Caliper housing, brake caliper, and motor vehicle disc brake with the same

Abstract

The invention relates to a caliper housing (3) for a brake caliper (1) of a motor vehicle disc brake (100) for decelerating a brake disc moved about a rotational axis (R), in particular for a sliding caliper brake, having a cavity (19) for accommodating an application mechanism which has a brake lever pivotable about a lever axis (B). The caliper housing (3) has a vehicle-side housing wall (7) made of a preferably one-piece bent sheet metal, on the inner side (27) of which at least one support element (23, 23') is provided for supporting the brake lever. It is proposed that the support element (23, 23') be formed integrally in the vehicle-side housing wall or be integrally connected to the vehicle-side housing wall (7) from the inner side (27).

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a caliper housing for a brake caliper of a motor vehicle disc brake for decelerating a brake disc moved about a rotational axis, in particular for a sliding caliper brake, with a cavity for receiving an application mechanism which has a brake lever pivotable about a lever axis, wherein the caliper housing has a vehicle-side housing wall made of a preferably one-piece bent sheet metal, on the inside of which at least one support element is provided for supporting the brake lever.

[0002] Caliper housings for automotive disc brakes are well known. Brake calipers in which the caliper housing and / or the brake caliper are cast are quite common. Those functional elements of the brake caliper and the caliper housing in particular that require very precise alignment and surface finishing because they movably support or hold critical components are mechanically reworked in these castings to ensure they fulfill their required functions.

[0003] While the production of these elements from cast metal is generally justified because cast parts can be easily produced in large quantities and possess outstanding mechanical stability, the disadvantage is generally the high weight of the cast parts. The cost-effectiveness of using cast parts is sometimes limited depending on the molds used, especially when using lost-material molds.

[0004] There is therefore a fundamental effort, particularly for the caliper housing, but also for the brake caliper, to find alternatives that allow economical production and enable a reduction in the weight of the motor vehicle disc brake without compromising the stability of the brakes.

[0005] WO2016 / 135316 A1 discloses a brake caliper for a disc brake, in which the caliper housing is formed from an outer segment, an inner segment running substantially parallel to the outer segment, and two bases extending between the outer and inner segments with corresponding cover elements, each made of sheet metal. It is proposed there to form at least two of these segments from a single sheet metal element.

[0006] WO2016 / 135316 A1 proposes, for fastening the at least one support element, to bring it into contact with the vehicle-side housing wall and then weld them together from the outside through the housing wall. This is said to have the advantage that the vehicle-side housing wall is easily accessible from the outside for a welding robot.

[0007] However, the reliability of such a joint is questionable.

[0008] The invention was therefore based on the object of further developing a caliper housing of the type described above in such a way that the disadvantages described above are overcome as far as possible. In particular, the invention was based on the object of providing such a caliper housing that provides a reliable attachment of the at least one support element for supporting the brake lever, which is simple to manufacture and reliable in its fastening.

[0009] The invention achieves the underlying object in a caliper housing of the type initially described in that it is designed with the features of claim 1. In particular, the invention proposes that the support element be formed integrally with the vehicle-side housing wall or be materially connected to the vehicle-side housing wall from the inside. Both alternatives are based on the finding that, to improve strength, greater material integrity between the support element and the vehicle-side housing wall leads to a better connection of the support element. According to the first alternative above, the support element is formed integrally as a component of the vehicle-side housing wall during the forming process.In the second alternative, the support element is a dedicated component, but is integrally bonded to the vehicle-side housing wall from the inside. In other words, the joining process does not have to be performed through the housing wall, but rather directly along the support element on the inside of the cavity. Both methods can be implemented efficiently and result in improved strength of the unit consisting of the support element and the housing wall compared to the prior art.

[0010] In a preferred development, the support element is designed as a formed sheet metal section extending into the cavity and arranged on the vehicle-side housing wall. In this embodiment, the support element can be formed, for example, by deep drawing or stamping in the component of the housing wall. Due to the hardening associated with the forming process, the strength is surprisingly well able to absorb the significant supporting forces acting on the support elements via the lever of the clamping mechanism and to transfer them to the housing wall.

[0011] In a further preferred embodiment, the caliper housing has support elements that are preferably vertically mirror-symmetrical to one another, particularly preferably vertically mirror-symmetrical within themselves. This reduces the number of parts in the brake caliper system, leading to more economical production.

