Abstract: A brake liquid pressure device includes a piston valve for increasing brake liquid pressure instantly, by augmenting a front stage brake liquid pressure at first, and then augmenting the front stage and the rear stage liquid pressure evenly at the same time so as to perform braking on the front wheels first, and then on all the front and the rear wheels evenly at the same time, moving the center of gravity of a car to the front stage so as to shortening a brake distance.

Abstract: The invention provides a crank assembly for a chain driven mechanism such as a bicycle. The crank assembly has at one end of a crank arm, a journal adapted for engagement with an axle. The axle has at its other end a connection. The one end of the crank arm has mounted thereon a housing via a unidirectional variable clutch, the housing having an extension to which, in use, an activation means such as a brake cable or cables is/are attached. The arrangement is such that during normal forward rotation the crank arm moves normally and the housing is stationary relative thereto, while during back or reverse movement of the crank arm the housing moves to activate the brake cable or cable means.

Abstract: A media divider has a divider piston, which is received in a cylinder bore and embodied as a tubular deep-drawn part. Two pairs of a sealing ring and an annular guide part disposed side by side are provided, whose axial spacing is defined by at least one spacer bushing disposed coaxially with the divider piston. The two pairs comprising the sealing ring and guide part as well as the spacer bushing may be axially fixed either in the cylinder bore or on the divider piston. The media divider may be used in the form of a plunger or as a reservoir in a fluid-carrying brake system.

Abstract: A controllable magneto-rheological damper includes a housing; a piston moly disposed in the housing; a cavity defined by the housing and the piston; a passage fluidically coupled to the cavity; a magneto-rheological fluid contained within the cavity, wherein motion of the piston is damped by flow of the magneto-rheological fluid through the passage; and a magnet disposed to produce a magnetic field within the passage with field lines essentially parallel to the passage.

Abstract: A vehicle braking system can, for example when the performance of a booster has deteriorated, reduce a brake pedal depressing force required to obtain a sufficient braking force and thereby lighten the burden on the driver. A booster and a master cylinder generate a brake fluid pressure in correspondence with an operation of a brake pedal. Wheel cylinders connected to the master cylinder generate wheel braking forces in wheels of the vehicle. It is determined if a vehicle braking state corresponds to a state of operation of the brake pedal, and when it is determined that the vehicle braking state does not correspond to the brake pedal operation brake fluid pressure in the wheel cylinders is increased with a pump. In this way, it is possible to obtain a predetermined braking force corresponding to the brake pedal operation at all times.

Abstract: The invention concerns a method and apparatus for regulating the distance between the frame and a wheel unit or axle of a motor vehicle by means of a hydrodynamic suspension element by varying the volume of the damping liquid. The vehicle frame is sprung and damped at both sides of the vehicle relative to one or more wheel axles by means of hydropneumatic springs, wherein one of the volumes of the hydropneumatic springs is variable. In this arrangement, to increase the distance the static volume is supplemented by an additonal volume and to reduce the distance the static volume is reduced by a reduction volume. Associated with one or more parallel-connected hydropneumatic springs is a metering unit which can add or withdraw at least one defined additional volume and/or reduction volume with respect to the instantaneous sum of the damping volumes of the associated hydropneumatic springs.

Abstract: A hydraulically-damping sleeve-type rubber spring with an inner support element, which is surrounded by an outer support element at a radial distance. A spring element made of an elastomeric material is arranged in the gap formed by the radial distance. The outer support element and the spring element delimit at least one working chamber, which is connected with at least one first equalization chamber by at least one damping channel to conduct fluid. Viewed in cross-section, the first equalization chamber is delimited by the outer support element and a rubber-elastic expansion wall, where at least one second equalization chamber is arranged in the first equalization chamber, and the second equalization chamber is connected with the working chamber by a connecting channel.

Abstract: A vibration-isolatator utilizes a relatively small-diameter tuning port or passage and associated reduction in component size. In the illustrative embodiment described herein, a passive isolator is provided which includes a tuning passage or port which has a diameter which is approximately one-half the diameter of the prior-art isolators. The reduced radial dimension of the tuning passage of the isolator results in a remarkable decrease in its size and weight, thus increasing the efficiency of operation of the aircraft.

