This invention relates to a fluid pressurizing device wherein a first housing has a cylindrical projection that extends through a second housing. A fastener attached to the cylindrical projection engages the second housing causing a bead of a diaphragm to be compressed between first and second shells and seal the second housing from the surrounding environment. Thereafter, a pressure differential created across a wall in the second housing provides an operational force that moves a piston assembly in the first housing to produce a fluid output force.
In known fluid pressurizing devices such as illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,005,639, the first housing is usually connected to the first shell and the second shell is connected to a stationary structure such as the firewall of a vehicle.
Later as disclosed in U.K. Patent Application No. GB 2,025,549 structure is shown whereby the reactionary forces that develop during a brake application are carried through bolts that extend from the first housing through the second housing. The movable wall is mounted on the bolts. Unfortunately during some operational conditions, the seals between the movable wall and bolts can create high frictional resistance to reduce the smooth operation of the fluid pressurizing device.
In an effort to reduce the frictional resistance, a sleeve structure such as disclosed in German DEOS No. 2922299 was developed. The sleeve structure provided mounting brackets for the attachment of the brake booster to a master cylinder and the fire wall of a vehicle. Unfortunately with this structure because of the various types and sizes of master cylinders and under the dash space adjacent the firewall, such mounting brackets are undesirable.
Summary of the Invention
The invention as claimed is intended to provide a solution to the mounting problem. The housing of the master cylinder has a cylindrical projection that extends through the housing of the brake booster. A first fastener carried by the cylindrical projection engages the housing of the brake booster to urge a front shell thereof against a shoulder on the master cylinder while at the same time compressing a bead of a diaphragm assembly between the front and a rear shell to seal this housing from the surrounding environment. A second fastener carried by the cylindrical projection attaches the master cylinder brake booster to the firewall of a vehicle.
Any advantage of this invention results in the direct connection of the master cylinder of the fluid pressurizing apparatus to the firewall of a vehicle.
Another advantage of this invention results from the attachment of the brake booster on the cylindrical projection by a first fastener and the cylindrical projection of the master cylinder to the firewall such that the reactionary force that develops in the master cylinder is carried into the firewall without effecting the operation of the brake booster.
A still further advantage of this invention occurs through the attachment of the brake booster to the cylindrical projection of a master cylinder by a first fastener since the shells that make up the brake booster need not be lanced together since the reactionary force generated in the master cylinder are directly carried into the firewall through the cylindrical projection.
It is an object of this invention to provide a method of assembling a fluid pressurizing device whereby a brake booster carried on a cylindrical projection of a master cylinder is sealed from the surrounding environment.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a fluid pressurizing device including a master cylinder and a brake booster with a single fastener arrangement that connects the brake booster to the master cylinder and the master cylinder to a support structure.
These advantages and objects should be apparent from reading this specification in conjunction with the drawings.
Brief Description of the Drawings
FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a fluid pressurizing device made according to the principles of this invention;
FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of the steps of installing a hub member in the cylindrical projection extending from the master cylinder after the front shell of the brake booster has been positioned against a shoulder on the cylindrical projection; and
FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 1.
Detailed Description of the Invention
The fluid pressurizing device 10 shown in FIG. 1 includes a master cylinder 12 and a brake booster 14.
The master cylinder 12 has a housing 16 with a bore 18. Bore 18 is connected to a reservoir 20 by conduits 22 and 24 attached to compensator ports 26 and 28.
A piston assembly 30 of the type fully disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,249,381 is located in bore 18. A bearing member 32 which surrounds a first piston 34 in the piston assembly 30 engages a sleeve 36. Threads 44 on the periphery of the bearing member 32 are matched with threads 46 on housing 18. A torque is applied to the bearing member 32 to move a face 31 thereon against a shoulder 33 and thereby position the piston assembly 30 in bore 18 such that stationary seal 40 associated with piston 38 is located adjacent compensator port 26 and stationary seal 42 associated with piston 34 is located adjacent compensator port 28. A groove 48 located in housing 16 which is connected to threads 44 has a passage 50 connected to the surrounding environment to prevent fluid from being transmitted from the bore 18 of the master cylinder 12 into the vacuum booster 14.
The master cylinder housing 16 has a cylindrical projection 52 that extends through the housing of the brake booster 14. A rib 54 which extends from housing 16 provides a stop for a cup shaped front shell 56 of the vacuum brake booster 14.
A seal 58 is located on peripheral guide surface 60 before the first shell is positioned adjacent shoulder 54.
The cylindrical projection 52 has slots 62 and 64 that extends from adjacent shoulder 54 to approximately the midpoint between the shoulder 54 and end 68.
A hub member 70 is inserted into slots 62 and 64 as best shown in FIG. 2 such that opening 72 is aligned with socket 74 in piston 34. In this position peripheral surfaces 76 and 78 extend above peripheral surface 60 on the cylindrical projection an equal distance.
Thereafter, an end 82 of sleeve 80 is snapped over the peripheral surfaces or lips 76 and 78, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. Sleeve 80 which has a groove 84 located therein adjacent end 82 has a rib 86 on end 88. A bead 90 of diaphragm 92 is affixed to rib 86 and a bead 94 is located in groove 96 on the cylindrical projection 52.
