JP2012066708A - Pedal device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a pedal device having excellent mountability while reducing the weight and cost.SOLUTION: The pedal device 1 includes: an accelerator pedal 3 mounted on a vehicle 2 to be swingable; and a shock absorber 4 interposed between the accelerator pedal 3 and the vehicle 2. The accelerator pedal 3 includes a shaft 3a rotatably supported on the vehicle to be rotatable, an accelerator lever 3b extending from the shaft 3a, and an operation plate 3c provided at a tip 3d of the accelerator lever 3b. The shock absorber 4 is connected more toward the plate side than the shaft 3a in the accelerator pedal 3.

Description

  The present invention relates to an improvement of a pedal device.

  Conventionally, in this type of pedal device, for example, an accelerator pedal that is swingably attached to a vehicle, and a return spring that is interposed between the accelerator pedal and the vehicle and biases the accelerator pedal to a return position. Some pedal force change means for changing the depression force (stepping response) of the accelerator pedal are provided.

  The accelerator pedal includes a shaft that is rotatably supported by the vehicle, an accelerator lever that extends from the shaft, and a stepping plate provided at the tip of the accelerator lever. The pedal force changing means includes a friction member provided on the shaft of the accelerator pedal, and a friction member that can be separated from and connected to the friction member by an actuator attached to the vehicle side. When increasing the frictional force, the friction members are brought into strong contact with each other, and when decreasing, the frictional members are separated from each other or the contact surface pressure is decreased.

  In such a pedal device, hysteresis is given to the pedaling force on the accelerator pedal and the pedaling force on the return side to reduce the fatigue caused by the driver's pedal work, or according to the engine speed and vehicle speed. Thus, the pedaling force is adjusted so that the driver can easily understand changes in driving characteristics (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

  In particular, in the pedal device disclosed in Patent Document 1, the fuel consumption is very large due to the relationship between the return position of the accelerator pedal, that is, the stroke amount from the accelerator-off state and the engine speed. The stroke amount to be obtained is grasped in advance, and when the stroke amount of the accelerator pedal reaches the stroke amount at which the fuel consumption is large, the pedaling force is increased so that the driver is informed of the deterioration of fuel consumption.

JP 2005-132225 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-314871

  In the above-described conventional pedal device, a frictional force is applied so as not to rotate the shaft. Therefore, while the driver steps on the plate and the plate is displaced, The driver's pedaling force acts on the tip of the accelerator lever, and the base end that is the root of the shaft is subject to a frictional force that prevents the shaft from rotating and a moment due to the reaction force of the return spring against the depression. Therefore, when the accelerator pedal is depressed, a large bending moment acts on the accelerator lever.

  Therefore, with the conventional pedal device, the strength and rigidity of the accelerator lever must be designed to withstand the above bending moment, which increases the weight, increases costs, and increases the size of the device. There was a problem with sex.

  Therefore, the present invention has been developed to improve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a pedal device that reduces weight and cost and is excellent in mountability.

  In order to solve the above-described object, a pedal device according to the present invention includes an accelerator pedal that is swingably attached to a vehicle, and a shock absorber interposed between the accelerator pedal and the vehicle. The accelerator pedal includes a shaft rotatably supported by the vehicle, an accelerator lever extending from the shaft, and a stepping plate provided at the tip of the accelerator lever. It is connected to the side.

  According to the pedal device of the present invention, compared to the conventional pedal device in which the overall strength and rigidity of the accelerator lever must be set high, the strength and rigidity of the portion from the connection portion of the shock absorber to the shaft in the accelerator lever. Can be set low, the weight and cost of the pedal device can be reduced, and the accelerator lever can be downsized as much as the strength and rigidity of the part from the connection part of the shock absorber to the shaft can be set low. This also improves the mountability on the vehicle.

It is the schematic of the pedal apparatus in one Embodiment. It is sectional drawing of the buffer in the pedal apparatus of one Embodiment. It is the schematic of the pedal apparatus in one modification of one embodiment. It is sectional drawing of the buffer of the pedal apparatus in the other modification of one Embodiment. It is sectional drawing of the shock absorber of the pedal apparatus in another modification of one Embodiment.

