Patent Application
20080296105
Not applicable.
Not applicable.
The invention provides braking systems for providing torque to rotating members. An exemplary system according to the invention comprises a rotating member; a braking member attached to the rotating member; at least one brake pad positioned adjacent to the braking member; means for driving the at least one brake pad against the braking member; and temperature sensing means for measuring the temperature of the at least one brake pad. In an exemplary embodiment the braking member is selected from the group consisting of a rotor and a brake drum. In another exemplary embodiment the temperature sensing means is selected from the group consisting of a thermocouple and a thermistor.
An additional exemplary braking system comprises a rotating member; a braking member attached to the rotating member; at least one brake pad for frictionally contacting the rotor; and a pad wear detection assembly positioned in a predetermined manner with respect to the at least one brake pad for determining when to replace the at least one brake pad. In an exemplary embodiment the pad wear detection assembly comprises a loop circuit providing a signal verifying that the loop is closed and a proper pad wear level is maintained, the loop circuit providing a signal when the loop is opened signifying that the pad wear level is such that the at least one brake pad needs to be replaced.
Another exemplary braking system permits brake pad replacement. The braking system comprises a rotating member; a rotor attached to the rotating member; at least one brake pad capable of frictionally contacting the rotor; a housing substantially covering the rotor and the at least one brake pad of the braking system, the housing provided with at least one opening disposed near the at least one brake pad so as to allow the at least one brake pad to be withdrawn through the at least one opening of the housing; and at least one protective member covering the at least one opening of the housing, the at least one protective member engaging the at least one brake pad to secure the at least one brake pad within the housing.
Another exemplary braking system comprises a rotating member; a braking member attached to the rotating member; at least one brake pad positioned adjacent to the braking member; means for driving the at least one brake pad against the braking member; means for measuring the temperature of the at least one brake pad; a fluid propulsion assembly for directing fluid across the braking member; and a controller activating the fluid propulsion assembly when the temperature of the at least one brake pad exceeds a first predetermined temperature and deactivating the fluid propulsion assembly when the temperature of the at least one brake pad falls below a second predetermined temperature.
The invention further provides a rotor cooling system for a braking system. The rotor cooling system comprises a rotating member; a rotor attached to the rotating member, the rotor having a fluid input port and a fluid output port; and a first flow tube spatially disposed relative to the rotor for directing fluid into the fluid input port of the rotor so as to allow fluid to be propelled across the rotor and expelled from the rotor out the fluid output port, the first flow tube positioned to isolate the fluid expelled from the fluid output port of the rotor from fluid entering the fluid input port of the rotor. In an exemplary embodiment the cooling system further comprises a fluid propulsion system positioned adjacent to the first flow tube on the side opposite the braking member to increase the amount of fluid propelled into the first flow tube. In another exemplary embodiment the cooling system further comprises a second flow tube positioned adjacent to the fluid propulsion assembly on the side opposite the first flow tube to increase the amount of fluid that can be drawn into the fluid propulsion assembly. In another exemplary embodiment the fluid propulsion assembly is selected from the group consisting of a fan and a pump.
Another embodiment of the invention is a method of replacing a brake pad of a braking system, the braking system having a rotating member, a rotor attached to the rotating member, and at least one brake pad frictionally contacting the rotor. The method comprises the steps of opening at least one protective member covering at least one opening in a housing to release the at least one brake pad, the housing substantially covering the rotor and the at least one brake pad of the braking system, the at least one opening disposed near the at least one brake pad so as to allow the at least one brake pad to be withdrawn through the at least one opening of the housing; removing the at least one brake pad from the housing through the at least one opening of the housing; inserting a replacement brake pad into the housing through the at least one opening of the housing; and closing the at least one protective member to cover the at least one opening of the housing and to maintain the replacement brake pad in a mounted position.
