Pedal mechanism

Abstract

The invention relates to a pedal mechanism which can reduce the size of the whole device without impairing the operation feeling of a driver. The pedal mechanism (14) is provided with a pedal arm (25) having a tread surface (26) and rotatably pivotally connected to a predetermined fixing portion (29), and a spring member (40) that applies a reaction force to the pedal arm, one end portion of the spring member being rotatably connected to the predetermined fixing portion, and the other end portion of the spring member being rotatably connected to the pedal arm. The other end portion is rotatably connected to a predetermined portion (41) between the tread surface of the pedal arm and a pivot connection portion (30) with respect to a predetermined fixed portion, and the predetermined portion is set at a position offset in the rotation direction of the pedal arm from a neutral line connecting the pivot connection portion and a connection portion (42). And a connecting part that connects one end of the spring member and a predetermined fixing part, and an angle (alpha) formed by a line connecting the pivot connecting part and the predetermined part and a neutral line is smaller than an angle (beta) formed by a line connecting the connecting part and the predetermined part and the neutral line.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a pedal mechanism which is mounted on a vehicle and is used to change the behavior of the vehicle. Background Art

[0002] Patent document 1 discloses an electric vehicle having only a rotating machine as a driving source. The electric vehicle of patent document 1 is configured to simulate and reproduce a vehicle having a manual transmission (hereinafter sometimes referred to as an MT vehicle). In the electric vehicle described in patent document 1, as a device for inputting action requirements for the electric vehicle, in addition to an accelerator pedal and a brake pedal, a shift lever and a clutch pedal are also provided. The shift lever and the clutch pedal function as devices for simulating an MT vehicle in an electric vehicle. Specifically, the shift lever simulates a lever for changing the gear gear of an MT vehicle, and by changing the position of the shift lever, the torque characteristics relative to the rotation speed of the rotating machine can be changed in stages. In addition, the clutch pedal is a device that simulates a clutch pedal of an MT vehicle, and is configured to simulate the configuration, operational feel, etc. of the clutch pedal.

[0003] In the case of a clutch pedal mounted on an actual MT vehicle, the stroke of the clutch pedal changes disproportionately with the change in the pedal force (or reaction force) due to structural reasons. For example, in the case of a clutch pedal using a diaphragm spring, the reaction force of the clutch pedal gradually decreases when the stroke of the clutch pedal exceeds a certain amount, which is a so-called rollover characteristic. In order to more accurately simulate the clutch pedal equipped on an MT vehicle, it is preferable to also make the clutch pedal have such a characteristic.

[0004] For example, Patent Document 2 discloses a pedal device that can generate a drop-off characteristic (or rollover characteristic) as such a characteristic. The pedal device of Patent Document 2 reproduces the drop-off characteristic through a four-section link mechanism and an elastic member. Specifically, the pedal device of Patent Document 2 comprises: a rod member that rotates around a rod rotation axis; a link member and a force member that extend from the rod member to the front side of the vehicle, and each of which has one end that is relatively rotatable relative to the support axis of the rod member; a link member support arm that is relatively rotatably connected to the other end of the link member through one support end; a force member support arm that is relatively rotatably connected to the other end of the force member through another support end; and a rotating member that supports the other end of each of the link member support arm and the force member support arm so that they can rotate relative to each other while maintaining the angle formed by the link member support arm and the force member support arm. The urging member includes a link portion supported by the rod member, a link portion supported by the urging member support arm, and an elastic member connected between the two link portions.

[0005] In the pedal device of patent document 2, before the pedal is pressed, it is in a state where two support ends are arranged on both sides of the straight line passing through the support axis of the rod member and the rotating member. When the pedal is stepped on from this state, the rod member rotates toward the front side of the vehicle, that is, in the counterclockwise direction, with the rod rotating axis as the center, and thus, the connecting rod member and the force member also move in a manner of rotating in the counterclockwise direction. At this time, the connecting rod member moves downward and in front of the vehicle, and the force member moves downward and behind the vehicle. As a result, the elastic force changes due to the shortening of the length of the elastic member, so that the reaction force of the rod member increases. On the other hand, when the pedal is further stepped on, the force member moves downward and in front of the vehicle. As a result, the length of the elastic member gradually increases, and the reaction force of the rod member decreases. That is, in the pedal device of patent document 1, before the force member reaches a specified position, the force increases, and when it exceeds the specified position, the force decreases. In patent document 1, through such a mechanism, the pedal device can be given the characteristics of the clutch pedal as described above.

[0006] Prior art literature

[0007] Patent Literature

[0008] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent No. 6787507

[0009] Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-13923 Summary of the invention

[0010] Problems to be solved by the invention

[0011] As described above, by applying the pedal device disclosed in Patent Document 2 to the clutch pedal of Patent Document 1, the clutch pedal of Patent Document 1 can reproduce the flipping characteristics. On the other hand, in the pedal device of Patent Document 2, the above-mentioned connecting rod mechanism, elastic member and rotating member are arranged in the rotation direction of the pedal, that is, from the arm member to the front side of the vehicle. In addition, in the pedal device of Patent Document 2, since the long side direction of the connecting rod mechanism and the expansion and contraction direction of the elastic member are arranged in the direction along the front-back direction of the vehicle, the pedal device as a whole is enlarged mainly in the front-back direction of the vehicle. In particular, the clutch pedal of Patent Document 1 is a simulated clutch pedal and is not mechanically connected to other mechanisms mounted on the vehicle. That is, even if the pedal force generated by the clutch pedal of Patent Document 1 being stepped on is applied, the pedal force will not be mechanically transmitted to other mechanisms. In addition, the clutch pedal of Patent Document 1 is a simulated clutch pedal, and therefore, it is a device that does not directly affect the driving performance of the vehicle. Therefore, such a simulated clutch pedal is required to be further miniaturized and lightweight as a whole so that the driver can feel the arrangement and operation feel of a clutch pedal mounted on an MT vehicle without deteriorating the mountability of other mechanisms in the vehicle.

[0012] The present invention has been conceived in view of the above-mentioned technical problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a pedal mechanism that can reduce the size of the entire device without impairing the operating feeling of the driver.

