Patent Description:
Referring to <FIG>, an existing brake assembly comprises a brake disk <NUM>, a brake caliper <NUM>, a caliper support <NUM> and a mounting bracket <NUM>, wherein the brake disk <NUM> is securely connected to an axle (not shown), the brake caliper <NUM> is mounted on the caliper support <NUM> in such a way as to be capable of performing a clamping action, the mounting bracket <NUM> is securely mounted on the vehicle body, and the caliper support <NUM> is securely connected to the mounting bracket <NUM>. In the prior art, the caliper support <NUM> and mounting bracket <NUM> are fixed together by bolts.

<CIT> discloses a brake mounting for determining a measurement variable for an acting brake force or frictional force on a disk brake of a motor vehicle of the type having a caliper acting on friction linings which frictionally engage a brake disc and which can be attached to the motor vehicle. The brake mounting comprises at least two lining guide rails disposed across the brake disk and on which the friction linings on both sides of the brake disk are guided so as to be movable to a limited extent in the axial z axis direction of the brake disk, and a sensor device, by means of which an x axis displacement of at least one of the lining guide rails, caused by a brake force effect in a direction perpendicular to the axial z axis direction of the brake disk is measured.

<CIT> discloses a braking torque detection device for detecting a braking torque applied to a wheel by a brake mechanism. The braking torque detection device comprises at least one sensor comprising a sensor element on or within a brake component of the brake mechanism, wherein the brake component exhibits elastic deformation or displacement under a condition that the wheel is subjected to braking torque from the brake mechanism. The sensor element is configured to deform as a result of the deformation or displacement of the brake component.

<CIT> discloses a brake holder having two lining guide rails overlapping a brake disk, on which friction linings arranged on both sides of the brake disk are displaceably guided in the axial direction of the brake disk in a limited manner. A sensor device is provided, by which a displacement of the brake holder induced by the action of braking force is measured in a direction different from the displacement direction that is perpendicular to the axial direction of the brake disk.

In view of the above, the present invention provides a torque sensor and a brake assembly, which are convenient to install.

First of all, according to one aspect of the present invention, it provides a torque sensor, having a sensor head and a transmission part, wherein the sensor head comprises a base, a sensor chip element and a casing, the casing being substantially columnar, and the casing having a receiving space provided therein for receiving the base, the sensor chip element and at least a portion of the transmission part; the casing is made of a high-strength metal; a first fixing end, a second fixing end and a deformation part located between the first fixing end and second fixing end are formed on an outer surface of the casing, for the purpose of mounting the torque sensor on a vehicle body, and the deformation part is magnetic, and configured to generate a magnetic field.

According to a feasible embodiment, the casing is made of high-strength alloy steel, high-strength stainless steel or universal high-strength bolt material.

According to a feasible embodiment, an external thread is provided on an outer surface of at least one of the first fixing end and second fixing end; or external threads are provided on outer surfaces of both the first fixing end and the second fixing end.

According to a feasible embodiment, the casing further comprises at least one protruding shoulder, disposed between the first fixing end and second fixing end; a sunken region is provided between the first shoulder and second shoulder, thereby forming the deformation part, the depth of the sunken region being related to the deformation that the deformation part is capable of experiencing.

According to a feasible embodiment, the casing comprises a first shoulder and a second shoulder, wherein the first shoulder is close to the first fixing end, and the second shoulder is close to the second fixing end.

According to a feasible embodiment, the sensor chip element is securely disposed on the base, and is a torque information acquisition component in the torque sensor.

According to a feasible embodiment, the sensor chip element is an integrated circuit element having the function of sensing a change in magnetic field; the sensor chip element is close to the deformation part, and configured to detect a change in magnetic field caused by minute deformation experienced by the deformation part when subjected to a force, and convert the change in magnetic field to an electrical signal, for example a voltage signal, a resistance signal and/or a capacitance signal, corresponding to the size of a torque acting on the torque sensor.

According to a feasible embodiment, the casing sensor chip element is provided with a pin, and the transmission part is connected to the pin of the sensor chip element.

In addition, according to another aspect of the present invention, a brake assembly is also provided, comprising a brake disk, a brake caliper, a caliper support and a mounting bracket, wherein the brake disk is securely connected to an axle, the brake caliper is movably mounted on the caliper support, the mounting bracket is securely mounted on a vehicle body, and the caliper support is securely connected to the mounting bracket; one or more of the torque sensor as claimed in any one of claims <NUM> - <NUM> is fitted between the caliper support and the mounting bracket, securely connecting the caliper support and the mounting bracket.

According to a feasible embodiment, the caliper support is provided with a first mounting hole, the mounting bracket is provided with a second mounting hole, the first fixing end is screwed into the first mounting hole of the caliper support, and the second fixing end is inserted into the second mounting hole of the mounting bracket.

