JPS625701Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] The present invention relates to a vehicle operation pedal such as a clutch pedal or a brake pedal.

2. Description of the Related Art In vehicles, it is widely practiced to adjust the seat position in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle according to the height of the driver. However, it is not possible to achieve an ideal driving posture simply by adjusting the seat position. In addition to the steering wheel, vehicles are equipped with clutch, brake, and other pedals, so even if you adjust the seat position optimally relative to the steering wheel, it may not be in the optimal position relative to the pedals; This is because if the position is set at the optimum position with respect to the pedals, the position relative to the steering wheel becomes inappropriate. For example, if a short person moves the seat forward to make it easier to operate the clutch pedal, etc., the steering wheel will be too close to the driver and the driver will have to hold the steering wheel, making it difficult to drive. It is. Therefore, in order to enable both tall and short people to have a truly ideal driving position, the seat position should be adjustable, and the pedal position should also be adjustable in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. It is necessary to do so. However, since the pedal is connected to the clutch, brake, etc., it is necessary to be able to adjust the position without affecting these, and the position can be adjusted relatively easily. It must be of a type that does not easily move once the adjustment is completed and fixed. This is because it would be extremely dangerous if the pedal were to shift in the front-rear direction when the pedal is depressed.

With this background in mind, the present invention allows the driver to adjust the position in the longitudinal direction while sitting in the seat, and also allows the driver to easily move the seat once the adjustment is completed and fixed. This was done with the aim of providing an adjustable pedal without any

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail based on the drawings.

In the figure, reference numeral 10 indicates a dash panel of a vehicle, and this panel 10 includes a master cylinder 14 having a reservoir 12 and disposed in the engine room.
is fixed. A push rod 16 extends from the cylinder 14, and the tip of the rod 16 is connected to an upper arm 20 of a clutch pedal 18 for relative rotation. The upper arm 20 has its upper end fixed to a pedal bracket 22 fixed to the vehicle body so as to be rotatable about a horizontal axis, and its lower end bifurcates downward as shown in FIG. A lower arm 28 having a pedal pad 26 is inserted into the connecting portion 24 from below. As is clear from FIGS. 1 and 3, the opposing side plates 30 and 30 of the connecting portion 24 are formed with elongated holes 32 that extend in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and function as guide grooves. Plate-shaped protrusions 34, 34 provided on both sides of the lower arm 28 are slidably inserted into the lower arm 28, thereby connecting the lower arm 28 to the upper arm 20 in a horizontally horizontally movable state. A coil spring 36 is stretched between the protrusion 34 of the lower arm 28 and the upper arm 20, thereby urging the lower arm 28 forward.

Serrated locking teeth 38 are provided on the inner upper part of the connecting portion 24.
is formed continuously in the front-rear direction, and a claw member 40 that engages with the locking teeth 38 is rotatably attached to the upper end of the lower arm 28.
The lower arm 28 is engaged with the claw member 40.
are held at a predetermined position according to their meshing position. The claw member 40 and the lower arm 28 are provided with lock release cables 42 that protrude into the inside of the connecting portion 24 from opposite directions.
and a lower arm moving cable 44 are connected. These cables 42, 44 are composed of inner cables 46, 48 and tube-shaped outer cables 50, 52 fitted on the outside thereof. Among these, the inner cable 46 of the lock release cable 42 has one end that is connected to a claw member. At 40,
The other end is connected to an operating member 54, as shown in FIG. The outer cable 50 has one end fixed to the lower arm 28 and the other end fixed to a fixed position bracket 58, and when the inner cable 46 is pulled out a predetermined amount upward, the claw member 40 rotates counterclockwise in the figure. The locking tooth 3 is rotated by
It is planned to leave from 8 onwards. On the other hand, the lower arm moving cable 44 has an inner cable 48 connected at both ends to the lower arm 28 and the operating member 54, and an outer cable 52.
Both ends of the cable are connected to the connecting portion 24 and the bracket 58, and when the inner cable 48 is pulled,
The lower arm 28 is guided by the elongated hole 32 of the connecting portion 24 and moves rearward.

