Patent Application
20060086200
An adjustable pedal assembly is used in an automotive vehicle to vary the operating position of one or more of the foot pedals that control various vehicle systems, such as the engine throttle, brake system and clutch.
A known adjustable pedal assembly uses an electrical motor to rotate a drive cable that, in turn, rotates a worm gear to adjust the position of a pedal. Other known assemblies eliminate the cable and connect the worm gear more directly to a pedal lever. These known systems are believed to suffer from a number of disadvantages, which include large numbers of parts, excessive noise and imprecise output. Another disadvantage of these know assemblies is believed to be the large size requirements within the tight confines of the driver's footwell.
In accordance with the standards that have been promulgated by various government regulatory agencies as to the position of the brake pedal relative to the position of the engine throttle control pedal, some known assemblies use one motor to drive the adjustment of more than one pedal.
The present invention provides a system that adjustably positions a plurality of pedals, including an engine throttle control pedal and a brake system pedal, with respect to a vehicle chassis. The system includes first and second electromagnetic actuators, first and second controllers, and a device that provides a signal to change spacing between the vehicle chassis and the plurality of pedals. The first electromagnetic actuator displaces a first one of the engine throttle control and brake system pedals with respect to the vehicle chassis, and the second electromagnetic actuator displaces a second one of the engine throttle control and brake system pedals with respect to the vehicle chassis. The device, which is disposed on the vehicle chassis, has a first configuration that provides a first signal to increase the spacing between the vehicle chassis and the first and second pedals, and a second configuration that provides a second signal to decrease the spacing between the vehicle chassis and the first and second pedals. The first controller operates the first electromagnetic actuator in response to the device being positioned in either of the first and second configurations, and the second controller operates the second electromagnetic actuator in response to the first controller operating the first electromagnetic actuator.
The present invention also provides a system that adjustably positions with respect to a vehicle chassis a plurality of pedals, which may include an engine throttle control pedal and a brake system pedal. The system includes first and second electromagnetic actuators, first and second controllers, and a device that provides a signal to change spacing between the vehicle chassis and the plurality of pedals. The first electromagnetic actuator displaces a first one of the engine throttle control and brake system pedals with respect to the vehicle chassis, and includes a first housing. The second electromagnetic actuator displaces a second one of the engine throttle control and brake system pedals with respect to the vehicle chassis, and includes a second housing that is spaced from the first housing. The device, which is disposed on the vehicle chassis, has a first configuration that provides a first signal to increase the spacing between the vehicle chassis and the first and second pedals, and a second configuration that provides a second signal to decrease the spacing between the vehicle chassis and the first and second pedals. The first controller operates the first electromagnetic actuator in response to the device being positioned in either of the first and second configurations. The second controller operates the second electromagnetic actuator in response to the first controller operating the first electromagnetic actuator.
The present invention also provides a system that adjustably positions with respect to a vehicle chassis a plurality of pedals, which may include an engine throttle control pedal and a brake system pedal. The system includes first and second electromagnetic actuators, first and second controllers, and a device that provides a signal to change spacing between the vehicle chassis and the plurality of pedals. The first electromagnetic actuator displaces a first one of the engine throttle control and brake system pedals with respect to the vehicle chassis, and includes a first housing. The second electromagnetic actuator displaces a second one of the engine throttle control and brake system pedals with respect to the vehicle chassis, and includes a second housing that is spaced from the first housing. The device, which is disposed on the vehicle chassis, has a first configuration that provides a first signal to increase the spacing between the vehicle chassis and the first and second pedals, and a second configuration that provides a second signal to decrease the spacing between the vehicle chassis and the first and second pedals. The first controller, which is disposed in the first housing, operates the first electromagnetic actuator in response to the device being positioned in either of the first and second configurations. The second controller, which is disposed in the second housing, operates the second electromagnetic actuator in response to the first controller operating the first electromagnetic actuator.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and constitute part of this specification, illustrate presently preferred embodiments of the invention, and, together with the general description given above and the detailed description given below, serve to explain features of the invention. Like numerals indicate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views.
Referring initially to
A first pedal lever 20a is pivotally supported for rotation about the pivot axis 12 with respect to the vehicle chassis 12a. Similarly, a second pedal lever 20b and a third pedal lever 20c are also pivotally supported for rotation about the pivot axis 12 with respect to the vehicle chassis 12a.
Interconnecting a pedal lever and a corresponding pedal is an actuator 30a,30b,30c that displaces the respective pedal relative to the pedal lever. Each actuator may include a drive source, such as an electric motor, and may include a linkage, such as a rotary to linear motion converter. Relative displacement is directed by guides 31a,31b,31c, which may be tubular with longitudinal slots. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,722,302 and 5,964,125 and 6,698,309, which show a drive source and a linkage for an adjustable pedal, are hereby incorporated by reference it their entireties.
