JPH0222733Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to a device for reducing the pressing force of an operating pedal for operating a friction clutch for an automobile.

(Prior art) The operating pedal of an automobile is operated by the driver with his or her foot, and a push rod attached to the operating pedal is moved forward and backward, and the clutch plate is operated by the action of hydraulic pressure in a clutch master cylinder. Alternatively, by operating a clutch plate connected to a cable attached to the operating pedal, the power of the vehicle can be switched on and off. Both the elastic force of a spring member built into the clutch and the elastic force of a spring member attached to the operating pedal act on the operating pedal in the direction of returning the operating pedal. These elastic forces are essential for intermittent power supply, but these elastic forces act as pedal force when the driver depresses the operating pedal.

Therefore, in order to reduce the pressing force on the operating pedal for operating the friction clutch after the operating pedal is depressed by a predetermined stroke, an operating pedal depression force reducing device, also referred to as a turnover device, is installed in the vehicle. A conventional pedal force reduction device using a torsion coil spring is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 58-6629.

(Problem to be solved by the invention) As described above, when a torsion coil spring is used in a pedal force reduction device, when the operating pedal is rotated, the end of the torsion coil spring does not move against the bracket that supports it. This will result in sliding. Therefore, conventionally, as shown in FIG. 7, the bush 1 is interposed between the side wall 2 of the bracket and the end 3 of the torsion coil spring, so that when the operating pedal is rotated, the end of the torsion coil spring is The part 3 was made to slide within the support hole 4 of the bush 1.

However, when a torsion coil spring is used, the end of the torsion coil spring not only rotates within the support hole 4 of the bush 1 when the operation pedal is rotated, but also causes the end 3 to swing. An elastic force is also applied to the bush 1 in the prying direction. For this reason, the end portion 3 with a small diameter rotates with a relatively large elastic force applied to the support hole 4 of the bush 1, so that the inner surface of the support hole 4 is quickly worn out, and moreover, in the above-mentioned prying direction. Also, since elastic force is applied to the inside of the support hole 4, uneven wear on the inner surface of the support hole 4 is significantly caused. Especially in recent years,
In order to increase the output of the engine, the elastic force in the direction of returning the operating pedal tends to increase. However, if this elastic force is increased, the wear and uneven wear described above will become noticeable, and with long-term use, the wear and uneven wear of the inner surface of the support hole 4 of the bush 1 will cause squeaks. There was a problem in that it could cause damage and lack durability.

The present invention was developed by focusing on these conventional problems, and aims to suppress the occurrence of wear or uneven wear of the bushings in a pedal force reduction device using a torsion coil spring, and to improve the durability of the pedal force reduction device. The purpose is to improve sexual performance.

(Means for Solving the Problems) The present invention for achieving the above-mentioned object consists of rotating an operating pedal for operating a clutch that transmits the power of the vehicle to a support shaft fixed to a bracket attached to the vehicle. A torsion coil spring is attached between the side wall and the operation pedal, and is attached between the side wall and the operation pedal to apply an elastic force in the direction in which the operation pedal is depressed after the operation pedal is depressed for a predetermined stroke. fitting a bushing with a spherical outer peripheral surface to the end portion to be attached to the side wall;
A spherical receiving surface that comes into contact with the bushing is formed on the side wall, and the receiving surface supports rotation and swinging motion of the end of the torsion coil spring when the operating pedal is rotated. This is a device for reducing the pressing force of operating pedals.

(Function) When the operation pedal is operated, the end of the torsion coil spring rotates and applies an elastic force to the bushing so as to cause it to swing or oscillate. By sliding along the spherical receiving surface which has a larger area than the outer circumferential surface of the end of the torsion coil spring, the surface pressure acting on the spherical outer circumferential surface of the bush is reduced.
As a result, wear on the bushing is significantly reduced, and since the end of the torsion coil spring can swing or oscillate, uneven wear will not occur and the elastic force will be increased. Even with the use of a large torsion coil spring, the durability of the operating pedal force reduction device has been improved.

(Example) The present invention will be described below based on an illustrative example. FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway plan view showing an operating pedal depression force reduction device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway front view of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3A is a partially cutaway front view of FIG. is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the main part of FIG. 1;

As shown in the figure, an operating pedal 20 for operating a clutch that transmits power to the vehicle is rotatably attached to a support shaft 22 fixed to a bracket 21 attached to the vehicle, and is operated by a pedal 20, which is designated by the symbol P in the figure. The clutch plate is engaged and engaged via a push rod or cable 23 which is pivoted in the direction Q and in the return direction indicated by Q and is fixed to the operating pedal 20. The position of the operating pedal 20 in the return direction is regulated by a stopper S attached to the bracket 21. The bracket 21 attached to the vehicle includes a base wall 24 that is integral with the vehicle;
It consists of two integral side walls 25 and 26 facing each other on both sides, and the overall plane has a substantially U-shaped cross section. The support shaft 22 is attached between two side walls 25 and 26, and is rotatably attached to the bolt 27 integrated with the side walls 25 and 26 of the bracket 21 via a resin spacer 28. The operating pedal 20 is integrated with the sleeve 29 by means such as welding.

