Patent Application
20230287945
The present invention relates to a brake dust particle filter for collecting brake dust particles resulting from braking. The invention further relates to a disc brake assembly comprising the brake dust particle filter, to a use of the brake dust particle filter and to a method for collecting brake dust particles.
Brake dust particle filter used to collect particles generated when a vehicle brakes are for example known from WO 2019/048374 A1. Such particles, which result from friction between a brake disc and a brake caliper, can be damaging for health and environment. It is hence desirable to improve the filtering of such particles by a brake dust particle filter.
It is one object of the present invention to provide an improved brake dust particle filter. Other objects are the provision of an improved disc brake assembly, of an improved use of the brake dust particle filter and of an improved method for collecting brake dust particles.
According to a first aspect, a brake dust particle filter for a disc brake assembly with a brake disc and a brake caliper is provided, the brake dust particle filter being configured to collect particles resulting from braking. The brake dust filter comprises:
The guiding element may slow down the particles by deviating air carrying the particles coming from the brake disc. Therefore the guiding element may be called “flow guiding element” alternatively. In particular, the air carrying the particles is deviated multiple times inside the housing, for example by the peripheral wall, by the first side wall and by the guiding element. The particles can then spend a longer time inside the brake dust particle filter, thereby increasing the probability that they get projected onto filter medium located in the housing inside. The filtering of the particles may thereby by improved.
The peripheral wall or wall portion extends at least partially over a circumference of the housing. The peripheral wall can have at least one, preferably multiple, cutouts therein. The cutouts being preferably spaced circumferentially individual peripheral wall portions therebetween.
All directional information (e.g. radial, axial tangential) provided herein refers to a rotation direction of a brake disc in an installed state of the brake dust particle filter.
The disc brake assembly, which comprises a brake disc and a brake caliper, can be part of a motorized vehicle such as a car, a truck, a motorcycle, a train, a plane or the like. The disc brake assembly may be used for braking the vehicle on which it is arranged. In particular, the disc brake assembly is arranged on a wheel of the vehicle, for example on a front wheel. In some embodiments, both front wheels or every wheel of the vehicle is provided with such a disc brake assembly.
The brake caliper may comprise two brake pads which squeeze the disc brake when the vehicle brakes, thereby creating friction between the brake caliper and the disc brake. Since the disc brake is fixedly arranged on the wheel, the rotation of the wheel is slowed and/or stopped.
When braking force is applied, abrasive friction between the brake pads of the brake caliper and the brake disc wears both the brake disc and the brake pads away, thereby generating dust particles (also referred to as particles resulting from braking or as brake dust).
In its mounted position, the brake dust particle filter can be arranged after the brake caliper in a forward rotation direction of the wheel to which the brake caliper is attached, the forward rotation direction corresponding to a direction in which the wheel (and the brake disc) rotates when the vehicle drives forward. Thereby, the particle dust resulting from braking can be moved towards the brake dust particle filter for filtration.
In particular, the motion of the particles can be influenced by an air flow coming from the brake disc. In detail, the brake disc may generate such an air flow when the brake disc is a ventilated disc comprising two disc faces and an edge with openings creating an air channel and allowing an air flow therebetween. In this case, the air flow from the brake disc can push or carry the particle.
The brake dust particle filter may comprise an open (non-closed) housing in order to place it on the disc brake and collect a great particle amount. Collecting particles here for example means that the particles get trapped in the brake dust particle filter, in particular on the filter medium. At least part of the housing interior may be covered with a filter medium for collecting the particles. It is desirable that the particles remain in the brake dust particle filter as long as possible and/or over a particle travel distance which is as great as possible, to increase the probability of contact between the particles and the filter medium and improve the filtering of the particle dust.
This is for example achieved with the guiding element. Indeed, the guiding element may be positioned in the housing interior such that an air flow from the brake assembly, which also holds the dust particles to be filtered, is deviated by the guiding element. Deviation here means that a direction of the deviated particles and/or air is changed, in particular by at least 90°. This deviation can advantageously slow down the particles which thus remain in the brake dust particle filter for a longer time, thus improving the filtering.
