Actuator, particularly for a motor vehicle parking brake

• US 9,211,877 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2006
• Issued: 12/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Brose Fahrzeugteile GmbH & Co. Kommanditgesellschaft Wuerzburg
• Original Assignee: Brose Fahrzeugteile GmbH & Co. Kommanditgesellschaft Wuerzburg
• Inventors: Deutloff, Norbert, Kraft, Ekkehard, Roos, Stephan, Sauer, Armin
• Primary Examiner(s): Siconolfi, Robert A
• Assistant Examiner(s): HSIAO, JAMES K
• Application Number:
  US12/161,082
• Publication Number:
  US 20100219029A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,302 Days
• Field of Search: 188/1.11, 188/2.D, 188/162, 188/72.8, 188/156, 188/265
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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;

wherein the telescopic device is mounted in a housing in an axially movable fashion;

wherein the telescopic device comprises a rotatable hollow shaft and a spindle shaft, the spindle shaft being connected to the hollow shaft in such a manner that by rotation of the hollow shaft, the spindle shaft can be axially advanced; and

wherein the telescopic device is drivingly-connected to the drive device in such a manner that the hollow shaft can be driven so as to rotate;

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 are disposed spatially adjacent to each other in the housing of the telescopic device and separate from the brake cable;

wherein the displacement signal sensor is a rotational travel sensor;

wherein the force signal sensor is a translation displacement sensor;

wherein the force signal sensor and the displacement signal sensor are provided in such a manner that the rotation of the hollow shaft provides a measurement for the adjustment travel of the telescopic device and the translatory motion of the hollow shaft provides a measurement for the force applied, and

wherein the adjustment travel of the telescopic device and the force applied to the brake cable are detected in such a manner that the adjustment travel of the brake cable is obtainable by deducting a travel of the hollow shaft detected by the force sensor unit from the adjustment travel of the telescopic device detected by the displacement sensor unit.

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 is supported against the housing by means of a spring element.

5. The actuator according to claim 1, wherein the force signal sensor and/or the displacement signal sensor are/is disposed on the hollow shaft.

6. The actuator according to claim 1, wherein the displacement signal receiver and the 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 the displacement signal sensor and the 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 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 4, wherein the force signal sensor 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.

21. The actuator according to claim 4, wherein the spindle shaft is axially connected to said hollow shaft in such a manner that the spindle shaft is axially advanced by rotation of the hollow shaft, and wherein the telescopic device further comprises 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.

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

providing a drive device comprising an electromechanical drive;

actuating a brake cable by a telescopic device, wherein

the telescopic device is drivingly-connected to the drive device,

the telescopic device being mounted in a housing in an axially movable fashion and comprising a rotatable hollow shaft and a spindle shaft connected to the hollow shaft;

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 are disposed spatially adjacent to each other in the housing of the telescopic device and separate from the brake cable;

wherein the displacement signal sensor is a rotational travel sensor;

wherein the force signal sensor is a translation displacement sensor; and

wherein by means of the force signal sensor and the displacement signal sensor, both translational and rotational movement of the hollow shaft are determined.

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 is supported against the housing by means of a spring element.

16. The method according to claim 13, wherein the force signal sensor and/or the displacement signal sensor are/is disposed on the hollow shaft.

17. The method according to claim 13, wherein the displacement signal receiver and the 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 the displacement signal sensor and the 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 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 15, wherein the force signal sensor 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.

22. The method according to claim 15, wherein the spindle shaft is axially connected to said hollow shaft in such a manner that the spindle shaft is axially advanced by rotation of the hollow shaft, and wherein the telescopic device further comprises 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.

23. An actuator comprising:

a drive device comprising an electromechanical drive;

a telescopic device that actuates a brake cable;

wherein the telescopic device is mounted in a housing in an axially movable fashion;

wherein the telescopic device comprises a rotatable hollow shaft and a spindle shaft, the spindle shaft being connected to the hollow shaft in such a manner that by rotation of the hollow shaft, the spindle shaft can be axially advanced; and

wherein the telescopic device is drivingly-connected to the drive device in such a manner that the hollow shaft can be driven so as to rotate;

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 are disposed separate from the brake cable;

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;

wherein the force signal sensor is a translation displacement sensor,

wherein the force signal sensor is provided in such a manner that the translatory motion of the hollow shaft provides a measurement for the force applied; and

wherein the adjustment travel of the telescopic device and the force applied to the brake cable are detected in such a manner that the adjustment travel of the brake cable is obtainable by deducting a travel of the hollow shaft detected by the force sensor unit from the adjustment travel of the telescopic device detected by the displacement sensor unit.