Claims:CLAIMS

We Claim

1. A drum brake shoes thickness monitoring system (10), the drum brake shoes thickness monitoring system (10) comprising:
a brake-shoe base material (12);
at least one brake-shoe (14) secured to said brake-shoe base material (12);
a resistive material (16) inserted through said at least one brake-shoe (14) such that a first end of the resistive material (16) is flush against an end of the at least one brake-shoe (14), an opposite second end of the resistive material (16) positioned within the brake-shoe base material (12), such that when a thickness of the at least one brake-shoe (14) is reduced by erosion, a thickness of the resistive material (16) is correspondingly decreased by an equivalent thickness of the at least one brake-shoe (14);
a washer (18) comprising a bore (20) defined therethrough, the bore (20) of said washer (18) inserted through the opposite second end of the resistive material (16) such that an end face of said washer (18) is flush against an end of said at least one brake-shoe (14); and
a split pin (22) inserted within a bore defined in said resistive material (16) between two opposing portions of said resistive material (16) such that the split pin (22) is adapted to secure said washer (18) against said at least one brake-shoe (14).

2. The drum brake shoes thickness monitoring system (10) in accordance with Claim 1, further comprising an engine control unit in electronic communication with opposing end portions of said resistive material (16), the engine control unit adapted to measure a voltage across the opposing end portions of said resistive material (16) that is indicative of the thickness of the resistive material (16).

3. The drum brake shoes thickness monitoring system (10) in accordance with Claim 1, wherein the resistive material (16) inserted through said at least one brake-shoe (14) such that a first end of the resistive material (16) is flush against an end of the at least one brake-shoe (14), an opposite second end of the resistive material (16) flush against an opposite end of the at least one brake shoe (14), such that when a thickness of the at least one brake-shoe (14) is reduced by erosion, the thickness of the resistive material (16) is correspondingly decreased by an equivalent thickness of the at least one brake-shoe (14).
, Description:Complete Specification:

The following specification describes and ascertains the nature of this invention and the manner in which it is to be performed.
Field of the invention
[0001] This invention relates to a brake shoes thickness monitoring system, and more specifically to a drum brake shoes thickness monitoring system that monitors the thickness of drum brake shoes of a vehicle in real time.

Background of the invention
[0002] CN 215293359 U describes a present utility model that discloses a drum brake with warning function in the technical field of vehicle components, comprising a brake drum, wherein a brake wheel cylinder is provided at a top end of the front end face of the brake drum, brake shoes are fixedly connected on both sides, brake shoes are provided at an inner side face of the brake shoe and an inner side wall of the brake drum are provided with a brake disc, the brake shoe and brake disc are arc-shaped in cross section, connecting means are connected adjacent to a bottom end of the brake shoe, and a thickness sensor is provided at a top end of the brake drum, The thickness sensor has rolling contacts connected by wires on both sides, and the rolling contacts are located on one side of the brake plate, and a transmitter is provided on one side of the brake shoe on the right side, and the thickness sensor is electrically connected to the transmitter, and the transmitter is connected to the display screen on the control in an automobile vehicle, and the present utility model can monitor the thickness of the brake plate in real time, avoid a brake failure occurring in the thickness of the brake plate not meeting the standard, serve as an early warning function, use safety coefficients are high, and utility is good.

Brief description of the accompanying drawing
[0003] Figure 1 illustrates a schematic representation of a drum brake shoes thickness monitoring system that monitors a thickness of drum brake shoes of a vehicle in real time in one embodiment of the invention.

Detailed description of the embodiments
[0004] Figure 1 illustrates a drum brake shoes thickness monitoring system 10. The drum brake shoes thickness monitoring system 10 comprises a brake-shoe base material 12, and at least one brake-shoe 14 secured to the brake-shoe base material 12. A resistive material 16 is inserted through the at least one brake-shoe 14 such that a first end of the resistive material 16 is flush against an end of the at least one brake-shoe 14. An opposite second end of the resistive material 16 is positioned within the brake-shoe base material 12, such that when a thickness of the at least one brake-shoe 14 is reduced by erosion, a thickness of the resistive material 16 is correspondingly decreased by an equivalent thickness of the at least one brake-shoe 14. A washer 18 comprising a bore 20 is defined therethrough, the bore 20 of the washer 18 inserted through the opposite second end of the resistive material 16 such that an end face of the washer 18 is flush against an end of said at least one brake-shoe 14. A split pin 22 is inserted within a bore defined in the resistive material 16 between two opposing portions of the resistive material 16 such that the split pin 22 is adapted to secure the washer 18 against the at least one brake-shoe 14.

[0005] Figure 1 illustrates a drum brake shoes thickness monitoring system 10. The drum brake shoes thickness monitoring system 10 comprises a brake-shoe base material 12. The brake-shoe base material 12 is manufactured from an iron based material or from a mild steel material on which the brake-shoe 14 is mounted. More specifically, at least one brake-shoe 14 is mounted on the brake-shoe base material 12 and secured to the brake-shoe base material 12. More specifically, the at least one brake-shoe 14 is secured to the brake-shoe base material 12 via any fastening means that is known in the art. Therefore, when the brake-shoe 14 is secured to the brake-shoe base material 12 via any fastening means that is known in the art, the brake-shoe 14 and brake-shoe base material 12 constitutes an integral assembly.

