Operation stabilization system for foldable pedal apparatus

An operation stabilization system for a foldable pedal apparatus of a vehicle includes: a first battery and a second battery disposed in the vehicle; a first vehicle controller and a second vehicle controller receiving power from the first battery and the second battery, respectively, and transmitting operation signals, respectively; a foldable pedal controller disposed in the foldable pedal apparatus to generate control signals by receiving the signals from the first vehicle controller and the second vehicle controller; and a first motor and a second motor disposed in the foldable pedal apparatus and connected to the first battery and the second battery to receive the power from the first and second batteries, respectively.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2020-0154486, filed Nov. 18, 2020 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the entire contents of which is incorporated herein for all purposes by this reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to an operation stabilization system for a foldable pedal apparatus, and more particularly, to an operation stabilization system for a foldable pedal apparatus, the operation stabilization system being able to improve operation stability using two independent batteries, two independent motors, and two independent stroke sensors.

BACKGROUND

Autonomous driving technology enables a vehicle to autonomously travel to a destination without requiring a driver to manually operate a steering wheel, an accelerator pedal, a brake, or the like. Recently, the development of such autonomous driving vehicles is actively underway.

When autonomous driving is generally performed, a driver may select one mode from a manual driving mode in which the driver manually drives a vehicle to a destination and an autonomous driving mode in which the vehicle drives itself to the destination so that the driver does not need to drive the vehicle.

In the autonomous driving mode, the driver may take a rest by stretching legs. However, when pedals (e.g. the accelerator pedal and the brake pedal) provided in the space below and in front of the driver's seat are exposed to the interior of the cabin, the rest of the driver may be disturbed. In particular, when the pad of a pedal device is erroneously operated, the autonomous driving may be forcibly stopped, thereby increasing the risk of an accident.

Therefore, the development of foldable pedal devices (e.g. an accelerator pedal device and a brake pedal device) in autonomous driving vehicle has been undertaken such that the pad of each pedal device extends and is exposed toward a driver in the manual driving mode in which the driver manually drives a vehicle so that the pedal device may be operated by the driver or the pad of the pedal device is hidden and does not extend toward the driver so as not to be operated by the driver so that the driver may take a comfortable rest and erroneous operation may be prevented.

In addition, a pop-up operation of extending the pad of the pedal device so as to be exposed toward the driver and a hiding operation of hiding the pad of the pedal device so as not to extend toward the driver are performed by the operation of a motor using the power of a battery. In the related art, a fail-safe function has not been expected, since there has been provided a single system including the battery and the motor. Thus, there is a problem in that the stabilization of the foldable pedal device is significantly lowered.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure has been made keeping in mind the above problems occurring in the related art, and the present disclosure is intended to propose an operation stabilization system for a foldable pedal apparatus, the operation stabilization system being able to improve operation stability using two independent batteries, two independent motors, and two independent stroke sensors, thereby preventing the risk of an accident that would be caused by a malfunction.

In order to achieve the above objective, according to an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an operation stabilization system for a foldable pedal apparatus of a vehicle, the operation stabilization system including: a first battery and a second battery disposed in the vehicle; a first vehicle controller and a second vehicle controller receiving power from the first battery and the second battery, respectively, and transmitting operation signals, respectively; a foldable pedal controller disposed in the foldable pedal apparatus to generate control signals by receiving the signals from the first vehicle controller and the second vehicle controller; a first motor and a second motor disposed in the foldable pedal apparatus and connected to the first battery and the second battery to receive the power from the first and second batteries, respectively, wherein the first motor and the second motor respectively operate by receiving the control signals from the foldable pedal controller; and a pedal driving unit disposed in the foldable pedal apparatus, operating by receiving the power from the first motor and the second motor, and when operating, driving a pedal pad of the foldable pedal apparatus to pivot with respect to a pedal housing so that the pedal pad pops up or is hidden.

The operation stabilization system may further include a first stroke sensor and a second stroke sensor disposed in the foldable pedal apparatus and connected to the first battery and the second battery, respectively.

