Brake pedal actuator

• US 3,877,299 A
• Filed: 07/25/1973
• Issued: 04/15/1975
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/1973
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Edwin Lee Cline, William Clayton Sr
• Original Assignee: Edwin Lee Cline, William Clayton Sr
• Inventors: Cline, Edwin Lee, Clayton, William Sr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Myracle, Jerry W.
• Application Number:
  US05/382,385
• Time in Patent Office: 629 Days
• Field of Search: 73/132,121,123,126,117
• US Class Current: 73/132
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 17/223 Devices for pressurising brake systems acting on pedal
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/00 Brake-action initiating means

Abstract

A removable brake pedal actuator for applying a force to conventional vehicle brake pedals in accordance with a control signal for brake testing purposes is described. The actuator includes a frame which rests on the vehicle floor board and is held in place by an operator'"'"''"'"'s foot. A contact pad is provided for engagement with the brake pedal. A force transferring or coupling mechanism in the form of a pneumatically operated piston cylinder assembly is connected between the frame and pedal contact pad to provide a pedal force in response to the control signal. A contact sensor is mounted on the contact pad to provide an indication that the contact pad is in actual contact with the brake pedal. A pressure sensor is also carried by the contact pad for engagement with the brake pedal to provide a signal representative of the force applied to the brake pedal. A floor clearance probe or transducer is also provided on the actuator for providing an indication that the distance between the brake pedal and vehicle floor has decreased below a minimum acceptable value. The piston can be connected to a position indicating transducer such as a potentiometer for permitting the travel of the brake pedal to be ascertained during braking tests. The actuator may be a part of a servo control loop in which feedback signals representative of a desired braking effort or brake pedal pressure are used to control the actuator.

Claims

2. The combination as defined in claim 1 wherein the force receiving means is secured to the frame member and wherein the force transferring means is arranged to exert a force on the pedal contact member in the first direction.

3. The combination as defined in claim 1 wherein the force receiving means is secured to the pedal contact member and wherein the force transferring means is arranged to exert a force on the pedal contact member in a direction opposite to the first direction.

4. The combination as defined in claim 1 including means for producing a first reference force signal in response to the application of a first predetermined reference force to the force receiving means.

5. The combination as defined in claim 4 including means for producing a second reference force signal in response to the application of a second predetermined force to the force receiving means.

6. The combination as defined in claim 1 including means for producing a pedal force signal representative of the force applied to the brake pedal.

7. The combination as defined in claim 6 wherein the means for producing the pedal force signal comprises a force responsive transducer connected to the pedal contact member and adapted to engage the brake pedal.

8. The combination as defined in claim 6 including a position sensing means for producing a pedal position signal representative of the position of the brake pedal contact member relative to the frame.

9. The combination as defined in claim 6 wherein the force transferring means includes a piston cylinder assembly, the piston being slidably positioned in the cylinder and being connected to the frame or pedal contact member, the cylinder being pivotally connected to the other member.

10. The combination as defined in claim 9 wherein the piston is connected to the pedal contact member.

11. The combination as defined in claim 9 including a source of pressurized fluid and fluid control means responsive to the control signal for controlling the application of the pressurized fluid to the piston cylinder assembly to provide a differential force on the piston which is proportional to the control signal.

12. The combination as defined in claim 11 wherein the fluid control means includes pedal contact sensing means carried by the contact member for producing a contact signal when the contact member engages the brake pedal and means responsive to the contact signal for applying pressurized fluid to the cylinder to provide a balanced force on the piston to thereby maintain the pedal contact member in engagement with the pedal.

13. The combination as defined in claim 6 including probe sensing means for producing an output signal when the distance between the pedal contact member and the floor board falls below the preselected minimum value.

14. In an actuator mechanism for controlling the operation of a vehicle brake pedal mounted adjacent the vehicle floor board, the brake pedal being arranged to apply the vehicle brakes by movement in a first direction toward the floor board, the combination which comprises:

a removable frame member adapted to be positioned on the floor board adjacent the brake pedal, the frame member including means for engaging only the floor board to prevent movement of the frame member in the first direction;

force receiving means carried by one of the frame and pedal contact members for receiving a manual reference force having a component in the first direction when the actuator is positioned on the vehicle floor board;

control signal generating means for producing a control signaL; and

force transferring means connected between the frame and pedal contact members for providing a limited range of movement between the members along the first direction and responsive to the control signal for exerting an equal and opposite force to the frame and pedal contact members, the force having a magnitude proportional to the value of the control signal when the members are restrained from movement within said range, to thereby transfer a portion of the component of the reference force receiving means to the other member in accordance with the value of the control signal.

15. The combination as defined in claim 14 wherein the control signal generating means includes means for obtaining a measure of the vehicle braking effort and for adjusting the value of the control signal in accordance with the braking effort.

16. The combination as defined in claim 14 including a pedal force control signal generating means for producing a pedal force signal representative of the force applied to the vehicle brake pedal by the actuator mechanism.

17. The combination as defined in claim 16 wherein the control signal generating means includes means responsive to the pedal force signal to adjust the control signal to provide a predetermined pedal force.

18. The combination as defined in claim 14 wherein the force receiving means is carried by the frame member.

19. The combination as defined in claim 18 wherein the force receiving means includes a foot treadle pivotally connected at one end to the frame and spring means connected between the other end of the treadle and the frame, the spring means being arranged to deflect in accordance with the magnitude of the reference force.

