DESC:TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present subject matter relates to a three-wheeled vehicle. More particularly, to a braking system.
BACKGROUND
[0002] In many of the developing & under developed countries, a motor vehicle particularly a three-wheeled automotive vehicle is a significant mode of public transportation. It is vastly used as a point to point mode of transport in rural and urban areas. While negotiating heavy traffic, it is imperative that these vehicles stop quickly within a short distance, even when the response time available for a driver is minuscule. A brake system in these vehicles reduces the speed of the vehicle or stops it. However, under short response times, a driver is not able to exert sufficient pedal force to enable the vehicle to stop quickly. Thus, it becomes a necessity that these vehicles are fitted with a system that assists the driver to brake the vehicle effectively within a short distance under negligible response times. Generally, the brake booster is fitted between the pedal and a master cylinder and it multiplies the pedal force with the aid of vacuum.
[0003] In an existing arrangement for brake booster in the vehicle, the brake booster is normally mounted to the vehicle dash panel with the brake booster in the engine compartment of the vehicle and the brake booster push rod extending rearwardly into the passenger compartment and attached to a brake pedal arm for actuation by the vehicle operator.
[0004] In another known motor vehicle braking devices, the brake booster and the master cylinder as a separate components are arranged in close proximity within the engine compartment of the motor vehicle.
[0005] In conventional automotive vehicle brake systems, the brake booster housing is secured to the firewall of a vehicle by means of studs extending through holes in the firewall. A mounting bracket is secured to the firewall and the booster is in turn secured to the mounting bracket.
[0006] In another known arrangement for the fixation or mounting of brake booster, a vacuum brake booster is mounted on the vehicle firewall inside the engine compartment and supports, on its face opposite the firewall, a brake master-cylinder. A brake pedal assembly is generally mounted, on the side of the firewall facing the passenger compartment, independently of the mounting of the brake booster assembly.
[0007] With the known arrangements, fixation and mounting of brake booster and master cylinder for the vehicle, the installation of the brake booster and master cylinder occupies considerably much space within the vehicle. Typically, the three-wheeled vehicles with a flat floorboard have limited amount of space for compact mounting and arrangement of brake booster onto the master cylinder.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] The detailed description is described with reference to the accompanying figures. The same numbers are used throughout the drawings to reference like features and components.
[0009] Fig. 1. shows a side view of a three-wheeled vehicle according to one embodiment the present invention.
[00010] Fig. 2. illustrates perspective view of the three-wheeled vehicle with a brake booster mounted as per one embodiment of the present invention.
[00011] Fig.3. illustrates a perspective view of inside cowl of the three-wheeled vehicle as per one embodiment of the present invention.
[00012] Fig.4. shows a plan enlarged perspective view of a cover member and a mounting bracket integrally formed with said cover member as per one embodiment of the present invention.
[00013] Fig.5. shows an exploded perspective view of the brake booster mounted on a master cylinder as per one embodiment of the present invention.
[00014] Fig.6. illustrates a plan enlarged view of a brake booster mounted on an annular flange of the master cylinder as per one embodiment of the present invention.
[00015] Fig.7. illustrates a perspective view of the brake booster positioned below the dashboard assembly as per one embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[00016] The vast majority of automotive brake systems of the vehicles are provided with a device called a brake booster. The brake booster is an enhanced master cylinder setup used to reduce the amount of pedal pressure needed for braking. It employs the brake booster set up to act with the master cylinder to give higher hydraulic pressure to the brakes and/or lower force applied on the brake pedal through a brake booster push-rod. The brake booster usually uses vacuum from the engine intake to boost the force applied by a brake pedal on to the master cylinder, or may employ an extra vacuum pump to enable it. The brakes systems with the brake booster mounted onto the master cylinder are designed to reduce the effort required to depress the brake pedal when stopping or holding the vehicle stationary.
[00017] Generally, vehicles fitted with the brake booster assists the driver to brake the vehicle effectively within a short distance under negligible response times. Depending on the assist characteristic, the amount of pedal force that has to be applied by the driver to stop the vehicle within a designated stopping distance is reduced. Consequently, with the brake booster positioned on the vehicle, the driver needs to apply only a lesser force at the pedal for the vehicle to stop within a given distance, than in a vehicle not fitted with a brake booster.
[00018] Conventionally, the brake booster is mounted on the fixed wall of the vehicle by means of at least one bolt, introduced from the engine compartment of the vehicle, on one side of the fixed wall, into corresponding circular orifices made in the fixed wall, after which a nut is screwed onto the threaded end of each bolt projecting on the other side of the fixed wall.