The foldable pedal controller may include a single foldable pedal controller, with a control area thereof being divided into a first controller and a second controller. The first controller may receive the signal from the first vehicle controller and transmits an operation control signal to the first motor and the second controller receives the signal from the second vehicle controller and transmits an operation control signal to the second motor.

The pedal driving unit may include: a first gear coupled to the first motor; a second gear coupled to the second motor; a common gear connecting the first gear and the second gear; a lead screw coupled to a central portion of the common gear; a support member screw-coupled to the lead screw to extend and retract in a longitudinal direction of the lead screw following rotation of the lead screw; a pivot member pivotably coupled to the pedal housing and configured to be supported by the support member when the support member has extended and be released from being supported by the support member when the support member has retracted; and a connecting link connecting the pivot member and the pedal pad to each other.

When the support member has extended to support the pivot member, the pedal pad may pivot to extend from the pedal housing, thereby moving to a pop-up position. When the support member has retracted to be released from a position supporting the pivot member, the pedal pad may pivot to be inserted into the pedal housing, thereby moving to a hidden position.

When a manual driving mode signal is generated in an autonomous driving situation, the first vehicle controller may receive the power from the first battery and transmits the operation signal to the first controller of the foldable pedal controller while the second vehicle controller receives the power from the second battery and transmits the operation signal to the second controller of the foldable pedal controller. The first controller of the foldable pedal controller may transmit the operation control signal to the first motor and the second controller of the foldable pedal controller transmits the control operation signal to the second motor. The pedal pad of the foldable pedal apparatus may be moved to a pop-up position or remain in a hidden position depending on whether or not the first motor and the second motor operate.

The first controller and the second controller of the foldable pedal controller may determine whether or not the first motor and the second motor are operating, respectively. When the first motor and the second motor operate simultaneously, the first motor and the second motor may operate by sharing 50% of torque necessary for an operation of the pedal driving unit under control of the first controller and the second controller of the foldable pedal controller. In response to the first motor and the second motor operating simultaneously, the pedal pad of the foldable pedal apparatus may be moved to the pop-up position.

The first controller and the second controller of the foldable pedal controller may determine whether or not the first motor and the second motor are operating, respectively. When one motor of the first motor and the second motor is operating, 100% of the torque may be applied to the operating motor under control of the foldable pedal controller and the pedal pad of the foldable pedal apparatus may be moved to the pop-up position.

When one motor of the first motor and the second motor is operating, a warning system of the vehicle may be operated under control of the first vehicle controller and the second vehicle controller.

The first controller and the second controller of the foldable pedal controller may determine whether or not the first motor and the second motor are operating, respectively. When neither the first motor nor the second motor is operating, a control logic necessary for a pop-up operation of the pedal pad may be ended under control of the foldable pedal controller, a warning system of the vehicle may be operated under control of the first vehicle controller and the second vehicle controller, and the vehicle may remain in autonomous driving mode.

After the pedal pad of the foldable pedal apparatus is moved to the pop-up position, when the pedal pad is pivoted by being operated by a driver, the pedal pad may remain in the pop-up position or be moved to the hidden position depending on output states of the first stroke sensor and the second stroke sensor.