The operation member 54 includes a knob 60 as a rotation and tension operation section, a cylinder body 64 held in a fixed position by a holding member 62, and a cylinder body 64 that is fixed to the knob 60 and is slidable and rotatable on the cylinder body 64. It comprises a fitted rod 66 and a disc 70 slidably fitted into a spline portion 68 at the tip of the rod.
Among these, the moving cable 44 is attached to the tip of the rod.
The inner cable 48 of the disc 70 is connected to the
The inner cable 46 of the lock release cable 42 is connected to the outer circumference of the disc 70 via a stopper 71 that is rotatably attached to the disc 70.

Note that claws 72 are formed at three locations along the circumferential direction of the end of the cylinder 64 so as to hold the outer circumference of the disc 70.
0 is prevented from moving back and forth, and only its rotational movement is allowed.

In the above-mentioned adjustable clutch pedal constructed in this manner, the position thereof is adjusted by the following operation.

For example, if the pedal pad 26 is located further forward than the proper position for operation and needs to be moved rearward (toward the driver's side), first turn the knob 60 to move the disc 70 to the rod. 66, and the inner cable 46 connected to its outer circumference is pulled out from the outer cable 50 by an amount corresponding to the amount of rotation. Then, the claw member 40 connected to the other end of the inner cable 46 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG.
8 can move freely. When the knob 60 is then pulled out to the rear, that is, in front of the driver, the inner cable 48 connected to the tip of the rod 66 is pulled, causing the lower arm 28 to move rearward against the biasing force of the coil spring 36. move it to When the pedal pad 26 is in the proper position, the knob 60 is turned in the opposite direction to return the disk 70 to its original angular position, and the pawl member 40 is clocked by the biasing force of the torsion spring 74. As it rotates, it engages with the locking teeth 38 based on the biasing force of the coil spring 36, thereby locking the lower arm 28 at the stop position.

Above, we have explained the case where the lower arm 28 is located at the front side of the proper position and is moved to the rear side.However, conversely, when the lower arm 28 is located at the rear side of the proper position and is shifted to the rear side, The situation is almost the same when it is shifted to the front side. The length and arrangement of the connecting portion 24 and the elongated hole 32 in the longitudinal direction are selected in advance so that the lower arm 28 is in an appropriate position anywhere from the front end to the rear end.

In this way, in the above clutch pedal,
This is divided into an upper arm 20 and a lower arm 28, and the lower arm 28 is movable back and forth so that the position of the pedal pad 26 can be adjusted. Move the seat forward so that the pedal pad 26 is in the proper position (the position indicated by the solid line 76 in the figure).
There is no need to shift the steering wheel 78 toward the driver, and therefore, there is no need to force the driver to take a posture in which he or she is hugging the steering handle 78 (represented by the solid line 80).
When a pedal force is applied to the pedal pad 26 with the lower arm 28 locked at the proper position, this pedal force is applied to the periphery of the elongated hole 32 which engages the protrusion 34 of the lower arm 28 and engages with the pawl member 40. No concentrated loads are transmitted to the coupling part 24 at the teeth 38, thereby ensuring sufficient strength, and the lower arm 28 is firmly fixed in the adjusted position, preventing its displacement. There is no.

Further, in the pedal 18, the lower arm 28 can be easily unlocked and adjusted by simply turning or pulling out the operating member 54 located above the driver's seat. As shown, the driver can perform these operations while sitting on the seat and maintaining a proper driving posture. Unlike moving the lower arm 28 directly by hand to find its proper position, when adjusting the movement of the lower arm 28, it is possible to make adjustments while checking with your foot whether or not the arm 28 has moved to the proper position. It has special features.

