Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6470768
-
Patent Number
6,470,768
-
Date Filed
Wednesday, December 20, 200023 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, October 29, 200221 years ago
-
Inventors
-
Original Assignees
-
Examiners
- Bucci; David A.
- Smith; Julie K.
Agents
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 074 512
- 074 513
- 074 560
- 074 514
- 180 271
-
International Classifications
-
Abstract
In an accelerator, an acceleration rotor made of resin is rotatably supported in a support shaft, one end portion of a pedal arm is connected to an acceleration pedal, and the other end portion of the pedal arm is attached to attachment portions of the acceleration rotor. The attachment portions are provided in the acceleration rotor to be separated in a rotation direction of the acceleration rotor. For example, the attachment portions are a press-fitting portion, into which a top end part of the other end portion of the pedal arm is press-fitted, and an insertion portion, into which a bending part of the other end portion of the pedal arm is inserted. Thus, the pedal arm can be accurately readily attached to the resinous acceleration rotor to be only rotated around the support shaft of the acceleration rotor.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application is related to and claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No. Hei. 11-373491 filed on Dec. 28, 1999, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an accelerator in which a pedal arm is attached to a resinous acceleration rotor supported rotatably in a support member.
2. Description of Related Art
In a conventional accelerator, an acceleration rotor is mechanically connected to a throttle device by a wire and the like, so that the degree of throttle opening is controlled by stepping on an acceleration pedal attached to a pedal arm of the accelerator. On the other hand, in an accelerator described in JP-A-10-287147, an acceleration opening sensor is provided, and the degree of throttle opening is electrically controlled based on detection signals from the acceleration opening sensor. In such accelerator, the acceleration rotor can be made of resin to reduce its weight. However, in this case, it is necessary to have an attachment structure for accurately attaching the pedal arm to the acceleration rotor.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the foregoing problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide an accelerator which can be readily manufactured while having a reduced weight.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an accelerator in which a pedal arm can be readily accurately attached to a resinous acceleration rotor.
It is a further another object of the present invention to provide an accelerator which prevents a resinous acceleration rotor from being damaged.
According to the present invention, in an accelerator, an acceleration rotor made of resin has plural attachment portions separated from each other in a rotation direction of the acceleration rotor. An acceleration pedal for performing an acceleration operation is attached to one end portion of the pedal arm, and the other end portion of the pedal arm is attached to the plural attachment portions of the acceleration rotor. The other end portion of the pedal arm is bent to be attached to the plural attachment portions in such a manner that a virtual line connecting both approximate centers of any two attachment portions crosses with the pedal arm at least at one of any two attachment portions. Accordingly, even when a force is applied to the pedal arm in a direction for rotating the pedal arm around a rotation axis different from a rotation shaft of the acceleration rotor due to stepping on the acceleration pedal, the pedal arm does not rotate. Thus, acceleration operation of the accelerator can be accurately performed. Further, because the pedal arm is attached to plural attachment portions of the acceleration rotor separated from each other in the rotation direction, additional force applied from the pedal arm to the acceleration rotor can be dispersed. Therefore, it can prevent the resinous acceleration rotor from being damaged due to stepping on the acceleration pedal. In addition, because the acceleration rotor is made of resin, the acceleration rotor can be readily formed into various shapes, and the weight of the acceleration rotor can be reduced.
Preferably, the plural attachment portions of the acceleration rotor at least have a first attachment part to which a top end part of the other end portion of the pedal arm is attached, and a second attachment part different from the first attachment part. Because the top end part of the other end portion of the pedal arm is press-fitted into the first attachment part, the pedal arm can be readily attached to the acceleration rotor.
