JP2021133858A - Stroke simulator - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a stroke simulator which easily adjusts an operation reaction force given to an operator.SOLUTION: A stroke simulator 1A includes a first piston 20 stored in a cylinder hole 11, and a second piston 30 stored in the cylinder hole 11 on the closer side of an opening 13 than the first piston 20. The stroke simulator 1A includes a rubber or resin elastic body 40 which is arranged between a bottom surface 12 and the first piston 20, and a coil spring 50 which is arranged between the first piston 20 and the second piston 30. A brake lever 2A (operator) is connected to the second piston 30.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to a stroke simulator.

A vehicle brake system that drives a motor according to the amount of operation of the operator to generate brake fluid pressure is provided with a stroke simulator that applies a pseudo operation reaction force to the operator.

As a stroke simulator, a coil spring is placed between the bottom surface of the cylinder hole and the first piston, another coil spring is placed between the first piston and the second piston, and an operator is placed on the second piston. Some are linked (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent No. 5243315

In the conventional stroke simulator described above, since it is difficult to adjust the reaction force characteristic of the coil spring, there is a problem that it is difficult to simulate the operation reaction force of the operator when the hydraulic pressure generator is directly operated by the operator.

An object of the present invention is to provide a stroke simulator that solves the above-mentioned problems and facilitates adjustment of an operation reaction force applied to an operator.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention is a stroke simulator that applies an operating reaction force to an operator, and includes a main body member having a cylinder hole having a bottom surface formed at one end and an opening formed at the other end. ing. Further, the stroke simulator includes a first piston housed in the cylinder hole and a second piston housed in the cylinder hole on the opening side of the first piston. Further, the stroke simulator includes an elastic body made of rubber or resin arranged between the bottom surface and the first piston, and a coil spring arranged between the first piston and the second piston. , Is equipped. The operator is connected to the second piston.

Since the stroke simulator of the present invention uses an elastic body made of rubber or resin, the reaction force characteristics of the elastic body can be easily adjusted by changing the material and shape of the elastic body. As a result, in the stroke simulator of the present invention, it becomes easy to adjust the operation reaction force applied to the operator, so that the operation feeling of the operator can be improved.

When adjusting the reaction force characteristics of the coil spring, the coil spring tends to increase in the axial direction or the radial direction. However, in the stroke simulator of the present invention, for example, a recess is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the elastic body to form the shape of the elastic body. By changing the above, the reaction force characteristics of the elastic body can be adjusted, so that the main body member can be miniaturized.

In the stroke simulator of the present invention, a cylinder hole can be machined from one direction with respect to the main body member. Further, in the stroke simulator of the present invention, each component can be easily assembled into the cylinder hole by sequentially inserting each component through the opening of the cylinder hole. Further, in the stroke simulator of the present invention, an elastic body or a coil spring can be taken out from the opening of the cylinder hole and replaced. Therefore, in the stroke simulator of the present invention, it is possible to improve the work efficiency at the time of manufacturing and maintenance and reduce the cost.

In the stroke simulator described above, when the spring constant of the coil spring is made smaller than the spring constant of the elastic body, the operating reaction force in the play region of the operator is mainly generated by the coil spring, and the hydraulic pressure generation region of the actuator is generated. The operating reaction force can be generated mainly by the elastic body.
In this way, it becomes easy to adjust the operating reaction force in the hydraulic pressure generating region of the operator, so that the operating reaction force of the operator when the hydraulic pressure generating device is directly operated by the operator can be accurately simulated. ..

In the stroke simulator described above, the elastic body is formed in a tubular shape, an extension portion extending toward the bottom surface is formed on the first piston, and the extension portion is inserted into the elastic body. Is preferable.
In this configuration, since the elastic body is stably deformed, an operating reaction force can be stably applied to the operator from the elastic body.

In the stroke simulator described above, the reaction force characteristics of the elastic body can be easily adjusted by forming a recess on the outer surface of the elastic body.