[00019] However, the three-wheeled vehicle suffers from disadvantage of mounting and arrangement of said brake booster due to the limited amount of space. A floorboard of said three-wheeled vehicle is substantially parallel to the top of the chassis and thus imparting flat floorboard structure. The provision of a substantially flat floorboard allow the brake booster to be mounted in a horizontal position and not beneath the floorboard. The space on the three-wheeled vehicle is not always available for the installation of this type of booster mechanism, and this problem is increasing with modern vehicles since less space is becoming available for brake booster installations. With the flat floorboard structure, if brake booster is mounted on the chassis or beneath floorboard, then such mounting of said brake booster can subjected to dust, mud and water and hence reducing overall efficiency of the vehicle. Thus, due to mounting problem of brake booster and less space available, typically, the brake system of the three-wheeled vehicle is provided only with the master cylinder in link with a brake pedal.
[00020] With such objectives in view, the present invention enables a space saving installation, positioning, arrangement and compact mounting of the brake booster on the three-wheeled vehicle. Due to the flat floorboard of the three-wheeled vehicle, considerable space is not available for mounting of the brake booster. Therefore, as per one embodiment of the present invention, the brake booster in combination with a master cylinder is positioned underneath a dashboard assembly of the three-wheeled vehicle. The brake booster is mounted on said master cylinder through an annular flange provided on an upper end of said master cylinder. Thus, said at least one bolt hole is provided in said annular flange through which said brake booster is mounted on said master cylinder. The master cylinder is mounted on a cover member through a mounting bracket being formed integrally with said cover member. Said brake booster in combination with said master cylinder is mounted to one side of said cover member and to the other side of said cover member is provided with a brake oil reservoir.
[00021] As per one embodiment of the present invention, the only space available on the three-wheeled vehicle for the positioning of the brake booster is underneath the dashboard assembly for providing compact mounting and preventing damage to said brake booster from dust, mud and water. The mounting of said brake booster underneath said dashboard assembly provides for easy and space-saving installation thereof for the three-wheeled vehicle. Any other place in three-wheeled vehicle the brake booster mounting is not feasible.
[00022] It is therefore, object of the present to provide the mounting of the brake booster which requires a minimum amount of space for installation on the three-wheeled vehicle. The brake booster in combination with said master cylinder when positioned underneath said dashboard assembly of the vehicle imparts easy, space-saving and compact installation of the brake booster on the vehicle.
[00023]
[0001] Fig. 1 illustrates a side perspective view of an exemplary three-wheeled vehicle (100) (hereinafter ‘vehicle’), in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter. The vehicle (100) has a frame assembly (not shown), which includes a head tube, a main tube assembly extending rearward from the head tube. The vehicle (100) has a front cowl (103) positioned in the anterior portion of the head tube. A wind shield (102) is mounted to the front cowl (103). A floorboard (112) is extending from the bottom portion of the front cowl (103) to the rearward direction of the vehicle (100), supported by the main frame assembly. A handle bar assembly (104) is rotatably supported by the head tube, positioned behind the front cowl (103). A steering column assembly (not shown) comprises a front wheel (106) connected to the handle bar assembly (104) through one or more suspension(s) (not shown). A front fender (105) is above the front wheel (106), covering at least a portion of the front wheel (106). A bottom portion (110) of a body panel (111) is connected to the posterior portion of the floorboard (112). A pair of rear wheels (109) is connected to a swing arm through one or more suspension(s), the swing arm is in turn connected to the frame assembly. The rear suspension includes a shock absorber and a suspension spring mounted to the frame. A hood (101) connects a top portion of the front cowl (103) and a top portion of the body panel (111). The vehicle (100) is longitudinally divided into two portions along the line X-X’; a front portion (F) has a driver’s seat assembly (107) while a rear portion (R) has a long passenger seat (108) with a seating capacity of minimum three passengers. The driver seat (107) is positioned in a posterior portion to a handle bar assembly (104). A seat base (107a) and a backrest (107b) form the driver seat (107). The driver operates the vehicle (100) in a sitting position by sitting on the seat base (107a). A partition wall is positioned along the line X-X’ extending in the lateral direction of the vehicle (100). The driver’s seat assembly (107) comprises a seat base (107a) and a fixed backrest (107b).
[0002] Fig. 2. illustrates a perspective view of the vehicle (100) with the brake booster (201) mounted in one embodiment of the present invention. As per one the present invention, said brake booster (201) with said master cylinder (202) (shown in Fig.3) is positioned underneath said dashboard assembly (116) of the three-wheeled vehicle (100), thus imparting space saving and compact positioning of the brake booster (201) on the three-wheeled vehicle (100). As per one embodiment of the present invention, the vehicle (100) comprises of the head tube (114).The cover member (113) extends obliquely downwardly from said head tube (114). A dashboard assembly (116) includes a circular cross-section portion (122) (shown in Fig.3) adapted to receive a steering rod extending through said head tube (114).
