Vehicle brake apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10138966-B2
Application number	US-201514642828-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 10, 2015
Priority date	Mar 11, 2014
Publication date	Nov 27, 2018
Grant date	Nov 27, 2018

Abstract

One embodiment provides a vehicle brake apparatus, including: an electric actuator; and a drum brake. The drum brake is attached to a wheel so as to be driven by power exhibited by the electric actuator. In a state of being mounted on a vehicle, the electric actuator is disposed and fixed further rearwards than an axle of the wheel.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicle brake apparatus, including:
an electric actuator; and
a drum brake which is attached to a wheel so as to be driven by power exhibited by the electric actuator,
wherein the electric actuator includes a casing incorporating a power converting mechanism, and an electric motor overlapping with and attached to the casing, and
wherein, in a state of being mounted on a vehicle, only the casing of the electric actuator is attached to an external surface of a backing plate of the drum brake through the casing so that the electric actuator is disposed and fixed further rearwards than an axle of the wheel.

2. The vehicle brake apparatus of claim 1 ,
wherein the drum brake has a parking brake lever which is to be driven when a parking brake is applied, and the drum brake is attached to the wheel in a posture such that the drum brake performs a braking operation in response to an operation of the parking brake lever towards the rear in a front-to-rear direction of the vehicle, and
wherein the electric actuator is connected to the parking brake lever such that, when in operation, the electric actuator drives the parking brake lever towards the rear of the front-to-rear direction of the vehicle.

3. The vehicle brake apparatus of claim 1 ,
wherein the drum brake is attached to a rear wheel.

4. The vehicle brake apparatus of claim 1 ,
wherein a pair of wheel brakes are provided individually on left and right rear wheels, as the wheel brake,
wherein the electric actuator is provided on one wheel brake which is provided on one of the left and right rear wheels, and exhibits power to drive not only the one wheel brake but also another wheel brake which is provided on the other of the left and right rear wheels, and
wherein a cable is routed to transfer the power from the electric actuator to the another wheel brake.

5. The vehicle brake apparatus of claim 4 ,
wherein the wheel brakes are drum brakes each having a parking brake lever and producing a parking brake applied state therein in response to the parking brake lever being pulled, and
wherein directions in which the parking brake levers of the drum brakes which are provided individually on the left and rear wheels are pulled are set opposite to each other in relation to a front-to-rear direction of the vehicle.

6. The vehicle brake apparatus of claim 5 ,
wherein the electric actuator is provided on the one drum brake which is provided on the one of the left and right rear wheels such that the parking brake lever thereof is pulled to the rear in the front-to-rear direction of the vehicle, and in a state of being attached to the vehicle, the electric actuator is positioned further rearwards then an axle of the one of the left and right rear wheels.

7. The vehicle brake apparatus of claim 1 ,
wherein the drum brake includes
a brake drum which rotates together with the wheel,
a backing plate which is disposed and fixed to a suspension which supports the wheel in a suspended fashion, and
brake shoes which are supported on the backing plate so as to be brought into friction contact with the brake drum, and

wherein the electric actuator is attached to the backing plate so as to be covered by the backing plate from a transversely outer side of a vehicle.

8. The vehicle brake apparatus of claim 7 ,
wherein the backing plate includes
a backing plate main portion formed into a partly circular shape, so as to accommodate a part of the brake drum, and
an expanding portion which expands sideways from the backing plate main portion.

9. The vehicle brake apparatus of claim 8 ,
wherein the electric actuator is attached to the backing plate main portion so as to be covered from the transversely outer side of the vehicle by the expanding portion.

10. The vehicle brake apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising an anchor block fixedly provided at a lower portion of the backing plate, the anchor block constituting a fulcrum on which a set of front primary brake shoe and rear secondary brake shoe expand or contract.

11. The vehicle brake apparatus of claim 10 , wherein power from the electric actuator is transferred to a parking brake lever via a cable that passes movably through the backing plate connected to the parking brake lever.

12. The vehicle brake apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the electric actuator includes an electric motor attached to a casing with its rotational axis oriented in a vertical direction with respect to the axle.

13. A vehicle brake apparatus in which wheel brakes are provided individually on left and right rear wheels and are activated by an electric actuator when a vehicle is parked,
wherein the electric actuator includes an electric motor attached to a casing with its rotational axis oriented in a vertical direction, the electric actuator is mounted on one wheel brake which is mounted on a hub of on one of the left and right rear wheels, and exhibits power to drive not only the one wheel brake but also another wheel brake which is mounted on the other of the left and right rear wheels, and
wherein a cable is routed to transfer the power from the electric actuator to the another wheel brake, and
wherein the electric actuator powers a power converting mechanism so as to convert rotational power of the electric motor into a force acting in a straight line, the power converting mechanism includes:
a gear which rotates in response to an operation of the electric motor,
a circular rotational cylinder which is fixed to the gear, and
a primary transfer shaft attached to one end portion of the circular rotational cylinder and a secondary transfer shaft attached to the other end portion of the circular rotational cylinder and the cable, and
a second cable connected to the primary transfer shaft at one end portion thereof, and which passes movably through a backing plate of the wheel brake and connected to a parking brake lever so as to produce a parking brake applied state in the wheel brake.

14. The vehicle brake apparatus of claim 13 , further comprising:
a primary internally threaded portion into which a primary externally threaded portion is attached and a secondary internally threaded portion into which a secondary externally threaded portion is attached are formed on an inner circumference of the circular rotational cylinder separately on both sides of an axially central portion of the circular rotational cylinder, wherein
the primary externally threaded portion, the primary internally threaded portion, the secondary externally threaded portion and the secondary internally threaded portion are formed such that the primary and secondary transfer shafts are pulled into the circular rotational cylinder in response to an operation of the electric motor.

15. A vehicle brake apparatus, including:
a drum brake including
a brake drum which rotates together with a wheel,
a backing plate which is disposed and fixed to a suspension which supports the wheel in a suspended fashion, and
brake shoes which are supported on the backing plate so as to be brought into friction contact with the brake drum; and

an electric actuator which exhibits power to rotate the brake shoes,
wherein a casing of the electric actuator is mounted directly to a main portion of the backing plate so as to be covered by an expanding portion which expands sideways from the main portion of the backing plate from a transversely outer side of a vehicle and in a position behind suspension parts which are disposed further forwards than an axle thereby suppressing the electric actuator from interfering with the suspension parts.

Assignees

• Nissin Kogyo Kk

Inventors

• Usui Koji
• Mitani Toshiaki
• Kawakami Hiroo
• Hiratsuka Akira

Classifications

• F16D2121/24

  using motors · CPC title

• F16D65/22 Primary

  adapted for pressing members apart {, e.g. for drum brakes} · CPC title

• F16D65/28

  arranged apart from the brake · CPC title

• F16D2125/40

  Screw-and-nut · CPC title

• F16D2125/62

  Fixing arrangements therefor, e.g. cable end attachments · CPC title