More preferably, the other end portion of the pedal arm has an insertion part at a position different from the top end part, and the insertion part of the other end portion of the pedal arm is inserted into the second attachment part of the acceleration rotor. Therefore, the pedal arm can be readily accurately attached to the acceleration rotor without using a fastening member.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Additional objects and advantages of the present invention will be more readily apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments when taken together with the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1
is a plan view showing an accelerator according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2
is a sectional view showing the accelerator according to the first embodiment;
FIG. 3
is a cross-sectional view taken along line IIIāIII in
FIG. 2
;
FIG. 4A
is a side view showing a part of an acceleration rotor, when being viewed from the arrow IVA in
FIG. 3
, and
FIG. 4B
is a view when being viewed from the arrow IVB in
FIG. 4A
;
FIG. 5
is a side view showing the accelerator when being viewed from the arrow V in
FIG. 1
;
FIG. 6
is a side view showing the accelerator when being viewed from the arrow VI in
FIG. 1
; and
FIG. 7
is a schematic diagram showing an acceleration rotor and a pedal arm of an accelerator, according to a second preferred embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENTLY PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings.
A first preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to
FIGS. 1-6
. In the first embodiment, the present invention is typically applied to an accelerator
10
shown in
FIG. 1
, which is not connected to a throttle device by a wire or the like. The accelerator
10
has an acceleration opening degree sensor
40
(acceleration sensor), and an engine control device (ECU) controls a throttle opening degree of the throttle device based on an acceleration opening degree detected by the acceleration opening degree sensor
40
.
A support member
20
of the accelerator
10
is fixed to a vehicle frame using a fastening member such as a bolt so that the accelerator
10
is mounted on a vehicle. An acceleration pedal
11
through which a driver of the vehicle operates the accelerator
10
is attached to one end portion of a pedal arm
12
. The other end portion of the pedal arm
12
, opposite to the acceleration pedal
11
, is attached to an acceleration rotor
30
. When the driver operates (steps) the acceleration pedal
11
, the stepping force is transmitted to the acceleration rotor
30
through the pedal arm
12
, and the acceleration rotor
30
rotates. As shown in
FIG. 5
, the other end portion of the pedal arm
12
is bent twice opposite to each other by approximate right angle. Further, the other end portion of the pedal arm
12
has a top end part
12
a
and a bending part
12
b
, and pedal arm
12
is bent to cross with a virtual line
100
connecting both approximate centers of the top end part
12
a
and the bending part
12
b
. In the first embodiment, the virtual line
100
corresponds to a virtual line connecting both attachment positions at which the pedal arm
12
is attached to the acceleration rotor
30
.
As shown in
FIG. 1
, a support shaft
25
is inserted into shaft receiving plates
21
,
22
of the support member
20
to be fixed to the shaft receiving plates
21
,
22
by a bolt
26
. A lever rotor
27
is made of resin, and a circular plate
61
of a lever
60
is inserted into the lever rotor
27
, as shown in FIG.
3
. One end of a spring
64
is engaged with an arm portion
63
of the lever
60
, and the other end of the spring
64
is engaged with an engagement member
23
of the support member
20
. The spring
64
is disposed to bias the lever
60
in the direction B shown in FIG.
3
. When the acceleration pedal
11
is not stepped, a stopper
34
provided in the acceleration rotor
30
contacts an engagement member
65
attached to the support member
20
to be engaged with the engagement member
65
. When the driver steps the acceleration pedal opposite to spring force of the spring
64
, the lever rotor
27
and the lever
60
rotate in the direction A shown in
FIG. 3
together with the acceleration rotor
30
. A claw
62
is provided in the circular plate
61
of the lever
60
. When the claw
62
of the circular plate
61
rotates to the position
62
a
shown by the chain line, the claw
62
is engaged with an engagement portion of the support member
20
.
