Method and device for real time estimation of the applied pressure and of noisiness in a brake element, in particular a brake pad

A device for the real time estimation of an applied pressure and noisiness in a brake element, the device comprising:

• i) at least one first piezoceramic sensor and at least one second piezoceramic sensor arranged between a friction material block and a metallic support element of the brake element, the at least one first piezoceramic sensor and the at least one second piezoceramic sensor being connected to an electric circuit;
• ii) wherein respective electric voltage signals (ST) generated by at least one of said first and second piezoceramic sensors are picked by the electric circuit in response to the application of a mechanical stress consequent to a contact between the brake element and an element to be braked;
• iii) a processor configured to process the electric voltage signal generated by the at least one piezoceramic sensor so as to generate equal length of time samples of the electric voltage signals;
• iv) and in which the processor is further configured to process each equal length of time samples of the electric signals generated by the at least one piezoceramic sensor in real time by applying an algorithm to the equal length of time samples of the electric signals chosen from at least one of the group consisting of:
• a sequence of integrations of the voltage values present in the equal length of time samples of the electric signals each carried out in an interval of time in the order of milliseconds;
• a FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) of the equal length of time samples of the electric signals;
• or an integral of the equal length of time samples of the electric signals generated by the at least one piezoceramic sensor.