The first controller and the second controller of the foldable pedal controller may determine the output states of the first stroke sensor and the second stroke sensor. When an output value of the first stroke sensor and an output value of the second stroke sensor are the same, the pedal pad may remain in the pop-up position under control of the first controller and the second controller of the foldable pedal controller and the vehicle may ordinarily drive in manual driving mode. When the output value of the first stroke sensor and the output value of the second stroke sensor are different, the pedal pad may be moved to the hidden position under control of the first controller and the second controller of the foldable pedal controller and the vehicle may drive in autonomous driving mode.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an operation stabilization system for a foldable pedal apparatus of a vehicle, the operation stabilization system including: a first battery and a second battery disposed in the vehicle; a vehicle controller including a first controller receiving power from the first battery and transmitting an operation signal and a second controller receiving power from the second battery and transmitting an operation signal; a foldable pedal controller disposed in the foldable pedal apparatus and including a first controller generating a control signal by receiving a signal from the first controller of the vehicle controller and a second controller generating a control signal by receiving a signal from the second controller of the vehicle controller; a first motor and a second motor disposed in the foldable pedal apparatus and connected to the first battery and the second battery to receive the power from the first and second batteries, respectively, wherein the first motor and the second motor respectively operate by receiving the control signals from the foldable pedal controller; a pedal driving unit disposed in the foldable pedal apparatus, operating by receiving the power from the first motor and the second motor, and when operating, driving a pedal pad of the foldable pedal apparatus to pivot with respect to a pedal housing so that the pedal pad pops up or is hidden; and a first stroke sensor and a second stroke sensor disposed in the foldable pedal apparatus and connected to the first battery and the second battery, respectively.

The pedal driving unit may include: a first gear coupled to the first motor; a second gear coupled to the second motor; a common gear connecting the first gear and the second gear; a lead screw coupled to a central portion of the common gear; a support member screw-coupled to the lead screw to extend and retract in a longitudinal direction of the lead screw following rotation of the lead screw; a pivot member pivotably coupled to the pedal housing and configured to be supported by the support member when the support member has extended and be released from being supported by the support member when the support member has retracted; and a connecting link connecting the pivot member and the pedal pad to each other.

When a manual driving mode signal is generated in an autonomous driving situation, the first controller of the vehicle controller may receive the power from the first battery and transmit the operation signal to the first controller of the foldable pedal controller while the second controller of the vehicle controller receives the power from the second battery and transmits the operation signal to the second controller of the foldable pedal controller. The first controller of the foldable pedal controller may transmit the operation control signal to the first motor and the second controller of the foldable pedal controller may transmit the control operation signal to the second motor. The pedal pad of the foldable pedal apparatus may be moved to a pop-up position or may remain in a hidden position depending on whether or not the first motor and the second motor operate.

The first controller and the second controller of the foldable pedal controller may determine whether or not the first motor and the second motor are operating, respectively. When the first motor and the second motor operate simultaneously, the first motor and the second motor may operate by sharing 50% of torque necessary for an operation of the pedal driving unit under control of the first controller and the second controller of the foldable pedal controller. In response to the first motor and the second motor operating simultaneously, the pedal pad of the foldable pedal apparatus may be moved to the pop-up position.

The first controller and the second controller of the foldable pedal controller may determine whether or not the first motor and the second motor are operating, respectively. When one motor of the first motor and the second motor is operating, 100% of the torque may be applied to the operating motor under control of the foldable pedal controller and the pedal pad of the foldable pedal apparatus may be moved to the pop-up position.

The first controller and the second controller of the foldable pedal controller may determine whether or not the first motor and the second motor are operating, respectively. When neither the first motor nor the second motor is operating, a control logic necessary for a pop-up operation of the pedal pad may be ended under control of the foldable pedal controller, and the vehicle may remain in autonomous driving mode.

After the pedal pad of the foldable pedal apparatus is moved to the pop-up position, when the pedal pad is pivoted by being operated by a driver, the pedal pad may remain in the pop-up position or may be moved to the hidden position depending on output states of the first stroke sensor and the second stroke sensor.

The first controller and the second controller of the foldable pedal controller may determine the output states of the first stroke sensor and the second stroke sensor. When an output value of the first stroke sensor and an output value of the second stroke sensor are the same, the pedal pad may remain in the pop-up position under control of the first controller and the second controller of the foldable pedal controller and the vehicle may ordinarily drive in manual driving mode. When the output value of the first stroke sensor and the output value of the second stroke sensor are different, the pedal pad may be moved to the hidden position under control of the first controller and the second controller of the foldable pedal controller and the vehicle may drive in autonomous driving mode.

