DESC:FIELD
The present disclosure relates to the field of occupant safety in automobiles, particularly to the field of restriction of brake pedal movement towards the occupant in the event of a crash.
DEFINITIONS
As used in the present disclosure, the following terms are generally intended to have the meaning as set forth below, except to the extent that the context in which they are used indicate otherwise.
NCAP - The term ‘NCAP’ (New Car Assessment Program) hereinafter refers to a government/consumer car safety program tasked with evaluating new automobile designs for safety performance against various safety threats but not limited to frontal offset crash test against a deformable barrier at a speed of 64kph test condition.
BACKGROUND
The background information herein below relates to the present disclosure but is not necessarily prior art.
Brake pedals are mounted on the footboard of the vehicle. By the very nature of the braking mechanism, brake pedals are relatively fragile. This is because brake pedals have the ability to be displaced when actuated, for better manoeuverability and control of the vehicle. However, this agility and frangibility becomes an impediment during a crash, particularly in the event of a head-on collision. In such an event, the brake pedal tends to shoot off from the footboard towards the occupant’s feet and may become a lethal weapon against the occupant.
Typically, brake pedals available in the market do not have an effective means of restricting excessive inward movement of the brake pedal in the event of a crash. Excessive inward movement of the brake pedal towards the occupant leads to a reduction of score for the safety of lower legs, in a frontal offset deformable barrier test conducted at a vehicle speed of 64kph by the New Car Assessment Program (NCAP). Brake pedal inward movement measurement is a part of the lower leg score assessment. Excessive pedal inward movement sometimes even leads to the degradation of the vehicle safety star rating. This is typically observed in all vehicles and specifically when a left hand drive vehicle is converted into a right hand drive vehicle.
At present, automobile manufacturers across the globe add a pedal catcher on the brake pedal and/or on the clutch pedal to restrict the inward movement of the pedals. These pedal catchers are located in the passenger compartment. However, these pedal catchers limit the pedal inward movement by offering resistance to its motion, which is a kind of a reactive mechanism. Hence, existing solutions do not address the problem at the source and therefore fail to address the fundamental vehicle architecture issue. Instead, the existing solutions are countermeasures and hence they are not as effective.
There is, therefore, felt a need of an arrangement for arresting the inward movement of the brake pedal during a crash, that alleviates the above mentioned drawbacks.
OBJECTS
Some of the objects of the present disclosure, which at least one embodiment herein satisfies, are as follows:
An object of the present disclosure is to provide an arrangement for arresting the inward movement of the brake pedal during a crash.
Another object of the present disclosure is to provide an arrangement for arresting the inward movement of the brake pedal during a crash, that improves the safety rating of the vehicle.
Another object of the present disclosure is to provide an arrangement for arresting the inward movement of brake pedal during a crash, that restricts the excessive inward movement of the brake pedal.
Yet another object of the present disclosure is to provide an arrangement for arresting the inward movement of the brake pedal during a crash, that increases the lower leg score in a frontal offset deformable barrier test at a vehicle speed of 64kph conducted by the New Car Assessment Program (NCAP).
Other objects and advantages of the present disclosure will be more apparent from the following description, which is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
SUMMARY
The present disclosure envisages an arrangement for arresting the inward movement of the brake pedal comprises an ingress arresting member.
The brake pedal is configured to actuate a hydraulic braking mechanism to apply brakes of the vehicle. The hydraulic braking mechanism comprises a braking fluid circuit which comprises a braking fluid reservoir and a master cylinder. The braking fluid circuit is located in the engine compartment. The engine compartment is separated from the passenger compartment of the vehicle by a partition wall. The brake pedal is disposed in the passenger compartment and a portion of the brake pedal passes through the partition to be coupled to the master cylinder.
The arrangement for arresting the inward movement of the brake pedal comprises an ingress arresting member. The ingress arresting member is linked to the master cylinder on one end, with the other end of the ingress arresting member fixed to a member of the chassis of the vehicle. The location for fixing the ingress arresting member to the chassis is selected such that it facilitates bringing the ingress arresting member under tension due to rearward movement of the master cylinder in the event of a frontal crash, thus arresting further rearward movement of the master cylinder and thereby arresting inward movement of the brake pedal further into the passenger compartment towards the occupant.
Preferably, the ingress arresting member is flexible.
