Vehicle Brake Pad Wear Detection and Clearance Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing brake systems fail to effectively detect and mitigate environmental brake pad wear caused by abrasive contaminants, leading to uneven wear and potential braking performance issues when vehicles operate in off-road conditions.
Innovation Solution
A method for controlling a vehicle's brake system that includes determining environmental brake pad wear conditions and adjusting the clearance between the brake pad and friction member by actuating the brake pad assembly, using sensors and control modules to monitor and respond to abrasive contaminants and adjust the brake pad position to prevent excessive wear.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the brake pad assembly is actuated frequently to check clearance, then the detection accuracy of environmental wear conditions improves, but the wear of friction material increases due to repeated contact with abrasive slurry
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection of environmental wear conditions by monitoring parameters such as brake pad clearance and actuation frequency before significant wear occurs. The controller detects wear conditions and adjusts brake pad clearance proactively, preventing excessive wear while maintaining detection accuracy through periodic rather than continuous actuation.
2Reliability
If the brake pad clearance is reduced to prevent excessive wear, then the reliability of braking performance improves, but the risk of increased friction material wear from abrasive contaminants increases
Solution Approach 1:
The brake pad clearance is made dynamic rather than fixed. The controller continuously monitors wear conditions and adjusts the brake pad clearance in real-time based on detected environmental wear conditions. This dynamic adjustment allows the system to maintain optimal clearance that prevents excessive wear while minimizing exposure to abrasive contaminants.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements a feedback mechanism where the controller monitors brake pad wear conditions, clearance measurements, and actuation frequencies. Based on this feedback, the controller adjusts the brake pad clearance to maintain optimal performance while reducing exposure to harmful abrasive slurry, thereby resolving the contradiction between reliability and contamination risk.
3Productivity
If environmental wear detection is implemented continuously, then the productivity of wear monitoring improves, but the energy consumption of the brake control system increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of continuous monitoring, the system employs periodic detection of environmental wear conditions. The controller monitors wear parameters at predetermined intervals and adjusts brake pad clearance based on these periodic measurements. This approach maintains effective wear monitoring while significantly reducing energy consumption compared to continuous monitoring systems.
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
This method ensures consistent braking performance by detecting and addressing environmental brake pad wear, reducing wear rates and maintaining optimal brake pad clearance, thereby enhancing vehicle safety and reliability in off-road environments.
Implementation Method 1
actuating a brake pad assembly against a friction brake member of the brake system
Implementation Method 2
an abrasive slurry through which the vehicle is driven passes between a friction material and a brake friction member of a member of the set of friction brakes to wear the friction material
Data Source
AI summary
A method of controlling a brake system of a vehicle. The method may include determining whether an environmental brake pad wear condition is detected that may be indicative of wear of a friction material of a brake pad assembly due to an environmental contaminant.