Adjustable pedal assembly with electronic throttle control

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6237565
  • Patent Number
    6,237,565
  • Date Filed
    Tuesday, August 22, 2000
    24 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, May 29, 2001
    23 years ago
Abstract
A vehicle control pedal apparatus (12) includes a support (18) adapted to be mounted to a vehicle structure (20) and an adjustable pedal assembly (22) having a pedal arm (14) that is moveable in fore and aft directions with respect to the support (18). A pivot (24) pivotally supports the adjustable pedal assembly (22) with respect to the support (18) and defines a pivot axis (26). The control pedal apparatus (12) further includes an electronic throttle control (28) attached to the support (18) for controlling an engine throttle (30). The apparatus (12) is characterized by the electronic throttle control (28) being responsive to the pivot (24) for providing a signal (32) that corresponds to pedal arm position as the pedal arm (14) pivots about the pivot axis (26) between rest and applied positions, Thus, the control pedal apparatus (12) can adjust pedal arm position in fore and aft directions without having to move the electronic throttle control unit (28) along with the pedal arm (14). Additionally, the electronic throttle control (28) is responsive to the pivot (24) about which the adjustable pedal assembly (22) rotates.
Description




TECHNICALLY FIELD




The subject invention relates to vehicle control pedal assembly having an adjustment mechanism for moving a pedal arm in fore and aft directions and an electronic throttle control for controlling an engine throttle. Specifically, the pedal assembly includes a pivot about which the adjustment mechanism rotates when the pedal arm is actuated and which provides input to the electronic throttle control for providing a signal that corresponds to pedal arm position.




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




Pedal assemblies are used in vehicles to control the movement of the vehicle. For example, a vehicle driver applies a force to an accelerator pedal to move the pedal from a rest position to an applied position. In the applied position, the accelerator pedal typically actuates an engine throttle, which controls the acceleration and speed of the vehicle. Often these pedal assemblies include an adjustment apparatus that allows the position of a pedal arm and/or a pedal pad to be moved with respect to the driver. This allows the pedal assembly to accommodate drivers of various heights. Thus, the adjustment apparatus allows the pedal assembly to be moved closer to the driver when the driver is short and allows the pedal assembly to be moved further away from the driver when the driver is tall. Examples, of adjustable pedal assemblies are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,460,061 and 5,632,183 all assigned to the assignee of the subject invention.




Additionally, adjustable pedal assemblies can include an electronic throttle control assembly for a drive-by-wire system. The electronic throttle control assembly is used to generate an electrical signal that corresponds to the position of the accelerator pedal. The electronic throttle control assembly replaces traditional mechanical linkages between the pedal arm and the engine throttle. One such adjustment apparatus used with an electronic throttle control is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,819,593 assigned to the assignee of the present invention.




When a vehicle control pedal assembly includes both an adjustment apparatus and an electronic throttle control, the pedal assembly can be complex with a great number of parts. These control pedal assemblies can be expensive, time consuming to assemble, and require a significant amount of packaging space.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION AND ADVANTAGES




A vehicle control pedal apparatus includes a support adapted to be mounted to a vehicle structure and an adjustable pedal assembly with a pedal arm that is moveable in fore and aft directions with respect to the support. A pivot pivotally supports the adjustable pedal assembly with respect to the support and defines a pivot axis. The control pedal apparatus further includes an electronic throttle control attached to the support for controlling an engine throttle. The apparatus is characterized by the electronic throttle control being responsive to the pivot for providing a signal corresponding to pedal arm position as the pedal arm pivots about the pivot axis between rest and applied positions. Accordingly, the subject invention provides a simplified vehicle control pedal assembly that is less expensive, and which uses fewer parts and is easier to package within the vehicle.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS




Other advantages of the present invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:





FIG. 1

is a side view of a vehicle, partially in cross-section, including the subject pedal assembly,





FIG. 2

is a side view of the subject pedal assembly showing a pedal arm in fore and aft positions;





FIG. 3

is a side view of the subject pedal assembly in a pivoted position;





FIG. 4

is an exploded view of the pedal assembly shown in

FIG. 3

; and





FIG. 5

is a front view, partially in cross-section , of the pedal assembly shown in FIG.


