bicycle brake

Abstract

The present invention relates to a bicycle brake. The bicycle brake has a braking element (26) configured to act on a rotating element of the bicycle (12) when the bicycle brake is applied, thus decelerating the bicycle (12). The bicycle brake also has an electromechanical actuator (28) configured to move the braking element (26) for actuating the bicycle brake. The electromechanical actuator (28) is connected to the braking element (26) via a self-locking transmission (30). The invention further relates to a bicycle (12).

Description

Technical area

[0001] The present invention relates to a bicycle brake. The invention also relates to a bicycle. State of the art

[0002] Bicycles, such as city bikes, mountain bikes, or cargo bikes, typically have a directly mechanically actuated service brake. For example, pulling a brake lever manually presses a brake piston with a friction element against a brake disc or wheel rim. This decelerates the bicycle or holds it in position.

[0003] However, installing such a brake is complex. For example, a Bowden cable or hydraulic line must be routed from the brake lever to a rear wheel brake on a bicycle frame. This connection must also be protected from damage in the event of a fall. Furthermore, the connection can wear out. For example, a Bowden cable can become longer with repeated use, which may require readjustment. Hydraulic oil can become dirty and age. Furthermore, hydraulic oil can be lost through leaks. Therefore, even hydraulically operated bicycle brakes require maintenance. If additional functions are to be provided with conventional bicycle brakes, such as ABS, these must be combined with the manual mechanical operation via the brake lever, which is a complex process.

[0004] In addition, applying the brakes for a prolonged period requires considerable effort. For example, a brake lever must be pulled for the entire duration of an entire braking maneuver. Description of the invention

[0005] A first aspect relates to a bicycle brake. The bicycle brake can be a service brake of the bicycle. The bicycle brake can be designed to decelerate the bicycle while riding. The bicycle can be designed, for example, as a touring bike, racing bike, mountain bike, or cargo bike. The bicycle can also be designed as a pedelec. A pedelec has a drive motor designed to assist a cyclist in propelling the bicycle. The drive motor can be designed, for example, as an electric motor.

[0006] The bicycle brake has a braking element. The braking element is designed to act on a rotating element of the bicycle when the bicycle brake is actuated in order to decelerate the bicycle. The bicycle brake can be actuated manually by the cyclist, for example, or automatically, for example by means of a control device depending on a control signal. The braking element can act directly or indirectly on the rotating element, for example. The braking element can act on the rotating element via a friction element, such as a brake pad. The braking element can also have the friction element. The bicycle brake can have multiple braking elements, for example a pair of braking elements on opposite sides of the rotating element. The braking element can be movably attached to the bicycle. For example, the braking element can be mounted on a bicycle frame of the bicycle so that it can move translationally or pivotally.The braking element can be a part that can be moved towards and away from the rotating element. For example, the braking element is moved towards the rotating element when braking. A rotating element can be a rotatable part that rotates, for example, when riding a bicycle. The braking element does not rotate together with the rotating element, for example. The rotating element can be, for example, part of a drive train of the bicycle. A drive train of a bicycle can be a device by means of which a driving force can be transmitted to respective wheels of the bicycle. The drive train can, for example, have at least one driven wheel. The drive train can, for example, have a pedal crankshaft and a gear box. Optionally, the drive train can also have the drive motor and an energy source for the drive motor.

[0007] The rotating element can be designed, for example, as a wheel, as a rotating part of the transmission, as a toothed belt, or as a chain of the bicycle. For example, the braking element acts on a brake disc or a rim of a wheel. The bicycle brake can also have multiple braking elements that act on the same or different rotating elements. For example, the bicycle brake can have a first pair of braking elements that act on a rear wheel when the bicycle brake is applied, and a second pair of braking elements that act on a front wheel when the bicycle brake is applied. The bicycle brake can also be designed as just a rear-wheel brake or a front-wheel brake. Respective embodiments for a single braking element and, alternatively or additionally, a single rotating element also apply to multiple braking elements and rotating elements, where applicable.

[0008] The bicycle brake has an electromechanical actuator. The electromechanical actuator is designed to move the braking element for actuating the bicycle brake. For example, when the cyclist manually actuates the bicycle brake, a control signal is transmitted to the electromechanical actuator. In response, the electromechanical actuator moves the braking element, for example, in the direction of the rotating element. The braking element can thus be pressed against the rotating element to generate a frictional force that decelerates the bicycle. This eliminates the need for a mechanical connection between an actuating device of the bicycle brake, which has, for example, a brake lever, and an actuator. Furthermore, additional functions can be implemented in the bicycle brake to assist the cyclist.For example, braking force can be regulated and, alternatively or additionally, an ABS function can easily be implemented. The electromechanical actuator is, for example, electrically controlled. The electromechanical actuator is, for example, arranged adjacent to the braking element. For example, a shaft of the electromechanical actuator can move the braking element via a gear. The electromechanical actuator can, for example, have an electromagnet or an electric motor, which moves the braking element when supplied with appropriate current. The bicycle brake can have a power supply for the electromechanical actuator, such as a battery. The power supply can also form a power supply for the drive motor if the bicycle is designed as a pedelec. The electromechanical actuator can, for example, convert electrical energy into mechanical energy and, alternatively or additionally, be electrically controlled.

