Provided is a damper capable of damping a moving member which reciprocates along an axis, using a damping force having a hysteresis property.

A damper includes a cylindrical housing into which a push rod is to be inserted in the direction of an axis thereof, and a damping mechanism placed in the housing and capable of damping the push rod by a damping force having a hysteresis property, wherein the damper is to be attached using a master cylinder mount space of a clutch pedal unit. In the damping mechanism of the damper, engagement between a helical cam groove formed in an inner wall of the housing and a guide protrusion formed on an outer circumference of a rotatable friction disk causes reciprocating linear motion of the push rod to be converted into rotating motion of the rotatable friction disk, and other friction disks, placed on both sides of the rotatable friction disk are pressed against respective sliding surfaces, of the rotating friction disk by an elastic force of a coil spring depending on an amount of displacement of the push rod.

A vehicle control system is provided, which includes an operating amount detector configured to detect an operating amount by an operator, of an operation mechanism comprising at least one of an accelerator pedal and a brake pedal, a speed detector configured to detect a vehicle traveling speed, a reaction-force generator configured to generate a reaction force of the pedal, and a controller. The controller includes a processor to execute an acceleration calculating module to calculate an acceleration based on the traveling speed and the operating amount, a rigidity characteristic setting module to set the reaction force so that a rigidity value that is a ratio of the reaction force to the operating amount increases as the acceleration increases, and a reaction-force control module to control the reaction-force generator so that the reaction force generated by the reaction-force generator becomes the reaction-force value set by the rigidity characteristic setting module.

A kickdown switch for an accelerator pedal informs a driver of a misoperation state by using a kickdown switch provided in the accelerator pedal when the driver misoperates the accelerator pedal rather than operating a brake pedal while braking is required. Accordingly, the driver can definitely recognize the misoperation state of the accelerator pedal and rapidly stop misoperation of the accelerator pedal and sudden acceleration of the vehicle, whereby occurrence of accidents can be prevented.

An accelerator pedal device for use in a vehicle has: a housing fixed to a vehicle body; an accelerator arm that has a drum at one end and a pedal at the other end; a friction pad that has a pad shaft; and a spring that is interposed between the accelerator arm and the friction pad. The drum has an arm pivoting shaft that pivotally supports the accelerator arm and a recess that is recessed from a periphery of the drum toward the arm pivoting shaft, the friction pad has a friction part that is pressed against the recess by a spring force of the spring, the friction part has a side surface member having a side surface in an arched cross section to face the recess, and the side surface member has a contact part that is brought into point-contact with the recess of the drum.

A vehicle control device comprises an accelerator (22a) which a driver of a vehicle operates in order to accelerate the vehicle, and a controller configured to execute a limit control for imposing a limitation on a driving force, in such a manner that the driving force is prevented from becoming excessively large, when a predetermined limit condition is satisfied. The controller executes the limit control and a mistaken operation notification, when a mistaken operation state has been occurring. The controller executes a failure notification, when the mistaken operation state has not been occurring at a failure occurrence time point at which a control failure that the controller cannot execute the limit control has occurred. The controller continues executing the mistaken operation notification without executing the failure notification at the failure occurrence time point, if the mistaken operation state has been occurring at the failure occurrence time point.

An adjustable pedal for a vehicle has readily accessible adjustment mechanisms. An adjustment component has a first leg and also has a cross leg secured in the passenger compartment of the vehicle. A slot extends horizontally in the first leg with horizontal first alignment holes above and below the slot. Bolts couple a slide block to the first alignment holes at a vertical position of comfort to a driver. A brake pedal has an upper end pivotably coupled to the slide block and has a lower end adapted to be depressed by the driver. A foot pad is coupled to the lower end of the brake pedal. A plurality of elevationally spaced holes are in the brake pedal. Bolts couple the foot pad to the brake pedal at a horizontal position of comfort for the driver.

Disclosed is a vehicle accelerator pedal that may include a cylindrical hinge unit, a lever unit having one side configured to operate in a first direction and another side formed to correspond to an inner circumferential edge of the hinge unit and configured to operate in a second direction opposite the first direction. An outer circumferential edge may be configured to come into close contact with an upper inner circumferential edge of the hinge unit such that a moment of force is applied in a first rotation direction by the hinge unit. An elastic unit having one side may be configured to elastically support one side of the lever unit, the other side formed to correspond to the inner circumferential edge of the hinge unit. An outer circumferential edge may be configured to come into close contact with a lower inner circumferential edge of the hinge unit.

A system for controlling a vehicle fitted with electrical controls, the control system includes a handgrip mounted on a shaft and fitted with a position sensor and with a return spring which is fixed by one end to the handgrip so as to generate a return moment that opposes the twisting of the handgrip. The system includes at least one actuator able to move a cam mounted on the shaft and able to: modify the preload of the return spring according to the position of the cam to which the other end of the return spring is fixed, and/or modify the travel of the handgrip by collaborating with an end stop of the handgrip, the end stop coming into contact with a cam at the end of the travel.

A method and device for providing a signal for operating at least two vehicles including: receiving vehicle data values which represent at least one further vehicle, the at least one further vehicle cutting in between the at least two vehicles, acquiring a first driving strategy of the at least two vehicles, determining a second driving strategy for the at least two vehicles, as a function of the first driving strategy and as a function of the vehicle data values, and providing a signal for operating the at least two vehicles as a function of the second driving strategy.

This accelerator pedal device includes a pedal arm having an accelerator pedal, a housing that supports the pedal arm so as to be capable of swinging about a prescribed axis line between a rest position and a maximum push position, a slider that slides over an inner wall of the housing, a contact part formed on the pedal arm in order to exert pressing force while separably coining into contact with the slider, and an urging spring disposed between the housing and the slider so that the urging force pressing the slider against the inner wall and the contact part increases in accordance with the pushing of the accelerator pedal.