Clutch pedal of an agricultural tractor

Abstract

Clutch pedal (30) of an agricultural tractor, comprising a pedal arm (34) pivotably mounted in a pivot point (32) and an actuation area (36) formed on the pedal arm (34) for operator deflection of the pedal arm (34) between a first and a second pedal end position (38, 40), wherein the pedal arm (34) performs a downward vertical movement (Δy) and a horizontal movement (Δx) away from the operator (42) when the clutch pedal (30) is deflected from the first to the second pedal end position (38, 40), and has a straight or curved path between the pivot point (32) and the actuation area (36) with an upward bend (44) of less than 45 degrees in the direction of the operator (42), characterized in thatthat the clutch pedal (30) in the first pedal end position (38) has a distance of less than 10 cm relative to a cab floor (60) and in the second pedal end position (40) has a distance of less than 1 cm relative to a cab floor (60) of the agricultural tractor, in particular that it comes into contact with the cab floor (60).

Description

The invention relates to a clutch pedal of an agricultural tractor, with a pedal arm pivotably mounted at a pivot point and an actuation area formed on the pedal arm for operator-side deflection of the pedal arm between a first and a second pedal end position, wherein the pedal arm performs a downward vertical movement as well as a horizontal movement away from the operator when the clutch pedal is deflected from the first to the second pedal end position. The clutch pedals typically found in agricultural tractors have a pedal arm angled in an L-shape towards the operator. The upper end of the pedal arm is pivotally mounted to a control console of the tractor, while the lower end, facing the operator, features a footplate designed for foot operation. The leverage resulting from the L-shaped angle of the pedal arm leads to a comparatively long travel distance for the clutch pedal, with the horizontal movement, in particular, significantly exceeding that of the vertical movement. This movement is physically demanding and can lead to premature operator fatigue. It is therefore an object of the present invention to further develop a clutch pedal of the type mentioned above with regard to comfort and ergonomics. This problem is solved by a clutch pedal having the features of claim 1. The clutch pedal of an agricultural tractor, as provided for in this invention, comprises a pedal arm pivotally mounted at a pivot point and an actuating area formed on the pedal arm for the operator to deflect the pedal arm between a first and a second pedal end position, wherein, when the clutch pedal is deflected from the first to the second pedal end position, the pedal arm performs a downward vertical movement as well as a horizontal movement directed away from the operator. According to the invention, the pedal arm has a straight or curved path between the pivot point and the actuating area with an upward bend of less than 45 degrees in the direction of the operator. The resulting leverage ratios ensure that the horizontal movement occurring when the clutch pedal is deflected always remains smaller than the vertical movement. This prevents a movement pattern that could lead to premature operator fatigue when operating the clutch pedal. The clutch pedal, for example, is made of fiberglass-reinforced plastic and has a support housing that can be mounted in the footwell of a control console of the agricultural tractor. The pivot point in this housing is designed as a corresponding swivel joint. A coil spring running inside the support housing pushes the pedal arm, connected to the swivel joint, into the first pedal end position. Any deflection of the pedal arm towards the second pedal end position, caused by the return force of the coil spring, is detected by a rotary encoder. The signals from the rotary encoder, generally an incremental encoder, are fed to an evaluation unit that opens or closes an electro-hydraulically controlled clutch mechanism (not shown) of the agricultural tractor according to the actuation state of the clutch pedal.According to the usual operating sequence, the clutch mechanism is in its closed position in the first (unactuated) pedal position and in its open position in the second (actuated) pedal position. The clutch mechanism is a component of a gearbox integrated into an agricultural tractor and serves to interrupt the drive power during gear changes. Advantageous embodiments of the clutch pedal according to the invention are described in the dependent claims. Particularly good ease of use is achieved when the ratio between horizontal movement and vertical movement when deflecting the clutch pedal from the first to the second pedal end position is in the range of 0.25 to 0.75. The clutch pedal can be less than 10 cm away from the cab floor in its first end position, allowing the driver to move the clutch pedal between the first and second end positions by rocking their foot while keeping their heel on the cab floor. This is particularly advantageous when the clutch pedal is operated repeatedly at relatively short intervals, for example, when maneuvering the agricultural tractor or when carrying out loading operations using a front loader attached to the tractor. Furthermore, it is possible that the clutch pedal, in its second end position, has a distance of less than 1 cm from the cab floor of the agricultural tractor, particularly if it is in contact with the cab floor. In this case, the operator's foot, in the second end position, is essentially aligned with the clutch pedal's operating area or a footplate provided within that area, resulting in a particularly comfortable foot position. The footplate can also be sloped towards the cab floor, thus conforming to the natural foot position. To prevent the foot from slipping, the footplate can have a rubberized and / or textured surface. If the clutch pedal can be deflected between its first and second end positions when the heel is resting on the cabin floor, it offers the possibility of significantly reducing the operating force compared to conventional clutch pedals. This is because, unlike conventional pedals, the entire weight of the foot or leg resting on the clutch pedal does not