JP4045739B2 - Vehicle pedal displacement control structure - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a pedal displacement control structure for a vehicle that suppresses backward movement of a pedal when a vehicle front collision occurs.
[0002]
[Prior art]
A suspension brake pedal (pedal) equipped on AT (automatic shift) and MT (manual shift) passenger cars (vehicles) is a dash panel that separates the engine room at the front of the vehicle body from the vehicle compartment that follows it. A structure in which the vehicle is suspended via a pedal bracket extending rearward of the vehicle is employed.
[0003]
By the way, the dash panel is a vehicle body component that is arranged adjacent to the engine in the engine room. Therefore, if the engine moves to the rear of the vehicle at the time of a vehicle front collision, the dash panel is pushed backward by the engine. It deforms so that it protrudes, causing the brake pedal, etc. to move backward.
[0004]
As a means for preventing such movement of the pedal, a displacement control structure that suppresses the displacement of the brake pedal toward the rear of the vehicle has been proposed (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-59351).
[0005]
In this structure, a step portion is formed at a predetermined portion below the suspension fulcrum of the brake pedal, and the tip of the deck cross member disposed on the upper rear side of the brake pedal is separated from the step portion of the brake pedal. A structure is used in which an arm member that extends obliquely downward to a certain point is used. Normally, the brake pedal can be depressed without interfering with the arm member. If the brake pedal moves backward due to a vehicle frontal collision, the stepped portion of the brake pedal comes into contact with and engages with the tip of the arm member, and the arm member is bent downward by a load applied to the brake pedal. A forward displacement (direction in which the tread surface at the tip of the pedal faces the front of the vehicle) is given. As a result, the brake pedal is prevented from moving backward in the vehicle.
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, such a structure in which the stepped portion of the pedal is pushed down by the arm member tends to be complicated in order to maintain the assembly accuracy.
[0007]
That is, when the pedal is assembled to the vehicle body, it is assembled while adjusting the position of the pedal tread surface and the amount of pedal stalk, so that the position of the pedal step when assembled to the vehicle body varies considerably from vehicle to vehicle. .
[0008]
On the other hand, in order to give the brake pedal displacement toward the front of the vehicle by bending of the arm member, the tip of the arm member is usually located at a point away from the step portion that does not affect the movement of the pedal. At the time of a vehicle front collision, it is required to mesh with a step portion of a brake pedal that moves backward at a point that causes a rotational displacement in front of the vehicle.
[0009]
Therefore, the structure in which the pedal is pushed down by the arm member requires a structure in which the step portion of the brake pedal and the tip portion of the arm member are kept in a predetermined positional relationship in order to suppress variations in the pedal. Specifically, using a structure in which the connection between the tip end of the pedal bracket and the tip end side of the arm member as disclosed in the above publication is used, the pedal pivots forward in the vehicle at the time of a vehicle front collision. It is required to accurately position the positional relationship, posture, and the like of the distal end portion of the arm member with respect to the step portion formed on the pedal so that the behavior to be generated naturally occurs.
[0010]
For this reason, the structure in which the pedal itself is pushed down by the arm member is likely to be structurally complicated and expensive in terms of cost because a structure for maintaining the assembly accuracy is added to secure a stable and reliable movement. There's a problem.
[0011]
The present invention has been made paying attention to the above circumstances, and the object of the present invention is a simple structure that does not require high assembling accuracy, and it is possible to suppress the backward movement of the pedal at the time of a vehicle forward collision. The object is to provide a pedal displacement control structure.
[0012]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the pedal displacement control structure for a vehicle according to claim 1 is a second vehicle body structural member disposed on the vehicle rear upper side of the first vehicle body structural member in which the pedal is suspended via a pedal bracket. The arm member extending obliquely downward toward the extension end of the pedal bracket is fixed to the first extension portion of one of the pedal bracket and the arm member, and the first extension portion is provided at the other extension end. A structure is employed in which a second meshing portion is provided which is disposed at a distance from the first meshing portion and can mesh with the meshing portion.
[0013]
As a result, when an external force is applied to the front portion of the vehicle and the pedal bracket is displaced rearward, the first meshing portion and the second meshing portion mesh with each other to transmit the external force to the arm member and bend the arm member downward. , Make the extension end of the pedal bracket face downward.
