Brake Booster Air Intake Sealing Against Water and Debris
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Utility and recreational vehicles require an effective brake booster assembly to enhance braking force, but existing systems lack efficient integration and sealing to prevent debris and water ingress, affecting performance and reliability.
Innovation Solution
A brake booster assembly with a diaphragm-based design, including a housing, cover, and boot, where the fresh air intake is fluidly coupled to the boot, and the inlet is positioned vertically above the brake booster, enhancing sealing and protection against environmental factors, and a method of manufacturing involving the sealing of these components to ensure operational integrity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the brake booster assembly uses a conventional design without enhanced sealing, then the structure is simpler and easier to manufacture, but debris and water can ingress into the internal components, affecting performance and reliability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a boot made of flexible material that surrounds the input shaft and seals against debris and water ingress. The boot acts as a flexible shell protecting the internal components while allowing necessary movement of the input shaft during brake operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The boot is nested within the housing structure, with the input shaft passing through the boot. This nested arrangement allows the boot to seal around the moving shaft while being contained within the overall housing, creating an integrated sealing solution without adding external complexity.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the inlet is positioned vertically above the brake booster, then protection against water and debris ingress is improved, but the installation space requirements and structural complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The inlet is repositioned from a horizontal or side orientation to a vertical orientation above the brake booster assembly. This dimensional change in inlet positioning allows gravity to work in favor of preventing water and debris ingress, as contaminants naturally settle downward rather than entering the assembly through the upward-facing inlet.
Solution Approach 2:
The inlet area is given a specific vertical orientation and positioning above the assembly, creating a localized protective feature. This local quality change at the inlet position provides enhanced protection against harmful factors without requiring changes to the entire brake booster structure.
3Reliability
If the fresh air intake is fluidly coupled to the boot, then the internal components are maintained in a cleaner environment, but the sealing requirements and manufacturing precision increase
Solution Approach 1:
The boot serves as a flexible sealing barrier that is fluidly coupled to the fresh air intake system. This flexible coupling allows the boot to maintain its sealing function while accommodating movement and manufacturing tolerances, reducing the need for extremely tight sealing tolerances that would be required with rigid connections.
Solution Approach 2:
The boot acts as an intermediary component between the fresh air intake and the internal brake booster components. It provides a sealed pathway for fresh air while blocking contaminants, serving as a mediator that protects internal components without requiring direct rigid sealing connections between all components.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If the brake booster assembly uses enhanced sealing components (boot, housing, cover), then protection against environmental factors is improved, but the manufacturing complexity and assembly steps increase
Solution Approach 1:
The brake booster assembly is segmented into distinct components: housing, cover, boot, and diaphragm assembly. Each component can be manufactured separately with standardized sealing features, allowing for specialized manufacturing processes for each part while maintaining overall assembly simplicity through modular design.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple sealing functions are merged into the boot component, which simultaneously seals around the input shaft, protects against debris and water, and couples to the fresh air intake system. This consolidation of sealing functions into a single component reduces the total number of sealing elements and assembly steps compared to using multiple separate seals.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution effectively increases braking force by utilizing a pressure differential and maintains the brake booster's internal components in a clean, dry environment, enhancing reliability and durability by preventing debris and water ingress.
Implementation Method 1
The brake booster assembly includes a diaphragm positioned within the housing... effectively increases braking force by utilizing a pressure differential
Implementation Method 2
maintains the brake booster's internal components in a clean, dry environment, enhancing reliability and durability by preventing debris and water ingress
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle is provided which comprises a plurality of ground engaging members and a frame supported by the plurality of ground engaging members. An engine is supported by the frame, the engine comprising an engine intake that includes an engine intake inlet. A brake assembly comprises a brake output member coupled to at least one ground engaging member of the plurality of ground engaging members, a master cylinder coupled to the brake output member, and a brake booster operably coupled to the master cylinder. Further, the brake booster comprising a body defining a fresh air intake, a conduit extending outwardly from the fresh air intake, and an inlet to the conduit positioned vertically above the brake booster.