Fluent material handling – with receiver or receiver coacting mea – Automatic control of flow cutoff or diversion
Reexamination Certificate
1998-06-25
2001-01-09
Recla, Henry J. (Department: 3751)
Fluent material handling, with receiver or receiver coacting mea
Automatic control of flow cutoff or diversion
C141S038000, C141S047000, C141S094000, C141S095000, C141S096000, C141S099000, C137S355170, C137S355230, C137S355240
Reexamination Certificate
active
06170542
ABSTRACT:
FIELD
The present invention relates, as the title indicates, to an electronic air supplying and pressure equalizer system for tires, to be preferably installed at petrol stations, service areas, mechanical assistance points on roads or the like, which has important advantages over installations nowaday existing.
BACKGROUND
Correct tire-inflating of vehicles in circulation is a determinant factor for road safety, as well as further economic factors such as tire durability or fuel consumption.
Nowadays, most assistance points located in petrol stations, service areas, mechanic assistance points on roads or the like have a variety of installations allowing a user to control or check the pressure condition of vehicle tires, which however have some detriments resulting in important drawbacks for the user of said installations.
Most inflating installations nowadays existing consist of a compression unit, which either through a deposit or directly, supplies a gas, preferably compressed air, to an inflating unit generally constituted by one only conduit or hose, in whose free end there is located the inflating valve which is coupled to the valve of a vehicle tire to be inflated or whose pressure is to be checked. Pressure control of each tire is carried out through a central control unit. Likewise, user has tables for pressure calibration, in order to determine the suitable tire pressure in each vehicle and under each driving condition.
However, this inflating installation structure has a series of drawbacks. Arrangement of one only inflating conduit or hose demands that a user suitably park the vehicle in order to thereby achieve the inflating of tires thereof without needing vehicle re-location during the operation of pressure checking in different tires. Even so, in most cases, in order to reach those tires faraway from the installation, user has to suitably park the vehicle again or, in the best condition, to juggle with the inflating hose, to pass it below or above the vehicle, as the unique manner to reach the tires.
Likewise, most inflating installations are not provided with automatic means for inflating hose withdrawal; therefore, in most installations of this kind, the hose is thrown to the ground or even in the zone where vehicles run in, which provokes its dirtiness, as well as rubber deterioration and subsequent breaking, with the important drawbacks and expenses that it bears.
On the other hand, calibration tables installed next to inflating systems nowaday existing are often not very useful and they are frequently incomplete.
Finally, studies carried out by the motor world demonstrate that most air supplying machines, due to their use, are damaged and they are not feasible, and that their signposting is deficient many times, then being totally unnoticed by user.
In order to efficiently overcome the detriments of inflating systems nowadays existing, the electronic air-supplying and pressure-equalizer system for tires of the present invention has been developed.
SUMMARY
The present invention relates to an air supplying and pressure-equalizer system for tires, to be preferably installed at petrol stations, service areas, mechanical assistance points on roads or the like, preferably comprising a working unit or machine, which is constituted as the main element of the system, from where operation of inflating vehicle tires is controlled and effected, the working unit being constituted by a housing, a metal framework, an electronic measuring instrument, a pneumatic equipment and means for visualization and control, a propeller or compressor equipment providing dry air from an inner or outer compression unit, a basis or supporting unit and an air delivering unit which conveys air from working unit or machine to vehicle tires and which permits, in the case of vehicles having two wheel in each axis, pressure balancing of tires belonging to the same axis.
More concretely, the working unit or machine allows the supply of any pressure to vehicle tires as well as pressure balancing in wheels of the same axis for vehicles with two wheels in each axis.
The working unit or machine is provided with a housing, constituted as the outside envelope and therefore as the cover which shapes the machine, suitable to protect inner elements, preferably made, at one side, of metal terne plate with surface corrosion proofing made of zinc, chromatized in electrolytic bath and a bicomponent polyurethane paint coating and, at the remaining sides, preferably made of materials resisting atmospheric agents, such as, preferably, a preferably self-quenching, high density expanded stiff polyurethane resin, with a, preferably bicomponent polyurethane enamel external coating. At the preferably metal side, one or more gates with joint hinges are provided, suitable to allow the access to inner elements in the machine, which are provided with a boxing with a drain and a rubber seal, as well as with a safety lock. Housing is further provided with ventilation means to obtain an air current inside which avoids moisture condensation on electronic components, such as, preferably, several ventilation screens preferably located at the upper and the lower portion of the housing.
Metal framework in the working unit or machine consists of a metal structure preferably built of L-shaped section profiles preferably bent forming right angles and burnt together, in order to provide the machine with rigidity and to support lateral stresses which may appear due to external agents such as wind. The metal framework is provided with a corrosion proofing coating, preferably constituted by a zinc electrolytic bath chromatized and epoxy-poliurethane paint. The metal framework is further provided with means for fixing the housing, preferably constituted by screws.
The measuring instrument in the working unit or machine consists of an electronic set comprising three intelligent modules, such as a visualizer-supervisory module, a keyboard module and an adjustment module, independently operated, each one having a microcontroller for the execution of that process commended to each module, preferably communicated by two wires in accordance with the specifications of the corresponding communication bus, as well as a pneumatic control and power supply module providing the necessary energy for the operation of the remaining modules, simultaneously managing the pneumatic equipment.
More concretely, the visualizer-supervisory module of the measuring instrument is constituted by a microcontroller, a series-parallel interface for managing the visualizer, a visualizer, a protected writing memory, a supply control circuit, a infrared receiving circuit, a battery and a load circuit. The module is in charge of presenting the pressure measure, in an intelligible manner, outside, storing the information introduced from outside through the keyboard module, as well as supervising the complete equipment operation, managing the information received from the remaining modules, deciding the process to be effected, and sending the appropriate orders through the communication bus to the remaining modules.
Keyboard module is in charge of receiving orders from outside and communicating them to the supervisory module for their interpretation and for acting in accordance with the criterion established by the program, and it is provided with a microcontroller, an interface between the intelligent element and the keyboard, preferably constituted by transistors, light indicators and, optionally, with cashing means, either by coins or by credit cards. Detection of the activation of a key, approval of a card-transaction or coin-acceptance are communicated by the communication bus to the supervisory module, the supervisory module determining the process (es) to be effected, including the orders to the keyboard module for activating or desactivating either the light indicators or the card (or coin) acceptor.
Adjustment module is in charge of recovering information about pressure and converting the information into digital information; it has a microcontroller, an analogi
Fast Air S.L.
Maust Timothy L.
Merchant & Gould P.C.
Recla Henry J.
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