FR2847356A1 - Accelerator pedal for motor vehicle has movable arm mounted for pivoting on support frame and with retractable stop to limit vehicle speed - Google Patents

Abstract

The accelerator pedal for a motor vehicle has a movable arm (3) mounted on a fixed support frame (1) for pivoting between first and second positions. A spring (5) provides a resistance force to the pedal. A stop is mounted on the frame or arm and movable between retracted and extended positions and engaged by an abutment (27) on the other.

Description

The present invention relates to an arrangement of a foot pedal.

  charge control of a motor vehicle engine.

  Motor vehicles are equipped, among other things, with an engine load control pedal, commonly called an accelerator pedal, which is pivotally mounted about a horizontal axis on a fixed element, most often constituted by an apron. or a bottom bracket located below the dashboard. Depending on the angular position of this pedal, the engine load varies and therefore the speed of the vehicle is more or less important. A member for applying an additional reaction force to the pedal, constituted for example by a compression spring, is

  interposed between this pedal and the fixed element.

  Certain motor vehicles are provided with driving assistance means, in particular a speed limiter. When the speed limiter is activated on such a vehicle, it prevents this vehicle from exceeding a speed limit set by the driver. In this case, even if the driver pushes the accelerator pedal beyond the position of the engine load corresponding to the value of the speed limit setpoint and if it is not at the end of the race, the vehicle does not exceed not this speed,

the engine load remaining identical.

  On the other hand, the speed limiter is designed so that it deactivates

  when the accelerator pedal is pushed into its end position.

  Thus, if the driver who uses such a speed limiter accidentally presses the accelerator pedal to this limit zone, the speed limiter is deactivated. As the pedal is in the maximum engine load control position, the vehicle accelerates suddenly, which can

  cause an accident, especially if the vehicle is in lane tracking.

  It is therefore very useful to provide the accelerator pedal with a mechanical hard point type device enabling the driver to be informed of a change in the acceleration control mode, that is to say before inhibition

speed limiter.

  In a known arrangement of an accelerator pedal of this type, the mechanical hard point results from the interaction of a projection integral with the pedal and a two-leaf spring integral with the fixed element on which is

  climb the pedal. This interaction produces, before the end of the pedal travel, an additional return force on said pedal which is perceptible to the driver.

  Such arrangements are not entirely satisfactory. Indeed, the hard point device is permanent and poses ergonomic problems and

  use. Thus, even if the driving assistance means are not activated, the driver must at each maneuver pass the hard point to reach the end of the pedal travel.

  The main object of the invention is to remedy this drawback by proposing an arrangement of a pedal for controlling the load of an engine making it possible to create a hard point when the device for assisting in the

  driving is activated, which is simple to implement while being reliable.

  To this end, the subject of the invention is an arrangement of a pedal for controlling the load of a motor vehicle engine, of the com15 type taking: - a mobile element mounted on a fixed element and movable by pivoting on a stroke determined between a first position corresponding to the minimum load of the motor and a second position corresponding to the maximum load of this motor; - an application member on the movable element of a reaction force to return this movable element to the first position; and - means for applying a complementary reaction force to the mobile element before the second position; characterized in that the means for applying the complementary reaction force are formed, on the one hand, by a stop member carried by one of said elements and movable under the action of a control member between a position retracted rest and an active projecting position and, on the other hand, by a support member of said stop member carried by the other

of said elements.

  According to other characteristics of the invention: - the stop member is carried by the movable element and the support member is carried by the fixed element; - The stop member is carried by the fixed element and the support member is carried by the mobile element; - The support member comprises two opposite leaf springs forming between them a passage for the stop member; - The stop member is formed by a rod of constant diameter and greater than said passage; - The stop member is formed by a rod of variable diameter and greater than said passage; - The support member comprises a V-shaped blade on which the stop member moves and each branch of which has a convex curvature; - The stop member is formed by a ball mounted at the end of a rod connected to the element supporting this stop member and by an elastic member interposed between said ball and said rod; - The stop member is formed by a rod and by an elastic member interposed between said rod and the element supporting this rod; and

  - The control member is formed by an electromagnet.

  Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will become apparent from

  during the description which follows, given by way of example and made in

  reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG. 1 is a side view of an arrangement of a pedal for controlling the load of a motor vehicle engine, according to a first embodiment of the invention; - Figure 2 is a partial view in axial section of the means for applying the complementary reaction force of the pedal arrangement in the retracted position; - Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 of the means for applying the additional reaction force in the deployed position; - Figure 4 is a partial view in axial section of the means for applying the reaction force complementary to the arrangement of the pedal according to a second embodiment of the invention, in the retracted position; - Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 4 of the means for applying the complementary reaction force in the deployed position; FIG. 6 is a side view of an arrangement of a pedal for controlling the load of a motor vehicle engine according to the second embodiment of the invention, at the start of travel of the pedal, and with the means for applying the complementary reaction force being in the retracted position; - Figure 7 is a view similar to Figure 6 at the end of the pedal travel; - Figure 8 is a view similar to Figure 6 with the means for applying the complementary reaction force in the deployed position; - Figure 9 is a view similar to Figure 8 at the end of the pedal travel; - Figure 10 is a plot of the engine load of a vehicle depending on the stroke of the pedal, with or without activation of a speed limiter; - Figure 11 is a plot of the reaction force on the pedal of a

  arrangement according to the invention, with or without activation of the speed limiter.

  In Figure 1, there is shown schematically an arrangement of a pedal for controlling the load of a motor vehicle engine, commonly called an accelerator pedal and which comprises an element

  mobile 3 mounted on a fixed element 1.

  The fixed element is constituted by a base 1 secured to the vehicle floor and the mobile element 3 is constituted by a lever 13 movable between a first position called the high position corresponding to the minimum load of the engine and a second position called the corresponding low position at

the maximum load of this engine.

  For this, the lever 13 is articulated at one 13a of its ends on an axis 11 mounted free in rotation on a support 9 secured to the base 1. The lever 13 has at its other end 13b an operating pad 15 by the through which the driver of the vehicle pivots the lever 13 between

both positions.

  In addition, the arrangement comprises a member 5 for applying a reaction force to the lever 13 to return this movable element to the first position and means 7 for applying a reaction force.

  complementary on the lever 13, before the second position.

  As shown in Figure 1, the member 5 is formed by a spring

  return 17 surrounding a holding rod 19.

  The spring 17 is supported between, on the one hand, the upper surface of the base 1 and, on the other hand, a bearing surface 21 of the lever 13. This bearing surface 21 is oriented generally perpendicular to the axis 11 The spring 17 is mounted in compression so that at rest the lever 13 is held in its high position. The retaining rod 19 is fixedly mounted on the base 1 and is inserted in a passage 23 disposed in the center of the bearing surface 21 of the lever 13. When the spring 17 is in strong compression under the effect of the pivoting of the lever 13 around the axis 11, the rod 19 prevents the sliding of the spring 17 on the base 1 and keeps the spring 17 in a

generally cylindrical shape.

  The means 7 for applying a complementary reaction force to the lever 13 comprise a stop member 25 and a support member 27. In FIG. 1, the stop member 25 is carried by the lever 13 and l support member 27 is carried by the base 1. According to a variant of the invention, the stop member 25 can be carried by the base 1 and the member

support 27 by lever 13.

  As shown more particularly in FIGS. 2 and 3, the stop member 25 consists of a sleeve 29, the central part of which is provided with a sliding rod 31. The sleeve 29 is mounted on a lateral face of the

  lever 13 in a direction perpendicular to the general direction of the lever.

  The sleeve 29 comprises in its body a control member constituted for example by an electromagnet (not shown), which can be controlled by

  actuation means external to the arrangement of the pedal (not shown).

  The rod 31 is slidably mounted in the socket 29 between a retracted rest position (Figure 2) and an active deployed position (Figure 3)

  under the action of the electromagnet of the socket 29.

