Patents Assigned to Lucas Industries
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Patent number: 5762415Abstract: A lamp assembly comprises a reflector body having a rear opening for receiving a replaceable light bulb. The reflector body is adjustably mounted on a support by an adjustment mechanism comprising a plurality of ball-and-socket joints. The socket of each joint is defined by a pair of arms having mutually co-operating socket parts. The arms of said pair are pivotally secured together for relative movement between a closed position in which the respective ball is held in the socket defined by the socket parts of the pair of arms, and an open position in which the respective ball of the joint can be engaged with/disengaged from the respective socket. A latch mechanism is provided for releasably retaining the pair of arms in said relatively closed position.Type: GrantFiled: January 5, 1996Date of Patent: June 9, 1998Assignee: Lucas Industries, plcInventor: Robert Frank Tolley
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Patent number: 5761629Abstract: A cruise control system arranged to determine whether the closest targeted vehicle ahead of a vehicle being controlled is running in its lane or an adjacent lane and if it is determined that the closest vehicle is running in an adjacent slower lane, allowing the controlled vehicle to overtake the closest vehicle if the way ahead is clear, and if it is determined that the closest vehicle is running in an adjacent faster lane, selecting that closest vehicle as a prime target to control the acceleration of the controlled vehicle unless there is another vehicle running in the same lane as the controlled vehicle which requires deceleration of the controlled vehicle, in which case the vehicle running in the same lane is selected as the prime target.Type: GrantFiled: December 11, 1995Date of Patent: June 2, 1998Assignee: Lucas Industries Public Limited CompanyInventor: Simon Peter Gilling
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Patent number: 5752483Abstract: A governor arrangement for an internal combustion engine is disclosed which comprises a plurality of weights rotatable with a rotatable drive shaft and pivotable with respect to the shaft. The weights are engageable with a washer which, in turn, engages a sleeve. The sleeve engages a lever the position of which is used to control the setting of a metering valve. A hydrodynamic bearing arrangement is provided between the sleeve and washer. A drive arrangement may be provided to drive the washer when the rotational speed of the shaft is insufficient to cause the weights to move the sleeve.Type: GrantFiled: August 30, 1996Date of Patent: May 19, 1998Assignee: Lucas Industries, plcInventors: Adrian Mark Greaney, Daniel Jeremy Hopley, Jack Paine
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Patent number: 5752750Abstract: A valve arrangement, particularly for a fluid brake circuit with anti-slip control, comprising a first, a second and a third fluid connection (16, 20, 46) of respective, predetermined flow cross-sections, at least one valve element (44) which is biased by a first spring arrangement (106) in a first position in which the first and second fluid connection (16, 20) are communicating via a flow path and the third fluid connection (46) is closed, and a valve actuating means (42) by which the valve element (44) can be moved in order to assume a second position in which the first and third fluid connection (16, 46) are communicating via a flow path and the second fluid connection (20) is closed, with the bias of the first spring arrangement (106), the force that can be applied to the valve element (44) by the valve actuating means (42), and the flow cross-sections of the fluid connections (16, 20, 46) being so dimensioned that with a predetermined fluid pressure at the second fluid connection (20), the valve elementType: GrantFiled: March 25, 1996Date of Patent: May 19, 1998Assignee: Lucas Industries public limited companyInventors: Frank Lubischer, Thomas Wald
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Patent number: 5752429Abstract: A fuel injection pump includes a casing; a drive shaft rotatably mounted in the casing and extending from a drive receiving end which is located outside of the casing to a point inside the casing; and first and second spaced apart seals each for preventing the flow of fluid between the casing and the drive shaft at the location of the seal. A chamber is formed between the drive shaft and the casing, the chamber being bounded at opposite ends thereof by the seals, and a vent passage extends from the chamber to a point on the surface of the casing to vent the chamber. The vent passage includes a portion defined by the clearance space between a screw threaded opening and a screw threadedly engaged with the opening. The screw is preferably a screw which secures the casing to the engine supplied by the pump.Type: GrantFiled: February 14, 1997Date of Patent: May 19, 1998Assignee: Lucas Industries PLCInventors: George Nicholas Felton, Christopher Wood
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Patent number: 5749426Abstract: An AICC cruise control system which operates in accordance with a driver's headway request given in terms of a desired time interval between the controlled vehicle and the preceding (target) vehicle, wherein, upon slowing of the target vehicle towards zero velocity, the calculated station of the controlled vehicle behind the target is changed from being a pure time-based interval into a time interval which is calculated to include a proportion of a desired residual range at standstill, the proportion being dependent upon the velocity of the controlled vehicle.Type: GrantFiled: December 12, 1995Date of Patent: May 12, 1998Assignee: Lucas Industries Public Limited CompanyInventor: Simon Peter Gilling
