Foldable brake pedal device for autonomous vehicles

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a foldable brake pedal device for an autonomous vehicle. In a manual driving mode in which a driver directly operates the vehicle, the lower end of the brake pedal is exposed to the interior of the vehicle to allow the driver to step on the brake pedal, and in an autonomous driving mode in which the driver does not directly drive the vehicle, the lower end of the brake pedal is pivoted and moved forward by the operation of an actuator to switch to a hidden state that prevents the operation of the brake pedal.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a foldable brake pedal device for an autonomous vehicle, and more particularly, to a foldable brake pedal device in which, in a manual driving mode, the brake pedal is exposed to the interior of the vehicle to allow the driver to operate the brake pedal, and in an autonomous driving mode, the brake pedal is prevented from being exposed to the interior of the vehicle to prevent the driver from operating the brake pedal. Background Art

[0002] An autonomous vehicle is an intelligent vehicle that combines autonomous driving technology that allows the vehicle to reach its destination without driver intervention, i.e., without the driver directly operating the steering wheel, accelerator pedal, and brake. This technology has been rapidly developed in recent years. When autonomous driving is generally achieved, it will be possible to choose between a manual driving mode in which the driver directly drives the vehicle and an autonomous driving mode in which the vehicle can drive itself to its destination without the driver directly driving the vehicle.

[0003] In the automatic driving mode, since the driver should be able to rest comfortably by stretching his feet, when the pedals (including the accelerator pedal and the brake pedal) provided in the lower space of the driver's seat remain exposed to the interior of the vehicle (for example, protruding into the vehicle), there is a disadvantage of hindering the driver's rest. In addition, the automatic driving mode is a mode in which the driver does not operate the pedals (including the accelerator pedal and the brake pedal) of the vehicle. When the driver operates the pedals during the automatic driving, the vehicle controller judges the driver's intention to terminate the automatic driving and switch to the manual mode in which the driver directly operates the vehicle, thereby terminating the control for the automatic driving.

[0004] However, since the pedals of the vehicle are installed to be exposed to the lower space of the driver's seat, the driver may unconsciously operate the pedals in the automatic driving mode (for example, the case where the pedals are operated by mistake). In this case, an accident may occur depending on the road conditions or the distance between vehicles. Therefore, it is necessary to technically develop a new pedal device in which, in a manual driving mode in which the driver directly operates the vehicle, the pedals are exposed to the interior of the vehicle to allow the driver to operate the pedals, and in an automatic driving mode, the pedals are prevented from being exposed to the interior of the vehicle to prevent the driver from operating the pedals unintentionally and to allow the driver to rest comfortably.

[0005] The above content is only intended to help understand the background of the present disclosure, but is not intended to indicate that the present disclosure falls within the scope of the prior art known to those skilled in the art. Summary of the invention

[0006] Therefore, the present disclosure provides a foldable brake pedal device for an autonomous driving vehicle, in which, in a mode in which the driver directly operates the vehicle, the brake pedal is exposed to the interior of the vehicle to allow operation of the brake pedal, and in an autonomous driving mode in which the driver does not directly operate the vehicle, the brake pedal can be prevented from being exposed to the interior of the vehicle to prevent the driver from operating the brake pedal, thereby allowing the driver to rest comfortably in the autonomous driving mode and improving safety by preventing erroneous operation of the brake pedal in the autonomous driving mode.

[0007] According to one aspect, a foldable brake pedal device for an autonomous vehicle may include: a pedal member fixedly installed in a lower space of a driver's seat, and having guide slots formed on left and right sides of the pedal member, the guide slots extending in a front-rear direction; a pedal shaft installed to pass through the left and right sides of the pedal member through the guide slots and move along the guide slots; and a brake pedal coupled to the pedal shaft, and the brake pedal is connected to a brake booster through a pedal push rod at a portion of the lower side of the pedal shaft. When the pedal shaft is located at a front end of the guide slot, the lower end of the brake pedal may be maintained in a pop-up state exposed to a room of a vehicle where a driver is located, and when the pedal shaft moves from the front end of the guide slot to the rear end of the guide slot, the brake pedal may be pivoted with a connection point with the pedal push rod as a center, so that the lower end of the brake pedal is pivoted forward, thereby switching to a hidden state not exposed to the room.

