Brake booster and method for operating a brake booster
AssigneeRobert Bosch GmbH
InventorDirk Mahnkopf
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A brake booster includes an input element actuatable by a driver, an actuator for generating a support force, an output element that receives at least one of an input or support force and that applies an actuating force to a piston of a brake master cylinder, a force transmission unit having elastic properties and transmitting the input and/or support forces to the output element, and a preload unit acting on the force transmission unit to apply a force couple to the force transmission unit when the brake booster is in idle mode. A method for operating the brake booster includes generating a support force prior to a braking intent to be anticipated or immediately after detection of a braking intent, in a time span before or immediately after detection of an actuation of the input element.
Claims19
A brake booster, comprising:
- an input element which is actuatable by a driver,
- an actuator for generating a support force,
- an output element, to which an input force or the support force may be applied by the input element and/or the actuator and through which an actuating force may be applied to a piston of a brake master cylinder,
- a force transmission unit having elastic properties, which is situated between the input element and the actuator on one end and the output element on an other end and which transmits the input force and/or the support force to the output element, and
- a preload unit, which acts upon the force transmission unit such that a first part of a force couple is applied to a first side of the force transmission unit and a second part of the force couple is applied to a second side of the force transmission unit when the brake booster is in idle mode,
- wherein between the input element and the force transmission unit or between a first and a second subcomponent of the input element an air gap is provided, wherein the air gap must be overridden before the input element applies the input force to the force transmission unit,
- wherein at least one of:
- (i) the preload unit applies the first part of the force couple directly onto the first side of the force transmission unit, and (ii) the preload unit applies the second part of the force couple directly onto the second side of the force transmission unit.
A method for operating a brake booster, the method comprising:
- selectively activating, at an end of a first side of a force transmission unit having elastic properties, a support force generated by an actuator;
- receiving, at an other end of the first side of the force transmission unit, an input force from an input element actuated by a driver;
- applying to an output element, by a second side that is opposite to the first side of the force transmission unit, an actuating force that further is applied via the output element to a piston of a brake master cylinder;
- when the brake booster is in an idle mode, engaging the force transmission unit, by a preload unit, with a force couple having a first part of the force couple engaging the first side of the force transmission unit and a second part of the force couple engaging the second side of the force transmission unit;
- and
- when a braking intent is at least one of:
- (i) anticipated, activating the support force immediately after anticipation of the braking intent, in a time span before detection of an actuation of the input element, and
- (ii) detected, activating the support force immediately after detection of the braking intent, in a time span immediately after detection of the actuation of the input element,
- wherein between the input element and the force transmission unit or between a first and a second subcomponent of the input element an air gap is provided, wherein the air gap must be overridden before the input element applies the input force to the force transmission unit,
- wherein at least one of:
- (i) the preload unit engages the first part of the force couple directly with the first side of the force transmission unit, and (ii) the preload unit engages the second part of the force couple directly with the second side of the force transmission unit.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.