Motor vehicle safety arrangement

• US 6,276,483 B1
• Filed: 03/06/1998
• Issued: 08/21/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Volkswagen AG
• Original Assignee: Volkswagen AG
• Inventors: Thum, Holger Michael, Vöge, Frank, Knothe, Ulrich, Sinnhuber, Ruprecht
• Primary Examiner(s): CULBRETH, ERIC D
• Application Number:
  US08/894,004
• Time in Patent Office: 1,264 Days
• Field of Search: 280/748, 280/750, 280/751, 280/752, 280/779, 180/271, 180/282, 180/90, 180/90.6, 180/274, 745/12, 745/13
• US Class Current: 180/274
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/00 Arrangements or fittings on vehicles for protecting or preventing injuries to occupants or pedestrians in case of accidents or other traffic risks safety belts or body harnesses in vehicles B60R22/00; devices, apparatus or methods for life-saving in general A62B; safety devices for propulsion unit control specially adapted for, or arranged in, vehicles B60K28/00; seats constructed to protect the occupant from the effect of abnormal g-forces, e.g. crash or safety seats, B60N2/42; energy-absorbing arrangements for hand wheels for steering vehicles B62D1/11; energy-absorbing arrangements for vehicle steering columns B62D1/19; harnessing in aircraft B64D25/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/045 associated with the instrument panel or dashboard
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/09 Control elements or operating handles movable from an operative to an out-of-the way position, e.g. pedals, switch knobs, window cranks specially adapted for brake pedals, e.g. by venting of master cylinder or destruction of force transmitting rod, B60T7/065
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 25/14 Dashboards as superstructure sub-units other dashboard aspects B60K
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 24/44487 Closed by gravity or weight of structure-to-be-secured

Abstract

A motor vehicle safety arrangement has a pedal mechanism with at least one bearing block and at least one pedal articulated thereon. The bearing block is held by a beam member which extends approximately over the width of the vehicle and is spaced from a bulkhead delimiting the passenger compartment. In order to prevent injury to feet on frontal impact, the beam member is resistant to bending and is uncoupled from the bulkhead. The distance between the member and bulkhead is dimensioned such that, in the event of intrusion of the bulkhead as a result of a collision, the position of the beam member does not vary substantially.

Claims

1. Safety apparatus for a motor vehicle having a passenger compartment for occupants and a vehicle superstructure comprising:

at least one pedal articulated on a bearing block;

at least one beam member extending over at least about one-half the width of the vehicle and spaced from a bulkhead bounding the passenger compartment; and

the beam member rigidly connected to members of the superstructure in such a manner that the relative positions of the beam member and the superstructure members will be nearly unchanged after a vehicular accident compared to the relative positions of those members before the accident;

wherein the bearing block is rigidly connected to the beam member, so that the beam member and the bearing block, as well as the at least one pedal articulated thereon will be mechanically uncoupled from the bulkhead upon collision-related displacement of the bulkhead.

2. Safety apparatus according to claim 1 including a main brake cylinder attached to the beam member which is capable of being acted upon by a pedal through an actuating linkage.

3. Safety apparatus according to claim 2 including a brake force booster associated with the main brake cylinder attached to the beam member.

4. Safety apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the actuating linkage acting upon the main brake cylinder is a push rod which is articulated at an upper end of the pedal.

5. Safety apparatus according to claim 4 wherein the pedal is capable of being acted upon by a force transmission member, which is displaceable in the event of a collision and is located in front of the bulkhead part, through the tension bar and the main brake cylinder in such manner as to swing in the direction of the bulkhead in the event of a displacement of the force transmission member toward the passenger compartment.

6. Safety apparatus according to claim 1 including a steering column bearing for a steering column attached to the beam member.

7. Safety apparatus according to claim 6 wherein a steering wheel capable of being impacted by the occupant is arranged at an end of the steering column spaced from the steering column bearing and wherein the steering column is supported at least indirectly on the beam in the vicinity of a lower steering column bearing and is capable of telescoping and limiting by energy absorption an impact exerted on the steering wheel in a collision.

8. Safety apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the beam member is supported from a central tunnel of the motor vehicle.

9. Safety apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the beam member is rotatably supported and is held in a preassigned position by releasable retaining elements.

10. Safety apparatus according to claim 9 wherein the retaining elements comprise shear pins capable of being shared off when a preassigned stress is exceeded.

11. Safety apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the pedal is capable of being acted upon by force transmitted by a force transmission member so that it is swingable with a footpad toward the bulkhead upon said collision-related relative displacement of the force transmission member.

12. Safety apparatus according to claim 1 including a brake force booster cooperating with the pedal and wherein the brake force booster is mechanically uncoupled from the bulkhead and is outside of the passenger compartment.

13. Safety apparatus according to claim 12 wherein a fastening washer associated with the brake force booster is attached to a frontal wall end of the bearing block and protrudes into a recess of the frontal wall and is sealed from the recess by an encircling movable diaphragm.

14. Safety apparatus according to claim 1 including a bearing shaft in the bearing block for articulation of the pedal wherein the bearing shaft is swingable out of a rest position about a lower bearing point of the bearing block if a collision force exceeding a preassigned force is exerted on the pedal.

15. Safety apparatus according to claim 14 wherein the bearing shelf is supported in a curved slide guide having a width which is less than a diameter of the shaft.

16. Safety apparatus according to claim 1 wherein a bearing shaft provided for articulation of the pedal to the bearing block is supported by a deformation member supportable at least indirectly against the beam member.

17. Safety apparatus according to claim 1 including a servo connected to an accident sensor means associated with at least one of the bearing block and the at least one pedal, whereby the bearing block and the at least one pedal are movable in the direction of the bulkhead.

18. Safety apparatus according to claim 1 including energy-absorbing yielding knee pads supported on the beam member.

19. Safety apparatus according to claim 1 including fastening means for an airbag arrangement supported from the beam member.

20. Safety apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the beam member is hollow with a closed cross-sectional profile, and at least parts of the beam member are parts of a fluid delivery system.

24. Safety apparatus according to claim 1 or 21 wherein the beam member is attached to columns of the vehicle superstructure that extend substantially vertically.

25. Safety apparatus according to claim 1 or 21 wherein the beam member extending across about one-half the width of the vehicle is attached at one end to one member of the vehicle superstructure and at the other end to a central tunnel.

21. Safety apparatus for a motor vehicle having a passenger compartment for occupants and a vehicle superstructure comprising:

at least one pedal articulated on a bearing block and connected to a main brake cylinder by way of an actuating linkage;

at least one beam member extending over about one-half of the width of the vehicle and spaced from a bulkhead the passenger compartment;

a force transmission member which is displaceable in response to a collision operatively arranged so that the force transmission member is capable of acting upon the actuating linkage to swing or shift the at least one pedal in event of a collision-related displacement of the force transmission member relative to the beam member.

22. Safety apparatus according to claim 21 wherein the bearing block is connected to the beam member by way of a shear member, and is displaceable by force transmitted by the force transmission member and the actuating linkage in an event of accident-related displacement of the force transmission member.

23. Safety apparatus according to claim 22 wherein the pedal is capable of being acted upon by force transmitted by the force transmission member so that it is swingable together with a foot pad toward the bulkhead upon said collision-related displacement.