Pedal position acquisition device and pedal device equipped with the pedal position acquisition device

Abstract

Provided are a pedal position acquisition device capable of reducing the generation of abnormal noise and a pedal device provided with the pedal position acquisition device. A pedal position acquisition device 10 is provided with a lever member 101 connected to a pedal 11 operated by a vehicle driver, and acquires information regarding the position of the pedal 11 on the basis of information regarding the position of the lever member 101 and outputs the information regarding the position of the pedal 11 to an external device. The pedal position acquisition device 10 is further provided with a ring member 106 attached to the outer peripheral surface of the lever member 101 to which the pedal 11 is connected, wherein the outer peripheral surface of the ring member 106 is coated with a highly elastic material having higher elastic properties than the material forming the ring member 106.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a pedal position acquisition device that acquires information about the positions of pedals provided in a vehicle, and a pedal device that includes the pedal position acquisition device. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, vehicles (e.g., automobiles, etc.) are equipped with pedal position acquisition devices that acquire information about the positions of pedals (e.g., brake pedals, accelerator pedals, etc.) operated by a driver. Such pedal position acquisition devices are equipped with an operating lever that is connected to the pedal and moves in conjunction with the movement of the pedal, and information about the pedal position is acquired based on the movement of the operating lever (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Special Publication No. 2015-537207 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In a pedal position acquisition device such as that described in Patent Document 1, vehicle vibrations and the like are transmitted to the connection between the operating lever of the pedal position acquisition device and the vehicle pedal, which can cause the operating lever and the pedal to collide or rub against each other, resulting in abnormal noise.

[0005] The present invention has been made in light of the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to provide a pedal position acquisition device that can reduce the occurrence of abnormal noise. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The pedal position acquisition device according to the present invention is a pedal position acquisition device (10) that includes a lever member (101) connected to a pedal (11) operated by a vehicle driver, acquires information about the position of the pedal (11) based on information about the position of the lever member (101), and outputs the information to an external device, The pedal (11) includes a pedal portion (11a) operated by a driver, an arm portion (11b) having one end side to which the pedal portion (11a) is provided and the other end side to which the arm portion (11b) is fixed to the vehicle side and is swingably provided, and a connecting portion (11c) connecting the arm portion (11b) and the lever member (101), The lever member (101) to which the pedal (11) is connected is made of a hard resin material, and a ring member (106) made of a metal material is attached to a part of the outer circumferential surface of the lever member (101) to reinforce it against wear, and furthermore, the outer circumferential surface of the ring member (106) is covered with a highly elastic material having higher elasticity than the material that forms the ring member (106). One end of the connecting portion (11c) is fixed to the arm portion (11b), and the other end is fixed to the lever member (101). The lever member (101) is connected via a ring member (106), and when the lever member (101) rotates, the portion coated with the highly elastic material simultaneously prevents damage to the lever member (101) when it abuts against the connecting portion (11c) and suppresses the generation of abnormal noise when it comes into contact with the ring member (106).

[0007] According to this configuration, the lever member (101) and the pedal (11) are connected via the ring member (106), and the outer surface of the ring member (106) is covered with a highly elastic material having higher elasticity than the material forming the ring member (106). This reduces the impact caused by a collision between the lever member (101) and the pedal (11), and reduces the generation of abnormal noise at the connection portion between the pedal position acquisition device (10) and the pedal (11).

[0008] The pedal device according to the present invention is a pedal position acquisition device (10) that includes a lever member (101) connected to a pedal (11) operated by a vehicle driver, and acquires information about the position of the pedal (11) based on information about the position of the lever member (101) and outputs the information to an external device, The pedal (11) includes a pedal portion (11a) operated by a driver, an arm portion (11b) having one end side to which the pedal portion (11a) is provided and the other end side to which the arm portion (11b) is fixed to the vehicle side and is swingably provided, and a connecting portion (11c) connecting the arm portion (11b) and the lever member (101),The lever member (101) to which the pedal (11) is connected is made of a hard resin material, and a ring member (106) made of a metal material is attached to a part of the outer circumferential surface of the lever member (101) to reinforce it against wear, and furthermore, the outer circumferential surface of the ring member (106) is covered with a highly elastic material having higher elasticity than the material that forms the ring member (106). One end of the connecting portion (11c) is fixed to the arm portion (11b), and the other end is fixed to the lever member (101). The lever member (101) is connected via a ring member (106), and when the lever member (101) rotates, the portion coated with the highly elastic material simultaneously prevents damage to the lever member (101) when it abuts against the connecting portion (11c) and suppresses the generation of abnormal noise when it comes into contact with the ring member (106).

