PARKING BRAKE DEVICE

A parking brake device is provided which includes a rigid base with a high manufacturing yield. A base for a braking unit of this parking brake device includes: a structural material having: a structural main body that supports a parking lever; and a plurality of leg portions that extend from the structural main body, an end of each leg portion being fixed to a vehicle body, wherein at least one (rear-side leg portion) of the leg portions is folded over and faces the structural main body so as to produce a shape to be installed onto the vehicle body.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application is based on Japanese application JP 2017-164920 filed on Aug. 30, 2017, the content of which is hereby incorporated by reference into this application.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a parking brake device configured to generate braking force by a manual operation.

2. Description of the Related Art

Parking brake devices can generate braking force by manually moving a parking lever up and down so as to keep a vehicle in a parking state. The devices each include a base that swingably supports the parking lever. To date, the bases with different structures have been disclosed.

For instance, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2014-213696 discloses a base including: a pair of plate materials arranged face-to-face; and a reinforcing member sandwiched therebetween. Such a configuration makes it possible to make each plate material thinner, while giving the base high rigidity as well as reducing the weight of the base.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An aspect of the present invention provides a parking brake device including a rigid base with a high manufacturing yield.

An aspect of the present invention provides a structural material including:a structural main body that supports a parking lever; anda plurality of leg portions that extend from the structural main body, an end of each leg portion being fixed to a vehicle body,

wherein at least one of the leg portions includes a folded region and a folded over region that faces the structural main body.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Prior to describing embodiments of the present invention, the above-mentioned related art will be further argued.

In the parking brake disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2014-213696, the reinforcing member sandwiched between the pair of plate materials may be formed of a plurality of parts. In this case, the rigidity of the base decreases because there are joint portions between the parts. Thus, the reinforcing member should be configured with one part.

However, if the reinforcing member is configured with one part, the shape of the reinforcing member has to fit to the shape of each plate material. Unfortunately, depending on the shape, this causes a manufacturing yield to deteriorate.

An aspect of the present invention provides a parking brake device including a rigid base with a high manufacturing yield.

First Embodiment

A first embodiment of the present invention is described below in detail with reference to the Drawings. Note that in the description, the same elements have the same reference numerals so as to avoid redundancy.

As shown inFIG. 1, a parking brake device1according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a base10, a parking lever20, and a ratchet mechanism30. Meanwhile, this parking brake device1is installed, as a braking operation unit, on a floor tunnel (not shown) positioned between a driver's seat and a passenger seat.

As shown inFIGS. 1 to 3, the base10is a part fixed to the floor tunnel; and the base10swingably supports the parking lever20such that the parking lever can be moved in up and down directions along a vertical plane between the driver's seat and the passenger seat. The base10is also provided with a structural material (a structural plate material)11and a case15for the base.

The case15houses the structural material11as a member for reinforcing the base10. Here, the structural material11includes a main body12and a pair of leg portions13. Then, as shown inFIG. 4, the structural material11is made of a member that is punched out from a long plate-like parent material B and has a predetermined shape.

The structural main body12is arranged such that a plate surface thereof is vertical to a vehicle width direction and extends in a vehicle longitudinal direction. In addition, a center portion of the structural main body12in the vehicle front-rear direction has a support hole H10bthat is opened in a plate thickness direction (in the vehicle width direction).

The support hole H10bis an opening facing through holes of the structural main body12and the case15in assembled positions (coaxially disposed). Then, a support shaft21that rotatably supports the parking lever20is inserted through the support hole H10b.

The pair of leg portions13include a front-side leg portion13F and a rear-side leg portion13R.

The front-side leg portion13F is a portion that supports a front side of the structural main body12onto a vehicle body and extends, like a substantial L-shape, downwardly from a front lower edge12aof the structural main body12. Then, the front-side leg portion13F has, as a vehicle body fixture, a front-side fixing piece14F at an end portion thereof.

The front side fixing piece14F is bent toward the vehicle width direction such that a plate surface of the front side leg portion13F is in contact with the upper surface of the floor tunnel, and has a front-side fixing hole H14F.

A bolt51, a fastening means, is inserted through the front-side fixing hole H14F and a nut52is screwed on the bolt51. In this way, the front-side leg portion13F is fixed to the vehicle body (seeFIG. 3).

As shown inFIG. 5, the rear-side leg portion13R before folding is a portion that supports a rear side of the structural main body12onto the vehicle body and before folding extends upwardly from a rear upper edge12bof the structural main body12(also seeFIG. 4).

That is, the rear-side leg portion13R extends such that as the distance from the structural main body12increases, the distance from the front-side leg portion13F increases.

On the other hand, after folding, as shown inFIGS. 3 and 5, the rear-side leg portion13R is folded 180 degrees over the plate surface of the structural main body12. This makes a cross section of the structural material11look like a substantial U-shape formed by the rear-side leg portion13R (U-shape viewed in an extending direction of the structural main body12) and the structural main body12(seeFIG. 3).

