Sliding caliper retaining mechanism for a disc brake

Claim 2

A disc brake for a vehicle comprising a rotatable disc having a peripheral edge, a drag-taking member adjacent to said disc, a caliper having spaced limbs straddling said peripheral edge of said disc and which are symmetrical with respect to a radius of said disc, friction pad assemblies for engagement with opposite faces of said disc located in said caliper, actuating means housed in one of said limbs for applying one of said friction pad assemblies directly to an adjacent face of said disc, the other of said friction pad assemblies being applied indirectly to the opposite face of said disc by the reaction of said actuating means which causes said caliper to slide axially with respect to said drag-taking member, circumferentially spaced arms in said drag-taking member having axially spaced opposite ends, inner faces of said arms defining therebetween a gap in which said caliper is located, said caliper having circumferentially spaced opposite end faces adjacent said inner faces of said arms, a key of a length substantially equal to that of said arms interposed between one of said opposite end faces and said inner face of one of said arms, and an elongate resilient member interposed between the said one end face and said key over the total length thereof to urge the other of said opposite end faces into direct sliding engagement with the other of said inner faces, said elongate resilient member being substantially flat at least in a transverse direction and being provided at opposite ends with spaced tags which straddle opposite ends of said key and project in a direction away from said caliper by a distance greater than the distance between said resilient member and the said one of the said arms to engage with said axially spaced opposite ends of the said one of said arms to prevent said key from moving with respect to said drag-taking member as said caliper is moved axially in the application of the brake, said elongate member comprising sole means for locating said key in said brake and with respect to said drag-taking member and said tags being urged out of engagement with said arm to permit said key and said resilient member to be withdrawn from said brake in an axial direction, wherein said one of said opposite end faces of said caliper is formed with an axially extending outwardly directed groove of generally Vee outline comprising inner and outer relatively inclined surfaces, said inner face of said one at said arms is formed with a complementary projection of generally Vee outline comprising inner and outer relatively inclined surfaces spaced respectively from said inner and outer surfaces of said groove, said key has on one side first and second relatively inclined abutment surfaces which engage slidably with said inner and outer surfaces of said projection and on an opposite side a third abutment surface spaced from and parallel with said outer surface of said groove, and said resilient member acts between said third abutment surface and said outer surface of said groove, and wherein said key includes a projection equal in length to that of said key, said key projection extending from the said opposite side of said key towards the said outer surface of said groove and having an inner edge between which and said inner surface of said groove is defined a clearance gap in which said resilient member is located.

Claim 3

A disc brake as claimed in claim 1, wherein said resilient member comprises a spring blade of sinuous outline and said tags are pierced from said blade adjacent to opposite ends thereof.

Claim 4

A disc brake as claimed in claim 1, wherein the circumferential dimension of said caliper is smaller than the circumferential spacing between said arms to permit said caliper to be removed from said drag-taking member in a radial direction after said key and said resilient member have first been withdrawn from said brake.

Claim 5

A disc brake as claimed in claim 1, wherein said arms are continuous with extensions which extend over said peripheral edge of said disc to define drag-taking abutments for said friction pad assembly which is adapted to be applied indirectly to said disc.

Claim 6

A disc brake as claimed in claim 1, wherein said friction pad assembly which is adapted to be applied directly to said disc is guided between said circumferentially spaced arms, and resilient means acting between one end of the said friction pad assembly and the said one of said arms acts to urge the opposite end of said friction pad assembly into engagement with the other of said arms, means being incorporated for keying said resilient means to the said one arm against movement relative thereto.

Claim 7

A disc brake as claimed in claim 1, wherein end portions of said friction pad assembly which is adapted to be applied indirectly to said disc are displaced axially to engage in complementary recesses in the one of said spaced limbs which provides a support for that friction pad assembly.

Claim 8

A disc brake as claimed in claim 6 wherein each recess has a base and a spring acts between the said one limb and the said friction pad assembly to urge one of said end portions into engagement at all times with said base of said recess in which it is received.

Claim 9

A disc brake as claimed in claim 7, wherein said spring is adapted to urge into engagement said surfaces by which the drag on the friction pad assembly is transmitted to said caliper when the brake is applied with said disc rotating in a normal forward direction.

Claim 10

A disc brake as claimed in claim 1, wherein said friction pad assembly which is adapted to be applied indirectly to said disc is slidably guided between spaced abutment surfaces on inwardly directed radial extensions of said arms.

Claim 11

A disc brake as claimed in claim 9, wherein a spring acts between one of said extensions and one end of the said friction pad assembly to urge the opposite end of the said friction pad assembly into engagement with the one of the said abutment surfaces at that end of the brake.

Claim 12

A disc brake as claimed in claim 10, wherein said spring acts in a direction to urge the said friction pad assembly into engagement with the arm which takes the drag on the said friction pad assembly when the brake is applied with the disc rotating in a normal forward direction.

