Patent ID: 6705436
Filing Date: 2004-03-16
Classification: B60T,F16D,Y10T

Abstract:
A vehicle, comprising:(a) a superstructure which comprises either a frame of said vehicle or a main body structure of said vehicle; (b) a suspension system that supports said superstructure above the ground and provides said vehicle with a relatively low resistance to movement along the ground; (c) one or more body structures which are either supported by or constitute said superstructure of said vehicle and upon or within which occupants or cargo of said vehicle may ride; (d) a drivetrain for motivating said vehicle along said ground; (e) wherein said drivetrain comprises a ground-engaging drive component and a power source for providing power to and causing said ground-engaging drive component to move relative to said superstructure of said vehicle and thereby causing said vehicle to move relative to said ground; (f) wherein said drivetrain comprises one or more working components, which include said ground-engaging drivetrain component, that move relative to said superstructure of said vehicle when said drivetrain of said vehicle is motivating said vehicle; (g) a park brake system for preventing undesirable inadvertent movement of said vehicle; (h) wherein said park brake system comprises one more complimentary pairs of a braking component and a braked component; (i) wherein each of said braking components of said park brake system is anchored directly or indirectly to either said superstructure of said vehicle or a working component of said drivetrain; (j) wherein each said braked component of said park brake system is anchored directly or indirectly to whichever of said superstructure of said vehicle or a working component of said drivetrain a complimentary braking component is not anchored to; (k) wherein friction material is attached to a braking component and/or braked component of each of said one or more complimentary pairs of a braking component and a braked component; (l) wherein said park brake system comprises connecting linkages engaged directly or indirectly to said braking component and also engaged to a park brake actuator that is mounted directly or indirectly to said superstructure of said vehicle in such a manner that when said park brake actuator is moved in an engaging direction said connecting linkages move in an engaging direction and drive said braking component toward a position in which said friction material is compressed between said braking component and said braked component; (m) wherein said park brake system comprises a return spring one end of which is connected directly or indirectly to said connecting linkages and an opposite end of which is connected directly or indirectly to said superstructure of said vehicle in such a manner that said return spring urges said connecting linkages and thus said park brake actuator in a disengaging direction; (n) wherein said park brake system comprises a return stop which is anchored directly or indirectly to said superstructure of said vehicle and a return bumper which is part of said connecting linkages and said park brake actuator and said return bumper comes into abutment with said return stop at some point as said connecting linkages and said park brake actuator travel in their disengaging direction and thus travel of said connecting linkages and said park brake actuator in their disengaging direction is limited to said point at which said return bumper comes into abutment with said return slop; (o) wherein said park brake system comprises a latching mechanism that can be latched to balance forces applied to said connecting linkages by said return spring and hold said connecting linkages and said park brake actuator in positions other than those that they occupy when said return bumper and said return stop are in contact with one another; (p) wherein said latching mechanism can also be released to allow said return spring to drive said connecting linkages and said park brake actuator to positions in which said return bumper and said return stop are in abutment; (a) wherein said park brake system comprises an impact-reduction energy absorber that is a spring or damper a first end of which is connected either to a component of said connecting linkages or to said park brake actuator and a second end of which is connected either to a component of said connecting linkages to which said first end is not connected or directly or indirectly to said superstructure of said vehicle.