Patents Assigned to Lucas Industries
  • Patent number: 5372409
    Abstract: Energization of a fluid-pressure operated booster is controlled solely by operation of a solenoid-operated valve device, suitably first and second solenoid-operated valves, responsive to signals from an electronic controller. The construction of the booster is therefore modified in comparison with known boosters by the omission of the conventional mechanical valve adapted to be operated by the pedal for normal operation of the booster.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 13, 1994
    Assignee: Lucas Industries Public Limited Company
    Inventor: Glyn P. R. Farr
  • Patent number: 5370096
    Abstract: A fuel pumping apparatus for supplying fuel to an internal combustion engine includes a first fluid pressure operable piston movable against the action of a spring to advance the timing of fuel delivery by the apparatus. The spring bears at its end remote from the piston against a spring abutment which is in the form of a further piston. The position of the further piston is controlled by a temperature responsive device and when the engine is hot the further piston is advanced from a first position to a second position. A first stop limits the movement of the first piston under increasing fluid pressure when the further piston is in its first position and is secured to the housing and a second stop limits the movement of the first piston under increasing fluid pressure when the further piston is in its second position the second stop being carried on the further piston.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 6, 1994
    Assignee: Lucas Industries Public Limited Company
    Inventor: Michael P. Cooke
  • Patent number: 5369586
    Abstract: In order to control wheel spin in a vehicle driven by an internal combustion engine, a spin calculator determines the amount of wheel spin and compares this with a target value. If the target value is exceeded, an engine controller reduces engine output demand, for instance by reducing the opening of a throttle. A fuelling controller forms a threshold value which is inversely dependent on the difference between the reduced engine output demand and the actual engine output demand. When the wheel spin exceeds the threshold value, the controller cuts off the supply of fuel for a predetermined pattern of engine fire events.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 1991
    Date of Patent: November 29, 1994
    Assignee: Lucas Industries Public Limited Company
    Inventor: Barry J. Bridgens
  • Patent number: 5368373
    Abstract: A method of controlling the brake pressure in an anti-lock brake system of a dual-track vehicle wherein pressure raising pulse trains are applied to the brakes of the rear wheels of the vehicle provides for modified "select-low" control of a kind with which the brake of the one wheel which first is instable on the rear axle is fed with a pressure raising pulse train having a smaller mark-to-space ratio or pulse duty factor than the pressure raising pulse train applied to the brake of the other, the stable wheel of the rear axle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 1993
    Date of Patent: November 29, 1994
    Assignee: Lucas Industries public limited company
    Inventors: Volker Braschel, Dieter Seitz
  • Patent number: 5369583
    Abstract: A torque sensor, or a relative angular movement sensor, comprises an LED light source mounted in a fixed position relative to a housing which shines light through an associated fixed collimator plate, the light being detected by a pair of detectors also mounted fixed relative to the housing. Two masks pass between the source and the detector, one of the masks being fixed to an input shaft of the steering system and the other being connected to the output shaft. Each of the masks has a first and second aperture, and the amount of light which is received by detectors depends upon the degree of overlap between associated pairs of apertures in the input and output masks. Signals from each of the detectors is fed to a control microprocessor which provides a signal indicative of differential torque between the input and output shafts. This signal is substantially independent of the intensity of the light source which allows it to compensate for ageing effects in the light source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 1993
    Date of Patent: November 29, 1994
    Assignee: Lucas Industries public limited company
    Inventor: Roger J. Hazelden
  • Patent number: 5359848
    Abstract: A device is provided for hand operation of a gas turbine engine thrust reversing system. Torque is applied to an input element and transmitted to an output element by way of a torque limiting means arranged to substantially remove the torque from the output element when the torque exceeds a threshold. The device also includes means to lock the thrust reverser against movement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 1992
    Date of Patent: November 1, 1994
    Assignee: Lucas Industries public limited company
    Inventor: Stephen H. Davies
  • Patent number: 5355978
