JP2006076435A - Accelerator pedal device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To miniaturize an accelerator device by simplifying its composition and secure easiness of manufacturing. <P>SOLUTION: The accelerator pedal device 10 is fixed to a car body 12 via a housing 14. An accelerator pedal arm 16 and an interlocking member 18 are integrally rotated by stepping the accelerator pedal arm 16 pivotally supported by the housing 14. Pressing force is given to a detection part 20 provided for the housing 14 by a torsion spring 22 provided between the accelerator pedal arm 16 and the interlocking member 18. The pressing force is outputted as an electric signal from the detection part 20 through a controller to a driving part so as to control the opening of a throttle valve. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a cableless accelerator pedal device employed in a vehicle, and more particularly to an accelerator pedal device having a detecting means for detecting an accelerator opening.

  Conventionally, for example, in a vehicle such as an automobile, instead of an accelerator cable connecting a throttle valve that controls the amount of intake air sucked into an internal combustion engine and an accelerator pedal, the amount of depression of the accelerator pedal is electrically A cableless accelerator pedal device is used to detect and control the opening of the throttle valve.

  In this accelerator pedal device, a rotation angle sensor is provided on a rotation shaft serving as a fulcrum of the rotation operation of the accelerator pedal, and after the amount of depression of the accelerator pedal detected by the rotation angle sensor is converted into an electric signal, a control unit is used. The amount of intake air sucked into the internal combustion engine is controlled by transmitting to the drive source and controlling the opening of the throttle valve by the drive source.

  In this case, in such an accelerator pedal device, a return spring member is provided to return the accelerator pedal to the accelerator fully closed position, and when the driver depresses the pedaling force on the accelerator pedal, the return spring The structure is such that the accelerator pedal returns to the accelerator fully closed position, which is the initial position, by the elastic force of the member (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  On the other hand, in a conventional accelerator pedal device that controls the throttle valve opening by an accelerator cable, a reaction force is generated when the accelerator pedal is depressed while resisting the resilient force of a return spring provided in the throttle valve. When the accelerator pedal is turned on / off, sliding resistance is generated by the accelerator cable. In such a cableless accelerator pedal device, a return spring member is provided in place of the return spring provided in the throttle valve to generate a reaction force when the accelerator pedal is depressed, but the accelerator pedal is turned on. -There is no sliding resistance generated by the accelerator cable when it is turned off.

  As a result, when the driver changes from a vehicle employing a conventional accelerator pedal device to a vehicle employing a cableless accelerator pedal device, the driver feels a difference in the operation of the accelerator pedal. Also in a cableless accelerator pedal device, a hysteresis generating mechanism that intentionally generates a feeling of resistance similar to the sliding resistance by such an accelerator cable is employed (for example, see Patent Document 2).

JP-A-11-343882 JP 2002-238772 A

  By the way, in the prior art which concerns on patent document 1, it is necessary to provide the rotation angle sensor for detecting the depression amount of an accelerator pedal, ie, a rotation amount, coaxially with the rotating shaft which supports the said accelerator pedal. . Therefore, there is a problem that the width dimension substantially orthogonal to the axis of the accelerator pedal in the accelerator pedal device increases and the accelerator pedal device becomes large. Specifically, the width dimension in the vicinity of the rotation axis in the accelerator pedal device increases.

  In addition, the rotation angle sensor is provided, for example, between an accelerator pedal serving as a rotating part and a body serving as a fixed part in an accelerator pedal device, but adjustment work such as alignment between the accelerator pedal and the body is required. Therefore, there is a problem that the mounting operation of the rotation angle sensor becomes complicated, leading to an increase in man-hours when manufacturing the accelerator pedal device. In particular, when a Hall element type sensor is employed as the rotation angle sensor, when the magnetic body (for example, a permanent magnet) provided on the accelerator pedal is detected by the Hall element, the magnetic body and the detection unit are used. There is a problem that the detection accuracy is deteriorated due to the positional deviation from the Hall element and the rattling in the radial direction substantially orthogonal to the rotation direction.

  Further, since the rotation angle sensor converts the depression amount of the accelerator pedal into the rotation angle (rotation amount), the rotation angle sensor needs to have a rotation stroke corresponding to the rotation amount of the accelerator pedal. For this reason, in an accelerator pedal having a large amount of rotation, there is a concern that the rotation angle sensor is increased in size and the structure thereof is complicated.

  The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-described various problems and the like, and provides an accelerator pedal device capable of simplifying the configuration and reducing the size and ensuring the ease of manufacture. For the purpose.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an accelerator pedal device that detects the amount of depression of an accelerator pedal and controls the opening of a throttle valve based on a detection signal corresponding to the amount of depression.
Body,
An accelerator pedal that is rotatably held by the body and is given a pedaling force by a driver;
A torsion spring that is provided at the center of rotation of the accelerator pedal and converts the rotational displacement of the accelerator pedal into a pressing force;
A detection unit that is provided on the body and detects a pressing force applied from the torsion spring as a pressure value;
It is characterized by providing.

