BRAKE PAD FOR A BICYCLE OR A MOTORBIKE DISC BRAKE ASSEMBLY

Abstract

The present invention relates to brake pad for a bicycle or a motorbike disc brake assembly comprising: a backing plate (1) having a front surface (2) and a rear surface (3), a friction pad (4) disposed on the front surface (2) or the rear surface (3) of the backing plate (1), and a backing plate extension (5) extending from the backing plate (1), wherein the backing plate extension (5) is provided with at least one cutout, wherein the at least one cutout has an inner wall surrounding the cutout, and wherein at least a part of the inner wall is provided at an inclination other than 90° with respect to the area of the backing plate extension (5) adjacent to the cutout.

Claims

1. A brake pad for a bicycle or a motorbike disc brake assembly comprising: a backing plate having a front surface and a rear surface, a friction pad disposed on the front surface or the rear surface of the backing plate, and a backing plate extension extending from the backing plate, wherein the backing plate extension is provided with at least one cutout, wherein the at least one cutout has an inner wall surrounding the cutout, and wherein at least a part of the inner wall is provided at an inclination other than 90° with respect to the area of the backing plate extension adjacent to the cutout.

2. The brake pad of claim 1, wherein the backing plate extension is provided with a plurality of cutouts and wherein each cutout has a respective inner wall surrounding the cutout, and wherein at least a part of each respective inner wall is provided at an inclination other than 90° with respect to the area of the backing plate extension adjacent to the respective cutout.

3. The brake pad of claim 1, wherein the complete inner wall is provided at an inclination other than 90° with respect to the area of the backing plate extension adjacent to the cutout.

4. The brake pad of claim 2, wherein each complete inner wall is provided at an inclination other than 90° with respect to the area of the backing plate extension adjacent to the respective cutout.

5. The brake pad of claim 1, wherein the backing plate extension is planar.

6. The brake pad of claim 3, wherein the inclination of the inner wall is the same.

7. The brake pad of claim 2, wherein the backing plate extension is planar and/or wherein the inclination of at least a part of each inner wall is the same.

8. The brake pad of claim 1, wherein the inclination is from 30° to 60°, more preferably from 40° to 50° and most preferably of about 45° with respect to the backing plate extension.

9. The brake pad of claim 1, wherein the cutout has a shape selected from circular, elliptic, triangular, rectangular, rhombic, pentagonal, hexagonal and polygonal.

10. The brake pad of claim 1, wherein the backing plate and/or the backing plate extension has/have a thickness from 1.5 mm to 2.0 mm, more preferably from 1.5 mm to 1.9 mm and most preferably from 1.5 mm to 1.8 mm.

11. The brake pad of claim 1, wherein the backing plate and the backing plate extension are coplanar and have the same thickness or wherein the backing plate and/or the backing plate extension are slightly curved.

12. The brake pad of claim 1, wherein the backing plate and/or the backing plate extension are made of metal, preferably of steel.

13. The brake pad of claim 1, wherein the backing plate is substantially rectangular and the friction pad takes up about 70% of the front surface or rear surface thereof.

14. The brake pad of claim 1, wherein the backing plate extension includes a connecting bolt hole for mounting the brake pad to a brake caliper.

15. The brake pad of claim 1, wherein the inclination of the inner wall of the cutout is such that the opposing sections of the inner wall of the cutout only partially face each other or do not face each other at all.

16. The brake pad of claim 1, wherein the inclination of the inner wall of the cutout is such that the inner wall has a section which directs the radiation heat in part or fully away from the opposing section of the inner wall.

17. The brake pad of claim 1, wherein the backing plate extension extends out of a brake caliper in the mounted state thereof in a radial extension as compared to a wheel on which the brake pad is mounted, wherein the extension out of a brake caliper is preferably in the order of 10 mm to 60 mm.

