JP4565469B2 - Electric parking brake device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an electric parking brake device provided in a vehicle such as an automobile.

The electric parking brake drives a parking brake that performs braking when the vehicle is parked or stopped using an electric actuator such as a motor.
Since such an electric parking brake can be operated by an electric switch by a driver, the labor is reduced with respect to an operation by a general manual lever or a foot pedal, and automatically operates according to the state of the vehicle. By doing so, it is possible to prevent the vehicle from starting unintentionally due to AT creep, slope inclination, etc., and to contribute to the improvement of safety.

An electric parking brake is known in which an electric actuator is mounted on a wheel hub portion that supports a wheel to be braked, for example (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).
In addition, an electric parking brake is known in which an electric actuator is mounted inside, for example, a console disposed between a driver seat and a passenger seat (see, for example, Patent Documents 3 and 4).
JP-A-11-105680 JP 2004-66993 A JP 2002-242968 A JP 2000-309255 A

However, since the electric parking brake is exposed to rainwater, dust, and the like when the electric actuator is mounted on the wheel hub portion, high waterproofness and dustproofness are required to ensure reliability.
On the other hand, when an electric actuator is disposed in a cabin such as a console portion, the electric parking brake may impair the quietness of the vehicle interior due to the operating sound.
In view of the above-described problems, an object of the present invention is to provide an electric parking brake device that does not require high waterproofness and dustproofness in an actuator unit and is excellent in quietness.

The present invention solves the above-described problems by the following means.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electric motor comprising a parking brake that brakes a vehicle wheel, an actuator unit that drives the parking brake, and a driving force transmission unit that transmits a driving force generated by the actuator unit to the parking brake. In the parking brake device, at least a part of the actuator unit is disposed in a space formed between an upper surface of the floor panel of the vehicle and a spare tire disposed on the upper side of the floor panel. A partition that is disposed at a substantially central portion in the vehicle width direction of the vehicle and that divides a space portion in which the actuator unit is accommodated from a space portion in which the spare tire is accommodated, is provided, Pull it forward from the actuator unit, Parts and the lower surface of the floor panel, wherein arranged below the floor panel, an electric parking brake apparatus being characterized in that disposed between the sub-frame for supporting the rear suspension.

According to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) Since the actuator unit is disposed in a space formed between the floor panel and the spare tire, exposure of the actuator unit to the outside of the vehicle can be prevented, so that high waterproofness and dustproofness are required. There is nothing.
In addition, since the spare tire has a sound absorbing effect because it is formed of a viscoelastic body such as rubber and has a hollow portion therein, it functions as a sound absorbing material that suppresses the operating sound of the actuator unit from propagating to the vehicle interior side. In addition, quietness in the passenger compartment can be improved.
Furthermore, by arranging the actuator unit at a substantially central part in the vehicle width direction, the driving force transmission unit can be arranged substantially symmetrically to the left and right braking target wheels, and an imbalance of the left and right braking force can be prevented. Can do.
(2) Providing the partition part that divides the space part in which the actuator unit is accommodated and the space part in which the spare tire is accommodated can further reduce the propagation of the operating noise of the actuator unit to the vehicle interior side. .
(3) By disposing at least a part of the driving force transmission part between the lower surface of the floor panel and the subframe, the driving force transmission part is prevented from interfering with vehicle side components such as the subframe and the rear differential. At the same time, it is possible to prevent the protrusion to the lower side of the floor and to prevent damage due to contact with the road surface or the rocks.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an electric parking brake device that does not require high waterproofness and dustproofness for an actuator unit and is excellent in quietness, an upper surface of a spare tire pan formed on a floor panel of a vehicle, This was solved by arranging the actuator unit in the space between the lower surface of the spare tire and in the center of the vehicle in the vehicle width direction.

Embodiments of an electric parking brake device to which the present invention is applied will be described below.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the electric parking brake device of the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of the electric parking brake device.
3, 4, and 5 are perspective views showing the vicinity of the actuator unit of the electric parking brake device of the present embodiment, respectively, a side view seen from the vehicle width direction, a plan view seen from above the vehicle, It is a perspective view. In FIG. 5, a spare tire T, a spare tire tray 160, etc., which will be described later, are not shown.

The electric parking brake device includes a parking brake 10, an actuator unit 20, a battery 30, a controller 40, and a vehicle side unit 50.
The vehicle body 100 to which the electric parking brake device is mounted includes a floor panel 110, a main frame 120, a sub frame 130, a rear differential 140, a luggage floor board 150, and a spare tire tray 160.

