Caliper Brake Spring Cage Segmentation for Assembly Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Caliper parking brakes face issues with the durability and assembly stability of the spring cage that fixes the return spring to the pressurization rod, due to the coincidence of force directions and the need for precise alignment, leading to deformation and reduced usability.
Innovation Solution
A caliper brake design featuring a spring cage with a hanging hook shape that is rotatably coupled to a support plate, allowing perpendicular repulsion and hanging directions, and using low-pressure and high-pressure springs arranged in parallel to facilitate easy assembly and enhance durability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the spring cage has elasticity to widen the footpad parts in the radial direction, then the spring cage can be assembled in a snap manner, but the strength of the footpad parts is deteriorated and they are easily deformed
Solution Approach 1:
The spring cage is divided into a body part and multiple footpad parts that can be separated. The footpad parts are designed as detachable components that can be assembled by snapping into place, eliminating the need for the entire spring cage to be elastic. This segmentation allows the footpad parts to maintain sufficient strength while enabling easy snap assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The elastic function is extracted from the footpad parts and transferred to a dedicated elastic element (elastic member) that connects the footpad parts to the body part. This allows the footpad parts themselves to be made of rigid material for strength, while the elastic member provides the necessary flexibility for snap assembly and force absorption.
2Ease of manufacture
If the hanging holes are hung in the hanging protrusions to fix the recoil spring, then the spring cage can be assembled, but the force directions coincide and the spring cage escapes easily when coupling is not complete
Solution Approach 1:
The hanging holes and hanging protrusions are designed with asymmetric geometries that allow insertion in only one specific orientation. The hanging holes have an elongated shape that matches the direction of the elastic force, while the protrusions have corresponding asymmetric features. This asymmetric design prevents misalignment and ensures that the spring cage cannot escape during assembly, as the components can only engage in the correct oriented position.
Solution Approach 2:
An elastic member is introduced as an intermediary element between the footpad parts and the body part. This elastic member mediates the coupling process by providing a flexible connection that guides the hanging holes onto the hanging protrusions and maintains stable engagement. The elastic member absorbs misalignment forces and ensures reliable coupling even when positioning is not perfectly precise.
3Strength
If the entire thickness of the footpad parts increases, then the strength is improved, but elasticity is lost and the spring cage cannot be coupled in a snap manner
Solution Approach 1:
The spring cage is segmented into rigid footpad parts and a separate elastic member. The footpad parts can be made with sufficient thickness for strength without compromising snap assembly, because the elastic function is provided by the dedicated elastic member rather than requiring the footpad parts themselves to be thin and flexible.
Solution Approach 2:
The elastic property is extracted from the footpad parts and assigned to a separate elastic member. This allows the footpad parts to be optimized for strength with adequate thickness, while the elastic member provides the flexibility needed for snap assembly and force absorption during coupling.
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
The design improves the stability and durability of the spring cage assembly, allowing for one-touch fixing and enhanced reliability by preventing deformation and ensuring proper alignment, thus maintaining high assembly stability and extending the usable life-span.
Implementation Method 1
a return spring part disposed within the brake cylinder on a common axis to the pressurization rod part, being elastically compressed during brake, being elastically restored when brake is released so that the pressurization rod part is returned to its original position before brake
Implementation Method 2
a spring cage with a hanging hook shape that is rotatably coupled to a support plate, allowing perpendicular repulsion and hanging directions
Data Source
Figure 1
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Figure 3
AI summary
Provided is a caliper brake including a caliper housing (3) that constitutes an exterior of the caliper brake and has one end on which a fork (15) is formed and is bent, a brake cylinder (5) that is mounted on a side of the caliper housing to face the fork and generates a brake force inside the brake cylinder using an oil pressure of a damping oil transmitted from a brake line, a piston (7) that is mounted within the brake cylinder and pressurizes a brake disc between the piston and the fork using the brake force, a pressurization rod part (9) that is mounted within the piston on a common axis, extends in an axial direction when abrasion occurs in the fork and a frictional pad of the piston so as to compensate for abrasion, and a return spring part (25).