Source: http://patent-de.com/20070222/EP1512586.html
Timestamp: 2020-03-30 23:04:55
Document Index: 153654749

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 4', 'art 19', 'art 4', 'art 21', 'art 19', 'art 21', 'art 21', 'art 21', 'art 21', 'art 21', 'art) 42', 'art 42']

Fahrzeugpedaltragstruktur - Dokument EP1512586
Dokumentenidentifikation EP1512586 22.02.2007
EP-Veröffentlichungsnummer 0001512586
Titel Fahrzeugpedaltragstruktur
Erfinder Hayashi, Kouiji, Aki-gun Hiroshima 735-8670, JP
DE-Aktenzeichen 602004004218
EP-Aktenzeichen 040147159
IPC-Hauptklasse B60R 21/09(2006.01)A, F, I, 20051017, B, H, EP
IPC-Nebenklasse B60T 7/06(2006.01)A, L, I, 20051017, B, H, EP G05G 1/14(2006.01)A, L, I, 20051017, B, H, EP
In consideration of this, United States Patent No. 6339971 discloses an automotive pedal support in which a pedal portion of an operating pedal such as a brake pedal is moved relatively toward the front of an automobile body when a dashpanel is deformed toward a cabin.
In this automotive pedal support , the operating pedal is supported to a pedal bracket fixed to the dashpanel such that the operating pedal can be swung forward and backward. And this automotive pedal support is provided with: a fastening mechanism for fastening the pedal bracket to the automobile body so that the pedal bracket can be detached toward the rear of the automobile body; and a guide mechanism for changing the position of the pedal bracket to cause the relative movement of the pedal portion of the operating pedal toward the front of the automobile body when the pedal bracket is moved relatively toward the rear of the automobile body.
A pedal support structure according to the preamble of claim 1 is known from US 6,041,674 showing a guide surface for pushing the brake pedal support bracket downwards when the support bracket is moved backwards in an accident. The said guide surface is bended so that it comprises two inclined guide surface portions which push the support bracket downwards in two stages. However, to ensure a sufficient movement of the pedal bracket, a longitudinally enlarged installation space for the guide member is necessary.
Furthermore, FR 2 739 947 A shows a brake pedal support structure guided in a pair of elongated slots formed in a vertical, longitudinally positioned support plate.
In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to suppress the movement of a pedal portion of an operating pedal toward the rear of an automobile body by greatly changing the position of a pedal bracket without increasing a load applied to a reinforcing member for supporting a guide member, even if an entire guide mechanism is not longitudinally elongated, wherein in particular the present invention is to provide a pedal support that can easily control how much and at what point in time the position of the pedal bracket is changed upon automobile collision, i.e., a pedal support that allows greater design freedom.
Preferably, the present invention is to ensure that the position of the pedal bracket changes by contriving the arrangement of the guide mechanism whereby a frictional resistance between an abutment part and a guide surface is reduced to smoothly slide the abutment part along the guide surface.
To achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides for an automotive pedal support structure having the features mentioned in claim 1. Preferred embodiments of the invention are laid down in the dependent claims.
wherein both of the guide surface and the abutment part are plural in number, and the plurality of the guide surfaces or abutment parts are separate from one another to independently abut against the counterpart or counterparts, thereby sequentially changing the position of the pedal bracket.
As both the guide surface and the abutment part is provided in plurality to change the position of the pedal bracket more and more. Thus, even if the entire guide mechanism is not longitudinally elongated, a load applied to the reinforcing member upon automobile collision can be reduced, and the position of the pedal bracket can be greatly changed. Consequently, a large foot space can be ensured for a driver.
In particular, first and second guide surfaces are provided adjacent to the reinforcing member, the first guide surface is located toward the front of the automobile body while the second guide surface is located toward the rear of the automobile body, and with the relative movement of the pedal bracket toward the rear of the automobile body, the pedal bracket causes a positional change along the first guide surface and then a positional change along the second guide surface.
