TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present subject matter described herein relates to a pedal assembly of an automobile. In particular, the present subject matter relates to an accelerator pedal assembly which allows a predefined movement of an accelerator pedal.
BACKGROUND
[0002] In a vehicle, an accelerator pedal is primarily used to control fuel supply to an engine in order to manage an engine's power output. For control of fuel supply, the accelerator pedal is generally pressed towards a dash panel of a vehicle. Figure 1A illustrates a typical accelerator pedal arm 102. The accelerator pedal arm 102 along with its housing 104 is supported on a top surface of a bracket 106. The bracket 106 with its plurality of legs protruding from sides of the top surface is mounted on a dash panel 108 of the vehicle. In such configuration of the acceleration pedal arm 102, one end of the accelerator pedal arm 102 is fixed to the housing 104 while another end is free to move in response to the pressure applied by a user's foot for accelerating the vehicle.
[0003] Further, in said known configuration of the accelerator pedal arm 102, as shown in Figure 1A, there may be a gap 110 left between the accelerator pedal arm 102 and a floor of the vehicle even after the full press or full stroke of the accelerator pedal arm 102 by the user. Because of such gap 110, the user can sometime apply a pressing force on the accelerator pedal arm 102 which is beyond a threshold limit. Due to such excess force, the accelerator pedal arm 102 may break from its weakest area 112, as shown in Figure IB.
[0004] The weakest area 112 is generally provided on the accelerator pedal arm 102 to act as a safety fuse to prevent damage of electronic parts present inside the housing 104 in case of excessive loading, beyond housing load bearing capacity or beyond the threshold limit, on the accelerator pedal arm 102.
[0005] Although the weakest area is intentionally formed to break the accelerator pedal arm 102 on excessive loading to prevent damage to the housing 104, the

accelerator pedal assembly should be designed in such a way that neither the pedal arm nor the housing is damaged during excessive loading.
[0006] Therefore, there is a need in the state of the art to provide an accelerator pedal assembly which can withstand excessive loading without damaging the housing or the accelerator pedal arm.
OBJECTS OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0007] Some of the objects of the present disclosure, which at least one embodiment herein satisfy, are listed herein below.
[0008] It is a primary object of the present disclosure to provide an accelerator pedal assembly to prevent the breakage of an accelerator pedal arm.
[0009] It is another object of the present disclosure to provide the accelerator pedal assembly with an integrated stopper.
[0010] It is another object of the present disclosure to provide an extended portion and a support leg on a bracket provided for mounting a housing of the accelerator pedal arm.
[0011] It is yet another object of the present disclosure that at the time of excessive loading than a threshold limit, the stopper of the accelerator pedal gets in contact with the extended portion of the bracket and prevents further movement of the accelerator pedal arm after full stroke.
[0012] These and other objects and advantages will become more apparent when reference is made to the following description and accompanying drawings.
SUMMARY
[0013] A solution to one or more drawbacks of existing technology and additional advantages are provided through the present disclosure. Additional features and advantages are realized through the technicalities of the present disclosure. Other

embodiments and aspects of the disclosure are described in detail herein and are considered to be a part of the claimed disclosure.
[0014] The present disclosure offers a solution in the form of an accelerator pedal assembly, including a horizontal stopper that is provided at an upper portion of an accelerator pedal arm and an extended portion that is formed on a bracket provided for mounting an accelerator pedal housing to a dash panel of a vehicle. The horizontal stopper rests on the extended portion to restrict the movement of the accelerator pedal arm.
[0015] In an aspect, the extended portion is a vertically extended portion in a downward direction.
[0016] In an aspect, the vertically extended portion is linear and flat at a top side and becomes angular at a bottom side.
[0017] In an aspect, one end of the horizontal stopper is integrally formed with the accelerator pedal arm and another end is formed to contact the vertically extended portion.
[0018] In an aspect, the extended portion is supported on the dash panel by a support leg.
[0019] In an aspect, an area of the horizontal stopper increases in the direction of the accelerator pedal arm and decreases in the direction of the bracket.
[0020] In an aspect, the bracket has a base to mount the accelerator pedal housing on the top.
[0021] In an aspect, the bracket has a plurality of legs protruding from sides of the base in a direction towards the dash panel.
[0022] In an aspect, the bracket is supported on the dash panel by the legs.
[0023] In an aspect, the support leg extends from the bottom side of the bracket and connects with the side edges of the extended portion.
[0024] The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments, and features

