“clutch pedal apparatus for electronic clutch”

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a clutch pedal apparatus for an electronic clutch system, in which it is possible to easily and conveniently assemble a restoring force generator 500 to a pedal member 100 by fitting coupling holes 130 formed at the pedal member 100 and coupling protrusion 521 formed at the restoring force generator 500 to each other.

Description

CLUTCH PEDAL APPARATUS FOR ELECTRONIC CLUTCHCROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application claims priority to Korean Patent5 Application No. 10-2019-0108716, filed on September 3,2019 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, thedisclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION101. Field of the inventionThe present disclosure relates to a clutch pedalapparatus for an electronic clutch system and, moreparticularly, to a clutch pedal apparatus for an15 electronic clutch system, the apparatus enabling arestoring force generator, which generates restoringforce for a clutch pedal, to be more easily andconveniently coupled to a pedal member.20 2. Description of the Prior ArtCommon vehicles equipped with a manualtransmission include an apparatus called a clutch,which is disposed between a flywheel and the inputshaft of the transmission and connects / disconnects 2power that is transmitted to the transmission from anengine, when necessary.In order to shift, a driver first disconnects aclutch apparatus in a vehicle by depressing a clutch5 pedal, shifts into a desired gear by moving a shiftlever, and then connects the clutch apparatus byreleasing the depressed clutch pedal, thereby finishingshifting.According to a hydraulic clutch system including a10 clutch master cylinder and a clutch release cylinderbetween the clutch pedal and a clutch apparatus, when adriver depresses a clutch pedal, a responsive force(reacting force) that is the sum of the force of aspring at the clutch pedal and a hydraulic force15 generated by the clutch master cylinder and the clutchrelease cylinder are generated.On the other hand, an electronic clutch system hasan advantage that the weight and the manufacturing costcan be considerably reduced in comparison to the20 hydraulic clutch system because it does not use amechanical configuration that uses hydraulic pressure.Accordingly, when a driver depresses a clutch pedal toshift, a pedal sensor on the clutch pedal detects thedepressed degree (rotational angle) of the clutch pedal25 and transmits the detection value to a controller (a 3clutch controller, an electronic controller foroperating a clutch) as an electrical signal, thecontroller receives various signals including thesignal from the pedal sensor and the number of5 revolutions of the engine, automatically calculates theoptimal operation time of the clutch for the state ofthe vehicle, and controls operation of an actuator (anapparatus for connecting / disconnecting the clutch, a DCmotor, etc.), and the clutch apparatus is connected or10 disconnected by the operation of the actuator.Meanwhile, a clutch pedal apparatus for anelectronic clutch system includes a snapper that snapswhen a driver depresses a clutch pedal, and a restoringforce generator that provides a restoring force to a15 clutch pedal that has been rotated forward. In thisconfiguration, particularly, the restoring forcegenerator employs a spring having very strongelasticity to smoothly restore the clutch pedal.Further, the restoring force generator that uses a very20 strong spring force is coupled to a pedal member usingrivets or bolts and nuts in the related art.Accordingly, there is defect that the assembly work isinconvenient and the number of assembly processesincreases.25 The description provided above as a related art of 4the present disclosure is just for helpingunderstanding the background of the present disclosureand should not be construed as being included in therelated art known by those skilled in the art.5SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONAn aspect of the present disclosure is to providea configuration that enables a restoring force10 generator that uses a very strong spring force to beeasily and conveniently coupled to a pedal memberwithout using rivets or bolts and nuts in a clutchpedal apparatus for an electronic clutch systemincluding a snapper that snaps when a driver depresses15 a clutch pedal, and a restoring force generator thatprovides a restoring force to a clutch pedal that hasbeen rotated forward, thereby improving convenience inassembly work, and productivity.In view of the foregoing, a clutch pedal apparatus20 for an electronic clutch system according to thepresent disclosure includes: a clutch pedal coupled tothe pedal member to be able to rotate on a hinge shaft;and a