Furthermore, the first guide surface is formed at a first guide member fixed to the reinforcing member; and the second guide surface is formed at a second guide member formed separately from the first guide member and fixed to the reinforcing member.
It is advantageous that:
In accordance with the invention, it is provided that:
given that a straight line passing through the bending point and the first pin member to extend in a longitudinal direction of the automobile body forms an angle &thgr;1 (obtuse angle) with the first guide surface at the time when the first pin member abuts against the first guide surface with the movement of the pedal bracket toward the rear of the automobile body, while a straight line passing through the bending point and the second pin member to extend in the longitudinal direction of the automobile body forms an angle &thgr;2 (obtuse angle) with the second guide surface at the time when the second pin member abuts against the second guide surface with the movement of the pedal bracket toward the rear of the automobile body, the angle &thgr;1 is greater than the angle &thgr;2.
When the pedal bracket is moved toward the rear of the automobile body upon automobile collision and the first and second pin members are abutted against the first and second guide surfaces, respectively, the magnitude of each impactive force applied to the reinforcing member is not determined by only the inclination angle of each guide surface but varied depending on each of the angles &thgr;1 and &thgr;2.
The pedal bracket is not bended until the first pin member abuts against the first guide surface, and the pedal bracket starts bending due to this abutment. Since the resistance generated when the pedal bracket starts bending is high, a great impactive force is likely to be applied to the reinforcing member at the time of the abutment. Therefore, in order to prevent the breakage of the reinforcing member, it is preferable to minimize this impactive force by increasing the angle &thgr;1.
On the other hand, when the second pin member abuts against the second guide surface, the pedal bracket has already started bending; therefore, the resistance generated when the pedal bracket is further bended due to this abutment is low, and the impactive force applied to the reinforcing member at the time of the abutment is not so great. Consequently, it is possible to reduce the angle &thgr;2, and thus it is possible to certainly suppress the movement of the pedal portion of the operating pedal toward the rear of the automobile body by increasing the amount of bending of the pedal bracket.
FIG. 1 is an oblique view illustrating a front part of a cabin of an automobile.
FIG 3 is an oblique view illustrating a fastening mechanism according to the first embodiment.
FIG 4 is a side view illustrating a guide mechanism according to the first embodiment.
FIG 6 is a side view illustrating the state in which a second abutment part of the guide mechanism is sliding along a second guide surface.
FIG 7 is a side view illustrating a guide mechanism according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating the relationship between an angle &thgr;1 and an angle &thgr;2 in the second embodiment.
FIG 10 is a side view illustrating a guide mechanism according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
FIG 11 is a side view illustrating a guide mechanism according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention when automobile collision is not caused.
FIG. 12 is a side view illustrating the guide mechanism according to the fourth embodiment when automobile collision is caused.
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following embodiments are described essentially by way of preferred exemplification, and they are not intended to limit the present invention, objects to which the present invention is applied, and application of the present invention.
FIG. 1 shows the inside of a front part of a cabin 5 of a left-hand drive automobile provided with an automotive pedal support . A dashpanel 1 constitutes a part of an automobile body, and serves as a partition between the cabin 5 and an engine room 3. As shown in FIG 2, the engine room 3 that contains an engine 2 is provided in front of the dashpanel 1, while the cabin 5 is provided behind the dashpanel 1. An instrument panel (not shown) is located upwardly and rearwardly of the dashpanel 1 at a front end of the cabin 5, and a reinforcing member 9 extended in a widthwise direction of the automobile body is provided within this instrument panel.
The brake pedal 15 is supported at a rear end of the pedal bracket 17 by a pedal shaft 41 extended in the widthwise direction of the automobile body such that the brake pedal 15 can be swung forward and backward. A return spring (not shown) applies a force to the brake pedal 15 so that it returns toward the rear of the automobile body An intermediate portion of the brake pedal 15 is connected with an operating rod (cylinder-side rod) 31. This operating rod 31 passes through the pedal bracket 17 and the upper part 4 of the dashpanel 1 and is connected to a master cylinder (not shown) at a rear end of the engine room 3 via the master vac 33 (servomechanism).
