Disc brake pad mounting and retention system and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9816574-B2
Application number	US-201715402755-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 10, 2017
Priority date	Aug 17, 2012
Publication date	Nov 14, 2017
Grant date	Nov 14, 2017

Abstract

A system and method are provided for mounting, removing and retaining brake pads in disc brakes, such as air-operated disc brakes utilized on commercial vehicles, in a manner which does not require the use of separate brake pad retaining devices while providing positive retention of the brake pad. A preferred embodiment includes a brake caliper mount having brake pad abutment surfaces having radially-oriented and lateral grooves which permit a brake pad with corresponding projections on is lateral sides to be inserted through an opening of the brake caliper into the radially-oriented grooves until the backing plate projections are aligned with the lateral groove, and advancing the brake actuator behind the brake pad to place the brake pad in an operating position in which the actuator prevents the brake pad from realigning with the radially-oriented grooves until the actuator is retracted to permit brake pad extraction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A disc brake, comprising:
a brake disc;
a brake caliper arranged to straddle the brake disc;
a brake caliper mount arranged to receive the brake caliper; and
a brake pad having a radially-outer side facing away from a rotation axis of the brake disc, a radially-inward side and opposing lateral sides between the radially-outer and radially-inner sides,
wherein
the brake caliper mount includes brake pad abutment portions arranged to limit motion of the brake pad in a circumferential direction of the brake disc, each brake pad abutment portion including a radially-oriented brake pad insertion feature and a lateral brake pad receiving feature oriented parallel to a rotation axis of the brake disc,
the brake caliper includes a brake pad opening sufficiently wide in the circumferential direction of the brake disc to permit the brake pad to pass through the caliper into the radially-oriented brake pad insertion features without removal of the caliper from the caliper mount,
the brake pad at both lateral sides includes a pad retention feature of the brake pad corresponding to the lateral brake pad receiving feature at a respective adjacent one of the brake pad abutment portions, and
the radially-oriented brake pad insertion feature and the lateral brake pad receiving feature at each brake pad abutment portion are arranged to permit the brake pad to move radially when the respective pad retention features of the brake pad are aligned with the radially-oriented brake pad insertion features of the brake pad abutment portions and to move axially toward or away from the brake disc while being retained within the disc brake when the brake pad is not aligned with the radially-oriented brake pad insertion features of the brake pad abutment portions.

2. The disc brake of claim 1 , wherein
a brake application device of the brake caliper is configured to prevent the brake pad from being aligned with the radially-oriented brake pad insertion features of the brake pad abutment portions when the brake application device is advanced toward the brake disc.

3. The disc brake of claim 2 , wherein
the brake application device is configured to permit the brake pad to move in a radially-inward or radially-outward direction via with the radially-oriented brake pad insertion features of the brake pad abutment portions when the brake application device is withdrawn a sufficient distance away from the brake disc.

4. The disc brake of claim 1 , wherein
the retention features of the brake pad each have a radially outer upper surface arranged at a non-perpendicular angle to the respective lateral side of the brake pad.

5. The disc brake of claim 4 , wherein
the non-perpendicular angle of the radially outer upper surface of the pad retention features of the brake pad is an obtuse angle.

6. The disc brake of claim 4 , wherein
the pad retention features of the brake pad and a respective one of the brake pad abutment portion lateral brake pad receiving features at each have complementary surfaces arranged at the non-perpendicular angle to provide non-point contact between the pad retention features of the brake pad and the respective one of the lateral brake pad receiving features.

7. The disc brake of claim 6 , wherein
the non-point contact is one of linear or planar contact.

Assignees

• Bendix Spicer Foundation Brake

Inventors

• Plantan Ronald S
• Radhakrishnan Harish
• Wolf Dennis A
• Lantz Richard L
• Roberts Will E
• Bell Steven C

Classifications

• Y10T29/49822

  by applying force · CPC title

• F16D65/0068

  Brake calipers · CPC title

• Y10T29/49778

  with aligning, guiding, or instruction · CPC title

• B23P19/02

  for connecting objects by press fit or for detaching same (B23P19/10 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F16D65/095 Primary

  Pivots or supporting members therefor · CPC title