Clutch pedal vibration reduction apparatus capable of adjusting damping force

Abstract

A clutch pedal vibration reduction apparatus configured for adjusting damping force, may include a vibration absorbing damper for absorbing vibration transmitted to a clutch pedal, wherein a space is formed in the vibration absorbing damper, an internal thread is formed at an inlet, and a damping force adjusting device for adjusting damping force is thread-coupled to the internal thread inside the space.

Claims

1. A clutch pedal vibration reduction apparatus configured for adjusting damping force, the clutch pedal vibration reduction apparatus comprising: a vibration absorbing damper configured for absorbing vibration transmitted to a clutch pedal, wherein a space is formed in the vibration absorbing damper, an internal thread is formed at an inlet thereof, and a damping force adjusting device configured for adjusting the damping force is thread-coupled to the internal thread inside the space, and wherein the damping force adjusting device includes: at least two vibration plate fixing stoppers; a ring-shaped flat elastic member which converges respective vibration plate fixing stoppers; a lower cover which is in contact with an internal surface of the ring-shaped flat elastic member, is thread-coupled to the internal thread, and is configured to push the stoppers outward; and an external thread formed on an external portion of the lower cover and thread-coupled to the internal thread.

2. The clutch pedal vibration reduction apparatus of claim 1, wherein a protruding portion having a first inclined surface is formed on an external portion of an upper surface of the lower cover.

3. The clutch pedal vibration reduction apparatus of claim 2, wherein an internal surface of the vibration plate fixing stoppers has a second inclined surface which is in direct contact with the first inclined surface formed on the external portion of the lower cover.

4. The clutch pedal vibration reduction apparatus of claim 1, wherein a groove is formed in a lower portion of the lower cover to adjust a vertical position of the lower cover by thread adjustment.

5. The clutch pedal vibration reduction apparatus of claim 4, wherein the groove has a straight line shape or a cross shape.

6. The clutch pedal vibration reduction apparatus of claim 4, wherein letters or numbers are marked on a lower portion of the vibration absorbing damper, which is in direct contact with the lower portion of the lower cover, to indicate an increase or decrease direction according to a rotation direction of the groove formed in the lower cover.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a view schematically illustrating a typical clutch system of a vehicle of the prior art.

(2) FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view illustrating a vibration absorbing damper in the prior art.

(3) FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a damping force adjusting device which forms a clutch pedal vibration reduction apparatus configured for adjusting damping force according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

(4) FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 are views illustrating states in which the damping force adjusting device in FIG. 3 is coupled.

(5) FIG. 4 is a perspective plan view of the damping force adjusting means.

(6) FIG. 5 is a bottom perspective view of the damping force adjusting means.

(7) FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which a lower cover and a vibration absorbing damper according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention are coupled.

(8) FIG. 7 is a bottom plan view illustrating a state in which the lower cover and the vibration absorbing damper according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention are coupled.

(9) FIG. 8 is a view for helping understand the clutch pedal vibration reduction apparatus configured for adjusting damping force according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

(10) It should be understood that the appended drawings are not necessarily to scale, presenting a somewhat simplified representation of various features illustrative of the basic principles of the invention. The specific design features of the present invention as disclosed herein, including, specific dimensions, orientations, locations, and shapes will be determined in part by the particular intended application and use environment.

(11) In the figures, reference numbers refer to the same or equivalent parts of the present invention throughout the several figures of the drawing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(12) Reference will now be made in detail to various embodiments of the present invention(s), examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described below. While the invention(s) will be described in conjunction with exemplary embodiments, it will be understood that the present description is not intended to limit the invention(s) to those exemplary embodiments. On the contrary, the invention(s) is/are intended to cover not only the exemplary embodiments, but also various alternatives, modifications, equivalents and other embodiments, which may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

(13) FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a damping force adjusting device which forms a clutch pedal vibration reduction apparatus configured for adjusting damping force according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 are views illustrating states in which the damping force adjusting device in FIG. 3 is coupled, FIG. 4 is a perspective plan view of the damping force adjusting means, and FIG. 5 is a bottom perspective view of the damping force adjusting means.

(14) FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which a lower cover and a vibration absorbing damper according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention are coupled, FIG. 7 is a bottom plan view illustrating a state in which the lower cover and the vibration absorbing damper according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention are coupled, and FIG. 8 is a view for helping understand the clutch pedal vibration reduction apparatus configured for adjusting damping force according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

(15) In a vibration absorbing damper 100 for absorbing vibration transmitted to a clutch pedal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a space S is formed in the vibration absorbing damper 100, an internal thread 110 is formed at an inlet, and a damping force adjusting device 200 for adjusting damping force is thread-coupled to the internal thread 110 inside the space S.

