Brake monitoring system
First Claim
1. A vehicle brake monitor, comprising:
- a brake actuator including a housing and a rod reciprocable through an opening in said housing for actuation of a vehicle brake;
an annular shunt sleeve and surrounding said rod fixed to said rod and reciprocable with said rod having a radially projecting flange portion;
a ferrous metal shunt located within said radially projecting flange portion of said shunt sleeve extending radially relative to said rod having a length less than said rod;
a sensor and a magnet fixed relative to said housing on opposed sides of said flange portion of said annular shunt sleeve and said ferrous metal shunt; and
said shunt interrupting a signal between said sensor and said magnet when said shunt is located between said sensor and said magnet during reciprocal movement of said rod signaling at least one position of said rod relative to said housing.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A vehicle brake monitor for a brake actuator having a housing and a rod reciprocal through an opening in the housing. The brake monitor includes a magnet and a sensor located within the magnetic field of the magnet and fixed relative to the housing, and a shunt which is reciprocal with the brake actuator rod between the magnet and the sensor which interrupts a signal between the sensor and the magnet when the shunt is located between the magnet and the sensor during reciprocal movement of the rod, signaling at least one position of the rod relative to the housing. The disclosed embodiment of the brake monitor includes a sensor sleeve having two pairs of generally opposed magnets and sensors and a shunt sleeve surrounding the brake actuator rod having a pair of circumferentially spaced shunts which reciprocate with the brake actuator rod between each of the pairs of sensors and magnets, sensing and indicating several conditions of the brake actuator, including an overstroke condition, dragging brake, a failure of the brake monitoring system and normal operation.
226 Citations
25 Claims
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1. A vehicle brake monitor, comprising:
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a brake actuator including a housing and a rod reciprocable through an opening in said housing for actuation of a vehicle brake;
an annular shunt sleeve and surrounding said rod fixed to said rod and reciprocable with said rod having a radially projecting flange portion;
a ferrous metal shunt located within said radially projecting flange portion of said shunt sleeve extending radially relative to said rod having a length less than said rod;
a sensor and a magnet fixed relative to said housing on opposed sides of said flange portion of said annular shunt sleeve and said ferrous metal shunt; and
said shunt interrupting a signal between said sensor and said magnet when said shunt is located between said sensor and said magnet during reciprocal movement of said rod signaling at least one position of said rod relative to said housing. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A vehicle brake monitor, comprising:
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a brake actuator including a housing and a cylindrical rod reciprocable through an opening in said housing for actuation of a vehicle brake;
a sensor sleeve generally surrounding said rod and fixed relative to said housing having a magnet and a generally opposed sensor located within the magnetic field of said magnet;
a magnet shunt having a predetermined length less than the length of said rod mounted on said rod to reciprocate with said rod and extending longitudinally along and radially from said rod between said sensor and said magnet; and
said magnet shunt interrupting a signal between said magnet and said sensor when said magnet shunt is located between said magnet and said sensor during reciprocable movement of said rod, thereby signaling a reciprocal position of said rod. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 14)
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13. The vehicle brake monitor defined in claim wherein said monitor includes a shunt sleeve surrounding said rod, fixed relative to said rod and reciprocable with said rod through said housing opening, and said magnet shunt fixed to said shunt sleeve and extending longitudinally and radially from said shunt sleeve between said magnet and said sensor through a radial opening in said shunt sleeve.
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15. A vehicle brake monitor, comprising:
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a brake actuator including a housing and a rod reciprocable through an opening in said housing for actuation of a vehicle brake;
a sensor sleeve mounted on said housing surrounding said rod having a radial opening;
a magnet and a sensor in said sensor sleeve on opposed sides of said radial opening;
a shunt sleeve mounted on said rod and fixed to said rod for reciprocal movement with said rod;
one of said shunt sleeve and said sensor sleeve including a radial keyway and the other of said sensor sleeve and said sensor sleeve including a radial key slideably received in said keyway fixing the relative rotation and said sleeves;
a magnet shunt mounted on said shunt sleeve having a predetermined length extending radially into said radial opening in said sensor sleeve between said magnet and said sensor as said shunt sleeve reciprocates with said rod through said housing opening; and
said magnet shunt interrupting a signal between said magnet and said sensor when said shunt is located between said magnet and said sensor during reciprocal movement of said shunt sleeve, thereby signaling a position of said rod relative to said housing. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A vehicle brake monitor, comprising:
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a brake actuator including a housing and a rod reciprocable through an opening in said housing for actuation of a vehicle brake;
two pairs of generally opposed spaced magnets and sensors fixed relative to said housing;
two shunts fixed relative to said rod, each of said shunts reciprocable with said rod between one of said pairs of generally opposed spaced magnets and sensors;
said shunts interrupting a signal between said pairs of magnets and sensors at different reciprocal positions of said rod as said rod reciprocates through said opening of said housing, said sensors thereby sensing different positions of said reciprocable brake actuator rod relative to said housing. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25)
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Specification