BACKGROUND

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates to braking systems. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a unified braking system for vehicles having front and rear brakes.

DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART

Two-wheeled vehicles have been commonplace for many years now. Conventionally, a twowheeled vehicle has two brakes, front and rear brakes. The brakes are typically hand-operated by an operator and operate independently of each other. For example, the left brake lever when pressed actuates the rear brake and the right brake lever when pressed actuates the front brake. A commonly observed problem with the conventional two-wheeler braking systems is that since the two wheels are operated independently, they have different braking forces. This may lead to one or both brakes of the vehicle getting locked. Sometimes, more load may get transferred to the front brake and when further load is applied to the rear brake, there may be skidding rather than the twowheeler stopping, as intended by the operator.

To overcome this problem, combined or integrated braking systems have been proposed. The combined braking systems (hereafter “CBS”) employ proportional braking on to the two brakes. A common example of CBS is ‘displacement balanced CBS’. In displacement balanced CBS, the front and rear brakes are actuated simultaneously based on a pre-determined lever ratio. The front brake operates independently of the rear brake force. Therefore, in case the rear brake fails, the front brake operates, thereby introducing unbalanced braking forces, leading to skidding of the two-wheeler and posing risk to rider safety.

Another example of CBS is ‘force balanced CBS’. In this system, actuation of the rear brake causes a reaction from the rear brake. This reaction in turn actuates the front brake. In other words, in force balanced CBS, actuation of the front brake is dependent on the rear brake reaction force. A failure in the rear brake does not actuate the front brake. This largely decreases the chances of skidding and the rider safety is increased. However, force balanced CBS have been found to be greatly difficult to tune, as they entail complex mechanisms. If not tuned properly, they may lead to similar safety problems discussed above. Finally, the force balanced CBS are an expensive solution.

In light of the foregoing, there is a need to provide a combined braking system that overcomes the above-mentioned drawbacks of the conventional braking systems.

SUMMARY

A unified braking system is provided substantially as shown in, and described in connection with, at least one of the figures.

These and other features and advantages of the present disclosure may be appreciated from a review of the following detailed description of the present disclosure, along with the accompanying figures in which like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings illustrate the various embodiments of systems, methods, and other aspects of the disclosure. It will be apparent to a person skilled in the art that the illustrated element boundaries (e.g., boxes, groups of boxes, or other shapes) in the figures represent one example of the boundaries. In some examples, one element may be designed as multiple elements, or multiple elements may be designed as one element. In some examples, an element shown as an internal component of one element may be implemented as an external component in another, and vice versa.

Various embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated by way of example, and not limited by the appended figures, in which like references indicate similar elements:

FIG. 1 is a diagram that illustrates an exploded perspective view of a unified braking system, in accordance with a first exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2A is a diagram that illustrates top and side views of the unified braking system of FIG. 1, when no braking force is applied by the brake lever, in accordance with the first exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 2B is a diagram that illustrates top and side views of the unified braking system of FIG. 1, when intermediate braking force is applied by the brake lever, in accordance with the first exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2C is a diagram that illustrates top and side views of the unified braking system of FIG. 1 , when full braking force is applied by the brake lever, in accordance with the first exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a diagram that illustrates an exploded perspective view of a unified braking system, in accordance with a second exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 A is a diagram that illustrates top and side views of the unified braking system of FIG. 3, when no braking force is applied by the brake lever, in accordance with the second exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4B is a diagram that illustrates top and side views of the unified braking system of FIG. 3, when intermediate braking force is applied by the brake lever, in accordance with the second exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4C is a diagram that illustrates top and side views of the unified braking system of FIG. 3, when full braking force is applied by the brake lever, in accordance with the second exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 5 is a diagram that illustrates an exploded perspective view of a unified braking system, in accordance with a third exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

Further areas of applicability of the present disclosure will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood that the detailed description of exemplary embodiments is intended for illustration purposes only and is, therefore, not intended to necessarily limit the scope of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

The present disclosure is best understood with reference to the detailed figures and description set forth herein. Various embodiments are discussed below with reference to the figures. However, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the detailed descriptions given herein with respect to the figures are simply for explanatory purposes as the methods and systems may extend beyond the described embodiments. In one example, the teachings presented and the needs of a particular application may yield multiple alternate and suitable approaches to implement the functionality of any detail described herein. Therefore, any approach may extend beyond the particular implementation choices in the following embodiments that are described and shown.