[0013] Means for solving problems

[0014] In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present invention is a pedal mechanism, which includes: a pedal arm, which includes a tread surface at one end and is pivotally connected to a specified fixed part at the other end; and a spring component, which applies a reaction force to the pedal arm, and the reaction force counteracts the torque centered on the other end generated by stepping on the tread surface. The pedal mechanism is characterized in that one end of the spring component is rotatably connected to the specified fixed part, and the other end of the spring component is rotatably connected to a specified part between the tread surface of the pedal arm and a pivot connection part relative to the specified fixed part, the specified part is set at a position offset from a neutral line connecting the pivot connection part and the connection part in the rotation direction of the pedal arm, the connection part connects one end of the spring component to the specified fixed part, and the angle formed by the line connecting the pivot connection part and the specified part and the neutral line is smaller than the angle formed by the line connecting the connection part and the specified part and the neutral line.

[0015] In the present invention, there may also be another spring component for applying the reaction force to the pedal arm, one end of the other spring component is connected to the specified fixing portion, and the other end of the other spring component is connected to another specified portion of the pedal arm, and the other specified portion is set at a position offset from the neutral line toward the rotation direction of the pedal arm.

[0016] The spring member and the other spring member in the present invention may be mounted in a state where elastic force acts on the pedal arm.

[0017] The predetermined portion and the other predetermined portion in the present invention may be set on opposite sides across the neutral line of the pedal arm.

[0018] The spring member and the other spring member in the present invention may include a coil spring or a torsion coil spring.

[0019] The other spring component in the present invention may be a tension coil spring.

[0020] The other spring member in the present invention may be composed of a plurality of the tension coil springs acting in parallel with respect to the pedal arm.

[0021] In the present invention, the pedal arm can be mounted on a vehicle that uses an electric motor as a driving force source, and the pedal mechanism also has a clutch sensor, which detects the stroke of the pedal arm generated by the pedaling operation of the tread, and controls the electric motor of the vehicle based on the detection signal of the clutch sensor.

[0022] The vehicle in the present invention may be a simulated manual transmission electric vehicle having a plurality of torque characteristics as the relationship between the rotation speed and torque of the electric motor, and a plurality of simulated gear shifts corresponding to the plurality of torque characteristics.

[0023] Effects of the Invention

[0024] The pedal mechanism of the present invention applies a reaction force to the torque acting on the pedal arm when the tread is stepped on by a spring component. One end of the spring component is rotatably connected to a specified fixed portion, and the other end is rotatably connected to a specified portion of the pedal arm. The specified portion is a position between the tread and the pivot connection portion of the pedal arm, offset from the neutral line of the connection portion connecting the pivot connection portion and the one end of the spring component to the specified fixed portion in the rotation direction of the pedal arm. Moreover, in a state where the tread is not stepped on, an angle formed by a line connecting from the pivot connection portion to the specified portion and the neutral line is smaller than another angle formed by a line connecting from the connection portion to the specified portion and the neutral line. In other words, the distance from the connection portion to the specified portion is shorter than the distance from the pivot connection portion to the specified portion. Therefore, when the pedal arm rotates due to the tread being stepped on, the change in one angle is greater than the change in the other angle mentioned above. Therefore, the change amount of the reaction force against the torque generated by stepping on the tread surface and centered on the pivot connection part of the pedal arm can be changed quadratically, that is, nonlinearly, according to the stroke amount of the pedal arm or relative to the stepping angle. That is, the operation feeling of the clutch pedal can be simulated to the operation feeling of the clutch pedal installed in the MT vehicle.

[0025] Furthermore, a spring component is directly mounted on a predetermined fixing portion and a predetermined portion of the pedal arm. In other words, since the pedal arm is used as a link mechanism, the reaction force characteristics of the pedal arm described above can be reproduced with a simple structure. Therefore, the clutch pedal operation feeling mounted on the MT vehicle described above can be simulated, and the pedal mechanism can be miniaturized as a whole.

[0026] Furthermore, since the spring member and other spring members are attached in a state where elastic force acts on the pedal arm, it is possible to suppress vibration of the pedal arm when the pedal arm is not operated.

[0027] In addition, when the spring member and other spring members are composed of torsion coil springs, the spring members can be miniaturized compared to the case where they are composed of coil springs such as compression springs or tension springs. Therefore, the entire pedal mechanism can be further miniaturized.

[0028] In addition, when the other spring member is composed of a tension coil spring acting in parallel with the pedal arm, the spring member can be miniaturized in the expansion and contraction direction compared to when the other spring member is composed of a single tension coil spring. Therefore, the entire pedal mechanism can be further miniaturized.

[0029] Furthermore, when the pedal mechanism of the present invention is mounted on an electric vehicle equipped with an electric motor, other mechanisms in the electric vehicle may not be mechanically connected to the pedal mechanism. That is, the pedal mechanism detects the stroke of the pedal arm through a clutch sensor. Therefore, it is sufficient to transmit the detection signal to the electric vehicle, thereby increasing the degree of freedom of the mounting of the pedal mechanism. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] Figure 1 It is a block diagram schematically showing a drive system of an EV vehicle equipped with a clutch pedal according to an embodiment of the present invention and a control system thereof.

[0031] Figure 2 This is a diagram for explaining an example of a clutch pedal in the first embodiment of the present invention, and is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a pedal arm is located at a rear end position as viewed from the right side of a vehicle.

[0032] Figure 3 This is a diagram for explaining an example of a clutch pedal in the first embodiment of the present invention, and is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a pedal arm is located at a neutral position as viewed from the right side of a vehicle.

[0033] Figure 4 This is a diagram for explaining an example of a clutch pedal in the first embodiment of the present invention, and is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a pedal arm is located at a front end position as viewed from the right side of a vehicle.

[0034] Figure 5 This is a diagram for explaining an example of a clutch pedal in a second embodiment of the present invention, and is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a pedal arm is located at a rear end position as viewed from the right side of a vehicle.

[0035] Figure 6 This is a diagram for explaining an example of a clutch pedal according to a third embodiment of the present invention, and is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a pedal arm is located at a rear end position as viewed from the right side of a vehicle.

[0036] Figure 7 This is a diagram for explaining an example of a clutch pedal in a fourth embodiment of the present invention, and is a cross-sectional view of the clutch pedal as viewed from the front side of the vehicle.

