Reaction mechanism for booster

• US 6,003,426 A
• Filed: 05/21/1997
• Issued: 12/21/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bosch Automotive Systems Corporation (Robert Bosch GmbH)
• Original Assignee: Jidosha Kiki Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Ikeda, Masahiro, Kobayashi, Kazuo
• Primary Examiner(s): LOPEZ, FRANK D
• Application Number:
  US08/859,739
• Time in Patent Office: 944 Days
• Field of Search: 91/376 R
• US Class Current: 91/376.00R
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 13/573 characterised by reaction devices
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/06 Disposition of pedal

Abstract

In accordance with the invention, a booster is not provided with a mechanism which transmits a braking reaction, and accordingly, a reaction cannot be transmitted to a brake pedal. On the other hand, a pseudo-reaction imparting means is provided to impart a pseudo-reaction which depends on an amount of depression of the brake pedal. The pseudo-reaction imparting means imparts a pseudo-reaction having a reduced rate of increase to the brake pedal when a travel of the brake pedal is small, and imparts a pseudo-reaction having an increased rate of increase to the brake pedal when a travel of the break pedal is higher. This arrangement avoids the drawback of the prior art that an abnormally high braking reaction is transmitted to a driver as a result of an operational lag of a conventional booster during a quick braking operation. The invention prevents such braking reaction from being transmitted to a driver, but enables a reaction of a required magnitude to be transmitted to the driver by means of pseudo-reaction imparting means. In this manner, a required high braking effort can be obtained with a reduced force of depression during a quick braking operation. The pseudo-reaction imparting means which exhibit such characteristic is capable of realizing an operation feeling, as experienced in a normal operation in the prior art, independently from a quick and a slow braking operation.

Claims

1. In a booster including a valve body slidably disposed within a shell, a power piston mounted in the valve body, a constant pressure chamber and a variable pressure chamber defined across the power piston, a valve mechanism disposed in the valve body, an input shaft for driving a valve plunger, which forms at least a part of the valve mechanism, back and forth to switch a flow path in the valve mechanism, and an output shaft driven forward as the valve body is driven forward;

a reaction mechanism for booster comprising a pseudoreaction imparting means which prevents a reaction applied to the output shaft from being transmitted to the valve plunger when the booster is operative and which imparts a pseudo-reaction which depends on a travel of the input shaft, and

in which the pseudo-reaction imparting means comprises an elastic member which is disposed in the constant pressure chamber for urging the valve plunger rearward.

2. A reaction mechanism for booster according to claim 1 in which the elastic member is disposed to urge the valve plunger rearward through a reaction piston which is disposed on a front side of the valve body, the reaction piston including a portion of a reduced diameter which is slidably fitted in the valve body for abutment against the valve plunger, and an arm extending radially outward from the portion of the reduced diameter, the elastic member urging the reaction piston rearward through the arm, the output shaft including an axially extending slit in its end located toward the valve body, the arm extending through the slit from within the slit to the outside thereof.

3. A reaction mechanism for booster according to claim 1 in which the elastic member comprises a spring.