# US 8,739,944 B1 · Electronic parking brake actuator > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,739,944 B1 - Document ID: US8739944B1 - Status: Granted - Kind: B1 - Application number: 13/469,473 - Filed: 2012-05-11 - Granted: 2014-06-03 - Earliest claimed: 2011-05-13 - Applicants: Larry Goodman - Inventors: Larry Goodman - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8739944B1 ## CPC - B60T 7/042: {by electrical means, e.g. using travel or force sensors} - B60T 7/085: {by electrical means, e.g. travel, force sensors} - B60T 13/746: {and mechanical transmission of the braking action} - F16D 65/28: arranged apart from the brake - F16D 2121/24: using motors - F16D 2125/40: Screw-and-nut - F16D 2125/58: transmitting linear movement - F16D 2125/60: Cables or chains, e.g. Bowden cables - B60T: VEHICLE BRAKE CONTROL SYSTEMS OR PARTS THEREOF; BRAKE CONTROL SYSTEMS OR PARTS THEREOF, IN GENERAL (electrodynamic brake systems for vehicle, in general B60L; brakes per se, i.e. devices where braking effect occurs, including ultimate brake actuators, F16D); ARRANGEMENT OF BRAKING ELEMENTS ON VEHICLES IN GENERAL; PORTABLE DEVICES FOR PREVENTING UNWANTED MOVEMENT OF VEHICLES; VEHICLE MODIFICATIONS TO FACILITATE COOLING OF BRAKES - F16D: COUPLINGS FOR TRANSMITTING ROTATION; CLUTCHES; BRAKES ## Abstract An electrically actuated parking brake system includes a control switch in a vehicles cabin, an intelligent controller, a linear actuator, and cables connected between the linear actuator and mechanical parking brakes. The intelligent controller receives signals from the control switch and from one or more electrical device in the vehicle. If any of the signals from the vehicle indicate that the vehicle is in motion, the parking brakes are not actuated. The electrically actuated parking brake system may further include a remote control, and logic in the intelligent controller will allow the parking brakes to be engaged when the vehicle is in motion, remote control is enabled, and the remote control is actuated by a user. The parking brakes may be either drum brakes or disk brakes. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An electrically actuated parking brake system comprising: a switch; an intelligent controller electrically connected to the switch; electrical connections between at least one vehicle device of the vehicle and the intelligent controller, the intelligent controller receiving at least one signal from the at least one vehicle device indicating whether the parking brake should be actuated; a linear actuator electrically connected to the intelligent controller the linear actuator comprising: a housing; a linear motor residing in the housing; a body of the linear motor spaced away from interior walls of the housing by a gap (G); and a sliding shaft extending from a first end of the linear motor; a cable connecting the sliding shaft of the linear motor to a vehicle parking brake; a second end of the linear motor opposite to the first end, the second end connected to the housing by a pin extending through the linear motor and into opposite sides of the housing; and opposing guides attached to the sliding shaft, the guides cooperating with a non-round interior of the housing to prevent the sliding shaft from rotating. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The parking brake system of claim 1, wherein the intelligent controller receives a vehicle speed and does not actuate the parking brakes if the vehicle speed is not zero. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The parking brake system of claim 2, wherein the intelligent controller monitors the vehicle speed after the parking brake is fully actuated and provides an audio alarm if the vehicle speed is not zero after the parking brake is fully actuated. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The parking brake system of claim 3, wherein the intelligent controller monitors the vehicle speed after the parking brake is fully actuated and sounds a vehicle horn if the vehicle speed is not zero after the parking brake is fully actuated. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The parking brake system of claim 2, wherein the intelligent controller monitors the vehicle speed after the parking brake is fully actuated and sends an electronic signal to a wireless monitor if the vehicle speed is not zero after the parking brake is fully actuated. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The parking brake system of claim 1, wherein the intelligent controller receives a throttle position and does not actuate the parking brakes if the throttle position is not zero. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The parking brake system of claim 1, wherein an indicator is connected to the intelligent controller and provides a visual signal indicating parking brake status. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The parking brake system of claim 7, wherein the indicator blinks during the transition from OFF to ON or from ON to OFF. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The parking brake system of claim 8, wherein the indicator blinks with a red color during a transition from OFF to ON and with a green color during a transition from ON to OFF. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The parking brake system of claim 9, wherein the indicator is a solid red color upon completion of the transition from OFF to ON and is a solid green color upon completion of the transition from ON to OFF. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The parking brake system of claim 1, wherein the cable has a first end connected to a first parking brake and a second end connected to a second parking brake. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The parking brake system of claim 11, wherein the cable is connected to a clevis in the linear actuator and tension is applied equally to both ends of the cable. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The parking brake system of claim 12, wherein: the linear actuator includes a housing having a non-round interior cross-section; and the clevis includes guides cooperating with the non-round interior cross-section to prevent the clevis from rotating. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The parking brake system of claim 1, further including a remote control wirelessly cooperating with the intelligent controller to engage and disengage the parking brake. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The parking brake system of claim 1, wherein the interior of the housing has a generally square cross-section and the opposing guides reside diagonally reaching into opposite corners of the generally square cross-section to prevent the sliding shaft from rotating. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The parking brake system of claim 1, wherein a spacer resides between the linear motor and the housing to maintain the gap (G) between the linear motor and the interior walls of the housing. ### Claim 17 An electrically actuated parking brake system comprising: a switch; an intelligent controller electrically connected to the switch; electrical connections between at least one vehicle device of the vehicle and the intelligent controller, the intelligent controller receiving vehicle speed and not allowing activation of parking brakes if the vehicle speed is not zero; an indicator light connected to the intelligent controller, the indicator light blinking with a red color during a transition from OFF to ON and with a green color during a transition from ON to OFF, and the indicator a solid red color upon completion of the transition from OFF to ON and a solid green color upon completion of the transition from ON to OFF; a linear actuator electrically connected to the intelligent controller and controlled by the intelligent controller, the linear actuator comprising: a housing; a linear motor residing in the housing; a body of the linear motor spaced away from interior walls of the housing by a gap (G), the interior walls of the housing including a generally square cross-section; and a sliding shaft extending from a first end of the linear motor; a second end of the linear motor opposite to the first end, the second end of the linear motor connected to the housing by a pin extending through the linear motor and into opposite sides of the housing; and opposing guides attached to the sliding shaft and residing diagonally reaching into opposite corners of the interior walls to prevent the sliding shaft from rotating; and a cable connected between the sliding shaft in the linear actuator and the parking brakes. ### Claim 18 An electrically actuated parking brake system comprising: a switch; an intelligent controller electrically connected to the switch; electrical connections between at least one vehicle device of the vehicle and the intelligent controller, the intelligent controller receiving at least one signal from the at least one vehicle device indicating whether the parking brake should be actuated; a remote control wirelessly cooperating with the intelligent controller to engage and disengage the parking brake; a linear actuator electrically connected to the intelligent controller, the linear actuator comprising: a housing; a linear motor residing in the housing; a body of the linear motor spaced away from interior walls of the housing by a gap; a sliding shaft extending from a first end of the linear motor; and a second end of the linear motor opposite to the first end, the second end of the linear motor connected to the housing by a pin extending through the linear motor and into opposite sides of the housing; opposing guides attached to the sliding shaft, the guides cooperating with a non-round interior of the housing to prevent the sliding shaft from rotating; and a cable connecting the sliding shaft to a vehicle parking brake.