The operation stabilization system for a foldable pedal apparatus according to the present disclosure may improve operation stability using two independent batteries, two independent motors, and two independent stroke sensors, thereby preventing the risk of an accident that would be caused by a malfunction.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Specific structural and functional descriptions of embodiments of the present disclosure disclosed herein are only for illustrative purposes of the embodiments of the present disclosure. The present disclosure may be embodied in many different forms without departing from the spirit and significant characteristics of the present disclosure. Therefore, the embodiments of the present disclosure are disclosed only for illustrative purposes and should not be construed as limiting the present disclosure.

Reference will now be made in detail to various embodiments of the present disclosure, specific examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described below, since the embodiments of the present disclosure can be variously modified in many different forms. While the present disclosure will be described in conjunction with exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the present description is not intended to limit the present disclosure to those exemplary embodiments. On the contrary, the present disclosure is intended to cover not only the exemplary embodiments, but also various alternatives, modifications, equivalents and other embodiments that may be included within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims.

The controller according to exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented using a non-volatile memory (not shown) configured to store data regarding an algorithm for controlling the operations of a variety of components of a vehicle or software instructions for reproducing the algorithm and a processor (not shown) configured to execute the following operations using the data stored in the memory. The memory and the process may be implemented as separate chips, respectively. As an alternative, the memory and the processor may be implemented as a single integrated chip. The processor may be one or more processors.

Hereinafter, an operation stabilization system for a foldable pedal apparatus according to a first exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference toFIGS. 1 to 4.

In an autonomous driving vehicle, a driver may select one mode from manual driving mode in which the driver manually drives a vehicle and autonomous driving mode in which the driver does not manually drive the vehicle but the vehicle drives to a destination by itself.

That is, the driving mode of the autonomous driving vehicle may be changed, for example, in response to the operation of a driving mode switch10. The driving mode switch10may include an autonomous driving mode switch11and a manual driving mode switch12.

The driving mode switch10is connected to a first battery21and a second battery22provided in the autonomous driving vehicle. The first battery21and the second battery22are connected to a first vehicle controller31and a second vehicle controller32provided in the autonomous driving vehicle, respectively.

The first vehicle controller31and the second vehicle controller32generate operation signals by receiving power from the first battery21and the second battery22, respectively.

The operation signals generated by the first vehicle controller31and the second vehicle controller32are transferred to the foldable pedal apparatus.

The foldable pedal apparatus may be a foldable accelerator pedal device or a foldable brake pedal device.

The foldable pedal apparatus may include: a pedal housing110fixedly disposed in a space below and in front of the driver's seat; a pedal pad120pivotably coupled to the pedal housing110and being operable by a foot of a driver; a foldable pedal controller130generating control signals by receiving the signals from the first vehicle controller31and the second vehicle controller32; a first motor141and a second motor142connected to the first battery21and the second battery22to receive power therefrom, respectively, wherein the first motor141and the second motor142respectively operate by receiving the control signals from the foldable pedal controller130; a pedal driving unit150operating by receiving the power from the first motor141and the second motor142, and when operating, driving the pedal pad120to pivot with respect to the pedal housing110so that the pedal pad120pops up or is hidden; and a first stroke sensor161and a second stroke sensor162connected to the first battery21and the second battery22, respectively.

The pedal housing110has the shape of a hollow box, with the foldable pedal controller130, the first motor141and the second motor142, the pedal driving unit150, and the like being disposed within the internal space thereof.

The pedal pad120may be an organ-type pad, with the bottom end thereof being pivotably coupled to the pedal housing110via a hinge pin121, and the top end thereof being pivotable in a forward-backward direction about the hinge pin121on the bottom end.

The foldable pedal controller130may be a single controller, with the control area thereof being divided into a first controller131and a second controller132.

The first controller131receives the signal from the first vehicle controller31and transmits an operation control signal to the first motor141. The second controller132receives the signal from the second vehicle controller32and transmits an operation control signal to the second motor142.

