Claims:We claim:
1. A system (500) to heat a brake pad (101) of a vehicle, the system (500) comprising:
the brake pad (101) includes:
a pad back plate (101a);
a friction layer (101b);
characterized in that
a heating element (101c) provided in between the pad back plate (101a) and the friction layer (101b) to heat the brake pad (101); and
a pad temperature sensor provided in the brake pad (101) to measure temperature of the brake pad (101), wherein
the heating element (101c) is coupled with a battery (300) to receive current (300a) to generate heat; and
the pad temperature sensor is coupled with an electronic control unit (200) to control supply of the current (300a) from the battery (300) to the heating element (101c) to heat the brake pad (101).

2. The system (500) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electronic control unit (200) comprises:
a brake pad heating control unit (201) coupled with a processor (202), the pad temperature sensor, and the battery (300), the brake pad heating control unit (201) configured to:
receive brake pad temperature (Tp) inputs from the pad temperature sensor when door of the vehicle is unlocked or ignition is ON; and
supply the current (300a) from the battery (300) to the heating element (101c) when the brake pad temperature (Tp) is less than first predefined temperature (Ti).

3. The system (500) as claimed in claim 2, wherein the brake pad heating control unit (201):
stops supply of the current (300a) from the battery (300) to the heating element (101c) of the brake pad (101) when the brake pad temperature (Tp) is more than second predefined temperature (Tf).

4. The system (500) as claimed in claim 2, wherein the brake pad heating control unit (201) continuously determines real time pad temperature (Tp) from the pad temperature sensor and generates warning when the determined pad temperature (Tp) is more than a third predefined temperature (Tw).

5. A method for controlling heating of a brake pad (101) of a vehicle, the method comprises:
activating (402), a brake pad heating control unit (201) of an Electronic Control Unit (ECU) (200), when door of the vehicle is unlocked or ignition is ON;
determining (404), by pad temperature sensor, brake pad temperature (Tp); and
supplying (406) current from a battery (300) to a heating element (101c) of the brake pad (101) to heat up the brake pad (101) when determined pad temperature (Tp) is less than a first predefined temperature (Ti) and ignition is ON.

6. The method (400) as claimed in claim 5, wherein the method (400) comprises:
stopping (408) supply of the current (300a) from the battery (300) when the pad temperature (Tp) is more than a second predefined temperature (Tf).

7. A brake pad (101) comprises:
a pad back plate (101a);
a friction layer (101b);
a heating element (101c) provided in between the pad back plate (101a) and the friction layer (101b) to heat the brake pad (101); and
a pad temperature sensor provided in the brake pad (101) to measure temperature of the brake pad (101).

8. The brake pad (101) as claimed in claim 7, wherein the heating element (101c) is coupled with a battery (300) to receive current (300a).

9. The brake pad (101) as claimed in claim 7, wherein the pad temperature sensor is coupled with an electronic control unit (200).