18. The brake pad of claim 1, wherein the backing plate extension has a generally rectangular configuration with a tip pointing away from the backing plate, such that the portion of the of the backing plate extension adjacent to the backing plate is wider than the portion of the of the backing plate extension distant to the backing plate; and/or wherein the backing plate is provided with a leading edge and a trailing edge, wherein the backing plate extension has a generally rectangular configuration, and wherein the extent of the backing plate extension between the leading edge and trailing edge is shorter than the extent of the backing plate extension extending away from the backing plate.

19. The brake pad of claim 1, wherein the backing plate extension has a perimeter and wherein at least a part of the perimeter is provided at an inclination other than 90° with respect to the area of the backing plate extension adjacent to the perimeter, and wherein further preferably the backing plate extension is planar and the inclination of the perimeter is the same as the inclination of the inner wall.

20. The brake pad of claim 2, wherein the cutouts take up 30% to 90% of the surface of the backing plate extension, wherein preferably the cutouts take up 50% to 80% of the surface of the backing plate extension and wherein more preferably the cutouts take up 60% to 80% of the surface of the backing plate extension.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0040] FIG. 1 is a schematic front view of a brake pad according to the present invention;

[0041] FIG. 2 is a schematic lateral side view of the brake pad of FIG. 1;

[0042] FIG. 3 is a schematic top side view of the brake pad of FIG. 1;

[0043] FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view at 45° of the brake pad of FIG. 1;

[0044] FIG. 5 is a further schematic perspective view of the brake pad of FIG. 1;

[0045] FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective cross-section view of the backing plate extension of the brake pad in accordance with the present invention better illustrating the inclination of the cutouts;

[0046] FIG. 6a is a sectional view of the brake pad of FIG. 1 taken along the line indicated as 6a-6a in said FIG. 1; and

[0047] FIG. 7 is a schematic lateral view of a brake pad in accordance to the present invention installed to a conventional disc brake assembly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0048] In the following, the present invention will be described in detail in connection with the currently preferred embodiments thereof and with reference to the appended FIGS. 1 to 7.

[0049] FIG. 1 shows a schematic front view of a brake pad for a bicycle or a motorbike disc brake assembly having a backing plate 1 with a front surface 2 and a rear surface 3 and a friction pad 4 disposed on the front surface 2 or the rear surface 3 of the backing plate 1. Both the backing plate 1 and the friction pad 4 are well known in the art and will not be described in detail hereinafter. The friction pad 4 includes a friction material like for instance a material known under the commercial name of Ferodo which is glued or bonded in a conventional manner to the backing plate 1.

[0050] According to the invention, the backing plate 1 has a backing plate extension 5 extending therefrom. As shown in the appended figures, the backing plate 1 has preferably a substantially rectangular shape and the backing plate extension 5 extends from the longer side of the baking plate 1, such that the contact surface of the backing plate extension 5 to the backing plate 1 is larger. This results in a better thermal conduction with a higher transfer of the thermal energy through the direct contact between the backing plate 1 bearing the friction pad 4 and the backing plate extension 5.

[0051] Further, according to the invention, the backing plate extension 5 is provided with at least one cutout 6, and the at least one cutout 6 has an inner wall 7 surrounding the cutout 6. As best visible from FIG. 6, at least a part of the inner wall 7 is provided at an inclination other than 90° with respect to the area of the backing plate extension 5 adjacent to the cutout 6. In this way, even if the backing plate extension 5 is not planar, the cutout is at least locally inclined as compared to the adjacent portion of the backing plate extension 5. In other words, in the present description, the area of the backing plate extension adjacent to a cutout 6 can be regarded as partially generally planar and the inclination of the inner walls 7 of the cutout 6 other than 90° is referred only to that area adjacent to the cutout. To the extent that the backing plate extension 5 is planar, the inclination can be referred to the backing plate extension 5 in its entirety.

[0052] Preferably, as shown in the appended figures, the backing plate extension 5 is provided with a plurality of cutouts 6 and each cutout 6 has a respective inner wall 7 surrounding the cutout 6. As in the case of a single cutout, at least a part of each respective inner wall 7 is provided at an inclination other than 90° with respect to the area of the backing plate extension 5 adjacent to the respective cutout 6.

