JP3895526B2 - Parking brake pedal support structure - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a support structure for a vehicle parking brake pedal.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a vehicle, a parking brake having a structure in which an operation with a hand or a foot is transmitted to a brake body via a cable or the like has been put into practical use. The parking brake includes, for example, a center floor type in which a lever arranged on a floor in a vehicle compartment is pulled up, and a step type in which a pedal is operated by depressing a pedal.
[0003]
By the way, in a vehicle, when a large load is applied from the front side of the vehicle body due to a collision or the like, the brake pedal or the like may move along with the movement of the engine or the like to the rear side of the vehicle body and interfere with a passenger's foot or the like. .
[0004]
FIG. 7 is a view showing an example of a support structure in a conventional parking brake pedal. In this support structure, an upper end of a dash panel 44 that partitions the vehicle compartment 42 and the engine room 43 is connected to a cowl 41 provided on the vehicle body. The cowl 41 and the dash panel 44 are provided with a substantially arched pedal bracket 45 so as to connect the two.
[0005]
More specifically, the upper end 45 a of the pedal bracket 45 is fastened to the surface of the cowl 41 that stands substantially vertically, and the lower end 45 b of the pedal bracket 45 is fastened to a fixing member 46 fixed to the surface of the dash panel 44. Yes. The pedal bracket 45 is provided with a parking brake pedal 47 extending from the lower part to the vehicle rear side. The parking brake pedal 47 is supported by the pedal bracket 45 so as to be swingable.
[0006]
Further, in the vicinity of the rear side of the vehicle body of the pedal bracket 45, a first steering shaft 49 having a steering wheel 48 connected to the upper end is rotatably supported by a steering column 50 fixedly supported by a pillar-to-pillar member (not shown). . The upper end of the second steering shaft 52 is connected to the lower end of the first steering shaft 49 via the universal joint 51, and a steering gear box (not shown) is connected to the lower end of the second steering shaft 52. A power steering motor 53 extending in the vehicle body width direction is provided at an intermediate portion of the steering column 50. With this configuration, the rotation of the steering wheel 48 is transmitted to the steering gear through the steering shafts 49 and 52, and the front wheels are steered.
[0007]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In the above configuration, when a large load is applied from the front side of the vehicle body due to, for example, a collision, the dash panel 44 retreats while being deformed (see arrow H) as shown in FIG. Transition to the rear side. In this case, the upper rear surface of the pedal bracket 45 may interfere with the steering column 50 or the power steering motor 53.
[0008]
Therefore, the steering column 50 and the like are shifted to the rear side of the vehicle body due to the interference with the pedal bracket 45 (see arrow J), and the steering wheel 48 is also shifted in the same direction and presses the vehicle interior space in the front-rear direction. Further, the pedal bracket 45 is relatively pressed at the upper part thereof toward the front side of the vehicle body by the steering column 50 and the like, and the lower part is pressed toward the rear side of the vehicle body due to the change of the dash panel 44. As a result, the lower end of the parking brake pedal 47 rotates so as to move backward (see arrow K). As a result, there is a problem in that the parking brake pedal 47 interferes with the passenger's foot and the like.
[0009]
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
The invention of the present application has been conceived under the circumstances described above, and provides a support structure for a parking brake pedal that can prevent interference with a passenger's foot, chest, etc. Let it be an issue.
[0010]
In order to solve the above problems, the present invention takes the following technical means.
[0011]
A parking brake pedal support structure provided by the present invention includes a pedal bracket that is fastened and supported so as to be able to fall down with respect to a partition member that includes a dash panel and a cowl that partitions an engine room and a vehicle compartment, and the pedal described above. A parking brake pedal supported swingably with respect to the bracket. When a load of a predetermined magnitude or more is applied from the front side of the vehicle body, the pedal bracket changes to the rear side of the vehicle body, thereby It interferes with a steering device provided on the rear side, and this steering device moves the pedal bracket relative to the partition member to the front side of the vehicle body, so that the entire pedal bracket falls off the partition member downward. It is characterized by being configured.