If the driver steps on the pedal portion 16 of the brake pedal 15 to pivot the brake pedal 15 in a clockwise direction in FIG 2, the master vac 33 is actuated by being pushed by the operating rod 31, and a pressing force applied to the master cylinder is increased by the master vac 33. As a result, wheels of the automobile are braked hydraulically by the master cylinder.
As shown in FIG 2, a guide bracket 51 extended forward and obliquely downward is fixed to the reinforcing member 9, a first guide member 53 is fixed to a front face of a lower part of the guide bracket 51, and a second guide member 54 is fixed to a lower end face of the guide bracket 51.
As shown in FIG 3, the pedal bracket 17 and the first guide member 53 are fastened to each other by a fastening mechanism 40 that allows the detachment of the pedal bracket 17 toward the rear of the automobile body. Further, the pedal bracket 17 is provided with an abutment pin 42. The pedal shaft 41 of the pedal bracket 17, the abutment pin 42 and both the guide members 53 and 54 constitute a guide mechanism for changing the position of the pedal bracket 17 so as to suppress the movement of the pedal portion 16 of the brake pedal 15 toward the rear of the automobile body when the pedal bracket 17 is moved toward the rear of the automobile body
As shown in FIG 4, the pedal bracket 17 includes: a rectangular plate-like fixation part 19 attached to the upper part 4 of the dashpanel 1; and a support part 21 extended backward and obliquely upward from the fixation part 19. A cutout 21a is provided at upper portions of both side walls of the support part 21, and thus a bending point 22 for the positional change of the pedal bracket 17 (i.e., a fragile portion that can be easily bended downward) is formed at a top of a base end (front end) of the support part 21.
First, the fastening mechanism 40 will be described in detail. As shown in FIG 3, at a rear end upper portion 23 of the support part 21 of the pedal bracket 17, two slots 25 that are aligned right and left and extended in parallel with each other in a longitudinal direction of the automobile body are formed. Front ends of both the slots 25 are communicated with an opening 27 formed in the support part 21.
Next, the guide mechanism will be described. As shown in FIG 3, the pedal shaft 41 of the pedal bracket 17 passes through both the right and left side walls of the support part 21 to protrude outward therefrom. That is, the pedal shaft 41 is provided at its both ends with protruded portions 43. When an automobile collision (in particular, a forward collision) occurs, both the protruded portions 43 abut against the first guide member 53 adjacent to the reinforcing member 9. In other words, both the protruded portions 43 of the pedal shaft 41 according to the present embodiment constitute a first abutment part of the guide mechanism.
The first guide member 53 includes, at lower ends of the right and left side walls thereof, an outwardly projected flange, and the lower face of this flange is formed as a first guide surface 57 on which both the protruded portions 43 of the pedal shaft 41 abut and slide. As also shown in FIG 4, the first guide surface 57 is inclined to become gradually lowered toward the rear of the automobile body.
Then, as shown in FIG 5, due to the sliding of the pedal shaft 41 along the first guide surface 57, the rear end of the pedal bracket 17 is forcibly pushed downward, and the pedal bracket 17 is bended at the bending point 22 located at the base end thereof. As a result, the pedal bracket 17 is bended downward around the bending point 22.
As shown in FIG 6, after the pedal shaft 41 has finished sliding along the first guide surface 57, the abutment pin (second abutment part) 42 then abuts against and slides along the downwardly inclined second guide surface 58 of the second guide member 54. At this time, the pedal shaft 41 is not abutted against the first guide surface 57, and therefore, the pedal shaft 41 does not inhibit the sliding of the abutment pin 42 along the second guide surface 58.
A second embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in FIGS. 7 through 9. It should be noted that in FIGS. 7 through 9, the same components as those in the first embodiment are identified by the same reference characters, and the description thereof will be omitted.
As shown in FIG 7, the second embodiment is characterized in that the inclination of the second guide surface 58 of the second guide member 54 is steeper than that of the first guide surface 57 of the first guide member 53.
