removable lock pin  40  may be inserted through a hole in the first link  62  into a hole in the lock bracket  38  such that when the pin  40  is inserted, the spike assembly  28  cannot extend. 
         [0026]    Referring now to  FIG. 5 , (where like numerals apply to like features) which depicts a simplified schematic in accordance with an embodiment of a tire deflation device  10 . A pressure gauge  46  may be provided which is configured to indicate the pressure of the fluid/gas contained in the reservoir  13 . As discussed previously, an inlet valve  36  is disposed on the reservoir  13  for the transfer of a pressurized fluid into the reservoir  13 . A manually operated shutoff valve  18  is similarly disposed on the reservoir  13  which opens and closes the flow of fluid/gas out of the reservoir  13 . 
         [0027]    A pressure line  41  is in fluid communication with an inlet port of the control valve  20  such that when the control valve  20  is unpowered, the pressurized fluid is communicated to the actuator  22  via a first conduit  42  to keep the spike assembly  28 , for safety reasons, in a retracted position The control valve  20  may be a two position solenoid valve, where the first unpowered position directs the flow of the pressurized fluid through the first conduit  42  to maintain the spike assembly  28  in the retracted position and the second position directs the flow of the pressurized fluid through a second conduit  44  to operatively move the spike assembly  28  to an extended position. The control valve  20  is electrically connected to the battery pack  32  and the receiver  34 , which operatively controls which position the control valve  20  is in. 
         [0028]    For example, the remote control  19  may have two push buttons disposed on the remote. An extend button  50  would send a signal to the receiver  34  to apply power to the control valve  20  which would place the control valve  20  in the second position and this would direct the flow of the pressurized fluid/gas to extend the spike assembly  28 . A retract button  48  on the remote control  19 , when selected, may send a signal to the receiver  34  which may remove power from the control valve  20  and the control valve  20  will return to the first position and this will direct the flow of pressurized fluid/gas to retract the spike assembly  28 . 
         [0029]    With this arrangement, the remote control  19 , in the hands of a police officer located some distance away from the spike assembly, in a safe location, away from the path of the fleeing vehicle, can extend and retract the spike assembly  28 . 
         [0030]    An exhaust line  52  may be provided in communication with the control valve  20  to allow the actuator  22  to vent in either direction and therefore let the actuator  22  extend and retract as required. A power indicator lamp  56  may also be provided to indicate to the user when the battery  32  is in communication with the control valve  20 . 
         [0031]    Now the operation and use of the tire deflation device  10  shall be described in more detail. With reference to  FIGS. 1 to 4  again, the tire deflation device  10  will typically be stored in the trunk of a police cruiser. The reservoir  13  typically would be prefilled with compressed air using a standard compressor connected to the fill valve  36  to a pressure not greater than 140 psi and not less than 50-60 psi as indicated on the pressure gauge  46 . 
         [0032]    To place the tire deflation device  10  into the path of a fleeing vehicle, a police officer would remove the device  10  from the trunk using the handle  16 . While not shown for clarity, a cover may be provided over the spike assembly  28  to prevent injury from the sharp tips of the spikes  60 . This cover would be removed and the device  10  would be placed along the shoulder of a road where the fleeing vehicle is expected to cross. 
         [0033]    To ready the device  10  for deployment, first the user would remove the lock pin  40  from the first link  62 . Next, the user would open the shutoff valve  18  and turn on the power to the device. The device  10  is now ready to control the extension and retraction of the spike assembly  28  across the road and into the path of the fleeing vehicle. 
         [0034]    The user can now move to a safe location away from the area of the device  10 . As the fleeing car approaches the area adjacent the device  10 , the user would depress the extend button  50  on the remote control  19  which will cause the spike assembly  28  to fold open and extend across the road into the path of the fleeing vehicle. 
         [0035]    The fleeing vehicle will drive over the spike assembly  28  and one or more of the spikes  60  will penetrate one or more tires and remain in the tire as it continues over the spike assembly  28 . The hollow spike  60  will cause the air to leak from the tire of the fleeing vehicle. Once the fleeing vehicle has completely cleared the area of the spike assembly  28 , the user may push the retract button  48  located on the remote  19 , and the spike assembly  28  will fold up into a retracted position and allow cars that are pursuing the fleeing vehicle to continue the chase without being damaged by the device  10 . 
         [0036]    The user may now retrieve the device  10  from the side of the road by first reinserting the lock pin  40 , turning off the power and placing the shut off valve  18  to a closed position. The user may then replace any missing spikes  60  and using the inlet valve  36  recharge the reservoir  13  using a standard air compressor. The unit is now ready to be stored in a police cruiser&#39;s trunk, ready for the next pursuit. 
         [0037]    Although an exemplary embodiment of the invention has been shown and described, many changes, modifications, and substitutions may be made by one having ordinary skill in the art without necessarily departing from the spirit and scope of this invention. For example, in the embodiment described, pressurized air may be the working fluid, however, the particular type of fluid used is not important and may be easily changed. This is just one example of the type of modifications that are fully contemplated by the invention disclosed herein.