restoring force generator connected at both endsto the clutch pedal and a pedal member, accumulating25 elasticity by compressing when the clutch pedal is 5rotated forward, and providing a restoring force to theclutch pedal so that the clutch pedal can be restoredby rotating rearward, using the accumulated elasticity,in which the restoring force generator and the pedal5 member are assembled by a fitting structure ofprotrusions and holes.A slit-shaped coupling hole is formed at the pedalmember; a coupling protrusion is formed at therestoring force generator; and an end of the restoring10 force generator is coupled to the pedal member byfitting the coupling protrusion into the coupling hole.The pedal member has a front and both sidesconnected to the front and is open upward, downward,and rearward; and the slit-shaped coupling hole is15 formed through both sides of the pedal member andpositioned ahead of the hinge shaft coupled to thepedal member.The restoring force generator is positioned aheadof the clutch pedal, coupling protrusions at an upper20 end of the restoring force generator are fitted in thecoupling holes, and a lower end of the restoring forcegenerator is connected to the clutch pedal.The slit-shaped coupling holes are formed suchthat an end and the other end are spaced apart from25 each other in a front-rear direction; front ends of the 6coupling holes are positioned higher than rear ends;and the coupling protrusions of the restoring forcegenerator are fitted in the coupling holes andpositioned at the front ends.5 The coupling holes are straight holes inclinedstraight from a front end to a rear end thereof.Slit-shaped connection holes are formed to connectthe straight holes and an outer side of the pedalmember and the connection holes are connected to rear10 ends of the straight holes and open upward through atop of the pedal member or are connected to a middleportion between an end and the other end and openupward through the top of the pedal member.The coupling holes are any one of downward arc15 shaped holes of which a middle portion between thefront end and the rear end is convex downward or upwardarc-shaped holes of which a middle portion is convexupward.Slit-shaped connection holes are formed to connect20 the downward arc-shaped holes and an outer side of thepedal member; and the connection holes are connected torear ends of the downward arc-shaped holes and openupward through a top of the pedal member.The restoring force generator includes: a25 restoring spring that is composed of one or two 7compression coil springs; a top seat that has twocoupling protrusions protruding in the oppositedirections to be fitted in coupling holes of the pedalmember, and supports an upper end of the restoring5 spring; and a bottom seat that has: a guide roddisposed through the restoring spring, supports a lowerend of the restoring spring, and is coupled to thefront of the clutch pedal; and a gap between the topseat and the bottom seat is changed when the restoring10 spring is compressed and restored.The restoring force generator is put over thepedal member and then turned upside down such that thetop seat is positioned down, the bottom seat ispositioned up, and the two coupling protrusions are15 positioned to face a front and a rear; the restoringforce generator turned upside down is inserted into thepedal member such that the two coupling protrusionspositioned to face the front and the rear arepositioned between the coupling holes formed through20 both sides of the pedal member; the restoring forcegenerator inserted inside the pedal member is turnedclockwise or counterclockwise such that the twocoupling protrusions positioned to face the front andthe rear are turned to a left and a right and inserted25 into the coupling holes formed through both sides of 8the pedal member; after the coupling protrusions areinserted in the coupling holes, the restoring forcegenerator is rotated upside down about the couplingprotrusions such that the bottom seat is positioned5 under the top seat; the clutch pedal is coupled to thepedal member to be able to rotate on the hinge shaft;and the bottom seat is coupled to the front of theclutch pedal, whereby the restoring force generator iscoupled to the clutch pedal and the pedal member.10 The clutch pedal apparatus further includes asnapper that is coupled to the clutch pedal in contactwith the friction surface of the pedal member and snapsthrough the contact with the friction surface when theclutch pedal is operated, in which the snapper15 includes: a snapper spring that is a compression coilspring; a spring seat that is inserted in a guidegroove formed at the clutch pedal and supports a firstend of the snapper spring; a roller housing that isdisposed to movable along the guide groove and supports20 a