In the stroke simulator described above, when the operator is rotatably connected to a rotation shaft provided on the holder, it is preferable to integrally form the main body member with the holder.
In this configuration, the operating reaction force of the operator when the hydraulic pressure generator is directly operated by the operator can be accurately simulated.

In the stroke simulator described above, it is preferable that an arc-shaped retaining ring is detachably fitted in the cylinder hole on the opening side of the second piston with respect to the second piston.
In this configuration, when the retaining ring is removed from the cylinder hole, each component can be taken out from the cylinder hole, so that the elastic body and the coil spring can be easily replaced.

In the stroke simulator described above, a push rod that pushes the second piston toward the bottom surface is inserted into the cylinder hole according to the amount of operation of the operator. Then, it is preferable that the engaging portion provided on the push rod is configured to engage with the retaining ring from the bottom surface side.
In this configuration, the push rod can be connected to the operator while the push rod is connected to the stroke simulator, so that the stroke simulator can be easily connected to the operator.

In the stroke simulator described above, it is preferable to communicate the entire inside of the cylinder hole with a ventilation path.
In this configuration, it is possible to suppress pressure loss and generation of abnormal noise due to air compression when the first piston and the second piston move in the cylinder hole.

In the stroke simulator of the present invention, the reaction force characteristic of the elastic body can be easily adjusted, and the operation reaction force applied to the operator can be easily adjusted, so that the operation feeling of the operator can be improved.
Further, in the stroke simulator of the present invention, the reaction force characteristic of the elastic body can be adjusted by changing the shape of the elastic body, so that the main body member can be miniaturized.
Further, in the stroke simulator of the present invention, since each component can be easily assembled and replaced, work efficiency at the time of manufacturing and maintenance can be improved and the cost can be reduced.

It is a top view which showed the stroke simulator and the brake lever which concerns on embodiment of this invention. FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line II-II of FIG. 1 showing a stroke simulator according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is sectional drawing which showed the stroke simulator which concerns on other embodiment of this invention.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings as appropriate.
As shown in FIG. 1, the stroke simulator 1A of the present embodiment is a vehicle that generates brake hydraulic pressure by driving a motor according to the amount of operation of the brake lever 2A (“operator” in the claims). It is used for brake systems for automobiles.

The vehicle braking system of the present embodiment is used for a bar handle type vehicle such as a motorcycle, a tricycle, and an all-terrain vehicle (ATV), but the stroke simulator of the present invention is used for various types of vehicles such as a four-wheeled vehicle. Applicable to vehicles.

The brake lever 2A is rotatably connected to a rotation shaft 4 provided on the holder 3. The brake lever 2A is rotatable with respect to the holder 3 with the rotation shaft 4 as the center of rotation. The holder 3 is provided with a connecting portion 3a attached to the bar handle H of the vehicle.

The stroke simulator 1A applies a pseudo operating reaction force to the brake lever 2A when the brake lever 2A is operated.
The stroke simulator 1A includes a main body member 10 in which the cylinder hole 11 is formed, a first piston 20 and a second piston 30 housed in the cylinder hole 11, and an elastic body 40 and a coil spring 50 housed in the cylinder hole 11. , Is equipped.

The main body member 10 is integrally formed with the holder 3. A cylindrical cylinder hole 11 is formed in the main body member 10.
The cylinder hole 11 is formed in a straight line, and a bottom surface 12 is formed at one end and an opening 13 is formed at the other end. The cylinder hole 11 of the first embodiment has an opening 13 formed at the end on the brake lever 2A side and a bottom surface 12 formed at the opposite end on the brake lever 2A side.

As shown in FIG. 2, the cylinder hole 11 is continuously formed with a first hole portion 15 on the bottom surface 12 side and a second hole portion 16 on the opening 13 side. The axial length of the first hole portion 15 is formed to be larger than the axial length of the second hole portion 16. The diameter of the second hole portion 16 is larger than that of the first hole portion 15.

