Electronic adjustable pedal assembly

An adjustable pedal assembly for a motor vehicle adapted to be mounted on a body structure of the vehicle and operative to generate a control signal for controlling an associated device of the motor vehicle, said assembly comprising:

• a carrier;
• guide means mounting the carrier for fore and aft movement relative to the vehicle body structure;
• drive means for moving the carrier along the guide means;
• a pedal structure mounted on the carrier for movement relative to the carrier and including a pedal pad;
• generator means operative in response to movement of the pedal structure relative to the carrier to generate an electric control signal proportioned to the extent of movement of the pedal structure relative to the carrier;
• a coil spring arranged to be torsionally tightened in response to a force applied to the pedal pad whereby to provide a spring resistance force opposing the pedal apply force and arranged to be torsionally relaxed in response to release of the pedal apply force whereby to provide a spring return force;
• and
• means operative in response to torsional tightening of the spring to generate a frictional resistance force that is additive with respect to the spring resistance force and subtractive with respect to the spring return force;
• the guide means comprising a hollow guide rod;
• the carrier including an upper portion mounted on the guide rod for sliding fore and aft movement along the guide rod;
• the pedal structure including a pedal arm having an upper end mounted on a lower portion of the carrier;
• the pedal arm being pivotally mounted on the lower carrier portion;
• the generator means including a potentiometer mounted on the lower portion of the carrier and means operative in response to pivotal movement of the pedal arm to vary the setting of the potentiometer;
• the carrier further including a nut slidably positioned within the hollow of the guide rod and means connecting the nut to the carrier so that sliding movement of the nut within the guide rod moves the carrier fore and aft along the guide rod;
• and
• the drive means including a screw shaft threadably received in the nut and means operative to rotate the screw shaft.

An accelerator pedal assembly for a motor vehicle adapted to be mounted on a body structure of the vehicle and operative to generate a control signal for controlling a throttle device of the motor vehicle, said assembly comprising:

• a hollow guide rod;
• a nut slidably positioned in the guide rod;
• a carrier slidably mounted on the guide rod;
• means drivingly connecting the nut to the carrier so that sliding movement of the nut within the guide rod moves the carrier slidably along the guide rod;
• a screw shaft within the guide rod threadably engaging the nut;
• a pedal structure including a pivot shaft mounted on the carrier, a pedal arm extending downwardly from the pivot shaft, and a pedal pad on the lower end of the pedal arm;
• a potentiometer mounted on the carrier and operative in response to pivotal movement of the pivot shaft to generate an electric control signal proportioned to the extent of movement of the pedal arm relative to the carrier;
• a coil spring positioned around the pivot shaft and having one end anchored to the pedal arm and another end anchored to the carrier, the spring being arranged to be torsionally tightened in response to a force applied to the pedal pad whereby to provide a spring resistance force opposing the pedal apply force and arranged to be torsionally relaxed in response to release of the pedal apply force whereby to provide a spring return force;
• and
• means operative in response to torsional tightening of the spring to generate a frictional resistance force that is additive with respect to the spring resistance force and subtractive with respect to the spring return force.