Floating Brake Caliper Spring Layout for Centering and Low Residual Torque
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing brake calipers suffer from increased dimensions, weight, and residual torque due to springs connected to the caliper body or pads, which fail to ensure proper centering and cause staggered arrangements, leading to inefficiencies in braking performance.
Innovation Solution
A brake caliper design featuring springs connected exclusively to the bracket and pads, ensuring centering of the caliper body with respect to the brake disc, reducing the number of components and processes, and minimizing circumferential dimensions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If springs are connected to the caliper body or pads, then the pads can be biased away from the brake disc, but the caliper dimensions in the circumferential direction increase and proper centering cannot be ensured
Solution Approach 1:
The spring connection is extracted from the caliper body or pad and repositioned to connect exclusively between the bracket and the pad. This removes the spring from the caliper body structure, eliminating the need for additional circumferential space that would be required if springs were connected to the caliper body or pads in staggered positions.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of connecting springs to the caliper body or pads (conventional approach), the invention inverts the connection strategy by connecting springs exclusively to the bracket and pads. This inversion allows the spring force to be applied through the bracket, which provides a stable mounting point without increasing caliper dimensions.
2Reliability
If springs are connected to the caliper body or pads, then pad biasing is achieved, but residual torque increases due to improper centering
Solution Approach 1:
The spring connection is extracted from the caliper body and repositioned to the bracket, allowing the spring force to be applied in a manner that ensures proper centering of the caliper body with respect to the brake disc, thereby eliminating residual torque caused by miscentering.
Solution Approach 2:
The bracket serves as an intermediary element that transmits the spring force to the pad while ensuring proper centering. By using the bracket as the mounting point for the spring, the system achieves both pad biasing and accurate centering, preventing residual torque.
3Reliability
If springs are connected to the caliper body or pads, then pad separation is achieved, but the number of components and manufacturing processes increases
Solution Approach 1:
The spring connection is merged with the existing bracket structure rather than requiring separate mounting points on the caliper body. This consolidation reduces the number of additional components and simplifies the manufacturing process while maintaining the pad separation function.
Solution Approach 2:
The bracket is given the additional function of serving as the spring mounting point, making it a multi-functional component. This universality eliminates the need for separate spring mounting structures on the caliper body, reducing overall component count and manufacturing complexity.
4Reliability
If springs are connected to the caliper body or pads, then pad biasing is achieved, but the caliper weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The spring connection is extracted from the caliper body structure and repositioned to the bracket, removing the additional weight that would be incurred by adding spring mounting structures to the caliper body itself.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of adding weight to the caliper body to accommodate spring connections, the invention inverts the approach by utilizing the existing bracket structure for spring mounting, thereby avoiding additional caliper weight while maintaining pad biasing function.
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 braking performance by reducing residual torque and overall dimensions while simplifying manufacturing processes and weight reduction.
Implementation Method 1
a spring configured to be arranged straddling the brake disc and apply an elastic thrust action to said pad so as to bias said pad away from the brake disc
Implementation Method 2
The spring is arranged and configured so as to cause an axial sliding of the caliper body with respect to the brake disc by means of a biasing, by means of the spring, of the pad away from the brake disc
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a brake caliper (1) of the floating type of a disc brake (100) comprising:a bracket or support element (2) configured to be connected to a vehicle,a caliper body or floating element (3),wherein the caliper body (3) comprises a first caliper body portion or caliper body vehicle-side portion (3.1), wherein the first caliper body portion (3.1) delimits at least one housing seat (5) for thrust means (5a);wherein the caliper body (3) comprises a second caliper body portion or cantilevered caliper body portion (3.2), wherein the second caliper body portion (3.2) projects from the first caliper body portion (3.1) at least partially in the axial direction (A-A) so that the caliper body (3.2) can be arranged straddling a brake disc (4), wherein said second caliper body portion (3.2) comprises a first part (3a) of second caliper body portion which is opposite to said first caliper body portion (3.1);at least one caliper body sliding guide or caliper body guide pin (11), wherein said at least one caliper body sliding guide (11) is arranged between said caliper body (3) and said bracket (2) to allow a relative sliding between the caliper body (3) and the bracket (2) along an axial direction (A-A);at least a first and a second pad (6a,6b) having a support plate (7) and a friction material lining (8), said pads (6a,6b) being each positionable on a side of a brake disc (4) of said disc brake (100) facing opposite braking surfaces (4a) of a braking band (4b) of the brake disc (4);said brake disc (4) being a rotor adapted to rotate about a rotation axis (10) which defines said axial direction (A-A), parallel to said rotation axis (10), a radial direction (R-R), orthogonal to said rotation axis (10), and a circumferential direction (C-C) orthogonal to said radial (R-R) and axial (A-A) directions;pad guide elements (12a, 12b) interposed between said pads (6a,6b) and said bracket (2), wherein said pad guide elements (12a,12b) comprise at least a first pad guide pin (12a) supported by said bracket (2) and extending in the axial direction (A-A), at least said first pad (6a) being slidingly mounted to said first pad guide pin (12a) so as to allow said first pad (6a) to slide in the axial direction (A-A) along said first pad guide pin (12a);at least one spring (15), shaped to be arranged straddling the brake disc (4) or to be arranged so as to extend from two opposite sides with respect to the brake disc (4), wherein said spring (15) applies an elastic bias to said pads (6a,6b) so as to elastically bias said pads (6a,6b) away from the brake disc (4) and so as to cause, by means of said second pad (6b), the caliper body to slide in said axial direction (A-A), in the direction in which the first part (3a) of second caliper body portion moves away from the brake disc (4);wherein said spring (15) is also connected to said bracket (2) in addition to being connected to said pads (6a,6b).