[0012]
According to this configuration, when a load of a predetermined magnitude or more is applied from the front side of the vehicle body due to a collision or the like, the pedal bracket is moved to the rear side of the vehicle body as the partition member including the dash panel and the cowl shifts to the rear side of the vehicle body. To the side. As a result, the rear surface of the pedal bracket may interfere with a steering device such as a steering column or a power steering motor disposed on the rear side of the vehicle body. Due to the interference, the pedal bracket is released from the fastening state between the dash panel and the partition member made of the cowl , and drops downward from them. Therefore, the steering device does not change further from the position where it interferes with the pedal bracket to the rear side of the vehicle body, and it is possible to suppress substantial reduction of the passenger compartment space. Further, since the parking brake pedal is moved downward as the pedal bracket is dropped downward, it is possible to prevent interference with a passenger's foot or the like.
[0013]
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the pedal bracket is formed such that at least the joint surface with the partition member at the upper end is inclined downward toward the front side of the vehicle body.
[0014]
Thus, if the joint surface with the partition member at the upper end of the pedal bracket is formed to be inclined downward toward the front side of the vehicle body, for example, when the rear surface of the pedal bracket interferes with the steering column etc. A downward force acts on the joint surface, and the joint surface of the pedal bracket acts to slide downward. For this reason, the entire pedal bracket can be smoothly and reliably detached from the partition member .
[0015]
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the detailed description given below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0016]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0017]
FIG. 1 is a side view of an essential part showing a support structure for a parking brake pedal according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an essential part of the parking brake pedal shown in FIG. FIG. 1 shows a normal state in which no load is applied from the front side of the vehicle body and the parking brake pedal is not depressed by the occupant, and the parking brake pedal is depressed at a one-dot broken line A. Shows the state.
[0018]
According to FIG. 1, a cowl 2 is provided at the front upper portion of the vehicle compartment 1 of the vehicle body. The cowl 2 partitions the vehicle compartment 1 and the engine room 3 and is disposed along the vertical direction. Panel 4 is connected. On the cowl 2 and the dash panel 4, a pedal bracket 5 is fastened and supported on the vehicle compartment 1 side so as to be detachable downward.
[0019]
The pedal bracket 5 includes a pair of side surface portions 7 disposed so as to face each other, and a front surface portion 8 and a back surface portion 9 that connect the both side surface portions 7. The upper portion of the front portion 8 is formed to be inclined downward toward the vehicle body rear side, while the lower portion of the front portion 8 is formed to be inclined downward toward the vehicle body front side. That is, the pedal bracket 5 is formed in a substantially reverse letter shape in FIG.
[0020]
As shown in FIG. 2, an upper flange 11 that extends along the vehicle body width direction is formed at the upper end of the pedal bracket 5. As shown in FIG. 3, the upper flange 11 is formed in a substantially U shape with the upper side opened, and has a recess 11 a into which the bolt 12 is inserted.
[0021]
Further, the joint surface 11b of the upper flange 11 with respect to the cowl 2 is formed so as to be inclined downward at a predetermined angle toward the front side of the vehicle body, and the joint on the cowl 2 side that contacts the joint surface 11b of the upper flange 11 is formed. The surface is also formed to be inclined downward.
[0022]
The upper flange 11 is fastened and fixed to the cowl 2 by bolts 12. Specifically, the bolt 12 fastens the upper end of the pedal bracket 5 and the cowl 2 with a predetermined tightening force. That is, the bolt 12 and the nut 12a firmly fix the upper flange 11 to the cowl 2 in the normal state, while the pedal bracket 5 is removed from the cowl 2 when a load is applied from the front side of the vehicle body as will be described later. Let go.
[0023]
Further, a lower flange 13 extending along the vehicle body width direction is formed at the lower end of the pedal bracket 5. Similar to the upper flange 11, the lower flange 13 is formed in a substantially U shape with the upper side opened, and has a recess 13a into which the bolt 14 is inserted.
[0024]
The joint surface 13b of the lower flange 13 with respect to the fixing member 15 is formed along the vertical direction. Further, the joining surface on the fixing member 15 side that is in contact with the joining surface 13b of the lower flange 13 and is provided continuously to the dash panel 4 is also formed along the vertical direction. The lower flange 13 is fastened and fixed to the fixing member 15 by bolts 14.
