WO2025208188A1 - 3s actuator device for injecting materials into tyres and the like - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a device provided with systems for grinding, dosing, mixing and homogenising liquid compounds and particulate solids, which form a liquid rubber or similar material. The material is injected inside tyres by a pressurised system comprising a pumping unit or equivalent. Said device makes it possible to add any amount of ground solid particles, such as reused rubber from old tyres, to liquid compounds, automatically incorporating them into the final mixture. This technology allows any level of compound dosage to be predetermined by a control system that automatically actuates the set of motors and pumps to achieve the dosage required for homogenisation, such that, at the same time as the new compounds are received, the automated process of injecting the already homogenised mixture under pressure into the tyres or the like begins, with full monitoring of the volume and internal pressure of the tyre, until the pressure predetermined at the beginning of the process is reached.

Description

“3S ACTUATOR DEVICE FOR INJECTION OF MATERIALS INTO TIRES AND SIMILAR”

Field of Invention

[0001] The present invention relates to a device equipped with motors, dosers, mixers and an injection system for liquid, pasty and semi-solid products provided with valves and dispensing pumps, which promotes the mixing of various materials, pre-formulated or reused, and applies this mixture inside tires of any size or composition.

[0002] More particularly, the present invention relates to an actuator device that can be attached to any type of tire, whether or not provided with valves, which transfers, under pressure, the homogenized mixture in the equipment to the inside of the tire through a pressurized system, with pumping or equivalent system, with or without the presence of air, so as to fill the inside of the tire with the homogenized mixture.

Fundamentals of the Invention

[0003] Conventional tires are equipped with air inside them or have inner tubes installed inside the tire to allow rolling and maintain vehicle stability, whether at high or low speeds, and require constant maintenance of internal tire pressure to ensure good rolling and prevent premature wear to their structure. The presence of air allows rolling without causing damage to the tire, ensuring safety. The use of a solid tire would make its use unfeasible.

REPLACEMENT SHEET (RULE 26) Commercial viability is limited due to the high cost of the material involved, which would require significant modifications to current manufacturing processes. Although air is a low-cost product, some problems are associated with its use, such as loss of tire pressure over time, even with the use of valves specifically designed for this purpose, regardless of whether the vehicle is being driven. Fluctuations in tire pressure due to internal air heating alter impact absorption, potentially facilitating premature wear in certain areas. Poor impact cushioning is another factor that causes discomfort to the driver and causes tire injuries when they come into contact with objects or road surfaces. This facilitates the development of bubbles, ruptures, and blowouts, causing the vehicle to stop suddenly and interrupt operations. In the event of a puncture, air-filled tires experience sudden leaks and consequent air loss through the puncture, resulting in a loss of internal pressure and deflation. Running with lower tire pressure causes premature and uneven wear of the tire tread and increases fuel consumption due to the increased force required to move the vehicle.

[0004] The current tire air inflation system consists of electromechanical and similar devices, generally equipped with air compressors, which inject air under pressure into the tires through the inlet valve until the desired pressure is reached, thus ensuring the running pressure as stipulated by the manufacturer. This device is similar to that disclosed in patent BR102014010499.

[0005] To improve performance and ensure continuity in operations, some composites have been developed to replace the air inside tires. The materials used can be foams, mixtures

REPLACEMENT SHEET (RULE 26) polyurethanes, polymers, liquid rubber, rubberized waste, organic compound, alcohol, thickeners, fillers, lubricants, solvents, polyesters, recycled materials and other materials, in addition to the use of other gases such as CO2 and nitrogen, inserted inside the tires, used in isolation or in combination, as an alternative to the current air filling system.

[0006] These materials need to be inserted into the tires, with some processes performing the insertion prior to wheel assembly, and others using the injection of the solution into the tire through a cut made in the tire, to subsequently perform the repair, thus restoring the tire. Some patents have revealed this process, such as patents BR112013029587, BR112012003570, and BRPI1004568. Many of the systems used are equipped with compressors and pneumatic devices that require system pressurization and full operator monitoring with visual control through pressure switches to ensure the correct volume of the mixture injected into the tire. This filling operation, if not performed correctly, can cause the tire to explode and result in damage to the facilities and injury to the system operators.

[0007] As a replacement for the air-filling system, a liquid mixture of isocyanate and polyol compounds, known as Polyurethane, is usually used. When combined and homogenized, they react with each other, resulting in a material with chemical stability and high resistance. One of the innovations used in tire filling that the developed device allowed was the addition of granulated rubber to the mixture, even making it possible to use rubber from disused tires, which are crushed until reaching a granulation of predetermined dimensions and added to the Polyurethane mixture at a certain stage of the process.

REPLACEMENT SHEET (RULE 26) process. The addition of granulated rubber to the liquid polyurethane mixture results in a material with the following characteristics: greater lightness; high impact absorption; high resistance to deformation; handling stability; the ability to reuse disused tires; and a significant reduction in the total volume of the chemical compound required to create the polyurethane mixture.

[0008] To enable this additional use of granulated rubber in the polyurethane compound and to automate the injection process, ensuring greater agility and safety in operations, a unique device, the subject of this patent, was developed to automatically mix and inject these products. The device allows the liquid compounds to be conveyed and metered to be deposited in a mixer that pre-mixes the chemicals, along with the grinding process of the disused tires, which produces the rubber granules. Together with a metering system, this granulated rubber is added to the liquid mixture in the mixer and homogenized. The liquid/granulate mixture is then injected into the tire through the inflation valve. This process involves a continuous supply of liquids and granulates in a pre-determined proportion, injected into the tire until the pressure established at the beginning of the process is reached. The process is completed instantly, and the valves are automatically closed.

