JPH0528141Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] (Industrial Field of Application) This invention relates to a parking brake structure for an automobile, and more particularly to a parking brake structure for an automobile that allows the operating lever to be returned to a lowered position while maintaining the brake applied state.

(Prior art and its problems) Conventionally, as a parking brake device for a vehicle,
To allow people to move smoothly between seats when parking,
In addition, there is a so-called retractable parking brake device in which an operating lever, which is normally in an upright position when the parking brake is activated, can be returned to a collapsed position while maintaining the brake activation state so as not to interfere with the rotation of the rotating seat.

Such a retractable parking brake device, as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 56-18248, is constructed so that the brake cannot be released when the operating lever is in the retracted position, and a brake release mechanism is provided at the tip of the operating lever. This prevents the brake from being released even if the pushbutton is pressed carelessly.

That is, the tip of the release rod connected to the push button provided at the tip of the operating lever comes into contact with the ratchet pawl that locks the parking brake in the activated state, and by pressing the push button, the latch pawl is unlocked via the release rod. The pressing surface of this ratchet pawl and the tip of the release rod are configured so that they match only when the operating lever is operated and in the upright position, and when the operating lever is in the down position, the push button is pressed. However, the tip of the release rod does not press the pressing part of the ratchet pawl, and therefore the brake cannot be released.

However, in the conventional retractable parking brake device as described above, the release rod and the ratchet pawl are not fixedly connected, so the release rod may be deformed for some reason, the tip may wear out, or the pressing part of the ratchet pawl may become deformed. If wear or the like occurs, the tip of the release rod and the pressing portion of the ratchet pawl may no longer match or the pressing direction may shift. As a result, there is a problem in that the ratchet pawl cannot be pressed, or even if it is pressed, it cannot be released from the lock, making it impossible to release the brake operation.

(Purpose of the invention) In view of the above-mentioned circumstances, the present invention aims to ensure that the brake can be released when the operating lever is in the upright position, and that the brake can be released when the operating lever is in the down position. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a retractable parking brake structure for an automobile.

(Structure of the invention) In order to achieve the above object, the present invention rotatably supports an operation lever and an intermediate member on a support member fixed to the vehicle body side, and a ratchet pawl is rotatably supported on the intermediate member. A fitting hole is formed in the ratchet pawl into which the tip of the release rod provided on the operating lever fits, and the ratchet pawl and the ratchet teeth formed on the support member are in engagement with each other. forming an arc-shaped edge portion centered on the rotation center of the operation lever from the edge of the fitting hole on the front end side of the operation lever continuously in the direction of the rotation center of the ratchet pawl;
Further, the side opposite to the arcuate edge other than the fitting hole area is formed with an opening area that is at least larger than the operating stroke of the release rod, and the operating end of the release rod is attached to this arcuate edge. It is constructed by connecting them.

When the parking brake is activated and the operating lever is returned to the folded position, even if the release rod is stroked, the operating end will stroke within the opening area, making it impossible to release the brake, and the operating lever will be placed in the upright position and the release rod will not be able to be released. By fitting the operating end of the lever into the fitting hole, the ratchet pawl can be rotated in the disengagement direction by the stroke of the release rod, thereby releasing the parking brake.

(Embodiment of the invention) An embodiment of the invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3.

In the parking brake device of this embodiment,
As shown in FIG. 1, the operating lever 1 has a base portion 1a pivotably supported by a first support shaft 3 on a support member 2 fixed to the vehicle floor, and a tip portion 1b extending forward. Grip 4 is attached.

A swing lever 7 serving as an intermediate member is pivotally supported on the support member 2 by a second support shaft 6 located rearward and upper than the first support shaft 3 so as to be swingable up and down.

Further, a fan-shaped member 5 that rotates independently from the operating lever 1 is pivotably supported on the first support shaft 3.

A brake cable 8 of a parking brake mechanism (not shown) is connected to the fan-shaped member 5 at a predetermined position on its lower side, and the lower end of a connecting rod 18 is connected with a pin 17. Connection rod 18
, the pin 19 at the upper end is in the recess 7 of the swing lever 7.
b, and connects the fan-shaped member 5 and the swing lever 7. The brake cable 8 is pulled and biased in the brake release direction by a return spring (not shown), and normally maintains the parking brake mechanism in the release state.