[0008] The foldable brake pedal device may further include: an actuator fixedly mounted on the pedal member; and a connecting bracket configured to connect the actuator to the pedal shaft and transmit the power of the actuator to the pedal shaft, so that when the actuator is operated, the pedal shaft moves along the guide slot. In addition, the foldable brake pedal device may further include: a return spring installed to connect the pedal member to the brake pedal, the return spring being configured to accumulate elastic force as the length of the return spring is stretched when the driver steps on the brake pedal and the brake pedal can be pivoted forward, and when the driver releases the brake pedal, the brake pedal is pivoted backward and returned using the accumulated elastic force.

[0009] The foldable brake pedal device may further include: a permanent magnet fixedly coupled to one end surface of the pedal shaft; and a non-contact pedal sensor fixedly mounted on the pedal member. The non-contact pedal sensor may be configured to detect the rotation angle of the permanent magnet by a change in magnetic field strength due to a change in the pivot position of the permanent magnet and generate a signal related to braking only when the pedal shaft is pivoted in a state where the permanent magnet faces the non-contact pedal sensor.

[0010] The guide slot can be formed as an arc extending in the front-to-rear direction along the pivot radius with the connection point of the brake pedal and the pedal push rod as a reference. When the pedal shaft is located at the front end of the guide slot, the permanent magnet connected to the pedal shaft can be maintained in a state facing the non-contact pedal sensor, and the non-contact pedal sensor can be configured to generate a braking-related signal when the brake pedal pivots in a state where the permanent magnet faces the non-contact pedal sensor.

[0011] The guide slot may be formed in an arc shape extending in the front-to-rear direction along the pivot radius with the connection point of the brake pedal and the pedal push rod as a reference. When the pedal shaft slides from the position of the front end of the guide slot toward the position of the rear end of the guide slot, the state in which the permanent magnet connected to the pedal shaft faces the non-contact pedal sensor may be terminated, and when the brake pedal pivots in the state in which the state in which the permanent magnet faces the non-contact pedal sensor is terminated, the non-contact pedal sensor does not generate a signal related to braking to prevent erroneous operation of the brake pedal. The guide slot may be formed in the same shape on the left and right sides of the pedal member, each of the guide slots may be formed in an arc shape extending in the front-to-rear direction along the pivot radius with the connection point of the brake pedal and the pedal push rod as a reference, and the front and rear ends of each of the guide slots may be formed as a closed structure by the pedal member.

[0012] The actuator may include a stepper motor and a motor shaft, and a motor shaft coupling hole and a pedal shaft coupling hole may be formed on a first side and a second side of a connecting bracket, respectively. The motor shaft may be inserted into the motor shaft coupling hole, so that the connecting bracket may be integrally coupled to the motor shaft. The pedal shaft may be inserted into the pedal shaft coupling hole, and the pedal shaft coupling hole may be formed as an elliptical long hole to allow movement of the pedal shaft when the connecting bracket pivots with the motor shaft.

[0013] The pedal shaft coupling hole formed as an elliptical long hole may be formed to pass through the left and right sides of the connecting bracket along the length direction of the pedal shaft, the first end of the pedal shaft coupling hole facing the motor shaft coupling hole may be formed as a closed structure, and the second end of the pedal shaft coupling hole in the direction opposite to the first end may be formed as an open structure. The pedal shaft coupling hole formed as an elliptical long hole may be formed to pass through the left and right sides of the connecting bracket along the length direction of the pedal shaft, and the first end of the pedal shaft coupling hole facing the motor shaft coupling hole and the second end of the pedal shaft coupling hole in the direction opposite to the first end may be formed as a closed structure.