3


.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT




Referring to the Figures, wherein like numerals indicate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, a vehicle


10


with a control pedal apparatus


12


is shown in FIG.


1


. The control pedal apparatus


12


includes a pedal arm


14


that can be adjusted in fore and aft directions with respect to the vehicle


10


by a driver


16


. This adjustment capability allows the pedal arm


14


to be positioned to accommodate drivers


16


of various heights.




The vehicle control pedal apparatus


12


includes a support


18


adapted to be mounted to a vehicle structure


20


such as a firewall or dash member, for example. The support


18


can be a bracket, housing, or other structural support member known in the art. The support


18


can be a unitary member that is attached directly to the vehicle structure


20


or the support


18


can be comprised of a plurality of support members, one of which is attached to the vehicle structure


20


.




As shown in

FIGS. 2 and 3

, the control pedal apparatus


12


further includes an adjustable pedal assembly


22


with a pedal arm


14


that is moveable in fore and aft directions with respect to the support


18


. In

FIG. 2

, the pedal arm


14


is shown in the furthest adjustment position in the fore direction in solid lines and in the furthest adjustment position in the aft direction in dashed lines. The adjustable pedal assembly


22


preferably includes an electric motor (not shown) for controlling the movement of the pedal arm


14


in the fore and aft directions, as is well known in the art. The adjustable pedal assembly


22


can be any of various adjustable pedal assemblies known in the art. For example, the adjustable pedal assembly


22


could be similar to the adjustable pedal assembly in U.S. Pat. No. 5,632,183 assigned to the assignee of the present invention and incorporated herein by reference.




A pivot


24


pivotally supports the adjustable pedal assembly


22


with respect to the vehicle structure


20


and defines a pivot axis


26


(shown in FIG.


5


). The pivot


24


is preferably comprised of a first pivot member


34


defining a first pivot member axis


36


and a second pivot member


38


defining a second pivot member axis


40


. The first


36


and second


40


pivot member axes are collinear to define the pivot axis


26


. While two pivot members


34


,


38


are preferred a single pivot could be used or additional pivot members could be used to provide additional pivotal support.




The first


34


and second


38


pivot members are longitudinally spaced apart from one another to define a clearance space


42


for the pedal arm


14


as the pedal arm


14


pivots about the pivot axis


26


. Thus, when the pedal arm


14


is moved from a rest position to an applied position, as shown in

FIG. 3

, the pedal arm


14


can move between the first


34


and second


38


pivot members without coming into contact with the pivot members


34


,


38


. If only a single pivot member is used, the clearance space


42


between pivot members is not needed.




The control pedal apparatus


12


also includes an electronic throttle control mechanism


28


attached to the vehicle structure


20


for controlling an engine throttle


30


shown schematically in FIG.


1


. The electronic throttle control


28


is responsive to the pivot


24


and provides a signal


32


that corresponds to pedal arm position as the pedal arm


14


pivots about the pivot axis


26


between rest and applied positions. Thus, the signal


32


will vary as the pedal arm


14


moves from the rest position to the applied position. The electronic throttle control mechanism


28


can be any of various electronic throttle control mechanisms known in the art, as the one described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,819,593 assigned to the assignee of the present invention and incorporated herein by reference.




The electronic throttle control


28


is preferably responsive to the first pivot member


34


to provide the signal


32


that corresponds to pedal arm position. The second pivot member


38


preferably provides pivotal balance for the pedal arm


14


as the pedal arm


14


pivots about the pivot axis


26


. It should be understood however that the electronic throttle control


28


could also be mounted on the opposite side of the control pedal assembly


12


such that the second pivot member


38


provides input to product the signal


32


while the first pivot member


34


provides additional balance for the pedal arm


14


as it pivots.