Abstract: A drum brake device that functions as a leading-trailing (LT) type when the service brake is applied, and as a duo-servo (DS) type when the parking brake is applied, in which no strange noises are generated, nor is any impact load applied to any of the components, thus enabling a lighter device. The middle segment of a long link 11is pivotable in the middle of the one brake shoe 2. A shoe clearance adjustment device 12 is provided adjacent to a service brake actuator 8 between the other brake shoe 3 and the one end of the long link 11. A parking brake actuator 16 is provided adjacent to an anchor 9 and between the other brake shoe 3 and the other end of the long link 11. The force urging the second adjacent ends of the brake shoes toward each other, is greater than the force urging the first adjacent ends of the brake shoes toward each other.

Abstract: A process for reducing the yawing moment that develops during hard braking in a vehicle equipped with an anti-lock braking system (ABS) and traveling on a roadway having different coefficients of friction on opposite sides of the vehicle is disclosed. The driver must compensate for the yawing moment by steering towards the side that has the lower coefficient of friction. The process comprises venting the brake cylinder of the front wheel on the side with the higher coefficient of friction for a time t.sub.AH that is calculated in an electronic control module. The algorithm for computing t.sub.AH depends on the venting time t.sub.AL at the front wheel on the side with the lower coefficient of friction and the maximum or so-called deregulating pressures attained in the cylinders of the rear wheels. The electronic control module receives pressure information from pressure sensors and ascertains the venting time t.sub.AL that the ABS produces at the slipping front wheel.

Abstract: A shoe gap adjusting device includes a piston for pressing a brake shoe through a piston head, having a projecting end part with a boot cover for protecting an elastic boot that seals an end part of a cylinder body. A shoe gap adjusting ring is fitted on the end part of the piston in a non-rotatable manner. A elastic piece at the inner periphery of the cover axially extends through a cut-out in the ring and elastically supports the outer peripheral surface of the head so that the piston head is elastically attached to the piston. A tool can be inserted through an opening and engaged with an outer peripheral cut-out of the ring, for rotating the ring relative to a bolt and performing an adjustment of the shoe gap. The device simultaneously allows the protection for the elastic boot and realization of rotational operability of the shoe gap adjusting ring by the tool.

Abstract: An annular nut cooperates with threaded sectors, which are formed on the reservoir tube of a shock absorber having a coil over spring preload, to provide for adjustment of the preload. The threaded sectors are equispaced angularly about the longitudinal axis of the reservoir tube of the shock absorber, and the threads of the threaded sectors are disposed in the planes that are substantially traverse to the longitudinal axis of the reservoir tube. The annular nut abuts the adjacent end of the coil over spring and the spring end is attached to the nut so that the spring and annular nut rotate together.

Abstract: A hydraulic pressure control apparatus for a brake including a brake cylinder activated by a pressurized fluid for braking a wheel of a vehicle, a reservoir for storing the fluid discharged from the brake cylinder, and a pump for pumping up the fluid from the reservoir, the apparatus including a pressure control device which discharges the fluid from the brake cylinder, into the reservoir, to reduce a pressure of the fluid in the brake cylinder, and supplies the fluid pumped up from the reservoir, to the brake cylinder, to increase the pressure of the fluid in the brake cylinder, a reservoir fluid amount estimating device for estimating a cumulative amount of flow of the fluid from the brake cylinder into the reservoir and a cumulative amount of flow of the fluid out of the reservoir, and estimating an amount of the fluid stored in the reservoir on the basis of the estimated cumulative amount of flow of the fluid into the reservoir and the estimated cumulative amount of flow of the fluid out of the reservoir;

Abstract: A hydraulic brake control apparatus in which a master cylinder supplies a brake fluid pressure responsive to a brake operating force to wheel cylinders through a first valve, includes a first control unit which controls second valves and third valves when a brake fluid pressure supplied to the wheel cylinders by a pressure supplying device is detected to be excessively high under a condition in which the supply of the brake fluid pressure to the wheel cylinders by the master cylinder is inhibited by the first valve, so that the supply of the brake fluid pressure to the wheel cylinders by the pressure supplying device is inhibited by the second valves and a flow of the brake fluid from the wheel cylinders into a reservoir tank is allowed by the third valves.

