Disc brake having an electrically driven adjusting device

• US 7,641,025 B2
• Filed: 01/17/2003
• Issued: 01/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Knorr-Bremse Systeme Fur Nutzfahrzeuge GMBH (Estate of Heinz Hermann Thiele)
• Original Assignee: Knorr-Bremse Systeme Fur Nutzfahrzeuge GMBH (Estate of Heinz Hermann Thiele)
• Inventors: Pahle, Wolfgang, Ganzhorn, Dirk, Baumgartner, Johann
• Primary Examiner(s): King; Bradley T
• Application Number:
  US10/504,533
• Publication Number:
  US 20060151262A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,545 Days
• Field of Search: 188/71.7, 188/71.8, 188/71.9, 188/162, 188/196.B
• US Class Current: 188/71.8
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 2125/22 acting transversely to the axis of rotation
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 65/18 adapted for drawing members together , e.g. for disc brakes
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 65/567 for mounting on a disc brake

Abstract

A disc brake is provided, especially for utility vehicles, that comprises a caliper that overlaps a brake disc, a brake application device disposed in the caliper that applies the brake and at least one adjustment device comprising an electrical drive. The disc brake is further provided with a mechanical device that blocks the adjustment device driven by an electromotor against an augmentation of the release play that exceeds a threshold value caused by the electromotor drive.

Claims

1. A disc brake having a brake disc, comprising:

a caliper straddling the brake disc;

a brake application device arranged in the caliper for applying a braking force;

adjusting devices having electric motor drives for compensating brake pad wear by adjusting a release play, one adjusting device being arranged on each side of the brake disc, wherein the adjusting devices are connected with the brake pads for transmitting pull-back forces;

a coupling device mutually coupling the brake pads such that, while being movable toward one another to compensate for wear, a moving apart from one another only occurs by way of a predefined path;

wherein the coupling device comprises;

a brake pad holding clamp extended beyond the brake disc and brake pads at a right angle with respect to friction surfaces of the brake disc, the brake pad holding clamp being supported at each end on the caliper;

wherein the brake pad holding clamp presses the two brake pads by way of a brake pad holding spring arranged on the brake pads against supporting surfaces in a brake pad guide of the caliper; and

wherein on a surface facing the brake pads, the brake pad holding clamp has a profiled section in areas in which corresponding brake pad holding springs are supported against the brake pad holding clamp via projections of the brake pad holding springs which engage in the profiling under a pretensioning force of the brake pad holding springs.

2. The disc brake according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said adjusting devices comprises at least one or two adjusting rotating devices.

3. The disc brake according to claim 1, wherein the coupling device provides blocking forces proportioned to be at least large enough that the electric motor drive of the adjusting device cannot overcome the blocking forces and is held in a stopped condition against a maximal driving torque of the electric motor drive.

4. The disc brake according to claim 1, further comprising a supplementary, electronically acting blocking device for blocking the adjusting device driven by the electric motor drive with respect to an unintended augmenting of the release play by the electric motor drive.

5. The disc brake according to claim 1, further comprising a blocking device providing a mechanical, reversed-rotation, blocking at the electric motor drive.

6. The disc brake according to claim 5, wherein the mechanical, reversed-rotation, blocking at the electric motor drive takes place on at least one of a driving motor, a gearing, and an adjusting rotating device.

7. The disc brake according to claim 1, further comprising a blocking device providing a mechanical reverse-rotation blocking occurring at an adjusting rotating device of the at least one adjusting device.

8. The disc brake according to claim 1, wherein on each side of the brake disc, each adjusting device acts by way of at least one pressure piece upon a respective brake pad on each side of the brake disc.

9. The disc brake according to claim 1, further comprising a blocking device having a free wheel arranged on a shaft end of the electric motor drive, said free wheel permitting a rotating movement of the electric motor drive in a brake application direction of the adjusting device but blocking the rotating movement in a reversed released direction of the adjusting device.

