United States Patent (19) 11) 3,982,610 Campagnolo (45) Sept. 28, 1976 54 CONICAL SHAPED DISC BRAKE FOR A 3,498,417 3/1970 Schmid............................ 88/96 P WEHICLE 3,776,597 2/1973 Camps.................................. 88/26 76 Inventor: Tullio Campagnolo, Corso Padova, 3,858,692 1/1975 Luchier et al.................... 1881 18 A 168, 36100 Vicenza, Italy FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 22 Filed: Feb. 5, 1975 641,486 8/1950 United Kingdom................ 18817.8 21) Appl. No.: 547,251 Primary Examiner-Stephen G. Kunin Assistant Examiner-Edward R. Kazenske (30) Foreign Application Priority Data Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Young & Thompson Feb. 5, 1974 Italy.................................. 20177/74 June. 7, 1974 Italy.................................. 23719,174 (57) ABSTRACT A disk brake, of the type embodying the brake disk in (52 U.S. Cl................................. 188/18 A; 188/26; the hub of the vehicle wheel and especially a motorcy 188173.2; 188/366; 192/70.15 cle wheel, having: at least one brake disk, the braking 51 Int. Cl.'............................................ B60T 1106 surface of which is a conical surface, which brake disk 58 Field of Search.................. 188/18 R, 18 A, 26, connects the actual hub of the wheel with the spokes 188/71.8, 72.4, 366, 368, 369, 196 P, 73.2; carrying flange of the wheel itself, and at least one 192/70. 15, 85 AA, 85 CA non-rotating brake plate, placed to the side of the hub and provided with friction pads lying on a conical sur 56) References Cited face adapted to engage with the braking surface of the UNITED STATES PATENTS disk, said brake plate being slidable along the wheel 2,102,406 12/1937 Cohen................................, 881366 axis in order to establish or interrupt braking engage 2,364, 83 2/1944 Ash................................... 1881 18 A ment between said friction pads and said disk, under 2,471,956 5/1949 Holl.................................. 188/18 A the opposing action of fluid pressure control means 2,536,269 ifl951 Driscoll.............................. 1881718 and of spring return means. 2,551,252 5/1951 DuBois ...................... ... 188171.8 3,095,064 6/1963 Tankersley et al................ 188/72.4 13 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures SN 222a1aaar 2. N 22. U.S. Patent Sept. 28, 1976 Sheet 1 of 6 3,982,610 AN 28. Š2RSSS-2A) AZ NYSZ62 SRSS22777,777 2)SSCS 33F. Nes 3% y SA WXSS U.S. Patent Sept. 28, 1976 Sheet 2 of 6 3,982,610 & Nasr S.S. S3EC)SS36446G - G NYS N.C. N52 SN2022 A-211 NegesisNyz 13- U.S. Patent Sept. 28, 1976 Sheet 3 of 6 3,982,610 117 (S L 119-118 N&Š) 2322 A NRNS/2,NSX22,\ll N. N. E 102 & s SfR in Ne6 7 2 Z E.SOS. 3 102103 S. NSN N N.MISCAKn-N ISSSZZY A/RN NAS ofWAYAAY-etc. ZZZZZZAK4SSSSSSS4ZZZZZ7Rfinist ANYONS - 7->NS!E.2 SSS7 ser (NYS-113 2.sa/a NS S K 1071200 &2.N 110 R s FIG 3 2 Q U.S. Patent Sept. 28, 1976 Sheet 4 of 6 3,982,610 200 FG, 4. U.S. Patent Sept. 28, 1976 Sheet 5 of 6 3,982,610 U.S. Patent Sept. 28, 1976 Sheet 6 of 6 3,982,610 RS2zY)Q), NYS 2 23 as a a CS13LT) 20, 3,982,610 1. 2 guaranteeing a powerful braking with reduced operat CONICAL SHAPED DISC BRAKE FOR A VEHICLE ing efforts, and a very smooth braking. For such purposes, the present invention relates to a BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 3 disk brake for wheels of vehicles, of the type in which 1. Field of the Invention : the brake disk is embodied in the wheel hub, and char The present invention relates to a disk brake for acterized by the fact that it comprises: at least one wheels of vehicles and especially for motorcycle brake disk, connecting the actual hub of the wheel with wheels, designed to solve some important problems the spokes carrying flange of the wheel itself, and at connected with the braking of such vehicles. least one non-rotating brake plate, placed to the side of It is known that in some vehicles, typically motorcy 10 the hub and provided with friction pads, said brake cles, the application of disk brakes has met so far with plate being slidable along the wheel axis in order to little success - in spite of the felt need to replace establish or interrupt braking engagement between said (especially in a large motorcycles) the drum brakes by friction pads and said disk, under the opposing action more modern and efficient brakes - due to some prob of fluid pressure control means and of spring return lems not easy to solve. In particular, a serious difficulty 15 was represented by the rational placement of the disk, means; and by the fact that the braking surface of the usually