second end of the snapper spring; and a rotary rollerthat is rotatably coupled to the roller housing incontact with the friction surface of the pedal member.A stopper protrusion that protrudes outward isformed at an upper end of the clutch pedal; a stopper25 is installed between both sides of the pedal member by 9a stopper pin disposed through both sides of the pedalmember; and when the clutch pedal is rotated rearwardon the hinge shaft, the stopper comes in contact withthe stopper protrusion, so a rearward restoration5 position of the clutch pedal is limited.The clutch pedal apparatus further includes apedal sensor that is coupled to a side of the pedalmember to be connected to the clutch pedal, detects theamount of rotation of the clutch pedal by operation of10 the clutch pedal, and outputs a signal to a clutchcontroller.The clutch pedal apparatus for an electronicclutch system according to the present disclosureincludes the snapper that generates snaps when a driver15 depresses the clutch pedal and the restoring forcegenerator that provides a restoring force to the clutchpedal that has been rotated forward, in which therestoring force generator having a large spring forceis not assembled using rivets or bolts and nuts and can20 be easily and conveniently assembled by fitting thecoupling holes formed at the pedal member and thecoupling protrusions formed at the restoring forcegenerator to each other. Therefore, there is anadvantage that it is possible to improve convenience in25 assembly work, and productivity. 10BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSThe above and other aspects, features and5 advantages of the present disclosure will be moreapparent from the following detailed description takenin conjunction with the accompanying drawings, inwhich:FIGS. 1 and 2 are a perspective view and an10 exploded perspective view showing a coupled state of aclutch pedal apparatus for an electronic clutch systemaccording to the present disclosure;FIG. 3 is a right side view of FIG. 1;FIG. 4 is a view showing a state with a pedal15 member removed from FIG. 3;FIG. 5 is a view showing a full stroke state of aclutch pedal;FIG. 6 is a side view showing the state in which arestoring force generator has been fitted in a coupling20 hole of the pedal member;FIGS. 7 and 8 are an exploded perspective view anda front assembly view of the restoring force generatoraccording to the present disclosure;FIGS. 9 to 14 are views illustrating embodiments25 of the coupling hole formed at the pedal member; and 11FIGS. 15 to 18 are views illustrating a process ofassembling the restoring force generator in accordancewith the present disclosure.5 DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTSA clutch pedal apparatus for an electronic clutchsystem according to exemplary embodiments of thepresent disclosure is described hereafter in detail10 with reference to the accompanying drawings.A clutch pedal apparatus for an electronic clutchsystem according to the present disclosure, as shown inFIGS. 1 to 18, includes a pedal member 100 fixed to acar body panel (dash panel) ahead of a driver seat, and15 a clutch pedal 300 coupled to the pedal member 100through a hinge shaft 210 and a connection pin 220 tobe able to rotate forward / rearward.The pedal member 100 has a structure of which thefront is coupled to the car body panel (dash panel), of20 which both sides extending rearward from the front areparallel, and is open rearward, upward, and downward.That is, the pedal member 100 has a front 110coupled to the car body panel (dash panel) and bothsides 120 protruding rearward from the left and right25 sides of the front 110 and being parallel with each12other, and is open upward, downward, and rearward.A coupling hole 130 having a slit shape is formedat each of both sides 120 of the pedal member 100. Thecoupling holes 130 having a slid shape are formed in5 the same shape through both sides 120 of the pedalmember 100 and are positioned at a front portion withrespect to the hinge shaft 210 coupled to the pedalmember 100.The hinge shaft 210 is coupled to the connection10 pin 220 laterally sequentially through both sides 120of the pedal member 100 and the upper end portion ofthe clutch pedal 300, whereby the clutch pedal 300 iscoupled to be able to rotate on the hinge shaft 210forward / rearward with respect to the pedal member 100.15 The upper end of the clutch pedal 300 is theportion through which the hinge shaft 210 is inserted,and has a pad 310 at the lower end that a driveroperates with a foot.A stopper protrusion 320 that protrudes forward is20 formed at the upper end of the clutch pedal 300.The clutch pedal apparatus according to thepresent disclosure further includes a snapper 400 thatgenerates snaps when a driver depresses the clutchpedal 300 (when the clutch pedal is rotated forward on25 the hinge shaft), and a restoring force generator 500 13that provides a restoring force to the clutch pedal 300that has been rotated forward so that the clutch pedal300 rotates rearward to restore.The snapper 400 is disposed at an angle forward5 under the hinge shaft 210 coupled to the clutch pedal300 and is coupled to the clutch pedal 300 with a lowerportion in contact with a friction surface 140 of thepedal member 100, thereby snapping using the contactwith the friction surface 140 when the clutch pedal 30010 is operated.The snapper 400 includes: a snapper spring 410that is a compression coil spring; a spring seat 420that is inserted in a guide groove 340 formed at theclutch pedal 300 and supports a first end of the15 snapper spring 410; a roller housing 430 that isdisposed to movable along the guide groove 340 andsupports a second end of the snapper spring 410; and arotary roller 440 that is rotatably coupled to theroller housing 430 in contact with the friction surface20 140 of the pedal member 100.The friction surface 140 of the pedal member 100is a curved groove formed along a specific profile.When the clutch pedal 300 is operated, the rollerhousing 430 and the rotary roller 440 being in contact25 with the friction surface 140 move along the guide 14groove 340 of the clutch pedal 300, and the snapperspring 410 is compressed or restored by movement of theroller housing 430, whereby snapping is generated bycontact of the friction surface 140 of the pedal member5 100 and the rotary roller 440.The snapping that is generated when the clutchpedal 300 is operated can be tuned by changing theshapes of the friction surface 140 of the pedal member100 and the rotary roller 440.10 The restoring force generator 500 is disposed suchthat both ends thereof are connected to the clutchpedal 300 and the pedal member 100 ahead of the hingeshaft 210 coupled to the clutch pedal 300. Accordingly,when the clutch pedal 300 is rotated forward, the15 restoring force generator 500 is compressed andaccumulates elasticity, whereby a restoring force isprovided to the clutch pedal 300 by the accumulatedelasticity such that the clutch pedal 300 can berestored rearward.20 The restoring force generator 500 and the pedalmember 100 are assembly by a fitting structure of aprotrusion and a hole, so the restoring force generator500 can be easily and conveniently coupled to the pedalmember 100 without using rivets or bolts and nuts like25 the related art. Accordingly, there is an advantage 15that it is possible to improve convenience in assemblywork, and productivity.The coupling holes 130 are formed through the bothsides 120 of the pedal member 100 in slit shapes with5 both ends cut forward and rearward and couplingprotrusions 521 are formed at the restoring forcegenerator 500. Accordingly, the coupling protrusions521 are fitted in the coupling holes 130, whereby anend of the restoring force generator 500 is coupled to10 the pedal member 100 by the fitting structure of theprotrusions and the holes.The restoring force generator 500 is positionedahead of the clutch pedal 300 with the couplingprotrusions 521 at the upper end fitted in the coupling15 holes 130 of the pedal member 100 and the lower endconnected to the front of the clutch pedal 300.The restoring force generator 500 includes: arestoring spring 510 that is composed of one or twocompression coil springs; a top seat 520 that has two20 coupling protrusions 521 protruding in the oppositedirections to be fitted in the coupling holes 130 ofthe pedal member 100, and supports the upper end of therestoring spring 510; and a bottom seat 530 that has aguide rod 531 disposed through the restoring spring 510,25 supports the lower end of the restoring spring 510, and 16is coupled to the front of the clutch pedal 300.A guide hole 522 elongated up and down is formedat the top seat 520 and the upper end the guide rod 531is partially inserted in the guide hole 522.5 Accordingly, when the guide rod 531 is moved in theguide hole 522, the restoring spring 510 is compressedor restored, so the gap between the top seat 520 andthe bottom seat 530 is variably adjusted.The top seat 520 and the bottom seat 530 are10 combined in a snap-fit structure. To this end, afastening hole 523 is formed in a slit shape elongatedup and down at the portion where the guide hole 522 isformed and a fastening protrusion 532 having atriangular cross-section is formed on the guide rod 53115 of the bottom seat 530 to be inserted in the fasteninghole 523.The bottom seat 530 and the clutch pedal 300 arealso combined in a snap-fit structure. To this end, acylindrical protrusion 533 is formed at the bottom seat20 530 and an arc coupling portion 330 in which thecylindrical protrusion 533 is inserted in a