As shown in
FIG. 2
, bevel tooth portions
27
a
,
30
a
are provided in the lever rotor
27
and the acceleration rotor
30
, respectively, to be opposite to each other. The bevel tooth portions
27
a
,
30
a
are engaged with each other so that the spring force of the spring
64
is received in a direction separating both the lever rotor
27
and the acceleration rotor
30
from each other. Further, even when the acceleration pedal
11
is stepped to opposite to the spring force of the spring
64
, the bevel tooth portions
27
a
,
30
a
are engaged with each other so that a force for separating the lever rotor
27
and the acceleration rotor
30
is also applied thereto. A washer plate
28
is inserted between the lever rotor
27
and the shaft receiving plate
21
to reduce a sliding abrasion. Here, the washer plate
28
decreases the sliding abrasion between the lever rotor
27
and the shaft receiving plate
21
.
The acceleration rotor
30
is integrally molded by resin, and is rotatably supported in the support shaft
25
. As shown in
FIGS. 3 and 5
, the acceleration rotor
30
has a press-fitting portion
31
as a first attachment portion, and an insertion portion
32
as a second attachment portion. The press-fitting portion
31
and the insertion portion
32
are provided in an outer peripheral portion of the acceleration rotor
30
to form an approximate right angle between the press-fitting portion
31
and the insertion portion
32
. The press-fitting portion
31
and the insertion portion
32
are formed to be separated from each other in a rotation direction of the acceleration rotor
30
. As shown in
FIG. 4A
, a press-fitting hole
31
a
is provided in the press-fitting portion
31
, and the top end part
12
a
of the pedal arm
12
is press-fitted into the press-fitting portion
31
without using a fastening member. As shown in
FIG. 4B
, the insertion portion
32
has a recess
32
a
formed into a C-shape in cross-section. The recess
32
a
has a narrowed dimension at an opening side. Therefore, when the bending part
12
b
of the pedal arm
12
is inserted into the recess
32
a
of the insertion portion
32
, the bending part
12
b
is snap-fitted into the recess
32
a
of the insertion portion
32
. In the first embodiment, the top end part
12
a
of the other end portion of the pedal arm
12
is press-fitted into the press-fitting portion
31
in the same direction as a direction where the bending part
12
b
thereof is inserted into the insertion portion
32
.
As shown in
FIGS. 1
,
2
and
6
, the acceleration opening degree sensor
40
is attached to the shaft receiving plate
22
of the support member
20
at a side opposite to the acceleration rotor
30
. As shown in
FIG. 2
, the acceleration opening degree sensor
40
includes a sensor rotor
44
, a contact portion
47
attached to the sensor rotor
44
and a base plate
48
to which a resistor is applied. The base plate
48
is fixed to the shaft receiving plate
22
at a side of the sensor rotor
44
. A constant voltage of 5V is applied to the resistor applied on the base plate
48
. A sliding position of the contact portion
47
relative to the resistor on the base plate
48
is changed in accordance with an acceleration operation amount, so that an output voltage value of the acceleration opening degree sensor
40
is changed. The output voltage value from the acceleration opening degree sensor
40
is input to the ECU (not shown), and an acceleration opening degree is detected.
Plural terminals
42
are embedded in a connector portion
41
a
provided in a cover
41
made of resin. The sensor rotor
44
is made of resin, and is rotatably supported in the support shaft
25
. A plate spring
50
is disposed to bias the sensor rotor
44
toward the acceleration rotor
30
in an axial direction of the support shaft
25
. By the spring force of the plate spring
50
, a taper surface
45
formed on the sensor rotor
44
press-contacts a taper surface
25
a
provided on the support shaft
25
to slide on the taper surface
25
a
. A protrusion
46
is provided in the sensor rotor
44
at a position shifted from the support shaft
25
. The protrusion
46
is inserted into a recess portion
33
formed in the acceleration rotor
30
. A plate spring
51
is inserted into the recess portion
33
to have a holding portion for holding the protrusion
46
. The holding portion of the plate spring
51
is bent and is formed into a U-shape in cross section. Because the protrusion
46
is held by the spring force of the plate spring
51
in a direction opposite to the rotation direction, the sensor rotor
44
is rotated with the rotation of the acceleration rotor
30
. That is, it can prevent the acceleration rotor
30
from being shifted in the rotation direction, relative to the sensor rotor
44
. A clearance is formed between the protrusion
46
and the plate spring
51
in the axial direction of the support shaft
25
, and an opening of the plate spring
51
on a side of the protrusion
46
extends in a radial direction of the acceleration rotor
30
. Accordingly, the acceleration rotor
30
can slide and shift with the plate spring
51
in the axial direction of the support shaft
25
and the radial direction of the acceleration rotor
30
, relative to the sensor rotor
44
.
