Patents Assigned to Lucas Industries
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Patent number: 4865168Abstract: A brake of the self-energising liquid cooled type incorporates a pump mechanism for pumping liquid from a sump to a braking member which is slidably keyed to a shaft to be braked. The pump mechanism incorporates one rotatable pump member which is driven from the shaft and may be housed within a pressure plate which forms a part of an actuating mechanism for the brake. Alternatively the pump may comprise a turbo-disc which is separate from the brake and is spaced from the stack of braking members.Type: GrantFiled: July 28, 1988Date of Patent: September 12, 1989Assignee: Lucas Industries public limited companyInventors: Roy Campbell, Anthony G. Price, Andrew P. Green
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Patent number: 4862998Abstract: In a self-energizing disc brake of the spreading type the actuator mechanism incorporates a restrictor in the form of a circumferentially extending discontinuous oil-seal which co-operates with radial faces on the two pressure plates. A secondary, or elevated, reservoir for liquid is therefore defined between said pressure plates by said oil-seal. Liquid can escape from this reservoir in order to enhance the cooling of the braking surfaces, defined by engagement of rotatable friction discs with end faces of a housing, pressure plates and a planar non-rotatable disc. In the brake shown in FIG. 6 two annular members act as seals on the ends of the outermost friction discs.Type: GrantFiled: May 19, 1988Date of Patent: September 5, 1989Assignee: Lucas Industries public limited companyInventors: Roy Campbell, Andrew P. Green, Anthony G. Price, David Parry
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Patent number: 4860858Abstract: In a spot-type disc brake for motor vehicles a floating caliper is guided displaceably on a brake support by means of sliding pins (26). Inner and outer brake pads are likewise displaceably mounted parallel to the sliding pins with respect to the brake support. On at least one of the sliding pins a resetting means (50) with a spring (52) is provided which is arranged around the sliding pin as part of a frictionally locking connection between the sliding pin and a bore guiding said pin. The bore (24) comprises at the end from which the sliding pin is inserted into said bore a widening (54) into which the spring (52) is installed with axial bias. The spring or a member cooperating therewith is in engagement with an outer surface of the sliding pin.Type: GrantFiled: June 30, 1988Date of Patent: August 29, 1989Assignee: Lucas Industries public limited companyInventors: Ralf Erben, Albert Langert, Frank-Wilhelm Madzgalla, Hans-Georg Madzgalla
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Patent number: 4856714Abstract: A fuel injection nozzle of the inwardly opening type has a valve member slidable in a bore in a nozzle body which is secured to a holder. The valve member is biased by a first spring into contact with a seating and is movable from the seating by fuel under pressure. An abutment rod is engageable by the valve member after a predetermined movement of the valve member away from the seating. The abutment rod is biased by a second spring housing in an insert mounted in screw thread engagement with a bore in the holder. The rod extends through and is guided by an aperture in the insert and is further guided by guide means removed from the insert. The guide means can be a bush carried by the holder, the coils of the first spring or the valve member.Type: GrantFiled: April 19, 1988Date of Patent: August 15, 1989Assignee: Lucas Industries Public Limited CompanyInventor: Ronald F. Turner
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Patent number: 4852953Abstract: An anti-skid braking system for a vehicle comprising a supply of fluid for actuating a plurality of wheel brakes, a skid control unit interposed between the fluid supply and the brakes, sensors to detect the skidding of a plurality of wheels and actuating means responsive to skid signals from the sensors and adapted to actuate the skid control unit to relive the fluid pressure at the brake of the wheel at impending lock by means of a plurality of successive first brake release periods. In order to reduce yawing, when an impending skid condition is detected at one wheel, the skid control unit is arranged to induce second, shorter brake release periods in one or more of the brakes of the wheels not at impending lock.Type: GrantFiled: May 9, 1988Date of Patent: August 1, 1989Assignee: Lucas Industries public limited companyInventors: Malcolm Brearley, Mark I. Phillips, Robert D. Prescott, Colin F. Ross
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Patent number: 4852351Abstract: A tandem master cylinder has a housing containing two pressure chambers for connection to separate braking circuits. A pressure piston component forms pistons movable in the pressure chambers to supply fluid under pressure to the circuits. A balance piston has opposed surfaces subject to the pressures respectively in the chambers and is movable, in response to a pressure difference between the chambers, to reduce the pressure difference. Control valves operate in response to brake actuating movement of the piston component normally to isolate the chambers from a fluid supply reservoir, and a disabling device disables the respective control valves individually to prevent pressurization of one of the chambers when actuation of one brake only is required.Type: GrantFiled: January 12, 1988Date of Patent: August 1, 1989Assignee: Lucas Industries public limited companyInventor: Anthony G. Price
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Patent number: 4852803Abstract: A fuel injection nozzle for an internal combustion engine includes a valve member which is slidable in a nozzle body. The body is provided with a bore in which is formed a seating and to support the valve member there is provided a sleeve which is an interference fit within a wider portion of the bore. Fuel under pressure is conveyed by grooves defined on the outer surface of the sleeve from a nozzle inlet and the fuel flows from the grooves through slits formed in the sleeve, to a space defined between the valve member and the bore. The pressure of fuel acts on the valve member to lift the valve member from the seating and the slits are sufficiently narrow to retain particles of dirt entrained in the fuel.Type: GrantFiled: November 24, 1987Date of Patent: August 1, 1989Assignee: Lucas Industries public limited companyInventor: David J. Gaskell
