Supporting structure of a pedal device for a vehicle

Claim 2

A supporting structure of a pedal device for a vehicle comprising: a pedal bracket fixed to a vehicle body and supporting a rotating shaft portion of a suspended-type pedal device for a vehicle; external force detecting means for detecting an external force applied to a front portion of a vehicle; amount of movement determining means for determining an amount of movement of the rotating shaft portion of the pedal device on the basis of results of detection by said external force detecting means; and displacement controlling means for, on the basis of results of determination by said amount of movement determining means, controlling displacement of a stepping surface of the pedal device such that the rotating shaft portion is moved substantially toward a rear of the vehicle.

Claim 3

A supporting structure of a pedal device for a vehicle comprising: a pedal bracket fixed to a vehicle body and supporting a rotating shaft portion of a suspended-type pedal device for a vehicle; a swinging link supported at said pedal bracket so as to be swingable around the rotating shaft portion, one end portion of said swinging link being connected to an operational force transmitting means which transmits, to a stepping force augmenting means, stepping force applied to a stepping surface of the pedal device; linking means for transmitting, to the operational force transmitting means, rotational force substantially toward a front of a vehicle around a central axis of rotation of the pedal device by linking another end portion of said swinging link with an end portion of the pedal device at a side opposite the stepping surface of the pedal device; and displacement controlling means for transmitting to a rotating shaft portion of said swinging link external force of a predetermined value or greater at the time when the external force is applied to a front portion of the vehicle, and controlling displacement of the stepping surface of the pedal device via said linking means such that the rotating shaft portion of said swinging link is moved substantially toward a rear of the vehicle.

Claim 4

A supporting structure of a pedal device for a vehicle comprising: a pedal bracket fixed to a vehicle body and supporting a rotating shaft portion of a suspended-type pedal device for a vehicle; a swinging link supported at said pedal bracket so as to be swingable around the rotating shaft portion, one end portion of said swinging link being connected to an operational force transmitting means which transmits, to a stepping force augmenting means, stepping force applied to a stepping surface of the pedal device, and another end portion of said swinging link being relatively rotatably connected one of directly and indirectly to an end portion of the pedal device at a side opposite the stepping surface of the pedal device, so that said swinging link transmits, to the operational force transmitting means, rotational force substantially toward a front of a vehicle around the rotating shaft portion of the pedal device; and displacement controlling means for controlling displacement of the stepping surface of the pedal device by absorbing rotational force which is of a predetermined value or greater and which is substantially toward a rear of the vehicle around a central axis of rotation of the pedal device and which is applied to the pedal device via said swinging link at the time when an external force of a predetermined value or greater is applied to a front portion of the vehicle.

Claim 5

A supporting structure of a pedal device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said displacement controlling means has: connecting means for connecting the rotating shaft portion and a load receiving portion which is disposed further toward a front of the vehicle than the pedal device and which is displaced substantially toward the rear of the vehicle by receiving external force of a predetermined value or greater applied to the front portion of the vehicle, a rigidity of said connecting means in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle being set higher than a rigidity of said pedal bracket in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle; and guiding means, provided at said pedal bracket, for guiding movement of the rotating shaft portion substantially toward the rear of the vehicle.

Claim 6

A supporting structure of a pedal device for a vehicle according to claim 5, further comprising: hinge means for joining said connecting means and the load receiving portion such that said connecting means and the load receiving portion are rotatable relative to one another.

Claim 7

A supporting structure of a pedal device for a vehicle according to claim 6, wherein said guiding means is structured such that a locus of movement of the rotating shaft portion is a substantially arc shaped locus which is oriented substantially toward the rear of the vehicle and downwardly.

Claim 8

A supporting structure of a pedal device for a vehicle according to claim 5, wherein the load receiving portion is disposed further toward the front of the vehicle than a dash panel of the vehicle.

Claim 9

A supporting structure of a pedal device for a vehicle according to claim 5, wherein said pedal bracket has a pair of side wall portions which buckles substantially in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle when an external force of a predetermined value or greater is applied to the front portion of the vehicle, and said connecting means is disposed at outer sides of the pair of side wall portions, and deforming portions, which deform the pair of side wall portions toward an inner side of the pair of side wall portions when the external force is applied, are provided at the pair of side wall portions.

Claim 10

A supporting structure of a pedal device for a vehicle according to claim 9, wherein the deforming portions are disposed such that positions of the deforming portions are offset relative to one another in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

Claim 11

A supporting structure of a pedal device for a vehicle according to claim 5, wherein said pedal bracket has a pair of side wall portions which buckles substantially in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle when an external force of a predetermined value or greater is applied to the front portion of the vehicle, and said connecting means is disposed at an inner side of the pair of side wall portions.

Claim 12

A supporting structure of a pedal device for a vehicle according to claim 11, wherein said connecting means is formed so as to be joined to the load receiving portion at one place and so as to be joined to the rotating shaft portion at a plurality of places.

Claim 13

A supporting structure of a pedal device for a vehicle according to claim 12, wherein a region at which said connecting means is joined to the load receiving portion is disposed at an inner side of said pedal bracket and is offset toward an outer side of the vehicle.

