GB2287682A

GB2287682A - A driving instruction aid

Info

Publication number: GB2287682A
Application number: GB9405940A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Peter Sutton
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1994-03-25
Filing date: 1994-03-25
Publication date: 1995-09-27
Also published as: GB9405940D0

Abstract

The indicator 1 comprises an annulus fixed to one end of a cable wire 3 which is slidably housed within a plastic sheath 5 and which is secured at its other end to the clutch pedal 2. The indicator 1 is located in a transparent extension tube 11 of the sheath 6. The extension tube 11 is provided with a marker line 4 to designate the point at which the clutch plates are fully engaged. <IMAGE>

Description

DRIVING INSTRUCTION AID Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a driving instruction aid which is more particularly intended to facilitate teaching of clutch control of a vehicle.

Background to the Invention One of the most difficult skills to master when learning to drive is effective and efficient control of the operation of the clutch to engage and disengage the engine from the drive shaft of the vehicle.

For the majority of vehicles the clutch control comprises a floor mounted pedal which must be depressed by foot against the action of a spring or other resilient biassing means to move the clutch plates of the vehicle apart. For the novice driver the difficulty lies in accurately sensing the extent of depression of the pedal to know when and to what extent the pedal is taking effect. The biting point of the clutch can vary considerably between different vehicles and the intermediate positions between full biting and full release need also to be sensed to provide optimal control over the clutch.

A number of models of clutch operation have been devised by instructors to illustrate the principle of operation of the clutch . Most of these are based upon computer programmes to simulate the effects of clutch control.

However, these do not provide the learner with the genuine experience of operating a clutch in a vehicle simultaneously visually and physically and monitoring the action of the clutch as the vehicle is being driven along.

It is a general objective of the present invention to provide an instruction aid which is to be used in situ within a vehicle to monitor clutch performance as the vehicle is being driven and which is simple in construction and therefore cheap to manufacture, install, use and maintain.

Summarv of the Invention According to the present invention there is provided a driving instruction aid which comprises: an indicator to visually indicate the relative position of co-operatively interengaging clutch plates of an automobile as the position of the clutch plates is being adjusted relative to each other by a control pedal or other lever; a sliding linkage adapted to be fastened, in use, to the control pedal or other lever so as to move the indicator correspondingly as the control pedal or other lever moves, the sliding linkage having said indicator integrally formed thereon or mounted thereto so that the alternating back and forth movement of said pedal or other lever moving the linkage correspondingly moves the indicator back and forth relative to a static index point.

Preferably the sliding linkage comprises a cable longitudinally slidably mounted within a sheath, the end of which sheath remote from the control pedal or other lever is mounted, in use, in a position readily visible to the user of the instruction aid and substantially static so that said end of the sheath or an extension thereof provides said index point or the surface to which the said end is mounted provides the index point.

Suitably at least said end of the sheath is transparent or has a window therein or extends into a sheath extension which is transparent or has a window therein.

Where the sliding linkage is a cable this is suitably a bowden cable or the like.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a driving instruction aid substantially as hereinafter described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be more particularly described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 is a perspective view of aninstruction aid embodying the invention: and Figure 2 is an elevation view of a pedal fixing bracket of the Figure 1 embodiment.

Description of the Preferred Embodiment Referring to Figure 1, the instruction aid comprises a co-axial cable 10 of flexible and longitudinally inexstensible nature such as, for example, bowden cable as used in bicycle brake systems and the like.

The cable 10 has a wire core 3 which is longitudinally slidably housed within a plastics sheath 6. At each end of the plastics sheath 6 is provided a respective fixing 7, 8 to fix the device in place within the cab of a vehicle such that one end of the cable wire 3 projects and is clamped by a further fixing bracket 9 to the clutch pedal 2, and such that the other end 5 of the wire cable 3 is fixed to a location at or near the dash board of the vehicle to be readily visible to the user.

The precise positioning of the cable 10 is suitably such as to be unobtrusive, the fixing bracket 9 securing the cable wire 3 to the clutch pedal 2 being screw clamped to one side thereof being offset on the pedal 2 such as to not impede operation of the pedal 2 and the cable extending under the dash board and fastened such that it is not caught by the legs of the driver.

Referring to Figure 2, the pedal fixing bracket 9 is a 'U'-shaped bracket which straddles one side of the pedal 2 and which is clamped in place by a screw means extending through a socket 20 in the bracket. The cable wire 3 has its end fixed to the bracket 9 by insertion into an opposing socket 21 and clamped by a screw 22.

As illustrated, the fixing 9 is suitably fastened to the clutch pedal 2 at its lowest extremity to make optimal use of the arcuate movement of the pedal 2.

By depressing the clutch pedal 2 in the direction F shown in Figure 1 the cable wire 3 is pushed up through the sheath 6 to project farther from the remote end of the sheath 6.

The remote end 5 of cable wire 3 at the remote end of the sheath 6 is constrained to move within a transparent extension tube 11 of the sheath 6.

This extension tube is suitably formed of clear acrylic and is fixed to the dash board by means of the bracket 8, at one end thereof, and a further bracket 12 at the other end thereof. These brackets are suitably 'U'-shaped clips which may be mounted to the vehicle by releasable fastening means such as a light adhesive or velcro tabs.

A line marker 4 is provided on the material of the tube 11 at a position which is intended to designate the point at which the clutch plates of the vehicle are fully engaged.

An indicator element 1, comprising an annulus fixed to the remote end 5 of the cable wire 3, simulates the moving clutch plate and demonstrates the movement of the moving clutch plate relative to the static clutch plate indicated by the marker line 4.

As the clutch pedal 2 is depressed in the direction of the arrow F the cable wire 3 is forced upwardly within the sheath 6, moving the indicator annulus 1 forwardly away from the marker line 4 and thereby demonstrating disengagement of the clutch plates.

Although the present invention has been described above with respect to one preferred embodiment, numerous alternative embodiments are conceivable within the scope of the invention.

Claims

ClAIMS

1. A driving instruction aid which comprises: an indicator 1 to visually indicate the relative position of co-operatively interengaging clutch plates of an automobile as the position of the clutch plates relative to each other is being adjusted by a control pedal 2 or other lever; a sliding linkage 3 adapted to be fastened, in use, to the control pedal 2 or other lever so as to move the indicator correspondingly as the control pedal 2 or other lever moves, the sliding linkage 3 having said indicator integrally formed thereon or mounted thereto so that the alternating back and forth movement of said pedal or other lever moving the linkage correspondingly moves the indicator 1 back and forth relative to a static index point 4.

2. A driving instruction aid as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the sliding linkage 3 comprises a cable longitudinally slidably mounted within a sheath 6, the end of which sheath 6 remote from the control pedal 2 or other lever is mounted, in use, in a position readily visible to the user of the instruction aid and substantially static so that said end of the sheath 6 or an extension thereof provides said index point 4 or the surface to which the said end is mounted provides the index point 4.

3. A driving instruction aid as claimed in Claim 2, wherein at least said end of the sheath is transparent or has a window therein or extends into a sheath extension which is transparent or has a window therein.

4. A driving instruction aid as claimed in Claim 2 or Claim 3 wherein the cable is a bowden cable or the like.

5. A driving instruction aid substantially as herein before described with reference to the accompanying drawings.