Fluid-pressure and analogous brake systems – Speed-controlled – Having a valve system responsive to a wheel lock signal
Reexamination Certificate
1998-12-03
2001-05-01
Graham, Matthew C. (Department: 3613)
Fluid-pressure and analogous brake systems
Speed-controlled
Having a valve system responsive to a wheel lock signal
C303S119300, C303SDIG001
Reexamination Certificate
active
06224169
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a brake fluid control apparatus for vehicles, which is used for brake fluid pressure control such as antilock brake control and traction control.
Such kind of brake fluid control apparatus generally has following construction for reducing size, weight and cost. Namely, an electric motor for actuating a pump is mounted on one side of a housing in which devices for fluid pressure control such as the pump and electromagnetic valves are accommodated and passages are formed. Further, on the other side of the housing, an electronic control box provided with a connector for connecting a control circuit board to a battery is mounted.
In such construction, the electric motor mounted on one side of the housing and the electronic control box mounted on the other side of the housing need to be electrically connected with each other. However, in the case that the electric motor and the electronic control box are electrically connected by lead wires wired out of the housing, size and weight of the apparatus are increased. Further, in this case, since the lead wires need to be connected to the electric motor and the electronic control box by watertight connectors, cost of the apparatus is increased.
In order to solve this problem, various types of brake fluid control apparatuses are provided. In such apparatuses, through bores elongated from one side to the other side of a housing are formed. An electric motor and an electronic control box are connected with each other by conductive members inserted in the through bores.
For example, in a brake fluid pressure control apparatus for vehicles disclosed in Japanese National Publication No.7-500068 which is the translated version of PCT application PCT/DE92/00738, pipes are inserted in bores, which are formed in a housing and elongated from one side to the other side of the housing. Inside each of the pipes, two lead wires extending from an electric motor and an electronic control box are connected with each other by means of plug.
Further, in a brake fluid pressure control apparatus for vehicles disclosed in Germany Patent DE4320005A1, lead wires elongated from a brash base of an electric motor are inserted in through bores formed in a housing for connection to an electronic control box by means of connector.
However, as above mentioned lead wires have flexibility, operation for connection of the wires need to be executed after finishing operation for inserting the lead wires through the through bores. Further due to the same reason, in order to execute the operation for connection, the length of the lead wires is set so that each of them has an extra portion, and space for accommodating the extra portion is necessary. This results in increase of size of the apparatus. Additionally, in the apparatus disclosed in the Japanese National Publication No.7-500068, since the lead wires extending from the electric motor are pulled out from a motor body, it needs that the motor body is provided with a portion for pulling out the lead wires and the connection of lead wires with the pipes is watertight structure, resulting in cost increasing.
On the other hand, in a brake fluid pressure control apparatus for vehicles disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Publication No.8-11691, shaft-like conductive members connected to an electric motor are inserted in through bores formed in a housing, and the conductive members are connected to another conductive members in an electronic control box by means of welding or cramping. However, in this apparatus, since the electric motor and the electronic control box are firmly fixed to each other, replacement of the electric motor and the electronic control is difficult after finishing assembly of the apparatus.
In above-mentioned Germany Patent DE4320005A1, a brake fluid pressure control apparatus as shown in
FIG. 9
is disclosed. In this apparatus, an opening
2
a
of the case
2
abutting on a housing
3
is closed by a cover
5
made of insulation plastic having a tubular portion
5
a
inserted in a through bore
3
a
of the housing
3
. In the tubular potion
5
a
, a conductive member
7
is inserted. The conductive member
7
has a base end connected to a rectifier
6
and a tip end constituting a male terminal
7
a
. The male terminal
7
a
is engaged and connected with a female terminal
9
in an electronic control box
8
. In this construction, since the male terminal
7
a
and the female terminal
9
are connected in releasable manner, even assembly of the apparatus is finished, the electric motor
1
and the electronic control box
8
can be released from the housing
3
for replacement.
Same construction is also disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Publication No. 9-98559.
However, in such a construction as that the brake fluid control apparatus has the male terminal
7
a
of the electric motor
7
and the female terminal
9
of the electronic control box
8
shown in
FIG. 9
, there are still following problems.
As shown in
FIG. 10
, terminals
12
of devices such as an electromagnetic valve are inserted in through holes
11
a
of a control circuit substrate
11
accommodated in an electronic control box
8
and soldered to it. Similarly, a male terminal
13
b
formed at one end of a conductive member
13
having a female terminal
13
a
(corresponding to the female terminal
9
in
FIG. 9
) at the other end thereof is inserted in the through hole
11
a
and welded to the control circuit substrate
11
. The female terminal
13
a
is inserted in a terminal accommodation aperture
8
b
formed in a terminal accommodation portion
8
a
of the electronic control box
8
. Since the thickness of the female terminal
13
a
is larger than that of the male terminal
13
b
, insertion direction of the female terminal
13
a
to the terminal accommodation aperture
8
b
(indicated by an arrow “A
2
”) is opposed to a direction in which the male terminal
7
a
of the electric motor is plugged into the female terminal
7
b
(indicated by an arrow “A
1
”). The male terminal
7
a
is held in the terminal accommodation aperture
8
b
by engagement of an engagement flap
13
c
and a step portion
3
c
of the terminal accommodation aperture
8
b
. Accordingly, the width “D
1
” of the terminal accommodation aperture
8
b
at a portion
8
d
opposing to the control circuit substrate
11
should be set large for insertion of the female terminal
13
a
to the terminal accommodation aperture
8
b
. However, the large width “D
1
” results in that looseness of the female terminal
13
a
in a direction indicated by an arrow “B
1
” is increased and that position of the male terminal
13
b
with respect to the electronic control box
8
is not determined firmly. When the control circuit substrate
11
is assembled to the electronic control box
8
, the terminals
12
of the electromagnetic valves and the male terminal
13
b
of the conductive member
13
should be simultaneously inserted in the through holes
11
a
. Therefor, unstable position of the male terminal
13
b
makes the assembly of the control circuit substrate
11
to the electronic control box
8
considerably difficult.
On the other hand, as shown in
FIG. 11
, the width “D
1
” of the terminal accommodation aperture
8
b
at the portion
8
d
opposing to the control circuit substrate
11
can be set small. In this case, the female terminal
13
a
of the conductive member
13
is inserted in the terminal accommodation aperture
8
b
in the direction as same as the insertion direction of the male terminal
7
a
indicated by the arrow “A
1
”. However, in this case, the female terminal
13
a
is almost entirely fixed to the terminal accommodating aperture
8
b
, so that the female terminal
13
a
hardly moves in the direction indicated by the arrow “B
1
”. Therefor, in this case, engagement of the male terminal
7
a
of the electric motor with the female terminal
13
a
is considerably difficult.
Further, as shown in
FIG. 12
, in order to decrease the size of the electronic control box
8
, a connector portion
8
e
for connect
Aoki Katsunori
Kohno Teruhisa
Ueda Seiji
Graham Matthew C.
Greenblum & Bernstein P.L.C.
Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd.
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