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Patent number: 4852700Abstract: On a brake support (12) engaging over a brake disk (10) a piston (34) is supported and on the other side a floating caliper (14) is supported for axial displacement. In both cases slide guides (40) are provided for the supporting and each have a guide body (42) having a groove (46) parallel to the axis (A) of the brake disk (10) and a threaded pin (48) which extends transversely of the axial center plane (B) of the brake and engages into the associated groove (46). The slide guides (40) are surrounded in each case by a resilient sealing sleeve (54) which is protected by a heat shield (66) arranged between it and the brake disk (10). Associated with the threaded pins (48) are anti-rotation locks for securing the pins against turning and which comprise mounting members (56) secured to the brake support (12). The mounting members (56) carry at the same time the heat shields (66).Type: GrantFiled: May 31, 1988Date of Patent: August 1, 1989Assignee: Lucas Industries public limited companyInventor: Helmut Heibel
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Patent number: 4849604Abstract: A heating device for mounting on an air inlet manifold of a compression ignition engine to heat the air flowing to the engine comprises a thin walled tubular element closed at one end and having a fuel inlet at the other end. A ceramic plug is located in the element to direct fuel flow against the interior surface of the element. A heating element is wound about the tubular element to heat and vaporize the fuel which flows out through an opening adjacent the one end. The fuel vapor forms an air/fuel mixture which is ignited by an ignition element.Type: GrantFiled: October 27, 1987Date of Patent: July 18, 1989Assignee: Lucas Industries Public Limited CompanyInventor: Peter J. Woolcott
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Patent number: 4848668Abstract: An inwardly opening fuel injection nozzle includes a first spring which is coupled by means of a push rod to the valve member of the nozzle. The nozzle includes a second spring positioned between the first spring and the valve member and acting upon a slidable abutment member which is engaged by the valve member after a predetermined movement of the valve member away from a seating. The valve member is lifted against the first spring by fuel under pressure supplied to an inlet to allow restricted fuel flow through an outlet and further against the action of both springs as the pressure at the inlet increases to allow unrestricted flow through the outlet.Type: GrantFiled: May 6, 1988Date of Patent: July 18, 1989Assignee: Lucas Industries Public Limited CompanyInventors: Richard J. Andrews, Godfrey Greeves
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Patent number: 4848300Abstract: In an engine management system which stores a control value and increments or decrements this according to whether an oxygen sensor in the exhaust system indicates that the engine is running lean or rich and which controls the duration of pulses applied to fuel injectors of the engine according to the stored control value, a compensating adjustment is determined and applied to the pulse length duration in order to maintain the mark/space ratio of the indicating signal from the oxygen sensor at an optimum value. This avoids unacceptable exhaust emissions which might otherwise occur under some conditions.Type: GrantFiled: February 3, 1988Date of Patent: July 18, 1989Assignee: Lucas Industries public limited companyInventors: James J. Samuel, Albert R. Tingey
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Patent number: 4849967Abstract: A multiplex control system e.g. for the facia of a vehicle comprises a control unit and a plurality of input elements e.g. control switches connected to a wiring bus, the control unit transmitting a pulse train along the bus and each input element including a circuit which counts the pulses in the train and modifies the jth pulse (where j is a count unique to that particular input element) if that input element is in a predetermined condition (e.g. the control switch is operated). The control unit is arranged to detect any such pulse modification to identify the corresponding input element and e.g. operate a load device accordingly.Type: GrantFiled: March 2, 1988Date of Patent: July 18, 1989Assignee: Lucas Industries public limited companyInventor: Paul A. Harris
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Patent number: 4846533Abstract: An anti-lock hydraulic braking system includes a copy valve which is connected between two independent braking circuits, each incorporating a wheel brake and a respective one pressure space of a tandem master cylinder. The copy valve comprises a housing having a multi-stepped bore in which a piston of complementary outline is located, first and second inlet chambers connected to the respective pressure spaces, and first and second outlet chambers connected to respective brakes, are all defined between the piston and the bore. A valve assembly is adapted to control communication between the inlet chamber and the first output chamber, and between the output chamber and first expander chamber. The other output chamber is connected to a second expander chamber through an anti-lock modulator. The piston is arranged so that only a relatively small axial travel is required to operate the valve assembly, and such movement can be accommodated by flexure of seals on the piston.Type: GrantFiled: December 20, 1988Date of Patent: July 11, 1989Assignee: Lucas Industries public limited companyInventor: Glyn P. R. Farr
