T-qr-hnical Field

This invention relates to an improved braking assembly and particularly to emergency braking assemblies which may be used independently of conventional braking apparatus in vehicles including commercial vehicles such as trucks and buses. Such braking assemblies, however, may also be used with lightweight vehicles such as cars, motorcycles and the like or trailable vehicles such as caravans or trailers. Background Art

An emergency braking assembly of the same general type to which the present invention relates is described in

Australian Patent No. 570052. The braking assembly described in the above patent includes a braking mat assembly and mounting means for securing the assembly to a structural member of the vehicle chassis. The mounting means included a pair of drum assemblies interconnected by a transversely extending shaft. The mat assembly included a first wound portion with a free end of the first wound portion attached to the shaft, an apron portion forming an extension of the first wound portion which has a free end and retaining means such as a retaining pin securing the free end of the apron portion away from a road surface to the vehicle chassis in an inoperative position. In the operative position, not all of the first wound portion is unwound from the shaft and the apron portion is interposed between and engaged with a road surface and an outer surface of one or more sets of wheels mounted for rotation with a wheel of the or each set being located on each side of the vehicle. There is also provided release means to enable the retaining means to release the apron portion from its inoperative position so that the apron portion can engage the adjacent wheel(s) in the operative position. Shock absorbing means such as pneumatically or hydraulically actuated ram assemblies are also provided to absorb at least some of the tension to which the apron portion is subjected when the apron portion moves to the

operative position to frictionally engage the road surface underneath the vehicle wheel(s) to brake the vehicle.

The mounting means more specifically includes a chassis attachment assembly including a hanger welded to the chassis, impact pads, and mounting plates with bolts securing the plates to the hanger and pads. Each drum assembly is adapted for rotation relative to the transversely extending shaft and a tie rod extends between the drum assemblies and is fixed to each of them to ensure that each drum assembly rotates in unison. Each drum assembly includes a shaft and end plates with a plurality of apertures located in each end plate. A stop is also provided selectively engageable in a selected aperture to support the mat when required. While the above described braking assembly is effective in operation, the construction of such braking assembly is unduly complex and hence the cost of the braking assembly is relatively expensive as are installation costs. It has also been found in practice that in some cases the braking assembly of Australian Patent No. 570052 is unduly bulky and cumbersome making it inappropriate for installation to passenger vehicles such as buses.

It therefore, is an object of the invention to provide a braking assembly which is relatively simple in construction and efficient in operation. Summary of the Invention

The present invention thus provides a braking assembly including a support bracket assembly adapted to be mounted to a vehicle adjacent a wheel thereof, a braking mat and anchoring means for anchoring said braking mat to said support bracket assembly, said anchoring means including wedge means, said braking mat passing between said wedge means and a co-operative wedging surface of said support bracket assembly to thereby be anchored to said bracket assembly.

The braking assembly of the invention may include a braking mat of the type described in relation to

Australian Patent No. 570052 and may comprise a belt, elongate mat or other suitable flexible sheet which is of sturdy construction and thus may comprise a tread portion for engagement with vehicle wheel(s) when required. The mat may be formed from elastomeric material such as synthetic or natural rubber or alternatively may be formed from synthetic plastics material.

The support bracket assembly may include a pair of opposite wedging surfaces with which wedge means may cooperate. The braking mat may be secured at one end to the support bracket assembly and pass between the wedge means and both wedging surfaces such that when a load is applied to the braking mat, the co-operation between the wedge means and the opposite wedging surfaces will increase the anchoring force on the mat. Squeezing of the mat between the wedge means and the wedging surfaces also provides a measure of shock resistance. The wedge means is suitable of elongated form to extend substantially the full width of the mat to ensure maximum grip on the mat. Similarly, the wedging surfaces preferably extend the full width of the mat.