Next, operation of the accelerator
10
will be now described. When a stepping amount of the acceleration pedal
11
is adjusted by a driver, the acceleration rotor
30
rotates around the support shaft
25
through the pedal arm
12
. Because the bevel tooth portion
27
a
of the lever rotor
27
is engaged with the bevel tooth portion
30
a
of the acceleration rotor
30
, the rotation of the acceleration rotor
30
due to operation of the acceleration pedal
11
is transmitted to the lever rotor
27
, and the spring force of the spring
64
is transmitted from the lever rotor
27
to the acceleration pedal
11
.
The bevel tooth portions
27
a
,
30
a
of the lever rotor
27
and the acceleration rotor
30
are engaged, so that force in a direction separating both the lever rotor
27
and the acceleration rotor
30
from each other is received. When the acceleration pedal
11
steps, a sliding resistance between both the rotors
27
,
30
and both the shaft receiving plates
21
,
22
is added in a direction opposite to the stepping force of the acceleration pedal
11
. on the other hand, when the acceleration pedal
11
returns from the stepping state, a sliding resistance opposite to the spring force of the spring
64
is added. The operation force in a returning direction opposite to the stepping direction while the acceleration pedal
11
steps is larger than the operation force in the returning direction while the acceleration pedal returns from the stepping state. That is, hysteresis is set between the stepping amount of the acceleration pedal
11
and the force applied to the acceleration pedal
11
in the returning direction. Therefore, the acceleration pedal
11
can be readily held at a certain position.
Because the protrusion
46
of the sensor rotor
44
is fitted into the recess portion
33
of the acceleration rotor
30
, the sensor rotor
44
rotates with the acceleration rotor
30
. When a rotation angle of the sensor rotor
44
changes, the position of the contact portion
47
contacting the resistor applied on the base plate
48
is displaced, and the output voltage value from the acceleration opening degree sensor
40
is changed. By detecting the voltage value, the acceleration opening degree of the accelerator
10
can be detected.
Because the direction operating the acceleration pedal
11
by the driver is generally changed, a force may be applied to the pedal arm
12
in a direction where the pedal arm
12
rotates around a rotation axis different from the support shaft
25
. However, in the first embodiment, as shown in
FIG. 5
, the other end portion of the pedal arm
12
is bent, so that the virtual line
100
, connecting the positions at which the pedal arm
12
is attached to the press-fitting portion
31
and the insertion portion
32
, crosses with the pedal arm
12
. Thus, even when a force for rotating the pedal arm
12
around a rotation axis different from the support shaft
25
is applied, the pedal arm
12
does not rotate. That is, unless the top end part
12
a
of the pedal arm
12
is removed from the press-fitting portion
31
or the bending part
12
b
is removed from the insertion portion
32
, the pedal arm
12
does not rotate around a rotation axis different from the support shaft
25
. Only when a force is applied to the pedal arm
12
in an opposite direction opposite to an assembling direction of the pedal arm
12
to the acceleration rotor
30
, the pedal arm
12
removes from the acceleration rotor
30
. However, in a general operation of the acceleration pedal
11
, the force in this opposite direction is not added. In the first embodiment, the top end part
12
a
of the pedal arm
12
is press-fitted to the press-fitting portion
31
of the acceleration rotor
30
, and the bending part
12
b
of the pedal arm
12
is inserted into the insertion portion
32
. Therefore, it can prevent the pedal arm
12
from being removed from the acceleration rotor
30
, and can prevent the pedal arm
12
from rotating around a rotation axis different from the support shaft
25
.
