Brake Adjusters

The present invention relates to an automatic slack adjuster for vehicle brakes.

As is well known, it is desirable to limit the return travel of a brake actuating member, such as a hydraulic piston, of a vehicle brake system so that excessive pedal (or hand lever) travel will not be encountered the next time the brakes are applied. An automatic brake adjuster may be provided which comes into operation as a result of travel of such brake actuating member in the brake-applying direction in excess of the desired travel. Upon such excessive travel the adjuster adjusts the limit of return travel of said brake actuating member which occurs when the brakes are released.

In our British Pat. No. 1343111 there is described a slack adjuster for a vehicle brake system which includes first and second members having a reversible screwthread connection (as hereinafter defined) therebetween such that in one direction of axial load between said first and second members relative rotation is effected therebetween, and a third member, said second and third members having interengageable wedging surface thereon effective upon axial loading in a direction opposite to said one direction for urging relative radial displacement between said first and second members to hold the first and second members in frictional engagement with one another at said reversible screw-thread connection to prevent relative rotation therebetween. To prevent undesired reverse rotation under so-called "knock-back" when the brake is in its released state, a pawl and ratchet mechanism may be fitted at least indirectly between the screw-threaded members.

According to one feature of the present invention the arrangement is such as to inhibit undesired reverse rotation at the reversible screw-thread connection whilst avoiding or reducing the necessity for one way clutches.

According to another feature of the present invention the first and second members are spring biassed toward one another at said reversible screw-thread connection in a substantially radial direction to inhibit unintentional reverse rotation in other circumstances.

In one embodiment the second member comprises a longitudinally slit tubular member defining springy fingers having the reversible screw-thread thereon and inherently biassed radially against the first member.

In another embodiment the second member comprises an arcuate segment and at least one other and preferably at least two other such segments are provided, circumferentially spaced with respect to one another, separate spring means being provided to radially bias said segments against said first member.

Advantageously the adjuster is associated with a hydraulic actuator and an auxiliary mechanical actuator, such as a handbrake acts through the adjuster.

Means may be provided for rendering the adjuster load insensitive, i.e., for preventing relative rotation at the reversible screw-thread connection responsively to brake deflection. To this end the second adjuster member can be formed with an auxiliary piston which is urged by hydraulic brake pressure in a direction to urge the wedging surfaces together and which is biased by a spring in the opposite direction. The spring is overcome by the brake pressure at a relatively low value thereof, whereby no adjustment can take place at higher pressures which may be accompanied by brake deflection.

The invention is further described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary sectional view of a first embodiment of slack adjuster in accordance with the invention,

FIG. 2 is a section on the line II--II of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view of a second embodiment of slack adjuster in accordance with the invention,

FIG. 4 is a section on the line IV--IV of FIG. 3,

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a third embodiment of slack adjuster in accordance with the invention,

FIG. 6 is a detail sectional view on the line VI--VI of FIG. 1 to illustrate a modification, and

FIG. 7 is a sectional detail of a modification to FIGS. 1 and 5.

FIGS. 1, 3 and 5 show slack adjusters fitted to a hydraulic actuator of a reaction type caliper disc brake of the kind described in British Pat. Specification Nos. 1,075,371 and 1,147,639.

In the said reaction type caliper disc brake the hydraulic actuator is disposed between a first brake pad and a yoke arranged for displacement parallel to the axis of the disc. The yoke extends to the side of the disc remote from the first brake pad and supports a second brake pad in opposition to said first brake pad. Expansion of the hydraulic actuator urges the first brake pad against one face of the disc and urges the yoke in the opposite direction so that the second brake pad is pressed against the other face of the disc.

It will be appreciated that the actual displacement of the first pad relative to the second pad between braking engagement with the disc and the disengaged positions of the pads is very small in this type of brake system and the direction of force applied by the hydraulic actuator is perpendicular to the plane of the brake disc.

Referring to FIG. 1 of the drawings, a hydraulic actuator comprises a pair of opposed pistons 15 and 16 slidable in a through bore 17 in a fixed body member 18. The body member 18 is mounted at one side of a disc (not shown) and the piston 15 acts on a friction pad co-operating with that side of the disc. The piston 16 acts on a yoke 19 which is slidably supported on the body member 18 (as can be understood more fully from the abovementioned Patent Specifications) and which acts on an indirectly operated friction pad at the other side of the disc.

An auxiliary mechanical actuator is also provided and comprises a cam 20 which is journalled in an extension 21 on the piston 16 and which acts through a dolly 22 on a strut 23. The strut 23 forms part of an automatic adjuster 24 which includes a slit nut 25. The adjuster 24 is partially accommodated within a blind bore 27 in the piston 15.