Description:SYSTEM AND METHOD TO HEAT A BRAKE PAD OF A VEHICLE USING PAD TEMPERATURE SENSOR
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present disclosure, in general, relates to a brake system of a vehicle, and in particular, to a method and a system for heating a brake pad to melt ice and remove moisture in between the brake pad and brake disc of a vehicle to improve brake efficiency, to protect brake pad from damage, and to avoid low temperature squeal noise between the brake pad and the brake disc.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Background description includes information that may be useful in understanding the present invention.
[0003] In extremely cold conditions, brake pad and brake disc of a brake system stick to each other as moisture or water in between the brake pad and the brake disc tends to freeze forming ice and resulting in interlocking between the brake disc and the brake pad. This may damage brake pad and the brake disc and will also lead to abnormal braking performance.
[0004] Another technical problem is that at low temperature, friction coefficient (mu) of friction layer of the brake pad changes, resultantly making brake system more prone to squeal noise.
[0005] Yet another technical problem is that small amount of moisture in brake pad accumulates during over-night standing. This moisture causes brake noise in first few application of brake in morning (till vapours get evaporated due to heat generated by braking).
[0006] Therefore, in order to overcome the limitations of the existing provisions, there is need in the art to provide for a method and a system to heat the brake pad to melt ice and to remove moisture in between the brake pad and the brake disc.
OBJECTS OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0007] It is therefore the object of the invention to overcome the aforementioned and other drawbacks in prior systems by melting ice and removing moisture present in between brake pad and brake disc.
[0008] Another object of the present subject matter is to provide a brake pad having a heating element to heat-up the brake pad.
[0009] Another object of the present invention is to provide a system to measure temperature of the brake pad and communicate the same with Electronic Control Unit (ECU) to withdraw current from the battery and supply the current to the heating element.
[0010] These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art after a consideration of the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which a preferred form of the present invention is illustrated.
SUMMARY
[0011] This summary is provided to introduce concepts related to a method and a system to melt ice and to remove moisture in between brake pad and brake disc of brake system. The concepts are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.
[0012] In an embodiment, the present disclosure relates to a system to heat a brake pad to melt ice and to remove moisture in between the brake pad and the brake disc of a vehicle. The system comprising the brake pad, an electronic control module (ECU) and a battery. The brake pad includes a pad back plate; a friction layer; a heating element provided in between the pad back plate and the friction layer to heat the brake pad; and a pad temperature sensor provided in the brake pad to measure real time temperature of the brake pad. The heating element is coupled with a battery to receive current to generate heat and the pad temperature sensor is coupled with the electronic control unit to control supply of the current from the battery to the heating element.
[0013] In an aspect, the electronic control unit comprises a brake pad heating control unit coupled with a processor, the pad temperature sensor, and the battery, the brake pad heating control unit configured to receive brake pad temperature from the pad temperature sensor when door of the vehicle is unlocked or ignition is ON; and supply the current from the battery to the heating element when the brake pad temperature (Tp) is less than first predefined temperature (Ti) and ignition is ON.
[0014] In an aspect, the brake pad heating control unit stops supply of the current from the battery to the heating element of the brake pad when the brake pad temperature (Tp) is more than second predefined temperature (Tf).
[0015] In an aspect, the brake pad heating control unit continuously determines real time pad temperature (Tp) from the pad temperature sensor and generates warning when the determined pad temperature (Tp) is more than a third predefined temperature (Tw).
[0016] In another embodiment, the present subject matter relates to a method for controlling heating of a brake pad of a vehicle. The method comprises activating, a brake pad heating control unit of an Electronic Control Unit (ECU), when door of the vehicle is unlocked or ignition is ON; determining, by pad temperature sensor, brake pad temperature (Tp); and supplying current from a battery to a heating element of the brake pad to heat up the brake pad when determined pad temperature (Tp) is less than a first predefined temperature (Ti) and ignition is ON.
[0017] In an aspect, the method comprises stopping supply of the current from the battery when the pad temperature (Tp) is more than a second predefined temperature (Tf).
[0018] Various objects, features, aspects, and advantages of the inventive subject matter will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments, along with the accompanying drawing figures in which like numerals represent like components.
