Patent ID: 8511437
Filing Date: 2013-08-20
Classification: B66B

Abstract:
1. A braking apparatus comprising: a pair of brake shoes having facing surface faces, wherein at least one of the shoes is mounted for movement of its face toward the face of the other of the shoes; cam means fixedly connected to the at least one of the shoes for moving the face of the at least one of the shoes toward the face of the other of the shoes; compressible spring means connected to the cam means for actuating the cam means and thereby causing the face of the at least one of the shoes to move toward the face of the other of the shoes; a gear drive assembly fixedly connected to the cam means and acting through the cam means for compressing the spring means, and operable to control a force of the gear drive assembly continuously acting on the cam means and the at least one of the brake shoes (i) from a start of a brake application cycle to an end of the brake application cycle at which a brake applied position of the apparatus is obtained, wherein the brake application cycle is started when the apparatus is switched from a brake release position to obtain the brake applied position and (ii) from a start of a brake release cycle to an end of the brake release cycle at which the brake release position of the apparatus is obtained, wherein the brake release cycle is started when the apparatus is switched from the brake applied position to obtain the brake release position; and a latch means for holding the spring means in its compressed state after the spring means has been compressed to obtain the brake release position and for releasing the spring means from the compressed state, wherein, upon release of the spring means from the compressed state at the start of the brake application cycle, the spring means actuates the cam means and moves the face of the at least one of the shoes toward the face of the other of the shoes to obtain the brake applied position, wherein the brake applied position is obtained within a predetermined time from the release.