References to “an embodiment”, “another embodiment”, “yet another embodiment”, “one example”, “another example”, “yet another example”, “for example”, and so on, indicate that the embodiment(s) or example(s) so described may include a particular feature, structure, characteristic, property, element, or limitation, but that not every embodiment or example necessarily includes that particular feature, structure, characteristic, property, element or limitation. Furthermore, repeated use of the phrase “in an embodiment” does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment.

In various embodiments, the disclosure is made to a rotary link mechanism for front and rear interlocked brake system. The rotary link mechanism of a combined braking system includes two equalizer plates (or brake levers), a transfer rod attached to one equalizer plate, a torsion spring that keeps two equalizer plates together till a reaction is applied from the rear brake, and a bolt (or pivot member) that attaches two equalizer plates and the torsion spring to a housing. The two equalizer plates overlap with one another and actuate the combined braking system. The mechanism is operated as follows: when a brake lever is pulled with a force, the equalizer plates rotate together due to the torsion spring, actuating rear brake inner cable with respect to rear brake outer cable that is attached to the housing. Front brake outer cable is attached to the equalizer plate. When the brake lever is pulled further, the equalizer plates rotate at different angles due to reaction from the rear brake that opposes torque created by the torsion spring. This allows actuation of front brake inner cable with respect to front brake outer cable. The combined braking system ensures that under heavy braking, even if the rider operates the rear brake, both wheels develop braking force, so instead of locking the rear wheel, a certain amount of force is transferred to the front wheel.

According to a first embodiment of the present disclosure, a unified braking system includes a housing, a first brake assembly corresponding to a first brake, a second brake assembly corresponding to a second brake, a pivot member and a torsion spring. The first brake assembly includes a first lever, a first brake wire attached to the first lever, and a first outer that surrounds the first brake wire. The first outer is attached to the housing. The second brake assembly includes a second lever, a second brake wire attached to the second lever, and a second outer that surrounds the second brake wire. The second outer is attached to the first lever. The first and second levers are pivoted about the pivot member and the torsion spring is placed therebetween. A first end of the torsion spring is attached to the first lever and the second end of the torsion spring is attached to the second lever. When an actuating force is applied to the second lever in a first direction, the first and second levers are rotated about the pivot member in the first direction, thereby pulling the first brake wire in the first direction. When the actuating force exceeds a threshold, the second lever is further pulled in the first direction, causing a relative movement between the first and second levers, thereby pulling the second brake wire.

In a second embodiment of the present disclosure, a unified braking system includes a brake lever, a transfer rod, a fixed member, a first lever, a first brake wire attached to the first lever, a first outer that surrounds the first brake wire and attached to the fixed member, a second lever attached to the transfer rod, a second brake wire attached to the second lever, a second outer that surrounds the second brake wire and attached to the first lever, a pivot member, and a torsion spring. The first and second levers are pivoted about the pivot member and the torsion spring is placed therebetween. A first end of the torsion spring is attached to the first lever and a second end of the torsion spring is attached to the second lever. When the brake lever is pulled, an actuating force is applied to the second lever in a first direction by way of the transfer rod, the first and second levers are rotated about the pivot member in the first direction, thereby pulling the first brake wire in the first direction. When the actuating force exceeds a threshold, the second lever is further pulled in the first direction, causing a relative movement between the first and second levers, thereby pulling the second brake wire.

