Kelsey-hayes Company

Zf Active Safety US Inc.

Lucas Automotive Gmbh

Kelsey-hayes Corporation

Joseph A Starr

Blaise J Ganzel

Thomas Wald

Joseph F Zeoli

David Lopez-Larequi

Richard A Swarich

William P Caldwell

Gary A Willi

Gary R Knight

William D Doyle

Gregory P Campau

John Cassidy

John M Cassidy

Brian Maloney

Ronald L Sorenson

Robert I Girkin

Eric R Kaye

Georg Kedak

Daniel Ryan Malwitz

Tim Ferguson

Ralph Branham

The invention relates to an improved plunger assembly for a vehicle brake system. The plunger assembly is operable as a pressure source to control brake fluid pressure supplied to one or more wheel brakes. The plunger assembly comprises a housing defining a cylinder; a reversible motor supported by the housing and having a rotor; and a linear actuator such as a ball screw/nut mechanism driven by the motor. A plunger head is mounted in the cylinder and driven by the linear actuator in first and second opposite directions. Improvements include a linear actuator rotationally supported on the housing by a bearing to actuate the plunger head connection to a ball screw.

Vehicle brake system having plunger power source

The invention relates to an improved plunger assembly for a vehicle brake system. The plunger assembly is operable as a pressure source to control brake fluid pressure supplied to one or more wheel brakes. The plunger assembly comprises a housing defining a cylinder; a reversible motor supported by the housing and having a rotor; and a linear actuator such as a ball screw/nut mechanism driven by the motor. A plunger head is mounted in the cylinder and driven by the linear actuator in first and second opposite directions. Improvements include the plunger assembly engage at least one seal that defines a portion of a pressurized chamber. An end cap covers the projecting end of the cylinder and is secured to the housing to define a fluid passageway between the end of the cylinder and at least one fluid passageway provided in the housing block.

A damping element for attenuating hydraulic pressure pulses is integrated into a hydraulic chamber of a motor vehicle hydraulic system. The damping element includes a end cap support body and a membrane that fits over a portion of the support body. The membrane has a first side facing towards a source of hydraulic fluid and a second side facing away from the hydraulic fluid source. At least one space is provided between the second side of the membrane and the end cap support body to allow for deformation of the membrane under hydraulic pressure. The membrane has a collar with a lip seal provided for fitting into place on the wall of the hydraulic chamber. At least one second space for receiving hydraulic fluid is defined between the lip seal and a region of the membrane opposite the lip seal.

Damping element for a motor vehicle hydraulic system

A vehicular hydraulic braking pump includes a sleeve having an inner bore defining an inner bore surface and a piston having a stop collar and a ramped seal face. The stop collar, ramped seal face, and the inner bore cooperating to define a seal pocket which traps a high pressure seal therein. The ramped seal face provides contact of the high pressure seal to the sleeve inner bore that is proportional to fluid pressure acting on the high pressure seal.

Slip control braking pump having a high pressure sealing structure

A vehicle braking system includes a slip control system operable in an electronic stability control (ESC) mode to automatically and selectively apply the brakes in an attempt to stabilize the vehicle when an instability condition has been sensed. The slip control system is further operable in an adaptive cruise control (ACC) mode to automatically apply the brakes to slow the vehicle in response to a control signal. The slip control system includes a variable speed motor drive piston pump for supplying pressurized fluid pressure to the brakes through a valve arrangement. In the ESC mode, the pump motor operates in an ESC speed range, and in the ACC mode, the pump motor operates in an ACC speed range lower than the ESC speed range. The slip control system further includes an attenuator connected to a pump outlet for dampening pump output pressure pulses prior to application to the brakes. The attenuator includes an elastomeric member located in an attenuator chamber of a housing. The attenuator chamber defines a shoulder and the elastomeric member includes a flange which rests on the shoulder and locates the elastomeric member in a predetermined axial position within the attenuator chamber. An outside wall of the elastomeric member includes circumferentially extending grooves defining ribs between adjacent grooves.

Attenuator for a vehicle braking system

A valve seat assembly for a control valve of a vehicle brake system includes a valve seat body. A valve passageway extends through a portion of the valve seat body. A groove is formed circumferentially in an outer surface of the valve seat body. The groove defines a groove surface substantially parallel to an axis of the valve body. A bore extends between the groove surface and the valve passageway to provide fluid communication between the groove surface and the valve passageway. A substantially resilient seal is disposed in the groove of the valve seat body.

Valve seat for a control valve in a vehicle brake system

A hydraulic control unit (HCU) for a vehicle brake system having an HCU body and an accumulator mounted in the HCU body. A grommet is provided for mounting the HCU body to a vehicle body and resiliently separating the HCU body from the vehicle body. The grommet defines a vent path for the accumulator and includes a hollow generally cylindrical shaft. The shaft has a closed end and an open end, and the closed end has an opening therethrough. An enlarged annular head is formed on the open end of the shaft and has an inner surface defining an axial bore therethrough. The axial bore is in fluid communication with the hollow shaft, the annular head further has a crown cut geometry providing radially extending grooves within an axial face of the annular head, the radially extending grooves being in fluid communication with the axial bore of the annular head.

Fluid accumulator for use in a vehicle anti-lock brake system

A hydraulic control unit of an electronically-controlled vehicular brake system includes a housing having a bore. The bore is in fluid communication with a first fluid passage leading to an outlet of a pump. The bore is also in fluid communication with a second fluid passage leading to a master cylinder. A retainer cap is mounted in the bore. A piston is slidably received in the retainer cap. The piston includes a fluid channel providing fluid communication between the first and second fluid passages. A spring is positioned between the retainer cap and the piston to urge the piston from the retainer cap. A check valve assembly is mounted in the fluid channel of the piston that permits only one-way fluid flow from the first fluid passage to the second fluid passage. The compensator assembly provides a controlled amount of additional displacement of a master cylinder piston when the brake system is operating in an electronically activated mode only.

Compensator assembly in a hydraulic control unit for vehicular brake systems

A lip seal having an annular body, a contiguous annular shoulder extending axially therefrom, and a contiguous annular seal lip extending coaxially from the body and flaring away from the shoulder. Strengthening ribs extend axially along the shoulder, the shoulder is undercut to provide space into which areas of the annular seal lip can escape, with each such feature thereby promoting nonuniform deformation of the annular seal lip, ensuring a path for fluid to flow, and thereby minimizing the possibility of a seal lock-up condition occurring when pressure is applied to the back of the lip seal during brake release. Flow ribs axially coextensive with the strengthening ribs also extend along the body to create fluid flow paths therebetween. The radial dimensions of the lip seal are also reduced to allow a valve cartridge of given diameter to function in a smaller housing bore than that required when a conventional lip seal is used, thus facilitating the downsizing of a control valve module in which the valve cartridge is to be used.

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Plymouth, MI, United States of America

Joseph A Starr