The braking mat may be retained in an inoperative position in any suitable configuration and releasing means may be provided to release the mat from its inoperative position to permit it to pass under the wheel of the vehicle. The mat in one form may be rolled up and retained to the support bracket assembly by suitable retaining means. Such means may comprise a member which may be passed about the rolled up mat to support the mat in a sling-like fashion. The member may be released to release the mat for use. The releasing means may comprise mechanically operated means such as a cable controlled from the operators cab or alternatively, electrical or fluid operated releasing means. The support bracket assembly is preferably adapted to be mounted at each end to the vehicle through respective end mounting brackets. Preferably, the support bracket assembly is pivotally mounted by the end mounting

4 brackets to the vehicle such that it self aligns in use.

In an application where there are provided a pair of wheels in a wheel assembly supporting the vehicle to which the braking assembly of the invention is to be installed, the mat may be formed to extend beneath both wheels. Additionally, where there is provided a pair of spaced wheel assemblies such as a transaxle, a pair of braking assemblies may be provided adjacent each laterally spaced wheel assembly. There also may be provided shock absorbing means operative to absorb at least a portion of the tension to which the braking mat is subjected to when the mat moves to the operative position between the wheels. The shock absorbing means may be of any suitable type including resilient pads located between the opposed wedge surfaces, or electrically, mechanically, pneumatically or hydraulically operated means. Such shock absorbing means may be associated with the mounting brackets for the support bracket assembly. The brake assembly may be incorporated into a vehicle during manufacture and thus in accordance with a further aspect, the present invention provides a braking assembly adapted to be supported to a vehicle adjacent a wheel thereof, said braking assembly including a braking mat and anchoring means for anchoring said braking mat to said vehicle, said anchoring means including wedge means and at least one cooperative wedging surface, said braking mat passing between said wedge means and said cooperative wedging surface to thereby be anchored to said vehicle. In yet a further form, the wedge means may be movable and the braking mat connected thereto, the wedge means being co-operable with the wedging surfaces to anchor the mat to the vehicle. In this aspect, therefore, the present invention provides a braking assembly adapted to be and supported to a vehicle adjacent a wheel thereof, said braking assembly including a braking mat and anchoring means for anchoring said braking mat to said vehicle, said anchoring means including wedge means and at least one

cooperative wedging surface, said braking mat being secured to said wedge means, said wedge means being adapted to cooperate with said wedging surface to thereby anchor said mat to said vehicle. Brief Description of the Drawings

Reference may now be made to a preferred embodiment of the invention as illustrated in the attached drawings wherein:-

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the braking assembly according to the present invention; Fig. 2 is an elevational view of the braking assembly of Fig. 1 from one side; Fig. 3 is an elevational view of the braking assembly of Fig. 1 from the opposite side; Fig. 4 is a sectional view along line A-A of

Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 illustrates a typical application of the braking assembly of the invention;

Fig. 6 illustrates in side elevation an alternative form of braking assembly according to the invention in use;

Fig. 7 is a illustrates in front elevational view the manner in which the braking assembly of Fig. 6 may be supported to a vehicle; Fig. 8 illustrates in front elevational view the braking assembly supported from a vehicle;

Fig. 9 illustrates in exploded view typical components of a brake assembly according to the present invention; Fig. 10 illustrates the preferred form of wedge for use in the assembly of Fig. 9;

Fig. 11 is an end elevational view of the braking assembly of Fig. 9;

Figs. 12 and 13 illustrate in plan and elevational views the braking mat for use in the embodiment of Figs. 6 to 11;

Fig. 14 is an elevational view of a further form of brake assembly according to the invention for use

with trailed vehicles such as caravans but excluding the braking mat;

Fig. 15 is a sectional view of the assembly of Fig. 14 along lines A-A with the braking mat rolled up;

Fig. 16 illustrates a release mechanism for the assembly of Figs. 14 and 15;

Fig. 17 illustrates an application of the braking assembly of Figs. 14 and 15; Figs. 18 and 19 illustrate schematically a further form of brake assembly according to the invention; and

