FR2857761A1 - Pre-positioning element for use in mounting a pedal in position in a motor vehicle has a cylindrical shape, external fixing means and engaging grips around its internal periphery - Google Patents

Abstract

Pre-positioning element for a vehicle pedal, whereby the pedal is held with a mounting screw (6A) that is fixed to the vehicle and a nut is attached to the screw. The pre-positioning element (8A, 8B) for the pedal has a cylindrical shape, external fixing means and grips around its internal periphery. If holds the pedal in place until the nut is attached to the screw to hold it in place. The invention also relates to a corresponding mounting of a pedal in the production line in which an operator fits the pre-positioning element to the pedal then engages the pedal of its mounting screw thus ensuring it is held in place until the nut is attached.

Description

The invention relates to a pre-holding member of a

  crankset of a motor vehicle, this crankset being engaged on a fixed fastening screw of a vehicle element to be fixed to this element by tightening a nut on this fixing screw, this pre-maintenance member comprising a fastening means to crank and claws surrounding the fixing screw when the crankset is engaged on the fixing screw, these claws clinging to the thread of the fixing screw 10 to hold the pedal in position before the nut is engaged on the screw. The invention is more particularly intended for mounting a crankset on a vehicle in a production unit.

  Given the reduced accessibility of the zone 15 in which the pedal is placed, the mounting of the pedal is usually performed manually by an operator. The pedal must be attached to an element that is usually a brake amplifier located behind a vehicle deck, four fastening screws or studs 20 rigidly attached to this amplifier generally passing through the deck and being intended to receive the pedal. The assembly operation is to engage the crankset on these fixing screws so that they pass through a deck of the pedal, provided for this purpose. The operator 25 then screws four nuts and clamps them on the board to complete the assembly. Given the shape of a crankset, a pre-hold member is generally provided to hold the crankset in position when engaged on the fastening screws so that the operator has both hands free to screw the four nuts at the end of the fixing screws.

  A known pre-holding member is formed by a cut sheet metal plate comprising bends forming a plurality of tabs. These tongues are fastening claws on two of the fastening screws. Initially, the operator engages the body on the fastening screws to fix it to these fastening screws with the tabs, then he engages the pedal on the fastening screws, two other tabs of the organ coming s' engage in additional housing of the pedal board to keep it in position. The operator thus has his hands free to screw the nuts on the fixing screws. This body which is made of cut sheet metal has salient angles with which the operator can cut himself, especially since it must be installed on the fixing screws which are 10 in an inaccessible area. The implementation of claws on two fixing screws is a risk of arcboutement when the member is engaged on the screws, which complicates the fixing of this body. On the other hand, the manufacture of cut and folded sheet metal of this member 15 requires specialized tools using a press, so that its manufacturing cost is relatively important.

  The object of the invention is to overcome these disadvantages.

  For this purpose, the invention relates to a pre-holding member of a crankset of a motor vehicle, the crankset being engaged on a fastening screw integral with a vehicle element to be fixed to this element by clamping a nut on this fixing screw, this pre-maintenance member 25 comprising a fixing means to the pedal and claws which surround the fixing screw when the pedal is engaged on this fixing screw, these claws clinging to the thread of the screw fastening device for holding the crankset in position before the nut is engaged on the fastening screw, characterized in that it has a generally cylindrical general shape, the pedal fixing means being disposed at the outer periphery of this form cylindrical, the claws being disposed at the inner periphery 35 of this cylindrical shape. The operator can initially mount the body on the pedal, outside the mounting area of the pedal, and then simply engage the pedal on the fastening screws to ensure the maintenance of the crankset.

  Advantageously, the pedal attachment means comprise at least one lug located at one end of the member, and at least one shoulder located at the other end of the member, this shoulder forming a stop. The member can be fixed to the pedal manually and without specific tools being fitted into a complementary part of the pedal by the operator. The implementation of a lug and a shoulder at each end of the member ensures a precise longitudinal positioning of the body relative to the pedal.

