Actuator, Particularly for a Motor Vehicle Parking Brake

• US 20100219029A1
• Filed: 11/30/2006
• Published: 09/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brose Fahrzeugteile GmbH & Co. Kommanditgesellschaft Wuerzburg
• Original Assignee: Brose Fahrzeugteile GmbH & Co. Kommanditgesellschaft Wuerzburg
• Inventors: Sauer, Armin, Deutloff, Norbert, Kraft, Ekkehard, Roos, Stephan
• Granted Patent: US 9,211,877 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 188/2.D
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 13/746 and mechanical transmission of the braking action
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/085 by electrical means, e.g. travel, force sensors
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 2121/24 using motors
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 65/28 arranged apart from the brake

Abstract

An actuator (1), especially for a motor vehicle parking brake has a telescopic device (2) that actuates a brake cable (6), and a drive unit which is equipped with an electromechanical drive for actuating the telescopic device (2). The actuator (1) further has a displacement sensor unit for detecting the actuating travel of the telescopic device (2) as well as a force sensor unit for detecting the force applied to the brake cable (6) by the drive unit. The displacement sensor unit and the force sensor unit are disposed next to each other in or on the housing (3) of the telescopic device (2) while being separated from the brake cable (6). The assembly has a particularly simple and compact design while reducing the constructive and mounting effort required during the production of the actuator.

Claims

1. An actuator comprising

a drive device comprising an electromechanical drive

a telescopic device that actuates a brake cable in a housing, which is drivingly-connected to the drive device,

a displacement sensor unit for detecting the adjustment travel of the telescopic device, comprising a displacement signal sensor and a displacement signal receiver and

a force sensor unit for detecting the force applied to the brake cable by means of the telescopic device, comprising a force signal sensor and a force signal receiver,

wherein the displacement sensor unit and the force sensor unit being disposed spatially adjacent to each other in the housing of the telescopic device and separate from the brake cable.

2. The actuator according to claim 1, wherein the displacement signal sensor and the force signal sensor are combined in one assembly.

3. The actuator according to claim 1, wherein the displacement signal sensor and the force signal sensor are combined in one single component.

4. The actuator according to claim 1, wherein the telescopic device has a hollow shaft and a spindle shaft axially connected to said hollow shaft in a manner that enables it to rotate and advance as well as a drive gear wheel, which in respect of rotation and axial displacement is fixed to the hollow shaft in a defined fashion and which is drivingly-connected to the electromechanical drive,

wherein the telescopic device in its housing being axially mounted in a movable fashion along the longitudinal axis of the actuating unit and being supported against the housing with a spring element.

5. The actuator according to claim 4, wherein the force signal sensor and/or the displacement signal sensor disposed on the hollow shaft.

6. The actuator according to claim 1, wherein displacement signal receiver and force signal receiver are disposed adjacent to each other on a common support unit in or on the housing of the telescopic device in such a way that they can pick up the sensor signals from displacement signal sensor force signal sensor.

7. The actuator according to claim 6, wherein the support unit is a circuit support, on which further components of an electronic control unit of the actuator are disposed.

8. The actuator according to claim 1, wherein the displacement signal sensor is a rotational travel sensor, which transmits one or several signals proportional to the rotational travel of a drive element to the displacement signal receiver or generates said signals with the help thereof.

9. The actuator according to claim 1, wherein the force signal sensor is a translation displacement sensor, which transmits one or several signals proportional to a translational movement of the telescopic device against the spring element to the force signal receiver or generates said signals with the help thereof.

10. The actuator according to claim 1, wherein the force signal receiver or the displacement signal receiver has a Hall element.

11. The actuator according to claim 1, wherein the force signal receiver and the displacement signal receiver has a Hall element.

12. The actuator according to claim 1, wherein the actuator is part of a motor vehicle parking brake system.

13. An method for operating an actuator comprising the steps of:

providing a drive device comprising an electromechanical drive

actuating a brake cable in a housing by a telescopic device, wherein the brake cable is drivingly-connected to the drive device,

detecting the adjustment travel of the telescopic device by a displacement sensor unit comprising a displacement signal sensor and a displacement signal receiver, and

detecting the force applied to the brake cable by means of the telescopic device by a force sensor unit comprising a force signal sensor and a force signal receiver, wherein the displacement sensor unit and the force sensor unit being disposed spatially adjacent to each other in the housing of the telescopic device and separate from the brake cable.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the displacement signal sensor and the force signal sensor are combined in one assembly or in one single component.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein the telescopic device has a hollow shaft and a spindle shaft axially connected to said hollow shaft in a manner that enables it to rotate and advance as well as a drive gear wheel, which in respect of rotation and axial displacement is fixed to the hollow shaft in a defined fashion and which is drivingly-connected to the electromechanical drive,

wherein the telescopic device in its housing being axially mounted in a movable fashion along the longitudinal axis of the actuating unit and being supported against the housing with a spring element.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the force signal sensor and/or the displacement signal sensor is disposed on the hollow shaft.

17. The method according to claim 13, wherein displacement signal receiver and force signal receiver are disposed adjacent to each other on a common support unit in or on the housing of the telescopic device in such a way that they can pick up the sensor signals from displacement signal sensor and force signal sensor.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the support unit is a circuit support, on which further components of an electronic control unit of the actuator are disposed.

19. The method according to claim 13, wherein the displacement signal sensor is a rotational travel sensor, which transmits one or several signals proportional to the rotational travel of a drive element to the displacement signal receiver or generates said signals with the help thereof.

20. The method according to claim 13, wherein the force signal sensor is a translation displacement sensor, which transmits one or several signals proportional to a translational movement of the telescopic device against the spring element to the force signal receiver or generates said signals with the help thereof.