Patent ID: 8437934

Claim:
A device for detecting the temperature and/or wear of a brake ( 10 ) or clutch device, comprising: at least one friction lining ( 14 ) frictionally engageable with a rotatably mounted brake element ( 12 ) in order to exert a braking effect or clutch effect; at least two electric conductors ( 20 , 22 ) each made of a different material that are directly embedded in the friction lining ( 14 ) and electrically insulated from each other solely by material forming said friction lining, said at least two electric conductors being electrically conductively connected to each other by physical contact with the brake element ( 12 ) in order to form a thermocouple when the brake element ( 12 ) is frictionally engaged with the at least one friction lining ( 14 ), said at least two electric conductors ( 20 , 22 ) arranged in the friction lining ( 14 ) so as to wear together with the friction lining during operation of the brake or clutch; and an electric oscillating circuit coupled to the at least two electric conductors ( 20 , 22 ) to measure the wear of the friction lining.