Patent ID: 6240804
Filing Date: 2001-06-05
Classification: B60T,Y10T

Abstract:
Safety brake mechanism for automobile vehicles, comprising:a support (1) provided with a means (7) for fixing same to a structure (8) of a vehicle;a brake lever (2) attached to the support (1) by means of a pivot pin (9), with a lever (2) able to pivot in both directions between two positions, rest and braking;a self-regulating device (3) and a self-adjustment device (4) for a length of a portion of sheathed steel cable (28) of a control cable; anda device (5) for fixing the positions taken up by the brake lever (2);the self-regulating device (3) includes a traction body (11), a spiral traction spring (12) and a helical locking spring (13) in which:the traction body (11) is of generally cylindrical shape and can pivot in both directions, having one traction end (17) facing the support (1) and one locking end (18), the traction body (11) having means for fixing and guiding a corresponding end (27) of the steel cable (28) of the control cable;the spiral traction spring (12) works permanently under torsion and has one of its ends (19) fixed to the support (1); andthe helical locking spring (13) works permanently under torsion so that by elastic reaction it exercises a pressing action on the locking end (18) of the traction body (11), with one of its ends (21) fixed to the brake lever (2),and wherein:the traction body (11), the spiral traction spring (12) and the helical locking spring (13) of the self-regulating device are coaxially arranged with respect to the pivot pin (9) on which the brake lever (2) pivots;the traction end (17) of the traction body (11) has a cavity (55) designed to receive the spiral traction spring (12), while the helical locking spring (13) is coaxially arranged to the locking end (18) of said traction body (11);one end (20) of the spiral traction spring (12) is fixed to the traction body (11), in such a way that it permanently imparts to the traction body (11) a pivoting force which subjects the steel cable (28) to traction; and in thatone end (23) of the helical locking spring (13) is linked to an opening stop (54) mounted on the support (1),all of this so designed that:when the brake lever (2) is in the rest position, the opening stop (54) pushes the end (23) of the helical locking spring (13) which is subjected to a torsion torque in a direction opposite to that of its elastic reaction pressing upon the locking end (18) of the traction body (11), so that the latter can pivot by actuation of the traction spring (12) exercising on the end (27) of the steel cable (28) a traction force which permanently and automatically adjusts the length of the portion of the sheathed steel cable of the control cable, andwhen the brake lever (2) is in a position other than the rest position, the opening stop (54) ceases to exercise pressure on the end (23) of the helical locking spring (13), so that the latter by elastic reaction exercises said pressing action on the locking end (18) of the traction body (11) which is attached to the brake lever (2) in its movements from the rest position to the braking position and vice versa; andwherein the self-adjustment device (4) includes, on the brake lever (2), on the support (1), and on the traction body (11), respective through orifices (29, 30, 31) so arranged that, as supplied ex-works, when the brake lever (2) is in the rest position with the traction spring (12) subjected to torsion, said orifices (29, 30, 31) are traversed by a retaining pin (32) which immobilizes the brake lever (2) and the traction body (12), all of this so designed that,when the safety brake mechanism is mounted on the vehicle with the end (27) of the steel cable (28) of the control cable attached to the fixing means of the traction body (11) and the other end of the steel cable (28) attached to the actuating mechanism of the braking means, withdrawal of the retaining pin (32) causes the traction body (11) to pivot by elastic rotation of the spiral traction spring (12) subjecting the steel cable (28) to traction and leaving the length of the sheathed portion of the steel cable initially adjusted.