Abstract: A parking lock for a vehicle such as a skid steer loader is designed to provide a positive lock of drive elements when certain conditions are present on the loader, such as the absence of an operator on an operator seat or the movement of an operator restraint to its non restraining position. The lock member comprises a disc on a final drive axle, that has a member that engages lugs on the disc to provide the locking function, and a friction brake manually operable to engage the discs to reduce the speed of rotation of the discs. The discs having lugs thereon formed in relation to the forces urging lock member toward the discs, such that the lock member will ride on the outer periphery of the disc until the speed has been reduced to a selected amount generally by operation of the brake.

Abstract: A shock absorber incorporates a double adjustable valve using a single needle having both a tapered end portion and extended cylindrical portion. The needle is used in a shock that has a correspondingly configured radial rebound orifice and a plurality of compression orifices. With two separate and independent adjustments of the single needle, both rebound and compression characteristics can be tuned. The tapered needle formed in the end of the needle body can simply be raised and lowered in the rebound orifice to adjust rebound stiffness. Similarly, a plurality of radially extending shutter faces and fluid channels or grooves are formed in the extended cylindrical portion of the needle. The shutter faces and fluid channels are configured to cooperate with the plurality of compression orifices throughout the entire range that the needle body can be raised or lowered when adjusting rebound characteristics.

Abstract: A fluid pressure control device having a 3-position solenoid valve which is controlled to switch between a supply position, an overlapping position, and an exhaust position, using a drive command value corresponding to a pressure command signal. It also has a drive command setting unit which computes a drive command value for driving the 3-position solenoid valve into a predetermined position, in order to make the pressure command signal and a feedback signal of the output pressure of the 3-position solenoid valve coincide and a compensating value setting unit which computes a compensating value to be added to or subtracted from the above-mentioned drive command value, in accordance with the pressure differential between the above-mentioned pressure command signal and feedback signal, and the proportion of change in the feedback signal.

Abstract: A pressure control valve equipped with a solenoid valve, in which a main valve body is provided with an air-supply chamber connected to a pressurized air source, a control pressure chamber into which pilot pressure is input, an output chamber connected to an air-pressure apparatus, and an air-supply valve which establishes contact between and isolates such air-supply chamber and such output chamber. Such pressure control valve further includes a pressure-adjusting piston which is urged one way by a pressure-adjusting spring and is urged the other way by such pilot pressure of such control pressure chamber, and a hollow exhaust valve rod is provided integrally with such pressure-adjusting piston to open or close such air-supply valve in accordance with such pilot pressure; and in which such solenoid valve supplying such pilot pressure to such control pressure chamber is attached to such main valve body.

Abstract: A controlled force actuating system to apply and release an actuating force between a load member and a reaction member and includes an energy storing positive spring and an energy storing negative Belleville spring arranged in series between the load member and the reaction member to exert a range of actuating force on the load member varying between minimum and maximum values. The positive spring has a length and a positive force/deflection ratio. The negative Belleville spring has a length and a negative force/deflection ratio related to the positive force/deflection ratio so that the positive spring and the negative Belleville spring may reach a state of equilibrium substantially throughout the range of actuating force. The positive spring and the negative Belleville spring present a total length including both the axial lengths of the respective springs.

Abstract: A reinforced booster for a bicycle brake is substantially U-shaped and attached to the pivot points of the bicycle brake to increase its braking power. The reinforced booster has a substantially U-shaped member with inner and outer peripheral edges which have high strength strands of fiber attached thereto for increasing the strength of the U-shaped member. The strands of fibers extend longitudinally along the peripheral edges of the U-shaped member. Preferably, the U-shaped member is constructed of a plurality of sheets of a non-metallic material. For example, a plurality of carbon sheets can be used to form the U-shaped member. The strands of fibers attached to the peripheral edges of the U-shaped member can be, for example, carbon fibers, polyamide fibers, glass fibers or other reinforced plastic fibers. The free ends of the booster has mounting holes which are preferably formed by strands of fibers.