need to be supported to prevent unwanted incorrect engagement. The operating force can therefore be in the range of 70 to 110 Newtons. In contrast, conventional clutch pedals typically require operating forces in the range of 80 to 180 Newtons. The clutch pedal according to the invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figure 1 shows a clutch pedal of an agricultural tractor corresponding to the prior art, and Figure 2 shows an exemplary embodiment of the clutch pedal of an agricultural tractor according to the invention. Fig. 1 shows a clutch pedal of an agricultural tractor (not shown) conforming to the state of the art. The clutch pedal 10, which is known in this respect, has a pedal arm 14 angled in an L-shape towards the operator 12. The pedal arm 14 is pivotably attached at its upper end 16 in the area of ​​a control console 18 of the agricultural tractor and has a footplate 22 at its lower end 20, which faces the operator 12, designed for foot operation. The lever ratios resulting from the L-shaped angle of the pedal arm 14 lead to a comparatively long actuation path of the clutch pedal 10, whereby in particular the extent of the horizontal movement Δx exceeds that of the vertical movement Δy by a number of times. Fig. 2 shows an exemplary embodiment of the clutch pedal according to the invention of an agricultural tractor (not shown). The clutch pedal 30 comprises a pedal arm 34 pivotably mounted in a pivot point 32 and an actuation area 36 formed on the pedal arm 34 for operator deflection of the pedal arm 34 between a first pedal end position 38 and a second pedal end position 40, wherein the pedal arm 34 performs a downward vertical movement Δy and a horizontal movement Δx away from an operator 42 when the clutch pedal 30 is deflected. The basic design corresponds to that of the clutch pedal 10 known from the prior art. In contrast, however, the pedal arm 34 of the clutch pedal 30 has a curved profile between pivot point 32 and actuation area 36, ​​with an upward bend 44 of less than 45 degrees, in this case approximately 30 degrees, pointing towards the operator 42. According to an embodiment of the clutch pedal 30 not shown, the pedal arm 34 can also be straight. The resulting lever ratios for the pedal arm 34 mean that the extent of the horizontal movement Δx occurring when the clutch pedal 30 is deflected always remains smaller than that of the vertical movement Δy. For example, the ratio between horizontal movement Δx and vertical movement Δy when deflecting the clutch pedal 30 from the first pedal end position 38 to the second pedal end position 40 is approximately 0.5. The clutch pedal 30 is made of glass fiber reinforced plastic and has a support housing 50 mounted in the footwell 46 of a control console 48 of the agricultural tractor, in which the pivot point 32 is designed as a corresponding pivot joint 52. A coil spring 54 running in the support housing 50 forces the pedal arm 34, connected to the pivot joint 52, into the first pedal end position 38, whereby a deflection of the pedal arm 34 towards the second pedal end position 40, caused by the restoring force of the coil spring 54, is detected by a rotary encoder 56. The signals from the rotary encoder 56, which is designed as an incremental encoder, are supplied to an evaluation unit 58, which opens or closes an electro-hydraulically controlled clutch device (not shown) of the agricultural tractor according to the actuation state of the clutch pedal 30.According to the usual operating sequence, the clutch assembly is in its closed position in the first (unactuated) pedal position 38 and in its open position in the second (actuated) pedal position 40. The clutch assembly is part of a gearbox integrated into the agricultural tractor and serves to interrupt the drive power during a gear change. Furthermore, in its first pedal position 38, the clutch pedal 30 is less than 10 cm away from the cabin floor 60, allowing the operator 42 to deflect the clutch pedal 30 by rocking their foot between the first pedal position 38 and the second pedal position 40 while keeping their heel on the cabin floor 60. The required actuation force is in the range of 70 to 110 Newtons. In its second end position 40, the clutch pedal 30 is less than 1 cm away from the cabin floor 60, with the clutch pedal 30 coming into contact with the cabin floor 60 in the area of ​​a projecting shoulder 62. In this case, the operator's foot 42 is essentially aligned with the actuation area 36 of the clutch pedal 30 or with a footplate 64 provided in the actuation area 36. The footplate 64 is also sloped towards the cabin floor 60 and thus oriented according to the natural foot position of the operator 42. To reduce the possibility of the foot unintentionally slipping, the footplate has a rubberized and / or textured surface.

Claims

Clutch pedal (30) of an agricultural tractor, comprising a pedal arm (34) pivotally mounted in a pivot point (32) and an actuation area (36) formed on the pedal arm (34) for operator deflection of the pedal arm (34) between a first and a second pedal end position (38, 40), wherein the pedal arm (34) performs a downward vertical movement (Δy) and a horizontal movement (Δx) away from the operator (42) when the clutch pedal (30) is deflected from the first to the second pedal end position (38, 40), and has a straight or curved path between the pivot point (32) and the actuation area (36) with an upward bend (44) of less than 45 degrees in the direction of the operator (42), characterized in thatthat the clutch pedal (30) in the first pedal end position (38) has a distance of less than 10 cm relative to a cab floor (60) and in the second pedal end position (40) has a distance of less than 1 cm relative to a cab floor (60) of the agricultural tractor, in particular that it comes into contact with the cab floor (60). Clutch pedal (30) according to claim 1, characterized in that the ratio between horizontal movement (Δx) and vertical movement (Δy) when deflecting the clutch pedal (30) from the first to the second pedal end position (38, 40) is in the range of 0.25 to 0.

75. Clutch pedal (30) according to claim 1, characterized in that an actuating force is in the range of 70 to 110 Newtons.

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