Adapter plate for a brake housing device of a brake system

Abstract

TITLE: Adapter plate for a brake housing device of a brake system. Adapter plate (1) for connecting a first housing (14), a brake force generator (15) to a second housing (16), a brake master cylinder (17), comprising: - a practically circular recess (4) connecting a first port (18) of the first housing (14) to a second port (19) of the second housing, - one or more through ports (5) offset from the recess (4) for fixing the adapter plate (1) to at least one of the housings (14, 16) and / or between the housings (14, 16) with at least one fastener (21). At least one raised section (8) on the rim (7) of the recess (4) fits into the recess (4) for fixing a spring element (23) in the first housing (14), in particular a helical spring. Figure 1A

Description

Title of the invention: Adapter plate for a brake housing device of a brake system. FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to an adapter plate for connecting a first housing, in particular that of a braking force generator, to a second housing, in particular that of a brake master cylinder. The invention also relates to a housing assembly comprising such an adapter plate connecting two housings, as well as to a braking system of a motor vehicle equipped with such a housing assembly. STATE OF THE ART

[0002] According to the prior art, hydraulic brake systems are known, comprising a brake master cylinder housing connected to a controlled brake force generator housing, for example with flanges for connecting the inside of the housings to each other. The return of the brake force generator piston is usually ensured by a spring element in the form of a return spring.

[0003] DESCRIPTION AND ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION

[0004] The present invention relates to an adapter plate for connecting a first housing, in particular a braking force generator, to a second housing, in particular a brake master cylinder, comprising:

[0005] - a practically circular recess for connecting a first orifice of the first housing, to a second opening of the second housing,

[0006] - at least one through-hole spaced away from the recess for fixing the plate adaptation to at least one of the housings and / or between the housings with at least one fixing element, and

[0007] - at least one relief on the edge of the recess and extending into the recess to to fix in the first casing a spring element, in particular a helical spring.

[0008] The adapter plate offers a particularly advantageous way of connecting different housings; for example, the adapter plate according to the invention allows, starting from the above-mentioned attachment of a brake master cylinder to a brake force generator, the installation of the spring element in the housing of the brake force generator and the connection of the adapter plate to the first corresponding housing, for example by screwing, to obtain a pre-assembled, advantageous sub-assembly, and then attaching it to the brake master cylinder. This ensures that the spring element will be fixed before the assembly of the two housings, by the corresponding lugs on the housing of the brake force generator.

[0009] The spring element thus rests against or touches the corresponding ridge(s). In particular, the mounting of the adapter plate allows the spring element to be pre-stressed within the housing, in the direction of the adapter plate. The ridge(s) thus act to some extent as a support spacer for the spring element. Another advantage of this practical embodiment is that the second housing, for example the brake master cylinder, can be easily replaced without risking, during disassembly, the spring element being thrown against the operator, as it remains secured by the adapter plate.

[0010] Advantageously, the relief(s) in particular are oriented towards the first housing and thus towards the spring element which rests at least partly against the adapter plate and / or the relief of the adapter plate.

[0011] In particular, the relief is at least partially elastically deformable to adapt to the contour of the spring element.

[0012] The use of the adapter plate according to the invention does not require that the two housing openings correspond geometrically, since the adapter plate generally covers the opening of each housing. This ensures, to a certain extent, that even housing openings of different geometric shapes—for example, an opening that is at least practically circular and one that is practically oval, and / or housing openings of different diameters—can be adapted to each other; thus, the housing interiors will be connected. For example, a through-hole, and in particular two through-holes, are diametrically opposed with respect to the recess for attaching the adapter plate to the first housing, and / or at least one through-hole is used to attach the two housings to each other for attaching the adapter plate between the two housings.

[0013] It is certainly possible, but not necessary, for the adapter plate to be connected to both housings by the same fastener; thus, in particular, at least one through-hole in the first housing and in the second housing allows the second housing to be attached to the first housing without the fastener used for this purpose, for example a screw, also passing through a through-hole in the adapter plate. The adapter plate is connected to at least one of the housings, for example to the first housing, by a screw and / or rivet connection, or by bonding, welding, or crimping.

[0014] According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the adapter plate comprises several through holes distributed around the recess. The use of several through holes advantageously ensures that the adapter plate is fixed particularly securely between the housings. For example, at least one pair of through holes are diametrically opposed with respect to the recess.

[0015] In a particularly preferred manner, the adapter plate has several raised features distributed along its edge. The use of several raised features has the advantage of holding the spring element particularly securely in the corresponding housing, for example, with at least one pair of raised features diametrically opposite each other with respect to the recess. In particular, two such pairs are preferably offset perpendicularly to each other, i.e., by 90°, thus providing a total of four raised features on the adapter plate.

[0016] According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the relief(s) are connected to the adapter plate by a material, force, and / or shape connection. This connection of the relief to the adapter plate allows the relief to be advantageously manufactured independently of the adapter plate and to be geometrically optimized. The number of reliefs is chosen according to requirements, in particular according to the force of the spring element, and they are installed on the adapter plate.

[0017] At least one of the reliefs is advantageously made in one piece with the adapter plate. This one-piece construction has the advantage of not requiring additional assembly steps to install the relief onto the adapter plate, which is thus manufactured in a particularly simple manner.

[0018] According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the relief, or at least one of the reliefs, has a stiffening embossment. This stiffening embossing advantageously ensures that the relief is particularly robust and resists the force of the spring element without being damaged; in particular, plastic deformation of the relief is advantageously avoided.

[0019] In a particularly preferred manner, the adapter plate has a raised step relative to the top of the adapter plate and surrounding the recess, with the relief(s) being on the step. This step and the position of the relief(s) have the advantage of keeping the spring element away from the top of the adapter plate and making contact with the relief(s) but not with the top.

[0020] According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, one side of the step, opposite the relief(s), receives an elastically deformable sealing element, in particular an O-ring. The sealing element advantageously ensures the sealing of the respective interiors of the two housings against the environment. Depending on the geometry of the sealing element used and that of the step, the sealing or deformation of the sealing element occurs axially, radially, or at an angle during assembly.

[0021] The housing device according to the invention comprises a first housing, in particular that of a braking force generator, and a second housing, in particular that of a brake master cylinder; this device is characterized in that the housings are connected one to the other by the adapter plate according to the invention with the advantages already mentioned above.

[0022] The braking system of a motor vehicle as specified is characterized by the housing device according to the invention, the first housing being part of a braking force generator and the second housing being part of a brake master cylinder of the braking system, this system also having the advantages already mentioned. Brief description of the drawings

[0023] The present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to an embodiment of an adapter plate for housings of a braking system shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

[0024] [Fig. IA] Perspective view from above of an embodiment of an adapter plate according to the invention,

[0025] [Fig.1B] Perspective view of the underside of the adapter plate of [Fig.1A],

[0026] [Fig.2] Perspective view of a housing device with an adapter plate according to the invention,

[0027] [Fig.3A] Cross-sectional view of a housing device assembled with an adapter plate according to the invention,

[0028] [Fig.3B] Enlarged cross-sectional view of detail A of [Fig.3A].

[0029] DESCRIPTION OF AN IMPLEMENTATION METHOD

[0030] Figures IA and IB show an adapter plate 1, in particular a metal plate for connecting two housings to each other. Figure IA shows the top 2 of the adapter plate; Figure 1B shows the underside 3 of this plate. The adapter plate 1 has a recess 4, preferably at least practically circular, for connecting the openings of the housings. The geometry of the recess 4 is, however, chosen only as an example; it can be arbitrary, in particular it is not necessarily rotationally symmetrical.

[0031] The adapter plate 1 has at least one through-hole 5; in the example, it preferably has several through-holes 5 spaced apart from the recess 4 and distributed around the recess 4. The example shows two through-holes 5 diametrically opposed with respect to the recess 4, i.e. a pair of through-holes 5. According to unrepresented variants of the embodiment, there are more than two symmetrical through-holes 5, in particular several pairs of through-holes 5 which are diametrically opposed or even an odd number of through-holes 5.

[0032] The through holes 5 secure the adapter plate 1 to at least one of the housings and / or installed between the housings, using at least one fastener (not shown); this fastener is, for example, a screw or a rivet. The holes 5 through-holes are made here in the flange-shaped area 6, outside the recess 4.

[0033] The adapter plate 1 is manufactured with an overall material economy of its surface area so that the recess 4 comprises only a narrow peripheral zone of material whose geometry is chosen to be sufficient to securely cover the respective openings of the two housings. Only the flange-shaped areas 6 have dimensions allowing the creation of through holes 5.

[0034] The adapter plate 1 further comprises at least one raised feature 8 on the rim 7 of the recess 4 and projecting into the recess 4; this raised feature serves to secure a spring element installed in one of the housings. The raised feature 8 is in contact with the spring element in the installed state.

[0035] The adapter plate 1 has several reliefs 8 distributed around the rim 7. In practice, two pairs of reliefs 8 are diametrically opposite each other with respect to the recess 4 and are oriented perpendicularly to each other, i.e., at 90°; thus, there are generally four reliefs 8 on the adapter plate 1, which is only one example. An odd number of reliefs 8 may also be present, for example, three, and in particular, more than the four reliefs 8 shown.

[0036] The reliefs 8 are here in one piece with the adapter plate 1. According to an alternative embodiment not shown, at least one of the reliefs 8 is connected to the adapter plate 1 by a connection based on material, force, and / or shape; this connection is made, for example, by welding, bonding, screwing, riveting, or crimping. The reliefs 8 also have identical geometric shapes here as an example; each of the reliefs 8 has a stiffening embossment 9 to increase its rigidity.

[0037] The adapter plate 1 has a peripheral step 11 extending from the top 10 of the adapter plate 1 and projecting from the bottom 3. The step 11 is also integral with the adapter plate 1. Alternatively, the step 11 is connected to the adapter plate 1 by a material, force, and / or shape connection. The reliefs 8 are correspondingly formed on the step 11. The step 11 and / or the reliefs 8 are obtained, for example, by shaping the adapter plate 1.

[0038] On the side of the step 11 opposite the reliefs 8, the step 11 receives an elastically deformable sealing element, coming around the edge 7 of the recess 6 in the receiving area 12; this sealing element is for example an O-ring.

[0039] Figure 2 shows a housing assembly, which is part of a brake system not otherwise detailed, of a motor vehicle. The housing assembly 13 has a first housing 14 which is part of a brake force generator 15 of the brake system and a second housing 16 which is part of a brake master cylinder 17 of this brake system. The first housing 14 has a first opening 18 and the second housing 16 has a second opening 19.

[0040] The two housings 14, 16 are connected to each other by their respective openings 18, 19, with the adapter plate 1 described above, as shown schematically by the arrows. The adapter plate 1 is fixed to the front face 20 of the first housing 14 surrounding the first opening 18, thus forming a flange area.

[0041] For this purpose, screw-shaped fasteners 21 are engaged through the through holes 5 of the adapter plate 1 and come into screw holes in the housings 22. The screw-shaped fasteners 21 are only examples.

[0042] The reliefs 8 fix in the first housing 14 as already described, a spring element 23 here in the form of a helical spring already placed inside the first housing 14. The spring element 23 is the return spring of the brake force generator.

[0043] As described above, the adapter plate 1 is made with material economy by not completely covering the front face 20. According to an alternative embodiment suggested in [Fig.2], the adapter plate 1 has a geometric shape to completely cover the front face 20; for example, it thus has an almost rectangular outer contour.

[0044] To fix the second housing 16 to the first housing 14, i.e. with the adapter plate 1 between the two housings 14, 16, on its second front face 24, the second housing 16 has two through holes 25 diametrically opposed to each other with respect to the opening of housing 19 and spaced away from the opening of housing 19.

[0045] The through holes 25 receive, as already indicated, the screw-shaped fixing elements 26 which are screwed into the corresponding housings 27, preferably screw holes with a thread.

[0046] Figures 3A and 3B show detailed views along a vertical section of [Fig. 2] the housing assembly 13 in the installed state. The section plane intersects one of the reliefs 8. [Fig. 3B] represents, at an enlarged scale, the circled portion bearing the reference A of [Fig. 3A].

[0047] It should be noted that the two housings 14, 16 are connected to each other by the adapter plate 1, fitting together in a sealed manner. It should also be noted that the raised section 8 is pressed against or touches the spring element 23.

[0048] As already described, the step 11 receives a sealing element 28, preferably in the form of an O-ring. The sealing element 28 has a circular cross-section here only by way of example. However, other cross-sectional shapes, in particular a rectangular or X-shaped cross-section, are possible.

[0049] In addition, a sealing agent, in particular silicone, to improve the seal is provided between at least one of the housings 14, 16 and the adapter plate 1, for example between the first housing 14 and the adapter plate 1.

[0050] NOMENCLATURE OF MAIN ELEMENTS

[0051] 1 Adapter plate

[0052] 2 Top of the plate

[0053] 3 Underside of the plate

[0054] 4 Obviously

[0055] 5 Through hole

[0056] 6 Flange-shaped area

[0057] 7 Rim of the recess

[0058] 8 Relief

[0059] 9 Embossing

[0060] 10 Top of the adapter plate

[0061] 11 Step from the underside of the plate

[0062] 12 Reception area

[0063] 13 Housing device

[0064] 14 First case

[0065] 15 Braking force generator

[0066] 16 Second case

[0067] 17 Brake master cylinder

[0068] 18 First opening of the casing

[0069] 19 Second case opening

[0070] 20 Front view of the first housing

[0071] 21 Fastening element

[0072] 22 Screw housing / hole

[0073] 23 Spring element

[0074] 25 Through hole

[0075] 26 Fastening element

[0076] 28 Sealing element / O-ring

Claims

Demands

1. Adapter plate (1) for connecting a first housing (14), in particular a brake force generator (15), to a second housing (16), in particular a brake master cylinder (17), comprising: - a practically circular recess (4) for connecting a first orifice (18) of the first housing (14), a second orifice (19) of the second housing (16), - at least one through orifice (5) offset from the recess (4) for fixing the adapter plate (1) to one of the housings (14, 16) and / or between the housings (14, 16) with at least one fixing element (21), and - at least one relief (8) on the rim (7) of the recess (4) and extending into the recess (4) for fixing in the first housing (14) a spring element (23), in particular a helical spring.

2. Adaptation plate according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises several through holes (5) distributed around the recess (4).

3. Adaptation plate according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises several reliefs (8) distributed on the rim (7).

4. Adaptation plate according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the relief (8) or at least one of the reliefs (8) is connected to the adaptation plate (1) by a connection by matter, by a connection by force and / or a connection by shape.

5. Adapter plate according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the relief (8) or at least one of the reliefs (8) is made in one piece with the adapter plate (1).

6. Adaptation plate according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least one of the reliefs (8) has an embossing (9).

7. Adaptation plate according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a raised step (11) around the recess (4) and extending from the top surface (10) of the adaptation plate (1), the relief(s) (8) being on the step (11).

8. Adapter plate according to claim 7, characterized in that the side of the step (11) opposite the relief(s) (8) has an elastically deformable sealing element (28), in particular an O-ring.

9. Housing device (13) comprising a first housing (14) in particular of a brake force generator (15) and a second housing (16) in particular of a brake master cylinder (17), device characterized in that the housings (14, 15) are connected by an adapter plate (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. Motor vehicle braking system characterized by a housing arrangement (13) according to claim 9, the first housing (14) being part of a brake force generator (15) and the second housing (16) being part of a brake master cylinder (17) of the braking system.

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