  In another embodiment, the member 15 comprises three lugs spaced a hundred and twenty degrees about the longitudinal axis, each lug being located at the end of a lug extending parallel to the longitudinal axis, and it comprises three claws spaced one hundred twenty degrees about the longitudinal axis, the claws being offset by sixty degrees from the lugs about the longitudinal axis. This geometry of the device facilitates the molding, which helps to reduce its cost of manufacture. Advantageously, each leg has an extra thickness to press the lug 25 against the pedal when the member is engaged on the fixing screw. The member may be mounted on the crankset with a certain radial functional clearance facilitating its mounting, and this functional game is canceled when the crankset is engaged on the fixing screw to block the member radially and thus ensure accurate positioning of the crankset on the fixing screw.

  Advantageously, each claw has a general shape of inclined rectangle with respect to the longitudinal axis, an edge of this rectangle bearing against the thread of the fixing screw, the inclination of the rectangle being modified under the effect of the forces the fastening screw on the member when the member is engaged on the fastening screw. Each claw is thus elastically deformable to reduce the effort required for the engagement of the pedals on the fixing screw, to facilitate assembly.

  The pre-holding member may have a length of between one and two times the diameter of its inner periphery so as to form with the fixing screw a sliding pivot type connection when engaged on the screw. Thus the pre-holding member 10 also provides a guiding function avoiding an arcboutement of the pedal on the fastening screws during its engagement.

  The invention will now be described in more detail and with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate an embodiment thereof by way of non-limiting example.

  - Figure 1 is an overview of a pedal; - Figure 2 shows a pre-maintenance member of the state of the art; - Figure 3 is a representation of the organ according to the invention alone; - Figure 4 is a representation of the organ according to the invention alone and in section; FIG. 5 is a perspective representation of the organ according to the invention alone; - Figure 6 is a sectional view of a pedal showing the pre-holding member according to the invention; FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing the implantation of the member according to the invention in a pedalboard; - Figures 8, 9 and 10 illustrate the mounting of the member according to the invention in a spacer of the pedal; FIG. 11 gives a perspective representation of a variant of the member according to the invention.

  Figure 1, a pedal 1 shown in perspective comprises two pedals 2 and 3 pivotable with respect to a base 4, this base comprising a plate 5 for fixing the pedal to a vehicle element. This pedal is attached to a brake amplifier 6 located behind a not shown deck, the plate 5 being fixed by four fastening screws integral with the brake amplifier passing through the deck and the plate, two of these fixing screws 6A, 6B being visible in Figure 1. The assembly of the pedal in production unit is to engage the pedal board on the fixing screws, then to engage a nut on each of the fastening screws to fix the pedal by tightening these four nuts with a screwdriver. In a known solution, the bottom bracket plate is equipped with a lockable clip to pre-maintain the crankset. When the operator has engaged the crankset on the fastening screws, he acts on the clip to secure the deck to the deck. The operator must keep the pedal in position to act on the clip, which is a cumbersome operation, unsuitable for a production unit. A pre-hold member is generally provided to maintain the crankset in position when engaged on the attachment screws, to leave the hands free for the operator to engage the nuts.

  Figure 2 shows a premaintening member 7 of the prior art, made of sheet metal cut and folded. This member has the general shape of a substantially square plate comprising a large-diameter orifice at its center. It comprises tabs 6D ', 6B' forming claws for surrounding two corresponding fixing screws, these tabs being situated at two opposite peaks of the square formed by this member and being intended to lock in the threads of the corresponding fastening screws. in order to keep the member pressed against the apron of the vehicle. Two other tongues 7E and 7F are arranged at right angles to the square formed by the member, being located at the periphery of the central orifice of this member. After fixing the member 7 to the vehicle element, 5 the operator engages the crankset on the fastening screws until the tabs are locked in complementary housing not shown on the plate, which ensures premaintenance of the pedalboard. The two fastening means 6D 'and 6B' tend to cause an arching of this member when it is engaged on the fixing screws, which makes fixing of this pre-holding member difficult.

