JP7115352B2 - Accelerator pedal mounting structure - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an accelerator pedal mounting structure.

Patent Document 1 discloses a structure in which a body-side bracket is fixed to a floor panel of a vehicle, and an organ pedal portion (pedal pad) is attached to the upper portion of the body-side bracket. Here, the body-side bracket is formed to have a substantially hat-shaped cross section when viewed in the vehicle width direction.

JP 2012-116368 A

By the way, there are known vehicles equipped with a protective device such as a knee airbag that restrains the lower limbs of the occupant in the event of a frontal collision of the vehicle. In such a vehicle, reaction force from the knee airbag may apply a force to the passenger's foot in the direction of depressing the accelerator pedal, and there is room for improvement from the viewpoint of protecting the lower extremities of the passenger.

In view of the above facts, the present invention provides an accelerator pedal attachment structure capable of improving the performance of protecting the legs of a passenger in the event of a frontal collision of a vehicle.

An accelerator pedal mounting structure according to claim 1 comprises: a pedal pad provided on a floor carpet on the vehicle lower side of a driver's seat; a pad base supported by the floor carpet and having a lower end portion of the pedal pad attached thereto; A bracket arranged on the vehicle lower side of the floor carpet and joined to the floor panel, comprising: a planar carpet supporting portion for supporting the floor carpet; a planar base fixing portion to which the pad base is fixed; and a first bent portion connecting the carpet support portion and the base fixing portion and between the carpet support portion and the base fixing portion. and a connecting portion having a second bent portion.

In the accelerator pedal mounting structure according to claim 1, the pedal pad is provided on the floor carpet. A lower end of the pedal pad is attached to a pad base supported by the floor carpet. Further, a bracket is arranged on the vehicle lower side of the floor carpet, and this bracket is joined to the floor panel. Here, the bracket includes a planar carpet supporting portion that supports the floor carpet, and a planar pedestal fixing portion to which the pad pedestal is fixed on the vehicle front side and the vehicle lower side than the carpet supporting portion. In addition, the bracket includes a connecting portion that connects the carpet supporting portion and the pedestal fixing portion. is provided with a second bent portion. As a result, the first bent portion and the second bent portion are bent when force is applied from the knee airbag or the like to the occupant's foot in the direction of depressing the accelerator pedal during a frontal collision of the vehicle. As a result, it is possible to absorb at least part of the impact input from the occupant's feet to the floor panel side.

As described above, according to the accelerator pedal mounting structure according to the present invention, it is possible to improve the protection performance for the lower extremities of the occupant in the event of a frontal collision of the vehicle.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the lower portion of the driver's seat to which the accelerator pedal mounting structure according to the embodiment is applied, viewed from the vehicle width direction; 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing an enlarged rear part of the pad base in FIG. 1; FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the lower portion of the driver's seat showing the behavior of the occupant's feet during a frontal collision of the vehicle; 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing an enlarged accelerator pedal and its surroundings in FIG. 3; FIG.

An accelerator pedal mounting structure according to an embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. An arrow FR appropriately shown in FIG. 1 indicates the front direction of the vehicle, and an arrow UP indicates the upper side of the vehicle. In the following description, when the front, rear, left, right, up, and down directions are used, the front and rear directions in the vehicle front-rear direction, the left and right directions in the width direction of the vehicle, and the up and down directions in the vertical direction of the vehicle are indicated unless otherwise specified.

As shown in FIG. 1, an accelerator pedal 12 is provided in a driver's seat 10 of a vehicle to which the accelerator pedal mounting structure according to the present embodiment is applied. The accelerator pedal 12 is provided on the floor carpet 20 and includes a pedal pad 12A and a connecting bracket 12B.

The pedal pad 12A is formed in a substantially rectangular plate shape with a plate thickness direction substantially in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and a long side direction substantially in the vertical direction of the vehicle.

The connection bracket 12B is provided on the rear surface of the pedal pad 12A (surface on the front side of the vehicle), and has a flat, substantially U shape when viewed in the vehicle width direction so that a space is formed between the connection bracket 12A and the pedal pad 12A. formed. A pedal rod (not shown) is inserted through the connecting bracket 12B. When the passenger steps on the pedal pad 12A, the pedal rod rotates, and the amount of rotation of the pedal rod is detected by a sensor (not shown) to change the opening of the throttle valve of the engine. .

A hinge portion 14 is provided at the lower end portion of the pedal pad 12A. The hinge portion 14 is provided integrally with the lower end portion of the pedal pad 12A, and is formed in a substantially inverted T shape when viewed in the vehicle width direction. The hinge portion 14 has a thin portion connected to the lower end portion of the pedal pad 12A, so that the pedal pad 12A can swing in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle about the hinge portion 14.

An insertion portion 16 is provided on the vehicle lower side of the hinge portion 14 . The insertion portion 16 is formed integrally with the hinge portion 14 at the lower end portion of the hinge portion 14, and is formed in a substantially inverted T shape when viewed in the vehicle width direction. The insertion portion 16 is inserted into an insertion hole 18A formed in the pad base 17. As shown in FIG.

The pad base 17 has a substantially T-shaped cross section when viewed from the side of the vehicle, and includes a base portion 18 and a bolt attachment portion 19 . The base portion 18 constitutes an upper portion of the pad pedestal 17, and in the present embodiment, as an example, is formed in a substantially rectangular plate shape whose plate thickness direction is the vertical direction of the vehicle.

As shown in FIG. 2, an insertion hole 18A is formed in the upper surface of the rear end portion of the base portion 18. As shown in FIG. The insertion hole 18A is formed in a shape corresponding to the insertion portion 16 of the accelerator pedal 12 in cross section when viewed in the vehicle width direction, and one end side of the insertion hole 18A in the vehicle width direction is open. The accelerator pedal 12 is attached to the pad base 17 by inserting the insertion portion 16 from the open side of the insertion hole 18A.

A corner portion 18B at the rear end and the lower end of the base portion 18 has an R shape with rounded corners. Since the corner portion 18B is pushed into the floor carpet 20, the corner portion 18B is positioned below the upper surface of the floor carpet 20 in the vehicle. The corner portion 18B is curved so that the vehicle rear side and the vehicle lower side are convex when viewed in the vehicle width direction.

As shown in FIG. 1, a counterbore portion 18C is formed on the upper surface of the central portion of the base portion 18. As shown in FIG. The counterbore portion 18C is recessed from the upper surface of the base portion 18, and the head portion of the bolt 22 is accommodated in the counterbore portion 18C. The counterbore portion 18C has an opening at the top, and the opening is closed by a substantially flat plate-like cover 26. As shown in FIG. By hiding the counterbore portion 18</b>C with the cover 26 in this way, the design around the accelerator pedal 12 is ensured.

A bolt mounting portion 19 is formed integrally with the lower portion of the base portion 18 of the pad pedestal 17 . The bolt attachment portion 19 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape whose axial direction is the vehicle up-down direction, and extends from the pad base 17 toward the vehicle lower side.

An insertion hole 19A is formed in the bolt attachment portion 19, and the upper end of the insertion hole 19A opens to a counterbore portion 18C. A bolt 22 is inserted through the insertion hole 19A. The bolt 22 is inserted through the bolt mounting portion 19 and a bracket 32 to be described later, and is screwed into the nut 24 . As a result, the bolt mounting portion 19 and the bracket 32 are fastened by the bolts 22 and the nuts 24 .

A floor panel 28 is arranged on the lower side of the vehicle than the pad pedestal 17 . The floor panel 28 constitutes the floor of the passenger compartment and is made of a substantially plate-shaped metal member. A tibia pad 30 and a bracket 32 are provided on the upper surface of the floor panel 28 .

The tibia pad 30 is disposed between the floor carpet 20 and the floor panel 28 on the rear side of the vehicle relative to the pedal pad 12A, and is made of a foamed resin material. The tibia pad 30 is configured to absorb the load input from the floor carpet 20 .

A bracket 32 is arranged in front of the tibia pad 30 . The bracket 32 is arranged on the vehicle lower side of the floor carpet 20 and is formed by bending a sheet metal. A closed cross section is formed between the bracket 32 and the floor panel 28 .

The front end of the bracket 32 is a front flange 32A extending along the floor panel 28. As shown in FIG. The front flange 32A is joined to the floor panel 28 by welding or the like while being overlapped with the front projection 28A projecting from the floor panel 28. As shown in FIG.

The rear end of the bracket 32 forms a rear flange 32B extending along the floor panel 28. As shown in FIG. The rear flange 32B is joined to the floor panel 28 by welding or the like while being overlapped with the rear projection 28B projecting from the floor panel 28 . Furthermore, the front end of the tibia pad 30 is arranged between the rear flange 32B and the floor carpet 20. As shown in FIG.

A carpet support portion 32C is provided on the vehicle front side of the rear flange 32B of the bracket 32 to support the floor carpet 20 from the vehicle lower side. The carpet support portion 32C is formed in a substantially planar shape along the floor carpet 20, and the carpet support portion 32C and the rear flange 32B are connected by a vertical wall extending in the vertical direction of the vehicle. .

