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US 11,255,389 B2Granted
Air disc brake adjuster mechanism
AssigneeMei Brakes Limited
InventorsPaul Roberts, Jonathan Leslie Christopher Jackson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An adjuster for an air disc brake includes an over-torque clutch arrangement that includes an adjuster drive plate having ramped detents, and a ball-carrying plate having pockets for retaining ball bearings. Ball bearings are carried and retained in the ball-carrying plate, and transmit rotation between the adjuster drive plate and the ball-carrying plate below a torque threshold. Above a torque threshold, the balls move axially away from the adjuster drive plate against the force of a spring, and ride up the ramped detents. Above the torque threshold, rotation is not transmitted.
Claims18
An adjuster for an air disc brake, the adjuster comprising:
- a) an input shaft for engaging with a brake lever drive pin,
- b) an output for transmitting rotation to one or more brake pistons,
- c) a one-way clutch arrangement for transmitting rotation in one direction from the input shaft to the output, but preventing transmission of rotation from the input shaft to the output in the other direction;
- and
- d) an over-torque clutch arrangement for transmitting rotation from the input shaft to the output at torques below a predetermined torque threshold, but preventing transmission of rotation from the input shaft to the output at torques above the predetermined torque threshold,
- in which the over-torque clutch arrangement includes:
- a clutch plate
- a ball-carrying plate,
- a plurality of ball bearing balls, and
- a spring arrangement for forcing the ball bearing balls axially against the clutch plate by an axial spring force, the spring arrangement including at least one spring;
- wherein the clutch plate includes detents for seating the ball bearings and preventing rotational movement of the ball bearings relative to the clutch plate as long as axial movement of the ball bearings relative to the clutch plate is prevented by the axial spring force, and the detents including ramps for allowing the ball bearings to move rotationally relative to the clutch plate when the axial spring force is overcome, and wherein the ball-carrying plate includes pockets in the form of through holes for retaining the balls in position relative to the ball-carrying plate as the balls move rotationally relative to the clutch plate,
- in which a base for the through holes is provided by a thrust washer disposed behind the ball-carrying plate, and in which the spring arrangement is arranged to bias the thrust washer towards the ball carrying plate, in which one of the clutch plate and the ball-carrying plate provides an input to the over-torque clutch arrangement and the other of the clutch plate and the ball-carrying plate provides an output of the over-torque clutch arrangement.
9 more elements
An adjuster for an air disc brake, the adjuster comprising:
- an input shaft for engaging with a brake lever drive pin, and
- an output for transmitting rotation to one or more brake pistons, the adjuster further including:
- a one-way clutch arrangement for transmitting rotation in one direction from the input shaft to the output, but preventing transmission of rotation from the input shaft to the output in the other direction;
- and
- an over-torque clutch arrangement for transmitting rotation from the input shaft to the output at low torques, below a predetermined torque threshold, but preventing transmission of rotation from the input shaft to the output above the predetermined torque threshold,
- in which the over-torque clutch arrangement includes a clutch plate and a ball-carrying plate, a plurality of ball bearings, and a spring arrangement for forcing the ball bearings axially against the clutch plate, the clutch plate including detents for seating the ball bearings and preventing rotational movement of the ball bearings relative to the clutch plate as long as axial movement of the ball bearings relative to the clutch plate is prevented by the spring force, and the detents including ramps for allowing the ball bearings to move rotationally relative to the clutch plate when the axial force of the spring arrangement is overcome, and the ball-carrying plate including pockets in the form of blind holes for retaining the balls in position relative to the ball-carrying plate as the balls move rotationally relative to the clutch plate,
- in which one of the clutch plate and the ball-carrying plate provides an input to the over-torque clutch arrangement and the other of the clutch plate and the ball-carrying plate provides an output to the over-torque clutch arrangement,
- and in which the spring arrangement is arranged to bias the ball-carrying plate towards the clutch plate.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.