GB2102103A

GB2102103A - Improvements in or relating to pedal control units

Info

Publication number: GB2102103A
Application number: GB08122172A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Jack Dartnall
Original assignee: BRISTOW CONTROLS Ltd
Current assignee: BRISTOW CONTROLS Ltd
Priority date: 1981-07-17
Filing date: 1981-07-17
Publication date: 1983-01-26
Also published as: FR2509885A1

Abstract

The invention provides a pedal control unit including a housing 1 having a generally rectangular opening at the top, and a rectangular base at the bottom. The housing is formed with an integral flange 2 intended to enable the housing to be mounted in the floor of a vehicle with part of the housing above the floor, and part below the floor. A pedal 9 is mounted on the housing to pivot about a horizontal axis, and is coupled to a lever which is mounted in the housing to pivot about an axis 19 parallel to the pivot axis of the pedal. A control cable 35 is connected to one end of the lever, and passes out through an aperture in the base of the housing. If desired, a further control cable 43 can be connected to the other end of the lever and passes out through a second hole in the base of the housing and serves as an additional manual control of cable 35. A spring serves to return the pedal upwardly and, at the same time, serves to keep in position both the axle about which the lever pivots and also a pivot pin for the pedal end of the coupling member between the pedal and the lever. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements in or relating to pedal control units This invention relates to pedal control units of the kind described and claimed in Patent Specification No 1 575 463. This Patent Specification describes and claims a pedal control unit which is particularly suitable for use as the accelerator pedal in a vehicle.

In the said Patent Specification No 1 575 463 there is described a pedal control unit including: a mounting plate; a pedal mounted on said plate to pivot about an axis substantially parallel to said plate; a tubular member extending from said plate and substantially perpendicular thereto: a housing located on the opposite side of said plate to said pedal, the interior of said housing being in communication with the interior of said tubular member; a lever pivotally mounted in said housing; coupling means passing through the interior of said tubular member and interconnecting said pedal and said lever; and means on said lever remote from its pivot axis for attaching a control cable.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a pedal control unit which is simpler and cheaper to manufacture than the pedal control unit described in the said Patent Specification.

The invention consists in a pedal control unit including a housing provided with an integral peripheral mounting flange; a pedal mounted on said housing to pivot about an axis substantially parallel to the plane of said mounting flange; a lever mounted in said housing for rotation about a pivot axis intermediate its ends; coupling means interconnecting said pedal and one end of said lever; means at the other end of said lever for attaching a control cable; and an aperture in said housing which said control cable can pass.

It is to be understood that the peripheral flange is used for mounting the pedal control unit in the floor of the vehicle. Preferably the flange is so located on the housing that, when the unit is mounted in the vehicle, a portion of the housing is located below the floor of the vehicle, and a portion of the housing is located above the floor of the vehicle. It is to be understood that the top of the housing (the word "top" being used to indicate the upper part of the housing when it is mounted in the vehicle) is open to enable the coupling means to extend into it, and it is preferred that the walls of the housing should define a top opening which is generally plane, and rectangular and parallel to the plane of the mounting flange.

Preferably the housing also includes a generally rectangular flat base, the plane of which is parallel to the plane of the mounting flange, and the aperture through which the cable passes is provided in said base.

Preferably the housing is provided with a pair of integral pillars upstanding above the plane of the open top of the housing. In these pillars is mounted an axle about which the pedal pivots.

Further the housing is preferably provided with a pair of internal slots extending from the open top of the housing to approximately the level of the peripheral flange. In these slots is mounted an axle about which the lever is pivoted.

Preferably the lever is constituted by a pair of similar parallel spaced-apart lever arms. At one end of the lever, a first boss is pivotally mounted between the lever arms, and is provided with means for attaching the control cable thereto. At the other end a second boss is pivotally mounted between the lever arms, and is provided with a threaded aperture.

Preferably the coupling means included a threaded rod which is pivotally mounted on the pedal at one end, and is threaded in the second boss at the other end. The pivotal mounting of the rod on the pedal is releasable to enable the rod to be rotated in the second boss in order to adjust the length of the rod between the pedal and the lever. The releasable pivotal attachment may consist of an apertured boss on the end of the threaded rod, a pair of dependent apertured flanges on the underside of the pedal, and a pin passing through the flanges and the boss.

Preferably a threaded annular member or nut is provided on the threaded rod to act as a stop for downward movement of the pedal. This annular member or nut is arranged to engage the tops of the wall of the housing when the pedal is depressed.

Preferably a helical spring having two arms extending from the respective ends thereof is provided on the pedal axle to urge the pedal into the raised position. The two arms preferably engage one with the pin attaching the threaded rod to the pedal, and the other with the axle about which the lever pivots.

