Manually operated lever device for actuating the parking brake of a motor-vehicle

A manually operated lever device for actuating the parking brake of a motor-vehicle, comprising:

• a supporting bracket, rigidly connected to the structure of the motor vehicle;
• and
• a lever structure, having:
• a base portion tiltably mounted on the supporting bracket;
• and
• a lever arm extending from a front end of said base portion and terminating with a handgrip,
• so that said lever structure is movable between a completely lowered position and a completely raised position with respect to said supporting bracket,
• wherein the tiltable mounting of the base portion on the supporting bracket comprises:
• a first transverse axis and a second transverse axis, which are defined at predetermined positions with respect to the supporting bracket;
• a third transverse axis and a fourth transverse axis, which are defined on said base portion of the lever structure in positions arranged spaced apart from one another;
• said third transverse axis and said fourth transverse axis being constrained to move along respective paths, substantially about said first transverse axis and about said second transverse axis;
• the lever structure being operatively connected to a transmission for actuating the parking brake of the motor vehicle,
• said second transverse axis located in front of said first transverse axis, with reference to the direction of advancement of the motor-vehicle;
• when the lever structure is in its completely lowered position, said third transverse axis and said fourth transverse axis each located in a position lower than that of the first transverse axis and the second transverse axis, respectively;
• and
• in said lowered position, two theoretical planes containing the first and third transverse axes and the second and fourth transverse axes, respectively, intersecting along a theoretical axis of instantaneous rotation of the lever structure, which is located above said first and second transverse axes, and
• wherein, when the lever structure moves from its completely lowered position to its completely raised position, the lever arm and its end handgrip displace according to a substantially elliptical, and substantially vertically oriented path, while said axis of instantaneous rotation of the lever structure moves downwards, following a substantially elliptical path, such that no part of the device comes to occupy the space above said first and second transverse axes.