The nut 25 has a normally reversible screw-thread connection 28 with the strut 23. A reversible screw-thread connection is a connection such that axial displacement of the nut relative to the screw causes relative rotation therebetween and vice versa. Whether a screw thread connection is reversible or not depends upon the pitch and flank angles of the thread and the coefficient of friction between the nut and the screw. The inner end of the piston is formed as a wedge member 26 which has an internal frusto-conical surface 29 co-operating with complementary surfaces 30 on the springy fingers 25a, 25b and 25c of the slit nut 25 in the region of the reversible screwthread connection 28.

As can be seen from FIGS. 1 and 2, the slit nut 25 comprises a cup-shaped member whose wall is provided with three longitudinal slits 31 which extend through and well beyond the reversible screw thread connection 28. These slits divide the screw-threaded portion of the nut into three springy fingers 25a, 25b and 25c. The free state dimensions of the slit nut 25 are such that the springy fingers press radially inwardly against the strut 23. The base 32 of the cup-shaped nut 25 has a small central hole 33 through which a projection 34 extends from the end wall 35 of the piston 15. A wheel 36 is journalled on a reduced diameter portion of the projection 34 and is rotatably retained thereon by peening over the end 34a of the projection 34. The wheel 36 is of larger diameter than the hole 33 so that the nut 25 is held captive in the piston 15. When the wedging surfaces 29 and 30 are in engagement with one another, as in the resting position as shown, there is an axial clearance 37 between the base 32 of the nut 25 and the left hand side of the wheel 36, this clearance determining the normal brake slack.

Seals 38 seal the pistons 15 and 16 to the bore 17 and a seal 39 seals the strut 23 to a bore 40 in the indirectly operating piston 16. A locating plate 41 held in place in the piston 16 by a spring ring 42 prevents the strut 23 from turning relative to the piston 16 which is itself prevented from turning by the yoke 19. For this purpose the locating plate 41 has a spigot (not shown) engaging in the piston 16 and has a key engaging in a keyway (not shown) in the strut 23.

During hydraulic operation of the brake, the hydraulic fluid is applied to the space between the pistons 15 and 16 to urge these pistons apart and thereby urge the pads against the opposite sides of the disc. The hydraulic pressure acts on the left hand end of the strut 23 to urge this strut to the right relative to the piston 15 and thereby holds this strut in abutment with the dolly 22, the cam 20 being held in its illustrated position by stop means (not shown). The clearance 37 between the wheel 36 and the base 32 of the nut 25 is sufficient to permit relative axial movement between the two pistons 15 and 16 without affecting the screw-thread connection 28 during normal piston travel. On the other hand, if there is excessive piston travel this clearance 37 is taken up and the strut 23 is prevented by the wheel 36 from moving further to the right whereby the nut 25 is caused to turn on the strut 23 by the reversible screw-thread connection 28, thereby effecting automatic adjustment so that the next time the pistons 15 and 16 come to rest they cannot approach quite so closely towards one another. The wheel 36 rotates with the nut 25 and acts as a thrust bearing whose diameter (the diameter of the peened over end 34a) is small compared with the diameter of the reversible screw-thread connection 28. The wheel 36 therefore offers relatively low resistance to rotation of the nut 25. Nevertheless the projection 34 can be peened over at 34a so tightly that the wheel 36 cannot rotate since the diameter of the wheel 36 engaged by the base 32 of the nut 25 is itself small compared with the diameter of the reversible screw-thread connection 28.

When the handbrake is applied, the cam 20 is turned in an anti-clockwise direction thereby urging the piston 15 to the left relative to the piston 16 so that the brake pads are applied as before. However, in this case the brake-applying force is transmitted through the automatic adjuster, i.e. between the strut 23 and the nut 25. Since the screw-thread connection 28 is a reversible connection means must be provided for preventing relative rotation upon handbrake application and this means comprises the wedging surfaces 29 and 30. The brake-applying force is transmitted between the three springy fingers 25a, and 25b, and 25c of the slit nut 25 and the wedge member 26 at these wedging surfaces which thereby urge the three springy fingers 25a, 25b and 25c towards one another thereby clamping the strut 23 therebetween and preventing relative axial movement and consequent relative rotation. The wedging surfaces 29 and 30 themselves act as a friction clutch further ensuring that the nut 25 cannot rotate.

The spring bias by which the springy fingers 25a, 25b and 25c press against the strut 23 at the reversible screw thread connection 28 serves to prevent the nut 25 from rotating in the reverse direction due to "knock back" and due to vibration. However the friction developed at the screw thread connection 28 due to this spring bias is insufficient to adversely affect the ability of the reversible screw-thread connection 28 to cause the nut 25 to rotate.