A lifting pin 9 is fixed to the operating lever 1 at a predetermined position below the swing lever 7, and when the operating lever 1 is rotated upward to the upright position, the lifting pin 9 swings. It abuts against and presses the lower edge of the lever 7 to lift the tip 7a of the swinging lever 7 and swing it.

When the swing lever 7 rotates clockwise in the figure around the second support shaft 6 by operating the operating lever 1, the fan-shaped member 5 is rotated through the connecting rod 18.
is pulled and rotated in the same direction, the brake cable 8 is pulled to activate the brake, and conversely, when the swing lever 7 is rotated counterclockwise, the biasing force of the parking brake mechanism causes the fan-shaped member 5 to is operated to return to the initial position and release the brake operating state.

The support member 2 is provided with an arcuate edge portion centered on the second support shaft 6, and ratchet teeth 10 are formed on the arcuate edge portion.

A ratchet tooth 1 is provided at the tip 7a of the swing lever 7.
A ratchet pawl 11 that engages with 0 is pivotally supported by a pin 12 so as to be vertically swingable.

The ratchet claw 11 has a claw portion 11a at the tip,
A connecting portion 11b with a release rod 16, which will be described later, is formed by extending upward from the claw portion 11a, and the connecting portion 11b has a connecting portion 11a with a support member 2.
The first support shaft 3 is engaged with the ratchet teeth 10 of the
An arc-shaped elongated hole 13 is formed with the center at .

A spring 1 is attached to the grip 4 of the operating lever 1.
A push button 15 is provided which is biased in the projecting direction at 4, and a distal end 16a of a release rod 16 is connected to the push button 15, and a bent rear end 16b of the release rod 16 extends inside the operating lever 1 and engages a ratchet pawl. It is fitted and connected to the arcuate elongated hole 13 of 11.

The shape of the arcuate elongated hole 13 of the ratchet pawl 11 is such that the upper end side is connected to the bent rear end portion 1 of the release rod 16.
The fitting part 13a is formed to be slightly larger than the diameter of the release rod 16 so that the release rod 6b can be fitted into the fitting part 13a, and the fitting part 13a is formed so that the fitting part 13a is slightly larger than the diameter of the release rod 16. The edge of the joint portion 13a on the front side of the operating lever 1 is continuous in the direction of the rotating center (pin 12) of the ratchet pawl 11 in an arc shape centered on the rotating center (first spindle 3) of the operating lever 1. The distance between the edge portion 13b and the opposing inner peripheral edge is expanded from the fitting portion 13a toward the first support shaft 3, and when the bent rear end portion 16b of the release rod 16 is in this area, Even if the push button 15 is pressed and the release rod 16 is stroked, the bent rear end 16b remains in the arc-shaped elongated hole 13.
The opening 13c is spaced so that it does not come into contact with the inner peripheral surface of the
It is made up of

With the above structure, when the grip 4 is grasped and the operating lever 1 is pulled up as shown in FIG. 2, the swinging lever 7 is swung upward via the lifting pin 9. When the swinging lever 7 swings upward, the ratchet claw 11 also moves to the claw portion 11a at its tip.
is moved upward while sliding on the ratchet teeth 10 of the support member 2, and the fan-shaped member 5 is also swung in the same direction via the connecting rod 18, and by pulling the brake cable 8, the brake is activated.

Then, when you release your hand from the operating lever 1 in the standing position, the brake cable 8 is biased with tension in the opposite direction (i.e., a tension force that pulls the fan-shaped member 5 to rotate in the opposite direction). When the swinging lever 7 attempts to swing downward, the claw portion 11a of the ratchet claw 11 engages the ratchet tooth 1 of the support member 2.
0 and is locked, and the brake operating state is maintained.

To release the brake, in this state, the grip 4 is gripped and the push button 15 is pushed to stroke the release rod 16. That is, when the release rod 16 is stroked,
The bent rear end 16b of the release rod 16 engages with the fitting portion 13a of the arc-shaped slot 13, which is pushed to pivot the ratchet pawl 11 in the disengagement direction.
The brake operation is released as shown in FIG.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG.
The ratchet pawl 11 remains locked to the ratchet tooth 10 of the support member 2 by simply moving away from the support member 2.
Only the operating lever 1 can be placed in the lowered position while the brake operating state is maintained.