[0009] It is possible for the electromechanical actuator and the braking element(s) to be arranged in a common housing. It is possible for there to be no mechanical lines, such as a Bowden cable or fluid hydraulic lines, between the actuator and the braking element. This makes assembly of the vehicle particularly easy, as only one housing needs to be installed. Furthermore, the drive is particularly low-maintenance, particularly tamper-proof, and particularly energy-efficient, as the distance between the actuator and the braking element is very short. In addition, the braking element can be controlled particularly precisely, and high performance in terms of positioning accuracy and dynamics can be achieved, especially for highly dynamic control functions such as the ABS function.

[0010] The electromechanical actuator is connected to the braking element via a self-locking gear. For example, the actuator is connected to a drive shaft of the gear, and the braking element to a drive output shaft. The gear can provide a mechanical connection between the electromechanical actuator and the braking element. A gear can be self-locking if it can be driven via the drive shaft but not the output shaft. After the braking element is pressed against the rotating element, the braking element remains in position, for example, even if the actuator is no longer supplied with current. This means that the energy required for extended braking can be particularly low. For example, only the energy required to apply the brake needs to be applied. After the braking process is completed, the electromechanical actuator can move the braking element away from the rotating element again via the gear to release the brake.For example, the bicycle brake can be free of a spring or other return element that preloads the bicycle brake in its released state. The self-locking gear mechanism can also provide a parking brake function through the bicycle brake, without the need for additional fixing elements or power to the actuator for permanent activation of the parking brake function.

[0011] The self-locking of the gear unit can be achieved, for example, by a high gear ratio and moment of inertia or a low efficiency. For example, the self-locking gear unit can have a worm gear whose pitch angle is smaller than the effective angle of a friction cone.

[0012] The self-locking gear can, for example, be designed to be self-braking. A self-braking gear is also referred to as a dynamic self-locking gear. The drive of a self-braking gear stops immediately or after a short time, even if torque is still acting on the output side. This allows the braking effect to be controlled very precisely. For example, the lead angle of the worm gear can be smaller than the angle of the friction cone under sliding friction. For this purpose, the worm gear can have an efficiency of less than 0.5.

[0013] The bicycle brake can also comprise multiple electromechanical actuators, each configured to move one or more associated brake elements. Each electromechanical actuator can be connected to one or more associated brake elements via an associated self-locking gear. However, a single self-locking gear can also connect multiple brake elements to a single actuator. The respective statements for a single electromechanical actuator also apply to multiple electromechanical actuators, where applicable.

[0014] In a further embodiment of the bicycle brake, the electromechanical actuator can be designed as an electric motor actuator. The electric motor actuator comprises, for example, an electric motor, by means of which the braking element is movable. A motor shaft of the electric motor can be connected to the braking element via the self-locking gear. An electric motor actuator can, for example, be available as a cost-effective standard component.

[0015] In a further embodiment of the bicycle brake, the brake element can be designed as a brake piston. A brake piston can be particularly easily moved by an electromechanical actuator. The bicycle brake can, for example, have a brake caliper on which the brake element is movably mounted.

[0016] In a further embodiment of the bicycle brake, it can be provided that the bicycle brake has an actuating device which is designed for actuation of the bicycle brake by the cyclist. For example, the actuating device can have a brake lever. The cyclist can pull the brake lever when deceleration of the bicycle is desired. For example, the actuating device can have a backpedal of a pedal crankshaft. The cyclist can pedal backward against a resistance when deceleration of the bicycle is desired. The actuating device can be designed to generate a control signal for the electromechanical actuator when actuated by the cyclist. For example, an adjustment path for the brake element is specified by an actuation path or an actuation force.The electromechanical actuator then moves the braking element into a corresponding position via the self-locking gear. If, for example, the brake lever is pressed less forcefully or is partially moved back to its original position, the electromechanical actuator can move the braking element back accordingly. The bicycle brake can thus be partially or completely released. If the actuating device or brake lever is held in one position, the electromechanical actuator remains stationary and the self-locking gear holds the braking element in position. The electromechanical actuator can then remain de-energized, for example. The electromechanical actuator is only energized, for example, when an actuation of the actuating device is changed. For example, the braking element can then be moved towards the rotating element or away from it.