[0014] A pedal insertion hole may be formed in the connecting bracket at a portion where the pedal shaft coupling hole is formed at a middle position in the left-right direction of the connecting bracket along the length direction of the pedal shaft coupling hole, and the connecting bracket may be divided into a first leg and a second leg forming the pedal shaft coupling hole on the left and right sides of the pedal insertion hole, respectively, based on the pedal insertion hole. In addition, the upper end of the brake pedal connected to the pedal shaft may be inserted into the pedal insertion hole, and both ends of the pedal shaft protruding to both sides of the brake pedal may be inserted and connected to the pedal shaft coupling holes of the first leg and the second leg. The motor shaft may be disposed above the pedal shaft inserted into the guide slot, so that when the connecting bracket pivots together with the motor shaft, the motor shaft can prevent the pedal shaft from being released from the pedal shaft coupling hole. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] The above and other objects, features and other advantages of the present disclosure will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0016] Figures 1 to 3 are a perspective view, a front view, and a side view of a foldable brake pedal device for an autonomous vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0017] Figure 4 is a perspective view showing a state in which a non-contact pedal sensor is separated from a pedal member according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0018] Figure 5 is an exploded perspective view showing a foldable brake pedal device for an autonomous driving vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0019] Figure 6 is a diagram showing an exemplary embodiment according to the present disclosure. Figure 4 A side view of a state where a non-contact pedal sensor is omitted;

[0020] Figure 7 is a perspective view for describing a connection bracket with an open lower side according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0021] Figure 8 and Fig. 9 is a diagram showing an exemplary embodiment according to the present disclosure Figure 7 The front view and side view of the connection state;

[0022] Fig.10 is a perspective view for describing a connection bracket whose lower side is formed into a closed structure according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0023] Fig.11 is a diagram for describing a normal operating state of a brake pedal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0024] Fig.12 1 is a diagram for describing a pop-up state in which a lower end of a brake pedal is exposed inside a chamber and a hidden state by pivoting forward according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] It is understood that the term "vehicle" or "vehicular" or other similar terms as used herein generally include motor vehicles, such as passenger cars including sport utility vehicles (SUVs), buses, trucks, various commercial vehicles, watercraft including various ships and boats, aircraft, etc., and include hybrid vehicles, electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid vehicles, hydrogen-powered vehicles and other alternative fuel (e.g., fuels derived from resources other than petroleum) vehicles. As referred to herein, a hybrid vehicle is a vehicle having two or more sources of power, such as a gasoline and electric dual-power vehicle.

[0026] Although the exemplary embodiments are described as using multiple units to perform the exemplary processes, it is understood that the exemplary processes may also be performed by one or more modules. In addition, it is understood that the term "controller" / "control unit" refers to a hardware device including a memory and a processor. The memory is configured to store the modules, and the processor is specifically configured to execute the modules to perform one or more processes described further below.

[0027] The terms used herein are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, as used herein, the singular forms "one", "an" and "the" are intended to also include plural forms. It will be further understood that when the terms "include" and / or "comprise" are used in this specification, the presence of the features, integers, steps, operations, elements and / or components is specified, but the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components and / or their groups is not excluded. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any one and all combinations of one or more associated listed items.

[0028] Unless otherwise specified or apparent from the context, as used herein, the term "about" is understood to be within the normal tolerance range in the art, such as within 2 standard deviations of the mean. "About" may be understood to be within 10%, 9%, 8%, 7%, 6%, 5%, 4%, 3%, 2%, 1%, 0.5%, 0.1%, 0.05%, or 0.01% of the value. Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, all numerical values ​​provided herein are modified by the term "about".

