Brake force sensor
First Claim
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1. A brake system comprising:
- a brake pad shaped and located to frictionally engage a brake rotor;
an actuator shaped and located to act upon said brake pad to cause said brake pad to frictionally engage said rotor;
a sensor material which varies in resistance when said actuator acts upon said brake pad, wherein said sensor material includes an electrically insulating material with electrically conductive particles distributed therein; and
a controller operatively coupled to said sensor material to detect a change in resistance of said sensor material.
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Abstract
A brake system including a brake pad shaped and located to frictionally engage a brake rotor and an actuator shaped and located to act upon the brake pad to cause the brake pad to frictionally engage the rotor. The system further includes a sensor material which varies in resistance when the actuator acts upon the brake pad, wherein the sensor material includes an electrically insulating material with electrically conductive particles distributed therein. The system further includes a controller operatively coupled to the sensor material to detect a change in resistance of the sensor material.
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Citations
42 Claims
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1. A brake system comprising:
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a brake pad shaped and located to frictionally engage a brake rotor;
an actuator shaped and located to act upon said brake pad to cause said brake pad to frictionally engage said rotor;
a sensor material which varies in resistance when said actuator acts upon said brake pad, wherein said sensor material includes an electrically insulating material with electrically conductive particles distributed therein; and
a controller operatively coupled to said sensor material to detect a change in resistance of said sensor material. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 38)
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26. A method for monitoring brake force including the steps of:
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providing a vehicle including a chassis and a plurality of wheels supporting said chassis, each wheel including a brake rotor, said vehicle including a brake pad shaped and located to selectively apply pressure to an associated rotor to thereby brake an associated wheel, said vehicle including an actuator shaped and located to apply pressure to said brake pad to thereby cause said brake pad to apply pressure to said associated brake rotor, said vehicle further including a sensor material which varies in resistance when said actuator applies pressure to said brake pad, wherein said sensor material includes an electrically insulating material with electrically conductive particles distributed therein;
operating said actuator such that said actuator applies pressure to said brake pad which thereby causes said brake pad to apply pressure to said associated brake rotor; and
monitoring the change in resistance of said sensor material to determine a braking force. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28)
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29. A sensor system comprising:
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a first pressure component;
a second pressure component shaped and located to apply pressure to said first pressure component;
a sensor material which varies in resistance when said second pressure component applies pressure to said first pressure component, wherein said sensor material include an electrically insulating material with electrically conductive particles distributed therein; and
a controller operatively coupled to said sensor material to detect a change in resistance of said sensor material. - View Dependent Claims (30)
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31. A brake system comprising:
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a brake pad shaped and located to apply pressure to a brake rotor;
an actuator shaped and located to apply pressure to said brake pad to cause said brake pad to apply pressure to said rotor, wherein said brake pad includes brake wear sensor material and wherein said brake wear sensor material includes an electrically insulating material with electrically conductive particles distributed therein; and
a controller operatively coupled to said sensor material to detect a change in resistance of said brake wear sensor material and to thereby detect a worn condition of said brake pad. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37)
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39. A method for monitoring the status of brakes in a vehicle including the steps of:
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providing a vehicle including a chassis and a plurality of wheels supporting said chassis, each wheel including a brake rotor, said vehicle including a brake pad shaped and located to selectively apply pressure to an associated rotor to thereby brake an associated wheel, wherein said brake pad includes brake wear sensor material and wherein said brake wear sensor material includes an electrically insulating material with electrically conductive particles distributed therein;
monitoring the change in resistance of said sensor material over time to determine a varying worn condition of said brake pad. - View Dependent Claims (40, 41)
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42. A brake pad comprising sensor material shaped to be coupled to a brake rotor, wherein said sensor material includes an electrically insulating material with electrically conductive particles distributed therein, wherein said electrically conductive particles are generally not evenly distributed therein.
Specification