JP6765112B2 - Foot-operated parking brake device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a foot-operated parking brake device for a vehicle.

In the foot-operated parking brake device for vehicles, the lock mechanism holds the posture of the pedal arm that is rotated by depressing the brake pedal with the foot to enter the braking state, and when the brake pedal is depressed again with the foot from the braking state, the lock mechanism is released. It is a parking brake device that is released and returns the pedal arm to the initial position. The lock mechanism is generally configured by combining a ratchet provided on the pedal arm and a pole provided on a bracket that supports the pedal arm. When the foot-operated parking brake device is particularly applied to an industrial vehicle, a release means is required separately from the lock mechanism so that the braking is not released carelessly (Patent Document 1).

The foot-operated parking brake device disclosed in Patent Document 1 is for an industrial vehicle that requires a release means different from the lock mechanism, and engages with a part of the pedal arm to restrict rotation in the return direction in a braking state. An auxiliary lock mechanism is provided, and a release pedal for releasing the auxiliary lock mechanism is arranged in the vicinity of the parking pedal (Patent Document 1 [Claim 1]). Although Patent Document 1 does not disclose a specific locking mechanism, it is considered to be a combination of a ratchet and a pole as described above (see Patent Document 1 [0003]).

The auxiliary lock mechanism is rotatably attached to the lower part of the floor of the driver's seat, and is composed of a release link urged upward on the floor and a release pedal connected to the release link, and the tip of the release link. Is projected onto the rotation locus of the engaging portion provided on a part of the pedal arm, and the tip portion of the release pedal is positioned so as to come into contact with the heel of the driver's foot placed on the parking pedal when the lock is released. It is arranged (Patent Document 1, [Claim 2]).

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-023366

The foot-operated parking brake device disclosed in Patent Document 1 has an advantage that the brake is not released carelessly even if only the pedal arm is pushed in the braking state by the auxiliary lock mechanism provided as the release means (Patent Document 1). -[0017]). A foot-operated parking brake device provided with such a releasing means is preferable from the viewpoint of fail-safe even in a general vehicle. However, operating the auxiliary lock mechanism with the foot that operates the foot-operated parking brake device has a problem of deteriorating the operability and operability of the pedal arm by the foot, and cannot be directly applied to a general vehicle. ..

In particular, the specific foot-operated parking brake device disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a configuration in which the release pedal protrudes from the floor on the front side of the brake pedal, which reduces the operability and operability of the pedal arm. In the illustrated configuration, the release pedal is pushed in with the heel to release the auxiliary lock mechanism, and the brake pedal is stepped on with the foot as it is to release the lock mechanism. This is based on the premise that the heel is placed on the release pedal, and if the heel is not placed on the release pedal, the posture holding of the brake pedal is not released. This means that there are restrictions on how to place the foot, at least in order to release the braking state, and the operability of the release means is impaired.

Also, if the heel rests well on the release pedal in a natural posture, the heel rests on the release pedal when the brake pedal is depressed to put it in a braking state. The release pedal is configured to be pushed down the floor. As a result, when the brake pedal is stepped on to bring the brake pedal into a braking state, the heel placed on the release pedal sinks, creating a feeling of strangeness in stepping on the brake pedal, and impairing the operability of the foot-operated parking brake device.

As described above, in consideration of the fail-safe of the foot-operated parking brake device, it is preferable to provide an auxiliary lock mechanism as a release means for releasing the braking. However, the configuration in which the release means is operated by the foot that operates the foot-operated parking brake device reduces the operability and operability of the foot-operated parking brake device, and is particularly difficult to apply to general vehicles. Therefore, in order to provide a foot-operated parking brake device having a function of preventing inadvertent return of the brake pedal without impairing operability and operability, a study was made.