The first piston 20 includes a disk-shaped first main body portion 21 and a first extending portion 22 protruding from the first main body portion 21 toward the bottom surface 12. The first piston 20 is movable in the axial direction in the first hole portion 15. Air can be ventilated through a slight gap in S1 between the outer peripheral surface of the first main body portion 21 and the inner peripheral surface of the first hole portion 15.

The first extending portion 22 projects from the central portion of the surface of the first main body portion 21 on the bottom surface 12 side. The first extending portion 22 extends linearly from the first main body portion 21 toward the bottom surface 12.
The tip portion 22a of the first extending portion 22 is inserted into a support hole 12a formed in the central portion of the bottom surface 12 of the cylinder hole 11.

The second piston 30 includes a disk-shaped second main body portion 31 and a second extending portion 32 protruding from the second main body portion 31 toward the bottom surface 12. The second piston 30 is housed in the first hole 15 on the opening 13 side of the first piston 20. The second piston 30 is movable in the axial direction in the first hole portion 15. Air can be ventilated through a slight gap in S2 between the outer peripheral surface of the second main body 31 and the inner peripheral surface of the first hole 15.
A recess 33 is formed in the center of the surface of the second main body 31 on the opening 13 side. The inner surface of the recessed portion 33 is formed in an arc shape in a side view.

The second extending portion 32 projects from the central portion of the surface of the second main body portion 31 on the bottom surface 12 side. The second extending portion 32 extends linearly from the second main body portion 31 toward the bottom surface 12.

The elastic body 40 is arranged between the bottom surface 12 and the first main body portion 21 of the first piston 20. The elastic body 40 is a member made of rubber or resin. The elastic body 40 pushes the first piston 20 that has moved to the bottom surface 12 side back to the opening 13 side, and applies an operating reaction force to the brake lever 2A.

The elastic body 40 of the present embodiment is formed in a cylindrical shape, and the first extending portion 22 of the first piston 20 is inserted into the central hole 42 of the elastic body 40.
A plurality of recesses 41 are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the elastic body 40. The number and shape of the recesses 41 are not limited. For example, a groove-shaped recess 41 continuous in the circumferential direction of the elastic body 40 may be formed, or a recess-shaped recess 41 may be formed.

The coil spring 50 is arranged between the first main body 21 of the first piston 20 and the second main body 31 of the second piston 30. The coil spring 50 pushes the second piston 30 that has moved to the bottom surface 12 side back to the opening 13 side, and applies an operating reaction force to the brake lever 2A.

The outer diameter of the coil spring 50 is reduced from the first main body portion 21 toward the second main body portion 31. The second extending portion 32 of the second piston 30 is inserted into the coil spring 50. The end portion 51 of the coil spring 50 on the second main body portion 31 side is fitted to the base portion 32b of the second extension portion 32.

In the present embodiment, the spring constant of the coil spring 50 is smaller than the spring constant of the elastic body 40. Therefore, when the second piston 30 is pushed toward the bottom surface 12, the coil spring 50 is mainly compressed first, and then the elastic body 40 is mainly compressed.

In the cylinder hole 11, the push rod 5 is inserted closer to the opening 13 than the second piston 30.
The push rod 5 is a linear member, and an enlarged engaging portion 5b is formed at the tip end portion of the main body shaft portion 5a. The tip surface of the engaging portion 5b is formed in an arc shape in a side view, and is in contact with the inner surface of the recessed portion 33 of the second piston 30.

The base end portion 5c of the push rod 5 projects outward from the opening 13 of the cylinder hole 11 and is rotatably connected to the brake lever 2A. In this way, the second piston 30 is connected to the brake lever 2A via the push rod 5.

When the brake lever 2A shown in FIG. 1 is grasped by the driver toward the bar handle H side, the push rod 5 is pushed by the brake lever 2A and moves to the bottom surface 12 side of the cylinder hole 11. In this way, the push rod 5 moves to the bottom surface 12 side according to the amount of operation of the brake lever 2A.