arranged to the side of the wheel with the re disk is a conical surface, with the axis coinciding with spective calipers, with consequent weight unbalances the wheel axis, and that the friction pads are carried by in the case of motorcycles. the brake plate, so as to lie on a conical surface adapted 2. Description of the Prior Art 20 to engage with the conical braking surface of the disk. In order to obtain a rational solution of this important Preferably, in said brake, the disk will consist of a problem, it has already been suggested to embody the tapered frustoconical body, stiffened on both sides by brake disk in the hub of the vehicle wheel (particularly radial stiffening ribs and connected to the hub and to a motorcycle wheel), attributing to said disk also func the wheel spokes carrying flange; while the plate will tions of connection between the actual hub and its 25 consist of a flat central part and of a frustoconical flange for attachment of the wheel spokes, and to act peripheral part, with taper opposite to that of the disk, on the disk itself with friction, pads, carried by brake ending with a pads carrying flange, with taper conso plates mounted on the wheel axle and discharging their nant with that of the disk. - own reactions onto the disk. Alternatively, the disk may comprise a plate-shaped This solution, however - though in theory quite 30 body, radially emerging from the hub and branching off convincing - has not so far given, for various reasons, at its periphery to form - in common with the wheel any acceptable practical results, so that most motorcy spokes carrying flange, to which it connects - two cles of all the types being produced at present, continue diverging conical surfaces; in this case, two brake to adopt the old drum brakes, with all the drawbacks plates will be provided, each equipped with friction deriving therefrom. 35 pads and arranged opposite to each other, one on one Usually, in carrying out the above solution, the brake side and one on the other of the disk (and of the hub), plate connecting the hub and the wheel spokes carrying each of said plates being formed like the one previously flange, has been placed according to the symmetry described and being adapted to engage with its friction plane perpendicular to the axis of the wheel itself. On pads the conical surface of the corresponding forked other occasions, use has been made of two disks, paral 40 disk periphery. - lel to and equally spaced from said plane. The struc The fluid pressure control means of the brake ac tures deriving therefrom have been, in most cases, cording to the present invention preferably consist of a either exceedingly heavy and bulky, as well as expen cylinder-piston unit, coaxial with the wheel axis, while sive, or insufficiently safe, due to their precarious be the return means preferably consist either of a simple haviour as to stresses in use; besides, as to the removal 45 spring, fitted onto the wheel axis and interposed be of the heat produced by friction, they have not given tween the hub and the brake plate, and of hand adjust fully satisfactory results. ment means of the plate stroke; or of a plurality of Furthermore, in all these brakes of the prior art, the spring devices, circumferentially, distributed on the engagement between the friction pads of the brake plate and adapted to automatically take up the slack. plates and the brake disk or disks takes place by front 50 The disk brake according to the present invention contact, as a result of the movement of said plates may be realized in a wide variety of embodiments, and according to the wheel axis and towards the wheel each of the single embodiments may in turn comprise itself. In these brakes the forces which have to be ap different modifications thereof. plied in order to effect the braking, are high in respect The following description - given with reference to of the braking effect obtained, and the cooperation 55 the accompanying drawings - merely refers to some between the friction pads and the disks takes place in a embodiments of the invention and by no means limits rather abrupt way, resulting in braking which is far less the various types of brakes which could be realized by smooth than desirable. , those skilled in the art, falling within the scope of the present invention. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 60 The object of the present invention is to prevent all BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS the above drawbacks and to provide a disk brake for In the accompanying drawings: vehicles and particularly for motorcycles having a sim FIG.