Brake device and brake control system

A brake device comprising:

• a wheel brake unit for braking a wheel;
• an electric motor for driving the wheel brake unit;
• a speed reducer for decelerating rotation of the electric motor;
• a rotation-linear motion converter for converting a rotational output of the speed reducer into a linear motion;
• and
• a braking force transmission member for transmitting the linear motion produced by the rotation-linear motion converter to the wheel brake unit,
• wherein the rotation-linear motion converter includes:
• a rotary block configured to be rotated by the rotational output of the speed reducer;
• and
• a casing housing the rotary block in a rotatable manner and retaining the braking force transmission member such that the braking force transmission member is movable forward and backward in a first direction substantially perpendicular to a rotational center axis of the rotary block, and
• wherein the rotary block includes:
• a base portion having a cylindrical shape,
• a cam block portion shaving a half cylindrical shape and a flat surface extending parallel to the rotational center axis of the rotary block, the cam block portion being integrally connected to the base portion, and
• a cam mechanism for moving the braking force transmission member forward and backward at a position spaced from the rotational center axis, the cam mechanism having a center axis parallel to the rotational center axis and being embedded in the flat surface at an embedded position in which the center axis of the cam mechanism is spaced from the rotational center axis,
• wherein the casing has a reaction force receiving surface supporting an outer peripheral surface of the rotary block and receiving a reaction force from the braking force transmission member when the reaction force from the braking force transmission member acts on the cam block portion,
• wherein the rotary block and a rotation output section of the speed reducer are coupled to each other via an Oldham coupling, and
• wherein when the rotary block rotates, the cam mechanism presses a first surface of the braking force transmission member facing the cam mechanism in the first direction, a second surface of the braking force transmission member on the other side of the first surface in the first direction presses the wheel brake unit in the first direction, and the wheel brake unit pressed by the second surface against the wheel in the first direction brakes the wheel.

A brake control system comprising:

• a brake device including:
• a wheel brake unit for braking a wheel;
• an electric motor for driving the wheel brake unit;
• a speed reducer for decelerating rotation of the electric motor;
• a rotation-linear motion converter for converting a rotational output of the speed reducer into a linear motion;
• and
• a braking force transmission member for transmitting the linear motion produced by the rotation-linear motion converter to the wheel brake unit;
• an object detecting device for detecting an object outside a vehicle;
• a vehicle speed sensing device for sensing a running speed of the vehicle;
• and
• a brake control device configured to receive signals from the object detecting device and the vehicle speed sensing device and control the electric motor of the brake device in accordance with a distance between the vehicle and the object outside the vehicle and the running speed of the vehicle,
• wherein the rotation-linear motion converter includes:
• a rotary block configured to be rotated by the rotational output of the speed reducer;
• and
• a casing housing the rotary block in a rotatable manner,
• wherein the casing retains the braking force transmission member such that the braking force transmission member is movable forward and backward in a first direction substantially perpendicular to a rotational center axis of the rotary block,
• wherein the rotary block includes:
• a base portion having a cylindrical shape,
• a cam block portion shaving a half cylindrical shape and a flat surface extending parallel to the rotational center axis of the rotary block, the cam block portion being integrally connected to the base portion, and
• a cam mechanism for moving the braking force transmission member forward and backward at a position spaced from the rotational center axis, the cam mechanism having a center axis parallel to the rotational center axis and being embedded in the flat surface at an embedded position in which the center axis of the cam mechanism is spaced from the rotational center axis, and
• wherein when the rotary block rotates, the cam mechanism presses a first surface of the braking force transmission member facing the cam mechanism in the first direction, a second surface of the braking force transmission member on the other side of the first surface in the first direction presses the wheel brake unit in the first direction, and the wheel brake unit pressed by the second surface against the wheel in the first direction brakes the wheel.