JP3993350B2 - Vehicle foot pedal support structure - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a support structure for a foot pedal of a vehicle, and more specifically, can reduce the amount of backward movement of the foot pedal when the dash panel of the vehicle is deformed rearward due to a forward collision of the vehicle. The present invention relates to a support structure for a foot pedal of a vehicle.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, as an example of this type of foot pedal support structure, there is a structure described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-202266. The structure described in this publication is a structure in which a pedal bracket for hanging and supporting a brake pedal of an automobile is attached to a dash panel, and the pedal bracket is attached to a front end of an abutting member attached to an instrument panel reinforcement. It has a rotating link that performs a predetermined rotating operation when it comes into contact. The instrument panel reinforcement is a member that connects a pair of left and right front pillars of an automobile, and is also referred to as “pillar-to-pillar member” or “PP member” for short. The brake pedal is swingably supported by the rotating link and is connected to a push rod of a brake booster (a booster) so as to be relatively rotatable.
[0003]
In the support structure having the above configuration, when a large load input is generated from the front of the front portion of the automobile body and the dash panel is deformed rearward of the vehicle, the pedal bracket is retracted rearward of the vehicle, and the rotation link is moved to the instrument panel. It is forced to rotate by contacting the contact member of the reinforcement. Then, the brake pedal supported by the rotation link rotates, and the lower part of the brake pedal is shifted to the front of the vehicle relative to the dash panel and the pedal bracket. For this reason, it becomes possible that the lower part of the brake pedal does not give a large impact force to the driver's foot.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, the conventional means has the following problems.
[0005]
That is, in the related art, the brake pedal is forcibly rotated by utilizing a force when the rotation link of the pedal bracket contacts the abutting member of the instrument panel reinforcement. Therefore, although the instrument panel reinforcement is generally formed to have a large rigidity, there is a possibility that the instrument panel reinforcement may shift to the rear of the vehicle due to contact with the rotating link. On the other hand, the above instrument panel reinforcement is often used for mounting a steering shaft. Therefore, conventionally, when the dash panel or pedal bracket is deformed or changed to the rear of the vehicle due to a forward collision of the automobile, the instrument panel reinforcement not only moves backward, but also the steering shaft attached to the instrument panel reinforcement There is a possibility that the steering wheel mounted on the steering shaft may also shift to the rear of the vehicle. As a result, conventionally, it is necessary to take a new means for preventing the backward movement of the steering shaft and steering wheel, and the structure for that purpose becomes complicated and the manufacturing cost of the automobile becomes high. Was produced.
[0006]
The present invention has been conceived under such circumstances. When a large load input is generated from the front of the front part of the vehicle due to a frontal collision of the vehicle, the instrument panel reinforcement is provided. It is an object of the present invention to provide a support structure for a foot pedal of a vehicle that can reduce the retraction amount of the foot pedal without using it.
[0007]
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
In order to solve the above problems, the present invention takes the following technical means.
[0008]
The vehicle foot pedal support structure provided by the present invention includes a pedal bracket having a swing fulcrum for supporting the foot pedal so as to swing in the vehicle front-rear direction, and the foot bracket below the swing fulcrum. A foot pedal support structure for a vehicle, wherein the pedal bracket includes the swing fulcrum and a dash panel. A first pedal bracket portion disposed on the rear side of the dash panel by being attached to the lower portion of the cowl connected to the upper end of the dash panel, and a second pedal attached to the dash panel A bracket portion, and the first pedal bracket portion is a vehicle that receives a load input from the front of the vehicle. For rotation in the counterclockwise direction in the vehicle left side view relative to the second pedal bracket portion when subjected to a predetermined value or more load towards towards said at higher than the rocking fulcrum It is characterized by being supported by the second pedal bracket portion.
