JP2005075272A - Pedal supporting structure of automobile - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To change the posture of a pedal bracket 17 so as to suppress backward movement of a pedal part 16 of an operation pedal 15 supported by the pedal bracket 17 when the pedal bracket 17 is retracted upon collision of an automobile. <P>SOLUTION: A pair of guide surfaces 57 are formed on lower surfaces of right and left side walls of a guide member 53 fixed to an instrument panel member, front end parts of the side walls are inserted between the right and left side walls of the pedal bracket 17, an abutting member 41 stretched between the side walls of the pedal bracket 17 is abutted on the guide surfaces 57 in a sliding manner, and a connection member 56 stretched over the side walls of the pedal bracket 17 is placed in a recessed part formed in the guide member 53 and opened backward of the automobile body, and engaged with the guide member 53. When the automobile is collided, and the pedal bracket 17 is retracted, the abutting member 41 is abutted on the guide surfaces 57 in a sliding manner after the disengagement. The posture of the pedal bracket 17 is thus changed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a support structure for an operation pedal disposed behind a dash panel of an automobile.

  In general, at the time of a car collision (front collision), the brake pedal of the car will collide without stopping even though the driver steps on the brake pedal to brake the car to avoid the collision. There are many collisions in the depressed state.

  In that case, the front part of the vehicle body collapses while absorbing the collision energy due to the collision, and the engine disposed in the engine room moves backward while pushing the dash panel that partitions the engine room located on the rear side from the vehicle compartment. . A master cylinder is provided on the vehicle body front side of the dash panel, and a brake pedal positioned behind the dash panel is connected to the master cylinder via an operating rod. For this reason, as the dash panel (master cylinder) moves backward, the brake pedal is also pushed through the operating rod to move backward. As a result, the foot space of the driver is reduced, and the steering column that supports the steering wheel easily interferes with the foot of the driver who is stepping on the pedal portion (stepping portion) of the brake pedal.

  Therefore, in order to reduce the impact acting on the driver's foot, it is necessary to secure a foot space when the dash panel is deformed as described above. That is, when the dash panel is retracted, a large space can be maintained under the driver's seat regardless of the deformation of the dash panel if the pedal portion of the brake pedal can be prevented from moving rearward.

  Accordingly, a pedal support structure for an automobile is known in which a pedal portion of an operation pedal such as a brake pedal is relatively moved forward of the vehicle body when the dash panel is deformed toward the passenger compartment (see, for example, Patent Document 1). ).

  In this pedal support structure for an automobile, an operation pedal is supported by a pedal bracket fixed to a dash panel so as to swing back and forth, and a fastening mechanism for fastening the pedal bracket to the vehicle body so as to be detachable rearwardly And a guide mechanism for changing the posture of the pedal bracket so that the pedal portion of the operation pedal relatively moves forward of the vehicle body when the pedal bracket relatively moves backward of the vehicle body.

  The guide mechanism includes a guide member fixed to an instrument panel member (strength member) extending in the left-right direction of the vehicle body in the instrument panel, and an abutting member fixed to a pedal bracket. The contact member is fastened to the guide member so as to be detachable rearward, and is in surface contact with the guide surface formed on the guide member so as to be slidable. The guide surface is inclined so as to become lower toward the rear.

  Therefore, when the pedal bracket moves relative to the rear of the vehicle due to the collision of the automobile, the contact member of the pedal bracket starts to slide on the guide surface of the guide member, and when the predetermined distance slides, the contact member and the guide The position of the pedal bracket is such that the pedal part of the operation pedal moves relative to the front of the vehicle body by releasing the fastening with the member by the fastening mechanism and continuing the sliding on the guide surface. Will change.

  Thus, the front half of the guide surface has a gentle inclination so that the fastening between the contact member and the guide member can be smoothly separated and the collision load input to the instrument panel member does not increase. In the second half, the slope is steep to obtain a large change in posture of the pedal bracket.

