CN113969977A - Actuating mechanism for parking brake system and vehicle parking brake system - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention provides an actuating mechanism for a parking brake system and a vehicle parking brake system. In the actuating mechanism, an anti-disengagement member is provided for the locking member, and the anti-disengagement member can be in two states of allowing disengagement of the locking member from the engagement portion of the shaft and preventing disengagement of the locking member from the engagement portion of the shaft. Thus, the actuator mechanism for a parking brake system according to the present invention is not only capable of achieving the same operating state as the actuator mechanism for a parking brake system of the related art, but also capable of eliminating the risk of the lock assembly of the actuator mechanism undesirably coming out of the engagement portion (recess) of the shaft due to, for example, vehicle vibration or the like.

Description

Actuating mechanism for parking brake system and vehicle parking brake system

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of braking of vehicles, and more particularly to an actuating mechanism for a vehicle parking brake system and a vehicle parking brake system including the same.

Background

As shown in fig. 1a and 1b, one possible actuating mechanism for a parking brake system of a vehicle includes a housing 10, a shaft 20 provided to the housing 10, and a locking assembly. The shaft 20 is capable of reciprocating in its axial direction relative to the housing 10 under the driving of the power source, and thus is capable of bringing the pawl into and out of engagement with the parking gear of the transmission to perform and release the parking brake function. The locking assembly is capable of locking the shaft 20 in different states, and includes a pin 40 fixed to the housing 10, a locking plate 30 disposed on the pin 40 and capable of rotating around the pin 40 within a predetermined range, an electromagnet 50 corresponding to the locking plate 30, and a return spring 60. The return spring 60 is a torsion spring, and its turns are fitted around the pin shaft 40, the return spring 60 always applies a spring force that engages the lock plate 30 with the recess 20c of the shaft 20, and the electromagnet 50 can apply an acting force to the lock plate 30 to overcome the spring force of the return spring 60, so that the lock plate 30 rotates around the pin shaft 40. The rocker movement of the locking plate 30 about the pin 40 is thereby enabled by the electromagnet 50 and the return spring 60. In this way, the various recesses 20c of the shaft 20 are aligned with the lock plate 30 by the above-described reciprocating movement of the shaft 20, and the lock plate 30 is controllably engaged with and disengaged from the various recesses 20c of the shaft 20 by the above-described seesaw movement, thereby locking the shaft 20 in various states.

However, in the above-described actuating mechanism for a parking brake system of a vehicle, there is a risk that, even if the electromagnet 50 does not generate a force to the lock plate 30 that causes the lock plate 30 to come out of the engaged recess 20c, the lock plate 30 may undesirably come out of the recess 20c of the shaft 20 due to, for example, vehicle vibration or the like, thereby causing a malfunction of the actuating mechanism for a parking brake system of a vehicle.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention has been made in view of the problems described in the above background art. An object of the present invention is to provide a novel actuating mechanism for a parking brake system that can eliminate the risk of the lock plate of the actuating mechanism undesirably coming out of the engagement portion (recess) of the shaft due to, for example, vehicle vibration or the like. It is another object of the present invention to provide a parking brake system for a vehicle including the actuating mechanism for a parking brake system.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions.

The present invention provides an actuating mechanism for a parking brake system, the actuating mechanism including:

a housing;

a shaft that is attached to the housing so as to be capable of reciprocating relative to the housing, and that is formed with a plurality of engaging portions;

a locking assembly provided to the housing and controllably engageable with and disengageable from each of the engagement portions by the reciprocating movement of the shaft; and

an anti-disengagement assembly, the anti-disengagement assembly adapted to the locking assembly such that: the locking assembly is allowed to be disengaged from the engaged engagement portion when the disengagement prevention assembly is in the first state, and is prevented from being disengaged from the engaged engagement portion when the disengagement prevention assembly is in the second state.

Preferably, the locking assembly comprises:

the pin shaft is arranged on the shell;

a lock plate provided to the pin shaft and capable of rotating around the pin shaft within a predetermined range so that the lock plate can be engaged with and disengaged from the engagement portion of the shaft; and

a return spring that applies a spring force to the lock plate that causes the lock plate to be toward engagement with the engagement portion.

