Vehicle and brake pad wear sensor thereof

Technical Field

The present application relates to a vehicle and a brake pad wear sensor thereof.

Background Art

Braking is often required during running of a vehicle, and a brake pad is worn due to constant friction, such that the thickness thereof becomes smaller and smaller. When the thickness of the brake pad is less than a certain limit value, the brake pad needs to be replaced in time to avoid safety risks. The existing vehicle does not have the function of monitoring the wear of the brake pad, and needs to be regularly inspected by maintenance personnel, such that the wear condition of the brake pad is often not found in time; in addition, heat is generated in the friction process of the brake pad, and since the driver cannot find in time that the temperature of the brake pad is too high, the corresponding cooling measures cannot be taken for the brake pad, which inevitably shortens the service life of the brake pad.

Summary of the Utility Model

The object of the present application is to provide a vehicle and a brake pad wear sensor thereof to overcome the deficiencies of the prior art.

To this end, according to an aspect of the present application, provided is a brake pad wear sensor comprising a sensing unit and a body unit fixedly connected to the sensing unit, wherein the sensing unit further comprises a wear sensing member, and the extension directions of the body unit and the sensing unit are at an angle to each other, the angle being greater than 0 degrees and less than 180 degrees.

According to a feasible embodiment, the wear sensing member is an electrical

l conductor having a resistance value, with the resistance value thereof linearly changing as the volume decreases.

According to a feasible embodiment, the extension directions of the body unit and the sensing unit are substantially perpendicular to each other.

According to a feasible embodiment, the sensing unit further comprises a temperature sensing member at least partially arranged on an outer periphery of the wear sensing member.

According to a feasible embodiment, the temperature sensing member is made of a thermosensitive material, and the resistance value of the temperature sensing member increases as the temperature increases.

According to a feasible embodiment, the wear sensing member and the temperature sensing member are the same element, which is a resistor element with a resistance value sensitively varying with the temperature and the volume.

According to a feasible embodiment, the body unit comprises an electrical conductor and a cover layer covering the electrical conductor, and the electrical conductor is electrically connected to the sensing unit.

According to a feasible embodiment, the electrical conductor is electrically connected to the sensing member.

According to a feasible embodiment, the sensing member and the electrical conductor of the body unit are integrally formed and made of the same material.

According to a feasible embodiment, the sensing member and the electrical conductor of the body unit are respectively separate elements and made of the same material or different materials, and the sensing member establishes an electrical connection with the body unit by means of welding, plug-in connection, or electrically conductive adhesive bonding.

According to another aspect of the present application, provided is a vehicle comprising a brake disc, at least one brake pad and a brake pad supporting device, with one side of the brake pad being a friction braking face and the other side being a fitting face, and the brake pad supporting device being fixed to the fitting face of the brake pad to support the brake pad, characterized in that the vehicle further comprises a brake pad wear sensor as described above. According to a feasible embodiment, the brake pad wear sensor is at least partially mounted on the brake pad of the vehicle, the fitting face of the brake pad is provided with a blind hole, and the brake pad wear sensor is at least partially arranged in the blind hole of the brake pad of the vehicle.

According to a feasible embodiment, the brake pad supporting device is provided with a fitting slot, the sensing unit extends into the brake pad, and the body unit is fixedly mounted in the fitting slot of the brake pad supporting device.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The foregoing and other aspects of the present application will be more fully appreciated and understood by means of the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 depicts a schematic cross-sectional diagram of a brake pad wear sensor of a vehicle mounted on a vehicle brake.

Fig. 2 depicts a schematic diagram in another view of the brake pad wear sensor as shown in Fig. 1 mounted on the vehicle brake.

Fig. 3 depicts a perspective structural schematic diagram of a brake pad wear sensor according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 4 depicts a schematic diagram of the connection relationship between the brake pad wear sensor as shown in Fig. 1 and other devices.

Fig. 5 depicts a schematic diagram of the signal relationship of the brake pad wear sensor as shown in Fig. 1.