In the above embodiment, the inner cable 48 of the unlocking cable 44 is connected to the tip of the rod 66 of the operating member 54, the lower arm moving cable 44 is omitted, and the operating member 54 is used only for unlocking. It is also possible to do so. In this case, the position of the lower arm 28 is adjusted as follows. That is, the lower arm 28 is directly manually moved to the rearmost position, that is, to the right end position in FIG. 3. Then, while sitting on the seat, the driver pulls out and pushes back the knob 60 to shift the engagement position of the claw member 40 with the locking teeth 38 forward one step at a time, so that the lower arm 28 is in the proper position. When it reaches this position, it is finally stopped at this position. At this time, the propulsive force of the lower arm 28 (towards the front) is given by the biasing force of the spring 36.

Such an adjustable pedal has lower arm 2.
8 by hand, the position adjustment operation itself is easy and the driver can do it while maintaining a proper driving posture, which has the same advantages as the above embodiment. .

Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described based on FIGS. 6 to 8. In the figure, upper arm 8
The connecting portion 86 formed at the lower end of the connecting portion 86 has a bifurcated shape in which a side plate 88 and a locking plate 90 facing each other are fixed by rivets 94 through a spacer plate 92, and a lower arm is attached inside the connecting portion 86. The upper end of 96 is inserted. The side plate 88 is formed with an elongated hole 98 extending in the front and rear horizontal direction as in the previous embodiment, and the lower arm 96 is provided with rivets 100, 1.
A pair of protrusions 102, 102 configured with 00
are provided, and these protrusions 102, 102 are slidably inserted into the elongated hole 98. The pair of protrusions 102, 102 penetrate the side plate 88, and have heads 104, 104 formed on the back side thereof, and one of the protrusions 104 located in the front direction.
A latching tool 106 extending toward the back side is further fixed to the holder, and a coil spring 108 of this latching tool 106 is fixed to the holder 106.
One end of the lower arm 96 is latched so that the lower arm 96 is urged rearward.

On the opposite side of the lower arm 96 from the protrusion 102, a bell crank-shaped claw member 114 having an actuated arm 110 and a locking arm 112 is rotatably attached by a stepped bolt 116 passing through its center. . A claw portion 120 is formed at the tip of the locking arm 112 and engages with a locking tooth 118 provided on the locking plate 90, so that the lower arm 96 is locked in a fixed position by the engagement between the two. It's getting old.

A torsion spring 122 is attached to the stepped body of the stepped bolt 116, and one end of the torsion spring 122 is hooked to the actuated arm 110, whereby the claw member 1
14 is biased clockwise in FIG. 6, that is, in the direction in which the claw portion 120 and the locking tooth 118 engage with each other. A U-shaped engagement end 128 provided on the outer cable 126 of the lock release cable 124 is fitted into the lower end of the actuated arm 110 and engaged with the actuated arm 110 from the front side. , when the end portion 128 is pushed backward, the claw member 11
4 can be rotated counterclockwise against the biasing force of the torsion spring 122. The inner cable 130 is extended forward through a through hole 136 formed at the U-shaped engagement end and a cutout groove 138 formed in the actuated arm 110, and its tip end cable terminal 1
32 is fixed and connected to the lower arm 96 at this terminal 132. The opening of the notch groove 138 is closed by one side plate portion of the engaging end portion 128, so that the inner cable 130 does not come off from the notch 138. Inner cable 130 is inserted into notch 138 prior to engaging engagement end 128 with affected arm 110. Further, the other ends of the inner cable 130 and the outer cable 126 are respectively connected to the tip of the rod 66 of the operating member 54 and the positionally fixed bracket 58, as in the previous embodiment.

