CALIPER BODY FOR DISC BRAKE, BRAKE CALIPER AND DISC BRAKE

• US 20190323569A1
• Filed: 12/14/2017
• Published: 10/24/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brembo SPA (Nuova Fourb Srl)
• Original Assignee: Freni Brembo S.P.A.
• Inventors: CRIPPA, CRISTIAN, D'ALESSIO, DAVIDE
• Granted Patent: US 11,149,809 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 2055/0016 Brake calipers
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 2055/0091 Plural actuators arranged side by side on the same side of the rotor
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 55/228 with a separate actuating member for each side
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 65/0068 Brake calipers
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 65/847 with open cooling system, e.g. cooled by air

Abstract

A caliper body for a disc brake having at least one thrust housing. The housing has a housing bottom wall and a housing lead-in edge portion. The housing lead-in edge portion has at least one housing edge surface. At least either a first elongated element caliper inner side or a second elongated element caliper inner side has at least one groove bottom wall and groove sides which delimit at least one groove. The at least one groove bottom wall is axially outer with respect to the housing edge surface.

Claims

1-10. -10. (canceled)

11. A caliper body for a brake caliper for a disc brake, adapted to be arranged straddling a brake disc, said brake disc comprising a first brake disc braking surface and an opposite second brake disc braking surface, said disc brake defining an axial direction, either coinciding with or parallel to the brake disc rotation axis, a radial direction, orthogonal to the axial direction, and a circumferential direction, orthogonal both to the axial direction and to the radial direction;

said brake caliper comprising;

a wheel side first elongated element, comprising a first elongated element caliper outer side and a first elongated element caliper inner side, wherein said first elongated element caliper outer side is adapted to face a vehicle wheel and wherein said first elongated element caliper inner side is adapted to face said first brake disc braking surface, either directly or indirectly, via at least one first pad;

an opposite wheel side second elongated element, comprising a second elongated element caliper outer side and a second elongated element caliper inner side, wherein said second elongated element caliper inner side is adapted to face said second brake disc braking surface, either directly or indirectly, via a second opposite pad;

at least one first caliper bridge, which connects said wheel side first elongated element and said opposite wheel side second elongated element, so as to be adapted to straddle said brake disc;

wherein a middle plane orthogonal to the axial direction and interposed between said first elongated element caliper inner side and said second elongated element caliper inner side, said middle line defining an axial outer sense directed in axial direction from said middle plane; and

wherein a radially outer sense is defined directed in radial direction from the rotation axis of the brake disc;

and wherein;

at least either said wheel side first elongated element or said opposite wheel side second elongated element comprises at least one thrust housing adapted to receive thrust, adapted to actuate the first pad against said brake disc first braking surface or the second opposite pad against said second opposite brake disc braking surface;

said at least one thrust housing is substantially cup-shaped and comprises a housing bottom wall and a housing lead-in portion, axially opposite to said housing bottom wall,

said housing lead-in portion comprises at least one housing edge surface, adapted to face a back of a support plate of a pad which can be associated with the caliper body;

and wherein;

at least either said first elongated element caliper inner side or said second elongated element caliper inner side comprises at least one groove bottom wall and groove sides which delimit at least one groove, wherein said at least one groove bottom wall is axially outer with respect to said housing edge surface;

said at least one groove comprises at least one first groove mouth, or radially outer groove mouth, and at least one opposite second groove mouth, or radially inner groove mouth, at the opposite end of the longitudinal path of said groove.

12. The caliper body according to claim 11, wherein said groove bottom wall is adapted to face the back of the support plate of a pad which can be associated with the caliper body;

and/or wherein

said groove is a channel which extends along a predetermined longitudinal path which, at least for a portion of its longitudinal path, not entirely surrounded by caliper body walls and is adapted to face, via at least one longitudinal groove window, directly the back of the support plate of said at least one pad; and

/or wherein

said caliper body is associated with an air conveying device, adapted to convey air to said at least one groove; and

/or wherein

said first caliper bridge at least partially delimits a bridge opening that puts the second elongated element inner side in fluidic communication with the second elongated element outer side; and

/or wherein

said caliper bridge at least partially delimiting a cooling air conveying channel which extends longitudinally to said first caliper bridge; and

/or wherein

said cooling air conveying channel being in fluidic communication with said bridge opening; and

/or wherein

said first bridge mouth fluidically connects said at least one groove and said cooling air conveying channel; and

/or wherein

said second opposite groove mouth leads outside the caliper body; and

/or wherein

said groove bottom wall is made in one piece with said groove sides.

