Adjustable pedal for a motor vehicle

Abstract

An adjustable pedal for a motor vehicle, including a pedal arm rotatably mounted on a bearing block, a pedal base body adjustably mounted relative to the pedal arm, as well as a pedal plate provided with an actuation surface arranged on the lower end of the pedal base body. The pedal base body is rotatably mounted on the pedal arm in such a way that an adjustment causes an arcuate movement of the pedal base body and of the pedal plate arranged therein. The pedal plate is rotatably mounted on the pedal base body about a pivot point so that the pedal plate is operatively connected to the mechanism which causes during an adjustment of the pedal base body relative to the pedal arm a forcibly guided rotational movement of the pedal plate about the pivot point.

Claims

1. An adjustable pedal for a motor vehicle, comprising: a pedal arm, which is rotatably mounted on a bearing block, wherein the pedal arm has two tracks cut through the pedal arm body; a rigidly-defined, unitary pedal base body, which is adjustably mounted relative to the pedal arm, wherein the pedal base body is slidably affixed to each of the two tracks in the pedal arm by mounting pieces passing through each of the tracks and configured to slide along the two tracks so as to adjust the orientation of the pedal base body in relation to the pedal arm, as well as a pedal plate, provided with an actuation surface arranged at a lower end of the pedal base body, wherein the pedal plate is pivotably attached to the pedal base body about a lone pivot point, wherein the pedal base body is adjustably mounted on the pedal arm in such a way that an adjustment causes an arcuate movement of the pedal base body and of the pedal plate arranged therein, wherein the pedal plate is rotatably mounted on the pedal base body about the lone pivot point so that the pedal plate is capable of moving about the lone pivot point with an adjusting movement of the pedal base body relative to the pedal arm.

2. The adjustable pedal according to claim 1, wherein the pedal plate is rotated about the pivot point in such a way that an actuation vector which is normally oriented in an actuation point on the actuation surface of the pedal plate maintains an orthogonal orientation toward the actuation surface of the pedal plate throughout the adjusting movement.

3. The adjustable pedal according to claim 1, wherein the pedal plate is rotated about the pivot point in such a way that after the adjustment of the pedal, an actuation vector oriented toward the actuation surface of the pedal plate is always directed normally to the actuation surface to the pedal plate.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

(1) Further advantages, features and possible applications of the present invention will become evident from the following description in conjunction with the embodiment illustrated in the figures.

(2) FIG. 1 shows an adjustable pedal in the position “tall person” and in the pedal position “small person” according to prior art;

(3) FIG. 2 shows an adjustable pedal according to the invention in different pedal positions, and

(4) FIG. 3 shows the adjustable pedal of FIG. 2 with a variable angle compensation with a big actuation angle change.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

(5) FIG. 1 shows an adjustable pedal for a motor vehicle which is generally designated by the numeral 10. While the illustration on the left side shows the pedal 10 in the pedal position “tall person, on the right side is illustrated the pedal 10 in the pedal position “small person”.

(6) The pedal 10 comprises a pedal arm 12, which is rotatably mounted on a bearing block—not shown here for reasons of clarity. The pedal 10 further includes a pedal base body 14 which is adjustable relative to the pedal arm 12, as well as a pedal plate 16 which is arranged at the lower end of the pedal base body 14. The surface of the pedal plate 16, which is directed into the footwell, will be hereinafter referred to as actuating surface 18.

(7) As can be further also seen from FIG. 1, with an adjustment of the pedal 10 from the pedal position “tall person” to the pedal position “small person”, the pedal base body 14 is moved downward relative to the pedal arm 12 and at the same time forward in the footwell, which is to say that both the pedal base body 14 as well as the pedal plate 16 that is rigidly arranged on it carry out an arcuate movement that causes a change of the inclination angle of the pedal plate 16.

(8) The consequence of this is that in the pedal position “tall person”, the actuation vector {right arrow over (b)}.sub.N of the pedal plate 16 which is normally on actuation surface 18 in the actuation point B “migrates” as it is oriented after the adjustment of the pedal 10 toward the actuation point B′ at the lower edge of the pedal plate 16. As can be further also seen in FIG. 1, in the pedal position “small person”, a steeper angle is created by the actuation vector {right arrow over (b)} migrated to the actuation point B′ with the actuation surface 18. As a result of the “migration” and of the changed angle of the actuation vector {right arrow over (b)}, there is an increased risk of slipping in the pedal position “small person”.

(9) Therefore, the invention is now used as follows:

(10) In order to minimize the risk of slipping in the pedal position “small person”, the pedal plate 16 is according to the invention rotatably mounted about a pivot point 20 on the pedal base body so that the pedal plate 16 is operatively connected to the means which cause with an adjusting movement of the pedal base body 14 relative to the pedal arm 12 a forcibly performed rotational movement of the pedal plate 16 about the pivot point 20.

(11) The effect achieved in this manner is illustrated in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3.

(12) FIG. 2 shows a pedal 10 according to the invention in three pedal positions, namely in the pedal position “tall person” on the left side, in the pedal position “small person” on the right side, and in a position in between in the center of the figure. The pedal base body 14 is slidably affixed to two tracks 30, 34 in the pedal arm 12 by mounting pieces 32, 36, engaged with tracks 30, 34.

(13) As shown in FIG. 2—in accordance with FIG. 1—in the pedal position “tall person”, the actuation vector {right arrow over (b)}.sub.N is in the actuation point B oriented normally toward the actuation surface 18 of the pedal plate 16. As can be seen in both of the other illustrations in FIG. 2, a rotational movement is performed with an adjustment process of the pedal plate 16, so that change of the inclination angle of the pedal plate occurring during an adjustment of the pedal 10 is compensated for and the consequence is that a “migration” of the actuation vector {right arrow over (b)}.sub.N on the pedal plate 16 is prevented.

(14) In addition, the pedal plate 16 is rotatable mounted and forcibly guided in such a manner that the actuation vector {right arrow over (b)}.sub.N maintains its orthogonal orientation to the actuation surface 18 of the pedal plate 16 throughout the adjusting movement. This makes it possible to ensure that with an adjustment from the pedal position “tall person”, both the normal orientation of the actuation vector {right arrow over (b)}.sub.N as well as its relative position on the pedal plate 16 will be maintained and the adjustment process thus has no influence on the risk of slipping.

(15) FIG. 3 shows another embodiment of the pedal 10 according to the invention with a variable angle compensation at a higher actuation angle change.

(16) Such big changes of the actuation angle occur for example when—as shown in the illustration on the left—the pedal position remains in the pedal position “tall person” and the driver of the motor vehicle moves the driver seat in order to improve the field of vision or for better accessibility of the pedals forward and then again upward, or—as shown in the drawing on the right—in addition to adjusting the seat forward and upward, adjusts accordingly also the pedals in the pedal position “small person”: and due to the adjustment of the seat forward and upward, the hip point of the driver is moved upward and forward, so that the foot of the driver is arranged at a steeper actuation angle to the pedal plate 16 of the pedal 10 and it migrates upward in the actuation point B on the pedal plate.

(17) In order to minimize the risk of slipping also with the described large actuation angle changes, according to the embodiment of the pedal 10 in accordance with the invention, the pedal plate 16 is forcibly guided and rotated about the pivot point 20 in such a way that an actuation vector {right arrow over (b)}.sub.N which is aligned with the actuation surface 18 of the pedal plate 16 is normally oriented toward the actuation surface 18 of the pedal plate 16.