In detail, the housing includes the first and second side walls opposing each other. In particular, the first and second side walls are (mostly) parallel to each other. The first and second side walls are connected by a bridging peripheral wall, which in particular connects two edges of the side walls to each other. Viewed from aside, the two side walls and the peripheral wall may form a U-shaped housing. In particular, the first side wall and the second side wall may each be perpendicular to the peripheral wall. The housing can be open on a side opposing the peripheral wall, thereby forming a slot for inserting the disc brake, the disc brake thus being arranged between the first and second side walls in a mounted state. The housing may be formed integrally. Connecting in particular means forming an airtight connection.
The housing may be made of a heat resistant material such as metal sheets (in particular steel sheets) or high temperature resistant plastic since it can get exposed to temperatures as high as 800° C. in the braking process. In particular, all parts of the housing, including the guiding element, can be formed of the same material. Alternatively the guiding element(s) can be made of a differing material, e.g. from a filter medium. The interior of the housing can be partly or entirely coated with a filter medium. The filter medium may also be high-temperature resistant (in particular, up to 800° C.). The filter medium may include metal, glass, metal fiber fleece, high temperature resistant plastic or the like.
The first side wall includes the guiding element, which may be integrally formed therewith. The guiding element, which may also be referred to as a blade, rib, vane or fin, in particular has two faces and a distal edge. The distal edge may be the edge of the guiding element which is furthest away from the first side wall from which the guiding element extends. The two faces of the guiding element may be parallel to each other. One of the faces of the guiding element can be arranged opposite to the peripheral wall, in particular to a section of the peripheral wall section referred to as peripheral wall section. In particular, this face is a planar face.
The guiding element may protrude towards the second side wall such that its distal edge is arranged opposite to the second side wall. In the mounted state, the brake disc may be arranged between the distal edge and the second side wall. In particular, in the mounted state, the guiding element may protrude towards the brake disc arranged between the first and second side walls. In some embodiments, the guiding element is configured to guide the particles within the brake dust particle filter, as will be described in greater detail below.
Advantageously, the particles resulting from braking may be pushed towards the guiding element, which slows down the particles. For example, the guiding element slows down the particles by deviating the air carrying the particles (deceleration). In particular, the air carrying the particles is deviated multiple times inside the housing, for example by the peripheral wall, by the first side wall and by the guiding element.
The particles then spend a longer time inside the brake dust particle filter, thereby increasing the probability that they get projected onto filter medium located in the housing inside. The filtering of the particles may thereby by improved.
According to an embodiment, the peripheral wall section is adjacent to a first side wall section from which the guiding element protrudes. In particular, the peripheral wall section is the portion of the peripheral wall which is closest to the guiding element and closest to the first side wall section on which the guiding element is provided.
According to a further embodiment, a housing interior is formed by the first side wall, the second side wall, the peripheral wall and at least one additional peripheral wall of the housing, the guiding element being arranged radially between the peripheral wall and the additional peripheral wall. In particular, the additional peripheral wall comprises two sections, forming a slot for inserting the brake disc therebetween. The guiding element may be formed on an interior of the housing. In particular, the guiding element is not formed on an edge of the housing.
According to a further embodiment, the face of the guiding element extends in parallel to the peripheral wall section, in particular in a circumferential direction. In particular a radial distance between the peripheral wall and the guiding element is constant.
According to a further embodiment, the guiding element has a bent shape. In particular, the guiding element is not straight and can have a circular or near-circular shape. Rather, it may for example have a ring segment shape.
According to a further embodiment, the housing has a ring segment shape, the first and second side walls extend along a radial direction of the ring segment, the peripheral wall extends along a circumferential direction of the ring segment, and the guiding element protrudes in an axial direction of the ring segment.
In particular, the guiding element has a ring segment shape which has the same radius as the housing ring segment.
According to a further embodiment, the second side wall also comprises a guiding element protruding towards the first side wall, the guiding element of the second side wall having a face which is arranged opposite to a peripheral wall section of the peripheral wall.
