Electric parking brake

• US 6,863,162 B1
• Filed: 04/16/1999
• Issued: 03/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fico Cables SA (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fico Cables SA (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Gabas, Carlos
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, XUAN LAN T
• Application Number:
  US09/293,923
• Time in Patent Office: 2,153 Days
• Field of Search: 188/265, 188/202, 188/156, 188/258, 188/2.D, 307/10.2, 307/10.3, 307/10.4, 307/10.5
• US Class Current: 188/2.00D
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 13/741 acting on an ultimate actuator
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/107 with electrical power assistance

Abstract

An electric parking brake for a vehicle, comprising a winch having a rotation axis, an electrical motor for turning the winch, and two braking cables fixed to the circumference of the winch on opposite sides, so that under a rotation of the winch segments of essentially equal length of the braking cables are wrapped onto the winch. The winch is disposed in a housing having oppositely disposed exit openings through which the cables pass, respectively, and tapered side walls for guiding the cables from the circumference of the winch to the exit openings.

Claims

1. An electric parking brake for a vehicle, comprising:

a winch having a rotation axis,

an electrical motor for turning the winch, the electric motor having a rotary shaft perpendicular to the rotation axis of the winch,

two braking cables fixed to the circumference of the winch on opposite sides, so that under a rotation of the winch from an initial disengaged position to an engaged position, segments of essentially equal length of the braking cables are wrapped onto the winch, and

a gear rotatably driven by the rotary shaft of the electric motor and engaged with the winch along a diameter centrally disposed between the opposite sides of the winch to which the braking cables are fixed when the winch is in said initial disengaged position, and wherein the rotary shaft is substantially orthogonal with respect to the braking cables.

2. The electric parking brake according to claim 1, wherein the gear rotatably driven by the electric motor is a worm drive on the axis of the electrical motor, and the winch comprises an area which is shaped like a gear and which interacts with the worm drive.

3. The electric parking brake according to claim 1, comprising:

a housing in which the winch is disposed, the housing having oppositely disposed exit openings through which the cables pass, respectively, and tapered side walls for guiding the cables from the circumference of the winch to the exit openings.

4. The electric parking brake according to claim 3, wherein the braking cables are tangentially oriented with respect to the winch when in a starting position.

5. The electric parking brake according to claim 4, wherein each cable is connected to a respective brake, and the brake is applied after less than a quarter of a turn of the winch.

6. The electric parking brake according to claim 3, wherein the gear rotatably driven by the electric motor is a worm drive on the axis of the electrical motor, and the winch has an area which is shaped like a gear and which interacts with the worm drive.

7. The electric parking brake according to claim 6, configured for mounting in a vehicle such that the axis of the winch is vertically oriented in the mounted state and where the axis of the electrical motor is horizontally oriented.

8. The electric parking brake according to claim 6, wherein the winch and the worm drive are arranged inside the housing into which the two braking cables extend from opposite sides.

9. The electric parking brake according to claim 1, comprising:

a housing in which the winch is disposed, the housing having oppositely disposed exit openings through which the cables pass, respectively, and wherein the openings are diametrically aligned with respect to the rotation axis of the winch.