Each of the first motor141and the second motor142may be a rotary motor. The rotary motor may be a stepper motor. The first motor141and the second motor142may be configured to receive power from the first battery21and the second battery22, respectively.

The pedal driving unit150includes: a first gear151coupled to the first motor141; a second gear152coupled to the second motor142; a common gear153connecting the first gear151and the second gear152; a lead screw154coupled to the central portion of the common gear153; a support member155screw-coupled to the lead screw154to extend and retract in the longitudinal direction of the lead screw154following the rotation of the lead screw154; a pivot member156pivotably coupled to the pedal housing110and configured to be supported by the support member155when the support member155has extended and be released from being supported by the support member155when the support member155has retracted; and a connecting link157connecting the pivot member156and the pedal pad120to each other.

One end of the pivot member156is pivotably coupled to a fixed shaft111of the pedal housing110. The pivot member156is connected to the pedal pad120via the connecting link157. The pivot member156may be a hysteresis module able to generate hysteresis when the pedal pad120is operated by the driver.

The pedal pad120may be moved between a hidden position in which the pedal pad120has been inserted into the pedal housing110and a pop-up position in which the pedal pad120has extended from the pedal housing110, in response to the pivoting of the pivot member156caused by the extending and retracting of the support member155.

That is, when the first gear151, the second gear152, and the common gear153are rotated by the operation of the first motor141and the second motor142, the lead screw154coupled to the common gear153rotates. Following the rotation of the lead screw154, the support member155screw-coupled to the lead screw154extends and retracts in the longitudinal direction of the lead screw154while being guided by the pedal housing110.

When the support member155has extended to be inserted between the pedal housing110and the pivot member156, the support member155that has extended is in a position supporting the pivot member156, and the pedal pad120has extended from the pedal housing110to be in the pop-up position. From this point in time, the pedal pad120may be operated by the driver (refer to Pop-up Position inFIGS. 1 and 2.)

When the support member155has retracted so as to be released from the position supporting the pivot member156, the pedal pad120pivots into the pedal housing110, thereby moving to the hidden position. In this position, the pedal pad120is not operable by the driver (refer to the Hidden Position inFIGS. 1 and 2.)

A return spring is provided such that both ends thereof are supported on the pedal housing110and the pivot member156. When the support member155retracts so as to be released from the position supporting the pivot member156, the pivot member156is pivoted by the elastic force of the return spring, in a direction in which the pivot member156is inserted into the pedal housing110. At this time, the pedal pad120connected to the pivot member156via the connecting link157is also pivoted to be inserted into the pedal housing110, thereby moving to the hidden position.

The first stroke sensor161and the second stroke sensor162are fixedly coupled to left and right portions of the pedal housing110, respectively. The first stroke sensor161and the second stroke sensor162are connected to the pedal pad120via links, respectively. When the pedal pad120is operated by the driver, the first stroke sensor161and the second stroke sensor162serve to detect an initial position (i.e. a return position) of the pedal pad120. In addition, each of the first stroke sensor161and the second stroke sensor162may perform an assistance function of an accelerator pedal sensor (APS) or a brake pedal sensor (BPS).

A control process according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference toFIG. 4.

In a situation in which the autonomous driving vehicle provided with the foldable pedal apparatus is in the autonomous driving mode, when a signal instructing the manual driving mode is generated by the operation the manual driving mode switch12in step S1, the first vehicle controller31receives power from the first battery21and transmits the operation signal to the first controller131of the foldable pedal controller130while the second vehicle controller32receives power from the second battery22and transmits the operation signal to the second controller132of the foldable pedal controller130in step S2.

In addition, in step S3, the first controller131of the foldable pedal controller130transmits the operation control signal to the first motor141and the second controller132of the foldable pedal controller130transmits the operation control signal to the second motor142. In step S4, the first controller131and the second controller132of the foldable pedal controller130determine whether or not the first motor141and the second motor142operate simultaneously.