[0009]
In the support structure for a foot pedal of a vehicle according to the present invention, a large load input is generated from the front of the front portion of the vehicle due to a frontal collision of the vehicle and the dash panel is deformed to the rear of the vehicle. The lower part of the cowl connected to the upper end of the dash panel and the first pedal bracket part attached to the lower part of the cowl can be shifted rearward of the vehicle. However, since the first pedal bracket portion is attached to the lower portion of the cowl so as to protrude downward, when the first pedal bracket portion is moved rearward along with the deformation of the lower portion of the cowl, this It can be expected that the first pedal bracket portion rotates so that the amount of shift toward the rear of the vehicle is greater in the lower portion than in the upper portion. Further, when the dash panel moves backward, the second pedal bracket portion attached to the dash panel presses the first pedal bracket portion toward the rear of the vehicle, and the first pedal bracket portion is at least a predetermined value or more. When the load is received, the first pedal bracket can be rotated as described above because it can be rotated counterclockwise in the left side view of the vehicle relative to the second pedal bracket. It can be further enhanced. When the rotation operation as described above occurs in the first pedal bracket portion, the swing fulcrum of the foot pedal provided in the first pedal bracket portion can be shifted to the rear of the vehicle, and the amount of shift can be determined. This can be greater than the amount of retraction of the dash panel or push rod. That is, the retraction amount of the swinging fulcrum of the foot pedal can be made larger than the retraction amount of the connection point between the foot pedal and the push rod. For this reason, the foot pedal rotates around the connection point with the push rod so that the lower part of the foot pedal shifts to the front of the vehicle, thereby reducing the size of the lower part of the foot pedal moving to the rear of the vehicle. be able to.
[0010]
Thus, in the present invention, unlike the conventional case, it is possible to prevent the lower part of the foot pedal from moving greatly backwards of the vehicle without using instrument panel reinforcement. As a result, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the instrument panel reinforcement or the steering shaft attached to the instrument panel reinforcement moves to the rear of the vehicle when a load is input from the front of the vehicle. Further, in the present invention, since the first pedal bracket portion having the swing fulcrum of the foot pedal is supported by the second pedal bracket portion attached to the dash panel, The mounting strength of the first pedal bracket portion can be increased to stably support the foot pedal.
[0011]
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the first and second pedal bracket portions are formed separately from each other, and the first and second pedal bracket portions are pin-coupled. .
[0012]
According to such a configuration, it becomes easy to rotate the first pedal bracket portion independently of the second pedal bracket portion when there is a large load input at the front portion of the vehicle. Therefore, it is more preferable to suppress the lower part of the foot pedal from moving greatly to the rear of the vehicle.
[0013]
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the first and second pedal bracket portions are integrally formed, and a boundary portion between the first and second pedal bracket portions has a constant value. A fragile portion that is deformed or broken when the above load is applied is provided.
[0014]
According to such a configuration, the first pedal bracket portion can be appropriately supported by the second pedal bracket portion in a normal state, while a large load input is generated at the front portion of the vehicle. When a large load is applied to the pedal bracket portion, the fragile portion is deformed or broken, so that the first pedal bracket portion can rotate relative to the second pedal bracket portion. Accordingly, in this case as well, the amount of movement of the lower part of the foot pedal to the rear of the vehicle can be reduced based on the rotation operation of the first pedal bracket part. If the first and second pedal bracket portions are integrally formed, the number of parts as a whole can be reduced, and handling thereof is facilitated.
[0015]
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description of embodiments of the invention.
[0016]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.
[0017]
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an essential part showing an example of a support structure for a vehicle foot pedal according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the main part showing a state when a load is input from the front of the vehicle. 1 and the subsequent drawings, arrow Fr indicates the front of the vehicle, and arrow Up indicates the upper side in the vehicle height direction.
[0018]
As clearly shown in FIG. 1, the foot pedal support structure of the present embodiment is configured as a brake pedal support structure. This support structure includes a brake pedal 1, a first pedal bracket portion 2 </ b> A as a pedal bracket 2, a second pedal bracket portion 2 </ b> B, and a brake booster 3. As will be described later, it is assembled to a predetermined part of the automobile. The brake pedal 1 itself has a form similar to that of an existing brake pedal, and a step portion 11 is provided at a lower end portion of a pedal arm 10 extending in the vehicle height direction.
