Patent ID: 7637180

Claim:
A parking brake apparatus comprising: a brake operation lever supported rotatably on a vehicle body, the brake operation lever transmitting an operation force to a brake portion of a vehicle according to a rotated position thereof; a locking mechanism which locks the brake operation lever at an arbitrary rotated position, comprising an engaging portion fixedly placed on the vehicle body side, and a locking pawl provided swingably on the brake operation lever, wherein an engagement and a disengagement of the locking pawl with respect to the engaging portion are switchable according to a swung position of the locking pawl; a release operation knob provided at a distal end of the brake operation lever, wherein the release operation knob moves back and forth along a direction orthogonal relative to a longitudinal axis of the brake operation lever; and a rotational rod provided on the brake operation lever, wherein the rotational rod rotates about an axis which extends along the longitudinal axis of the brake operation lever, wherein the locking pawl is biased by a elastic member in a direction in which the locking pawl engages with the engaging portion, and the release operation knob and the locking pawl interlock with each other, wherein the back and forth movement of the release operation knob is converted into the rotational motion of the rotational rod, and the rotational motion of the rotational rod is converted into a swinging movement of the locking pawl.