The electronic throttle control mechanism


28


preferably includes a first housing portion


42


and a second housing portion


44


, shown in FIG.


4


. In the preferred embodiment the housing portions


42


,


44


partially serve as the support


18


for the control pedal apparatus


12


and are fixed relative to the vehicle structure


20


. The adjustable pedal assembly


22


is supported on a bracket


46


that is mounted to the housing portions


42


,


44


. The second housing portion


44


includes a first pivotal support


54


and a second pivotal support


56


. The first pivotal support


54


receives the first pivot member


34


and the second pivotal support


56


receives the second pivot member


38


. As discussed above, the first


34


and second


38


pivot members form the pivot


24


about which the pedal arm


14


pivots.




The bracket


46


includes a first leg


48


and a second leg


50


that extend downwardly from a central base member


52


. While the bracket


46


is shown with two legs


48


,


50


, the bracket


46


could also be configured to have only a single leg or could have additional leg members. The bracket


46


need only provide partial support for the adjustable pedal assembly


22


.




The bracket


46


is partially installed within the second housing member


44


such that the first pivotal support


54


is adjacent to the first leg


48


and the second pivotal support


56


is adjacent to the second leg


50


. The first housing portion


42


is attached to the second housing portion near the first pivotal support


54


to enclose the electronic throttle control


28


. The first housing portion


42


preferably includes tab receivers


58


for snap fit attachment to tabs


60


located on the second housing portion


44


.




The bracket


46


pivots about the pivot axis


26


when a force is applied to the pedal arm


14


to move the pedal arm


14


from the rest to the applied position. The electronic throttle control


28


is fixed with respect to the vehicle structure


20


such that the pedal arm


14


moves in fore and aft directions with respect to the electronic throttle control


28


and with respect to the vehicle structure


20


. Thus, the adjustable pedal assembly


22


pivots with respect to the vehicle structure


20


and moves the pedal arm


14


in fore and aft directions with respect to the vehicle structure


20


, while the electronic throttle control


28


remains fixed with respect to the vehicle structure


20


. In other words, the pedal arm


14


moves independently from the electronic throttle control


28


. Additionally, the pedal arm


14


moves in fore and aft directions with respect to the pivot


24


.




The adjustable pedal assembly


22


includes a guide rod


62


for supporting the pedal arm


14


and which defines a longitudinal axis


64


. The pedal arm


14


moves in the fore and aft directions along the longitudinal axis


64


. The longitudinal axis


64


is perpendicular to the pivot axis


26


. Thus, the guide rod


62


is rotatable about the pivot axis


26


along with the bracket


46


when the pedal arm


14


pivots about the pivot axis


26


.




The adjustable pedal assembly


22


further includes a bearing member


66


for slidably supporting the pedal arm


14


on the guide rod


62


. The bearing member


66


is preferably a bushing, however, other bearing members well known in the art can be used. In the preferred embodiment, an electric motor is used to drive a screw drive mechanism housed within the guide rod


62


, which causes the bearing member


66


and the pedal arm


14


to move along the guide rod


62


.




The control pedal apparatus


12


also includes a resilient member


68


, shown in

FIG. 5

, which reacts between the pedal arm


14


and the bracket


46


for providing resistance as the pedal arm


14


is moved from the rest position to the applied position. This resistance provides a “feel”


16


as the pedal arm


14


pivots that corresponds to the feel that a driver experiences in pedal assembly having a cable assembly as part of a mechanical link to the engine throttle


30


. The resilient member


68


is preferably a coil spring with a spring center


70


that is concentric with the pivot


24


. The spring


68


has a first spring end


72


engaging the pedal arm


14


and a second spring end


74


engaging the bracket


46


. In addition to providing resistance as the pedal arm


14


is moved to the applied position, the spring


68


returns the pedal arm


14


to the rest position after a force applied to the pedal arm


14


has been removed.