As schematically shown in FIG 8, a straight line, passing through the bending point 22 and the pedal shaft 41 to extend in the longitudinal direction of the automobile body, forms an angle &thgr;1 with the first guide surface 57 at the time when the pedal shaft (first pin member) 41 abuts against the first guide surface 57 due to the movement of the pedal bracket 17 toward the rear of the automobile body, while a straight line, passing through the bending point 22 and the abutment pin 42 to extend in the longitudinal direction of the automobile body, forms an angle &thgr;2 with the second guide surface 58 at the time when the abutment pin (second pin member) 42 abuts against the second guide surface 58. As can be seen from FIG 8, the angle &thgr;1 is greater than the angle &thgr;2.
When the pedal shaft 41 abuts against the first guide surface 57, an impactive force applied to the reinforcing member 9 is likely to increase because this abutment starts the bending of the pedal bracket 17. However, since the angle &thgr;1 is greater, the increase of this impactive force is avoided, which is advantageous in preventing the breakage of the reinforcing member 9.
On the other hand, when the abutment pin 42 abuts against the second guide surface 58, the amount of bending of the pedal bracket 17 during the sliding of the abutment pin 42 along the second guide surface 58 is increased as shown in FIG 9 because the angle &thgr;2 is smaller. Thus, it becomes possible to suppress the movement of the pedal portion 16 of the brake pedal 15 toward the rear of the automobile body with much more certainty.
In the present embodiment, the distance between the bending point 22 of the pedal bracket 17 and the pedal shaft 41 is longer than the distance between the bending point 22 and the abutment part 42, and the angle &thgr;1 is greater than the angle &thgr;2. Thus, it becomes possible to considerably change the position of the pedal bracket 17 downward without applying a great impactive force to the reinforcing member 9, which is advantageous in suppressing the movement of the pedal portion 16 of the brake pedal 15 toward the rear of the automobile body.
A third embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in FIG 10. It should be noted that in FIG 10, the same components as those in the first embodiment are identified by the same reference characters, and the description thereof will be omitted.
In the third embodiment, unlike the first embodiment, a first guide member 67 having a first guide surface 70 is located below a second guide member 68 having a second guide surface 71 (that is, the second guide member 68 is located above the first guide member 67). Both the guide members 67 and 68 in the present embodiment are substantially formed in the same way as both the guide members 53 and 54 in the first embodiment. A first abutment pin 65 that abuts against and slides along the lower first guide surface 70 is located at a lower side of a rear part of the pedal bracket 17, while a second abutment pin 66 that abuts against and slides along the upper second guide surface 71 is located at an upper portion of a front end of the pedal bracket 17 (i.e., a protruded part of the pedal bracket 17 indicated by the chain double-dashed line in FIG 10).
A fourth embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in FIGS. 11 and 12. It should be noted that the same components as those in the first embodiment are identified by the same reference characters, and the description thereof will be omitted.
As shown in FIG 11, a guide bracket 63 extended forward and obliquely downward is fixed to the reinforcing member 9. The guide bracket 63 is formed into a channel shape opened at its rear side, and the first guide member 53 is fixed to a front face of a lower part of the guide bracket 63. A lower end of the guide bracket 63 is extended rearward and obliquely downward, and the lower face of this extended portion is formed as a second guide surface 64. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the guide bracket 63 constitutes the second guide member.
Therefore, in this embodiment, if the pedal bracket 17 is moved toward the rear of the automobile body due to an automobile collision (in particular, a forward collision), the fastening of the pedal bracket 17 to the first guide member 53 by the fastening mechanism 40 is loosened, and then the pedal shaft 41 abuts against and slides along the first guide surface 57.
After the pedal shaft 41 has finished sliding along the first guide surface 57, the rear end upper portion 23 of the pedal bracket 17 then abuts against and slides along the second guide surface 64 as shown in FIG 15. Since the second guide surface 64 is located below the first guide surface 57, the rear end of the pedal bracket 17 is further pushed downward. As a result, the movement of the pedal portion 16 of the brake pedal 15 toward the rear of the automobile body is suppressed.
