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Awards
2023 IF DESIGN
AWARDED PRODUCT
The core technical challenge was to control an incredibly rapid and powerful release of compressed gas. A standard CO2 cartridge releases gas at pressures up to 800-900 psi, and the flow rate is immense. The inflation process takes mere seconds. To achieve a pre-set pressure, I needed a mechanism that could measure pressure in real-time and shut off or divert the gas flow almost instantaneously. The margin for error was fractions of a second.
Preset Co2 Inflator:
Idea Inspiration
My journey to create the ultimate CO2 inflator began with a simple, yet profoundly challenging, engineering problem. Traditional CO2 inflators were fast, but they were essentially on-off switches with no regulation. The user had zero control over the pressure, often leading to over-inflated or under-inflated tires and wasted cartridges. My goal was to introduce a layer of precision that was previously considered impossible: a system that could inflate a tire to a pre-set pressure and permit it to shut off with a high degree of accuracy once the selected pressure is reached.
My initial prototypes were clunky. I experimented with mechanical valves and springs, but the inertia of the moving parts was too slow. The pressure would always overshoot the target.
The breakthrough came with the integration of a pressure sensing valve that would modify the flow of CO2 based on the tire's inflation pressure. This allows users to preset their desired PSI before inflation by turning a knob, which coordinates with the valve to control the CO2 flow diverting it outside of the tire once the target pressure is reached.
The result was a product that didn't just solve a problem; it redefined the process of tire inflation for cyclists. By combining a high-speed pressure sensing valve with a user-adjustable pre-set mechanism I had created a pre-set CO2 inflator that made flats a minor, fast, and accurate inconvenience, allowing cyclists to get back to their ride without any guesswork or wasted effort.