In the clutch pedal 134 configured as described above, the position of the lower arm 96 is adjusted in the following procedure. Pull the knob 60 to connect the engaging end 128 of the outer cable 126 to the inner cable 13.
0, the claw member 114 is rotated counterclockwise, and the claw portion 120 engages with the locking tooth 118.
The lower arm 96 becomes movable. Since the biasing force of the spring 108 is acting on the lower arm 96, the lower arm 96 moves rearward, but at this time, the driver places his foot on the pedal pad 26 with his foot on the seat and adjusts it properly. Once the pad 26 is at the same position, push back the knob 60 to release the claw member 11.
4 is rotated clockwise by the biasing force of the torsion spring 122, and the claw portion 120 and the locking teeth 118 are again engaged with each other, whereby the lower arm 96 is locked at the above-mentioned proper position. Note that if the lower arm 96 is located at the rear side of the proper position and is to be moved forward, the claw portion 120 can be moved by operating the knob 60.
This can be done by releasing the engagement between the locking teeth 118 and the locking teeth 118, and in this state moving the lower arm 96 forward using the force of the foot.

As mentioned above, the present invention was applied to the clutch pedal.
Although Embodiment 3 has been described, the present invention can also be applied to other brake pedals, etc. For example, the guide groove of the connecting part may be a groove of a predetermined depth, and the protrusion of the lower arm may be engaged with this groove. It is possible to make various changes without departing from the spirit of the present invention, such as making it compatible with the present invention.

As described in detail below, the adjustable pedal according to the present invention is a vehicle pedal such as a clutch pedal or a brake pedal, and is rotatably supported around a horizontal axis by a bracket fixed to the vehicle body. an upper arm provided with a connecting part at the upper end; a guide groove formed long in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle in the connecting part; and a locking tooth formed along a straight line parallel to the guide groove; a lower arm having a protrusion slidably engaged with the guide groove and having a pedal pad at its lower end; a pawl member guided in the guide groove to prevent movement in the front-rear direction; a spring means biasing the pawl member in a direction to mesh with the locking tooth; and a pawl member connected to the pawl member by a connecting means. , a manual operation member for disengaging the pawl member from the locking tooth against the biasing force of the spring means.

Such an adjustable pedal allows the lower arm of the pedal to be moved and adjusted independently and easily to a proper position while the driver remains seated in the seat, and the lower arm, once locked in the proper position, remains in the same position. It has various excellent effects, such as being firmly fixed so that there is no risk of its position shifting even if the pedal is pressed repeatedly.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a side view (partially sectional view) including an adjustable clutch pedal according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 2 is a front view (partial sectional view) of the main part of the pedal shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a side view of the main part showing the vicinity of the connection part of the pedal with a part cut away, Fig. 4 is a side view (partial sectional view) of the main part showing the vicinity of the operating member in Fig. 1 on an enlarged scale, and Fig. 5 The figure is an explanatory diagram showing the driver's posture in relation to the seat position and clutch pedal position. Figure 6 is a side view of the main parts of an adjustable clutch pedal according to another embodiment of the present invention. Figure 7 is FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view, and FIG. 8 is a front cross-sectional view showing the engaged state of the claw member and the cable engagement end in FIG. 7. 18,134: Clutch pedal, 20,84:
Upper arm, 22: Pedal bracket, 24, 8
6: Connection part, 26: Pedal pad, 28, 96:
Lower arm, 32, 98: Long hole (guide groove), 3
4,102: Protrusion, 36,108: Coil spring, 38,118: Locking tooth, 40,114: Claw member, 42,124: Lock release cable, 4
4: Moving cable, 54: Operating member, 122:
Torsion spring.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claim for Utility Model Registration] Vehicle pedals such as clutch pedals and brake pedals, which are rotatably supported around a horizontal axis by a bracket fixed to the vehicle body, and have an upper arm equipped with a connecting portion at the lower end. a guide groove formed long in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle in the connecting portion and a locking tooth formed along a straight line parallel to the guide groove; and an upper end portion slidably engaged with the guide groove. a lower arm having a pedal pad at its lower end; a pawl member that prevents movement in a direction; a spring means that biases the pawl member in a direction in which it engages with the locking teeth; and a pawl member that is connected to the pawl member by a connecting means and that resists the biasing force of the spring means. and a manual operation member for releasing the pawl member from the locking tooth.