Japanese Patent No. 3267145

  However, in the pedal support structure as described above, when not only the load that pushes the pedal bracket toward the rear of the vehicle body but also the load component that pushes the vehicle body sideward, the pedal bracket tries to move diagonally backward. The fastening by the fastening mechanism is difficult to come off. In addition, even if the fastening is released, the contact member on the pedal bracket side is displaced from the guide member to the side, and there is a concern that the posture of the pedal bracket cannot be changed as planned. With respect to this problem, if the guide surface is widened to prevent the contact member from moving sideways, the guide member becomes large.

  In addition, since the contact member slides on the guide surface in response to the collision load of the automobile from a stationary state where the contact member is in surface contact with the guide surface, the sliding resistance is large, and particularly the frictional resistance at the initial stage of sliding is large . Therefore, even if the inclination of the front half of the guide surface is loosened, the collision load of the automobile is easily input to the instrument panel member with a large component force instantaneously, and the strength of the member is increased to withstand this. Necessary, resulting in an increase in weight and cost.

  Further, the pedal support structure as described above requires a large guide member that is long in the front-rear direction in which the inclination of the guide surface is changed in order to reduce the fastening load by the fastening mechanism and the impact load applied to the instrument panel member. However, in the instrument panel where the guide member is provided, there are many interior parts such as a meter, and it is difficult to secure a wide installation space for the guide member.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to enable the pedal bracket to be reliably guided by the guide member so as to suppress the pedal portion of the operation pedal from moving rearward of the vehicle body at the time of the collision of the automobile.

  Moreover, the subject of this invention is changing the attitude | position of a pedal bracket reliably, without enlarging the impact load with respect to a strength member like an instrument panel member.

  Another object of the present invention is to reduce the size of the guide member and facilitate the layout in the instrument panel.

The present invention is an automotive pedal support structure in which an operation pedal is supported by a pedal bracket that is fixed to a dash panel and protrudes toward the rear of the vehicle body so as to swing back and forth,
A guide member fixed to a strength member extending in the left-right direction of the vehicle body in the instrument panel, and having a guide surface inclined so as to become lower toward the rear of the vehicle body;
The pedal bracket, which is provided on the pedal bracket and slides on the guide surface as the pedal bracket moves rearward in the event of a car collision, suppresses the pedal portion of the operation pedal from moving rearward. And a contact portion for changing the posture of the pedal bracket,
The pedal bracket has a side wall facing the left and right direction of the vehicle body, and the operation pedal is disposed between the side walls.
The guide member is formed in a channel shape having an opening on the lower side, the guide surfaces are formed on the lower surfaces of both side walls so as to form a pair on the left and right sides, and the front end portions of the both side walls are the both side walls of the pedal bracket. Inserted between
The contact portion is formed on a contact member that extends across both side walls of the pedal bracket,
Furthermore, corresponding recesses that are open toward the rear of the vehicle body and open on the left and right sides of the vehicle body are formed on both side walls of the guide member,
A connecting member is passed to both side walls of the pedal bracket on the rear side of the vehicle body relative to the portion of the pedal bracket that supports the operation pedal, and the connecting member is disposed in a recessed portion of the guide member so that the pedal bracket is rearward of the vehicle body. It is characterized by being engaged with the guide member so as to be disengaged rearward when moving to.

  Therefore, even when a large load is applied to the pedal bracket in the front, rear, left, and right directions, the front end portion of the guide member is sandwiched by both side walls of the pedal bracket, and the connecting member that extends across the both side walls is disposed in the recess of the guide member. Since it is engaged with the guide member, the load is reliably received not only by the dash panel but also by the strength member via the guide member, and the supporting strength of the operation pedal is ensured.

