Method and device for braking, particularly for bicycles, motorcycles, and small automobiles
AssigneeNotion de Progres
InventorsPhilippe R. Rocca, Philippe D. Girard
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method and device for braking a moving or movable element such as a wheel, particularly in two-wheeled vehicles, where a force is applied to a moving element (5) by at least one frictional element such as a brake pad (30), whereby a compression force is produced acting along a given braking surface (30a) of the pad tending to retard movement of the movable element, so that beginning with a predetermined adjustable threshold value of the compression force controlled by a spring device (16, 17, 20) the surface area of contact between the brake pad and moving element is reduced correspondingly but does not become zero as long as braking is necessary.
Claims17
A method of braking a moving element such as a vehicle wheel comprising:
- providing at least one braking element having a braking surface engageable and disengageable with a contacting surface on the moving element;
- moving said braking element into contacting engagement with said contact surface on said moving element;
- applying a force to said braking element to produce a compression force between said braking surface and said contact surface for producing a frictional force retarding rotation of said wheel;
- providing a predetermined threshold value of said compression force;
- and
- upon application of said predetermined threshold value of said compression force reducing the area of contact between said braking surface and said contact surface of said wheel to prevent locking of said wheel by said braking element without reducing said friction force to zero during said braking.
A braking device for a wheeled vehicle having a moving element thereon engageable with a brake pad including a housings, at least one brake pad having a braking surface thereon pivotally mounted on said housing between an inactive position where said at least one brake pad is in spaced non-engaging relationship with a contact surface on said moving element and an active position where said at least one brake pad is in contacting engagement with said moving element, and means for moving said at least one brake pad between said inactive and active positions, comprising:
- pivotable brake pad mounting means between said at least one brake pad and said housing to facilitate pivotal movement of said at least one brake pad with respect to said housing between an incipient braking position where said braking surface on said at least one brake pad is substantially parallel to said contact surface on said moving element and in contacting engagement with said contact surface on said moving element over an entire nominal braking surface on said at least one brake pad and a further braking position where at least part of said braking surface of said at least one brake pad is disposed at an angle with respect to said contact surface on said moving element so that said braking surface is in contacting engagement with said contact surface over a surface area substantially less than the surface area of said nominal braking surface;
- and
- elastic force means between said housing and said at least one brake pad for urging said at least one brake pad toward said active position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.