  According to the present invention, the torsion spring is provided at the center of rotation of the accelerator pedal, and when the pedaling force by the driver is applied to the accelerator pedal and is displaced by rotation, the pressing force is applied from the torsion spring to the detection unit. Thus, the pressure value of the pressing force is detected. That is, the rotational displacement of the accelerator pedal is transmitted to the torsion spring, thereby being converted into a pressing force by the torsion spring and transmitted to the detection unit.

  Therefore, compared with the case where the rotation amount of the accelerator pedal is detected by the conventional rotation angle sensor, the pressing force having a magnitude corresponding to the depression amount of the accelerator pedal is applied to the detection unit by the torsion spring. The value based on can be detected with high accuracy by the detector. In addition, since the configuration of the detection unit can be simplified with respect to the conventional rotation angle sensor, the accelerator pedal device can be reduced in size, and the detection unit can be easily assembled to the body. Can be improved.

In addition, the accelerator pedal has a pedal arm to which the pedal force is applied on one end side, and a pedal arm,
An interlocking member that engages with the other end of the pedal arm and rotates and displaces integrally with the pedal arm;
A first meshing portion formed on one of the end surfaces of the pedal arm or the interlocking member, and an end surface of the interlocking member or the pedal arm facing the first meshing portion; A hysteresis generating mechanism having a second meshing portion meshing with
With
When the pedal arm is rotationally displaced, the rotational force of the pedal arm is rotated by the hysteresis generating mechanism, and the axial force along the axial direction substantially orthogonal to the rotational direction of the interlocking member. The frictional resistance may be generated by the hysteresis generating mechanism in both the stepping-in direction and the returning direction of the pedal arm.

  That is, when the driver steps on the pedal arm, the movement of the interlocking member is caused by either the turning force that rotates and displaces integrally with the pedal arm or the elastic force of the torsion spring. Axial force that displaces the pedal arm and the interlocking member away from each other by sliding displacement while the first meshing portion formed on the second meshing portion and the second meshing portion facing the first meshing portion are in contact with each other And divided. As a result, the pedal arm and / or the interlocking member are displaced in a direction away from each other and contact the body, and the pedal arm and / or the interlocking member is rotationally displaced while being in contact with the body.

  Therefore, when the driver controls the pedaling force on the pedal arm, the hysteresis generating mechanism and the torsion spring cause frictional resistance in both the stepping direction and the returning direction of the pedal arm, and the accelerator pedal and the throttle are driven by the conventional accelerator wire. Hysteresis can be generated in the same manner as the accelerator pedal device to which the valve is connected.

  Further, one end of the torsion spring may be engaged with the pedal arm or the interlocking member, and the other end of the torsion spring may be engaged with the detection unit provided on the body.

  Thereby, since the structure of the member engaged with the torsion spring can be simplified by engaging both ends of the torsion spring with the pedal arm or the interlocking member and the detection unit, respectively, the device can be downsized. In addition, since a conversion mechanism for converting the rotation amounts of the pedal arm and the interlocking member into the pressing force is unnecessary, the apparatus can be manufactured at low cost.

  Furthermore, the torsion spring is disposed substantially coaxially with the pivot center of the pedal arm that is rotatably held by the body, and the resilience of the torsion spring is applied to the accelerator pedal. It is advisable to urge in a direction to return to a non-initial position.

  As a result, as compared with the case where the rotation angle sensor is provided coaxially with the rotation shaft in the conventional accelerator pedal device, the size in the width direction of the body can be reduced, so that the rigidity of the body can be increased. The rigidity of the accelerator pedal device can be improved. Further, the size of the accelerator pedal device in the width direction does not increase, and the degree of freedom in layout can be increased by downsizing the accelerator pedal device.

  Furthermore, the detection unit includes a pressure sensor that can convert the pressure value of the pressing force into an electrical signal, and the pressure sensor is mounted in a mounting hole formed in the body and is connected to the pressure sensor. And a connection terminal portion connected to the wiring may be formed integrally with the body.

  As described above, by adopting the pressure sensor functioning as the detection unit, it is possible to control the throttle valve by suitably converting the pressing force applied from the accelerator pedal into an electric signal. Further, since the pressure sensor can be easily attached to the attachment hole of the body, the detection unit can be manufactured independently of the accelerator pedal. Therefore, for example, a detector unitized in advance can be provided after an accelerator pedal is assembled to the body.

  Further, by forming the wiring connected to the pressure sensor and the connection terminal portion connected to the wiring integrally with the body, the pressure sensor can be simply mounted on the mounting hole. Can be connected to the wiring and the connection terminal portion. Therefore, complicated work such as alignment of the pressure sensor with respect to the body and connection with wiring or the like is not required, and the ease of assembly of the accelerator pedal device can be improved.