  The parking brake 10 is a braking device that prevents the vehicle from moving when the vehicle is parked or the like, for example, by braking the wheels of the vehicle. The parking brake 10 is provided on each of the wheel hub portions of the left and right rear wheels of the vehicle. The parking brake 10 includes a brake drum (not shown) disposed on the inner diameter side of a rotor of a disc brake used as a foot brake (main brake) and a brake shoe (not shown) that pressurizes and contacts the inner diameter side of the brake drum during braking. I have.

  The actuator unit 20 drives the shoe of the parking brake 10 and makes a transition between a braking state in which the parking brake 10 generates a braking force and a released state in which the braking force is not substantially generated. The actuator unit 20 includes a rear cable 21.

For example, the actuator unit 20 reduces the rotational force of the DC motor by a reduction gear train, rotates the lead screw, and pulls or relaxes the rear cable 21 by an equalizer screwed to the lead screw.
The rear cables (parking brake cables) 21 are provided corresponding to the left and right parking brakes 10, respectively, and have flexibility so as to be deformed according to the stroke of a rear suspension (not shown). The rear cable 21 pulls the parking brake 10 in a braking state and relaxes the parking brake 10 in a released state.
In addition, the actuator unit 20 is provided with an operation unit (not shown) for manually forcibly releasing the parking brake 10 using a tool or the like when the electric parking brake device fails.
The layout of the actuator unit 20 in the vehicle body 100 described above will be described in detail later.

The battery 30 is a secondary battery that is used as a main power source for a vehicle electrical system, and generates, for example, a DC 12V terminal voltage. The battery 30 includes a plus terminal 31 and a minus terminal 32.
The plus terminal 31 is connected to the controller 40 and the vehicle-side unit 50 via wiring (harness), respectively.
The minus terminal 32 is grounded with respect to the vehicle body.

The controller 40 includes an ECU 41, a relay 42, and a manual operation switch 43.
The ECU 41 includes a CPU that determines whether or not the parking brake 10 needs to be braked in response to an input from the manual operation switch 43 and the vehicle-side unit 50.

  The relay 42 supplies driving power to the actuator unit 20 in accordance with a control signal output from the ECU 41. The relay 42 shifts the parking brake 10 from the braking state to the released state, and brakes from the released state. In order to make a transition to the state, a function of reversing the polarity of the drive power is provided, and the actuator unit 20 is in a neutral state where conduction with the actuator unit 20 is interrupted except when the actuator unit 20 is driven.

  The manual operation switch 43 is an operation unit through which a user inputs a manual selection operation in the braking state and the release state of the parking brake 10, and includes, for example, a push button switch mounted on an instrument panel (not shown) of the vehicle. . The manual operation switch 43 transmits the input to the ECU 41, and the ECU 41 controls the relay 42 according to this, and supplies driving power to the actuator unit 20 to drive the parking brake 10.

  The vehicle side unit 50 includes, for example, an engine control unit (ECU) that controls an engine of the vehicle, a transmission control unit (TCU) that controls a transmission (transmission), a VDC control unit that performs VDC control including ABS control, The vehicle integrated unit that comprehensively controls other electrical components is provided, and communicates with the controller 40 via a CAN communication system that is a kind of in-vehicle LAN.

  The vehicle-side unit 50 sequentially provides the ECU 41 of the controller 40 with information such as, for example, engine speed, accelerator opening, transmission shift position, foot brake operation status, wheel rotation speed, and the like. When the ECU 41 determines that the vehicle has shifted from the running state to the stopped state based on these inputs, the ECU 41 determines that the parking brake 10 needs to be braked, and controls the relay 42 to supply drive power to the actuator unit 20. The parking brake 10 is shifted from the released state to the braking state. On the other hand, when the ECU 41 determines that the vehicle shifts from the stopped state to the traveling state, the ECU 41 shifts the parking brake 10 from the braking state to the released state.

The vehicle body 100 is a station wagon type passenger car provided with, for example, a steel plate monocoque body.
The floor panel 110 is a floor surface portion of the vehicle body 100, and is formed by, for example, pressing a steel plate, and a spare tire pan 111 is formed in a partial region thereof.
The spare tire pan 111 is a region formed in a container shape by recessing a part of the floor panel 110 in a region on the rear side of the subframe 130, and is formed on the rear side of a rear seat (not shown) in the vehicle interior. Located in the lower floor of the luggage room. The spare tire pan 111 includes a space for accommodating the spare tire T and the actuator unit 20, and a detailed layout in the interior will be described in detail later.

The main frame 120 is a structural member provided to ensure the rigidity of the vehicle body 100. The main frame 120 is a hollow columnar member having, for example, a substantially rectangular cross section, and is provided with two pieces extending in the front-rear direction of the vehicle and spaced apart in the vehicle width direction. Further, the main frame 120 is formed as a part of a monocoque body with its upper surface joined to the lower surface of the floor panel 110.
The spare tire pan 111 described above is disposed between these main frames 120.

