Method and kit for replacing a brake pad or a brake kit installed in a vehicle brake system

Abstract

A method of replacing a brake pad or a brake pawl installed in a brake system of a vehicle comprises the following operations: obtaining technical specifications of the installed brake pad or brake pawl, the technical specifications comprising at least the shape and size of the installed metal backing plate; wherein the mounted brake pad or brake pawl comprises a friction material block and a metal backing plate (100) of the friction material block (300); -reproducing the metal backsheet (100) and adapting it to the fingerprint (110) using the acquired technical specifications of shape and size; assembling a smart brake pad or pawl (400) by fixing a plate (200) with a printed circuit board in said fingerprint (110) and applying a block of friction material (300) to the reproduced metal backing plate (100), the printed circuit board presenting at least one force sensor (201) and / or one temperature sensor and a connector (210); providing a replacement kit (1) comprising said smart brake pad or pawl (400), an electronic module (240) comprising a processing unit and a transmitter for transmitting and processing information received from said at least one force sensor (201) and / or temperature sensor, a physical interface (410), a software application (420), and a physical interface for mechanical and electrical connection between the electronic module (240) and the connector (210), the software application being installable in a mobile electronic device configured to interact with the electronic module (240).

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a method and a kit for replacing a brake pad or a brake pawl installed in a vehicle braking system.

[0002] As is known to all, the automotive industry has been gradually moving towards solutions that maximize driving safety, in order to minimize the number of accidents that occur on the roads and to reduce the risk of unavoidable accidents.

[0003] The safety equipment introduced are different types of safety equipment, from seat belts to air bags.

[0004] Many safety devices are related to the braking system in different ways, such as wheel anti-lock braking system, vehicle stability control system, etc.

[0005] In recent years, new technologies implemented in braking systems to improve driving safety have proliferated.

[0006] New technologies have made new cars increasingly smarter thanks to increasingly advanced sensor systems, but the question that remains is how to adapt the braking systems to meet the highest safety standards associated with existing fleets.

[0007] The technical task proposed by the present invention is therefore to effectively update the brake system of today's motor vehicles, making it "retrofitable", ie potentially usable for all vehicles on the market today and for new vehicles, in particular for disc brakes and for drum brakes.

[0008] As part of this technical task, one object of the invention is to upgrade the braking system in order to improve vehicle safety.

[0009] Another object of the present invention is to provide an updated system capable of predictive monitoring and diagnostics of a brake system.

[0010] Another object of the present invention is to upgrade the braking system to improve vehicle handling and driving experience.

[0011] The technical task and these and other objects according to the invention are achieved by implementing a method for replacing a brake pad or a brake pawl installed in a braking system of a vehicle, wherein the installed brake pad or brake pawl comprises a friction material block and a metal backing plate of the friction material block, characterized in that it comprises the following operations:

[0012] - obtain the technical specifications of the installed brake pad or brake pawl, which at least includes the shape and size of the installed metal backing plate;

[0013] - Reproducing and fingerprinting the metal backplate using the acquired technical specifications of shape and size;

[0014] - Assembling a smart brake pad or brake pawl by fixing a printed circuit board with at least one force sensor and / or temperature sensor and a connector in said fingerprint and applying a block of friction material to said reproduced metal backing plate;

[0015] -Providing a replacement kit, which includes the smart brake pad or brake claw, an electronic module, a physical interface, and a software application, wherein the electronic module includes a processing unit and a transmitter for sending and processing information received from at least one force sensor and / or temperature sensor, the physical interface is used for mechanical and electrical connection between the electronic module and the connector, and the software application can be installed in a mobile electronic device configured to interact with the electronic module.

[0016] Advantageously, the replacement kit comprises an access code to access an IT cloud computing architecture or preferably an IT edge computing architecture via said software application.

[0017] The cloud or edge computing architecture may be accessed via a cellular communication network or other remote telecommunication system interconnected to a cloud network.

[0018] In a preferred implementation mode, a cloud or edge computing architecture is configured to compare a user group that has replaced brake pads (or brake claws).

[0019] Cloud or edge computing can be used to compare the values ​​measured by the sensors with “normal” reference values ​​for a given vehicle class or model.

[0020] Through cloud or edge computing, data from a user's mobile electronic device having a kit installed on a vehicle is processed and a response is generated, including a report and / or warning that is automatically transmitted to the mobile electronic device.

[0021] Advantageously, edge computing allows for quick responses to potential dangers to users.

