Abstract: A method of estimating wear of a vehicle brake element including at least a braking disk (10), a wearable block of friction material (20) and a support back plate (40) of the block of friction material (20), comprising at least: —providing a temperature sensor (100) configured and placed to sense the temperature of the support back plate (40) —providing an Electronic Processing Unit (200) connected to the temperature sensor (100); —providing an acquisition of the sensed temperature of the support back plate (40), a generation of a temperature signal of the sensed temperature and a transmission of the temperature signals to the Electronic Processing Unit (200); —and the Electronic Processing Unit (200) providing an estimation (500) of the thickness of the wearable block of friction material (20) by processing of the temperature signals.

Abstract: Various systems, devices, and methods for a vehicle smart brake pad comprising a sensor such as a force sensing device, and a production process thereof. For example, a production process of a vehicle brake pad can include the following steps in time sequence: applying an electrical circuit a support plate; screen printing on the electrical circuit of at least a first electrode; screen printing on the at least first electrode of a sheet of piezoelectric material; screen printing on the sheet of at least a second electrode; applying a friction pad on the support plate; and bulk polarizing the sheet of piezoelectric material by a supply of power to the at least first and second electrodes.

Abstract: Methods and devices for estimating a residual torque between the braked (e.g., brake disk or drum) and braking elements (e.g., support plate or friction block) of a vehicle based on acquired and reference temperatures, where the reference temperature can be calculated using an N-dimensional calculation model with an N-dimensional vector of input variables, and where said N-dimensional calculation model can be an analytical or experimental characterization of the thermal behavior of the brake.

Abstract: A vehicle electronic system including a parking brake equipment, comprising a brake element (2) including either a brake pad or a brake shoe, said brake element (2) including an electrical circuit equipped with one or more sensors (3, 4, 5) for real-time detection of signals relating to temperatures and/or to normal forces and/or to shear forces and having electrical terminals arranged in a zone for collecting the signals from the brake element, said vehicle electronic parking brake system further comprising an actuator (8) of the brake element (2), a controller (7) delivering a braking force command to the actuator (8), and regulating means (9, 10) driving the controller (7), wherein the regulating means (9, 10) include a closed regulating loop of the braking force including a reference braking force generator (10), said closed regulating loop of the braking force being communicating with said sensors (3, 4, 5) to acquire at least one of temperatures and/or normal forces and/or shear forces measurements.

Abstract: Methods and devices for estimating a residual torque between the braked (e.g., brake disk or drum) and braking elements (e.g., support plate or friction block) of a vehicle based on acquired and reference temperatures, where the reference temperature can be calculated using an N-dimensional calculation model with an N-dimensional vector of input variables, and where said N-dimensional calculation model can be an analytical or experimental characterization of the thermal behavior of the brake.

Abstract: The force sensing device (1) comprising: a sheet (2) of piezoelectric; at least a first and a second interdigitated electrodes (5, 50) located on a first main face (3) and at least a third and fourth interdigitated electrodes (6, 60) located on a second main face (4) of the sheet (2), the first and third electrodes (5, 6) being aligned to each other along a normal stress direction (N), the second and fourth electrodes (50, 60) being aligned to each other along the normal stress direction (N); the piezoelectric material comprising first portions (100) facing the first and third electrodes (5, 6) interposed with second portions (101) facing the second and fourth electrodes (50, 60), the first portions (100) having bulk electric polarization with vector field (E) mostly oriented in alignment with the normal stress direction (N), the second portions (101) having bulk electric polarization with vector field (E) mostly oriented transversally to the normal stress direction (N).

