Variable ratio parking brake control

A variable ratio brake control for a cable actuated vehicle brake;

• said control including a housing, a manually operated lever and pivot means connecting said lever to said housing;
• said lever being angularly displaceable from a brake released position to a brake applied position;
• said lever having a cam slot with an outer end remote from the pivot axis of said pivot means and an inner end closer to said pivot axis than said outer end;
• a guide member pivotally connected to said housing by said pivot means and angularly displaceable relative to said lever;
• said guide member having a cam slot with an outer end remote from said pivot axis and an inner end closer to said pivot axis than said just mentioned outer end;
• said cam slot of said member overlapping said cam slot of said lever and cooperating therewith to define an opening of a size less than the size of said lever cam slot or said member cam slot;
• a force transmitting device disposed in said opening and slidably supported in said cam slot of said lever and said cam slot of said member;
• said device being constructed to be coupled to a brake cable;
• spring means supported by said member exerting a spring force urging said device toward said outer end of said member cam slot and said outer end of said lever cam slot;
• said device being slidable from said outer end of said lever cam slot to said inner end of said lever cam slot in response to displacement of said lever from said brake released position to said brake applied position and a brake applying load on said force transmitting device that exceeds a predetermined amount.