A further embodiment of the invention is a rotor. The rotor comprises a back plate mountable to a rotating member, the back plate having an outer edge, a first side and a second side opposite of the first side, the second side providing a first frictional surface for braking; a front ring member having an outer edge, an inner edge, a first side, and a second side opposite of the first side, the first side of the front ring member having a second frictional surface for braking; and a plurality of fins extending between the first side of the back plate and the second side of the front ring member, each of the fins having an outer end, an inner end and a length extending therebetween, front ring member, the fins, and the back plate forming a plurality of flutes, each of the flutes having a fluid input port and a fluid output port, each fin having the inner end positioned adjacent to the fluid input port and tapering along a portion of the length of the fin. In an exemplary embodiment the rotor further comprises an inner member extending substantially parallel with the front ring member and positioned between the back plate and the front ring member, the inner member having an inner end terminating at an intersection with the inner end of the fins. In another exemplary embodiment the outer end of the fins and the outer edge of the front ring member terminate at substantially the same position as the back plate.
The invention includes other embodiments within the scope of the claims, and variations of all embodiments. Additional understanding of the invention can be obtained by referencing the detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the invention below.
Referring to the drawings in detail, and particularly to
Referring now to
Generally, as shown in
The braking member 28 can be any device capable of being slowed via frictional contact, such as a rotor, disc, or drum. By way of example, the braking member 28 is described herein as a rotor. In an exemplary embodiment, shown in
As shown in
The front ring member 34 of the braking member 28 has an outer edge 48, an inner edge 50, a first side 52, and a second side 54 opposite of the first side 50. The first side 52 and the second side 54 having a width W extending there between. The first side 52 has a frictional surface 56 for engaging the brake pad assemblies 30. It should be appreciated, however, that the width W can be configured to fit any braking system and the frictional surface 56 can be a wearing or substantially non-wearing surface. For example, the width W can be lengthened or shortened to accommodate larger or smaller brake pad assemblies 30.
The fins 36 of the braking member 28 extend between the first side 42 of the back plate 32 and the second side 54 of the front ring member 34. Each of the fins 36 include an outer end 58, an inner end 60, and a length L extending between the outer end 58 and the inner end 60. The front ring member 34, the fins 36, and the back plate 32 cooperate to form a plurality of flutes 62, only three of the flutes 62 have been labeled in
As shown in
As shown in
In an exemplary embodiment, the brake pad assemblies 30 further include a temperature sensor assembly 77 for measuring the temperature of the pads 74 and a pad wear detection assembly 78 positioned in a manner so as to determine when to replace the brake pad assembly 30. The temperature sensor assembly 77 can be any means suitable to determine the temperature of the pads 74 known in the art and capable of withstanding the temperature conditions of the pad 74, such as a thermocouple or a thermistor.
In an exemplary embodiment, the temperature sensor assembly 77 includes an insulator 80, a thermocouple 82 positioned within the insulator 80, and a thermocouple wire 84 connected to the thermocouple 82 and leading outside of the brake pad assembly 30 to a quick disconnect connector 86. The thermocouple 82 and insulator 80 are embedded within the pad 74 so as to determine the temperature of the pad 74. The thermocouple 82 and insulator 80 can be placed anywhere within the pad 74 so as to be able to determine the temperature of the pad 74. The thermocouple 82 can be provided as a closed loop circuit. The quick disconnect connector 86 allows for the temperature sensor assembly 77 to be easily connected and disconnected to the controller 20. It should be appreciated, however, that the thermocouple wire 84 can be extended to the thermocouple 82 in any manner so as to not interfere with the contact between the brake pad assembly 30 and the braking member 28 or interfere with the drive assembly 29 driving the brake pad assembly 30 via the backing plate 72 into the braking member 28. In an exemplary embodiment, the thermocouple wire 84 is run to the thermocouple 82 between the pad 74 and the backing plate 72. The thermocouple wire 84 can be any suitable material known in the art capable of carrying a temperature measurement to the controller 20, such as k-type wire, j-type wire, and fiber optic material.
The pad wear detection assembly 78 electronically determines when the pad 74 has been worn to a predetermined level indicating that it is time to replace the brake pad assembly 30. The pad wear detection assembly 78 includes a closed loop circuit 88 and wiring 90 connecting the closed loop circuit 88 to a quick disconnect connector 92, and ultimately to the controller 20. The closed loop circuit 88 is embedded in the pad 74 at a predetermined position. The predetermined position corresponds to a worn pad level where the brake pad assembly 30 needs to be replaced. When the pad 74 is worn to the predetermined position, the closed loop circuit 88 is destroyed, or opened, which sends a signal to the controller 20 via the wiring 90 that the brake pad assembly 30 needs to be replaced. The controller 20 then sends a signal perceivable by an operator to indicate that the brake pad needs to be replaced. For example, the signal emitted by the controller 20 can be a light signal or an audible signal. The wiring 90 can be any suitable material known in the art capable of carrying the signal to the controller 20, such as copper wire, k-type wire, or fiber optic material.