Referring now to
The motor 32 is preferably constructed with a stator 34 that has a plurality of windings or coils 34a (e.g., one of three is shown in
The motor 32 is disposed in a housing 50 that preferably supports the threaded rod 40 for relative rotation. Antifriction devices such as a bearing 52 may be used at the interface of the threaded rod 40 and the housing 50. The housing 50 preferably includes a body portion 54, in which the motor 32 is disposed, and a coupling portion 56, by which the electrical connections are made with the motor 32. In order to facilitate assembly of the actuator 30, at least the body portion 54 of the housing 50 may be assembled from more than one piece. As particularly shown in
The coupling portion 56 of the housing 50 preferably includes an enclosure portion 56a for a controller 60, and an interchangeable electrical connector portion 56b, which is preferably detachable with respect to the enclosure portion 56a. The interchangeable electrical connector portion 56b facilitates providing various configurations of electrical contacts to matingly engage different styles of plug connectors. It is envisioned that the body portion 54 and the enclosure portion 56a would be universally used, and a particular interchangeable electrical connector portion 56b would be selected according to the particular specification of the manufacturer for the vehicle chassis 12a.
The controller 60 that is disposed in the enclosure portion 56a of the coupling portion 56 preferably includes an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) 62 that can perform at least two functions: 1) driving the coils 34a, and 2) determining displacement of the pedal 22 with respect to the vehicle chassis 12a. The first function is commonly referred to as a motor drive circuit. And the second function is performed by a processor based on the number of rotations of the armature 34, which is determined using back emf, as discussed previously, and the stored knowledge of the thread pitch of the threaded rod 40. The controller 60 preferably also includes a memory for different operational positions of the pedal 22, such as for the preferences of different operators of the vehicle.
In the event of a loss of the current operational position of the pedal, e.g., due to the motor 32 stalling, the controller 60 detects the stall and adjusts the pedal lever position or shuts down the respective actuator 30a,30b,30c so as to maintain the existing relationship between the corresponding pedal lever 20a,20b,20c and pedal 22a,22b,22c. When the controller 60 detects stall of the motor 32, e.g., based on unusual voltage and time characteristics exhibited by the drive circuit, the controller 60 may use an included software program to reestablish the predetermined relationship between the pedals 22a,22b,22c, or to reset the adjustable pedal system 10 by displacing all of the petals 22a,22b,22c to their extreme positions, as detected by the motors 32 stalling.
In the case of the adjustable petal system 10, it is desirable that adjustment of the actuators 30a,30b,30c be synchronized. A controller 60 for one of the actuators, e.g., 30a, is designated as the “master” controller, and sends signals to the “slave” controllers of the other actuators 30b,30c. The master may send disproportionate signals to the slave(s) in order to maintain the correct relative position of pedals 22a,22b,22c.
In operation, a device for adjusting the position of the pedals 22a,22b,22c can be effected by a switch, e.g., a rocker switch, that is manually actuated by the operator of the vehicle, or can be effected by a body controller unit which may interrelate a number of ergonomic and safety adjustments. For example, in the case of a vehicle equipped with a system of airbags, the body control unit may adjust the seat and pedal positions so that an occupant is a prescribed distance from the airbags.
An adjustable petal system 10 that uses a body control unit may require as few as three electrical contacts for each actuator 30: a power contact, a ground contact, and a communication contact. The power and ground contacts supply the power required by the motor 32, and the communication contact may be connected via a digital serial communication link to the body control unit and to the communication contacts of additional actuators 30. In the case of a manual switch, two additional contacts may be required to connect the master actuator 30 with the wire from the increase spacing pole of the switch and with the wire from the decrease spacing pole of the switch; the communication contact would still be used by the master and slave actuators to communicate status regarding position, displacement speed, etc.
Incorporating a master or slave controller 60 that is mounted directly on each actuator 30 provides the present invention with a number of advantages. First, the present invention eliminates a separate controller that is additionally mounted on the chassis and then additionally connected to each of the actuators. Second, by virtue of having self-contained processing power, the present invention eliminates the need to draw processing capacity from other preexisting processors, e.g., engine control unit. Third, the present invention eliminates the need for a custom actuator for each pedal of each vehicle manufacturer, i.e., the actuator units are manufactured identically, and only distinguished as to master and slave roles during or after installation on the vehicle. Fourth, by virtue of the controller 60 processing the back emf signals from the coils 34a, the present invention eliminates the need for additional motor rotation sensors, e.g., an array of Hall effect sensors, which add cost, complexity and size. Fifth, by virtue of the controller 60 processing the back emf signals from the coils 34a, the present invention eliminates at least four wires from the wiring harnesses connecting each actuator 30. Sixth, the interchangeable electrical connector portion 56b of the present invention facilitates the universal applicability of the actuator 30 while providing an easy manner of adapting to varying styles of electrical plug connectors.
While the present invention has been disclosed with reference to certain preferred embodiments, numerous modifications, alterations, and changes to the described embodiments are possible without departing from the sphere and scope of the present invention, as defined in the appended claims. Accordingly, it is intended that the present invention not be limited to the described embodiments, but that it have the full scope defined by the language of the following claims, and equivalents thereof.