Further, because the pedal arm
12
is attached to the acceleration rotor
30
at both attachment positions of the press-fitting portion
31
and the insertion portion
32
, a force adding from the pedal arm
12
to the acceleration rotor
30
is dispersed. Accordingly, when the force from the pedal arm
12
is added to the acceleration rotor
30
, it can prevent the acceleration rotor
30
made of resin from being damaged.
In the first embodiment, the top end part
12
a
of the pedal arm
12
is press-fitted into the press-fitting portion
31
, and the bending part
12
b
of the pedal arm
12
is snap-fitted into the insertion portion
32
, so that the pedal arm
12
is attached to the acceleration rotor
30
without using a fastening member. However, only when the pedal arm
12
is attached to the acceleration rotor
30
at attachment positions separated in the rotation direction of the acceleration rotor
30
, the attachment structure for attaching the pedal arm
12
to the acceleration rotor
30
can be arbitrarily changed. In the first embodiment, the other end portion of the pedal arm
12
, for attaching the pedal arm
12
to the acceleration rotor
30
, is bent by the approximate right angle. However, the other end portion of the pedal arm
12
may be bent in a circular arc like. In the first embodiment, the other end portion of the pedal arm
12
is bent, so that the virtual line connecting the attachment positions, where the top end part
12
a
and the bending part
12
b
of the pedal arm
12
are attached to the attachment portions
31
,
32
of the acceleration rotor
30
, crosses with the pedal arm
12
at least at one of the attachment positions. Therefore, it can accurately prevent the pedal arm
12
from being rotated around a rotation axis different from the supporting shaft
25
.
Further, in the first embodiment, because the lever rotor
27
and the acceleration rotor
30
are made of resin, the lever rotor
27
and the acceleration rotor
30
having the bevel tooth portions
27
a
,
30
a
can be readily formed.
A second preferred embodiment of the present invention will be now described with reference to FIG.
7
. In the above-described first embodiment, the pedal arm
12
is attached to the acceleration rotor
30
at two attachment positions of the acceleration rotor
30
. In the second embodiment, a pedal arm
70
is attached to tan acceleration rotor
80
at three attachment positions. In the second embodiment, the other parts are similar to those of the above-described first embodiment.
As shown in
FIG. 7
, the pedal arm
70
is attached to the acceleration rotor
80
at three attachment positions of the acceleration rotor
80
. For example, a press-fitting portion
81
, an insertion portion
82
and an insertion portion
83
are provided in the acceleration rotor
80
separately from each other in the rotation direction (circumferential direction) of the acceleration rotor
80
. The acceleration rotor
80
is made of resin. In the second embodiment, a virtual line connecting both approximate center portions of any two attachment positions crosses with the pedal arm
70
at the any two attachment positions.
One end portion of the pedal arm
70
is connected to the acceleration pedal
11
, and the other end portion of the pedal arm
70
is attached to the acceleration rotor
80
. The other end portion of the pedal arm
70
has a top end part formed into a straight line like, and has a circular arc portion connected to the top end part. The straight top end part of the other end portion of the pedal arm
70
is press-fitted into the press-fitting portion
81
, and the circular arc portion of the other end portion of the pedal arm
70
are snap-fitted into the insertion portions
82
,
83
, respectively. A fitting direction for press-fitting the pedal arm
70
into the press-fitting portion
81
is set to the same as an insertion direction for inserting the pedal arm
70
into the insertion portions
82
,
83
.
