JP6048360B2 - Pedal device for vehicle - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a pedal device such as a brake pedal or an accelerator pedal for a vehicle such as an automobile.

  2. Description of the Related Art In vehicles such as automobiles, as a brake pedal or an accelerator pedal, a stepping type pedal device that is generally operated by a driver's foot is adopted. In particular, in recent years, not only the brake pressure of the braking device or the opening / closing of the throttle valve of the engine is adjusted mechanically directly by the brake pedal or the accelerator pedal, but also the stroke sensor that detects the pedal operation amount. In many cases, the pedal device is equipped with various control components such as a stop lamp switch for detecting whether or not the brake pedal is depressed. In this regard, a foot pedal device that performs a pedal operation by turning a pedal arm that extends downward is installed in a lower portion in front of a driver's seat of a vehicle. Then, as described above, the pedal operation is performed without looking at the driver's feet, so that the driver's feet are prevented from making unnecessary contact with the control components mounted on the pedal device. Therefore, the lower surface of the apparatus is covered with a panel-like cover member (for example, Patent Document 1). In addition, the weak points on the pedal arm allow the pedal arm to be deformed to avoid unnecessary large forces acting on the control parts when an external force such as the driver's foot touching the side of the pedal arm is applied. Forming (grooves) has also been proposed (for example, Patent Document 2).

JP-A-2005-239047 JP 2004-155340 A

  As described above, in the configuration in which the lower surface of the pedal device is covered with the cover member, when the driver's foot hits the cover member, the cover member is bent and deformed, thereby being provided near the cover member. There is a risk of impact on the control components. Therefore, if the position of the cover member is shifted further downward in order to avoid this, the space at the driver's feet may be reduced, and the driver's feet may easily hit the cover member. In addition, the control component provided in the pedal device receives mechanical displacement due to the pivot of the pedal arm, and its position is almost inevitably determined with respect to the pivot axis (fulcrum) of the pedal arm. When the position of the cover member is separated from the position of the control component or the pivot axis of the pedal arm, the area of the cover member that overlaps the path of the pedal arm that is turning increases, so The cover member needs to be cut out larger so as not to interfere. However, in that case, sounds and vibrations generated during the operation of the pedal device and the operation of other mechanical devices (steering etc.) or the sound transmitted through the dash panel are likely to leak to the driver's seat. Furthermore, in order to make the cover member difficult to bend, if it is made rigid by increasing the thickness or the like, the weight will increase.

  Thus, one object of the present invention is to provide an impact on a control component or the like above the cover member by the bending of the cover member attached to the lower surface of the pedal device operated by the foot of the driver for the vehicle as described above. Furthermore, it is possible to provide a novel structure that solves the above-mentioned problems by allowing the cover member to be installed without being unnecessarily separated from the position of the control component or the pivot axis of the pedal arm. .

  According to the present invention, the above-described problem is a pedal device including a pedal arm that extends downward in a pivotable manner by a driver's foot at a lower portion in front of a driver's seat of a vehicle, A bracket member that is fixed to the lower front portion of the driver seat, and extends between the bracket member and a lower surface of a control component adjacent to or attached to the bracket member and a space under the foot of the driver seat. This is achieved by a pedal device that includes a cover member that is present and has a convex portion extending downward from a lower portion of the bracket member located in a lower region of the control component between the bracket member and the cover member.