    Abstract: A liquid-immersed disc brake has a housing containing rotatable and stationary members operated by a wedge device for brake actuation from actuating means. The brake is supplied with cooling liquid, of which the flow is controlled by a valve, a portion of which is incorporated into the housing. The valve is closed by action thereon of the actuator means and opened so as to admit cooling liquid to the brake as a result of the actuator means performing an actuating movement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 1992
    Date of Patent: October 18, 1994
    Assignee: Lucas Industries, public limited company
    Inventors: Anthony G. Price, David Parry, Michael A. Taylor, Andrew R. Broadwell
  • Patent number: 5351398
    Abstract: A fuel injection nozzle includes a body in which is formed a blind bore. An outlet orifice communicates with the blind end of the bore and adjacent the blind end of the bore is a seating which in use is engageable by a valve member. The body is formed from hardenable material and the nozzle body is formed in such a way that the seating surface has a high hardness value, the hardness value of the material diminishing to the exterior surface of the body. This is achieved by machining the exterior surface to remove a hardened layer or a hardenable layer produced during a carburizing operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 1993
    Date of Patent: October 4, 1994
    Assignee: Lucas Industries public limited company
    Inventor: John Haxell
  • Patent number: 5343987
    Abstract: A hydraulic wheel brake cylinder (12) and the housing (22) of an intermediate support (20) are mounted diametrically opposite each other on an anchor plate (10) and on said intermediate support (20) two brake shoes (16, 18) bear with their ends remote from the wheel brake cylinder (12). A mechanical actuator (50-58) is additionally arranged in the vicinity of the wheel brake cylinder (12). The wheel brake cylinder (12) and the intermediate support (20) are so arranged that on hydraulic actuation of the brake in the forward direction both brake shoes (16, 18) are secondary shoes. On the housing (22) of the intermediate support (20) a guide (24) at least approximately parallel to the wheel brake cylinder (12) and a stop (26) ar formed. In the guide (24) an adjusting member (28) is axially displaceable to a limited extent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 1992
    Date of Patent: September 6, 1994
    Assignee: Lucas Industries public limited company
    Inventor: Victor Varzescu
  • Patent number: 5342118
    Abstract: An anti-lock braking method to retard the wheels of a vehicle provides thatbrake pressure be augmented or reduced or maintained constant in response to slip and/or the change in the rotational speed (positive or negative deceleration) of a retarded wheel as related to at least one threshold value, andthe respective renewed accelerations of the retarded wheels be measured during successive control cycles of the anti-lock braking so as to raise the threshold value or prevent a reduction of the brake pressure for a predetermined period of time in order to suppress undesired control operations which are releasable above all by oscillations of the vehicle axle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 1993
    Date of Patent: August 30, 1994
    Assignee: Lucas Industries public limited company
    Inventors: Wolfgang Kampfmann, Hubert Schmitt, Dieter Voges
  • Patent number: 5340284
    Abstract: A fuel pumping apparatus for supplying fuel to an internal combustion engine has a drive shaft which is coupled to a rotary part of a high pressure pump. A low pressure pump for supplying fuel to the high pressure pump has a rotor mounted about the drive shaft, a stator and side plates on opposite sides of the stator. The stator has an internal surface engaged by vanes carried by the rotor and one end plate has an arcuate outlet port which is connected to a transfer port formed in the side plate but inwardly of the outlet port. The transfer port is connected by passage means in the rotor with a fuel supply passage in the drive shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 1993
    Date of Patent: August 23, 1994
    Assignee: Lucas Industries Public Limited Company
    Inventor: Stuart W. Nicol
  • Patent number: 5337030
    Abstract: A permanent magnet brushless torque actuator is comprised of an electromagnetic core capable of generating an elongated toroidally shaped magnet flux field when energized. Outside the generally cylindrical coil is an outer housing with upper and lower end plates at each end. Mounted to the end plates and extending towards each other are stator pole pieces separated from its opposing pole piece by an air gap. A permanent magnet rotor is disposed in the air gap and mounted on a shaft which in turn is rotatably mounted in each of the end plates. The permanent magnet rotor comprises at least two permanent magnets, each covering an arcuate portion of the rotor and having opposite polarities. Energization of the coil with current in one direction magnetizes the pole pieces such that each of the two pole pieces attracts one of the magnets of the rotor and repels the other magnet of the rotor resulting in a torque generated by the output shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 1992
    Date of Patent: August 9, 1994
    Assignee: Lucas Industries, Inc.