[0003] Fig.3. illustrates a perspective view of inside cowl (121) of the three-wheeled vehicle (100) as per one embodiment of the present invention. A braking system (200) for the vehicle (100) comprises of the brake pedal (203), the master cylinder (202) actuated by the operation of said brake pedal (203). As per one embodiment, said to one side of said cover member (113) is provided with said brake booster (201) mounted on said master cylinder (202) and to other side of said cover member (113) is positioned the brake oil reservoir (119). Thus, underneath said dashboard assembly (116) said brake oil reservoir (119) and said brake booster (201) and said master cylinder (202) are positioned with respect to said cover member (113). In one embodiment, a brake hose (not shown) with a bundy tube (117) and a metal joint tube sleeve (120) is arranged inside cowl (121) of said vehicle (100). However, in such construction in which the brake pedal (203) is supported under the inside cowl (121) and the link mechanism is constituted by the brake pedal (203) and the push rod (23) (shown in fig.5), the brake booster (201) is spaced apart from the brake pedal in the front-to-rear direction of the vehicle (100).
[0004] Fig.4. shows a plan enlarged perspective view of the cover member (113) and the mounting bracket (118) fixedly attached on one side of said cover member (113).As per one embodiment of the present invention, the braking system for three-wheeled vehicle comprises of said brake booster (201), said brake pedal (203) and said master cylinder (202). In one embodiment, said brake booster (201) is being detachably attached to said master cylinder (202).
[0005] Fig.5. shows an exploded perspective view of the brake booster (201) mounted on the master cylinder (202) as per one embodiment of the present invention. In one embodiment, said the braking system (200) for the three-wheeled vehicle (100) comprises of said brake booster (201) being detachably attached to an upper end (27) of the master cylinder (202) through an annular flange (15) integrally provided therein and push rod (23) connecting said brake pedal (203) to said master cylinder (202) delivers manually generated force from said brake pedal (203) to said master cylinder (202). In one embodiment, said master cylinder (202) is a detachably mounted to said mounting bracket (118) through at least one fastener (12, 14) passing through at least one mounting member (13) being integrally formed with said master cylinder (202). In one embodiment, said brake booster (201) is housing at least a portion of said push rod (23) and is connected to said brake pedal (203) through a cam (18).As per present invention, said cam (18) being connected together with the brake pedal (203) to the mounting bracket (118) through at least one spacer member (29) for enabling actuation of the brake booster through the push rod (23). Said master cylinder (202) is detachably secured to the mounting bracket (118) through at least one support member (11). The push rod (23) integrally includes a U shaped bracket (16) at its top end. The U shaped bracket (16) is detachably attached to one end of a cam (18).The brake pedal (203) is pivotally connected to another end of the cam (18). The brake pedal (203) together with the cam (18) is mounted to the mounting bracket (118) through said at least one support member (29). As per one embodiment of the present invention, said annular flange (15) is projecting outwardly from said upper end (27) of said master cylinder (202). With respect to one embodiment of present invention, a brake booster (201) is mounted to said master cylinder (202) by at least one bolt hole (not shown) through said annular flange (15) on said master cylinder (202). The master cylinder (202) is a tandem master cylinder and the two working chambers are separately connected to the pressure medium source. Said master cylinder (202) includes at least two ends (27, 28). Said at least two ends (27, 28) of said master cylinder (202) includes an upper end (27) and the lower end (28). With respect to one embodiment of present invention, the brake booster (201) is mounted to said master cylinder (202) by at least one bolt hole (not shown) through said annular flange (15) on said master cylinder (202). Said at least one support member (11) and said at least one spacer member (29) are made up of metal or plastic. Said at least one fastener (17, 21,20,19,12, 14) includes bolts, stud bolts, nuts, pin, washer, or screws. Said at least one fastener (17, 21, 20, 19, 12, 14) has at least one nut (12, 21) threaded thereon for securing the master cylinder (202) onto said mounting bracket (118).