  Hereinafter, a pedal device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, a pedal device 1 according to an embodiment includes an accelerator pedal 3 that is swingably attached to a vehicle 2, and a shock absorber 4 that is interposed between the accelerator pedal 3 and the vehicle 2. It is prepared for.

  Hereinafter, each part will be described in detail. The accelerator pedal 3 includes a shaft 3a, an accelerator lever 3b extending from the shaft 3a, and a plate 3c that is provided at the tip 3d of the accelerator lever 3b and is actually depressed by the driver. Is provided with a bracket 5 for rotatably supporting the shaft 3a, and between the accelerator lever 3b and the bracket 5, the accelerator pedal 3 is urged to return the plate 3c to the accelerator-off position. Is intervening.

  Therefore, the accelerator pedal 3 can swing with respect to the vehicle 2 with the shaft 3c as a rotation axis, and when the driver does not step on, the accelerator pedal 3 is shown in FIG. It is returned to the accelerator off position. That is, among the rotation directions of the accelerator pedal 3, the direction in which the accelerator pedal 3 is depressed counterclockwise in FIG. 1 is defined as the depression direction, and on the contrary, after the accelerator pedal 3 is depressed in FIG. The return direction is the direction that rotates clockwise and returns to the accelerator-off position.

  Then, for example, the position of the accelerator pedal 3 is detected by sensing the rotational position of the shaft 3a, and a control device (not shown) is provided from the obtained position of the accelerator pedal 3 to an engine (not shown) provided in the vehicle 2. The throttle opening is controlled.

  On the other hand, the shock absorber 4 is interposed between the vehicle 2 and the shaft 3a of the accelerator pedal 3 on the side of the plate 3c. Specifically, the shock absorber 4 is rotatably connected to the intermediate portion 3e of the vehicle 2 and the accelerator lever 3b. Thus, the vehicle 2 and the accelerator pedal 3 can be expanded and contracted while changing their postures according to the swing of the accelerator pedal 3.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the shock absorber 4 includes a cylinder 7, a piston 8 that is slidably inserted into the cylinder 7 and separates the two working chambers R <b> 1 and R <b> 2 into the cylinder 7, and the cylinder 7. It is set to a single rod type comprising a piston rod 9 which is movably inserted into the piston and is connected to the piston 8 at one end. The working chambers R1 and R2 are filled with a gas as a fluid. ing. The outer periphery of the piston rod 9 is tightly sealed by a seal 10 provided on the cylinder 7 to prevent the fluid from flowing out to the outside.

  Furthermore, in the case of this embodiment, in the state in which the accelerator pedal 3 is in the accelerator-off position, the piston 8 is positioned at the uppermost position that can be taken with respect to the cylinder 7 and is set to be fully extended. Therefore, the length of the telescopic shock absorber 4 is shortened as much as possible to reduce the waste of the stroke, thereby facilitating mounting in a narrow mounting space. 2 shows the shock absorber 4 in a state where the piston 8 is located in the middle of the cylinder 7 for convenience of explanation.

  The piston 8 is provided with a passage 8a that allows the working chambers R1 and R2 to communicate with each other, and the passage 8a provides resistance to the flow of gas passing therethrough. Therefore, when the piston 8 moves relative to the cylinder 7, the shock absorber 4 moves when the gas moves from the compression side working chamber R1 (R2) to the expansion side working chamber R2 (R1) via the passage 8a. A resistance is given to the flow of gas in the passage 8a to cause a predetermined pressure loss, thereby causing a difference in pressure between the working chamber R1 and the working chamber R2, thereby exhibiting a damping force that hinders the movement of the piston 8. ing.

  Specifically, the shock absorber 4 thus configured has an annular bracket 7a provided at the end of the cylinder 7 rotatably connected to a shaft 2a provided on the vehicle 2, as shown in FIG. An annular bracket 9a provided at the tip of the piston rod 9 is rotatably connected to a shaft 3f provided at the intermediate portion 3e of the accelerator lever 3b, and the expansion / contraction direction of the shock absorber 4 is made to swing the accelerator pedal 3. The direction is matched. In addition, when connecting the shock absorber 4 and the accelerator pedal 3, it may be connected to the plate 3 c in addition to the accelerator lever 3 b, or the cylinder 7 may be connected to the accelerator pedal 3 and the piston rod 9 may be connected to the vehicle 2. Good. Further, when the shock absorber 4 and the vehicle 2 and the accelerator pedal 3 are rotatably connected, the shock absorber 4 is connected so as to be able to rotate in a direction that does not hinder the movement of the accelerator pedal 3, but the bracket 7a. 9a and the shafts 2a and 3f, for example, a joint capable of connecting them while allowing rotation, such as a ball joint, a trunnion, and a clevis, can be used.

