THREE AXIS ADJUSTABLE AUTOMOTIVE FOOT CONTROLS
First Claim
1. A control pedal assembly which may be designed to be engaged to a vehicle which has various systems which may include a braking system and controllers which may include an electronic engine controller, comprising:
- (a) a pedal mounting system base component;
(b) a first series of slider components and reactor components mounted to said pedal mounting system base component;
(c) a first position adjustable control pedal mounted to said first series of slider components and reactor components;
(d) wherein said first series of slider components and reactor components is comprised of a first slider component, a first reactor component, a second slider component, and a second reactor component;
(e) wherein said first slider component and said first reactor component are constructed and slideably engaged to one another in a manner such that relative translation between said first slider component and said first reactor component is only allowed along a first adjustment curve;
(f) wherein said first reactor component is either fixedly engaged to or is a same component as said second slider component;
(g) wherein said second slider component and said second reactor component are constructed and slideably engaged to one another in a manner such that relative translation between said second slider component and said second reactor component is only allowed along a second adjustment curve;
(h) wherein said first position adjustable control pedal is engaged to said first slider component in a manner preventing any substantial relative motion between said first slider component and said first position adjustable control pedal other than operational motions of said first position adjustable control pedal;
(i) wherein said second reactor component is engaged directly or indirectly to said pedal mounting system base component;
(j) wherein said first slider component, said first reactor component, said second slider component, and said second reactor component are constructed and engaged to one another in an orientation such that said first adjustment curve extends in different directions than said second adjustment curve so that an initial position of said first position adjustable control pedal relative to said pedal mounting system base component is adjustable in at least two directions;
(k) a second series of slider components and reactor components which is mounted to said pedal mounting system base component;
(l) a second position adjustable control pedal mounted to said second series of slider components and reactor components;
(m) wherein said second series of slider components and reactor components is comprised of a third slider component and a third reactor component;
(n) wherein said third slider component and said third reactor component are constructed and slideably engaged to one another in a manner such that relative translation between said third slider component and said third reactor component is only allowed along a third adjustment curve;
(o) wherein said second position adjustable control pedal is engaged to said third slider component in a manner preventing any substantial relative motion between said third slider component and said second position adjustable control pedal other than operational motions of said second position adjustable control pedal;
(p) wherein said third reactor component is engaged directly or indirectly to said pedal mounting system base component; and
(q) wherein said first slider component is moveable along said first adjustment curve completely independently of said third slider component which is moveable along said third adjustment curve completely independently of said first slider component such that said initial position of said first position adjustable control pedal is adjustable relative to and independent of an initial position of said second position adjustable control pedal in at least one direction.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A control pedal assembly for a vehicle. Two or more control pedals are engaged to a pedal mounting system base component through a number of components that are slideably engaged to one another. The construction and arrangement of the components that are slideably engaged to one another and the engagement of those components to the control pedals and the pedal mounting system base component is such that the position of at least two control pedals is adjustable relative to one another. One or more positioning actuators are engaged to the components that are slideably engaged to one another. The positioning actuators, when activated, slide the slideably engaged components relative to one another and thus change the position of one or more control pedals. One or more position control apparatus are connected to the positioning actuators so that an operator of the vehicle can activate the positioning actuators to adjust the position of the control pedals. Pedal driven components such as pedal position sensors and hydraulic master cylinders are flexibly linked to the systems of the vehicle so that the control pedals remain functional regardless of the position to which the operator has adjusted them.