  According to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained.

  That is, when the accelerator pedal is rotationally displaced by the driver's stepping force, the rotational displacement of the accelerator pedal is converted into a pressing force by the expansion / contraction displacement of the torsion spring, and becomes a pressure value corresponding to the depression amount of the accelerator pedal. The pressing force can be detected by the detection unit. Therefore, compared with the case where the rotation amount of the accelerator pedal is detected by a conventional rotation angle sensor, the depression amount of the accelerator pedal can be detected as a pressure value with high accuracy by the detection unit, and the configuration of the detection unit is Since it can be simplified, it is possible to reduce the size and improve the assembling performance of the accelerator pedal device.

  A preferred embodiment of an accelerator pedal device according to the present invention will be given and described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  1 and 2, reference numeral 10 indicates an accelerator pedal device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  The accelerator pedal device 10 includes a housing (body) 14 fixed to a vehicle body 12 (see FIG. 2) in a vehicle such as an automobile, and an accelerator pedal arm (pedal arm) pivotally supported with respect to the housing 14. ) 16, an interlocking member 18 that is provided in the housing 14 and rotates integrally under the rotation of the accelerator pedal arm 16, and a detection unit 20 that detects the amount of rotation of the accelerator pedal arm 16. And a torsion spring 22 that converts the amount of rotation of the accelerator pedal arm 16 into a pressing force and applies it to the detection unit 20.

  The housing 14 is formed of a resin material, and a cover member 24 (see FIG. 1) is attached to one side surface thereof. The housing 14 has a hollow shape having an opening 26 opened to one side when the cover member 24 is mounted, and is fixed to the vehicle body 12 so that the opening 26 is downward as shown in FIG. Yes. As shown in FIG. 1, a pin hole 28a is formed in the inner wall surface of the substantially central portion of the housing 14, and a pin hole 28b is similarly formed at a position facing the pin hole 28a in the cover member 24. (See FIG. 1).

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, a connector connection portion 30 to be connected to a controller 38 (see FIG. 5), which will be described later, is integrally formed on the upper portion of the housing 14. A plurality of terminals 32 provided inside each are connected to the detection unit 20 via lead wires 34, respectively. In addition, the connection part 30 and the terminal 32 function as a connection terminal part.

  A mounting hole 36 that is recessed by a predetermined depth from the inner wall surface of the housing 14 is formed in the vicinity of the connection portion 30 in the housing 14, and the detection unit 20 is provided inside the mounting hole 36. In the connection portion 30, a connector (not shown) and the lead wire 34 connected to the connector may be integrally molded with the housing 14.

  The detection unit 20 includes a pressure sensor capable of converting a pressure applied to the detection unit 20 from the outside into an electrical signal, and a pressure value detected by the pressure sensor is provided as an external detection signal from the connection unit 30. Output to the controller 38 (see FIG. 5). As the pressure sensor, for example, a strain gauge may be adopted, and the strain gauge may be attached to a load transducer and the detected pressure value may be output to the controller 38. The pressure value may be detected by a piezoelectric element such as an element.

  The accelerator pedal arm 16 is formed, for example, from a resin material in an integral shape, and is formed on a substantially circular rotor portion 40 formed on one end portion side thereof, and on the other end portion side. 1) is formed of a pedal portion 42 for applying a pedaling force, and a connecting arm 44 for connecting the rotor portion 40 and the pedal portion 42 to each other.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the rotor portion 40 is provided such that one side surface thereof is close to the inner wall surface of the cover member 24, and the rotor portion 40 has a substantially central portion on the inner wall surface side of the cover member 24. The first support shaft 46 is formed so as to protrude toward the surface. The first support shaft 46 of the rotor portion 40 is inserted into the pin hole 28 b of the cover member 24, so that the accelerator pedal arm 16 uses the first support shaft 46 as a fulcrum with respect to the cover member 24. It will be in the state hold | maintained so that rotation is possible. The first support shaft 46 is not limited to the case where the first support shaft 46 is inserted into the pin hole 28b of the cover member 24, and a convex portion (not shown) protruding from the inner wall surface of the cover member 24 toward the rotor portion 40 is provided. You may make it hold | maintain the said accelerator pedal arm 16 rotatably by inserting the said convex part in the hole part (not shown) formed in the rotor part 40. FIG.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, a second support shaft 64 is formed on the other side of the rotor portion 40 so as to protrude coaxially with the first support shaft 46. The length of the second support shaft 64 is formed to be longer than the length of the first support shaft 46.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of tooth portions (first meshing portions) 48 are formed in an annular shape around the second support shaft 64 on the other side surface side of the rotor portion 40. The six tooth portions 48 are formed so as to protrude at a predetermined interval in the circumferential direction of the other side surface of the rotor portion 40.

