Push to release brake actuating assembly for a vehicle

A brake actuating assembly for use in a vehicle having a brake system, the brake actuating assembly comprising:

• a mounting bracket for mounting the brake actuating assembly to the vehicle;
• a pedal arm mounted to the mounting bracket for pivotal movement about a pivot axis, the pedal arm having a pedal pad on a distal end thereof away from the pivot axis, the pedal pad being configured to be engaged by a person's foot,
• the pedal arm constructed and arranged to be connected to the brake system of the vehicle such that movement of the pedal arm in a brake applying direction activates the brake system and movement of the pedal arm in a brake releasing direction de-activates the brake system, with the brake system biasing the pedal arm in the brake releasing direction;
• an arcuate rack of teeth connected to the pedal arm;
• a pawl including a single tooth that is configured to engage the rack, the pawl being mounted for both (a) pivotal movements in engaging and disengaging directions and (b) translational shifting movements in setting and resetting directions;
• and
• a spring having a first end and a second end, the first end being operatively connected to the pawl, and the second end being operatively connected to the mounting bracket in an opening that includes a surface extending between a first stop and a second stop,
• wherein the spring is arranged such that in a first orientation the spring has the second end engaged with the first stop to bias the pawl to pivot in the engaging direction, and wherein the spring is arranged in its first orientation as the pedal arm is being moved from a fully released position in the brake applying direction to thereby bias the pawl in the engaging direction and maintain the tooth of the pawl in a ratcheting engagement with the teeth of the rack;
• wherein the pawl is arranged to shift in the setting direction after ceasing movement of the pedal arm in the brake applying direction as a result of the pedal arm being biased in the brake releasing direction and applying force to the pawl in the setting direction by the engagement between the pawl and the teeth of the rack, the force being applied to the pawl in the setting direction also maintaining the engagement between the tooth of the pawl and the teeth of the rack to prevent movement of the pedal arm in the releasing direction;
• wherein the spring is arranged such that the shifting of the pawl in the setting direction responsively causes the spring to move along the surface to a second orientation with the second end engaged with the second stop;
• wherein the spring in the second orientation is arranged to bias the pawl in the disengaging direction such that further movement of the pedal arm in the brake applying direction enables the tooth of the pawl to disengage from the teeth of the rack for movement of the pawl in the disengaging direction, thereby enabling the pedal arm to move in the brake releasing direction to the fully released position;
• and
• wherein the pawl is arranged to responsively shift back in the resetting direction and the spring responsively moves back to the first orientation to bias the pawl to pivot in the engaging direction as the pedal arm moves to the fully released position.