PEDAL SUPPORT ARRANGEMENTS

Abstract: An anti-vibration pedal support arrangement for a vehicle, comprising a pedal platform (4) for supporting a pedal and fixing means (6, 8, 10, 12) for securing the platform (4) to the body (2) of the vehicle. The fixing means (6, 8, 10, 12) normally prevents direct undamped contact between the body (2) and the platform (4) and incorporates resilient material (20) for flexing in response to vibration of the body. The arrangement includes a layer of resilient isolating material (14) between the platform (4) and the body (2), the platform (4) moving into solid contact with the body (2) in response to excessive force applied to a pedal.

Description: PEDAL SUPPORT ARRANGEMENTS The invention relates to support arrangements for pedals in vehicles. Increasingly, through the use of thinner sheets for the construction of vehicle flooring and the use of very high pressures in direct injection engines, vibrations are being generated which are transmitted through the assembled components to the pedals and to their support platforms. These vibrations and noise are transmitted to the passenger compartment, reducing the level of comfort for the driver and passengers. According to the invention, there is provided an anti-vibration pedal support arrangement for a vehicle, comprising a pedal platform for supporting a pedal and fixing means for securing the platform to the body of the vehicle, the fixing means normally preventing direct undamped contact between the body and the platform and incorporating resilient material for flexing in response to vibration of the body. According to the invention, there is further provided a pedal support arrangement for a vehicle, comprising a pedal platform, resilient isolating material for normally spacing the platform from the body of the vehicle, and resilient fixing means for securing the platform to the body normally without direct undamped contact between the body and the platform, the arrangement being such that the platform moves into solid contact with the body of the vehicle in response to excessive force applied to a pedal, thereby stiffening the arrangement. Pedal support arrangements embodying the invention, for use in vehicles, will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a cross-section of an arrangement known from the prior art; Figure 2 is a cross-section of one of the pedal support arrangements embodying the invention; and Figure 3 is a graph plotting the level of isolation achieved against acoustic frequency, comparing the results obtained with the embodiment of the invention shown in Figure 2 with those obtained with the prior art. Figure 1 shows a typical pedal support arrangement, in which a pedal support platform 4 made of plastics material is secured to a portion of the body 2 of a vehicle. The body portion 2 is in this case the bulkhead between the engine and passenger compartments of the vehicle. The platform 4 is secured by means of a hollow tubular strut 8, which extends from the bulkhead 2 for locating the pedal plate 4, and a stud bolt 6 in combination with a nut 10 and a washer 12, the stud bolt extending from the bulkhead concentrically within the strut 8 for securing the pedal platform 4 in place. The pedal platform is isolated from the flooring by an isolating layer 14 of a suitable material. However, vibrations are still directly transmitted from the floor to the pedal platform because there is a direct, undamped link made through the tube 8 and the stud bolt 6 in combination with the nut 10 and the washer 12. These vibrations manifest themselves as noise within the passenger compartment, reducing the level of comfort for the driver and passengers. Previous attempts to overcome this problem by varying the form and material of the pedal platform have not produced satisfactory results. It should be understood that the pedal support platform 4 may be made of materials other than plastics, such as, for example, steel, but that the benefits of the invention are greatest for the embodiment where the pedal support platform 4 is made of plastics material because such material may present greater vibro-acoustic problems. Figure 2 shows a pedal platform arrangement in accordance to the invention, in which the direct transmission of vibrations through the strut 8 and the stud bolt 6 is damped as a result of the inclusion of a tubular elastomeric member 20 between the strut 8 and an adjacent tubular extension 21 of the platform 4. The tubular elastomeric member 20 is push-fitted onto the strut 8, so that it is compressed by the adjacent tubular extension 21 of the platform 4. The resultant radial force from the elastomeric member 20 tending towards its incompressed position increases the fictional forces between the strut 8, the elastomeric member 20 and the platform 4, tending to prevent relative axial movement between the platform 4 and the strut 8. This elastomeric member dampens the vibrations transmitted from the strut 8 to the pedal platform 4 by resiliently flexing in response to the vibrations. Direct transmission of the vibrations from the stud bolt 6 to the pedal platform 4 is damped by the same elastomeric member 20, provided that the washer 12 does not extend beyond the edges of the elastomeric member 20. In this way, the pedal platform 4 is completely isolated from the bulkhead 2 of the vehicle. The tubular extension .21 of the platform 4 has an elongated shank 30 extending through the layer 14 but normally stopping short of the pedal plate 4. In the event of an unusually large force being applied to one of the pedals, the free end of the shank 30 comes into solid contact with the bulkhead 2 to block the slight movement normally provided by the elastomeric