[0022] Preferably, said software application processes said information to issue an alert via said mobile device.Preferably, said processing unit of said electronic module processes said information to issue an alert via said mobile device.

[0023] The present invention also discloses a replacement kit for a brake pad or brake pawl installed in a brake system of a vehicle, wherein the installed brake pad or brake pawl comprises a friction material block and a metal backing plate of the friction material block, and is characterized by comprising:

[0024] - a smart brake pad or brake pawl comprising a block of friction material, a metal backing plate which reproduces the shape and dimensions of the metal backing plate of the mounted brake pad or brake pawl and which additionally presents a fingerprint to which a printed circuit board is attached, the printed circuit board presenting at least a force sensor and / or a temperature sensor and a connector;

[0025] - an electronic module comprising a processing unit and a transmitter for transmitting and processing information received from said at least one force sensor and / or temperature sensor;

[0026] - a physical mechanical and electrical connection interface between said electronic module and said connector;

[0027] - a software application installable in a mobile electronic device configured to interact with said electronic module.

[0028] Thus, the brake system in operation may include both disc brakes and drum brakes, in which case the brake pads with metal backing plates will be replaced by drum brake dogs.

[0029] For this reason, and in order to avoid further repetition, the term "brake pad" used in this specification should be understood in a broad sense to include not only the brake pad itself of a disc brake, but also the brake pad of a drum brake.

[0030] The kit is supplied to the installer to replace the brake pads fitted to the vehicle with the smart brake pads.

[0031] On the other hand, in the case of a new car, the present invention provides a kit for installing a smart brake pad or brake pawl in the braking system of a new car, wherein the smart brake pad or brake pawl includes a friction material block, a metal backing plate of the friction material block, and a printed circuit board presenting at least one force sensor and / or temperature sensor and a connector, and the installation kit is characterized in that it includes an electronic module, which includes a processing unit and a transmitter for sending and processing information received from the at least one force sensor and / or temperature sensor; a physical interface, which is used for mechanical and electrical connection between the electronic module and the connector; a software application, which can be installed in a mobile electronic device configured to interact with the electronic module; and an access code, which accesses cloud or edge computing via the software application.

[0032] Other characteristics of the invention are defined in the subsequent claims.

[0033] Other features and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the description of a preferred but not exclusive method and kit for replacing a brake pad or a brake pawl installed in a braking system of a vehicle according to the invention, which is illustrated by way of example and not limitation in the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0034] Figure 1 A smart brake pad is shown provided in a replacement kit;

[0035] Figure 2 Shown from Figure 1 A metal backing plate of a smart brake pad with a circuit board attached;

[0036] Figure 3 Shown including from Figure 1 A kit of smart brake pads; and

[0037] Figure 4 Shows cloud edge computing accessible via software applications.

[0038] With reference to the above-mentioned figures, there is shown a replacement kit for a brake pad for installation in a vehicle braking system, which is indicated as a whole by the reference numeral 1 .

[0039] This kit 1 is particularly suitable for aftermarket brake system upgrades.

[0040] The vehicle's braking system is of the type comprising, for at least one of its wheels, a disc brake or a drum brake known as comprising a brake pad or brake pawl consisting of a metal backing plate and a block of friction material applied to the metal backing plate.

[0041] In the following, for the sake of simplicity, we will refer to brake pads as examples, but the same concepts apply to brake dogs.

[0042] The replacement kit advantageously includes the smart brake pad 400 .

[0043] The smart brake pad 400 includes a metal back plate 100 , a circuit board 200 , and a friction material block 300 mounted on the metal back plate 100 .

[0044] If necessary, a damping layer may be provided between the friction material block 300 and the circuit board 200 .

[0045] The plate 200 has one or more force sensors 201 (in particular of the piezoelectric type) and / or temperature sensors 202 which are electrically connected to an external connector 210 of the smart brake pad 400 via conductive traces 203 in the circuit board.

[0046] The force sensor 201 may include a normal force sensor and / or a shear force sensor.

[0047] The conductive traces on the force sensor 201 and the circuit board 220 may be implemented by a subsequent screen printing operation.

[0048] The plate 200 also has a support 230 made of a suitable rigid material (such as but not necessarily stainless steel) so that it has the necessary shape, size, protection characteristics and handling characteristics to realize and use the plate 200 as a smart brake pad 1.

[0049] The metal back plate 100 has a stamp 110 , wherein the plate 200 is fixed to the stamp.