one-touchtype is formed on the front of the clutch pedal 300.According to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure, when a driver depresses the clutch pedal25 300 and the clutch pedal 300 is rotated forward on the 17hinge shaft 210, snapping is generated by contactbetween the friction surface 140 of the pedal member100 and the rotary roller 440. Further, the snapperspring 410 and the restoring spring 450 accumulate5 elasticity while compressing, and the sum of thecompressive elasticity of the snapper spring 410 andthe compressive elasticity of the restoring spring 510that are generated in this process is the responsiveforce (reacting force, operation force) when the clutch10 pedal 300 is operated.When the driver releases the clutch pedal 300 thathas been rotated forward by taking off the foot, theclutch pedal 300 is rotated and restored to the initialposition by the restoring force of the restoring spring15 510, and in this process, the force corresponding tothe difference between the friction force generated bythe contact between the friction surface 140 and therotary roller 440 from the sum of the restoring forceof the snapper spring 410 and the restoring force of20 the restoring spring 510 acts as a restoring force ofthe clutch pedal 300. Accordingly, the presentdisclosure is characterized in that the friction forcethat is generated by contact between the frictionsurface 140 and the rotary roller 440 when the clutch25 pedal 300 is restored rearward acts as resistance, 18thereby generating hysteresis.According to common clutch pedal apparatuses foran electronic clutch system, when a driver depresses aclutch pedal, a responsive force (reacting force) is5 generated only by the force of one spring of the clutchpedal apparatus. Accordingly, as compared with ahydraulic clutch system, a hydraulic force is notincluded in the responsive force (reacting force), sothere was inconvenience due to a sense of distinction.10 However, the clutch pedal apparatus for anelectronic clutch according to the present disclosureis configured such that the sum of the compressiveelastic force of the snapper spring 410 and thecompressive elasticity of the restoring spring 510 that15 are generated when the clutch pedal 300 is operatedacts as a responsive force (reacting force) of theclutch pedal 300. Accordingly, there is an advantagethat, as compared with a hydraulic clutch system, thesame level of responsive force (reacting force) is20 generated, so a sense of distinction can be removed,which remarkably contributes to improving thecommercial value.According to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a stopper protrusion 320 that protrudes25 forward is formed at the upper end of the clutch pedal 19300 and a stopper 620 made of rubber is installedbetween both sides 120 of the pedal member 100 by astopper pin 610 disposed through both sides 120 of thepedal member 100. Accordingly, when the clutch pedal5 300 is restored by rotating rearward on the hinge shaft210, the stopper 620 comes in contact with the stopperprotrusion 320, so the rearward restoration position ofthe clutch pedal 300 is limited.The stopper pin 610 is disposed through both sides10 120 of the pedal member 100 and then a nut 630 isfastened to the stopper pin 610, thereby preventingseparation of the stopper pin 610 from the pedal member100.An embodiment of the present disclosure further15 includes a pedal sensor 700 that is coupled to a sideof the pedal member 100 to be connected to the clutchpedal 300, detects the amount of rotation of the clutchpedal 300 by operation of the clutch pedal 300, andoutputs a signal to a clutch controller.20 The pedal sensor 700 may include a permanentmagnet and a Printed Circuit Board (PCB). Thepermanent magnet is connected to the clutch pedal 300such that the position of the permanent magnet ischanged when the clutch pedal 300 is rotated. The PCB25 is fixed to a housing of the pedal sensor 700 to face 20the permanent magnet. Further, the PCB is electricallyconnected to a power device such as a battery through awire.When the clutch pedal 300 is rotated by a driver,5 the position of the permanent magnet is changed withthe rotation of the clutch pedal 300. In this process,the PCB detects the position change and a change ofmagnetic flux of the permanent magnet and outputs asignal to the clutch controller, the clutch controller10 receives the signal output from the PCB and controlsoperation of a clutch actuator, and the clutch isdisconnected or connected by the operation of theclutch actuator, whereby clutch control iselectronically performed.15 The clutch of a vehicle is the same as the commonconfiguration including a flywheel connected with acrankshaft, a clutch plate, a pressing plate, a clutchspring, a release lever, a release