Patent ID: 6186026
Filing Date: 2001-02-13
Classification: G05G,Y10T

Abstract:
A motor vehicle brake pedal for a brake-by-wire brake system comprising:a pedal lever resiliently flexible in beam bending having an inboard end and an outboard end,a socket means operative to rigidly connect the pedal lever at the inboard end thereof to a body of the motor vehicle thereby to constitute the pedal lever a cantilever spring on the body of the motor vehicle,a foot pad on the pedal lever at the outboard end thereof whereat a pedal force is applied to effect pedal travel in the form of resilient flexure of the pedal lever in cantilever spring bending from a release position to a brake full apply position,a stationary reaction surface on the vehicle body, anda pedal lever reaction surface on the pedal lever between the inboard end thereof and the foot pad diverging from the stationary reaction surface in the release position of the pedal lever and progressively engaging the stationary reaction surface in response to resilient flexure of the pedal lever in cantilever spring bending from the release position thereof to the brake full apply position thereof, the stationary reaction surface and pedal lever reaction surface being contoured relative to each other to vary the stiffness of the cantilever spring defined by the pedal lever in response to resilient flexure thereof in cantilever spring bending from the release position to the brake full apply position thereby to vary the rate of change of the pedal force relative to the pedal travel of the pedal lever.