A FOOT PEDAL DEVICE

Abstract: A foot pedal device comprises an elongate pedal plate (10), supported for limited pivotal movement around a horizontal axis (14) extending generally transversally to said pedal plate (10) adjacent to the rear end thereof. In order to offer an improved convenience to an operator the pedal plate (10) is arranged to form a primary operating means of the pedal device which also comprises a secondary operating means (18), arranged to be actuated from said pedal plate (10), and an inclination adjustment means (28), mounted for limited displacement thereof in a direction at least approximately parallel to the longitudinal direction of the pedal plate (10) and arranged, when subjected to a displacement in said direction, to cause an alteration of the position of the pedal plate (10) relatively to said secondary operating means (18), resulting in an alteration of the inclination of the pedal plate (10).

Description: A foot pedal device The present invention relates to a foot pedal device of the kind comprising an elongate pedal plate, intended to be supported for limited pivotal movement around a horizontal axis extending generally transversally to said pedal plate adjacent to the rear end thereof. Such pedal devices are commonly used as throttle pedals in heavy vehicles, such as trucks and coaches. However, when driving at a comparatively high speed during a long time, such as when driving on main roads or highways, pedal devices of said kind hitherto known have been found inconvenient, as the driver will have to hold the pedal plate in an almost completely depressed nearly horizontal position for very long periods of time, whereby a very tiring and disturbing muscular tension may occur in the foot and leg used for operating the pedal plate. At first sight, it might seem possible to avoid this drawback simply by mounting the pedal plate so as to bring it to form a larger angle with the horizontal plane in its lower end position. However, such a solution is totally unacceptable, as it would result in that, within other portions of the region of movement of the pedal plate, the inclination of said plate would become too large to permit a convenient and safe operation thereof. The invention has for its object to provide an improved foot pedal device of the kind initially specified which solves the problem above accounted for in an easy and favourable manner. According to the invention, for this purpose, there is provided a foot pedal device of said kind, primarily characterized in that said pedal plate forms a primary operating means of the pedal device which also comprises a secondary operating means, arranged to be actuated from said pedal plate, and an inclination adjustment means, mounted for limited displacement there¬ of in a direction at least approximately parallel to the longitudinal direction of the pedal plate and arranged, when subjected to a displacement in said direction, to cause an alteration of the position of the pedal plate relatively to said secondary operating means, resulting in an alteration of the inclination of the pedal plate. The pedal device thus proposed makes it possible for a driver to adjust the inclination of the pedal plate in an easy and rapid manner to meet the different requirements at varying conditions. In order to make it possible to operate the inclination adjustment means in an easy manner by the foot used for operating the pedal plate, said inclination adjustment means may preferably be spring-biased towards the forward end position, from which it may be displaced a limited length in a rearward direction by applying a correspondingly directed force on an upstanding tongue of said adjustment means located adjacent to the rear end of the pedal plate. Hereby, the driver may operate the inclination adjustment means by his heel and said means will be capable of returning automatically to its forward end position as soon as it is no longer subjected to any external force. Said secondary operating means may suitably comprise a lower elongate plate located below the pedal plate, both said plates being pivotally connected to each other near their rear ends so as to permit the pedal plate to be swung through a limited angle around a horizontal axis relatively to the lower plate under the control of said inclination adjustment means, which preferably may be arranged to act as a displaceable wedge means between said two plates. Below the invention will be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which:- Figure 1 shows a side elevation view, in longitudinal section, of a foot pedal device according to a first embodiment of the invention, selected by way of example, Figure 2 shows a partial view, in section taken along line II-II in Figure 1, Figure 3 shows a bottom plan view of a foot pedal device according to a second embodiment of the invention, also selected by way of example, Figure 4 shows a side elevation view of the latter device, in section taken along line IV-IV in Figure 3 , and Figure 5 shows an end view, in section taken along line V-V in Figure 4. The pedal device shown in Figures 1 and 2 comprises a pedal plate generally designated 10. Said pedal plate consists of a plane elongate rectangular main portion 11 and two downwardly directed side flanges 12, extending along opposite longitudinal lateral edges of said main portion 11. At a position located at a short distance from the rear end of pedal plate 