A first retainer 98 engages bead 90 to hold the same against rib 86 and a second retainer 100 engages bead 94 to hold the same in groove 96.
Thereafter, an end of a return spring 102 is placed on rib 104 on the first shell 56 and backing plate 106 is placed on sleeve 80.
A bead 108 on diaphragm 110 which is snapped into groove 84 urges rib 112 on backing plate 106 against shoulder 114 on sleeve 80. At the same time end 116 of spring 102 is located in recess 118 on backing plate 106 to initially center the hub member 70 in the center of bore 61 of the cylindrical projection 52.
Thereafter, end 120 of push rod 122 is moved through opening 72 in hub member 52 and into engagement with socket 74 in piston 34.
A cylindrical body 124, as shown in FIG. 2, inserted into bore 61 has a guide surface 126 that engages the bore 61 and an end that is mated with threads 128 on the hub member 70. Bearing seal 130 engages surface 132 on the cylindrical body 124 to provide a two point contact for assuring that the hub member 70 is aligned in the center of bore 61 in cylindrical projection 52.
The cylindrical body 124 has a bore 134 therein which retains a control valve assembly 136 of a type fully disclosed in U.S. Pat. application No. 205,480 to control the communication between a chamber 138 formed by the first shell 56, diaphragm 110, sleeve 80, diaphragm 92, hub member 70 and cylindrical body 124.
A second or rear shell 140 placed on the cylindrical projection 52 has a face 142 which holds a seal 144 against the shell 14.
A first fastener or nut 146 engages threads 148 on the end 60 of the cylindrical projection 52. The nut 146 is torqued to bring face 142 into engagement with shoulder 150 on the cylindrical projection 52. At the same time flange 152 on disc-shaped shell 140 engages bead 111 on diaphragm 110 to urge the same against shoulder or rib 57 adjacent the end of rear shell 140 to form a seal between the interior of the second housing and the surrounding environment. The free standing height of the front or first shell 56, thickness of bead 111, and the rear or second shell is greater than the distance between shoulders 54 and 150 on the cylindrical projection 52. Therefore, when nut 146 moves the face 142 into engagement with shoulder 150, the front and rear shells 56 and 140 are placed in compression.
Thereafter, this assembly is connected to a source of vacuum through conduit 155 to evacuate air from the brake booster 14.
With the valve assembly 136 in the release position as shown in FIG. 1, air from chamber 156 formed by diaphragm 110, sleeve 80, diaphragm 92, cylindrical projection 52, and rear shell 140, flows through passage 158, bore 134, passage 160 into chamber 138. With vacuum in chambers 138 and 156, a pressure differential is created with the air in the surrounding environment. Since bead 11 is only held between shoulder 57 and flange 152 by the compressive force of the fastener 146 acting on the second shell 140, the level of the vacuum is measured after a period of time to determine if a leak is present at the seals 58, 111 and 144. If any of the vacuum level is maintained for a predetermined time period, the fluid pressure assembly 10 is accepted for installation on a vehicle.
The vehicle manufacturer thereafter locates the cylindrical projection 52 in an opening 166 in a firewall 168.
The compensator ports 26 and 28 are aligned on the top of bore 18 and a second fastener or nut 170 is placed on threads 148. This second nut 170 is torqued against the firewall 168 and the fluid pressurizing device 10 is installed in the vehicle.
In the rest position, after the installation on the firewall 168, return spring 102 acts on backing plate 106 to hold diaphragm 110 against the second shell 140. Since sleeve 80 is attached to hub member 70 the cylindrical body 60 is also moved to the rest position.
When the vehicle is in operation, vacuum in connected to the brake booster 14 through conduit 155 connected to check valve 154.
When the operator desires to effect a brake application, an input force is applied to push rod 171 to activate the control valve assembly 136 and interrupt vacuum communication to bore 134 through passage 160 and initiate the communication of air to chamber 156 by way of bore 134, and passages 158 and 159. With air in chamber 156, a pressure differential is created across diaphragms 92 and 110 with the vacuum in chamber 138. This pressure differential acts on backing plate 106 and sleeve 80 to develop a force that is carried into hub member 70 for distribution into push rod 122.
The push rod 122 acts on the piston assembly 30 to pressurize the fluid in master cylinder 12 and produce a fluid output that is transmitted to the wheel brakes to institute a brake application.
The reaction to the development of the fluid output in the master cylinder 12 is carried through the cylindrical projection 52 into the firewall 168. The pressure differential acts on diaphragm 110 adjacent bead 111 retains the vacuum seal in chamber 138 while diaphragm 92 is urged toward the peripheral surface 60 of the cylindrical projection to retain the vacuum seal at this connection. The tensile strength of shell 140 is such that when air is present in chamber 156, flange 152 still holds bead 111 against shoulder 57.
When the brake application has been achieved, the input force on push rod 70 is removed and return springs in valve assembly 136 terminate the flow path for air to chamber 156 to allow vacuum present in chamber 138 to evacuate air therefrom and allow return spring 102 to move the movable wall or diaphragms 92 and 110 to the rest position as shown in FIG. 1.