In an alternative embodiment, the temperature sensor assembly 77 provides the function of the pad wear detection assembly 78 in addition to the function of the temperature sensor assembly 77. The thermocouple 82 of the temperature sensor assembly 77 is embedded in the pad 74 at a predetermined position. When the pad 74 is worn to the predetermined position, the closed loop circuit of the thermocouple 82 is opened. The opened circuit of the thermocouple 82 stops transmitting the temperature to the controller 20 which signals the controller 20 that the brake pad assembly 30 needs to be replaced.
Referring now to
The fluid propulsion assembly 96 is preferably positioned between the first flow tube 94 and the second flow tube 98. The fluid propulsion assembly 96 propels fluid from the second flow tube 98 into the first flow tube 94, and thus across the braking member 28. The controller 20 activates the fluid propulsion assembly 96 when the temperature of the brake pad assemblies 30 exceeds a first predetermined temperature. The controller 20 deactivates the fluid propulsion assembly 96 when the temperature of the brake pad assemblies 30 falls below a second predetermined temperature. The first and second predetermined temperatures can be the temperature for a single brake pad assembly 30 in the braking system 18 or the average temperature of a plurality of the brake pad assemblies 30. The fluid propulsion assembly 96 can be any suitable device known in the art for propelling fluid, such as a fan or a pump, and the fluid can be any suitable fluid known in the art, such as air, water, nitrogen, and combinations thereof.
The second flow tube 98 extends from the fluid propulsion assembly 96 on the side opposite the first flow tube 94 to the housing 24 (
Another feature of the tension control system 16 is that the housing 24 of the braking system 18 is designed to facilitate replacement of the brake pad assemblies 30, to allow fluid to be passed across the braking member 28, and to safely encompass the braking system 18. As shown in
Each opening 112 of the housing 24 is provided with a protective member 114 to cover the openings 112 of the housing 24. For purposes of clarity, only three of the protective members 114 have been labeled in
The braking system 18 is constructed so that movement of the protective member 114 releases the brake pad assembly 30 to facilitate replacement of the brake pad assembly 30. As shown in
The protective member 114 is constructed to prevent operators from inserting body parts such as fingers into the housing 24 when the braking system 18 is operational and to allow the fluid to escape from the braking member 28 through the opening 112 of the housing 24. The engaging member 116 of the protective member 114 is received in the vertical slots 76 of the brake pad assemblies 30 to secure the brake pad assemblies 30 within the housing 24.
The first end 118 of the protective member 114 can be releasably connected to the housing 24 in any suitable manner known in the art, such as with a screw, bolt, clasp, quick-turn release knob, and the like. The second end 120 of the protective member 114 can be pivotably connected to the housing 24 so as to allow the protective member 114 to be opened by releasing the first end 118 from the housing 24 and pivoting the protective member 114 about the second end 120.
As shown in
The torque of the tension control system 16 is created by the brake pad drive assembly 29 forcing the brake pad assemblies 30 into engagement with the braking member 28. More specifically, the brake pad drive assembly 29 forces the wear surface of the pad 74 into the frictional surfaces 46 and 56 of the braking member 28. In an exemplary embodiment, best shown in
As shown in
As shown in
In another exemplary embodiment as shown in
The sleeve 146 and the push rod 148 have a substantially u-shaped cross-section although other configurations could be used. The push rod 148 preferably engages the securing member 158. For example, the push rod 148 can have a threaded bore 162 for threadably engaging the securing member 158. The push rod 148 is configured to be substantially positioned within the sleeve 146. The retainer plate 156, the rolling diaphragm 154, the piston 144, and the sleeve 146 all include through holes. The securing member 158 is positioned through the through holes to threadably engage the threaded cavity 162 of the push rod 148 thereby securing the parts of the driving assembly 128.