According to a feasible embodiment, corresponding to the provision of an external thread on an outer surface of at least one of the first fixing end and second fixing end, a corresponding at least one of the first mounting hole and second mounting hole is provided with an internal thread, for mating with the external thread; or internal threads are provided in both the first mounting hole and the second mounting hole, for mating with corresponding external threads of the first fixing end and second fixing end respectively.

According to a feasible embodiment, the mounting bracket comprises a bottom face, and a supporting face protruding inside the second mounting hole, the supporting face being configured to support the second shoulder; the distance between the supporting face and the bottom face is substantially equal to the distance between a bottom face of the first shoulder and a top face of the second shoulder; the first shoulder is configured to abut a surface of the caliper support, the second shoulder is configured to abut the supporting face, and a bush is provided between the second fixing end and the second mounting hole.

According to the invention, the torque sensor of the present utility model is fitted between the caliper support and the mounting bracket, and can not only be used to detect the size of braking torque, but can also securely connect the caliper support and mounting bracket together in place of a bolt in the prior art; there is no need to alter the structure of the existing brake assembly, installation is convenient, the overall cost is low, and detected signals are stable and reliable.

The technical solution of the present invention will be described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments, but these drawings have been designed merely with the aim of providing an explanation, and are only intended to conceptually illustrate the structure here, so did not need to be drawn to scale.

Referring to <FIG>, the three-dimensional structure of an embodiment of the torque sensor according to the present invention is shown schematically as a whole. In this embodiment, the torque sensor <NUM> is provided with a sensor head and a transmission part <NUM>; a detailed explanation is given below by means of this embodiment.

The sensor head of the torque sensor <NUM> in this embodiment comprises a base <NUM>, a sensor chip element <NUM> and a casing <NUM>. A receiving space is provided in the casing <NUM>, for receiving the base <NUM>, the sensor chip element <NUM> and at least a portion of the transmission part <NUM>. The casing <NUM> is made of a high-strength metal, for example high-strength alloy steel, high-strength stainless steel or universal high-strength bolt material, etc. The casing <NUM> is substantially columnar, and comprises a first fixing end <NUM>, a second fixing end <NUM> and a deformation part <NUM> which are integrally formed. The first fixing end <NUM> and second fixing end <NUM> are used for mounting the torque sensor <NUM> on the vehicle body; the deformation part <NUM> is magnetic, and is configured to generate a magnetic field. The use of the casing <NUM> is not restricted by the vehicle model/motor vehicle model.

Preferably, an external thread is provided on an outer surface of at least one of the first fixing end <NUM> and second fixing end <NUM>. In this embodiment, external threads are provided on outer surfaces of both the first fixing end <NUM> and the second fixing end <NUM>, in order to facilitate the mounting of the torque sensor <NUM> on the vehicle body.

The casing <NUM> comprises a first shoulder <NUM> and a second shoulder <NUM>, both being disposed between the first fixing end <NUM> and second fixing end <NUM>, wherein the first shoulder <NUM> is close to the first fixing end <NUM>, and the second shoulder <NUM> is close to the second fixing end <NUM>. A sunken region is formed between the first shoulder <NUM> and second shoulder <NUM>, thereby forming the deformation part <NUM>; the sunken region facilitates deformation when subjected to a force. The depth of the sunken region is related to the deformation that the deformation part <NUM> is capable of experiencing. The depth of the sunken region is set according to the deformation requirements of the deformation part <NUM>.

The sensor chip element <NUM> is securely disposed on the base <NUM>, and is a torque information acquisition component in the torque sensor. The sensor chip element <NUM> is for example an integrated circuit element having the function of sensing a change in magnetic field. The sensor chip element <NUM> is close to the deformation part <NUM>, and configured to detect a change in magnetic field caused by minute deformation experienced by the deformation part <NUM> when subjected to a force, and convert the change in magnetic field to an electrical signal, for example a voltage signal, a resistance signal and/or a capacitance signal, corresponding to the size of a torque acting on the torque sensor <NUM>.

The sensor chip element <NUM> is provided with a pin; the transmission part <NUM> is connected to the pin of the sensor chip element <NUM>, in order to form an electrical pathway for exchanging signals with the sensor chip element <NUM>, and thereby send out torque information detected by the torque sensor <NUM>. In this embodiment, the transmission part <NUM> in the torque sensor <NUM> takes the form of a cable harness, but it should be understood that in actual applications, the transmission part <NUM> could also employ for example a rigid plug-connector, various types of terminal or another part, component or device, etc., in order to provide the abovementioned transmission channel. In this embodiment, the transmission part <NUM> is directly connected to the pin of the sensor chip element <NUM>; in other embodiments, the transmission part <NUM> may be connected to the pin of the sensor chip element <NUM> via an intermediate connection member (not shown). In order to form a more sturdy overall structure, an injection molding process for example or another method may be used to join the base <NUM> and the transmission part <NUM> to form a single body.

In use, another end of the transmission part <NUM> may be connected to one or two electronic control units.