Thus this spring serves not only to return the pedal to the raised position, but also serves to hold both the pin and the lever axle in their respective positions.

If desired, the second boss may be formed with means for attaching a second control cable, and a second aperture may be provided in the base of the housing for the passage of this control cable.

Such a control cable may be used, for example, for attachment to a manually operated accelerator control.

One embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a side view of a pedal control unit in accordance with the invention partly in section; Figure 2 is a rear view of the unit illustrated in Figure 1 again partly in section on the line 2:2 in Figure 1 looking in the direction of the arrows 49.

Figure 3 is a plan view of the unit illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 with the pedal and other portions broken away to clarify details of the unit; and Figure 4 is an exploded view of some of the components of the unit illustrated in Figures 1 to 3.

It will be seen from 'the drawings that the unit includes a housing 1 having an integral flange 2.

The housing is intended to be mounted in the floor of a vehicle as indicated in chain-dotted lines at 3.

It will be seen that the housing includes a portion 4 which is located below the floor of the vehicle, and a portion 5 which is located above the floor of the vehicle. As can be seen from Figure 3, the flange 2 is generally rectangular, and is provided with four holes 6 to receive nuts and bolts by means of which the unit can be secured to the floor of the vehicle.

The housing which is preferably a die-casting is also formed with two upstanding pillars 7 provided with holes to receive an axle 8. As shown in Figure 3, the axle 8 is threaded at one end 28, and is provided with a head 29 at the other end.

One of the pillars 7 is threaded to receive the threaded portion 28 of the axle 8. Pivotally mounted on this axle is a pedal 9. The pedal is formed with a pair of dependent flanges 10 apertured to receive a pin 11. Pivotally mounted on this pin is a threaded rod 12. The threaded rod engages in a correspondingly threaded hole in a boss 1 3. The boss 1 3 is provided with coaxial projecting stubs 14 which engage in holes 1 5 in respective lever arms 1 6 and 1 7. These lever arms are provided with further holes 18 to receive an axle 1 9. The lever arms also include holes 20 to receive stubs 21 extending coaxially from a further boss 22.The two bosses 1 3 and 22 serve to maintain the spacing between the two lever arms 16 and 17.

The housing 1 is provided with a number of inwardly projecting pairs of webs 23, 24, and 25, and two of these - 23 and 24 - serve to form slots 26 for the reception of the ends of the axle 1 9. Thus the lever constituted by the two lever arms 1 6 and 1 7 is pivotable in the housing about the axis of the axle 1 9 in response to pivotal movement of the pedal 9.

A helical spring 27 is provided on the axle 8, and has two arms 30 and 31 extending from respective ends of the helical portion. The free end of the arm 30 rests on the top of the web 23 and extends a short distance into the slot 26 to retain the axle 19 in this slot. The free end of the arm 31 engages the axle 11 to retain it in position in the flanges 10. It will be seen that this arrangement enables the coupling mechanism to be dismantled without difficulty and, in addition, makes it very simple to adjust the angular relationship between the pedal 9 and the lever constituted by the arms 1 6 and 1 7. To carry out this adjustment, for example, it is only necessary to depress the spring arm 31 slightly to enable the pin 11 to be withdrawn from the flanges 10.The boss 32 on the end of the threaded rod 12 can then be removed from between the flanges 10 and rotated until the threaded rod has been screwed into. or out of, the boss 13 to the required extent. The boss 32 is then replaced between the flanges 10, the pin 11 is passed through the corresponding holes, and the spring 31 is allowed to snap back into position.

The boss 22 is formed with a diametral hole 33, and one of the stubs 21 is threaded to receive a grub screw 34. The inner wire 35 of a control cable 36 passes through the hole 33, and may be clamped in position by means of the screw 34.

The cable 36 passes through a sleeve 37 which is located in an aperture 38 formed in the base of the housing 1 by means of a pin 39. It will be appreciated that depression of the pedal 9 causes clockwise rotation of the lever 1 6/1 7 as seen in Figure 1, and this causes the wire 35 to be drawn through the cable 36. When pressure is removed from the pedal 9, the spring 27 returns the pedal to the position shown in Figure 1 until the lower end of the lever 1 6/1 7 engages the sleeve 37.

Depression of the pedal 9, and hence the extent to which the wire 35 is drawn through the cable 36, may be limited by means of a threaded annular member 40 located on the threaded rod 12. When the pedal 9 is depressed, the lower surface of the member 40 will engage with the upper edges of the wails of the housing 1, and thus limit the extent of the depression.

