Variable Braking Force Using Intelligent Twin Calipers

Automobile Braking System is one of the most important sub systems of the vehicle. It is the primary safety system since the stopping of the vehicle is majorly dependent on this system. This system utilises the frictional force between the tire and the road to stop the vehicle. The braking force required by the vehicle is governed by two factors. One of them is the coefficient of friction between the tire and the road surface, the other one is the load on the vehicle. Thus, required braking force to halt the vehicle with the minimum possible stopping distance varies with the load in the vehicle. If the applied braking force is greater than the required brake force, wheel gets locked which results in increased stopping distance. In order to prevent the wheel lock at low load conditions, a variable braking force system is developed. In Motorcycles, the pillion load majorly contributes to the overall weight. Thus, the amount of braking force required to stop with minimum stopping distance also varies drastically with respect to pillion load condition. Hence, the amount of braking force developed between the road surface and the tire is varied in the variable braking force system. In this project, variable brake force system is achieved by varying the effective disc radius. The maximum braking force developed between the ground and the tire is controlled based on the pillion load on the motor cycle, if friction is present between the tire and the ground. Two calipers are mounted on the brake disc of which one is fixed at a constant distance (constant effective disc radius – 67mm) and the other is movable depending on the load on the motorcycle. The movable caliper slides upwards and downwards such that the effective disc radius is varied based on the pillion load. Using a load cell, the load of the vehicle is determined. A microcontroller is programmed to move the caliper with the help of a stepper motor based on the load on the motorcycle. This way, the effective disc radius is varied for various loads on the motorcycle.