The subframe 130 is a structural member to which an arm and links of a rear suspension (not shown) are attached, and is formed by joining a plurality of members obtained by pressing a steel plate, for example.
As shown in FIG. 3, the subframe 130 is disposed in a region below the floor panel 110 and in front of the spare tire pan 111.
Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the sub-frame 130 is formed in a substantially rectangular frame shape when viewed from the upper side of the vehicle, and is provided on protrusions formed on the outer sides in the vehicle width direction from the four corners. It is connected to the floor panel 110 via a rubber bush for vibration isolation.

The rear differential 140 transmits rear wheel driving force input from a transmission provided on the front side of the vehicle via a propeller shaft (not shown) provided in the floor tunnel portion of the vehicle to the left and right rear wheels. A known differential mechanism that absorbs the difference in rotational speed of the rear wheels is provided.
The main part of the rear differential 140 is arranged in the frame of the subframe 130 described above.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the luggage floor board 150 is a flat plate-like member provided so as to be able to close the opening on the upper side of the spare tire pan 111, and the floor surface of the luggage room of the vehicle and the storage portion of the spare tire T It functions as a lid.

As shown in FIG. 3, the spare tire tray 160 is a board-like member that is supported in a state where the spare tire T is placed on the upper surface portion thereof, and is provided between the luggage floor board 150 and the spare tire pan 111. Has been placed. The spare tire tray 160 is formed by being bent downward at both ends in the vehicle width direction and having leg portions 161 whose lower ends abut against the upper surface of the spare tire pan 111. The board portion 162 is disposed in a state having a space portion between the upper surface of the spare tire pan 111. Further, the board portion 162 is disposed so as to be inclined rearward so that the vehicle rear side is lowered, and functions as a partition portion that divides a space portion in which the spare tire T is accommodated and a space portion in which the actuator unit 20 is accommodated. .
In the spare tire tray 160, a fixing portion 163 into which a bolt (not shown) for fixing the spare tire T is inserted is formed at a substantially central portion of the board portion 162.

The spare tire T is, for example, a temper type (T type) emergency tire having a section width smaller than that of a normal running tire, and includes a lower surface of the luggage floor board 150 and a board portion 162 of the spare tire tray 160. It is arrange | positioned in the space part formed between the upper surfaces of.
The spare tire T has a tire formed by reinforcing a rubber material with a ply cord made of synthetic fiber such as nylon on the outer diameter side of a rim made of a steel plate (not shown). Is filled with a gas such as air or nitrogen gas under pressure.
The spare tire T is placed on the board portion 162 with the rotation center axis thereof substantially coinciding with the normal direction of the board portion 162, and is fixed to the fixing portion 163 by a bolt (not shown).

Next, the arrangement of the actuator unit 20 described above will be described.
As shown in FIG. 3, the actuator unit 20 has portions (main body portions) other than the rear cable 21, as shown in FIG. 3, the upper surface of the spare tire pan 111 and the lower surface of the board portion 162 of the spare tire tray 160. Are arranged in a space formed between the two and fixed to the spare tire pan 111.
The main body of the actuator unit 20 is arranged in a state where the rear cable 21 is pulled out to the front side of the vehicle.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the rear cable 21 is disposed through a gap between the lower surface of the floor panel 110 and the upper portion of the subframe 130 in a region near the main body of the actuator unit 20. For this reason, a part of the rear cable 21 is disposed through an opening (not shown) formed in the wall surface portion of the spare tire pan 111 on the vehicle front side. A rubber grommet (not shown) that closes the space between the inner peripheral edge and prevents foreign substances such as water and dust from entering the spare tire pan 111 from below the floor is provided.