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Citations
36 Claims
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1. A control pedal assembly which may be designed to be engaged to a vehicle which has various systems which may include a braking system and controllers which may include an electronic engine controller, comprising:
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(a) a pedal mounting system base component;
(b) a first series of slider components and reactor components mounted to said pedal mounting system base component;
(c) a first position adjustable control pedal mounted to said first series of slider components and reactor components;
(d) wherein said first series of slider components and reactor components is comprised of a first slider component, a first reactor component, a second slider component, and a second reactor component;
(e) wherein said first slider component and said first reactor component are constructed and slideably engaged to one another in a manner such that relative translation between said first slider component and said first reactor component is only allowed along a first adjustment curve;
(f) wherein said first reactor component is either fixedly engaged to or is a same component as said second slider component;
(g) wherein said second slider component and said second reactor component are constructed and slideably engaged to one another in a manner such that relative translation between said second slider component and said second reactor component is only allowed along a second adjustment curve;
(h) wherein said first position adjustable control pedal is engaged to said first slider component in a manner preventing any substantial relative motion between said first slider component and said first position adjustable control pedal other than operational motions of said first position adjustable control pedal;
(i) wherein said second reactor component is engaged directly or indirectly to said pedal mounting system base component;
(j) wherein said first slider component, said first reactor component, said second slider component, and said second reactor component are constructed and engaged to one another in an orientation such that said first adjustment curve extends in different directions than said second adjustment curve so that an initial position of said first position adjustable control pedal relative to said pedal mounting system base component is adjustable in at least two directions;
(k) a second series of slider components and reactor components which is mounted to said pedal mounting system base component;
(l) a second position adjustable control pedal mounted to said second series of slider components and reactor components;
(m) wherein said second series of slider components and reactor components is comprised of a third slider component and a third reactor component;
(n) wherein said third slider component and said third reactor component are constructed and slideably engaged to one another in a manner such that relative translation between said third slider component and said third reactor component is only allowed along a third adjustment curve;
(o) wherein said second position adjustable control pedal is engaged to said third slider component in a manner preventing any substantial relative motion between said third slider component and said second position adjustable control pedal other than operational motions of said second position adjustable control pedal;
(p) wherein said third reactor component is engaged directly or indirectly to said pedal mounting system base component; and
(q) wherein said first slider component is moveable along said first adjustment curve completely independently of said third slider component which is moveable along said third adjustment curve completely independently of said first slider component such that said initial position of said first position adjustable control pedal is adjustable relative to and independent of an initial position of said second position adjustable control pedal in at least one direction. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
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18. A vehicle, comprising:
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(a) a frame;
(b) a suspension, for supporting said vehicle, engaged to said frame;
(c) a drivetrain, for motivating said vehicle, engaged to said frame and said suspension;
(d) an operator cabin, from which an operator operates said vehicle, engaged to said frame;
(e) wherein said operator cabin is comprised of a dash panel disposed at a forward side of said operator cabin;
(f) a control pedal assembly;
(g) wherein said control pedal assembly is comprised of a pedal mounting system base component which is either directly or indirectly engaged to said dash panel or is a same component as said dash panel;
(h) wherein said control pedal assembly is further comprised of a first series of slider components and reactor components mounted to said pedal mounting system base component;
(i) wherein said control pedal assembly is further comprised of a first position adjustable control pedal mounted to said first series of slider components and reactor components;
(j) wherein said first series of slider components and reactor components is comprised of a first slider component, a first reactor component, a second slider component, and a second reactor component;
(k) wherein said first slider component and said first reactor component are constructed and slideably engaged to one another in a manner such that relative translation between said first slider component and said first reactor component is only allowed along a first adjustment curve;
(l) wherein said first reactor component is either fixedly engaged to or is a same component as said second slider component;
(m) wherein said second slider component and said second reactor component are constructed and slideably engaged to one another in a manner such that relative translation between said second slider component and said second reactor component is only allowed along a second adjustment curve;
(n) wherein said first position adjustable control pedal is engaged to said first slider component in a manner preventing any substantial relative motion between said first slider component and said first position adjustable control pedal other than operational motions of said first position adjustable control pedal;
(o) wherein said second reactor component is engaged directly or indirectly to said pedal mounting system base component;
(p) wherein said first slider component, said first reactor component, said second slider component, and said second reactor component are constructed and engaged to one another in an orientation such that said first adjustment curve extends in different directions than said second adjustment curve so that an initial position of said first position adjustable control pedal relative to said pedal mounting system base component is adjustable in at least two directions;
(q) wherein said control pedal assembly is further comprised of a second series of slider components and reactor components which is mounted to said pedal mounting system base component;
(r) wherein said control pedal assembly is further comprised of a second position adjustable control pedal mounted to said second series of slider components and reactor components;
(s) wherein said second series of slider components and reactor components is comprised of a third slider component and a third reactor component;
(t) wherein said third slider component and said third reactor component are constructed and slideably engaged to one another in a manner such that relative translation between said third slider component and said third reactor component is only allowed along a third adjustment curve;
(u) wherein said second position adjustable control pedal is engaged to said third slider component in a manner preventing any substantial relative motion between said third slider component and said second position adjustable control pedal other than operational motions of said second position adjustable control pedal;
(v) wherein said third reactor component is engaged directly or indirectly to said pedal mounting system base component; and
(w) wherein said first slider component is moveable along said first adjustment curve completely independently of said third slider component which is moveable along said third adjustment curve completely independently of said first slider component such that said initial position of said first position adjustable control pedal is adjustable relative to and independent of an initial position of said second position adjustable control pedal in at least one direction.