  Therefore, when the driver changes the pedaling force to depress the accelerator pedal 3 in order to change the position of the accelerator pedal 3, the shock absorber 4 exhibits a damping force according to the movement of the accelerator pedal 3. Steep movement of the accelerator pedal 3 is suppressed. Then, as the damping force generated by the shock absorber 4 that suppresses the movement of the accelerator pedal 3 is applied, the movement of the accelerator pedal 3 becomes slow, and a sudden increase / decrease in the engine speed is avoided, and the fuel in the engine is avoided. Consumption can be reduced.

  Since the shock absorber 4 is connected to the accelerator lever 3b on the plate 3c side from the shaft 3a of the accelerator pedal 3, the pedaling force acting on the plate 3b, the damping force generated by the shock absorber 4 and the return spring 6 Although the bending moment generated by the reaction force against the depression of the accelerator pedal 3 acts on the intermediate portion 3e that is the connecting portion of the shock absorber 4 from the tip 3d of the accelerator lever 3b, the intermediate portion 3e of the accelerator lever 3b and the root of the shaft 3a Since the bending moment due to the damping force generated by the shock absorber 4 does not act on the proximal end 3g, the strength and rigidity from the intermediate portion 3e to the proximal end 3g of the accelerator lever 3b are increased from the distal end 3d to the intermediate portion 3e. , Can be set lower than the rigidity.

  Therefore, compared with the conventional pedal device in which the overall strength and rigidity of the accelerator lever 3b must be set high, the strength and rigidity of the portion from the connecting portion of the shock absorber 4 to the shaft 3a in the accelerator lever 3b are set low. As a result, the weight and cost of the pedal device 1 can be reduced, and the accelerator lever 3b can be reduced in size because the strength and rigidity of the portion from the coupling portion of the shock absorber 4 to the shaft 3a in the accelerator lever 3b can be set low. Therefore, the mounting property on the vehicle 2 is also improved.

  As can be understood from the above description, the closer the connection portion of the shock absorber 4 to the accelerator pedal 3 is to the plate 3c, the longer the portion where the strength and rigidity of the accelerator lever 3b are set lower. The effect of reducing the weight and cost of the vehicle and the effect of improving the mountability to the vehicle 2 are also enhanced. If the shock absorber 4 is connected to the plate 3c, the strength and rigidity of the entire length of the accelerator lever 3b can be set low. The effect of reducing the weight and cost of the pedal device 1 and the effect of improving the mountability to the vehicle 2 are the highest.

  Further, it is the shock absorber 4 that gives the treading force that responds to the treading according to the movement of the accelerator pedal 3, and does not use a friction member that causes wear, and does not perform replacement or maintenance over a long period of time. In both cases, since the function is not impaired, maintenance opportunities and costs can be reduced.

  In this embodiment, the pressure in the working chambers R1 and R2 of the shock absorber 4 is such that the pressure in the working chambers R1 and R2 is equal to or higher than the atmospheric pressure when the accelerator pedal 3 is in the accelerator-off position. A gas is sealed in the cylinder, and the extension direction of the shock absorber 4 is made to coincide with the return direction of the accelerator pedal 3.

  As described above, in the state where the accelerator pedal 3 is in the accelerator-off position, the shock absorber 4 is operated in addition to the gas being sealed so that the pressure in the working chambers R1 and R2 is equal to or higher than the atmospheric pressure. The piston rod 9 is set only in the chamber R1 so that the piston rod 9 is inserted, and the pressure receiving area of the piston 8 that receives the pressure in the working chamber R1 and the pressure in the working chamber R2 is greater than the working chamber R2 from the working chamber R1 side. Since the side is larger, the shock absorber 4 is always applied with a force to extend. Therefore, the shock absorber 4 does not stop the return of the accelerator pedal 3 in the middle when the accelerator pedal 3 returns to the accelerator-off position.

