Electronic Parking Brake Actuator Assembly With Direct Housing Mounting

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional electronic parking brake actuators have complex assembly processes, leading to increased assembly time, manufacturing costs, and size limitations, with challenges in precise alignment of rotating parts due to cumulative tolerance issues, which can result in performance degradation and noise generation.

Innovation Solution

An electronic parking brake actuator assembly where the motor and gears are assembled directly with the housing, reducing the number of parts and assembly man-hours, and integrating the brush card assembly and terminal into the main housing to simplify the assembly process and reduce tolerance errors.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If multiple gears are assembled directly with a housing, then assembly time and manufacturing costs are reduced, but alignment precision and tolerance management become more difficult

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveassembly timeVSAvoidalignment precision
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The motor assembly and gear assembly are merged into a single integrated unit where the motor is directly mounted on the housing and gears are directly assembled with the housing, eliminating separate motor housing and gear housing components. This integration reduces the number of parts and assembly steps while maintaining alignment precision through direct mounting features.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The housing serves multiple functions: it acts as the motor mounting structure, the gear mounting structure, and the structural framework for the entire actuator. This multi-functionality reduces the number of separate components needed and simplifies the overall assembly process while maintaining manufacturing precision.

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

2Volume of moving object

If the actuator size is reduced, then design flexibility increases, but assembly complexity and tolerance management become more challenging

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveactuator sizeVSAvoidassembly complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Volume of moving objectVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The gears are nested within the housing structure, with the motor positioned to directly drive the gears through integrated mounting features. This nested arrangement maximizes space utilization, reduces the overall actuator volume, and simplifies assembly by eliminating the need for separate motor housing and gear housing assemblies.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

Solution Approach 2:

Multiple functional components (motor, gears, housing) are merged into a compact integrated assembly, reducing the overall actuator size while maintaining assembly simplicity through direct mounting features and eliminated intermediate components.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Reliability

If cumulative tolerance between rotating parts is reduced, then durability and performance are improved, but manufacturing complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovedurabilityVSAvoidmanufacturing complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The motor and gears are merged into a single assembly unit with direct mounting features on the housing, eliminating intermediate connection points and reducing the number of tolerance accumulation interfaces. This integration maintains durability by minimizing tolerance buildup while avoiding increased manufacturing complexity through the use of standard mounting features.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

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 approach decreases manufacturing costs, simplifies the assembly process, reduces noise and vibration, and allows for a more compact design with increased design flexibility, enhancing the reliability and quality of the actuator.

Implementation Method 1

a motor and multiple gears which are not preassembled with each other as a separate assembly but are assembled directly with a housing of an actuator

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElectromagnetic induction: Electromagnetic Induction

Implementation Method 2

multiple gears which are not preassembled with each other as a separate assembly but are assembled directly with a housing of an actuator

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectMechanical advantage through gear meshing: Gear

Data Source

PatentEP3896308B1Electronic parking brake actuator assembly
Publication Date: 2023.11.15 KEYANG ELECTRIC MACHINERY
  • EP3896308B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3896308B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3896308B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Proposed is an electronic parking brake actuator assembly including: a main housing (30) constituted by a motor mounting part (31) and a gear mounting part (40) integrated with each other; a motor part (20) assembled with the motor mounting part (31) of the main housing (30); a gear part (70) assembled with the gear mounting part (40) of the main housing (30) and rotated in engagement with the motor part (20) by a rotational force of the motor part (20); and a cover assembled with the main housing (30) and shielding the motor part (20) and the gear part (70), wherein a brush card assembly (50) is assembled directly with the motor mounting part (31), a terminal (56) constituting the brush card assembly (50) being insert-injected into the motor mounting part (31).