10, located to the left in Figure 1, said two side flanges 12 are provided with oppositely located bearing bores 13 by which pedal plate 10 is mounted for limited pivotal movement around a transversally extending horizontal shaft 14. Said shaft 14 is supported by means of a bearing bracket 17 which is rigidly mounted on a substrate 16, for instance a vehicle floor, by threaded bolts or other fastening means schematically indicated at 15. The foot pedal device of Figures 1 and 2 also comprises a lower plate generally designated 18. Said lower plate 18 consists of a plane main portion 19 and two downwardly extending side flanges 20. At their rear end portions, which project behind main portion 19, said flanges 20 are provided with oppositely located bearing bores 21 by which plate 18 is pivotally mounted on shaft 14. Near the front end of plate 18, located to the right in Figure 1, a connection piece 22, consisting of a generally cylindrical body of hard rubber, is secured to said plate by having an upper grooved portion thereof received in a circular through opening 23 in main portion 19 of plate 18. At its lower end, said connection piece 22 is provided with a central recess 24 in which a substantially vertical rod 26, extending with free clearance through an opening 25 in floor 16, is firmly held by means of an enlarged ball-shaped upper end portion 27. Said rod 26 may for instance be connected to the throttle valve of an internal combustion engine to control the rotary speed of said engine in response to the instantaneous position of said rod. Reference numeral 28 generally designates an in¬ clination adjustment means which serves to permit an adjustment of the angle between pedal plate 10 and lower plate 18. Said adjustment means 28 comprises a plane main portion 29, a cylindrically bent portion 30, provided at the front end of main portion 29, located to the right in Figure 1, and a tongue 31, bent in an upward direction from main portion 29 at the rear end thereof to form an operating means for said adjust- ment means 28. The cylindrical end portion 30 is arranged to act as a displaceable wedge means between the lower surface of main portion 11 of pedal plate 10 and an upwardly facing surface of plate 18 formed by the upper surface of an arcuately curved tongue 32 depressed from main portion 19. Said inclination adjustment means 28 is spring- biased towards a forward retracted end position by means of a spring 33 connected between the cylindrial end portion 30 and a mounting lug 34 bent in an inclined downward direction from main portion 19 of plate 18. As may be seen from Figure 2, main portion 29 of adjust- ment means 28 is provided with two laterally projecting portions 35 forming abutment surfaces 36 which are adapted to cooperate with two guide flanges 37, provided at the rear end of pedal plate 10, to limit the maximum length along which adjustment means 28 may be displaced in a rearward direction against the action of spring 33. In the opposite direction, the movement of adjustment means 28 is limited through cooperation between tongue 31 and the rear edge surface of main portion 11 of pedal plate 10. In Figure 1, the various movable portions o'f the device have been shown in full lines in positions into which they may be brought by firstly displacing the adjustment means 28 as far as possible in a rearward direction by applying a backward force on tongue 31 by the heel of a foot placed on pedal plate 10 and then applying a downward force on a front portion of pedal plate 10 to cause the latter to be swung in a forward and downward direction from an upper rest position. The pivotal movement thus imparted to pedal plate 10, which serves as a primary operating means for rod 26, will result in a corresponding pivotal movement of lower plate 18, which forms a secondary operating means for said rod. If a corresponding movement of rod 26 is effected by depressing pedal plate 10 without preceding backward displacement of adjustment means 28, pedal plate 10 and adjustment means 28 will instead be brought to assume the positions shown in dash-dotted lines in Figure 1. The foot pedal device above described -and shown in Figure 1 and 2 may be provided with built-in spring means for spring-biasing it towards its upper rest position. However, in the illustrated case, it has been assumed that the required spring forces for biasing the device towards its rest position are generated by spring means (not shown) acting on rod 26 and tending to move it in an upward direction. The foot pedal device shown in Figure 3-5 comprises a pedal plate generally designated 40. Said pedal plate consists of a plane elongate rectangular main portion 41, at its upper side provided with a rubber coating 42, and two longitudinally extending downwardly directed side flanges 43. Adjacent to the rear end of plate 40, said flanges 43 are provided with oppositely located bearing bores 44 by which plate 40 is pivotally mounted on a horizontal transversally extending shaft 45. Moreover, the device according to Figures 3-5 also comprises a lower plate generally designated 46. Said lower plate 46 consists of a plane main portion 47 and two downwardly extending side flanges 48. At their rear end portions, said flanges 48 are provided with bearing bores 49 by which plate 46 is mounted on shaft 45. Reference numeral 50 designates two bores provided in main portion 47 of plate 46 to permit plate 46 to be mounted upon an