[0050] In particular, the metal backing 100 has a fingerprint 110 having a shape conjugated with the shape of the support 230 of the plate 200 , wherein the plate 200 is positioned and fixed in this fingerprint.

[0051] In the smart brake pad assembly 1 , the plate 200 is interposed between the backing plate 100 and the friction material block 300 in the fingerprint 110 .

[0052] Kit 1 also includes an electronic module 240 and a physical interface 410, wherein the electronic module includes a processing unit and a transmitter, such as a wireless transmitter, in particular a radio transmitter, for sending and processing information received from sensors 201, 202 installed in the smart brake block 400, and the physical interface is used for mechanical and electrical connection between the electronic module 240 and the connector 210.

[0053] The kit 1 also includes a software application 420 installable in a mobile electronic device 430 .

[0054] The software application 420 is configured to interact with the electronic module 240 to process the information provided by the sensors 201 , 202 and to process one or more warnings based on the information via the mobile electronic device 430 , preferably a warning signal perceptible to a user driving the vehicle.

[0055] The warning preferably consists of an acoustic signal in order not to distract the driver's visual attention.

[0056] Kit 1 includes an access code that accesses the cloud or preferably an edge computing computer 440 via a 420 software application.

[0057] The physical interface 410 may include a flexible cable.

[0058] Electronic transmitter 240 may include a wireless communication port and / or a wired communication port.

[0059] The wireless communication port may support Bluetooth technology.

[0060] The wired communication port supports USB technology.

[0061] A method of replacing brake pads of a vehicle braking system comprises the following operations.

[0062] First, the technical specifications of the brake pad to be replaced of the vehicle 450 are obtained, the technical specifications including at least the shape and size of its metal backing plate.

[0063] The metal backing plate 100 is then reproduced using the acquired specifications of the shape and size of the metal backing plate of the brake pad to be replaced.

[0064] The metal backplate 100 is reproduced by adding a fingerprint 110 .

[0065] Then, the smart brake pad 400 is assembled by fixing the PCB 200 in the fingerprint 110 and applying the friction material block 300 .

[0066] The kit 1 including the smart brake pad 400 , the electronic transmitter 240 , the physical interface 410 , and the software application 420 is now assembled.

[0067] The physical components of the kit 1 may be packaged in an enclosure along with additional accessories for installation.

[0068] Of course, the software application 420 with the access code to access the cloud or edge computing 440 can be provided in the form of a credential that is downloaded directly to the mobile electronic device 430 via the Internet.

[0069] The mobile electronic device 430 is preferably a smartphone.

[0070] The physical components of the kit 1 are preferably supplied to an authorised workshop for brake pad replacement.

[0071] After replacement, thanks to its sensor technology, the smart brake pad 400 is able to provide important information in real time, such as its wear state and / or its possible overheating state and / or its possible residual torque, i.e. the torque recorded without actuating the brakes.

[0072] At least important information can be processed by the software application into an immediately perceptible warning signal without distracting driving attention, thus in particular an acoustic signal generated by a speaker of the mobile electronic device 430, for example indicating that a threshold temperature of the brake pad 400 has been reached or a threshold thickness reduction of the friction block 300 has been reached or a threshold residual torque has been reached.

[0073] Other less important information about vehicle safety can also be stored and processed and made available at a later time, and in this case not necessarily in the form of an audible signal, but also as a graphical representation on a display of the mobile electronic device 430 .

[0074] Advantageously, the information from the sensors 201, 202 can be processed not only by the software application, but also earlier by the processing unit of the electronic module 240, also in order to generate a warning to the user which will be provided via the mobile electronic device 430; the warning will be immediately available if the mobile electronic device 430 is already switched on, or in any case as soon as it is switched on.

[0075] Additionally, the architecture of the cloud or edge computing computer 440 may be configured to compare users within a user population that have replaced brake pads.

[0076] In particular, through cloud or edge computing 440, users can compare the performance of smart brake pads, their respective driving styles and obtain statistics or suggestions to increase safety or improve their driving style, and ultimately the collected data can be made accessible to manufacturers to improve products.

[0077] If the vehicle is new, the installation kit for smart brake pads or brake claws that performs sensing as described above always includes an electronic module, a physical interface, and a software application, the electronic module including a processing unit and a transmitter for sending and processing information received from the sensor, the physical interface is used for mechanical and electrical connection between the electronic module and the connector, the software application is installed in a mobile electronic device configured to interact with the electronic module; and an access code that accesses the cloud or edge computing via the software application.