[0037] Description of Reference Numerals

[0038] 1 Vehicle

[0039] 2 Electric motor

[0040] 14, 50, 60, 70 Clutch pedal

[0041] 15 Clutch sensor

[0042] 15a Linkage

[0043] 15b Motion detection unit

[0044] 19 ECU

[0045] 25 Pedal arm

[0046] 26 Pedal part (tread)

[0047] 27, 61, 71 First reaction force generating mechanism

[0048] 28, 51 Second reaction force generating mechanism

[0049] 29 Specified fixed parts

[0050] 30 Support shaft (pivot)

[0051] 31 First extension

[0052] 32 Second extension

[0053] 33 Pins

[0054] 34 Other fixed parts

[0055] 35 Front restriction

[0056] 36 Rear side restriction

[0057] 37, 62, 72 First spring component (other spring components)

[0058] 38, 63, 73 First movable axis (other specified parts)

[0059] 39, 64, 74 First fixed axis

[0060] 40, 52 second spring member

[0061] 41, 53 Second movable axis (specified position)

[0062] 42, 54 Second fixed shaft (connecting part)

[0063] 72a Extension coil spring

[0064] 72b Extension coil spring

[0065] L Neutral Line DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0066] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the embodiment described below is merely an example of a case where the present invention is implemented, and does not limit the present invention.

[0067] Figure 1An electric vehicle (EV vehicle) equipped with the pedal mechanism according to the embodiment of the present invention is shown. Figure 1 The EV vehicle 1 shown is a pseudo manual transmission type EV vehicle 1 constructed similarly to the EV vehicle described in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1. Its main structure and function are as follows. Figure 1 As shown schematically, the EV vehicle 1 is equipped with an electric motor 2 as a driving force source, and the current supplied from the power storage device (battery) 3 to the electric motor 2 is controlled by the inverter (INV) 4, thereby controlling the driving torque of the electric motor 2. The output torque of the electric motor 2 is transmitted from its output shaft (rotor shaft) 5 to the final reducer (differential gear) 7 via a transmission mechanism 6 including a gear mechanism, a transmission shaft, etc., and is transmitted from there to the left and right driving wheels 8, thereby driving the EV vehicle 1. That is, in Figure 1 In the EV vehicle 1 shown, the torque transmission system from the motor 2 to the drive wheels 8 has a fixed speed ratio and does not have a speed change function that changes the speed ratio. Figure 1 The reference numeral "9" in the figure represents other wheels.

[0068] An accelerator pedal 10 for acceleration and deceleration and a brake pedal 11 for braking are provided. An accelerator opening sensor 12 is provided to detect the amount of depression of the accelerator pedal 10 (i.e., the accelerator opening) indicating the driver's driving requirement, and a brake sensor 13 is provided to detect the amount of depression or the pedal force of the brake pedal 11 as the braking requirement. In addition, in order to simulate the shifting operation in the previous manual transmission vehicle, a clutch pedal 14 is provided, and a clutch sensor 15 is provided to detect the amount of operation. The clutch pedal 14 and the clutch sensor 15 will be described later. The clutch pedal 14 and a shift lever 16 for performing a simulated shifting operation together with the clutch pedal 14 are provided. A shift device 18 is provided in the EV vehicle 1, and the shift device 18 includes the shift lever 16 and a shift position sensor 17 for detecting the action position of the shift lever 16, in particular, the position of selecting the simulated shift gear and the neutral position. It should be noted that the shift gear includes a reverse gear and a plurality of forward gears.

[0069] An electronic control unit (ECU) 19 is provided for controlling the motor 2 via the inverter 4. The ECU 19 is mainly composed of a microcomputer, which is composed of a CPU (processor) 20, a memory 21 such as RAM and ROM, and an input / output interface 22 for inputting and outputting data. The accelerator opening sensor 12, the brake sensor 13, the clutch sensor 15, and the shift position sensor 17 are connected to the ECU 19, and their respective detection signals are input to the ECU 19. In addition, a rotation speed sensor 23 is provided for detecting the rotation speed of the transmission mechanism 6 (for example, the rotation speed of the transmission shaft), and its detection signal is input to the ECU 19. In addition, a pedal angle sensor for detecting the rotation angle when the pedal arm is rotated is connected to the ECU 19 in the embodiment of the present invention.

[0070] The torque control performed by the ECU 19 may be the same control as the torque control described in the above-mentioned patent document 1 as an example. If the outline of the torque control is described, in the torque control, the driving torque of the motor 2 is controlled so that the driving torque generated by the motor 2 and transmitted to the transmission mechanism 6 becomes the required driving torque. Moreover, in the embodiment described here, the ECU 19 controls the driving torque of the motor 2 so that the torque and its change mode of the EV vehicle 1 become the torque and its change mode obtained by simulating the torque and its change mode of the previous manual transmission vehicle (MT vehicle). Therefore, for example, when the driver performs a simulated manual transmission operation while the EV vehicle 1 is traveling, first, when the clutch pedal 14 is stepped on and the stepping amount exceeds the prescribed amount, the clutch output torque gradually decreases according to the stepping amount, and when it is above the predetermined upper limit, the clutch output torque becomes zero.

[0071] Here, the clutch output torque is a torque output from a virtual clutch in a manner simulating an MT vehicle, and can be obtained by multiplying the virtual engine torque output from the motor 2 to the drive wheel 8 at that moment by a gain that changes according to the amount of depression of the clutch pedal 14. It should be noted that the gain is set to, for example, "1" (100%) before the amount of depression of the clutch pedal 14 increases to a predetermined amount, and then becomes a smaller value as the amount of depression increases.

[0072] In addition, the virtual engine torque can be obtained based on the output characteristics of the virtual engine. For example, an appropriate engine used in the vehicle is assumed, and the output characteristics that simulate the relationship between the engine speed and the output torque are determined as the output characteristics of the virtual engine. The speed of the virtual engine is calculated by considering the speed of the drive wheel 8 and the virtual speed ratio at that moment and the specified slip amount, and the output torque of the virtual engine is obtained based on the calculated speed and output characteristics.

[0073] When the clutch torque becomes zero and a feeling of torque "disappearance" is generated, the driver operates the shift lever 16 to select a specified gear. The operation will be described later. After the gear shift operation, the clutch pedal 14 is stepped back and the amount of stepping on it gradually decreases. As a result, the above-mentioned gain increases, and therefore the clutch torque increases. On the other hand, a new gear is selected by the gear shift operation, so that the speed ratio used when calculating the virtual engine speed changes, and as a result, the virtual engine speed and the virtual engine torque change. The torque determined by the virtual engine torque and the clutch torque after the change is output from the motor 2.

