JP3644210B2 - Brake fluid filling method for automobiles - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automobile brake fluid filling method, and more particularly to a method for filling brake fluid into a brake piping system of a vehicle equipped with an anti-lock brake system (hereinafter simply referred to as ABS) in a vehicle assembly line. .
[0002]
[Prior art]
In an automobile assembly line, as a method of filling brake fluid into a vehicle brake piping system, a vacuum filling method is employed in which the brake piping system including a master cylinder and a wheel cylinder is evacuated and then pressurized with brake fluid. Yes.
[0003]
On the other hand, even if there are vehicles that flow on the same assembly line, there are those that have ABS mounted and those that do not, and in the ABS mounted vehicle, as shown in FIG. 7, the master cylinder 3 and the wheel cylinders of the front and rear wheels (caliper) In this structure, an ABS actuator 8 is interposed in series in a piping system connecting 4 to 7 (including a built-in type).
[0004]
In FIG. 7, 9 is a brake pedal, and 1 is a brake fluid vacuum filling device. The filling gun 2 is connected to an inlet 10a of a reservoir tank 10 attached to the master cylinder 3, and the inside of the piping system is temporarily provided. The brake fluid is pressurized and filled after evacuating to a predetermined degree of vacuum.
[0005]
Among the ABSs described above, those equipped with an actuator of a type generally referred to as a reflux type or a circulation type, as shown in FIG. 1, have a normally open type inside the case 14 of the integrated ABS actuator 8. Since the solenoid valves 15 to 18, the normally closed solenoid valves 19 to 22, the check valves 26 to 29, the plunger pump 23, the reservoir tanks 24 and 25, and the like are built in, the master cylinder 3 and the wheel cylinders 4 to 7 There is an internal secondary circuit 30 that is blocked by normally closed solenoid valves 19-22 and check valves 26-29 with respect to the primary circuit that is in direct communication.
[0006]
The internal secondary circuit 30 is preliminarily filled with the brake fluid in the state of the ABS actuator 8 alone, and in the brake fluid filling process of the vehicle assembly line, the internal secondary circuit 30 is the same as in the vehicle without ABS. The brake fluid is filled in the brake piping system that is the primary circuit other than the above.
[0007]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
For a vehicle equipped with an ABS equipped with an actuator of a type called a reflux type or a circulation type, as described above, the brake fluid filling work is carried out in two steps: the state of the ABS actuator alone and the vehicle assembly stage. In order to reduce man-hours and costs, it is desirable that a required amount of brake fluid can be filled at a time in the brake fluid filling step at the vehicle assembly stage.
[0008]
The present invention has been made based on the background described above. While using an existing brake fluid vacuum filling device, the brake fluid is simultaneously applied to the internal secondary circuit of the ABS actuator for the ABS-equipped vehicle. It is intended to provide a method that allows filling.
[0009]
The invention according to claim 1 is a method of evacuating a brake piping system including a master cylinder and a wheel cylinder and then pressurizing and filling the brake fluid into the piping system. The actuator component includes a valve for reducing the hydraulic pressure when the anti-lock brake system is operated, a pump for circulating the brake fluid, and a reservoir tank in the secondary circuit of the actuator. At the time of pressure filling, the hydraulic pressure reducing valve and the brake fluid circulation pump are simultaneously operated to fill the secondary circuit of the actuator with the brake fluid. , A predetermined time after filling the reservoir tank with brake fluid and before the pressure filling process is completed. It is characterized by performing only.
[0010]
In the operation of the ABS actuator component described above, an ABS actuator drive control device linked to the brake fluid vacuum filling device is prepared in advance, and communication is performed between the ABS actuator control unit and the ABS actuator control unit on the vehicle side. The ABS actuator component is forcibly activated without vehicle movement.
[0012]
Serial mounting of the invention in claim 2 is characterized in that the valve for the hydraulic pressure reduction is driven to repeat the wiggle opening and closing operation.
[0014]
Therefore, the serial mounting of the invention in claim 1, when forcibly actuating the hydraulic圧減pressure control valves and pumps etc. constituting the ABS actuator, the interior of the ABS actuator normally being shut off from the primary circuit Since the secondary circuit communicates with the primary circuit, the brake fluid is filled in the internal secondary circuit simultaneously with the filling of the brake fluid in the primary circuit even if the brake fluid is not filled in the internal secondary circuit in advance. .
