DESC:The following specification particularly describes and ascertains the nature of this invention and the manner in which it is to be performed:-
TECHNICAL FIELD
[001] The embodiments herein generally relate to pedal mounting structure in vehicles, and more particularly, but not exclusively to a mounting bracket assembly for mounting a brake pedal and an accelerator pedal in a vehicle.
BACKGROUND
[002] Automobiles are conventionally provided with foot-operated control pedals, such as an accelerator, brake and clutch pedal that are used in the control of motion and speed of the automobile. Typically, these control pedals are permanently fixed to the vehicle body and rotate or pivot away from the driver when foot pressure is applied, and are not adjustable relative to the driver or their respective attachment points. Consequently, the control pedals must generally be attached so as to be positioned relative to the driver of the vehicle to afford operation that is adequately safe and comfortable for the “average” driver. However, some adjustment of the driver's position relative to the control pedals is clearly desirable since the vehicle and its controls must accommodate drivers of various physical attributes.
[003] Usually the control pedal mounting structures are floor mounted or pendant or wall mounted structures. While the floor mounted arrangement has limitation in terms of its usage with respect to different type of vehicles, the pendant pedal mounting structures can easily find its way in to almost any of the four wheeler ranging from a car to a heavy commercial bus and truck.
[004] The aforementioned pendant pedal assemblies are heavier in nature, either both the pedals, i.e., clutch and brake pedals are integrated or it’s the clutch and brake pedals separately mounted on to the fire wall or cross car beam. The accelerator pedal is mostly mounted separately. Though the independent pedals aid for the ease in mounting and aftermarket service adjustments these have challenges in terms of assembly operations. The packaging and arrangement of these on different types of vehicles would need to have different interface brackets. Even though if the pedals are carried forward to other vehicles there will be challenges with respect to the interface.
[005] Therefore, there exists a need for a mounting bracket assembly for mounting a brake pedal and an accelerator pedal in a vehicle that eliminates the aforementioned drawbacks.
OBJECTS
[006] The principal object of an embodiment of this invention is to provide a mounting bracket assembly for mounting a brake pedal and an accelerator pedal in a vehicle.
[007] Another object of an embodiment of this invention is to provide a compact mounting bracket assembly, which enables effective functioning of the brake pedal and the accelerator pedal.
[008] Yet another object of an embodiment of this invention is to provide a mounting bracket assembly with separate pivot axis for a brake pedal and an accelerator pedal in a vehicle.
[009] Still another object of an embodiment of this invention is to provide a mounting bracket assembly having reduced pedal effort and comfort to a driver.
[0010] These and other objects of the embodiments herein will be better appreciated and understood when considered in conjunction with the following description and the accompanying drawings. It should be understood, however, that the following descriptions, while indicating embodiments and numerous specific details thereof, are given by way of illustration and not of limitation. Many changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the embodiments herein without departing from the spirit thereof, and the embodiments herein include all such modifications.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0011] The embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, throughout which like reference letters indicate corresponding parts in the various figures. The embodiments herein will be better understood from the following description with reference to the drawings, in which:
[0012] FIG. 1 depicts a perspective view of the mounting bracket assembly, having a brake pedal, a accelerator pedal, and mounting components assembled to a dash panel, according to an embodiment of the invention as disclosed herein;
[0013] FIG. 2 depicts a perspective view of a mounting bracket assembly, according to an embodiment of the invention as disclosed herein;
[0014] FIG. 3 depicts an exploded view of a mounting bracket assembly, according to an embodiment of the invention as disclosed herein;
[0015] FIG. 4 depicts an another exploded view of a mounting bracket assembly, according to an embodiment of the invention as disclosed herein;
[0016] FIG. 5 depicts a perspective view of a mounting bracket assembly with a brake pedal, accelerator pedal and mounting components, according to an embodiment of the invention as disclosed herein; and
[0017] FIG. 6 depicts a side view of the mounting bracket assembly, brake pedal, accelerator pedal, mounting components and dash panel in assembled condition, according to an embodiment of the invention as disclosed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0018] The embodiments herein and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained more fully with reference to the non-limiting embodiments that are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and detailed in the following description. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques are omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments herein. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the embodiments herein may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments herein. Accordingly, the examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments herein.
[0019] The embodiments herein achieve a mounting bracket assembly for mounting a brake pedal and an accelerator pedal in a vehicle. Further, the embodiments herein achieve a compact and effective mounting bracket assembly for mounting a brake pedal and an accelerator pedal in a vehicle. Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIGS. 1 through 6, where similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the figures, there are shown embodiments.
[0020] FIG. 1 depicts a perspective view of the mounting bracket assembly, having a brake pedal, a accelerator pedal, and mounting components assembled to a dash panel, according to an embodiment of the invention as disclosed herein. In an embodiment, the mounting bracket assembly 100 (also referred as integrated mounting bracket 100 in this description) includes a first mounting bracket 102, at least one second mounting bracket 104, a block portion 106, a top surface 108, a bottom surface 110, a first side wall 112, a plurality of openings 114, at least one attaching member 116, a first portion 118, a second portion 120, a dash panel 122, a plurality of locking means 124, a pedal assembly 126, at least one rib structure 128, at least one aperture 130.
