Brake systems, vehicles including such systems, methods of operating such systems, and methods of installing such systems

A brake system for operating one or more brakes of a vehicle that are configured to reduce the speed of the vehicle, the vehicle including a brake pedal for controlling the one or more brakes, the brake system comprising:

• a hydraulic circuit functionally coupled to the one or more brakes and configured to apply a braking force with the brakes that is in relation to a change in a pressure of a hydraulic fluid within the hydraulic circuit, the hydraulic circuit comprising a hydraulic actuator having a hydraulic actuator housing, a hydraulic actuator cavity within the hydraulic actuator housing, a hydraulic actuator piston that fluidically separates the hydraulic actuator cavity into first and second hydraulic chambers, and a connector rod coupled to the hydraulic actuator piston, the second hydraulic chamber containing a portion of the hydraulic fluid of the hydraulic circuit and movement of the hydraulic actuator piston is operable to increase and decrease the pressure of the hydraulic fluid of the hydraulic circuit;
• a pressurized air circuit supplying a pressurized supply air, the pressurized air circuit functionally coupling the brake pedal to the hydraulic circuit, the air circuit configured to convert manual actuation of the brake pedal to a change in the pressure of the hydraulic fluid within the hydraulic circuit and thereby apply a braking force in relation to a degree of actuation of the brake pedal, the air circuit comprising an air actuator having an air actuator housing, an air actuator cavity within the air actuator housing, and an air actuator piston that fluidically separates the air actuator cavity into first and second air chambers, the air actuator piston being coupled to the connector rod such that movement of the air actuator piston causes movement of the hydraulic actuator piston to functionally couple the air actuator to the hydraulic circuit;
• a supply air line supplying the pressurized supply air from the air circuit to the second air chamber;
• and
• a control air line supplying pressurized control air to the first air chamber, the pressurized control air being the pressurized supply air from the air circuit regulated with the brake pedal, the pressurized control air supplied to the first air chamber being reduced by the brake pedal to be at a different pressure than the pressurized supply air supplied to the second air chamber;
• wherein the air circuit regulates the pressurized control air based on a degree of actuation of the brake pedal to actuate the air actuator piston and thereby actuate the hydraulic actuator piston through the connector rod to increase and decrease the pressure of the hydraulic fluid of the hydraulic circuit.