[0053] Yet again, as best visible from FIG. 6, at least a part of the inner wall 7 is provided at an inclination other than 90° with respect to the area of the backing plate extension 5 adjacent to the respective cutout 6. In this way, even if the backing plate extension 5 is not planar, any cutout is at least locally inclined as compared to the adjacent portion of the backing plate extension 5. In other words, in the present description, the area adjacent to a respective cutout 6 can be regarded as partially generally planar and the inclination of the inner walls 7 of the respective cutout 6 other than 90° is referred only to the area adjacent to the respective cutout. Yet again, to the extent that the backing plate extension 5 is planar, the inclination can be referred to the backing plate extension 5 in its entirety.

[0054] As shown in the appended figures, preferably, the backing plate extension 5 is planar and preferably the inclination of at least a part of each inner wall 7 is the same. The manufacturing constraints are simplified, if all inner walls 7 have the same inclination and if the backing plate extension 5 and preferably also the backing plate 4 are planar. The latter embodiment is particularly advantageous if the cutouts 6 are obtained by laser cutting. However, also alternative manufacturing methods like punching, stamping or casting can be envisaged.

[0055] The inclination of the cutouts 6 is preferably from 30° to 60°, more preferably from 40° to 50° and most preferably of about 45° with respect to the backing plate extension 5. In this manner, the radiation of heat between opposing inner wall sections is minimized and the emission of heat is directed substantially away from an opposing inner wall section. It will be appreciated by the person skilled in the art that the most preferred angle of 45° directs the radiation of heat and thus the emission to the largest extent away from an opposing inner wall section. Similar considerations apply for the increase of surface of the backing plate extension 5 for the purpose of a better convection, as more surface area is available for the circulation of air. FIG. 6a shows the most preferred angle of 45° of the inner walls 7 of the cutouts 6 and the perimeter 8 in the sectional view taken along the line 6a-6a of FIG. 1. The connecting bolt hole 9 has perpendicular walls extending at an angle of 90°.

[0056] As shown in the figures, the cutouts 6 have a rhombic shape which, for the time being, has been considered the most preferred shape in terms of thermal dissipation and/or manufacturing constrains. However, in alternative, the cutouts 6 may have a shape selected from circular, elliptic, triangular, rectangular, pentagonal, hexagonal and polygonal.

[0057] Advantageously the backing plate 1 and/or the backing plate extension 5 has/have a thickness from 1.5 mm to 2.0 mm, more preferably from 1.5 mm to 1.9 mm and most preferably from 1.5 mm to 1.8 mm. Such dimension, in particular in conjunction with a steel made backing plate and/or backing plate extension are advantageous in terms of stability and stiffness on one hand and overall size on the other.

[0058] In the currently preferred embodiment, as shown in the appended figures, the backing plate 1 and the backing plate extension 5 are coplanar and have the same thickness. However, the backing plate 1 and/or the backing plate extension 5 may also be curved or slightly curved. In particular, a curved or slightly curved backing plate extension 5 increases the surface available to thermal dissipation as compared to a planar backing plate extension 5 having the same radial extension in the mounted state thereof.

[0059] As discussed hereinabove, the backing plate 1 and/or the backing plate extension 5 are made of metal, preferably of steel. However, also alternative materials like aluminum alloys or magnesium alloys are conceivable.

[0060] As shown in FIG. 1, the backing plate 1 is substantially rectangular and the friction pad 4 takes up about 70% of the front surface 2 thereof. In this manner, a good thermal contact is established between the backing plate 1 and the friction pad 4.

[0061] With reference to FIGS. 1 and 4 the backing plate extension 5 may include a connecting bolt hole 9 for mounting the brake pad to a brake caliper which is shown in FIG. 7. The function of the connecting bolt hole 9 is well known to a person skilled in the art and will not be discussed in detail herein.

[0062] According to a particularly advantageous feature of the present invention, the inclination of the inner wall 7 of the cutout 6 is such that the opposing sections of the inner wall 7 of the cutout 6 only partially face each other or do not face each other at all. Therefore, the radiation or emission of thermal energy from any section of the inner wall 7 does not impinge or only slightly impinges on an opposing inner wall section. In other words, the inclination of the inner wall 7 of the cutout 6 is such that the inner wall 7 has a section which directs the radiation heat in part or fully away from the opposing section of the inner wall 7.