Detailed Description of Embodiments

A brake pad wear sensor of the present application will be described below.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 4, the brake pad wear sensor of the present application is mounted on a brake pad of a vehicle for detecting wear of the brake pad of the vehicle in real time. The brake pad wear sensor of the present application is suitable for a vehicle that requires a brake pad.

The vehicle comprises several wheels and a brake connected to each of the wheels, and the brakes can slow down or stop the rotation of the wheels when a driver depresses a brake pedal (not shown). The brake generally comprises a brake disc 1, at least one brake pad 2, a brake pad supporting device 3, and a brake calliper (not shown) which can press the brake pad against the brake disc, with one side of the brake pad 2 being a friction braking face 21 and the other side being a fitting face 22, and the brake pad supporting device 3 being fixed to the fitting face 22 of the brake pad 2 to support the brake pad 2. When braking, the friction braking face 21 of the brake pad 2 comes into contact with the brake disc 1, and the friction between the brake pad 2 and the brake disc 1 slows down or stops the rotation of the brake disc 1 and then slows down or stops the rotation of the wheel. The friction between the brake pad 2 and the brake disc 1 gradually wears the brake pad 2.

A brake pad wear sensor 100 of an embodiment of the present application is at least partially mounted on the brake pad 2 of the vehicle for monitoring the wear of the brake pad 2, and can determine in time whether to keep using the brake pad or replace it. In order to be fitted for mounting, the brake pad wear sensor 100 according to an embodiment of the present application is provided with a blind hole 200 in the fitting face 22 of the brake pad 2. The vehicle brake pad wear sensor 100 of this embodiment comprises a sensing unit 1 10, which is at least partially arranged in the blind hole 200 of the brake pad 2 of the vehicle and is fixed in the blind hole 200 by means of retainer fixing, adhesive fixing, screw fixing or thread fixing. The sensing unit 110 comprises a wear sensing member 111. The wear sensing member 111 is an electrical conductor having a resistance value, with the resistance value thereof linearly changing as the volume decreases to monitor the wear condition of the brake pad. In this embodiment, the resistance value of the wear sensing member 111 linearly increases as the volume decreases. Optionally, the sensing unit 110 further comprises a temperature sensing member 112 made of a thermosensitive material, and the resistance value of the temperature sensing member 112 increases as the temperature increases to monitor the temperature condition of the brake pad. In this embodiment, the temperature sensing member 112 is a thermosensitive insulating material, is at least partially arranged on the outer periphery of the wear sensing member 111, and has a function of monitoring the temperature of the brake pad as well as a function of insulated protection for the wear sensing member 111. In other embodiments, the wear sensing member 111 and the temperature sensing member 112 are implemented as the same element, such as a resistor element with a resistance value sensitively varying with the temperature and the volume.

The brake pad wear sensor 100 of an embodiment of the present application further comprises a body unit 120 fixedly connected to the sensing unit 1 10, the body unit 120 comprising an electrical conductor 121 and a cover layer 122 covering the electrical conductor, and the electrical conductor 121 being electrically connected to the sensing unit 110, in particular, the electrical conductor 121 being electrically connected to the sensing member 111. Preferably, the sensing member 111 and the electrical conductor 121 of the body unit 120 are integrally formed and made of the same material. Optionally, the sensing member 111 and the electrical conductor 121 of the body unit 120 are respectively separate elements and made of the same material or different materials, and the sensing member 111 establishes an electrical connection with the body unit 120 by means of welding, plug-in connection, or electrically conductive adhesive bonding.

The brake pad wear sensor 100 of an embodiment of the present application further comprises a connecting unit 130 electrically connected to the sensing unit 110 via the body unit 120 to transmit a detection signal from the brake pad wear sensor 100 to an electronic control unit 6 of the vehicle. An output terminal of the electronic control unit 6 is electrically connected to an alarm device 7. The alarm device 7 may be any existing alarm device, which will not be described here. The connecting unit 130 is electrically connected to the body unit 120 by means of soldering, plug-in connection or electrically conductive adhesive bonding.

