Automotive manufacturers have traditionally offered spare tires with the vehicles they produce. Today, most vehicle spare tires are mounted in the rear section of the vehicle, e.g., inside the vehicle's trunk. While this arrangement provided a suitable solution for placement of the spare tire for decades, changes in fuel economy requirements dictated the need for vehicle weight reduction. A spare tire can weight anywhere from 30-100 pounds on average. Moreover, for larger vehicles like SUVs and trucks a full-size spare is used.
A “temporary mobility kit”(or “TMK”) can be substituted for the spare tire. The TMK includes a dual-purpose air compressor and a sealing system. The sealing system includes a sealing compound that will effectively seal most punctures caused by nails or similar objects. The air compressor drives the sealing compound into the compromised tire and subsequently can be used to re-inflate the tire.
Current TMKs have their limitations. For example, sealant can be prematurely dispersed if the sealant hose is not completely connected to the tire valve. Also, if a user presses the on-switch without connecting the sealant hose to the tire valve latex will be sprayed out and there is a risk of running out of sealant. Additionally, it is possible that sealant will be mis-sprayed when the diverter switch (between air and sealant) is over turned.
Therefore, it is desirable to have a TMK with inadvertent flow prevention features. A sensor to detect the connection condition of the sealant assembly is needed. Also a power reset function can be added to make sure that latex is sprayed only when start button is pressed after power plug is connected to power supply and/or after the diverter valve is turned in the appropriate position with the power on.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds