Hydraulic blocks for non-human brake equipment

Abstract

The present invention relates to a hydraulic block (84) for non-human-powered braking equipment, configured as a rectangular parallelepiped housing block. [Solution] The hydraulic block 84 includes a non-powered cylinder bore 92 for accommodating the non-powered cylinder 16 and two chambers 44a, 44b arranged above the non-powered cylinder bore 92, which form the brake fluid reservoir 44. On the side of the non-powered cylinder bore 92 facing away from the brake fluid reservoir 44, there is arranged a separation cylinder 60 extending perpendicularly to the non-powered cylinder bore 92 and having a separation piston 64 arranged therein, which hydraulically separates the first and second supply connections 32, 80 to the drive dynamic control 8 from each other. The separation cylinder (60) is hydraulically connected to the non-human-powered cylinder (16) so that the first axial piston surface (70) of the separation piston (64) can be biased by pressure from the non-human-powered cylinder (16) to generate braking pressure via the second axial piston surface (66) of the separation piston (64).

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a hydraulic block for non-human-powered braking systems, and also to a master brake cylinder-less braking system having such a hydraulic block. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 relates to a hydraulic block for a hydraulic unit of a hydraulic non-human-powered vehicle brake system. The hydraulic block has a non-human-powered cylinder bore perpendicular to the master brake cylinder bore and a housing for a pedal stroke simulator. The housing for the pedal stroke simulator is attached to the hydraulic block parallel to the non-human-powered cylinder bore.

[0003] From patent document 2, a hydraulic block for hydraulic non-human-powered vehicle braking installations is known, in which the connections for the wheel brakes are mounted along the transverse faces together with the connections for the brake fluid reservoirs or along the longitudinal faces on the broad faces of the hydraulic block. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] German Patent Application Publication No. 102018220573 [Patent Document 2] German Patent Application Publication No. 102017204407 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The problem underlying the present invention is to provide a hydraulic block for non-human brake installations which requires a reduced design space and can be manufactured economically. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] This problem is solved by a hydraulic block for non-human brake installations having the features of claim 1. The dependent claims each referencing this describe preferred developments of the invention.

[0007] The present invention provides a hydraulic block for non-human-powered brake equipment, configured as a rectangular parallelepiped housing block. The hydraulic block includes a non-human-powered cylinder bore for accommodating a non-human-powered cylinder and two chambers disposed above the non-human-powered cylinder bore that form a brake fluid reservoir. The rectangular parallelepiped housing block is preferably made of an extruded aluminum block. Such an extruded aluminum block can be manufactured easily and inexpensively, thereby reducing the cost of the hydraulic block. The use of aluminum or an aluminum alloy reduces the weight of the hydraulic block. The first and second chambers of the brake fluid reservoir are formed in the housing, eliminating the need for additional mounting components and saving design space.

[0008] A separation cylinder, with a separation piston disposed therein, is arranged on the side of the non-powered cylinder bore facing away from the brake fluid reservoir. The separation cylinder extends perpendicular to the non-powered cylinder bore and hydraulically separates the first and second supply connections to the drive dynamic control from each other. The non-powered cylinder bore preferably extends in the thickness direction of the hydraulic block, while the separation cylinder extends longitudinally. Because the separation cylinder is longer than the non-powered cylinder bore, the perpendicular arrangement of the separation cylinder eliminates the need to increase the thickness of the hydraulic block, thereby reducing the design space required for the hydraulic block. Due to the separation of the supply connections, the separation cylinder provides the necessary safety, so that if a leak occurs in one brake circuit, the other brake circuits remain functional. The separation cylinder has the additional advantage that only one separation cylinder is required for separation, unlike other piping systems that require separate separation valves for each brake circuit. This, in turn, reduces the design space required for such a hydraulic block.

[0009] The separating cylinder is hydraulically connected to the non-powered cylinder, so that a first axial piston surface of the separating piston can be biased by pressure of the non-powered cylinder and braking pressure can be generated via a second axial piston surface of the separating piston. In this way, the separating cylinder serves not only to separate the respective brake circuits but also to generate pressure in one of the circuits.

[0010] It is particularly preferred that the hydraulic block be configured without a master cylinder, i.e., that the master brake cylinder operated by the brake pedal is not arranged in the hydraulic block. Therefore, a hydraulic block configured in this way can save space for the master cylinder, which in turn can significantly reduce the components and design space for such a hydraulic block, which can be manufactured economically.

[0011] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the first axial piston surface of the separation piston is configured such that, when the piston surface abuts against the separation cylinder bottom surface, a portion of the piston surface is spaced from the separation cylinder bottom surface. That is, the piston surface abuts only a portion of the separation cylinder bottom surface. This configuration forms a space between the piston surface and the separation cylinder bottom surface, in which brake fluid is disposed. In this way, the pressure of the brake fluid continues to act on a portion of the piston surface, allowing it to move within the separation cylinder. The piston surface preferably has a central extension that abuts against the separation cylinder bottom surface.

[0012] In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the EMC contact for the control device is provided through the cover of the non-powered cylinder. Therefore, a separate EMC (electromagnetic compatibility) contact is not provided. In this way, the EMC contact is formed by the existing cover of the non-powered cylinder. As a result, the cover of the non-powered cylinder directly performs multiple functions. In this way, the space for a separate EMC contact can be saved, which in turn reduces the size of the hydraulic block.

[0013] The electrical contacts for the control device and the switching valve for switching the connection between the first chamber of the brake fluid reservoir and the first supply connection are preferably arranged in a quadrant area around the cover of the non-powered cylinder. Both the electrical contacts and the switching valve are connected to a circuit board of the control device. It is particularly preferred that rotor sensor contacts are also arranged in the quadrant area. These contacts and the switching valve are arranged in a limited area. Compared to an arrangement in which the contacts are distributed over the entire surface of the hydraulic block, the size of the circuit board and therefore the size of the control device can be reduced, and such an arrangement therefore reduces the design space required for the hydraulic block.

[0014] In a preferred development, the electrical contacts and the switching valve for the control device are arranged on the side of the non-powered cylinder facing the connector of the control device. The circuit board of the control device is connected to both the connector and the contacts. By appropriately arranging the contacts, the distance between the connector and the contacts can be minimized. As a result, the circuit board only needs to have the length between the contacts and the connector. This allows for further reduction in the size of the circuit board and therefore the size of the control device.

[0015] Preferably, an undercut is formed in the non-powered cylinder bore, through which the switching valve is connected to the first chamber of the brake fluid reservoir. The undercut is configured as a limited area having a diameter larger than the core diameter of the non-powered cylinder bore. This creates a hydraulic line, allowing the brake fluid to bypass the non-powered cylinder bore. This eliminates the need to move the non-powered cylinder bore to form the hydraulic bore. Since such a movement would increase the overall size of the hydraulic block, this undercut allows for a compact, space-saving design of the hydraulic block.

[0016] In another preferred embodiment, the separation piston has at least one through-hole through which the supply connection for the drive dynamic control is connected to the second chamber of the brake fluid reservoir when the separation piston is in its basic position. A separation piston spring is preferably arranged on the opposite piston face to shift the separation piston to its basic position, in which part of the piston face abuts the bottom face of the separation cylinder. This basic position is therefore occupied by the separation piston spring when the piston face facing away from the separation piston spring is depressurized. To connect the second chamber of the brake fluid reservoir to the supply connection for the drive dynamic, the separation cylinder is connected to the brake fluid reservoir via a hydraulic line. Thus, the drive dynamic control can receive brake fluid from the brake fluid reservoir through the through-hole of the separation piston when in the basic position. Thus, the through-hole of the separation piston, preferably cooperating with a seal, simultaneously constitutes a valve between the brake fluid reservoir and the drive dynamic control. The separation cylinder thus performs multiple functions, thereby reducing the number of components and saving design space.

[0017] In one advantageous embodiment, the hydraulic block forms two supply connections for the drive dynamic control, which are aligned with the control device and arranged vertically one above the other. The vertical arrangement of these supply connections results in a space-saving arrangement of these connections in the hydraulic block, which avoids the need for an increased width of the hydraulic block.

[0018] In another advantageous embodiment, the directional control valve and the non-powered cylinder are connected to the supply connection for the drive dynamic control via a common horizontal connecting bore. This eliminates the need for separate bores for the directional control valve and the non-powered cylinder. This reduces manufacturing time. Likewise, since there is no need to provide space for these separate additional bores, the hydraulic block requires less design space.

[0019] The present invention additionally provides a master brake cylinder-less brake system having a hydraulic block according to the present invention. A master brake cylinder-less brake system has the advantage that the space for the master cylinder and the hydraulic lines required for it can be saved, so that the entire brake system requires less space. Such a brake system also achieves the advantages already mentioned for the hydraulic block.

[0020] An embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the drawings and explained in more detail in the following description. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] 1 is a brake system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is an exploded view of an embodiment of a hydraulic block. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a front view showing an embodiment of a hydraulic block. [Figure 4] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the hydraulic block shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 5] 1 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a separation cylinder with a separation piston. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0022] FIG. 1 shows a brake system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Here, the brake system 1 includes two units 4 and 8. The first unit 4 includes a non-human brake pressure generator 12 having a non-human cylinder 16 in which a non-human piston 20 is movable and a spindle drive mechanism 24. The spindle drive mechanism 24 is coupled to a motor 28 of the non-human brake pressure generator 12, via which the rotational movement of the spindle drive mechanism 24 is converted into a translational movement of the non-human piston 20. The translational movement of the non-human piston 20 provides brake pressure at a first supply connection 32. A first brake circuit 36 ​​of a second unit 8, configured as a drive dynamic control, is connected to the first supply connection 32. This brake pressure operates two wheel brakes 40 of the first brake circuit 36.

[0023] The first unit 4 additionally includes a brake fluid reservoir 44 divided into two chambers 44a, 44b. The first chamber 44a of the brake fluid reservoir 44 is connected to the non-operated cylinder 16 and the first supply connection 32 via a check valve 48 that closes the first chamber 44a. A 2 / 2-way switching valve 52 that is conductive when not energized is arranged in parallel with the check valve 48. The switching valve 52 is configured to additionally include a switching check valve 52a that blocks the direction of the brake fluid reservoir 44.

[0024] Additionally, the first unit 4 includes a separation valve 56 that receives brake fluid supply via the second chamber 44b of the brake fluid reservoir 44. The separation valve 56 includes a separation cylinder 60 and a separation piston 64 that is movable within the separation cylinder 60. A separation piston spring 68 that urges the separation piston 64 in one direction is disposed on the second axial piston surface 66. The separation piston 64 additionally includes a separation piston extension 72 on the piston surface facing away from the separation piston spring 68, so that the first axial piston surface 70 of the separation piston 64 does not rest entirely on the separation cylinder bottom surface 76.

[0025] On the side of the separating cylinder 60 on which the separating piston spring 68 is arranged, the separating cylinder is hydraulically connected to a second supply connection 80. A first axial piston surface 70 is connected both to the non-human brake pressure generator 12 and to the first supply connection 32. When pressure is generated by the non-human brake pressure generator 12 at the first axial piston surface 70, the separating piston 64 moves towards the separating piston spring 68, so that via the second axial piston surface 66 a brake pressure is also generated at the second supply connection 80 in addition to the pressure at the first supply connection 32. This makes it possible to generate brake pressure in a second brake circuit 82 of the second unit 8.

[0026] The second unit 8 shown in FIG. 1 is a conventional drive dynamics control, such as an ESP control, which will not be described in detail here.

[0027] 2 shows an exploded view of an embodiment of the hydraulic block 84. In this example, the first unit 4 is entirely constituted by this hydraulic block 84. The first and second chambers 44a, 44b of the brake fluid reservoir 44 are disposed on the upper surface of the hydraulic block 84. These chambers 44a, 44b are closed by a stopcock 88. A non-human-powered cylinder bore 92 that houses the non-human-powered cylinder 16 is disposed in the center of the thickness of the hydraulic block 84. The non-human-powered piston 20 in the non-human-powered cylinder 16 is axially movable within the non-human-powered cylinder 16 via a transmission 100 that can be driven by the motor 28.

[0028] The hydraulic block 84 is additionally configured with a separation cylinder 60. The separation cylinder 60 is arranged on the opposite side of the non-powered cylinder bore 92 from the brake fluid reservoir 44, so that the separation cylinder 60 is below the non-powered cylinder bore 92. In this case, the separation cylinder 60 is arranged perpendicular to the non-powered cylinder bore 92. A separation piston 64 is arranged in the separation cylinder 60 and is movable in the axial direction of the separation cylinder 60. A separation piston spring 68 is arranged between a separation cylinder cap 104 and the separation piston 64, and via this, the separation piston 64 is urged by a spring force in a direction opposite to the separation cylinder cap 104. Two seals 108 are additionally arranged in the separation cylinder 60 to seal the separation piston 64 inside the separation cylinder 60.

[0029] A cover 112 for the non-operated cylinder 16 is arranged on the side of the hydraulic block 84 facing away from the motor 28, thereby closing the non-operated cylinder. A directional control valve 52 is additionally mounted on this side, housed in a correspondingly formed directional control valve bore 113 in the hydraulic block 84. The cover 112 and the directional control valve 52 extend into a control device 114 arranged on this side. The control device 112 has a connector 116, via which the control device 114 is contacted, which protrudes laterally from the hydraulic block 84 when the control device 114 is installed.

[0030] The hydraulic block 84 additionally defines a contact bore 120 around the non-powered cylinder 16 in the region of the directional control valve 52, via which electrical contacts 124 for the motor 28 can be connected to the control device 114 through the hydraulic block 84. Additionally, a rotor sensor contact bore 122 is defined around the non-powered cylinder 16 in the region of the directional control valve 52, via which a rotor sensor contact 123 is connected to the control device 114. The contact bore 120, the directional control valve bore 113, and the rotor sensor contact bore 122 are arranged in a quadrant around the cover 112 of the non-powered cylinder 16 in this embodiment. In particular, the contact bore 120, and therefore the contacts 124, the rotor sensor contact 123, and the directional control valve 52, are arranged on the side of the non-powered cylinder bore 92 facing the connector 116 of the directional control device 114. Additionally, first and second supply connections 32, 80 are arranged on the side of the control device 114.

[0031] FIG. 3 shows a front view of an embodiment of the hydraulic block 84. This embodiment illustrates how the components and hydraulic piping are arranged in the hydraulic block 84. A horizontal connecting bore 128 connects the directional control valve 52 and the non-powered cylinder 16 to the first supply connection 32 for the drive dynamic control 8. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the supply connections 32, 80 for the drive dynamic control are arranged vertically one above the other and aligned with the control device 114. The supply connections 32, 80 and the contact bore 120 are located on opposite sides of the non-powered cylinder bore 92. To supply brake fluid to the separation cylinder 60, a supply pipe 132 is formed in the hydraulic block 84 through the vertical and horizontal bores and connects the second chamber 44b of the brake fluid reservoir 44 to the separation cylinder 60.

[0032] Figure 4 shows a perspective view of the hydraulic block 84 shown in Figure 2. In this view, it can be seen that the non-powered cylinder bore 92 has an undercut 136 formed therein, through which the directional control valve bore 113 is connected to the first chamber 44a of the brake fluid reservoir 44. In addition, it can be seen that the non-powered cylinder bore 92 is connected to the rear region of the separation cylinder 60 through a front bore 140.

[0033] A cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a separation cylinder 60 with a separation piston 64 is shown in Figure 5. Here, the separation piston 64 is pressed toward the separation cylinder bottom surface 76 via a separation piston spring 68 arranged between the separation piston 64 and a separation cylinder cap 104. The separation piston 64 has a central separation piston extension 72 on the side facing the separation cylinder bottom surface 76, via which the separation piston 64 does not abut completely against the separation cylinder bottom surface 76. As a result, the pressure of the non-power cylinder 16 acting in the area of ​​the separation cylinder bottom surface 76 can still act on the separation piston 64, causing it to slide toward the separation cylinder cap 104.

[0034] A supply line 132 connected to the brake fluid reservoir 44 is arranged in the central region of the separation cylinder 60, so that it is connected to the separation cylinder 60 in the region of the separation piston 64. Seals 108 abut the separation piston 64 on both sides of the supply line 132, so that the remaining part of the separation cylinder 60 is sealed off from the supply line 132. The separation piston 64 has circumferential through-holes 144 which are located between the two seals 108 when the separation piston 64 is in its basic position abutting the separation cylinder bottom surface 76. In this basic position, the connection between the supply line 132 and a supply connection bore 148 leading to the second supply connection 80 is thus opened. This connection is closed as soon as the separation piston 64 moves towards the separation cylinder cap 104 through the pressure of the non-powered cylinder 16. The separation piston 64 thereby simultaneously constitutes a valve. [Explanation of symbols]

[0035] 8 Drive Dynamic Control 16 Non-human-powered cylinder 32 Supply Connection 44 Brake fluid reservoir 44a,b Chamber 52 Switching valve 60 Separation Cylinder 64 Separate piston 66 first axial piston surface 70 second axial piston surface 80 Supply Connection 84 Hydraulic Block 92 Non-human cylinder bore 112 Cover 114 Control device 116 Connector 124 Electrical Contacts 128 connection bore 136 Undercut 144 Through Hole

Claims

1. A hydraulic block (84) for a non-human-powered brake system configured as a rectangular parallelepiped housing block including a non-human-powered cylinder bore (92) for accommodating a non-human-powered cylinder (16) and two chambers (44a, 44b) arranged above the non-human-powered cylinder bore (92) to form a brake fluid reservoir (44), a separation cylinder (60) is arranged on a side of the non-manual cylinder bore (92) facing away from the brake fluid reservoir (44), the separation cylinder (60) having a separation piston (64) arranged therein, the separation piston hydraulically separating first and second supply connections (32, 80) to a drive dynamic control (8) from one another, the separation cylinder (60) being hydraulically connected to the non-manual cylinder (16), whereby a first axial piston surface (70) of the separation piston (64) can be biased by the pressure of the non-manual cylinder (16) and brake pressure can be generated via a second axial piston surface (66) of the separation piston (64).

2. 2. The hydraulic block of claim 1, wherein the first axial piston surface of the separation piston is configured such that a portion of the piston surface is spaced apart from the separation cylinder bottom surface when the piston surface abuts the separation cylinder bottom surface.

3. 3. A hydraulic block (84) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that an EMC contact for the control device is provided through the cover (112) of the non-human-powered cylinder (16).

4. 3. The hydraulic block (84) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that electrical contacts (124) for a control device (114) and a switching valve (52) for switching the connection between the first chamber (44a) of the brake fluid reservoir (44) and the first supply connection (32) are arranged in a quadrant area around the cover (112) of the non-human-powered cylinder (16).

5. 5. The hydraulic block (84) according to claim 4, wherein the electrical contacts (124) for the control device (114) and the switching valve (52) are arranged on the side of the non-human-powered cylinder (16) facing the connector (116) of the control device (114).

6. 5. The hydraulic block (84) according to claim 4, wherein an undercut (136) is formed in the non-human cylinder bore (92), through which the switching valve (52) is connected to the first chamber (44a) of the brake fluid reservoir (44).

7. 3. The hydraulic block (84) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the separating piston (64) has at least one through-hole (144) via which a supply connection (32, 80) for the drive dynamic control (8) is connected with the second chamber (44b) of the brake fluid reservoir (44) when the separating piston (64) is in its basic position.

8. 5. The hydraulic block (84) according to claim 4, characterized in that the hydraulic block (84) forms two supply connections (32, 80) for a drive dynamic control (8) which are aligned with the control device (114) and arranged vertically one above the other.

9. 5. The hydraulic block (84) according to claim 4, characterized in that the switching valve (52) and the non-human-powered cylinder (16) are connected to the supply connection (32, 80) for the drive dynamic control (8) via a common horizontal connecting bore (128).

10. A brake system (1) without a master brake cylinder, comprising a hydraulic block (84) according to claim 1 or 2.

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