As shown in FIG. 2, an annular retaining member 60 is housed in the bottom of the second hole portion 16. The retaining member 60 is overlapped with the bottom surface of the second hole portion 16. The main body shaft portion 5a of the push rod 5 is inserted into the center hole 61 of the retaining member 60. Air can be ventilated through S3 between the inner peripheral surface of the center hole 61 and the outer peripheral surface of the main body shaft portion 5a of the push rod 5.
The inner diameter of the center hole 61 of the retaining member 60 is formed to be smaller than the outer diameter of the engaging portion 5b, and the engaging portion 5b is configured to engage the retaining member 60 from the bottom surface 12 side. ing.

An arc-shaped retaining ring 65 is fitted on the opening 13 side of the retaining member 60 in the cylinder hole 11. The retaining ring 65 is a known C-shaped retaining ring, and the outer edge portion is fitted into a groove portion formed on the inner peripheral surface of the second hole portion 16. The retaining ring 65 is detachable in the second hole 16 by sandwiching both ends with pliers to reduce the diameter.

A retaining member 60 is sandwiched between the retaining ring 65 and the bottom surface of the second hole 16. In this way, the retaining member 60 is fixed between the engaging portion 5b of the push rod 5 and the retaining ring 65. Then, the engaging portion 5b engages with the retaining ring 65 via the retaining member 60 to prevent the push rod 5 from coming off from the cylinder hole 11.

The second hole portion 16 accommodates a boot 70 for preventing foreign matter from entering the cylinder hole 11. The boot 70 is a rubber tubular member. A push rod 5 is inserted through the boot 70.
The end of the boot 70 on the first hole 15 side is in contact with the surface of the retaining ring 65 on the opening 13 side and is fitted to the inner peripheral surface of the second hole 16.
The end of the boot 70 on the opening 13 side is fitted into a groove formed on the outer peripheral surface of the push rod 5.

In the stroke simulator 1A of the present embodiment, air can be ventilated between S1 between the first piston 20 and the inner peripheral surface of the first hole portion 15, and the inner peripheral surface of the second piston 30 and the first hole portion 15 is provided. Air can be ventilated between S2 and S2. Further, in a state where the engaging portion 5b of the push rod 5 is separated from the retaining member 60, S3 is provided between the inner peripheral surface of the center hole 61 of the retaining member 60 and the outer peripheral surface of the main body shaft portion 5a of the push rod 5. Air is ventilable. As a result, a ventilation path S that communicates the entire inside of the cylinder hole 11 is formed. By this ventilation path S, the inside of the first hole portion 15, the inside of the second hole portion 16 and the inside of the boot 70 can be ventilated.

In the stroke simulator 1A as described above, as shown in FIG. 2, when the brake lever 2A is not operated (state in FIG. 1), the tip portion 22a of the first extension portion 22 of the first piston 20 is a cylinder. It is separated from the bottom surface of the support hole 12a of the hole 11. Further, the tip end portion 32a of the second extension portion 32 of the second piston 30 is separated from the first main body portion 21 of the first piston 20. Further, the engaging portion 5b of the push rod 5 is engaged with the retaining member 60 from the bottom surface 12 side.

When the brake lever 2A shown in FIG. 1 is grasped by the driver toward the bar handle H side and the brake lever 2A rotates around the rotation shaft 4, the push rod 5 is pushed by the brake lever 2A into a cylinder hole. It moves to the bottom surface 12 side of 11. As a result, the second piston 30 is pushed toward the bottom surface 12 by the push rod 5.

In the stroke simulator 1A of the present embodiment, since the spring constant of the coil spring 50 is smaller than the spring constant of the elastic body 40 shown in FIG. 2, when the second piston 30 is pushed toward the bottom surface 12, the coil spring is first pressed. 50 is mainly compressed. As a result, in the play area of the brake lever 2A, the operating reaction force is mainly applied to the brake lever 2A by the coil spring 50.

