Electric Brakes fo Future Cars
It is a little stretch to put this item on The Energy Blog, but the Electric Wedge Brake (EWB) would save weight and energy in future automobiles in adddition to revolutionizing braking systems. Siemans VDO's EWB braking system makes possible a 12V brake-by-wire system.
The electric motors for the brakes obtain their energy from the turning wheels. The intelligently controlled wedge converts the kinetic energy of the vehicle directly into braking energy. As a result of its self-reinforcing action, the EWB is faster than today’s hydraulic brake and requires only one-tenth the energy to operate.
As shown in the illustration, the brake rotor (1) and the pad (2) are brought into contact with each other by electric motors (3, 4) using several roller screws (5) along wedge-shaped angled surfaces (6). The wedge effect is automatically amplified as the result of the wheel's rotation allowing varying degrees of braking force to be generated with little effort. This operation of the brake can be seen in this video of EWB operation.
To quote the article in Automotive Design Line: "The EWB design eliminates components such as hydraulic lines, brake cylinders, brake booster, or ABS control unit, to offer overall system weight reduction—with simplified service, greater reliability, and increased safety. By doing away with the entire hydraulic system, the overall brake system can be more economically integrated into the automobile. The removal of the hydraulic brake system also helps reduce the automobile's environmental impact (from fluids elimination and greater fuel efficiency)."
No comments:
Post a Comment