Patents Assigned to Lucas Industries
  • Patent number: 5924435
    Abstract: A method of energizing an electromagnetically operable valve which comprises a valve member movable into engagement with a seating when a winding is energized comprising connecting the winding to a DC supply to achieve a rapid rate of rise of current. The current is controlled at the peak value and is then reduced to a low value after an initial movement of the valve member. The valve member continues its movement towards the seating and the current is restored prior to engagement of the valve member with the seating to substantially eliminate bouncing of the valve member away from the seating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 1995
    Date of Patent: July 20, 1999
    Assignee: Lucas Industries public limited company
    Inventors: Robin Christopher Wall, Brian William Tumber
  • Patent number: 5921640
    Abstract: An hydraulic braking system is disclosed which comprises a fluid source and brake actuators, wherein a first master control valve is provided to supply substantially equal pressures to all brake actuators and additional control valves are provided to regulate pressures applied to respective ones of said brake actuators. The first control valve and the additional control valves are provided in series between the fluid source and the brake actuators so that operation of the master control valve allows equal hydraulic pressures to be applied to each actuator while the additional control valves allow individual brake regulation and in an emergency operation of the master control valve allows for automatic operation of all the actuators.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 1996
    Date of Patent: July 13, 1999
    Assignee: Lucas Industries Public, Ltd.
    Inventors: Ivan Mortimer, Robert Alan Anderson
  • Patent number: 5915623
    Abstract: An injector arrangement is disclosed which comprises a valve needle urged into engagement with a seating under the action of the pressure of fuel within a control chamber. A needle control valve controls communication between a source of fuel at high pressure and the control chamber, and also between the control chamber and a low pressure drain. The needle control valve includes a valve member including an end which is engageable with a surface extending in a plane normal to the axis of the valve member to close a port communicating with the low pressure drain.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 1997
    Date of Patent: June 29, 1999
    Assignees: Lucas Industries, Caterpillar, Inc.
    Inventors: Andrew Roger Knight, Andrew Male
  • Patent number: 5913300
    Abstract: An injector is disclosed which comprises a valve needle spring biased into engagement with a seating. The spring engages a spring abutment piston which defines, in part, a chamber which communicates, in use, with a spill valve, a restricted drain passage, and a fuel inlet. A non-return valve is located within the chamber and arranged to control communication between the chamber and the fuel inlet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 1997
    Date of Patent: June 22, 1999
    Assignee: Lucas Industries plc
    Inventor: Andrew Joseph John Drummond
  • Patent number: 5914035
    Abstract: The fluid treatment apparatus may comprise a sedimenter or agglomerator for insertion in a fuel line between a fuel tank and a fuel injection pump in order to remove dirt particles and water from diesel fuel passing along the fuel line. A water reservoir (4) is positioned at the bottom of the apparatus in order to collect the water removed from the fuel. In order to avoid applying a compressive clamping force to the side wall (17) of the water reservoir (4), the arrangement is such as to clamp only the top part of the side wall (17) ?as shown in FIG. 1! or else to apply no clamping force at all to the water reservoir (4) ?see FIG. 16!. This enables the water reservoir (4) to be made of cheap plastics material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 1996
    Date of Patent: June 22, 1999
    Assignee: Lucas Industries PLC
    Inventor: Peter Francis Bradford
  • Patent number: 5901685
    Abstract: A fuel injector comprises a valve needle biased by a spring towards a seating. The spring engages a spring abutment member which is moveable with a piston member. The spring abutment member defines, with a member carried by the needle, a damping chamber which communicates through a restricted passage with a low pressure drain to damp movement of the needle relative to the piston member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 11, 1999
    Assignee: Lucas Industries
    Inventors: Stephen Anthony Noyce, Martin Paul Hardy
  • Patent number: 5900149
    Abstract: A sedimenter comprises a housing having an inlet and an outlet. The housing defines a collection chamber located beneath and in communication with a sedimentation chamber. Flow path defining means, for example in the form of a baffle, located within the sedimentation chamber forces fuel flowing between the inlet and the outlet to follow a relatively long, tortuous flow path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 1997
    Date of Patent: May 4, 1999
    Assignee: Lucas Industries Public Limited Company
    Inventor: Peter Francis Bradford
  • Patent number: 5896958