13. The caliper body according to claim 11, wherein said at least one groove is delimited by said groove bottom wall and by opposite groove sides, thus avoiding the need to provide a covering wall made in one piece with the caliper body along the longitudinal path of the groove;

and/or wherein

said groove bottom wall is entirely adapted to face the back of the support plate of a pad which can be associated with the caliper body, via a single groove window which extends along the entire longitudinal path of the groove.

14. The caliper body according to claim 11, wherein said at least one portion of housing lead-in edge comprises a body made in one piece with said caliper body and/or wherein

the body of said at least one portion of housing lead-in edge is associated with at least one connection rib which connects the body of said at least one portion of housing lead-in edge to the caliper body;

and/or wherein

the body of said at least one portion of housing lead-in edge protrudes axially projecting from at least either said first elongated element caliper inner side or said second elongated element caliper inner side forming a cooling surface facing said groove, except for said connection rib; and

/or wherein

said at least one cooling surface is free from the material of the caliper body; and

/or wherein

said at least one cooling surface is substantially annular to surround the body of said portion of housing lead-in edge and is interrupted only by at least one connection rib; and

/or wherein

said connection rib comprising a staple surface, adapted to face a back of the support plate of a pad which can be associated with the caliper body; and

/or wherein

said staple surface is co-planar with the housing edge surface; and

/or wherein

said housing edge surface seamlessly continues in said staple surface.

15. The caliper body according to claim 11, wherein said housing edge surface defines a housing mouth plane substantially parallel to said middle plane;

and/or wherein

said at least one groove bottom wall is axially outer which respect to the reference plane; and

/or wherein

said at least one groove bottom wall defines a groove bottom plane, substantially parallel to said middle plane and axially outer with respect to the reference plane.

16. The caliper body according to claim 11, wherein at least either said first elongated element caliper inner side and said second elongated element caliper inner side comprise at least one inner side surface, adapted to face directly the back of the support plate of a pad which can be associated with the caliper body, wherein said at least one inner side surface is axially outside said housing edge surface and axially inside said groove bottom wall;

and/or wherein

said at least one portion of housing lead-in edge protrudes axially projecting either from said inner side surface or from said groove surface; and

/or wherein

said at least one inner side surface defining an inner side plane, substantially parallel to said middle plane; and

/or wherein

said inner side plane is axially outside the reference plane and is axially inside the groove bottom plane; and

/or wherein

said inner side plane is axially interposed between the reference plane and the groove bottom plane.

17. The caliper body according to claim 11, wherein said at least one groove extends to surround at least partially said portion of housing lead-in edge;

and/or wherein

said at least one groove comprises at least two groove branches which join in a radially outer portion with respect to the at least one housing lead-in edge; and

/or wherein

at least either said wheel side first elongated element or said opposite wheel side second elongated element comprises at least three portions of housing lead-in edge arranged circumferentially side-by-side which each delimit a thrust housing, wherein at least one groove is interposed between two portions of housing lead-in edge arranged side-by-side and successive, and wherein an inner side surface forms an island which at least partially surrounds the portion of housing lead-in edge interposed between two portions of housing lead-in edge which are arranged circumferentially side-by-side; and

/or wherein

at least either said first elongated element caliper inner side or said second elongated element caliper inner side comprises circumferentially facing opposite shoulder walls, adapted to form opposite circumferential abutment references for the support plate of the first pad or the second pad, respectively, and which at least partially delimit a housing pocket, adapted to receive at least one portion of said first pad or of said second pad, respectively; and

/or wherein

said at least one connection jumper connects said portion of housing lead-in edge to one of said shoulder walls.

18. The caliper body according to claim 11, comprising at least one partition which delimits at least one prevalent portion of the longitudinal path of said air conveying channel, so that a prevalent portion of said air conveying channel is radially delimited by said partition, so that said channel bottom wall faces said partition and/or wherein

said partition separates said air conveying channel from the brake disc which can be associated with the brake body and/or the pads which can be associated with the caliper body;

and/or wherein

said partition is radially interrupted outside said channel mouth of said at least one groove.

19. The brake caliper comprises a caliper body according to claim 11, at least one pad and thrust devices housed in respective thrust housings.

20. The disc brake comprising at least one brake caliper according to claim 19, and at least one brake disc.