  Specifically, the shape of the single tooth portion 48 is formed so as to be inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the orthogonal surface 50 formed so as to be substantially orthogonal to the other side surface of the rotor portion 40. And an outer peripheral surface 54 that connects the end of the orthogonal surface 50 and the end of the inclined surface 52 and is formed substantially parallel to the other side surface. The inclined surface 52 is formed so as to be in the same direction along the circumferential direction of the rotor portion 40, and is formed to be inclined at an angle of 45 ° with respect to the other side surface of the rotor portion 40, for example.

  On the other hand, an annular first mounting groove 56 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the rotor portion 40 and is recessed by a predetermined depth in the radial inward direction. The first mounting groove 56 is formed from the end surface on the interlocking member 18 side to the cover member 24. A predetermined width is formed along the axial direction of the first support shaft 46 toward the side. A torsion spring 22 is mounted in the first mounting groove 56.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the connecting arm 44 extends so as to gradually become narrower from the outer peripheral surface 54 of the rotor portion 40, and the connecting arm 44 is connected to the housing 14. The first stopper 60 is engaged with the first stopper 60 and extends downward while slightly curving in a direction away from the mounting surface 58 of the vehicle body 12 (in the direction of arrow A2 in FIG. 2). Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the pedal portion 42 and the rotor portion 40 are connected in a straight line substantially parallel to the inner wall surface of the cover member 24.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the connecting arm 44 contacts the inner wall surface of the housing 14 when the accelerator pedal arm 16 is rotationally displaced with the first support shaft 46 and the second support shaft 64 as fulcrums. A first stopper 60 and a second stopper 62 are formed at the positions. The first stopper 60 is formed at a portion where the connecting arm 44 abuts in a fully closed state where the driver does not step on the accelerator pedal arm 16 (see FIG. 2). On the other hand, the second stopper 62 is The connecting arm 44 is formed at a position where the connecting arm 44 comes into contact with the accelerator pedal arm 16 in a fully opened state where the driver steps on the accelerator pedal arm 16 (see FIG. 4). The first stopper 60 and the second stopper 62 are formed so as to slightly protrude from the inner wall surface of the housing 14 and to face each other.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the pedal portion 42 is formed in a wide shape wider than the connection arm 44, and is provided at the lower end portion of the accelerator pedal arm 16. In this case, it is not limited to the case where the accelerator pedal arm 16 is formed from a resin material. For example, only the connecting arm 44 is formed from a metal material, and the rotor portion 40 and the pedal portion 42 are formed from a resin material. You may make it form.

  The interlocking member 18 is formed in a substantially circular shape, and is provided in a position facing the rotor portion 40 of the accelerator pedal arm 16 inside the housing 14. A through hole 18a penetrating from one side surface of the interlocking member 18 toward the other side surface is formed at a substantially central portion of the interlocking member 18 (see FIG. 3). The second support shaft 64 of the accelerator pedal arm 16 is inserted into the through hole 18a, and the second support shaft 64 is inserted into a pin hole 28a formed in the housing 14, whereby the interlocking member 18 is It will be in the state hold | maintained so that rotation with respect to the said housing 14 was possible. That is, the interlocking member 18 freely rotates with the second support shaft 64 as a fulcrum.

  Here, the second support shaft 64 is not limited to the case where the second support shaft 64 is inserted into the pin hole 28a of the housing 14, and a convex portion (not shown) protruding from the inner wall surface of the housing 14 toward the interlocking member 18 is provided. You may make it hold | maintain the said interlocking | linkage member 18 rotatably by inserting the said convex part in the through-hole 18a.

  One side surface of the interlocking member 18 is disposed at a position having a clearance 66 (see FIG. 1) spaced from the inner wall surface of the housing 14 by a predetermined distance. A plurality of (for example, six locations) engaging groove portions (second engaging portions) 68 that are recessed by a depth are formed in an annular shape around the through hole 18a, and the plurality of engaging groove portions 68 are provided in addition to the interlocking member 18. It is formed so as to be separated by a predetermined interval in the circumferential direction of the side surface. The engaging groove portions 68 are formed at positions facing the tooth portions 48 of the accelerator pedal arm 16, in other words, the number of engaging groove portions 68 formed in the interlocking member 18 and the tooth portions 48 formed in the rotor portion 40. It is formed so that the quantity is the same.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the shape of the single engaging groove portion 68 is an orthogonal surface 70 formed so as to be substantially orthogonal to the other side surface of the interlocking member 18, as in the tooth portion 48. An inner surface formed by connecting the end of the orthogonal surface 70 and the end of the inclined surface 72 substantially parallel to the other side. And a peripheral surface 74. For example, the inclined surface 72 is formed to be inclined at an angle of 45 ° with respect to the other side surface of the interlocking member 18.

