Indian Head Industries, Inc.

Christopher J Prager

Thomas Edward Wallace

Richard J Rink

Mark David Chandler

Steve Lepard

Glenn Singletary

Gary R Sprague

Wayne Oster

Ronald S Plantan

Mohammad Abdallah

Michael M Holm

Thomas O Schultz

A vehicle brake monitor assembly for an air disk brake includes a brake actuator having a pushrod projecting from inside a chamber of said brake actuator. The pushrod releasably actuates a lever arm of a caliper thereby moving the disk brake into a braking position when the pushrod is in an extended position and releasing the disk brake from the braking position when the pushrod is in a retracted position. The pushrod includes a pushrod shaft and a contact member biased in a telescoping relationship relative to the pushrod shaft and the lever arm of the caliper abuts the contact member counteracting the bias of the contact member. A sensor is integrated with the assembly proximate the contact member and detects movement of the pushrod relative to the lever arm and to the pushrod shaft.

Electronic stroke sensor for air disc brake

An improved diaphragm-type pneumatic brake actuator includes a flange case, a cover cooperable with the flange case, a flexible diaphragm extending between the flange case and the cover forming a lower pneumatic chamber and an upper pneumatic chamber on opposed sides of the diaphragm. A piston assembly is disposed in the cover for moving a spring between compressed and decompressed positions. A spring guide is disposed between the cover and the piston assembly in the upper chamber. The spring guide prevents direct contact of the spring with the cover to prevent formation of a corrosion cell.

Brake actuator and method of forming the same

An improved diaphragm-type pneumatic brake actuator wherein the diaphragm is releasably secured to the piston as the diaphragm is inverted during actuation of the braking system of a vehicle thereby reducing wear of the flexible diaphragm and improving the performance of the brake actuator. In the disclosed embodiment, a rib or lip is formed on the surface of the diaphragm which receives the periphery of the piston as the diaphragm is inverted forming a mechanical interlock between the diaphragm and the piston thereby preventing spacing of the contact surface of the piston and the central portion of the diaphragm and frictional wear between the peripheral edge of the piston and the diaphragm. In the preferred embodiment, the piston includes an arcuate rim which extends away from the central portion of the diaphragm when the diaphragm is located in its extended cup-shaped position prior to actuation of the vehicle braking system and the diaphragm then conforms to the arcuate rim as the diaphragm is inverted and the diaphragm rib snaps over the piston rim as the diaphragm is inverted to actuate the vehicle braking system. The diaphragm rib may be molded on the surface of the diaphragm when the diaphragm is molded without any substantial increase in cost.

Brake actuator

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Concorde, NC, United States of America

Christopher J Prager