Patent ID: 6591712
Filing Date: 2003-07-15
Classification: B60K,B60T,F16F,G05G,Y10T

Abstract:
A pedal device for an automobile comprising:a pedal arm, a damper for imparting a resistance force to the rotation of said pedal arm, said damper including a movable member which is disposed movably in an axial direction but immovable in a direction about the axis, a rotating member disposed rotatably about the axis and facing said movable member, spring means for resiliently urging said movable member toward said rotating member, and frictional-resistance-force generating means for generating a frictional resistance force as the resistance force in the rotation of said rotating member, and for increasing the frictional resistance force by increasing the spring force of said spring means by causing said movable member to move away from said rotating member in the axial direction against the resiliency of said spring means, and a rotatable shaft connected on one end thereof to said pedal arm and on another end thereof to said rotating member for transmitting a rotation of said pedal arm to said rotating member, said damper having such an elastic deformation property with respect to said direction about the axis that the rotation of said pedal arm is permitted from an initial position of rotation of said pedal arm to any angle of 0.5 to 20% of a full angle of rotation thereof where said rotating member is maintained in a stationary state by the frictional resistance force of said damper, whereby a torque which gradually increases is imparted to said rotating member in said stationary state from said initial position to said angle, and that, when said pedal arm is rotated more than said angle, the frictional resistance force is overcome by the increased torque of said rotating member, whereby said rotating member is rotated in conjunction with the rotation of said pedal arm.