In an embodiment, the ingress arresting member is a strap wrapped around the master cylinder with open ends of the strap fixed to a member of the chassis of the vehicle. Open ends of the strap are fixed to a shock tower that is part of the chassis and is disposed in the engine compartment. Preferably, open ends of the strap have rings configured thereon. The rings are bolted to the shock tower.
In an embodiment, the strap is a multistrand wire. The strap is preferably covered with a protective elastomeric jacket.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWING
The arrangement for arresting the inward movement of the brake pedal during a crash, of the present disclosure, will now be described with the help of the accompanying drawing, in which:
Figure 1 shows an arrangement for arresting the inward movement of the brake pedal during a crash, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS
100 – Arrangement for arresting the inward movement of the brake pedal
110 – Brake booster
115 – Tandem master cylinder
118 – Shock tower
120 – Vehicle chassis
125 – Ingress arresting member (i.e., strap)
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Embodiments, of the present disclosure, will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing.
Embodiments are provided so as to thoroughly and fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to the person skilled in the art. Numerous details are set forth, relating to specific components, and methods, to provide a complete understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to the person skilled in the art that the details provided in the embodiments should not be construed to limit the scope of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, well-known processes, well-known apparatus structures, and well-known techniques are not described in detail.
The terminology used, in the present disclosure, is only for the purpose of explaining a particular embodiment and such terminology shall not be considered to limit the scope of the present disclosure. As used in the present disclosure, the forms “a”, “an” and “the” may be intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly suggests otherwise. The terms “comprises”, “comprising”, “including” and “having” are open ended transitional phrases and therefore specify the presence of stated features, elements, modules, units and/or components, but do not forbid the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.
The terms first, second, third, etc., should not be construed to limit the scope of the present disclosure as the aforementioned terms may be only used to distinguish one element, component or section from another component or section. Terms such as first, second, third etc., when used herein do not imply a specific sequence or order unless clearly suggested by the present disclosure.
An arrangement 100 for arresting the inward movement of the brake pedal during a crash of the present disclosure will now be disclosed with the help of Figure 1.
Figure 1 shows an isometric view of the arrangement 100 for arresting the inward movement of the brake pedal during a crash, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
The brake pedal (not shown in figures) is configured to actuate a hydraulic braking mechanism to apply brakes of the vehicle. The hydraulic braking mechanism comprises a braking fluid circuit which comprises a braking fluid reservoir 112 and a master cylinder 115. The braking fluid circuit is located in the engine compartment. The engine compartment is separated from the passenger compartment of the vehicle by a partition wall. The brake pedal is disposed in the passenger compartment and a portion of the brake pedal passes through the partition to be coupled to the master cylinder 115.
The arrangement 100 for arresting the inward movement of the brake pedal comprises an ingress arresting member 125. The ingress arresting member 125 is linked to the master cylinder 115 on one end, with the other end of the ingress arresting member 125 fixed to a member of the chassis 120 of the vehicle. The location for fixing the ingress arresting member 125 to the chassis 120 is selected such that it facilitates bringing the ingress arresting member 125 under tension due to rearward movement of the master cylinder 115 in the event of a frontal crash, thus arresting further rearward movement of the master cylinder 115 and thereby arresting inward movement of the brake pedal further into the passenger compartment towards the occupant.
Preferably, the ingress arresting member 125 is flexible. In the illustrated embodiment of Figure 1, the ingress arresting member 125 is a strap wrapped around the master cylinder 115 with open ends of the strap fixed to a member of the chassis 120 of the vehicle. Open ends of the strap 125 are fixed to a shock tower 118 that is part of the chassis 120 and is disposed in the engine compartment. Preferably, open ends of the strap 125 have rings configured thereon. The rings are bolted to the shock tower 118.
In an embodiment, the strap 125 is a multistrand wire. The strap 125 is covered with a protective elastomeric jacket for preventing rusting, while also preventing abrasion on the tandem master cylinder 115.
The solution described in the illustrated embodiment of Figure 1 of the present disclosure addresses the root cause of the excessive inward movement of a brake pedal by reducing the forces coming on a tandem master cylinder 115 of a brake booster 110. Thus, the restriction to the inward movement of the brake pedal is provided at the source.
