Cost-Effective Approaches of Circumferential Electro Wedge Brake for Reducing Unbalance-Wears

Abstract

xisting hydraulic braking systems in the vehicle is composed of the brake pedal, the hydraulic booster and the hydraulic caliper. The driver transmits one’s breaking intent through the brake pedal stroke and force. The hydraulic booster can amplify the pedal force, only when the engine operates. The hydraulic caliper is composed of cylinders, pistons. There are also hydraulic pipes from the booster to the caliper. Currently, X-By-Wire technology is researched actively due to the exhaustion of fuel and the regulation of CO2. As a chain of this trend, the e-pedal and an electric mechanical brake (EMB) also are highlighted. At the beginning of EMB development, high-torque and high-power motors are required in order to implement the existing hydraulic calipers’ clamping force. This has some limits as the need of big spaces and high costs. Then the electro wedge brake (EWB) is launching with self-reinforcement features of the wedge structure. EWB can generate big clamping forces with small size and low-torque motors with good braking-efficiency. In recent, the disc’s circumferential face clamping one has been researched, for better heat-emission ability and better braking-efficiency compared to the existing disc’s lateral face clamping method. But, this circumferential face clamping method can have worse unbalance-wear features compared to lateral face clamping one. In this study, the authors describe their circumferential EWB concepts, the method for reducing unbalance-wear feature of circumferential EWB, and the cost-effective implementation of circumferential EWB, in particular focused on nonlinear counter-wedge profile which is appropriate to reduce unbalance-wear.