As a result of the examination, the lock mechanism holds the posture of the pedal arm that is rotated by depressing the brake pedal with the foot and enters the braking state, and when the brake pedal is depressed again with the foot from the braking state, the lock mechanism is released. In the foot-operated parking brake device that returns the pedal arm to the initial posture, the lock mechanism is a combination of a pin of a lock plate that rotates in parallel with the pedal arm and a hook that rotates in conjunction with the pedal arm. The lock plate is provided with a lock rotating means that constantly rotates toward the pedal arm and a releasing rotating means that rotates away from the pedal arm only when the release member is manually operated, and is fixed in position on the vehicle body. The plate rotation shaft is attached to the shaft and is rotatable, and the lock rotation means gives the lock plate an urging force to rotate toward the pedal arm, and the release rotation means is released. The lock plate is configured to give a pulling force that rotates the lock plate away from the pedal arm according to the amount of operation of the member, and the lock plate is rotated only when the manually operated release member is operated to rotate the pedal. It is a foot-operated parking brake device characterized in that the hook that rotates in conjunction with the arm and the pin of the lock plate are disengaged. The lock mechanism may be a combination of a pin of a lock plate that rotates in parallel with the pedal arm and a hook provided on the interlocking plate that rotates in conjunction with the pedal arm. The foot-operated parking brake device of the present invention uses a manually operated release member as a release means, and uses a lock mechanism that is released by operating the release member. The release member is a member that pushes or pulls a part of the lock plate to rotate, and is connected to a part of the lock plate via a cable, and moves directly to push or pull the cable. The release lever that pushes or pulls the cable can be exemplified.

The lock plate may be configured to include a lock rotating means that constantly rotates toward the pedal arm and a releasing rotating means that rotates away from the pedal arm only when the release member is manually operated. The lock plate is constantly rotated in the direction of approaching the pedal arm by the lock rotating means. Therefore, when the pedal arm that rotates when the brake pedal is stepped on is pushed in, the hook that rotates in conjunction with the pedal arm and the pin of the lock plate are engaged . Lock plates in conjunction with the pair Daruamu was engaged hook and pin to rotate, when operating the release member by hand, the pin moves away from the hook to rotate in conjunction with the pedal arm by releasing rotating means, said engaging but Ru is released. The interlocking arm prevents interference between the members and rotates in conjunction with the pedal arm to form a hook that engages with the pin of the lock plate.

The lock plate is rotatable by axially attaching a plate rotation shaft whose position is fixed to the vehicle body, and the lock rotation means is configured to give an urging force to rotate toward the pedal arm to the lock plate. The release rotating means may be configured to give a pulling force to the lock plate to rotate the release member so as to move away from the pedal arm according to the amount of operation of the release member. When the pulling force of the release rotating means is lower than the urging force of the lock rotating means, the lock plate rotates toward the pedal arm by the urging force, and conversely, when the pulling force exceeds the urging force, the lock plate is released from the pedal arm. Rotate the lock plate so that it moves away.

As a specific lock rotating means, a coil spring that spans the lock plate and the vehicle body can be exemplified. The "body" over which the coil spring is bridged includes a vehicle body, a bracket that supports the pedal arm with respect to the vehicle body, and the like. The coil spring can give the lock plate an urging force that rotates it toward the pedal arm. Further, the specific release rotating means may have a configuration in which the lock plate and the cable extending from the release member are connected. When the lock plate is pulled by the cable when the release member is operated, the pulling force corresponding to the operation of the release member is transmitted to the lock plate.

Here, if the cable extending from the release member directly pulls the lock plate, an impact may be applied to the lock plate and the pedal arm depending on the operation condition of the release member, which may damage each part or give a sense of discomfort to the foot stepping on the brake pedal. Therefore, the release rotating means may have a configuration in which the lock plate and the cable extending from the release member are connected via a coil spring. The coil spring gently transmits the impact when the cable is suddenly pulled or loosened to the lock plate while absorbing it by expansion and contraction.

In the foot-operated parking brake device of the present invention, the lock mechanism can be released by manually operating the release member, so that there are no restrictions on how the foot is placed on the brake pedal, and the heel of the foot that steps on the brake pedal is on a stable floor. Since it can be placed, it has the effect of not impairing operability and operability. Further, since the release member is operated by hand, the foot-operated parking brake device can be consciously operated by the release means, which has an advantage of being excellent in safety.

The lock mechanism of the present invention can be released by depressing the brake pedal only when the release member is manually operated, and careless release of braking is eliminated. The lock mechanism, in which the release rotating means is pulled only when the release member is manually operated while being urged by the lock rotation means, limits the state in which the release rotation means acts on the lock plate, and is not possible. Obtain the effect of eliminating the preparation of braking release.