[0019] It is to be understood that the aspects and embodiments of the disclosure described above may be used in any combination with each other. Several of the aspects and embodiments may be combined to form a further embodiment of the disclosure.
[0020] The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments, and features described above, further aspects, embodiments, and features will become apparent by reference to the drawings and the following detailed description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0021] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this disclosure, illustrate exemplary embodiments and, together with the description, serve to explain the disclosed principles. In the figures, the left-most digit(s) of a reference number identifies the figure in which the reference number first appears. The same numbers are used throughout the figures to reference like features and components. Some embodiments of system and/or methods in accordance with embodiments of the present subject matter are now described, by way of example only, and with reference to the accompanying figures, in which:
[0022] Fig. 1 illustrates a system diagram having brake system, Electronic Control Unit (ECU), and a battery coupled with each other, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0023] Fig. 2a illustrates existing structure of brake pad of the brake system;
[0024] Fig. 2b illustrates structure of brake pad having heating element of the brake system, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0025] Fig. 3 illustrate block diagram of the Electronic Control Unit (ECU) with a brake pad heating control unit, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure; and
[0026] Fig. 4 illustrates a method for controlling heat of the brake pad to melt ice and to remove moisture, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0027] It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that any block diagrams herein represent conceptual views of illustrative systems embodying the principles of the present subject matter. Similarly, it will be appreciated that any flow charts, flow diagrams, state transition diagrams, pseudo code, and the like represent various processes which may be substantially represented in a computer-readable medium and executed by a computer or processor, whether or not such computer or processor is explicitly shown.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0028] The detailed description of various exemplary embodiments of the disclosure is described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the embodiments are described herein in such details as to clearly communicate the disclosure. However, the amount of details provided herein is not intended to limit the anticipated variations of embodiments; on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims.
[0029] It is also to be understood that various arrangements may be devised that, although not explicitly described or shown herein, embody the principles of the present disclosure. Moreover, all statements herein reciting principles, aspects, and embodiments of the present disclosure, as well as specific examples, are intended to encompass equivalents thereof.
[0030] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of example embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms “a", “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes” and/or “including,” when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components and/or groups thereof.
[0031] In addition, the descriptions of "first", "second", “third”, and the like in the present invention are used for the purpose of description only, and are not to be construed as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Thus, features defining "first" and "second" may include at least one of the features, either explicitly or implicitly.
[0032] It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions/acts noted may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, two figures shown in succession may, in fact, be executed concurrently or may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality/acts involved.
[0033] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which example embodiments belong. It will be further understood that terms, e.g., those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.
[0034] Micro-Controller: It is a compact integrated circuit designed to govern a specific operation in an embedded system. A typical microcontroller includes a processor, memory and input/output (I/O) peripherals on a single chip. Generally, microcontrollers are designed to be readily usable without additional computing components because they are designed with sufficient on board memory as well as offering pins for general I/O operations, so they can directly interface with sensors and other components.
[0035] Microprocessor: the processor is a processing unit which coupled with memory having executable instructions to process the intended functions.
[0036] FIG. 1 illustrates a system diagram 500 for melting ice and for removing moisture content present in between brake pad and brake disc of a vehicle. As shown in the figure, the Engine Control Unit (ECU) 200 is coupled with brake system 100 and a battery 300. Further, the battery 300 is wired coupled with the brake pad 101 to supply current. Upon receiving inputs from the ECU 200, the battery 300 supplies current 300a to the brake pad 101.