In particular, at least one guiding element is provided on both the first and second side wall. The housing may be symmetric regarding the arrangement of the guiding elements. In the following, the expression “guiding element” may equally refer to the guiding element of the first side wall or to the guiding element of the second side wall. In cases where a distinction needs to be made, the expressions “guiding element of the first side wall” and “guiding element of the second side wall” will be used. The embodiments of the guiding element described with respect to the first side wall also apply for the guiding element of the second side wall.
According to a further embodiment, the guiding element or guiding elements of the first side wall flush with the guiding element or guiding elements of the second side wall. The guiding elements on the first side wall and the second side wall “flush” if they are arranged directly opposing axially, i.e. having the same radial positioning. In particular, the guiding element(s) of the first side wall is arranged at a same distance from the peripheral wall as the guiding element(s) of the second side wall. The resulting housing can thereby be symmetric regarding the arrangement of the guiding elements.
According to a further embodiment, the housing further comprises a partition element connecting two guiding elements, the partition element having a face arranged opposite to the first side wall such that a channel is formed between the first side wall, the partition element and the two neighboring guiding elements.
In particular, the partition element may couple the distal edges from the two connected guiding elements. The channel can be used to guide the particles within the filter, in particular to improve a travel path of the particles inside the filter. The partition element may be part of the housing, and in particular may be made of the same material.
In an alternative embodiment the housing comprises a partition element connecting at least one guiding element and a peripheral wall. The partition element having a face arranged opposite to the first side wall such that a channel is formed between the first side wall, the partition element, the at least one guiding element and the peripheral wall.
In an especially preferred embodiment the partition element extends parallel to the first side wall.
According to a further embodiment, the first side wall further comprises a side element connected to the first guiding element and extending past a lateral edge of the second guiding element such as to form a passage between the end of the second guiding element and the side element of the first guiding element.
The lateral edge or circumferential edge may be an end of the guiding element along a circumferential direction. The first guiding element and the second guiding element can be neighboring guiding elements. The arrangement with the first and second guiding elements, the side element and the side element forms a channel with a passage for allowing air to flow into the channel. The guiding element and the side element may form a labyrinth which deviates the air flowing through the brake dust particle filter, thereby increasing the filtering of the dust particles. In some further embodiments, several side elements may be provided. The side element may be part of the housing, and in particular may be made of the same material.
Additionally or alternatively the side element can be connected to the peripheral wall and/or the additional peripheral wall as well. The side element preferably extends in a radial or near-radial direction.
According to a further embodiment, the distance from the peripheral wall section to the face of the first guiding element is larger than the distance from the peripheral wall section to the face of the second guiding element. In other words, the second guiding element may be closer to the peripheral wall than the first guiding element.
According to a further embodiment, a height of the first side wall corresponds to a radial extension of the housing, the distance between the guiding element and the peripheral wall section being less than one third of the height of the first side wall. In particular, the guiding element is arranged in the lower third of the first side wall when departing from the portion of the first side wall connected to the peripheral wall.
According to a further embodiment, the brake dust particle filter comprises a filter medium for collecting the particles, the filter medium extending at least on a part of a housing interior formed between the first and second side walls. In some embodiments, the filter medium may be provided on one or both of the faces of the guiding elements.
According to a further embodiment, the brake dust particle filter comprises a slot for accommodating the brake disc in the installation state formed between the first and second side wall. In particular, the slot is one formed in the additional peripheral wall.
According to a second aspect, a disc brake assembly with a brake disc, a brake caliper and a brake dust particle filter according to the first aspect or according to an embodiment thereof is provided, wherein the brake disc extends between the distal protruding edge of the guiding element and the second side wall.
The embodiments and features described with reference to the brake dust particle filter according to the first aspect or according to an embodiment thereof apply mutatis mutandis to the disc brake assembly of the second aspect.
According to an embodiment, the brake dust particle filter is arranged in a fixed position relative to the brake caliper. In particular, the brake dust particle filter is unmovably attached to the brake caliper.