Claim 14

A supporting structure of a pedal device for a vehicle according to claim 11, wherein said guiding means is elongated holes provided in said pedal bracket, and the rotating shaft portion has a fastening member and a torque transmission preventing means which prevents transmission of fastening torque of the fastening member to peripheral portions of the elongated holes.

Claim 15

A supporting structure of a pedal device for a vehicle according to claim 5, wherein said connecting means has a bending means which is provided such that a longitudinal direction portion of said connecting means in a vicinity of the rotating shaft portion bends in a guiding direction of said guiding means due to application of a load of a predetermined value or greater.

Claim 16

A supporting structure of a pedal device for a vehicle according to claim 15, wherein said connecting means has a stopper means for restricting an amount of bending of said bending means to a predetermined amount.

Claim 17

A supporting structure of a pedal device for a vehicle according to claim 16, wherein bending of said bending means is caused by buckling of said connecting means, and said connecting means has a plate-shaped portion whose surface direction is a direction of thickness of said connecting means.

Claim 18

A supporting structure of a pedal device for a vehicle according to claim 5, wherein a region at which said pedal bracket and a member at a vehicle body are fixed is provided in a vicinity of a final end portion of said guiding means in a guiding direction thereof.

Claim 19

A supporting structure of a pedal device for a vehicle according to claim 5, further comprising: a brake switch bracket holding a brake switch, and applying rotational force toward the front of the vehicle to the pedal device when an external force of a predetermined value or greater is applied to the front portion of the vehicle.

Claim 20

A supporting structure of a pedal device for a vehicle according to claim 5, wherein said guiding means is structured such that a locus of movement of the rotating shaft portion is a substantially circular arc shaped locus which is oriented substantially toward the rear of the vehicle and downwardly.

Claim 21

A supporting structure of a pedal device for a vehicle according to claim 20, wherein said guiding means is elongated holes provided in said pedal bracket, the elongated holes being provided such that a width of each of the elongated holes increases, along a direction in which the rotating shaft portion moves, to a dimension which is greater than a diameter dimension of the rotating shaft portion.

Claim 22

A supporting structure of a pedal device for a vehicle according to claim 21, wherein said guiding means has a slide-contact portion which, when the rotating shaft portion moves along the elongated holes, slide-contacts an end portion of the pedal device at a side opposite the stepping surface of the pedal device and guides movement of the end portion of the pedal device at the side opposite the stepping surface of the pedal device.

Claim 23

A supporting structure of a pedal device for a vehicle according to claim 22, wherein said pedal bracket has a regulating means at a region at which said pedal bracket and a member at a vehicle body are fixed, said regulating means regulating rotation of said pedal bracket as seen in plan view.

Claim 24

A supporting structure of a pedal device for a vehicle according to claim 23, wherein said regulating means is a pair of side plates which is provided at the member at the vehicle body and between which a portion of said pedal bracket is interposed.

Claim 25

A supporting structure of a pedal device for a vehicle according to claim 23, wherein said regulating means is provided with a plurality of points, along a substantially longitudinal direction of the vehicle, which are fixing portions of said pedal bracket and the member at the vehicle body.

Claim 26

A supporting structure of a pedal device for a vehicle according to claim 20, wherein said guiding means has: elongated holes provided in said pedal bracket and supporting the rotating shaft portion such that the rotating shaft portion is movable; and a slide-contact portion which, when the rotating shaft portion moves along the elongated holes, slide-contacts an end portion of the pedal device at a side opposite the stepping surface of the pedal device and guides movement of the end portion of the pedal device at the side opposite the stepping surface of the pedal device.

Claim 27

A supporting structure of a pedal device for a vehicle according to claim 26, wherein corner portions in a direction of thickness of the end portion of the pedal device at the side opposite the stepping surface of the pedal device are chamfered to a predetermined curvature.

Claim 28

A supporting structure of a pedal device for a vehicle according to claim 27, wherein a cross-sectional configuration of the end portion of the pedal device at the side opposite the stepping surface of the pedal device is substantially T-shaped.

Claim 29

A supporting structure of a pedal device for a vehicle according to claim 26, wherein the elongated holes are provided such that a width of a region of each of the elongated holes at a side in a direction of movement of the rotating shaft portion increases toward the slide-contact portion.

Claim 30

A supporting structure of a pedal device for a vehicle according to claim 20, further comprising: assisting means for assisting force for moving the rotating shaft portion substantially toward the rear of the vehicle at the time when an external force of a predetermined value or greater is applied to the front portion of the vehicle.

Claim 31

A supporting structure of a pedal device for a vehicle according to claim 5, wherein said guiding means is elongated holes provided in said pedal bracket, an inner peripheral thickness dimension of each of the elongated holes decreasing along a moving direction of the rotating shaft portion.

Claim 32

A supporting structure of a pedal device for a vehicle according to claim 3, wherein said displacement controlling means has: connecting means for connecting the rotating shaft portion and a load receiving portion which is disposed further toward a front of the vehicle than the pedal device and which is displaced substantially toward the rear of the vehicle by receiving external force of a predetermined value or greater applied to the front portion of the vehicle, a rigidity of said connecting means in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle being set higher than a rigidity of said pedal bracket in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle; and guiding means, provided at said pedal bracket, for guiding movement of the rotating shaft portion substantially toward the rear of the vehicle.