The strap 125 comes into function only during an event of a vehicle crash. The primary function of the strap 125 is to limit the rearward movement of the tandem master cylinder 115 caused by the impact of the engine on the tandem master cylinder 115 in the event of a crash. The inward movement of the brake pedal inside the cabin towards the occupant is directly proportional to the rearward movement of the tandem master cylinder 115. Therefore, the solution described in the present disclosure can be highly effective in reducing the overall inward movement of the brake pedal by reducing the forces on the tandem master cylinder 115.
The arrangement 100 for arresting the inward movement of the brake pedal during a crash of the present disclosure is effective and addresses the fundamental vehicle architecture issues i.e., overlap of the engine to brake booster 110, which would otherwise lead into higher brake pedal inward movement in the event of crash.
Within a controlled test setup, the frontal offset deformable barrier test was conducted at a vehicle speed in the range of 50 km/h to 75 km/h with the ingress arresting member 125 of the present disclosure incorporated, to find that inward movement of the brake pedal in the passenger compartment was well within the safety limit.
The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Individual components of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, are interchangeable. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the present disclosure, and all such modifications are considered to be within the scope of the present disclosure.
TECHNICAL ADVANCEMENTS AND ECONOMIC SIGNIFICANCE
The present disclosure described herein above has several technical advantages including, but not limited to, the realization of an arrangement for arresting the inward movement of the brake pedal which:
• restricts the excessive inward movement of the brake pedal;
• increases the lower leg score in a frontal offset deformable barrier test at a vehicle speed of 64kph conducted by the New Car Assessment Program (NCAP), thereby improving the safety rating of the vehicle; and
• is easy to install and replace.
The embodiments herein and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained with reference to the non-limiting embodiments in the following description. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques are omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments herein.
The foregoing description of the specific embodiments so fully reveal the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Therefore, while the embodiments herein have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments herein can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the embodiments as described herein.
The use of the expression “at least” or “at least one” suggests the use of one or more elements or ingredients or quantities, as the use may be in the embodiment of the disclosure to achieve one or more of the desired objects or results.
While considerable emphasis has been placed herein on the components and component parts of the preferred embodiments, it will be appreciated that many embodiments can be made and that many changes can be made in the preferred embodiments without departing from the principles of the disclosure. These and other changes in the preferred embodiment as well as other embodiments of the disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the disclosure herein, whereby it is to be distinctly understood that the foregoing descriptive matter is to be interpreted merely as illustrative of the disclosure and not as a limitation.
,CLAIMS:WE CLAIM:
1. An arrangement (100) for arresting inward movement of a brake pedal during a crash, the brake pedal configured to actuate a hydraulic braking mechanism to apply brakes of the vehicle, the hydraulic braking mechanism comprising a braking fluid circuit which comprises a braking fluid reservoir (112) and a master cylinder (115), the braking fluid circuit located in the engine compartment, the engine compartment separated from the passenger compartment of the vehicle by a partition wall, the brake pedal disposed in the passenger compartment and passing through the partition to be coupled to the master cylinder (115),
characterized in that,
said arrangement (100) comprises an ingress arresting member (125), said ingress arresting member (125) linked to the master cylinder (115) on one end, with the other end of said ingress arresting member (125) fixed to a member of the chassis (120) of the vehicle at a location on the chassis (120) which is selected to facilitate bringing said ingress arresting member (125) under tension due to rearward movement of the master cylinder (115) in the event of a frontal crash, thus arresting further rearward movement of the master cylinder (115) and thereby arresting inward movement of the brake pedal further into the passenger compartment towards the occupant.
2. The arrangement (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said ingress arresting member (125) is flexible.
3. The arrangement (100) as claimed in claim 2, wherein said ingress arresting member (125) is a strap wrapped around the master cylinder (115) with open ends of said strap fixed to a member of the chassis (120) of the vehicle.
4. The arrangement (100) as claimed in claim 3, wherein open ends of said strap (125) are fixed to a shock tower (118) that is part of the chassis (120) and is disposed in the engine compartment.
5. The arrangement (100) as claimed in claim 4, wherein open ends of said strap (125) have rings configured thereon, said rings being bolted to the shock tower (118).
6. The arrangement (100) as claimed in claim 3, wherein said strap (125) is a multistrand wire.
7. The arrangement (100) as claimed in claim 3, wherein said strap (125) is covered with a protective elastomeric jacket.