Fig. 20 illustrates an application of the brake assembly of Figs. 18 and 19. Detailed Description of the Embodiments

Referring to the drawings and firstly to Figs. 1 to 4 there is illustrated a braking assembly 10 according to a first form of the present invention for application to any suitable vehicle where braking using the mat principle described above is required. The braking assembly 10 includes a support bracket assembly 11 which is adapted to mounted to a vehicle and which supports a braking mat 12. The bracket assembly 11 includes a pair of opposite end plates 13 which are provided with central outwardly projecting bosses 14 for cooperation with opposite end mounting brackets 15 and 16 of the support bracket assembly 11. The mounting brackets 15 and 16 include keyhole slots 17 for receiving and retaining the respective bosses 14 which have annular grooves 18 for location within the slots 17 whereby the support bracket assembly 11 is pivotally supportable to the vehicle for movement about a pivot axis 19 defined by the bosses 14.

Extending between each end plate 13 and secured thereto such as by welding are a pair of angle plates 20 having first flanges 21 which are inclined inwardly and downwardly and second flanges 22 disposed normally horizontally and extending along the lower edges of the end plates 13. The opposite flanges 21 comprise wedging

surfaces and define therebetween a tapering recess which is open at the top and bottom. The belt 12 which is substantially the same width as the flanges 21 is secured at one end to one flange 22 by means of a clamping strip 23 and bolting through the strip 23 and flange 22. An elongated member 24 of wedge shaped form in cross section is disposed in the recess between the flanges 22 and has opposite surfaces 25, which are substantially parallel to, and adapted to co-operate with the flanges 21 of the plates 20. As shown the belt 22 passes upwardly on one side of, and downwardly on the other side of the wedge shaped member 24 and between the respective flanges 22 and surfaces 25 of the wedge shaped member 24. The wedge shaped member 24 is formed of timber but it may be formed of other materials such as metal or plastics.

The belt 12 on the lower side of the bracket assembly 11 is rolled up an retained to the bracket assembly 11 by means of a holding sling 26 in this embodiment in the form of a thin sheet of metal suitably a corrosion resistant metal. The sling 26 is secured at 27 to one flange 22 of the bracket assembly 11 by bolting or other fastening arrangement and releasably to the opposite flange 22. For the latter purpose, the sling 26 is fixed at its free end to an elongated strip 28 having a pair of upwardly extending pins 29 insertable through respective apertures in a flange 22. The pins 29 have respective cross bores 30 therein for receiving respective retaining pins 31 each of which may be mounted to a common releasing member 32 which is in the form of an elongated rod. The rod 32 is supported at each end by passing through respective apertures in each end plate 13. It will thus be apparent that when the rod 32 is moved in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 3 the pins 31 will move free of the pins 29 and permit the sling 26 to fall down to release the mat 12 as shown in dotted outline in Fig. 4.

As shown in Fig. 5, braking assemblies 10 may be provided on any suitable vehicle such as on a chassis 33 and associated with the rear wheels 34 thereof.

Additionally, the braking assemblies 10 may be located on the leading sides of the wheels 34 of the chassis 33. Assuming that it is desired to prevent forward movement of the vehicle chassis 33 using the braking assembly 10 of the invention, the rods 32 are moved to release the pins 29 which drops the slings 26 and permits the respective mats 12 to drop downwardly and unroll onto the road and locate under the wheels 34 which drive onto the mats. Each mat 12 is securely retained to the vehicle by the wedging action between the wedging member 24 and the adjacent flanges 21 of the support bracket assembly 11 so that the mat 12 can exert a braking action on the wheels 34. Where it is required to release the mat 12, the chassis 33 is driven in reverse so that the mat 12 is released from beneath the wheels 34 and may be rolled up to the Fig. 1 position. Braking assemblies 10 may be applied to both the front and rear wheels of a vehicle and on the leading and/or trailing side thereof to brake one or both wheels against movement in either direction of the vehicle. Whilst the embodiment described in Figs. 1 to 4 shows the use of separate mat housings, it will be appreciated that the mat housings may be interconnected to operate in unison. Alternatively, the mat housing may extend the full width of the vehicle. The releasing rods 32 may be moved by means of a cable actuated from the operator's or driver's cab or by means of a solenoids again operated from the vehicle cab. The pins 31 may be replaced by separate pins operated by respective solenoids and the retaining sling 26 for the mat 12 may be substituted by cables, rope or wire.