  In this way, the front end of the guide member is sandwiched between the side walls of the pedal bracket even when a load is applied to the pedal bracket not only to the rear of the vehicle body but also to the side of the vehicle body in the event of a car collision. The side wall of the pedal bracket comes into contact with the guide member. Therefore, even if the guide member is not wide, the contact portion on the pedal bracket side is prevented from coming off from the guide surface of the guide member, and the pedal bracket is guided by sliding on the guide surface of the corresponding portion. The posture can be reliably changed, and the pedal portion of the operation pedal can be prevented from moving rearward.

  In addition, since the guide member is disposed between the both side walls of the pedal bracket, the load applied to the abutting member when the abutting member contacts and slides on the guide member is received by the both side walls of the pedal bracket. In addition, since the length of the contact member can be shortened, it is advantageous for securing the strength of the contact member.

  In addition, since the concave portion of the guide member is opened rearward and the connecting member of the pedal bracket can be detached rearward from the state of being engaged with the guide member, the connection between the pedal bracket and the guide member is released at the time of an automobile collision. There is no hindrance.

  Further, when the automobile collides, the contact portion on the pedal bracket side slides on a pair of guide surfaces formed on the lower surfaces of both side walls of the guide member, so that the contact portion does not deteriorate the sliding stability. The contact area with respect to the guide surface can be reduced. As a result, the frictional resistance at the time of sliding is reduced, which is advantageous in reliably changing the posture of the pedal bracket while reducing the load applied to the guide member and consequently the strength member. Therefore, it is not necessary to increase the strength by increasing the size of the guide member and the strength member, which is advantageous for reducing the weight and cost of the automobile.

  In addition, since the sliding resistance is reduced as described above, the load applied to the strength member does not increase even if the inclination of the guide surface is tight, so that the posture of the pedal bracket can be greatly changed with a short sliding distance. It becomes possible. That is, the length of the guide surface can be shortened, and the guide member does not need to be wide as described above, so that the guide member can be reduced in size and the layout of various components in the instrument panel can be achieved. Becomes easier.

  Preferably, the contact portion of the pedal bracket is a cylindrical or columnar pin contact portion. Thereby, the sliding resistance can be further reduced. Furthermore, it is preferable to employ a pedal shaft that supports the operation pedal as a contact member on the pedal bracket side. Thereby, the sliding resistance can be reduced while reducing the number of parts and reducing the weight.

  Preferably, the front end portions of both side walls of the guide member are disposed on both sides of the operation pedal. Thereby, when the contact part by the side of a pedal bracket slides on the guide surface of the both side walls of a guide member, it can avoid that an operation pedal interferes with a guide member.

  It is preferable that the contact member of the pedal bracket comes into contact with the guide surface after the engagement of the connecting member with the guide member is released as the pedal bracket moves rearward of the vehicle body.

  In that case, it is not necessary to make the said guide surface work to make the said separation | smoothing smooth, and the full length of a guide surface can be shortened. Further, the contact portion on the pedal bracket side does not slide from the stationary state in contact with the guide surface of the guide member, but slides in contact with the guide surface while moving to the rear of the vehicle body. Therefore, the frictional resistance at the start of sliding becomes small.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the pair of guide surfaces are formed on the lower surfaces of the left and right side walls of the guide member, and the front end portions of the both side walls are inserted between the left and right side walls of the pedal bracket. The abutting members that cross the side walls are made to abut against both the guide surfaces and slide, and the connecting members that cross the side walls of the pedal bracket are arranged in the recesses of the guide members to engage the guide members. As a result, the guide for changing the posture of the pedal bracket by the guide member is ensured, and the resistance when the contact member slides on the guide surface is reduced to reduce the resistance of the guide member and the strength member. Since the applied load can be reduced, and the guide member can be made smaller, the layout of various parts in the instrument panel is facilitated, and the pedal It becomes advantageous for securing the strength of the support strength and the abutment member of the racket of the operating pedal.

  Further, when the pedal bracket moves rearward of the vehicle body in the event of a car collision, the contact member comes into contact with the guide surface after the connecting member is detached from the guide member. This is further advantageous in reducing the load applied to the strength member and reducing the size of the guide member.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, the following embodiment is an essentially preferable illustration, Comprising: It does not intend restrict | limiting the range of this invention, its application thing, or a use.