existing pedal in a vehicle by means of screws passed through said bores. Thus, while the embodiment shown in Figures 1 and 2 is intended to replace a pedal device of conventional type, the embodiment according to Figures 3-5 is intended to be mounted as an attachment on an existing pedal. The pedal device of Figures 3-5 is mounted in such a position on said existing pedal as to cause the rear ends of upper plate 40 and lower plate 46 as well as shaft 45 to become located adjacent to the pivot axis of the existing pedal. One possible loca- tion of said axis has been schematically indicated at 39 in Figure 4. In order to permit an adjustment of the angle between pedal plate 40 and lower plate 46, an inclination adjustment means 51 is mounted longitudinally displaceable between plates 40 and 46. Said inclination adjustment means 51 comprises a plane main portion 52 provided with two downwardly bent shortened side flanges 53 and a rear upwardly bent tongue 54 which forms an operating means for said adjustment means. At its outer side, each side flange 53 is provided with a projection 55 having the shape of a flat cylindrical head. Each such projection 55 is arranged in contact with an inclined lower edge surface 56 of a chamfered front end portion 57 of a flat arm 58, which serves as as carrier for plate 40 and has its rear end mounted on shaft 45. By means of two springs 59, said adjustment means 51 is spring-biased towards its forward end position shown in full lines in Figure 4. Said springs 59 are connected between outwardly bent front end por¬ tions 60 of flanges 53 and short pins 61 mounted in flanges 48 of plate 46. When a rearward force is applied on tongue 54, adjustment means 51 may be displaced in a backward direction from its forward end position and towards a rear end position schematically indicated in dash-dotted lines in Figure 4. In said rear end position, the rear edges 62 of flanges 53 rest in contact against shaft 45. Since the inclination adjustment means 51 rests with its plane main portion 52 against the upper side of the plane main portion 47 of plate 46, while its projections 55 contact the lower inclined edge surfaces 56 of end portions 57 of carrier arms 58, which contacts the lower side of main portion 41 of pedal plate 40, said adjustment means 51 will act as a displaceable wedge means between the two plates 40 and 46. Hereby, when adjustment means 51 is displaced in a backward direction, it will cause pedal plate 40 to be swung in an upward direction relatively to lower plate 46 from the position shown in full lines in Figure 4 towards the position shown in dash-dotted lines in said Figure. The invention is not restricted to the embodiments above described and shown in the drawings. Instead, many alternative embodiments are feasible within the scope of the invention. For instance, in the embodiment shown in Figures 1 and 2, the two plates 10 and 18 need not be mounted on a common shaft but may instead be arranged to pivot around separate mutually parallel axes. Furthermore, the device need not be provided with a separate inclination adjustment means. Thus, said means may alternatively be formed by the pedal plate itself, if said plate is mounted for limited displacement in a direction substantially parallel to its longitudinal axis.

Claims: Claims 1. A foot pedal device of the kind comprising an elongate pedal plate (10;40), intended to be supported for limited pivotal movement around a horizontal axis (14;39) extending generally transversally to said pedal plate (10;40) adjacent to the rear end thereof, characterized in that said pedal plate (10;40) forms a primary operating means of the pedal device which also comprises a secondary operating means (18;46), arranged to be actuated from said pedal plate (10;40), and an inclination adjustment means (28;51), mounted for limited displacement thereof in a direction at least approximately parallel to the longitudinal direction of the pedal plate (10;40) and arranged, when subjected to a displacement in said direction, to cause an altera- tion of the position of the pedal plate (10;40) relatively to said secondary operating means (18;46), resulting in an alteration of the inclination of the pedal plate (10;40) . 2. A device according to claim 1, characterized in that said inclination adjustment means (28;51) is spring- biased towards a forward end position, from which it may be displaced a limited length in a rearward direction by applying a correspondingly directed force on an upstanding tongue (31;54) of said adjustment means (28;51) located adjacent to the rear end of the pedal plate (10;40). 3. A device according to claim 1 or 2 , characterized in that said secondary operating means comprises a lower elongate plate (18,46) located below the pedal plate (10;40), both said plates ( 10, 18 ;40 , 46 ) being pivotally connected to each other near their rear ends so as to permit the pedal plate (10;40) to be swung through a limited angle around a horizontal axis (14;45) relatively to the lower ' plate (18;46) under the control of said inclination adjustment means (28;51). 4. A device according to claim 3, characterized in that said inclination adjustment means (28;51) is arranged to act as a displaceable wedge means between said two plates (10,18;40,46) .

Inventors: ROST LEIF CONNY, ROST, LEIF, CONNY
Applicants: ROST LEIF CONNY, ROST, LEIF, CONNY
Application year: 1985
Main classification: G05G1
IPC codes: G05G1