In each of the foregoing embodiments, the abutment part (e.g., the pedal shaft 41) abuts against the guide surface after the fastening of the pedal bracket to the guide member by the fastening mechanism has been loosened. Alternatively, the abutment part may abut against the guide surface before the fastening of the fastening mechanism is loosened. Even in such a case, the abutment part abuts against the guide surface while the bolts of the fastening mechanism are being disengaged from the slots due to the movement of the pedal bracket toward the rear of the automobile body; therefore, this abutment will not be a serious hindrance to the disengagement. In particular, if this guide surface has a gentle inclination, the resistance generated when the abutment part slides along the guide surface is low. Therefore, it becomes possible to avoid the situation in which the disengagement is hindered.
Fahrzeugpedaltragstruktur, umfassend: eine an einer Spritzwand (1) eines Fahrzeugs befestigte Pedalhalterung (17); ein Betätigungspedal (15), das so von der Pedalhalterung (17) gehalten wird, dass es nach vorn und hinten schwingt; ein sich in Querrichtung einer Fahrzeugkarosserie innerhalb einer Instrumententafel erstreckendes Verstärkungselement (9); und einen Führungsmechanismus (41, 42, 53, 54) zum Ändern der Position der Pedalhalterung (17), um eine Relativbewegung eines Pedalbereichs (16) des Betätigungspedals (15) zum Heck der Fahrzeugkarosserie hin zu unterdrücken, wenn die Pedalhalterung (17) relativ zum Heck der Fahrzeugkarosserie hin bewegt wird, wobei der Führungsmechanismus Folgendes umfasst: wenigstens eine Führungsfläche (57, 58), die von dem Verstärkungselement (9) gehalten wird und die schräg nach unten geneigt ist, um allmählich zum Heck der Fahrzeugkarosserie hin abgesenkt zu werden; und wenigstens ein an der Pedalhalterung (17) vorgesehenes Anschlagteil (41, 42), um mit der Relativbewegung der Pedalhalterung (17) zum Heck der Fahrzeugkarosserie hin an der Führungsfläche (57, 58) entlangzugleiten, wodurch die Position der Pedalhalterung geändert wird,
eine erste und zweite an das Verstärkungselement (9) angrenzend vorgesehene Führungsfläche, wobei die erste Führungsfläche (57) an einem ersten, an dem Verstärkungselement (9) befestigten Führungselement (53) ausgebildet ist und die zweite Führungsfläche (58) an einem zweiten, an dem Verstärkungselement (9) befestigten Führungselement (54) ausgebildet ist, wobei die Pedalhalterung (17) mit der Relativbewegung der Pedalhalterung (17) zum Heck der Fahrzeugkarosserie hin eine Positionsänderung entlang der ersten Führungsfläche (57) verursacht und anschließend eine Positionsänderung entlang der zweiten Führungsfläche (58);
wobei die Pedalhalterung (17) ein erstes Anschlagteil (41) aufweist, das aufgrund der Relativbewegung der Pedalhalterung (17) zum Heck der Fahrzeugkarosserie hin gegen die erste Führungsfläche (57) stößt und an dieser entlanggleitet, und