  FIG. 1 shows a front compartment of a left-hand drive vehicle provided with an automobile pedal support structure. Reference numeral 1 denotes a dash panel constituting a part of a car body of an automobile. An engine room 3 in which an engine 2 is accommodated is formed on the front side, and a vehicle compartment 5 is formed on the rear side. An instrument panel member 9 extending in the left-right direction is provided in an instrument panel (not shown) at the front end of the passenger compartment 5 at the upper rear of the dash panel 1.

  The instrument panel member 9 is connected between the front pillars 7 and 7 on the left and right sides of the vehicle body, and is configured as a strength member for securing a passenger space in the passenger compartment 5 when the automobile collides. The shaft 11 is fixed. An accelerator pedal 13 is disposed on the right side of the steering shaft 11 and a brake pedal 15 is disposed on the left side. The accelerator pedal 13 and the brake pedal 15 are depressed by a driver seated in a driver's seat (not shown). The accelerator pedal 13 and the brake pedal 15 are elongated plate-like, and pedal portions 14 and 16 on which a driver puts his / her foot and steps are provided at the lower ends thereof.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a pedal bracket 17 that supports the brake pedal 15 is fixed to the rear surface of the upper portion 4 of the dash panel 1 by a bolt member. This bolt member is also used to attach the master back 33 to the front surface of the dash panel 1 and penetrates the dash panel 1 and projects to the rear surface.

  A brake pedal 15 is supported at the rear end of the pedal bracket 17 so as to be able to swing back and forth by a pedal shaft 41 extending in the left-right direction of the vehicle body. The brake pedal 15 is urged so as to return to the vehicle body rear side by a return spring (not shown). An operating rod 31 (cylinder side rod) is connected to an intermediate portion of the brake pedal 15. The operating rod 31 passes through the pedal bracket 17 and the upper portion 4 of the dash panel 1 and is connected to a master cylinder (not shown) at the rear end of the engine room 3 via a master back 33 (a booster). Yes.

  When the pedal portion 16 of the brake pedal 15 is depressed and the brake pedal 15 is rotated clockwise in FIG. 2, the master back 33 is actuated by the operating rod 31 and the master back 33 pushes against the master cylinder. The pressure increases, and the wheels are braked by the hydraulic pressure from the master cylinder.

  Next, a description will be given of a structure that is employed to prevent the pedal portion 16 of the brake pedal 15 from moving to the rear of the vehicle body by changing the posture of the pedal bracket 17 when the automobile collides.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a bracket 51 extending obliquely downward toward the front side is fixed to the instrument panel member 9, and a guide member 53 is fixed to the front surface of the lower portion of the bracket 51. As shown in FIG. 3, the pedal bracket 17 and the guide member 53 are fastened by a fastening mechanism 40 that allows the pedal bracket 17 to be detached rearward of the vehicle body. Further, the guide member 53 and the pedal shaft 41 of the pedal bracket 17 prevent the pedal bracket 17 from moving to the rear of the vehicle body when the pedal bracket 17 moves to the rear of the vehicle body. The guide mechanism which changes the attitude | position of is comprised.

  First, the pedal bracket 17 includes a rectangular plate-like fixing portion attached to the upper portion 4 of the dash panel 1 and a support portion 21 extending obliquely upward from the fixing portion toward the rear side. As shown in FIG. 3, the support portion 21 is formed in a channel shape having an opening on the lower side, and a brake pedal 15 is disposed between side walls facing the vehicle body in the left-right direction, and a pedal shaft 41 that supports the brake pedal 15. Is passed to both side walls of the pedal bracket 17. Further, the rear end portion of the pedal bracket 17 has no upper wall and opens up and down.