When the first motor141and the second motor142are determined to operate simultaneously in the step S4, the first motor141and the second motor142operate by sharing 50% of torque necessary for the operation of the pedal driving unit150under the control of the first controller131and the second controller132of the foldable pedal controller130, and the support member155extends in response to the simultaneous operation of the first motor141and the second motor142to support the pivot member156, thereby moving the pedal pad120of the foldable pedal apparatus to the pop-up position in step S5.

When the first motor141and the second motor142are determined not to operate simultaneously in the step S4, the foldable pedal controller130determines whether or not both the first motor141and the second motor142are in stopped positions in step S6.

When one motor of the first motor141and the second motor142is determined to be operating in the step S6, 100% of the torque is applied to the operating motor under the control of the foldable pedal controller130, and also at this time, the pedal pad120of the foldable pedal apparatus is moved to the pop-up position in step S7.

In the situation of the step S7, one motor of the first motor141and the second motor142has broken or is malfunctioning. In this situation, a warning system of the vehicle may be operated under the control of the first vehicle controller31and the second vehicle controller32to alert the driver.

The warning system may be a warning light, a warning sound generator, a cluster, an audio video navigation (AVN) device, or the like. A warning signal generated by the warning system may include at least one of a visual warning signal, an audible warning signal, and a tactile warning signal.

In contrast, when none of the first motor141and the second motor142is determined to operate in the step S6, a control logic necessary for the pop-up operation of the pedal pad120is ended under the control of the foldable pedal controller130in step S8. At this time, in step S9, the warning system of the vehicle is operated and the vehicle remains in the autonomous driving mode.

After the pedal pad120of the foldable pedal apparatus is moved to the pop-up position in the step S5, when the pedal pad120is pivoted by the operation of the driver, the first controller131and the second controller132of the foldable pedal controller130determine whether or not the output of the first stroke sensor161and the output of the second stroke sensor162are the same in step S10.

When the output of the first stroke sensor161and the output of the second stroke sensor162are determined to be the same in the step S10, the pedal pad120remains in the pop-up position under the control of the first controller131and the second controller132of the foldable pedal controller130and the vehicle ordinarily drives in the manual driving mode in step S11.

In contrast, when the output of the first stroke sensor161and the output of the second stroke sensor162are determined to be different in the step S10, the pedal pad120is moved to the hidden position under the control of the first controller131and the second controller132of the foldable pedal controller130in step S12. At this time, the warning system of the vehicle is operated and the vehicle drives in the autonomous driving mode in step S13.

An operation stabilization system for a foldable pedal apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference toFIGS. 5 to 7.

The components of the second embodiment of the present disclosure referring toFIGS. 5 to 7are the same as those of the first embodiment described above with reference toFIGS. 1 to 4, except that a single vehicle controller is provided and the control area of the single vehicle controller is divided into a first controller and a second controller. The same components will be designated by the same reference numerals.

That is, the driving mode of the autonomous driving vehicle may be changed by the operation of the driving mode switch10. The driving mode switch10may include the autonomous driving mode switch11and the manual driving mode switch12.

The driving mode switch10is connected to a first battery21and a second battery22provided in the autonomous driving vehicle. The first battery21and the second battery22are connected to a vehicle controller50provided in the autonomous driving vehicle.

The vehicle controller50may be a single controller, with the control area thereof being divided into a first controller51and a second controller52.

The first controller51transmits an operation signal by receiving power from the first battery21, while the second controller52transmits an operation signal by receiving power from the second battery22.

Control signals of the first controller51and the second controller52of the vehicle controller50are transferred to the foldable pedal apparatus.

The foldable pedal apparatus may be a foldable accelerator pedal device or a foldable brake pedal device. The configuration of the foldable pedal apparatus is the same as that of the foldable pedal apparatus according to the first embodiment.