According to a further embodiment, the brake disc is a ventilated disc comprising two disc faces and a circumferential edge with openings allowing an air flow therethrough, the openings in the edge being arranged opposite to the peripheral wall. Ventilated discs may be advantageous for cooling the brake assembly during the braking process since they allow for an air flow. The air flowing through the openings may be an air flow radially outwards from the brake disc. It may be an air flow holding the dust particles generated when braking and can direct the dust particles. Since the openings in the edge of the brake disc are arranged opposite to the peripheral wall, the outcoming air with the particles may be projected onto the peripheral wall and then deviated by the connecting first side wall and the guiding element thereof.
According to a preferred embodiment the guiding element is configured to force air flowing out of the ventilated disc with a radial flow component into at least one vortex, in particular a vortex having a tangential rotation direction.
According to a further preferred embodiment, the guiding element is configured to deviate air flowing out of the ventilated disc at least three times. The three deviations may be a radial deviation by the peripheral wall (towards the first and second side walls), an axial deviation by the first side wall (towards the guiding element), and a radial deviation by the guiding element (back towards the peripheral wall). These deviations may slow down the particle flow, thereby increasing the probability of the particles being collected by the filter medium.
According to a further embodiment, a predefined gap is provided between the distal edge and the brake disc. In particular, a gap is formed between the distal edge and the brake disc in a radial direction.
According to a third aspect, a use of the brake dust particle filter according to the first aspect or according to an embodiment thereof is provided, the brake dust particle filter comprising a housing with a first and a second side wall which are arranged opposite to each other and a peripheral wall connecting the first and the second side wall; wherein
The embodiments and features described with reference to the brake dust particle filter according to the first aspect or according to an embodiment thereof apply mutatis mutandis to the use of the brake dust particle filter of the third aspect.
According to an embodiment, the brake dust particle filter is arranged after the brake caliper in a forward rotation direction of the brake disc. Upon rotation of the wheel to which the brake caliper and brake disc are attached, the particles are projected forward along the rotation direction. Therefore, placing the brake dust particle filter after the brake caliper in a forward rotation direction of the brake disc can be advantageous because a larger proportion of the particles thus enter the housing of the brake dust particle filter.
According to a fourth aspect, a method for collecting dust particles resulting from braking is provided. The method comprises:
According to an embodiment, the method further comprises: adsorbing the decelerated dust particles using a filter medium provided on a housing interior of the brake dust particle filter.
The embodiments and features described with reference to the brake dust particle filter according to the first aspect or according to an embodiment thereof apply mutatis mutandis to the method of the fourth aspect.
Further possible implementations or alternative solutions of the invention also encompass combinations—that are not explicitly mentioned herein—of features described above or below with regard to the embodiments. The person skilled in the art may also add individual or isolated aspects and features to the most basic form of the invention.
Further embodiments, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent description and dependent claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
In the Figures, like reference numerals designate like or functionally equivalent elements, unless otherwise indicated.
The brake disc 2 comprises two faces 7a which are parallel to each other. An outer edge 7b of the brake disc 2 along a radial direction comprises multiple openings 6 for allowing an air flow. The air flow cools the brake disc 2 down during a braking process in order to avoid too high temperatures, for example to avoid temperatures above 700° C.
The brake disc 2 further includes a wheel fixing portion 44 to be attached to the wheel of the vehicle using the screw holes 45. The brake disc 2 thus rotates together with the vehicle wheel in a rotation direction R.
The brake caliper 3 comprises two brake pads 42 which are arranged on either side of the brake disc 2. The brake caliper 3 is fixedly arranged with respect to the vehicle and does not rotate when the wheels rotate. When the vehicle brakes, the brake pads 42 are axially pushed towards the faces 7a of the brake disc 2 by a hydraulic system 46 of a caliper holder 5. The brake pads 42 press the brake disc 2 from both sides along an axial direction parallel to a rotation axis RA of the wheel, thereby slowing down and eventually stopping the rotation of the wheel.
The friction between the brake pads 42 and the brake disc 2 induces abrasion of both the brake pads 42 and the brake disc 2, causing a creation of brake dust particles. The dust particles are moved along the air flow expelled through the openings 6. The dust particles are environmentally damaging and can create health problems. The filter 4 is used to reduce the amount of dust particles released by collecting the created particles.