[0074] That is, the motor 2 is controlled to have a new torque characteristic (the relationship between the rotational speed and the output torque) selected based on the simulated shift operation. In this way, the switching of the gear ratio (gear stage) is simulated by the simulated shift operation, so the clutch operation and the shift operation based on the shift lever are performed, so that the driver can feel the driving state of the MT vehicle even though it is an EV vehicle 1 using the motor 2 as the driving force source. It should be noted that the details of an example of the control of the motor 2 or the driving torque based on the above-mentioned simulated shift operation can be as described in the above-mentioned patent document 1.

[0075] Next, refer to Figure 2 , Figure 3 as well as Figure 4 The structure of the clutch pedal 14 in the first embodiment of the present invention is described. The clutch pedal 14 is equivalent to the pedal mechanism in the embodiment of the present invention. As described above, the clutch pedal 14 is used to virtually simulate the shifting operation in the previous manual transmission vehicle. Since the clutch pedal 14 is not mechanically connected to other mechanisms in the EV vehicle 1, the torque generated by stepping on the clutch pedal 14 will not be transmitted to such other mechanisms. That is, the clutch pedal 14 is configured to transmit an electrical signal corresponding to the operation amount, stroke amount or stepping angle of the clutch pedal 14 to the ECU 19 through the clutch sensor 15. In the ECU 19, based on the electrical signal, the change in driving force or torque corresponding to the change in the clutch output torque is generated by the electric motor 2 to simulate the action of the previous manual transmission vehicle.

[0076] like Figure 2 As shown, the clutch pedal 14 mainly includes a pedal arm 25, a pedal portion 26, a first reaction force generating mechanism 27, and a second reaction force generating mechanism 28. It should be noted that, Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional view of the clutch pedal 14 viewed from the right side of the vehicle. Figure 2 In the embodiment, the side where the first reaction force generating mechanism 27 is provided is the vehicle front side, and the side where the second reaction force generating mechanism 28 is provided is the vehicle rear side.

[0077] The pedal arm 25 is a member constituting the base portion of the clutch pedal 14, and is formed in a long shape as a whole from a predetermined fixing portion 29 toward the lower side of the vehicle. Figure 2 As shown, the pedal arm 25 is rotatably supported on a predetermined fixed portion 29 in the vehicle. Specifically, the upper end portion of the pedal arm 25 in the longitudinal direction, i.e., one end portion, is rotatably supported on the fixed portion via a support shaft portion 30. The clutch sensor 15 is mounted on the support shaft portion 30. The clutch sensor 15 detects the angle information and displacement amount when the pedal arm 25 moves, and converts the information into an electrical signal and transmits it to the ECU 19. The clutch sensor 15 is composed of, for example, a linkage portion 15a that moves with the movement of the pedal arm 25 and a movement detection portion 15b that detects its movement. It should be noted that the support shaft portion 30 is equivalent to the pivot connection portion in the embodiment of the present invention.

[0078] In addition, the pedal arm 25 has a first extension portion 31 as a portion extending toward the front side of the vehicle and a second extension portion 32 as a portion extending toward the rear side of the vehicle. That is, the first extension portion 31 is formed toward the front side of the vehicle, and the second extension portion 32 is formed toward the rear side of the vehicle across a perpendicular line from a predetermined fixing portion 29. In addition, the pedal portion 26 is provided at the lower end portion in the longitudinal direction of the pedal arm 25, that is, at the other end portion. Furthermore, a pin 33 is provided near the center of the pedal arm 25 in the vertical direction.

[0079] The pin 33 extends from the pedal arm 25 in the lateral direction of the vehicle. The pin 33 abuts against the front restriction portion 35 and the rear restriction portion 36 of other fixing portions 34 formed in the vehicle, thereby limiting the area in which the pedal arm 25 moves. That is, the pin 33 abuts against the rear restriction portion 36 formed on the rear side of the vehicle, which is one of the two restriction portions 35 and 36, so that the pedal arm 25 is limited in rotation toward the rear of the vehicle, that is, in the clockwise direction. On the contrary, the pin 33 abuts against the front restriction portion 35 formed on the front side of the vehicle, which is one of the two restriction portions 35 and 36, so that the pedal arm 25 is limited in rotation toward the front of the vehicle, that is, in the counterclockwise direction. It should be noted that the other fixing portion 34 is a component different from the specified fixing portion 33, but may be the same component. In addition, the pin 33 may be provided not only on the right side of the pedal arm 25 but also on the left side of the pedal arm 25. In this case, the front restriction portion 35 and the rear restriction portion 36 may be provided in accordance with the position of a pin protruding from the pedal arm portion 25 toward the vehicle left side.

[0080] The pedal portion 26 corresponds to the tread in the embodiment of the present invention and is operated by the driver. The pedal portion 26 is integrally formed with the other end of the pedal arm 25, and the shape and mounting angle of the pedal portion 26 are designed to be easy for the driver to operate.

[0081] The first reaction force generating mechanism 27 is a mechanism that applies a reaction force to the torque applied to the pedal arm 25. The first reaction force generating mechanism 27 is provided between the first extension portion 31 of the pedal arm 25 and another fixed portion 34 in the vehicle. The first reaction force generating mechanism 27 includes a first spring member 37, which is a tension spring that applies a reaction force to the torque input to the pedal arm 25; a first movable shaft 38, which is rotatably connected to the other fixed portion 34, rotatably connected to the first extension portion 31 of the pedal arm 25, and connected to one end of the first spring member 37; and a first fixed shaft 39, which is connected to the other end of the first spring member 37. The first movable shaft 38 moves as the pedal arm 25 rotates, and relatively rotatably supports one end of the first spring member 37. The first fixed shaft 39 is fixed so that the position does not change even when the pedal arm 25 rotates, and relatively rotatably supports the other end of the first spring member 37. It should be noted that the first spring member 37 is mounted on the first movable shaft 38 and the first fixed shaft 39 in a state of generating elastic force so as to rotate the pedal arm 25 toward the rear side of the vehicle. In addition, the first spring member 37 is equivalent to other spring members in the embodiment of the present invention, and the first movable shaft 38 is equivalent to other specified parts in the embodiment of the present invention.

[0082] The operation of the first reaction force generating mechanism 27 when the pedal arm 25 rotates will be described. Figure 2 The state in which the pedal portion 26 is not stepped on and the pin 33 is in contact with the rear restricting portion 36, that is, the state in which the pedal arm 25 is located at a position where no torque is input to the pedal arm 25, that is, the rear end position. When the pedal arm 25 is located at the rear end position, the first fixed shaft 39 and the first movable shaft 38 are respectively arranged at positions overlapping in the vertical direction. That is, the first spring member 37 is arranged in such a manner that the expansion and contraction direction of the first spring member 37 is along the vertical direction.

