Skateboard with motorized drive and brake systems

A brake truck adapted for use with a skateboard, including:

• an axle housing;
• an axle disposed in the axel housing;
• a pair of wheels mounted on the axle in a rotatable relationship with the housing;
• a brake rotor rotatable with an associated one of the wheels;
• a brake pad movable relative to the brake rotor to functionally engage the rotor and inhibit rotation of the rotor and the associated wheel;
• an actuation assembly operable to carry the brake pad into frictional engagement with the rotor;
• a motor included in the actuation assembly;
• and
• at least one simple machine included in the actuation assembly to provide a mechanical advantage between the motor and the brake pad.

A motorized skateboard, including:

• a drive assembly;
• a drive motor included in the drive assembly and adapted to provide motive power to the skateboard;
• a brake assembly;
• a brake motor included in the brake assembly and adapted to provide braking power to the skateboard;
• and
• a remote control coupled in electrical communication to the drive assembly and the brake assembly.

A brake system adapted for use in braking a wheel of a vehicle, including:

• a brake rotor rotatable with the wheel;
• a brake pad movable relative to the rotor in frictional engagement with the rotor;
• a brake motor adapted to move the pad relative to the rotor;
• a controller coupled to the motor and operable to move the pad between a first position and a second position;
• the pad in the first position being disposed a fixed distance from the motor and a variable distance from the motor;
• and
• the pad in the second position being disposed a predetermined distance from the rotor.

A method for self-adjusting a brake system, comprising the steps of:

• providing an axel supporting a rotatable wheel, a brake rotor having a fixed relationship with the wheel, a brake pad movable to frictionally engage the brake rotor, and a brake motor;
• energizing the motor to move the brake pad from a first position spaced a predetermined distance from the rotor, to a second position in contact with the rotor;
• denergizing the motor:
• loading a spring with potential energy from the enertia of the brake motor, following the denergizing step;
• energizing the motor to drain the potential energy from the spring;
• denergizing the motor with the brake pad in the second position;
• and
• moving the brake pad from the second position to the first position with the enertia of the motor.