  According to the invention, the pre-holding member has a generally cylindrical shape, it comprises fastening means to the plate 5 of the pedal at the outer periphery of this cylindrical shape, and claws at the inner periphery of this cylindrical shape, these claws surrounding a fixing screw when the pedal is engaged on it. This member 8 is advantageously made of plastic, being shaped by molding, it is shown in Figures 3, 4 and 5. With this pre-holding member, the assembly of the pedal is to fix the member 8 to the plate 5 of the pedal, then to engage the pedal on the fixing screws, so that the member surrounds one of the fixing screws so that the claws G located at its inner periphery cling to the thread of the fixing screw. The crankset can then be pressed against the apron of the vehicle, and it is retained by the member 8 which keeps it 30 and in position. Given the small dimensions of the organ according to the invention and because it can be made of plastic material, the implantation of this body is simpler than that of a cut sheet metal member, and it does not present of cutoff risk for the operator.

  The pre-holding member 8 can be engaged directly in a drilling of the plate 5, or be fitted in a complementary form provided for this purpose in the plate. Advantageously, the pedal plate comprises a metal spacer having a sleeve shape, rigidly fixed to this plate, and provided 5 to receive the pre-holding member which can for example be fitted and clipped into this spacer. The fixing means of the pre-holding member to the spacer will be detailed below.

  3, the member 8 defines a substantially cylindrical shape extending about a longitudinal axis AX.

  This cylindrical shape comprises an annular portion at one of its ends, this annular portion being extended by a plurality of legs Pi to P8 which each extend parallel to the axis AX being separated from each other by slots also parallel to the AX axis. As can be seen in FIGS. 4 and 5, the internal periphery of the member 8 is provided with claws G which are disposed at the inner part of these lugs, these claws G being oriented in the direction of the axis AX, forming a certain angle with this axis. In the example of FIGS. 3 to 5, each tab P1..P8 carries four claws G, and each tab constitutes an elastically deformable support for the claws it carries, so as to exert a substantially radial pressing force on the surface. external of the fixing screw that surround these claws. In the example of FIG. 3, eight lugs uniformly distributed around the axis AX each bear four claws G, which constitutes a maximum bearing surface on the thread of the fastening screw to ensure maximum grip of the spindle. pre-holding member on the fixing screw.

  The pedal visible in perspective 1 is shown in section in Figures 6 and 7 according to a sectional plane passing through the fixing screws 6A and 6B. The plate 5 of this pedal is equipped with spacers such as 8A and 8B which are rigidly fixed to the plate 5 by being placed between the plate and the brake amplifier, and which are traversed respectively by the fixing screws 6A and 6B. These spacers correspond in particular to a thickness of thermal and acoustic insulation which is applied to the vehicle deck of the passenger compartment side. Advantageously, one of these spacers comprises a cylindrical housing in which is fixed the pre-holding member according to the invention. The spacer 8A which is visible in more detail in FIG. 7 has an internal diameter greater than the diameter of the fastening screw 6A passing through it, the cylindrical pre-holding member 8 being fitted into this spacer by the front operator. it does not engage the pedal on the screws.

  In the embodiment shown in the figures, the fixing means of the pre-maintenance member 8 to the plate 5 of the pedal are formed by lugs arranged in such a way that the premainer member 8 is clipped into the spacer . The pins E1..E8 are located at one end of the member 8, and they are completed by a shoulder located at an opposite end of the member 8, at the outer periphery thereof, as can be seen in FIGS. to 5. More particularly, each lug E1..E8 is located at the end of a tab P1..P8, and it extends radially 25 to protrude from the outer periphery of the member 8, to engage in a complementary shoulder 9 provided for this purpose in the spacer 8A. The shoulder 9 which is visible in FIG. 7 forms a flange at the inner periphery of the spacer, at the bottom thereof, against which the different lugs E1..E8 support, to retain the pre-holding member in position. inside the spacer. Each lug is located at the end of a tab, which forms an elastically deformable support allowing the lug to press radially on the rim of the spacer.