A pedestal fixing portion 32D is provided on the vehicle front side and the vehicle lower side of the carpet support portion 32C. The pedestal fixing portion 32</b>D is positioned below the pad pedestal 17 and extends substantially parallel to the base portion 18 . A nut 24 is provided on the lower surface of the pedestal fixing portion 32D. The pedestal fixing portion 32D and the rear flange 32B are connected by a vertical wall portion that is inclined downward toward the vehicle from the vehicle rear side toward the vehicle front side as viewed in the vehicle width direction.

Here, as shown in FIG. 2, the carpet supporting portion 32C and the pedestal fixing portion 32D are connected by a connecting portion 32E. The connecting portion 32E is inclined downward toward the vehicle front side from the rear side of the vehicle, and the upper end portion of the connecting portion 32E is connected to the front end of the carpet support portion 32C. A first bent portion Q1 is provided between the connecting portion 32E and the carpet support portion 32C.

On the other hand, the lower end of the connecting portion 32E is connected to the rear end of the pedestal fixing portion 32D, and a second bent portion Q2 is provided between the connecting portion 32E and the pedestal fixing portion 32D.

(action)
Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.

In the accelerator pedal mounting structure according to this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the bracket 32 includes a planar carpet support portion 32C that supports the floor carpet 20, and a planar base fixing portion 32D. . Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the bracket 32 includes a connection portion 32E that connects the carpet support portion 32C and the pedestal fixing portion 32D. A first bent portion Q1 is provided, and a second bent portion Q2 is provided between the connecting portion 32E and the pedestal fixing portion 32D. As a result, when the occupant's foot runs over the accelerator pedal 12 in the event of a frontal collision of the vehicle and force is applied to the foot from the knee airbag or the like in the direction of stepping on the accelerator pedal 12, the first bent portion Q1 and the 2 bent portion Q2 is bent. As a result, it is possible to absorb at least part of the impact input from the occupant's feet to the floor panel side.

The above action will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 3, in the event of a frontal collision of the vehicle, a knee airbag 33 for restraining the lower legs of the occupant P is deployed. The knee airbag 33 is inflated and deployed by being supplied with gas from an inflator (not shown). The inflator is also configured to operate and generate gas when a frontal collision of the vehicle is detected.

Then, the knee airbag 33 contacts the knees of the occupant P that have moved forward due to inertia during a frontal collision, and the knee airbag 33 applies reaction force to the legs of the occupant P toward the lower side of the vehicle. As a result, force is applied to the foot F of the occupant P in the direction of stepping on the pedal pad 12A.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 4, the bracket 32 is bent in two steps of the first bent portion Q1 and the second bent portion Q2, thereby absorbing at least part of the load input from the leg F of the occupant P. be able to. As a result, the input load to the tibia pad 30 can be reduced.

Further, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the corners 18B at the rear and lower ends of the base portion 18 are rounded to form an R shape, so that the base portion 18 bites into the floor carpet 20. Even in such a case, it is possible to prevent the floor carpet 20 from being damaged.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the floor carpet 20 is sandwiched between the carpet support portion 32C and the base portion 18 in a normal state before collision. Therefore, formation of a gap between the pad base 17 and the floor carpet 20 can be suppressed. As a result, the appearance of the lower portion of the driver's seat 10 can be maintained well.

Although the accelerator pedal mounting structure according to the embodiment has been described above, it is needless to say that the structure can be implemented in various ways without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the accelerator pedal 12 is provided with the connection bracket 12B, and the pedal rod is inserted through the connection bracket 12B. However, the present invention is not limited to this. That is, other structures may be adopted as long as the opening of the throttle valve is changed according to the amount of depression when the pedal pad 12A is depressed. Also, the present invention may be applied to an electric vehicle that is driven by the driving force of a motor.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 driver's seat 12A pedal pad 17 pad base 20 floor carpet 32 bracket 32C carpet support portion 32D base fixing portion 32E connecting portion Q1 first bent portion Q2 second bent portion

Claims (1)

a pedal pad provided on the floor carpet on the vehicle lower side of the driver's seat;
a pad base supported by the floor carpet and having the lower end of the pedal pad attached thereto;
A bracket arranged on the vehicle lower side of the floor carpet and joined to the floor panel, comprising: a planar carpet supporting portion for supporting the floor carpet; a planar base fixing portion to which the pad base is fixed; and a first bent portion connecting the carpet support portion and the base fixing portion and between the carpet support portion and the base fixing portion. a connecting portion having a second bent portion ; and
Accelerator pedal mounting structure.

Images