Vehicle Pedal Assembly with Plastic Pedal Shaft Structure

• US 20160101694A1
• Filed: 10/07/2015
• Published: 04/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CTS Corporation
• Original Assignee: CTS Corporation
• Inventors: Hallberg, Thomas A.
• Granted Patent: US 9,684,331 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/04 foot actuated
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/042 by electrical means, e.g. using travel or force sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/06 Disposition of pedal
• CPC Class Codes: G05G 1/30 Controlling members actuated by foot
• CPC Class Codes: G05G 1/44 pivoting
• CPC Class Codes: G05G 1/506 Controlling members for foot-actuation

Abstract

A vehicle pedal assembly with a stationary plastic pedal shaft structure made of different plastic materials and more specifically a vehicle pedal assembly with a pedal shaft including an exterior bearing surface adapted for abutting bearing contact with the surface of the drum of the pedal shaft. The bearing surface is made of a different plastic material that minimizes wear and friction between the shaft surface and the pedal drum surface. The pedal shaft includes opposed key shaped ends that are inserted into respective key hole shaped through-holes defined in the pedal assembly housing for aligning and securing the pedal shaft in the pedal housing.

Claims

1. A vehicle pedal assembly comprising:

a pedal housing including a pair of side walls defining a pair of respective through-holes;

a rotatable pedal including a drum extending into the pedal housing, the drum defining a through-hole; and

a stationary pedal shaft extending through the through-hole defined in the drum of the pedal and into the respective through-holes defined in the respective side walls of the pedal housing, the pedal shaft being made of a first plastic material and including a bearing surface made of a second plastic material different than the first plastic material and adapted for abutting bearing contact with the interior surface of the drum of the pedal.

2. The vehicle pedal assembly of claim 1, wherein the pedal shaft includes opposed ends defining respective keys and the respective through-holes in the respective side walls of the pedal housing define respective key holes adapted to receive the respective keys defined by the respective ends of the pedal shaft.

3. The vehicle pedal assembly of claim 2, wherein each of the ends of the pedal shaft include tabs for press fitting the respective ends of the pedal shaft in the respective side walls of the pedal housing.

4. The vehicle pedal assembly of claim 1, wherein the first plastic material of the pedal shaft is nylon and the second plastic material of the pedal shaft is Acetal.

5. A vehicle pedal assembly comprising a stationary shaft extending through a rotatable pedal, the pedal shaft being made of a first material and including an exterior surface made of a second material different than the first material and in contact with an interior surface of the pedal.

6. The vehicle pedal assembly of claim 5 further comprising a pedal housing with opposed and spaced apart side walls defining respecting through-holes, the shaft including respective distal ends extending into and fixed in the respective through-holes defined in the respective side walls of the pedal housing.

7. The vehicle pedal assembly of claim 6, wherein each of the through-holes has a first pattern and each of the distal ends of the shaft includes a second pattern that is complimentary with the first pattern of the respective through-holes defined in the pedal housing for locating the shaft relative to the pedal housing and preventing rotational movement of the shaft relative to the pedal housing.

8. The vehicle pedal assembly of claim 7, wherein the first pattern of one or both of the through-holes is in the shape of a key-hole and the second pattern on one or both of the distal ends of the shaft is in the shape of a key adapted to be fitted in the key-hole defined by one or both of the through-holes in the pedal housing.

9. The vehicle pedal assembly of claim 5, wherein the first material of the pedal shaft is nylon and the second material of the pedal shaft is Acetal.

10. The vehicle pedal assembly of claim 5, wherein the pedal includes a distal drum, the drum defining the interior surface of the pedal in contact with the exterior surface of the pedal shaft.