Patent Application
20070261927
The present invention relates to a brake lining carrier plate having at least one tolerance compensating spring and, more particularly, to a brake lining carrier plate, which is insertable into a lining slot of a vehicle's disc brake and has at least one tolerance compensating spring for compensating tolerances between the lining carrier plate and the lining slot.
Lining carrier plates are generically known, for example, from U.S. Pat. No. 5,941,348 or JP-A-9229112.
In disc brakes, which can be used both in passenger vehicles and also in utility or commercial vehicles, use is made of lining carrier plates which are insertable into lining slots, which support them, and have brake linings arranged thereon. The brake linings are pressed against the brake disc by application devices for the purpose of braking the brake disc, and hence the vehicle.
When traveling over uneven underlying surfaces, high acceleration forces occur, which also act on the lining carrier plates. A play is required, in principle, between the lining carrier plates on the one hand and the lining slots on the other hand. The requirement for this play is generated on the one hand by the required compensation of production tolerances and on the other hand by the requirement for compensating different thermal length variations of the lining carrier plate and the brake lining, as well as the lining slot, during operation. The presence of the required play and the acceleration forces which act on the lining carrier plate when traveling over uneven underlying surfaces result in a considerable audible rattling noise, which is tolerated to an ever-reduced degree on account of the low interior noise level which has been achieved in vehicle manufacturing in the meantime.
A further factor for the resulting rattling noises is that, when the disc brake is actuated, the brake linings come into contact with the runout-side support face in the lining slot, and when the brake is released, fall back against the opposite support face. This generates a considerable audible metallic noise, which many customers negatively perceive as being very disturbing, primarily during low-speed maneuvering operation.
For the above reasons, use is already made of tolerance compensating springs in order to maintain the mobility of the lining carrier plate and of the brake lining, but in addition to largely eliminate the metallic hard impacting of the lining carrier plate against corresponding support faces.
The present invention improves upon the known lining carrier plates and is distinguished by particularly effective noise damping with, at the same time, an extremely simple configuration of the tolerance compensating spring or of the tolerance compensating springs without thereby significantly increasing the residual wear torques of the linings.
According to the present invention, the tolerance compensating spring or the tolerance compensating springs is or are embodied as leaf springs or leg springs, with, in each case, one leaf spring or a first leg of a leg spring being provided for compensating the tolerances in the radial direction, and in each case, the other leaf spring or the second leg of a leg spring being provided for compensating the tolerances in the tangential direction.
A lining carrier plate according to the invention provides a simple configuration of the tolerance compensating springs as well as highly effective noise damping for all movement directions of the lining carrier plate, since correspondingly simply configured tolerance compensating springs act both in the radial direction and also in the tangential direction.
According to one refinement of the invention, it is provided that the leaf springs or leg springs are arranged, in each case, in the transition region between the concave lower edge and the head-side end edges of the lining carrier plate.
If leaf springs are provided for the tolerance compensation, one advantageous embodiment of the invention provides that the leaf springs for the radial tolerance compensation are identical in construction to the leaf springs for the tangential tolerance compensation.
If leg springs are used for the tolerance compensation, it is provided according to a further exemplary embodiment of the invention that the leg springs are formed so as to be mirror-symmetrical about a central axis.
The latter measures permit the use of tolerance compensating springs of identical design in all fields of use of the lining carrier plate.
Further features of the invention are described and claimed herein.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
a to 1e show different views of a tolerance compensating spring for a lining carrier plate according to the invention;
In the exemplary embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the reference symbol 1 denotes a brake lining carrier plate, which is insertable into a lining slot of a vehicle disc brake, and has a tolerance compensating spring 2 capable of compensating tolerances between the lining slot (not illustrated) and the lining carrier plate 1, without restricting the mobility of the lining carrier plate 1 within the lining slot.
The tolerance compensating spring 2, which is shown in great detail in various views in
The leg spring 2 has a first leg 2a and a second leg 2b which, in their end regions which face one another, merge into an arcuately domed central fastening part 2c.
At their free ends, the two legs 2a and 2b are equipped with supports 2d, which are bent counter to the curvature of the two legs 2a and 2b.
As shown in particular by
As can be clearly seen from
As a result of the configuration and arrangement of the tolerance compensating spring 2, the tolerance compensating spring 2 is capable of compensating both radial tolerances between a lining carrier plate 1 and a lining slot, and tolerances in the tangential direction.
On account of the mirror-symmetrical configuration of the tolerance compensating spring 2, the tolerance compensating springs 2 arranged at the left-hand side and at the right-hand side can preferably be identical in construction to one another.
e shows that the tolerance compensating spring 2 may be provided in the region of its fastening part 2c with indentations 2e which serve as calking marks and facilitate the calking of the fastening part 2c relative to the lining carrier plate 1.
In one exemplary embodiment of the invention as per
Tolerance compensating springs 2 in the form of the leaf springs illustrated in
Both exemplary embodiments achieve the advantage that, despite the use of simply configured springs, which may be used both at the left-hand side and at the right-hand side, tolerance compensation is provided between the lining carrier plate 1 and a lining slot (not illustrated) in two directions.
The foregoing disclosure has been set forth merely to illustrate the invention and is not intended to be limiting. Since modifications of the disclosed embodiments incorporating the spirit and substance of the invention may occur to persons skilled in the art, the invention should be construed to include everything within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereof.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 2004 053 026.2 | Nov 2004 | DE | national |
This application is a continuation of PCT International Application No. PCT/EP2005/011733, filed on Nov. 3, 2005, which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to German Application No. 10 2004 053 026.2, filed Nov. 3, 2004, the entire disclosures of which are expressly incorporated by reference herein.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | PCT/EP05/11733 | Nov 2005 | US |
| Child | 11797489 | May 2007 | US |