[0037] As shown in fig. 2a, the brake system 100 comprises a brake pad 101, a brake disc 103, and a calliper 102. The brake pad 101 is mounted inside the calliper 102 to arrest the movement of the rotating brake disc 103 to apply brake. The brake pad 101 comprises of a pad back plate and a friction layer. The friction layer is made of organic asbestos, combination of metallic and non-metallic material, and ceramic material. In the present disclosure, the friction layer is made of organic asbestos. However, the friction layer is not limited to organic asbestos material and it may be made of other known materials.
[0038] As shown in fig. 2b, the brake pad 101 comprises a pad back plate 101a and a friction layer 101b. Further, a heating element 101c is provided in between the pad back plate 101a and the friction layer 101b to heat the brake pad 101. The heating element 101c is coupled with the battery 300 which supplies current to the heating element 101c so as to generate heat. The brake pad 101 further comprises a pad temperature sensor (not shown in fig) to measure real time pad temperature of the brake pad 101.
[0039] As known, a heating element converts electrical energy into heat energy (otherwise known as Joule heating). The electric current passing through the element encounters resistance, which produces heat. The material of the heating element can be one of a metal, a semiconductor, a polymer PTC, a ceramic, etc. The heating element must satisfy following characteristics: a) High melting point to take care of high temp while braking; b) High resistivity; c) Low temperature coefficient of resistance.
[0040] As shown in fig. 1, the ECU 200 is coupled with the brake pad 101 having pad temperature sensor and the battery 300. Referring to fig. 1, the present subject matter is implemented in the Electronic Control Unit (ECU) 200 of the vehicle to control heating of the brake pad 101. In another embodiment, the present subject matter can be provided as separate or standalone micro-controller to work in tandem with ECU 200. The ECU 200 includes a processor(s) 202, an interface(s) 204, and a memory 206 as shown in fig. 3.
[0041] The processor(s) 202 may be implemented as one or more microprocessors, microcomputers, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, logic circuitries, and/or any devices that manipulate data based on operational instructions.
[0042] Among other capabilities, the one or more processor(s) 202 are configured to fetch and execute computer-readable instructions and one or more routines stored in the memory 206. The memory 206 may store one or more computer-readable instructions or routines, which may be fetched and executed to control supply of current 300a from the batter based on inputs from the pad temperature sensor. The memory 206 may include any non-transitory storage device including, for example, volatile memory, such as RAM, or non-volatile memory such as EPROM, flash memory, and the like.
[0043] The interface(s) 204 may include a variety of interfaces, for example, interfaces for data input and output devices referred to as I/O devices, storage devices, various sensors, such as pad temperature sensor and the battery 300. The interface(s) 204 may facilitate communication of the ECU 200 with various devices, such as battery and instrument panel. The interface(s) 204 may also provide a communication pathway for one or more components of the ECU 200. Examples of such components include, but are not limited to, brake pad heating control unit 201.
[0044] The brake pad heating control unit 201 may be implemented as a combination of hardware and programming (for example, programmable instructions) to implement one or more functionalities. In examples described herein, such combinations of hardware and programming may be implemented in several different ways. For example, the programming for the brake pad heating control unit 201 may be processor-executable instructions stored on a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium and the hardware for the brake pad heating control unit 201 may include a processing resource (for example, one or more processors), to execute such instructions. In the present examples, the machine-readable storage medium may store instructions that, when executed by the processing resource, implement the brake pad heating control unit 201. In such examples, the ECU 200 may include the machine-readable storage medium storing the instructions and the processing resource to execute the instructions or the machine-readable storage medium may be separate but accessible to the ECU 200 and the processing resource. In other examples, the brake pad heating control unit 201 may be implemented by electronic circuitry.
[0045] The pad temperature sensor is coupled with the ECU 200 to send the pad temperature (Tp) inputs for further processing. In operation, when door of the vehicle is unlocked or ignition is ON, the pad temperature sensor determines pad temperature (Tp) and sends the determined temperature to the brake pad heating control unit 201 of the ECU 200. The brake pad heating control unit 201 compares the determined pad temperature (Tp) with a first predefined temperature (Ti) which is stored in the memory. When the determined pad temperature (Tp) is less than the first predefined temperature (Ti), the brake pad heating control unit 201 gives instructions to the battery 300 to supply current 300a to the heating element 101c of the brake pad 101. The pad temperature sensor continuously determines the pad temperature (Tp) and sends the updated determined pad temperature (Tp) to the brake pad heating control unit 201. When the determined pad temperature (Tp) is more than a second predefined temperature (Tf), the brake pad heating control unit 201 stops supply of current 300a from the battery 300 to the heating element 101c of the brake pad 101.