In the above-described second embodiment, the other end portion of the pedal arm
70
is bent relative to the three attachment portions
81
-
83
of the acceleration rotor
80
so that the virtual line connecting both approximate center portions of any two attachment portions crosses with the pedal arm
70
at the any two attachment portions. Therefore, even when force is applied to the pedal arm
70
in a direction where pedal arm
70
rotates around a rotation axis different from the support shaft
25
, the pedal arm
70
does not rotate. Accordingly, the effect similar to that of the first embodiment can be obtained. In the second embodiment, the other end portion of the pedal arm
70
can be bent to be attached to the three attachment portions
81
-
83
of the acceleration rotor
80
so that the virtual line connecting both approximate center portions of any two attachment portions crosses with the pedal arm
70
at least at one of the any two attachment portions.
Further, because the fitting direction for press-fitting the pedal arm
70
into the press-fitting portion
81
of the acceleration rotor
80
is the same as the insertion direction for inserting the pedal arm
70
into the insertion portions
82
,
83
of the acceleration rotor
80
, the pedal arm
70
can be readily attached to the acceleration rotor
80
.
Although the present invention has been fully described in connection with the preferred embodiments thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be noted that various changes and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art.
For example, in the above-described first and second embodiments, the pedal arm
12
,
70
is attached to the acceleration rotor
30
,
80
, at the two or three attachment positions. However, four or more attachment positions can be set in the acceleration rotor
30
,
80
. Further, the shape of the acceleration rotor
30
,
80
can be arbitrarily changed. In this case, plural attachment portions can be provided in a curve portion of the acceleration rotor
30
to be separated from each other in the rotation direction of the acceleration rotor
30
, and the other end portion of the pedal arm
12
is bent to be attached to the plural attachment portions so that the pedal arm
12
rotates only around the rotation shaft
25
of the acceleration rotor
30
.
In the above-described first embodiment, the acceleration rotor
30
and the sensor rotor
44
are attached to be rotatable on the common support shaft
25
. Therefore, the size of the accelerator
10
can be reduced, the number of components of the accelerator
10
can be reduced, and assembling performance of the accelerator
10
is improved. Further, in this case, because a change state of the acceleration rotor
30
corresponds to that of the sensor rotor
44
which rotates with the rotation of the acceleration rotor
30
, the acceleration opening degree of the accelerator
10
can be accurately set. However, in the present invention, the acceleration rotor
30
and the sensor rotor
44
may be rotatably supported by different support shafts.
In the above-described first embodiment, the present invention is typically applied to an acceleration device where the acceleration opening degree sensor
40
is provided in the accelerator
10
and the throttle opening degree is controlled by detection signals from the acceleration opening degree sensor
40
. However, the present invention can be applied to an acceleration device where the throttle opening degree is controlled by connecting an accelerator and a throttle device by a wire.
Such changes and modifications are to be understood as being within the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.
Claims
- 1. An accelerator comprising:an acceleration pedal for performing an acceleration operation; a pedal arm having one end portion connected to the acceleration pedal; an acceleration rotor made of resin, the acceleration rotor having plural attachment portions, separated from each other in a rotation direction of the acceleration rotor, to which the other end portion of the pedal arm is attached; a support member which rotatably supports the acceleration rotor; and a biasing member which biases the acceleration rotor in a direction opposite to a stepping direction of the acceleration pedal, wherein the other end portion of the pedal arm is bent to be attached to the plural attachment portions in such a manner that a virtual line connecting both approximate centers of any two attachment portions crosses with the pedal arm at least at one of the any two attachment portions.
- 2. The accelerator according to claim 1, wherein:the plural attachment portions at least have a first attachment part to which a top end part of the other end portion of the pedal arm is attached, and a second attachment part different from the first attachment part; and the top end part of the other end portion of the pedal arm is press-fitted into the first attachment part.
- 3. The accelerator according to claim 2, wherein:the other end portion of the pedal arm has an insertion part at a position different from the top end part; and the insertion part of the other end portion of the pedal arm is inserted into the second attachment part of the acceleration rotor.
- 4. The accelerator according to claim 3, wherein the first attachment part and the second attachment part are disposed in such a manner that a press-fitting direction for press-fitting the top end part of the other end portion of the pedal arm into the first attachment part is the same as an insertion direction for inserting the insertion part of the other end portion of the pedal arm into the second attachment part.