The filter 4 is arranged after the brake caliper 3 in the rotation direction R of the wheel and brake disc 2. It comprises a housing 19 with a first side wall 10, a second side wall 20 and a peripheral wall 30 connecting the two side walls 10, 20, as shown in
In detail, as shown in
The housing 19 comprises an additional peripheral wall 48 with two portions 48a, 48b each extending inwards towards each other from an edge of the first and second side walls 10, 20. The two side walls 10, 20, the peripheral wall 30, the additional peripheral wall 48 and a lateral wall 54 define a housing interior 49 therebetween.
The housing 19 of the filter 4 is entirely made of steel sheets which can withstand high temperatures occurring at braking. Part of the interior of the housing 19 is covered with filter medium 43 for collecting the particles inside the filter 4.
A difference to the filter 4 of the first embodiment is that the filter 4a of the second embodiment has a more rectangular shape rather than a ring segment shape. On the interior 49 of the housing 19, a guiding element 11 is provided. The guiding element 11 is a blade which protrudes from the first side wall 10 towards the second side wall 20. The guiding element 11 comprises two faces 13, 13′ which are parallel to each other and normal to the first side wall 10 and a distal edge 12, which is here parallel to the first side wall 10. The distal edge 12 is here parallel to the second side wall 20 and located such that the brake disc 2 extends between the distal edge 12 and an interior face 20a of the second side wall 20.
The face 13 of the guiding element 11 is arranged opposite to an inner face 30a of a section 30b of the peripheral wall 30. The peripheral wall section 30b is a portion of the peripheral wall 30 which is adjacent to the first side wall section 10 from which the guiding element 11 protrudes. In
The guiding element 11 is used to deviate and guide the air flow from the openings 6 containing the dust particles. Thereby, the speed of the dust particles within the filter 4a is reduced and the probability that the particles encounter filter medium 43 while it is in the filter 4a is increased. Thereby, the efficacity of the filter 4a is improved.
Back to the first embodiment of the filter 4,
The bent shape of the guiding elements 11a-11c can be seen in
As shown in
Further, the guiding elements 11a and 11c are connected by a partition element 15 which acts as a cover for the guide arrangement 16b (see
Further, as shown in
As shown in
As shown in
In detail, the additional partition element 15′ extends radially towards the additional peripheral wall portion 48a such as to connect with the additional peripheral wall portion 48a (
Further, the guiding element 11b is slightly shifted circumferentially towards the side of the caliper side slot 8 in order to create a further passage 53 between the lateral edge 52 of the guiding element 11b on the side of the non-caliper side slot 9 and a non-caliper side wall of the housing 19. The particle air flow A shown is lengthened through the labyrinth-like channel 18′, thereby contributing to the slowing down of the particles resulting from the brake process.
The side element 14″ extends all the way towards a lateral edge 54 of the guiding element 11a on a side of the caliper side slot 8 so that it connects the guiding elements 11a, 11c at their lateral edges 50, 54. The element arrangement 16g thus forms a U-shaped path 18″ for guiding and collecting the particles.
Although the present invention has been described in accordance with preferred embodiments, it is obvious for the person skilled in the art that modifications are possible in all embodiments.
The number of guiding elements 11, 11a-11e may vary. Further, the distances between the guiding elements 11, 11a-11e and/or between the guiding element(s) 11, 11a-11e and the peripheral wall 30 may be chosen differently-. Additionally, the guiding elements 11, 11a-11e can have an interruption along a circumferential direction thereof and/or have portions with reduced protrusions along the radial direction. The housing 19 may comprise openings for releasing air and avoiding an overpressure.
The filters 4, 4a-4g may also comprise a guiding element(s) 11, 11a-11e, a side element 14, 14′, 14″ and/or a partition element 15, 15′, 15″ as described above, in particular to obtain a symmetric element arrangement 16, 16b-16g with respect to the brake disc 2.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 201921043688 | Oct 2019 | IN | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP2020/078209 | 10/8/2020 | WO |