[0006] Fig.6. illustrates a plan enlarged view of the brake booster (201) mounted on said annular flange (15) of the master cylinder (202) as per one embodiment of the present invention. In one embodiment, said at least one annular flange (15) is provided on said upper end (27) of said master cylinder (202). As per one embodiment, said annular flange (15) comprises of said at least one bolt hole (not shown). The brake booster (201) is mounted to said master cylinder (202) through said annular flange (15). In one embodiment, said annular flange (15) with at least one bolt hole (not shown) is adapted to receive at least one bolt (22) for mounting said brake booster to said master cylinder (202). As per one embodiment, said at least one support member (11) is fixedly secured to said mounting bracket (118) and at least one spacer member (29) is detachably secured to said mounting bracket (118). As per one embodiment, said brake booster (201) is mounted on said master cylinder (202) through at least one bolt (22).
[0007] Fig.7. illustrates a perspective view of the brake booster (201) positioned below the dashboard assembly (116) as per one embodiment of the present invention. In one embodiment, said brake booster (201) with said master cylinder (202) is positioned underneath the dashboard assembly (116) with respect to the cover member (113). The brake booster (201) is mounted on said master cylinder (202) cylinder through said annular flange (15) provided in said master cylinder (202). In one embodiment, said cover member (113) extends obliquely downwardly from said head tube (114) towards said floorboard (112) of three-wheeled vehicle (100). As per one embodiment, said mounting bracket (118) is fixedly attached to said cover member (113). In one embodiment, said at least one support member (11) and said at least one spacer member (29) can be a sleeve, bush or housing. As per one embodiment of the present invention, the brake booster (201) with said master cylinder (202) is positioned underneath said dashboard assembly (116). In one embodiment, said master cylinder (202) is mounted to said cover member (113) through said mounting bracket (118). In one embodiment, said mounting bracket (118) is formed integrally with said cover member (113). As per one embodiment, since said three-wheeled vehicle (100) has flat floorboard (112), hence the mounting or arrangement of brake booster (201) underneath said dashboard assembly (116) enables a compact and space saving installation of said brake booster (201).
[0008] Advantageously, as per the present invention, the positioning of brake booster in combination with said master cylinder underneath said dashboard assembly enables compact mounting of brake booster and hence imparts space-saving positioning of said brake booster on the three-wheeled vehicle. The positioning of said brake booster in combination with said master cylinder on the three-wheeled vehicle, considerably occupies less space within the vehicle. With one embodiment of the present invention, a particularly compact, easy and space saving mounting of brake booster onto said master cylinder is achieved.
[0009] Improvements and modifications may be incorporated herein without deviating from the scope of the invention.
,CLAIMS:I/We claim:
1. A three wheeled vehicle (100), said vehicle (100) comprising:
a head tube (114);
a cover member (113) extending obliquely downwardly from said head tube (114);
a dashboard assembly (116) including a circular cross-section portion adapted to receive a steering rod extending through said head tube (114);
a mounting bracket (118) fixedly attached on one side of said cover member (113); and
a braking system (200) adapted to be mounted to said mounting bracket (118) comprising a brake pedal (203), a master cylinder (202) actuated by operation of said brake pedal (203), a push rod (23) connecting said brake pedal (203) to said master cylinder (202) to deliver manually generated force from said brake pedal (203) to said master cylinder (202),
wherein the braking system (200) includes a brake booster (201), said brake booster (201) being detachably attached to an upper end (27) of the master cylinder (202) through an annular flange (15) integrally provided therein, and wherein the brake booster (201) housing at least a portion of said push rod (23) is connected to said brake pedal (203) through a cam (18), said cam being connected together with the brake pedal to the mounting bracket through at least one spacer member (29) for enabling actuation of the brake booster through the push rod, and wherein, said master cylinder is detachably secured to the mounting bracket (200) through at least one support member (11) .
2. The three wheeled vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the push rod (23) integrally includes a U shaped bracket (19) at its top end.
3. The three wheeled vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the U shaped bracket (19) is detachably attached to one end of the cam (18).
4. The three wheeled vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the brake pedal (203) is pivotally connected to another end of the cam (18) .
5. The three wheeled (100) as claimed in claim 1 or 4, wherein the brake pedal (203) together with the cam (18) is mounted to the mounting bracket (118) through at least one support member (11).
6. The three wheeled vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said annular flange (15) projects outwardly from said upper end of said master cylinder (202).
7. The three wheeled vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said master cylinder (202) is a tandem master cylinder with two working chambers.
8. The three wheeled vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said master cylinder (202) is a detachably mounted to said mounting bracket (200) through at least one fastener (12, 14) passing through at least one mounting member (13) being integrally formed with said master cylinder (202).
9. The three wheeled vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said at least one support member (11) is fixedly attached to said mounting bracket (200).
10. The three wheeled vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 5, wherein said at least one spacer member (29) is detachably secured to said mounting bracket (200).