US-12623642-B2 - Collision avoidance/brake system

Abstract

A vacuum booster has a shiftable diaphragm within a fixed housing. The fixed housing has forward and rearward ends. A piston and a vacuum port extend through the forward end of the housing for air to flow to and from the fixed housing. A quantity of brake fluid is within a master cylinder. A sensor is adapted to send an electronic signal in response to identified potentially damaging movement. A motion imparter is adapted to be activated in response to the electronic signal. The motion imparter is adapted to shift the shiftable diaphragm forwardly from a retracted orientation to an advanced orientation to advance the piston and convey brake fluid to the brakes for stopping the vehicle independent of driver involvement.

Inventors

• Wagih S. Girgis

Assignees

• Wagih S. Girgis

Dates

Publication Date

20260512

Application Date

20211203

Claims (4)

1. 1 . A collision avoidance and brake system ( 10 ) for sensing a potential vehicle collision, braking the vehicle in response to the sensing, and stopping the vehicle prior to a collision, the sensing, the braking, and the stopping being done without driver intervention, the system comprising: a vehicle ( 14 ) having a brake assembly ( 16 ), the brake assembly including brakes, a driver controlled pedal ( 18 ), a lever ( 20 ) supporting the pedal, a rod ( 22 ) axially reciprocable in response to the driver depressing the pedal ( 18 ) and thereby pivoting the lever ( 20 ) and advancing the rod ( 22 ); a vacuum booster ( 26 ) including a fixed housing ( 28 ) and a shiftable diaphragm ( 30 ) within the fixed housing ( 28 ), the fixed housing ( 28 ) having a forward end ( 32 ) and a rearward end ( 34 ), the rod ( 22 ) extending through the rearward end of the fixed housing ( 28 ) and coupling the shiftable diaphragm ( 30 ) to the lever ( 20 ), thereby allowing diaphragm ( 30 ) to be shifted in response to the driver depressing the pedal ( 18 ), a vacuum port ( 38 ) extending through the forward end of the fixed housing ( 28 ) for exhausting air from the fixed housing ( 28 ) in response to forward movement of the shiftable diaphragm ( 30 ); a supplemental solenoid ( 64 ) positioned within the fixed housing ( 28 ) and functioning to drive the rod ( 22 ) and move the shiftable diaphragm ( 30 ) in response to a signal; a master cylinder ( 42 ), a quantity of brake fluid within the master cylinder ( 42 ), a reservoir ( 44 ) of brake fluid operatively coupled to the master cylinder ( 42 ), four lines ( 46 ) coupled to the master cylinder ( 42 ), the four lines adapted to convey brake fluid from the master cylinder ( 42 ) to the brakes of the vehicle upon the driver depressing the pedal ( 18 ) to stop the vehicle ( 14 ); an anti-lock braking system ( 50 ) whereby when the brakes of the vehicle are applied, with or without driver intervention, a rapidly pulsating application of force will abate the locking up of the brakes; a front sensor ( 52 ) and a rear sensor ( 54 ), the front sensor ( 52 ) and the rear sensor ( 54 ) adapted to identify damaging movement of an adjacent vehicle which if unchecked would result in a collision, a processor ( 56 ) operatively coupled to the front sensor ( 54 ) and to the rear sensor ( 54 ) adapted to send an electronic signal in response to identify potentially damaging movement, an electromagnet ( 58 ) with a positive pole ( 60 ) and a negative pole ( 62 ), the positive pole being attached to the forward end of the fixed housing ( 28 ), the negative pole being attached to the rod ( 22 ) and the shiftable diaphragm ( 30 ) of the fixed housing ( 28 ), the electromagnet ( 58 ) adapted to be activated and the negative pole magnetically shifted from a retracted orientation to an advanced orientation to advance the rod ( 22 ) and convey brake fluid to the brakes for stopping the vehicle ( 14 ) without driver intervention; an audible alarm ( 66 ) in the vehicle, the audible alarm operatively coupled to the processor to generate an audible sound of warning to the driver upon the sending of the electronic signal; and an ON/OFF switch ( 70 ) under control of a driver whereby the system ( 10 ) may be activated or inactivated at the discretion of the driver.
2. 2 . A collision avoidance/brake system ( 200 ) for a vehicle ( 14 ) having brakes, the system ( 200 ) comprising: a primary vacuum booster ( 204 ) having a primary fixed housing ( 206 ) and a primary shiftable diaphragm ( 208 ) within the primary fixed housing ( 206 ), the primary fixed housing ( 206 ) having a forward end and a rearward end, a piston ( 36 ) extending through the forward end of the primary fixed housing ( 206 ), a vacuum port ( 38 ) extending through the forward end of the primary fixed housing ( 206 ) for the flow of air to and from the primary fixed housing ( 206 ); and a primary master cylinder ( 212 ), a quantity of brake fluid within the primary master cylinder ( 212 ), sensors ( 214 ) ( 216 ) adapted to send an electronic signal in response to identified potentially damaging movement; an electromagnetic motion imparter ( 218 ) in the form of an electromagnet that is physically interconnected to the primary shiftable