Further, when the operation amount of the brake lever 2A becomes large and the hydraulic pressure generation region where the brake hydraulic pressure is generated is reached, the tip portion 32a of the second extension portion 32 of the second piston 30 becomes the first main body of the first piston 20. The elastic body 40 is mainly compressed by the first piston 20 pushing the second piston 30 in contact with the portion 21. As a result, in the hydraulic pressure generation region of the brake lever 2A, the operating reaction force is mainly applied to the brake lever 2A by the elastic body 40.

In the stroke simulator 1A of the present embodiment, a ventilation path S is formed to communicate the entire inside of the cylinder hole 11. Therefore, the pressure loss and the generation of abnormal noise due to air compression when the first piston 20 and the second piston 30 move in the cylinder hole 11 are suppressed.

Further, in the stroke simulator 1A of the present embodiment, the tip portion 22a of the first extending portion 22 of the first piston 20 comes into contact with the bottom surface of the support hole 12a of the cylinder hole 11, whereby the first piston 20 and the second piston are contacted. The movement of the 30 to the bottom surface 12 side is restricted. Thereby, the elastic body 40 and the coil spring 50 can be protected.
In the present embodiment, the elastic body 40 is compressed and deformed so that the tip portion 22a of the first extending portion 22 comes into contact with the bottom surface of the support hole 12a before the inside of the first hole portion 15 is filled with the elastic body 40. The distance L between the tip end portion 22a of the first extension portion 22 and the bottom surface of the support hole 12a is set. In this way, the elastic body 40 can be reliably protected.

When the driver reduces the force holding the brake lever 2A, the elastic body 40 and the coil spring 50 push the first piston 20 and the second piston 30 back toward the opening 13. As a result, the push rod 5 is pushed by the second piston 30 to move toward the opening 13, and the brake lever 2A is returned to the initial position.
Further, when the push rod 5 moves to the opening 13 side, the engaging portion 5b of the push rod 5 engages with the retaining ring 65 via the retaining member 60, so that the movement of the push rod 5 is restricted. ing.

As shown in FIG. 1, in the stroke simulator 1A as described above, since the elastic body 40 made of rubber or resin is used, the reaction force of the elastic body 40 can be changed by changing the material and shape of the elastic body 40. The characteristics can be easily adjusted. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the reaction force characteristic of the elastic body 40 can be improved by forming a recess 41 on the outer surface of the elastic body 40 or changing the filling rate of the elastic body 40 into the cylinder hole 11. Easy to adjust.

As described above, in the stroke simulator 1A of the present embodiment, the operation reaction force applied to the brake lever 2A can be easily adjusted, so that the operation feeling of the brake lever 2A can be improved.

In the stroke simulator 1A of the present embodiment, the reaction force characteristic of the elastic body 40 can be adjusted by changing the shape of the elastic body 40, so that the main body member 10 can be miniaturized, and the stroke simulator 1A can be miniaturized.

In the stroke simulator 1A of the present embodiment, since the operating reaction force in the hydraulic pressure generating region of the brake lever 2A is mainly generated by the elastic body 40, it is easy to adjust the operating reaction force in the hydraulic pressure generating region of the brake lever 2A. .. As a result, the operating reaction force when the hydraulic pressure generator such as the master cylinder is directly operated by the brake lever 2A can be accurately simulated.

In the stroke simulator 1A of the present embodiment, the first extending portion 22 of the first piston 20 is inserted into the elastic body 40. In this configuration, since the elastic body 40 is stably deformed, an operating reaction force can be stably applied to the brake lever 2A from the elastic body 40.

