DE8900810U1 - Motor vehicle with a device for influencing the operation of the accelerator pedal - Google Patents

Description

DR. GISO MEYER-ROEDERN ' M800 Heidelberg 1 Pttnwlt BHamMnae 1

TaL 06221-161086 Trim 46132« rap* d Fax 06221 -12132

G1760a

Norbert Schmitt, Wingertsteige 13, 6921 Spechbach

Motor vehicle with a device for influencing the operation of the accelerator pedal

The invention relates to a device for influencing the operation of the accelerator pedal of a motor vehicle in the interest of an energy-saving, environmentally friendly driving style.

Such devices are known in the form of automatic speed controllers (cruise control). They contain a servomotor that acts on the accelerator pedal linkage and the corresponding control element of the vehicle engine, in particular the throttle valve of an internal combustion engine, in order to regulate the vehicle speed to a set constant value. This enables a consistent driving behavior to be achieved, which has a positive effect on fuel consumption. The disadvantage of the known system, however, is the high level of equipment required. In addition, traffic conditions in Germany rarely allow a constant speed to be maintained over long distances.

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The object of the invention is to create a device of the type mentioned which is inexpensive to manufacture and assemble and which motivates the driver of a motor vehicle to drive in an energy-saving, environmentally friendly manner without preventing him from making full use of the available active driving safety.

To solve this problem, the invention provides a stop which is arranged so firmly on the vehicle body in the path of the foot operating the accelerator pedal that the foot hits the stop before reaching the full throttle position, whereby it should be possible to depress the accelerator pedal to the full throttle position past the stop.

The stop according to the invention ensures that the accelerator pedal is not fully depressed during normal operation, since the driver's foot first hits the stop. This forces the driver to only drive at partial throttle, which is beneficial for low fuel consumption. According to the inventor's experience, a reduction in fuel consumption of 10% is achieved. Partial throttle operation also results in favorable exhaust emissions, on the one hand due to the setting of the engine, and on the other hand because the peak requirements placed on exhaust gas purification systems such as catalytic converters are eliminated.

However, the stop according to the invention does not prevent the driver from giving full throttle once, for example to avoid eleven critical

driving situation. It is possible to set the accelerator pedal to L

to step down past the stop, for which the driver only has to

make a small evasive movement with your foot. Active driving safety is therefore fully maintained and there are no safety concerns whatsoever.

The stop arrangement according to the invention is extremely simple and effective. Unlike known systems that influence the accelerator pedal position for speed control or anti-skid control, neither a servomotor nor an electronic control circuit is required. The operation of the vehicle remains entirely in the hands of the driver, who, however, is encouraged to drive in an energy-saving, environmentally friendly manner by his foot hitting the stop, in which the highest engine speeds are generally not used and the gears of a manual or automatic transmission are not "extended" - although the driver is free to do so in emergency situations.

The stop according to the invention can be retrofitted as a part and attached to the vehicle body in the vicinity of the accelerator pedal. Alternatively, it is possible to design the vehicle body from the outset in such a way that it contains the stop arrangement as an integrated part. In both variants, the stop is preferably located on the center console of the vehicle.

The arrangement and design of the stop can vary from vehicle

The geometry of the accelerator pedal and the adjacent pedal, the design of the vehicle interior in the vicinity of the accelerator pedal, etc. must be taken into account. In addition, a reasonable determination must be made as to what percentage of the pedal travel should normally be used until the driver's foot hits the stop arrangement,

The stop arrangement according to the invention is primarily intended to be a simple fixed stop that is fixed in the intended position. However, it is also possible to make the stop adjustable in order to compensate for assembly tolerances and to adapt it to different vehicle types or a desired driving behavior.

The invention is explained in more detail below using an exemplary embodiment shown in the drawing.

Fig. 1 is a front view of the driver's footwell of a motor vehicle, in which the driver's foot operating the accelerator pedal is indicated in the normal operating position ;

Fig. 2 a corresponding view with the foot in the full throttle position; and

Fig. 3 is a side view of the accelerator pedal looking towards the center console according to III-III of Fig. 1.

According to Fig. 1 and 2, the view into the footwell of a Xraft vehicle is

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vehicle with manual transmission. In the usual arrangement, one can see an accelerator pedal 10, a brake pedal 12 and a clutch pedal 14.

Next to the accelerator pedal 10, a fixed stop 18 is attached to the center console 16 of the motor vehicle, which the driver's foot 20 hits when the accelerator pedal 10 is depressed. In the exemplary embodiment shown, the stop 18 is a rectangular block located in the midfoot area, approximately 1 cm wide. As shown in Fig. 3, the stop is located on the pedal path between the rest position 22 and the full throttle position 24 of the accelerator pedal 10. Its stop surface 26 is aligned according to the inclination of the accelerator pedal 10 in the stop position 28 of the foot.

As can be seen in Fig. 1, the driver's foot 20 hits the stop 18 during normal driving when the accelerator pedal 10 is depressed. Therefore, only the adjustment range of the accelerator pedal 10 indicated by arrow 30 is used, in which only moderate acceleration is applied. The adjustment range 32 beyond the stop position 28 up to the full throttle position 24, however, remains unused.

As shown in Fig. 2, the driver can, however, step past the stop 18 by slightly turning the foot 20 and thus give full throttle without restriction if this is necessary in exceptional situations.

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List of reference symbols

10 Accelerator pedal 12 Brake pedal 14 Clutch pedal 16 Center console 18 attack 20 Foot 22 Rest position 24 Full throttle division 26 Stop surface 28 Stop division 30 Setting range 32 Setting range

Claims (4)

Expectations 1. Motor vehicle with a device for influencing the operation of the accelerator pedal in the interest of an energy-saving, environmentally friendly driving style, characterized in that the device consists of a stop (18) which in the path of the foot (20) operating the accelerator pedal (10) is arranged so firmly on the vehicle body that the foot (20) hits the stop (18) before reaching the full throttle position (24) and depressing the accelerator pedal (10) to the full throttle position (24) past the stop (18) is possible. 2. Motor vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that the stop (18) is integrated into the vehicle body or is subsequently fixedly attached to the vehicle body. ·· «I Il · I Il I Il · 3. Motor vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the stop (18) is located on the center console (16) of the vehicle. 4. Motor vehicle according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the stop (18) is adjustable.