Patent ID: 7445092

Claim:
An electric parking brake device for operating two parking brakes of a vehicle, the electric parking brake device comprising: a housing; an electric motor provided on the housing; an output section movable linearly in the housing; a conversion mechanism provided in the housing for converting reversible rotational motion of the electric motor into reciprocating linear motion of the output section; an equalizer pivotably carried at a center part thereof on the output section; a pair of cables connecting opposite end portions of the equalizer respectively to the parking brakes so that the pair of cables are drawn upon rotation of the electric motor in a first direction to bring the respective parking brakes into a braking state and are returned upon rotation of the electric motor in a second direction to bring the respective parking brakes into a braking release state; and stop members contactable with the equalizer for preventing the equalizer from being pivoted in any direction of pivot movement in the state that the equalizer is held returned by the operation of the electric motor to an extreme position, prior to manually connecting the pair of cables to the parking brakes, which is closest to the side of the parking brakes and which is outside a moving stroke of the equalizer during parking brake operation, wherein the stop members comprise a first stop member contactable with the equalizer for preventing the equalizer from being pivoted in one direction of pivot movement in the state that the equalizer is held returned by the operation of the electric motor to the extreme position, and a second stop member for preventing the equalizer from being pivoted in an opposite direction of pivot movement in the state that the equalizer is held returned by the operation of the electric motor to the extreme position, and wherein the conversion mechanism comprises a screw shaft rotatable by the electric motor and a nut screw-engaged with the screw shaft and pivotably carrying the equalizer, and at least one of the first and second stop members comprises a portion of a bearing member rotatably supporting the screw shaft.