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Patent number: 5746180Abstract: A fuel supply apparatus for supplying fuel to a compression ignition engine comprising a rotary distributor member having a delivery passage which can register in turn with outlet ports connected to the injection nozzles of the engine. Fuel is supplied to the delivery passage from an accumulator under the control of a valve. The accumulator is charged with fuel by means of a high pressure pump which is a cam actuated pump and fuel is supplied to the high pressure pump by a low pressure pump. A valve is provided to control the output pressure of the low pressure pump so that the amount of fuel supplied to the high pressure pump can be varied for the purpose of controlling the fuel pressure within the accumulator. This pressure is sensed by a transducer which supplies a signal to a control system which controls the flow of electric current in the valve.Type: GrantFiled: September 9, 1994Date of Patent: May 5, 1998Assignee: Lucas Industries Public Limited CompanyInventors: John Roderick Jefferson, Peter Alban George Collingborn, Michael Peter Cooke, Paul Buckley
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Patent number: 5735557Abstract: A lock for a thrust reversal system of a gas turbine engine includes a pivotal locking member which is moved into the locking position by the engagement of a part of the thrust reversal system as the latter is moved to the inoperative position. The locking member is held in the locking position by a pin which engages within an opening formed in the locking member. The pin is biased by a spring and is movable by a hydraulic piston against the action of the spring to withdraw the pin from the opening.Type: GrantFiled: September 18, 1995Date of Patent: April 7, 1998Assignee: Lucas Industries, plcInventor: John Herbert Harvey
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Patent number: 5735581Abstract: A valve assembly for controlling a pneumatic brake booster (10) comprises a control housing (30) in which a first and a second valve seat (32, 34) are arranged. A valve body (40) is adapted to contact both valve seats. The brake booster (10) is provided with two chambers (24 26) in the usual manner, one chamber (24) of which can be evacuated while the other chamber (26) can be supplied with pressurized air. An additional valve seat (66) is provided. The additional valve seat (66) can be opened by a sleeve (72) which radially surrounds the control housing (30) of the brake booster, in order to form an additional ventilation duct (80) to one of the two chambers. The sleeve (72) can be actuated mechanically and/or electromagnetically by an electromagnetic actuation device (90).Type: GrantFiled: September 12, 1996Date of Patent: April 7, 1998Assignee: Lucas Industries publicInventor: Kurt Mohr
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Patent number: 5732556Abstract: A pneumatic brake booster (10) and a hydraulic master cylinder (60) are arranged in a series along a common axis (A) to form an assembly which includes a booster housing (12), a power input member (30) and a power output member (40). A mechanical power transmitter (32) is arranged between the power input member (30) and the power output member (40). A sleeve (50) is rigidly attached at a valve housing (22) to enclose a portion of the power output member (40). At the booster housing (12) a master cylinder housing (62) is attached which has a guide (68) facing the power transmitter (32). A primary piston (70) is guided in the master cylinder housing (62) and includes a support (72) for the power output member (40) as well as an extension (74) which extends towards the power transmitter (32) and is guided in the guide (68). The sleeve (50) extends to near this support (72) and is provided with a head portion (52) which bears against the master cylinder (60) via the guide (68) in a radial direction.Type: GrantFiled: August 1, 1996Date of Patent: March 31, 1998Assignee: Lucas Industries public limited companyInventors: Peter Schluter, Albert Zinndorf, Werner Schnorr
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Patent number: 5725291Abstract: An electronically controlled brake booster for a road vehicle brake system having a housing comprises a vacuum chamber (16) and a servo chamber (14) separated from said vacuum chamber (16) by a movable wall (18), an electromagnetically operatable control valve device (20) which is coupled to said movable wall (18) for common relative movement with respect to the housing of the brake booster and a sensor (32) which, for an electronic control device (ECU), senses operating conditions of the road vehicle brake system and produces signals characteristic for these operating conditions which signals are evaluated by said control device (ECU) for producing drive signals (S.sub.1a, S.sub.1b) for said control valve device (20), wherein the sensor is formed as a pressure sensor (32) and senses at least the pressure (p.sub.AK) prevailing in said servo chamber (14).Type: GrantFiled: October 23, 1996Date of Patent: March 10, 1998Assignee: Lucas Industries public limited companyInventor: Erwin Michels
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Patent number: 5715681Abstract: A hydraulic master cylinder having a cylinder body (1) with a piston (3) slidable therein. The piston carries a sealing assembly (20) to permit pressurization of a pressure chamber (6) and fluid recuperation upon retraction of the piston. The sealing assembly includes a first seal (23) of relatively hard material slidable against the internal cylinder wall and a relatively resilient second seal (25) arranged to act between the sealing surfaces of the piston and the first seal to provide a fluid tight pressure seal during pressurization of the chamber.Type: GrantFiled: May 8, 1996Date of Patent: February 10, 1998Assignee: Lucas Industries, PLCInventor: Michael Williamson
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Patent number: 5711279Abstract: A fuel system is disclosed which comprises a fuel pump, a spill valve and an injector provided in a single unit. The injector includes a valve member biased towards a seating by a coiled compression spring. The spring is engaged between a spring abutment of the valve member and a piston. The piston is arranged such that the face thereof facing away from the spring has fuel applied thereto when the spill valve is opened in order to assist movement of the valve member into engagement with the seating.Type: GrantFiled: February 6, 1996Date of Patent: January 27, 1998Assignee: Lucas Industries, PLCInventors: Alan Conway Green, John William Stevens
