PEDAL-FORCE SIMULATOR DEVICE

Abstract

A pedal-force simulator device is described as having a housing in which an actuable pressure plunger is mounted in an axially displaceable manner, and having at least two coil springs, which are disposed parallel to one another between an end face of the pressure plunger and an axial stop of the housing. It is provided that at least one disk spring is interposed between the coil springs and the axial stop and/or between the coil springs and the pressure plunger in each case.

Claims

1.-10. (canceled)

11. A pedal-force simulator device, comprising: an actuable pressure plunger; a housing in which the pressure plunger is mounted in an axially displaceable manner; at least two coil springs disposed parallel to one another between an end face of the pressure plunger and an axial stop of the housing; and at least one first disk spring interposed at least one of: between the coil springs and the axial stop, and between the coil springs and the pressure plunger.

12. The pedal-force simulator device as recited in claim 11, further comprising: at least one further disk spring sitting on the at least one first disk spring so that the at least one further disk spring and the at least one first disk spring form a stacked disk-spring system, wherein the at least one further disk spring and the at least one first disk spring are aligned at least one of in parallel and in a form of mirror images relative to each other.

13. The pedal-force simulator device as recited in claim 11, wherein the at least one disk spring includes at least one of a metal, a metal alloy, and a plastic.

14. The pedal-force simulator device as recited in claim 11, wherein one of in a relaxed state of the coil springs and in a non-actuated state of the pressure plunger, at least one of the coil springs is disposed axially at a distance at least one of from the end face of the pressure plunger and from the axial stop.

15. The pedal-force simulator device as recited in claim 11, wherein the coil springs are coaxially disposed relative to one another.

16. The pedal-force simulator device as recited in claim 11, wherein the coil springs are coiled in opposite directions.

17. The pedal-force simulator device as recited in claim 11, wherein the end face of the pressure plunger has at least one axially projecting stop shoulder that is allocated to an axially spaced apart one of the coil springs.

18. The pedal-force simulator device as recited in claim 11, further comprising: a further stop that restricts a movement of the pressure plunger in a direction of the axial stop.

19. The pedal-force simulator device as recited in claim 11, wherein the pressure plunger includes a stop a rod that centrically extends from the end face in an axial direction and that restricts a movement of the pressure plunger in the axial direction.

20. A brake system for a vehicle, comprising: a pedal-force simulator device, comprising: an actuable pressure plunger; a housing in which the pressure plunger is mounted in an axially displaceable manner; at least two coil springs disposed parallel to one another between an end face of the pressure plunger and an axial stop of the housing; and at least one first disk spring interposed at least one of: between the coil springs and the axial stop, and between the coil springs and the pressure plunger.

21. The brake system as recited in claim 20, wherein the vehicle is a motor vehicle.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

[0014] The single FIGURE shows a simplified side view of a pedal-force simulator device according to an exemplary embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0015] The single FIGURE shows a pedal-force simulator device 1 of a vehicle 2, which is not shown here, having a housing 3, which includes an actuable, axially displaceable pressure plunger 4, a first coil spring 5, a second coil spring 6, a third coil spring 7, and a disk-spring system 8. Disk-spring system 8 is interposed between coil springs 5, 6, 7 and an axial stop 9 situated at the bottom of housing 3.

[0016] Disk-spring system 8 has a first disk spring 10 and a second disk spring 11, the second disk spring 11 resting in parallel on first disk spring 10. An especially metallic bearing plate 12, which is displaceable in the axial direction, is disposed on second disk spring 11. On the one hand, it serves as a support surface for coil springs 5, 6, 7, and on the other hand it ensures that a pressure force exerted by pressure plunger 4 on coil springs 5, 6, 7 is transferred to disk-spring system 8 in a uniform manner.

[0017] Coil springs 5, 6, 7 are disposed coaxially to one another and have different lengths, diameters and, according to the exemplary embodiment, different constant spring constants in each case, and at least one of coil springs 5, 6, 7 may alternatively possibly have a variable spring constant. Longest coil spring 5 is preloaded between an end face 13 of pressure plunger 4 and bearing plate 12, while coil springs 6, 7 are axially set apart from end face 13 of pressure plunger 4. In order to avoid entangling during a compression or decompression of coil springs 5, 6, 7, coil spring 6 is wound in the opposite direction from coil spring 5, and coil spring 7 is wound in the opposite direction from coil spring 6.

[0018] End face 13 of pressure plunger 4 has a first stop shoulder 15 including an end face 17, and a second stop shoulder 16 having an end face 18. The in particular annular stop shoulder 15 is allocated to coil spring 6 axially set apart from it, and the in particular annular stop shoulder 16 is allocated to coil spring 7 axially set apart from it.

[0019] The axial length of stop shoulder 15 is preferably selected in such a way that end face 17 of stop shoulder 15 and its allocated coil spring 6 have a predefinable distance from each other, the distance of end face 17 from coil spring 6 being denoted by xi. In the same way, the axial length of stop shoulder 16 is preferably selected so that end face 18 of stop shoulder 16 and its allocated coil spring 7 have a predefinable distance from each other, the distance of end face 18 from coil spring 7 being denoted by x2, and distance x2 is preferably greater than distance xi. Stop shoulders 15, 16 ensure that the axial deflection of pressure plunger 4, at which pressure plunger 4 simultaneously applies a pressure force to the three coil springs 5, 6, 7 is reduced. As a result, it is possible that a great spring stiffness already results from a slight deflection of pressure plunger 4.