  Then, the engagement groove portion 68 of the interlocking member 18 is engaged with each other by inserting the tooth portion 48 of the rotor portion 40. In this case, the side surface of the rotor portion 40 and the side surface of the interlocking member 18 are in contact with each other, and the inclined surfaces 52 and 72 and the orthogonal surfaces 50 and 70 of the tooth portion 48 and the engagement groove portion 68 are in contact with each other. Is engaged. The plurality of tooth portions 48 and the engaging groove portion 68 function as a hysteresis generating mechanism, as will be described later.

  In this case, the tooth portion 48 is not limited to the case where the rotor portion 40 and the engaging groove portion 68 are formed on the interlocking member 18, but the tooth portion 48 is formed on the interlocking member 18, and conversely, The rotor portion 40 and the interlocking member 18 may be engaged with each other by forming the groove portion 68 in the rotor portion 40, or the tooth portions 48 may be formed in the rotor portion 40 and the interlocking member 18, respectively. You may make it mesh | engage each other.

  As a result, when the accelerator pedal arm 16 is pivotally displaced with the first support shaft 46 as a fulcrum, the interlocking member 18 meshing with the accelerator pedal arm 16 is integrally displaced with the second support shaft 64 as a fulcrum.

  As shown in FIG. 1, in the present embodiment, the rotor portion 40 of the accelerator pedal arm 16 is disposed on the left side toward the cover member 24 side, and the interlocking member 18 is disposed on the right side toward the housing 14 side. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and conversely, the interlocking member 18 may be provided on the cover member 24 side, and the accelerator pedal arm 16 may be provided on the housing 14 side. Moreover, the rotor part 40 may be bifurcated and the interlocking member 18 may be engaged so as to be in between.

  On the other hand, on the outer peripheral surface of the interlocking member 18, a second mounting groove 76 that is recessed by a predetermined depth in the radial inward direction is formed. The second mounting groove 76 is formed so as to face the first mounting groove 56 formed in the accelerator pedal arm 16, and the first mounting groove 76 is directed from the end surface on the accelerator pedal arm 16 side toward the inner wall surface side of the housing 14. It is formed with a width dimension substantially equal to that of the groove 56. Further, the depth of the second mounting groove 76 is formed substantially equal to the depth of the first mounting groove 56.

  When the tooth portion 48 of the accelerator pedal arm 16 and the engaging groove portion 68 of the interlocking member 18 are engaged with each other, the first mounting groove 56 and the second mounting groove 76 are adjacent to each other. 2 The torsion spring 22 is mounted so as to straddle the mounting groove 76. That is, the first mounting groove 56 and the second mounting groove 76 function as a single spring mounting groove.

  The torsion spring 22 has a cylindrically wound portion mounted in the first and second mounting grooves 56 and 76, and an engagement end 22a serving as one end of the wound portion has a first portion. It arrange | positions so that it may become the attachment groove | channel 56 side, and is extended in the shape of a straight line in the radial direction. The engagement end 22 a of the torsion spring 22 is engaged with a guide member 80 mounted in the mounting hole 36 of the housing 14.

  On the other hand, the locking end 22b which is the other end portion of the torsion spring 22 is disposed so as to be on the second mounting groove 76 side, and the locking end 22b is bent toward the side wall side of the second mounting groove 76. Thus, the interlocking member 18 is locked to a locking portion 78 protruding from the outer peripheral surface. The locking portion 78 is formed with a locking wall 78a substantially orthogonal to the outer peripheral surface of the interlocking member 18, and the locking end 22b comes into contact with the locking wall 78a, so that the locking portion 78 moves in the circumferential direction of the torsion spring 22. Displacement is regulated. That is, the torsion spring 22 is biased by a force that is rotationally displaced clockwise (in the direction of the arrow A2) in FIGS. Therefore, by restricting the locking end 22b, which is the other end of the torsion spring 22, by the locking portion 78, the displacement of the torsion spring 22 in the circumferential direction can be controlled.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the engagement end 22 a and the locking end 22 b of the torsion spring 22 are formed at positions that are symmetrical with respect to the center of the torsion spring 22. 22 is formed so as to extend toward the upper side of the housing 14 facing the guide member 80, and on the contrary, the locking end 22 b of the torsion spring 22 is located on the lower side of the housing 14. Is formed.

  The guide member 80 provided in the mounting hole 36 is provided in a substantially planar shape so that one end surface thereof is in contact with the detection unit 20, and a protruding portion 82 protruding toward the interlocking member 18 side is formed on the other end surface side. Has been. In the projecting portion 82, a guide groove 84 is formed in a straight line in a vertical direction substantially parallel to the axis of the accelerator pedal arm 16, and is recessed by a predetermined depth toward the detecting portion 20 side. The engagement end 22 a of the torsion spring 22 is engaged through the guide groove 84.

  Further, as described above, instead of providing the guide member 80 and the detection unit 20 with which the engagement end 22a of the torsion spring 22 is engaged on the upper side of the housing 14, the inside of the housing 14 in which the second stopper 62 is formed. A guide member 80 and a detection unit 20 may be provided on the wall surface, and the engagement end 22a of the torsion spring 22 may be engaged.

