Brake fluid pressure control apparatus

Abstract: A brake fluid pressure control apparatus has a solenoid valve (12) and/or other fluid pressure control elements in a housing (11), and the reactive force (F) resulting from the fluid pressure acting on the fluid pressure control elements is carried by a support member (13) fastened to the housing (11). The support member is a flat plate member. Mounting tabs (17a, 17b, and 17c) are formed integrally to and on the same plane as the support member (13), projecting outwardly from the ends thereof. The mounting tabs (17a, 17b, and 17c) are each fastened to the bracket of the vehicle body through a rubber bushing. Thus, the structure used to fasten the control apparatus to the vehicle body is simplified and the number of parts required for installation is reduced

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a brake fluid pressure control apparatus for use in a vehicle, comprising: a housing, fluid pressure control means in said housing, vibration absorbing bushings for said housing, and a mounting case fitted over each bushing and having a closed end from which a threaded male member projects for fastening to a vehicle body part. Such a control apparatus is disclosed in EP-A-0 358 127 (Figure 9). The brake fluid pressure control apparatus is for use in an antilock brake control system or traction control system in a vehicle. In a conventional brake fluid pressure control apparatus as shown in Fig. 7, the control apparatus is secured to the vehicle body-side bracket 3 by a mounting bolt 2 fitting into a threaded hole 1a provided in the housing (not shown) holding the solenoid valve or other pressure control elements, or the support member 1 bearing the reactive force of the fluid pressure received by the fluid pressure control elements. The mounting bolt 2 comprises a regular sequence of male threads 2a, flange 2b, and shank 2c, and the male threads 2a thread into the threaded hole 1a. A mounting case 5 is fit around the shank 2c with a vibration absorbing rubber bushing 4 inside the mounting case 5 and surrounding the shank 2c. The male threaded member 5a of the mounting case 5 is inserted through the hole 3a in the body-side bracket 3, a nut 6 is screwed onto the male threaded member 5a, and the complete brake fluid pressure control apparatus is thus secured to the body. With this type of brake fluid pressure control apparatus as with the one of EP-A-0 358 127, however, it is obviously necessary to drill a hole in the housing or support member 1 and tap this hole to form the threaded hole 1a if the brake fluid pressure control apparatus is to be thus secured to the body, and this drilling-tapping process takes time. In addition, this conventional assembly of the brake fluid pressure control apparatus to the body requires a mounting bolt 2, rubber bushing 4, mounting case 5, and nut 6. This large number of parts both increases the difficulty of the assembly task, and increases costs. In addition, the rubber bushing 4 is needed to absorb the vibrations generated in the control apparatus during the initialization check executed when the engine is started and prevent propagation of the vibrations to the body. This has made it difficult to eliminate the rubber bushing 4 and mounting case 5, and thus simplify the assembly, by reducing the total number of parts. GB-A-2033515 discloses a proportioning valve included in a vehicle braking system, the valve comprising a fluid pressure control piston acting inside the proportioning valve housing, and being fastened to a brake master cylinder housing. In Figure 3, a single mounting tab with a hole therein is clearly shown. Part of a second, similarly-shaped, element is illustrated. Whether or not this includes a hole cannot be determined. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been developed with a view to substantially solving the above described disadvantages and has for its essential object to provide an improved brake fluid pressure control apparatus. The present invention relates to a brake fluid pressure control apparatus according to the opening sentence of this specification and is characterised in that a support member having a plurality of mounting tabs formed integrally therewith is fastened to said housing for bearing a reactive force of the fluid pressure acting on the fluid pressure control means, and in that said vibration absorbing bushings are fitted over each said mounting tab. These and other objects and features of the present invention will become clear from the following description taken in conjunction with the preferred embodiments thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings throughout which like parts are designated by like reference numerals, and in which: Fig. 1 is a front view of the brake fluid pressure control apparatus according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is an oblique view of the support member, Fig. 3 is a partial cross section of the structure mounting to the body at arrow III in Fig. 1, Fig. 4 is a partial cross section of the structure mounting to the body at arrow IV in Fig. 1, Fig. 5 is a partial oblique view of an alternative embodiment wherein the mounting tabs are octagonal in cross section, Fig. 6 is a partial cross section of an alternative embodiment wherein a washer is inserted between the rubber bushing and the end of the support member, and Fig. 7 is a partial cross section of the structure mounting to the body in a conventional brake fluid pressure control apparatus. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The preferred embodiment of a brake fluid pressure control apparatus according to the invention is described below with reference to the figures. The brake fluid pressure control apparatus shown in Fig. 1 to Fig. 4 according to the present invention is used in an antilock brake control system. In this embodiment, the solenoid valve 12 and other elements used to control the fluid pressure (the fluid pressure control elements) are housed in the housing 11, and the reactive force F resulting from the fluid pressure acting on the fluid pressure control elements is carried by the support member 13 plate fastened to the housing 11. As shown in Fig. 2, the support member 13 is formed from an approximately rectangularly shaped plate with holes 14 passing through the thickness of the plate. The support member 13 is then fastened to the housing 11 by means of bolt members 15 passing through the holes 14 and threaded into the threaded holes (not shown in the figure) in the housing 11. The mounting tabs 17a, 17b, and 17c are formed integrally to the plate projecting from the opposite ends 13a, 13b thereof. The mounting tabs 17a, 17b, and 17c in this embodiment are rectangular in cross section, and extend on the same plane as the support member 13 with the tops and bottoms of the mounting tabs 17a, 17b, and 17c on the same plane as the top and bottom, respectively, of the support member 13. This support member 13 is formed by stamping steel plate. Because the mounting tabs 17a, 17b, and 17c project from the ends 13a, 13b of the support member 13 on the same plane, they can be formed by stamping at the same time the support member 13 is stamped. The through-holes 14 can also be punched at the same time the support member 13 is stamped. The brake fluid pressure control apparatus comprising this support member 13 is fastened to the body by means of the construction shown in Figs. 3 and 4. It is to be noted that while only mounting tab 17b is shown specifically in Figs. 3 and 4, the same construction is used with the other mounting tabs 17a, 17c to fasten the brake fluid pressure control apparatus at three points to the body. A thick-walled cylindrical rubber bushing 4 is fit over the mounting tabs 17a, 17b, and 17c, and a mounting case 5 is fit over the rubber bushing 4. A male threaded member 5a projects from the closed end 5c of the cylindrical member 5b of the mounting case 5 fitting over the rubber bushing 4. This male threaded member 5a is inserted through the hole 3a through the body-side bracket 3, and a nut 6 is threaded on. The body-side bracket 3 is therefore sandwiched between the nut 6 and the closed end 5c of the mounting case 5, thus securely fastening the brake fluid pressure control apparatus to the body. Both the mounting bolt and the threaded hole required to fasten the mounting bolt to the support member in the prior art are therefore unnecessary in a brake fluid pressure control apparatus according to the present invention as thus described because the mounting tabs 17a, 17b, and 17c provided integrally to the support member 13 perform the function of the mounting bolt 2 in the prior art, and the complete control apparatus is fastened to the body-side bracket 3 by means of the rubber bushing 4 and mounting case 5 holding the mounting tabs 17a, 17b, and 17c and fastened by the nut 6. It is to be noted that the present invention shall not be limited to the above embodiment, and various alternatives are possible. For example, the above embodiment of a brake fluid pressure control apparatus is described as part of an antilock brake control system, but it can also be used in a traction control system. In addition, the mounting tab 17' can be shaped octagonally in cross section as shown in Fig. 5. In this case rectangular mounting tabs can be formed integrally to the support member 13 when the support member 13 is stamped, and the sides of the mounting tabs then chamfered to the finished octagonal shape. In addition, the mounting tabs shall not be limited to a rectangular or octagonal cross section, and a hexagonal or other polygonal or circular cross section can also be used. In addition, a round washer 20 can also be placed between the rubber bushing 4 and the support member 13 end 13b in the above embodiment as shown in Fig. 6. The support member 13 is described above as being stamped from steel plate, but the support member can also be die cast or molded from plastic. As described above, the mounting bolt and threaded hole provided in the support member to mate with the mounting bolt that are required in the prior art to fasten this type of control apparatus to the body can be eliminated with a brake fluid pressure control apparatus according to the present invention because mounting tabs are formed integrally to the support member, and the mounting tabs are used to fasten the control apparatus to the body-side mounting bracket through a rubber bushing and mounting case. As a result, the construction used to fasten the control apparatus to the body can be simplified and the number of parts required for installation can be reduced by the present invention while retaining the rubber bushing structure that prevents propagation of vibrations to the body. It is therefore possible to improve the productivity of the installation procedure, and reduce costs. When the mounting tabs are formed integrally on the same plane as the plate-like support member in the above embodiment, the mounting tabs can be formed simultaneously by stamping when the support member is stamped from steel plate, and the support member with integral mounting tabs can be produced with a simple manufacturing process. Furthermore, with this construction, the support member can be fastened to the body-side bracket even in cases in which it is difficult to provide a threaded hole for the rubber bushing in the conventional construction because the thickness of the stamped plate is relatively thin. The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the scope of the invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are intended to be included, provided they are within the scope of the following claims.