In a third embodiment of the present disclosure, a unified braking system includes a brake lever, a transfer rod, a fixed member, a first lever, a first brake wire attached to the first lever, a first outer that surrounds the first brake wire and attached to the fixed member, a second lever attached to the transfer rod, a second brake wire attached to the second lever, a second outer that surrounds the second brake wire and attached to the first lever, a pivot member, and a compression spring. The first and second levers are pivoted about the pivot member and the compression spring is placed therebetween. A first end of the compression spring is attached to the first lever and a second end of the compression spring is attached to the second lever. When the brake lever is pulled, an actuating force is applied to the second lever in a first direction by way of the transfer rod, the first and second levers are rotated about the pivot member in the first direction, thereby pulling the first brake wire in the first direction. When the actuating force exceeds a threshold, the second lever is further pulled in the first direction, causing a relative movement between the first and second levers, thereby pulling the second brake wire.

FIG. 1 is a diagram that illustrates an exploded perspective view of a unified braking system 100, in accordance with a first exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. The unified braking system 100 may be used as a hand-operated braking system for a two- wheeled vehicle, such as a bicycle, a scooter, or an electric scooter, a three-wheeled vehicle, such as an auto rickshaw, a tricycle, or the like. However, it should be noted that the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to hand-operated braking systems in two-wheeled or three- wheeled vehicles only. A person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the unified braking system 100 of the present disclosure may be used in variety of other applications, where two brakes are used in conjunction or separately, for example, conventional CBS, and the like. In addition, the unified braking system 100 is equally applicable to disc and drum type braking systems for all the vehicles mentioned herein.

The unified braking system 100 includes a brake lever 102. The brake lever 102 is similar in design and construction to any brake lever known in the art. The brake lever 102 is operated by an operator using their hand. In an embodiment, the unified braking system 100 is preferably placed on the left side of a handlebar of a two- wheel er, i.e., the brake lever 102 is operated by left hand of the operator.

The unified braking system 100 further includes a housing 104 that has an anchoring protrusion 106 protruding therefrom, on to which pivoting holes 108 are formed. The brake lever 102 is pivoted about the pivoting holes 108 by coinciding a mating hole 110 therewith. A suitable mechanism such as a bolt or a pin (not shown) may be used for pivoting the brake lever 102 about the mating hole 110 and the pivoting holes 108. The unified braking system 100 further includes a transfer rod 112 that has a first hole 114 and a second hole 116, each formed at a respective end thereof, as shown. The first hole 114 is coincided with a third hole 118 formed on the brake lever 102 and is removably attached thereto, using a suitable mechanism known in the art (not shown), such as a pin, a nut-and-bolt arrangement, a rivet, or the like. Similarly, the second hole 116 is coincided with a corresponding anchor hole 156 formed on the second lever 136 and is removably attached thereto, using a suitable mechanism known in the art (not shown), such as a pin, a nut-and-bolt arrangement, a rivet, or the like. Thus, when the brake lever 102 is clutched by the operator, the brake lever 102 moves about the pivoting hole 108, thereby pulling the transfer rod 112 in a first direction 120, indicated by an arrow.

The unified braking system 100 further includes a first brake assembly 122. The first brake assembly 122 includes a first lever 124, a first brake wire 126, and a first outer 128. The first brake wire 126 is also referred to as a brake inner or inner. The first outer 128 surrounds or accommodates the first brake wire 126. The first brake wire 126 is removably attached to the first lever 124. For facilitating this attachment, a first brake cable end 130 is provided on the first brake wire 126, which is inserted into a first groove 132 formed on the first lever 124. The first outer 128 is attached to the housing 104. In a preferred implementation of the present disclosure, the attachment between the first outer 128 and the housing 104 is a fixed attachment, such that the first outer 128 is unable to move with respect to the housing 104, even when the first brake wire 126 is pulled in the first direction 120. In other words, there is a relative play between the first brake wire 126 and the first outer 128, for example., the first brake wire 126 is movable with respect to the first outer 128.