[0025]
A resin plate (not shown) may be sandwiched between the upper and lower flanges 11 and 13 of the pedal bracket 5 and the cowl 2 and the fixing member 15. This resin plate increases the rigidity when the upper and lower flanges 11 and 13 are fixed to the cowl 2 and the fixing member 15, while the upper and lower flanges 11 and 13 are separated from the cowl 2 and the fixing member 15, for example. It will guide you smoothly.
[0026]
A through hole 16 is formed in both side surface portions 7 of the pedal bracket 5, and a shaft body 17 is inserted into the through hole 16 so as to span the both side surface portions 7. A parking brake pedal 18 is rotatably supported on the shaft body 17. That is, the parking brake pedal 18 is supported in a swingable manner with respect to the pedal bracket 5.
[0027]
The parking brake pedal 18 is formed in a substantially bow shape, and a step portion 19 is provided at the lower end of the parking brake pedal 18 for a passenger to step on when applying the parking brake. When the passenger depresses the parking brake pedal 18 (see the dashed line A in FIG. 1), the tip of the ratchet pole (none of which is not shown) is held by the ratchet, and the state is transmitted to the parking brake body. , Braking is maintained. In order to release braking, the passenger may further depress the parking brake pedal 18 or pull a release knob (not shown) toward the front side.
[0028]
Also, in the vicinity of the rear side of the vehicle body of the pedal bracket 5, a first steering shaft 21 in which a steering wheel 20 for determining the traveling direction of the vehicle is connected to the upper end is fixedly supported by a pillar-to-pillar member (not shown). The steering column 22 is rotatably supported. An upper end of a second steering shaft 24 is connected to the lower end of the first steering shaft 21 via a universal joint 23, and a steering gear box (not shown) is connected to the lower end of the second steering shaft 24. A substantially columnar power steering motor 25 extending in the vehicle body width direction is provided at an intermediate portion of the steering column 22 so as to overlap the pedal bracket 5 in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body. With this configuration, the rotation of the steering wheel 20 is transmitted to the steering gear through the steering shafts 21 and 24, and the front wheels are steered.
[0029]
Next, the operation of the above configuration will be described. First, in the normal state, when the parking brake pedal 18 is depressed by the passenger (see the dashed line A in FIG. 1), the parking brake pedal 18 changes to the front side of the vehicle body. In this case, the upper flange 11 of the pedal bracket 5 is formed in a substantially U shape so as to open upward, but the pedaling force of the parking brake pedal 18 extends in the direction of rotation about the shaft body 17. The upper flange 11 extends upward (see arrow B). Therefore, the pedal bracket 5 is firmly supported with respect to the cowl 2.
[0030]
Next, a case where a load of a predetermined magnitude or more is applied from the front side of the vehicle body due to, for example, a collision will be described. When a load larger than a predetermined value is applied from the front side of the vehicle body, a brake booster (not shown) provided on the front side of the dash panel 4 on the vehicle body moves backward. As the brake booster or the like moves backward, the dash panel 4 is deformed and moved to the rear side of the vehicle body as shown in FIG. 4 (see arrow C).
[0031]
Thereby, the pedal bracket 5 fixed to the dash panel 4 is shifted to the rear side of the vehicle body. Therefore, the steering column 22 and the power steering motor 25 provided on the vehicle body rear side of the pedal bracket 5 relatively approach and interfere with the upper portion of the front portion 8 of the pedal bracket 5.
[0032]
In this case, although the pressing force is applied to the pedal bracket 5 on the front side of the vehicle body, the joint surface 11b with the cowl 2 at the upper end of the pedal bracket 5 is provided so as to be inclined downward on the front side of the vehicle body. On the surface 11b, a pressing force is applied downward (see arrow D). Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, the upper flange 11 is displaced from the bolt 12 so as to slide on the joint surface of the cowl 2. Along with this, the lower flange 13 is also applied with a downward force, and the lower flange 13 displaces from the bolt 14 so as to slide on the joining surface of the fixing member 15 (see arrow E). Accordingly, the entire dash panel 4 is detached from the cowl 2 and the dash panel 4 and falls downward (see arrow F).