[0020] Pressure plunger 4 has a rod 14, which centrically extends through coil spring 5 from end face 13 of pressure plunger 4 in the direction of axial stop 9 and which restricts a movement of pressure plunger 4 in the axial direction. To enable rod 14 to cooperate with axial stop 9 of housing 3, disk-spring system 8, in particular disk springs 10, 11 and bearing plate 12, have a central recess in each case, or have an inner diameter that at least essentially corresponds to the diameter of rod 14.

[0021] When a brake pedal 19 of vehicle 2 is operated by a force, pressure plunger 4 is deflected and exerts a pressure force on coil spring 5, which compresses it. The greater the force by which brake pedal 19 is operated, the greater the pressure force that is acting upon coil spring 5 through pressure plunger 4. Because coil spring 5 has a constant spring constant, its deflection is initially proportional to the pressure force.

[0022] As soon as the deflection of pressure plunger 4 overcomes distance xi, first coil spring 5 and second coil spring 6 are jointly compressed. The spring constants of coil springs 5, 6 are superimposed on one another in such a way that a resulting spring stiffness becomes greater, so that a further deflection of the coil springs is possible only at a pressure force that is greater than the pressure force currently exerted on the only one coil spring 5.

[0023] If pressure plunger 4 subsequently also overcomes distance x2 due to the deflection, then first coil spring 5, second coil spring 6, and third coil spring 7 are jointly compressed. The resulting spring stiffness increases once again.

[0024] Even during the compression of first coil spring 5, the pressure force exerted by pressure plunger 4 is acting also on disk-spring system 8. However, disk springs 10, 11 are preferably preloaded to such a degree that disk springs 10, 11 are deflected only when the pressure force is great enough to compress all three coil springs 5, 6, 7. A further, minimal deflection of pressure plunger 4 then requires a maximum pressure force by pressure plunger 4 on coil springs 5, 6, 7 and disk-spring system 8. This has the result that a maximum restoring force acts on brake pedal 19 only near an end stop of brake pedal 19 and thereby simulates a brake-pedal force feel that corresponds to the brake-pedal force feel of a vehicle equipped with a conventional, hydraulic brake system.

[0025] As an alternative to rod 14, it is possible to provide a stop 22 that restricts the movement of pressure plunger 4 and is situated in the form of a stop ring on the inner housing wall of housing 3. Stop 22 is fixed in place on housing 3 with the aid of a screw-fitting device 23 and is situated so as to be shiftable, preferably in the axial direction, e.g., with the aid of an affixation with the aid of a further screw-fitting device 24.

[0026] Alternatively, it is possible to develop pressure piston 4 without shoulders 15, 16. This increases clearances xi and x2 so that a joint compression of coil springs 5, 6, 7 sets in only after a greater deflection of pressure plunger 4. It is also possible to develop coil springs 5, 6, 7 at an identical length, whereby coil springs 5, 6, 7 are jointly compressed in response to a deflection of pressure plunger 4.

[0027] In addition, at least one third disk spring, which is not shown here, may be disposed on disk spring 11 as a mirror image to disk spring 11. This allows for an adaptation of a resulting spring stiffness or a spring characteristic. Both the at least one third disk spring and spring disks 10, 11 are preferably made from metal, a metal alloy and/or plastic.

[0028] As an alternative or in addition, it is possible to dispose a further disk-spring system, which is not shown here, including a bearing disk between coil springs 5, 6, 7 and pressure plunger 4. To do so, end face 13 of the pressure plunger is preferably developed without stop shoulders 15, 16 in order to ensure a more optimal support of the further disk-spring system on pressure plunger 4. Coil spring 5 is preferably preloaded between the further disk-spring system and axial stop 9 or between the further disk-spring system and disk-spring system 8 so that coil spring 5 presses the further disk-spring system against pressure plunger 4 by way of a frictional connection. A form-locking or an intermaterial fastening of the further disk-spring system on pressure piston 4 is also possible.

[0029] Between an inner housing wall of housing 3 and an outer lateral surface area of pressure plunger 4, pressure plunger 4 preferably has a radial recess 20 in which a sealing ring 21 is disposed.

[0030] Sealing ring 21 is preferably elastically preloaded between the housing inner wall of housing 3 and the wall side of recess 20 that lies opposite the housing inner wall.

[0031] The described specific embodiments may be combined as desired and are not restricted to the mentioned exemplary embodiments. With the aid of the described pedal-force simulator device 1, different spring characteristics or spring stiffnesses are realizable for the purpose of generating a brake-pedal force feel that corresponds to hydraulic braking. In particular in an end-stop range, when brake pedal 19, and thus pressure plunger 4, are nearly completely deflected, high end forces or restoring forces may be generated at brake pedal 19 and improve the brake-pedal force feel. Pedal-force simulator device 1, for example, may be used in all electro-hydraulic brake systems that are partially or fully able to be operated using a brake-by-wire brake system.