[0029] Hereinafter, a foldable brake pedal device for an autonomous driving vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0030] like Figures 1 to 12 As shown, the foldable brake pedal device for an autonomous driving vehicle according to the present disclosure may include: a pedal member 10, fixedly mounted in the lower space of a driver's seat, and a guide slot 12 may be formed on the left side 11 and the right side 11 of the pedal member 10 in the front-rear direction; a pedal shaft 20, mounted to pass through the left side 11 and the right side 11 of the pedal member 10 through the guide slot 12 and move along the guide slot 12; a brake pedal 30, the upper end of the brake pedal 30 is connected to the pedal shaft 20, and the brake pedal 30 is connected to the brake booster 40 through a pedal push rod 41 at the lower side of the pedal shaft 20; an actuator 50, fixedly mounted on the pedal member 10; and a connecting bracket 60, configured to connect the actuator 50 to the pedal shaft 20 and transmit the power of the actuator 50 to the pedal shaft 20, so that the pedal shaft 20 moves along the guide slot 12 when the actuator 50 is operated.

[0031] The pedal member 10 may have an outer shape that is basically formed into a square box shape, and the interior of the pedal member 10 may be empty and may be open to the lower side and the rear side. The front of the pedal member 10 may be fixed to the dashboard of the vehicle body, the cowl bracket 70 may be connected to the top of the pedal member 10, and the cowl bracket 70 may be connected to the cowl. The guide slot 12 may be formed to pass through the left side 11 and the right side 11 of the pedal member 10 in the same shape. In particular, each of the guide slots 12 may be formed into an arc extending in the front-to-back direction along the pivot radius with the connection point P1 of the brake pedal 30 and the pedal push rod 41 as a reference. Since both the front end and the rear end of the guide slot 12 can be formed into a closed structure by the pedal member 10, the shape of the guide slot 12 can be kept from being deformed, and in addition, the strength of the pedal member 10 can be maintained.

[0032] The pedal shaft 20 may pass through the upper end portion of the brake pedal 30 in the left-right direction and may be integrally coupled to the brake pedal 30 by welding, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The upper portion of the brake pedal 30 coupled to the pedal shaft 20 may be inserted into the pedal member 10. Both ends of the pedal shaft 20 protruding to both sides of the brake pedal 30 may be installed in the form of being inserted into the guide slots 12 formed in the left and right sides 11 of the pedal member 10. Therefore, when the driver steps on the pad 31 provided at the lower end of the brake pedal 30, the pedal shaft 20 may pivot in the guide slot 12, the brake pedal 30 may pivot forward relative to the pedal member 10 by the pivoting of the pedal shaft 20, and when the brake pedal 30 pivots forward, the brake booster 40 may be operated by the forward movement of the pedal push rod 41 to generate the hydraulic pressure required for braking.

[0033] In addition, an exemplary embodiment according to the present disclosure may include a return spring 80 installed to connect the pedal member 10 to the brake pedal 30. When the brake pedal 30 is pivoted forward due to the driver stepping on the brake pedal 30, the return spring 80 accumulates elastic force as its length is stretched, and when the driver releases the brake pedal 30, the return spring 80 pivots the brake pedal 30 using the accumulated elastic force to return to the initial position of the brake pedal 30. In particular, the return spring 80 may be a compression coil spring, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0034] The actuator 50 may include a stepper motor 51 and a motor shaft 52 that rotates when the stepper motor 51 is in operation. The stepper motor 51 may be fixed to one side of the pedal member 10 from the outside of the pedal member 10. To this end, the stepper motor 51 may be fixedly coupled via a separate bracket. The motor shaft 52 may be installed to pass through the side 11 of the pedal member 10. To this end, a hole 13 may be formed on the side 11 of the pedal member 10 for the motor shaft 52 to pass through the side 11.