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Patent number: 4844033Abstract: A fuel injection pumping apparatus for supplying fuel to a compression ignition engine has an annular cam ring which has internal cam lobes for imparting inward movement through cam followers respectively to pumping plungers mounted in a rotary distributor member. Stop rings are mounted alongside the cam ring to determine the maximum outward movement of the plungers. The stop rings are angularly adjustable to enable the maximum amount of fuel supplied to the engine to be varied. Two adjusting devices are provided the first being a piston which is subject to a fluid pressure varying with speed. The piston is biased by a spring and sets the stop rings to allow an excess of fuel for engine starting purposes and the second is a diaphragm assembly responsive to the air pressure in the engine inlet manifold.Type: GrantFiled: February 3, 1988Date of Patent: July 4, 1989Assignee: Lucas Industries Public Limited CompanyInventors: Raymond E. Abinett, Peter A. G. Collingborn
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Patent number: 4844559Abstract: An electrical solenoid valve has a coil and a movable armature. A first valve element is subject to pressure from an inlet and a second valve element is operated by the armature, when the coil is energized, to close a port in the valve element and so isolate the inlet from a pressure fluid outlet to a brake. The valve element is displaceable under the effect of a pressure differential across it as a result of closing the port, the force derived from the then predominant inlet pressure being transmitted by the second valve element to load a spring device connected to the armature. Such spring loading increases the force tending to release the armature and leads to rapid opening of the port (18), when required.Type: GrantFiled: November 18, 1988Date of Patent: July 4, 1989Assignee: Lucas Industries public limited companyInventor: Anthony W. Harrison
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Patent number: 4844125Abstract: A first control element is movable to control fluid flow between ports in a housing. A second control element is movable by an electric force motor and engages the first element through biasing springs so that in normal use the elements move in unison. An arrangement of ports and passages in the elements has the effect that relative movement between the elements as a result of jamming of the first element causes fluid pressure to be applied to the first element to overcome the jamming.Type: GrantFiled: May 27, 1988Date of Patent: July 4, 1989Assignee: Lucas Industries Public Limited CompanyInventors: Richard J. McKay, Philip Hudson
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Patent number: 4842104Abstract: An internal shoe drum brake has a pair of shoes (1, 2) mounted on a backplate (3), and a mechanical shoe-expansion mechanism which includes a lever (9) movable angularly in a plane parallel to the backplate, an abutment device (13) mounted on the shoe (2) and retained on the shoe by a separate shoe hold-down device (14), the abutment device extending to a position adjacent the lever to provide a backstop for the latter in order to set a predetermined retracted position for the lever.Type: GrantFiled: November 28, 1984Date of Patent: June 27, 1989Assignee: Lucas Industries public limited companyInventor: George A. Harmer
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Patent number: 4841933Abstract: An adaptive control system and method for a multi-cylinder internal combustion engine is provided wherein a perturbation generator perturbs an engine control parameter of a cylinder about a base-line value, and a measuring means measures the slope of an engine output with respect to perturbations in the engine control parameter caused by the perturbation generator. A correction unit employs the measured slope to correct at least one engine control parameter of the engine so as to obtain a desired value of the slope measured by the measuring means. The corrected control parameter can be the same or different from the perturbed control parameter. The perturbation generator operates in a first perturbation mode in an upper speed range of the engine and in a second perturbation mode in a lower speed range of the engine. The slope measuring unit operates in different measurement modes corresponding to these perturbation modes.Type: GrantFiled: December 29, 1987Date of Patent: June 27, 1989Assignee: Lucas Industries Public Limited CompanyInventors: Anthony McHale, Andrew P. Frith
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Patent number: 4843556Abstract: Disclosed is a method and apparatus for controlling an internal combustion engine having two inputs and one output affected by both inputs. One input is perturbed and the effect on the output is compared with a desired effect on the output. The other input is varied until the actual affect on the output is the same as the desired effect on output. In one embodiment, ignition timing is periodically varied and the effect upon engine speed is detected. The detected output variations are compared with predetermined output variations for the existing engine speed and load demand. Any error is used to correct fueling to the engine. In a further embodiment the error corrects the ignition timing directly and corrects fueling indirectly at a slower rate. Further embodiments control air/fuel ratio, engine roughness, exhaust gas recirculation, for individual cylinders or groups of cylinders or the engine as a whole, depending upon the change in engine output in response to the variation in engine input.Type: GrantFiled: July 22, 1986Date of Patent: June 27, 1989Assignee: Lucas Industries public limited companyInventors: Anthony C. Wakeman, John M. Ironside, Michael Holmes, Simon C. Barnard
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Patent number: 4841238Abstract: An air-core gauge comprising two coils in quadrature has a driving system with switches on a junction terminal and end terminals of the two coils, and a drive circuit controlling the switches so that each terminal is selectively at either of two signal levels, with one terminal being connected alternately to the two signal levels with variable duty cycle depending upon the angle through which the pointer of the gauge is to be turned. For any given angle, one terminal is held at one level, another at the other level and the third is alternated between the two levels with appropriate duty cycle. Any angle of pointer deflection from 0.degree.-360.degree. can be achieved with just the two voltage levels and calculating the duty cycle from an appropriate function of tangent values of angles in the range 0.degree. to 45.degree..Type: GrantFiled: December 15, 1987Date of Patent: June 20, 1989Assignee: Lucas Industries Public Limited CompanyInventor: Barry Birch