The unified braking system 100 further includes a second brake assembly 134. The second brake assembly 134 includes a second lever 136, a second brake wire 138, and a second outer 140. The second brake wire 138 is also referred to as a brake inner or inner. The second outer 140 surrounds or accommodates the second brake wire 138. The second brake wire 138 is removably attached to the second lever 136. For facilitating this attachment, a second brake cable end 142 is provided on the second brake wire 138, which is inserted into a second groove 144 formed on the second lever 136. The second outer 140 is attached to the first lever 124 at a protrusion 146 formed on the first lever 124, as shown. The second brake wire 138 passes through the protrusion 146 and is attached to the second lever 136. In a preferred implementation, the attachment between the second outer 140 and the protrusion 146 is a fixed attachment, such that the second outer 140 is unable to move with respect to the protrusion 146, even when the second brake wire 138 is pulled in the first direction 120. In other words, there is a relative play between the second brake wire 138 and the second outer 140, for example, the second brake wire 138 is movable with respect to the second outer 140.

A first pivot hole 148 is formed on the first lever 124 and a corresponding second pivot hole 150 is formed on the second lever 136. The first lever 124 and the second lever 136 are pivoted about a pivot member 152 that passes through the first pivot hole 148 and the second pivot hole 150. Examples of the pivot member 152 may include, but are not limited to, a screw, a bolt, a pin, a rivet, or any other suitable fastener known in the art. A torsion spring 154 is placed between the first lever 124 and the second lever 136, and the pivot member 152 passes through the torsion spring 154. Two ends of the torsion spring 154 are attached to the first lever 124 and the second lever 136, respectively. The attachment may be made in form of mounting the two ends of the torsion spring 154 onto the first and second levers 124 and 136, a welded joint, a brazed joint, and the like. It will be appreciated by a person skilled in the art that while this embodiment of the disclosure describes the use of a torsion spring 154, any other alternative tensioning mechanism may be used.

Thus, the housing 104 houses the first lever 124, the second lever 136, the pivot member 152, and the torsion spring 154 therein. The pivot member 152 may be suitably attached to or placed on a bottom surface of the housing 104. Such attachment mechanisms are well known in the art and description thereof is avoided for the sake of brevity.

In operation, when an actuating force is applied to the second lever 136 in the first direction 120 by way of the brake lever 102 and intervening parts as explained in the foregoing, the first lever 124 and the second lever 136 are rotated about the pivot member 152 in the first direction 120, thereby pulling the first brake wire 126 in the first direction 120. When the actuating force exceeds a threshold, the second lever 136 is further pulled in the first direction 120, causing a relative movement between the first lever 124 and the second lever 136, thereby pulling the second brake wire 138. The first brake wire 126 is attached to a first brake (not shown) of the two- wheeled vehicle, such as, for example, a rear brake. The first brake wire 126, when pulled in the first direction 120, actuates (or activates) the first brake. The second brake wire 138 is attached to a second brake (not shown) of the two-wheeled vehicle, such as, for example, a front brake. The second brake wire 138, when pulled in the first direction 120, actuates (or activates) the second brake. Thus, the present disclosure uses a series-type combi-brake mechanism to interlock the front and rear brakes. The torsion spring 154 acts as a force balancing mechanism between the front and rear brakes. The stiffness of the torsion spring 154 distributes the brake force to the front and rear brakes.

Moreover, the unified braking system 100 uses inherent property of force transfer from the first and second brake wires 126 and 138 only when there is a relative motion between the first and second brake wires 126 and 138 and the respective first and second outers 128 and 140. When the force is being transmitted to the rear brake, the front brake does not get actuated, because both the second brake wire 138 and the second outer 140 have same displacement and there is no relative motion therebetween. When the rear brake reaction (in the form of stiffness) is felt, the second brake wire 138 and the second outer 140 undergo relative motion and the front brake is applied. This allows a high deceleration due to pivot location on single side (left side) relative to front and rear cables. The unified braking system 100 is compact in size as it uses fewer parts as compared to conventional mechanisms described above, and is easy to assemble and service. Finally, since the second outer 140 applies force on the first lever 124 during operation, brake force is distributed between the two wheels of the vehicle. Thus, the force applied by the second outer 140 is used for force distribution between the two wheels, which would have ordinarily been transferred to the housing in the conventional braking systems.

