Spring Brake Cylinder With Visual Parking Brake Indicator
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing spring brake cylinders for vehicles require complex manufacturing processes and lack a simple method for visually confirming the activation or release of the parking brake during servicing, posing safety risks for maintenance personnel.
Innovation Solution
A spring brake cylinder design featuring a hollow release screw with a rotatably mounted screw head, a rotationally locked running nut, and a pin indicator system that allows for external visual confirmation of brake activation or release, enabling a one-piece piston rod and simplified manufacturing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a pin indicator system with indicator cap and locking piece is implemented for visual confirmation, then safety and ease of operation are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The indication system is designed to automatically display brake status without requiring manual intervention. The pin indicator moves passively with the running nut position, and the indicator cap automatically shows whether the brake is activated or released through its own design features, eliminating the need for service personnel to internally inspect the mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The indicator cap incorporates different color coding (red for activated, green for released) to provide immediate visual recognition of brake status. This color-based information system allows service personnel to quickly determine brake state at a glance, significantly improving operational safety and efficiency.
2Productivity
If a one-piece piston rod design is used, then manufacturing ease and productivity are improved, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The piston rod and indication means are integrated into a single one-piece component. This merging eliminates the need for separate assembly operations between the piston rod and indicator mechanisms, simplifying the manufacturing process and improving productivity while maintaining functional integrity through precise design of the integrated structure.
3Reliability
If the release screw is axially locked with external manipulation only, then reliability is improved, but ease of operation during maintenance worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The release screw incorporates both axial locking (preventing movement along the screw axis) and rotational freedom (allowing rotation for indication purposes). This multi-dimensional design allows the screw head to be manipulated rotationally for visual confirmation while maintaining axial position stability, resolving the contradiction between reliability and ease of operation.
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
Facilitates easier manufacturing and provides a clear visual indication of brake activation status, enhancing safety and efficiency during servicing and repair.
Implementation Method 1
at least one first spring is arranged between the indicator cap and a bottom of the bore of the spring brake piston
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
Spring brake cylinder (1) comprising: a cylinder housing (4) with a cylinder-bottom (5); a spring brake piston (6); a release screw (2) for the mechanical release of the parking brake, which has a screw head (14) on the outside of the cylinder-bottom and which runs freely in a bore (16) of the spring brake piston; a running nut (18) threaded onto said release screw (2), where said running nut is arranged to bring the spring brake piston in the axial direction of the release screw; and an axially displaceable pin indicator (24); and a locking piece (33), wherein the pin indicator is axially fixed to a position sensing means (21, 26) which is provided with a contact surface (31) for contact against the running nut, where the position sensing means includes an indicator cap (26), where the indicator cap and the locking piece are displacable to each other.