Patent ID: 7712570

Claim:
A crash-safe brake assembly for a vehicle comprising an engine compartment and an occupant compartment with a dash panel therebetween, said brake assembly comprising: a master cylinder disposed in the engine compartment; a booster also disposed in the engine compartment and connected to said master cylinder at a central point of said booster, said booster comprising a material weakness integrally formed on an engine compartment side thereof to serve as a locus of bending in the event of a collision; a push rod extending between the engine compartment and the occupant compartment and connected to a central point of said booster on an occupant compartment side thereof, wherein longitudinal axes of said master cylinder and said push rod are axially aligned to define a main axis extending through said central point of said booster, and said main axis is angled relative to a horizontal reference; a pair of parallel brackets rigidly connected to said booster on the occupant compartment side thereof; a brake pedal directly pivotally attached to and supported by said parallel brackets and disposed proximate said push rod to enable contact therewith when actuated; an upper support bracket rigidly attached to said parallel brackets and secured to an instrument panel, said upper support bracket supporting a spring also attached to said brake pedal to bias said brake pedal in a rest position that does not apply pressure to said push rod; and a fulcrum point, said fulcrum point being a point common to said main axis and said horizontal reference; wherein on application of an external force pushing said master cylinder toward the occupant compartment, said material weakness on said booster fails thereby rotating said main axis and therefore said master cylinder and said booster upward to induce said brake pedal to rotate downward about said fulcrum point, said fulcrum point being a point on said main axis after cessation of application of said external force; and wherein on said application of said external force, said master cylinder rotates at an angle greater than an angle rotated by said booster and wherein said angle rotated by said booster is substantially the same as an angle rotated by said brake pedal.