Abstract: A vehicle brake pad (100) comprising: a support plate (21); a friction pad (20); at least a shear force sensing device; and an electrical circuit configured to collect signals from the shear force sensing device (1); wherein the shear force sensing device (1) comprises: a sheet (2) of piezoelectric material having a first and a second main faces (3, 4) parallel to each other identifying a shear stress direction (S); at least a first digitated reading electrode (5) located on the first main face (3); at least a second digitated reading electrode (6) located on the second main face (4), the first and second reading electrodes (5, 6) having digits (5a, 6a) aligned along a reading direction (R) orthogonal to the stress shear direction (S); at least a first digitated polarizing electrode (7) located on the first main face (3) and interdigitated with the first digitated reading electrode (5); and at least a second digitated polarizing electrode (8) located on the second main face (4) and interdigitated with the sec

Abstract: Various systems, devices, and methods for a vehicle smart brake pad comprising a sensor such as a force sensing device, and a production process thereof. For example, a production process of a vehicle brake pad can include the following steps in time sequence: applying an electrical circuit a support plate; screen printing on the electrical circuit of at least a first electrode; screen printing on the at least first electrode of a sheet of piezoelectric material; screen printing on the sheet of at least a second electrode; applying a friction pad on the support plate; and bulk polarizing the sheet of piezoelectric material by a supply of power to the at least first and second electrodes.

Abstract: Various brake pads with thermoelectric energy harvesters are disclosed. In some embodiments, the brake pad comprising a backplate, a pad of friction material, and a TEG module. The backplate can comprise a through-hole in which elements of the TEG module are positioned.

Abstract: Various systems, devices, and methods for a vehicle smart brake pad comprising a sensor such as a force sensing device, and a production process thereof. For example, a production process of a vehicle brake pad can include the following steps in time sequence: applying an electrical circuit a support plate; screen printing on the electrical circuit of at least a first electrode; screen printing on the at least first electrode of a sheet of piezoelectric material; screen printing on the sheet of at least a second electrode; applying a friction pad on the support plate; and bulk polarizing the sheet of piezoelectric material by a supply of power to the at least first and second electrodes.

Abstract: Methods and devices for estimating a residual torque between the braked (e.g., brake disk or drum) and braking elements (e.g., support plate or friction block) of a vehicle based on acquired and reference temperatures, where the reference temperature can be calculated using an N-dimensional calculation model with an N-dimensional vector of input variables, and where said N-dimensional calculation model can be an analytical or experimental characterization of the thermal behavior of the brake.

Abstract: Various brake pads with thermoelectric energy harvesters are disclosed. In some embodiments, the brake pad comprising a backplate, a pad of friction material, and a TEG module. The backplate can comprise a through-hole in which elements of the TEG module are positioned.

Abstract: Various brake pads with thermoelectric energy harvesters are disclosed. In some embodiments, the brake pad comprising a backplate, a pad of friction material, and a TEG module. The backplate can comprise a through-hole in which elements of the TEG module are positioned.

Abstract: Various systems, devices, and methods for a vehicle smart brake pad comprising a sensor such as a force sensing device, and a production process thereof. For example, a production process of a vehicle brake pad can include the following steps in time sequence: applying an electrical circuit a support plate; screen printing on the electrical circuit of at least a first electrode; screen printing on the at least first electrode of a sheet of piezoelectric material; screen printing on the sheet of at least a second electrode; applying a friction pad on the support plate; and bulk polarizing the sheet of piezoelectric material by a supply of power to the at least first and second electrodes.

Abstract: The braking device comprises a braking pad in turn comprising a support plate, a friction pad, an electrical circuit equipped with sensors for real-time detection of signals relating to temperatures and/or to normal forces and/or to shear forces and having electrical terminals arranged in a zone for collecting the signals from the braking pad, at least an electronic module having active components which require energy in order to function, and a thermal decoupling element physically connecting the electronic module to the braking pad and electrically connecting the electronic module to said electrical terminals, the electronic module comprising an analog conditioning unit for conditioning the signals, an analog/digital conversion unit for converting the signals, a data processing unit for processing data from the digital signals, and a transmission unit for transmitting the data.

Abstract: Various brake pads with thermoelectric energy harvesters are disclosed. In some embodiments, the brake pad comprising a backplate, a pad of friction material, and a TEG module. The backplate can comprise a through-hole in which elements of the TEG module are positioned.