described above, further aspects, embodiments, and features will become apparent by reference to the drawings and the following detailed description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS
[0025] It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of the present subject matter and are therefore not to be considered for limiting of its scope, for the present disclosure may admit to other equally effective embodiments. The detailed description is described with reference to the accompanying figures. In the figures, a reference number identifies the figure in which the reference number first appears. The same numbers are used throughout the figures to reference like features and components. Some embodiments of system or methods or structure in accordance with embodiments of the present subject matter are now described, by way of example, and with reference to the accompanying figures, in which:
[0026] Figures 1A and IB illustrate an accelerator pedal assembly in accordance with the state of the art;
[0027] Figure 2 illustrates an accelerator pedal assembly, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0028] Figure 3 illustrates an accelerator pedal arm pressed beyond the threshold limit, according to an embodiment the present disclosure.
[0029] Figure 4 illustrates an accelerator pedal arm in a neutral condition, according to an embodiment the present disclosure
[0030] The figures depict embodiments of the present subject matter for illustration only. A person skilled in the art will easily recognize from the following description that alternative embodiments of the structures and methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principles of the disclosure described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION
[0031] The detailed description of various exemplary embodiments of the disclosure is described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the embodiments are described herein in such details as to communicate the disclosure. However, the amount of details provided herein is not intended to limit the anticipated variations of embodiments; on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims.
[0032] It is also to be understood that various arrangements may be devised that, although not explicitly described or shown herein, embody the principles of the present disclosure. Moreover, all statements herein reciting principles, aspects, and embodiments of the present disclosure, as well as specific examples, are intended to encompass equivalents thereof
[0033] It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions/acts noted may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, two figures shown in succession may be executed concurrently or may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality/acts involved.
[0034] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which example embodiments belong. It will be further understood that terms, e.g., those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.
[0035] In the following detailed description of the embodiments of the disclosure, reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in which are shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the disclosure may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail

to enable those skilled in the art to practice the disclosure, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. The following description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense.
[0036] Hereinafter, a description of an embodiment with several components in communication with each other does not imply that all such components are required. On the contrary, a variety of optional components are described to illustrate the wide variety of possible embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0037] The present disclosure aims at preventing the breakage of an accelerator pedal arm during the excessive loading beyond a threshold limit. In an example and not by way of limitation, the threshold limit is the load applied on the accelerator pedal arm during the full press condition .
[0038] Figure 2 shows that accelerator pedal assembly 200 in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The accelerator pedal assembly 200 includes an accelerator pedal arm 102 provided with an integrated horizontal stopper 202 at an upper portion of the accelerator pedal arm 102. The accelerator pedal arm 102 from its top end is connected with an accelerator pedal housing 104.
[0039] The horizontal stopper 202 is provided to support the accelerator pedal arm 102 and prevent undesired travel of the accelerator pedal arm 102 beyond the full press condition. The horizontal stopper 202 is positioned in a longitudinal direction of the accelerator pedal arm 102 and the vehicle body. One end of the horizontal stopper 202 is integrally formed with the accelerator pedal arm 102 and another end of the horizontal stopper 202 is free.
[0040] In an aspect, the area of the horizontal stopper 202 increases in the direction of the accelerator pedal arm 102 in an angular manner and decreases in the direction of the bracket 106. In other words, the horizontal stopper 202 protrudes from the accelerator pedal arm 102, where an area at the top of the