The spring


68


is supported by a cylindrical portion


76


that extends inwardly from the second housing portion


44


of the electronic throttle control


28


, toward the pedal arm


14


. Thus, the cylindrical portion


76


is located between the pedal arm


14


and the first leg


48


of the bracket


46


.




While the spring


68


is shown as a coil spring that is supported about pivot


24


, other spring configurations known in the art could also be used. Also, the spring


68


could be located at a position other than about pivot


24


. The main function of the spring


68


is to act upon the pedal arm


14


to provide a feel to the driver as the pedal arm


14


pivots.




A cable attachment member


78


can optionally be supported on one of the pivot members


34


,


38


to support a cable assembly for attachment to the engine throttle


30


. This configuration would be used in place of the electronic throttle control


28


; i.e., the configuration is used with a pedal assembly having a mechanical link to the throttle.




The control pedal apparatus


12


of the subject invention provides both an adjustment apparatus


22


and an electronic throttle control


28


in an assembly that requires less packaging space and which requires fewer components than prior art control pedals. This reduces overall assembly time and reduces material costs. The control pedal apparatus


12


provides the additional benefits of having a single pivot (


24


) to pivotally support the pedal arm


14


in addition to providing input to the electronic throttle control


28


. Thus, the control pedal apparatus


12


allows adjustment of the pedal arm


14


in fore and aft directions without having to move the electronic throttle control unit


28


along with the pedal arm


14


, and the electronic throttle control


28


is responsive to the pivot


24


about which the adjustable pedal assembly


22


rotates.




The invention has been described in an illustrative manner, and it is to be understood that the terminology which has been used is intended to be in the nature of words of description rather than of limitation.




Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is, therefore, to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, wherein reference numerals are merely for convenience and are not to be in any way limiting, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.



Claims
  • 1. An adjustable pedal assembly for a vehicle comprising;a support (18) for mounting to a vehicle structure; an adjustable pedal assembly (22) having a guide member (62) rotatably supported by said support (18) for pivotal movement about a pivot axis (26); and a pedal arm (14) supported on said guide member (62) for rectilinear movement in fore and aft directions relative to said support (18), said guide member (62) and said pivot axis (26) between various adjusted positions; an electronic control (28) supported on said support (18) and responsive to pivotal movement of said pedal arm (14) and said guide member (62) about said pivot axis (26), said electronic control (28) being fixed relative to said support (18) such that said pedal arm (14) moves in fore and aft directions with respect to said electronic control (28), said electronic control (28) being responsive to pivotal movement of said guide member (62) about said pivot axis (26) for providing a signal (32) that corresponds to pedal arm (14) position as said pedal arm (14) pivots said guide member (62) about said pivot axis (26).
  • 2. An assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein said pedal arm (14) is in sliding engagement with said guide member (62) and extends from said guide member (62) to lower pad end.
  • 3. An assembly as set forth in claim 2 including a drive for moving said pedal arm (14) along said guide member (62).
  • 4. A vehicle control pedal apparatus (12) comprising:a support (18) adapted to be mounted to a vehicle structure (20); an adjustable pedal assembly (22) having a pedal arm (14) moveable in force and aft directions with respect to said support (18); a pivot (24) for pivotally supporting said adjustable pedal assembly (22) with respect to said support (18) and defining a pivot axis (26); and an electronic control (28) attached to said support (18) for controlling a vehicle system; said apparatus (12) characterized by said electronic control (28) being responsive to said pivot (24) for providing a signal (32) that corresponds to pedal arm position as said pedal arm (14) pivots about said pivot axis (26) between rest and applied positions wherein the position of said pivot (24) remains constant while said pedal arm (14) moves in fore and aft directions with respect to said pivot (24).
RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 09/236,975, filed Jan. 26, 1999, U.S. Pat. No. 6,109,241.

US Referenced Citations (2)
Number Name Date Kind
4470570 Sakurai et al. Sep 1984
5056742 Sakurai Oct 1991
Continuations (1)
Number Date Country
Parent 09/236975 Jan 1999 US
Child 09/643422 US