Actuating Device for a Brake-By-Wire Brake System of a Motor Vehicle, in Particular of a Tilting Vehicle

Abstract

The invention relates to an actuating device (2) for a brake-by-wire brake system of a motor vehicle, in particular of a tilting vehicle, having at least one actuating element (4) that is able to be actuated by muscular force and is transferable by muscular force from an unactuated rest position (R) into at least one working position (A), having at least one control unit (6) which comprises at least one sensor element (8), by way of which the position of the actuating element (4) is able to be indirectly or directly sensed, and with which a braking force of a brake that is able to be actuated by the control unit (6) is settable depending on the working position (A), sensed by the sensor means, of the actuating element (4), and having at least one restoring unit (10) with which the actuating element (4) is preloaded or able be preloaded by a restoring force into the unactuated rest position (R), wherein the restoring force of the restoring unit (10) and the braking force set at the brake by the control unit (6) increase as the deviation of the respective working position (A) from the rest position (R) of the actuating element (4) increases.

Claims

1-10. (canceled)

11. An actuating device for a brake-by-wire brake apparatus of a motor vehicle, comprising: an actuating element which is actuatable by muscle power and which is transferable by muscle power from a non-actuated rest position to at least one working position; a control unit which comprises at least one sensor, said sensor being able to be used to indirectly or directly detect a position of the actuating element, wherein the control unit is configured to set a braking force of a brake, which is actuatable by the control unit, in dependence on the working position of the actuating element, said working position being detected by the sensor; and a restoring unit which is usable to preload the actuating element with a restoring force into the non-actuated rest position, wherein the restoring force of the restoring unit and the braking force set at the brake by the control unit increase as a deviation of the respective working position from the rest position of the actuating element increases.

12. The actuating device according to claim 11, wherein the motor vehicle is a tilting vehicle.

13. The actuating device according to claim 11, wherein the restoring force of the restoring unit and the braking force set at the brake by the control unit increase linearly or progressively as the deviation of the respective working position from the rest position of the actuating element increases.

14. The actuating device according to claim 11, further comprising: a housing body which is arranged on or in a frame element of the motor vehicle and fixed in a positionally fixed manner with respect to the frame element or which is formed by a portion of the frame element, said portion having a cavity which is accessible from outside, at least from one side, via an opening in the housing body and in which the restoring unit is arranged and indirectly or directly connected to the actuating element.

15. The actuating device according to claim 14, further comprising: a piston which is arranged in the cavity between the restoring unit and the opening, said piston having a cross section which corresponds to a cross section of a hollow-cylindrical portion of the cavity, wherein the piston is supported by one end on the restoring unit and is connected to the actuating element by the end facing away from the restoring unit, kinematics of said piston being coupled to the actuating element.

16. The actuating device according to claim 15, wherein the piston is arranged in a rest position in the rest position of the actuating element and is transferred to a working position corresponding to the working position when the actuating element is transferred to the at least one working position, and/or the restoring force acting on the piston on the part of the restoring unit is minimal in the rest position and is increased in the at least one working position with respect to the rest position.

17. The actuating device according to claim 15, further comprising: a coupler which is rotatably fixed on the piston and rotatably fixed on the actuating element and is usable to transmit a movement of the actuating element to the piston in order to move the piston.

18. The actuating device according to claim 15, wherein the control unit comprises at least one magnet element which is fixed in a positionally fixed manner on the piston and the position of which in the cavity is detectable by the sensor of the control unit, and the restoring force of the restoring unit and the braking force set at the brake by the control unit increasing with increasing deviation of the working position of the piston from the rest position.

19. The actuating device according to claim 18, wherein the sensor of the control unit comprises a Hall sensor.

20. The actuating device according to claim 15, wherein the restoring unit comprises a plunger element, a bar-shaped projection of which engages into a cutout in the piston, said cutout being of corresponding form to the cross section of the projection, and the restoring unit comprises at least one spring which is supported on a plate portion of the plunger element and also on the piston and which surrounds the bar-shaped projection of the plunger element.

21. The actuating device according to claim 20, wherein the restoring unit comprises at least one compression body, which is arranged on that side of the plunger element which faces away from the piston, and which is supported on the plunger element and also on a housing boundary, and/or the restoring unit comprises at least one insulator fixed on the piston.

22. The actuating device according to claim 21, wherein the compression body is an elastomer.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

[0037] FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a first exemplary embodiment of the actuating device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

[0038] FIG. 1 shows an exemplary embodiment of an actuating device, denoted as a whole by the reference designation 2, for a brake-by-wire brake apparatus of a motor vehicle. The actuating device 2 comprises an actuating element 4 which is actuatable by muscle force. The actuating element 4 is transferable by muscle force from a non-actuated rest position R to at least one working position A.

[0039] In addition, the actuating device 2 comprises a control unit 6 which comprises at least one sensor element 8 that can be used to indirectly or directly detect the position of the actuating element 4. In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the position of the actuating element 4 is indirectly detectable by the control unit 6, in particular by the at least one sensor element 8, which will be discussed in more detail later.

[0040] In dependence on the position of the actuating element 4, the control unit 6 is able to set a braking force of a brake (not illustrated in the figures), which is actuatable by the control unit 6, in dependence on the working position A of the actuating element 4, said working position being detected by the sensor element 8.

