Patent Application
20210088091
The disclosure relates to the field of braking systems, and more specifically to brake stroke indicator attachments.
Knowing and checking a vehicle's brake stroke is crucial in the trucking industry, as when the brake stroke is too long, the brakes likely need repair or replacement. There are various types of indicators exist to monitor such brake strokes. The most predominant indicators consist of a simple bracket attached to the brake chamber stud with two pins pointing down. A pin pointing outwardly is attached to the pushrod of the maxi; said pin having to be between the two pins pointing down. The issues with this system are that the pins are not always visible, they bend and become loose and move, and the driver has to get on his/her knees to see the pins.
There are also a few light indicator systems for pneumatic brake systems, but they have issues as well. For example, if the brakes on such a system are not properly adjusted, a light is triggered to come on to alert the operator before the equipment is not road worthy.
Prior adjustment indicators have been devised to address the aforementioned problems. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,279,214 discloses a brake adjustment indicator that can be installed on a vehicle with pneumatic brakes. The indicator includes a sleeve that loosely fits over the push rod of a pneumatic actuator. Meanwhile, U.S. Pat. No. 4,776,438, discloses a brake adjustment indicator that includes a mounting bracket having an elongated body with a slot that runs parallel to a rod that extends through an air brake chamber and connects at one end to the brake arm by a clevis pin. U.S. Pat. No. 4,879,964 discloses an air brake adjustment marker that includes an air supply, an air canister, and moveable members that include a push rod that extends from the air canister and has a first extended position and a second over-extended position. The adjustment marker includes a chain attached to the push rod, and an indicator flag that is activated when the push rod is in the overextended position. U.S. Pat. No. 5,244,061 discloses an air brake stroke length gage that operates in conjunction with an air brake system. The gauge comprises of a stroke length indicator that is mounted on the push rod, and a reference marker that is attached to the air brake system at a distance that corresponds to the appropriate stroke length for the brake system when properly adjusted. U.S. Pat. No. 5,320,198 discloses an indicator for indicating the setting and linear stroke movement of a brake rod of a brake assembly. The gauge includes reference indicators that are located on both the brake rod's clevis and on the arm of the brake's slack adjustment member, thereby indicating the brake rod travel and the need for brake adjustment. U.S. Pat. No. 5,441,128 discloses a bracket body that can be attached to a brake rod and to the clevis member of a conventional brake adjustment apparatus. The bracket body provides for an indirect measurement of the brake rod travel and adjustment. U.S. Pat. No. 8,078,375 discloses a sensor that measures the axis of the cam shaft travel. The sensor is mounted too the cam shaft for rotational measuring. Canadian patent application 2,186,271 shows the use of a brake adjustment indicator including a mounting bracket, having an elongated body with a slot, and a spacer for receiving two bolts for indicating limit positions.
There is a need to fix some of the aforementioned issues that have been not resolved by the prior art. Indeed, there is a need for a system that does not require driver to bend down, is more reliable and can work for any size brake chamber and the travel distance allowed by such chamber.
In an aspect, the present disclosure provides a brake stroke indicator attachment for use with brakes comprising: a first bracket secured to a vehicle, the first bracket further comprised of at least a first aperture; and, a second bracket secured to the first bracket, the second bracket further comprised of: an elongated portion further comprised of a second aperture; and, a stepped portion further comprised of an opening, wherein the opening of the second bracket is constructed and arranged to receive and secure a sensor thereto.
In another aspect, the present disclosure provides a method of installation of a brake stroke indicator attachment for use with brakes, the steps comprising: securing a first bracket to a brake chamber stud; and, adjusting a second bracket relative to the first bracket to a distance X from the slack adjuster, wherein X is defined as ¾ of a brake stroke travel limit.
The following figures serve to illustrate various embodiments of features of the disclosure. These figures are illustrative and are not intended to be limiting.
The following embodiments are merely illustrative and are not intended to be limiting. It will be appreciated that various modifications and/or alterations to the embodiments described herein may be made without departing from the disclosure and any modifications and/or alterations are within the scope of the contemplated disclosure.
With reference to
With reference to
With further reference to
Many modifications of the embodiments described herein as well as other embodiments may be evident to a person skilled in the art having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing description and associated drawings. It is understood that these modifications and additional embodiments are captured within the scope of the contemplated disclosure which is not to be limited to the specific embodiment disclosed.