The coil spring constituting the lock rotating means and the cable constituting the releasing rotating means are simple as a specific configuration for applying an urging force and a pulling force to the lock plate, and guarantee reliable operation. Here, if the cable constituting the release rotating means and the lock plate are connected via a coil spring, the impact due to the pulling of the cable is relaxed and transmitted to the lock plate, so that the lock mechanism is damaged at the time of release. Eliminate the fear.

It is a left side view of the foot-operated parking brake device to which this invention is applied. It is a right side view of the foot-operated parking brake device to which this invention is applied. It is a left side view of the foot-operated parking brake device in the state immediately before the lock mechanism is activated by depressing the brake pedal. It is a left side view of the foot-operated parking brake device in the state where the lock mechanism is activated and holds the pedal arm. It is a left side view of the foot-operated parking brake device in a state where the pedal arm is rotated to the limit without releasing the lock mechanism. It is a left side view of the foot-operated parking brake device in the state where the lock mechanism is released by operating the release slider. It is a left side view of a foot-operated parking brake device in a state where the pedal arm is returned to the initial posture with the lock mechanism released. It is a left side view of the foot-operated parking brake device in the state where the release slider is operated following the pedal arm.

Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The foot-operated parking brake device 1 to which the present invention is applied is assigned to an interlocking plate 12 that rotates together with the pedal arm 11 and a lock plate 15 that rotates in parallel with the pedal arm 11, as shown in FIG. 1, for example. A lock mechanism is composed of a pair of hooks 121 and pins 151, and a linearly moving release slider 2 is used as a means for releasing the lock mechanism. The release slider 2 is arranged, for example, on the front surface or the side surface of the driver's seat, and is configured to pull the cable 21 by pulling it toward the front (moving it to the right in FIG. 1). It suffices if the cable 21 can be pulled. For example, the cable 21 may be pulled by pushing the release slider 2 via the swing lever.

The foot-operated parking brake device 1 of this example includes a mounting bracket 13 to the vehicle body, a parking pedal arm 11 pivotally attached to the mounting bracket 13, an interlocking plate 12 that moves with the parking pedal arm 11, and the mounting bracket 13. It consists of a lock plate 15 mounted on the pedal and a brake lever 18. The mounting bracket 13, the interlocking plate 12, the lock plate 15, and the parking pedal arm 11 are metal plates having flat surfaces, and the left side of the mounting bracket 13 and the flat surface are parallel to each other, and are arranged at intervals on the front side of each drawing surface. , Prevents interference between each member. If there is no such interference, for example, the parking pedal arm 11 and the interlocking plate 12 may be integrally configured. The brake lever 18 is arranged on the back side of the paper in FIG. 2 with the right side of the mounting bracket 13 parallel to the flange.

The mounting bracket 13 is a metal plate having a rectangular shape when viewed from the side, and is fixed to the vehicle body (not shown) via a connection portion (for example, a flange bent in the direction orthogonal to the paper surface in FIG. .. The mounting bracket 13 is provided with a pedal rotation shaft 131 projecting toward the front of the middle page of FIG. 1 near the middle of the front and rear near the upper edge, and opens a stopper guide 135 having an arcuate elongated hole concentric with the pedal rotation shaft 131. are doing. The pedal rotation shaft 131 rotates the pedal arm 11 attached to the shaft back and forth with the mounting bracket 13 parallel to each other in a plane. The stopper guide 135 is movably fitted within a range in which the stopper 122 of the columnar block provided on the interlocking plate 12 abuts on both ends of the inner peripheral edge.

The mounting bracket 13 is provided with a plate rotation shaft 132 projecting toward the front of the middle page of FIG. 1 in the vicinity of the upper and lower middles near the front edge sandwiched between the connection portions projecting in the upper and lower stages, and is positioned to sandwich the upper connection portion. In relation to this, metal flanges constituting the bracket upper spring hooking portion 133 and the bracket middle spring hooking portion 134 are attached. The plate rotation shaft 132 rotates the lock plate 15 mounted on the shaft back and forth with the mounting bracket 13 and the planes parallel to each other. The bracket upper spring hooking portion 133 hooks one end of the pedal returning coil spring 14 that gives a urging force to return the pedal arm 11 to the initial posture. Further, the bracket middle stage spring hooking portion 134 hooks one end of the lock rotating coil spring 16 which is a lock rotating means.

