Can you visualise the engine of your bike being used to inflate tyre tubes? S. Ravi could, and created a contraption that harnesses the power of the engine and performs the role of an air inflator.
“Besides bailing out a biker stranded in a forlorn place with a punctured tyre, this device works as a regular air inflator,” says Ravi, renowned for creating features that make bike-riding hassle-free. While he has filed for a patent for his “crankshaft-linked” air inflator device with the Centre for Intellectual Property Rights (CIPR), he has “already received design rights for a side-stand safety mechanism” from them. Thanks to this device, the bike ignition is shut off if the side stand is not disengaged.
Discussing his latest innovation, Ravi says the easy mobility of his air inflator gives it a considerable edge over the conventional motorised air inflator. As it uses engine power and demands little manual effort, it is more advantageous than a foot pump.
Ravi's air inflation device consists of an air-tight chamber made up of a cylinder-and-piston assembly of a two-stroke engine. This chamber has been fixed to the bike's frame with a support bracket. A pulley is attached to the bottom end of the connecting rod in the chamber. The pulley gets rolling when linked by a V-belt to a smaller pulley that is fitted on to the left hand side of the crank shaft and the bike's engine is kept running in neutral gear. The air that enters the chamber through the inlet port gets compressed due to the movement of the piston in the cylinder. The compressed air coming out of the outlet port is guided through a flexible hose, plugged into the outlet port. Using the hose, which comes complete with an adaptor air gauge, the punctured tube can be inflated.
“With the inflated tube, the biker can ride the vehicle for at least three kilometres, without fear of damage to tyre and tube. When the tyre goes down, it can be filled with air again. He can do this until he gets to the nearest puncture fixing shop,” he says, adding that the mobile air inflator can deal with any form of puncture, except a big tear in the tube. “When a bike has tuff tubes, this device is more effective.”
Ravi, who runs a two-wheeler garage in Chromepet, says he plans to promote his device after the patent comes through.
