Patent ID: 6286389
Filing Date: 2001-09-11
Classification: B60T,Y10T

Abstract:
A parking brake actuating assembly for installation in a passenger compartment of a motor vehicle, the motor vehicle having a brake system that is actuated to prevent vehicle wheel rotation and hence rolling movement of said vehicle by applying tension in a brake activating direction to a vehicle brake cable that connects to said brake system, said parking brake actuating assembly comprising:an actuator member constructed and arranged to be moved in a brake applying direction and a brake releasing direction;a cable take-up member mounted to said actuator member, said cable take-up member being rotatable relative to said actuator member in a cable tensioning direction and a cable slackening direction opposite said cable tensioning direction, said cable take-up member being connectable to the vehicle brake cable, said cable take-up member being rotatable relative to said actuator member in said slackening direction thereof to a lockout position;a take-up spring constructed and arranged to apply a biasing force to said cable take-up member that tends to rotate said take-up member relative to said actuator member in said cable tensioning direction thereof;lockout structure movable between (a) a releasable retaining position wherein, when said cable take-up member is in said lockout position thereof, said lockout structure releasably retains said take-up member in said lockout position thereof and prevents rotation thereof under the biasing force of said take-up spring in said cable tensioning direction, thereby enabling the vehicle brake cable to be connected to or disconnected from said take-up member, and (b) a releasing position wherein said lockout structure releases said take-up member for rotation under the biasing force of said take-up spring in the cable tensioning direction thereof away from said lockout position and towards and into a pretensioning position so as to pretension the brake cable in said brake activating direction; andretaining structure constructed and arranged to releasably retain said take-up member in said pretensioning position with respect to said actuator member such that moving said actuator member in said brake applying direction moves said take-up member so as to apply further tension to said brake cable in said brake activating direction and such that thereafter moving said actuator member in said brake releasing direction moves said take-up member so as to release the further tension applied to said brake cable in said brake activating direction;said lockout structure being constructed and arranged to enable a lockout operation to be performed by applying tension to said brake cable opposite said brake activating direction so as to rotate said take-up member in said cable slackening direction against the biasing force of said take-up spring until said take-up member reaches said lockout position and said lockout structure is caused to move towards and into said releasable retaining position thereof in response to said take-up member moving into said lockout position thereof to thereby releasably lock said take-up member in the aforesaid lockout position thereof.