  On the other hand, the guide member 53 has a channel shape with an opening on the lower side, and extends in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body. The lower surfaces of both side walls of the guide member 53 are formed on the guide surfaces 57 that make a pair on the left and right. Both guide surfaces 57 are in contact with and slide on the pedal shaft 41, and are inclined so as to become lower toward the rear of the vehicle body.

  Further, on both side walls of the guide member 53, recesses 55 that open toward the rear of the vehicle body and that are open on both the left and right sides of the vehicle body are formed to form a pair on the left and right. The recess 55 extends substantially horizontally from the vicinity of the front end of the guide member 53 toward the rear of the vehicle body while gradually increasing in the vertical direction, and further extends obliquely downward while increasing the vertical width following the substantially horizontal extending portion.

  Thus, the front end portion of the guide member 53 is inserted between the rear end portions of both side walls of the pedal bracket 17, and the rear end portion of the pedal bracket 17 is formed by the pin-shaped connecting member 56 disposed in the concave portion 55. It is connected to. That is, the connecting member 56 is passed to the both side walls at the rear end portion of the pedal bracket 17 (the portion on the rear side of the vehicle body relative to the pedal shaft 41), and is detached when the pedal bracket 17 moves rearward of the vehicle body. The recess 55 is engaged with the guide member 53. Further, the front end portions of both side walls of the guide member 53 are arranged on both sides of the brake pedal 15 so as to sandwich the brake pedal 15.

  In the case of this example, the connecting member passed to both side walls of the pedal bracket 17 and the concave portion of the guide member 53 with which the connecting member engages constitute the fastening mechanism 40.

  Therefore, in the pedal support structure as described above, even if a large load in the vehicle longitudinal direction is applied to the pedal bracket 17 by operating the brake pedal 15 or the like, the front end of the pedal bracket 17 is only fixed to the dash panel 1. Instead, since the rear end portion is connected to the guide member 53 via the connecting member 56, the load is received by the instrument panel member 9 via the guide member 53. When a load in the left-right direction of the vehicle body is applied to the rear end portion of the pedal bracket 17, the load is received by the instrument panel member 9 through the guide member 53 when the side wall of the pedal bracket 17 hits the guide member 53. Therefore, the support strength of the brake pedal 15 by the pedal bracket 17 is high.

  Next, when the automobile collides with an obstacle (front collision) while the brake pedal 15 is depressed by the driver, the front part of the vehicle body is crushed and the engine 2 in the engine room 3 moves backward. Accordingly, the pedal bracket 17 is pushed backward by the engine 2 via the master back 33 and the dash panel 1.

  When the pedal bracket 17 moves rearward of the vehicle body with respect to the guide member 53, the connecting member 56 at the rear end moves away from the guide member 53 and moves backward in the recess 55. Thereby, the engagement between the pedal bracket 17 and the guide member 53 is released. Thereafter, the pedal shaft (contact portion) 41 comes into contact with the guide surface 57 of the guide member 53 and starts to slide on the guide surface 57.

  Thus, after the pedal bracket 17 and the guide member 53 are disengaged, the pedal shaft 41 comes into contact with the guide surface 57, so that the guide mechanism does not prevent the disengagement and the disengagement is smooth. It will be something. Further, since the pedal shaft 41 contacts the guide surface 57 while moving rearward of the vehicle body, the frictional resistance at the initial stage of sliding does not increase, and the sliding is smooth. Therefore, when the pedal shaft 41 comes into contact with the guide surface 57, it is possible to avoid applying a large impact load to the guide member 53 and the instrument panel member 9.

  Further, since the guide member 53 is disposed on the front surface portion of the bracket 51 extending downward from the instrument panel member 9, even if a load applied to the guide member 53 is increased, the load is applied to the instrument panel member via the bracket 51. It works as a force to twist 9. Therefore, a large bending force is not applied to the instrument panel member 9, and the breakage can be avoided.

