Foldable Pedal Apparatus for Autonomous Vehicles
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Solution Overview
Problem
In autonomous traveling vehicles, exposed pedals can cause driver distraction and misoperation during autonomous driving, leading to safety concerns and discomfort for passengers, as drivers may unintentionally operate the pedals, disrupting the vehicle's control systems.
Innovation Solution
A foldable pedal apparatus with a rotating link mechanism that moves the pedal pad towards the driver for manual driving mode exposure and retracts it to contact the vehicle body panel during autonomous driving, using an actuator and frame link system to control the pedal's visibility and operation, incorporating a non-contact pedal sensor for accurate signal generation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the pedal pad is exposed to the interior space under the driver seat, then the driver can operate the pedal in manual driving mode, but the driver may unconsciously operate the pedal during autonomous traveling causing misoperation
Solution Approach 1:
The pedal apparatus transitions between two states: exposed position for manual driving mode and retracted position for autonomous traveling mode. The rotating link mechanism dynamically adjusts the pedal pad position based on driving mode, allowing the system to adapt its configuration to prevent misoperation while maintaining operational capability when needed.
2Ease of operation
If the pedal pad is exposed to the interior space under the driver seat, then the driver can operate the pedal in manual driving mode, but the driver's rest is disturbed during autonomous traveling
Solution Approach 1:
The pedal apparatus dynamically reconfigures based on autonomous traveling conditions. When autonomous traveling is activated, the rotating link mechanism moves the pedal pad to a retracted position that does not interfere with driver rest, while still maintaining the capability to be quickly deployed for manual intervention if needed.
3Reliability
If the pedal pad is retracted to contact the vehicle body panel during autonomous driving, then the driver's rest is comfortable and misoperation is prevented, but the driver cannot operate the pedal when needed
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary retraction of the pedal pad when autonomous traveling mode is detected, preparing the system for autonomous operation. The rotating link mechanism is positioned in advance to ensure the pedal pad is retracted before any potential misoperation can occur, while the system remains ready to quickly transition to manual mode.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If the pedal pad is retracted to contact the vehicle body panel during autonomous driving, then the driver's rest is comfortable, but space utilization under the driver seat is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The pedal pad is moved along a rotational arc path defined by the rotating link mechanism, transitioning between exposed and retracted positions. This rotational movement utilizes three-dimensional space efficiently, allowing the pedal pad to be stored in a compact position that minimizes space occupation under the driver seat while maintaining accessibility when needed.
Data Source
AI summary
A foldable pedal apparatus of an autonomous traveling vehicle, is configured so that a pedal pad is popped-up by moving toward a driver to be exposed to enable an operation of the pedal pad by a driver in a manual driving mode situation in which the driver directly drives the vehicle, and the pedal pad moves forward and is in close contact with a vehicle body panel to disable the operation of the pedal pad by the driver in an autonomous traveling mode in which the driver does not directly drive the vehicle, facilitating a hidden state where exposure toward the driver is blocked.