As shown in FIG. 4, the left and right rear cables 21 are spaced in the vehicle width direction as they approach the front side of the vehicle in an area that is sandwiched between the floor panel 110 and the subframe 130. It is arranged in a substantially V shape so as to increase.
The rear cable 21 is connected to the parking brakes 10 of the left and right wheels in a state where the middle portion in the longitudinal direction is the front end portion of the subframe 130 and passes through the vicinity of both end portions in the vehicle width direction.
The handling of the rear cable 21 is substantially bilaterally symmetric.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) By disposing the main body portion of the actuator unit 20 excluding the rear cable 21 in a space formed between the spare tire pan 111 and the spare tire T of the floor panel 110, the actuator unit 20 is placed outside the vehicle. Since it can be prevented from being exposed, the main body is not required to be waterproof and dustproof, and the structure can be simplified, and workability during vehicle assembly and maintenance can be improved.
(2) The spare tire T arranged at the upper part of the actuator unit 20 exhibits a sound absorption effect due to the characteristics of the rubber that is the material and the presence of a hollow portion that is formed inside and filled with gas. Therefore, it functions as a sound absorbing material that suppresses the operating sound of the actuator unit 20 from propagating to the vehicle interior side, and the quietness in the vehicle interior can be improved.
(3) Since the actuator unit 20 is disposed inside the spare tire pan 111 provided near the rear end of the vehicle, the distance from the passenger's ear can be increased, and the quietness can be further improved. .
(4) Since the actuator unit 20 is disposed at a substantially central portion in the vehicle width direction of the vehicle and the left and right rear cables 21 are disposed substantially symmetrically, the braking force of the left and right parking brakes 10 can be made uniform.
(5) Since the board portion 162 that partitions the space portion where the actuator unit 20 is arranged from the space portion where the spare tire T is arranged is provided, the space portion where the actuator unit 20 is arranged is encapsulated to diffuse the operating sound. And quietness in the vehicle compartment can be further improved.
(6) By disposing a part of the rear cable 21 between the lower surface of the floor panel 110 and the subframe 130, it is possible to prevent the rear cable 21 from interfering with the subframe 130 and the rear differential 140. Further, it is possible to prevent the rear cable 21 from protruding below the floor, and to prevent damage due to contact with a road surface, a spring stone or the like.
(7) By connecting the rear cable 21 to the parking brake 10 via the vicinity of the front end portion of the subframe 130, the bending R of the rear cable 21 is increased to reduce the sliding resistance, and the stroke of the rear suspension It is possible to ensure followability with respect to.
(8) Since the main body of the actuator unit 20 can be easily accessed from the vehicle interior side by removing the luggage floor board 150, the spare tire T, and the spare tire tray 160, for example, the electric parking brake device is broken and manually forced. The workability can be improved when canceling or the like.
(9) Since the actuator unit 20 can be easily retrofitted to a spare tire housing part of an existing vehicle, it is easy to add settings to an existing vehicle type or to install options.

(Modification)
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications and changes are possible, and these are also within the equivalent scope of the present invention.
(1) In the embodiment, the vehicle is, for example, a station wagon type passenger car. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and other vehicles such as a notch back type having an independent trunk room such as a minivan, an SUV, or a sedan, for example. Even if it is a vehicle shape, it is applicable.
(2) The arrangement of the actuator unit and the routing of the driving force transmission unit such as the rear cable are not limited to those of the embodiment but can be changed as appropriate. For example, the actuator unit may be accommodated in a range on the inner diameter side of the rim of the spare tire to reduce the installation height of the spare tire, thereby reducing the layout. Further, the handling of the rear cable and the like may be changed as appropriate according to the suspension layout of the vehicle, the presence or absence of the sub-frame and the rear differential, and the like.
(3) The parking brake of the embodiment uses a drum disposed on the inner diameter side of a brake disc for a foot brake, but the parking brake may be of other types, for example, for a foot brake. These disc brakes and drum brakes and their friction materials may be shared and integrated with the parking brake.

It is the schematic which shows the structure of the Example of the electric parking brake apparatus to which this invention is applied. It is a block diagram which shows the circuit structure of the electric parking brake apparatus of FIG. FIG. 2 is a see-through side view showing a state in which the periphery of an actuator unit of the electric parking brake device of FIG. 1 is viewed from the vehicle width direction. FIG. 2 is a perspective plan view showing a state in which the vicinity of an actuator unit of the electric parking brake device of FIG. 1 is viewed from above the vehicle. It is a see-through | perspective perspective view which shows the actuator unit periphery of the electric parking brake apparatus of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Parking brake 20 Actuator unit 30 Battery 40 Controller 50 Vehicle side unit 100 Car body 110 Floor panel 111 Spare tire pan 120 Main frame 130 Sub frame 140 Rear differential 150 Luggage floor board 160 Spare tire tray T Spare tire

Claims (1)

A parking brake that brakes the wheels of the vehicle;
An actuator unit for driving the parking brake ;
An electric parking brake device comprising: a driving force transmission unit that transmits a driving force generated by the actuator unit to the parking brake;
The actuator unit is disposed at least partially in a space formed between an upper surface of the floor panel of the vehicle and a spare tire disposed on the upper side of the floor panel, and the vehicle width of the vehicle. Arranged in the approximate center in the direction ,
A partition wall is provided that partitions a space in which the actuator unit is accommodated from a space in which the spare tire is accommodated,
The driving force transmitting portion is drawn forward from the actuator unit, and at least a part of the driving force transmitting portion is disposed between the lower surface of the floor panel and the subframe that supports the rear suspension. An electric parking brake device characterized by that .

Images