[0046] Once the pad temperature (Tp) is more than the second predefined temperature (Tf), the heating element 101c does not receive current to generate the heat. The second predefined temperature (Tf) is sufficient enough to melt the ice present in between the brake pad 101 and the brake disc 103. Further, the second predefined temperature (Tf) is sufficient enough to remove the water or moisture content present in between the brake pad 101 and the brake disc 103.
[0047] In another embodiment, the pad temperature sensor continuously determines/measures the real time pad temperature (Tp) and sends the updated inputs to the brake pad heating control unit 201. When the pad temperature (Tp) is more than a third predefined temperature (Tw), the brake pad heating control unit 201 generates a warning to driver that temperature of the brake pad 101 is very high. The warning can be visual or audio warning or both. Further, the warning can be displayed on any tell-tale or specifically with some icon on the instrument panel.
[0048] FIG. 4 illustrates a method 400 for melting ice and for removing moisture present in between the brake pad and the brake disc of a vehicle. The order in which the method 400 is described is not intended to be construed as a limitation, and any number of the described method blocks can be combined in any appropriate order to carry out the method 400 or an alternative method. Additionally, individual blocks may be deleted from the method 400 without departing from the scope of the subject matter described herein.
[0049] At step 402, the method includes activating the brake pad heating control unit 201 of the ECU 200 upon unlocking the door or ON of the ignition.
[0050] At step 404, the method includes determining, by temperature sensor installed in the brake pad 101, brake pad temperature (Tp).
[0051] At step 406, the method includes supplying current 300a from a battery 300 to the heating element 101c to heat up the brake pad when determined pad temperature (Tp) is less than a first predefined temperature (Ti) and ignition is ON.
[0052] At step 408, the method includes stopping supply of the current 300a from the battery 300 when the pad temperature (Tp) is more than a second predefined temperature (Tf).
[0053] The second predefined temperature (Tf) is sufficient to melt the ice and to remove the moisture present in between the brake pad and the brake disc.
[0054] In another embodiment, the pad temperature sensor continuously determines/measures the real time pad temperature (Tp) and sends the updated inputs to the brake pad heating control unit 201. When the pad temperature (Tp) is more than a third predefined temperature (Tw), the brake pad heating control unit 201 generates a warning to driver that temperature of the brake pad 101 is very high. The warning can be visual or audio warning or both.
[0055] Technical advantages:
[0056] With the present system implemented in the Engine Control Unit (ECU) and brake pad, ice and moisture present in between the brake pad and the brake disc can be easily removed.
[0057] With the present disclosure, the brake efficiency is increased.
[0058] With the present system, the brake lifetime is increased.
[0059] The heating element heats the brake pad and thus melt the ice formed between brake pad and the brake disc. This will ensure no jerk or deterioration in braking performance.
[0060] Heating of the brake pad will also ensure quick removal of water vapours from brake pad thus avoiding generation of low temperature squeal noise.
[0061] It should be understood, however, that all of these and similar terms are to be associated with the appropriate physical quantities and are merely convenient labels applied to these quantities. Unless specifically stated otherwise, as apparent from the discussion herein, it is appreciated that throughout the description, discussions utilizing terms such as “receiving,” or “determining,” or “retrieving,” or “controlling,” or “comparing,” or the like, refer to the action and processes of an electronic control unit, or similar electronic device, that manipulates and transforms data represented as physical (electronic) quantities within the control unit’s registers and memories into other data similarly represented as physical quantities within the control unit memories or registers or other such information storage, transmission or display devices.
[0062] Further, the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the disclosure. It will be appreciated that several of the above-disclosed and other features and functions, or alternatives thereof, may be combined into other systems or applications. Various presently unforeseen or unanticipated alternatives, modifications, variations, or improvements therein may subsequently be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present disclosure as encompassed by the following claims.
[0063] It will be appreciated that variants of the above-disclosed and other features and functions, or alternatives thereof, may be combined into many other different systems or applications. Various presently unforeseen or unanticipated alternatives, modifications, variations, or improvements therein may be subsequently made by those skilled in the art which are also intended to be encompassed by the following claims.
[0064] The claims, as originally presented and as they may be amended, encompass variations, alternatives, modifications, improvements, equivalents, and substantial equivalents of the embodiments and teachings disclosed herein, including those that are presently unforeseen or unappreciated, and that, for example, may arise from applicants/patentees and others.