  The stop member 27 is composed of two leaf springs 33 which are mounted opposite one another projecting from the base 1 by fixing means 35. These blades 33 provide a passage between them 34

  spacing less than the diameter of the rod 31.

  We will now describe as an example the operation of the arrangement of the pedal according to the first embodiment of

  the invention, in a vehicle fitted with a speed limiter.

  As described above, this speed limiter can be activated by the driver so that the vehicle does not exceed a set speed limit Vc. However, if the driver using the speed limiter

  press the pedal to the low position, the speed limiter is deactivated.

  Initially, the operation of the pedal arrangement will be described in the case where the driver does not use a speed limiter, for controlling the engine load from a minimum load to a maximum load.

  As illustrated in FIG. 1, when the driver presses on the operating pad 15 from the high position, he exerts an actuating force directed towards the base transmitted by the lever 13, which causes the pivoting of this lever 13, up to in the low position. As described above, the engine load control means linked to the axis 11 analyze the position of the lever 13 and control this load accordingly. In addition, the driver feels a reaction force opposite to the actuation force and of slightly increasing intensity caused by the

  compression of the spring 17 between the base 1 and the lever 13.

  As the speed limiter is not activated, the rod 31 is in the retracted position during the entire stroke of the lever 13 from the high position to the low position. In the low position, as illustrated in Figure 2,

  the stop member 25 does not interact with the support member 27.

  When the driver activates the speed limiter, he defines a set speed limit V ,.

  In this case, the operation of the arrangement of the pedal according to the invention from the high position is similar to the previous case until the vehicle reaches a speed equal to V ,. From this moment, if the driver continues to press the operating pad 15 towards the low position, the engine load control means no longer take account of the position of the lever 13. The speed is kept constant and equal to Vc . The driver feels a reaction force opposite to the actuation force of the lever 13, as he

  can feel it when the speed limiter is not in use.

  When the driver presses to position the pedal beyond a determined threshold, for example at 90% of the maximum stroke of the pedal, the electromagnet is controlled by the external actuation means. It follows that the rod 31 moves in the axis of the sleeve 29 outwards

to a deployed position.

  As illustrated in FIG. 3, when the lever 13 approaches the low position, the projecting rod 31 comes into contact with the blades 33 of the spring 27 and enters the passage 34 by spreading these blades 33. An additional reaction force constant intensity is exerted on the lever 13, allowing the driver to feel a feeling of mechanical hard point to the low position. So he can anticipate the inhibition of

speed limiter.

  In a variant of the invention, the rod 31 can be of variable diameter 25 and greater than the passage 34 of the blades 33 so that the intensity of the

  additional return force varies depending on the position of the pedal.

  A second embodiment of a pedal arrangement according to

  the invention is described in Figures 4 to 9.

  In this embodiment, the abutment member 25 comprises in ou30 be a socket 42 which is inserted in a cylindrical groove 40 formed in the rod 31. A return spring 44 is interposed between on the one hand, the bottom of

  the sleeve 42 and on the other hand, on a bearing surface 46 of the rod 31 delimited by the groove 40.

  At the opposite end of the sleeve 42 is embedded a ball 48

free rotation mount.

  As illustrated in FIG. 6, the support member has a blade 60

  generally V-shaped, each branch having a convex curvature.

  The operation of the pedal arrangement according to the second embodiment is similar to the operation of the arrangement described by

compared to Figures 1 to 3.

  When the speed limiter is not activated by the driver, the rod 31 is retracted. As illustrated in Figures 6 and 7, the bu10 ty member 25 is not in contact with the support member 27, whatever the point of

  the stroke of the lever 13 between the high position and the low position.

  The curve in solid lines in Figures 10 and 11 shows the evolution of the vehicle engine load and the reaction force as a function of the stroke.

  lever 13, in the case where the driver does not use the speed limiter.