[0015]
When the brake fluid is pressurized and filled , the brake fluid is gradually filled into the internal secondary circuit while the pump is stopped, and accordingly, the fluid pressure in the internal secondary circuit is increased, thereby The residual air is easily dissolved in the brake fluid, and is pushed into the reservoir tank by further increasing the hydraulic pressure. Therefore, the above-mentioned residual can be obtained by operating the pump for a predetermined time after the second half of the brake fluid pressure filling, more specifically, after filling the reservoir tank with the brake fluid and before the pressure filling process is completed. Air will be expelled from the system at once.
[0016]
Further, in the second aspect of the invention, the internal secondary circuit is more smoothly filled with the brake fluid by repeating the opening / closing operation of the valve in small increments.
[0017]
【The invention's effect】
According to the first aspect of the present invention, the brake fluid can be charged simultaneously with the primary circuit of the internal secondary circuit of the ABS actuator. There is no need to fill the brake fluid in two steps, and there is no need to fill the brake fluid in two steps, thereby reducing the number of steps for filling the brake fluid and reducing the cost. In addition to improving the accuracy of evacuation compared to the case where the brake fluid is filled in the internal secondary circuit in advance, the man-hour for checking the difference between the brake fluid on the primary side and the internal secondary circuit side is also included. It can also be reduced.
[0018]
Furthermore, since the pump was operated for a predetermined time after the brake tank was filled into the reservoir tank and before the pressurization and filling process was completed, Since the residual air in the system is driven into the reservoir tank by the rise, the residual air can be discharged to the outside at once by the operation of the pump, and the residual air can be efficiently discharged.
[0019]
According to the invention described in claim 2, since the valve for hydraulic pressure reduction control which is an ABS actuator component is repeatedly opened and closed in small increments, in addition to the same effect as the invention described in claim 1 In addition, the internal secondary circuit can be efficiently filled with the brake fluid.
[0020]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
FIGS. 1 to 6 are views showing a preferred embodiment of the present invention. In particular, in FIG. 2, ABS actuator drive control is performed so as to interlock with an existing brake fluid vacuum filling device (hereinafter simply referred to as a vacuum filling device) 1. A device (hereinafter simply referred to as a drive control device) 11 is provided, and the drive control device 11 and the ABS actuator control unit 12 on the vehicle side are connected via a connector 13 and are forcibly controlled by the external drive control device 11. 7 is different from that shown in FIG. 7 in that the ABS actuator 8 is operated.
[0021]
First, the details of the ABS actuator 8 will be described with reference to FIG. 1. In the integrated actuator case 14, the four pressure-increasing solenoid valves (inlet valves) 15 to 18 that are independent for each of the wheel cylinders 4 to 7 are the same. In addition to the four pressure reducing solenoid valves (outlet valves) 19 to 22 and the plunger pump 23, two reservoir tanks 24 and 25 and a plurality of check valves 26 to 29 are built in each. The pressure increasing solenoid valves 15 to 18 are formed as a normally open type (normally open type), whereas the pressure reducing solenoid valves 19 to 22 are formed as a normally closed type (normally closed type). As long as the pressure reducing solenoid valves 19 to 22 and the plunger pump 23 are not operated, the portion including the plunger pump 23 and the reservoir tanks 24 and 25 is cut off from the other primary circuits as the internal secondary circuit 30. .
[0022]
Here, the actual function when the ABS actuator 8 is mounted on a vehicle will be described.
[0023]
When the ABS is not operated, that is, during normal braking, none of the solenoid valves 15-18 and 19-22 are energized, the ports of the pressure increasing solenoid valves 15-18 are open, and the ports of the pressure reducing solenoid valves 19-22 are closed. Thus, the master cylinder hydraulic pressure accompanying the depression of the brake pedal 9 is directly transmitted to the wheel cylinders 4 to 7, and the brake fluid does not flow into the reservoir tanks 24 and 25.
[0024]
When the hydraulic pressure is maintained, that is, when the ABS operation is started, the solenoid valves for pressure increase 15 to 18 are energized to close their ports, and the master cylinder 3, the wheel cylinders 4 to 7 and the reservoir tanks 24 and 25 are shut off respectively. The hydraulic pressure is maintained as it is.
