Braking pressure control device with maximum vehicle deceleration during automatic braking

• US 5,586,814 A
• Filed: 08/30/1994
• Issued: 12/24/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Daimler AG (Mercedes-Benz Group AG)
• Original Assignee: Mercedes-Benz AG (Mercedes-Benz Group AG)
• Inventors: Steiner, Manfred
• Primary Examiner(s): Graham, Matthew C.
• Application Number:
  US08/299,009
• Time in Patent Office: 847 Days
• Field of Search: 303/113.1, 303/113.2, 303/114.3, 303/116.1, 303/116.2, 303/DIG. 3, 303/DIG. 4, 303/113.4
• US Class Current: 303/116.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/268 using the valves of an ABS, ASR or ESP system
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/3275 Systems with a braking assistant function, i.e. automatic full braking initiation in dependence of brake pedal velocity
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/4881 having priming means

Abstract

A braking pressure control device for a hydraulic two-circuit brake system with a pneumatic braking force amplifier and an antilock brake system (ABS) that operates on the feedback principle, in which a switching valve is provided for each brake circuit. Each switching valve is switchable from a position connecting the brake circuit with a pressure outlet of the braking device into a position that shuts off this pressure outlet from the brake circuit. The control device has a precharging control valve that is switchable from a position that shuts off this pressure outlet from the low-pressure inlet of the feedback pump into a position that connects the pressure outlet with the feedback pump, as well as an electronic control unit that processes the sensor signals that contain at least the information on the type of actuation of the brake pedal to generate the signals required for automatic full brake application for controlling the switching valves, the precharging control valves, the feedback pumps, the inlet and outlet valves of the ABS, as well as a control valve by which the drive chamber of the braking force amplifier can be vented.

Claims

1. Braking pressure control device for a motor vehicle with hydraulic multi-circuit brake systems with static brake circuits, comprising a master cylinder constituting a braking device with separate pressure outlets associated with each of said brake circuits;

a pneumatic braking force amplifier coupled to said master cylinder and a brake pedal coupled to said pneumatic braking force amplifier, the brake pedal actuating the master cylinder through said amplifier;

said amplifier having a drive chamber movably delimited by a piston between a permanent low-pressure chamber maintained at a low pressure, whose charging with a pressure monotonically correlated with pressure on the brake pedal is controllable by which a deliberate brake application occurs;

an auxiliary force valve coupled to the amplifier and which switchably causes exposure of the low-pressure chamber to a pressure equal to or greater than atmospheric pressure, this exposure causing a high actuating force sufficient for a full brake application to be deployed;

an electronic control unit having an output signal coupled to the auxiliary force control valve to control the triggering of the switching of the auxiliary force control valve, the electronic control unit generating said output signal when the speed or the rate of change of the force with which the driver actuates the brake pedal exceeds a threshold value;

an electronically controllable antilock brake system (ABS) coupled to and acting on the individual brake circuits by feedback, and having inlet and outlet valves associated individually with the wheel brakes;

electrically drivable feedback pumps individually associated with the brake circuits and having a high output pressure level, wherein said pumps, in a pressure-reduction phase of antilock brake regulation resulting from the antilock brake system, recycle into a main brake line of the respective brake circuit the brake fluid released into a return line of the respective brake circuit;

a separate electrically controllable switching valve for each of the brake circuits, said valve being switchable from a functional position connecting the main brake line of the respective brake circuit with the respective pressure outlet of the braking device, into a functional position shutting off the respective pressure outlet from the respective main brake line; and

electrically controllable precharging control valves associated with the respective brake circuits and operatively arranged between the braking device and the ABS such that an outlet of each precharging control valve is connected solely with a line leading to the low pressure inlet of the respective return pump switchable from a functional position shutting off the respective pressure outlet of the braking device from a low-pressure inlet of a return pump of the respective brake circuit, into a functional position connecting the respective pressure outlet with the low-pressure inlet of the respective return pump whereby the braking device-precharges the return pumps and is employable to provide slip regulation as a function of wheel speed;

wherein the electronic control unit includes sensor inputs configured to receive sensor output signals representing at least one of the actuation of the brake pedal and the dynamic behavior of the motor vehicle, the electronic control unit generating signals required for automatic operation of the brake system at a high braking pressure level, for controlling the switching valves, the precharging control valves, the return pumps and the inlet and outlet valves of the antilock brake system and the auxiliary force control valve.

2. Braking pressure control device according to claim 1, further comprising pressure sensors associated individually with wheel brakes of the brake system.

3. Braking pressure control device according to claim 1, further comprising at least one pressure sensor having an output signal that is a measure of pressure applied to one of the pressure outlets of the braking device.

4. Braking pressure control device according to claim 1, further comprising a force sensor having an output signal by which, during an automatically triggered full brake application, a driver'"'"'s desire to continue and terminate the full brake application is detectable, the output signal from said sensor being a measure of deformation that occurs at a force transmission element during actuation of the brake pedal through which force transmission element the actuating force is transmitted to a pressure rod of the braking force amplifier that engages the master cylinder.

5. Braking pressure control device according to claim 1, wherein the braking force amplifier has a travel-controlled switching element that follows actuating movements of an amplifying element whose movement is coupled with that of the brake pedal, said amplifying element being supported in the engaging direction of a pedal actuating force on a force transmission element through which the actuating force amplified by the braking force amplifier is transmitted to the master cylinder, thereby undergoing changes in its position that vary with the pedal actuating force relative to the force transmission element, and delivers a signal that triggers termination of an automatic brake application or prevents initiation of an automatic brake application, when, during a brake application, a threshold value of deflection relative to the force transmission element is undershot or not reached.

6. Braking pressure control device according to claim 5, wherein the force transmission element is a pressure rod of the braking force amplifier.

7. Braking pressure control device according to claim 5, wherein the electronic control unit performs time-differentiated processing of the sensor output signals.