[0009] The developed device is equipped with a set of motors, pumps, valves, sensors, transducers, control system with electro-electronic and electromechanical devices, capable of carrying out all stages, from preparing the mixture to its injection and controlling the pressure in the tires, automatically, allowing it to be operated remotely.

REPLACEMENT SHEET (RULE 26) [00010] As a process improvement, it was possible to insert a significant percentage of granulated rubber into the composite, in order to reduce the amount of material used, providing the same result.

[00011] This equipment allows filling any combination of the composite mixture, in any proportion, and homogenizing it, regardless of its density, texture, flow rate or pressure required for the product to be inserted into the tires, whether mounted on the wheels or installed in vehicles, allowing the tire to have its internal filling carried out homogeneously at high speed with pressure control, without causing damage to the tire, so as not to pose risks to operators.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[00012] FIGURE 1 illustrates the set of basic elements of the present invention comprising a Receptacle for receiving solid materials (1), a device for grinding and dosing rubber granules and similar materials (2), pumps and motors for controlling and dosing liquids (3), a homogenizer of the liquid/granule mixture (4), a system for injecting under pressure the homogenized mixture (5), and a control and automation system for the device (6), in a non-limiting example of an optional configuration.

[00013] FIGURE 2 is a front view of the machine.

[00014] FIGURE 3 is a side view of the machine and its set of individualized devices acting in synchrony.

REPLACEMENT SHEET (RULE 26) [00015] FIGURE 4 is a projection view of the machine and its set of individualized devices acting in synchrony.

[00016] FIGURE 5 is a projection view of the machine and its set of individualized devices acting in synchrony

Description of the Invention

[00017] The present objective of this invention is to overcome the failures and deficiencies of the compressed air-powered tire filling devices that make up the current state of the art. More specifically, of actuator devices for injecting liquids into the interior of tires.

[00018] Another objective of the present invention is to promote a single device capable of processing various materials, with their homogenization and addition of granulated rubber to the mixture, and subsequent injection under pressure of the composite into tires of any size, presenting, among others, the following characteristics:

[00019] a) Solid particle crushing system, consisting of a device for receiving solids of various sizes such as rubber waste, tire pieces, old filling waste, foam and polyurethane mixtures, solid or not, which after crushing, pass through a size reduction system, transforming the product into rubber granules;

[00020] b) Granulated rubber dosing system, composed of

REPLACEMENT SHEET (RULE 26) a dosing system with rubber granules inside, equipped with motors and sensors that dose the quantity of granulated rubber to be dispensed into the mixture, according to the predetermined programming in the device's control and automation system;

[00021] c) Liquid composite dosing system, equipped with a pumping system and hoses that add liquids, in a unified or individual manner, to the homogenizing dispenser, adding the quantity of liquids according to the predetermined programming in the device's control and automation system;

[00022] d) Mixture homogenization system, consisting of a receptacle that receives the liquids and crushed solids in the same container, equipped with motors with or without a rotating system, for homogenizing the mixture;

[00023] e) Homogenized mixture injection system, equipped with a high-pressure conveyor system for injecting the mixture, composed of motors and sensors that place the mixture under high pressure inside the tires;

[00024] f) Control system, composed of electrical and electronic components, sensors, actuators, sources and protection devices that perform automatic programming and adjustment of the mixture, controls the devices, motors and pumps in synchronized operation and controls the injection of the solution into the tires with automatic monitoring of the tires' internal pressure.

REPLACEMENT SHEET (RULE 26)

Claims

“3S ACTUATOR DEVICE FOR INJECTION OF MATERIALS INTO TIRES AND SIMILAR” CLAIMS 1. ACTUATOR DEVICE FOR INJECTION OF MATERIALS INTO TIRES AND SIMILAR comprised of a single machine equipped with a set of equipment and components having in its system electrical, mechanical, electronic, electromechanical, electroelectronic equipment, control devices and protection systems; 2. Equipment is characterized by having one or more systems composed of crushing devices, dosing devices, conveyors, tank for storing products and mixtures, homogenizer, pressure, flow, temperature and/or rotation sensors, which may be interconnected in a single system, or installed independently which, together, make up the device; 3. This equipment is characterized by having one or more electrical and electronic command and control systems, Human Machine Interface - HMI, Programmable Logic Controller - PLC, Contactors, Circuit Breakers, Inverters, Drivers, Electric Motors, pumps; 4. Device according to claim 1 is characterized by injecting the product resulting from the homogenized mixture composed of one or more liquid products in a single or mixed manner and crushed solids, injected into tires of any size and assembly method; 5. The injection of the products of this equipment is characterized by direct injection into the valve system of the tire itself, or through a perforated point in the wheel or tire, through the gasket or any hole, which sends the mixture under pressure through the hole, being automatically controlled by the injection device; 6. The solution injection system inside tires or similar is characterized by independent tubes, taking each of the materials separately to the homogenizer, or carried out through a single tube where the mixture has been previously carried out; 7. The equipment according to claim 1 is characterized by having an operator control device via joystick, fixed pushbuttons and/or pendant pushbuttons, HMI, cell phone, computers or having its control and remote operation via an electronic and/or computer device; 8. The machine is characterized by allowing the injection of any type of simple product, compound or mixture between products, such as foams, polyurethanes, polymers, liquid rubber, rubberized waste, organic compound, alcohol, thickeners, fillers, lubricants, solvents, polyesters, recycled materials and other unspecified products, used in isolation or in combination, regardless of their density, texture, flow rate or pressure required for the product to be inserted into the tires; 9. The machine is characterized by keeping the products to be injected, or their mixture, arranged in individual or shared compartments or in previously mixed compartments, and may or may not be arranged with a rotary system for mixing and moving the product in order to avoid premature hardening; 10. The homogenization system may or may not have a temperature control and maintenance system, with or without resistance or complementary systems, for pre-heating the mixture;