[0019]
The first and second pedal bracket portions 2A and 2B are formed separately from each other. The first pedal bracket portion 2A has a pair of side plate portions 20a that sandwich the upper portion of the pedal arm 10 of the brake pedal 1 in the thickness direction, and an upper plate portion 20b that connects the pair of side plate portions 20a. . The first pedal bracket portion 2A can be formed by, for example, pressing a metal plate, and has a relatively large overall rigidity so as not to easily deform. The same applies to the second pedal bracket portion 2B.
[0020]
The first pedal bracket portion 2 </ b> A is attached to the cowl 4. The cowl 4 is a panel that forms a lower edge portion of a front window of an automobile and connects left and right pillars. For example, a cowl body 40 having an upper surface opening groove shape extending in the vehicle width direction of the automobile, and the cowl body. And an auxiliary portion 41 that is joined to the side portion of the portion 40 closer to the rear of the vehicle so as to protrude downward. The auxiliary portion 41 does not need to be provided over a long dimension in the vehicle width direction, and may be formed in a size necessary for supporting the first pedal bracket portion 2A. The first pedal bracket portion 2A is fixedly attached to the cowl 4 with its upper plate portion 20b bolted or welded to the lower end surface of the auxiliary portion 41 of the cowl 4 from the auxiliary portion 41. The posture is projected downward. The upper end 5a of the dash panel 5 is joined to the bottom surface of the cowl body 40, and the first pedal bracket 2A is located behind the dash panel 5 and faces the upper portion of the dash panel 5. ing. The dash panel 5 is a panel that partitions the engine room and the vehicle compartment of the automobile, and extends downward from the bottom of the cowl main body 40.
[0021]
The first pedal bracket portion 2A includes a swing fulcrum 21 that supports the brake pedal 1 so as to be swingable. The swing fulcrum 21 is configured by rotatably supporting the upper end portion of the pedal arm 10 by a shaft body 21a such as a bolt held by a pair of side plate portions 20a. The brake pedal 1 can swing in the vehicle front-rear direction around the swing fulcrum 21.
[0022]
The second pedal bracket portion 2B is formed separately from the first pedal bracket portion 2A, and includes a pair of side plate portions 22a that sandwich the first pedal bracket portion 2A, and the pair of side plate portions 22a. And a front plate portion 22b to be connected. The second pedal bracket portion 2B has a front plate portion 22b that is bolted or welded to the dash panel 5 so that the second pedal bracket portion 2B is positioned in front of the first pedal bracket portion 2A. It is fixed and attached. The rear portions of the pair of side plate portions 22a are connected to each side plate portion 20a of the first pedal bracket portion 2A via pins 23 so that there is no backlash. This pin connection includes a bolt connection. Further, the position of this pin coupling is, for example, above the swing fulcrum 21.
[0023]
The brake booster 3 is fixedly attached to the dash panel 5 so that its main body portion is located in the engine room. However, the push rod 30 is arranged on the vehicle interior side. The pedal arm 10 is provided with a connecting portion 31 connected to a clevis 32 at the tip of the push rod 30 via a shaft body 31a. The connecting portion 31 enables relative rotation between the push rod 30 and the pedal arm 10, and is positioned below the swing fulcrum 21 of the brake pedal 1. In addition, the code | symbol 6 has shown the instrument panel reinforcement in the figure. Although not shown, the instrument panel reinforcement 6 is used to support a steering shaft on which a steering wheel is mounted.
[0024]
Next, the operation of the vehicle foot pedal support structure having the above-described configuration will be described.
[0025]
First, in this support structure, the first pedal bracket portion 2A having the swing fulcrum 21 of the brake pedal 1 is attached only to the auxiliary portion 41 of the cowl 4, but this first pedal bracket A second pedal bracket portion 2B attached to the dash panel 5 is connected to the portion 2A. Therefore, the fixing of the first pedal bracket portion 2A during normal use is ensured. For example, when the driver operates the brake pedal 1, the brake pedal 1 is prevented from swinging left and right, and It is possible to prevent a feeling that the rigidity of the brake pedal 1 and the first pedal bracket portion 2A is insufficient.