That is, the foldable pedal apparatus may include: a pedal housing110fixedly disposed in a space below and in front of the driver's seat; a pedal pad120pivotably coupled to the pedal housing110and being operable by a foot of a driver; a foldable pedal controller130generating control signals by receiving the signals from the vehicle controller50; a first motor141and a second motor142connected to the first battery21and the second battery22to receive power therefrom, respectively, each of the first motor141and the second motor142operating by receiving the control signal from the foldable pedal controller130; a pedal driving unit150operating by receiving the power from the first motor141and the second motor142, and when operating, driving the pedal pad120to pivot with respect to the pedal housing110so that the pedal pad120pops up or is hidden; and a first stroke sensor161and a second stroke sensor162connected to the first battery21and the second battery22, respectively.

The pedal housing110has the shape of a hollow box, with the foldable pedal controller130, the first motor141and the second motor142, the pedal driving unit150, and the like being disposed within the internal space thereof.

The pedal pad120may be an organ-type pad, with the bottom end thereof being pivotably coupled to the pedal housing110via a hinge pin121, and the top end thereof being pivotable in a forward-backward direction about the hinge pin121on the bottom end.

The foldable pedal controller130may be a single controller, with the control area thereof being divided into a first controller131and a second controller132.

The first controller131of the foldable pedal controller130receives the signal from the first controller51of the vehicle controller50and transmits an operation control signal to the first motor141. The second controller132of the foldable pedal controller130receives the signal from the second controller52of the vehicle controller50and transmits an operation control signal to the second motor142.

Each of the first motor141and the second motor142may be a rotary motor. The rotary motor may be a stepper motor. The first motor141and the second motor142may be configured to receive power from the first battery21and the second battery22, respectively.

The pedal driving unit150includes: a first gear151coupled to the first motor141; a second gear152coupled to the second motor142; a common gear153connecting the first gear151and the second gear152; a lead screw154coupled to the central portion of the common gear153; a support member155screw-coupled to the lead screw154to extend and retract in the longitudinal direction of the lead screw154following the rotation of the lead screw154; a pivot member156pivotably coupled to the pedal housing110and configured to be supported by the support member155when the support member155has extended and be released from being supported by the support member155when the support member155has retracted; and a connecting link157connecting the pivot member156and the pedal pad120to each other.

One end of the pivot member156is pivotably coupled to a fixed shaft111of the pedal housing110. The pivot member156is connected to the pedal pad120via the connecting link157. The pivot member156may be a hysteresis module able to generate hysteresis when the pedal pad120is operated by the driver.

The pedal pad120may be moved between a hidden position in which the pedal pad120has been inserted into the pedal housing110and a pop-up position in which the pedal pad120has extended from the pedal housing110, in response to the pivoting of the pivot member156caused by the extending and retracting of the support member155.

That is, when the first gear151, the second gear152, and the common gear153are rotated by the operation of the first motor141and the second motor142, the lead screw154coupled to the common gear153rotates. Following the rotation of the lead screw154, the support member155screw-coupled to the lead screw154extends and retracts in the longitudinal direction of the lead screw154while being guided by the pedal housing110.

When the support member155has extended to be inserted between the pedal housing110and the pivot member156, the support member155that has extended is in a position supporting the pivot member156, and the pedal pad120has extended from the pedal housing110to be in the pop-up position. From this point in time, the pedal pad120may be operated by the driver (refer to Pop-up Position inFIG. 5.)

When the support member155has retracted so as to be released from the position supporting the pivot member156, the pedal pad120pivots into the pedal housing110, thereby moving to the hidden position. In this position, the pedal pad120is not operable by the driver (refer to the Hidden Position inFIGS. 1 and 2.)

A return spring is provided such that both ends thereof are supported on the pedal housing110and the pivot member156. When the support member155retracts so as to be released from the position supporting the pivot member156, the pivot member156is pivoted by the elastic force of the return spring, in a direction in which the pivot member156is inserted into the pedal housing110. At this time, the pedal pad120connected to the pivot member156via the connecting link157is also pivoted to be inserted into the pedal housing110, thereby moving to the hidden position.

