Self-energizing hydraulic brake

A device for braking a moving mass, the device comprising:

• a brake lining;
• a braking surface;
• a movably guided coupling element for pressing said brake lining against said braking surface;
• a brake actuator having a brake cylinder, said brake actuator being filled with hydraulic fluid and connected to said coupling element for generating a pressing-on force to be applied through said coupling element to said brake lining;
• a pressure transducer to be attached to a frame of the mass to be braked, said pressure transducer having a supporting cylinder filled with hydraulic fluid and a supporting piston interacting with said supporting cylinder;
• a connecting device connected between said pressure transducer and said brake lining;
• hydraulic lines communicating between said supporting cylinder and said brake cylinder;
• and
• a regulating device setting a braking force as a function of a predefined setpoint value;
• said supporting cylinder is divided into a supporting chamber and a supporting return chamber by said supporting piston;
• said regulating device is configured to regulate a difference in pressure between hydraulic pressure in said supporting chamber and hydraulic pressure in said supporting return chamber;
• said regulating device including:
• a pressure detection device for detecting a pressure difference value Δp;
• a difference generator to generate the absolute value from the pressure difference as an actual value Δpabs;
• a comparator for comparing a predefined setpoint value Δpsetp with said actual value Δpabs by acquiring a difference value ΔF;
• a regulating unit;
• and
• a brake valve for setting a pressure of the hydraulic fluid in said brake actuator, said regulating unit acting on said brake valve to minimize said difference value ΔF;
• said hydraulic lines including a fluidic high pressure circuit and a fluidic low pressure circuit communicating with said brake valve.