[0041] In order to return the actuating element 4 to the non-actuated rest position R, the actuating device 2 comprises a restoring unit 10. The restoring force of the restoring unit 10 and the braking force set at the brake by the control unit 6 correspond to the muscle force, in particular to the position of the actuating element 4. As the deviation of the working position A of the actuating element from the rest position R increases, the restoring force of the restoring unit 10 and the braking force at the brake also increase.

[0042] In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the actuating device 2 comprises a housing body 12 in which the restoring unit 10 is arranged. In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the housing body 12 is formed by a frame element of the motor vehicle.

[0043] A cavity 14 is formed in the housing body 12, the restoring unit 10 being arranged in said cavity on a side facing away from an opening 16 in the housing body 12. Arranged in the cavity 14 between the restoring unit 10 and the opening 16 in the housing body 12 is a piston 18 which is coupled to the actuating element 4 via a coupling mechanism 20. The piston 18 has a cross section which is of corresponding, in particular complementary, form to a cross section of a hollow-cylindrical portion 22 of the cavity 14. In this way, when being transferred along a transfer direction, the piston 18 is guided by the inner wall of the cavity 14, at least in the region of the hollow-cylindrical portion 22.

[0044] With regard to its kinematics, the piston 18 is coupled to the actuating element 4 via the coupling mechanism 20. In this way, the piston 18 is transferable from a rest position, in which the actuating element 4 is also in the rest position R (as illustrated in FIG. 1), to a working position when the actuating element 4 is transferred to the working position A (not illustrated in the figure).

[0045] The piston 18 is arranged in the cavity 14 so as to bear directly against the restoring unit 10 by way of a side facing away from the opening 16. The restoring unit 10 comprises a plunger element 24 which comprises a bar-like projection 26 that engages into a cutout 28 in the piston 18, said cutout being of corresponding, in particular complementary, form to the cross section of the projection 26.

[0046] In addition, the plunger element 24 comprises a plate portion 30 with which the plunger element 24 is able to be supported on an inner wall of the cavity 14. The restoring unit 10 also comprises a spring element 32 which is supported on the plate portion 30 of the plunger element 24 and also on the piston 18.

[0047] In such a case, when the piston 18 is transferred from the rest position to the working position, the spring element 32 is compressed, as a result of which a restoring force counter to the direction of transfer from the rest position to the working position is increased. Here, the movement of the piston 18 in the direction of the restoring unit 10 is additionally guided by the engagement of the bar-like projection 26 of the plunger element 24 into the cutout 28 in the piston 18.

[0048] In addition, in the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the restoring unit 10 comprises a compression body 34 which is arranged on that side of the plunger element 24 which faces away from the piston 18, and which is supported on the plunger element 24 and a housing boundary 36.

[0049] In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the restoring unit 10 also comprises an insulator 38 which is fixed in a positionally fixed manner on the piston 18 and with which the cavity 14 is enclosed on that side of the insulator 38 which faces away from the opening 16, and the magnetic field is not transmitted to the spring element 32.

[0050] In order to indirectly detect a position of the actuating element 4, the sensor element 8 is formed by a Hall sensor in the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 1. In order to be able to indirectly detect the position of the actuating element 4, a magnet element 40 is arranged on the piston 18, is fixed in a positionally fixed manner on the piston 18, and its position in the cavity 14 is detectable by the sensor element 8.

[0051] The mode of action of the actuating device 2 is described briefly below.

[0052] When the actuating element 4 is actuated by muscle force, the actuating element 4 is transferred from a rest position R to a working position A. The coupling mechanism 20 connected to the actuating element 4 transmits the movement of the actuating element 4 by transferring the piston 18 from the rest position to the working position. The restoring unit 10 counteracts the moving of the piston 18, a restoring force acting on the piston 18 increasing as the change in position of the piston 18 from the rest position to a working position increases. This can also be experienced at the actuating element 4 by the user, who, in order to transfer the actuating element 4 further from a working position A to a further working position A which is further away from the rest position R, must first overcome the restoring force of the restoring unit 10.

[0053] If the bar-like projection 26 of the plunger element 24 is arranged entirely in the cutout 28, in other words is in block form, only the spring rate of the compression body 34 acts during the further movement of the piston 18 until said compression body completely fills the cavity 14 in the housing body 12.

[0054] The control unit 6, in particular the sensor element 8, is used to correspondingly increase a braking force of a brake of the brake apparatus as the deflection of the piston 18 from the rest position to the working position increases. In this way, muscle force, restoring force and braking force correspond with one another.

[0055] The features of the invention which are disclosed in the preceding description, in the claims and in the drawing can be essential, both individually and in any desired combination, to the implementation of the invention in its various embodiments.

List of Reference Designations

[0056] 2 Actuating device [0057] 4 Actuating element [0058] 6 Control unit [0059] 8 Sensor element [0060] 10 Restoring unit [0061] 12 Housing body [0062] 14 Cavity [0063] 16 Opening [0064] 18 Piston [0065] 20 Coupling mechanism [0066] 22 Hollow-cylindrical portion [0067] 24 Plunger element [0068] 26 Projection [0069] 28 Cutout [0070] 30 Plate portion [0071] 32 Spring element [0072] 34 Compression body [0073] 36 Housing boundary [0074] 38 Insulator [0075] 40 Magnet element [0076] R Rest position [0077] A Working position