Patent GB-1263967-A (GB)
Title: Automatic brake clearance adjuster
IPC: F16D65/56
Filed: 1969-05-06
Abstract: 1,263,967. Clearance adjusting devices. AISIN SEIKI CO. Ltd. 6 May, 1969 [6 May, 1968], No. 22993/69. Heading F2E. An automatic brake clearance adjusting device in a powered vehicle hydraulic drum brake, which brake includes a stationary backing plate 15, a pair of brake shoes 5, 7 movably positioned on said backing plate opposite one another, means including an hydraulic piston 2 and cylinder 1 for expanding said brake shoes into frictional engagement with a brake drum 16, said expanding means being positioned between two adjacent ends of said brake shoes and operatively connected therewith, comprises a ratchet wheel 3 and an adjusting screw 4 attached to said expanding means and operably connected with one of said brake shoes 5, an adjusting lever 6 pivotally mounted on said expanding means, one end 6a of said lever being movably engaged with said ratchet wheel 3 for actuating said ratchet wheel, a biasing means 15 having one end thereof connected with said expanding means and the other end thereof operatively connected with the other end 6b of said adjusting lever for biasing said adjusting lever to rotate said ratchet wheel, and a link means having one end thereof operatively connected with said expanding means and the other end 9b thereof slidably engaged with said other end 6b of said adjusting lever for moving said adjusting lever in a direction opposite that caused by said biasing means and simultaneously displacing said one end of said adjusting lever relative to said ratchet wheel, the biasing force of said biasing means being increased when said expanding means is actuated, whereby, when resistance between said ratchet wheel and said expanding means exceeds a predetermined amount, said expanding means will continue to expand while the position reached by said adjusting lever on said ratchet wheel will be maintained until said expanding means is released, whereupon said link means will act to return said adjusting lever to its original position. As shown, the adjusting lever 6, pivotally mounted on the hydraulic cylinder 1 slidable in the back plate 15, has a resilient face end 6a in engagement with the teeth 3b of the ratchet wheel 3 which is rotatably mounted in a bore 1a of the cylinder and internally threaded for the adjusting screw 4; the other end 6b of the lever carries a pin 11 slidable in a guide slot 9c in the lever 9 pivoted on a pin 10 carried by a part 8c, the latter being mounted on the piston 2 working in a bore 1b of the cylinder and having a head 8 in engagement with the brake shoe 7. The pins 10, 11 are connected by a spring 13. Admission of pressure fluid through a bore 100 to the cylinder chamber 1d causes the cylinder and piston to move respectively to the left and right as seen in the Figures so that the lever 6 is rotated in the direction beta whereby the wheel 3 is rotated and cause the screw 4 to project further from the wheel. Upon release of the pressure fluid the lever rotates in the direction alpha and under the influence of return spring 14 and the lever end 6a shifts to the next adjoining tooth of 3b of the wheel 3. By repeating this operation the brake clearance "A" is adjusted to the optimum value. However, when considerable force is applied causing the brake shoes to expand the drum 16, the clearance A is retained at the desired adjusted value by sliding of the lever 9 to the right against the action of the spring 13. In modifications, (a) a member in slidable engagement with the slot 9c and connected to the spring 13 and engaging in a slot in the shoe 5 determines the maximum allowable wear on the brake shoes, the device otherwise adjusting the gap between the shoes and drum, and (b) there is a piston cylinder device engaging each end of the shoes 5, 7, the cylinders being fixedly mounted on the back plate 15.