The first stroke sensor161and the second stroke sensor162are fixedly coupled to left and right portions of the pedal housing110, respectively. The first stroke sensor161and the second stroke sensor162are connected to the pedal pad120via links, respectively. When the pedal pad120is operated by the driver, the first stroke sensor161and the second stroke sensor162serve to detect an initial position (i.e. a return position) of the pedal pad120. In addition, each of the first stroke sensor161and the second stroke sensor162may perform an assistance function of an APS or a BPS.

A control process according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference toFIG. 7.

In a situation in which the autonomous driving vehicle provided with the foldable pedal apparatus is in the autonomous driving mode, when a signal instructing the manual driving mode is generated by the operation the manual driving mode switch12in step S51, the first controller51of the vehicle controller50receives power from the first battery21and transmits the operation signal to the first controller131of the foldable pedal controller130while the second controller52of the vehicle controller50receives power from the second battery22and transmits the operation signal to the second controller132of the foldable pedal controller130in step S52.

In addition, in step S53, the first controller131of the foldable pedal controller130transmits the operation control signal to the first motor141and the second controller132of the foldable pedal controller130transmits the operation control signal to the second motor142. In S54, the first controller131and the second controller132of the foldable pedal controller130determine whether or not the first motor141and the second motor142operate simultaneously.

When the first motor141and the second motor142are determined to operate simultaneously in the step S54, the first motor141and the second motor142operate by sharing 50% of torque necessary for the operation of the pedal driving unit150under the control of the first controller131and the second controller132of the foldable pedal controller130, and the support member155extends in response to the simultaneous operation of the first motor141and the second motor142to support the pivot member156, thereby moving the pedal pad120of the foldable pedal apparatus to the pop-up position in step S55.

When the first motor141and the second motor142are determined not to operate simultaneously in the step S54, the foldable pedal controller130determines whether or not both the first motor141and the second motor142are in stopped positions in step S56.

When one motor of the first motor141and the second motor142is determined to be operating in the step S56, 100% of the torque is applied to the operating motor under the control of the foldable pedal controller130, and also at this time, the pedal pad120of the foldable pedal apparatus is moved to the pop-up position in step S57.

In the situation of the step S57, one motor of the first motor141and the second motor142has broken or is malfunctioning. In this situation, a warning system of the vehicle may be operated under the control of the first vehicle controller31and the second vehicle controller32to alert the driver.

The warning system may be a warning light, a warning sound generator, a cluster, an AVN device, or the like. A warning signal generated by the warning system may include at least one of a visual warning signal, an audible warning signal, and a tactile warning signal.

In contrast, when neither the first motor141nor the second motor142is determined to operate in the step S56, a control logic necessary for the pop-up operation of the pedal pad120is ended under the control of the foldable pedal controller130in step S58. At this time, in step S59, the warning system of the vehicle operates and the vehicle remains in the autonomous driving mode.

After the pedal pad120of the foldable pedal apparatus is moved to the pop-up position in the step S55, when the pedal pad120is pivoted by the operation of the driver, the first controller131and the second controller132of the foldable pedal controller130determine whether or not the output of the first stroke sensor161and the output of the second stroke sensor162are the same in step S60.

When the output of the first stroke sensor161and the output of the second stroke sensor162are determined to be the same in the step S60, the pedal pad120remains in the pop-up position under the control of the first controller131and the second controller132of the foldable pedal controller130and the vehicle ordinarily drives in the manual driving mode in step S61.

In contrast, when the output of the first stroke sensor161and the output of the second stroke sensor162are determined to be different in the step S60, the pedal pad120is moved to the hidden position under the control of the first controller131and the second controller132of the foldable pedal controller130in step S62. At this time, the warning system of the vehicle operates and the vehicle drives in the autonomous driving mode in step S63.

As set forth above, the operation stabilization system for a foldable pedal apparatus according to the present disclosure may significantly improve the operation stability using the independent first and second batteries21and22, the independent first and second motors141and142, and the two independent stroke sensors161and162. In particular, the foldable pedal apparatus has the configuration able to perform a failsafe function, thereby preventing the risk of an accident that would be caused by a malfunction.