Accelerator Pedal Module Curved Contact Wear Reduction
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional accelerator pedal modules experience wear and tear due to the guide portion, leading to jerky pedal operation and reduced spring efficiency, which affects the overall pedal feeling.
Innovation Solution
The accelerator pedal module incorporates a rotor with a curved convex surface and a holder with a curved concave surface, where the biasing force of the spring is applied below the contact point, eliminating the need for a guide portion and ensuring linear compression of the springs, thus minimizing wear and maintaining a good pedal operation feeling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a guide portion is used to guide the holder's movement, then the holder's movement is constrained and controlled, but the holder experiences one-sided wear over time causing jerkiness in pedal power characteristic
Solution Approach 1:
The guide portion is completely removed from the system. Instead of guiding the holder through a guide portion, the invention uses a spherical projection member on the rotor that contacts a spherical concavity member on the holder, allowing the holder to move along an arc path without sliding contact that causes wear. This extraction of the guide portion eliminates the source of one-sided wear while maintaining movement control through spherical contact geometry.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces spherical geometry into the contact between the rotor and holder. The spherical projection member on the rotor contacts the spherical concavity member on the holder, creating a point contact that naturally guides movement along an arc without sliding friction. This spheroidal contact replaces the linear sliding contact of the guide portion, eliminating wear while maintaining controlled movement.
2Reliability
If the holder moves along an arc path without a guide portion, then wear is minimized, but the spring compression path becomes non-linear reducing operating efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The spherical projection member and spherical concavity member create a contact geometry where the holder naturally moves along an arc path. The spherical surfaces are configured so that the contact point between rotor and holder traces an arc, allowing the spring to compress along this arc path. This maintains wear-free operation while the specific spherical geometry optimizes spring compression efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from linear spring compression to arc-shaped compression by positioning the spring's lower end at a specific location that allows it to follow the arc path of the spherical contact. This dimensional change in the compression path, from straight to curved, enables the system to maintain both wear resistance and spring efficiency through geometric configuration.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the spherical concavity member is positioned above the spring contact point, then the holder orientation becomes unstable, but positioning it below improves stability while requiring arc-shaped spring compression
Solution Approach 1:
The spherical concavity member is positioned below the spring contact point on the holder, and the spherical geometry of both the projection and concavity members creates a stable contact configuration. The arc-shaped movement path generated by spherical contact naturally stabilizes the holder orientation during operation, eliminating the need for complex guidance mechanisms while maintaining stability through geometric constraints.
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
This design reduces part abrasion and maintains a consistent pedal operation feeling by ensuring linear compression of the springs and stable orientation of the holder, preventing one-sided wear and enhancing the overall efficiency of the pedal module.
Implementation Method 1
a resilient biasing member (4, 5), having a first end received by the housing (3) and arranged to be compressible along a biasing direction (Ls) generally tangential to an arc path, along which a protrusion (74) of the rotor (70) passes when the rotor (70) rotates about the rotation axis (O)
Implementation Method 2
a resilient biasing member (4, 5)... which serves as a return spring... biases the accelerator pedal (2) in a reverse direction of a pedaling direction of the accelerator pedal (2)
Implementation Method 3
the rotor (70) rotates about the rotation axis (O)... a protrusion (74) of the rotor (70) passes when the rotor (70) rotates about the rotation axis (O)... along an arc path
Implementation Method 4
The radius of curvature r1 of a cross section, taken on an xy plane, of the convex surface (75) of the protruding portion (74)... The radius of curvature r2 of a cross section, taken on an xy plane, of the concave surface (91) of the holder (90)... friction between the spring rotor 70 and the friction washer 32
Data Source
AI summary
An accelerator pedal is engaged with the rotor so that the accelerator pedal is pivotable about a rotation axis. A coil spring is arranged on a biasing axis that is generally tangential to an arc path, along which a protrusion of the rotor passes when the rotor rotates about the rotation axis. A holder is interposed between the protrusion of the rotor and the coil spring. A concave surface of the holder contacts a convex surface of the protrusion. A receiving portion of the holder receives the coil spring. The contact point is located between a second end and a first end of the coil spring. The concave surface of the holder and the convex surface of the protrusion are curved to satisfy a predetermined relationship.