10. The disc brake according to claim 9, wherein the free wheel couples with an elastic element.

11. The disc brake according to claim 10, wherein the elastic element is a flat coil spring.

12. The disc brake according to claim 11, wherein an outer end of the flat coil spring is removably connected with the caliper.

13. The disc brake according to claim 9, wherein the free wheel has a screwing element.

14. The disc brake according to claim 1, wherein the brake pad holding clamp is axially movably accommodated in abutments on the caliper.

15. The disc brake according to claim 1, wherein the profiled section has sawtooth profile.

16. The disc brake according to claim 1, wherein the profiled section includes two profiled areas in which the profiling is oriented in opposite directions such that a displacement of the brake pads in the direction of the brake disc is implementable at a relatively low force whereas a displacement of the brake pads away from the brake disc is implementable only at a higher force due to the orientation of the profilings.

17. The disc brake according to claim 15, wherein the profiled section includes two profiled areas in which the profiling is oriented in opposite directions such that a displacement of the brake pads in the direction of the brake disc is implementable at a relatively low force whereas a displacement of the brake pads away from the brake disc is implementable only at a higher force due to the orientation of the profilings.

18. The disc brake according to claim 1, wherein the brake pad holding spring is accommodated on the brake pads with an axial play.

19. The disc brake according to claim 1, wherein the profiled section is formed in a separate component arranged between the brake pad holding clamp and the brake pad holding springs, the separate component being displaceable relative to the brake pad holding clamp.

20. The disc brake according to claim 8, wherein the pressure pieces are connected with the brake pad holding plates.

21. A wear adjustment system for an electromechanical or pneumatic disc brake for commercial vehicles, the disc brake including a caliper that straddles a brake disc, and a wear adjusting rotary device arranged on each side of the brake disc to act by way of a pressure piece upon a respective brake pad, the wear adjustment system comprising:

an electric motor drive for adjusting a release play of the brake disc to compensate for brake pad wear, the electric motor drive driving the wear adjusting rotary device;

a mechanical stop operably configured to prevent an increase of the release play driven by the electric motor drive in excess of a defined limit value;

wherein the mechanical stop comprises a coupling device for mutually coupling the brake pads on opposite sides of the brake disc to one another, the coupling device being operably configured such that the brake pads can move toward one another for wear adjustment but cannot be moved away from one another;

wherein the coupling device includes a brake pad holding clamp extending beyond the brake pads and the brake disc at substantially a right angle with respect to friction surfaces of the brake disc, the brake pad holding clamp being supported at each end on the caliper and acting to press the brake pads against their supporting surfaces by way of brake pad holding springs respectively assigned to each brake pad; and

wherein the brake pad holding clamp includes a profiling facing the brake pads in areas in which the brake pad holding springs are supported against the brake pad holding clamp via projections of the brake pad holding springs which engage in the profiling under a pretensioning force of the brake pad holding springs.

22. The wear adjustment system according to claim 21, further comprising a reverse rotation blocking arrangement constructed at the electric motor drive to block the electric motor drive from increasing the release play beyond the predefined limit value.

23. The wear adjustment system according to claim 21, further comprising a reverse rotation blocking arrangement constructed at the adjusting rotary drive to block an increase of the release play beyond the predefined limit value.

24. The wear adjustment system according to claim 22, wherein the reverse rotation blocking arrangement comprises a free wheel arranged on a shaft end of the electric motor drive, said free wheel permitting a rotational movement of the electric motor drive in an application direction of the adjusting rotary drive but blocking any rotating movement in a reversed rotating direction.

25. The wear adjustment system according to claim 21, wherein the brake pad holding clamp is axially movably accommodated in abutments on the caliper.

26. The wear adjustment system according to claim 21, wherein the profilings have a substantially sawtooth shape.

27. The wear adjustment system according to claim 21, wherein the profiling includes two profiled sections, each of which have their respective profilings oriented in opposite directions such that displacement of the brake pads in the direction of the brake disc can occur at relatively low force whereas displacement of the brake pads away from the brake disc can occur only at a higher force due to the orientation of the profilings.