[0009] According to this configuration, the pedal device (20) includes a pedal position acquisition device (10) in which the lever member (101) and the pedal (11) are connected via the ring member (106) and the outer peripheral surface of the ring member (106) is covered with a highly elastic material having higher elasticity than the material forming the ring member (106). This reduces the impact caused by a collision between the lever member (101) and the ring member (106), and reduces the generation of abnormal noise at the connection portion between the pedal position acquisition device (10) and the pedal (11).

[0010] The present invention may have only the invention-specifying matters set forth in the claims of the present invention, or may have the invention-specifying matters set forth in the claims of the present invention as well as configurations other than the invention-specifying matters. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a brake pedal device including a pedal position acquisition device. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view for explaining a pedal position acquisition device. [Figure 3] 4A and 4B are diagrams for explaining an engagement portion of the pedal position acquisition device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] An embodiment of a pedal position acquisition device according to the present invention and a pedal device including the pedal position acquisition device will be described with reference to the drawings. Below, identical or similar descriptions may be simplified or omitted as appropriate. Furthermore, in each drawing, identical or similar components or parts may not be designated by reference numerals, or may be designated by the same reference numerals. Furthermore, illustrations of detailed structures may be simplified or omitted as appropriate.

[0013] Note that the configurations, operations, etc. of the embodiments described below are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited to such configurations, operations, etc., and can be modified as appropriate within the scope of the present invention. For example, the pedal position acquisition device 10 of the present embodiment is connected to a brake pedal 11 operated by a driver of a vehicle (e.g., an automobile, etc.) and acquires information regarding the position of the brake pedal 11, but it may also be connected to a pedal other than the brake pedal 11 (e.g., an accelerator pedal, a clutch pedal, etc.) and acquire information regarding the position of the pedal. Furthermore, the pedal device 20 of the present embodiment is configured to include the brake pedal 11 as a pedal operated by a driver of a vehicle (e.g., an automobile, etc.) and acquire information regarding the position of the brake pedal 11 by the pedal position acquisition device 10, but it may also be configured to include a pedal other than the brake pedal (e.g., an accelerator pedal, a clutch pedal, etc.) and acquire information regarding the position of the pedal by the pedal position acquisition device.

[0014] [About the pedal system] A pedal device 20 including a pedal position acquisition device 10 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 1, the pedal device 20 includes a brake pedal 11 (hereinafter, sometimes simply referred to as the pedal 11) operated by a driver of a vehicle (not shown), a fixed portion 12 fixed to an inner wall 30 of the vehicle, and a pedal position acquisition device 10 that acquires information regarding the position of the brake pedal 11.

[0016] The brake pedal 11 includes a pedal portion 11a that is operated by the driver, an arm portion 11b that has the pedal portion 11a at one end and the other end that is attached to a fixed portion 12 so as to be swingable about a swing axis P1, and a connecting portion 11c (see FIG. 2) that connects the arm portion 11b to a lever member 101 of the pedal position acquisition device 10 described later.

[0017] The arm portion 11b extends so as to position the pedal portion 11a at the driver's feet in the vehicle cabin. One end of the connecting portion 11c is fixed to the arm portion 11b, and the other end of the connecting portion 11c is connected to a lever member 101 of the pedal position acquisition device 10 via a ring member 106 (described later) (see FIG. 2). As a result, when the driver operates the pedal portion 11a of the brake pedal 11, the brake pedal 11 swings about the swing axis P1, changing the position of the brake pedal 11 and also changing the position of the lever member 101 of the pedal position acquisition device 10 via the connecting portion 11c.

[0018] The fixed portion 12 includes a support member 12a that is fixed to the interior wall 30 of the vehicle and supports the brake pedal 11, and a shaft member 12b to which one end side of the brake pedal 11, opposite the pedal portion 11a side, is fixed. Both ends of the shaft member 12b are supported by the support member 12a so as to be rotatable about a swing axis P1, and the brake pedal 11 is supported by the support member 12a so as to be swingable about the swing axis P1 as a central axis.