[0035] The connecting bracket 60 may be configured to have a motor shaft coupling hole 61 and a pedal shaft coupling hole 62 formed at a first side position and a second side position of the connecting bracket 60, respectively. The motor shaft 52 may be inserted into the motor shaft coupling hole 61, and thus the connecting bracket 60 may be integrally coupled to the motor shaft 52. Therefore, when the motor shaft 52 rotates due to the operation of the stepper motor 51, the connecting bracket 60 may pivot together with the motor shaft 52. The pedal shaft 20 may be inserted into the pedal shaft coupling hole 62. The pedal shaft coupling hole 62 may be formed as an elliptical long hole to allow movement of the pedal shaft 20 when the connecting bracket 60 pivots together with the motor shaft 52.

[0036] In particular, the pedal shaft coupling hole 62 formed as an elliptical long hole can be formed to pass through the left and right sides of the connecting bracket 60 along the length direction of the pedal shaft 20, the first end of the pedal shaft coupling hole 62 facing the motor shaft coupling hole 61 can be formed as a closed structure, and the second end of the pedal shaft coupling hole 62 in the opposite direction can be formed as an open structure (see Figures 1 to 9 ) or a closed structure (see Fig.10 ). When the second end of the pedal shaft coupling hole 62 is formed into an open structure (for example, in the downward direction shown in the figure), there is an advantage that the pedal shaft 20 can be assembled more easily during the process of inserting the pedal shaft 20 into the pedal shaft coupling hole 62. On the contrary, when the second end of the pedal shaft coupling hole 62 is formed into a closed structure, compared with the open structure, although there is a disadvantage that the assembly may be difficult when assembling the pedal shaft 20, there is an advantage that the strength and rigidity of the connecting bracket 60 can be sufficiently ensured.

[0037] In addition, the structure of the connecting bracket 60 is as follows: a pedal insertion hole 63 can be formed in the connecting bracket 60 at a portion where the pedal shaft connecting hole 62 is formed at a middle position in the left-right direction of the connecting bracket 60 along the length direction (for example, the up-down direction) of the pedal shaft connecting hole 62, and the connecting bracket 60 can be divided into a first leg 64 and a second leg 65 that form the pedal shaft connecting hole 62 on the left and right sides of the pedal insertion hole 63 respectively with the pedal insertion hole 63 as a reference, the upper end of the brake pedal 30 connected to the pedal shaft 20 can be inserted into the pedal insertion hole 63, and the two ends of the pedal shaft 20 protruding to both sides of the brake pedal 30 can be inserted into and connected to the pedal shaft connecting holes 62 of the first leg 64 and the second leg 65.

[0038] Since both ends of the pedal shaft 20 can be installed to pass through the pedal shaft coupling hole 62 of the first leg 64 and the second leg 65 of the connecting bracket 60 and then pass through the guide slot 12 formed on the side 11 of the pedal member 10, the torsional deformation of the pedal shaft 20 along the length direction of the pedal shaft 20 can be prevented by the supporting force of the connecting bracket 60 and the pedal member 10, and the bending deformation of the pedal shaft 20 toward the front and upward can also be prevented. According to the present disclosure, the motor shaft 52 can be arranged above the pedal shaft 20 inserted into the guide slot 12. Therefore, when the connecting bracket 60 pivots together with the motor shaft 52, the phenomenon that the pedal shaft 20 is released from the pedal shaft coupling hole 62 can be prevented.

[0039] In addition, an exemplary embodiment according to the present disclosure may include: a permanent magnet (magnet) 90 fixedly coupled to one end surface of the pedal shaft 20; and a non-contact pedal sensor 100 fixedly mounted on one side surface 11 of the pedal member 10. The non-contact pedal sensor 100 may be fixedly welded to one side surface 11 of the pedal member 10 using a separate bracket.

[0040] The non-contact pedal sensor 100 may be configured to detect the rotation angle of the permanent magnet 90 by the change in magnetic field strength due to the change in the pivot position of the permanent magnet 90 and generate a signal related to braking only when the pedal shaft 20 pivots in a state where the permanent magnet 90 faces the non-contact pedal sensor 100. The non-contact pedal sensor 100 may include a printed circuit board (PCB), and the permanent magnet 90 may be coupled to one end surface of the pedal shaft 20 that serves as the pivot center of the brake pedal 30. Therefore, there is an advantage of further improving the accuracy of the output signal of the non-contact pedal sensor 100.