bearing, a releasefork, etc., so it is not described in detail herein.20 An embodiment of the present disclosure furtherincludes a pedal switch 800 coupled to a second side ofthe pedal member 100. The pedal switch 800 functionsas an integrated sensor that can perform all of thefunctions of a clutch switch, an ignition lock switch,25 and a stroke sensor for EPB, so there is an advantage 21that the cost can be reduced.The slit-shaped coupling holes 130 formed at thepedal member 100 have a structure with an end and theother end spaced apart from each other in the front5 rear direction. In particular, the ends at the frontof the coupling holes 130 are positioned higher thanthe other ends at the rear. The coupling protrusions521 of the restoring force generator 500 are fitted inthe coupling holes 130 and positioned at the ends at10 the front.When the coupling protrusions 521 of the restoringforce generator 500 are fitted in the coupling holes130 of the pedal member 100, a force is applied upwardto the top seat 520 of the restoring force generator15 500 by the elasticity of the restoring spring 510. Inthis case, since the ends at the front are positionedhigher than the ends at the rear of the coupling holes130, the coupling protrusions 521 fitted in thecoupling holes 130 are prevented from separating and20 moving, but can only rotate when the clutch pedal 300is rotated.According to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure, the slit-shaped coupling holes 130 formedat the pedal member 100, as shown in FIG. 9, may be25 straight holes 131 inclined straight from the front end 22to the rear end.The straight holes 131 is the most advantageous interms of coupling of the coupling protrusions 521, isadvantageous in terms of prevention of movement of the5 restoring force generator 500 when the clutch pedal 300is operated, and is advantageous in terms of strengthbecause they have closed structure.As another example, the slit-shaped coupling holes130 formed at the pedal member 100, as shown in FIG. 10,10 may be straight holes 131 inclined from the front endto the rear end, slit-shaped connection holes 132 maybe formed to connect the straight holes 131 to theouter side of the pedal member 100. In this case, theconnection holes 132 may be connected to the rear ends15 of the straight holes 131 and open upward through thetop of the pedal member 100.The coupling holes 130 shown in FIG. 10 have astructure in which rear ends of the straight holes 131are open upward through the connection holes 132, which20 is advantageous in terms of fitting the couplingprotrusions 521 because of the connection holes 132 andin terms of preventing movement of the restoring forcegenerator 500 due to operation of the clutch pedal 300.As another example, the slit-shaped coupling holes25 130 formed at the pedal member 100, as shown in FIG. 11, 23may be straight holes 131 inclined straight from thefront end to the rear end, slit-shaped connection holes133 may be formed to connect the straight holes 131 tothe outer side of the pedal member 100. In this case,5 the connection holes 133 may be connected to the middleportions of ends and the other ends of the straightholes 131 and are open upward through the top of thepedal member 100.The coupling holes 130 shown in FIG. 11 have a10 structure in which middle portions of the straightholes 131 are open upward through the connection holes133, so it is advantageous in terms of fitting thecoupling protrusions 521 because of the connectionholes 133 and in terms of preventing movement of the15 restoring force generator 500 due to operation of theclutch pedal 300.As another example, the slit-shaped coupling holes130 formed at the pedal member 100, as shown in FIG. 12,may be any one of downward arc-shaped holes 134 with20 the middle portions between the front ends and the rearends being convex downward, or as shown in FIG. 13,upward arch-shaped holes 135 with the middle portionbeing convex upward.The downward arc-shaped holes 134 shown in FIG. 1225 and the upward arch-shaped holes 135 shown in FIG. 13 24have a defect that they are slightly disadvantageous interms of fitting the coupling holes 521, as comparedwith the structures having connection holes, but theyare advantageous in terms of strength because they have5 a closed structure and are particularly advantageous interms of preventing movement of the restoring forcegenerator 500 when the clutch pedal 300 is operated.As another example, the slit-shaped coupling holes130 formed at the pedal member 100, as shown in FIG. 14,10 may have slit-shaped connection holes 136 that connectsthe downward arc-shaped holes 134 to the outer side ofthe pedal member 100. In this case, the connectionholes 136 may be connected to the rear ends of thedownward arc-shaped holes 134 and open upward