[0019] As described above, the pedal device 20 of this embodiment is configured such that the connecting portion 11c of the brake pedal 11 is connected to the lever member 101 of the pedal position acquisition device 10. In the pedal device 20 configured as described above, there is a risk that abnormal noise will be generated due to the connecting portion 11c and the lever member 101 colliding with or rubbing against each other when vibrations of the vehicle are transmitted to the pedal device 20 or when the brake pedal 11 is operated by the driver.

[0020] [About the pedal position acquisition device] The pedal position acquisition device 10 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 3, the pedal position acquisition device 10 includes a lever member 101 that is connected to the brake pedal 11 and rotates, a housing 102 that surrounds the lever member 101, and an acquisition unit 103 that acquires information regarding the position of the brake pedal 11 based on fluctuations in the position of the lever member 101.

[0022] Lever member 101 is made of a hard resin material and is formed in a generally L-shape. Lever member 101 has an insertion hole 101a formed at one end thereof, into which a generally cylindrical shaft 105 is inserted. Housing 102 has an insertion hole (not shown) formed therein, into which shaft 105 is inserted, and by inserting shaft 105 into insertion hole 101a of lever member 101 and the insertion hole of housing 102, lever member 101 is pivotally supported by housing 102 for rotation about shaft 105 as rotation axis P2. Lever member 101 may be formed as a single unit from a hard resin material, or may be formed by connecting multiple parts formed from a hard resin material.

[0023] Furthermore, a ring member 106 made of a highly durable material (for example, a metal material such as SUS) that is more durable than the hard resin material forming the lever member 101 is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the end 101b of the lever member 101, which is the other end side different from the end side where the insertion hole 101a is formed. The ring member 106 is formed to surround at least the portion of the end 101b of the lever member 101 that is connected to the connecting portion 11c of the brake pedal 11. The end 101b of the lever member 101 is fitted inside the ring member 106, and the ring member 106 and the end 101b of the lever member 101 are firmly fixed so that the relative positional relationship between them is unlikely to change.

[0024] In this embodiment, the end 101b of the lever member 101 is fitted inside the ring member 106, thereby firmly fixing the ring member 106 to the end 101b of the lever member 101, but the ring member 106 may be configured to be crimped to the end 101b of the lever member 101, for example. Even with this configuration, the ring member 106 can be firmly fixed to the end 101b of the lever member 101, similar to the configuration of this embodiment. Furthermore, the ring member 106 and the end 101b of the lever member 101 can also be firmly fixed together by, for example, a configuration in which knurling is applied to at least one of the inner peripheral surface of the ring member 106 and the outer peripheral surface of the end 101b of the lever member 101, a configuration in which a material with a higher coefficient of friction than the ring member 106 and the lever member 101 is filled between the ring member 106 and the end 101b of the lever member 101, or a configuration in which the inner peripheral surface of the ring member 106 and the outer peripheral surface of the end 101b of the lever member 101 abut against each other to form shapes that determine their relative positions (for example, a concave shape and a convex shape corresponding to the concave shape).

[0025] The outer peripheral surface of the ring member 106 is coated with a highly elastic material (for example, a resin material such as a polyethylene resin) that has higher elasticity than the highly durable material that forms the ring member 106. For example, the ring member 106 can be coated with the resin material by applying a baking finish or the like as a surface coating treatment. As a result, when the connecting portion 11c of the brake pedal 11 collides or rubs against the ring member 106, the highly elastic material acts as a buffer to reduce the impact, etc., and the generation of abnormal noise in the pedal position acquisition device 10 can be reduced.

[0026] Furthermore, the outer peripheral surface of the highly elastic material coating on the ring member 106 is further coated with a low-friction resistance material (such as a fluorine-based resin material (e.g., polytetrafluoroethylene, polychlorotrifluoroethylene, fluororubber, etc.), molybdenum disulfide-containing resin material, graphite-containing resin material, epoxy-based resin material, phenol-based resin material, nitride compound, or nickel-phosphorus-based plating material) that has lower friction resistance to the connecting portion 11c of the brake pedal 11 than the highly elastic material coating the ring member 106 and the metal material of the ring member 106. This allows the lever member 101 and the brake pedal 11 to be smoothly interlocked with each other using the low-friction resistance material as a solid lubricant between the lever member 101 and the connecting portion 11c of the brake pedal 11, and reduces the generation of abnormal noise in the pedal position acquisition device 10.