[0012] In a further preferred embodiment, the support elements have a clear width between them in the direction of the lever axis and further have a through-opening for an adjustment unit of the clamping mechanism in the region of the clear width.

[0013] In a further preferred embodiment, the (respective) support element has an end section spaced from the housing wall, which has at least one positioning element for receiving a sliding piece, wherein the sliding piece is designed to pivotally mount the brake lever in the cavity.

[0014] In a further preferred embodiment, the at least one support element is embossed directly into the vehicle-side housing wall.

[0015] In a further preferred embodiment, which relates to the second alternative of the caliper housing, the at least one support element is integrally stamped into a support plate, which is attached to the vehicle-side housing wall. This support plate is preferably integrally connected to the caliper housing.

[0016] In a further preferred embodiment, the saddle housing has a housing base and two opposing side walls, wherein the support plate is integrally connected to the housing base and / or at least one of the side walls. Compared to the prior art, which provides for welding only to one housing wall, the integral connection to two or three adjacent surfaces, i.e., the side wall(s) or the housing base, significantly improves the dissipation of the forces absorbed by the support element and makes an unintentional tearing of the support element from the housing wall significantly less likely.

[0017] In a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the caliper housing has a housing base and two opposing side walls, wherein the support element is designed as a dedicated molded part and is integrally connected to the housing base, the vehicle-side housing wall, and one of the side walls. In this embodiment, when multiple support elements are used, individual support elements are integrally connected to the inside of the vehicle-side housing wall and the remaining parts. Sheet metal parts, forged parts, sintered parts, or other machined or machineable elements can be used as the support element.

[0018] In a preferred embodiment, when using multiple support elements, the support elements are formed as a single, dedicated molded part that is integrally bonded to the housing base, the vehicle-side housing wall, and both side walls. The merging of the support elements into a single molded part allows the absorbed support forces to be dissipated to four adjacent surfaces via the corresponding integral connection, further improving strength.

[0019] The invention has been described above with reference to a first aspect of the caliper housing itself. In a further aspect, the invention further relates to a brake caliper for a motor vehicle disc brake, in particular a commercial vehicle disc brake for decelerating a brake disc moving around a rotational axis, comprising a caliper housing.

[0020] The invention achieves the object described above in such a brake caliper in that the caliper housing is designed according to one of the above-described embodiments of the first aspect.

[0021] The brake caliper therefore utilizes the same advantages as the caliper housing of the first aspect. Preferred embodiments and further developments of the caliper housing according to the first aspect are thus also preferred embodiments of the brake caliper, and vice versa. Therefore, to avoid repetition, reference is made to the above explanations in this regard.

[0022] In a further aspect, the invention further relates to a motor vehicle disc brake, in particular a commercial vehicle disc brake for decelerating a brake disc moved about a rotational axis, with a brake caliper according to one of the preferred embodiments described above.

[0023] The disc brake, in turn, makes use of the advantages of the first two aspects, so that preferred embodiments of the caliper housing and the brake caliper are also preferred embodiments of the disc brake and vice versa, which is why, in order to avoid repetition, reference is again made to the above explanations.

[0024] The invention is described in more detail below with reference to preferred embodiments in the accompanying figures. Herein: Fig. 1 a commercial vehicle disc brake in a schematic spatial view according to a preferred embodiment, Fig. 2 a schematic spatial detailed representation of a brake caliper for the disc brake according to Fig. 1, Fig. 3 a schematic spatial detailed view of a caliper housing for the brake caliper according to Fig. 2, Fig. 4 a detailed view of the saddle housing according to Fig. 3 in an alternative assembly state, Fig. 5 a schematic spatial representation of a molded part for the brake caliper according to Fig. 2, Fig. 6 a schematic spatial view of the molded part according to Fig. 5 in an alternative assembly state, Fig. 7 a schematic spatial interior view of a caliper housing for a brake caliper according to Fig. 2 in an alternative embodiment, and Fig. 8 a further schematic spatial interior view into the saddle housing according to Fig. 7 of another variant.

[0025] Fig. Figure 1 shows a commercial vehicle disc brake 100 configured to decelerate a brake disc attached to a wheel of a motor vehicle (not shown). The brake 100 includes a brake actuator 101 configured to generate a braking force in response to a control command. A pneumatic brake actuator is shown, but other types of force generation may alternatively be used.