More preferably, the anti-coming-out assembly includes a lock pin fitted with the lock plate, and a side surface of the lock pin is formed as a stopper portion so that the anti-coming-out assembly is in the second state when the lock plate abuts against the stopper portion.

More preferably, the lock pin is further formed with an escape groove recessed from the side surface, and the lock pin is movable relative to the lock plate so that the anti-escape assembly is in the first state when the lock plate is opposed to the escape groove.

More preferably, the anti-falling-off assembly further includes an electromagnet and a lock pin spring, the electromagnet and the lock pin spring are respectively disposed at two axial ends of the lock pin, and the lock pin can move along an axial direction thereof under the action of the electromagnet and the lock pin spring, so that the stopper abuts against the lock plate or the avoiding groove is opposite to the lock plate.

More preferably, the plurality of engaging portions are a plurality of recesses formed in an outer peripheral surface of the shaft and spaced apart in an axial direction thereof, and the lock plate is enabled to be selectively engaged with and disengaged from different ones of the recesses by a reciprocating motion of the shaft relative to the housing in the axial direction thereof.

More preferably, a side wall surface of the recess in the axial direction for guiding the lock plate into and out of engagement with the recess during the reciprocating motion of the shaft is formed to extend from a bottom surface of the recess toward a radially outer side while obliquely extending to an outer peripheral surface of the shaft in a direction away from the recess in the axial direction.

More preferably, in a cross section of the shaft including a center axis taken along the axial direction, an angle formed by the side wall surface with respect to the bottom surface is less than or equal to 115 degrees and greater than or equal to 105 degrees, so that the side wall surface does not lock rotation of the lock plate.

More preferably, both end portions of the lock plate in the longitudinal direction are respectively used for engagement with the recess and for fitting with the anti-come-out member, and a central portion of the lock plate between the both end portions is attached to the pin shaft.

The invention also provides a vehicle parking brake system which comprises the actuating mechanism for the parking brake system in any one of the technical schemes.

By adopting the technical scheme, the invention provides an actuating mechanism for a parking brake system and the vehicle parking brake system comprising the actuating mechanism. In the actuating mechanism, an anti-disengagement member is provided for the locking member, and the anti-disengagement member can be in two states of allowing disengagement of the locking member from the engagement portion of the shaft and preventing disengagement of the locking member from the engagement portion of the shaft. Thus, the actuator mechanism for a parking brake system according to the present invention is not only capable of achieving the same operating state as the actuator mechanism for a parking brake system of the related art, but also capable of eliminating the risk of the lock assembly of the actuator mechanism undesirably coming out of the engagement portion (recess) of the shaft due to, for example, vehicle vibration or the like.

Drawings

FIG. 1a is a schematic diagram illustrating one possible actuating mechanism for a parking brake system; fig. 1b is another structural schematic diagram showing the actuating mechanism for the parking brake system in fig. 1a, in which a housing is omitted.

Fig. 2a is a schematic structural view illustrating an actuating mechanism for a parking brake system according to an embodiment of the present invention; fig. 2b is a schematic structural view showing an actuator mechanism for the parking brake system in fig. 2a, in which a housing is omitted and the actuator mechanism is in a parking position; fig. 2c is a schematic structural view showing an actuating mechanism for the parking brake system in fig. 2a, in which a housing is omitted and the actuating mechanism is in a neutral state; FIG. 2d is a schematic top view showing the actuating mechanism for the parking brake system of FIG. 2a with the housing omitted; FIG. 2e is a schematic structural view showing the actuating mechanism for the parking brake system of FIG. 2a, wherein the anti-walkout assembly is in a first state and the locking plate is pulled out of the recess of the shaft; fig. 2f is a schematic structural view showing the actuating mechanism for the parking brake system in fig. 2a, in which the anti-release assembly is in the second state and the locking plate is engaged with the recess of the shaft.

Fig. 3 is a partial structural schematic view showing a shaft of the brake mechanism for the parking brake system in fig. 2 a.

