Spring applied disk brake and handle control for industrial truck

Claim 1

In a vehicle having a steerable motor wheel assembly including a support pivotally connected to the vehicle frame on a vertical pivot axis, a drive wheel, an electric motor, a power train interconnecting said wheel and the drive shaft of said motor including rotatable power transmitting parts and a handle pivotally connected to said support for movement between horizontal and vertical positions, a braking mechanism Comprising: a brake disk releasably secured to one of said parts for rotation therewith, a pair of axially extending elements rigidly secured to said support and disposed radially outwardly of said disk, a first brake shoe having a first leg in axially confronting relation to one axial side of said disk, a second leg at the other axial side of said disk, a bridging portion rigidly interconnecting said legs and disposed radially outwardly of said disk, and two pairs of aligned openings in said first and second legs through which said elements extend, respectively, a second brake shoe in confronting relation to the other axial side of said disk and having openings through which said elements extend, an L-shaped brake operating lever movable between a first position in which said shoes engage said disk and a second position in which said shoes are permitted to disengage from said disk, said lever having a first horizontal arm with a free end portion adjacent said pivot axis and a second verticle arm in engagement with said shoes, respectively, a single vertical member disposed substantially in alignment with said pivot axis having a bottom end in engagement with said free end portion of said first arm, a spring between said vertical member and support biasing said member in a vertical direction, a cam secured to said handle and a link pivoted on said support having spaced portions engageable with said cam and the upper end of said vertical member, respectively, said cam permitting said link to pivot out of engagement with said vertical member when the handle is in its vertical position whereby the force of said spring urges said vertical member in a vertical direction and said lever is in turn urged to its brake engaging position by said vertical member.