Motor vehicles – Power – Electric
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-18
2001-09-04
Hess, Douglas (Department: 2167)
Motor vehicles
Power
Electric
C305S152000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06283239
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an auxiliary brake apparatus of a hybrid automobile and relates to, in particular, an auxiliary brake apparatus of a hybrid automobile capable of applying a braking force to wheels in an auxiliary manner in accordance with braking operation in case that an electric powered brake, generating the braking force to wheels, fails.
Conventionally, a hybrid automobile including an engine and an electric motor is normally provided with an electric powered brake which is electrically driven.
More specifically, the electric powered brake has a structure in which an electric motor rotates, the rotation is converted to the rotation of a screw nut so as to be slowed down, the screw nut is directed straight to push brake pads against disks to thereby generate braking forces and brake wheels, in accordance with treading on a brake pedal.
In addition, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-272423 discloses a brake control actuator in which a pressure generated while treading on a brake pedal is applied through a hydraulic piping to thereby transmit braking forces to wheels so as to push brake pads against wheel sides, as a countermeasure against a failure to such as an electric powered brake.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
When a hydraulic piping as well as an electric powered brake is provided to a hybrid automobile as shown in the conventional case, however, it is necessary to install a hydraulic piping which has to be handled while keeping high rigidity, a master cylinder of by no means small size and by no means light-weight or the like although they are, in effect, not needed in a normal operation. This limits the degree of freedom for design and layout and hampers demand for cost reduction, realizing a light-weight system or the like.
That is, there is unavoidably a certain limit, as a countermeasure against a case where a electric powered brake fails in a hybrid automobile, to ensuring the degree of freedom for design and layout, realizing cost reduction and a light-weight system or the like only by providing a structure for adding an ordinary hydraulic brake system. Demand for realizing an auxiliary brake apparatus of a hybrid automobile based on a novel design concept is, therefore, being voiced.
The present invention has been made in these circumstances and its object is to provide an auxiliary brake apparatus of a hybrid automobile ensuring reliability while the apparatus is being operated, provided with a high degree of freedom for design, and realizing cost reduction and light-weight.
An auxiliary brake apparatus of a hybrid automobile according to the present invention is appropriately applied to a hybrid automobile comprising an engine capable of driving the hybrid automobile, an electric motor capable of driving the hybrid automobile, an electric powered brake for braking the hybrid automobile and a controller capable of controlling driving by the engine, driving by the electric motor and braking by the electric powered brake. The auxiliary brake apparatus of the hybrid automobile comprises a braking detector for detecting an operation of braking the hybrid automobile, an auxiliary brake electric motor capable of braking the hybrid automobile and an auxiliary brake controller capable of controlling the auxiliary brake electric motor. In this case, when judging that the electric powered brake fails, the auxiliary brake controller controls the auxiliary brake electric motor such that a counter torque occurs to the auxiliary brake electric motor to thereby brake the hybrid automobile in accordance with the operation of braking the hybrid automobile detected by the braking detector.
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patent: 9-117008 (1997-05-01), None
patent: 9-272423 (1997-10-01), None
Hatsuda Tadayuki
Shimoida Yoshio
Tsukamoto Masahiro
Yonekura Kouichiro
Gort Elaine
Hess Douglas
McDermott & Will & Emery
Nissan Motor Co,. Ltd.
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