[0041] like Figure 6 and Fig.11As shown in the left figure of FIG. 1 , only when the pedal shaft 20 is located at the front end of the guide slot 12, the permanent magnet 90 coupled to the pedal shaft 20 is in a state facing the non-contact pedal sensor 100. Therefore, when the driver steps on the brake pedal 30 in a state where the permanent magnet 90 and the non-contact pedal sensor 100 face each other, the pedal shaft 20 can pivot in a state where it is located at the front end of the guide slot 12, and as shown in FIG. Fig.11 As shown in the right figure, the brake pedal 30 can be pivoted forward (in the direction of arrow R1) relative to the pedal member 10 by pivoting the pedal shaft 20, and when the brake pedal 30 is pivoted forward, the brake booster 40 can be operated by the forward movement of the pedal push rod 41 to generate the hydraulic pressure required for braking.

[0042] In addition, the non-contact pedal sensor 100 may be configured to detect the pivot angle of the brake pedal 30 by a change in magnetic field strength according to a change in the pivot position of the permanent magnet 90 due to the pivoting of the pedal shaft 20, and generate a signal related to braking so that the vehicle performs normal braking. Meanwhile, when the pedal shaft 20 is located at the front end of the guide slot 12, even when the driver steps on the brake pedal 30, the pedal shaft 20 does not move to the rear end along the guide slot 12 because the connecting bracket 60 connected to the stepping motor 51 supports the pedal shaft 20. Therefore, the pedal shaft 20 can pivot only in a state of being located at the front end of the guide slot 12.

[0043] In addition, if Figure 6 and Fig.12 When the pedal shaft 20 is located at the front end of the guide slot 12 as shown in the left figure, Fig.12 As shown in the right figure, when the motor shaft 52 rotates due to the operation of the stepper motor 51 and the connecting bracket 60 pivots in the clockwise direction together with the motor shaft 52, the pedal shaft 20 can slide along the guide slot 12 from the front end position to the rear end position, and the brake pedal 30 can pivot around the connection point P1 with the pedal push rod 41 so that the lower end of the brake pedal 30 pivots and moves forward (arrow R2), so that the brake pedal 30 switches to a hidden (concealed) state that prevents the brake pedal 30 from being exposed to the interior of the vehicle.

[0044] When the brake pedal 30 is switched to the hidden state, the lower space of the driver's seat is increased without the interference of the brake pedal 30, thereby allowing the driver to rest comfortably in the relaxation mode. In particular, when the pedal shaft 20 slides from the position of the front end of the guide slot 12 toward the position of the rear end of the guide slot 12 due to the operation of the actuator 50, the state in which the permanent magnet 90 coupled to the pedal shaft 20 faces the non-contact pedal sensor 100 coupled to the pedal member 10 can be terminated. In the state in which the permanent magnet 90 does not face the non-contact pedal sensor 100, even if the driver depresses the brake pedal 30 to pivot the brake pedal 30, a signal related to braking is not generated by the non-contact pedal sensor 100, and therefore, in the automatic driving mode, the situation in which the driver mistakenly operates the brake pedal 30 can be prevented in advance.

[0045] On the contrary, in Fig.12 As shown in the right figure of FIG. 1 , the pedal shaft 20 is arranged at the rear end of the guide slot 12. Fig.12 As shown in the left figure, when the motor shaft 52 and the connecting bracket 60 are pivoted in the counterclockwise direction due to the operation of the stepper motor 51, the pedal shaft 20 can slide from the rear end of the guide slot 12 to the front end of the guide slot 12. Therefore, the brake pedal 30 can be pivoted around the connection point P1, so that the lower end of the brake pedal 30 can be pivoted and moved to the rear side where the driver is located, and therefore, the brake pedal 30 can be switched again to the pop-up state protruding into the interior of the vehicle where the driver is located.

