JP2024099311A - Pedal device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve rigidity of a pedal device when being operated.

SOLUTION: A brake pedal device 10 includes: a pedal bracket 18 which is fixed to a floor panel 16 of a vehicle; a brake pedal 12 which is rotationally fitted to the pedal bracket 18; and a master cylinder 14 which is fitted to the pedal bracket 18 and is coupled to the brake pedal 12 to generate a liquid pressure according to the rotation of the brake pedal 12. The floor panel 16 has higher rigidity than a dash panel 20, and pedal rigidity is improved by fixing the pedal bracket 18 to the floor panel 16 with high rigidity.

SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

COPYRIGHT: (C)2024,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to a pedal device for operating a vehicle, and in particular to a pedal device in which pedal operation is transmitted to a device to be operated via hydraulic pressure.

Vehicles are equipped with a pedal device that allows the driver to operate devices installed in the vehicle. Typically, the pedal device is an accelerator pedal for adjusting the output of the prime mover, and a brake pedal for slowing down the vehicle. Furthermore, vehicles equipped with a manual transmission are equipped with a clutch pedal for connecting and disconnecting the prime mover, particularly the engine, to the transmission. Many brakes and clutches generate hydraulic pressure when the pedal is operated, and the pedal operation is transmitted and controlled by the hydraulic pressure. These pedal devices are equipped with a master cylinder that converts the pedal operation into hydraulic pressure.

The following Patent Document 1 shows a brake pedal device. A brake pedal (2) is attached to a dash panel (1) via a pedal bracket (5). A brake booster (4) equipped with a master cylinder is also attached to the dash panel (1). Note that the reference characters in parentheses above are the reference characters used in the following Patent Document 1, and are not related to the reference characters used in the description of the embodiments of the present application.

JP 2017-182187 A

The dash panel is a panel that separates the passenger compartment from the engine compartment, and is not a major component that bears the load on the vehicle body. For this reason, dash panels are not required to have high rigidity, and in fact dash panels are made of relatively thin steel plates. When a pedal device is attached to such a dash panel, the dash panel tends to deform when subjected to the force generated by operating the pedal, resulting in a decrease in pedal rigidity.

The present invention aims to increase the support rigidity of the pedal device against pedal operation.

The pedal device of the present invention includes a pedal bracket fixed to a floor panel of a vehicle, a pedal rotatably attached to the pedal bracket, and a master cylinder attached to the pedal bracket and connected to the pedal to generate hydraulic pressure according to the rotation of the pedal.

By fixing the pedal bracket, to which the pedal and master cylinder are attached, to a floor panel that is more rigid than the dash panel, the support rigidity of the pedal device can be increased.

In the pedal device described above, both ends of the range of movement of the connection point between the pedal and the master cylinder can be positioned on opposite sides of a line that is perpendicular to the central axis of the master cylinder and passes through the center of rotation of the pedal, and the pedal pad on which the driver applies a pedal force can be positioned forward of the line connecting the center of rotation of the pedal and the connection point between the pedal and the master cylinder. By reducing the swing angle of the push rod of the master cylinder and positioning the pedal pad further forward, the space under the driver's feet can be effectively utilized.

In the pedal device described above, the pedal bracket may have multiple mounting positions for rotatably mounting the pedal, and the master cylinder may have a rod length adjustment section for adjusting the length of the rod connected to the pedal.

In the pedal device described above, the pedal has a pedal pad on which the driver applies a pedal force, and the pedal pad can be provided with an anti-slip structure in which the cross section along the front-to-rear direction has a sawtooth shape with a gentle slope at the front and a steep slope at the rear, on the tread surface. This makes it difficult for the driver's foot to move forward relative to the pedal pad, but easy to move backward. The driver can smoothly operate the pedal when depressing it while keeping the foot on the pedal pad.

In the above pedal device, the pedal has a pedal pad on which the driver applies a pedal force and is disposed in front of the pedal, and the pedal device may further include a foot support cover that supports the driver's foot on the pedal pad by contacting the toe of the driver on the pedal pad.

In the pedal device, the pedal bracket to which the pedal and master cylinder are attached is fixed to a highly rigid floor panel, thereby increasing the support rigidity of the pedal device and improving pedal operability.