  Furthermore, in the case of the shock absorber 4, the fluid filled in the working chambers R1 and R2 is a gas. Therefore, even if the fluid flows out of the cylinder 7 by any chance, There is no fouling. Further, by using gas, it is possible to adopt a configuration that does not require a reservoir and an air chamber that are required when the fluid is liquid, and the shock absorber 4 can be reduced in size. Improves mounting capability.

  On the other hand, the fluid used for the shock absorber 4 may be a liquid. In this case, a reservoir (not shown) that compensates for a change in the cylinder volume corresponding to the volume of the piston rod 9 protruding and retracting from the cylinder 7. An air chamber may be provided.

  Further, when the shock absorber 4 is set to a single rod type as shown in the drawing, as described above, when the accelerator pedal 3 is in the accelerator-off position, the pressure in the working chambers R1 and R2 is equal to or higher than the atmospheric pressure. Thus, by making the extension direction coincide with the return direction of the accelerator pedal 3, the shock absorber 4 always generates a thrust to be extended. Therefore, by causing the shock absorber 4 to function as the return spring 6, the return spring 6 Can be omitted. This can be realized whether the fluid used for the shock absorber 4 is a gas or a liquid.

  When the function of the return spring 6 is not concentrated on the shock absorber 4, for example, as shown in FIG. 3, the compression direction of the shock absorber 4 may be matched with the return direction of the accelerator pedal 3. In this way, when the compression direction is made to coincide with the return direction of the accelerator pedal 3, the total length of the shock absorber 4 is set by setting the shock absorber 4 to the maximum compression state when the accelerator pedal 3 is in the accelerator off position. Can be shortened, and the mounting property to the vehicle 2 is improved. Even in this case, by connecting the shock absorber 4 to the accelerator pedal 3 on the side of the plate 3c from the shaft 3a, the strength and rigidity of the accelerator lever 3b can be set low, the weight of the pedal device, The cost can be reduced and the mounting property on the vehicle 2 can be improved. Even in the case of the pedal device shown in FIG. 3, the closer the connection portion of the shock absorber 4 to the accelerator pedal 3 is to the plate 3c, the longer the portion where the strength and rigidity of the accelerator lever 3b are set lower. Therefore, the effect of reducing the weight and cost of the pedal device 1 and the effect of improving the mountability to the vehicle 2 are also enhanced.

  When the function of the return spring 6 is not integrated into the shock absorber 4, the shock absorber 4 is set to a so-called double rod type shock absorber in which the piston rod 9 is inserted into both working chambers R1 and R2. In this case, since the shock absorber 4 exerts no thrust on the expansion side or the compression side in a no-load state, it may be matched with the return direction of the accelerator pedal 3 on either the expansion side or the compression side. Here, making the extension direction of the shock absorber 4 coincide with the return direction of the accelerator pedal 3 means that when the shock absorber 4 extends, the accelerator pedal 3 moves in the return direction. This does not mean that the axis of the extension direction of the device 4 and the axis of the return direction of the accelerator pedal 3 are completely matched.

  By the way, as shown in FIG. 4, it is also possible to use the one-sided shock absorber 11 which does not exhibit a damping force with respect to rotation of the accelerator pedal 3 in the return direction, as shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 4, in the shock absorber 11, two passages 12a and 12b are provided in the piston 12, a damping valve 13 is provided at the outlet end of one passage 12a, and the opposite end is provided at the outlet end of the other passage 12b. The above-described point is that the stop valve 14 is provided, the free piston 15 is slidably inserted into the cylinder 7, the air chamber G is provided in the cylinder 7, and the fluid filled in the working chambers R1 and R2 is liquid. Different from the shock absorber 4. In addition, since the structure of the other each part in the shock absorber 11 is the same as the structure of the shock absorber 4, the description of the same structure as the shock absorber 4 is duplicated, so that the detailed description is given only with the same reference numerals. It will be omitted.

  In the shock absorber 11, the damping valve 13 sets the passage 12a to one-way allowing only the flow of liquid from the working chamber R2 toward the working chamber R1 in which the piston rod 9 is inserted. A resistance is given to the flow of the liquid passing through. On the other hand, the passage 12b is set by the check valve 14 to be one-way allowing only a liquid flow from the working chamber R1 into which the piston rod 9 is inserted to the working chamber R2, and the liquid through which the check valve 14 passes. Almost no resistance is given to the flow.

