U.S. patent application number 10/547838 was filed with the patent office on 2006-07-20 for container for hydraulic medium supply.
This patent application is currently assigned to Continental Teves AG & Co. OHG. Invention is credited to Werner Krebs, Wolfgang Neumann, Stephan Schlicht, Peter Tandler, Holger von Hayn.
Application Number | 20060157141 10/547838 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 32864284 |
Filed Date | 2006-07-20 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060157141 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
von Hayn; Holger ; et
al. |
July 20, 2006 |
Container for hydraulic medium supply
Abstract
Disclosed is a container for supplying pressure fluid to a
master cylinder of a hydraulic motor vehicle brake system. The
container includes a filling reservoir (2,29) arranged at a first
level (14,45) and including a fill hole (15,31) and a discharge
opening (16,32), a main reservoir (3,30) arranged at a second level
(19,46) and including an inlet opening (35, 44 and discharge
openings (47,48), as well as a device 8 for monitoring the
container's state of filling, with the first level (14,45) being
disposed above the second level (19,46), and the filling reservoir
(2,29) and the main reservoir (3,30) being interconnected. A device
(17,33) for filling the main reservoir is integrated with the
container and includes one or more channels (18,34).
Inventors: |
von Hayn; Holger; (Bad
Vilbel, DE) ; Tandler; Peter; (Kronberg/Ts., DE)
; Krebs; Werner; (Hambach, DE) ; Schlicht;
Stephan; (Nauheim, DE) ; Neumann; Wolfgang;
(Kurt Schumacher, DE) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Gerlinde M Nattler;Continental Teves Inc
One Continental Drive
Auburn Hills
MI
48326
US
|
Assignee: |
Continental Teves AG & Co.
OHG
Frankfurt am Main
DE
|
Family ID: |
32864284 |
Appl. No.: |
10/547838 |
Filed: |
March 8, 2004 |
PCT Filed: |
March 8, 2004 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/EP04/02355 |
371 Date: |
September 6, 2005 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
141/95 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B60T 17/06 20130101;
B60T 11/26 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
141/095 |
International
Class: |
B65B 1/30 20060101
B65B001/30 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Mar 8, 2003 |
DE |
103 10 170.5 |
Claims
1-6. (canceled)
7. A container for supplying pressure fluid to a master cylinder of
a hydraulic motor vehicle brake system, the container comprising: a
filling reservoir, arranged at a first level, including a fill hole
and a discharge opening; a main reservoir, arranged at a second
level, including an inlet opening and discharge openings; a device
(8) for monitoring a fluid level of the container, with the first
level being disposed above the second level, and the filling
reservoir and the main reservoir being interconnected; and a
filling device for filling the main reservoir, wherein the filling
device is integrated in the container and includes one or more
channels.
8. The device according to claim 7, wherein the container (1) has
an integral design.
9. The device according to claim 8, wherein the channel includes a
bottom wall and the wall isolates the pressure fluid of the main
reservoir from the channel and the filling reservoir in extreme
positions of the motor vehicle.
10. The device according to claim 9, wherein the container includes
a projection and the projection is supported on a master cylinder
of the motor vehicle.
11. The device according to claim 10, wherein a pressure fluid
supply line and a pressure fluid return line for component parts of
an electrohydraulic brake system are formed at the container.
12. The device according to claim 11, wherein the main reservoir is
subdivided into two or more compartments and the two or more
compartments are interconnected by means of openings.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] A container for supplying pressure fluid to a master
cylinder of a hydraulic motor vehicle brake system, which comprises
a filling reservoir arranged on a first level and including a fill
hole and a discharge opening, a main reservoir arranged on a second
level and including an inlet opening and discharge openings, as
well as a device for monitoring the container's state of filling,
with the first level being disposed above the second level, and the
filling reservoir and the main reservoir being interconnected.
[0002] A container of this type is disclosed in EP 1 019 272 B1.
The arrangement needs improvement in particular with respect to its
installation capability at the vehicle manufacturer's plant.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0003] In view of the above, an object of the present invention is
to provide an improved container for the pressure fluid supply.
[0004] According to the invention, this object is achieved in that
a means for filling the main reservoir is integrated in the
container and includes one or more channels, with the result that
the exchange of air between the reservoirs is improved.
[0005] The container has an integral design in a favorable
improvement of the invention. This will improve the assembly at the
vehicle manufacturer's plant.