As shown in FIG. 1, support portions 30 and 31 for supporting the ends of the torsion coil springs are formed in the respective side walls 25 and 26 at mutually opposing positions. The operating pedal 20 is provided with a spring receiving portion 32 that protrudes toward the base wall 24 of the bracket 21, and as shown in FIGS.
The center O ₁ of the support shaft 22 that supports 0 and the support part 30,
The plane containing the central axis O ₂ of 31 is the operating pedal 2
A locking portion 33 for attaching a torsion coil spring is formed at a position that traverses as the foot rotates when the foot is pressed down. In addition, this plane is shown in FIG. 2 by a straight line T connecting the central axis O ₁ of the support shaft 22 and the central axis O ₂ of the locking holes 30 and 31. In other words,
This plane is also included in the straight line T, and is located perpendicularly to this drawing in FIG. The locking portion 33 is formed by providing an L-shaped notch in the spring receiving portion 32.

A torsion coil spring 34 having the shape shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is attached between the side walls 25, 26 of the bracket 21 and the operating pedal 20. This torsion coil spring 34 is formed by bending a single linear spring material, and each coil portion 3
two torsion coil springs 37 with 5, 36;
Consists of 38. One end 37a of one of the two torsion coil springs 37, 38 that are integral with each other is attached to a support portion 30 formed on one side wall 25 of the bracket 2. . Also, the other torsion coil spring 3
The other end 38a of the bracket 8 is attached to a support portion 31 formed on the other side wall 26 of the bracket 21. Each torsion coil spring 3
End portions 37b and 38b of 7 and 38 are integral with each other, and this portion is hooked onto and attached to a locking portion 33 formed on the spring receiving portion 32 of the operating pedal 20. And each end 37a,
38a is parallel to the central axis O of the coil parts 35 and 36. As a result, the torsion coil spring 34
As shown in FIG.
The bracket 21 and the operating pedal 20 are placed in such a position that the central axes O of the brackets 5 and 36 are perpendicular to the side walls 25 and 26.
It will be installed between.

The structure of the support portion 30 supporting the end portion 37a of the torsion coil spring 34 is shown in FIG. 3A, and the support portion 30 is bulged outward from the side wall 25 of the bracket 21 by burring. formed,
The inner surface is a spherical receiving surface 40. A bush 42 having a spherical outer peripheral surface and a fitting hole 41 in the center is press-fitted into the end 37a of the torsion coil spring 34 with an appropriate tightening margin at the fitting hole 41. There is.

Fitting hole 4 in bush 42 shown in FIG. 3A
1 is a through hole, but as shown in FIGS. 3B and 3C, the fitting hole 41 may be a blind hole with a bottom. In this manner, by forming the blind hole, it becomes easy to position the end portion 37a of the torsion coil spring in the axial direction. Furthermore, the structure of the support portion 30 shown in FIG. 3C is such that the side wall 25 is not subjected to burring as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, but is embossed to form a spherical receiving surface 40. There is. In this case, the receiving surface 40 itself does not have holes. Such a support part 30 shown in FIGS. 3A to 3C
The same structure applies to the support portion 31 formed on the other side wall 26 of the bracket 21.

As the material of the bush 42, synthetic resin such as polyacetal, or bearing alloy such as gun metal can be used.

Next, the operation will be explained. In FIG. 2, the operating pedal 20 is not depressed, and the operating pedal 20 is in contact with the stopper S. At this time, in the front of the pedal force reduction device, the position is lower than a plane (indicated by a straight line T in FIG. 1) that includes the center axis O ₁ of the support shaft 22 and the center axis O ₂ of the support parts 30 and 31. Since the center of the support part 30 is located, an elastic force is applied by the torsion coil spring 34 in a direction that pushes the locking part 33 and the support parts 30, 31 apart, and a component of this elastic force is It acts in the direction Q of returning the operating pedal 20. The component of this elastic force becomes smaller as the operating pedal 20 is depressed. In other words, the elastic force in the direction Q in which the operating pedal 20 is returned becomes smaller. Then, the center of the locking portion 33 is aligned with the straight line T
If the position is above the plane indicated by the straight line T that includes the central axis O ₁ of the support shaft 22 and the central axis O ₂ of the supporting parts 30 and 31 as shown in FIG. The force acts in the direction P in which the operating pedal 20 is depressed. This elastic force increases as the operating pedal 20 is depressed.

When the operation pedal 20 rotates in this manner, the ends 37a and 37b of the torsion coil spring 24 perform a rotational movement and a swinging movement, respectively, but a bush 42 is attached to each end 37a and 38a. Because they are press-fitted, the outer circumferential surface of this bushing 42 corresponds to the spherical receiving surface 40 of the support portions 30 and 31.
It will slide along. Therefore, the elastic force of the torsion coil spring 34 acts on the entire portion of the outer peripheral surface of the bush 42 that contacts the receiving surface 40, and the surface pressure acting on the outer peripheral surface of the bush 42 is reduced. This reduced wear on the bushing 42. Moreover, since the biased spring force no longer acts on the bush 42, the bush 42
Uneven wear no longer occurs.