1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a brake pedal device according to an embodiment of the present invention; 1 is a side view showing a schematic configuration of a brake pedal device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the movement of a connection point between the brake pedal and the master cylinder during a brake operation. FIG. FIG. 2 is a side view showing the brake pedal device when the brake pedal is fully depressed. 10A and 10B are explanatory diagrams relating to adjustment of the inclination angle of a pedal pad of a brake pedal. FIG. 4 is a side view showing details of the pedal pad.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, unless otherwise specified, terms expressing relative positions and orientations such as front, back, left, right, up, down, etc., express relative positions and orientations with respect to the vehicle. In each drawing, the arrow FR points forward, the arrow UP points upward, and the arrow LH points leftward.

Figures 1 and 2 are schematic diagrams of a brake pedal device 10, with Figure 1 being a perspective view and Figure 2 being a side view. The brake pedal device 10 includes a brake pedal 12 that is operated by the driver's foot, and a master cylinder 14 that generates hydraulic pressure in response to the movement of the brake pedal 12. The brake pedal device 10 includes a pedal bracket 18 that is disposed on the upper surface of a floor panel 16 that forms the floor of the vehicle and is fixed to the floor panel 16. The brake pedal 12 is rotatably attached to the pedal bracket 18, and the master cylinder 14 is fixedly attached to the pedal bracket 18. A dash panel 20 is located at the front edge of the floor panel 16, separating the passenger compartment from a motor compartment that houses a motor such as an engine.

The pedal bracket 18 has two plate portions arranged in a roughly L-shape, one of which is arranged parallel to the floor panel 16 and the other plate portion is erected on the front edge of the first plate portion. The plate portion arranged parallel to the floor panel 16 is arranged horizontally, and this plate portion is referred to as the horizontal plate portion 22. The plate portion erected on the front edge of the horizontal plate portion 22 may be arranged vertically, for example, and is hereinafter referred to as the vertical plate portion 24. The horizontal plate portion 22 is fixed to the floor panel 16 by a nut 26 welded to the floor panel 16 and a bolt 28 screwed into the nut 26.

Two support plates 30 are erected on the horizontal plate portion 22 of the pedal bracket 18, facing each other in the left-right direction. The brake pedal 12 is supported by the support plates 30 so as to be rotatable. More specifically, the lower end of the pedal arm 32 of the brake pedal 12 is located between the two support plates 30, and a support shaft 34 spanning the two support plates 30 penetrates the lower end of the pedal arm 32 sandwiched between the support plates 30. This allows the brake pedal 12 to be rotatably supported by the support plates 30. The support shaft 34 may be composed of a cylindrical sleeve 36 arranged between the two support plates 30, and a bolt 40 that penetrates the sleeve 36 and an elongated hole 38 provided in the two support plates 30. The support shaft 34 is fixed to the support plate 30 by the bolt 40 and a nut 42 that is screwed to the bolt 40. A pedal pad 44 to which the driver applies a pedal force is fixed to the upper end of the pedal arm 32.

The master cylinder 14 is fixed to the surface of the vertical plate portion 24 opposite to the brake pedal 12. More specifically, the flange (not shown) of the cylinder body 46 of the master cylinder 14 is fixed to the vertical plate portion 24 by screwing it to a bolt 48 that passes through the vertical plate portion 24. The master cylinder 14 is arranged horizontally with its central axis along the front-rear direction. Therefore, the sliding direction of the piston that slides inside the cylinder body 46 also follows the front-rear direction. An opening 50 is formed in the vertical plate portion 24, and a push rod 52 extends from the cylinder body 46 to the pedal arm 32 through this opening 50. The push rod 52 has a rod-shaped rod body 53 and a clevis 54 that is screwed to the end of the rod body 53. The pedal arm 32 is located between the bifurcated portion of the clevis 54. The master cylinder 14 and the brake pedal 12 are connected by a connecting pin 56 that passes through the clevis 54 and the pedal arm 32.