The pedal arm 11 is a metal plate having a substantially arcuate side view that is convex forward (left in FIG. 1) with the lower end curved toward the rear (right in FIG. 1) in a plane, and a brake pedal at the lower end. 111 is attached, and an arm-side spring hook 112 is provided at the upper end. The pedal arm 11 is pivotally attached to the pedal rotation shaft 131 and rotates back and forth. The arm-side spring hooking portion 112 hooks the other end of the pedal return coil spring 14. As a result, the pedal arm 11 is pulled toward the bracket upper spring hooking portion 133 of the mounting bracket 13 by the restoring force of the extending pedal return coil spring 14, and the urging force that always tries to return to the initial posture is exerted. Given.

Contrary to the pedal arm 11, the interlocking plate 12 is a metal plate having a substantially arcuate side view that is convex forward in a flat surface. A hook 121 is formed at the lower end, and the interlocking plate 12 projects to the back of the middle page of FIG. A stopper 122 of a columnar block is provided. The interlocking plate 12 is pivotally attached to the pedal rotation shaft 131 and rotates back and forth in conjunction with the pedal arm 11. The stopper 122 moves along the inner peripheral edge of the stopper guide 135 of the mounting bracket 13 to stabilize the rotation of the interlocking plate 12, and limits the rotation range of the interlocking plate 12 to a range that abuts on both ends of the inner peripheral edge. .. The rotation of the pedal arm 11 interlocking with the interlocking plate 12 is stabilized and the rotation range is limited by the action of the stopper 122.

The lock plate 15 is a metal plate with a curved side view in which the front half of the flat surface extends back and forth and the rear half of the flat surface descends diagonally downward, and is located at the lower end of the latter half descending diagonally downward, in front of the middle page of FIG. A protruding pin 151 is provided, and the left end is pivotally attached to the plate rotation shaft 132 in the front half extending in the front-rear direction. The lock plate 15 rotates back and forth with the mounting bracket 13 and the planes parallel to each other. The pin 151 is arranged so as to cross the trajectory on which the hook 121 of the interlocking plate 12 moves, and when the brake pedal 111 is depressed, the interlocking plate 12 interlocking with the pedal arm 11 that rotates downward. Hook 121 is engaged.

The lock plate 15 is provided with a plate upper spring hooking portion 153 on the upper edge of the front half and a plate lower spring hooking portion 154 on the lower edge of the front half. The lower plate spring hook 154 is located closer to the pedal arm than the plate rotation shaft 132 and closer to the plate rotation shaft 132 than the plate upper spring hook 153 in the front half extending back and forth. One end of the release rotation coil spring 17 is hooked, and the cable 21 is connected via the release rotation coil spring 17.

As a result, the restoring force of the release rotation coil spring 17 and the pulling of the cable 21 via the release rotation coil spring 17 turn the lock plate 15 clockwise in FIG. 1 so as to keep the pin 151 away from the pedal arm 11. Attempts to rotate to. The cable 21 is pulled by the release slider 2. At this time, in the release rotation coil spring 17, the release slider 2 absorbs the impact caused by the pulling or loosening of the cable 21 due to the linear motion operation, and does not give the impact to the lock plate 15.

The plate upper spring hooking portion 153 is located closer to the plate rotation shaft 132 than the plate lower spring hooking portion 154 in the front half extending back and forth, and hooks the other end of the lock rotation coil spring 16. .. The lock rotation coil spring 16 expands and contracts between the plate upper spring hooking portion 153 and the bracket middle stage spring hooking portion 134 of the mounting bracket 13. The lock plate 15 is pulled by the restoring force of the extending lock rotation coil spring 16 and is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 1 so that the pin 151 is brought closer to the pedal arm 11.