FIG. 2A is a diagram that illustrates top and side views 200A and 200B of the unified braking system 100 of FIG. 1, when no braking force is applied by the brake lever 102, in accordance with the first exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2B is a diagram that illustrates top and side views 200C and 200D of the unified braking system 100 of FIG. 1, when an intermediate braking force, for example, less than the threshold, is applied by the brake lever 102 and only the rear brake is actuated, in accordance with the first exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2C is a diagram that illustrates top and side views 200E and 200F of the unified braking system 100 of FIG. 1, when full braking force, for example, exceeding the threshold, is applied by the brake lever 102 and both rear and front brakes are actuated, in accordance with the first exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIGS. 2A-2C collectively, when no braking force is applied by the operator on the brake lever 102, both the first lever 124 and the second lever 136 are in their resting positions, for example, they overlap with each other. There is no torque in the torsion spring 154 and both the first brake wire 126 and the second brake wire 138 do not apply any braking force on the respective brakes that they are attached to.

When the operator clutches the brake lever 102, force starts getting applied on to the transfer rod 112 in the first direction 120. When the brake lever 102 is, for example, clutched by 5 degrees from its original position, the transfer rod 112 gets pulled in the first direction 120, which in turn pulls the first lever 124 in the first direction 120. By virtue of the pivot joint about the pivot member 152, the first lever 124 generates a torque in the torsion spring 154, which in turn makes the second lever 136 rotate (e.g., the second lever 136 also gets pulled in the first direction 120). At this stage, both the first lever 124 and the second lever 136 rotate together by virtue of the torsion spring 154; however, the front brake is not actuated, as the second brake wire 138 is attached to the second lever 136 and the second outer 140 is attached to the first lever 124. Also, as the second outer 140 is fixedly attached to the housing 104, the second brake wire 138 gets pulled, thereby actuating the rear brake. Thus, in this scenario, only the rear brake is actuated.

When the operator continues to clutch the brake lever 102 further, a greater force is applied on the brake lever 102. For example, when the brake lever 102 is clutched by 10 degrees or more, as shown in FIG. 2C, the transfer rod 112 gets further pulled in the first direction 120. At this instance, by virtue of the pivot joint about the pivot member 152, the first lever 124 rotates about the pivot joint and transfers this torque to the second lever 136 through the torsion spring 154. This causes a reaction from the rear brake that opposes the torque making the second lever 136 to rotate at a different angle. This angle difference between the first lever 124 and the second lever 136 causes the second brake wire 138 to get pulled in the first direction 120, thereby actuating the front brake. The rear brake is already actuated, as the second lever 136 is already pulled in the first direction 120. Thus, in this scenario, both the front and rear brakes are actuated. Thus, the brakes are applied uniformly and with added safety, mitigating the shortcomings associated with the prior art systems described in the foregoing. It should be noted that in the first embodiment of the present disclosure as explained in conjunction with FIGS. 1, 2A, 2B, and 2C, a length of the first lever 124 is more than a length of the second lever 136.

