Vehicle parkings brake power operator

Claim 2

In a vehicle including a parking brake system wherein predetermined force is required to apply the vehicle brakes, a parking brake actuator for supplying said predetermined force, comprising, a support, a lever pivotally mounted on said support for movement between a brake released position and any of a plurality of brake applied positions, power-operated drive means operative in a fixed range of movement thereof in an actuating direction from a first position, corresponding generally to the released position of said lever, to a second position, corresponding generally to a brake applied position of said lever, and in an opposite resetting direction from said second to said first position, said drive means including means operative to transfer movement of said drive means in said actuating direction into movement of said lever from its brake released position to a brake applied position wherein said lever exerts said predetermined force on said parking brake system, said operative means being further operative upon the occurrence of exertion of said predetermined force by said lever to disengage said drive means from said lever whereby said drive means completes any remainder of its movement in said actuating direction and thereafter its movement in said resetting direction independently of further movement of said lever, and circuit means including a source of power for selectively energizing said power-operated unit for movement thereof in said actuating direction and then in said resetting direction between said positions thereof.

Claim 3

In a vehicle including a parking brake system wherein predetermined force is required to apply the vehicle brakes, a parking brake actuator for supplying said predetermined force, comprising, a support, a lever pivotally mounted on said support for movement between a brake released position and any of a plurality of brake applied postion, power-operated drive linkage operative in a fixed range of movement including movement thereof in an actuating direction from a first position to a second position and in an opposite resetting direction from said second to said first position, load responsive means operative to drivingly engage said drive linkage during movement thereof in said actuating direction, with said lever to forcibly move the latter from its brake released to a brake applied position wherein said lever exerts said predetermined force on said parking brake system, said load responsive means being further operative to disengage said drive linkage from said lever upon the occurrence of exertion of said predetermined force by said lever whereby said drive linkage completes any remainder of its movement in said actuating direction and thereafter its movement in said resetting direction independently of further movement of said lever, and circuit means including a source of power for selectively energizing said drive linkage for movement thereof in said actuating direction and then in said resetting direction between said positions thereof.

Claim 4

In a vehicle including a parking brake system wherein predetermined force is required to apply the vehicle brakes, a parking brake actuator for supplying said predetermined force, comprising, a support, a lever pivotally mounted on said support for movement between a brake released position and any of a plurality of brake applied postion, power-operated drive linkage operative in a fixed range of movement including movement thereof in an actuating direction from a first position to a second position and in an opposite resetting direction from said second to said first position, load responsive means operative to drivingly engage said drive linkage during movement thereof in said actuating direction, with said lever to forcibly move the latter from its brake released to a brake applied position wherein said lever exerts said predetermined force on said parking brake system, said load responsive means being further operative to disengage said drive linkage from said lever upon the occurrence of exertion of said predetermined force by said lever whereby said drive linkage completes any remainder of its movement in said actuating direction and thereafter its movement in said resetting direction independently of further movement of said lever, and circuit means including a source of power for selectively energizing said drive linkage for movement thereof in said actuating direction and then in said resetting direction between said positions thereof.

Claim 5

In a vehicle having a parking brake system, the combination comprising: a brake lever pivotally supported upon a housing for movement under application of a predetermined force from a released position to any of a plurality of actuated positions to apply the parking brake and adapted for return movement to release the parking brake; a cyclical power operator including a drive lever rotatably supported upon said housing for driving engagement with said brake lever during rotation in one direction, said drive lever having a cam surface, said cyclical power operator further including linkage adapted to be driven from a first position to a second position in a first half cycle of operation of said power operator and from said second position back to said first position in a second half cycle of operation of said power operator, said linkage further including a link and spring means biasing said link into driving engagement with said cam surface of said drive lever when said linkage is in its first position, said linkage being operative to rotate said drive lever in said one direction to move said brake lever to apply the predetermined force necessary to apply the parking brake when said linkage is driven from its first position toward its second position in said first half cycle of operation of said power operator, said link overcoming the bias of said spring means upon the application of said predetermined force thereby to disengage said cam surface of said drive lever whereby said linkage completes any remainder of movement thereof from its first to its second position disconnected from driving engagement with said drive lever and said brake lever as said cyclical power operator completes its first half cycle of operation and thereafter movement from its second to its first position in its second half cycle of operation likewise independently of movement of said brake lever, said linkage during said second half cycle of operation of said power operator being operative to rotate said drive lever in a direction opposite said one direction to reposition said drive lever ready for reengagement with said brake lever; and circuit means including a source of power responsive to manual selection to energize said cyclical power operator for one full cycle of operation and thereafter deenergize said cyclical power operator whereby said cyclical power operator is set for manually selected recycling before return movement of said brake lever during release of the parking brake.