through15 the top of the pedal member 100.The coupling holes 130 shown in FIG. 14 have astructure in which rear ends of downward arc-shapedholes 134 are open upward through the connection holes136, so it is advantageous in terms of fitting the20 coupling protrusions 521 because of the connectionholes 136 and in terms of preventing movement of therestoring force generator 500 due to operation of theclutch pedal 300.An assembly process of the restoring force25 generator 500 is described hereafter with reference to 25FIGS. 15 to 18.First, as shown in FIG. 15, the restoring forcegenerator 500 is put over the pedal member 100 and thenturned upside down such that the top seat 520 is5 positioned down, the bottom seat 530 is positioned up,and the two coupling protrusions 521 are positioned toface the front and the rear.Next, as shown in FIG. 16, the restoring forcegenerator 500 turned upside down is inserted into the10 pedal member 100 such that the two coupling protrusions521 positioned to face the front and the rear arepositioned between the coupling holes 130 formedthrough both sides 120 of the pedal member 100. Next,the restoring force generator 500 inserted in the space15 between both sides 120 of the pedal member 100 isturned 90 degrees clockwise or counterclockwise (thearrow R1) such that the two coupling protrusions 521positioned to face the front and the rear are turned tothe left and right and inserted into the coupling holes20 130 formed through both sides 120 of the pedal member100.After the coupling protrusions 521 are inserted inthe coupling holes 130, as shown in FIG. 16, therestoring force generator 500 is rotated upside down25 (arrow R2) about the coupling protrusions 521 such that 26the bottom seat 530 is positioned under the top seat520, as shown in FIG. 17, and then, as shown in FIG. 18,the clutch pedal 300 is coupled to the pedal member 100to be rotatable on the hinge shaft 210 and the arc5 shaped protrusion 533 of the bottom seat 530 is fittedinto the arc coupling portion 330 on the front of theclutch pedal 300. Accordingly, the upper end of therestoring force generator 500 is coupled to the pedalmember 100 by fitting of the coupling protrusions 52110 and the coupling holes 130 and the lower end of therestoring force generator 500 is coupled to the clutchpedal 300 by fitting of the arc-shaped coupling portion533 and the arc coupling portion 330.As described above, the clutch pedal apparatus for15 an electronic clutch system according to an embodimentof the present disclosure includes the snapper 400 thatgenerates snaps when a driver depresses the clutchpedal 300 and the restoring force generator 500 thatprovides a restoring force to the clutch pedal 300 that20 has been rotated forward, in which the restoring forcegenerator 500 having a large spring force is notassembled using rivets or bolts and nuts and can beeasily and conveniently assembled by fitting thecoupling holes 130 formed at the pedal member 100 and25 the coupling protrusions 521 formed at the restoring 27force generator 500 to each other. Therefore, there isan advantage that it is possible to improve conveniencein assembly work, and productivity.Although the present disclosure was described with5 reference to specific embodiments shown in the drawings,it is apparent to those skilled in the art that thepresent disclosure may be changed and modified invarious ways without departing from the scope of thepresent disclosure, which is described in the following

Claims

10 claims. 28WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A clutch pedal apparatus for an electronicclutch system, the clutch pedal apparatus comprising:5 a clutch pedal coupled to the pedal member to beable to rotate on a hinge shaft; anda restoring force generator connected at both endsto the clutch pedal and a pedal member, accumulatingelasticity by compressing when the clutch pedal is10 rotated forward, and providing a restoring force to theclutch pedal so that the clutch pedal can be restoredby rotating rearward, using the accumulated elasticity,wherein the restoring force generator and thepedal member are assembled by a fitting structure of15 protrusions and holes.

2. The clutch pedal apparatus of claim 1,wherein a slit-shaped coupling hole is formed at thepedal member;20 a coupling protrusion is formed at the restoringforce generator; andan end of the restoring force generator is coupledto the pedal member by fitting the coupling protrusioninto the coupling hole.25 293. The clutch pedal apparatus of claim 2,wherein the pedal member has a front and both sidesconnected to the front and is open upward, downward,and rearward; and5 the slit-shaped coupling hole is formed throughboth sides of the pedal member and positioned ahead ofthe hinge shaft coupled to the pedal member.