- 5. The accelerator according to claim 1, further comprising an acceleration sensor for detecting a rotation angle position of the acceleration rotor.
- 6. The accelerator according to claim 5, wherein the acceleration sensor has a sensor rotor which is disposed to be rotatable with a rotation of the acceleration rotor.
- 7. The accelerator according to claim 6, wherein the sensor rotor and the acceleration rotor rotate around a common single rotation shaft.
- 8. The accelerator according to claim 1, wherein:the acceleration rotor is disposed to rotate around a rotation shaft; and the other end portion of the pedal arm is attached to the plural attachment portions of the acceleration rotor to be rotated only around the rotation shaft.
- 9. The accelerator according to claim 3, wherein:the first attachment part has therein a hole into which the top end part of the other end portion of the pedal arm is press-fitted to be engaged; and the second attachment part has a recess into which the insertion part of the other end portion of the pedal arm is snap-fitted to be engaged.
- 10. An accelerator having an acceleration pedal for performing an acceleration operation, the accelerator comprising:a pedal arm having one end portion connected to the acceleration pedal; an acceleration rotor made of resin, the acceleration rotor having plural attachment portions, separated from each other in a rotation direction of the acceleration rotor, to which the other end portion of the pedal arm is attached; and a support member which rotatably supports the acceleration rotor, wherein: the acceleration rotor has a curve portion bent in the rotation direction; the attachment portions are provided in the curve portion; and the other end portion of the pedal arm is bent to be attached to the plural attachment portions in such a manner that the acceleration rotor rotates only around a rotation shaft of the acceleration rotor.
- 11. The accelerator according to claim 10, wherein:the plural attachment portions at least have a first attachment part to which a top end part of the other end portion of the pedal arm is attached, and a second attachment part different from the first attachment part; and the top end part of the other end portion of the pedal arm is press-fitted into the first attachment part.
- 12. The accelerator according to claim 11, wherein:the other end portion of the pedal arm has an insertion part at a position different from the top end part; and the insertion portion of the other end portion of the pedal arm is inserted into the second attachment part of the acceleration rotor.
- 13. The accelerator according to claim 12, wherein the first attachment part and the second attachment part are disposed in such a manner that a press-fitting direction for press-fitting the top end part of the pedal arm into the first attachment part is the same as an insertion direction for inserting the insertion part of the pedal arm into the second attachment part.
- 14. The accelerator according to claim 12, wherein:the first attachment part has therein a hole into which the top end part of the other end portion of the pedal panel is press-fitted to be engaged; and the second attachment part has a recess into which the insertion portion of the other end portion of the pedal arm is snap-fitted to be engaged.
- 15. The accelerator according to claim 10, wherein the acceleration rotor is integrally molded by the resin.
- 16. An accelerator assembly comprising:an accelerator pedal arm having a first operator actuated proximate end and a second bent distal end; and a rotatably mounted accelerator rotor made of resin and having plural attachment portions angularly spaced about an axis of rotation and adapted for connection to respective spaced-apart portions of said bent distal end of the accelerator pedal arm, wherein a virtual line connecting an approximate center of any two attachment portions crosses the edges of the pedal arm extending therebetween.
- 17. An accelerator assembly as in claim 16 wherein a most distal portion of the pedal arm is press-fitted by linear movement along its axis into a mating attachment portion of the rotor while, simultaneously, at least one other portion of the bent distal end is snap-fitted transversely into a mating attachment portion of the rotor.
- 18. An accelerator assembly as in claim 17 further comprising a rotation sensor rotor mounted for rotation about the same said axis of rotation as used for the accelerator rotor.
Priority Claims (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
11-373491 |
Dec 1999 |
JP |
|
US Referenced Citations (4)
Foreign Referenced Citations (2)
Number |
Date |
Country |
10-959 |
Jan 1998 |
JP |
10-287147 |
Oct 1998 |
JP |