Whilst the slit nut 25 is illustrated as having three springy fingers, they may be lesser or greater in number e.g. two or four. Alternatively, the nut need not be slit; rather it may be longitudinally split into two or more segments biassed by separate spring means against the strut 23. A further possibility is for the strut to be split or slit instead of the nut. In this case the split or slit strut is hollow and the wedge member extends inside the split or slit strut and acts radially outwardly on the strut.

These alternatives are illustrated by the embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 of the drawings. In these figures, parts like those of FIGS. 1 and 2 or having an equivalent function are denoted by like reference numerals. The cam 20 acts through the dolly 22 on one end of a strut 53 forming part of an automatic adjuster 54 which includes a split screw 55 having a reversible screw thread connection 58 with an elongate nut 52. The nut 52 is a force-fit in the blind bore 27 in the piston 15 and is thus effectively part of this piston, which is nonrotatable. The split screw 55 is hollow and comprises three separate segments 55a, 55b, and 55c. The left hand end of the strut 53 is formed as a wedge member 56 which has an external frusto-conical wedging surface 59 co-operating with complementary surfaces 60 inside the screw segments 55a, 55b and 55c in the region of the reversible screw-thread connection 58.

The screw segments 55a, 55b and 55c are biassed radially outwardly against the nut 52 by a split spring ring 61 received in grooves inside the screw segments. A washer 62 is held captive on the left hand end of the strut 53 by a nail 63 force-fitted in a bore in the strut 53 and acts on the split screw 55. The nail 63 passes through a hole 64 in the washer 62 and has a head 65 of slightly larger diameter than the hole 64. The nail 63 is fitted to provide a clearance 67 between the head 65 and the washer 62 in the released state of the brake, which clearance determines the normal brake slack.

The adjusting 54 operates in the same way as the adjuster 24 of FIGS. 1 and 2. The head 65 has a diameter which is small compared with the diameter of the reversible screw-thread connection 58 and provides a low friction thrust bearing permitting the washer 62 and the split nut 65 to rotate when automatic adjustment is taking place. The spring 61 creates friction at the reversible screw-thread connection 58 to inhibit reverse rotation of the screw 55 under knock-back but not sufficient to impair automatic adjustment The cam 20 acts through the wedging surfaces 59, 60 to prevent reverse rotation of the screw 55 during handbrake operation.

The embodiment of FIGS. 3 and 4 is even more resistant to knock-back than the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2. A blow applied to the piston 15 is transmitted to the nut 25 in FIG. 1 and the bounce effect at the friction surfaces 29 and 30 can momentarily displace the nut 25 to the right to temporarily separate the friction surfaces and reduce the resistance to rotation of the nut 25. In FIG. 3, a blow applied to the piston 15 similarly can momentarily displace the nut 55 to the right but this tends to urge the friction surface 59 and 60 more tightly together. Knock-back from the indirectly operated brake pad is less of a problem as the knock-back forces are dissipated considerably by the yoke 19, the piston 16, the cam 20 and the dolly 22.

Whilst the springiness of the fingers 25a, 25b and 25c and the provision of the spring 61 can avoid the use of a one way clutch to prevent reverse rotation under knock-back conditions, a one-way clutch can still be provided as an extra precaution. For example as shown in FIG. 6, a ratchet and pawl arrangement can be provided between the cup-shaped nut 25 and the piston 15. The springy fingers 25a, 25b and 25c can form the ratchet and the pawls 80 can be formed in an annular member 81 force-fitted in the bow 27 in the piston 15. By making the number of ratchet teeth and the number of pawls such that they do not have a common factor the ratchet and pawl arrangement can have fine steps without it being necessary to provide a large number of pawls and ratchet teeth. For example, with three ratchet teeth formed by the three springy fingers, eleven pawls, equi-spaced, can be provided to provide thirty three steps per revolution.

It will be noted that, if the threads of the reversible screw-thread connection 28 or 58 are made more square, i.e. with a steeper flank angle, the flank angle being the angle the thread flank makes with the longitudinal axis, the springiness of the fingers 25a, 25b and 25c or the strength of the spring 61 can be reduced because of the wedging effect between the screw threads under the radial loading

A disadvantage of the automatic adjusters shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 of the drawings is that they are susceptible to overadjustment due to occurrence of caliper deflection upon heavy brake application. FIG. 5 of the drawings shows a further modification of the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2 which renders the automatic adjuster load insensitive, i.e. makes it non-responsive to brake deflection.