A stop plate 58 inclined forward is provided on the upper edge of the vertical plate portion 24. The stop plate 58 is inclined so as to receive the pedal arm 32 of the brake pedal 12 when it is depressed, that is, so that the surface that abuts against the pedal arm 32 comes into surface contact with the pedal arm 32. A flexible stop pad 60 made of resin, rubber, or the like may be disposed at the position of the stop plate 58 where the pedal arm 32 comes into contact.

The brake pedal device 10 further includes a foot support cover 62 that supports the foot of the driver who operates the brake pedal 12 on the pedal pad 44. The foot support cover 62 has a base portion 64 that is placed on the floor panel 16 and is fixed to the floor panel 16 by the bolt 28 together with the pedal bracket 18. The foot support cover 62 also has a foot support portion 66 that extends substantially upward from the front end of the base portion 64 and is formed in a substantially arc-shaped shape so as to follow the path of the driver's toes when the driver operates the brake pedal 12. When the driver's foot placed on the pedal pad 44 tries to move forward along the pedal pad 44, the toes come into contact with the foot support portion 66, thereby preventing the foot from moving further. In this way, the foot support portion 66 helps to support the driver's foot on the pedal pad 44. The foot support cover 62 further has a flat guide portion 68 that extends upward from the upper end of the foot support portion 66. The guide portion 68 extends upward so as to be positioned radially outward of the arc portion that is a virtual extension of the arc shape of the foot support portion 66. When the driver places his/her foot on the pedal pad 44, the guide portion 68 guides the foot so that the toes are positioned inside the foot support portion 66. Instead of being fixed to the floor panel 16, the foot support cover 62 may be fixed to another part of the foot space, for example, an undercover of the instrument panel.

The pedal bracket 18 may be made of steel plate, and may be formed by press molding a single steel plate. The foot support cover 62 may be made of steel plate, and may also be made of resin.

The dash panel 20 is a partition that separates the passenger compartment from the engine compartment, and is a member that does not require high rigidity. On the other hand, the floor panel 16 needs rigidity to support the weight of the passenger. The brake pedal device 10 is fixed to the highly rigid floor panel 16, and the pedal rigidity can be increased compared to when it is fixed to the dash panel 20. The master cylinder 14 is located behind the dash panel 20, that is, inside the passenger compartment. This reduces the amount of rearward movement of the brake pedal device 10 during a frontal collision compared to when the master cylinder 14 is located in the engine compartment.

As shown in FIG. 2, the pedal pad 44 of the brake pedal 12 is located forward of the straight line m that connects the center of rotation of the brake pedal 12 and the connection point between the brake pedal 12 and the master cylinder 14. To achieve this, the pedal arm 32 is curved so that it is convex toward the rear.

3 is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the rotation center O of the brake pedal 12 and the connection point C between the brake pedal 12 and the master cylinder 14, particularly the push rod 52. FIG. 3 also shows the movement of the push rod 52 when the brake pedal 12 is operated, and shows the movement of the end point M of the push rod 52 on the cylinder body 46 side along with the movement of the connection point C. The end point M of the push rod 52 is the connection point between the push rod 52 and the piston (not shown) of the master cylinder 14. The central axis s of the master cylinder 14 extends horizontally along the front-rear direction. The end point M of the piston and the push rod 52 move along this central axis s. The straight line n shown in the figure is a straight line that is perpendicular to the central axis s of the master cylinder 14 and passes through the rotation center O of the brake pedal.

The position of connection point C when the brake is off, that is, when the driver is not depressing the brake pedal 12, is indicated by point C1. The position of end point M of the push rod 52 at this time is indicated by point M1. The positions of connection point C and end point M when the brake pedal 12 is fully depressed are indicated by points C2 and M2. The positions of connection point C and end point M on line n are indicated by points C3 and M3. Connection point C moves between points C1 and C2, and points C1 and C2 are the end points of the movement range of connection point C.