  That is, the torsion spring 22 is engaged with the guide groove 84 of the guide member 80 mounted at the mounting hole 36 of the housing 14 at the engaging end 22a serving as one end, and the locking end 22b serving as the other end is interlocked. Locked to the locking portion 78 of the member 18. Therefore, when the accelerator pedal arm 16 and the interlocking member 18 are rotationally displaced, the displacement of the engagement end 22a of the torsion spring 22 in the width direction of the housing 14 is regulated by the guide member 80.

  Thus, since the detection unit 20 is sandwiched between the inner wall surface of the mounting hole 36 and the guide member 80, the accelerator pedal arm 16 and the interlocking member 18 are integrally rotated and displaced. By being pressed by the engagement end 22 a of the torsion spring 22, a pressing force from the torsion spring 22 is applied to the detection unit 20 through the guide member 80.

  The accelerator pedal device 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention is basically configured as described above. Next, the operation and effects thereof will be described. The case where the accelerator is fully closed when the driver does not step on the pedal portion 42 of the accelerator pedal arm 16 will be described as an initial state (see FIG. 2).

  First, when increasing the opening (accelerator opening) of the throttle valve 86 (see FIG. 5) in order to accelerate the vehicle, a driver (not shown) attaches the pedal portion 42 of the accelerator pedal arm 16 to the vehicle body 12. By stepping toward the surface 58 side, the accelerator pedal arm 16 is rotationally displaced counterclockwise in FIG. 2 (arrow A1 direction) with the first support shaft 46 and the second support shaft 64 as fulcrums. Along with this, the interlocking member 18 meshed with the rotor portion 40 of the accelerator pedal arm 16 is rotationally displaced counterclockwise (arrow A1 direction) around the second support shaft 64 in the same manner as the accelerator pedal arm 16.

  At that time, since the interlocking member 18 is always urged in the direction of the arrow A2 by the torsion spring 22 disposed in the first and second mounting grooves 56 and 76 of the accelerator pedal arm 16 and the interlocking member 18, the interlocking member 18, the inclined surface 72 of the engaging groove portion 68 slides along the inclined surface 52 of the tooth portion 48 of the rotor portion 40 by the elastic force of the torsion spring 22. As a result, the interlocking member 18 is displaced along the axial direction of the second support shaft 64 in a direction away from the rotor portion 40 (in the direction of arrow B1 in FIG. 1). In other words, the rotational driving force of the rotor unit 40 is divided into a rotational force in the rotational direction and an axial force in the axial direction (arrow B1, B2 direction) of the first support shaft 46 and the second support shaft 64. Become a component.

  Thereby, the side surface of the interlocking member 18 is gradually displaced along the axial direction (arrow B1 direction) of the second support shaft 64 by the amount of the clearance 66. Finally, the side surface of the interlocking member 18 is moved to the housing 14. It will be in the state contact | abutted to the inner wall surface. Therefore, after that, the side surface of the interlocking member 18 is rotationally displaced while being in contact with the inner wall surface of the housing 14. As a result, a sliding resistance (friction) is generated between the interlocking member 18 and the inner wall surface of the housing 14, and operation is performed as in the conventional accelerator pedal device in which the accelerator pedal and the throttle valve are connected by the accelerator wire. A person can experience a feeling of sliding resistance of the accelerator wire during pedal operation in a pseudo manner. In this case, in order to obtain a desired sliding resistance between the housing 14 and the interlocking member 18, the material, surface treatment, surface texture, contact area, and the interlocking member 18 of the housing 14 and the interlocking member 18 are obtained. It is preferable to set a pressing load on the housing 14 due to the above.

  As described above, the sliding surface that generates the sliding resistance when the accelerator pedal arm 16 is rotationally displaced is limited to the case where the side surface of the interlocking member 18 and the inner wall surface of the housing 14 are configured. It may be configured by the side surface of the rotor portion 40 in the accelerator pedal arm 16 and the inner wall surface of the cover member 24, or the rotor portion 40 of the accelerator pedal arm 16 and the interlocking member 18. Each may be provided.

  Then, when the interlocking member 18 is rotationally displaced in the direction of the arrow A1, the guide member 80 is pressed by the engaging end 22a of the torsion spring 22 that is locked to the interlocking member 18, and the guide member is pressed by the pressing force. 80 is pressed with a predetermined pressure toward the detection unit 20 side. As a result, the detection unit 20 constituted by a pressure sensor converts the pressing force from the guide member 80 into an electric signal and detects it, and the detection signal is transmitted from the terminal 32 of the connection unit 30 through the lead wire 34 to the controller 38 ( (See FIG. 5). At this time, the driver depresses the accelerator pedal arm 16 against the resilience of the torsion spring 22 and is therefore urged by the return spring provided in the slot valve in the conventional accelerator pedal device. A reaction force substantially similar to the reaction force can be experienced.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 5, after the arithmetic processing based on the detection signal is performed in the controller 38, the drive unit 88 (for example, a stepping motor) is rotated by a predetermined amount by the output signal from the controller 38. By driving, the opening degree of a throttle valve 86 connected to a drive shaft (not shown) of the drive unit 88 is controlled, and the amount of intake air taken into the cylinder chamber of the engine through the throttle valve 86 is controlled. The

