Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

Donald M Flory

Donald L Parker

Craig A Osterday

Carl E Goubeaux

Timothy Allen Haerr

Donald E Schenk

Denny L Peeples

Edward J DeHoff

George N Villec

Scott A Baughman

Thomas B Taylor

Edward J De Hoff

Schuyler Scott Shaw

David F Reuter

Jerry Lee Newton

Jon E Miller

Dewey F Mort

Douglas L Osterfeld

Timothy M Welch

Clark D Moore

Michael P Trego

Thomas R Baumaster

A valving arrangement as provided for a vehicle brake booster wherein an inlet valve has two ring members. The inlet valve, by providing the two ring members, one ring member inserted within another member, is less vulnerable to leaks due to a lack of parallelism.

Fluid booster with dual member input valve

A vehicle braking actuated traction control system is provided which includes a bored frame fluidly connected with a master cylinder and a wheel brake. A spring biased plunger with a sealing head slidably mounted within the bore isolates the bore from the master cylinder by axial movement of the plunger in a first direction. A piston operatively associated with the plunger is sealably slidably mounted within the bore for creating a variable control volume in the bore in fluid communication with the wheel brake. The piston is connected with the plunger via a spring which biases the plunger away from the piston. A nut is fixably connected with the piston and a drive screw threadably engaged with the piston is reversibly powered by an electric motor which is responsive to the signals given by a controller which is cognizant of a vehicle wheel condition. Upon the appropriate signal the drive screw will power the piston to a position to cause the plunger to isolate the wheel brake from the master cylinder and thereafter modulate the pressure within the wheel brake as commanded by the controller during a traction control cycle.

Traction control modulator

A method of adjusting the length of a vehicle brake booster output rod and assembling the same into the brake booster is provided, the output rod being a thermoplastic or thermoset material that is generally cylindrical in shape with a central longitudinal bore with an axial stop means, and the output rod having an insertable button having a head with an attached stem, the booster having a housing with a central opening surrounding the output rod with a surrounding first formed surface for mounting a master cylinder, the method including piloting a cutting tool by inserting an elongated member into the bore of the output rod, orienting the cutting tool by mating a fixture locationally associated with the cutting tool on the first formed surface of the vacuum booster housing, preloading the output rod with the elongated rod by contacting means with the elongated rod to simulate a spring load of a master cylinder, cutting the output rod with the cutting tool to the correct dimension, removing the elongated member from the output rod bore, and inserting the stem of the button into the output rod with a sheet material juxtaposed between the stem and the bore of the output rod causing an interference fit retaining the button into the output rod bore.

Pneumatic booster output rod adjustment method

A peripheral sealed interlock for a dual diaphragm tandem vacuum booster with front and rear housings is provided. An outer radial peripheral end of a divider of the inventive interlock is greatly simplified and in the preferred embodiment a bead of a secondary diaphragm is allowed to seal on a rear housing member as well as with the periphery of the divider. The interlock provides a simplified design allowing independent compression of primary and secondary diaphragm beads while at the same time providing an interlock which require lower compression for assembly and sealing.

Booster interlock divider and diaphragm concept

A power booster assembly, has a dual-durometer reaction disc instead of the disc having a single durometer value throughout. The disc has an outer annular portion of a higher durometer value than the durometer value of the disc inner center portion. The higher durometer value is preferably on the order of 80 durometer and the lower durometer value is preferably on the order of 45 durometer. The outer annular portion transmit part of the reaction force to the booster power wall, and the inner center portion transmit the remainder of the reaction force to the reaction piston and thence to the booster input member. The disc may be made as a unitary part or may be made in two parts with the inner center portion being later inserted into and mechanically interlocked with the outer center portion.

Vacuum booster with dual durometer reaction disc

The invention provides a brake booster including in a preferred embodiment a housing, first and second annular flexible diaphragms spaced from one another forming a sealed second chamber within the housing and a sealed first chamber between the first diaphragm and the first end of the housing, a generally annular shaped power piston for connection with the master cylinder piston, a chamber valve seat separating the first and second chambers, an inlet valve slidably mounted within the power piston, and a control valve spring biased away from the power piston and connected with the pedal linkage and being slidably and sealably mounted within first end of the housing.

Pressurized air booster

An anti-lock braking system (ABS) actuator isolation valve and method of utilization thereof is provided to ensure that a braking system master cylinder, which is normally connected with wheel brake cylinder and isolated from the same when the braking system is an ABS mode, is never fluidly exposed with a displacement cylinder, which can alternatively be connected with the wheel brake cylinder when the braking system is in the ABS mode.

Isolation valve

Mechanism for attaching a high pressure tube to an opening in a housing using a tapered opening into which a high pressure tube is inserted. A fitting has one end positioned about the tube end and is then press fitted not only to the housing on an outer diameter fitting section but also inwardly against the tube end as well as the other fitting end being press fitted to the housing to further secure the fitting to the housing, all of the press fits providing high pressure seals. The fitting other end also provides for prealignment of a fitting cross passage with a housing side passage so that high pressure fluid flowing between the tube and the side passage has minimal directional change in passing from the cross passage to the side passage. The fitting other end is adapted to receive press fitting force in axial alignment with the fitting.

High pressure tube attachment mechanism

A vehicle braking system having a wheel lock control arrangement with isolation valves, solenoid, and brake control valves for the system. In one arrangement, each wheel brake and isolation valve has its own solenoid and control valve. Additionally, the isolation valve is configured in a manner to prevent premature drop out from isolation and to prevent any flow from a master cylinder brake apply pressure circuit to a pump pressure circuit.

Vehicle brake control system

A hydraulic booster in which the booster piston return spring is formed as a tubular conduit to conduct hydraulic supply pressure to a closed center valve. Upon actuation, the valve opens to permit supply pressure to flow into the power chamber and by valving action controls the exhaust of pressure from the power chamber so as to establish the desired actuating pressure therein. The tubular conduit forming the power piston return spring and transporting the supply pressure to the closed center valve permits a shorter overall axial length of the hydraulic booster by accommodating the movement of the supply pressure chamber at the closed center valve. It also permits less charged supply pressure leakage by accommodating a better pressure seal arrangement.

Hydraulic power booster

A vehicle wheel brake system having a service braking section and a wheel lock control (ABS) section is provided. Under certain conditions the wheel lock control section may not be able to generate sufficient pressure to operate the vehicle wheel brakes when the master cylinder output pressure has been isolated from the wheel brakes. When such conditions occur, the displacement piston of the ABS control section moves to open a bypass valve which connects master cylinder output pressure to the vehicle wheel brake even though the ABS system has isolated it from that wheel brake. The bypass valve is a two-stage orifice valve arrangement which provides orifice control of master cylinder pressure during initial brake actuation and provides two stage valve opening action when the master cylinder output pressure is to be delivered to the wheel brake to actuate that brake irrespective of the attempted control of the wheel brake by the ABS section of the brake system. The opening of the bypass valve effectively returns the vehicle braking system to service braking until the vehicle operator releases the brake system.

Modulator with two-stage orificed master cylinder bypass valve

Various embodiments of mechanism for attaching a high pressure tube to an opening in a housing using a tapered opening into which a high pressure tube end is inserted. A securing device is positioned about the tube end and the securing device is press fitted into place in the opening so that it is press fitted not only to the housing on an outer diameter portion but also inwardly against the tube end, sealing the opening and the tube so as to hold about 5,000 p.s.i. pressure and also securing the tube against forces tending to move the tube axially or rotationally so as to loosen the tube.

A vehicle braking system having a wheel lock control arrangement with isolation valves for each wheel brake and either three or four solenoid and brake control valves for the system. In one arrangement, each wheel brake and isolation valve has its own solenoid and control valve. In other arrangements two front wheel brakes have separate solenoid controlled operating valves and the two rear wheel brakes have a single solenoid controlling operating valve controlling both isolation valves. Traction control is incorporated into the system so that a wheel brake required braking for traction control purposes may be applied by pump pressure without the vehicle brakes themselves having to be applied through service braking.

Various embodiments of mechanism for attaching a high pressure tube to an opening in a housing using a tapered opening into which a high pressure tube end is inserted. A securing device is positioned about the tube end and the securing device is pressed fitted into place in the opening so that it is press fitted not only to the housing on an outer diameter portion but also inwardly against the tube end, sealing the opening And the tube so as to hold about 5,000 p.s.i. pressure and also securing the tube against forces tending to move the tube axially or rotationally so as to loosen the tube.

Growing community of inventors

Arcanum, OH, United States of America

Donald M Flory