    Abstract: The drum brake has a brake support plate which is divided into a supporting body (10) and a back plate (22). The supporting body (10) has a central ring (12) for centering and securing to an axle housing of a vehicle, and an abutment carrier (16) against which brake shoes (38) can bear in a circumferential direction. The brake shoes (38) can bear against the back plate (22) in an axial direction. At the supporting body (10) a mounting means (20) for a wheel speed sensor (46) and a rest (56) for a jacket (58) of a brake cable (60) are additionally formed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 1996
    Date of Patent: April 27, 1999
    Assignee: Lucas Industries public limited company
    Inventors: Peter Ludke, Frank Biebricher, Albert Langert, Eckhart Op den Camp
  • Patent number: 5893516
    Abstract: An injector comprises a body, a valve needle slidable within the body and biassed into engagement with a seating by a spring, a fuel supply line for supplying fuel to thrust surfaces provided on the valve needle to apply a force on the valve needle acting against the action of the spring, a drain valve operable to control communication between the supply line and a low pressure drain, a needle control valve controlling the fuel pressure within a control chamber defined, in part, by a surface of the valve needle or a component carried thereby oriented such that when high pressure fuel is applied to the control chamber, a force is applied to the valve needle in a direction assisting the spring, wherein the drain valve and the needle control valve are controlled by an electromagnetic actuator arrangement including a single armature, the needle control valve and the surface of the valve needle or component carried thereby defining part of the control chamber being of dimensions such that the needle control valve
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 1997
    Date of Patent: April 13, 1999
    Assignee: Lucas Industries plc
    Inventors: Anthony Thomas Harcombe, Andrew Male, Ronald Phillips
  • Patent number: 5893350
    Abstract: An injector is disclosed which comprises a nozzle body arranged to receive fuel under pressure from a pumping chamber. An injection control arrangement in the form of a valve controls injection timing, and a drain control arrangement in the form of a valve controls communication between the pumping chamber and a fuel reservoir. An electromagnetic actuator controls operation of both valves, the actuator including a single, common armature which is associated with both of the valves.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 1997
    Date of Patent: April 13, 1999
    Assignee: Lucas Industries plc
    Inventor: Colin Thomas Timms
  • Patent number: 5890660
    Abstract: A fuel injection nozzle is disclosed which comprises a value needle slidable within a bore and biased by a spring into engagement with a seating of conical form wherein the valve needle includes an upstream conical region of cone angle slightly larger than the seating and a downstream conical region of cone angle slightly smaller than the seating, and an annular groove provided between the upstream and downstream regions wherein an upstream edge of the groove forms with the upstream region a seating line along which the valve needle engages the seating when the valve needle is in its closed position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 1997
    Date of Patent: April 6, 1999
    Assignee: Lucas Industries Public Limited Company
    Inventor: John William Stevens
  • Patent number: 5884608
    Abstract: This invention relates to a fuel pump, and more particularly to a fuel pump for delivering high pressure fuel to a fuel injection system of an internal combustion engine. A fuel pump is provided comprising coupling means (30) mechanically coupling a first pump plunger (1) to a second drive means (14) and a second pump plunger (11) to a first drive means (4) whereby, when the first pump plunger (1) is driven by the first drive means (4) from bottom dead center to top dead center, the second pump plunger (11) is driven by the coupling means (30) from top dead center to bottom dead center, and as the second pump plunger (11) is driven from bottom dead center to top dead center by the second drive means (14), the first pump plunger (1) is driven from top dead center to bottom dead enter by the coupling means (30).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 1997
    Date of Patent: March 23, 1999
    Assignee: Lucas Industries, Plc
    Inventor: Michael Peter Cooke
  • Patent number: 5878958
    Abstract: A fuel pumping apparatus is disclosed which comprises a pumping plunger reciprocable within a bore. A spill valve communicates with the bore. A pilot piston is exposed to the fuel pressure within the bore, the pilot piston being arranged to move under the action of the fuel pressure to supply a pilot quantity of fuel to an injector. The pilot piston is arranged so that, in one position, only part of an end face thereof is exposed to the fuel pressure within the bore.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 1997
    Date of Patent: March 9, 1999
    Assignee: Lucas Industries public limited
    Inventor: Malcolm David Dick Lambert
  • Patent number: 5873526