[0083] Figure 3 The state in which the pedal portion 26 is stepped on and the pin 33 is separated from the rear-side restricting portion 36 is indicated, that is, the pedal arm 25 is located at a position when the stroke amount of the pedal arm 25 is a predetermined stroke amount, that is, the state in the intermediate position. When the pedal arm 25 is located at the intermediate position, the distance between the first fixed shaft 39 and the first movable shaft 38 is farther than the state in which the pedal arm 25 is located at the rear end position according to the stroke amount or the stepping angle of the pedal arm 25. It should be noted that the intermediate position may be, for example, a position in which the clutch output torque changes from increasing to decreasing according to the stepping amount.

[0084] Figure 4The state in which the pedal portion 26 is stepped on to the maximum and the pin 33 abuts against the front limit portion 35 is indicated, i.e., the pedal arm 25 is located at the position where the input torque is pressed into the pedal arm 25 to the maximum, i.e., the front end position. When the pedal arm 25 is located at the front end position, the first movable shaft 38 and the support shaft portion 30 are respectively arranged at positions overlapping in the horizontal direction. It should be noted that when the pedal arm 25 is located at the front end position, the first fixed shaft 39 and the first movable shaft 38 are offset in the vertical direction, but the offset is small.

[0085] Therefore, when the pedal arm 25 rotates, the displacement of the first spring member 37 from the initial length increases as the stroke of the pedal arm 25 increases. In other words, the first reaction force generating mechanism 27 is configured so that the reaction force generated in the pedal arm 25 increases proportionally or linearly according to the increase in the pedal force input to the pedal portion 26. It should be noted that since the first spring member 37 is a tension spring, when the pedal arm 25 is located at the rear end position, the reaction force is generated in a direction to rotate the pedal arm 25 toward the rear side of the vehicle, that is, in a manner to press the pin 33 against the rear side restriction portion 36. In addition, the initial length mentioned here refers to the length of the first spring member 37 in a state where no pedal force is input to the pedal portion 26.

[0086] The second reaction force generating mechanism 28 is a mechanism that applies a reaction force to the torque applied to the pedal arm 25, similarly to the first reaction force generating mechanism 27. The second reaction force generating mechanism 28 is provided between the second extension portion 32 of the pedal arm 25 and another fixed portion 34 in the vehicle. The second reaction force generating mechanism 28 includes a second spring member 40, which is a compression spring that applies a reaction force to the torque input to the pedal arm 25; a second movable shaft 41, which is rotatably connected to the other fixed portion 34, rotatably connected to the second extension portion 32 of the pedal arm 25, and connected to one end of the second spring member 40; and a second fixed shaft 42, which is connected to the other end of the second spring member 40. It should be noted that the second spring member 40 corresponds to the spring member in the embodiment of the present invention, the second movable shaft 41 corresponds to the predetermined portion in the embodiment of the present invention, and the second fixed shaft 42 corresponds to the connecting portion in the embodiment of the present invention.

[0087] The second movable shaft 41 supports one end of the second spring member 40 so as to be relatively rotatable, and is connected to the second extension portion 32 of the pedal arm 25 so as to be movable by an amount corresponding to the rotation amount of the pedal arm 25. The second fixed shaft 42 is fixed so as not to move even when the pedal arm 25 rotates, and supports the other end of the second spring member 40 so as to be relatively rotatable. Figure 2As shown, when the pedal portion 26 is not pressed, the second movable shaft 41 is set at a position offset from the neutral line L connecting the rotation center of the support shaft portion 30 and the rotation center of the second fixed shaft 42 in the rotation direction of the pedal arm portion 25. In addition, the angle α formed by the line connecting the rotation center of the support shaft portion 30 and the rotation center of the second movable shaft 41 and the neutral line L is smaller than the angle β formed by the line connecting the second movable shaft 41 and the second fixed shaft 42 and the neutral line L (angle α<angle β). It should be noted that Figure 2 In the state shown, the second movable shaft 41 is arranged at a position lower in the vertical direction than the first movable shaft 38. In addition, the distance between the support shaft portion 30 and the second movable shaft 41 in the horizontal direction and the distance between the support shaft portion 30 and the first movable shaft 38 in the horizontal direction are designed to be substantially the same distance.

[0088] It should be noted that the second spring member 40 is mounted on the second movable shaft 41 and the second fixed shaft 42 in a state where an elastic force is generated so as to rotate the pedal arm 25 toward the front side of the vehicle. In addition, when the pedal arm 25 is not stepped on, the elastic force applied to the pedal arm 25 from the first spring member 37 is greater than the elastic force applied to the pedal arm 25 from the second spring member 40. Therefore, a force that presses the pin 33 against the rear restriction portion 36 always acts on the pedal arm 25. Therefore, shaking of the pedal arm 25 and erroneous operation of the pedal 26 caused by vibration or the like can be suppressed.

[0089] The positions and states of the components of the second reaction force generating mechanism 28 corresponding to the rotation of the pedal arm 25 will be described. Figure 2 As shown, when the pedal arm 25 is located at the rear end position, the second movable shaft 41 is located at a position offset to the rotation direction of the pedal arm 25, i.e., to the rear side of the vehicle, relative to the second fixed shaft 42. That is, the second movable shaft is located to the rear side of the vehicle compared to the support shaft 30 and the second fixed shaft 42.

[0090] By rotating the pedal arm 25 from this state, the second movable shaft 41 moves vertically downward and toward the front of the vehicle with the support shaft 30 as the center, and the second movable shaft 41 moves toward the front of the vehicle relative to the second fixed shaft 42. Figure 3 As shown, when the pedal arm 25 reaches the intermediate position, the rotation center of the second movable shaft 41 is located on the neutral line L. That is, the second spring member 40 is in a state of being compressed to the maximum.

[0091] Then, the pedal arm 25 is further rotated, as shown in FIG. Figure 4As shown, when the pedal arm 25 is located at the front end position, the second movable shaft 41 moves to a position closer to the front side of the vehicle than the neutral line L. That is, when the pedal arm 25 is located at the front end position, the distance between the second movable shaft 41 and the second fixed shaft 42 is larger than the distance between the second movable shaft 41 and the second fixed shaft 42 when the second spring member 40 is compressed to the maximum. In other words, when the pedal arm 25 is located at the front end position, the elastic force acting on the pedal arm 25 from the second spring member 40 becomes smaller than when the pedal arm 25 is located at the middle position. Therefore, when the pedal arm 25 starts to rotate, the displacement amount of the second spring member 40 from the initial length increases as the stroke amount of the pedal arm 25 or the pedaling angle increases. On the other hand, after the position of the pedal arm 25 exceeds the middle position, the displacement amount of the second spring member 40 from the initial length decreases as the stroke amount of the pedal arm or the pedaling angle increases.