When the connection point C1 when the brake is off and the connection point C2 when the brake pedal 12 is fully depressed are arranged on opposite sides of the line n, the swing angle of the push rod 52 is suppressed. When both the connection points C1 and C2 are on one side of the line n, the connection point C moves in the direction along the line n in the range from point C1 to point C2 as the brake pedal 12 rotates. On the other hand, when the connection points C1 and C2 are on opposite sides of the line n, the connection point C moves in the range from point C1 to point C3 or from point C2 to point C3. In other words, when the stroke of the master cylinder 14 is the same, the movement of the connection point C in the direction along the line n is smaller when the connection points C1 and C2 are on opposite sides of the line n, and therefore the swing angle of the push rod 52 is also smaller. It is desirable to arrange the connection points C1 and C2 on opposite sides of the line n. In addition, by adopting a curved shape that is convex toward the rear for the pedal arm 32 as described above, the above-mentioned relationship between the connection points C1-C3 can be realized and the pedal pad 44 can be positioned further forward. In this brake pedal device 10, the master cylinder 14 is positioned rearward of the dash panel 20, and the entire device is positioned further rearward than if the master cylinder were positioned on the engine compartment side of the dash panel 20. By making the pedal arm 32 a curved shape that is convex toward the rear, the pedal pad 44 can be brought closer to the dash panel 20, making effective use of the space under the driver's feet.

Figure 4 shows the state in which the brake pedal 12 is fully depressed. At this time, the pedal arm 32 abuts against the stop plate 58 of the pedal bracket 18, particularly the stop pad 60 (see Figure 1). The force applied to the brake pedal 12 is received by the stop plate 58. In the absence of the stop plate 58, the force applied to the brake pedal 12 acts on the vertical plate portion 24 of the pedal bracket 18 at the position where the master cylinder 14 is fixed, via the master cylinder 14. Therefore, by receiving the brake pedal 12 on the stop plate 58 when the brake pedal 12 is fully depressed, the point of application of the force can be located farther from the rotation center O of the brake pedal 12 than when the force is received by the master cylinder 14. In addition, the direction in which the force acts on the vertical plate portion 24 is perpendicular to the plane of the vertical plate portion 24 when the force acts through the master cylinder 14, whereas the direction is closer to the in-plane direction of the vertical plate portion 24 when the force acts through the stop plate 58. For this reason, when the brake pedal 12 is supported by the stop plate 58, the bending moment acting on the vertical plate portion 24 can be reduced. For this reason, by supporting the brake pedal 12 by the stop plate 58 when the brake pedal 12 is fully depressed, the rigidity required for the pedal bracket 18 can be reduced.

Figure 5 is a diagram for explaining the adjustment of the inclination of the pedal pad 44. The position of the support shaft 34 that rotatably supports the brake pedal 12 can be adjusted along the long hole 38 formed in the support plate 30 of the pedal bracket 18. In particular, in this brake pedal device 10, the attachment positions 70A, 70B, and 70C of the support shaft 34 are formed at three locations of the long hole 38. At the attachment positions 70A-C, the long hole 38 has an inner diameter that matches the diameter of the portion of the support shaft 34 that corresponds to the long hole 38. The width of the other portion of the long hole 38 is narrower than the diameter of the support shaft 34. Therefore, the support shaft 34 is positioned only at the attachment positions 70A-C. The support shaft 34 is attached and fixed at any of the three attachment positions 70A-C. The attachment positions of the support shaft 34 may be two or more than three. Also, the width of the long hole may be constant so that the attachment position of the support shaft 34 can be continuously adjusted.

The push rod 52 has a rod body 53 with a male thread formed on its end, and a clevis 54 with a female thread that screws into the male thread. A double nut is formed by the clevis 54 and a nut that screws into the male thread of the rod body 53, and the relative positions of the rod body 53 and the clevis 54 are fixed by the action of the double nut. The overall length of the push rod 52 can be adjusted by adjusting the fixed position of the clevis 54 relative to the rod body 53. The male thread of the rod body 53 and the female thread and nut of the clevis that screws into the male thread form a rod length adjustment section that adjusts the length of the push rod 52.

By adjusting the mounting position of the support shaft 34, which determines the rotation center O of the brake pedal 12, and by adjusting the length of the push rod 52, the inclination of the pedal pad 44 can be changed without changing its position in the fore-aft direction.

