US 11,752,811 B2
Tire pressure control valve assembly
Lesley Joseph Hinz, Spruce Grove (CA); and Brian Douglas Spreen, Parkland County (CA)
Assigned to Tire Pressure Control International Ltd., Edmonton (CA)
Filed by Tire Pressure Control International Ltd., Edmonton (CA)
Filed on Oct. 22, 2018, as Appl. No. 16/166,690.
Claims priority of application No. CA 3021190 (CA), filed on Oct. 17, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2020/0122525 A1, Apr. 23, 2020
Int. Cl. B60C 23/00 (2006.01); B60C 23/04 (2006.01)
CPC B60C 23/00354 (2020.05) [B60C 23/002 (2013.01); B60C 23/00305 (2020.05); B60C 23/0493 (2013.01); B60C 23/0408 (2013.01); B60C 2200/04 (2013.01); B60C 2200/06 (2013.01)] 16 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A valve assembly for a tire pressure control system used to control tire pressure of a vehicle, the valve assembly comprising:
a unitary body comprising attachment points for mounting the unitary body to a vehicle wheel end;
one or more valves, each valve comprising:
a valve cavity formed in the unitary body;
a valve element mounted to the valve cavity, the valve element and the valve cavity defining an air supply chamber and a tire supply chamber within the valve, and the valve element being biased toward a closed position that seals between the air supply chamber and the tire supply chamber;
an air supply passage in fluid communication with the air supply chamber and being adapted to connect to an air supply, the air supply passage comprising a flow restriction such that all air flowing to the air supply chamber passes through the flow restriction; and
a tire supply passage in fluid communication with the tire supply chamber and adapted to connect to a vehicle tire that is carried by the vehicle wheel end, the air supply passage and the tire supply passage being connected to the valve cavity, the flow restriction having a reduced flow area relative to the tire supply passage;
wherein the valve element moves to an open position that permits airflow between the air supply chamber and the tire supply chamber upon application of a sufficient pressure within the valve cavity against the valve element, and the reduced flow area of the flow restriction is sized to restrict the rate of air flow through the valve cavity during a tire pressure reduction event and cause the valve element to move to the closed position when air pressure in the tire supply chamber is below a threshold.