  In the present invention described above, the basic configuration may be an arbitrary pedal device used for a brake pedal or an accelerator pedal of a vehicle, and is installed in a lower part in front of a driver's seat of the vehicle. A cover member is provided that has a pedal arm that turns by stepping on the pedal and prevents contact between the pedal device and the foot on the lower surface of the pedal device positioned above the driver's foot. With respect to such a cover member, as already mentioned, when the driver suddenly kicks up the cover member when operating the pedal, the cover member bends upward, and various control parts attached to the pedal device are attached. May come into contact. Therefore, in the present invention, as described above, a downwardly extending convex portion is formed in the lower portion of the bracket member located in the lower region of the control component between the bracket member and the cover member. According to such a convex portion being formed, an upward force is applied to the cover member by kicking up by the driver, etc., and even if the cover member begins to bend, it immediately contacts the convex portion and further warps the cover member. Is prevented or suppressed, and contact of the cover member with the control component or the like is avoided. Further, since the upward bending of the cover member is suppressed, the position of the cover member can be arranged close to the bracket member, that is, upward. Then, since the overlapping part of the passage area at the time of turning of the pedal arm that hangs down from the bracket member and the extension area of the cover member becomes small, the area of the lower surface of the pedal device covered by the cover member increases. As a result, leakage of sound and vibration generated in the pedal device to the driver's seat is reduced. Further, since the cover member can be arranged upward, the space at the driver's foot can be widened, and the contact frequency between the driver's foot and the cover member can be reduced.

  In the configuration of the present invention described above, more specifically, the convex portion may be a member formed by bending a plate-like member, and is integrally formed at the bracket member portion located in the lower region of the control component. It may be molded or formed as a separate body and fixed to the lower part of the bracket member by welding, bonding, or any other method. By constituting the convex portion with a curved plate-like member, it is possible to suppress the bending of the cover member without increasing the weight so much. Further, in order to suppress an increase in weight as much as possible, the convex portion is arranged only in the bracket member portion located in the lower region of the control component, so that the contact between the control component and the cover member can be avoided. It's okay. In the embodiment, the size and thickness of the convex portion are adjusted so as to have rigidity to prevent the cover member from bending upward in order to reliably avoid contact between the cover member and the control component.

  Thus, according to the above-described configuration of the present invention, by arranging the convex portion between the bracket member and the cover member, the bending of the cover member due to the driver's unexpected kicking or the like is suppressed, and the control component is protected. Is possible. In addition, since the bending of the cover member is suppressed, it is not necessary to dispose the cover member away from the position of the bracket member or the control component in consideration of the bending of the cover member. Since it can be arranged closer, a wider driver's foot space can be secured. Furthermore, since the cover member can be arranged at a position closer to the fulcrum of the pedal arm, the area of the notch of the cover member for avoiding interference with the movement of the pedal arm is reduced. The area covering the pedal device is increased, and accordingly, leakage of sound and vibration generated in the pedal device to the outside is suppressed. Still further, according to the configuration of the present invention, since a convex portion may be provided in the bracket member portion located in the lower region of the control component, the weight for suppressing the upward deflection of the cover member may be increased. It is possible to keep the increase amount small.

  Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments of the present invention.

1A and 1B are a schematic right side view and a left side view, respectively, of a vehicle brake pedal device to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied. FIGS. 2A and 2B show the positional relationship between the instrument panel undercover (cover member), the load receiving convex portion, and the control component protected by the convex portion in FIGS. 1A and 1B, respectively. It is sectional drawing which represented typically.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Instrument panel under cover 2 ... Pedal bracket member 2a ... Pedal bracket member lower edge 3 ... Pedal arm 3a ... Pedal 4 ... Auxiliary arm 4a ... Pedal bracket member support frame 5, 6, 7 ... Load receiving convex part 8 ... Stroke sensor 8a ... Cable 10 ... Stop lamp switch 11 ... Fastening fasteners (bolts)
R1 ... Pedal arm pivot fulcrum R2 ... Auxiliary arm pivot fulcrum