[0026] The brake 100 has a brake carrier 103, which is designed to be attached to the vehicle in the region of the axle. The brake 100 has a first brake pad 105 on the application side and a second brake pad 107 on the reaction side. The brake pads 105, 107 are attached to a brake caliper 1 according to the invention. The brake caliper 1 shown is a sliding caliper. However, the invention equally applies to fixed-caliper brakes.

[0027] In Fig. 2 shows a brake caliper 1 according to the invention according to a preferred embodiment. Fig. 2 to Fig. The first aspect of the invention can be particularly illustrated in Figure 4. The brake caliper 1 has a caliper housing 3, which is at least partially formed from sheet metal segments.

[0028] The caliper housing 3 has a caliper cover 5 made of a bent sheet metal, which is placed on the caliper housing 3 and is designed to engage over a brake disc (not shown) which rotates about its axis of rotation R.

[0029] The brake caliper 1 has a first, vehicle-side housing wall 7, which is formed as a bent sheet metal body. Preferably, the vehicle-side housing wall 7 is oriented at right angles to the rotation axis R when the brake caliper 1 is mounted in the normal operating state.

[0030] The saddle housing 3 of the Fig. 2 has a housing base 8 designed as a bent sheet metal section and a brake disc-side housing wall 6 opposite the vehicle-side housing wall 7, also designed as a bent sheet metal section.

[0031] On a side of the brake calliper 1 opposite the vehicle-side housing wall 7 there is a support plate 9 for supporting the reaction-side brake pad 107, cf. Fig. 1, preferably also made of sheet metal. On the reaction side of the saddle housing 1, there is also a hook 11 for receiving a hold-down bracket.

[0032] Between the caliper housing 3 and the caliper cover 5, several sliding sleeves 13 are arranged to accommodate the guide pins of the disc brake 100. The construction of the brake caliper 1 according to Fig. 2 to 4 are formed without cast parts. In preferred embodiments, one or more elements may be formed from cast, forged, sintered, and / or machined workpieces, cf. Fig. 7 and Fig. 8.

[0033] The brake caliper 1 has a mounting interface 15 which is formed on the vehicle-side housing wall 7.

[0034] The caliper housing 3 encloses a cavity 19 for receiving a clamping mechanism 53 ( Fig. 7), which is accessible from the vehicle side via a through-opening 17. In the operating state, a plunger of the brake actuator 101 extends through this through-opening 17 and is attached to the mounting interface 15.

[0035] The cavity 19 is thus defined by the caliper housing 3 and the caliper cover 5. The caliper cover 5 further comprises a dome section 10, which is provided as a deformation in the caliper cover 5 radially outward relative to the rotation axis R, and expands the cavity 19 such that a brake lever can be arranged in the cavity 19 so as to be pivotable about a lever axis B.

[0036] In Fig. 2 To the left and right of the through opening 17, i.e. with respect to the circumferential direction around the rotation axis R on the inlet side and outlet side, the mounting interface 15 has through holes 21 which are designed for the passage of fastening screws or bolts.

[0037] As best seen from the summary of the Fig. 2 - 4, according to the first aspect of the invention, a plurality of support elements 23 are arranged in the cavity 19, which are provided for supporting the brake lever of the application mechanism. In the embodiment of Fig. 2 - 4, the support elements 23 are formed as formed sheet metal sections in the vehicle-side housing wall 7. In this variant, the support elements 23 are embossed directly into the vehicle-side housing wall 7.

[0038] The support elements 23 protrude by a predetermined distance a into the cavity 19 in the direction of the brake disc-side housing wall 6 and thus define on an inner side 27 of the vehicle-side housing wall 7 a front section 29 spaced from the housing wall 7, on which a brake lever can be supported in the mounted state while being pivoted about a lever axis B within the cavity 19. The front sections 29 each have a positioning element 30, in the embodiment shown in the form of a recess, by means of which a sliding piece 31 can be clearly positioned on the front section 29 of the support element 23 and can be arranged in a captive manner, see Fig. 4.

[0039] The support elements 23 are spaced apart from one another in the direction of the lever axis B by a clear width W, so that space is created between the support elements 23 for a through-opening 25 which is designed to receive, for example, an adjusting screw of an adjusting unit of the clamping mechanism.

[0040] Because the support elements 23 in this embodiment are embossed directly into the vehicle-side housing wall 7, the number of components required to realize the caliper housing 3 and thus the brake caliper 1 as a whole is greatly reduced compared to the prior art.

[0041] In a second embodiment, which is shown in the Fig. 5 and Fig. 6, and for which the same principles apply as for the Fig. 1 - 4, the number of parts for the brake caliper 1 is minimally increased, however, in favor of a higher mechanical stability of the vehicle-side housing wall 7, to which the brake actuator 101 must also be attached. Thus, the caliper housing 3 according to Fig. 5 and Fig. 6 has an additional molded part on the vehicle-side housing wall 7, which takes on the function of a support plate 33 and into which the support elements 23 are embossed by means of deformation.

[0042] The support elements 23 according to the Fig. 5 and Fig. 6, the positioning elements 30 for the sliding pieces, and in the area of ​​the clear width W between the support elements 23, a through-opening 35, which is designed to be aligned coaxially with the through-opening 25 in the vehicle-side housing wall 7, see Fig. 6.

[0043] The support plate 33 is preferably connected to the saddle housing 3 along one or more joining edges. Fig. 6, the possible placement of a joining seam 37 in the form of a weld seam on the support plate 33 and the housing base 8 of the caliper housing 3 is indicated by way of example at the location where a bending radius is also arranged towards the vehicle-side housing wall 7. In addition, it is also possible and provided in preferred embodiments to connect the support plate 33 in a materially bonded manner to a first side wall 12 and / or a second side wall 14, which are part of the caliper housing 3 and laterally delimit the cavity 19.

[0044] While the embodiments of the Fig. 2 - 6 focused on the design of the support elements 23 as elements that are formed by means of sheet metal forming, the embodiment of the Fig. 7 and also the related embodiment of the Fig. 8 an alternative possibility to improve the state of the art, which can also be realized with sheet metal parts, but which also allows the use of other molded parts than sheet metal parts. For example, in Fig. 7 the brake caliper 1 is shown in cross section, so that the cavity 19 is visible.

[0045] Two support elements 23' are mounted inside the cavity 19, which are exemplary forged parts. Sheet metal parts with sufficient material thickness, as well as cast parts, forged parts, sintered parts, or other parts, particularly those that can be machined, could equally well be used.

[0046] The support elements 23' are in turn arranged on the inner side 27 of the vehicle-side housing wall 7 and extend into the cavity 19. However, the support elements 23' are directly connected to the caliper housing 3 in a materially bonded manner. In particular, the support elements 23' are connected to the caliper housing 3 on three sides. By means of a joining seam 39, the support elements 23' are materially bonded both to the inner side 27 of the vehicle-side housing wall 7, as well as to the side walls 12, 14 (one of each) and the housing base 8. This simultaneously stabilizes the caliper housing and provides a particularly effective attachment of the support elements 23, which improves the dissipation of the absorbed support forces.

[0047] The support elements 23' have a precision-machined contact surface 41 in the respective end section 29, for example, produced by machining, which in turn is configured to receive sliding pieces with a corresponding contact contour. As in the previous embodiment, the support elements 23' have positioning elements 30 for clearly defining the relative position between the sliding pieces and the support elements 23'. In this respect, reference is also made to the above explanations regarding the previous embodiments.

[0048] The embodiment according to Fig. 7 will be further trained in Fig. 8, that the support elements 23' are formed as a common molded part 43, which in turn is materially connected to the saddle housing 3. The Fig. The joining seam 39 shown in Fig. 8 can be continuous or discontinuous and extends both along the vehicle-side housing wall 7 and along the side walls 12, 14 and the housing base 8. Also in the embodiment according to Fig. 8, the support elements 23' are connected to the saddle housing 3 from the inside by means of a material connection, in particular by welding, and the housings can be discharged over all surfaces with which the material connection exists, in this case with even four sides for the molded part 43, since the molded part 43 is materially connected to both the first side wall 12 and the second side wall 14.

[0049] The slightly higher number of parts, which is also the case with the embodiment of the Fig. 7 and Fig. 8 compared to the embodiment according to the Fig.2 - 4, offers the possibility of improving the mechanical integrity of the caliper housing 3 by bonding the support elements 23', which are formed as molded parts, to the caliper housing. The positioning precision of the sliding pieces can be increased by machining, in particular by cutting, the end sections 29 of the support elements 23'.

