Brembo S.p.a.

Tiziano Nannipieri

Francesco Camozzi

Fabio Meldini

Salvatore Bonomo

Beniamin Szewczyk

Luca Maestrini

Stefano Faralli

Paolo Polvara

Daniele Casari

Fabrizio Di Pasquale

Alessandro Signorini

Massimiliano Solazzi

Massimiliano Gabardi

Alessandro Casini

A method for detecting and measuring a braking force and/or a braking torque deriving from actuation of a vehicle braking system includes incorporating a fiber-optic strain sensor of fiber Bragg grating type in a respective position in a portion of material of the body of the brake caliper susceptible to deformation, detecting, by the fiber-optic strain sensor local deformation and/or strain acting in the respective position, generating a respective first photonic signal representative of the detected deformation and/or strain, receiving the first photonic signal, by an optical reading/interrogation unit optically connected to the fiber-optic strain sensor, generating, by the optical reading/interrogation unit, a first electrical signal representative of the local detected deformation and/or strain, based on the received first photonic signal, and processing the first electrical signal to obtain a measurement of the braking force and/or braking torque. A sensorized brake caliper and a corresponding system to detect and measure a braking force and/or braking torque are also described.

Method and system for detecting and measuring a braking force of a braking system for vehicle, by means of photonic sensors incorporated in a brake caliper

A method for interrogating an FBG sensor includes lighting the FBG sensor with a broadband excitation optical radiation, conveying the optical spectrum transmitted or reflected by the FBG sensor to a tunable optical BPF having a first extraction port and a second transmission port, tuning the optical BPF at a constant operating wavelength, depending on nominal operating wavelength of the FBG sensor, detecting a first optical signal exiting the first extraction port, converting, by a first opto-electronic receiver, the first optical signal into a first electrical signal, representative of a wavelength shift of the spectrum transmitted or reflected by the FBG sensor, detecting a second optical signal exiting the second transmission port, converting the second optical signal, by a second opto-electronic receiver, into a second electrical signal, representative of an optical reference power, and determining the wavelength shift of the spectrum transmitted or reflected by FBG sensor, based on detected first and second electrical signals. A system for interrogating an FBG sensor is also provided.

Method and system for interrogating an optical fiber sensor of the fiber Bragg grating type, using a tunable optical bandpass filter

A method for determining a braking torque at at least one fixing interface between a brake caliper body and a brake caliper support includes inserting at least one washer device at the at least one fixing interface, the washer device having at least one fiber-optic strain sensor of fiber Bragg grating type, detecting, by the at least one fiber-optic strain sensor, local deformation and/or strain acting in a respective detecting position, and generating at least one respective photonic signal representative of the detected deformation and/or strain, receiving the at least one first photonic signal, by an optical reading/interrogation unit optically connected to the at least one fiber-optic strain sensor, generating at least one electric signal representative of the detected local deformation and/or strain, based on the received first photonic signal, and determining the braking torque based on the at least one electrical signal.

Method and system for determining a braking torque, by means of detection performed by photonic sensors at a fixing interface between a brake caliper body and a respective support

A method for detecting and measuring a clamping force and/or a braking torque includes encapsulating a fiber-optic strain sensor in a casing and incorporating the casing in a portion of friction material adhering to a base platform of a brake pad, detecting, by the fiber-optic strain sensor, a first strain in a first position of the casing along a first direction and a second strain in a second position of the friction material along a second direction, generating a first photonic signal, representative of the first detected strain, and a second photonic signal, representative of the second detected strain, receiving the first and second photonic signals, by an optical reading/interrogation unit, optically connected to the fiber-optic strain sensor, determining, by the optical reading/interrogation unit, the values of the first and second strains based on the first and second received photonic signals and determining a measurement of the clamping force and/or braking torque based on determined values of the first and second strains.

Method and system for detecting and measuring a braking force of a braking system for vehicle, by means of photonic sensors incorporated in a brake pad

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Curno, Italy

Tiziano Nannipieri