die Pedalhalterung (17) ferner Folgendes umfasst: ein zweites Anschlagteil (42), das sich oberhalb oder unterhalb des ersten Führungselements (53) befindet und näher bei dem Vorderteil der Fahrzeugkarosserie als das erste Anschlagteil (41), und das aufgrund der Relativbewegung der Pedalhalterung zum Heck der Fahrzeugkarosserie hin gegen die zweite Führungsfläche (58) stößt und an dieser entlanggleitet;
das erste und zweite Anschlagteil (41, 42) so angeordnet sind, dass das zweite Anschlagteil (42) gegen die zweite Führungsfläche (58) stößt, nachdem das erste Anschlagteil (41) das Gleiten entlang der ersten Führungsfläche (57) beendet hat. Fahrzeugpedaltragstruktur nach Anspruch 1, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die erste und die zweite Führungsfläche (57, 58) so angeordnet sind, dass sie einander in der Draufsicht überlagern. Fahrzeugpedaltragstruktur nach Anspruch 1, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass
ein vorderes Ende der an der Spritzwand (1) befestigten Pedalhalterung (17) mit einem Punkt (22) ausgebildet ist, von dem aus die Pedalhalterung (17) sich biegt, wenn eine abwärtsgerichtete Kraft darauf einwirkt;
das erste Anschlagteil (41) durch den Umfang eines ersten hohlen oder massiven zylindrischen Stiftelements ausgebildet ist, das an der Pedalhalterung (17) vorgesehen ist, um sich in Querrichtung der Fahrzeugkarosserie zu erstrecken;
das zweite Anschlagteil (42) durch den Umfang eines zweiten hohlen oder massiven zylindrischen Stiftelements ausgebildet ist, das an der Pedalhalterung (17) vorgesehen ist, um sich in Querrichtung der Fahrzeugkarosserie zu erstrecken; und
vorausgesetzt, dass eine durch den Biegepunkt (22) und das erste Stiftelement (41) verlaufende Gerade, die sich in Längsrichtung der Fahrzeugkarosserie erstreckt, zu dem Zeitpunkt, an dem das erste Stiftelement (41) mit der Bewegung der Pedalhalterung (17) zum Heck der Fahrzeugkarosserie hin gegen die erste Führungsfläche (57) stößt, einen Winkel &thgr;1 mit der ersten Führungsfläche (57) bildet, während eine durch den Biegepunkt (22) und das zweite Stiftelement (42) verlaufende Gerade, die sich in Längsrichtung der Fahrzeugkarosserie erstreckt, zu dem Zeitpunkt; an dem das zweite Stiftelement (42) mit der Bewegung der Pedalhalterung zum Heck der Fahrzeugkarosserie hin gegen die zweite Führungsfläche stößt, einen Winkel &thgr;2 mit der zweiten Führungsfläche (58) bildet, der Winkel &thgr;1 größer ist als der Winkel &thgr;2. Fahrzeugpedaltragstruktur nach Anspruch 1, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass
ein vorderes Ende der an der Spritzwand (1) befestigten Pedalhalterung (17) mit einem Punkt (22) ausgebildet ist, von dem aus die Pedalhalterung (17) sich biegt, wenn eine abwärts gerichtete Kraft darauf einwirkt; und
die Länge der Strecke von dem Biegepunkt (22) bis zu dem zweiten Anschlagteil (42) kürzer ist als die Länge der Strecke von dem Biegepunkt (22) bis zu dem ersten Anschlagteil (41). Fahrzeugpedaltragstruktur nach Anspruch 1, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass
das erste Anschlagteil (41) durch eine hohle oder massive zylindrische Stützwelle ausgebildet ist, durch die das Betätigungspedal (15) an der Pedalhalterung (17) gehalten wird; und
das zweite Anschlagteil (42) durch ein hohles oder massives zylindrisches Stiftelement ausgebildet ist.
