Vehicle Pedal Damper With Valve-Controlled Quiet Return
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pedal dampers in vehicles generate undesirable noise due to the rapid return of the operating part to its initial position, which is exacerbated by strong springs used to emulate haptic feedback.
Innovation Solution
A damper comprising a hollow body that is compressible or expandable, equipped with a valve that controls the flow of a medium (such as air) to regulate the speed of the body's return to its idle position, thereby reducing noise.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Force
If strong springs are used to emulate haptic feedback during pedal actuation, then the restoring force is sufficient to return the operating part to its initial position, but the operating part springs back too fast causing noise at the end stop
Solution Approach 1:
A damper is introduced as an intermediary element between the spring and the operating part. The damper includes a hollow body with a valve that controls medium flow, acting as a mediator that allows the spring to provide strong restoring force while the valve regulates the return speed to prevent noise
Solution Approach 2:
The valve changes the flow parameters of the medium dynamically. During compression, the valve allows rapid medium outflow to enable fast compression. During return, the valve restricts medium inflow to control the return speed and prevent noise, thus changing flow parameters to resolve the contradiction
2Object-affected harmful factors
If hydraulic approaches are used to suppress noise during pedal return, then noise is reduced, but the structure becomes complicated and more susceptible to faults
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the essential noise-suppression function from complex hydraulic systems and implements it through a simplified damper structure with a hollow body and valve. This maintains the noise reduction benefit while eliminating the complexity and fault susceptibility of full hydraulic systems
Solution Approach 2:
The damper uses a simple valve mechanism that can be easily replaced if needed, rather than complex hydraulic components. The design prioritizes simplicity and ease of replacement over long-term durability, reducing overall system complexity and cost
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The damper effectively suppresses noise during the return of the operating part to its initial position while being cost-effective and less prone to faults compared to hydraulic approaches.
Implementation Method 1
a valve, the body being compressible or expandable from an idle position, the valve being suitable and designed to allow the medium to flow into and/or flow out of the body, the inflow and/or outflow of the medium being controlled by the valve
Implementation Method 2
the body being compressible or expandable from an idle position
Implementation Method 3
the springs build up a restoring force by the actuation of the operating part, which returns the operating part to its initial position
Data Source
AI summary
A damper for a pedal of a vehicle, comprising a hollow body for receiving a medium and a valve. The body is compressible or expandable from an idle position. The valve is designed to allow the medium to flow into and/or out of the body. The inflow and/or the outflow of the medium being controlled by the valve such that during the compression of the body from the idle position, the outflow of the medium takes place rapidly and, upon the return to the idle position, the inflow of the medium takes place slowly or such that during the expansion of the body from the idle position, the inflow of the medium takes place rapidly and, upon the return to the idle position, the outflow of the medium takes place slowly. A pedal and system are also provided.