[0027] In this embodiment, the ring member 106 is configured such that its outer surface is coated with a highly elastic material and a low friction resistance material, but it may also be configured such that it is coated with only a highly elastic material, or such that it is coated with one type of material that has the properties of both types of material.

[0028] An end 101b of the lever member 101 is connected to the connecting portion 11c of the brake pedal 11. At this time, a ring member 106 is interposed between the lever member 101 and the connecting portion 11c (see FIG. 2). This prevents the lever member 101 from coming into contact with the connecting portion 11c, thereby reducing deformation or breakage of the lever member 101 due to wear.

[0029] The housing 102 is made of a hard resin material and is formed with a flange portion 102a that is attached to the fixed portion 12 of the pedal device 20, a first accommodating portion 102b that accommodates the lever member 101, and a second accommodating portion 102c that accommodates the acquisition portion 103.

[0030] The flange portion 102 a has an insertion hole into which a fixing means for fixing the pedal position acquisition device 10 to the fixing portion 12 of the pedal device 20 is inserted, and the pedal position acquisition device 10 is fixed to the fixing portion 12 .

[0031] The first accommodating portion 102b has an insertion hole (not shown) formed therein into which the shaft 105 is inserted, which is inserted into the insertion hole 101a of the lever member 101 as described above, and also has a space formed therein in which the lever member 101 can rotate. The first accommodating portion 102b also has an opening 102d formed therein that opens toward the brake pedal 11 when the pedal position acquisition device 10 is attached to the pedal device 20.

[0032] The second accommodating portion 102c has a space formed therein for accommodating the acquiring portion 103. Also, an opening 102e is provided in which a connector 104 is disposed to which a signal line or the like is connected for outputting information about the position of the brake pedal 11 acquired by the acquiring portion 103 to the outside.

[0033] The acquisition unit 103 acquires information regarding the position of the brake pedal 11 (e.g., rotation angle, etc.) based on information regarding the position of the lever member 101 detected by the detection means, and outputs an electrical signal including the acquired information to an external device (e.g., a vehicle control device, etc., not shown) via the connector 104.

[0034] The detection means may be configured (not shown) to detect an electrical resistance value between the current-carrying member and the resistor element by providing a current-carrying member in the housing 102, for example, and to acquire the electrical resistance value that changes with the rotation of the lever member 101 as information about the position of the lever member 101. Alternatively, for example, a magnet may be provided in the lever member 101, and a magnetic sensor (e.g., an AMR sensor, a GMR sensor, a Hall sensor, etc.) that detects the magnetism of the magnet may be provided in the housing 102, for example, and to acquire information about the position of the lever member 101 as information about the position of the lever member 101. The detection means may acquire information about the position of the lever member 101 by using either or both of a configuration that detects an electrical resistance value between the current-carrying member and the resistor element and a configuration that detects a change in magnetism, or may acquire information about the position of the lever member 101 by using a configuration different from these configurations.

[0035] In this way, in the pedal position acquisition device 10 of this embodiment, the connecting portion 11c of the brake pedal 11 is connected to the end portion 101b of the lever member 101 that is rotatably provided in the housing 102, so that the lever member 101 rotates and changes its position in conjunction with the rocking of the brake pedal 11 caused by the operation of the driver, etc. Then, information (such as the rotation angle) related to the position of the brake pedal 11 based on the change in the position of the lever member 101 is acquired by the acquisition unit 103.

[0036] A ring member 106 is provided on an end 101b of the lever member 101, and the lever member 101 is connected to the connecting portion 11c of the brake pedal 11 with the ring member 106 interposed between the lever member 101 and the connecting portion 11c of the brake pedal 11. The outer peripheral surface of the ring member 106 is coated with a resin material (high elasticity material, low friction resistance material) having a predetermined function.

[0037] [About the effects] In conventional pedal position acquisition devices that acquire information about the position of a vehicle pedal based on information about the position of a lever member that is connected to the pedal and rotates in conjunction with the pedal's oscillation, there is a risk that vehicle vibrations, etc. will be transmitted to the connection between the lever member and the pedal, causing the lever member and the pedal to collide or rub against each other, resulting in abnormal noise.