Claims: A brake fluid pressure control apparatus for use in a vehicle, comprising: a housing (11); fluid pressure control means (12) in said housing (11); vibration absorbing bushings (4) for said housing (11); and a mounting case (5) fitted over each bushing (4) and having a closed end (5c) from which a threaded male member (5a) projects for fastening to a vehicle body part (3); characterised in that: a support member (13) having a plurality of mounting tabs (17a, 17b, 17c) formed integrally therewith is fastened to said housing (11) for bearing a reactive force (F) of the fluid pressure acting on the fluid pressure control means (12); and in that: said vibration absorbing bushings (4) are fitted over each said mounting tab (17a,17b,17c). A brake fluid pressure control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said bushing (4) is a thick-walled cylindrical rubber bushing and said mounting case (5) comprises a cylindrical member (5b) closed at one end (5c) and having said threaded member (5a) projecting from said closed end (5c). A brake fluid pressure control apparatus according to claim 1 or 2 and installed in a vehicle body, wherein said threaded male member (5a) passes through a hole in a vehicle body bracket (3) in said vehicle body and a nut (b) on the threaded male member (5a) securely fastens the brake fluid pressure control apparatus to the vehicle body bracket (3). A brake fluid pressure control apparatus according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein said support member (13) is a flat plate (13) and said mounting tabs (17a,17b,17c) project outwardly from and on the same plane as the support member (13).

Inventors: FUJIMOTO TSUYOSHI C O ITAMI WO, FUJIMOTO, TSUYOSHI, C/O ITAMI WORKS
Applicants: SUMITOMO ELECTRIC INDUSTRIES, SUMITOMO ELECTRIC INDUSTRIES, LIMITED
Application year: 1993
Main classification: B60T8
IPC codes: B60T8, F16F15, B60T17, B60T15, B60R11