Patent ID: 6736025
Filing Date: 2004-05-18
Classification: B60T,Y10T

Abstract:
A vehicular foot-operated parking brake control apparatus comprising:a mounting bracket adapted to be fixed to a vehicle body; a pedal arm rotatably mounted on the bracket for rotation about a rotational axis, the pedal arm being connected to a parking brake control cable; a plurality of ratchet teeth provided on the bracket along an arc disposed about the rotational axis of the pedal arm; a pawl rotatably mounted on the pedal arm for rotation about a rotational axis between a first rotational position in which the pawl is engaged with one of the ratchet teeth and a second rotational position in which the pawl is disengaged from the ratchet teeth, the rotational axis of the pawl being generally parallel to the rotational axis of the pedal arm, the pawl also being slidably mounted on the pedal arm in the rotational direction of the pedal arm to slide between a first slide position and a second slide position; a release lever rotatably mounted on the pedal arm for rotating about the rotational axis of the pawl to turn between a release rotational position and a non-release rotational position; a spring having a first end connected to the pawl and a second end connected to the release lever, the spring imparting a spring force to the pawl that constantly urges the pawl to slide towards the first slide position, the spring urging the release lever to stay in the non-release rotational position and urging the pawl to turn towards the first rotational position when the release lever is in the non-release position, and the spring urging the release lever to stay in the release rotational position and urging the pawl to turn towards the second rotational position when the release lever is in the release rotational position; first cooperating means provided between the pawl and the release lever for turning the release lever from the non-release rotational position to the release rotational position when the pawl is moved from the first slide position to the second slide position; and second cooperating means provided between the release lever and the pedal arm for turning the release lever from the release rotational position to the non-release rotational position when the pedal arm is turned from a parking brake engaging position to a parking brake disengaging position.