Rotary lever disc brake caliper with rack and pinion mechanism

A brake application mechanism for a rotary lever disc brake, comprising:

• a rack-and-pinion brake application mechanism configured to be located at least partially within a brake caliper configured to straddle a brake disc and to advance an inboard brake pad into contact with the brake disc, the rack-and-pinion brake application mechanism including:
• a rotary lever configured to receive a brake actuation force from a brake actuator at a brake actuation end of the rotary lever to advance a brake actuator end of the rotary lever toward the brake disc,
• a pinion rotatably located on an axis parallel to a friction surface of the brake disc and being connected to an end of the rotary lever opposite to the brake actuator end of the rotary lever, and
• at least one rack arranged to cooperatively engage the pinion, the at least one rack being rotatably located on an axis parallel to the friction surface of the brake disc and perpendicular to the pinion rotation axis, the at least one rack including an inboard brake pad advancing portion arranged to cooperate with the inboard brake pad to advance the inboard brake pad toward the brake disc.

A method of operating a rotary lever disc brake, comprising the acts of:

• locating a brake caliper straddling a brake disc, wherein the brake caliper includes
• an inboard caliper portion configured to receive a rack-and-pinion brake application mechanism, the rack-and-pinion brake application mechanism being configured to advance an inboard brake pad into contact with the brake disc and including
• a rotary lever, the rotary lever being configured to receive a brake actuation force from a brake actuator at a brake actuation end of the rotary lever to advance a brake actuator end of the rotary lever toward the brake disc,
• a pinion rotatably located on an axis parallel to a friction surface of the brake disc and being connected to an end of the rotary lever opposite to the brake actuator end of the rotary lever, and
• at least one rack arranged to cooperatively engage the pinion, the at least one rack being rotatably located on an axis parallel to the friction surface of the brake disc and perpendicular to the pinion rotation axis, the at least one rack including an inboard brake pad advancing portion arranged to cooperate with the inboard brake pad to advance the inboard brake pad toward the brake disc;
• operating the rotary lever to advance the inboard brake pad toward the brake disc.