At this time, the bent rear end 1 of the release rod 16
6b moves downward along the edge 13b of the arc-shaped elongated hole 13 of the ratchet pawl 11 as the operating lever 1 is lowered, and enters the opening 13c. Therefore, even if the push button 15 is pressed and the release rod 16 is stroked in this state, the bent rear end 16b of the release rod 16 will not fit into the arcuate elongated hole 13.
The ratchet pawl 11 does not swing in the disengagement direction. That is, the brake operation is not released when the operating lever 1 is in the down position.

Therefore, even if you inadvertently come into contact with the push button 15 of the operating lever 1 and press it while the operating lever 1 is returned to the folded position with the brake applied when parking or the like, the brake operation will not be released. This can improve vehicle safety.

Furthermore, when the operating lever 1 is returned to the folded position with the brake applied, the bent rear end 16b of the release rod 16 is guided in the arcuate elongated hole 13 of the ratchet pawl 11, which is concentric with the first support shaft 3 of the operating lever 1. Release rod 16
Even if the inner circumferential surface of the arc-shaped elongated hole 13 is deformed or worn, when the operating lever 1 is returned to the upright position, it will fit into the upper part 13a of the arc-shaped elongated hole 13 and the brake operating state can be released. The brake operation can be reliably released in the standing position of No. 1.

Note that in this embodiment, the opening 1 of the arc-shaped elongated hole 13
3c is enlarged in the stroke direction of the release rod 16 compared to the fitting part 13a so that the bent rear end 16b of the release rod 16 does not come into contact with the opening of the arcuate long hole 13 as shown in FIG. Part 13
The first support shaft 3 side of c may be cut out and opened to make it impossible to release the brake operation by the release rod 16. With such a shape, the ratchet pawl 11 can be manufactured more easily.

(Effects of the invention) As explained above, according to the invention, the connection part between the operating end of the release rod and the ratchet pawl is formed by a fitting hole area and an opening area, thereby achieving
The operating lever can be placed in the inverted position when the brake is applied, and the brake is not released in such a state. That is, it is possible to store the operating lever and avoid inadvertent release of the brake when the operating lever is stored.

In addition, at the connecting portion between the release rod and the ratchet pawl, the operation end of the release rod moves along the edge from the opening area to the fitting hole area and is fitted into the fitting hole. It is possible to reliably release the brake operation.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a side view of the operating lever in an embodiment of the parking brake structure for an automobile according to the present invention in a collapsed position, Fig. 2 is a side view of the device in Fig. 1 in an upright position, and Fig. 3 is a side view of the device shown in Fig. 1. FIG. 4 is a side view of the storage position of the device, and FIG. 4 is a plan view of the ratchet pawl of another embodiment. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Operating lever, 2... Supporting member, 3... First support shaft (rotation center of the operating lever), 7... Rocking lever (intermediate member), 10... Ratchet tooth, 11
... Ratchet claw, 12... Pin (rotation center of ratchet claw), 13... Arc-shaped elongated hole, 13a...
Fitting part (fitting hole), 13b... edge part (arc-shaped edge part), 13c... opening (opening area), 16...
Release rod, 16b...bent rear end (operating end).

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] A parking brake device for a vehicle that can return the operating lever to the laid down position while maintaining the brake operating state, and the operating lever and the intermediate member are rotatably supported on a support member fixed to the vehicle body. , a ratchet pawl is rotatably supported on the intermediate member, a fitting hole is formed in the ratchet pawl into which an operating end of a release rod provided on the operating lever is fitted, and the ratchet pawl and the When engaged with the ratchet teeth formed on the support member, an arcuate edge portion centered around the rotation center of the operating lever is formed from the edge of the fitting hole on the front side of the operating lever. The ratchet pawl is formed continuously in the rotation center direction, and the side opposite to the arcuate edge other than the fitting hole area is formed to have an opening area that is at least larger than the operating stroke of the release rod. An automobile parking brake structure comprising: