Brake booster for a vehicle and method for operating a brake booster of a vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9604616-B2
Application number	US-201214378272-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 17, 2012
Priority date	Feb 14, 2012
Publication date	Mar 28, 2017
Grant date	Mar 28, 2017

Abstract

A brake booster and related method for its operation for a vehicle, having a master brake cylinder having a first primary piston chamber that is variable using an adjustable first primary piston component, a braking force transmission component, using which at least one driver braking force is transmittable by the adjustable first primary piston component contacted by the braking force transmission component, and an adjustable second primary piston component, the master brake cylinder having a second primary piston chamber that is variable using the adjustable second primary piston component, and the brake booster has a booster force transmission component, using which a booster force from the actuator device is transmittable at least partially to the adjustable second primary piston component contacted by the booster force transmission component, and the braking force transmission component in its force-free initial position is distanced by a first free play from the first primary piston component and/or the booster force transmission component, in its force-free initial position, is distanced by a second free play from the second primary piston component.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A brake booster for a vehicle, comprising:
a master brake cylinder having a first primary piston chamber, a first volume of which is variable using an adjustable first primary piston component;
a braking force transmission component, wherein at least one driver braking force is transmittable to the adjustable first primary piston component contacted by the braking force transmission component via the braking force transmission component; and
an adjustable second primary piston component, wherein the master brake cylinder has a second primary piston chamber, a second volume of which is variable using the adjustable second primary piston component; and
a booster force transmission component, wherein a booster force is transmittable at least partially via the booster force transmission component to the adjustable second primary piston component contacted by the booster force transmission component;
wherein the braking force transmission component, present in its force-free initial position, is distanced by a first free play, unequal to zero, from the first primary piston component, and the booster force transmission component, present in its force-free initial position, is distanced by a second free play, unequal to zero, from the second primary piston component.

2. The brake booster of claim 1 , wherein the braking force transmission component, present in its force-free initial position, is distanced by the first free play, unequal to zero, from the first primary piston component, which is greater than a distance between the booster force transmission component, present in its force-free initial position, and the second primary piston component.

3. The brake booster of claim 1 , wherein the booster force transmission component, present in its force-free initial position, is distanced by the second free play, unequal to zero, from the second primary piston component, which is greater than a distance between the braking force transmission component, present in its force-free initial position, and the first primary piston component.

4. The brake booster of claim 1 , further comprising:
a fluid exchange device, via which, when the fluid exchange device is present in a first operating mode, a fluid is exchangeable between the first primary piston chamber and the second primary piston chamber, and via which, when the fluid exchange device is present in a second operating mode, a fluid exchange between the first primary piston chamber and the second primary piston chamber is prevented.

5. The brake booster of claim 1 , wherein the master brake cylinder includes a secondary piston chamber and a secondary piston that is adjustable between the first primary piston chamber and the secondary piston chamber.

6. The brake booster of claim 1 , wherein at least the braking force transmission component, present in its force-free initial position, is at a distance of the first free play, unequal to zero, from the first primary piston component, and the brake booster having an actuator-control device, wherein at a driver braking force less than a minimum driver braking force threshold, a specified setpoint booster force is exertable, so that on the second primary piston component, that the second volume of the second primary piston chamber is reducible using the adjusted second primary piston component, and a fluid transfer from the second primary piston chamber into at least one wheel brake cylinder is triggerable to build up an admission pressure in the at least one wheel brake cylinder.

7. The brake booster of claim 6 , wherein the actuator-control device is configured to specify the setpoint booster force while taking into account at least one state of a braking system component and/or a traffic situation.

8. The brake booster of claim 1 , wherein at least the booster force transmission component, present in its force-free initial position, is distanced from the second primary piston component by the second free play, unequal to zero, which is close-able only as of a minimum booster force, and wherein there is a generator control device, which, at least at a booster force less than the minimum booster force, which is configured to actuate a generator so that, using the generator, a generator braking torque unequal to zero is exertable.

9. A brake system for a vehicle, comprising:
a brake booster, including:
a master brake cylinder having a first primary piston chamber, a first volume of which is variable using an adjustable first primary piston component;
a braking force transmission component, wherein at least one driver braking force is transmittable to the adjustable first primary piston component contacted by the braking force transmission component via the braking force transmission component; and
an adjustable second primary piston component, wherein the master brake cylinder has a second primary piston chamber, a second volume of which is variable using the adjustable second primary piston component; and
a booster force transmission component, wherein a booster force is transmittable at least partially via the booster force transmission component to the adjustable second primary piston component contacted by the booster force transmission component;
wherein the braking force transmission component, present in its force-free initial position, is distanced by a first free play, unequal to zero, from the first primary piston component, and the booster force transmission component, present in its force-free initial position, is distanced by a second free play, unequal to zero, from the second primary piston component.

10. A method for operating a brake booster of a vehicle having a master brake cylinder having a first primary piston chamber and a second primary piston chamber, the method comprising:
transmitting, using a braking force transmission component, at least one driver braking force to an adjustable first primary piston component contacted by the braking force transmission component, so that a first volume of the first primary piston chamber is varied using the adjusted first primary piston component;
transmitting, using a booster force transmission component, a booster force at least partially to an adjustable second primary piston component contacted by the booster force transmission component, so that a second volume of the second primary piston chamber is varied using the adjusted second primary piston component, the braking force transmission component present in its force-free initial position being distanced by a first free play, unequal to zero, from the first primary piston component, which is closed only as of a minimum driver braking force threshold, and the booster force transmission component present in its force-free initial position being distanced by a second free play, unequal to zero, from the second primary piston component; and
building up an admission pressure in at least one wheel brake cylinder at a driver braking force below the minimum driver braking force threshold by exerting a specified setpoint booster force for triggering a reduction of the second volume of the second primary piston chamber using the adjusted second primary piston component and of a fluid transfer from the second primary piston chamber into the at least one wheel brake cylinder.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the setpoint booster force is specified while taking into account at least one state of a brake system component and/or and a traffic situation.

12. A method for operating a brake booster of a vehicle having a master brake cylinder having a first primary piston chamber and a second primary piston chamber, the method comprising:
transmitting, using a b

Assignees

• Weiberle Reinhard
• Kistner Matthias
• Bosch Gmbh Robert

Inventors

• Weiberle Reinhard
• Kistner Matthias

Classifications

• B60T8/38

  including valve means of the relay or driver controlled type · CPC title

• B60T13/745

  acting on a hydraulic system, e.g. a master cylinder · CPC title

• B60T13/142 Primary

  Systems with master cylinder · CPC title

• B60T11/203

  Side-by-side configuration · CPC title

• B60T7/042 Primary

  by electrical means, e.g. using travel or force sensors · CPC title