[0092] The operation of the clutch pedal 14 thus constructed will be described. As described above, in a state where the pedal portion 26 is not stepped on, a reaction force acts by the elastic force of the first spring member 37 and the second spring member 40, so that the pedal arm 25 rotates toward the rear side of the vehicle. On the other hand, the rotation of the pedal arm 25 toward the rear side of the vehicle is restricted by the pin 33 provided on the pedal arm 25 and the rear side restriction portion 36 formed on the other fixing portion 34.

[0093] When the pedal portion 26 is stepped on by the driver, the pedal arm portion 25 rotates toward the front of the vehicle with the support shaft portion 30 as the center. As a result, in the first reaction force generating mechanism 27, the first spring member 37 is stretched, and the reaction force in the direction of returning the pedal arm portion 25 to the front end position becomes larger. In the second reaction force generating mechanism 28, the second spring member 40 is compressed, and the reaction force in the direction of returning the pedal arm portion 25 to the front end position becomes larger. In this way, when the pedal portion 26 is stepped on from the front end position, the reaction force applied to the pedal arm portion 25 increases as the stroke amount or the stepping angle of the pedal arm portion 25 increases through the first reaction force generating mechanism 27 and the second reaction force generating mechanism 28.

[0094] At this time, the increase amount of the elastic force applied to the pedal arm 25 from the first reaction force generating mechanism 27 increases linearly or linearly according to the stroke amount of the pedal arm 25. On the other hand, the increase amount of the elastic force applied to the pedal arm 25 by the second reaction force generating mechanism 28 becomes an increase amount corresponding to the movement amount of the second movable shaft 41 toward the front and downward of the vehicle when the pedal arm 25 rotates. That is, the elastic force applied to the pedal arm 25 from the second reaction force generating mechanism 28 changes quadratically, that is, nonlinearly, according to the stroke amount of the pedal arm 25 or with respect to the pedaling angle.

[0095] After that, when the pedal arm 25 rotates and reaches the intermediate position, the support shaft 30, the second movable shaft 41 and the second fixed shaft 42 are aligned in a straight line in the second reaction force generating mechanism 28. That is, as described above, the second spring member 40 is in a state of maximum compression, and the reaction force generated by the second reaction force generating mechanism 28 on the pedal arm 25 becomes maximum.

[0096] When the pedal arm 25 further rotates and passes the intermediate position, in the second reaction force generating mechanism 28, the second movable shaft 41 moves toward the vehicle front side relative to the neutral line L connecting the support shaft 30 and the second fixed shaft 42. As a result, the distance between the second movable shaft 41 and the second fixed shaft 42 increases, and the displacement amount of the second spring member 40 from the initial length decreases. That is, the elastic force acting on the pedal arm 25 from the second reaction force generating mechanism 28 decreases. On the other hand, in the first reaction force generating mechanism 27, as the pedal arm 25 rotates, the displacement amount of the first spring member 37 from the initial length continues to increase, and therefore, the elastic force acting on the pedal arm 25 from the first reaction force generating mechanism 27 further increases. It should be noted that at this time, the first reaction force generating mechanism 27 and the second reaction force generating mechanism 28 are configured so that the reduction amount of the elastic force acting on the pedal arm 25 from the second reaction force generating mechanism 28 is greater than the increase amount of the elastic force acting on the pedal arm 25 from the first reaction force generating mechanism 27. That is, the reaction force generated in the pedal arm 25 is configured to decrease as the stroke amount or the pedal angle of the pedal arm 25 increases.

[0097] The pedal arm 25 is rotated by further stepping on the pedal portion 26, and the pin 33 contacts the front-side limiting portion 35. As a result, the rotation of the pedal arm 25 stops, and the pedal arm 25 reaches the front end position. In the state where the pedal arm 25 reaches the front end position, the displacement of the first spring component 37 from the initial length in the first reaction force generating mechanism 27 is the largest. In addition, in the second reaction force generating mechanism 28, the displacement of the second spring component 40 from the initial length becomes smaller than when the pedal arm 25 is at the middle position. Therefore, between the middle position and the front end position, the reaction force generated in the pedal arm 25 decreases as the stroke amount or the stepping angle of the pedal arm 25 increases. That is, in the state where the pedal arm 25 reaches the front end position, the reaction force generated in the pedal arm 25 becomes smaller than when the pedal arm 25 reaches the middle position. It should be noted that the first reaction force generating mechanism 27 and the second reaction force generating mechanism 28 are constructed so that when the pedal force input to the pedal becomes smaller and the pedal arm 25 returns from the front end position to the rear end position, the reaction force generated on the pedal arm 25 becomes smaller compared to the case where the pedal arm 25 is pressed from the rear end position to the front end position.

[0098] In the clutch pedal 14 of the first embodiment of the present invention, a reaction force is applied to the pedal arm 25 by the first reaction force generating mechanism 27 and the second reaction force generating mechanism 28. When the pedal arm 25 rotates from the rear end position to the front end position, the first reaction force generating mechanism 27 increases the reaction force generated in the pedal arm 25 in a linear function as the stroke amount or the stepping angle of the pedal arm 25 increases. On the other hand, when the pedal arm 25 rotates from the rear end position to the front end position, the second reaction force generating mechanism 28 increases the reaction force generated in the pedal arm 25 in a quadratic curve or nonlinearly as the stroke amount or the stepping angle of the pedal arm 25 increases. Furthermore, in the second reaction force generating mechanism 28, when the pedal arm 25 becomes larger than a predetermined stroke amount or a predetermined stepping angle, the reaction force generated in the pedal arm 25 is reduced nonlinearly as the stroke amount or the stepping angle increases.

[0099] As a result, the reaction force generated in the pedal arm 25 changes quadratically or nonlinearly as the stroke of the pedal arm 25 increases, and gradually decreases when the pedal arm 25 exceeds a predetermined stroke or a predetermined pedal angle. The reaction force characteristics of the pedal arm 25 are obtained based on the spring characteristics of the two spring members, that is, the loads input to the two spring members and the deformation or deflection amount relative to the load. Therefore, the clutch pedal 14 in the embodiment of the present invention is given the same reaction force characteristics as the clutch pedal of the MT vehicle having the above-mentioned rollover characteristics by means of the two spring members.