[0026]
On the other hand, when the vehicle collides forward and a large load F is input from the front of the vehicle, the engine in the engine room and other highly rigid device devices move to the rear of the vehicle. For this reason, the brake booster 3 is pushed by these engines or the like, and moves rearward of the vehicle while deforming the dash panel 5. In this case, the brake booster 3 is deformed so that the lower part of the cowl 4 attached to the dash panel 5 is dragged to the upper part of the dash panel 5 in order to deform the upper part of the dash panel 5 toward the rear of the vehicle. The deformed portion of the cowl 4 is pushed backward by the brake booster 3 through the dash panel 5. On the other hand, the second pedal bracket portion 2B attached to the dash panel 5 tends to move backward while pushing the first pedal bracket portion 2A toward the rear of the vehicle at the position of the pin 23. The pin 23 allows the relative rotation operation of the first pedal bracket portion 2A with respect to the second pedal bracket portion 2B.
[0027]
Therefore, as clearly shown in FIG. 2, the first pedal bracket portion 2 </ b> A and the auxiliary portion 41 of the cowl 4 are moved rearward of the vehicle indicated by the arrow Na as the brake booster 3 and the dash panel 5 are moved backward. It will rotate towards. Then, the swing fulcrum 21 of the first pedal bracket 2 </ b> A shifts to the rear of the vehicle by a predetermined distance L relative to the connecting portion 31 between the brake booster 3 and the brake pedal 1. That is, although the connecting portion 31 moves to the rear of the vehicle by a distance substantially equal to the reverse distance of the brake booster 3, the first pedal bracket portion 2A and the auxiliary portion 41 of the cowl 4 rotate as described above for the swing fulcrum 21. By performing the operation, it is possible to retreat larger than the connecting portion 31. In this way, when the swing fulcrum 21 shifts toward the rear of the vehicle relative to the connecting portion 31, the brake pedal 1 rotates about the connecting portion 31 as shown by the arrow Nb in the figure, The step portion 11 is shifted toward the front of the vehicle relative to the connecting portion 31. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the amount of retreat of the step portion 11 of the brake pedal 1 so that the step portion 11 does not give a large impact to the driver's foot.
[0028]
In the present embodiment, the effect of reducing the backward movement amount of the step portion 11 of the brake pedal 1 as described above is that the first and second pedal bracket portions 2A, 2B and other members are brought into contact with the instrument panel reinforcement 6. It is obtained without letting. Therefore, the possibility that the instrument panel reinforcement 6 will shift to the rear of the vehicle is reduced. As a result, the steering shaft attached to the instrument panel reinforcement 6 and the steering wheel attached to the steering shaft can be moved rearward in the vehicle interior. The sex can also be reduced.
[0029]
3 and 4 show another example of a vehicle foot pedal support structure according to the present invention. 3 and 4, the same or similar elements as those in the above embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in the above embodiment.
[0030]
In the support structure shown in FIG. 3, the pedal bracket 2 is composed of first and second pedal bracket portions 2C and 2D formed integrally with each other, and this point is different from the configuration of the above embodiment. ing. At the boundary between the first and second pedal bracket portions 2C and 2D, a notch hole 80 and other holes (not shown) for making the boundary portion weaker than the other portions of the pedal bracket 2 are not shown. The number is appropriately formed, and this boundary portion is configured as the fragile portion 8. In the present embodiment, a portion of the pedal bracket 2 that is located behind the fragile portion 8 and is attached to the auxiliary portion 41 of the cowl 4 so as to protrude downward is the first pedal bracket portion 2C. In this portion, a swing fulcrum 21 of the brake pedal 1 is provided. In addition, a portion of the pedal bracket 2 that is located in front of the vehicle relative to the fragile portion 8 and attached to the dash panel 5 is a second pedal bracket portion 2D. The strength of the fragile portion 8 is adjusted so that it deforms or breaks when it receives a load (such as a compression load or a bending load) of a certain value or more. As means for providing the fragile portion 8, it is possible to apply means for making the boundary portion thinner than other portions in addition to or instead of the means for providing the notch hole 80 and the hole portion.
[0031]
According to the above configuration, the first pedal bracket portion 2C can be reinforced by the second pedal bracket portion 2D during normal operation. Therefore, similarly to the previous embodiment, it is possible to prevent the driver from feeling that the rigidity of the brake pedal 1 or the pedal bracket 2 is insufficient.