  The pre-holding member also comprises a shoulder 10 at its other end along the axis AX, this shoulder protruding radially from the outer periphery of the member 8 to be housed in a corresponding shoulder 11 provided at the inner periphery. spacer 8A to form a retainer. As shown in FIGS. 8 to 10, during the insertion of the member 8 into the spacer 8A, the shoulder 10 fits into the corresponding chamfer 11 of the spacer, to lock the member axially by As shown in FIGS. 8 to 10, the member can thus be fixed to the spacer in a very simple manner, being nested therein manually by the operator without being connected to the spacer. special tools. On the other hand, the shoulder 10 is embedded in the chamfer 11 of the spacer, so that the member 8 is not compressed by tightening the nut on the screw. The tightening of the nut on the screw compresses the spacer which is made of steel, which makes it possible to ensure a rigid attachment of the crankset. The fixing means of the pre-holding member to the spacer will be detailed below.

  In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the pre-holding member comprises three lugs P1, P2 and P3 which are spaced a hundred and twenty degrees about the axis AX, and three claws G1, G2, G3 which are also spaced apart. one hundred and twenty degrees about the axis AX, as shown in Figure 11. More particularly the member substantially forms a ring which is extended by three tabs each extending parallel to the axis AX and being spaced apart from each other. other. The claws G1, G2, G3 which extend the edge of the ring are offset by sixty degrees with respect to the tabs which also extend the edge of the ring, so that each claw is located between two tabs on the periphery of the ring. annular part of the organ. The claws and the means of attachment to the pedal are thus independent, which allows them to be dimensioned separately. The thickness of the tabs plays on their flexibility, which mainly determines the effort that the operator must apply to fix the pre-holding member to the pedal. The shape of the claws G conditions the effort to develop to engage the member 5 on a fastening screw and the force exerted by the member on the fastening screw to ensure the pre-maintenance of the pedal.

  As visible in this figure, the shoulder located at one of the ends of the member 8 is here divided into three parts 11A, 11B and 11C spaced one hundred and twenty degrees around the axis AX being offset by sixty degrees relative to the lugs El, E2, E3, output they are each located vertically above a claw G1, G2, G3. This three-legged shape of the member 8 with a shoulder divided into three parts further reduces its manufacturing cost by allowing its molding with only two dies. The first matrix advantageously has a shape that covers all the surfaces of the inner periphery of the member, and the outer faces 20 of the legs P1, P2 and P3. The second matrix covers the lugs El, E2 and E3, as well as the outer faces of the claws G, between the tabs, and up to the rear faces of the shoulder portions 11A, 11B and 11C.

  These two dies can thus be moved along the axis AX by coming closer to close and allow the injection of plastic, and they can be moved away from each other to allow the removal of the piece.

  Advantageously, the ends of the lugs P1, P2 and P3 each comprise an excess thickness in the direction of the axis AX, such that the extra thickness S1 and S3 are visible in FIG. 11. These thickeners have the role of pressing the corresponding lugs E1, E2 and E3. outward against the shoulder 9 of the spacer 8A when the fixing screw 6A is engaged in the pre-holding member. Each allowance is located on the inner face of the tab, vis-à-vis the axis AX, so that it bears against the fixing screw when the member 8 is engaged on the screw. More particularly, this extra thickness is located at the end of the tab, at the height of the pin such as El, to press this lug against the shoulder 9 of the spacer 8A when the member 5 8 is engaged on the fixing screw . The member 8 can be dimensioned so that it is fixed to the pedal with a certain radial functional clearance facilitating its mounting on the pedal. This functional clearance is canceled by the extra thicknesses E1, E3 when the pedal is engaged on the fixing screw to radially block the member 8 and thus ensure accurate positioning of the pedal on the fixing screw.

  The claws located at the inner periphery of the member 8 may be of different shapes inasmuch as their shape constitutes a bearing surface against the thread of the fixing screw for immobilizing the member along this screw. In the example of FIGS. 3 to 5, each claw has a parallelepipedal shape, one face of this parallelepiped being in abutment against several threads of the thread of the fixing screw.

