Pedal mechanism and method for forming the same

• US 5,435,205 A
• Filed: 06/24/1993
• Issued: 07/25/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Alcoa Incorporated (Howmet Aerospace, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Aluminum Company of America (Howmet Aerospace, Inc.)
• Inventors: Crumbly, Holly J., Seksaria, Dinesh C.
• Primary Examiner(s): LUONG, VINH
• Application Number:
  US08/081,643
• Time in Patent Office: 761 Days
• Field of Search: 74/560, 74/512, 74/561, 74/562, 74/513, 72/60
• US Class Current: 74/560
• CPC Class Codes: G05G 1/30 Controlling members actuated by foot
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/20528 Foot operated
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/20888 Pedals

Abstract

A pedal for a vehicle has an integrally formed clevis, a central portion, and an integrally formed relatively flat foot engaging section. A lightweight, one-piece, extruded aluminum tubing with a thin wall and a round cross section is bent at an acute angle to form a clevis at its upper end and is bent at about a right angle at its lower end to form a foot engaging portion. A hydroforming process forms the walls of the clevis end and the central portion into a rectangular cross section and forces the walls of the lower end together to form a relatively flat, smooth, upper foot engaging surface and an undersurface with longitudinal ribs. Hexagonally configured apertures in opposing walls of the clevis receive a bushing having the same hexagonal configuration. A cut-out section communicates with the aperture in the two opposing walls, and the bushing is secured in the apertures by forcing together the walls adjacent to those with the apertures to close the gap in the cut-out sections. This action causes the walls of the apertures to be received in notches provided in the bushing.

Claims

1. A pedal mechanism comprising:

a one-piece extruded metal tubular member having a first end and a second end with a free end, and a center section between said first end and said free end of said second end, and including a clevis portion formed within said first end of said extruded metal tubular member and a foot engaging portion formed within said free end of said second end of said extruded tubular member,

said clevis portion consisting of spaced-apart wails, which are rectangular in cross-section, aperture means in at least two opposed said spaced-apart walls, cut-out section means in communication with said aperture means, and bushing means supported in said aperture means.

2. A pedal mechanism of claim 1 wherein said metal is aluminum.

3. A pedal mechanism of claim 1 wherein said foot engaging portion includes collapsed spaced-apart wall portions with a planar upper surface and a ribbed undersurface.

4. A pedal mechanism of claim 1 wherein said bushing means consists of an outer surface and notch means formed in said outer surface, and wherein said aperture means consists of inner surface means which are received in said notch means of said bushing means for securement of said bushing means in said aperture means.

5. A pedal mechanism of claim 1 wherein said aperture means consists of at least one flat inner surface and said bushing means consists of at least one flat outer surface, and wherein the configuration of said outer surface of said bushing means corresponds to the configuration of said inner surface of said aperture means.

6. A pedal mechanism of claim 1, wherein said bushing means consists of several adjacent outer surfaces and said aperture means consists of several adjacent inner surfaces and wherein the configuration of said outer surfaces of said bushing means and the configuration of said inner surfaces of said aperture means are hexagonal.

7. A pedal mechanism of claim 1 wherein said wall of said tubular member is about 0.06 inch to about 1.20 inch.

8. A pedal mechanism of claim 1 wherein said pedal mechanism is a vehicle pedal.

9. A pedal mechanism of claim 1 wherein said center section, said clevis portion and said foot engaging portion are angularly offset with respect to each other.

10. A pedal mechanism, comprising:

a one piece, extruded metal tubing member having an integrally formed clevis means disposed at a first end of said member, an integrally formed foot engaging means disposed at a second end of said member having a free end, and an integrally formed central section disposed between said first end and said free end of said second end of said extruded metal tubing member,

said clevis means comprising aperture means and cut-out section means in communication with said aperture means, and bushing means supported in said aperture means, and

said bushing means comprising outer surface means and notch means formed in said outer surface means, and

said aperture means comprising inner surface means which are, received in said notch means of said outer surface means of said bushing means for securement of said bushing means in said aperture means.

11. A pedal mechanism of claim 10 wherein said aperture means further consists of at least one inner surface for supporting said inner surface means of said aperture means and said outer surface means of said bushing means consists of at least one outer surface, and wherein the configuration of said outer surface of said bushing means corresponds to the configuration of said inner surface of said aperture means.

12. A pedal mechanism of claim 10 wherein said outer surface means of said bushing means consists of several adjacent outer surfaces, one of which said outer surfaces supports said notch means of said bushing means, and said aperture means further consists of several adjacent inner surfaces, one of which said inner surfaces supports said inner surface means of said aperture means, and wherein the configuration of said outer surfaces of said bushing means and the configuration of said inner surfaces of said aperture means are hexagonal.