DEVICE AND METHOD FOR DETECTING A BRAKING FORCE AND/OR TORQUE AT A BRAKE CALIPER

A detection device 1 is described for detecting a force acting in a detection portion Z of a brake caliper 100 and representative of a braking torque acting on the brake caliper when braking. The device 1 is adapted to being mounted between said brake caliper detection portion Z and a corresponding hub holder 101, by means of fixing and clamping means 5. When mounted and in the absence of forces acting on it, the detection device 1 is shaped as a washer or plate extending mainly along a reference plane P. The device 1 comprises a first functional element 11, a second functional element 12, a positioning element 10, and a sensing element 13. The first functional element 11 is adapted to be placed in close contact with the brake caliper detection portion Z when the device 1 is mounted, so as to sustain by friction a force representative of the braking force acting on said brake caliper detection portion Z. The second functional element 12 is adapted to be placed in close contact with the hub holder 101 when the device 1 is mounted. The positioning element 10 is connected to the first functional element 11, and adapted to be connected to the clamping and fixing means 5, when the device 1 is mounted, so as to ensure that the mounted device is arranged in the working position between the hub holder 101 and the brake caliper detection portion Z, and to allow at the same time the first functional element 11 and the second functional element 12 to be connected in a mutually relative sliding manner, without hindrances due to the clamping and fixing means 5. The first functional element 11 is arranged, relative to the second functional element 12, to slide relative to the second functional element, when the first functional element is subjected to a force, when braking, due to the friction with the brake caliper detection portion, so as to consequently transfer a force, dependent on the aforesaid force sustained by the first functional element 11 and representative of the braking force acting on the caliper detection portion Z, to a deformable portion 120 of the second functional element 12 adapted to deform as a function of the force applied on it. The sensing element 13 is housed in the aforesaid deformable portion of the second functional element 12 and configured to detect the force transferred onto it by the first functional element 11 onto the deformable portion, or a quantity correlated to said force, and to generate at least one electrical signal V dependent