4. The clutch pedal apparatus of claim 3,10 wherein the restoring force generator is positionedahead of the clutch pedal, coupling protrusions at anupper end of the restoring force generator are fittedin the coupling holes, and a lower end of the restoringforce generator is connected to the clutch pedal.

5. The clutch pedal apparatus of claim 4,wherein the slit-shaped coupling holes are formed suchthat an end and the other end are spaced apart fromeach other in a front-rear direction;20 front ends of the coupling holes are positionedhigher than rear ends; andthe coupling protrusions of the restoring forcegenerator are fitted in the coupling holes andpositioned at the front ends.

306. The clutch pedal apparatus of claim 5,wherein the coupling holes are straight holes inclinedstraight from a front end to a rear end thereof.5 7. The clutch pedal apparatus of claim 6,wherein slit-shaped connection holes are formed toconnect the straight holes and an outer side of thepedal member; andthe connection holes are connected to rear ends of10 the straight holes and open upward through a top of thepedal member or are connected to a middle portionbetween an end and the other end and open upwardthrough the top of the pedal member.15 8. The clutch pedal apparatus of claim 5,wherein the coupling holes are any one of downward arcshaped holes of which a middle portion between thefront end and the rear end is convex downward or upwardarc-shaped holes of which a middle portion is convex20 upward.

9. The clutch pedal apparatus of claim 8,connect the downward arc-shaped holes and an outer side25 of the pedal member; and 31the downward arc-shaped holes and open upward through a5 10. The clutch pedal apparatus of claim 3,wherein the restoring force generator includes:a restoring spring that is composed of one or twocompression coil springs;a top seat that has two coupling protrusions10 protruding in the opposite directions to be fitted incoupling holes of the pedal member, and supports anupper end of the restoring spring; anda bottom seat that has a guide rod disposedthrough the restoring spring, supports a lower end of15 the restoring spring, and is coupled to the front ofthe clutch pedal, anda gap between the top seat and the bottom seat ischanged when the restoring spring is compressed andrestored.

11. The clutch pedal apparatus of claim 10,wherein the restoring force generator is put over thepedal member and then turned upside down such that thetop seat is positioned down, the bottom seat is25 positioned up, and the two coupling protrusions are32positioned to face a front and a rear;the restoring force generator turned upside downis inserted into the pedal member such that the twocoupling protrusions positioned to face the front and5 the rear are positioned between the coupling holesformed through both sides of the pedal member;the restoring force generator inserted inside thepedal member is turned clockwise or counterclockwisesuch that the two coupling protrusions positioned to10 face the front and the rear are turned to a left and aright and inserted into the coupling holes formedafter the coupling protrusions are inserted in thecoupling holes, the restoring force generator is15 rotated upside down about the coupling protrusions suchthat the bottom seat is positioned under the top seat;the clutch pedal is coupled to the pedal member tobe able to rotate on the hinge shaft; andthe bottom seat is coupled to the front of the20 clutch pedal,whereby the restoring force generator is coupledto the clutch pedal and the pedal member.

12. The clutch pedal apparatus of claim 1,25 further comprising a snapper that is coupled to the33clutch pedal in contact with the friction surface ofthe pedal member and snaps through the contact with thefriction surface when the clutch pedal is operated,5 the snapper includes:a snapper spring that is a compression coila spring seat that is inserted in a guide grooveformed at the clutch pedal and supports a first end of10 the snapper spring;a roller housing that is disposed to movable alongthe guide groove and supports a second end of thesnapper spring; anda rotary roller that is rotatably coupled to the15 roller housing in contact with the friction surface of13. The clutch pedal apparatus of claim 1,wherein a stopper protrusion that protrudes outward is20 formed at an upper end of the clutch pedal;a stopper is installed between both sides of thepedal member by a stopper pin disposed through bothsides of the pedal member; andwhen the clutch pedal is rotated rearward on the25 hinge shaft, the stopper comes in contact with the 34stopper protrusion, so a rearward restoration positionof the clutch pedal is limited.

14. The clutch pedal apparatus of claim 1,5 further comprising a pedal sensor that is coupled to aside of the pedal member to be connected to the clutchpedal, detects the amount of rotation of the clutchpedal by operation of the clutch pedal, and outputs asignal to a clutch controller.