diaphragm ( 208 ), the electromagnetic motion imparter adapted to be activated in response to the electronic signal and shift the primary shiftable diaphragm ( 208 ) forwardly from a retracted orientation to an advanced orientation and convey brake fluid to the vehicle brakes for stopping independent of driver involvement, the electromagnet including a positive pole ( 234 ) and a negative pole ( 236 ), the positive pole being attached to the forward end of the primary fixed housing, the negative pole being attached to the shiftable diaphragm of the primary fixed housing; a secondary brake assembly ( 220 ), the secondary brake assembly including a driver controlled pedal ( 222 ), a lever ( 224 ) supporting the pedal, a rod 226 axially reciprocable in response to the driver depressing the pedal ( 222 ) thereby pivoting the lever ( 224 ) and advancing the rod ( 226 ) to shift the primary shiftable diaphragm ( 208 ) forwardly from a retracted orientation to an advanced orientation and thereby advance the rod ( 226 ) and convey brake fluid to the brakes through driver involvement.
3. 3 . The system ( 240 ) as set forth in claim 2 wherein the motion imparter is an electric motor ( 242 ) with a rack ( 244 ) and pinion ( 246 ), the rack being formed in the rod and being axially shiftable with the rod, the pinion being rotatable on the electric motor.
4. 4 . The system ( 250 ) as set forth in claim 2 wherein the motion imparter is a servo motor ( 252 ), the servo motor including a piston ( 254 ) attached to the rod, the piston and the rod being axially shiftable by the servo motor.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a collision avoidance/brake system and more particularly pertains to sensing a potential vehicle collision, braking the vehicle in response to the sensing, and stopping the vehicle prior to a collision, the sensing, the braking, and the stopping being done in safe, convenient, and economical manner without driver intervention. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the disadvantages inherent in the known types of collision avoidance systems of known designs and configurations now present in the prior art, the present invention provides an improved collision avoidance/brake system. As such, the general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new and improved collision avoidance/brake system and method which has all the advantages of the prior art and none of the disadvantages. From a broad viewpoint, the present invention is a collision avoidance/brake system. A vacuum booster is first provided. The vacuum booster has a fixed housing. The vacuum booster has a shiftable diaphragm within the fixed housing. The fixed housing has a forward end and a rearward end. A piston is provided. The piston extends through the forward end of the fixed housing. A vacuum port is provided. The vacuum port extends through the forward end of the fixed housing. In this manner air flows to and from the fixed housing. Further provided is a master cylinder. A quantity of brake fluid is provided within the master cylinder. A sensor is provided. The sensor is adapted to send an electronic signal in response to identified potentially damaging movement. A motion imparter is provided. The motion imparter is adapted to be activated in response to the electronic signal. The motion imparter is further adapted to shift the shiftable diaphragm forwardly from a retracted orientation to an advanced orientation. In this manner the piston advances and conveys brake fluid to the brake. Further in this manner the vehicle is stopped independent of driver involvement. There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims attached. In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of descriptions and should not be regarded as limiting. As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved collision avoidance/brake system which has all of the advantages of the prior art collision avoidance systems of known designs and configurations and none of the disadvantages. It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved collision avoidance/brake system which may be easily and efficiently manufactured and marketed. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new and improved collision avoidance/brake system which is of durable and reliable constructions. An even further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved collision avoidance/brake system which is susceptible of a low cost of manufacture with regard to both materials and labor, and which accordingly is then susceptible of low prices of sale to the consuming public, thereby making such collision avoidance/brake system economically available to the buying public. Lastly, another object of the present invention is to provide a collision avoidance/brake system for sensing a potential vehicle collision, braking the vehicle in response to the sensing, and stopping the vehicle prior to a collision, the sensing, the braking, and the stopping being done in safe, convenient, and economical manner without driver intervention. These together with other objects of the invention, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the invent