When manufacturing the stroke simulator 1A of the present embodiment, the cylinder hole 11 can be machined from one direction with respect to the main body member 10. Further, by sequentially inserting each component through the opening 13 of the cylinder hole 11, each component can be easily assembled into the cylinder hole 11.
In the stroke simulator 1A of the present embodiment, the elastic body 40 and the coil spring 50 can be taken out from the opening 13 of the cylinder hole 11 and replaced. In the stroke simulator 1A of the present embodiment, when the retaining ring 65 is removed from the cylinder hole 11, each component can be taken out from the cylinder hole 11.
Therefore, in the stroke simulator 1A of the present embodiment, it is possible to improve the work efficiency at the time of manufacturing and maintenance and reduce the cost.

In the stroke simulator 1A of the present embodiment, the engaging portion 5b of the push rod 5 is engaged with the retaining ring 65. As a result, the push rod 5 can be connected to the brake lever 2A while the push rod 5 is connected to the stroke simulator 1A, so that the stroke simulator 1A can be easily connected to the brake lever 2A.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and can be appropriately modified without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
In the stroke simulator 1A of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the elastic body 40 is formed in a cylindrical shape, but the shape of the elastic body 40 is not limited, and elastic bodies having various shapes are used. The reaction force characteristics can be adjusted.

The stroke simulator 1A of the present embodiment is connected to the brake lever 2A, but as in the stroke simulator 1B shown in FIG. 3, the base end portion of the push rod 5 is connected to the brake pedal 2B to the brake pedal 2B. It is also possible to apply an operation reaction force.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, a stroke simulator 1A that applies a pseudo operating reaction force to the brake lever 2A of the vehicle brake system is described, but a device to which the stroke simulator of the present invention can be applied. Is not limited. For example, the stroke simulator of the present invention can apply a pseudo operating reaction force to a vehicle clutch lever (“operator” in the claims).

1A Stroke Simulator 1B Stroke Simulator (Other Embodiments)
2A Brake lever 2B Brake pedal 3 Holder 4 Rotating shaft 5 Push rod 5a Main body shaft 5b Engaging part 10 Main body member 11 Cylinder hole 12 Bottom surface 12a Support hole 13 Opening 15 First hole 16 Second hole 20 First Piston 21 1st main body 22 1st extension 30 2nd piston 31 2nd main body 32 2nd extension 33 Recess 40 Elastic body 41 Recess 42 Center hole 60 Retaining ring 70 Boot H Bar handle S ventilation path

Claims (8)

A stroke simulator that applies an operation reaction force to the operator.
A main body member having a cylinder hole having a bottom surface formed at one end and an opening formed at the other end.
The first piston housed in the cylinder hole and
A second piston housed in the cylinder hole on the opening side of the first piston,
An elastic body made of rubber or resin arranged between the bottom surface and the first piston,
A coil spring arranged between the first piston and the second piston is provided.
A stroke simulator characterized in that the operator is connected to the second piston. The stroke simulator according to claim 1.
A stroke simulator characterized in that the spring constant of the coil spring is smaller than the spring constant of the elastic body. The stroke simulator according to claim 1 or 2.
The elastic body is formed in a tubular shape and has a tubular shape.
The first piston is formed with an extension portion extending toward the bottom surface.
A stroke simulator characterized in that the extension portion is inserted into the elastic body. The stroke simulator according to any one of claims 1 to 3.
A stroke simulator characterized in that a recess is formed on the outer surface of the elastic body. The stroke simulator according to any one of claims 1 to 4.
The operator is rotatably connected to a rotation shaft provided on the holder.
A stroke simulator characterized in that the main body member is integrally formed with the holder. The stroke simulator according to any one of claims 1 to 5.
A stroke simulator characterized in that an arc-shaped retaining ring is detachably fitted in the cylinder hole on the opening side of the second piston. The stroke simulator according to claim 6.
A push rod that pushes the second piston toward the bottom surface is inserted into the cylinder hole according to the amount of operation of the operator.
A stroke simulator characterized in that an engaging portion provided on the push rod engages with the retaining ring from the bottom surface side. The stroke simulator according to any one of claims 1 to 7.
A stroke simulator characterized in that the entire inside of the cylinder hole is communicated with a ventilation path.

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