[0050] It is possible and provided according to the invention to combine the features of the various embodiments described above with one another, as long as they are not technically mutually exclusive. Reference symbol (part of the description) 1 brake caliper 3 saddle housing 5 saddle cover 6 Housing wall, brake disc side 7 Housing wall, vehicle side 8 Case back 9 Pressure plate, reaction side 10 Cathedral section 11 Hooks for hold-down device, reaction side 13 sliding sleeves for guide pins 15 Mounting interface 17 Molded part, assembly interface 19 Cavity 21 Through hole, mounting interface 23 Support element 25 Feed-through opening, vehicle-side housing wall 27 Inside, vehicle-side housing wall 29 Frontal section 30 Positioning element 31 sliding piece 33 Support plate 35 Feed-through opening, support plate 37 Joining seam 39 Joining seam 41 contact surface 43 molded part 100 Brake 101 Brake actuator 103 brake carrier 105 Brake pad, application side 107 Brake pad, reaction side a distance B lever axis R rotation axis W clear width QUOTES CONTAINED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents submitted by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the convenience of the reader. This list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0000] WO 2016 / 135316 A1 [0005, 0006]

Claims

[1] Caliper housing (3) for a brake caliper (1) of a motor vehicle disc brake (100) for decelerating a brake disc moved around a rotational axis (R), in particular for a sliding caliper brake, with a cavity (19) for receiving an application mechanism having a brake lever pivotable about a lever axis (B), wherein the caliper housing (3) has a vehicle-side housing wall (7) made of sheet metal, on the inside (27) of which at least one support element (23, 23') is provided for supporting the brake lever, characterized by that the support element (23, 23') is formed integrally in the vehicle-side housing wall, or is materially connected to the vehicle-side housing wall (7) from the inside (27). [2] Saddle housing (3) according to claim 1, characterized bythat the support element (23) is designed as a formed sheet metal section extending into the cavity (19) and is arranged on the vehicle-side housing wall (7). [3] Saddle housing (3) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by that the saddle housing (3) has two support elements (23, 23'), preferably vertically mirror-symmetrical to one another, particularly preferably vertically mirror-symmetrical to one another. [4] Saddle housing (3) according to claim 3, characterized by that the support elements (23, 23') have a clear width (W) between them in the direction of the lever axis (B), and in the region of the clear width (W) have a through opening (25, 35) for an adjusting unit of the clamping mechanism. [5] Saddle housing (3) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized bythat the support element (23) has an end section (29) spaced from the vehicle-side housing wall (7) and having at least one positioning element (30) for receiving a sliding piece (31), wherein the sliding piece (31) is designed to pivotally mount a brake lever in the cavity (19). [6] Saddle housing (3) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the support element (23) is embossed directly into the vehicle-side housing wall (7). [7] Saddle housing according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized by that the at least one support element (23) is embossed into a support plate (33) which is fastened to the vehicle-side housing wall (7). [8] Saddle housing according to claim 7, characterized by that the support plate (33) is integrally connected to the saddle housing (3). [9] Saddle housing according to claim 8, characterized bythat the saddle housing (3) has a housing base (8) and two opposite side walls (12, 14), wherein the support plate (33) is integrally connected to the housing base (8) and / or at least one of the side walls (12, 14). [10] Saddle housing according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized by that the saddle housing (3) has a housing base (8) and two opposite side walls (12, 14), wherein the support element (23') is designed as a dedicated molded part and is materially connected to the housing base, the vehicle-side housing wall (7) and one of the side walls (12, 14). [11] Saddle housing according to claim 2 and 9, characterized by that the support elements (23') are designed as a common dedicated molded part (43) which is materially connected to the housing base (8), the vehicle-side housing wall (7) and both side walls (12, 14). [12] Brake calliper (1) for a motor vehicle disc brake (100), in particular for a commercial vehicle disc brake for decelerating a brake disc moved around a rotation axis (R), with a calliper housing (3), characterized by that the saddle housing (3) is designed according to one of the preceding claims. [13] Motor vehicle disc brake (100), in particular commercial vehicle disc brake, for decelerating a brake disc moved around a rotation axis (R), with a brake caliper (1) according to claim 12.

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