FIG. 3 is a diagram that illustrates an exploded perspective view of a unified braking system 300, in accordance with a second exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 4A is a diagram that illustrates top and side views 400A and 400B of the unified braking system 300 of FIG. 3, when no braking force is applied by the brake lever 102, in accordance with the second exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 4B is a diagram that illustrates top and side views 400C and 400D of the unified braking system 300 of FIG. 3, when an intermediate braking force, for example, less than the threshold, is applied by the brake lever 102 and only the rear brake is actuated, in accordance with the second exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 4C is a diagram that illustrates top and side views 400E and 400F of the unified braking system 300 of FIG. 3, when full braking force, for example, exceeding the threshold, is applied by the brake lever 102 and both rear and front brakes are actuated, in accordance with the first exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 3, 4 A, 4B, and 4C depict the second embodiment of the present disclosure, in which the length of the first lever 124 is less than the length of the second lever 136. It will be apparent to a person skilled in the art that the construction and working of the unified braking system 300 in the second embodiment is same as the construction and working of the unified braking system 100 in the first embodiment. Therefore, description corresponding to FIGS. 3, 4 A, 4B, and 4C is omitted so as to avoid repetition.

FIG. 5 is a diagram that illustrates an exploded perspective view of a unified braking system 500, in accordance with a third exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. The unified braking system 500 may be used as a hand-operated braking system for a two-wheeled vehicle, such as a bicycle, a scooter, or an electric scooter, a three-wheeled vehicle, such as an auto rickshaw, a tricycle, or the like. However, it should be noted that the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to hand-operated braking systems in two-wheeled or three- wheeled vehicles only. A person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the unified braking system 500 of the present disclosure may be used in variety of other applications, where two brakes are used in conjunction or separately, for example, conventional CBS, and the like. The unified braking system 500 includes a brake lever 502. The brake lever 502 is similar in design and construction as any brake lever known in the art and is operated by an operator using their hand. In an embodiment, preferably, the unified braking system 500 is placed on the left side of a handlebar of a two- wheel er, e.g., the brake lever 502 is operated by left hand of the operator.

The unified braking system 500 further includes a housing or casing 504 that has a protrusion 506 protruding therefrom, on to which, pivoting holes 508 are formed. The brake lever 502 is pivoted about the pivoting holes 508 by coinciding a mating hole 510 therewith. A suitable mechanism such as a bolt or a pin 556 may be used for pivoting the brake lever 502 about the pivoting holes 508 and the mating hole 510.

The unified braking system 500 further includes a transfer rod 512 that has a first hole 514 and a second hole 516, each formed at a respective end thereof, as shown. The first hole 514 is coincided with a third hole 518 formed on the brake lever 502 and is removably attached thereto, using a suitable mechanism known in the art, such as a pin, a nut-and-bolt arrangement, a rivet, or the like (not shown). Similarly, the second hole 516 is coincided with a corresponding pivot hole 550 formed on the second lever 536 and is removably attached thereto, using a suitable mechanism known in the art (not shown), such as a pin, a nut-and-bolt arrangement, a rivet, or the like. Further, an intermediary connector, such as a connector 558 may be used to connect the brake lever 502 to the transfer rod 512. Thus, when the brake lever 502 is clutched by the operator, the brake lever 502 moves about the pivoting holes 508, thereby pulling the transfer rod 512 in a first direction, indicated by an arrow 520.

The unified braking system 500 further includes a first brake assembly 522. The first brake assembly 522 includes a first lever 524, a first brake wire 526, and a first outer 528. The first brake wire 526 is also referred to as a brake inner 526 or inner 526. The first outer 528 surrounds or accommodates the first brake wire 526. The first brake wire 526 is removably attached to the first lever 524. For facilitating this attachment, a first brake cable end 530 is provided on the first brake wire 526, which is inserted into a first groove 532 formed on the first lever 524. The first outer 528 is attached to the housing 504. In a preferred implementation, the attachment between the first outer 528 and the housing 504 is a fixed attachment, such that the first outer 528 is unable to move with respect to the housing 504, even when the first brake wire 526 is pulled in the first direction 520. In other words, there is a relative play between the first brake wire 526 and the first outer 528. The unified braking system 500 further includes a second brake assembly 534. The second brake assembly 534 includes a second lever 536, a second brake wire 538, and a second outer 540. The second outer 540 surrounds or accommodates the second brake wire 538. The second brake wire 538 is removably attached to the second lever 536. For facilitating this attachment, a second brake cable end 542 is provided on the second brake wire 538, which is inserted into a second groove 544 formed on the second lever 536. The second outer 540 is attached to the first lever 524 at a protrusion 546 formed on the first lever 524, as shown. In a preferred implementation, the attachment between the second outer 540 and the protrusion 546 is a fixed attachment, such that the second outer 540 is unable to move with respect to the protrusion 546, even when the second brake wire 538 is pulled in the first direction 520. In other words, there is a relative play between the second brake wire 538 and the second outer 540.

