| 摘要 |
<p>A tire inflation system for a vehicle having at least one axle with at least one pneumatic tire mounted for rotation about the end of the axle and a source of pressurized air carried by said vehicle for supplying air to the interior of said axle and then to a hub cap to inflate said tire. The tire inflation system includes a first rotary union member (12) mounted on said axle's end having a first opening therethrough with a first seal ring carried thereabout generally in alignment with said axle's axis, a second rotary union member (14) mounted on the hub cap and having a second opening therethrough with a second seal ring carried thereabout in general alignment with said first opening, and a flexible tube (13) having a first end extending into said first opening to sealably engage said first seal ring, and a second end extending into said second opening to sealably engage said second seal ring. At least one of the seal rings surrounding one end of the tube serves as a dynamic seal during rotation of said hub cap in relation to said axle, and the opening adjacent to the one dynamic seal ring closely receives a sufficient length of said one end of the tube so that misalignment between said first and second members during rotation is compensated for by flexure in the tube to minimize distortion of said dynamic seal. <IMAGE></p> |