Description of the reference numerals

10 casing 20 shaft 20c recess 30 locking plate 40 pin shaft 50 electromagnet 60 return spring

1 casing

2-axis 2c recess 2c1 bottom 2c2 side wall 2o peripheral surface

3 locking assembly 31 locking plate 311 joint end 312 anti-drop end 32 pin shaft 33 return spring

4 lock pin 41s stopper 41c escape groove 42 electromagnet 43 lock pin spring of anti-escape unit 41

The A axis is R radial.

Detailed Description

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the detailed description is intended only to teach one skilled in the art how to practice the invention, and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the scope of the invention.

Hereinafter, a specific embodiment of an actuating mechanism for a parking brake system according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, axial, radial and circumferential directions are axial, radial and circumferential directions of a shaft of an actuating mechanism for a parking brake system according to the present invention, respectively, unless otherwise specified; one axial side refers to the left side in fig. 3, and the other axial side refers to the right side in fig. 3.

As shown in fig. 2a to 2f, an actuating mechanism for a parking brake system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a housing 1, a shaft 2, a locking assembly 3, and an anti-disengagement assembly 4 assembled together.

In the present embodiment, the housing 1 serves to house other components of the mounting actuation mechanism and to define the position of these components. The housing 1 may be formed in various shapes and in various coupling structures as required.

In the present embodiment, the shaft 2 has a cylindrical shape extending linearly, and the shaft 2 is attached to the housing 1 so as to be capable of reciprocating in the axial direction a (see fig. 3) thereof with respect to the housing 1, and the reciprocating movement can be achieved by the urging force of a spring fitted to the shaft 2 and hydraulic oil.

As shown in fig. 3, the shaft 2 is formed with two recesses 2c serving as engagement portions with which the lock plate 31 of the lock assembly 3 is engaged. Two recesses 2c are formed in the outer peripheral surface 2o of the shaft 2 and spaced apart in the axial direction a, and each recess 2c is recessed toward the radially inner side and has an annular shape continuously extending along the circumferential direction of the shaft 2. The dimensions of each recess 2c in the axial direction a may be slightly larger than the thickness of the lock plate 31, facilitating engagement of the lock plate 31 with the recess 2 c. The two recesses 2c of the shaft 2 correspond to different gear states of the actuator mechanism, respectively, in particular the recess 2c shown in fig. 2b with the latch plate 31 engaged corresponds to a parking position of the actuator mechanism, and the recess 2c shown in fig. 2c with the latch plate 31 engaged corresponds to a neutral position of the actuator mechanism, in which the transmission of the vehicle can operate normally and in various gears (including but not limited to forward/reverse gears or neutral).

In order to guide the lock plate 31 to smoothly engage with the recess 2c and guide the lock plate 31 to smoothly escape from the recess 2c by the reciprocating movement of the shaft 2 with respect to the housing 1, a side wall surface 2c2 of the recess 2c in the axial direction a extends obliquely. The entire side wall surface 2c2 is configured as a guiding tapered surface to prevent the side wall surface 2c2 from self-locking with the lock plate 31 to prevent the lock plate 31 from rotating. Specifically, the side wall surface 2c2 is formed to extend obliquely from the bottom surface 2c1 of the recess 2c toward the radially outer side to the outer peripheral surface 2o of the shaft 2 in the direction away from the recess 2c in the axial direction a. In order to preferably achieve the above-described guiding action, in a cross section of the shaft 2 taken along the axial direction including the central axis of the shaft 2, the angle formed by the side wall face 2c2 with respect to the bottom face 2c1 is 115 degrees or less and 105 degrees or more, thereby avoiding self-locking of the side wall face 2c2 with the lock plate 31.

Further, in the present embodiment, the locking assembly 3 includes a lock plate 31, a pin shaft 32, and a return spring 33, and the locking assembly 3 serves to hold the shaft 2 at a desired axial position.

Specifically, the lock plate 31 extends along a plane orthogonal to the axial direction a to have a shape in which the width of the central portion in the longitudinal direction is large and the widths of both end portions in the longitudinal direction are small. The lock plate 31 is provided on the pin 32 and can rotate (see also a seesaw movement) around the pin 32 within a predetermined range. With the reciprocating movement of the shaft 2 relative to the housing 1, the lock plate 31 can be caused to controllably engage with and disengage from any one of the two recesses 2c of the shaft 2, which will be described below.