horizontal stopper 202, towards the bracket 106, is less than the area at the bottom of the horizontal stopper 202.
[0041] In an aspect, the shape of the horizontal stopper 202 at its free end is flat surface. During, the excessive loading, the flat surface of the horizontal stopper 202 comes in contact with a flat surface provided on an extended portion 204 of the bracket 106.
[0042] The bracket 106 is provided in between the accelerator pedal housing 104 and the dash panel 108 of the vehicle to mount the accelerator pedal housing 104 on the dash panel 108. The bracket 106 has a base and two legs 204-A, 204-B coming out from the base. These two legs 204-A, 204-B are attached or welded to the dash panel 108. The legs 204-A, 204-B further support the accelerator pedal housing 104 that is mounted on the base of the bracket 106.
[0043] In an aspect, the extended portion 204 of the bracket 106 is formed as a vertically extended portion that protrudes out from the lower portion of the bracket 106 in a longitudinal downward direction.
[0044] In an aspect, one end of the extended portion 204 is connected to the base of the bracket 106 and another end is free. The extended portion 204 is linear and flat at its top side and is provided with a flange at a bottom side. The extended portion 204 of the bracket 106 is supported on the dash panel 108 by a support leg 204-C. The support leg 204-C mentioned here is extended from the bottom side of the bracket 106 and connects with the side edges of the extended portion 204.
[0045] The extended portion 204 is designed such that when the accelerator pedal arm 102 is pressed by excessive loading beyond the full press condition, the extended portion 204 is able to stop the horizontal stopper 202 and withstand the excessive loading. In an example, the horizontal stopper 202 is positioned at about 90° with respect to the extended portion 204. With such positioning, when the force is applied on the accelerator pedal arm 102, the flat surface of the horizontal stopper 202 comes into contact with the extended portion 204 to restrict the further movement of the accelerator pedal arm 102 and prevents

breakage of the accelerator pedal arm 102 and also prevents damage to the housing 104.
[0046] Thus, with the implementation of the accelerator pedal assembly 200 described herein, due to the force applied on the accelerator pedal arm 102 by the user, the accelerator pedal arm 102 can travel till the horizontal stopper 202 touches the extended portion 204 and is then stopped by the extended portion 204 of the bracket 106. Thereafter, the additional force or the excess load applied on the accelerator pedal arm 102 is transferred or distributed to the dash panel 108 through the bracket leg 204-C. As a result, breakage of accelerator pedal arm 102 is prevented and damage to the housing 104 is also prevented.
[0047] Figure 3 and Figure 4 illustrate the accelerator pedal arm 102 in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 4 shows the accelerator pedal assembly 200 in a neutral condition i.e. when the accelerator pedal arm 102 is not pressed. Figure 3 shows the accelerator pedal assembly 200 when the accelerator pedal arm 102 is pressed beyond the threshold limit. The accelerator pedal arm 102 from its top end is connected with an accelerator pedal housing 104.
[0048] As mentioned above, the accelerator pedal arm 102 is provided with the horizontal stopper 202 at its upper portion. The horizontal stopper 202 prevents the accelerator pedal arm 102 from over traveling, hence limiting the undesired travel of the accelerator pedal arm 102. The horizontal stopper 202 is positioned between the accelerator pedal arm 102 and the vehicle body in the longitudinal orientation. One end of the horizontal stopper 202 is integrally formed with the accelerator pedal arm 102, while another end is unattached or free.
[0049] Further, in an aspect, an area of the horizontal stopper 202 increases in the direction of the accelerator pedal arm 102 in the angular mode and decreases in the direction of the extended portion 204 of the bracket 106. The horizontal stopper 202 projects from the accelerator pedal arm 102 towards dash panel. In said aspect, an area at the top of the horizontal stopper 202 is less than the area at the bottom of the horizontal stopper 202.

[0050] Further, the shape of the horizontal stopper 202 at the free end or the unattached end is flat so that it can easily come into contact with the surface of the extended portion 204 of the bracket 106 that is mounted to the dash panel 108.
[0051] Yet further, during excessive loading than a certain threshold limit, the horizontal stopper 202 of the accelerator pedal arm 102 gets in contact with the extended portion 204 of the bracket 106 and prevents further movement of the accelerator pedal arm 102. The excess load is then transferred to the dash panel 108 through the support leg 204-C and gets distributed. As a result, breakage of accelerator pedal arm 102 is prevented and damage to the housing 104 is also prevented.
TECHNICAL ADVANTAGES
[0052] With the help of the solution as proposed herein in the context of the present disclosure, the accelerator pedal assembly prevents the breaking of the accelerator pedal.
[0053] The present disclosure is able to prevent the further movement of the accelerator pedal arm during the excessive loading that extends beyond the threshold limit.
[0054] Further, the present disclosure allows the horizontal stopper of the pedal arm get in contact with the extended portion of the bracket to prevent further movement of the pedal arm, during excessive loading than a certain threshold limit.
[0055] Yet further, the present disclosure allows the transfer and distribution of the excess load to the dash panel through the support leg. As a result, the breakage of accelerator pedal arm is prevented and damage to the housing is also prevented.
[0056] It will be understood by those within the art that, in general, terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., bodies of the appended