    Abstract: An injection nozzle comprises a valve needle engageable with a seating. The needle includes a surface arranged such that when the needle occupies a fully lifted position, part of the surface is exposed to the fuel pressure within a control chamber whilst a second part of the surface is exposed to the fuel pressure within a second chamber. Independent restricted passages provide communication between the control and second chambers and a supply line. A control valve communicates with the second chamber to control operation of the injection nozzle. The control valve is actuated by an electromagnetic actuator having a core arrangement--armature air gap of tapering axial length.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 1997
    Date of Patent: February 23, 1999
    Assignee: Lucas Industries public limited
    Inventor: Michael Peter Cooke
  • Patent number: 5873247
    Abstract: A vehicle brake system with an electronically controllable brake booster, comprising an actuation member (70, 80) transferring the actuation travel of a brake pedal to a master cylinder, which is allocated a travel limiting element (82) accepted between two abutment faces which limits the actuation travel of the actuation member (70), and a switching element (85) which upon an actuation movement of the actuation member (70) can be activated by one of the abutments (91, 91a) in order to issue a signal to the controller of the brake booster, with the travel limiting element being arranged on the actuation member (80) between two collars (83, 84), and a carrier (86) accepting the switching element (85) being arranged between the travel limiting element and one of the collars.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 1997
    Date of Patent: February 23, 1999
    Assignee: Lucas Industries public limited company
    Inventors: Peter Schluter, Stefan Bubenheim, Christoph Beuerle, Ulrich Danne
  • Patent number: 5871154
    Abstract: A fuel injection system comprises a pumping plunger slidable within a bore and arranged to supply fuel to an injector nozzle. A spill valve communicates with the bore to control the fuel pressure applied to the nozzle. The nozzle includes a valve member biased into engagement with a seating by a spring, the spring engaging a piston member at least part of the end of which remote from the spring is exposed to the fuel pressure in the bore. The spill valve includes a flow connection which communicates by way of a restrictor with a drain. The restrictor is formed by the piston member and cylinder within which the piston member is slidable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 1997
    Date of Patent: February 16, 1999
    Assignee: Lucas Industries,plc
    Inventor: Martin Paul Hardy
  • Patent number: 5865510
    Abstract: A brake pedal (1) for actuation of a brake cylinder (10) of a motor vehicle, comprises a lever (2), having at an end portion of one lever (3) a stepping plate (4) for actuation by a driver, and an articulation location (5) for introducing actuation forces into the brake cylinder (10), characterized in that the lever (2) comprises a first rotational axis (6) and a second rotational axis (7), the lever (2) rotating about the first rotational axis (6) during a normal actuation, and the lever (2) rotating about the second rotational axis (7) during an emergency actuation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 1996
    Date of Patent: February 2, 1999
    Assignee: Lucas Industries public limited company
    Inventors: Gregor Poertzgen, Peter Martin
  • Patent number: 5865373
    Abstract: A pump/injector arrangement comprises a pump including a pump chamber arranged to communicate through a fuel line with an injector. A valve is provided within the injector to control whether or not fuel is able to flow from the fuel line to a control chamber. The control chamber communicates with a low pressure reservoir through a restricted passage. A by-pass is provided to permit fuel to flow from the reservoir by-passing the restricted passage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 1997
    Date of Patent: February 2, 1999
    Assignee: Lucas Industries
    Inventors: Paul Buckley, Michael Peter Cooke
  • Patent number: 5864195
    Abstract: A stator component is described which comprises first and second limbs defining respective pole faces. Each limb includes an outer surface which is provided with a pair of elongate recesses, each extending in a direction angled to the pole faces. The recesses conveniently intersect one another, and are conveniently formed using a plunge cutting technique.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 1997
    Date of Patent: January 26, 1999
    Assignee: Lucas Industries public limited company
    Inventors: David Leslie George, Barrie Gilbert Barker
  • Patent number: 5864775
    Abstract: A rotary position transducer comprises a sensor cooperating with a toothed wheel which has nominally evenly spaced teeth and which may, for instance, be mounted on the crankshaft of an internal combustion engine. The times at which the teeth pass the sensor are stored. The time intervals between consecutive teeth are calculated, for instance during fuel cut-off operation of the engine. An error in the angular spacing between consecutive teeth is calculated for the time interval between consecutive teeth, a time interval between further teeth disposed symmetrically about the consecutive teeth, and the nominal angular spacing between the further teeth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 1996
    Date of Patent: January 26, 1999
    Assignee: Lucas Industries, public limited company
    Inventors: Benjamin James Bradshaw, Anthony Claude Wakeman