One end portion in the longitudinal direction of the lock plate 31 is adapted to fit into the recess 2c of the shaft 2, thereby serving as an engaging end portion 311 that engages with the recess 2c of the shaft 2, and the engaging end portion 311 may be formed in a substantially hook shape. The other end portion in the longitudinal direction of the lock plate 31 is used to abut against the stopper portion 41s of the lock pin 41 of the anti-escape assembly 4 and to fit into the escape groove 41c, thereby serving as an anti-escape end portion 312 to fit into the lock pin 41 of the anti-escape assembly 4, and the anti-escape end portion 312 may be formed into a substantially rectangular sheet shape. The lock plate 31 is engaged with the pin shaft 32 at a central portion in the longitudinal direction (a portion having a large width between the engaging end 311 and the retaining end 312).

The pin 32 has a cylindrical shape and its central axis is parallel to the axial direction a. One end of the pin shaft 32 is fixed to the housing 1 and the pin shaft 32 extends from the end toward one axial side.

The return spring 33 is a torsion spring, and each turn of the return spring 33 is fitted to the pin shaft 32 and both end portions of the return spring 33 protruding from the turn are respectively in contact with the housing 1 and the lock plate 31, so that the return spring 33 can always apply a spring force to the lock plate 31 to cause the lock plate 31 to engage with the recess 2c of the shaft 2.

In the present embodiment, the anti-disengagement member 4 includes the lock pin 41, the lock pin spring 43, and the electromagnet 42, and the anti-disengagement member 4 is capable of being in two states, respectively corresponding to a state in which the lock plate 31 is allowed to rotate to disengage from the recessed portion 2c and engage with the recessed portion 2c, and a state in which the lock plate 31 is prevented from disengaging from the engaged recessed portion 2 c.

Specifically, the lock pin 41 is a cylindrical body as a whole. The side surface of the cylindrical body is formed as a stopper portion 41s and the cylindrical body is also formed with an escape groove 41c recessed from the side surface. The escape groove 41c may be an annular shape recessed from the side surface of the detent 41 toward the radially inner side thereof and continuously extending along the circumferential direction of the detent 41. The lock pin 41 is housed in the housing 1 with its central axis parallel to the axial direction a and is capable of reciprocating relative to the housing 1 along its axial direction, so that the lock pin 41 is capable of moving relative to the lock plate 31 such that: when the lock plate 31 is opposed to the escape groove 41c, the anti-escape assembly 4 is in a first state as shown in fig. 2e, and the escape groove 41c provides a space in which the lock plate 31 is rotatable, at which time the anti-escape assembly 4 allows the lock plate 31 to escape from the engaged recess 2c and engage with the recess 2c to be engaged; when the lock plate 31 abuts against the stopper portion 41s formed on the side surface of the cylindrical body of the lock pin 41, the anti-escape assembly 4 is in the second state as shown in fig. 2f, and the anti-escape assembly 4 prevents the lock plate 31 from escaping from the engaged recess 2 c.

The detent spring 43 is a cylindrical coil spring, and the detent spring 43 is located at one end of the detent 41 and is housed in the housing 1. Electromagnet 42 is provided on housing 1 at the other end of lock pin 41. The lock pin 41 can be reciprocated in the axial direction thereof by the electromagnet 42 and the lock pin spring 43, so that the escape groove 41c of the lock pin 41 opposes the lock plate 31 or the stopper portion 41s abuts against the lock plate 31, so that the disengagement preventing assembly 4 is in the above-described first state or in the above-described second state.

In the actuating mechanism for the parking brake system having the above-described structure, the axial movement of the lock pin 41 is achieved by controlling the electromagnet 42 and the anti-disengagement assembly 4 is brought into the above-described first state or second state.