[0033]
As a result, the steering column 22, the power steering motor 25 or the steering wheel 20 that has interfered with the pedal bracket 5 does not change from the position of interference with the pedal bracket 5 to the rear side of the vehicle body. The pressure is suppressed.
[0034]
In this case, since the parking brake pedal 18 is supported while being suspended from the pedal bracket 5, the parking brake pedal 18 is also moved downward together with the pedal bracket 5 when the pedal bracket 5 is dropped. Therefore, it is possible to prevent interference with the passenger's feet.
[0035]
In this way, if the upper end of the pedal bracket 5 is inclined downward toward the front of the vehicle body and attached to the cowl 2, when the front portion 8 of the pedal bracket 5 interferes with the power steering motor 25 or the like, the pedal bracket 5 is joined. A downward force is applied to the surface 11b, and the upper end of the pedal bracket 5 acts so as to slide downward. Therefore, the entire pedal bracket 5 can be smoothly and surely dropped from the cowl 2.
[0036]
In addition, various forms can be considered as a structure for dropping the pedal bracket 5 from the cowl 2 and the dash panel 4. FIG. 6 is a view showing a modification of the parking brake pedal support structure. According to the figure, in the mounting structure of the pedal bracket 5 to the cowl 2 and the dash panel 4, the lower flange 13 of the pedal bracket 5 is formed so as to be inclined downward toward the front side of the vehicle body, similarly to the upper flange 11. May be. That is, the joint surfaces 11b and 13b of the flanges 11 and 13 with respect to the cowl 2 and the dash panel 4 are formed so as to be substantially parallel to each other. Other configurations are substantially the same as the parking brake pedal support structure described above.
[0037]
According to the above configuration, the joint surfaces 11b and 13b of the flanges 11 and 13 with respect to the cowl 2 and the dash panel 4 are both inclined downward toward the front side of the vehicle body. When the power steering motor 25 or the like interferes with the upper portion of the portion 8, the entire pedal bracket 5 can be immediately and accurately dropped.
[0038]
Moreover, the front part 8 upper part of the pedal bracket 5 may be formed so that it may extend along an up-down direction. According to this, when the power steering motor 25 or the like interferes, the pressing force due to the interference can be directly transmitted to the flanges 11 and 13 of the pedal bracket 5, and the pedal bracket 5 can be surely dropped off. it can.
[0039]
Of course, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above. For example, the shape, size, and the like of the pedal bracket 5 and the like are not limited to the above-described embodiment . Also, the pedal bracket 5 may be secured only to the dash panel 4.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a side view of an essential part showing a support structure for a parking brake pedal according to the present invention;
2 is a perspective view of an essential part of the parking brake pedal shown in FIG. 1. FIG.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a fastening state between an upper flange and a bolt.
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a state of a parking brake pedal when a load is applied from the front side of the vehicle body.
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a state of a parking brake pedal when a load is applied from the front side of the vehicle body.
FIG. 6 is a side view of an essential part showing a modified example of a support structure for a parking brake pedal.
FIG. 7 is a view showing a conventional support structure for a parking brake pedal.
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a state of a conventional parking brake pedal when a load is applied from the front side of the vehicle body.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Car compartment 2 Cowl 3 Engine room 4 Dash panel 5 Pedal bracket 11 Upper flange 13 Lower flange 18 Parking brake pedal 22 Steering column

Claims (2)

Against the partition member made of a dash panel and a cowl separates the engine room and the passenger compartment, the pedal bracket that is falling fastenable supported downwards,
A parking brake pedal swingably supported with respect to the pedal bracket;
When a load larger than a predetermined amount is applied from the front side of the vehicle body, the pedal bracket shifts to the rear side of the vehicle body, thereby interfering with a steering device provided on the rear side of the vehicle body. the by relatively moving the vehicle body front side relative to the partition member, the whole the pedal bracket is characterized by being configured to falling downward from the partition member, the supporting structure of a pedal for a parking brake. It said pedal bracket bonding surface between the partition member at least the upper end is formed to be inclined downward toward the front side of the vehicle body, the support structure of the parking brake pedal according to claim 1.

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