[0017] The actuating device can, for example, have a first control element, such as a brake lever, for decelerating the front wheel and a second control element for decelerating the rear wheel. However, the actuating device can also have only one control element and electronically adjust the braking force for the front and rear wheels. For example, depending on a bicycle condition, such as the bicycle's position, a desired total braking force can be automatically distributed between the front and rear wheels. The bicycle brake can have a control device for this purpose. Such a distribution is easily enabled by the electromechanical actuation.

[0018] In a further embodiment of the bicycle brake, it can be provided that the actuating device is connected to the electromechanical actuator via an electrical line. An electrical line can be easily laid on the bicycle and can only have a small diameter. For example, the electrical line can be easily laid in a protected manner. The electrical line can, for example, be laid largely within a bicycle frame. The electrical line can, for example, be designed only for signal transmission. The electromechanical actuator can be supplied with power via a separate line which, for example, is not connected to the actuating device. However, the electromechanical actuator can also be supplied with power from the actuating device via the electrical line. The electromechanical actuator can have a signal interface.

[0019] In a further embodiment of the bicycle brake, the actuating device can be wirelessly connected to the electromechanical actuator. This eliminates the need for an electrical cable or other physical connection between the electromechanical actuator and the actuating device. This makes installation particularly simple. For example, the control signal can be transmitted to the electromechanical actuator wirelessly. The signal interface of the electromechanical actuator can be designed as a wireless interface. The wireless connection can be provided alternatively or in addition to the connection to the electrical cable. For example, redundant signal transmission can be provided in this way.

[0020] In a further embodiment, in addition to the electrically wired version and the radio transmission, optical signal transmission is also possible, for example via fiber optic cable and optical fiber. In this case, redundant signal transmission is possible for the electrically wired version and / or the radio transmission.

[0021] In a further embodiment of the bicycle brake, it can be provided that the electromechanical actuator is designed to move the braking element back to a starting position after the bicycle brake has been actuated. For example, the bicycle brake is automatically released again when the rider no longer applies the bicycle brake. For this purpose, the electromechanical actuator can be energized again after the braking process has ended. The returning movement can be a movement of the braking element away from the rotating element. The starting position can be a position of the braking element before the start of actuation. The starting position can be a position of the braking element in which no deceleration is caused by the bicycle brake. In the starting position, the brake can be fully opened. The starting position can be adjusted to accommodate wear.For example, a brake gap can be kept essentially constant over the wear of a brake pad.

[0022] In a further embodiment of the bicycle brake, it can be provided that a braking force is specified as a setpoint for the electromechanical actuator when the bicycle brake is applied. Alternatively or additionally, a braking pressure can be specified as a parameter for the setpoint. Alternatively or additionally, a braking torque can be specified as a parameter for the setpoint. Other possible setpoints are an adjustment range and a current supply to the electromechanical actuator. The following setpoints are also possible: - A position / angle of the actuator - A position / angle of the braking element - A speed / angular velocity of the actuator - A speed / angular velocity of the braking element - An acceleration / angular acceleration of the actuator - An acceleration / angular acceleration of the braking element. Respective setpoints for the electromechanical actuator can be generated by the actuating device and, alternatively or additionally, by a control device, for example, as a function of a sensor value and, alternatively or additionally, by an actuation of the actuating device by the cyclist. The bicycle brake can be configured to detect a current braking force, a current braking pressure, and, alternatively or additionally, a current braking torque, or other parameters. Appropriate sensors can be provided for this purpose. In this way, a closed-loop control of the bicycle brake can be implemented.

[0023] In a further embodiment of the bicycle brake, it can be provided that the bicycle brake has a control device which is designed to control the electromechanical actuator depending on a bicycle condition. This enables automatic brake control. For example, the control device can be designed to receive the bicycle condition or to measure it itself. A bicycle condition can, for example, also have a profile of a condition parameter. A bicycle condition can, for example, have a spatial position, a speed, an acceleration, a chassis setting and, alternatively or additionally, a chassis behavior. The control device can be designed to determine a deceleration of the bicycle, an actual braking torque and, alternatively or additionally, an actual braking force depending on the bicycle condition.This makes it easy to control the electromechanical actuator. The bike's status can be transmitted to the control device, for example, wirelessly or via cable.

[0024] In another embodiment of the bicycle brake, the bicycle state can be provided with a wheel rotational speed. The wheel rotational speed can, for example, be the rotational speed of the wheel on which the bicycle brake can act for deceleration. This makes it easy to detect a braking effect. Furthermore, other functions, such as an ABS function, can be easily implemented. The bicycle state can only include the wheel rotational speed. However, the bicycle state can also include other state parameters.