In the first state, the retaining end 312 of the lock plate 31 is opposed to the escape groove 41c of the lock pin 41 to allow the lock plate 31 to be rotatable about the pin shaft 32. For example, if the lock plate 31 needs to be disengaged from the state of being engaged with one of the recesses 2c of the shaft 2, the disengagement preventing assembly 4 is in the first state described above by controlling the electromagnet 42 to perform axial movement of the lock pin 41 so that the disengagement preventing end 312 of the lock plate 31 is opposed to the escape groove 41c of the lock pin 41, and therefore the engagement end 311 of the lock plate 31 can be caused to overcome the spring force of the return spring 33 under the guidance of the side wall surface 2c2 of the engaged one of the recesses 2c by relative movement of the shaft 2 with respect to the housing 1, so that the lock plate 31 is disengaged from the engaged recess 2c (refer to fig. 2 e); further, by further relative movement of the shaft 2 with respect to the housing 1, when the lock plate 31 is moved to be opposed to the other recess portion 2c of the shaft 2, the engaging end portion 311 of the lock plate 31 is brought into engagement with the other recess portion 2c by the spring force of the return spring 33. In the above process, the anti-disengagement assembly 4 is kept in the first state after being in the first state.

In the second state, the lock plate retaining end 312 abuts against the stopper 41s of the lock pin 41 to prevent the lock plate 31 from rotating around the pin shaft 32. As explained next to the above example, when the engagement end 311 of the lock plate 31 is engaged with the other recess 2c, the axial movement of the lock pin 41 is achieved by controlling the electromagnet 42 and the disengagement preventing end 312 of the lock plate 31 is caused to oppose and abut against the stopper 41s of the lock pin 41, and the disengagement preventing assembly 4 is switched from the above first state to the second state, so that the lock plate 31 is prevented from rotating about the pin shaft 32, and the engagement end 312 of the lock plate 31 is held in engagement with the other recess 2c and cannot be disengaged (refer to fig. 2 f).

In this way, the actuator mechanism for a parking brake system according to the present invention having the above-described structure not only can achieve the same operating state as the actuator mechanism for a parking brake system of the related art, but also can eliminate the risk of the latch assembly of the actuator mechanism undesirably coming out of the engagement portion (recess) of the shaft due to, for example, vehicle vibration, etc., in the case where the anti-coming-out assembly is provided.

The invention also provides a vehicle parking brake system which comprises the actuating mechanism with the structure.

It should be understood that the above embodiments are only exemplary and are not intended to limit the present invention. Various modifications and alterations of the above-described embodiments may be made by those skilled in the art in light of the teachings of the present invention without departing from the scope thereof. In addition, the following supplementary explanation is also made.

(i) Although only the number of the concave portions 2c is described as two in the above embodiment, a larger number of concave portions 2c may be provided as necessary. The different recesses 2c can be aligned with the lock plate 31 by the above-described reciprocating movement of the shaft 2, so that the different recesses 2c can be engaged with the lock plate 31.

(ii) In the actuating mechanism of the parking brake system for a vehicle shown in fig. 1a and 1b, a seesaw movement of the latch plate 30 about the pin shaft 40 is achieved by the electromagnet 50 against the spring force of the return spring 60, thereby achieving engagement of the latch plate 30 with the recess 20c of the shaft 20 or disengagement from the recess 20 c. In contrast, since the above-described function can be achieved only by the reciprocating motion of the shaft 2 with respect to the housing 1 in the actuating mechanism for the parking brake system of the present invention, the electromagnet 50 in fig. 1a and 1b can be omitted.

Even though the anti-disengagement assembly 4 has the electromagnet 42 in the actuating mechanism for a parking brake system of the present invention, the electromagnet 42 only needs to overcome the spring force of the detent spring 43 to axially move the detent 41, whereas in the actuating mechanism for a parking brake system for a vehicle shown in fig. 1a and 1b, the electromagnet 50 needs to overcome the spring force of the return spring 60 to tilt the lock plate 30. Since the spring force of the detent spring 43 can obviously be smaller than that of the return spring 60, in the actuating mechanism for a parking brake system according to the present invention, only a small electromagnet is required, which reduces both the cost and the size of the electromagnet.

(iii) Although it is described in the above embodiment that the lock pin 41 has the escape groove 41c to realize that the anti-escape assembly 4 is in the first state, the present invention is not limited thereto. The lock pin 41 may not form the escape groove 41c, but the lock pin 41 is moved integrally to disengage from the disengagement preventing end 312 of the lock plate 31, so that the disengagement preventing assembly 4 is in the first state to allow the lock plate 31 to rotate about the pin shaft 32.