[0032]
On the other hand, when a large load F is input to the front portion of the vehicle from the front, for example, when the vehicle collides forward, the first pedal bracket portion 2C has a cowl 4 as in the previous embodiment. As a result of the deformation of the lower part of the vehicle and the pushing of the deformed portion of the cowl 4 by the brake booster 3, a force is applied to move rearward of the vehicle, and a pressing force from the second pedal bracket portion 2D also acts to the rear of the vehicle. To do. At this time, if the pressing force exceeds a certain value, the pedal bracket 2 is deformed or broken at the weakened portion 8. Therefore, the first pedal bracket portion 2C rotates in the direction of the arrow Nc as shown in FIG. 4 while deforming or breaking the fragile portion 8. As a result, the swing fulcrum 21 of the brake pedal 1 provided in the first pedal bracket portion 2 </ b> C shifts rearward of the vehicle relative to the connecting portion 31 between the push rod 30 and the brake pedal 1. Then, the brake pedal 1 rotates around the connecting portion 31 so that the step portion 11 of the brake pedal 1 is shifted forward of the vehicle. Also in this embodiment, the reverse amount of the stepping portion 11 of the brake pedal 1 can be reduced without using the instrument panel reinforcement 6.
[0033]
As described above, in the present invention, the first pedal bracket portion and the second pedal bracket portion may be formed separately or in one piece. . In the case where the first and second pedal bracket portions are formed separately, from the viewpoint of smoothly performing the rotation operation of the first pedal bracket portion, these two pedal bracket portions should be pin-coupled. However, the present invention is not limited to this. In the present invention, a part of the two pedal bracket portions may be joined by spot welding, for example. Even in this case, it is formed separately from the second pedal bracket portion by deforming the spot welded portion or the vicinity thereof, or releasing the spot welding by the action of a load. The first pedal bracket portion can be rotated in a predetermined direction as the cowl 4 is deformed.
[0034]
The scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and the specific configuration of each part can be varied in design in various ways.
[0035]
The foot pedal referred to in the present invention is not limited to a brake pedal. The present invention can be applied to other types of foot pedal support structures such as a clutch pedal.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an essential part showing an example of a support structure for a foot pedal of a vehicle according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a main part showing a state when a load is input from the front of the vehicle.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of an essential part showing another example of a support structure for a foot pedal of a vehicle according to the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a main part showing a state when a load is input from the front of the vehicle.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Brake pedal (foot pedal)
2A, 2C 1st pedal bracket part 2B, 2D 2nd pedal bracket part 3 Brake booster 4 Cowl 5 Dash panel 8 Fragile part 21 Swing fulcrum 30 Push rod 31 Connecting part

Claims (3)

A pedal bracket having a swing fulcrum that suspends and supports the foot pedal so as to swing in the vehicle front-rear direction, and a connecting portion that connects the push rod to the foot pedal so as to be relatively rotatable below the swing fulcrum. A support structure for a vehicle foot pedal,
The pedal bracket includes a swing fulcrum and is attached to the lower part of a cowl connected to the upper end of the dash panel so as to protrude downward, and is arranged at the rear of the dash panel. A pedal bracket portion and a second pedal bracket portion attached to the dash panel;
The first pedal bracket portion is counterclockwise as viewed from the left side of the vehicle relative to the second pedal bracket portion when receiving a load greater than a certain value toward the rear of the vehicle due to a load input from the front of the vehicle. A support structure for a foot pedal of a vehicle, wherein the support structure is supported by the second pedal bracket portion above the swing fulcrum so as to be able to rotate in a rotating direction .   2. The vehicle foot according to claim 1, wherein the first and second pedal bracket portions are formed separately from each other, and the first and second pedal bracket portions are pin-coupled to each other. Pedal support structure.   The first and second pedal bracket portions are integrally formed, and the boundary portions of the first and second pedal bracket portions are deformed or broken when a load greater than a certain value is applied. The support structure of the foot pedal of the vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the generated weakened portion is provided.

Images