In an exemplary embodiment, the piston insert 150 can be made of (or include) a magnetic material so as to be able to grip the backing plate 72 of the brake pad assembly 30. The piston insert 150 having the magnetic properties can maintain the brake pad assemblies 30 in a semi-mounted position until the engaging member 116 of the protective member 114 engages the vertical slots 76 in the ear portion 75 of the brake pad assemblies 30. The piston insert 150 can be any suitable magnetic material known in the art, such as ceramic, iron, steel, and the like. The piston insert 150 can be held in the cavity 152 of the push rod 148 in any suitable manner known in the art, such as bonding, gluing, epoxy, and the like.
Referring now to
In the embodiment shown, the controller 20 receives input from the pad wear detection assemblies 78a-n, and the temperature sensor assemblies 77a-n. The controller 20 activates the fluid propulsion assembly 96 when the temperature of the brake pad assemblies 30 exceeds a first predetermined temperature. The controller 20 deactivates the fluid propulsion assembly 96 when the temperature of the brake pad assemblies 30 falls below a second predetermined temperature. The first and second predetermined temperatures can be the temperature for a single brake pad assembly 30 (or braking member 28) in the braking system 18 or the average temperature of a plurality of the brake pad assemblies 30 (or braking member 28). The difference between the first and second predetermined temperatures can be varied.
In addition, the controller monitors the temperature of the brake pad assemblies 30 and transmits the temperatures to an external tension controller 170, computer or the like for monitoring and providing more advanced robust tension control. The external computer/controller or PLC device having a PID algorithm for monitoring the tension in a web 12 and controlling the actuation force applied to the driving assembly 128 to control the tension in a web 12 at a predetermined setpoint can be programmed to modify the gain of the tension control system 16 to compensate for the change in gain of the braking system 18 due to changes in friction coefficient which are dependent on pad temperature. The tension afforded by the action of braking member 28 and pad assembly 30 typically depends on the temperature of the pad assembly 30 and the radius of the unwind of the tension control system 16 shown in
The controller 20 also receives input from the pad wear detection assemblies 78a-78n and outputs a signal to an output device 172 to notify an operator that a brake pad assembly 30 needs replacing. The output device can be adapted to output a signal in any manner perceivable by an operator. For example, the output device 172 can be a horn, display or light display (such as one or more LEDs). The controller 20 can also receive input from an input device 174, such as a keyboard, keypad, computer or the like to permit an operator to set or modify the predefined temperature range, clear the signal indicative of the pad 74 needing replacement or the like.
The controller 20 can be constructed of a logic device capable of executing instructions to provide the various functions discussed above. For example, suitable logic devices include a central processing unit with associated input/output devices (such as A/D circuits), a microcontroller, a digital signal processor, a field programmable gate array or the like.
An alternative embodiment of the present invention is a method of replacing the brake pad assemblies 30 of the braking system 18. In general, the method includes opening the protective member 114 covering the opening 112 in the housing 24 to release the brake pad assemblies 30. The method further includes removing the brake pad assemblies 30 from the housing 24 through the opening 112 of the housing 24 and inserting a replacement brake pad assembly 30 into the housing 24 through the opening 112 of the housing 24. Finally, the protective member 114 is closed over the opening 112 of the housing 24 and the engaging member 116 of the protective member 114 engages the vertical slots 76 of the brake pad assemblies 30 to maintain the brake pad assemblies 30 in a mounted position.
In an exemplary embodiment, the method of replacing the brake pad assemblies 30 can include disconnecting the quick disconnect connectors 86 and 92 of the temperature sensor assembly 77 and the pad wear detection assembly 78 embedded in each brake pad assembly 30 prior to removing each brake pad assembly 30 from the housing 24. The method can also include connecting the quick disconnect connectors 86 and 92 of the temperature sensor assembly 77 and the pad wear detection assembly 78 embedded in each brake pad assembly 30 after each replacement brake pad assembly 30 has been inserted into the retainer area 142 of the caliper 126 and held in a semi-mounted position by the magnetic piston insert 150 of the driving assembly 128. In an exemplary embodiment, the quick disconnect connectors 86 and 92 are disposed adjacent to the opening 112 of the housing 24.
Changes may be made in the steps or the sequence of steps of the methods and the combination and arrangement of parts or elements described herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Other features and advantages of the present invention are apparent from the detailed description when read in conjunction with the following claims.