  Conversely, when the opening of the throttle valve 86 is decreased by loosening the pedal portion 42 by the driver, the accelerator pedal arm 16 and the interlocking member are reduced by loosening the depression force on the accelerator pedal arm 16. 18 is pressed in a direction (arrow C2 direction) away from the detection unit 20 by the resilient force of the torsion spring 22, and the accelerator pedal arm 16 and the interlocking member 18 rotate in a direction away from the vehicle body 12 (arrow A2 direction). Displace.

  At that time, the pressing force applied to the detection unit 20 from the torsion spring 22 via the guide member 80 gradually decreases, and accordingly, the pressure value detected by the detection unit 20 decreases. The pressure value is output as an electric signal to the controller 38 through the connection unit 30 and then transmitted to the driving unit 88. The opening of the throttle valve 86 is driven by the driving unit 88 in accordance with the pressure value. It is controlled so as to decrease downward. As a result, the amount of intake air taken into the cylinder chamber of the engine through the throttle valve 86 is controlled.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the accelerator pedal arm 16 and the interlocking member 18 are integrally engaged, and the torsion spring 22 is provided so as to straddle the outer peripheral surface of the accelerator pedal arm 16 and the interlocking member 18. An engagement end 22 a serving as one end of the torsion spring 22 is engaged with a guide member 80 provided on the housing 14, and a locking end 22 b serving as the other end is locked to the interlocking member 18. Thereby, the depression amount of the accelerator pedal arm 16 can be directly detected by the detection unit 20 through the guide member 80 as a pressing force by the torsion spring 22. That is, compared with the case where the rotation amount of the accelerator pedal is detected by a conventional rotation angle sensor, the depression amount with respect to the accelerator pedal arm 16 can be detected with high accuracy as the pressure value by the detection unit 20 such as a pressure sensor. At the same time, the detector 20 can be easily assembled to the accelerator pedal device 10.

  Further, since the torsion spring 22 has a function of supplying a pressure value corresponding to the depression amount of the accelerator pedal arm 16 to the detection unit 20, the depression amount can be reliably and substantially simultaneously with the depression operation of the driver. It can be easily detected.

  Further, the detection unit 20 is provided inside the housing 14 which is the rotational direction of the accelerator pedal arm 16 and the interlocking member 18 as compared with the case where the rotation angle sensor is provided coaxially with the rotation axis of the conventional accelerator pedal device. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the size in the width direction of the accelerator pedal device 10. Therefore, the degree of freedom in the layout of the accelerator pedal arm 16 and the interlocking member 18 in the accelerator pedal device 10 can be increased.

  Furthermore, since the dimension of the housing 14 in the width direction can be reduced, the rigidity of the housing 14 can be increased, and the rigidity of the accelerator pedal device 10 as a whole can be increased.

  Furthermore, the torsion spring 22 can increase or decrease the pressing force to the detection unit 20 according to the depression amount of the accelerator pedal arm 16, and separate from the function of increasing or decreasing the pressing force to the detection unit 20. In addition, it has a function of generating a reaction force (friction) when a driver (not shown) depresses the accelerator pedal arm 16. Therefore, a sense of incongruity does not occur as compared with the conventional accelerator pedal device.

  The torsion spring 22 functions as a pressure transducer that transmits the rotational displacement of the accelerator pedal arm and the interlocking member 18 to the detection unit 20 as a pressing force, and a function that generates a reaction force when the accelerator pedal arm 16 is depressed. And the three functions of returning the accelerator pedal arm 16 to the initial position when the pedaling force on the accelerator pedal arm 16 is relaxed. Therefore, the configuration of the accelerator pedal device 10 can be simplified, and accordingly, the accelerator pedal device 10 can be downsized.

  Further, since the detection unit 20 can detect the pressing force based on the expansion and contraction displacement of the torsion spring 22 in the circumferential direction, the detection unit 20 has a movable part required for the conventional rotation angle sensor. It becomes unnecessary and the detection unit 20 can be downsized.

  Furthermore, in the accelerator pedal device 10, the accelerator pedal arm 16 and the interlocking member 18 and the detection unit 20 such as a pressure sensor attached to the attachment hole 36 of the housing 14 can be manufactured separately and independently. . Therefore, the detection unit 20 can be manufactured as a single unit in advance, and the detection unit 20 can be easily mounted in the mounting hole 36 of the housing 14. In addition, after the accelerator pedal arm 16 and the interlocking member 18 are disposed in the housing 14, the detection unit 20 may be disposed in the housing 14.