[0100] Moreover, according to the clutch pedal 14 in the first embodiment of the present invention, such reaction force characteristics of the clutch pedal 14 can be reproduced with a simple structure. That is, as described above, one end of the second spring member 40 is connected to the pedal arm 25 via the second movable shaft 41, and the other end of the second spring member 40 is connected to the other fixed portion 34 via the second fixed shaft 42. Therefore, the clutch pedal 14 can simulate the flipping characteristics without interposing other components, such as a link member, between the second spring member 40 and the second movable shaft 41 or the second fixed shaft 42. In addition, the first spring member 37 and the second spring member 40 are installed so that their expansion and contraction directions are along the vertical direction. Therefore, the clutch pedal 14 can be miniaturized as a whole, and the clutch pedal 14 can simulate the flipping characteristics. In addition, the first reaction force generating mechanism 27 that acts on the pedal arm 25 with a relatively large elastic force is arranged on the front side of the vehicle relative to the support shaft 30, and the second reaction force generating mechanism 28 that acts on the pedal arm 25 with a smaller elastic force than the second reaction force generating mechanism 28 is arranged on the rear side of the vehicle relative to the support shaft 30. That is, since the second spring member 40 having a relatively small spring size is arranged on the rear side of the vehicle, a sufficient area for the driver's operation can be ensured.

[0101] Next, use Figure 5 The clutch pedal 50 in the second embodiment of the present invention will be described. Figure 5 In the figure, for the sake of convenience, the clutch sensor 15, the pin 33 and the two restricting parts 35 and 36 are omitted. Figure 5 In the description, only the parts necessary for the description are marked with reference numerals, and Figure 2 The same structure is marked with the same figure mark, and its description is omitted or simplified. In the clutch pedal 50 in the second embodiment, the second spring component 52 in the second reaction force generating mechanism 51 is composed of a torsion coil spring. One arm of the second spring component 52 in the second embodiment is connected to the second movable shaft 53 so as to be relatively rotatable, and the other arm is connected to the second fixed shaft 54 ​​so as to be relatively rotatable. It should be noted that the coil portion of the second spring component 52 is not supported by other components. The second spring component 52 in the second embodiment is installed to apply an elastic force to the pedal arm 25 that changes quadratically, that is, nonlinearly, according to the stroke amount of the pedal arm 25 or according to the stepping angle.

[0102] Specifically, when the pedal arm 25 is at the rear end position, the second spring member 52 applies elastic force to the pedal arm 25 to rotate the pedal arm 25 toward the front of the vehicle. On the other hand, the first spring member 37 applies an elastic force greater than that of the second spring member 52 to the pedal arm 25, so that the pin 33 is pressed against the rear restriction portion 36.

[0103] When the pedal portion 26 is stepped on by the driver, the second spring member 52 is compressed, and a reaction force against the torque centered on the support shaft portion 30 acts on the pedal arm portion 25. By further rotating the pedal arm portion 25, the second movable shaft 53 rotates, and the second movable shaft 53, the second fixed shaft 54, and the support shaft portion 30 are arranged in a straight line. That is, the second spring member 52 is in a state of maximum compression, and the elastic force acting on the pedal arm portion 25 from the second spring member 52 becomes maximum.

[0104] When the pedal arm 25 further rotates, the distance between the second movable shaft 53 and the second fixed shaft 54 ​​gradually increases as the stroke of the pedal arm 25 or the pedal angle increases. That is, the distance between one end and the other end of the second spring member 52 increases, and the length of the second spring member approaches the initial length, so the elastic force acting on the pedal arm 25 from the second spring member 52 decreases. Thereafter, as the stroke of the pedal arm 25 increases, the elastic force acting on the pedal arm 25 gradually decreases. Moreover, the pedal arm 25 reaches the front end position by making the pin 33 of the pedal arm 25 abut against the front side restriction portion 35. Even the clutch pedal 50 in the second embodiment constructed in this way can obtain the same effect as the first embodiment described above. In addition, in the clutch pedal 50 in the second embodiment, the second spring member 52 is composed of a torsion coil spring, so the entire device can be made smaller in the vertical direction compared to the clutch pedal 14 in the first embodiment.

[0105] Next, use Figure 6 The clutch pedal 60 in the third embodiment of the present invention will be described. Figure 6 In the figure, for the sake of convenience, the clutch sensor 15, the pin 33 and the two restricting parts 35 and 36 are omitted. Figure 6 In the description, only the parts necessary for the description are marked with reference numerals, and Figure 2 or Figure 5 The same structure is marked with the same reference numerals, and its description is omitted or simplified. In the clutch pedal 60 in the third embodiment, the second reaction force generating mechanism 51 is configured in the same manner as the second reaction force generating mechanism 51 shown in the second embodiment. On the other hand, in the clutch pedal 60 in the third embodiment, the first spring member 62 in the first reaction force generating mechanism 61 is composed of a torsion coil spring.

[0106] One arm of the first spring member 62 in the first reaction force generating mechanism 61 is connected to the first movable shaft 63 so as to be relatively rotatable, and the other arm is connected to the first fixed shaft 64 so as to be relatively rotatable. In addition, the support shaft 30 is inserted through the coil portion of the first spring member 62 so as to be relatively rotatable with the coil portion. The first spring member 62, like the first spring member 37 of the first embodiment and the second embodiment, acts on the pedal arm 25 with an elastic force in a direction that brings the first movable shaft 63 and the first fixed shaft 64 closer to each other. Therefore, like the first spring member 37, the elastic force acting on the pedal arm 25 can be increased as the stroke of the pedal arm 25 increases. With such a structure, the overall device of the clutch pedal 60 can be miniaturized compared with the case where the first spring member 62 uses a tension coil spring.