Here, the rear-side leg portion13R is folded 180 degrees over the plate surface of the structural main body12and extends downwardly from the structural main body12. In this way, the rear-side leg portion13R functions as a leg portion that supports the structural main body12.

More specifically, the rear upper edge12bis continuous with the rear-side leg portion13R via a folded region61to have a bending angle of 180 degrees between an inner surface12dof the structural main body12and an inner surface13dof the leg portions13at overlapping portions of the structural main body structural main body12and the rear-side leg portion13R. In other words, the inner surface12dof the structural main body and the inner surface13dof the rear-side leg portion13R are in parallel with each other and the folded region61has a halfpipe shape.

Note that inFIG. 3, the case is omitted so as to facilitate understanding of the configuration of the structural material11.

The rear-side leg portion13R has, as a vehicle body fixture, a rear-side fixing piece14R on the end portion thereof.

The rear-side fixing piece14R is bent toward the vehicle width direction such that a plate surface of the rear-side leg portion13R is in contact with the upper surface of the floor tunnel while the rear-side leg portion13R is folded 180 degrees like a substantial U-shape. Also, the rear-side fixing piece14R has a rear-side fixing hole H14R.

A bolt51, a fastening means, is inserted through the rear-side fixing hole H14R and a nut52is screwed on the bolt51. In this way, the rear-side leg portion13R is fixed to the vehicle body (seeFIG. 3).

That is, in other words, regarding the pair of leg portions13(the front-side leg portion13F and the rear-side leg portion13R) before the rear-side leg portion13R is folded, one of the portions extends such that as the distance from the structural main body12increases, the distance between the one portion and the other portion increases.

The case15is made of a pair of case members16that are left and right split parts arranged face-to-face. Meanwhile, the pair of case members16are each composed of flat plate materials, and each case member includes a case main body17and a case fixing piece18.

The case main body17has an edge wall19facing a partner case member16.

The case15is formed of an outer shell having an inside housing space while the paired case members16are arranged face-to-face. Then, the housing space formed houses the structural material11.

There are a plurality of base connecting holes H10afacing through holes of 3 members: the structural main body12and the pair of case members16.

A cylindrical rivet collar40is inserted into each base connecting hole H10a. Then, a rim of the rivet collar40is extended and eyeletted, so that the rivet collar40is used to position the structural main body12and the pair of case members16, which are integrally fixed.

The parking lever20is arranged in the vehicle longitudinal direction. A rear-end side thereof is supported onto the base10by using the support shaft21. In addition, a front-end side of the parking lever20has a grip portion22that a driver holds at the time of braking operation.

The grip portion22can keep the parking brake device1in a braking state when the grip portion22is positioned at a braking position that is set to an upper position in a movable range. In addition, the grip portion22causes the parking brake device1to release braking when the grip portion22is positioned at a braking release position that is set to a lower position in the movable range.

The ratchet mechanism30is installed between the structural main body12and the parking lever20. When lifted, the parking lever20is moved to the braking position. The ratchet mechanism30can keep the parking lever20at the braking position. Also, when a lock is disengaged by pressing a release button33, the parking lever20can be moved from the braking position to the braking release position. Such a ratchet mechanism30includes a ratchet gear31and a ratchet pawl32.

The ratchet gear31is disposed at a front-end portion of the structural main body12and disposed upwardly of the front-side leg portion13F. The ratchet gear31includes a plurality of gear teeth arranged continuously on an arc where the support hole H10bis located at its center.

The ratchet pawl32is attached to the parking lever20. The ratchet pawl32is biased, using a biasing device such as a spring (not shown), toward the addendum of the ratchet gear31(from the gear disengagement side to the gear engagement side).

During movement from the braking release position side to the braking position side, the ratchet pawl32is not engaged with the ratchet gear31but moves while touching the addendum of the ratchet gear31. This enables the parking lever20to move to the braking position when lifted.

During movement from the braking position side to the braking release position side, the ratchet pawl32remains engaged with the ratchet gear31due to biasing force generated by a biasing device (not shown), so that the movement of the ratchet pawl32is restricted. This can keep the parking lever20at the braking position.

The release button33may be pushed against the biasing force generated by the biasing device (not shown) while the ratchet pawl32is engaged with the ratchet gear31. In this case, the ratchet pawl32rotates and detaches from the ratchet gear31, so that the gear is disengaged. In this way, the parking lever20can be moved from the braking position side to the braking release position side.

The following describes advantageous effects of this parking brake device1.

In this embodiment, the rear-side leg portion13R, one of the leg portions13, is folded 180 degrees over and faces a plate surface of the structural main body12.

Such a configuration makes it possible to produce a structural material11with a good manufacturing yield without any splitting that can cause a decrease in rigidity. That is, it is possible to produce a base10having both a good manufacturing yield and high rigidity.