A first pivot hole 548 is formed on the first lever 524 and a corresponding second pivot hole 550 is formed on the second lever 536. The first lever 524 and the second lever 536 are pivoted about a pivot member (not shown) that passes through the first pivot hole 548 and the second pivot hole 510. Examples of the pivot member include, but are not limited to, a screw, a bolt, a pin, a rivet, or any other suitable fastener known in the art. A compression spring 554 is placed between the first lever 524 and the second lever 536. Two ends of the compression spring 554 are attached to the first lever 524 and the second lever 536, respectively. The attachment may be made in form of mounting the two ends of the torsion spring 554 onto the first and second levers 524 and 536, a welded joint, a, brazed joint, and the like. It will be appreciated by a person skilled in the art that while this embodiment of the disclosure describes the use of the compression spring 554, any other alternative tensioning mechanism may be used.

Thus, the housing 504 houses the first lever 524, the second lever 536, the pivot member, and the compression spring 554 therein. The pivot member may be suitably attached to or placed on a bottom surface of the housing 504. Such attachment mechanisms are well known in the art and description thereof is avoided for the sake of brevity.

In operation, when an actuating force is applied to the second lever 536 in the first direction 520, the first lever 524 and the second lever 536 are rotated about the pivot member in the first direction 520, thereby pulling the first brake wire 526 in the first direction 520. When the actuating force exceeds a threshold, the second lever 536 is further pulled in the first direction 520, causing a relative movement between the first lever 524 and the second lever 536, thereby pulling the second brake wire 538.

The first brake wire 526 is attached to a first brake (not shown) of the two-wheeled vehicle, such as, for example a rear brake. The first brake wire 526, when pulled in the first direction 520, actuates the first brake. The second brake wire 538 is attached to a second brake (not shown) of the two- wheeled vehicle, such as, for example, a front brake. The second brake wire 538, when pulled in the first direction 520, actuates the second brake. Thus, the present disclosure uses a series-type combi-brake mechanism to interlock the front and rear brakes. The compression spring 554 acts as a force balancing mechanism between the front and rear brakes. The stiffness of the compression spring 554 distributes the brake force to the front and the rear brake system.

Moreover, the unified braking system 500 uses inherent property of force transfer from the brake wires 526 and 538 only when there is a relative motion between the first and second brake wires 526 and 538 and the first and second outers 528 and 540, respectively. When the force is being transmitted to the rear brake, the front brake does not get actuated, because both the second brake wire 538 and the second outer 540 have same displacement and there is no relative motion. When the rear brake reaction (in the form of stiffness) is felt, the second brake wire 538 and the second outer 540 undergo relative motion and the front brake is applied. This allows a high deceleration due to pivot location on a single side (left side) relative to front and rear cables. The unified braking system 500 is compact in size as it uses fewer parts as compared with conventional mechanisms described above, with ease of assembly and service. Finally, since the second outer 540 applies force on the first lever 524 during operation, brake force is distributed between the two wheels of the vehicle. Thus, the force applied by the second outer 540 is used for force distribution between the two wheels, which would have ordinarily been transferred to the housing in the conventional braking systems.

