Patent ID: 7677367

Claim:
An electric brake comprising: a caliper having provided therein a motor, a rotary-linear motion conversion mechanism for converting rotation of the motor to a linear motion and a piston adapted to press a brake pad against a disc rotor according to a force transmitted from the rotary-linear motion conversion mechanism and thus generate a braking force; a parking brake mechanism accommodated in a housing and including an engaging structure capable of being engaged with an associated-movement portion which operates in association with the motor, the parking brake mechanism being capable of exerting a parking brake function through engagement and disengagement of the engaging structure relative to the associated-movement portion; and an actuator including a coil and a plunger capable of displacement under an electromagnetic force generated by energization of the coil, the actuator being adapted to enable the engagement or the disengagement of the engaging structure relative to the associated-movement portion according to the displacement of the plunger, wherein: at least one of the plunger, the engaging structure and the associated-movement portion is provided with a force-receiving portion, the force-receiving portion being adapted to receive a force to thereby enable the disengagement of the engaging structure relative to the associated-movement portion; the housing includes an opening for insertion of a force-applying member which is manually operable from an outside of the housing to thereby apply a force to the force-receiving portion, the opening being provided such that the outside of the housing is communicated with an inside of the housing; the housing further includes a cap member adapted to seal the opening so as to prevent the disengagement of the engaging structure relative to the associated-movement portion by the force-applying member, the cap member being further adapted to be moved in an outward direction for detaching the cap member from the opening so as to enable the disengagement of the engaging structure relative to the associated-movement portion by the force-applying member; and the electric brake further comprises a holding mechanism arranged to maintain the engaging structure in a disengagement condition relative to the associated-movement portion in response to the disengagement of the engaging structure by the force-applying member.