[0046] As described above, the foldable brake pedal device for an autonomous vehicle according to the present disclosure is configured such that in a manual driving mode in which the driver directly operates the vehicle, the lower end of the brake pedal 30 can be popped up to be exposed in the interior of the vehicle, thereby allowing the driver to operate the brake pedal 30, and in an autonomous driving mode in which the driver does not directly drive the vehicle, the lower end of the brake pedal 30 can be pivoted and moved forward by the operation of the actuator 50, thereby switching to a hidden state that the driver cannot operate. Therefore, the advantages are that in the autonomous driving mode, the driver can rest comfortably, and furthermore, safety can be improved by preventing erroneous operation of the brake pedal 30.

[0047] Although exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure have been described for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure as disclosed in the accompanying claims.

Claims

1. A foldable brake pedal device for an autonomous vehicle, comprising: A pedal member fixedly installed in a lower space of a driver's seat, and having guide slots formed on the left and right sides of the pedal member, the guide slots extending in the front-rear direction; a pedal shaft installed to pass through the left and right sides of the pedal member through the guide slot and to move along the guide slot; a brake pedal coupled to the pedal shaft and connected to a brake booster at a location on the lower side of the pedal shaft through a pedal push rod, a permanent magnet fixedly coupled to one end surface of the pedal shaft; as well as A non-contact pedal sensor is fixedly mounted on the pedal member, wherein: When the pedal shaft is located at the front end of the guide slot, the lower end of the brake pedal is maintained in a popped-up state exposed to the interior of the vehicle where the driver is located. When the pedal shaft moves from the front end of the guide slot to the rear end of the guide slot, the brake pedal pivots around the connection point with the pedal push rod so that the lower end of the brake pedal pivots forward, thereby switching to a hidden state that is prevented from being exposed to the interior of the vehicle, and When the pedal shaft pivots with the permanent magnet facing the contactless pedal sensor, the contactless pedal sensor detects the rotation angle of the brake pedal by a change in magnetic field strength due to a change in the pivot position of the permanent magnet and generates a signal related to braking.

2. The foldable brake pedal device according to claim 1, further comprising: an actuator fixedly mounted on the pedal member; as well as a connecting bracket, connecting the actuator to the pedal shaft and transmitting the power of the actuator to the pedal shaft, When the actuator is operated, the pedal shaft is moved along the guide slot.

3. The foldable brake pedal device according to claim 1, further comprising: A return spring is installed to connect the pedal member to the brake pedal. When the driver depresses the brake pedal and the brake pedal pivots forward, the return spring accumulates elastic force as the length of the return spring is stretched, and when the brake pedal is released, the return spring uses the accumulated elastic force to pivot the brake pedal backward and return.

4. The foldable brake pedal device according to claim 1, wherein: The guide slot is formed in an arc shape extending in the front-rear direction along a pivot radius with the connection point between the brake pedal and the pedal push rod as a reference, In a state where the pedal shaft is located at the front end of the guide slot, the permanent magnet coupled to the pedal shaft is maintained in a state facing the non-contact pedal sensor, and When the brake pedal is pivoted in a state where the permanent magnet faces the contactless pedal sensor, the contactless pedal sensor generates a signal related to braking.

5. The foldable brake pedal device according to claim 1, wherein: The guide slot is formed in an arc shape extending in the front-rear direction along a pivot radius with the connection point between the brake pedal and the pedal push rod as a reference, When the pedal shaft slides from the position of the front end of the guide slot toward the position of the rear end of the guide slot, a state in which the permanent magnet coupled to the pedal shaft faces the non-contact pedal sensor is terminated, and When the brake pedal is pivoted in a state where the state in which the permanent magnet faces the contactless pedal sensor is terminated, the contactless pedal sensor does not generate a signal related to braking to prevent an erroneous operation of the brake pedal.