20. The combination as defined in claim 19 including reference force signal generating means connected between the frame member and the treadle for producing a reference force signal in response to the application of a predetermined reference force to the foot treadle.

21. The combination as defined in claim 20 including treadle force signal generating means for producing a treadle force signal representative of the magnitude of the reference force.

22. The combination as defined in claim 21 wherein the control signal generating means includes means responsive to the treadle force signal for providing a control signal which is proportional to the treadle force signal.

23. The combination as defined in claim 14 wherein the control signal generating means includes means for providing a control signal which varies in value in accordance with a predetermined time schedule.

24. The combination as defined in claim 14 wherein the force receiving means is carried by the pedal contact member and wherein the force transferring means urges the contact member in a direction opposite to the first direction in response to the control signal.

25. The combination as defined in claim 24 including pedal force signal generating means carried by the contact member for producing a pedal force signal representative of the force applied to the brake pedal by the contact member.

26. In an actuator for controlling the operation of a vehicle brake pedal mounted adjacent the floor board of a vehicle, the brake pedal being arranged to apply the vehicle brakes by movement in a first direction, the combination which comprises:

a removable frame member adapted to be positioned on the floor board adjacent the brake pedal, the frame member including means for engaging only the floor board to prevent movement of the frame member in the first direction;

a pedal contact member mounted on the frame for movement along the first direction when the actuator is positioned on the vehicle floor board, the contact member being adapted to engage the brake pedal;

a force receiving support plate secured to the frame member for receiving a manual reference force in the first direction when the actuator is positioned on the vehicle floor board;

means for producing a control signal; and

force transferring means responsive to the control signal and coupled between the frame and pedal contact members for urging the contact member in the first direction with a force having a magnitude proportional to the value of the control signal to thereby apply a force to the brake pedal in accordance with the control signal when the manually applied reference force equals or exceeds the force on the contact member.

27. In an actuator for controlling the operation of a vehicle brake pedal mounted adjacent the floor board of a vehicle, the brake pedal being arranged to apply the vehicle brakes by movement in a first direction, the combination which comprises:

a removable frame member adapted to be positioned on the floor board adjacent the brake pedal;

a pedal contact member mounted on the frame for movement along the first direction when the actuator is positioned on the vehicle floor board, the contact member being adapted to engage the brake pedal;

a force receiving support member secured to the pedal contact member for receiving a manual reference force in the first direction when the actuator is positioned on the vehicle floor board;

means for producing a control signal; and

force transferring means responsive to the control signal and coupled between the frame and pedal contact members for urging the contact member in a direction opposite to the first direction with a force having a magnitude proportional to the value of the control signal, to thereby apply a force to the brake pedal which is equal to the difference between the manually applied reference force in the first direction and the force exerted by the force transferring means.

28. In an actuator for controlling the operation of a vehicle brake control lever mounted adjacent a fixed member of a vehicle, the control lever being arranged to apply the vehicle brakes by movement in a first direction, the combination which comprises:

a removable frame member adapted to be positioned on the fixed member adjacent the control lever, the frame member including means for engaging only the fixed member of the vehicle to prevent movement of the frame member in the first direction;

a control lever contact member for movement along the first direction when the actuator is positioned on the vehicle fixed member, the contact member being adapted to engage the control lever;

means carried by the frame member for receiving a manual force to urge the frame member against the vehicle fixed member to prevent relative movement therebetween;

means for producing a control signal; and

means responsive to the control signal and coupled between the frame and control lever contact members for urging the contact member in the first direction in accordance with the value of the control signal.

29. In an actuator for controlling the operation of a vehicle brake control lever mounted adjacent a fixed member of a vehicle, the control lever being arranged to apply the vehicle brakes by movement in a first direction, the combination which comprises:

a removable frame member adapted to be positioned on the fixed member adjacent the control lever;

a control lever contact member for movement along the first direction when the actuator is positioned on the vehicle fixed member, the contact member being adapted to engage the control lever;

means carried by the control lever contact member for receiving a manual force to urge the control lever contact member against the control lever;

means for producing a control signal; and

means responsive to the control signal and coupled between the frame and control lever contact members for urging the contact member in a direction opposite to the first direction in accordance with the value of the control signal.

30. The method of controlling the operation of a vehicle brake control lever mounted adjacent a fixed member of a vehicle and being arranged to apply the vehicle brakes by movement in a first direction, With a brake actuator which includes a removable frame member adapted to be held against the fixed member, a control lever contact member for engaging the control lever, and a force transfer mechanism connected between the frame and the control lever contact members for exerting an equal and opposite force to the frame and lever contact members in accordance with the magnitude of a control signal comprising the steps of:

positioning the frame member of the actuator on the vehicle fixed member so that the control lever contact member engages the brake control lever;

applying a manual force of sufficient magnitude to the frame or control lever contact member to maintain the frame member against the fixed member while the vehicle brakes are being applied and released by the brake actuator; and

applying a control signal to the force transfer mechanism to control the force applied to the brake control lever.

31. The method of claim 30 wherein the manual force is applied to the frame member.

32. The method of claim 30 wherein the manual force is applied to the lever contact member.