Floating-caliper brake

Abstract

The invention relates to a floating-caliper brake (10) for a motor vehicle. The floating-caliper brake (10) comprises a brake caliper (14) which engages around a brake disc (18) and in which a brake actuator (22) is positioned in order to apply a braking force to a brake pad (26), the brake caliper (14) being mounted on at least one pin (30) so as to be movable in a pin axis direction (34). At least one pin (30) is positioned in a blind hole (38) of the brake caliper (14), and a chamber (58) is formed between a pin end (42) and a blind hole end (54), in which chamber a spring element (62) acting on the pin (30) in the pin axis direction (34) is arranged in such a way that a restoring force can be applied to the pin (30).

Description

[0001] Description

[0002] Title:

[0003] Floating caliper brake

[0004] The present invention relates to a floating caliper brake for a motor vehicle. Furthermore, the invention relates to a motor vehicle which has such a floating caliper brake.

[0005] State of the art

[0006] Various types of brake calipers are used in disc brakes, such as floating calipers, fixed calipers, and pendulum calipers. Floating caliper brakes are the most common in motor vehicles. With a floating caliper brake, the braking force of a brake piston typically moves the entire caliper, bringing both brake pads into contact with the brake disc. After braking, the brake pad is released from the disc by the so-called "disc runout." Because the brake pad does not release directly from the disc, this leads to additional wear on the brake pads. Therefore, various designs exist to achieve direct release of the brake pads from the disc. This type of function is also known as "zero drag."

[0007] US 4,685,542 describes a disc brake comprising a caliper assembly that is movably mounted relative to a torque element by at least one bolt assembly. The bolt assembly comprises a first part and a second part with a spring element between them. The spring element works in conjunction with the two parts and the caliper assembly to retract a friction element after braking, thereby achieving a zero-drag function. USRE 30,255 describes a disc brake with a movable caliper. The caliper is attached to the torque element by a pin assembly. The pin assembly is multi-part and, for example, includes a spring-loaded sealing ring in a reduced diameter area to achieve a zero-drag function.

[0008] The object underlying the invention is to provide a floating caliper brake with which the wear of the brake pads can be reduced.

[0009] The problem is solved by a floating caliper brake for a motor vehicle according to claim 1. Preferred embodiments are described in the dependent claims.

[0010] Disclosure of the invention

[0011] The invention provides a floating caliper brake for a motor vehicle. The floating caliper brake comprises a brake caliper surrounding a brake disc, in which a brake force distributor is arranged to apply a braking force to a brake pad, wherein the brake caliper is movably mounted on at least one pin in a pin axis direction. At least one pin is arranged in a blind hole of the brake caliper, and a chamber is formed between a pin end and a blind hole end, in which a spring element acting on the pin in the pin axis direction is arranged such that a restoring force can be applied to the pin.

[0012] A brake divider is a component of a floating caliper brake that adjusts the brake pad axially. The brake divider can be a brake piston. To move the brake caliper, it is axially displaceable along at least one pin. The pin axis corresponds to the pin's longitudinal extent. A blind hole is a bore that does not completely penetrate the brake caliper. The blind hole thus ends inside the brake caliper. This end is referred to as the blind hole end. Since the pin does not extend all the way into the blind hole end, a space is formed between the blind hole end and a pin end opposite the blind hole end. A spring element is located in this space, which applies a spring force to the pin end.

[0013] During braking, the pin is moved towards the end of the blind hole, generating a counterforce in the spring element. After braking, this counterforce acts as a restoring force on the pin and the brake caliper, causing the caliper to move. This movement separates the brake pad from the disc, thus reducing brake pad wear.

[0014] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the spring element is designed as a helical spring. A helical spring is a simple component with which a restoring force can be applied to the pin. Additionally, such a helical spring can be positioned easily and cost-effectively within the chamber.

[0015] In a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the spring force is designed such that a restoring force can be generated across the entire wear range of the brake pads. The spring force is dimensioned accordingly so that the restoring force for the brake caliper is sufficient for both new and worn brake pads. This allows a restoring force to be generated continuously by the spring element. Thus, the spring element achieves wear adjustment of the brake pads.

[0016] Preferably, the floating caliper brake is designed as an electromechanical brake. By designing the floating caliper brake as an electromechanical brake, a complex valve and line system can be avoided. Likewise, such an electromechanical brake significantly reduces maintenance requirements. Thus, a floating caliper brake can be provided that is simple and economical to operate. Additionally, a motor vehicle equipped with such a floating caliper brake is described. Such a motor vehicle exhibits the aforementioned characteristics and advantages.

[0017] Exemplary embodiments of the invention are shown in the drawing and explained in more detail in the following description. It shows:

[0018] Figure Schematic representation of a floating caliper brake according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0019] The figure shows a schematic representation of a floating caliper brake 10 according to an embodiment of the invention. The floating caliper brake 10 comprises a brake caliper 14 that surrounds a brake disc 18. Furthermore, the floating caliper brake 10 includes a brake distributor 22, shown schematically here, through which a braking force can be applied to a brake pad 26. The brake distributor 22 is arranged to be axially movable. In addition, a pin 30 is provided on which the brake caliper 14 is movably mounted in a pin axis direction 34.

[0020] The pin 30 engages in a bore 38 of the brake caliper. The bore in the brake caliper 14 is designed as a blind hole 38, so that one end of the bore 38 is closed. In the illustrated embodiment, the pin 30 is divided into two pin sections 30a, 30b, which have different diameters. The pin section 30b, which forms a pin end 42, has the smaller diameter.

[0021] Accordingly, bore 38 is also designed with two different diameters.

[0022] A chamber 58 is formed between the end of the blind hole 54 and the end of the pin 42, in which a spring element 62, designed as a coil spring, is provided. During braking, the pin 30 is moved towards the end of the blind hole 54, generating a restoring force from the coil spring 62. This restoring force causes the gap between the end of the pin 42 and the end of the blind hole 54 to increase after the braking process has ended, thus separating the brake pad 26 from the brake disc 18. This reduces wear on the brake pads 26.

Claims

Claims 1. Floating caliper brake (10) for a motor vehicle, comprising a brake caliper (14) encompassing a brake disc (18), in which a brake divider (22) is arranged for applying a braking force to a brake pad (26), wherein the brake caliper (14) is movably mounted on at least one pin (30) in a pin axis direction (34), characterized in that at least one pin (30) is arranged in a blind hole (38) of the brake caliper (14) and a chamber (58) is formed between a pin end (42) and a blind hole end (54), in which a spring element (62) acting on the pin (30) in the pin axis direction (34) is arranged such that a restoring force can be applied to the pin (30).

2. Floating caliper brake (10) according to claim 1 , characterized in that the spring element (62) is designed as a coil spring.

3. Floating caliper brake (10) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the spring force is designed such that a restoring force can be generated over an entire wear range of the brake linings (26).

4. Floating caliper brake (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the floating caliper brake (10) is designed as an electromechanical brake.

5. Motor vehicle comprising a floating caliper brake (10) according to one of the preceding claims.

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