  The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to a few preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the figure, the same reference numerals indicate the same parts.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a pedal device for a vehicle to which the present invention is applied is a pedal device that is disposed in a lower front portion (not shown) of a driver's seat of a vehicle such as a typical automobile. Good. The illustrated example is a brake pedal device, but it should be understood that it may be an accelerator pedal device. Referring to the figure, more specifically, in the pedal device, the pedal bracket member 2 fixed to the vehicle body (not shown) at the front lower part of the driver's seat by the fastener 11, and the pedal The pedal arm 3 is hung from the bracket member 2. The pedal bracket member 2 is a U-shaped member opened to the rear of the vehicle in the figure, and the pedal arm 3 is pivoted with the fulcrum R1 as a pivot point inside the U-shaped shape of the pedal bracket member 2. A pedal 3 a that is movably attached and that is depressed by a driver's foot is attached to the tip of the pedal arm 3. In the illustrated example, the pedal arm 3 is connected to the auxiliary arm 4 via a mechanical link mechanism (not shown). The auxiliary arm 4 extends rearward and upward of the vehicle, The fulcrum R2 is pivotally attached to the fulcrum R2 in conjunction with the movement. And the pedal bracket member 2 is fixed to the vehicle body by the fastener 11 via the pedal bracket member support frame 4a attached on the rear side of the vehicle of the pedal device. Further, in the pedal device for a vehicle, a stroke sensor 8 for detecting a stroke amount in the pivoting movement of the pedal arm 3 is attached to one side (B) of the pedal bracket member 2, and a cable 8a ( 2B), a configuration is provided in which the stroke amount is transmitted to an arbitrary braking control device. The other side (A) of the pedal bracket member 2 has a pivot (rotation) position of the pedal arm 3. Accordingly, a stop lamp switch 10 that performs an on-off switching operation is provided, and a configuration is provided in which on-off information is transmitted to an arbitrary stop lamp control device or other control device through a cable (not shown). Furthermore, although not shown, a member such as a spring is usually provided for adjusting the turning force of the pedal arm 3 and returning the pedal arm 3 to the initial position when the pedal 3a is released. . Although not shown, there are cases where the control of the hydraulic pressure of the braking device or the like is executed when the auxiliary arm 4 rotates in conjunction with the movement of the pedal arm 3.

  As described above, in the pedal device, there are various control parts and link mechanisms around the pedal bracket member 2, which operate mechanically connected to the pedal arm 3. The position to be arranged with respect to the position 3 is determined. In such a configuration, if the control component or link mechanism is exposed in the driver's foot space, the driver's foot will come into contact with the control component or link mechanism when the pedal is operated by the driver's foot. In some cases, the control components and the link mechanism may be damaged, and the operation noise and vibration of the control components and the link mechanism may spread directly to the driver's seat. Therefore, in a normal pedal device, as shown by a thick line in FIG. 1, an instrument panel (instrumental panel) undercover 1 is provided with a driver's foot space in which the pedal arm 3 extends. The pedal bracket member 2 is provided so as to be shielded from the pedal bracket member 2, that is, so as to extend planarly below the pedal bracket member 2 and its accessory parts (control parts, etc.). Configured to extend through the notch region. The presence of such an instrument panel undercover 1 avoids the driver's feet from coming into direct contact with the control parts and link mechanism of the pedal device, and the instrument panel under cover 1 has a control part and a link mechanism. The sound-insulating effect with respect to the operation sound and vibration will be exhibited.

  However, as described above, even if the instrument panel undercover 1 is disposed, the driver's pedal operation is normally performed without looking at the pedal, so that the driver can move his / her foot unnecessarily, When moved, the instrument panel under cover 1 may be kicked upward. When the instrument panel under cover 1 is kicked up, the instrument panel under cover 1 bends upward, and a part of the instrument panel under cover 1 may come into contact with a control component or a link mechanism of the pedal device, causing damage. As one method for avoiding contact with the control parts and the link mechanism due to the bending of the instrument panel under cover 1, it is considered that the position of the instrument panel under cover 1 is separated from the control parts and the link mechanism, that is, shifted downward from the vehicle. However, if the position of the instrument panel under cover 1 is moved downward, the driver's foot space becomes narrower, and in return, the frequency with which the driver's feet come into contact with the instrument panel under cover 1 increases and the instrument panel under cover 1 deteriorates. It becomes easy to do. Further, since the pedal arm 3 pivots at the fulcrum R1, as the instrument panel under cover 1 moves downward, an overlapping portion between the pivot path of the pedal arm 3 and the extension region of the instrument panel under cover 1 increases. Therefore, it is necessary to enlarge the notch area of the instrument panel under cover 1 for the penetration of the pedal arm 3, but if the notch area of the instrument panel under cover 1 becomes large, The vibration is likely to leak to the driver's seat and the sound insulation effect is impaired.