    Inventor: David B. Mohler
  • Patent number: 5333588
    Abstract: A pump/injector for supplying fuel to an internal combustion engine includes a pumping plunger reciprocable within a bore. The plunger and bore define a pumping chamber which is connected to the inlet of a fuel injection nozzle. The amount of fuel which flows to the nozzle is controlled by a pair of electromagnetically actuated spill valves of identical construction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 1993
    Date of Patent: August 2, 1994
    Assignee: Lucas Industries public limited company
    Inventor: Eric J. Cananagh
  • Patent number: 5331813
    Abstract: A brake actuator assembly for motor vehicles. A mounting plate (14) formed with a central hole (60) serves for fastening a pneumatic brake pressure booster (22) to the splashboard (10) of a motor vehicle. The brake pressure booster (22) includes a rear housing portion (50) formed with a rearwardly projecting tubular connecting piece (52) which is pushed from the front through the central hole (60) in the mounting plate (14) and through a central recess (70) presented in a stiffening plate (66) which abuts against the mounting plate (60) from the rear. In this manner the brake pressure booster (22) is centered with respect to the mounting plate (14) and the stiffening plate (66). The stiffening plate (66) is formed in one piece with support blocks (68) for a pedal arrangement (20) of the usual kind in motor vehicles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 1993
    Date of Patent: July 26, 1994
    Assignee: Lucas Industries public limited company
    Inventors: Helmut Heibel, Josef Pickenhahn
  • Patent number: 5330027
    Abstract: A traction control system is provided for controlling wheel spin of a vehicle. The amount of wheel spin is determined for each driven wheel and compared with a threshold. When the threshold is exceeded, drive to the driven wheel is immediately reduced by a predetermined amount. Drive is restored as soon as the wheel spin is brought under control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 1991
    Date of Patent: July 19, 1994
    Assignee: Lucas Industries public limited company
    Inventor: Douglas W. Glover
  • Patent number: 5328251
    Abstract: An electronic braking system for wheeled vehicles comprising an electronic controller which produces, in response to driver braking demands, electronic signals for controlling the braking pressures applied to the vehicle wheels from a source of braking pressure. The system includes a second, back-up braking pressure source which can be selected when required, and means for switching over from the first-mentioned normal source of braking pressure to the back-up pressure source at selected occasions when the vehicle is being braked and has come to rest, provided that the prevailing driver's braking demand is above a predetermined minimum threshold. A test is then performed on the braking pressure signals generated by the system while it is energized by the back-up source and a warning signal is generated if the back-up source is found to be faulty.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 1993
    Date of Patent: July 12, 1994
    Assignee: Lucas industries public limited company
    Inventor: Malcolm Brearley
  • Patent number: 5326160
    Abstract: In a hydraulic system for traction control, a pump is adapted to withdraw fluid from a reservoir through a master cylinder assembly under the control of a solenoid-controlled valve responsive to signals from an electronic control module, and a pressure-sensitive valve. The system is also provided with a solenoid-controlled flow control valve also responsive to signals from an electronic control module, a switch is responsive to movement of the throttle of the engine of a vehicle, and from which signals are transmitted to the control module. Thus, when the signal from the switch changes as the foot is released from the throttle pedal, the control module recognizes the change in signal and re-sets the modulator means, for example the solenoid-operated flow control valve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 1992
    Date of Patent: July 5, 1994
    Assignee: Lucas Industries public limited company
    Inventors: John P. Bayliss, Sean Byrnes
  • Patent number: 5325734
    Abstract: A holding device for positioning a sensor (12) with respect to a body (10), with a spacing (x) precisely adjusted between the sensor and the body, comprises a spring (28) which biases the sensor in the direction of the body and a movable adjusting member (24) which, when being moved between first and second positions, moves the sensor (12) against the bias of the spring (28) such that the sensor becomes located at spacing (x) from the body (10).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 1992
    Date of Patent: July 5, 1994
    Assignee: Lucas Industries public limited company
    Inventor: Martin Jordan
  • Patent number: 5323746
    Abstract: A governor system for the fuel pump of an engine which drives a vehicle through a multi ratio gearbox includes an all speed governor. The governor characteristic in the intermediate speed range is modified by means responsive to the load on the vehicle and by means responsive to the transmission ratio of the gearbox.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 1992
    Date of Patent: June 28, 1994
    Assignee: Lucas Industries
    Inventors: Christopher H. Best, David Shufflebotham
  • Patent number: 5316115
    Abstract: A brake actuator has a housing containing tappets operable by a cam to apply brake shoes against a rotary brake drum. The housing defines a cavity to which lubricant is admitted. A flexible element which is not compressed at the maximum positive system lubricant pressure and is disposed within the cavity and subject to lubricant pressure. The element is movable during outward movement of the tappets to compensate for any increase in volume of the cavity caused by tappet outward movement. This avoids the occurrence of negative pressure in the cavity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 1990
    Date of Patent: May 31, 1994
    Assignee: Lucas Industries public limited company
    Inventor: John A. Urban