US 4,391,352 AGranted

Brake system and apparatus and method therefor

OwnerLawrence G. Browninventor

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Abstract

A brake system and method of braking including brake pads made of an "anti-friction" material, which may be lubricated, to establish a constant wet coefficient of friction in use with braking force applying apparatus for applying relatively high braking force which may be obtained in part by the energy of the moving member to which the braking force is applied.

Claims23

Dependent claims

A brake system for a bicycle or the like, having frame means for supporting a bicycle rider and rotatable wheel means for enabling movement of frame means and bicycle rider, and comprising:

brake pad means made from a substantially incompressible non-ferrous material having an effective coefficient of friction in both dry and wet operating conditions and having a friction surface engageable with the wheel means for generating a frictional braking force against the wheel means effective in both dry and wet operating conditions;
a pair of brake pad support arm means of equal effective length and being pivotally movably mounted relative to the frame means and the wheel means in juxtaposition to the wheel means for uniform equal length movement relative thereto and for supporting said brake pad means for uniform equal length movement between a non-braking position in maximum equally outwardly spaced relationship to the wheel means with each friction surface spaced equally outwardly of the wheel means and an inwardly displaced braking position with each friction surface in frictional engagement with the wheel means to apply braking force thereto;
hand operated braking force generating means mounted on the frame means and operably connected to said brake pad support arm means for operation of said brake pad support arm means and for generation of braking force by the bicycle rider;
force increasing means operatively associated with said brake pad support arm means and said brake pad means for uniformly equally increasing the brake force generated by the bicycle rider and for providing a relatively high uniform equal applied braking force on said brake pad means to generate sufficiently high effective braking force between said brake pad means and the rotatable wheel means in both dry and wet operating conditions;
said force increasing means comprising:
linkage means and connecting means and operating means arranged and connected to said support arm means for causing relative rapid initial movement of said support arm means and said brake pad means a relatively large distance from said non-braking position toward said braking position at relatively low mechanical advantage, and for causing relatively slow final movement of said support arm means and said brake pad means a relatively short distance toward the braking position at relatively high mechanical advantage and to generate relatively high uniform equal applied braking force in the braking position;
and
said force increasing means comprising formed spring wire means being operably connected to said hand operated force generating means and being operatively associated with said brake pad support arm means for movement between a non-braking position by application of braking force generated by the bicycle rider and for causing movement of said brake pad support arm means between the non-braking position and the braking position.

5 more elements

Apparatus for applying a braking force to brake pad means of a braking system to retard the movement of a moving member by surface engagement with friction surfaces on the brake pad means and comprising:

brake pad support arm means of equal effective length for supporting the brake pad means and being mountable for uniform equal length movement relative to the moving member between a non-braking position with the friction surfaces equally spaced outwardly of the moving member and a braking position with the frictional surfaces in equal uniform frictional engagement with the moving member;
force applying means arranged and connected to said support arm means for causing relative rapid initial movement of said support arm means and the brake pad means a relatively large distance from said non-braking position toward said braking position at relatively low mechanical advantage, and for causing relatively slow final movement of said support arm means and the brake pad means a relatively short distance toward the braking position at relatively high mechanical advantage and to generate relatively high uniform equal applied braking force in the braking position;
and
said force applying means comprising formed spring wire means being operatively associated with said brake pad support arm means for movement between a nonbraking position relative thereto and for causing movement of said brake pad support arm means between the non-braking position and the braking position.

1 more element

brake pad support arm means of equal effective length for supporting the brake pad means and being mountable for uniform equal length movement relative to the moving member between a non-braking position with the friction surfaces equally spaced outwardly of the moving member and a braking position with the frictional surfaces in equal uniform frictional engagement with the moving member;
force applying means arranged and connected to said support arm means for causing relative rapid initial movement of said support arm means and the brake pad means a relatively large distance from said non-braking position toward said braking position at relatively low mechanical advantage, and for causing relatively slow final movement of said support arm means and the brake pad means a relatively short distance toward the braking position at relatively high mechanical advantage and to generate relatively high uniform equal applied braking force in the braking position;
a common pivotal support means for pivotally supporting said brake pad support arm means;
and
the distance from said common pivotal support means to the brake pad means being equal.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

patentgrep

Loading patent…

Abstract

A brake system for a bicycle or the like, having frame means for supporting a bicycle rider and rotatable wheel means for enabling movement of frame means and bicycle rider, and comprising:

brake pad means made from a substantially incompressible non-ferrous material having an effective coefficient of friction in both dry and wet operating conditions and having a friction surface engageable with the wheel means for generating a frictional braking force against the wheel means effective in both dry and wet operating conditions;
a pair of brake pad support arm means of equal effective length and being pivotally movably mounted relative to the frame means and the wheel means in juxtaposition to the wheel means for uniform equal length movement relative thereto and for supporting said brake pad means for uniform equal length movement between a non-braking position in maximum equally outwardly spaced relationship to the wheel means with each friction surface spaced equally outwardly of the wheel means and an inwardly displaced braking position with each friction surface in frictional engagement with the wheel means to apply braking force thereto;
hand operated braking force generating means mounted on the frame means and operably connected to said brake pad support arm means for operation of said brake pad support arm means and for generation of braking force by the bicycle rider;
force increasing means operatively associated with said brake pad support arm means and said brake pad means for uniformly equally increasing the brake force generated by the bicycle rider and for providing a relatively high uniform equal applied braking force on said brake pad means to generate sufficiently high effective braking force between said brake pad means and the rotatable wheel means in both dry and wet operating conditions;
said force increasing means comprising:
linkage means and connecting means and operating means arranged and connected to said support arm means for causing relative rapid initial movement of said support arm means and said brake pad means a relatively large distance from said non-braking position toward said braking position at relatively low mechanical advantage, and for causing relatively slow final movement of said support arm means and said brake pad means a relatively short distance toward the braking position at relatively high mechanical advantage and to generate relatively high uniform equal applied braking force in the braking position;
and
said force increasing means comprising formed spring wire means being operably connected to said hand operated force generating means and being operatively associated with said brake pad support arm means for movement between a non-braking position by application of braking force generated by the bicycle rider and for causing movement of said brake pad support arm means between the non-braking position and the braking position.

5 more elements