  Further, not only the load that pushes the pedal bracket 17 against the rear side of the vehicle body but also the load that pushes the side of the vehicle body is applied to the pedal bracket 17 at the time of the collision of the automobile. The guide surface 57 does not deviate sideways, and the guide surface 57 slides.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 5, by sliding on the guide surface 57 of the pedal shaft 41, the rear end portion of the pedal bracket 17 is forcibly pushed downward, and is fixed to the dash panel 1. The proximal end is bent and rotates downward. As a result, the rearward movement of the pedal portion 16 of the brake pedal 15 is suppressed.

  Therefore, even if the automobile collides with an obstacle and the engine 2 moves backward, a wide foot space is secured under the driver's feet, and a large load is applied to the driver's feet stepping on the pedal portion 16. It is prevented from joining.

  In the above embodiment, the operation pedal is the brake pedal 15, but the present invention can also be applied to a support structure for the operation pedal disposed behind the dash panel of other automobiles. For example, it can be applied to a clutch pedal or a parking brake.

  In the above-described embodiment, the pedal shaft 41 is employed as the pin-shaped contact portion. However, a pin-shaped contact portion may be separately provided on the pedal bracket 17. The contact portion is not limited to a pin shape, and the present invention can also be applied to a plate shape.

It is a perspective view which shows the compartment front part of a motor vehicle. It is a side view which shows the vehicle body front part in which the pedal support structure of the motor vehicle based on embodiment of this invention was provided. It is a perspective view which expands and shows the principal part of the embodiment. It is a side view which shows the state at the time of the vehicle non-collision of the pedal support structure of the embodiment. It is a side view which shows the state at the time of the motor vehicle collision of the pedal support structure.

Explanation of symbols

1 Dash panel 9 Instrument panel member (strength member)
15 Brake pedal (operating pedal)
16 Pedal part 17 Pedal bracket 40 Fastening mechanism 41 Pedal shaft (contact member)
51 Bracket 53 Guide member 55 Recess 56 Connection member 57 Guide surface

Claims (4)

A pedal support structure for an automobile in which an operation pedal is supported so as to swing back and forth by a pedal bracket fixed to a dash panel and protruding rearwardly,
A guide member fixed to a strength member extending in the left-right direction of the vehicle body in the instrument panel, and having a guide surface inclined so as to become lower toward the rear of the vehicle body;
The pedal bracket, which is provided on the pedal bracket and slides on the guide surface as the pedal bracket moves rearward in the event of a car collision, suppresses the pedal portion of the operation pedal from moving rearward. And a contact portion for changing the posture of the pedal bracket,
The pedal bracket has a side wall facing the left and right direction of the vehicle body, and the operation pedal is disposed between the side walls.
The guide member is formed in a channel shape having an opening on the lower side, the guide surfaces are formed on the lower surfaces of both side walls so as to form a pair on the left and right sides, and the front end portions of the both side walls are the both side walls of the pedal bracket. Inserted between
The contact portion is formed on a contact member that extends across both side walls of the pedal bracket,
Furthermore, corresponding recesses that are open toward the rear of the vehicle body and open on the left and right sides of the vehicle body are formed on both side walls of the guide member,
A connecting member is passed to both side walls of the pedal bracket on the rear side of the vehicle body relative to the portion of the pedal bracket that supports the operation pedal, and the connecting member is disposed in a recessed portion of the guide member so that the pedal bracket is rearward of the vehicle body. A pedal support structure for an automobile, wherein the guide member is engaged with the guide member so as to be disengaged rearward when moving to the vehicle. In claim 1,
A pedal support structure for an automobile, wherein front end portions of both side walls of the guide member are disposed on both sides of the operation pedal. In claim 1 or claim 2,
The contact portion of the pedal bracket is disposed so as to contact the guide surface after the engagement of the connecting member with the guide member is released along with the movement of the pedal bracket to the rear of the vehicle body at the time of a car collision. A structure for supporting a pedal of an automobile. In any one of Claims 1 to 3,
The pedal support structure of an automobile, wherein the contact member of the pedal bracket is a pedal shaft that supports the operation pedal.

Images