[0006] The channels include a bottom wall in order to isolate the
pressure fluid of the main reservoir from the filling reservoir in
extreme positions of the motor vehicle occurring, for example, in
intensive brake operations, and further in order to prevent the
escape of pressure fluid through a container cover that closes the
fill hole.
[0007] The first filling of pressure fluid into the brake system is
carried out by a machine at the vehicle manufacturer's plant. To
this end, a filler cap is fitted to the container, and the brake
system is filled with pressure fluid after evacuation. With a
projection being shaped at the container, the container is
supported on the master cylinder in order to accommodate the forces
which develop in the first filling operation and are caused by the
fitment of the filler cap and the subsequent machining
operation.
[0008] According to a favorable embodiment of the invention, a
pressure fluid supply line and a pressure fluid return line for
component parts of an electrohydraulic brake system (EHB) are
formed at the container. An electrohydraulic brake system (EHB)
concerns an electronically controlled system, the function and
components of which are generally known in the art.
[0009] According to another preferred embodiment, the main
reservoir is subdivided into several compartments being
interconnected by means of openings. The two compartments which are
associated with the pressure chambers of the master cylinder are
designed in such a fashion that in the case of pressure fluid loss
in one compartment, a defined residual volume still prevails in the
second compartment.
[0010] It is possible to use the invention in principally all brake
systems, while it is especially suited for electrohydraulic brake
systems (EHB).
BRIEF DESCRITPION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] The invention will be explained in the following by way of
the accompanying drawings showing embodiments for an
electrohydraulic brake system. In the drawings:
[0012] FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of a container of the
invention;
[0013] FIG. 2 shows a rear view of the embodiment of FIG. 1;
[0014] FIG. 3 shows a cross-section of the embodiment of FIG.
1;
[0015] FIG. 4 shows another cross-section of the embodiment of FIG.
1;
[0016] FIG. 5 shows a second embodiment of a container of the
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of a container 1 of the
invention. Container 1 comprises a filling reservoir 2 and a main
reservoir 3 feeding two pressure fluid chambers of a master
cylinder (not shown) by way of two ports 4, 5. The container is
connected to the master cylinder by means of the ports 4, 5 in a
leakproof manner. Further, the container is secured by means of a
fixing element by way of fixing attachments 6 at the master
cylinder. In order to be able to better accommodate the forces that
develop in the first filling operation, a projection 7 is provided
on the side of the container 1 facing the master cylinder and bears
against the housing of the master cylinder. A device 8 for
monitoring the container's state of filling, whose component parts
are partly apparent from a second embodiment according to FIG. 5,
is composed of generally known component parts such a contact 9 and
a float 10. The driver of the motor vehicle is e.g. warned by means
of a warning lamp if the pressure fluid level in the container
drops below a predetermined minimum.
[0018] In order to supply pressure fluid to the master cylinder and
the components of an electrohydraulic brake system (EHB) such as a
pump, the main reservoir 3 is subdivided into several compartments.
The subdivision of the compartments is described in detail in FIGS.
2, 3 and 4.
[0019] The container 1 is made in an injection-molding operation.
Two housing shells are die-cast and interconnected by means of a
melting process.
[0020] FIG. 2 shows a rear view of the embodiment described in FIG.
1. In order to feed a pump with the necessary pressure fluid, a
compartment 11 of the main reservoir 3 extends on this rearward
side of the container 1 beyond the ports 4, 5. Shaped at the
compartment 11 is a pressure fluid supply line 12 feeding the pump
with pressure fluid. The filling reservoir 2 has a pressure fluid
return line 13 through which pressure fluid out of the brake system
is supplied to the container again.
[0021] FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional view of the embodiment of
container 1 described in FIGS. 1 and 2. The filling reservoir 2 is
arranged on a first level 14 and is furnished with a fill hole 15
and a discharge opening 16 adjacent to which is a means 17 for
filling the main reservoir 3. Means 17 is formed of two parallel
channels 18 connecting the filling reservoir 2 to the main
reservoir 3 and, thus, allowing the filling of the main reservoir 3
through the inlet opening 44.
