CONTROL UNIT ACTUATOR ASSEMBLY

Abstract

A control unit actuator assembly having a control unit and an actuator is provided with a sensor system which has a carrier body that is attachable to a component of the assembly in various angular positions.

Claims

1-12. (canceled)

13. A control unit actuator assembly, for a brake system in a vehicle, comprising: a control unit; an actuator interconnected with the control unit; and a sensor system, wherein the sensor system has at least one signal transmission contact segment in or on a carrier body of the sensor system for providing sensor signal transmission to the control unit, and wherein the signal transmission contact segment is arc-shaped relative to an axis of the carrier body, the axis of the carrier body forming a rotation axis, and the carrier body being attachable to a component of the assembly in different angular positions about the rotation axis.

14. The assembly of claim 13, wherein at least two signal transmission contact segments are disposed so as to be angularly offset from each other about the rotation axis of the carrier body of the sensor system.

15. The assembly of claim 14, wherein the at least two signal transmission contact segments extend over altogether 360°.

16. The assembly of claim 13, wherein a central signal transmission contact segment, disposed along the rotation axis, is located in or on the carrier body.

17. The assembly of claim 13, wherein all of the signal transmission contact segments are located in a common plane.

18. The assembly of claim 13, wherein the carrier body of the sensor system is formed as a carrier sleeve, and the rotation axis is formed by the longitudinal axis of the carrier sleeve.

19. The assembly of claim 13, wherein the carrier body of the sensor system is mountable on the housing of the actuator in different angular positions.

20. The assembly of claim 19, wherein the carrier body of the sensor system is rotatably inserted into a recess in the housing of the actuator.

21. The assembly of claim 13, wherein the assembly is in a brake system in a vehicle, and wherein the rotation axis of the carrier body of the sensor system extends parallel to the transverse axis of the vehicle.

22. The assembly of claim 13, wherein the assembly is in a brake system in a vehicle, and wherein a brake fluid reservoir is on the housing of the actuator.

23. The assembly of claim 13, wherein the actuator includes an electrohydraulic actuator.

24. The assembly of claim 13, wherein at least two signal transmission contact segments are disposed so as to be angularly offset from each other about the rotation axis of the carrier body of the sensor system, and wherein a central signal transmission contact segment, disposed along the rotation axis, is located in or on the carrier body.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a control unit actuator assembly, which is configured as an integrated power brake having an electric motor as actuator, a control unit and a valve housing.

[0021] FIG. 2 shows a representation of a vehicle having the vehicle coordinate system, the control unit actuator assembly in accordance with FIG. 1 being installed in the brake system of the vehicle.

[0022] FIG. 3 shows the control unit actuator assembly from FIG. 1 in a side view, however, without a control unit, including a sensor system on the valve housing a carrier sleeve of the sensor system being mountable in various angular positions on the valve housing.

[0023] FIG. 4 is an illustration in accordance with FIG. 3, but in an angularly twisted position of the control unit actuator assembly.

[0024] FIG. 5 is a plan view of the sensor system having a plurality of signal transmission contact segments tor transmitting signals between the sensor system and the control unit.

[0025] FIG. 6 shows a sectional view longitudinally through the carrier sleeve of the sensor system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] The control unit actuator assembly 1 illustrated in FIGS. 1, 3 and 4 is an integrated power brake (IPB) that may be installed in a hydraulic brake system in a vehicle. With the aid of the control unit actuator assembly, it is possible to implement both a brake boost, as well as a vehicle stabilization by modulating the hydraulic brake pressure on the wheel brake units of the vehicle.

[0027] Assembly 1 includes an actuator 2, which is configured as an electrohydraulic unit having an electric motor, as well as a control unit 3, which is held on a housing 4 of actuator 2. Housing 4 includes a valve housing.

[0028] Moreover, part of assembly 1 is a transmission element 5, which is coupled to the brake pedal in the vehicle and translates a brake-pedal movement into a positioning movement of transmission element 5, whereupon electrohydraulic unit 2 is actuated, and the hydraulic brake pressure in the brake system is modulated. Moreover, part of assembly 1 is a brake fluid reservoir 6, which is attached to housing 4 and holds brake fluid (FIGS. 3, 4). A mounting disk 7 located on housing 4 is used to attach assembly 1 in the brake system.

[0029] FIG. 2 depicts a vehicle 8, whose coordinate system includes vehicle longitudinal axis x, vehicle transversal axis y, and vehicle vertical axis z. Vehicle-based coordinate system x, y, z is also entered in FIG. 1 in assembly 1 to illustrate the installation position thereof in vehicle 8. Rod-shaped transmission element 5 extends at least approximately parallel to longitudinal axis x of the vehicle; the longitudinal axis of the electric motor extends at least approximately parallel to transverse axis y of the vehicle.