An automotive pedal support structure comprising: a pedal bracket (17) fixed to a dashpanel (1) of an automobile; an operating pedal (15) supported to the pedal bracket (17) so as to swing forward and backward; a reinforcing member (9) extended in a widthwise direction of an automobile body within an instrument panel; and a guide mechanism (41, 42, 53, 54) for changing the position of the pedal bracket (17) to suppress a relative movement of a pedal portion (16) of the operating pedal (15) toward the rear of the automobile body when the pedal bracket (17) is moved relatively toward the rear of the automobile body, wherein the guide mechanism comprises: at least one guide surface (57, 58) that is supported to the reinforcing member (9), and is inclined obliquely downward to become gradually lowered toward the rear of the automobile body; and at least one abutment part (41, 42) that is provided at the pedal bracket (17) to slide along the guide surface (57, 58) with the relative movement of the pedal bracket (17) toward the rear of the automobile body, thereby changing the position of the pedal bracket,
a first and second guide surfaces provided adjacent to the reinforcing member (9), the first guide surface (57) being formed at a first guide member (53) fixed to the reinforcing member (9), and the second guide surface (58) being formed at a second guide member (54) fixed to the reinforcing member (9) wherein with the relative movement of the pedal bracket (17) toward the rear of the automobile body, the pedal bracket (17) causes a positional change along the first guide surface (57) and then a positional change along the second guide surface (58);
said pedal bracket (17) comprising a first abutment part (41) that abuts against and slides along the first guide surface (57) due to the relative movement of the pedal bracket (17) toward the rear of the automobile body; and characterized in that said pedal bracket (17) further comprises: a second abutment part (42) that is located above or below the first guide member (53) and closer to the front of the automobile body than the first abutment part (41), and that abuts against and slides along the second guide surface (58) due to the relative movement of the pedal bracket toward the rear of the automobile body;
the first and second abutment parts (41, 42) are located so that the second abutment part (42) abuts against the second guide surface (58) after the first abutment part (41) has finished sliding along the first guide surface (57). The automotive pedal support structure of Claim 1, characterized in that the first and second guide surfaces (57, 58) are located to overlap with each other in plan view. The automotive pedal support structure of Claim 1, characterized in that: a front end of the pedal bracket (17) fixed to the dashpanel (1) is formed with a point (22) from which the pedal bracket (17) bends when a downward force acts thereon; the first abutment part (41) is formed by the periphery of a first hollow or solid cylindrical pin member provided at the pedal bracket (17) to extend in the widthwise direction of the automobile body; the second abutment part (42) is formed by the periphery of a second hollow or solid cylindrical pin member provided at the pedal bracket (17) to extend in the widthwise direction of the automobile body; and given that a straight line passing through the bending point (22) and the first pin member (41) to extend in a longitudinal direction of the automobile body forms an angle &thgr;1 with the first guide surface (57) at the time when the first pin member (41) abuts against the first guide surface (57) with the movement of the pedal bracket (17) toward the rear of the automobile body, while a straight line passing through the bending point (21) and the second pin member (42) to extend in the longitudinal direction of the automobile body forms an angle &thgr;2 with the second guide surface (58) at the time when the second pin member (42) abuts against the second guide surface with the movement of the pedal bracket toward the rear of the automobile body, the angle &thgr;1 is greater than the angle &thgr;2. The automotive pedal support structure of Claim 1, characterized in that: a front end of the pedal bracket (17) fixed to the dashpanel (1) is formed with a point (22) from which the pedal bracket (17) bends when a downward force acts thereon; and the length from the bending point (22) to the second abutment part (42) is shorter than the length from the bending point (22) to the first abutment part (41). The automotive pedal support structure of Claim 1, characterized in that: the first abutment part (41) is formed by a hollow or solid cylindrical support shaft through which the operating pedal (15) is supported to the pedal bracket (17); and the second abutment part (42) is formed by a hollow or solid cylindrical pin member.