4A and 4B are diagrams showing a pedal depression force reduction device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The torsion coil spring 34 has a central axis O of the coil parts 35 and 36.
are attached parallel to the side walls 25 and 26, as shown in FIG. 4B. The structure other than this is almost the same as that of the previous embodiment, and members common to those shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 are given the same reference numerals. And torsion coil spring 3
A bush 42 shown in FIG. 3A is press-fitted into the end portions 37a and 38a of 4.

5A and 5B are diagrams showing a third embodiment of the operating pedal depression force reduction device of the present invention, in which the operating pedal 2
Spring receiving portion 32 and bracket 21 connected to
A torsion coil spring 34 similar to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is installed between the side walls 25 and 26 of the spring 1, with the central axis O of the coil portion being perpendicular to the side walls 25 and 26. There is. This torsion coil spring 3
A bushing 42 is press-fitted into the end of 4. Furthermore, in this case, in order to increase the pressing force on the operating pedal 20, an auxiliary torsion coil spring 39 is installed on the operating pedal 20, as shown in FIG. 5B.
is installed on. The rest of the structure is the same as that of the previous embodiment, and the same reference numerals are given to the same members as those of the previous embodiment.

6A and 6B are diagrams showing a fourth embodiment of the operating pedal depression force reduction device of the present invention, in which the operating pedal 2
A guide groove 50 is formed in the spring receiving part 32 that is integrally formed with the spring receiving part 32.
1 is slidably engaged. The sliding body 51 is placed between the sliding body 51 and the supporting shaft 22.
A torsion coil spring 52 is attached that applies a resilient force in the direction of moving the slider 51 away from the
A torsion coil spring 34 is attached between the sliding body 51 and supporting portions 30 and 31 formed on the side walls 25 and 26 of the bracket 21. This torsion coil spring 34 is similar to that shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

In this case, as the operating pedal 20 is depressed, the sliding body 51 moves forward away from the support shaft 22, thereby achieving an increase in the depression force of the operating pedal 20. Each torsion coil spring 52, 34 has a diameter of 2 as shown in FIG. 6A.
A bushing 42 is press-fitted into the end of one torsion coil spring 53, and each bushing 42 is connected to a support part 3 formed on the side walls 25, 26 of the bracket 21, respectively.
It is attached to 0,31. In this embodiment as well, members common to those in the previous embodiment are given the same reference numerals.

(Effects of the invention) As described above, according to the invention, a bushing having a spherical outer circumferential surface is fitted to the end of the torsion coil spring that is attached to the side wall, and the bushing has a spherical shape in contact with the bushing. forming a receiving surface on the side wall;
Since the rotation and oscillation of the end of the torsion coil spring when the operation pedal is rotated is supported by the receiving surface, the end of the torsion coil spring can be rotated as the operation pedal is rotated. At the same time, it is possible to perform rotational and oscillating movements, and since the outer peripheral surface of the bushing that is integrated with the end is evenly supported by the spherical receiving surface, the surface pressure that acts on the bushing is reduced. At the same time, it has become possible to prevent the occurrence of uneven wear that impairs durability, and a significant improvement in the durability of the bushing has been achieved. According to the results of the durability test, when the bushing shown in Fig. 3A was used in the pedal reduction device shown in Figs. It has been found that a certain degree of durability (wear resistance against the number of repetitions of the operation pedal, etc.) can be obtained.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway plan view showing an operating pedal depression force reduction device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway front view of FIG. 1, and FIG.
Figures 3B and C are enlarged sectional views showing other embodiments of the part in Figure 1, and Figures 4A and B are part views showing a second embodiment of the present invention. Cutaway plan view, front view, Figure 5 A, B
6 is a side view and partially cutaway front view showing the third embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 6 is a plan view and partially cutaway front view showing the fourth embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7 is a conventional operation. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a support structure for an end of a torsion coil spring in a pedal depression force reduction device. 20...Operation pedal, 21...Bracket, 2
2... Support shaft, 34... Torsion coil spring, 40...
...Reception side, 42...butsuyu.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] An operating pedal for operating a clutch that transmits the power of the vehicle is rotatably attached to a support shaft fixed to a bracket attached to the vehicle, and after the operating pedal is depressed for a predetermined stroke, the pedal is depressed in the direction of depression. A torsion coil spring that provides an elastic force is installed between the side wall and the operation pedal, and a bush having a spherical outer peripheral surface is fitted to an end of the torsion coil spring that is attached to the side wall. A spherical receiving surface that contacts the bushing is formed on the side wall, and the receiving surface supports rotation and oscillation of the end of the torsion coil spring when the operating pedal is rotated. A device for reducing the pressing force of an operating pedal.