Accelerator pedal sensor/sender

• US 6,412,364 B1
• Filed: 05/26/2000
• Issued: 07/02/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HELLA KG Hueck & Co.
• Original Assignee: HELLA KG Hueck & Co.
• Inventors: Berglar, Heinrich
• Primary Examiner(s): KIM, CHONG HWA
• Application Number:
  US09/578,695
• Time in Patent Office: 767 Days
• Field of Search: 745/14, 745/13, 745/60, 745/12
• US Class Current: 74/514
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 11/02 characterised by hand, foot, or like operator controlled initiation means
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 11/106 Detection of demand or actuation
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/165 by relative movement of a point of contact or actuation and a resistive track
• CPC Class Codes: G05G 1/30 Controlling members actuated by foot
• CPC Class Codes: G05G 1/38 comprising means to continuously detect pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: G05G 1/506 Controlling members for foot-actuation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/2054 Signal

Abstract

An accelerator pedal sensor/sender has a housing, a pedal lever connected at a first end portion with a pedal plate and supported at an opposite second end portion in the housing, and an electrical rotation sensor comprising a sensor plate and an actuating element that is driven by the pedal lever. The pedal lever is formed as a single piece of plastic material, including two perpendicular pins, to form a first connecting element that is directly connected with a second connecting element of an actuating element.

Claims

1. A driving pedal sensor comprising:

a housing (1, 10), a pedal lever (2) for being connected at a first end portion with a pedal plate (3) and being supported at a second, opposite, end portion in the housing (1, 10), an electrical rotation sensor coupled to said pedal lever, said electrical rotation sensor comprising a sensor plate (4) and an actuating element (5) that is driven by the pedal lever (2), wherein the pedal lever (2) is formed as a single part of resinous plastic which is connected directly with the actuating element (5), wherein the pedal lever (2) has first and second pins (6) formed thereon, as a single piece therewith, perpendicular to an axis of elongation of the pedal lever, the pins being respectively supported in first and second bushings (7) of the housing (1, 10), wherein said first pin is coupled to said actuating element, said first pin and the actuating element forming a unit extending through said first bushing with said actuating element abutting an axially-directed face of the first pin and coupled thereat to be at least partially located beyond said bushing for interacting with said sensor plate, wherein the actuating element and the at least first pin have the same axis of rotation (11).

2. The driving pedal sensor as in claim 1, wherein bearing shells (8) are injection-molded onto the pins (6) for bearing on the bushings.

3. The driving pedal sensor as in claim 1, wherein the pins (6) are made of a plastic material suitable as a bearing.

4. The driving pedal sensor as in claim 1, wherein the rotation sensor is a potentiometer and the actuating element (5) is a contact-brush support of the potentiometer.

5. The driving pedal sensor as in claim 1, wherein the rotation sensor is constructed as a contactless sensor.

6. The driving pedal sensor as in claim 5, wherein the actuating element of the contactless sensor is stamped directly onto an said axially-directed facing face of the first pin.

7. The driving pedal sensor of claim 1, wherein the actuating element is stamped directly on the axially-directed face.

8. The driving pedal sensor of claim 1, wherein the axially directed face has an indentation and the actuating element is a single-piece solid member positioned in said indentation to be thereby locked with said first pin.