Claims
- 1. A pedal emulator assembly for a motor vehicle, the assembly comprising:
at least one pedal for generating a dynamic reaction force against an applied pedal force, wherein the pedal is deformed as a result of the applied pedal force; and at least one sensor operably attached to the pedal for estimating the applied pedal force based on the pedal deformation.
- 2. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the at least one pedal is selected from a group consisting of a brake pedal, an accelerator pedal, a clutch pedal, and a parking brake pedal.
- 3. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the pedal is manufactured from a resilient material.
- 4. The assembly of claim 3 wherein the resilient material comprises at least one material selected from a group consisting of a plastic, rubber, acrylic, silicone, vinyl, urethane, metal, metal alloy, and combinations thereof.
- 5. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the dynamic reaction force comprises a linear reaction force to pedal travel characteristic.
- 6. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the dynamic reaction force comprises a non-linear reaction force to pedal travel characteristic.
- 7. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the pedal comprises a plurality of members spaced apart from each other, the members sequentially engaging one to another with increasing applied pedal force to provide the dynamic reaction force.
- 8. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the sensor is a fiber optic transducer.
- 9. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the sensor is a strain gauge-type transducer.
- 10. The assembly of claim 1 further comprising a position adjustment feature operably attached to the pedal for adjusting a pedal emulator assembly position with respect to a vehicle floor.
- 11. The assembly of claim 10 wherein the position adjustment feature comprises means for preventing unauthorized operation of the motor vehicle.
- 12. The assembly of claim 1 further comprising at least one filler material operably attached to the pedal for tuning the dynamic reaction force.
- 13. A method of operating a pedal emulator assembly for a motor vehicle, the method comprising:
deforming at least one pedal with an applied pedal force; generating a dynamic reaction force against the applied pedal force with the pedal; and estimating the applied pedal force based on the pedal deformation.
- 14. The method of claim 13 wherein deforming the at least one pedal comprises applying a pedal force selected from a group consisting of a brake pedal force, an accelerator pedal force, a clutch pedal force, and a parking brake pedal force.
- 15. The method of claim 13 wherein generating the dynamic reaction force comprises generating a linear reaction force to pedal travel characteristic.
- 16. The method of claim 13 wherein generating the dynamic reaction force comprises generating a non-linear reaction force to pedal travel characteristic.
- 17. The method of claim 13 wherein generating the dynamic reaction force comprises sequentially engaging a plurality of members spaced apart from each other during applied pedal force increases.
- 18. The method of claim 13 wherein estimating the applied pedal force comprises optically detecting the pedal deformation.
- 19. The method of claim 13 wherein estimating the applied pedal force comprises detecting strain in the pedal deformation.
- 20. The method of claim 13 further comprising adjusting pedal emulator assembly position with respect to a vehicle floor.
- 21. The method of claim 20 wherein adjusting pedal emulator assembly position comprises preventing unauthorized operation of the motor vehicle.
- 22. The method of claim 13 further comprising sending a signal based on the estimated applied pedal force to a vehicle control system.
- 23. A pedal emulator assembly for a motor vehicle, the assembly comprising:
means for deforming a pedal with an applied pedal force; means for generating a dynamic reaction force against the applied pedal force; and means for estimating the applied pedal force.
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/406,177, filed Aug. 27, 2002, entitled Composite Pedal Emulator Assembly, by Schuyler S. Shaw, et al.
Provisional Applications (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
|
60406177 |
Aug 2002 |
US |