[0025]
When the hydraulic pressure is reduced, that is, during the ABS operation, the solenoid valves 15 to 18 and 19 to 22 for energizing and depressurizing are energized, the ports of the solenoid valves for increasing pressure 15 to 18 are closed, and the solenoid valves for depressurizing 19 to Port 22 is open. The brake fluid in each wheel cylinder 4-7 is stored in the reservoir tanks 24, 25 through the pressure reducing solenoid valves 19-22, and then returned to the master cylinder 3 by the operation of the plunger pump 23.
[0026]
Further, when the hydraulic pressure is increased, that is, when the ABS is operated, the ports of the pressure increasing solenoid valves 15 to 18 are opened and the ports of the pressure reducing solenoid valves 19 to 22 are closed, and the hydraulic pressure from the master cylinder 3 and the plunger pump 23 depending on the case. A portion of the brake fluid discharged from the engine flows into the wheel cylinders 4 to 7 and increases the wheel cylinder hydraulic pressure.
[0027]
Unlike the conventional case, the ABS actuator 8 is not filled with the brake fluid in the internal secondary circuit 30 even in a single component state. Therefore, even when assembled in the vehicle body in the vehicle assembly line, the brake fluid is combined with the primary circuit. It is in an unfilled state. When the vehicle is brought into the brake fluid vacuum filling process of the assembly line, the filling gun 2 of the vacuum filling device 1 is inserted into the inlet 10a of the reservoir tank 10 attached to the master cylinder 3 as shown in FIG. At the same time, the ABS actuator control unit 12 on the vehicle side and the drive control device 11 are connected via the cable 31 and the connector 13 to prepare for the subsequent vacuum filling operation of the brake fluid.
[0028]
3 and 4 show the procedure of the brake fluid vacuum filling operation executed by the vacuum filling device 1 and the drive control device 11, and FIG. 5 also shows the time chart thereof. When the operator sets the connection by connecting the connector 13 and turns on the ignition key switch of the vehicle by the operator, and the operator also turns on the vacuum filling start button (steps S1 to S5), The process is executed according to a preset program.
[0029]
That is, on the vacuum filling device 1 side, evacuation of the brake piping system is started by starting a vacuum pump (not shown) (step S6), and a vacuum pre-check and air leak check are performed (steps S7 and S8). On the other hand, on the drive control device 11 side, in parallel with the evacuation operation, the ON state of the ignition key switch, the connector connection state, and the communication state with the ABS actuator control unit 12 are confirmed. (Steps S11 to S13).
[0030]
If any inspection item is defective, the vacuum filling operation is stopped or the control of the ABS actuator 8 is stopped (steps S8 and S9, and steps S15 and S16).
[0031]
When the confirmation of each of the above inspection items is completed, the drive control device 11 sends an ON-OFF signal for the solenoid valves 19 to 22 for hydraulic pressure reduction and an activation signal for the plunger pump 23 to the ABS actuator control unit 12 ( In step S14), as shown in FIG. 5, in parallel with the evacuation work, the plunger pump 23 starts a continuous operation, and the solenoid valves 19 to 22 repeatedly open and close in small increments. At this time, the respective solenoid valves 15 to 18 for increasing the hydraulic pressure remain open. As a result, the internal secondary circuit 30 of the ABS actuator 8 shown in FIG. 1 is also communicated with the other primary circuits and evacuated.
[0032]
When the brake piping system including the internal secondary circuit 30 of the ABS actuator 8 is evacuated to a predetermined degree of vacuum, the evacuation operation is stopped (step S17), and the drive control device receives the evacuation completion signal. The signal transmission from 11 to the ABS actuator control unit 12 is stopped (step S18). As a result, as shown in FIG. 5, the ON-OFF drive of each solenoid valve 4-7 and the operation of the plunger pump 23 are temporarily interrupted, and each solenoid valve 4-7 returns to the normal state.
[0033]
Subsequently, on the vacuum filling device 1 side, a brake fluid filling cylinder (not shown) is operated in place of the vacuum pump, and pressure filling of the brake fluid into the brake piping system is started (step S19). In response to this filling start signal, the ON / OFF signals of the solenoid valves 19 to 22 are sent again from the drive control device 11 to the ABS actuator control unit 12 (step S20). As shown in FIG. In parallel with the pressure filling operation, each solenoid valve 19-22 repeats opening and closing operations in small increments. Therefore, the internal secondary circuit 30 of the ABS actuator 8 communicates with the primary circuit side every time the pressure reducing solenoid valves 19 to 22 are opened, and the internal secondary circuit 30 is filled with the brake fluid.
[0034]
When the pressurizing and filling work of the brake fluid has progressed more than half of the time, the drive control device 11 sends a start signal for the plunger pump 23 again to the ABS actuator control unit 12 (step S21), and the A portion of FIG. As shown, the plunger pump 23 is operated for 5 seconds, for example, in parallel with the pressure filling of the brake fluid.
[0035]
The temporary operation of the plunger pump 23 is performed for discharging residual air in the internal secondary circuit 30. That is, as shown in FIG. 6, the piston 32 in the reservoir tanks 24 and 25 is raised by the force of the spring 33 and the negative pressure at the time of evacuation. As the hydraulic pressure in the cylinder 8 rises, the piston 32 is gradually pushed down to store the brake fluid F in the reservoir tanks 24 and 25. At the same time, the residual air a dissolved in the brake fluid due to the hydraulic pressure rises in the reservoir tank. 24, 25. In this state, when the plunger pump 23 is temporarily operated, the piston 32 is displaced upward, and the residual air a collected in the reservoir tanks 24 and 25 can be expelled together with the brake fluid F to the master cylinder 3 side at once. It becomes possible.
[0036]
Even when the operation of the plunger pump 23 is temporarily stopped as described above, the opening and closing operation of the solenoid valves 19 to 22 is continued as shown in FIG. The opening / closing operation of the valves 19 to 22 is also stopped (steps S22 and S23). Then, a series of brake fluid vacuum filling operations are completed upon completion of the liquid level adjustment by the vacuum filling device 1 (steps S24 and S25).
[0037]
Thus, according to the present embodiment, in the brake fluid filling process of the vehicle assembly line, the internal secondary circuit 30 of the ABS actuator 8 that is a closed circuit is not filled with the brake fluid in a state of the actuator alone. When the brake fluid is filled in the primary circuit of the brake fluid piping system, it can be filled at the same time.
[0038]
In addition, when filling the brake fluid into the vehicle not equipped with ABS, the vacuum controller 1 alone is used in the same manner as before without operating the drive controller 11.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a typical embodiment of the present invention, and is an explanatory diagram of an internal configuration of an ABS actuator.
FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a brake fluid filling process for a vehicle equipped with an antilock brake system.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure when a vehicle equipped with an antilock brake system is filled with brake fluid.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure when a vehicle equipped with an antilock brake system is filled with brake fluid.
FIG. 5 is a time chart when the brake fluid is filled into the vehicle equipped with the anti-lock brake system.
FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a configuration of a reservoir tank built in an ABS actuator.
FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a conventional brake fluid filling process in a vehicle assembly line.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Brake fluid vacuum filling device 2 ... Filling gun 3 ... Master cylinder 4, 5, 6, 7 ... Wheel cylinder 8 ... ABS actuator 11 ... ABS actuator drive control device 12 ... ABS actuator control unit 15, 16, 17, 18 ... Solenoid valve for pressure increase 19, 20, 21, 22 ... Solenoid valve for pressure reduction 23 ... Plunger pump 24, 25 ... Reservoir tank 30 ... Internal secondary circuit

Claims (2)

A method of evacuating the brake piping system including the master cylinder and the wheel cylinder once and then pressurizing and filling the brake fluid into the piping system,
As an actuator component of the antilock brake system, the secondary circuit of the actuator includes a valve for reducing the hydraulic pressure when the antilock brake system is operated, a pump and a reservoir tank for circulating the brake fluid,
At the time of evacuation and pressurizing and filling the brake fluid, the hydraulic pressure reducing valve and the brake fluid circulation pump are simultaneously operated to fill the brake fluid to the secondary circuit of the actuator ,
A method of filling a brake fluid for an automobile, wherein the operation of the pump at the time of pressurizing and filling the brake fluid is performed for a predetermined time after the reservoir tank is filled with the brake fluid and before the pressurizing and filling step is completed . 2. The brake fluid filling method for an automobile according to claim 1, wherein the hydraulic pressure reducing valve repeatedly opens and closes in small increments.

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