The body unit 120 and the sensing unit 110 of the brake pad wear sensor 100 of an embodiment of the present application are at an angle to each other according to the actual installation space and the environment, the angle being greater than 0 degrees and less than 180 degrees. Preferably, the body unit 120 and the sensing unit 110 of the brake pad wear sensor 100 of an embodiment of the present application are substantially perpendicular to each other, the brake pad supporting device 3 is provided with a fitting slot 30, the sensing unit 110 extends into the brake pad 2 and is substantially perpendicular to the plane where the brake pad supporting device 3 is located, and the body unit 120 is fixedly mounted in the fitting slot 30 of the brake pad supporting device 3. An advantage of such an embodiment is that the wear sensor 100 does not protrude beyond the surface of the brake pad supporting device, such that the appearance of the existing brake is not affected, the volume of the existing brake is not additionally increased, and the brake pad wear sensor 100 can be mounted and fixed more reliably. In other embodiments, the body unit 120 substantially perpendicular to the sensing unit 110 may also be mounted on the brake pad 2. Preferably, the brake pad supporting device 3 is provided with the fitting slot 30 only on the surface thereof facing the fitting face of the brake pad 2, such that clamping force between the brake pad 2 and the brake pad supporting device 3 can be further additionally used to reliably mount and fix the brake pad wear sensor 100.

Referring to Fig. 5, the correspondence between the resistance of the sensing unit 110 and the degree of wear thereof is depicted, where the horizontal axis represents the degree of wear of the sensing unit 1 10, and the vertical axis represents the resistance of the sensing unit 110. During the operation of the brake pad, when the friction braking face of the brake pad is worn to a certain thickness, the sensing unit 110 will start to be worn. After the wear sensing member 111 is worn, the volume will decrease, and since the resistance value of the wear sensing member 111 linearly increases as the volume thereof decreases, a wear detection signal detected by the wear sensor 100 is substantially as shown by a straight line segment 11 in Fig. 5. The wear detection signal is transmitted to the electronic control unit 6 of the vehicle, and the electronic control unit monitors the resistance value of the wear sensing member 111. When the resistance value of the wear sensing member 111 exceeds a certain threshold, the electronic control unit 6 controls the alarm device 7 such that same gives an alarm, indicating that the brake pad needs to be replaced.

During the operation of the brake pad, the temperature change of the brake pad is transmitted to the temperature sensing member 112 by means of heat transfer. When the temperature sensing member 112 is heated, the resistance value thereof increases, and the temperature detection signal detected by the wear sensor 100 is substantially as shown by a curve segment 12 in Fig. 5. When the change of the temperature detection signal detected by the wear sensor 100 exceeds a certain threshold or a certain amplitude, the electronic control unit 6 controls the alarm device 7 such that same gives an alarm, indicating that the temperature of the brake pad is too high.

When water enters the blind hole 200 of the brake pad 2, the wear sensor 100 may have a situation where the resistance value is greatly reduced. At this time, a water ingress detection signal detected by the wear sensor 100 is as shown by a concave line segment 13 in Fig. 5. When the duration of the water ingress detection signal detected by the wear sensor 100 exceeds a certain threshold or a certain amplitude, the electronic control unit 6 controls the alarm device 7 such that same gives an alarm, indicating that water enters the brake disc, and the wear sensor 100 is faulty due to water ingress.

A vehicle of the present application comprises the brake pad wear sensor 100 as described above.

The vehicle of the present application and the brake pad wear sensor 100 thereof have various functions of detecting the wear, temperature and water ingress conditions of the brake disc, and have a simple structure and low costs.

While the present application has been shown and described on the basis of specific embodiments, the present application is not limited to the details as shown. Rather, the various details of the present application can be modified within the scope of the claims and their equivalents.