[0014]
Then, the pedal is displaced forward of the vehicle by the behavior toward the front of the vehicle with the base portion of the pedal bracket as a fulcrum, and the backward movement of the pedal is suppressed.
[0015]
Such a structure that pushes down the pedal bracket with the arm member is not affected at all by the adjustment of the pedal. Therefore, a structure for ensuring high assembling accuracy as in the structure in which the pedal is pushed down is unnecessary.
[0016]
Therefore, it is only a simple structure in which a mating portion (usually separated and meshed when the pedal bracket moves to the rear of the vehicle) is provided at the extension end of the pedal bracket and the extension end of the arm member facing each other. The pedal is prevented from moving backward in the vehicle.
[0017]
In addition to the above object, the pedal displacement control structure for a vehicle according to claim 2 has a predetermined position at the base portion of the arm member so that a stable pedal retraction suppression function can be exhibited in any vehicle forward collision. When a load exceeding the value is applied, a member having a fragile portion that induces bending from the same portion is adopted, and when an external force is applied from the pedal bracket, the arm member is surely bent from the root to the intended state.
[0018]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, the present invention will be described based on an embodiment shown in FIGS.
[0019]
FIG. 1 shows a peripheral portion of a pedal, for example, a suspended brake pedal 2, equipped on the lower portion of a driver's seat of a vehicle body 1 of a passenger car (vehicle).
[0020]
Referring to the peripheral structure, reference numeral 3 in the figure denotes a dash panel (corresponding to a first vehicle body constituent member) that partitions the engine room 4 at the foremost part of the vehicle body 1 and the following vehicle compartment 5. The dash panel 3 is joined to a floor panel (not shown) having a lower end portion that forms the floor of the passenger compartment 5, and the upper end portion is bent in an inverted L shape toward the passenger compartment 5 side to form a cowl top member 6 (a box extending in the vehicle width direction). Shaped member). A deck cross member 7 (a member extending in the vehicle width direction, for example, a pipe-shaped member) is attached to a member on the upper rear side of the vehicle away from the dash panel 3 and the cowl top member 6. Is provided).
[0021]
Of each part of the vehicle body 1, a booster 10 configured by combining a brake booster 8, a master cylinder 9, and the like is attached to the outer surface of the middle stage of the dash panel 3 (the surface facing the engine room 4). is there. The operating rod 10 a of the booster 10 protrudes from the dash panel 3 into the vehicle compartment 5.
[0022]
A pedal bracket 11 is attached to the inner surface of the opposite dash panel 3 (the surface facing the passenger compartment 5). The pedal bracket 11 is formed of an elongated member that extends from the inner surface of the dash panel 3 toward the rear of the vehicle and reaches the lower surface of the cowl top member 6, for example. Specifically, the pedal bracket 11 includes, for example, a pair of strip-shaped side plates 11a and 11a that are disposed in parallel to the vehicle width direction as shown in FIG. 2 and upper ends of the side plates 11a and 11a. And a fixed seat 12 formed so as to connect between the upper edges. And the lower end part of these side plates 11a and 11a is fixed to the front-end | tip part of the brake booster 8 which protruded in the vehicle interior 5 from the dash panel 3, and the inner surface of the dash panel 3, and the upper end part with the fixed seat 12 is used as the cowl top member. 6 is disposed on the lower surface. The fixed seat 12 is supported by the lower surface of the cowl top member 6. A structure that can be detached from the cowl top member 6 is used for this support. In this structure, for example, as shown in FIG. 2, a slit 13 is formed in the fixed seat 12 along the vehicle front-rear direction with the front side opened, and a nut 14 is attached to the inner surface of the lower wall 6 a of the cowl top member 6 ( For example, a structure is used in which the bolt 15 is screwed into the nut 14 through the slit 13 and the lower wall 6a from the outside of the pedal bracket 11, and the fixed seat 12 and the lower wall 6a are fastened. With this structure, as the pedal bracket 11 moves toward the rear of the vehicle, the fixed seat 12 slides so that the shaft portion 15a of the bolt 15 comes out of the slit 13. Thereby, when the pedal bracket 11 moves rearward of the vehicle, the upper end portion of the pedal bracket 11 is detached from the cowl top member 6.