member 20, this contact making the assembly very stiff and giving the desired driving feel. In the arrangement shown in Figure 1, in contrast, the assembly is always very stiff but the driving feel is consequently reduced. Thus, the arrangement shown in Figure 2 provides a pedal plate with the required driving feel, including the damping of vibrations and the associated noise, under normal conditions, and which functions in a rigid state under excessive pedal forces. When the pedal plate functions under the excessive pedal forces, and there is a solid contact between the pedal platform 4 and the bulkhead 2, the vibrations which would produce noise in the passenger compartment are damped by the foot on the pedal. The same effect may be achieved if the pedal platform 4 is biassed to be separate from the bulkhead 2, in a manner which allows relative movements between the pedal platform 4 and the bulkhead 2 dependent on the force applied to the pedal. The characteristics of the or each elastomeric member 20 define the instant when the pedal platform makes contact with the bulkhead. The graph of Figure 3 illustrates the improvement in the level of noise damping achieved through the arrangement shown in Figure 2 in comparison with the prior art arrangement shown in Figure 1. Over a broad range of frequencies, the level of isolation achieved by the arrangement of Figure 1 is very close to that of a vehicle bulkhead without any pedal platform. This demonstrates that the noise levels in the passenger compartment are significantly lower with the arrangement of Figure 2 than have been achieved to date in the prior art. The pedal support arrangement shown in Figure 2 is particularly applicable for suspended pedals where the pedal platform 4 is not part of the structure of the body of the vehicle but is mounted. However, the support arrangement can be adapted for use in the case where the pedal platform is joined to the bulkhead.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. An anti-vibration pedal support arrangement for a vehicle, comprising a pedal platform (4) for supporting apedal and fixing means (6,8,10,12) for securing the platform (4) to the body (2) of the vehicle, the fixing means (6,8,10,12) normally preventing direct undamped contact between the body (2) and the platform (4) and incorporating resilient material (20) for flexing in response to vibration of the body (2). 2. An arrangement according to claim 1, including a layer of isolating material (14) for positioning between the pedal platform (4) and the body (2) of the vehicle and through which the fixing means passes (6,8,10,12). 3. An arrangement according to claim 1 or 2, in which the fixing means comprises a rigid tubular strut (8) extending through the pedal platform (4), and a rigid stud (6) extending through the tubular strut (8) and securing the platform (4) to the strut (8), and in which the resilient material (20) extends around the strut (8) and is resiliently positioned between the strut (8) and the platform (4). 4. An arrangement according to claim 3, in which the stud (6) is resiliently clamped to the strut (8). 5. An arrangement according to claim 4, in which the stud (6) is resiliently clamped to the strut (8) by means of a nut (10) engaging the stud (6) and a resilient washer (12) acting between the nut (10) and an end of the strut (8). 6. An arrangement according to claim 5, in which the resilient washer (10) overlies the resilient material (20) but does not overlie the platform (4). 7. An arrangement according to any preceding claim, in which the platform (4) includes at least one extension (21) having a free end adjacent to but normally spaced from the body (2) of the vehicle but so as to be forced into contact with the body (2) of the vehicle when excessive force is applied to a pedal thereby providing stiffening of the arrangement. 8. A pedal support arrangement for a vehicle, comprising a pedal platform (4), resilient isolating material (14) for normally spacing the platform (4) from a body (2) of the vehicle, and resilient fixing means (6,8,10,12) for securing the platform (4) to the body (2) normally without direct undamped contact between the body (2) and the platform (4), the arrangement being such that the platform (4) moves into solid contact with the body (2) of the vehicle in response to excessive force applied to a pedal, thereby stiffening the arrangement. 9. An arrangement according to claim 8, in which the resilient isolating material (14) is in the form of a layer of the material and in which the fixing means (6,8,10,12) passes through this layer. 10. An arrangement according to claim 9, in which the fixing means comprises a rigid tubular strut (8) extending through the pedal platform (4) and the layer of isolating material (14), and a rigid stud (6) extending through the tubular strut (8) and securing the platform (4) to the strut (8), and including resilient material (20) extending around the strut (8) and resiliently positioned between the strut (8) and the platform (4). 11. An arrangement according to claim 10, in which the stud (6) is resiliently clamped to the strut (8). 12. An arrangement according to claim 10 or 11, in which the platform (4) includes at least one extension (21) passing through the layer of isolating material (14) adjacent to the strut (8), the extension (21) having a free end adjacent to but normally spaced from the body (2) of the vehicle but so as to be forced into the solid contact with the body (2) of the vehicle when the excessive force is applied.

Inventors: COSPIN SYLVAIN, COSPIN, SYLVAIN
Applicants: COSPIN SYLVAIN, TRELLEBORG AB, COSPIN, SYLVAIN
Application year: 2001
Main classification: G05G1
IPC codes: B60K23, B60T7, B62D27, G05G25