[0025] A second aspect relates to a bicycle. The bicycle has a drive train. The bicycle has a bicycle brake according to the first aspect. Further features, embodiments, and advantages can be found in the descriptions of the first aspect. Conversely, features, embodiments, and advantages of the second aspect also represent features, embodiments, and advantages of the first aspect. Short description of the characters Fig. 1 shows a schematic top view of a bicycle. Detailed description of embodiments

[0026] A bicycle 12 is in Fig.1 is shown schematically in a plan view. The bicycle 12 has two wheels 14. A rear one of the wheels 14 can be driven by a drive motor 10 to assist a cyclist in propelling the bicycle 12. When riding the bicycle 12, the user pedals 16 to drive a pedal crank 18 using muscle power. Drive power can also be transmitted from the pedal crank 18 to one of the wheels 14.

[0027] When riding the bicycle 12, the rider typically sits on a saddle 20, and the cyclist applies driving force solely via the pedals 16. The cyclist holds handlebars 22. The handlebars 22 have an actuating device 24 on each side and are connected to a frame of the bicycle 12 via a headset 26. The right actuating device 24 is designed to actuate a front wheel brake, and the left actuating device 24 is designed to actuate a rear wheel brake. Both brakes function as service brakes for the bicycle 12. Each of the actuating devices 24 has a brake lever for this purpose. It is also possible for the left brake lever to actuate the front wheel brake and the right brake lever to actuate the rear wheel brake.

[0028] The front wheel brake and the rear wheel brake are essentially identical, so they are described here together as a bicycle brake. The bicycle brake has a brake element 26 on each of the rear wheel and the front wheel. Each brake element 26 is designed to decelerate the bicycle 12 onto the associated wheel 14 as the rotating element of the bicycle 12 when the bicycle brake is actuated via the associated actuating device 24. An electromechanical actuator 28 is assigned to each brake element 26. Each electromechanical actuator 28 is designed to move the mechanically connected brake element 26 to actuate the bicycle brake. For this purpose, each of the electromechanical actuators 28 is connected to the corresponding brake element 26 via a self-locking gear 30.Due to the self-locking gear 30, the electromechanical actuator 28 does not have to hold the braking element 26 in position during the braking process, which means that power consumption is low.

[0029] A control signal for the electromechanical actuators 28, which is generated when the cyclist actuates the actuating devices 24, is transmitted to the electromechanical actuators 28 wirelessly in the embodiment shown. Each actuating device 24 is thus connected to the associated electromechanical actuator 28 wirelessly. In another embodiment, each actuating device 24 is alternatively or additionally connected to the associated electromechanical actuator 28 via an electrical line. The electromechanical actuators 28 have a signal interface for receiving the control signals. Optical signal transmission is also possible instead of the electrical line.

[0030] The braking element, the electromechanical actuator and the self-locking gear are arranged in a housing.

[0031] It is a brake that does not require any mechanical or fluid line between the actuator and the braking element. Reference symbol 10 Drive motor 12 bicycles 14 wheels 16 pedals 18 crank 20 saddle 22 handlebars 24 Actuating device 26 Brake element 28 electromechanical actuator 30 self-locking gear

Claims

[1] Bicycle brake, wherein the bicycle brake has a braking element (26) which is designed to act on a rotating element of the bicycle (12) in order to decelerate a bicycle (12) when the bicycle brake is actuated, and an electromechanical actuator (28) which is designed to move the braking element (26) for the actuation of the bicycle brake, wherein the electromechanical actuator (28) is connected to the braking element (26) via a self-locking gear (30). [2] Bicycle brake according to claim 1, characterized by that the electromechanical actuator (28) is designed as an electromotive actuator. [3] Bicycle brake according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by that the braking element (26) is designed as a brake piston. [4] Bicycle brake according to one of the preceding claims, characterized bythat the bicycle brake has an actuating device (24) which is designed for actuation of the bicycle brake by a cyclist. [5] Bicycle brake according to claim 4, characterized by that the actuating device (24) is connected to the electromechanical actuator (28) by an electrical line. [6] Bicycle brake according to claim 4 or 5, characterized by that the actuating device (24) is connected to the electromechanical actuator (28) by radio or by optical signal transmission. [7] Bicycle brake according to one of claims 4 to 6 characterized by that the electromechanical actuator (28) is designed to move the braking element back to an initial position after the actuation of the bicycle brake has ended. [8] Bicycle brake according to one of the preceding claims, characterized bythat at least one of the following parameters is specified as a setpoint value to the electromechanical actuator (28) when the bicycle brake is actuated: - A braking force; - One brake pressure; and - A braking torque. [9] Bicycle brake according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the bicycle brake has a control device which is designed to control the electromechanical actuator (28) depending on a bicycle condition. [10] Bicycle brake according to claim 9, characterized by that the bicycle state has a wheel rotation speed. [11] Bicycle (12) with a drive train and a bicycle brake according to one of the preceding claims.

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