  Therefore, in order to eliminate the problem of bending of the instrument panel under cover 1 due to the above-described kicking-up, in the present invention, a lower region of the bracket member 2 between the instrument panel under cover 1 and the pedal bracket member 2 is shown in FIG. 1, load receiving projections 5, 6, and 7 are provided to prevent the occurrence of large upward deflection in the instrument panel undercover 1. More specifically, for example, as shown in the sectional view of the instrument panel undercover 1 in FIG. 2, the pedal bracket member 2 below the stop lamp switch 10 is located on the right side (A) of the pedal device. A load receiving projection 7 is provided on the lower edge 2a, and load receiving projections 5 and 6 are provided on the lower edge 2a of the pedal bracket member 2 below the stroke sensor 8 on the left side (B) of the pedal device. It's okay. The load receiving projections 5, 6, and 7 may typically have a structure in which a plate-like member is curved in order to avoid a large increase in weight, and may be integrally formed with the pedal bracket member 2, It may be formed separately and fixed to the lower edge 2a of the pedal bracket member 2 by welding or other methods.

  As described above, when the load receiving projections 5, 6, 7 are provided, even if the instrument panel under cover 1 starts to bend upward due to the kick of the instrument panel under cover 1 by the driver's feet, the load receiving projections 5, 6, The deflection of the instrument panel under cover 1 is suppressed at the stage of contact with the slider 7, whereby the stroke sensor 8 and the stop lamp switch 10 are protected from contact or collision from the instrument panel under cover 1. Further, since the instrument panel under cover 1 is restrained from being bent, the instrument panel under cover 1 can be arranged as high as possible, so that the driver's foot space is widened and the driver's feet are covered with the instrument panel under cover. The frequency of contact with 1 is also reduced. Further, since the position of the instrument panel under cover 1 can be close to the fulcrum R1 of the pedal arm 3, the overlapping area between the turning path of the pedal arm 3 and the instrument panel under cover 1 is reduced, and therefore the notch area of the instrument panel under cover 1 is reduced. Since the area covering the pedal device can be widened, the sound insulation effect is improved. Furthermore, since the instrument panel under cover 1 is restrained from being bent, it is possible to dispose parts that are vulnerable to impacts at a position close to the instrument panel under cover 1. There is also an advantage that is increased.

  It should be understood that the deflection of the instrument panel undercover 1 should be prevented, particularly below the position of the control component, so that the load receiving projections 5, 6, 7 are shown in FIG. It is preferable that it is arranged below. Conversely, if the load receiving projections 5, 6, and 7 are arranged only below the control component to be protected, unnecessary weight increase is avoided. Further, the load receiving projections 5, 6, and 7 should have a strength (strength that does not deform) that can resist the bending force of the instrument panel undercover 1.

  The convex portion according to the present invention may be provided in an accelerator pedal device, a parking brake pedal device, or any other device that operates in a pedal manner. The present invention can also be applied to a configuration with a long arm length.

  Although the above description has been made in relation to the embodiment of the present invention, many modifications and changes can be easily made by those skilled in the art, and the present invention is limited to the embodiment exemplified above. It will be apparent that the invention is not limited and applies to various devices without departing from the inventive concept.

Claims (3)

A pedal device including a pedal arm extending downwardly and pivotally by a driver's foot at a lower front portion of a driver's seat of a vehicle;
A bracket member including a fulcrum of the pedal arm and fixed to a lower front part of the driver's seat;
A cover member extending so as to block between a lower surface of the bracket member and a control component adjacent to or attached to the bracket member and a space at the foot of the driver's seat;
A pedal device in which a convex portion extending downward from a lower portion of the bracket member located in a lower region of the control component between the bracket member and the cover member is formed.   2. The pedal device according to claim 1, wherein the convex portion is a member formed by bending a plate-like member, and is molded integrally with a portion of the bracket member located in a lower region of the control component. A pedal device formed and fixed as a body.   3. The pedal device according to claim 1, wherein the convex portion has rigidity to prevent upward deflection of the cover member.

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