Linear Caliper Bracket Design for Weight Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing caliper brackets for vehicle disk brakes attached to swing arms suffer from increased weight and limited layout freedom due to enlarged extension parts and poor design configurations.
Innovation Solution
A caliper bracket design featuring a linearly extending axle coupling part with a cuboid-shaped swing arm coupling part, which is parallel to the extension part, and various sectional shapes such as quadrangular, H-shape, or U-shape to minimize width, reduce weight, and enhance processing and casting ease.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the extension part is formed with being bent, then the caliper bracket can be attached to the swing arm, but the extension part becomes enlarged, weight increases and layout freedom is poor
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of bending the extension part to achieve attachment functionality, the patent inverts the approach by making the extension part linear and providing the coupling groove member with a shaped engagement portion. This reverses which component carries the complex geometry, allowing the extension part to remain simple and lightweight while still achieving the attachment function.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent moves the complexity from the extension part to the coupling groove member by utilizing the engagement portion's three-dimensional geometry. The coupling groove member's shaped engagement portion provides the necessary attachment functionality through its dimensional design rather than requiring the extension part to be bent or enlarged.
2Ease of operation
If the extension part is formed with being bent, then the caliper bracket can be attached to the swing arm, but the extension part becomes enlarged and layout freedom is poor
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the design approach by making the extension part linear and simple while providing the complex shaped engagement portion in the coupling groove member. This reversal allows the extension part to maintain a simple linear shape for better layout freedom, while the attachment functionality is achieved through the coupling groove member's geometry.
3Ease of manufacture
If the swing arm coupling part is formed to have a cuboid shape, then it is possible to easily form the swing arm coupling part, but structural rigidity must be maintained
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes parameter changes in the material properties and geometric dimensions of the cuboid swing arm coupling part to achieve both ease of manufacture and structural rigidity. By optimizing the material selection and dimensional parameters of the cuboid structure, the design achieves manufacturability while maintaining the necessary strength and rigidity for brake application forces.
Data Source
AI summary
A caliper bracket of a vehicle disk brake includes an axle coupling part, an extension part, a caliper attaching part and a swing arm coupling part. The axle coupling part is disposed on an opposite side to a disk rotor and is attached to a rear wheel axle passing through a center of the disk rotor. The extension part is extending from the axle coupling part. The swing arm coupling part is provided on the other side part of the extension part in the longitudinal direction and is coupled to a swing arm. The extension part is formed to linearly extend from the axle coupling part, and the swing arm coupling part is formed to have a cuboid shape protruding toward the opposite side to the disk rotor and capable of fitting with a coupling groove member provided for the swing arm.