[0078] The method and the kit for replacing the braking system of a vehicle thus conceived are susceptible to numerous modifications and variations, all of which fall within the scope of the inventive concept; moreover, all the details may be replaced by technically equivalent elements.

[0079] In the implementation process, the materials used as well as the dimensions can be any according to the requirements and the state of the art.

Claims

1. A method for replacing a brake pad or a brake pawl installed in a brake system of a vehicle, wherein: The installed brake pad or brake pawl comprises a friction material block and a metal backing plate of the friction material block, wherein the method comprises the following operations: - obtaining the technical specifications of the installed brake pad or brake pawl, the technical specifications including at least the shape and size of the installed metal backing plate; - Reproducing the metal backplate (100) using the acquired technical shape and size specifications and providing a fingerprint (110) for said metal backplate (100); - assembling a smart brake pad or brake pawl (400) by fixing a plate (200) with a printed circuit having at least one force sensor (201) and / or temperature sensor and a connector (210) in said fingerprint (110) and applying a block of friction material (300) to said reproduced metal backing plate (100); - A replacement kit (1) is provided, the replacement kit comprising the smart brake pad or brake claw (400), an electronic module (240), a physical interface (410), and a software application (420), wherein the electronic module comprises a processing unit and a transmitter for sending and processing information received from at least one force sensor (201) and / or a temperature sensor, the physical interface is used for mechanical and electrical connection between the electronic module (240) and the connector (210), and the software application can be installed in a removable electronic device configured to interact with the electronic module (240).

2. The replacement method according to the preceding claim, characterized in that The kit includes an access code that accesses a cloud or edge computing system (440) via the software application (420).

3. The replacement method according to the preceding claim, characterized in that The cloud or edge computing system (440) is configured to process the information with other information and automatically process reports and / or alerts transmitted to the mobile electronic device.

4. A replacement method according to any preceding claim, characterised in that The software application (420) is configured to process the information and process alerts via the mobile device (430).

5. A replacement method according to any preceding claim, characterised in that The processing unit for processing the electronic module (240) is configured to process the information and process warnings via the mobile device (430).

6. A replacement kit (1) for replacing a brake pad or a brake pawl installed in a braking system of a vehicle, wherein: The installed brake pad or brake pawl comprises a friction material block and a metal backing plate of the friction material block, wherein the replacement kit comprises: - a smart brake pad or brake pawl (400) comprising a block of friction material (300), a metal backing plate (100) which reproduces the shape and dimensions of the metal backing plate of the mounted brake pad or brake pawl and also has a fingerprint (110), wherein a plate (200) is fixed with a printed circuit having at least one force sensor (201) and / or a temperature sensor and a connector (210); - an electronic module (240) comprising a processing unit and a transmitter for transmitting and processing information received from the at least one force sensor (201) and / or temperature sensor; - a physical interface (410) for mechanical and electrical connection between the electronic module (240) and the connector (210); - a software application (420) installable in a removable electronic device configured to interact with said electronic module (240).

7. Replacement kit (1) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that The replacement kit includes an access code that accesses a cloud or edge computing system (440) via the software application (420).

8. Replacement kit (1) according to any one of claims 6 and 7, characterized in that The physical interface (410) includes a flexible cable.

9. Replacement kit (1) according to any one of claims 6 to 8, characterized in that The electronic module (240) includes a wireless communication port.

10. The replacement kit (1) according to any one of claims 6 to 9, characterized in that The electronics module (240) includes a wired communications port.

11. Replacement kit (1) according to any one of claims 6 to 10, characterized in that The software application (420) is configured to process the information and to process an alert based on the information via the mobile device (430).

12. An installation kit for installing a smart brake pad or brake pawl in a brake system of a new vehicle, wherein: The smart brake pad or brake claw comprises a friction material block, a metal backing plate of the friction material block and a plate (200) with a printed circuit, wherein the printed circuit has at least one force sensor (201) and / or a temperature sensor and a connector (210); characterized in that the installation kit comprises: an electronic module (240), wherein the electronic module comprises a processing unit and a transmitter for sending and processing information received from the at least one force sensor (201) and / or the temperature sensor; a physical interface (410), wherein the physical interface is used for mechanical and electrical connection between the electronic module (240) and the connector (210); a software application (420), wherein the software application can be installed in a mobile electronic device configured to interact with the electronic module (240); and an access code, wherein the access code accesses a cloud or edge computing system (440) via the software application (420).

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