Hidden Sliding Caliper Bracket Enclosure Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing brake systems have visible support brackets, which detract from the streamlined appearance and can expose mechanical components, compromising aesthetics and potentially allowing debris or moisture ingress.
Innovation Solution
A floating caliper brake assembly with a caliper housing that encloses the support bracket, featuring radially extending fingers to obscure the bracket from view, ensuring the support bracket is entirely hidden within the caliper housing, enhancing aesthetics and protection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Shape
If the support bracket is exposed in traditional brake systems, then the mechanical structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the aesthetic appearance deteriorates and debris/moisture protection is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The support bracket is nested within the caliper housing, with the bracket positioned inside the housing cavity. The caliper housing encloses the support bracket completely, hiding it from external view while maintaining structural functionality. This nesting arrangement resolves the contradiction by achieving aesthetic appearance through enclosure while the support bracket remains accessible for manufacturing and assembly.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the caliper housing encloses the support bracket, then aesthetic appearance and protection are improved, but manufacturing complexity and assembly difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The brake assembly is segmented into distinct components: the caliper housing as an outer enclosure and the support bracket as an inner component. This segmentation allows the housing to be manufactured as a protective shell with integrated aesthetic features, while the bracket can be manufactured separately and assembled inside, maintaining ease of manufacture for each component while achieving overall protection and aesthetics.
Solution Approach 2:
The caliper housing acts as an intermediary element between the external environment (debris, moisture) and the support bracket. The housing provides a protective barrier that prevents harmful factors from reaching the bracket while maintaining aesthetic appearance. This intermediary structure resolves the contradiction by adding protection without requiring complex integration of the bracket itself.
3Shape
If the support bracket is completely hidden within the caliper housing, then aesthetic appearance is maximized, but accessibility for maintenance and inspection is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The caliper housing is designed with dynamic accessibility features, including removable sections or access points that allow the support bracket to be accessed for maintenance and inspection. The housing can be disassembled or opened to expose the bracket when needed, while maintaining its enclosed, streamlined appearance during normal operation. This dynamic design resolves the contradiction by providing both aesthetic concealment and maintenance accessibility.
Data Source
AI summary
A floating caliper brake assembly comprising: a caliper housing that is movable between a brake on position and a brake off position; a support bracket at least partially enclosed by the caliper housing and configured to extend around a rotor of a vehicle, the caliper housing being in communication with and movable relative to the support bracket, wherein the caliper housing has one or more fingers that extend radially downward and cover the support bracket so that when the brake assembly is viewed from an outboard side along an axis coaxial with, or substantially parallel to, an axis of rotation of the rotor the support bracket is obscured from view.