The mounting brackets 15 may be mounted to the vehicle chassis by bolting or welding and it will be apparent that when the mat 12 is released and locates under a vehicle wheel, the support bracket assembly 11 will pivot about the bosses 14 to substantially align itself with the portion of the mat 12 extending from the bracket assembly 11.

Whilst the wedging member 24 is shown as having

opposite inclined surfaces 25, it may have only one inclined surface. In such a case only one flange 22 need be angled in the manner illustrated. Other forms of cooperating wedging arrangements may be used without departing from the broad scope and spirit of the invention. Referring now to Figs 6 to 8 there is illustrated the application of the braking assembly of the invention to a vehicle 35 having a deck 36 and a pair of spaced apart longitudinally extended beams 37. A transversely extending support shaft 38 which in this embodiment is of hollow square sectional form is mounted to the beams 37 to extend outwardly on either side thereof as at 39. For supporting the shaft 38 two pairs of hanger brackets 40 are provided, the brackets 40 being located on each side of each beam 37 and being secured thereto by a retaining pin 41 extending through aligned apertures in the respective brackets 40 and beams 41. The brackets 40 are fixed to the shaft 38 in any suitable manner for example by welding. Further pairs of hanger brackets 42 which are equivalent to the brackets 15 of Figs. 1 and 2 are provided as shown in Fig. 8 at spaced apart positions along the protruding end 39 of the shaft 38. Preferably the shaft end 39 passes through apertures in the brackets 42 to support same. The brake assembly 10 is hung between the brackets 42 which as with the embodiment of Fig. 1 are provided with keyhole slots 43 to receive the support pins 44 at each end of the braking assembly 10.

Fig. 6 illustrates the braking assembly 10 when activated in which the belt 12 has been released to locate under an adjacent wheel 45 of the vehicle 35 in the manner described previously. During this movement the brake assembly 10 will pivot about the pin 44.

Referring now to Fig. 9, there is illustrated in exploded view a further preferred construction of brake assembly 46 in accordance with the invention. The assembly 46 includes a pair of generally elongated channel shaped members 47 which are arranged in a opposing relationship

and which have their inner faces 48 converging towards each other to define a wedge shaped space 49. The members 47 have at each end supporting gussets 50 which locate in each channel of the members 47 and which are secured to the channel shaped members 47 by welding. The members 47 are arranged between opposite end plates 51 and are secured thereto by means of bolts 52 passed through aligned holes in the plates 51 and gussets 50. The plates 51 taper on their lower side and define a hook 53 which may support for rotation, opposite ends of an elongated winder 54 provided with a winding handle 55.

Adapted to be located in the wedge shaped opening 49 is a wedge member 56 of the type shown in Fig. 11 which has side walls 57 which are inclined inwardly and downwardly. The member 54 may have a skin formed of glass reinforced plastics and includes spaced apart stiffening ribs 58. The interior of the member 57 may be filled with a foam material. The opposite faces 48 of the members 47 may be provided with a cushioning material 59 formed of resilient plastics, rubber or the like. A particularly suitable material is that known under the trade mark Rockflex.

The belt or mat 60 for use in the brake assembly 46 may be of the type shown in Figs. 12 and 13 and includes a first elongated portion 61 which is provided at one end with a tread portion 62 which is secured to the portion 61 in any suitable manner such as by adhesives. Transverse spreader bars 63 may be provided between the tread portion 62 and remainder of the belt portion 61, the spreader bars 63 preferably being formed of spring steel. The opposite end of the belt 60 provided with a series of spaced apertures 64 for mounting of the mat described further below. The belt portion 60 also incorporates a rewind lug 65 which in this embodiment is of hollow box section form. The belt 60 is secured to one of the members 47 by means of bolts passed through the aperture 63 and corresponding apertures 66 and the member 47. The belt portion 60 is then passed about both sides of and over the

wedge shaped member 56 as shown in Fig. 11. The winder 54 is then inserted into the lug 65 and hung from the hooks 53 as shown in dotted outline in Fig. 11 and rotated to wind up the belt 60 into a coil. Holding straps 67 are then looped about the coiled belt 60 to hold the mat in position. Thereafter the winder 54 may be removed.

The strap 67 may be formed of seat belt type material being fixedly secured to one member 47 and being releasably held to the other member 47 by means of releasable latch 68 which may be in the nature of a seat belt latch. A solenoid 69 may be provided to act upon the latch 68 to cause release of same and thereby release of the belt 60 to the braking position of Fig. 6.

Referring now to Figs. 14 to 17 there is illustrated an alternative embodiment of braking assembly 70 according to the present invention which in this instance is in the general form of a spool 71 provided with spaced apart disc-like end plates 72 secured to an off- centre hollow tubular member 73. A pair of spaced retainer bars 74 also extend between and are secured to the members 72, the bars 74 being inclined relative to each other to define a wedge shaped space 75 for receipt of a wedge member 76. A belt 77 is secured to one of the members 74 and is sandwiched between the wedge shaped member 76 and both members 74 in the manner illustrated in Fig. 15 and is then wrapped or coiled about the members 74 and the member 73.

The member 73 is supported rotatably by means of bushes or bearings 78 on a shaft 79 which is fixed to one or a pair of brackets 80 which may be secured to the vehicle for example to the chassis of a caravan 81. The shaft 79 thus extends in cantilever fashion to position the drum 70 in alignment with the wheels 82 of the caravan 81. Similar arrangements are provided on both sides of the caravan 81 and if desired the shaft 79 may comprise a shaft which extends transversely of the caravan and which is common to both braking assemblies 70.

A locking arrangement is provided to normally

prevent rotation of each spool 71, the locking arrangement being in the form of a pin 83 fixed to one of the spool discs 72 and normally held against rotation with the disc 72 by means of a locking member 84 pivotally mounted on a fixed end plate 86 adjacent the spool disc 72 carrying the pin 83. The locking member 84 includes a recess 88 in which the pin 83 may locate which prevents rotation of the spool 71. The opposite end of the member 84 is coupled to a solenoid 89 which when activated pivots the member 84 about the pivot 87 to release the locking pin 83 from the recess 88 as shown in dotted outline. When this occurs the spool 71 is free to rotate which will allow the belt 77 to unwind and drop to the ground to locate under the wheel 82 of the caravan 81 to exert a braking action on the wheel 82 as shown in Fig. 17.

Referring to Figs. 18 and 19 there is illustrated a further from of braking assembly 90 according to the present invention for application to any suitable vehicle. The braking assembly 90 includes a guide tray 91 having upper and lower tray members 92 and 93 between which is located a mat mounting member 94 to which a braking mat 95 is secured at one end. The mounting member 94 and mat 95 are normally located between the upper and lower members 92 and 93 of the tray 91. The mat mounting member 94 is of wedge shape form in cross-section and is arranged for sliding movement along and within the tray 91 between the members 92 and 93. A cable 96 is secured to the member 94 to normally hold the member 94 and mat 95 in a retracted position. The leading ends of the members 92 and 93 are provided with opposite wedge or ramp shaped stop members 97 with which the mat mounting member 94 is adapted to co¬ operate in wedge-like fashion in a similar wedging action to that described previously.