Claim 6

In a vehicle having a parking brake system, the combination comprising: a brake lever pivotally supported upon a housing for movement under application of a predetermined force from a released position to any of a plurality of actuated positions to apply the parking brake and adapted for return movement to release the parking brake; a cyclical power operator including a drive lever rotatably supported upon said housing for driving engagement with said brake lever during rotation in one direction, said drive lever having a cam surface, said cyclical power operator further including linkage adapted to be driven from a first position to a second position in a first half cycle of operation of said power operator and from said second position back to said first position in a second half cycle of operation of said power operator, said linkage further including a link and spring means biasing said link into driving engagement with said cam surface of said drive lever when said linkage is in its first position, said linkage being operative to rotate said drive lever in said one direction to move said brake lever to apply the predetermined force necessary to apply the parking brake when said linkage is driven from its first position toward its second position in said first half cycle of operation of said power operator, said link overcoming the bias of said spring means upon the application of said predetermined force thereby to disengage said cam surface of said drive lever whereby said linkage completes any remainder of movement thereof from its first to its second position disconnected from driving engagement with said drive lever and said brake lever as said cyclical power operator completes its first half cycle of operation and thereafter movement from its second to its first position in its second half cycle of operation likewise independently of movement of said brake lever, said linkage during said second half cycle of operation of said power operator being operative to rotate said drive lever in a direction opposite said one direction to reposition said drive lever ready for reengagement with said brake lever; and circuit means including a source of power responsive to manual selection to energize said cyclical power operator for one full cycle of operation and thereafter deenergize said cyclical power operator whereby said cyclical power operator is set for manually selected recycling before return movement of said brake lever during release of the parking brake.

Claim 7

In a vehicle having a parking brake system, the combination comprising: a foot pedal lever pivotally supported upon a housing for movement upon application of a predetermined force to apply the parking brake and adapted for return movement to release the parking brake; ratchet means for normally preventing return movement of the lever to release the parking brake once the parking brake has been applied and being releasable by the vehicle operator to allow return movement of the foot pedal lever; a motor; a gear train driven by said motor and reducing the output speed therefrom, said gear train having an output drive gear; a bellcrank lever pivotally supported upon said housing and drivingly engageable with said brake lever pivoted in one direction, said bellcrank lever having a cam surface; a linkage adapted to be driven between a first position and a second position, said linkage having a first link pivotally connected with said output drive gear, said linkage having a second link pivotally connected with said first link and having a roller cam, said linkage having a third link pivotally connected with said second link and also pivotally connected with said housing, a spring carried between said second and third links and biasing said second and third links apart, said linkage when in its first position having said roller cam of said second link biased by said spring into driving engagement with said cam surface of said bellcrank lever, said linkage when driven from its first position toward its second position being operative to pivot said bellcrank lever to move said foot pedal lever to apply the parking brake, said second link overcoming the bias of said spring and said roller cam disengaging said cam surface of said bellcrank lever when the parking brake is applied, said linkage thereafter being driven to its second disconnected from driving engagement with said bellcrank lever, said linkage when returning from its second position toward its first position having said roller cam engage said bellcrank lever to pivot said bellcrank lever out of driving engagement with said foot pedal lever and upon return to its second position having said roller cam of said second link again biased by said spring back into driving engagement with said cam surface of said bellcrank lever; and circuit means including a source of power for energizing said motor to cycle said linkage from its first position to its second position and back to its first position without stop and thereafter deenergizing said motor.

Claim 8

In a vehicle having a parking brake system, the combination comprising: a foot pedal lever pivotally supported upon a housing for movement upon application of a predetermined force to apply the parking brake and adapted for return movement to release the parking brake; ratchet means for normally preventing return movement of the lever to release the parking brake once the parking brake has been applied and being releasable by the vehicle operator to allow return movement of the foot pedal lever; a motor; a gear train driven by said motor and reducing the output speed therefrom, said gear train having an output drive gear; a bellcrank lever pivotally supported upon said housing and drivingly engageable with said brake lever pivoted in one direction, said bellcrank lever having a cam surface; a linkage adapted to be driven between a first position and a second position, said linkage having a first link pivotally connected with said output drive gear, said linkage having a second link pivotally connected with said first link and having a roller cam, said linkage having a third link pivotally connected with said second link and also pivotally connected with said housing, a spring carried between said second and third links and biasing said second and third links apart, said linkage when in its first position having said roller cam of said second link biased by said spring into driving engagement with said cam surface of said bellcrank lever, said linkage when driven from its first position toward its second position being operative to pivot said bellcrank lever to move said foot pedal lever to apply the parking brake, said second link overcoming the bias of said spring and said roller cam disengaging said cam surface of said bellcrank lever when the parking brake is applied, said linkage thereafter being driven to its second disconnected from driving engagement with said bellcrank lever, said linkage when returning from its second position toward its first position having said roller cam engage said bellcrank lever to pivot said bellcrank lever out of driving engagement with said foot pedal lever and upon return to its second position having said roller cam of said second link again biased by said spring back into driving engagement with said cam surface of said bellcrank lever; and circuit means including a source of power for energizing said motor to cycle said linkage from its first position to its second position and back to its first position without stop and thereafter deenergizing said motor.