  In the example of FIG. 11, the member comprises three claws marked respectively by Gl, G2 and G3, each of these claws having substantially a thin rectangle shape forming an angle of the order of forty-five degrees. relative to the axis AX. An edge of this rectangle is secured to the inner periphery of the member 8 at the edge of the ring, the opposite edge being in abutment in one or more threads of the fastening screw when the member is engaged thereon . This shape gives the claw an elastic behavior by which it flexes to position substantially parallel to the axis AX during the engagement of the member on the fastening screw, which contributes to reducing the efforts that must develop. operator when he engages the crankset on the fastening screws. This claw retains the member to ensure the pre-holding by preventing sliding in opposite directions along the fixing screw. The small thickness of the claw helps to facilitate the molding of the body avoiding conventional problems of molding thickness.

  Advantageously, the pre-holding member 8 is dimensioned such that its length along the axis AX is between one and two times the diameter of its inner periphery, so that it constitutes with the fixing screw a sliding pivot type connection 10 when engaged on this screw. The engagement of the pedal on the fixing screws is thus facilitated by the fact that the member acts as a guide which maintains the plane of the plate perpendicular to the axis of the fastening screws to avoid an arching of the plate 15 when the crankset is engaged on the screws by the operator.

  In the example of FIGS. 3 to 5, the four claws G carried by each lug extend over a sufficient length opposite their inside diameter to provide a sliding pivot function. In the example of FIG. 11, it is the distance separating the claws G1, G2, G3 of the extra thicknesses such as S1 or S3 along the axis AX which is sufficient to ensure a sliding pivot function.

Claims (8)

  1. pre-holding member (8) of a crankset (1) of a motor vehicle, this crankset (1) being engaged on a fixing screw (6A) integral with a vehicle element to be fixed to this element by tightening a nut on this fixing screw (6A), this pre-holding member (8) comprising a fixing means (E1..E8) to the pedal and claws (G, G1, G2, G3) which surround the fastening screw (6A) when the crankset is engaged on this fastening screw, these claws clinging to the thread of the fastening screw (6A) to hold the crankset in position before the nut is engaged on the fixing screw, characterized in that it has a substantially cylindrical general shape, the pedal fixing means (E1..E8) being disposed at the outer periphery of this cylindrical shape, the claws (G1, G1, G2, G3) being disposed at the inner periphery of this cylindrical shape.   2. Body according to claim 1, wherein the fastening means to the pedal (1) comprise at least one lug (E1..E8) located at one end of the member (8), and at least one shoulder (10). located at the other end of the member (8), this shoulder (10) forming a stop. 25 3. Body according to claim 2, comprising three pins (E1, E2, E3) spaced one hundred twenty degrees about a longitudinal axis (AX), and three claws (G1, G2, G3) spaced one hundred twenty degrees around the longitudinal axis (AX), the claws (G1, G2, G3) being offset by sixty degrees relative to the lugs (E1, E2, E3) about the longitudinal axis (AX).   4. Body according to claim 3, comprising three lugs (P1..P3) each extending parallel to the longitudinal axis (AX), each lug (E1, E2, E3) being located at the end of a lug ( P1..P3).   5. Body according to claims 2 and 3, in   wherein the shoulder (10) is divided into three portions (11A, 11B, 11C) spaced one hundred and twenty degrees about the longitudinal axis (AX), each portion of the shoulder being offset by sixty degrees from the lugs (E1, E2, E3).   6. Body according to claim 4, wherein each lug (P1..P8) has an extra thickness (S1, S3) at the inner periphery to press the lug (E1..E8) against a shoulder (9) of a spacer (8A) of the pedal (1) when the member (8) is engaged on the fixing screw (6A).   7. Body according to one of claims 1 to 6,   wherein each claw (G, G1, G2, G3) has a general shape of a rectangle inclined with respect to the longitudinal axis (AX), an edge of this rectangle bearing against the thread of the fixing screw (6A ), the inclination of the rectangle being modified under the effect of the forces of the fastening screw (6A) on the member (8) when the member is engaged on the fastening screw (6A).   8. Body according to one of claims 1 to 7,   dimensioned so that its length is between one and twice the diameter of its inner periphery.