Claim 13

A disc brake for a vehicle comprising a rotatable disc having a peripheral edge, a drag-taking member adjacent to said disc, a caliper having spaced limbs straddling said peripheral edge of said disc and which are symmetrical with respect to a radius of said disc, friction pad assemblies for engagement with opposite faces of said disc located in said caliper, actuating means housed in one of said limbs for applying one of said friction pad assemblies directly to an adjacent face of said disc, the other of said friction pad assemblies being applied indirectly to the opposite face of said disc by the reaction of said actuating means which causes said caliper to slide axially with respect to said drag-taking member, circumferentially spaced arms in said drag-taking member having axially spaced opposite ends, inner faces of said arms defining therebetween a gap in which said caliper is located, said caliper having circumferentially spaced opposite end faces adjacent said inner faces of said arms, a key of a length substantially equal to that of said arms interposed between one of said opposite ends faces and said inner face of one of said arms, and an elongate resilient member interposed between the said one end face and said key over the total length thereof to urge the other of said opposite end faces into direct sliding engagement with the other of said inner faces, said elongate resilient member being substantially flat at least in a transverse direction and being provided at opposite ends with spaced tags which straddle opposite ends of said key and project in a direction away from said caliper by a distance greater than the distance between said resilient member and the said one of the said arms to engage with said axially spaced opposite ends of the said one of said arms to prevent said key from moving with respect to said drag-taking member as said caliper is moved axially in the application of the brake, said elongate member comprising sole means for locating said key in said brake and with respect to said drag-taking member and said tags being urged out of engagement with said arm to permit said key and said resilient member to be withdrawn from said brake in an axial direction, and wherein each of said opposite end faces of said caliper is formed with an axially extending outwardly directed groove of generally Vee outline comprising inner and outer relatively inclined surfaces, said inner face of each of said arms is formed with a complementary projection of generally Vee outline comprising inner and outer relatively inclined surfaces, one of said projections is engaged by said inner and outer surfaces of one of said grooves in which the said one projection is received, the other of said projections is spaced from said inner and outer surfaces of the other of said grooves, said key has on one side first and second relatively inclined abutment faces engaging slidably with said inner and outer surfaces of the said other of said projections and on an opposite side a third abutment surface spaced from and parallel with said outer surface of the said other of said grooves, and said resilient member acts between said third abutment surface and the said last mentioned outer surface, and wherein said key includes a projection equal in length to that of said key, said key projection extending from the said opposite side of said key towards the said last mentioned outer surface of said caliper and having an inner edge between which and said inner surface of the other of said grooves is defined a clearance gap in which said resilient member is located.

Claim 14

A disc brake for a vehicle comprising a rotatable disc having a peripheral edge, a drag-taking member adjacent to said disc, a caliper having spaced limbs straddling said peripheral edge of said disc and which are symmetrical with respect to a radius of said disc, friction pad assemblies for engagement with opposite faces of said disc located in said caliper, actuating means housed in one of said limbs for applying one of said friction pad assemblies directly to an adjacent face of said disc, the other of said friction pad assemblies being applied indirectly to the opposite face of said disc by the reaction of said actuating means which causes said caliper to slide axially with respect to said drag-taking member, circumferentially spaced arms in said drag-taking member having axially spaced opposite ends, inner faces of said arms defining therebetween a gap in which said caliper is located, said caliper having circumferentially spaced opposite end faces adjacent said inner faces of said arms, a key of a length substantially equal to that of said arms interposed between one of said opposite ends faces and said inner face of one of said arms, and an elongate resilient member interposed between the said one end face and said key over the total length thereof to urge the other of said opposite end faces into direct sliding engagement with the other of said inner faces, said elongate resilient member being substantially flat at least in a transverse direction and being provided at opposite ends with spaced tags which straddle opposite ends of said key and project in a direction away from said caliper by a distance greater than the distance between said resilient member and the said one of the said arms to engage with said axially spaced opposite ends of the said one of said arms to prevent said key from moving with respect to said drag-taking member as said caliper is moved axially in the application of the brake, said elongate member comprising sole means for locating said key in said brake and with respect to said drag-taking member and said tags being urged out of engagement with said arm to permit said key and said resilient member to be withdrawn from said brake in an axial direction, and wherein each of said opposite end faces of said caliper is formed with an axially extending outwardly directed groove of generally Vee outline comprising inner and outer relatively inclined surfaces, said inner face of each of said arms is formed with a complementary projection of generally Vee outline comprising inner and outer relatively inclined surfaces, one of said projections is engaged by said inner and outer surfaces of one of said grooves in which the said one projection is received, the other of said projections is spaced from said inner and outer surfaces of the other of said grooves, said key has on one side first and second relatively inclined abutment faces engaging slidably with said inner and outer surfaces of the said other of said projections and on an opposite side a third abutment surface spaced from and parallel with said outer surface of the said other of said grooves, and said resilient member acts between said third abutment surface and the said last mentioned outer surface, and wherein said key includes a projection equal in length to that of said key, said key projection extending from the said opposite side of said key towards the said last mentioned outer surface of said caliper and having an inner edge between which and said inner surface of the other of said grooves is defined a clearance gap in which said resilient member is located.