If it is required that a hand throttle control be provided in addition to the accelerator pedal, a suitable cable may be attached to the boss 13. For this reason, the boss 13 is provided with a second hole 41 to receive the wire 42 of a control cable 43. The free end of the wire 42 may be provided with a swaged nipple 44 to prevent the wire passing through the hole 41. The control cable 43 passes through a sleeve 45 secured in an aperture 46 formed in the base of the housing 1. It will be seen that, as the lever 1 6/1 7 is rotated in a clockwise direction, the boss 13 will also be rotated in a clockwise direction about its pivot axis in the lever. This arrangement ensures that the end of the wire 42 is kept clear of any obstacles.

As shown in Figure 1, a flexible bellows-type boot or gaiter is fitted between a flanged boss 48 on the underside of the pedal 9 and the upper portion 5 of the housing 1 to close the open top OT the housing 1 and thus prevent the ingress of foreign material.

Claims

1. A pedal control unit including a housing provided with an integral peripheral mounting flange; a pedal mounted on said housing to pivot about an axis substantially parallel to the plane of said mounting flange; a lever mounted in said housing for rotation about a pivot axis intermediate its ends; coupling means interconnecting said pedal and one end of said lever; means at the other end of said lever for attaching a control cable; and an aperture in said housing through which said control cable can pass.

2. A pedal control unit as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the peripheral flange is so located on the housing that (in one orientation of the unit) a portion of the housing is above the flange, and a portion of the housing is below the flange.

3. A pedal control unit as claimed in Claim 2, wherein the portion of the housing above the flange is open.

4. A pedal control unit as claimed in Claim 3, wherein the open top of the housing is generally plane, rectangular and parallel to the plane of the mounting flange.

5. A pedal control unit as claimed in Claims 2 to 4, wherein the portion of the housing below the flange includes a generally flat rectangular base, the plane of which is parallel to the plane of the mounting flange.

6. A pedal control unit as claimed in Claim 5, wherein the aperture through which the control cable can pass is located in said base.

7. A pedal control unit as claimed in Claim 4, wherein the upper portion of the housing is provided with a pair of integral pillars upstanding above the plane of the open top of the housing, an axle about which the pedal pivots being mounted in said pillars.

8. A pedal control unit as claimed in Claim 4 or Claim 7, wherein the housing is provided with a pair of internal slots extending from the open top of the housing substantially to the level of the peripheral flange, an axle about which the lever is pivoted being mounted in said slots.

9. A pedal control unit as claimed in any of the preceding Claims, wherein the lever is constituted by a pair of similar parallel spaced-apart lever arms, wherein a first boss is pivotally mounted between the lever arms at one end of the lever, and wherein a second boss is pivotally mounted between the lever arms at the other end of the iever.

10. A pedal control unit as claimed in Claim 9, wherein the first boss is provided with the means for attaching the control cable, and wherein the second boss is provided with a threaded aperture to receive a threaded rod which is pivotally mounted on the pedal.

11. A pedal control unit as claimed in Claim 10, wherein the pivotal mounting of the rod on the pedal is releasable to enable the rod to be rotated in the second boss in order to adjust the length of the rod between the pedal and the lever.

12. A pedal control unit as claimed in Claim 11, wherein the releasable pivotal attachment consists of an apertured boss on the end of the rhreaded rod; a pair of dependent apertured flanges on the underside of the pedal; and a removable pin passing through the flanges and the boss.

13. A pedal control unit as claimed in any of Claims 10 to 12, wherein a threaded annular member is provided on the threaded rod to act as a stop for downward movement of the pedal, said annular member being arranged to engage the tops of the walls of the housing when the pedal is depressed beyond a position determined by the position of the annular member on the threaded rod.

14. A pedal control unit as claimed in any of the preceding Claims, wherein a helical spring is provided on the pivot axis of the pedal, said spring having two arms extending from the respective ends thereof, and being arranged to urge the pedal into the raised position.

1 5. A pedal control unit as claimed in Claim 12 and Claim 14, wherein one of said arms engages the pin in order to retain it in position in the flanges.

16. A pedal control unit as claimed in Claim 8 and Claim 1 5, wherein the other of said arms engages the axle about which the lever is pivotted to retain said axle in said slots.

1 7. A pedal control unit as claimed in any of Claims 9 to 13, wherein the second boss is formed with means for attaching a second control cable, and wherein second aperture is provided in the housing for the passage of this control cable.

1 8. A pedal control unit substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as illustrated in, the accompanying diagrammatic drawings.

1 9. Any features of novelty, taken singly or in combination, of the pedal control unit as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings.