Abstract: A two-piece expanding lock control cable end fitting for connecting a co-axial cable assembly with a support structure. The first piece is a sleeve that is attached, typically by crimping, to the conduit member. The second part is a lock clip member. The lock clip member includes a base flange, a cylindrical portion and an inclined portion. During assembly the base flange on the clip member will contact the mating part and prevent the clip member from traveling through the mating part. The mating part could be a backing plate, a frame member, or brake lever component. When the clip member stops traveling through the mating part, the sleeve continues to move through the clip member. The end of the sleeve contacts the inclined portion of the clip member causing the clip member to expand. When the sleeve it is fully seated in the clip member, a locking feature on the clip member engages the sleeve to prevent removal of the sleeve from the clip member.

Abstract: An improved non-jamming self-adjust pawl and ratchet mechanism for use in an automotive parking brake system or the like, includes cam-out and cam-in devices that are spaced to define an overlap dwell distance to insure suitable engagement between the adjuster pawl and the adjuster ratchet as a foot or hand brake operating lever is pivoted from a brake disengaged position toward a brake fully-engaged position. In the case of the foot-operated lever, the spacing distance between the cam-out and cam-in devices is greater than the bounce-back travel distance of the lever upon the removal of cable tension load thereon.

Abstract: Parking brake apparatus of the reaction cable type includes quick-release cable slack adjusting means having a releasable clip member for retaining an adjusting rod against the biasing force of an adjusting spring at a given position relative to the reaction bracket housing. The clip member is of U-shaped resilient construction including a pair of leg portions that are resiliently biased together on opposite sides of a transverse wall portion of the housing containing an opening in which the rod is movably mounted. The clip member is displaceable orthogonally relative to the rod between a locking position in engagement with an annular groove contained in the rod, and a released position remote from the groove, whereby the rod is biased by the spring to remove cable slack.

Abstract: An electromechanical parking brake system is provided including an electric driving gear motor connected with a parking brake cable track member by a releasable connection, preferably in the form of a pawl and ratchet arrangement. In accordance with one feature of the invention, a manually-operable override device is provided for disengaging the pawl from the ratchet, thereby to disconnect the electric drive motor. According to another feature, the pawl is automatically disengaged from the ratchet when the cable track member is in the brake-released condition, so that a cable-tensioning device is actuated to remove slack from the parking brake cable.

Abstract: An improved parking brake cable control apparatus includes an automatic cable tensioning device that is operable at the beginning and end of every parking brake operating cycle to take up cable slack and maintain uniform cable tension. The foot-operated parking brake lever pivots on a main pivot shaft between brake-engaged and brake-released positions, a releasable pedal pawl being provided that cooperates with a conventional pedal ratchet. A cable-tensioning ratchet connected with the parking brake cable is rotatably mounted on the main pivot shaft, and cooperating therewith are a lock pawl and a drive pawl connected with the apparatus housing and with the lever, respectively. The lock pawl is released by a release lever when the pedal is pivoted toward the released position, and the drive pawl is disengaged when the lever is adjacent the disengaged position, thereby to activate the cable tensioning device.