Claims (10)

1. An actuating mechanism for a parking brake system, the actuating mechanism comprising:

a housing (1);

a shaft (2), the shaft (2) being mounted to the housing (1) so as to be capable of reciprocating relative to the housing (1), and the shaft (2) being formed with a plurality of engagement portions;

a locking assembly (3), wherein the locking assembly (3) is arranged on the shell (1) and can be controllably engaged with and disengaged from each joint part through the reciprocating motion of the shaft (2); and

-an anti-extraction assembly (4), said anti-extraction assembly (4) being adapted to said locking assembly (3) so that: allowing the locking assembly (3) to be disengaged from the engaged engagement portion when the anti-disengagement assembly (4) is in the first state and preventing the locking assembly (3) from being disengaged from the engaged engagement portion when the anti-disengagement assembly (4) is in the second state.

2. The actuating mechanism for a parking brake system according to claim 1, characterized in that said locking assembly (3) comprises:

a pin (32), the pin (32) being mounted to the housing (1);

a lock plate (31) provided to the pin (32) and rotatable around the pin (32) within a predetermined range such that the lock plate (31) can be engaged with and disengaged from an engagement portion of the shaft (2); and

a return spring (33), the return spring (33) exerting a spring force on the lock plate (31) that causes the lock plate (31) to face into engagement with the engagement portion.

3. The actuating mechanism for a parking brake system according to claim 2, characterized in that said anti-release assembly (4) comprises a detent (41) fitted with said lock plate (31), a side surface of said detent (41) being formed as a stopper (41s) so that said anti-release assembly (4) is in said second state when said lock plate (31) abuts said stopper (41 s).

4. The actuating mechanism for a parking brake system according to claim 3, characterized in that said lock pin (41) is further formed with an escape groove (41c) recessed from said side surface, said lock pin (41) being movable relative to said lock plate (31) such that said anti-escape assembly (4) is in said first state when said lock plate (31) is opposed to said escape groove (41 c).

5. The actuating mechanism for a parking brake system according to claim 4, wherein the anti-release assembly (4) further includes an electromagnet (42) and a detent spring (43), the electromagnet (42) and the detent spring (43) are respectively disposed at both axial ends of the detent (41), and the detent (41) can be moved in an axial direction thereof by the electromagnet (42) and the detent spring (43) so that the stopper portion (41s) abuts against the lock plate (31) or the escape groove (41c) opposes the lock plate (31).

6. The actuating mechanism for a parking brake system according to any one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that the plurality of engaging portions are a plurality of recesses (2c) formed in an outer peripheral surface (2o) of the shaft (2) and spaced in an axial direction (A) thereof, and the lock plate (31) is enabled to be selectively engaged with and disengaged from different ones of the recesses (2c) by a reciprocating movement of the shaft (2) relative to the housing (1) in the axial direction (A) thereof.

7. The actuating mechanism for a parking brake system according to claim 6, characterized in that a side wall surface (2c2) of said recess (2c) in said axial direction (A) is formed to extend from a bottom surface (2c1) of said recess (2c) toward a radially outer side while extending obliquely to an outer peripheral surface (2o) of said shaft (2) in a direction away from said recess (2c) in said axial direction (A), said side wall surface (2c2) serving to guide said lock plate (31) into and out of engagement with said recess (2c) during said reciprocating movement of said shaft (2).

8. The actuating mechanism for a parking brake system according to claim 7, characterized in that, in a cross section of the shaft (2) including a center axis taken along the axial direction (A), an angle formed by the side wall face (2c2) with respect to the bottom face (2c1) is less than or equal to 115 degrees and greater than or equal to 105 degrees so that the side wall face (2c2) does not lock rotation of the lock plate (31).

9. The actuating mechanism for a parking brake system according to claim 6, wherein both end portions (311, 312) in a longitudinal direction of the lock plate (31) are respectively for engagement with the recessed portion (2c) and for fitting with the anti-come-out member (4), and a central portion of the lock plate (31) between both end portions (311, 312) is attached to the pin shaft (32).

10. A vehicle parking brake system comprising the actuating mechanism for a parking brake system according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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