[0023]
The brake pedal 2 is suspended from the center of the pedal bracket 11 in the front-rear direction (a suspended pedal). Incidentally, 2a fulcrum pivot being suspended rotatably the upper end of the brake pedal 2 to the pedal bracket 11, 2b is a tread surface formed at the lower end of the brake. The front end of the operating rod 10a of the booster 10 is rotatably supported on the upper side of the pedal bracket 11, and when the tread surface 2b is stepped on, the brake operation can be performed through the booster 10.
[0024]
Such a pedal support structure is assembled with a structure that suppresses the backward movement of the pedal.
[0025]
To describe the structure, reference numeral 18 denotes a receiving portion (corresponding to a first meshing portion) provided on the upper end surface of the pedal bracket 11 facing the inside of the passenger compartment 5. The receiving portion 18 is formed of, for example, a U-shape, specifically, a plate piece that expands in a substantially C shape in the vertical direction as shown in FIG. 2, and the open side faces obliquely upward.
[0026]
Reference numeral 19 denotes an arm member extending from the deck cross member 7 on the upper side of the receiving portion 18 . For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the arm member 19 is formed of a strip-shaped steel plate 20 having vertical walls 20a on both sides, and has high rigidity. One end of the steel plate 20 is attached by being wound around the upper outer periphery of the deck cloth member 7. The other end of the steel plate 20 extends linearly toward the tip (extended end) of the pedal bracket 11 that is obliquely below. And the front-end | tip edge is inserted in the inside of the receiving part 18 to the point with a certain space | interval which does not contact each part of this receiving part 18. FIG. Thus, the tip edge is in a positional relationship facing the receiving portion 18 in a spaced manner. A notch portion 21 (corresponding to a second meshing portion) that can mesh with the receiving portion 18 is formed at the center of the front edge of the steel plate 20 facing the receiving portion 18. Then, as the pedal bracket 11 moves rearward of the vehicle by the notch portion 21 and the receiving portion 18, the receiving portion 18 and the notch portion 21 are engaged with each other, and the tip end portion of the pedal bracket 11 is made the tip end of the arm member 19. A connecting portion 22 is formed to be connected to the portion. By this engagement, an external force applied to the pedal bracket 11 is transmitted to the tip of the arm member 19 that extends obliquely downward. The respective vertical wall portions forming the root portion of the arm member 19 as shown in FIG. 2, for example in the vicinity of the attachment area of the deck cross member 7, a pair of cut-out portion 23 for the same portions vulnerable formation In addition, when a load of a predetermined value or more is applied from the tip of the arm member 19 , bending from the root portion is induced. When the distal end portion of the pedal bracket 11 is connected to the distal end portion of the arm member 19 by the notched portion 23, the arm member 19 is bent downward from the root portion by the applied external force.
[0027]
By utilizing the bending of the arm member 19 , the tip end portion of the pedal bracket 11 is forced downward to prevent the brake pedal 2 from moving backward.
[0028]
That is, it is now assumed that the dash panel 3 is pushed by the engine (not shown) and deformed rearward of the vehicle due to a vehicle front collision (an external force of a predetermined value or more is applied to the dash panel 3). By joining).
[0029]
Then, the pedal bracket 11 moves rearward of the vehicle according to the deformation of the dash panel 3.
[0030]
At this time, since the fixed seat 12 of the pedal bracket 11 is fastened to the cowl top member 6 by the slit 13 opened on the front side of the vehicle, it slides backward (by relative displacement with the cowl top member 6), The shaft portion 15 a of the bolt 15 that has been fastened is pulled out from the fixed seat 12. Thereby, fixation of the front-end | tip part of the pedal bracket 11 and the cowl top member 6 is cancelled | released.
[0031]
Subsequently, the bottom surface of the receiving portion 18 at the tip end of the pedal bracket 11 collides with the bottom surface of the notch portion 21 at the tip end of the arm member 19 to be engaged. Then, external force from the pedal bracket 11 is applied to the arm member 19 obliquely downward from the lateral direction.
[0032]
Here, the entire rigidity of the arm member 19 is high, and only the periphery of the base attachment portion is weakened by the notch portion 23 (intentionally, it is easy to bend in the vertical direction only from the same portion. Therefore, it is bent downward with the notched portion 23 as a fulcrum by the applied external force.
[0033]
During this time, the engagement between the bottom portion 18a and the upper wall 28b of the receiving portion 18 and the cutout portion 21 continues, and the distal end portion of the pedal bracket 11 and the distal end portion of the arm member 19 remain engaged with each other. The tip is forced downwards according to the arm part that bends.