In FIG. 5 parts like those of FIGS. 1 and 2 are shown by like reference numerals. The embodiment of FIG. 5 has a slit nut 75 provided with three longitudinal slits substantially as shown in FIG. 2. The slit nut 75 is formed at its left hand end as a piston 75a which is slidably received in the blind bore 27 in the piston 15 and is sealed thereto by a resilient sealing ring 70. The hydraulic pressure applied to the space between the pistons 15 and 16 thereby acts to the left on the slit nut 75 which has the external wedging surface 30 co-operating with the internal conical wedging surface 29 in the wedge member 26 forming an integral part of the piston 15. In the embodiment of FIG. 5 a strut 73 having the reversible screw thread connection 28 with the nut 75 is disposed to be abutted by a plunger 73a which is sealed by the sealing ring 39 to the bore 40 in the piston 16 and which is acted upon by the cam 20 via the dolly 22. A spring abutment plate 71 has a projection 71a which extends into a blind bore in the piston 16 to prevent the plate 71 from rotating and is keyed by means (not shown) to the strut 73 to prevent the strut from rotating. The strut 73 has a head 73b which co-operates with the plate 71 and with which the plunger 73a co-operates. A compression spring 76 is disposed between the plate 71 and a support ring 77 held in place in a widened bore portion 40a of the piston 16 by a spring ring 72.

The drawing shows the brake actuator in the resting position in which the plate 71 is held by the spring 76 against the plunger 73a. The head 73b of the strut 73 is accommodated in the plunger 73a so that it has limited axial travel between a rightward position in abutment with the plunger 73a and a leftward position in abutment with the plate 71. Further leftward movement of the strut 73 and with it the head 73b displaces the plate 71 with consequent compression of the spring 76. It will therefore be seen that once the head 73b engages the plate 71 the force of the spring 76 biases the slit nut 75 via the reversible screw thread connection 28 in opposition to the hydraulic pressure acting on the slit nut. The spring 76 is so dimensioned in relation to the diameter of the piston portion 75 a of the slit nut 75 that at a relatively low brake pressure, at which the braking force is slight and the caliper deflection is negligible, hydraulic pressure overcomes the spring 76 and holds the wedging surfaces 29 and 30 in engagement with one another.

The axial travel permitted between the head 73b of the strut 73 and the plate 71 determines the nominal brake slack. If some lining wear takes place whilst the brake is heavily applied, no automatic adjustment can take place immediately because the fluid pressure is holding the wedging surfaces 29 and 30 in engagement with one another and thereby increasing the friction at the reversible screw-thread connection 28 so that relative rotation cannot take place. Upon brake release, the hydraulic pressure reduces to the above mentioned relatively low value before the plate 71 comes into abutment with the plunger 73a because of the lining wear which has taken place. As the hydraulic pressure falls still further, the spring 76 is able to overcome the hydraulic pressure, thus tending to separate the wedging surfaces 29 and 30. The resistance to relative rotation at the reversible screw-thread connection 28 is thereby reduced so that the split nut 75 is turned under the effect of the rightward force of the spring 76 and the leftward force due to the residual pressure acting on the piston portion 75a. The necessary adjustment is therefore effected automatically in order to take up the additional slack resulting from the lining wear. Since this adjustment operation only commences when the brake pressure has fallen to a residual value the caliper deflection has already substantially disappeared and therefore cannot lead to over-adjustment.

In order to supplement the force by which the springy fingers 25a, 25b and 25c of the slit nut 25 of FIG. 1 and the slit nut 75 of FIG. 5 press resiliently against the strut 23 or 73 at the reversible the screw thread connection 28, a spring ring 612 can be arranged in an external annular groove in the slit nut at its slit end as shown in FIG. 7. Such a spring ring is similar to the spring ring 61 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 but acts radially inwardly on the springy fingers. The external annular groove receiving the spring ring 612 is preferably in the frusto-conical surface 30 on the springy fingers and the wedging surface 29 is shown recessed to provide clearance for the spring ring. Such an arrangement increases the friction at the reversible screw thread connection 28 to further reduce the risk of undesired rotation of the nut. This construction may be preferred to a thickening of the springy fingers to obtain an increased spring force since the latter solution might entail an increase in the axial length of the slit nut to retain the desired amount of possible radial deflection of the springy fingers.

An advantage of rendering the automatic adjuster insensitive to load is that the nominal brake slack can be reduced since no account need be taken of possible overadjustment due to caliper deflection. This renders the mechanical operation of the brake more positive, i.e. in the case of a hand brake the lever travel to apply the brake is reduced.