[0107] Next, use Figure 7 The clutch pedal 70 in the fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. Figure 7 In the figure, for the sake of convenience, the clutch sensor 15, the pin 33 and the two restricting parts 35 and 36 are omitted. Figure 7 In the description, only the parts necessary for the description are marked with reference numerals, and Figure 2 or Figure 5 The same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their description is omitted or simplified. In the clutch pedal 70 of the fourth embodiment, although the illustration is omitted, the second reaction force generating mechanism may be configured in the same manner as the second reaction force generating mechanism 28 shown in the first embodiment or the second reaction force generating mechanism 51 shown in the second embodiment. Figure 7 As shown in FIG. 1 , the first spring member 72 in the first reaction force generating mechanism 71 includes two tension coil springs 72a and 72b. The two tension coil springs 72a and 72b are arranged to overlap in the lateral direction of the vehicle. Therefore, the cross-sectional view of the fourth embodiment is substantially the same as that of FIG. Figure 2 or Figure 5 The cross-sectional view shown is the same cross-sectional view.

[0108] In addition, in the fourth embodiment, the first movable shaft 73 and the first fixed shaft 74 are formed longer in the lateral direction of the vehicle, that is, in the axial direction, compared with other embodiments. The two tension coil springs 72a and 72b in the first reaction force generating mechanism 71 are connected to the first movable shaft 73 at one end so as to be relatively rotatable, and the other end is connected to the first fixed shaft 74 so as to be relatively rotatable. That is, the first spring component 72 is configured by arranging two tension coil springs 72a and 72b in parallel between the first movable shaft 73 and the first fixed shaft 74. Therefore, since the number of effective turns of each of the first spring components 72 can be reduced, the total length of the tension coil spring can be shortened. Therefore, the length in the vertical direction of the vehicle can be shortened, and thus the overall device of the clutch pedal 70 can be miniaturized.

[0109] The embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but the present invention is not limited to the above examples and can be appropriately changed within the scope of achieving the purpose of the present invention. For example, the positions of the second movable shaft 41, 53 and the second fixed shaft 42, 54 in the second reaction force generating mechanism 28, 51 are not limited to the above positions. That is, it is sufficient as long as one end of the second spring member 40, 52 is rotatably connected to the predetermined fixed portion 29, and the other end of the second spring member 40, 52 is rotatably connected to a predetermined position between the pedal portion 26 and the support shaft portion 30. Moreover, the predetermined position is set at a position offset from the neutral line L connecting the support shaft portion 30 and the second fixed shaft 42, 54 in the rotation direction of the pedal arm portion 25, and it is sufficient as long as the angle formed by the line connecting the support shaft portion 30 and the second movable shaft 41, 53 and the neutral line L is smaller than the angle formed by the line connecting the second fixed shaft 42, 54 and the second movable shaft 41, 53 and the neutral line L.

[0110] Alternatively, the positions of the second movable shaft 41, 53 and the second fixed shaft 42, 54 may be such that the elastic force of the second spring member 40, 52 increases as the stroke of the pedal arm 25 increases, and when the position of the pedal arm 25 exceeds the intermediate position, the elastic force decreases as the stroke increases. For example, the positions of the second movable shaft 41, 53 and the second fixed shaft 42, 54 may be such that the displacement of the second fixed shaft 42, 54 in the rotational direction increases relative to the displacement of the support shaft 30 in the rotational direction, and the elastic force of the second spring member 40, 52 becomes the maximum when the pedal arm 25 is in the intermediate position. Therefore, based on the above-mentioned structure, the positions of the second movable shaft 41, 53 and the second fixed shaft 42, 54 may be appropriately set according to the characteristics of the reaction force to be generated in the pedal arm 25 by the second reaction force generating mechanism 28, 51.

[0111] For example, in any of the above embodiments, when the position of the second movable shaft 41, 53 is moved to a position close to the center line, the reaction force generated in the pedal arm 25 can be maximized with a smaller stroke amount than in any of the above embodiments. Alternatively, by making the distance between the second movable shaft 41, 53 and the second fixed shaft 42, 54 larger, the change of the elastic force generated in the pedal arm 25 can be made gentle.

[0112] In addition, the clutch pedals 14, 50, 60, 70 in the embodiment of the present invention are mounted on the simulated manual transmission EV vehicle 1 as described above, but may also be mounted on other vehicles. In this case, the clutch pedals 14, 50, 60, 70 may be configured to be operated by a so-called wire-operated pedal that is not mechanically connected to other mechanisms in the vehicle.

Claims

1. A pedal mechanism, comprising: a pedal arm having a tread surface at one end and being pivotally connected to a predetermined fixed portion at the other end; and a spring member, the spring member applying a reaction force to the pedal arm, the reaction force counteracting a torque generated by stepping on the tread surface and centered on the other end, wherein the pedal mechanism is characterized in that: One end of the spring member is rotatably connected to the predetermined fixed portion, and the other end of the spring member is rotatably connected to a predetermined portion between the tread of the pedal arm and a pivot connection portion relative to the predetermined fixed portion. The predetermined position is set at a position offset from a neutral line connecting the pivot connection portion and the connection portion in the rotation direction of the pedal arm, and the connection portion connects one end of the spring member to the predetermined fixing portion. An angle formed by a line connecting the pivot connection portion and the predetermined portion and the neutral line is smaller than an angle formed by a line connecting the connection portion and the predetermined portion and the neutral line.

2. The pedal mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The pedal mechanism further includes another spring member that applies the reaction force to the pedal arm. One end of the other spring member is connected to the predetermined fixing portion, and the other end of the other spring member is connected to another predetermined portion of the pedal arm. The other predetermined portion is set at a position offset from the neutral line in the rotation direction of the pedal arm.

3. The pedal mechanism according to claim 2, characterized in that: The spring member and the other spring member are mounted in a state where elastic force acts on the pedal arm.

4. The pedal mechanism according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that: The predetermined portion and the other predetermined portion are set on opposite sides across the neutral line of the pedal arm.

5. The pedal mechanism according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that: The spring member and the other spring member include a coil spring or a torsion coil spring.

6. The pedal mechanism according to claim 5, characterized in that: The other spring component is a tension coil spring.

7. The pedal mechanism according to claim 6, characterized in that: The other spring member is formed by a plurality of the tension coil springs acting in parallel with respect to the pedal arm.

8. The pedal mechanism according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The pedal arm is mounted on a vehicle using an electric motor as a driving force source. The pedal mechanism further includes a clutch sensor that detects a stroke amount of the pedal arm caused by a stepping operation on the tread surface. The electric motor of the vehicle is controlled based on a detection signal of the clutch sensor.

9. The pedal mechanism according to claim 8, characterized in that: The vehicle is a pseudo-manual transmission electric vehicle having a plurality of torque characteristics as a relationship between a rotation speed and a torque of the electric motor, and a plurality of pseudo-shift speeds corresponding to the plurality of torque characteristics are set.

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