  In the case of this shock absorber 11, the air chamber G is expanded or contracted by the displacement of the free piston 15 with respect to the cylinder 7 due to the increase or decrease in the combined volume of the working chambers R 1, R 2 that occurs as the piston rod 9 moves in and out of the cylinder 7. It compensates with.

  Further, in this case, similarly to the shock absorber 4, the shock absorber 11 is interposed between the accelerator pedal 3 and the vehicle 2 such that the extension direction coincides with the return direction of the accelerator pedal 3.

  Therefore, by pressurizing the working chambers R1 and R2 with the pressure in the air chamber G, the accelerator pedal 3 can be urged in the return direction by the shock absorber 11, and even in this embodiment, The return spring 6 can be omitted.

  In addition, as liquid with which working chamber R1, R2 is filled, various liquids, such as water and aqueous solution other than oil, can be used, for example.

  The shock absorber 11 thus configured gives resistance to the flow of liquid from the working chamber R2 to the working chamber R1 by enabling only the passage 12a without opening the check valve 14 and providing resistance by the damping valve 13. The check valve 14 opens the passage 12b to allow the flow of liquid from the working chamber R1 to the working chamber R2 and allows it with almost no resistance. It is designed to show little power.

  Therefore, the response to the depression of the accelerator pedal 3 becomes heavy due to the damping force generated by the shock absorber 11, and conversely, the shock absorber 11 does not respond to the movement of the accelerator pedal 3 in the return direction. Since the damping force is not demonstrated, the tread response becomes light.

  Therefore, the pedaling force can be increased for the operation of the accelerator pedal 3 in the direction in which the fuel consumption increases, and the return of the accelerator pedal 3 is not hindered, thereby reducing the fuel consumption more effectively. be able to.

  And since it is the buffer 11 which gives the treading force which is a treading response according to the movement of the accelerator pedal 3, the friction member which causes wear is not used, and it does not carry out replacement or maintenance over a long period of time. In both cases, since the function is not impaired, the maintenance opportunity and the cost can be reduced in the same manner as the shock absorber 4 described above.

  As described above, the shock absorber 11 exhibits a damping force during the compression operation, but hardly exhibits a damping force during the extension operation. On the other hand, the shock absorber 11 exhibits a damping force during the extension operation. When it is set so that almost no damping force is exerted during operation, that is, when a configuration in which the directions of the damping valve 13 and the check valve 14 are reversed, the return direction of the accelerator pedal 3 and the compression direction of the shock absorber are set. Just match.

  When the damping valve 13 is an orifice, a damping force is generated in proportion to the square of the piston speed, so that a very large damping force is generated for the sudden compression of the shock absorber 11. On the other hand, a very small damping force is generated for the slow compression of the shock absorber 11, and the pedaling force is increased for the movement of the accelerator pedal 3 in a steep depression direction. Since the pedaling force can be reduced when moving in the slow depression direction, the driver can be informed that the fuel consumption is increasing with an increase in the pedaling force. It is possible to perceive that the accelerator pedal operation is large and correct the driver's accelerator pedal operation so that the fuel consumption is reduced.

  When the damping valve 13 is only an orifice, although depending on the orifice diameter, when there is a possibility that the damping force of the shock absorber 11 becomes excessive with respect to the sudden depression of the accelerator pedal 3, it is parallel to the orifice. And you may make it provide a relief valve. Specifically, a configuration may be adopted in which the damping valve 13 is a leaf valve that opens and closes the outlet end of the passage 12a, which is used as a relief valve, and an orifice is provided on the outer periphery of the leaf valve or the piston 12. Of course, it is possible to provide an orifice in the passage 8a of the shock absorber 4 described above.

  Furthermore, the damping valve provided in the passage may be a variable damping valve. Specifically, for example, as shown in FIG. 5, a variable damping valve 18 is provided in the middle of a passage 17 that connects the working chamber R <b> 3 and the reservoir R in the shock absorber 16.