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Patent number: 5711204Abstract: An electronically controlled brake booster for a road vehicle brake system having a housing comprises a vacuum chamber (16) and a servo chamber (14) separated from said vacuum chamber (16) by a movable wall (18), an electromagnetically operatable control valve device (20) which is coupled to said movable wall (18) for common relative movement with respect to the housing of the brake booster and a sensor (32) which, for an electronic control device (ECU), senses operating conditions of the road vehicle brake system and produces signals characteristic for these operating conditions which signals are evaluated by said control device (ECU) for producing drive signals (S.sub.1a, S.sub.1b) for said control valve device (20), wherein the sensor is formed as a pressure sensor (32) and senses at least the pressure (p.sub.AK) prevailing in said servo chamber (14).Type: GrantFiled: September 26, 1995Date of Patent: January 27, 1998Assignee: Lucas Industries public limited companyInventor: Erwin Michels
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Patent number: 5709079Abstract: A fuel control system for a gas turbine engine comprises a main metering valve and a backup metering valve connected in series. A control circuit supplies demand signals such that, during normal operation, the main metering valve controls fuel flow and the back-up metering valve tracks the main valve but at a position which corresponds to a higher flow.Type: GrantFiled: July 23, 1996Date of Patent: January 20, 1998Assignee: Lucas Industries, plcInventor: Trevor Stanley Smith
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Patent number: 5710716Abstract: A system for measuring loads in a vehicle comprising strain and/or displacement sensing elements and a local electronic interface which are adapted to be linked to a main electronic unit in a vehicle with which the load measuring system is associated. The load measuring system comprises an internal micro-controller within the interface which is adapted to receive signals from the main electronic unit to switch elements of the load measuring system into both zero setting and calibration modes. The micro-controller has electrically alterable, non-volatile memory which is adapted to store zero setting and calibration data for subsequent use in a normal operating, load measurement mode of the system.Type: GrantFiled: December 12, 1995Date of Patent: January 20, 1998Assignee: Lucas Industries Public Limited CompanyInventors: David Charles Hurst, Kenneth Vincent, James Henton Wilson
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Patent number: 5709437Abstract: A vehicle braking system with an electronically controllable brake servo unit which comprises a first pneumatic working chamber (13) and a second pneumatic working chamber (14) which are separated from each other by a movable wall (11), wherein a travel sensor (20) is provided for the detection of displacements of the movable wall (11) relative to a stationary wall (5b) of at least one of the two working chambers (13, 14) is improved to simplify assembly and adjustment of the travel sensor in such a manner that a wall (11) is provided with an opening (19) through which a measuring element (10) being connected with another wall (5b) is projecting, and that the travel sensor (20) converts a relative movement between the measuring element (10) and the travel sensor (20) in the direction of the movement of the movable wall (11) into a signal used for controlling the brake servo unit.Type: GrantFiled: September 12, 1996Date of Patent: January 20, 1998Assignee: Lucas Industries, public limited companyInventors: Peter Schluter, Stefan Borsch
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Patent number: 5707121Abstract: An anti-skid braking system for wheeled vehicles having fluid actuated brakes associated with the vehicle wheels. The anti-skid braking system includes speed sensors associated with the vehicle wheels, a scanning control device response to speed signals from the speed sensors to actuate a pressure dump device to periodically release the fluid pressure applied to the brake of any wheel which is determined, by detection of a predetermined level of relative slip between that wheel and the road surface to be about to lock. Later, the system, by detection, can re-apply the actuating pressure to that brake when the tendency of that wheel to lock has been reduced.Type: GrantFiled: November 24, 1995Date of Patent: January 13, 1998Assignee: Lucas Industries PLCInventors: Alan Leslie Harris, Mark Ian Phillips
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Patent number: 5704552Abstract: An injector is described which includes a holder having an inlet, and a passage for supplying fuel from the inlet to a valve needle seating, an adjustable spring abutment plate being located between the inlet and passage. Adjustment of the position of the plate adjusts the compression of a spring arranged to bias a valve needle into engagement with the seating, hence adjusting the fuel pressure necessary to lift the needle from the seating. The plate is provided with an opening whereby the inlet communicates with the passage.Type: GrantFiled: July 15, 1996Date of Patent: January 6, 1998Assignee: Lucas Industries public limited companyInventors: Paul Turner, Dean Hall
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Patent number: 5704336Abstract: A fuel system for an internal combustion engine (10) includes a controller (14) which controls the operation of an engine fuel pump (13). Signals are supplied to the controller by a transducer (16) which is responsive to the passage of teeth formed on the periphery of a wheel (12) which is mounted on the engine crankshaft. In order to generate an engine speed signal it is necessary to know the tooth spacing errors and these are determined by recording two time pulse sequences of signals from the transducer at different engine speeds and loads and then processing those signals to firstly determine the periodic component of the signals due to the fluctuation of engine speed which occurs due to the individual power strokes of the engine.Type: GrantFiled: March 7, 1996Date of Patent: January 6, 1998Assignee: Lucas Industries, public limited companyInventor: Jeremy Stephen Wrobel