As shown in Fig. 20, braking assemblies 90 may be provided on any suitable vehicle such as a dump truck 98 and associated with the front and/or rear wheels 99 and 100 thereof. Additionally, the braking assemblies 90 may be located on say the leading and trailing sides of the wheels

99 and 100 of the vehicle 98.

Assuming that it is desired to prevent rearward movement of the vehicle 98 using the braking assembly 90, the cable 96 is released to release the member 94, which permits the mat 95 to extend outwardly of the tray 91 and locate under the front wheel 99. The member 94 will move towards the stop members 97 to co-operate in wedge-like fashion therewith so that the mat 95 is securely anchored to the vehicle 98 so that the mat 95 can exert a braking action on the wheel 99. Where it is required to release the mat 95, the vehicle 98 is driven forward so that the mat 95 is released from the wheel 99 and may be retracted by the cable 96 to the Fig. 1 position. As stated above mat assemblies 90 may be applied to both the front and rear wheels of a vehicle 98 and on the leading and/or trailing side thereof to brake one or both wheels against movement in either direction of the vehicle.

The apparatus of Figs. 18 to 20 may include rewind means 101 for cable 16. The rewind means may include a rewind motor of any suitable form driving a drum around which the cable 16 may be wound. The rewind motor may also be used for releasing the mats.

Whilst the embodiment described in Figs. 18 to 20 shows the use of separate mat housings, it should be appreciated that the mat housings or trays 91, may be interconnected to operate in unison. Alternatively, the mat housing may extend the full width of the vehicle.

The braking assembly of the invention may be arranged to operate in conjunction with the gear shift so that if the shift is accidentally knocked out of gear (whilst driver sleeps), or just jumps out of gear for any reason while the driver is out of the cab, then the apparatus is activated. Preferably, while the truck is parked the mechanism should be left activated (either the forward or reverse mechanism, if both are installed) . The truck or vehicle could be parked on the mat for maximum safety. Of course second braking apparatus similar to the braking apparatus described could be installed at the rear

of the vehicle for emergency stopping in the reverse direction.

Suitably a forward and reverse direction switch (not shown) may be used to actuate the braking apparatus when two of them are present to ensure that they cannot both be activated at the same time.

The mat is preferably made of suitable material, so as to achieve maximum friction and it may have a tread suitable for wet conditions or for icy conditions, a studded belt may be used. The mats may be provided with a friction increasing tread portion which as described above is provided on the underneath surface of the mats. The mat used in the invention may be made of several plies of material and tread may be vulcanised to it in a braking area. The width of the mat is preferably substantially equal to or greater than the ground engaging width of the wheel assemblies. This is to ensure that when the mat or mats are released to pass under the wheels the latter are immediately stopped, resting upon the mat or mats, and the vehicle is brought to a skidding holt. In a truck for example the skidding of the vehicle on the mats at each side thereof ensures positive stopping and stopping in a straight line since equal retardation effect is applied to both sides of the vehicle. The weight on the vehicle wheels is totally transferred through the mat ensuring maximum braking. Additionally, since the braked wheels are supported non-rotatably on the mat no tyre wear is caused. This is a considerable advantage provided by the present invention since at present in emergency braking situations, flat spots can be worn into expensive tyres making them unserviceable for further use.

In an emergency braking situation the apparatus of the invention may be employed to brake the vehicle. In such a situation if the conventional vehicle brakes are simultaneously applied, the effective functioning of the apparatus of the invention may be hindered. Thus it is desired that the apparatus of the invention cannot be actuated if the conventional brakes are applied. The mats

cannot move between the wheels and the road surface if the wheels have locked up. Thus an interlock may be provided to ensure that if the apparatus of the invention is actuated the conventional brakes of the vehicle are rendered inoperative.

Whilst the above has been given by way of illustrative embodiment of the invention, all such modifications and variations thereto as would be apparent to persons skilled in the art are deemed to fall within the broad scope and ambit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.