| US 7,475,615 B2 | ||
| Self-adjusting parking brake actuator for vehicles | ||
| Peter Revelis, Newmarket (Canada) | ||
| Assigned to Ventra Group Inc., Ontario (Canada) | ||
| Filed on Jun. 05, 2006, as Appl. No. 11/446,265. | ||
| Prior Publication US 2007/0295149 A1, Dec. 27, 2007 | ||
| Int. Cl. G05G 1/04 (2006.01) | ||
| U.S. Cl. 74—523 | 14 Claims |

| 1. A parking brake actuator comprising:
a brake lever movable between brake-released and brake-applied positions; and
a self-adjustment assembly comprising:
a rack mounted for movement relative to the lever along a longitudinal direction of the rack, the rack comprising a plurality
of rack teeth,
a cable connector for operatively connecting the rack to a brake cable,
a resilient member constructed to bias the rack relative to the lever along its longitudinal direction in a tensioning direction,
a rotatable pinion having pinion teeth that engage the rack teeth such that movement of the rack relative to the lever along
its longitudinal direction rotates the pinion, and
a clutch having an engaged position that prevents the pinion from rotating at least in a first direction corresponding to
movement of the rack relative to the lever opposite the tensioning direction, the clutch also having a disengaged position
that allows the pinion to rotate in at least a second direction corresponding to movement of the rack relative to the lever
in the tensioning direction, wherein the clutch is constructed and positioned to be disposed in the disengaged position when
the lever is in its brake-released position, and wherein the clutch is constructed and positioned to be disposed in the engaged
position when the lever moves away from its brake-released position and toward its brake-applied position.
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