The brake lever 18 is a metal bracket having a U-shaped cross section, and in a posture in which the flange is parallel to the plane of the mounting bracket 13, substantially the middle of the extending direction of the flange is axially attached to the pedal rotation shaft 131, and at one end. The connecting cable 181 is swingably connected, the stopper 122 of the interlocking plate 12 is connected to the other end, and the connecting cable 181 is rotated in conjunction with the parking pedal arm 11 via the interlocking plate 12 (see FIG. 2). When the parking brake pedal 111 is stepped on, the brake lever 18 rotates in conjunction with the parking pedal arm 11 (counterclockwise in FIG. 2), lifts the connecting portion that makes the connecting cable 81 swingable, and connects the connection. Pull the cable 181 (see Fig. 4 and others below). Then, the connecting cable 181 pulls the two connecting cables 183 via the equalizer 182, activates the parking brake mechanism provided on each of the left and right rear wheels, and applies braking to the left and right rear wheels.

The operation of the foot-operated parking brake device 1 of this example will be described. When the parking brake mechanism is activated, the foot-operated parking brake device 1 brakes with the main brake device activated, as shown in FIG. 3 (for convenience of explanation, the intermediate portion of the parking pedal arm 11 is broken). Depress the pedal 111 to rotate the pedal arm 11. As a result, the brake lever 181 linked to the parking pedal arm 11 pulls the connection cable 183 to operate the parking brake mechanism. The interlocking plate 12 rotates with the pedal arm 11, and as shown in FIG. 4 (for convenience of explanation, the middle portion of the parking pedal arm 11 is broken), the hook 121 overcoming the pin 151 of the lock plate 15. Is engaged with the pin 151. In this way, the braking state of the foot-operated parking brake device 1 is maintained.

When the brake pedal 111 is depressed, a restoring force (see the black arrow of the lock rotation coil spring 16 in FIGS. 3 and 4) is generated in the lock rotation coil spring 16 and is applied to the lock plate 15. On the other hand, in the state where the release slider 2 is not pulled, the cable 21 is not pulled, and the restoration force of the release rotation coil spring 17 is not generated or only a relatively small restoration force is generated. As a result, the lock plate 15 tends to rotate counterclockwise.

Then, when the depression of the brake pedal 111 is stopped, the pedal arm 11 is in the initial posture (see FIG. 1) due to the restoring force of the extending pedal return coil spring 14 (see the black arrow of the pedal return coil spring 14 in FIG. 4). ), It is slightly rotated counterclockwise in FIG. As a result, the interlocking plate 12 interlocked with the pedal arm 11 also rotates slightly, and the hook 121 pulls the pin 151 rearward (to the right in FIG. 4). The lock plate 15 tries to rotate counterclockwise in FIG. 4 due to the restoring force of the lock rotation coil spring 16, but the interlocking plate 12 interferes with the rotation to prevent the lock plate 15. In this way, the lock plate 15 engages the hook 121 and the pin 151 to maintain the braking state.

In the foot-operated parking brake device 1 that maintains the braking state, when the brake pedal 111 is depressed without operating the release slider 2, it can be seen in FIG. 5 (for convenience of explanation, the intermediate portion of the parking pedal arm 11 is broken). As described above, the pedal arm 11 can be rotated forward until the stopper 122 of the interlocking plate 12 comes into contact with the lower end (left end in FIG. 5) of the stopper guide 135 of the mounting bracket 13. As a result, the engagement between the hook 121 and the pin 151 of the interlocking plate 12 is weakened, and the restoring force of the lock rotation coil spring 16 tries to rotate the lock plate 15 counterclockwise.

However, the restoring force of the lock rotation coil spring 16 is not enough to extend the release rotation coil spring 17, and the lock plate 15 is hardly rotated. In this way, the hook 121 of the rotating interlocking plate 12 is temporarily separated forward with respect to the pin 151 whose position is fixed, and the engagement is released. However, when the depression of the brake pedal 111 is stopped, the pedal arm 11 rotates toward the initial posture according to the restoring force of the pedal return coil spring 14, and the hook 121 is engaged with the pin 151 again. In this way, the foot-operated parking brake device 1 cannot be released without operating (pulling in this example) the release slider 2.