  On the contrary, when the driver actuates the speed limiter, as soon as the vehicle speed exceeds Vc, and the pedal exceeds a threshold Oe of predetermined position, the electromagnet of the sleeve 29 is then controlled and the assembly formed by the rod 31 and the abutment bush 42 moves towards the outside of the bush 29. As mounted in FIGS. 5 and 9, the ball 48 comes into contact with the blade 60. At the same time, the spring 44

  inserted between the stop sleeve 42 and the rod 31 is in slight compression.

  At this instant, this spring 44 therefore exerts an additional reaction force on the lever 13, as shown on the dotted curve of

  Figure 11 at the abscissa point% e.

  When the driver presses on the maneuvering pad 15 beyond the point f3, corresponding to the engine load necessary to obtain a speed Vc, the vehicle speed remains constant, as illustrated in the

  dotted curve in Figure 10.

  At the same time, the intensity of the reaction force depends on the

spring stiffness 17.

  The additional reaction force is applied to the lever 13

  when the pedal reaches a fixed threshold for depressing, visible in FIG. II.

  Thus, the driver can anticipate the inhibition of the speed limiter between CCe and cfc, afc being the position of the lever 13 from which there is the inhibition of the speed limiter and cte being the position of the lever 13 from which there

  addition of complementary reaction force.

  Alternatively, the stop member 25 can be formed by a rod 31 and a spring interposed between the rod and the bottom of the sleeve 29. The arrangement according to the invention makes it possible to be able to create a mechanical hard point, on the pedal d accelerator, to indicate by a tactile sensation to the driver of the vehicle an inhibition of a driving assistance system, such as for example a speed limiter or for a gearbox

  automatic gear when downshifting reports.

Claims (11)

  1. Arrangement of a pedal for controlling the load of a motor vehicle engine, of the type comprising: - a movable element (3) mounted on a fixed element (1) and displaceable by pivoting over a determined travel between a first position corresponding to the minimum load of the motor and a second position corresponding to the maximum load of this motor; an application member (5) on the movable element (3) of a reaction force to return this movable element (3) to the first position; and - means for applying (7) to the movable element (3) a complementary reaction force before the second position; characterized in that the means for applying the complementary reaction force (7) are formed, on the one hand, by a stop member (25) carried by one of said elements (1; 3) and movable under the action of an or15 gane control between a retracted rest position and an active projecting position and, on the other hand, by a support member (27) of said   stop (29) carried by the other of said elements (3; 1).   2. Arrangement according to claim 1, characterized in that the stop member (25) is carried by the movable element (3) and the support member   (27) is carried by the fixed element (1).   3. Arrangement according to claim 1, characterized in that the stop member (25) is carried by the fixed element (1) and the support member (27)   is carried by the movable element (3).   4. Arrangement according to any one of claims 1 to 3, ca25 characterized in that the complementary reaction force is applied in a   determined point of the travel of the mobile element (3) before the second position of this mobile element.   5. Arrangement according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the support member (27) comprises two leaf springs (33)   opposite forming a passage between them (34) for the stop member (25). he   6. Arrangement according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the stop member (25) is formed by a rod (31) of   constant diameter and greater than said passage (34).   7. Arrangement according to any one of claims 1 to 5, ca5 acted in that the stop member (25) is formed by a rod (31) of   variable diameter and greater than said passage (34).   8. Arrangement according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the support member (27) comprises a blade (60) in the form   of V on which the stop member (25) moves and each branch of which has a convex curvature.   9. Arrangement according to any one of claims 1 to 4, or   8, characterized in that the stop member (25) is formed by a ball (48) mounted at the end of a rod (31) connected to the element (1; 3) supporting this stop member ( 25) and by an elastic member (44) interposed between said ball (48) and said rod.   10. Arrangement according to any one of claims 1 to 4, 8   or 9, characterized in that the stop member (25) is formed by a rod (31) and by an elastic member interposed between said rod (31) and the element (29) supporting this rod (31).   11. Arrangement according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the control member is formed by an electromagnet.