  For this reason, there is no rattling of the rotation shaft generated by the rotation angle sensor of the conventional accelerator pedal device, and the relative positioning between the accelerator pedal arm 16 and the detection unit 20 becomes unnecessary, and the accelerator pedal device 10 Assembling workability can be improved. In other words, the detection unit 20 is performed by a conventional accelerator pedal device by mounting the detection unit 20 in the mounting hole 36 of the housing 14 so as to be connected to the lead wire 34 connected to the terminal 32 of the connection unit 30. A complicated positioning operation of the rotation angle sensor is not required.

  Further, as compared with a rotation angle sensor employed in a conventional accelerator pedal device, the detection unit 20 such as a pressure sensor has an advantage that it has excellent durability because it has no movable part. On the other hand, even when a non-contact rotation angle sensor using a Hall element or the like is employed, there is an advantage that the accuracy and durability are excellent because there are no movable parts.

  More specifically, in a non-contact type rotational angle sensor using a Hall element or the like, a detection unit (movable part) on a magnetic body (for example, a permanent magnet) side as a detection device and a Hall element side including a Hall element ( The detection part of a fixed part) is needed. For this reason, there is a complication that it is necessary to accurately align the detected portion and the detecting portion. However, the detecting portion 20 in the accelerator pedal device 10 according to the present invention includes a detected portion such as a movable magnetic body. There is no need to provide it, and the complicated operation of aligning the detected portion and the detecting portion is not necessary.

1 is a partial front sectional view of an accelerator pedal device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional side view of the accelerator pedal device of FIG. 1. It is a disassembled perspective view of the accelerator pedal arm of FIG. 2, an interlocking member, and a torsion spring. FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional side view showing a state where the pedal is depressed toward the vehicle body side and the accelerator is fully opened in the accelerator pedal device of FIG. 2. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the transmission system of the signal until the depression amount of the accelerator pedal arm detected by the accelerator pedal apparatus of FIG. 1 is transmitted to a throttle valve as a detection signal.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Accelerator pedal apparatus 12 ... Vehicle body 14 ... Housing 16 ... Accelerator pedal arm 18 ... Interlocking member 20 ... Detection part 22 ... Torsion spring 22a ... Engagement end 22b ... Locking end 24 ... Cover member 28a, 28b ... Pin hole 30 ... Connection part 38 ... Controller 40 ... Rotor part 42 ... Pedal part 44 ... Connection arm 46 ... First support shaft 48 ... Tooth part 56 ... First mounting groove 58 ... Mounting surface 60 ... First stopper 62 ... Second stopper 64 ... Second 2 support shaft 68 ... engaging groove 76 ... second mounting groove 80 ... guide member 84 ... guide groove 86 ... throttle valve 88 ... drive part

Claims (5)

In the accelerator pedal device that detects the depression amount of the accelerator pedal and controls the opening degree of the throttle valve based on the detection signal corresponding to the depression amount,
Body,
An accelerator pedal that is rotatably held by the body and is given a pedaling force by a driver;
A torsion spring that is provided at the center of rotation of the accelerator pedal and converts the rotational displacement of the accelerator pedal into a pressing force;
A detection unit that is provided on the body and detects a pressing force applied from the torsion spring as a pressure value;
An accelerator pedal device comprising: The accelerator pedal device according to claim 1,
The accelerator pedal has a pedal arm on one end side to which the pedal force is applied;
An interlocking member that engages with the other end of the pedal arm and rotates and displaces integrally with the pedal arm;
A first meshing portion formed on one of the end surfaces of the pedal arm or the interlocking member, and an end surface of the interlocking member or the pedal arm facing the first meshing portion; A hysteresis generating mechanism having a second meshing portion meshing with
With
When the pedal arm is rotationally displaced, the rotational force of the pedal arm is rotated by the hysteresis generating mechanism, and the axial force along the axial direction substantially orthogonal to the rotational direction of the interlocking member. The accelerator pedal device is characterized in that a frictional resistance is generated by the hysteresis generating mechanism in both the step-down direction and the return direction of the pedal arm. The accelerator pedal device according to claim 2,
One end of the torsion spring is engaged with the pedal arm or the interlocking member, and the other end of the torsion spring is engaged with the detection unit provided on the body. Accelerator pedal device. The accelerator pedal device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The torsion spring is disposed substantially coaxially with a pivot center of a pedal arm that is rotatably held by the body, and the resilient force of the torsion spring is applied to the accelerator pedal and the pedaling force is applied. The accelerator pedal device is biased in a direction to return to a non-initial position. The accelerator pedal device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The detection unit includes a pressure sensor capable of converting the pressure value of the pressing force into an electric signal, and the pressure sensor is mounted in a mounting hole formed in the body and connected to the pressure sensor. An accelerator pedal device, wherein a wiring and a connection terminal portion connected to the wiring are formed integrally with the body.

Images