In the foot-operated parking brake device 1 that maintains the braking state, when the release slider 2 is pulled and then the brake pedal 111 is depressed, as seen in FIG. 6 (for convenience of explanation, the intermediate portion of the parking pedal arm 11 is broken). In addition, the braking state is released. The release slider 2 pulled toward you (moved to the right in FIG. 6) pulls the cable 21 and extends the release rotation coil spring 17, resulting in a large restoring force (in FIG. 6, the release rotation coil spring 17). See the black arrow). The extension of the release rotation coil spring 17 absorbs the impact caused by the operation of the release slider 2 and does not give the impact to the lock plate 15.

Here, when the brake pedal 111 is stepped on, the engagement between the hook 121 and the pin 151 is weakened, and the lock plate 15 is a coil spring for pulling or releasing the cable 21 which is relatively superior to the restoring force of the coil spring 16 for locking rotation. It rotates clockwise in FIG. 6 according to the urging given by the restoring force of 17 (see the white arrow near the pin 151 in FIG. 6).

When the brake pedal 111 is depressed from the state where the hook 121 and the pin 151 are disengaged in this way, as shown in FIG. 7, the pedal arm 11 having no restrictions is the pedal return coil spring 14. It rotates toward the initial posture according to the restoring force. In this way, the braking state of the foot-operated parking brake device 1 is released. Finally, when the operation of the release slider 2 is stopped, as shown in FIG. 8, the cable 21 pulls the release slider 2 by the restoring force of the release rotation coil spring 17, and returns the release slider 2 to the original position. .. The release slider 2 may be returned to its original position by a return means provided separately.

At this time, the degeneracy of the release rotation coil spring 17 absorbs the impact caused by the return of the release slider 2 and does not give the impact to the lock plate 15. Therefore, for example, the return means may reliably return to the original position by applying a large urging force to the release slider 2. As a result of the restoring force of the release rotation coil spring 17 being weakened in this way, the lock plate 15 is rotated counterclockwise by the action of the restoring force of the lock rotation coil spring 16 and returns to the initial position. In this way, a series of release operations of the foot-operated parking brake device 1 is completed.

1 Foot-operated parking brake device
11 Pedal arm
111 Brake pedal
12 interlocking plate
121 hook
13 Mounting bracket
131 Pedal rotation shaft
132 Plate rotation shaft
14 Coil spring for pedal return
15 lock plate
151 pin
16 Coil spring for lock rotation
17 Coil spring for release rotation
18 Brake lever 2 Release slider
21 cable

Claims (5)

The lock mechanism holds the posture of the pedal arm that is rotated by depressing the brake pedal with the foot and enters the braking state. When the brake pedal is depressed again with the foot from the braking state, the lock mechanism is released and the pedal arm returns to the initial posture. In the foot-operated parking brake device
Locking mechanism includes a pin of the lock plate to be parallel to pivot the pedal arm, a combination of a hook which pivots in conjunction with the pedal arm,
The lock plate is provided with a lock rotating means that constantly rotates toward the pedal arm and a releasing rotating means that rotates away from the pedal arm only when the release member is manually operated, and is fixed in position on the vehicle body. The plate rotation shaft is attached to the shaft so that it can rotate freely.
The lock rotating means is configured to give an urging force to the lock plate to rotate toward the pedal arm.
The release rotating means is configured to give a pulling force to the lock plate to rotate it away from the pedal arm according to the amount of operation of the release member.
The foot-operated parking is characterized in that the lock plate is rotated only when the release member operated by hand is operated to release the engagement between the hook that rotates in conjunction with the pedal arm and the pin of the lock plate. Brake device. The foot-operated parking brake device according to claim 1, wherein the lock mechanism is a combination of a pin of a lock plate that rotates in parallel with the pedal arm and a hook provided on the interlocking plate that rotates in conjunction with the pedal arm. The foot-operated parking brake device according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the lock rotating means is a coil spring bridged between the lock plate and the vehicle body. The foot-operated parking brake device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the release rotating means has a configuration in which a lock plate and a cable extending from a release member are connected. The foot-operated parking brake device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein the release rotating means has a configuration in which a lock plate and a cable extending from a release member are connected via a coil spring.

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