  The shock absorber 16 is slidably inserted into the cylinder 21 and the piston 22 that separates the working chamber R3 into which the piston rod 23 is inserted and the working chamber R4 into which the piston rod 23 is not inserted. A piston rod 23 that is movably inserted into the cylinder 21 and has one end connected to the piston 22, an outer cylinder 24 that covers the outer periphery of the cylinder 21 and forms a reservoir R between the cylinder 21, and the cylinder 21 A partition member 25 that is interposed between the outer cylinder 24 and the reservoir R and the working chamber R4, is annular, closes one end of the cylinder 21 and the outer cylinder 24, and allows the piston rod 23 to slide freely. A rod guide 26 that supports the shaft, a passage 17 that is provided in the rod guide 26 and communicates between the working chamber R3 and the reservoir R, and a partition member 25. A one-way passage 27 that allows only the flow of fluid from the server R to the working chamber R4, and a one-way passage 28 that is provided in the piston 22 and allows only the flow of fluid from the working chamber R4 to the working chamber R3. Configured.

  In the shock absorber 16 configured as described above, when extending, the fluid in the working chamber R3 moves to the reservoir R through the passage 17, and the one-way passage 27 is provided in the expanding working chamber R4. When the fluid is supplied from the reservoir R through, and conversely compresses, the fluid in the working chamber R4 to be compressed prevents all of the one-way passage 27 from moving to the reservoir R, so that all of the fluid passes through the one-way passage 28. The volume of fluid that flows into the working chamber R3 and the piston rod 23 enters the cylinder 21 becomes excessive in the working chamber R3 and moves to the reservoir R through the passage 17.

  That is, in the shock absorber 16, the fluid is set to a uniflow type in which the fluid circulates in order one-way through the working chamber R3, the working chamber R4, and the reservoir R, and the flow of the fluid passing through the passage 17 can be changed during expansion and contraction. A damping force is generated by applying resistance by the damping valve 18. If the cross-sectional area of the piston rod 23 is set to one half of the cross-sectional area of the piston 22, the flow rate of the fluid passing through the passage 17 becomes equal when the shock absorber 16 is expanded and contracted. Then, the damping force generated by the shock absorber 16 can be made substantially equal on both sides of the pressure increase. Thus, like the shock absorber 16, the shock absorber can be set to a uniflow type, and the above-described shock absorbers 4 and 11 can also adopt a uniflow type configuration. It is possible to adopt a configuration in which the variable damping valve 18 is provided in the passages 8a and 12a communicating with the working chambers R1 and R2 by adopting the configuration of the containers 4 and 11. By setting the uniflow type, the moving direction of the fluid in the shock absorber 16 becomes one direction, so that the damping force generation response of the shock absorber 16 is good, and the driver does not perceive a sense of incongruity.

  The variable damping valve 18 includes, for example, a solenoid, a valve body driven by the solenoid, and a valve seat provided in the middle of the passage 17, although not shown in detail. The resistance applied to the flow of the fluid passing through the variable damping valve 18 can be adjusted by changing the flow path area or changing the valve opening pressure by acting on the body.

  The configuration of the variable damping valve 18 is arbitrary. In addition to the solenoid, the variable damping valve 18 may be driven by using a motor to drive the valve body in the manner of a feed screw mechanism. The damping valve 18 is a rotary valve, that is, a cylindrical valve body having a through-hole on the side, and a housing having a hole that accommodates the valve body and can face the through-hole of the valve body (many A hollow piston rod), and the valve body is driven by a stepping motor when the flow passage area is adjusted by the degree of overlap between the through hole of the valve hole and the hole of the housing. A drive source suitable for the structure of the valve body may be employed.

  The variable damping valve 18 is, for example, under the control of a control device (not shown), and the control device obtains the damping force that should be generated by the shock absorber 16 in response to the accelerator pedal operation. The damping force is exerted on the shock absorber 16 so as to adjust the pedaling force that is a response to the depression of the accelerator pedal 3. In addition to the operation of the accelerator pedal, the response of the accelerator pedal 3 may be adjusted based on the driving situation such as the engine speed and the vehicle speed.