According to the first embodiment of the present disclosure, the unified braking system 100 includes the housing 104, the first brake assembly 122 corresponding to the first brake, the second brake assembly 134 corresponding to the second brake, the pivot member 152, and the torsion spring 154. The first brake assembly 122 includes the first lever 124, the first brake wire 126 attached to the first lever 124, and the first outer 128 that surrounds the first brake wire 126. The first outer 128 is attached to the housing 104. The second brake assembly 134 includes the second lever 136, the second brake wire 138 attached to the second lever 136, and the second outer 140 that surrounds the second brake wire 138. The second outer 140 is attached to the first lever 124. The first and second levers 124 and 136 are pivoted about the pivot member 152 and the torsion spring 154 is placed therebetween. A first end of the torsion spring 154 is attached to the first lever 124 and the second end of the torsion spring 154 is attached to the second lever 136. When an actuating force is applied to the second lever 136 in the first direction 120, the first and second levers 124 and 136 are rotated about the pivot member 152 in the first direction 120, thereby pulling the first brake wire 126 in the first direction 120. When the actuating force exceeds the threshold, the second lever 136 is further pulled in the first direction 120, causing a relative movement between the first and second levers 124 and 136, thereby pulling the second brake wire 138.

In the second embodiment of the present disclosure, the unified braking system 300 includes the brake lever 102, the transfer rod 112, a fixed member 104 (interchangeably referred to as the housing 104), the first lever 124, the first brake wire 126 attached to the first lever 124, the first outer 128 that surrounds the first brake wire 126 and attached to the fixed member 104, the second lever 136 attached to the transfer rod 112, the second brake wire 138 attached to the second lever 136, the second outer 140 that surrounds the second brake wire 138 and attached to the first lever 124, the pivot member 152, and the torsion spring 154. The first and second levers 124 and 136 are pivoted about the pivot member 152 and the torsion spring 154 is placed therebetween. A first end of the torsion spring 154 is attached to the first lever 124 and a second end of the torsion spring 154 is attached to the second lever 136. When the brake lever 102 is pulled, an actuating force is applied to the second lever 136 in the first direction 120 by way of the transfer rod 112, the first and second levers 124 and 136 are rotated about the pivot member 152 in the first direction 120, thereby pulling the first brake wire 126 in the first direction 120. When the actuating force exceeds the threshold, the second lever 136 is further pulled in the first direction 120, causing a relative movement between the first and second levers 124 and 136, thereby pulling the second brake wire 138.

In the third embodiment of the present disclosure, the unified braking system 500 includes the brake lever 502, the transfer rod 512, a fixed member 504 (interchangeably referred to as the housing 504), the first lever 524, the first brake wire 526 attached to the first lever 524, the first outer 528 that surrounds the first brake wire 526 and attached to the fixed member 504, the second lever 536 attached to the transfer rod 512, the second brake wire 538 attached to the second lever 536, the second outer 540 that surrounds the second brake wire 538 and attached to the first lever 524, the pivot member, and the compression spring 554. The first and second levers 524 and 536 are pivoted about the pivot member and the compression spring 554 is placed therebetween. A first end of the compression spring 554 is attached to the first lever 524 and a second end of the compression spring 554 is attached to the second lever 536. When the brake lever 502 is pulled, an actuating force is applied to the second lever 536 in the first direction 520 by way of the transfer rod 512, the first and second levers 524 and 536 are rotated about the pivot member in the first direction 520, thereby pulling the first brake wire 526 in the first direction 520. When the actuating force exceeds the threshold, the second lever 536 is further pulled in the first direction 520, causing a relative movement between the first and second levers 524 and 536, thereby pulling the second brake wire 538.

Techniques consistent with the disclosure provide, among other features, a unified braking system (e.g., the unified braking systems 100, 300, or 500) for vehicles. While various exemplary embodiments of the disclosed system and method have been described above it should be understood that they have been presented for purposes of example only, not limitations. It is not exhaustive and does not limit the disclosure to the precise form disclosed. Modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practicing of the disclosure, without departing from the breadth or scope.

While various embodiments of the disclosure have been illustrated and described, it will be clear that the disclosure is not limited to these embodiments only. Numerous modifications, changes, variations, substitutions, and equivalents will be apparent to those skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.