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33. A computer program product for a position control computer that has various computer control devices and that is controllably linked to one or more positioning actuators of a vehicle component assembly that has one or more position adjustable vehicle components mounted to a mounting base through one or more series of slider components and reactor components that are slideably engaged and where the one or more positioning actuators are each constructed of a motivating device that when activated slideably drives a slider component relative to a reactor component, and wherein the driving direction of the motivating device is selectable so that the reactor component and slider component can be selectively driven in either direction relative to one another and wherein each positioning actuator may include a rotary electric servomotor which is the motivating device and to which the position control computer is controllably linked, a driven nut, and a threaded shaft, and where the rotary electric servo motor of each positioning actuator is engaged to either a slider component or a reactor component, the driven nut of each positioning actuator is engaged to whichever of the slider component and reactor component the rotary electric servo motor is not engaged to and the threaded shaft of each positioning actuator is engaged to an output shaft of the rotary electric servo motor and threadedly engaged to the driven nut so that activation of the rotary electric servo motor causes the slider component and reactor component to be slideably driven relative to one another, and where the vehicle component assembly further includes one or more adjustment limiting systems that are electrically linked to the rotary electric servo motor and/or the position control computer and which adjustment limiting systems disable activation of one or more of the positioning actuators in one direction when a slider component and reactor component are slideably driven to an outer limit of an intended range of relative positions for the slider component and reactor component so that the positioning actuator is prevented from slideably driving the slider component and reactor component to a relative position outside the intended range of positions for that slider component and reactor component, and where each rotary electric servo motor may be a rotary electric stepper motor that creates electric signals that are received by the position control computer and which the position control computer can use to determine how many revolutions and fractions thereof the rotary electric servo motor has driven through during any given period of time and wherein the threaded shaft has a constant thread pitch, and wherein the vehicle component assembly may also include one or more position sensors that are linked to the position control computer in a manner such that the position control computer can determine the relative position of one or more pairs of slider components and reactor components that are slideably engaged to one another, and wherein for each unique position in space in which each position adjustable vehicle component may be positioned there is a set of position coordinates that describe that position, said computer program product comprising:
(a) A computer useable medium having computer readable program code means embodied in said medium for causing the position control computer to perform the steps of;
i) determining the position coordinates of each of the position adjustable vehicle components;
ii) displaying the position coordinates of each of the position adjustable vehicle components so that a user of the position control computer may be aware of the position coordinates of each of the position adjustable vehicle components;
iii) upon a user acting upon the computer control devices of the position control computer in a certain manner, activating one or more of the motivating devices of the positioning actuators to slideably drive one or more of the slider components relative to the reactor components that they are slideably engaged to until the user stops acting upon the computer control devices in said certain manner; and
iv) receiving input from a user related to the position coordinates that the user would like each position adjustable vehicle component to be located at and, after being commanded to position the position adjustable vehicle components at those position coordinates, activating various ones of the motivating devices of the vehicle component assembly until the position coordinates of each position adjustable vehicle component are equal to the position coordinates input by the user. - View Dependent Claims (34, 35, 36)
Specification