[0038] In contrast, the pedal position acquisition device 10 of this embodiment is configured to acquire information regarding the position of the pedal 11 based on information regarding the position of a lever member 101 that is connected to the pedal 11 of the vehicle and rotates in conjunction with the oscillation of the pedal 11, and is provided with a ring member 106 that surrounds the outer surface of the end 101b of the lever member 101 that is connected to the connecting portion 11c of the pedal 11, and the ring member 106 is configured to be covered with a highly elastic material that has elastic properties higher than those of the material that forms the ring member 106.

[0039] According to this configuration, the lever member 101 and the pedal 11 are connected via the ring member 106, and the outer surface of the ring member 106 is covered with a highly elastic material having higher elastic properties than the ring member 106, thereby reducing collisions between the lever member 101, the pedal 11, and the ring member 106 and reducing the generation of abnormal noise.

[0040] Furthermore, the pedal position acquisition device 10 of this embodiment includes a ring member 106 that surrounds the outer peripheral surface of the end 101b of the lever member 101 that is connected to the connecting portion 11c of the pedal 11, and the ring member 106 is coated with a polyethylene-based resin material that is a highly elastic material that has higher elastic properties than the material that forms the ring member 106.

[0041] According to this configuration, the outer surface of the ring member 106 is coated with a polyethylene-based resin material, which is a highly elastic material having higher elastic properties than the ring member 106, thereby reducing collisions between the lever member 101, pedal 11, and ring member 106 and reducing the generation of abnormal noise.

[0042] Furthermore, the pedal position acquisition device 10 of this embodiment includes a ring member 106 that surrounds the outer peripheral surface of the end 101b of the lever member 101 that is connected to the connecting portion 11c of the pedal 11, and the ring member 106 is coated with a highly elastic material that has higher elastic properties than the material that forms the ring member 106, and the outer peripheral surface of the highly elastic material is further coated with a low-friction resistance material that has lower friction resistance properties with respect to the connecting portion 11c of the pedal 11 than the highly elastic material and the ring member 106.

[0043] According to this configuration, the outer surface of the ring member 106 interposed between the lever member 101 and the pedal 11 is coated with a highly elastic material and a low-friction resistance material that has lower friction resistance characteristics with respect to the connecting portion 11c of the pedal 11 than the ring member 106. This allows the lever member 101 and the brake pedal 11 to be smoothly linked together using the low-friction resistance material as a solid lubricant, and also reduces the generation of abnormal noise in the pedal position acquisition device 10.

[0044] Although an example of an embodiment of the present invention has been described above, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to this example of an embodiment, and that modifications and additions that do not deviate from the spirit of the present invention are also included in the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0045] 10 Pedal position acquisition device 11 Brake pedal (pedal) 11c Connection part 20 Pedal device 101 Lever member 105 Shaft 106 Ring member

Claims

1. A pedal position acquisition device (10) includes a lever member (101) connected to a pedal (11) operated by a vehicle driver, and acquires information about the position of the pedal (11) based on information about the position of the lever member (101) and outputs the information to an external device, The pedal (11) a pedal section (11a) operated by a driver; an arm portion (11b) having one end on which the pedal portion (11a) is provided and the other end fixed to the vehicle side and swingably provided; a connecting portion (11c) that connects the arm portion (11b) and the lever member (101); The lever member (101) to which the pedal (11) is connected is made of a hard resin material, A ring member (106) made of a metal material is attached to a part of the outer circumferential surface of the lever member (101) to reinforce it against wear. Furthermore, the outer peripheral surface of the ring member (106) is covered with a highly elastic material having higher elasticity than the material forming the ring member (106), One end of the connecting portion (11c) is fixed to the arm portion (11b), and the other end is connected to the lever member (101) via the ring member (106). The lever member (101) rotates, and the portion coated with the highly elastic material simultaneously prevents damage to the lever member (101) when it abuts against the connecting portion (11c), and suppresses the generation of abnormal noise that occurs when it comes into contact with the ring member (106). Pedal position acquisition device.

2. The outer peripheral surface of the ring member (106) is coated with a polyethylene resin material as the highly elastic material. The pedal position acquisition device according to claim 1 .

3. The ring member (106) is coated on its outer circumferential surface with a low-friction resistance material that has lower friction resistance characteristics with respect to the pedal (11) to which the lever member (101) is connected than the highly elastic material and the ring member (106). The pedal position acquisition device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. A pedal position acquisition device (10) according to claim 1; a pedal (11) attached to a vehicle; Pedal device.

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