[0030] FIGS. 3 and 4 show assembly 1 without control unit 3. Located on that side of housing 4, which generally receives control unit 3, is a sensor system 9, which, in particular is an inertial sensor system having a rotation-rate sensor and one or a plurality of acceleration sensors. As accelerations, at least the transversal acceleration, optionally also the longitudinal acceleration may be ascertained by sensor system 9. Sensor system 9 is attached to housing 4 of actuator 2 and, for signal transmission, is in contact with control unit 3.

[0031] As may be inferred from FIG. 6, in particular, sensor system 9 has a cylindrical carrier sleeve 10 as a carrier body, for example, which houses a sensor-system printed circuit board 12 having sensors 13 and 14. Sensors 13 and 14 are the sensors of an inertial sensor system; other sensors, such as a pressure sensor, for example, may also be optionally included on sensor-system printed circuit board 12. The longitudinal axis of carrier sleeve 10 is denoted by reference numeral 11.

[0032] Carrier sleeve 10 of sensor system 9 is mounted on housing 4 in such a way that longitudinal axis 11 thereof is disposed approximately orthogonally to the straight, plane outer surface of housing 4. At the same time, carrier sleeve 10 is rotatably accommodated on housing 4 about longitudinal axis 11, so that longitudinal axis 11 simultaneously forms a rotation axis of carrier sleeve 10 and thus of sensor system 9.

[0033] In the exemplary embodiment in accordance with FIGS. 3 and 4, rotation axis or longitudinal axis 11 of sensor system 9 coincides with vehicle transversal axis y. The rotatability of sensor system 9 on housing 4 makes it possible to orient sensor system 9 with x and z axes thereof coinciding exactly with vehicle longitudinal axis x and vehicle vertical axis z (FIG. 2), regardless of the installation position of assembly 1, whose coordinate system is marked in FIGS. 3 and 4 with longitudinal axis x′ and vertical axis z′. In accordance with FIG. 3, the coordinate systems of sensor system 9 and of assembly 1 diverge slightly in response to a rotation about the transverse axis; the angle of twist about the transverse axis is on the order of maximally 5°. In FIG. 4, the coordinate systems of sensor system 9 and of assembly 1 diverge more; the angle of twist about the transverse axis is on the order of up to 20°. This relative rotation between assembly 1 and sensor system 9 makes it possible for sensor system 9 to be oriented to the coordinate system of vehicle 8 regardless of the installation position of assembly 1, whereby an error in the sensor signals of sensor system 9 is avoided.

[0034] As may be inferred from FIG. 5 in conjunction with FIG. 6, located adjacently to top end face of carrier sleeve 10 is a contact portion 15, whose free end face forms a contact surface 16, via which signals are transmitted between sensor system 9 and control unit 3. Plane contact surface 16 of contact portion 15 is subdivided into a plurality of signal transmission contact segments 17a through 17e. Each signal transmission contact segment 17 is configured to be electrically conductive, the various signal transmission contact segments being electrically separated from one another by separators 18. In the mounted state, signal transmission contact segments 17 of mating contacts are contacted by mating contacts on control unit 3 to establish a signal transmission path between sensor system. 9 and control unit 3. Each signal transmission contact segment 17a through 17e is advantageously connected to the control unit.

[0035] In each case, outer signal transmission contact segments 17a through 17d are disposed in a circle and extend over alp angular segment of 90°. Inner, central signal transmission contact segment 17e is intersected by the rotation axis and is enclosed by outer, circular contact segments 17a through 17d.

[0036] In outer signal transmission contact segments 17a through 17d, two contact points 19a, 19b are show in each particular case, of which first contact point 19a is sketched in hatched shading and second contact point 19b with a dashed border. Contact points 19a, 19b represent examples of the contacting by the mating contacts on the control unit side. Contact points 19a and 19b illustrate that a signal transmission to the control unit is possible within the entire surface of a signal transmission contact segment. Since each outer signal transmission contact segment 17a through 17d extends over an angular segment of 90°, carrier sleeve 10 of sensor system 9 may be rotated about longitudinal or rotation axis 11 by approximately 90°; within this angle of twist, the contact of relevant signal transmission contact segment 17a through 17d with the mating contact on the control unit being retained. Thus, the angle in the exemplary embodiment in accordance with FIG. 5, by which sensor system 9 may be rotated about the longitudinal axis thereof on the housing, is approximately 90°.