[0063] With reference to FIG. 7 there is shown a backing plate 1, wherein the backing plate extension 5 extends out of a brake caliper 12 in the mounted state thereof in a radial extension as compared to a wheel on which the brake pad is mounted. The extension out of a brake caliper 12 is preferably in the order of 10 mm to 60 mm. As the caliper 12 along with the disc brake assembly 10 are conventional and well known in the art, the same will not be described in detail hereinafter. For the sake of completeness it should be noted that the disc brake assembly 10 includes, apart from the disk brake caliper 12, a disc brake rotor 13 and a hub 14. Further, optionally the diss brake assembly 10 may include a disc brake spider 15 and rivets 16 therefore.

[0064] As shown in the appended figures, the backing plate extension 5 has a generally rectangular configuration with a tip pointing away from the backing plate 1, such that the portion of the backing plate extension 5 adjacent to the backing plate 1 is wider than the portion of the backing plate extension 5 distant to the backing plate 1. In this manner the overall dissipation of heat of the brake pad of the present invention may be advantageously improved.

[0065] Further, as also shown in the appended figures, the backing plate 1 has a leading edge 1a and a trailing edge 1b, as compared to the direction of rotation of the disc brake rotor. The backing plate extension 5 has a generally rectangular configuration and the extent of the backing plate extension 5 between the leading edge 1a and trailing edge 1b is shorter than the extent of the backing plate extension 5 extending away from the backing plate 1. In this manner the overall dissipation of heat of the brake pad of the present invention may be advantageously improved.

[0066] The backing plate extension 5 has a perimeter 8 and at least a part of the perimeter 8 is advantageously provided at an inclination other than 90° with respect to the area of the backing plate extension 5 adjacent to the perimeter 8. The inclined perimeter also advantageously contributes to the increase of the thermal dissipation of the brake pad according to the present invention.

[0067] Preferably the backing plate extension 5 is planar and the inclination of the perimeter 8 is the same as the inclination of the inner wall 7.

[0068] According to an advantageous aspect, the cutouts 6 take up 30% to 90% of the surface of the backing plate extension 5, more preferably 50% to 80% of the surface of the backing plate extension 5 or up 60% to 80% of the surface of the backing plate extension 5. The latter cutout extension maximizes the surface available to heat dissipation both in terms of emission and convection and also reduces the weight of the backing plate extension.

[0069] The disclosure of the present invention includes all modifications and equivalents of the subject matter recited in the claims appended hereto as permitted by applicable law. Moreover, any combination of the above-described elements in all possible variations thereof is encompassed by the disclosure unless indicated otherwise herein.

[0070] Where technical features mentioned in any claim are followed by reference signs, the reference signs have been included for the sole purpose of increasing the intelligibility of the claims and accordingly, neither the reference signs nor their absence have any limiting effect on the technical features as described above or on the scope of any claim elements.

[0071] One skilled in the art will realize the disclosure may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the disclosure or essential characteristics thereof. The foregoing embodiments are therefore to be considered illustrative rather than limiting to the disclosure described herein in all respects. The scope of the invention is thus indicated by the appended claims, rather than the foregoing description, and all changes that come within the meaning and range of equivalence of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

[0072] 1 backing plate [0073] 1a leading edge of the backing plate [0074] 1b trailing edge of the backing plate [0075] 2 front surface of backing plate [0076] 3 rear surface of backing plate [0077] 4 friction pad [0078] 5 backing plate extension [0079] 6 cutout(s) [0080] 7 inner wall of cutout [0081] 8 perimeter of the backing plate extension [0082] 9 connecting bolt hole [0083] 10 disk brake assembly [0084] 11 front fork [0085] 12 disc brake caliper [0086] 13 disc brake rotor [0087] 14 hub [0088] 15 disc brake spider [0089] 16 rivets