Integrated Brake Caliper-Upright for Easy Rotor Removal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional brake caliper and upright designs are separate components, making brake servicing difficult and time-consuming, as the rotor cannot be removed without disassembling the entire integrated brake caliper and upright.
Innovation Solution
The brake caliper and upright are formed as an integral structure with a sweep area on the outer housing allowing the rotor to tilt, enabling easier installation and removal of the rotor, and incorporating stiffening structures to reduce noise, vibration, and harshness, along with 3D-printed features for weight savings and integrated cooling and sensor channels.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If the brake caliper and upright are formed as an integral structure, then weight savings and rigidity are achieved, but the rotor cannot be removed without removing the entire integrated brake caliper and upright
Solution Approach 1:
The brake assembly is segmented into functionally integrated components (caliper, upright, stiffening structures) that remain together during operation but allow rotor removal through a specialized sweep area geometry, enabling maintenance without complete disassembly
Solution Approach 2:
The sweep area on the inner surface of the outer housing creates a dimensional clearance zone that allows the rotor to be tilted and removed in a different spatial path, solving the removal problem while maintaining integration
2Device complexity
If the brake caliper and upright are formed as an integral structure, then fewer parts and less assembly are achieved, but servicing the brakes becomes very difficult and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The rotor is separated from the integrated caliper-upright assembly through the sweep area design, allowing the rotor to be serviced independently while the caliper and upright remain as a permanent integrated unit, reducing overall part count while enabling efficient maintenance
3Object-affected harmful factors
If stiffening structures are added to the integrated brake caliper and upright, then noise, vibration, and harshness are reduced, but the structural complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The stiffening structures are merged with the caliper and upright to form an integrated assembly, where the stiffening elements serve dual purposes of structural reinforcement and NVH reduction without requiring separate attachment components
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated brake assembly utilizes composite construction with strategically placed stiffening structures that provide enhanced rigidity and vibration resistance while maintaining overall structural efficiency
Data Source
AI summary
Aspects are provided herein for vehicle structures. The vehicle structures can include a caliper portion configured to apply a braking force, the caliper portion including an inner housing, an outer housing, and a bridge portion, wherein the bridge portion connects the inner housing and the outer housing. In various embodiments, the outer housing can include an inner surface configured to face a rotor, in which the inner surface includes a sweep area configured to allow the rotor to tilt during installation and removal of the rotor. The vehicle structures can further include an upright portion configured to couple to a wheel of a vehicle, the upright portion being connected to the inner housing. Further, the vehicle structure can include a stiffening portion that connects the upright portion to at least the bridge portion or the outer housing. In various embodiments, the vehicle structures can be 3D-printed.