FIG. 9shows a comparative example considered by the inventor for easy explanation of an advantageous effect. In the structure of the base according a comparative example considered by the inventor shown inFIG. 9, the steps of manufacturing a structural material111of the comparative example with a low manufacturing yield include a step of creating a necessary space between a main body112and a rear-side leg portion113R after the structural material111has been punched out from a parent material. Instead of such a processing step, this embodiment includes a step of causing a structural material to be folded 180 degrees (greater than 90 degrees) face-to-face.

That is, the configuration of this embodiment has a less number of processing steps than that for the structural material111according to the comparative example.

In this embodiment, the rear-side leg portion13R is folded 180 degrees over and faces a plate surface of the structural main body12. This makes a cross section of the structural material11look like a substantial U-shape formed by the rear-side leg portion13R and the structural main body12.

Such a configuration can minimize the distance between the structural main body12and the rear-side leg portion13R while realizing a minimum size.

This permits the rear-side leg portion13R to be shorter, thereby capable of making a parent material B, from which the structural material11is punched out, a smaller plate material and making the outer size of the base10smaller.

In addition, in this embodiment, regarding the pair of leg portions13(the front-side leg portion13F and the rear-side leg portion13R) before the rear-side leg portion is folded, one of the portions extends such that as the distance from the structural main body12increases, the distance between the one portion and the other portion increases.

As shown inFIG. 4, this enables a manufacturing yield to further increase because the gap between the structural materials11can be made narrower when the structural materials11are punched out from the parent material B.

Note that although this embodiment is provided with one front-side leg portion13and one rear-side leg portion13, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration.

For instance, it is possible to configure such that another leg portion positioned forwardly of the support hole H10bis added to the structural main body12and the leg portion is folded 180 degrees over the plate surface. This can achieve substantially the same advantageous effects as of this embodiment.

The following describes another embodiment, namely a first embodiment of the structural material11.

As shown inFIG. 6, a big difference between the structural material11of the above embodiment and that of the first embodiment involves the structure of a front-side leg portion13FA.

The width of the front-side leg portion13FA of the first embodiment is broader than that of the front-side leg portion13F of the above embodiment.

Such a configuration enables the rigidity of the front-side leg portion13FA to increase, thereby increasing the rigidity of the whole base10.

The following describes another embodiment, namely a second embodiment of the structural material11.

The above embodiment makes a cross section of the structural material11look like a substantial U-shape formed by the rear-side leg portion13R and the structural main body12. The present invention, however, is not limited to such a shape.

For instance, as shown inFIG. 7, it is also possible to make the cross section look like a substantial big U-shape formed by a rear-side leg portion13RB and the structural main body12. Such a shape can also achieve substantially the same advantageous effects as of the above embodiment. Besides, such a shape is more preferable when a fastener point50(rear-side fixing hole H14R) is desirably provided with a spacing L from the plate surface of the structural main body12in the vehicle width direction.

Further, as shown inFIG. 8, it is also possible to make the cross section look like a substantial V-shape by causing a rear-side leg portion13RC to be folded about 150 degrees toward and face the plate surface of the structural main body12(a third embodiment). Such a shape can also achieve substantially the same advantageous effects as of the above embodiment. In addition, such a shape is further preferable because a weight increase is suppressed more than that for the shape where the rear-side leg portion is folded like a big U-shape.

More specifically, as shown inFIGS. 3 and 5, the rear-side leg portion13R is preferably folded 180 degrees over the plate surface of the structural main body12. However, the rear-side leg portion13R can be folded by a predetermined angle of from 90 degrees to 200 degrees over the plate surface of the structural main body12. Folding this region increases a strength at this region of the structural main body12.

Note that this parking brake device1is installed, as a braking unit, on a floor tunnel (not shown) positioned between a driver's seat and a passenger seat. The present invention is not limited to such a form.

For instance, it is applicable for a base that is installed, beside a steering wheel (not shown), as a part of a braking unit pulled by a driver. Such an application can also exert substantially the same advantageous effects.

As described above, according to the present invention, there is provided a parking brake device1including:

a structural material (structural plate material)11including:a structural main body12that swingably supports a parking lever20; anda plurality of leg portions13that continuously extend from the structural main body12, an extending end of each leg portion being fixed to a vehicle body60.

At least one of the leg portions includes a folded region61and a folded over region63that faces the structural main body12.

The at least one of the leg portions13is integral with (continuous from) the structural main body12. This is because as shown inFIG. 5, this configuration is made by folding the structural material11by 180 degrees over the plate surface of the structural main body12to have the rear-side leg portion13R.

In addition, as shown inFIG. 5, the front-side leg portion13F is integral (continuous) with the structural main body12. In other words, the structural main body12and a plurality of the leg portions13are integral (continuous) with each other.