Brake Pad Calibration Under Real Braking Forces

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current quality control methods for brake pads, especially sensor-equipped ones, are limited in their ability to perform automatic calibration on the production line, leading to inefficiencies and impracticality in ensuring product quality.

Innovation Solution

A device and method for automatic calibration of brake pads that includes a supporting base, control panel, pad retaining means, mechanical stress means, and sensors to apply and measure normal and shear forces, replicating the forces experienced during real vehicle braking.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If traditional quality control methods are used for brake pads, then quality control can be performed on a limited number of samples, but it cannot be applied on the production line and becomes impracticable for sensor-equipped pads

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvequality control throughputVSAvoidquality control practicality
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces manual quality control operations with an automated calibration device that uses mechanical stress means (pistons, actuators) to automatically apply normal and shear forces to brake pads. This substitution enables continuous automated calibration on the production line, transforming quality control from a manual sampling process to an automated high-throughput process that can handle sensor-equipped pads effectively

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The calibration device performs self-calibration through automated force application and sensor-equipped pad testing. The system automatically measures friction coefficients and calibration parameters without requiring manual intervention, enabling the production line to perform its own quality control functions continuously and independently

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

2Measurement precision

If manual quality control sampling is performed, then a limited number of pads can be tested, but it cannot ensure quality for the entire product lot with high throughput

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvequality control accuracyVSAvoidquality control throughput
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The calibration device enables continuous quality control operations by automatically calibrating brake pads without interruption on the production line. The automated system continuously applies forces, measures parameters, and processes pads sequentially, eliminating the discontinuous nature of manual sampling and enabling both high precision and high throughput simultaneously

Inventive Principle:
Principle #20Continuity of useful action

Solution Approach 2:

The device performs preliminary calibration of brake pads during the manufacturing process before final assembly. By pre-calibrating pads with known friction coefficients and storing this data, the system ensures quality precision for all pads in the lot while maintaining production throughput, as calibration is completed in advance rather than as a separate batch process

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

Enables efficient and precise automatic calibration of brake pads on the production line, ensuring high-quality products and overcoming the limitations of traditional quality control methods.

Implementation Method 1

a mechanical stress means generating on the pad a normal force in combination with a shear force or a normal force in combination with a torque and configured so as to reproduce the typical forces acting upon said pad during real braking of a vehicle

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectFriction: Friction

Data Source

PatentEP4060306B1Device for automatic calibration of a brake pad
Publication Date: 2025.02.19 ITT ITAL SRL
  • EP4060306B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4060306B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4060306B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

In the device (1) for automatic calibration of sensor-equipped brake pads comprising a friction material (26) and a support plate or backplate (12), there is provided a supporting base (2) for stabilising the device (1) during the operation thereof, at least one control panel (6) for managing the device (1), a pad retaining means, a mechanical stress means generating on the pad a normal force in combination with a shear force or a normal force in combination with a torque and configured so as to reproduce the typical forces acting upon the pad during real braking of a vehicle, sensors for detecting the normal force and shear force or sensors for detecting the normal force and the torque.