A brake assembly comprises a brake disk <NUM>, a brake caliper <NUM>, a caliper support <NUM> and a mounting bracket <NUM>, wherein the brake disk <NUM> is securely connected to an axle (not shown), the brake caliper <NUM> is mounted on the caliper support <NUM> in such a way as to be capable of performing a clamping action, the mounting bracket <NUM> is securely mounted on the vehicle body, and the caliper support <NUM> is securely connected to the mounting bracket <NUM>. The caliper support <NUM> is provided with a first mounting hole <NUM>, and the mounting bracket <NUM> is provided with a second mounting hole <NUM>, for the purpose of securely connecting the caliper support <NUM> and the mounting bracket <NUM>. The numbers of first mounting holes <NUM> and second mounting holes <NUM> are set according to actual mounting requirements. The mounting bracket <NUM> comprises a bottom face <NUM>, and a supporting face <NUM> protruding inside the second mounting hole <NUM>; the supporting face <NUM> is configured to support the second shoulder <NUM>. The distance between the supporting face <NUM> and the bottom face <NUM> is substantially equal to the distance between a bottom face of the first shoulder <NUM> and a top face of the second shoulder <NUM>. Preferably, corresponding to the provision of the external thread on the outer surface of at least one of the first fixing end <NUM> and second fixing end <NUM>, a corresponding at least one of the first mounting hole <NUM> and second mounting hole <NUM> is provided with an internal thread, for mating with the external thread. In this embodiment, internal threads are provided in both the first mounting hole <NUM> and the second mounting hole <NUM>, for mating with the corresponding external threads of the first fixing end <NUM> and the second fixing end <NUM> respectively.

When assembly is performed, one or more torque sensors <NUM> according to the present invention are fitted between the caliper support <NUM> and the mounting bracket <NUM>, instead of one or more bolts in the prior art. Specifically, the first fixing end <NUM> is securely inserted into the first mounting hole <NUM> of the caliper support <NUM>, such that the first shoulder <NUM> abuts a surface of the caliper support <NUM>, and the second fixing end <NUM> is securely inserted into the second mounting hole <NUM> of the mounting bracket <NUM>, such that the second shoulder <NUM> abuts the supporting face <NUM>. In this embodiment, the first fixing end <NUM> is screwed into the first mounting hole <NUM> of the caliper support <NUM>, the second fixing end <NUM> is inserted into the second mounting hole <NUM> of the mounting bracket <NUM>, the second fixing end <NUM> is fixed in the second mounting hole <NUM> by means of a bush <NUM>, and a nut <NUM> is then screwed onto the second fixing end <NUM>, thereby connecting the caliper support <NUM> and the mounting bracket <NUM> securely together.

The brake assembly further comprises brake pads arranged on the brake caliper <NUM>, piston assemblies and other structures; the structure and operating principles of the brake assembly are familiar to those skilled in the art, so are not described superfluously here.

In use, when the brake caliper <NUM> applies a braking force to the brake disk <NUM>, the brake disk <NUM> subjects the caliper support <NUM> and mounting bracket <NUM> to a tangential force, which causes the deformation part <NUM> of the sensor head between the caliper support <NUM> and the mounting bracket <NUM> to experience minute deformation, causing a change in magnetic field; the sensor chip element <NUM> detects the change in magnetic field caused by the minute deformation, and converts the change in magnetic field to an electrical signal, for example a voltage signal, a resistance signal and/or a capacitance signal, thereby detecting the size of the braking torque acting on the brake disk <NUM>.

According to the design concept of the present invention, the torque sensor <NUM> of the present invention is fitted between the caliper support <NUM> and the mounting bracket <NUM>, and can not only be used to detect the size of braking torque, but can also securely connect the caliper support <NUM> and mounting bracket <NUM> together in place of a bolt in the prior art; there is no need to alter the structure of the existing brake assembly, installation is convenient, the overall cost is low, and detected signals are stable and reliable.

Claim 1:
A torque sensor (<NUM>) configured to be fitted between a caliper support (<NUM>) and a mounting bracket (<NUM>) of a brake assembly, and to securely connect the caliper support (<NUM>) and the mounting bracket (<NUM>), the torque sensor (<NUM>) having a sensor head and a transmission part (<NUM>), wherein the sensor head comprises a base (<NUM>), a sensor chip element (<NUM>) and a casing (<NUM>), the casing (<NUM>) being substantially columnar, the casing (<NUM>) having a receiving space provided therein for receiving the base (<NUM>), the sensor chip element (<NUM>) and at least a portion of the transmission part (<NUM>), and the sensor chip element (<NUM>) being electrically connected to the transmission part (<NUM>), wherein the casing (<NUM>) is made of a high-strength metal, and the casing (<NUM>) comprises a first fixing end (<NUM>), a second fixing end (<NUM>) and a deformation part (<NUM>) located between the first fixing end (<NUM>) and second fixing end (<NUM>), wherein the first fixing end (<NUM>) and second fixing end (<NUM>) are configured to be used to securely connect the caliper support (<NUM>) and the mounting bracket (<NUM>), and the deformation part (<NUM>) is magnetic, and configured to generate a magnetic field.