Patent ID: 7234785

Claim:
A parking braking system for a vehicle having an electronic braking system as a primary mechanism for generating a parking braking force via pneumatic brake actuators controlled by a manually operated electrical device wherein vehicle brakes for non-parking braking are controlled by electronic signals generated at a foot-controlled brake pedal in response to a driver's braking demand, each pneumatic brake actuator having a piston that is adapted to rotate a pivoted lever to operate a respective brake by urging a displaceable brake piston to apply a pair of brake pads to opposite sides of a respective brake disc, and including an electronic controller adapted to control a supply of pressurized air to the pneumatic brake actuators in accordance with the electronic signals corresponding to the driver's braking demand, and wherein, upon selecting parking braking by actuation of the manually operated electrical device, the vehicle brakes are arranged to be applied and mechanically locked or latched into place with a stop device which, when actuated, is selectively displaceable by an actuator to engage with the pivoted lever to mechanically hold the vehicle brake in a selected parking braking condition, irrespective of whether a brake force generated via the electronic braking system is subsequently reduced, and wherein, following actuation of the manually operated electrical device, initiation of latching action is provided by a feedback quantity that is taken from a sensed actuation level exerted by the vehicle brake reaching a preset or controlled level.