Figure 5 shows the attitude of the brake pedal 12 when the brake is off. The left figure shows a state in which the inclination θ of the pedal pad 44 is large (θ1), and the right figure shows a state in which the inclination is small (θ2 < θ1). The horizontal distance L from the forward-most mounting position 70A to the center position of the pedal pad 44 is equal in both figures. In the left figure, the support shaft 34 is positioned at the forward-most mounting position 70A, and the length of the push rod 52 is shortened. In the right figure, the support shaft 34 is positioned at the central mounting position 70B, and the length of the push rod 52 is lengthened. This changes the inclination θ without changing the fore-aft position of the pedal pad 44.

Figure 6 is an enlarged side view of the pedal pad 44. The pedal pad 44 can be constructed by, for example, covering a steel core plate (not shown) with a rubber pad cover 72. The pad cover 72 forms the tread surface 74 of the pedal pad 44, that is, the surface that the driver's foot comes into contact with. As shown in the figure, the tread surface 74 has a jagged shape and is provided with an anti-slip structure that prevents the driver's foot from slipping. More specifically, a large number of ridges 76 extending in the left-right direction are arranged in the front-rear direction. The inclination of the front slope 76a and the rear slope 76b of the ridge 76 is gentle on the front side and steep on the rear side. As a result, the anti-slip structure of the tread surface 74 has a shape like a row of sawtooth teeth when viewed from the side.

Due to this sawtooth-shaped anti-slip structure, the driver's foot is less likely to move forward relative to the pedal pad 44, but is more likely to move backward. By restricting forward foot movement, the foot is more likely to remain on the pedal pad 44. In addition, the ease with which the foot moves backward makes it easier for the pedal pad 44 to move forward relative to the foot during the process of depressing the brake pedal 12. When the driver places his/her heel on the floor panel 16 and operates the brake pedal 12 around the heel, the rotation center O of the brake pedal 12 is forward of the rotation center of the foot, i.e., the heel, so when the brake pedal 12 is depressed, the amount of forward movement of the pedal pad 44 is greater than the amount of movement of the foot. The sawtooth-shaped anti-slip structure of the tread surface 74 makes it easier for the foot and the pedal pad 44 to move relative to each other during the process of depressing the brake pedal 12.

The above embodiment describes a brake pedal, but a similar concept can be adopted for a clutch pedal.

10 brake pedal device, 12 brake pedal, 14 master cylinder, 16 floor panel, 18 pedal bracket, 20 dash panel, 22 horizontal plate portion, 24 vertical plate portion, 30 support plate, 32 pedal arm, 34 support shaft, 38 oblong hole, 40 bolt, 44 pedal pad, 46 cylinder body, 52 push rod, 53 rod body, 54 clevis, 56 connecting pin, 58 stop plate, 60 stop pad, 62 foot support cover, 64 base plate portion, 66 foot support portion, 68 guide portion, 70A-C mounting position, 72 pad cover, 74 tread surface, 76 ridge.

Claims (5)

A pedal bracket fixed to a floor panel of the vehicle;
a pedal rotatably attached to the pedal bracket;
a master cylinder attached to the pedal bracket and connected to the pedal to generate a hydraulic pressure in accordance with a rotation of the pedal;
A pedal device including: 2. The pedal device according to claim 1,
the ends of a moving range of a connection point between the pedal and the master cylinder are located on opposite sides of a line that is perpendicular to a central axis of the master cylinder and passes through a rotation center of the pedal,
The pedal has a pedal pad on which a driver applies a pedal force, and the pedal pad is located forward of a straight line connecting a rotation center of the pedal and the connection point of the pedal and the master cylinder.
Pedal device. 2. The pedal device according to claim 1,
the pedal bracket includes a plurality of mounting positions for pivotally mounting the pedals;
The master cylinder is provided with a rod length adjustment unit that adjusts the length of a rod connected to the pedal.
Pedal device. The pedal device according to claim 1, wherein the pedal has a pedal pad on which the driver applies a pedal force, and the pedal pad has a tread surface provided with an anti-slip structure in which the cross section along the front-rear direction is saw-shaped with a gentle slope on the front side and a steep slope on the rear side. 2. The pedal device according to claim 1,
The pedal has a pedal pad on which a driver applies a pedal force,
a foot support cover disposed in front of the pedal and adapted to support the driver's foot on the pedal pad by the driver's toes abutting against the pedal pad;
A pedal device including:

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