Structure de support pour une pédale d'un véhicule, comprenant: un support de pédale (17) fixé à un panneau d'auvent (1) d'un véhicule; une pédale de commande (15) supportée par le support de pédale (17) afin de basculer vers l'avant et l'arrière; un élément de renforcement (9) s'étendant dans une direction transversale d'une caisse de véhicule à l'intérieur d'un tableau de bord; et un mécanisme de guidage (41, 42, 53, 54) destiné à modifier la position du support de pédale (17) afin de supprimer un mouvement relatif d'une partie de pédale (16) de la pédale de commande (15) vers l'arrière de la caisse du véhicule lorsque le support de pédale (17) est déplacé relativement vers l'arrière de la caisse du véhicule, le mécanisme de guidage comprenant: au moins une face de guidage (57, 58) maintenue par l'élément de renforcement (9) et inclinée obliquement vers le bas afin de devenir abaissée vers l'arrière de la caisse du véhicule; et au moins une butée (41, 42) prévue au support de pédale (17) afin de glisser, avec le mouvement relatif du support de pédale (17), le long de la face de guidage (57, 58) vers l'arrière de la caisse du véhicule, ainsi modifiant la position du support de pédale, une première et une deuxième faces de guidage qui sont prévues adjacentes à l'élément de renforcement (9), la première face de guidage (57) étant formée sur un premier élément de guidage (53) fixé à l'élément de renforcement (9), et la deuxième face de guidage (58) étant formée sur un deuxième élément de guidage (54) fixé à l'élément de renforcement (9), caractérisée en ce que le support de pédale (17), avec le mouvement relatif du support de pédale (17) vers l'arrière de la caisse du véhicule, cause une modification de position le long de la première face de guidage (57) et ensuite une modification de position le long de la deuxième face de guidage (58); le support de pédale (17) comportant: une première butée (41) qui, à cause du mouvement relatif du support de pédale (17) vers l'arrière de la caisse du véhicule, bute contre la première face de guidage (57) et glisse le long de celle-ci; et caractérisée en ce que
le support de pédale (17) comprend en plus: une deuxième butée (42) qui est située en dessus ou en dessous du premier élément de guidage (53) et plus proche à l'avant de la caisse du véhicule que la première butée (41) et qui, à cause du mouvement relatif du support de pédale vers l'arrière de la caisse du véhicule, bute contre une deuxième face de guidage (58) et glisse le long de celle-ci;
la première et deuxième butées (41, 42) sont disposées de manière que la deuxième butée (42) bute contre la deuxième face de guidage (58) après que la première butée (41) a fini de glisser le long de la première face de guidage (57). Structure de support pour une pédale d'un véhicule selon la revendication 1, caractérisée en ce que la première et deuxième faces de guidage (57, 58) sont disposées de telle manière qu'en vue de dessus, elles se chevauchent entre elles. Structure de support pour une pédale d'un véhicule selon la revendication 1, caractérisée en ce que
une extrémité avant du support de pédale (17) fixé au panneau d'auvent (1) est formé avec un point (22) à partir duquel le support de pédale (17) se cintre lorsqu'une force dirigée vers le bas agit sur celui-ci;
la première butée (41) est formée par la périphérie d'un premier élément de broche cylindrique creux ou massif prévu sur le support de pédale (17) afin de s'étendre dans la direction transversale de la caisse de véhicule;
la deuxième butée (42) est formée par la périphérie d'un deuxième élément de broche cylindrique creux ou massif prévu sur le support de pédale (17) afin de s'étendre dans la direction transversale de la caisse de véhicule; et
étant donné qu'une droite passant par le point de cintrage (22) et le premier élément de broche (41) afin de s'étendre dans la direction longitudinale de la caisse du véhicule, forme, au moment où, avec le mouvement du support de pédale (17) vers l'arrière de la caisse du véhicule, le premier élément de broche (41) bute contre la première face de guidage (57), un angle &thgr;1 avec la première face de guidage (57), tandis qu'une droite passant par le point de cintrage (22) et le deuxième élément de broche (42) afin de s'étendre dans la direction longitudinale de la caisse du véhicule, forme, au moment où, avec le mouvement du support de pédale vers l'arrière de la caisse du véhicule, le deuxième élément de broche (42) bute contre la deuxième face de guidage, un angle &thgr;2 avec la deuxième face de guidage (58), l'angle &thgr;1 est plus grand que l'angle &thgr;2. Structure de support pour une pédale d'un véhicule selon la revendication 1, caractérisée en ce que
une extrémité avant du support de pédale (17) fixé au panneau d'auvent (1) est formé avec un point (22) à partir duquel le support de pédale (17) se cintre lorsqu'une force dirigée vers le bas agit sur celui-ci; et
la longueur entre le point de cintrage (22) et la deuxième butée (42) est plus courte que la longueur entre le point de cintrage (22) et la première butée (41). Structure de support pour une pédale d'un véhicule selon la revendication 1, caractérisée en ce que
la première butée (41) est formée par un arbre de support cylindrique creux ou massif par l'intermédiaire duquel la pédale de commande (15) est maintenue au support de pédale (17); et
la deuxième butée (42) est formée par un élément de broche cylindrique creux ou massif.