[0034]
At this time, since only the base end portion of the pedal bracket 11 is supported by the dash panel 3 or the booster 10, the pedal bracket 11 has a vehicle having the base end portion as a fulcrum by the above behavior. A rotational displacement toward the front is given.
[0035]
Then, the brake pedal 2 supported by the pedal bracket 11 is given a rotational displacement toward the front of the vehicle as indicated by an arrow in FIG. 3 , and the backward movement of the brake pedal 2 is suppressed.
[0036]
Such a structure in which the pedal bracket 11 is pushed down by the arm member 19 is not affected at all by individual adjustment conditions such as a stroke amount when the brake pedal 2 is assembled. A structure for ensuring accuracy is not necessary.
[0037]
Therefore, it is possible to prevent the brake pedal 2 from moving backward with only a simple structure in which the engagement structure (the receiving portion 18 and the notch portion 21) is provided at the distal end of the pedal bracket 11 and the distal end of the arm member 19. Can do. In particular, by providing a weak portion on the arm member 19 to induce bending, the arm member 19 is surely bent from the root to the desired position when pushed by the pedal bracket 11, so that any vehicle front collision can be prevented. Even so, the pedal retraction suppression function can be exhibited stably.
[0038]
In addition, the receiving portion 18 and the notch portion 21 that form the meshing structure are arranged apart from each other, so that connection between them is not necessary. In addition, since it is only necessary to establish engagement with each other when the pedal bracket 11 moves rearward, high assembly accuracy is not required, and the pedal displacement control structure can be easily assembled at low cost.
[0039]
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the present invention is applied to a hanging brake pedal. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be applied to a hanging clutch pedal. In the embodiment, a member having a substantially U-shaped cross section is used for the arm member. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and other members may be used. Of course, the fragile portion is not limited to the notched portion, and other structures may be used. In one embodiment, although a substantially U-shaped receptacle and a notch portion are used as the engagement portion, the engagement portion may be engaged using another member or means. Of course, in contrast to the embodiment, a structure in which a notch portion is provided on the pedal bracket side and a receiving member is provided on the arm member side may be employed.
[0040]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, it is possible to prevent the pedal from retreating at the time of a vehicle front collision with a simple structure that does not require a high assembling accuracy for pedal adjustment.
[0041]
According to the invention described in claim 2, in addition to the above effect, the arm member is surely bent from the root to the intended position, so that it is possible to stably suppress the pedal retraction in any vehicle front collision. There is an effect that it can be demonstrated.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a pedal displacement control structure according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a structure around a connection portion in the structure.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the behavior of the brake pedal when an external force of a predetermined value or more is applied to the front portion of the vehicle.
[Explanation of symbols]
2 ... Hanging brake pedal (pedal)
3. Dash panel (first body component)
6 ... Cowl top member 7 ... Deck cross member (second vehicle body component)
11 ... Pedal bracket 13 ... Slit 15 ... Bolt 18 ... Receiving part (first meshing part)
19 ... Arm member 21 ... Notch (second meshing part)
22 ... Connection part 23 ... Notch part (fragile part).

Claims (2)

A pedal suspended from a first vehicle body component that is displaced substantially rearward of the vehicle when an external force of a predetermined value or more is applied to the front of the vehicle, via a pedal bracket extending rearward of the vehicle;
A bendable arm member fixed to a second vehicle body component member arranged on the rear upper side of the vehicle away from the first vehicle body component member so as to extend obliquely downward toward the extension end of the pedal bracket;
A first engagement portion provided in a U-shape at the extension end of the pedal bracket , and a cutout portion at the extension end of the arm member and spaced from the first engagement portion. The opening portion of the U-shape of the first meshing portion and the notch portion of the second meshing portion is configured as the pedal bracket moves rearward of the vehicle. crossed a meshed with the connecting portion,
When the pedal bracket moves rearward of the vehicle, the first meshing portion and the second meshing portion mesh with each other, an external force is transmitted to the extending end of the arm member, and the arm member is bent downward, The pedal displacement control structure for a vehicle, wherein the pedal bracket is directed downward while the first engagement portion and the second engagement portion are engaged .   2. The vehicle pedal displacement control structure according to claim 1, wherein the arm member has a weakened portion that induces bending at the base portion when a load of a predetermined value or more is applied. 3.

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