Vehicle Foot Lever Assembly With Arc-Guided Non-Actuating Repositioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
In autonomous vehicles, the foot pedals are a nuisance and take up space when not in use, as they can inadvertently activate vehicle components during autonomous driving, requiring a mechanism to move them out of the way without activating the vehicle.
Innovation Solution
A foot lever mechanism that pivots on a circular arc, allowing the foot lever to shift from an active to an inactive position without actuating the vehicle component, using a bearing element and adjusting device to maintain the same circular arc orientation, ensuring no additional actuation occurs in the shifted state.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the foot lever is moved away from its original position to free up space in the footwell, then the available space increases, but the risk of inadvertent actuation of vehicle components increases
Solution Approach 1:
The foot lever is designed to pivot along a circular arc path rather than a linear path. The bearing element is constrained to move along a guide that defines a circular arc, ensuring the foot lever axis remains on this arc throughout the adjustment range. This curved motion path geometry ensures that the coupling element does not activate the vehicle component during repositioning.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the position parameter of the bearing element along a specific circular arc path. By controlling the bearing element to move only along this predetermined arc, the foot lever can be repositioned to different locations (changing its position parameter) while maintaining the geometric constraint that prevents actuation of the vehicle component.
2Volume of moving object
If the foot lever is repositioned to a second position, then space is freed up, but the mechanism complexity increases due to the need for precise circular arc guidance
Solution Approach 1:
The guide structure is integrated into the bearing block, combining the guidance function with the existing support structure. The guide defining the circular arc path is provided on the bearing block itself, merging the bearing and guidance functions into a single component rather than requiring separate guidance mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide is designed as a circular arc that naturally constrains the bearing element motion. This curved guide geometry simplifies the mechanism by using the inherent properties of circular motion to achieve the desired foot lever repositioning while maintaining the non-actuation condition, rather than requiring complex control systems.
3Reliability
If the bearing element is displaced along a circular arc path, then the foot lever can be repositioned without actuating the vehicle component, but the guide structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The guide defining the path of movement is designed as a circular arc that passes through the first bearing element position. This curved guide structure naturally constrains the bearing element to move along the circular arc, ensuring the foot lever axis remains on the arc and preventing actuation of the vehicle component during repositioning.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide structure is integrated into the bearing block, combining the guidance function with the existing support structure. The guide defining the circular arc path is provided on the bearing block itself, merging the bearing and guidance functions into a single component rather than requiring separate guidance mechanisms.
Data Source
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AI summary
Foot lever assembly for a vehicle, comprising a bearing block (2), a foot lever (3), a bearing element (4) by means of which the foot lever (3) is pivotably mounted on the bearing block (2) about a foot lever axis (5) which in a first bearing element position (P1) of the bearing element (4) lies on a circle (16) or circular arc around a bearing location (17) provided on the foot lever (3), a coupling member (7) mounted at the bearing location (17) on the foot lever (3) for actuating a vehicle component (8), and an adjusting device connected to the bearing block (2) by means of which the bearing element (4) can be displaced relative to the bearing block (2) from the first bearing element position (P1) to a second bearing element position (P2) in which the foot lever axis (5) lies on the circle (16) or circular arc.