Pedal Unit Bracket Design for Recreational Off-Highway Vehicle Space Constraints
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Solution Overview
Problem
Recreational Off-Highway Vehicles (ROVs) face challenges in assembling pedal units due to the lack of sufficient space for a flat surface to mount a plate-shaped bracket, unlike ordinary passenger vehicles, making it difficult to integrate conventional pedal units.
Innovation Solution
A pedal unit design featuring rotatable accelerator and brake pedals supported by brackets with plates extending in the fore-and-aft direction, reducing the width requirement and utilizing a connector to integrate both pedals and the brake master cylinder, along with an elastic pipe for the brake reservoir tank, allowing for a compact and efficient assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a plate-shaped bracket is used to mount the pedal unit, then the pedals can be securely supported, but sufficient flat space is required which is not available in ROVs
Solution Approach 1:
The bracket is transformed from a two-dimensional plate shape to a three-dimensional structure with plates extending in the fore-and-aft direction. This dimensional change allows the bracket to achieve sufficient structural strength and pedal support capability while reducing the width direction space requirement, making it suitable for ROV mounting spaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The bracket is divided into multiple components including a first bracket, a second bracket, and a connector. The first and second brackets are separated and connected through the connector, allowing for a more compact overall structure that reduces the required mounting space while maintaining the necessary support strength for the pedals.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the pedals are mounted on a wide bracket, then they are stable, but the width direction space increases which is not available in ROVs
Solution Approach 1:
The bracket structure transitions from width-direction extension to fore-and-aft direction extension. The plates extend in the fore-and-aft direction rather than the width direction, achieving stable pedal support while minimizing the width direction footprint to fit ROV space constraints.
Solution Approach 2:
The first and second brackets are positioned asymmetrically with respect to the width direction, with the brake pedal disposed between them. This asymmetric arrangement optimizes the space utilization in the width direction while maintaining the stability of the pedal unit through the fore-and-aft direction extension.
3Device complexity
If the brake pedal is supported by a single bracket, then the structure is simple, but the brake pedal heavily subjected to oil pressure and weight load requires enhanced support
Solution Approach 1:
The brake pedal support is segmented into a first bracket and a second bracket, with the brake pedal disposed between them. This segmentation allows the brake pedal to be supported from both sides, distributing the heavy loads from oil pressure and weight across multiple support points, thereby enhancing support strength without excessive complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The first bracket, second bracket, and brake pedal are connected and integrated into a unified structure through the connector. This merging creates a rigid triangular support configuration that enhances the overall strength and stability of the brake pedal assembly, capable of withstanding heavy oil pressure and weight loads.
Data Source
AI summary
A pedal unit includes an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, a first bracket, a second bracket, and a connector. The first bracket includes a first plate including a first surface and a second surface that rotatably supports the accelerator pedal disposed adjacent to the first surface and the brake pedal disposed adjacent to the second surface. The second bracket includes a second plate including a third surface that rotatably supports the brake pedal disposed adjacent to the third surface of the second plate. The connector connects the first bracket, the brake pedal, and the second bracket in a state in which the brake pedal is disposed between the second surface and the third surface.