[0006] In an exemplary embodiment, a resistive material 16 is inserted through the at least one brake-shoe 14. More specifically, the resistive material 16 is inserted through the at least one brake-shoe 14 such that a first end of the resistive material 16 is flush against an end of the at least one brake-shoe 14 and does not extend beyond an end of the at least one brake-shoe 14. An opposite second end of the resistive material 16 is positioned within the brake-shoe base material 12 and secured within a groove that is defined within the brake-shoe base material 12. When a thickness of the at least one brake-shoe 14 is reduced by erosion over a period of time due to the abrasive action between the brake-shoe 14 and a rotating drum of the wheel, a thickness of the resistive material 16 is also reduced by erosion until the brake-shoe base material 12 comes in contact with the rotating drum of the wheel of the vehicle. More specifically, a thickness of the resistive material 16 is correspondingly decreased by an equivalent thickness of the at least one brake-shoe 14 until the top end of the resistive material 16 is flush against an outer surface of the at least one brake-shoe 14.

[0007] In an exemplary embodiment, a washer 18 comprising a bore 20 defined therethrough is defined from an end of the washer 18 to an opposite second end of the washer 18. The bore 20 of the washer 18 inserted through the opposite second end of the resistive material 16 such that an end face of the washer 18 is flush against an end of the at least one brake-shoe 14. Once the bore 20 of the washer 18 is inserted through the opposite second end of the resistive material 16 such that an end face of the washer 18 is flush against an end of the at least one brake-shoe 14, a split pin 22 is inserted within a bore that is defined in the resistive material 16 between two opposing portions of the resistive material 16. The split pin 22 that is inserted within the bore that is defined in the resistive material 16 between two opposing portions of the resistive material 16 is adapted to secure the washer 18 against the at least one brake-shoe 14. Therefore, the resistive material 16 is retained within the bore 20 that is defined within the washer 18 and within the bore that is defined within the at least one brake-shoe 14 and prevented from being withdrawn from the at least one brake-shoe 14.

[0008] In an exemplary embodiment, an engine control unit (not shown) is in electronic communication with opposing end portions of the resistive material 16. More specifically, the engine control unit is adapted to measure a voltage across the opposing end portions of the resistive material 16. The voltage that is measured across the opposing end portions of the resistive material 16 by the engine control unit is indicative of the thickness of the resistive material 16. Therefore, as the thickness of the resistive material 16 decreases, the voltage that is measured across the opposing end portions of the resistive material 16 by the engine control unit decreases proportionately. In the exemplary embodiment, the resistive material 16 is inserted through the at least one brake-shoe 14 such that a first end of the resistive material 16 is flush against an end of the at least one brake-shoe 14. Conversely, an opposite second end of the resistive material 16 is flush against an opposite end of the at least one brake shoe 14, such that when a thickness of the at least one brake-shoe 14 is reduced by erosion, the thickness of the resistive material 16 is correspondingly decreased by an equivalent thickness of the at least one brake-shoe 14.

[0009] A working of the brake shoes thickness monitoring system 10 is now described as an example. When the at least one brake-shoe 14 comes in contact with the rotating drum of the wheel, the thickness of the at least one brake-shoe 14 is reduced over a period of time due to abrasive contact between the at least one brake-shoe 14 and the rotating drum of the wheel. When the thickness of the at least one brake-shoe 14 is maximum when the at least one brake-shoe 14 is new, the thickness of the resistive material 16 that is flush with an outer surface of the at least one brake-shoe 14 is also maximum. Therefore, the voltage measure across the resistive material 16 by the engine control unit is also maximum. Over a period of time, when the thickness of the at least one-brake shoe 14 is reduced due to abrasive action between the at least one brake-shoe 14 and the rotating drum of the wheel, the thickness of the resistive material 16 is correspondingly reduced by a proportionate thickness due to the abrasive action between the resistive material 16 and the rotating drum of the wheel such that the outer surface of the resistive material 16 is flush against the outer surface of the at least one brake-shoe 14. Therefore, the voltage measure across the resistive material 16 by the engine control unit is decreased by a voltage that is proportional to the thickness of reduction of the resistive material 16. When the thickness of the resistive material 16 is minimum when the at least one brake-shoe 14 is worn out completely due to the abrasive action between the at least one brake-shoe 14 and the rotating drum of the wheel, the voltage measure across the resistive material 16 by the engine control unit is minimum. At the point when the measured voltage across the resistive material 16 by the engine control unit is minimum, the engine control unit triggers an alarm thereby notifying a user of the vehicle that the at least one-brake shoe 14 is required to be replaced. The measure of the voltage across the resistive material 16 by the engine control unit in real time helps to monitor the degree of wear of the at least one brake-shoe 14 in real time, thereby providing an accurate notification to a user of the vehicle when the at least one brake-shoe 14 is worn out completely and require to be replaced.

[0010] It must be understood that the embodiments explained above are only illustrative and do not limit the scope of the disclosure. Many modifications in the embodiments with regard to dimensions of various components are envisaged and form a part of this invention. The scope of the invention is only limited by the scope of the claims.