  Thus, since the shock absorber 16 includes the variable damping valve 18 and can adjust the damping force, the pedaling force of the accelerator pedal 3 can be changed according to the accelerator pedal operation or according to the driving situation. When the accelerator pedal operation or the driving situation is such that the fuel consumption increases, the pedal force of the accelerator pedal 3 is increased so that the driver is informed that the fuel consumption is increased by increasing the pedal force. It is possible to make the driver perceive that the operation of the accelerator pedal consumes a large amount of fuel and correct the driver's operation of the accelerator pedal so that the amount of fuel consumption decreases. At least when the variable damping valve 18 maximizes the flow path area and the shock absorber 16 minimizes the damping force with respect to rotation of the accelerator pedal 3 in the return direction, the accelerator pedal 3 is prevented from returning. Therefore, the fuel consumption can be reduced more effectively. Furthermore, if the accelerator pedal operation or driving situation does not cause an increase in fuel consumption, the accelerator pedal operation of the driver can be reduced by reducing the depression force of the accelerator pedal 3 in both the depressing direction and the returning direction. The effect of reducing fuel consumption can be obtained without obstruction.

  Further, when the vehicle is traveling at a constant speed and the accelerator pedal 3 is maintained at a fixed position, the variable damping valve 18 reduces the flow passage area of the passage 17 so that the shock absorber 16 is not easily expanded and contracted. In addition, it is possible to reduce the force that the driver steps on in order to keep the position of the accelerator pedal 3 constant.

  Furthermore, when the variable damping valve 18 can completely close the passage 17, the force applied by the driver to keep the position of the accelerator pedal 3 constant by preventing expansion and contraction of the shock absorber 16. In the case where a detecting means for detecting theft of the vehicle is provided, when the theft is detected, the shock absorber 16 is made inextensible and the accelerator pedal 3 is locked in the accelerator-off position. It is also possible to make the pedal operation impossible to help prevent theft.

  Even when this shock absorber 16 is used, it is the shock absorber 16 that gives a stepping force as a response in response to the movement of the accelerator pedal 3, so that no friction member that causes wear is used. Since the function is not impaired even if replacement or maintenance is not performed over a long period of time, the opportunity for maintenance and the cost can be reduced as in the case of the shock absorber 4 described above.

  As described above, the damping valve is a variable damping valve to adjust the damping force of the shock absorber. However, when the fluid is an electrorheological fluid, each of the shock absorbers 4, 11, Instead of providing a variable damping valve in the 16 passages, an electric field whose size can be changed may be applied to the passages. When the fluid is a magnetorheological fluid, each of the above-described shock absorbers 4 and 11 is used. Instead of providing variable damping valves in the 16 passages, the damping force may be adjusted by applying a magnetic field whose size can be changed to the passages.

  In addition to the single rod type and double rod type, the shock absorber may be a ram type if a reservoir is provided outside the cylinder.

 This is the end of the description of each embodiment of the pedal device, but the scope of the present invention is not limited to the details shown or described.

The present invention is applicable to a pedal device.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Pedal apparatus 2 Vehicle 2a Shaft 3 Accelerator pedal 3a Shaft 3b Accelerator lever 3c Plate 3d Accelerator lever tip 3e Accelerator lever intermediate part 3f Shaft 3g Accelerator lever base end 4, 11, 16 Shock absorber 5 Bracket 6 Return spring 7, 21 Cylinder 7a, 9a Bracket 8, 12, 22 Piston 8a, 12a, 12b, 17 Passage 9, 23 Piston rod 10 Seal 13 Damping valve 14 Check valve 15 Free piston 18 Variable damping valve 24 Outer cylinder 25 Partition member 26 Rod guide 27, 28 One-way passage G Air chamber R Reservoir R1, R2, R3, R4 Working chamber

Claims (3)

In a pedal device including an accelerator pedal swingably attached to a vehicle and a shock absorber interposed between the accelerator pedal and the vehicle, the shaft on which the accelerator pedal is rotatably supported by the vehicle And an accelerator lever extending from the shaft, and a stepping plate provided at the tip of the accelerator lever, wherein the shock absorber is connected to the plate side of the accelerator pedal from the shaft. The shock absorber is connected in the middle of the accelerator lever, and the strength and rigidity on the shaft side of the connection portion of the shock lever shock absorber are set lower than the strength and rigidity on the plate side of the shock absorber connection portion. The pedal device according to claim 1. The pedal device according to claim 1, wherein the shock absorber is connected to the plate.

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