(16) As illustrated in FIG. 3 or FIG. 4, the damping force adjusting device 200 includes two or more vibration plate fixing stoppers 210, a ring type flat spring 220 which converges the respective vibration plate fixing stoppers 210 to a center thereof, and a lower cover 230 which is in contact with an internal surface of the ring type flat spring 220, is thread-coupled to the internal thread 110 and pushes the stopper 210 outward.

(17) An external thread 233 is formed on an external portion of the lower cover 230, and thread-coupled to the internal thread 110 formed at the inlet of the vibration absorbing damper 100.

(18) The vibration plate fixing stoppers 210 may be made of a metallic material having excellent elasticity and wear resistance, and the number of vibration plate fixing stoppers 210 may be two or more, for example, three or four.

(19) The ring type flat spring 220 is opened at one side and contracted by external force, configured to move the separated several vibration plate fixing stoppers 210 vertically along a first inclined surface 232 of a protruding portion 231 formed on the lower cover 230 and resiliently hold the vibration plate fixing stoppers 210.

(20) In the present case, a second inclined surface 211, which has the same angle as the first inclined surface 232 of the protruding portion 231 formed on the lower cover 230, is formed in the vibration plate fixing stopper 210.

(21) Both of the ring type flat spring 220 and the vibration plate fixing stopper 210 are made of a metallic material.

(22) As illustrated in FIG. 5 or FIG. 7, a groove 234 having a straight line shape or a cross shape is formed in a lower portion of the lower cover 230 to be able to adjust a vertical position of the lower cover 230 by thread adjustment.

(23) A maintaining protrusion may be formed on an external portion of the protruding portion 231 formed on the upper surface of the lower cover 230 to continuously maintain the intervals among the vibration plate fixing stoppers 210.

(24) The groove 234 is typically formed in a straight line shape, so that the groove 234 may be manipulated by a coin without using a screw driver.

(25) As illustrated in FIG. 7, letters or numbers W are marked on a lower portion of the vibration absorbing damper 100, which is in direct contact with the lower portion of the lower cover 230, to indicate an increase or decrease direction according to a rotation direction of the groove 234 formed in the lower cover 230, so that a user may easily adjust the damping force.

(26) Reference numeral 102 illustrated in FIG. 6 indicates a member formed by integrating the upper plate and the upper ring in the prior art, and the member is configured to reduce the number of components and play the roles of the upper plate and the upper ring.

(27) Therefore, as illustrated in FIG. 3, in the clutch pedal vibration reduction apparatus configured for adjusting damping force, which is configured as described above, the several vibration plate fixing stoppers 210 are placed at intervals on the protruding portion 232 formed on the upper surface of the lower cover 230, and the ring type flat spring 220 is placed at an external circumference of the vibration plate fixing stoppers 210, wherein the damping force adjusting device 200 is prepared.

(28) Next, in the present state, as illustrated in FIG. 6, the damping force adjusting device 200 is pushed into the space S formed in the vibration absorbing damper 100. Then, the internal thread 110 formed at the inlet of the vibration absorbing damper 100 and the external thread 233 of the damping force adjusting device 200 for adjusting damping force are thread-coupled to each other.

(29) Next, in the present state, when the groove 234 formed in the lower cover 230 is rotated to the left or right, the lower cover 230 is moved upward or downward along a screw thread formed on the vibration absorbing damper 100.

(30) In the present case, as the lower cover 230 is moved upward or downward, the vibration plate fixing stoppers 210 are moved upward or downward along the first inclined surface 232 formed on the lower cover 230 while receiving the elastic force (being tightened) of the ring type flat spring 220, adjusting damping force.

(31) Therefore, vibration is reduced in directions indicated by arrows illustrated in FIG. 8.

(32) For convenience in explanation and accurate definition in the appended claims, the terms upper, lower, internal and outer, up, down,, upwards, downwards, front, rear, back, inside, outside, inwardly, outwardly, internal, external, forwards and backwards are used to describe features of the exemplary embodiments with reference to the positions of such features as displayed in the figures.

(33) The foregoing descriptions of specific exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings. The exemplary embodiments were chosen and described to explain certain principles of the invention and their practical application, to enable others skilled in the art to make and utilize various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, as well as various alternatives and modifications thereof. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the Claims appended hereto and their equivalents.