claims) are generally intended as "open" terms (e.g., the term "including" should be interpreted as "including but not limited to," the term "having" should be interpreted as "having at least," the term "includes" should be interpreted as "includes but is not limited to," etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation, no such intent is present. For example, as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of the introductory phrases "at least one" and "one or more" to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite articles "a" or "an" limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to disclosures containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases "one or more" or "at least one" and indefinite articles such as "a" or "an" (e.g., "a" and/or "an" should typically be interpreted to mean "at least one" or "one or more"); the same holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. Also, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should typically be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the bare recitation of "two recitations," without other modifiers, typically means at least two recitations or two or more recitations). Furthermore, in those instances where a convention analogous to "at least one of A, B, and C, etc." is used, in general, such construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., "a system having at least one of A, B, and C" would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). In those instances, where a convention analogous to "at least one of A, B, or C, etc." is used, in general, such construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., "a system having at least one of A, B, or C" would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). It

will be further understood by those within the art that virtually any disjunctive word and/or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms, whether in the description, claims, or drawings, should be understood to contemplate the possibilities of including one of the terms, either of the terms or both terms. For example, the phrase "A or B" will be understood to include the possibilities of "A" or "B" or "A and B."
[0057] It will be further appreciated that functions or structures of a plurality of components or steps may be combined into a single component or step, or the functions or structures of one-step or component may be split among plural steps or components. The present disclosure contemplates all of these combinations. Unless stated otherwise, dimensions and geometries of the various structures depicted herein are not intended to be restrictive of the disclosure, and other dimensions or geometries are possible. Also, while a feature of the present disclosure may have been described in the context of only one of the illustrated embodiments, such feature may be combined with one or more other features of other embodiments, for any given application. It will also be appreciated from the above that the fabrication of the unique structures herein and the operation thereof also constitute methods in accordance with the present disclosure. The present disclosure also encompasses intermediate and end products resulting from the practice of the methods herein. The use of "comprising" or "including" also contemplates embodiments that "consist essentially of or "consist of the recited feature.

WE CLAIM:

1. An accelerator pedal assembly (200), comprising:
a horizontal stopper (202) provided at an upper portion of an accelerator pedal arm (102); and
an extended portion (204) formed on a bracket (106) provided for mounting an accelerator pedal housing (104) to a dash panel (108) of a vehicle,
wherein the horizontal stopper (202) rests on the extended portion (204) to restrict the movement of the accelerator pedal arm (102).
2. The assembly (200) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the extended portion (204) is a vertically extended portion in a downward direction.
3. The assembly (200) as claimed in claim 2, wherein the vertically extended portion (204) is linear and flat at a top side and becomes angular at a bottom side.
4. The assembly (200) as claimed in claim 2, wherein one end of the horizontal stopper (202) is integrally formed with the accelerator pedal arm (102) and another end is formed to contact the vertically extended portion (204).
5. The assembly (200) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the extended portion (204) is supported on the dash panel (108) by a support leg (204-C).
6. The assembly (200) as claimed in claim 1, wherein area of the horizontal stopper (202) increases in the direction of the accelerator pedal arm (102) and decreases in the direction of the bracket (106).

7. The assembly (200) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bracket (106) has a base to mount the accelerator pedal housing (104) on the top.
8. The assembly (200) as claimed in claim 7, wherein the bracket (106) has a plurality of legs (204-A, 204-B) protruding from sides of the base in a direction towards the dash panel (108).
9. The assembly (200) as claimed in claim 8, wherein the bracket (106) is supported on the dash panel (108) by the legs (204-A, 204-B).
10. The assembly (200) as claimed in claim 5, wherein the support leg (204-C) extends from the bottom side of the bracket (106) and connects with the side edges of the extended portion (204).