Brakes – Operators – Speed-responsive
Reexamination Certificate
2000-07-20
2001-09-11
Oberleitner, Robert J. (Department: 3613)
Brakes
Operators
Speed-responsive
C073S493000, C073S494000, C248S205100, C324S173000, C324S174000, C439S016000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06286638
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND
This invention relates to an anti-lock brake wheel sensor bracket, and the bracket in combination with a brake and wheel installation, and a vehicle incorporating the bracket with a brake and wheel installation. The anti-lock brake sensor bracket is configured prevent incorrect installation. Such incorrect or reverse installation could result in inaccurate wheel speed indication, and therefore potentially less than optimum anti-lock brake system performance.
PRIOR ART
Anti-lock sensors detect the speed of wheels on a vehicle feeding this wheel speed information to anti-lock brake (ABS) electronic controllers. The ABS electronic controller uses the wheel speed signals from the sensors to deactivate a particular wheel's brakes or to change the response of the wheel's brakes. The sensors may include magnetic pickups which sense revolution of the wheel due to the radially movement of a reference piece or reference pieces mounted on the wheel. One common type of sensor is generally cylindrical in shape. The cylindrical sensor may be mounted to a caliper anchor plate through a sensor bracket. The caliper anchor plate also supports a brake caliper cylinder for applying brake shoes to slow a wheels motion. The caliper anchor plate is a good location for mounting the ABS sensor and the ABS sensor bracket due to the proximity to the wheel. The accuracy of the ABS sensor is sensitive to the proximity of the sensor to the associated wheel. Other sensor mounting locations in proximity to the associated wheel may be acceptable.
In any case, one version of the ABS sensor bracket
219
contains at least two mounting holes each located along a mounting plate wing, designated
261
and
262
. There is a sensor receiver
250
, that may be cylindrically shaped, located between the mounting plate wings
261
and
262
. This prior art sensor bracket was comprised of two separate metal pieces, one including the mounting plate wings
261
and
262
and one being the sensor receiver
250
. The two components were comprised of a metal such as steel and were later welded together. The mounting plate wings along with the ABS sensor receiver are formed along an arc of a radius corresponding to the radius of the caliper anchor plate or other mounting plate mounting location radius. This prior art arrangement and bracket is shown in
FIGS. 1
to
4
. In order to ensure proper proximity for sensing the ABS sensor must be mounted asymmetrically relative to the caliper mounting plate. Specifically, a shorter side
251
of the ABS sensor must be closer to the wheel than a longer side
252
. In the prior art arrangement, the sensor receiver is mounted asymmetrically to the mounting plate wings in order for the ABS sensor to have optimum pickup of wheel speed when mounted. The ABS sensor receiver had a shorter side that was mounted outwards from the caliper mounting plate and the long side inwards relative to the axle or steering knuckle of the vehicle. This is best shown in
FIGS. 1 and 4
. One condition that may arise in a factory or after market setting during installation of the prior art ABS sensor bracket and ABS sensor is reverse installation. Specifically, the sensor bracket may be installed with the long side of the sensor receiver mounted outwards and the short side mounted inwards relative to the axle or steering knuckle of the vehicle. The respective mounting plate wings may be installed in a reverse fashion to cause this result. The result may result in less than optimum wheel speed sensing and may impact ABS system performance for the vehicle. An ABS sensor mounting bracket and associated ABS system is needed such that generally cylindrical ABS sensors may only be mounted with a short side directed outwards from the caliper mounting plate or other mounting plate relative to the axle or steering knuckle. A durable integrated one piece ABS sensor bracket would be useful to avoid the step of welding the two components together as in the prior art. Additionally, an ABS sensor bracket is needed such that ABS sensors may be mounted asymmetrically to a sensor mounting bracket along an axis parallel to the axles of the vehicle.
SUMMARY
The ABS sensor bracket and an ABS system and vehicle of this invention satisfies an objective of this invention that ABS sensors may be mounted asymmetrically to a sensor mounting bracket along an axis parallel to the axles of the vehicle. Additionally, the ABS sensor bracket of this invention satisfies an objective of this invention such that that generally cylindrical ABS sensors may only be mounted with a short side directed outwards from the caliper mounting plate or other mounting plate relative to the axle or steering knuckle. The ABS sensor bracket and a system an ABS system and vehicle incorporating these brackets satisfy the stated objectives as follows. The sensor bracket of this invention is comprised of two mounting wing plates engaged to a sensor receiver. The sensor receiver is generally cylindrical and is mounted between the wing plates such that the sensor receiver is asymmetric axially relative to the caliper anchor plate. When viewed from the side, there is a shorter end of the sensor receiver jutting out a shorter distance from the wing plates than an opposite longer end of the sensor receiver. In one embodiment, a first end of the sensor receiver has an outer diameter circumference greater than that of the opposite second end. The caliper anchor plate has an outer edge slot for mounting of the ABS sensor brackets. The outer edge slots are generally ‘U’ or ‘V’ shaped. There are mounting holes in the outer radial areas bordering the outer edge slots. The larger diameter circumference of the first end will not allow both of the holes in the wing plates to align with both mounting holes of the outer radial area of the caliper anchor plate at the same time. In the embodiment shown in the figures, the shorter end is the first end that then is the only end of the sensor receiver that will mount facing axially outward from the caliper anchor plate. This of course may be reversed for different ABS wheel sensors, if a different sensor requires its longer end to be outwardly facing to achiever optimum speed sensing of wheel rotation.
The ABS sensor bracket of this invention may be made of as an integrated one piece design when made of a durable light weight powdered metal. There will be no need to weld separate components together due to the strength of the powdered metal.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3812391 (1974-05-01), Johnson et al.
patent: 3911302 (1975-10-01), DeClaire
patent: 4037690 (1977-07-01), Fisher et al.
patent: 4510408 (1985-04-01), Jovick et al.
patent: 5704692 (1998-01-01), Purdy et al.
patent: 5756894 (1998-05-01), Paolo et al.
patent: 5967473 (1999-10-01), Singbartl
patent: 6127819 (2000-10-01), Ouchi
Mann Jon H.
Rowan Richard R.
Sayeed Thasin A.
Calfa Jeffrey P.
Hernandez Gilberto
International Truck and Engine Corporation
Oberleitner Robert J.
Pezzlo Benjamin A.
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