6. The foldable brake pedal device according to claim 1, wherein: The guide slots are formed in the same shape on the left and right sides of the pedal member, Each of the guide slots is formed in an arc shape extending in the front-rear direction along a pivot radius with the connection point of the brake pedal and the pedal push rod as a reference, and A front end and a rear end of each of the guide slots are formed into a closed structure by the pedal member.

7. A foldable brake pedal device for an autonomous vehicle, comprising: A pedal member fixedly installed in a lower space of a driver's seat, and having guide slots formed on the left and right sides of the pedal member, the guide slots extending in the front-rear direction; a pedal shaft installed to pass through the left and right sides of the pedal member through the guide slot and to move along the guide slot; as well as a brake pedal coupled to the pedal shaft and connected to a brake booster at a location on the lower side of the pedal shaft through a pedal push rod, an actuator fixedly mounted on the pedal member; as well as a connecting bracket, connecting the actuator to the pedal shaft and transmitting the power of the actuator to the pedal shaft, in, When the pedal shaft is located at the front end of the guide slot, the lower end of the brake pedal is maintained in a popped-up state exposed to the interior of the vehicle where the driver is located. When the pedal shaft moves from the front end of the guide slot to the rear end of the guide slot, the brake pedal pivots around the connection point with the pedal push rod so that the lower end of the brake pedal pivots forward, thereby switching to a hidden state that is prevented from being exposed to the interior of the vehicle. When the actuator is operated, the pedal shaft is moved along the guide slot, The actuator comprises a stepper motor and a motor shaft, A motor shaft connection hole and a pedal shaft connection hole are formed on the first side and the second side of the connection bracket, respectively. The motor shaft is inserted into the motor shaft coupling hole so that the connecting bracket is integrally coupled to the motor shaft. The pedal shaft is inserted into the pedal shaft coupling hole, and The pedal shaft coupling hole is formed as an elliptical long hole to allow movement of the pedal shaft when the connecting bracket pivots together with the motor shaft.

8. The foldable brake pedal device according to claim 7, wherein: The pedal shaft connecting hole formed as an elliptical long hole is formed to pass through the left and right sides of the connecting bracket along the length direction of the pedal shaft, the first end of the pedal shaft connecting hole facing the motor shaft connecting hole is formed as a closed structure, and the second end of the pedal shaft connecting hole in the direction opposite to the first end is formed as an open structure.

9. The foldable brake pedal device according to claim 7, wherein: The pedal shaft connecting hole formed as an elliptical long hole is formed to pass through the left and right sides of the connecting bracket along the length direction of the pedal shaft, and the first end of the pedal shaft connecting hole facing the motor shaft connecting hole and the second end of the pedal shaft connecting hole in the direction opposite to the first end are formed as a closed structure.

10. The foldable brake pedal device according to claim 7, wherein: A pedal insertion hole is formed in the connecting bracket at a middle position in the left-right direction of the connecting bracket at a portion where the pedal shaft connecting hole is formed, along the length direction of the pedal shaft connecting hole. The connecting bracket is divided into a first leg portion and a second leg portion, which form the pedal shaft connecting hole on the left and right sides of the pedal insertion hole respectively based on the pedal insertion hole. The upper end of the brake pedal coupled to the pedal shaft is inserted into the pedal insertion hole, and Both ends of the pedal shaft protruding to both sides of the brake pedal are inserted into and coupled to pedal shaft coupling holes of the first leg and the second leg.

11. The foldable brake pedal device according to claim 7, wherein: The motor shaft is disposed above the pedal shaft inserted into the guide slot, and when the connection bracket is pivoted together with the motor shaft, the motor shaft prevents a phenomenon in which the pedal shaft is released from the pedal shaft coupling hole.

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