Compact Brake Caliper with Eccentric Shaft Drive Integration

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing compact brake calipers with electromechanical actuators face challenges in maintaining a compact installation space while ensuring low failure rates and efficient operation, particularly in rail vehicles.

Innovation Solution

Integration of an electromechanical actuator with an eccentric shaft drive that eliminates the need for additional gearboxes or mechanical energy storage devices, utilizing the gear ratio of the eccentric shaft for a direct drive mechanism, combined with a control unit, force sensor, and angle sensor for precise operation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a brake calliper is designed to accommodate multiple actuators (electromechanical actuator, camshaft drive, mechanical adjuster), then the brake system achieves enhanced functionality and reliability, but the device complexity and spatial requirements increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebrake system reliabilityVSAvoidbrake calliper complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines multiple actuation mechanisms (electromechanical actuator, camshaft drive, mechanical adjuster) into a single integrated brake calliper housing. The housing contains all these components and their respective mounting locations, creating a unified structure that accommodates redundant braking systems without requiring separate housings for each actuator type.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The brake calliper housing is designed as a multi-functional component that simultaneously serves as the structural housing, the mounting structure for multiple actuators, the support for the camshaft drive mechanism, and the integration point for the mechanical adjuster. This universal design allows one component to fulfill multiple functions that would traditionally require separate components.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Ease of manufacture

If the brake calliper housing is designed to accommodate all actuation mechanisms, then integration and space utilization improve, but manufacturing precision requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebrake calliper integrationVSAvoidmounting location precision
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The housing is designed with distinct, segmented mounting locations for each actuator type (electromechanical actuator, camshaft drive, mechanical adjuster). Each mounting location is independently defined with specific geometric features, allowing for modular assembly and reducing the complexity of achieving high precision across the entire housing in a single manufacturing process.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent specifies precise geometric parameters for mounting locations including distance relationships, angular orientations, and positional tolerances. By defining these parameters clearly in the design, the manufacturing process can target specific precision requirements for each mounting location rather than requiring uniform high precision throughout the entire housing.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

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 design allows for a smaller, cost-effective actuator with improved installation space utilization and significantly shorter reaction times for applying and releasing brakes, along with enhanced control and monitoring capabilities.

Implementation Method 1

at least one electromechanical actuator (30) arranged to actuate the brake caliper (10)

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElectromechanical conversion: Linear Motor

Data Source

PatentEP4568860B1Compact brake caliper with electromechanical actuator, eccentric shaft drive and mechanical adjuster, and method for operating such a compact brake caliper
Publication Date: 2026.05.06 KNORR BREMSE SYST FUR SCHIENENFAHRZEUGE GMBH
  • EP4568860B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4568860B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4568860B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The invention relates to a compact brake calliper (1) of a disc brake, in particular for rail vehicles, comprising two calliper levers (2, 3), two brake pads (4, 5), an adjuster module (6), an electromechanical brake force generator and a camshaft drive (8). The electromechanical brake force generator cooperates as an actuator module (7) with the camshaft drive (8) and is formed with an actuator module housing (9a), in which an electric motor (10), a hollow shaft (11), a screw drive (12) with a spindle nut (13) and a threaded spindle (14), an engine brake (15) and a control unit (16) are arranged. A method for operating a compact brake calliper (1) of this kind is also provided.