[0022] The main reservoir 3 is disposed on a second level 19 that
is arranged below the level 14, with the term `level` referring to
the spatial arrangement of the reservoirs rather than to the state
of filling with pressure fluid. The result is that the pressure
fluid can propagate from the filling reservoir 2 through the
channels 18 into the main reservoir 3 which consists of several
compartments. The two pressure chambers of the master cylinder are
fed by way of a first compartment 20 with a discharge opening 47
and a second compartment 21 with a discharge opening 48. The float
10 and the contact 9 of the device 8 are arranged in another
compartment 22 for monitoring the container's state of filling. As
can be seen from FIG. 4, the compartments 20, 21, 22 are
interconnected by way of openings 23 in order to ensure a balance
of the pressure fluid between the compartments and, thus, indicate
a pressure fluid loss in a compartment by way of the device 8.
Compartments 11 and 22 are also interconnected by openings (not
shown). In order to safeguard the exchange of air between the
compartments 11, 20, 21, 22 of the main reservoir 3 and the filling
reservoir 2, an opening 25 is provided in the wall 24 which
separates the compartments 21 and 11 from each other.
[0023] A bottom wall 26 of the channels 18 can be seen from FIG. 3
representing additionally the top boundary of the main reservoir 3
in the area of the channels 18. In an extreme position of the motor
vehicle, such as a major deceleration, the wall isolates the
pressure fluid of the main reservoir 3 from the pressure fluid of
the filling reservoir 2 and the channels 18. A proper supply of
brake fluid to the brake circuit is thus also ensured in such an
extreme position.
[0024] To prevent the escape of pressure fluid through a container
cover 27 in the event of intensive braking, accelerating or
cornering maneuvers, the fill hole 15 is provided centrally on the
filling reservoir 2.
[0025] As can be seen in FIG. 4, partitions 28 are arranged in the
container 1 for reinforcing the container 1.
[0026] FIG. 5 shows a second embodiment of a container 1 of the
invention which comprises a filling reservoir 29 arranged at a
level 45 and a main reservoir 30 arranged at a level 46. The volume
of the filling reservoir 29 is small compared to the volume of the
main reservoir 30. The filling reservoir 29 has a fill hole 31 and
a discharge opening 32 succeeding which is a means 33 for filling
the main reservoir 30. The pressure fluid is supplied to the main
reservoir 30 by way of the means 33, being configured as channel
34, through the inlet opening 35. A wall 36 isolates the main
reservoir 30 from the channel 34 and separates the pressure fluid
of the main reservoir 30 from the channel 34 and the filling
reservoir 29 in the event of intensive braking. Pressure fluid is
thus prevented from propagating through the container cover 27 into
the engine compartment.
[0027] The main reservoir 30 is composed of three compartments 37,
38, 39. A pump is e.g. fed through the compartment 37 and a
pressure fluid supply line 40 shaped at the bottom end. The
compartments 38 and 39, which are isolated by a wall 41, feed the
pressure chambers of the master cylinder through the ports 4 and 5.
The pressure fluid return line 42 is also provided at the main
reservoir 30 in this embodiment. As has been described in the
embodiment of FIG. 1, the compartments 37, 38, 39 are also
interconnected through openings 43 in order to ensure a balance of
the pressure fluid between the compartments 38, 39 of the master
cylinder and the compartment 37.
LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS
[0028] 1 container [0029] 2 filling reservoir [0030] 3 main
reservoir [0031] 4 port [0032] 5 port [0033] 6 fixing attachment
[0034] 7 projection [0035] 8 device [0036] 9 contact [0037] 10
float [0038] 11 compartment [0039] 12 pressure fluid supply line
[0040] 13 pressure fluid return line [0041] 14 level [0042] 15 fill
hole [0043] 16 discharge opening [0044] 17 means [0045] 18 channel
[0046] 19 level [0047] 20 compartment [0048] 21 compartment [0049]
22 compartment [0050] 23 opening [0051] 24 wall [0052] 25 opening
[0053] 26 wall [0054] 27 container cover [0055] 28 partition [0056]
29 filling reservoir [0057] 30 main reservoir [0058] 31 fill hole
[0059] 32 discharge opening [0060] 33 means [0061] 34 channel
[0062] 35 inlet opening [0063] 36 wall [0064] 37 compartment [0065]
38 compartment [0066] 39 compartment [0067] 40 pressure fluid
supply line [0068] 41 wall [0069] 42 pressure fluid return line
[0070] 43 opening [0071] 44 inlet opening [0072] 45 level [0073] 46
level [0074] 47 discharge opening [0075] 48 discharge opening
* * * * *