[0021] The vehicle (not shown) includes the dash panel 122 upon which the mounting bracket assembly 100 is mounted. Further, the mounting bracket assembly 100 may also be mounted on cross car beam (CCB) for few vehicle types. For the purposes of this description and ease of understanding, the embodiments of this invention are explained considering mounting bracket for brake pedal components and accelerator pedal components. However, it is also within the scope of this invention to extend the mounting assembly to mount clutch pedal assembly and the like.
[0022] FIG. 2 depicts a perspective view of a mounting bracket assembly, according to an embodiment of the invention as disclosed herein. The mounting bracket assembly 100 includes the first mounting bracket 102. The first mounting bracket 102 includes a first portion 118 adapted to be removably connected to the dash panel 122 of the vehicle and a second portion 120 extending away and opposite to the first portion 118. The second portion 120 is configured to receive the brake pedal assembly components. The brake pedal components may includes a booster arrangement, brake pedal assembly and other components mounted on to the first mounting bracket 102 as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. However, it is also within the scope of the invention to implement/practice the construction of the mounting bracket to other type of control pedals (such as mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic and other forms of power assists units) without otherwise deterring the intended function of supporting the vehicle components as can be deduced from the description and corresponding drawings. Further, the invention may be extended to the vehicles without booster arrangement.
[0023] FIGS. 3 and 4 depict an exploded view of a mounting bracket assembly, according to an embodiment of the invention as disclosed herein. The mounting bracket assembly 100 further includes the second mounting bracket 104 (also referred as accelerator pedal mounting bracket in this description). The second mounting bracket 104 is integrated to the first mounting bracket 102. The second mounting bracket 104 includes the block portion 106. The block portion further includes the top surface 108, the bottom surface 110 and the first side wall 112 extending from the block portion 106 on one side. The top surface 108 of the block portion 106 is adapted to receive the pedal assembly 126.
[0024] In an embodiment, the pedal assembly 126 is selected from at least one of accelerator pedal assembly and clutch pedal assembly. For the purposes of this description and ease of understanding, the embodiments of this invention are explained considering accelerator pedal components. However, it is also within the scope of this invention to extend the mounting bracket assembly to mount brake pedal and clutch pedal assembly and the like.
[0025] The accelerator pedal considered in this description is an electronic accelerator pedal (potentiometer type). However, it is also within the scope of the invention to use any type of accelerator pedal without otherwise deterring the intended function of accelerator pedal as can be deduced from the description and corresponding drawings. Further, the block portion 106 includes the plurality of openings 114 extending from the top surface 108 to the bottom surface 110. The plurality of openings 114 is adapted to receive corresponding plurality of locking means 124 thereby to removably connect the pedal assembly 126 to the second mounting bracket 104. In an embodiment, the locking means 124 include fasteners. However, it is also within the scope of the invention to use any type of locking means to lock the pedal assembly with the mounting bracket without otherwise deterring the intended function of locking as can be deduced from the description and corresponding drawings. The plurality of openings 114 are defined in the block portion 106 of the second mounting bracket 104 to vary mounting location of the pedal assembly 126 within the second mounting bracket 104. The pedal assembly 126 may be mounted on the second mounting bracket at any predetermined location based on a driver’s comfort.
[0026] The second mounting bracket 104 further includes the at least one attaching member 116 which extends from the first side wall 112. The first side wall 112 and the attaching member 116 of the second mounting bracket 104 are configured to be connected to the first mounting bracket 102. The first side wall 112 includes at least one aperture 130 to connect the second mounting bracket 104 with the first mounting bracket 102. The second mounting bracket 104 is integrated with said first mounting bracket 102 by at least one of but not limited to bolt and nut assembly, screw assembly, welding and combination thereof. Furthermore, the second mounting bracket 104 includes the at least one rib structure 128 connecting the first side wall 112 with the bottom surface 110 of the block portion 106.
[0027] The embodiments herein further provide flexibility in coupling the pedal assembly 126 with the accelerator pedal mounting bracket 104 (i.e. the position of the accelerator pedal can be changed with respect to the brake pedal). In an embodiment, there is flexibility to move the accelerator pedal in the horizontal direction (i.e. the pedal can be moved closer or away from the brake pedal) thereby increasing or decreasing the pedal spacing between the brake pedal assembly and the accelerator pedal assembly. Similarly, the mounting bracket assembly 100 provides flexibility in vertical direction to increase or decrease a height gap of the brake pedal and accelerator pedal. The accelerator pedal mounting bracket is sufficiently stiffened to withstand predetermined pedal loads.
[0028] In an embodiment, the second mounting bracket 104 is coupled to the first mounting bracket 102, such that there is always a firm distance that is maintained between the brake pedal positioning and the accelerator pedal positioning. This solution also caters to the different drive configurations, this type of pedal box assembly can be used on both right hand drive (RHD) and left hand drive (LHD) vehicles without any change. While the integrated mounting bracket assembly 100 solves the assembly issues and reduces the manufacturing and assembly times, there is also a considerable weight reduction in the accelerator pedal mounting which otherwise would have required a separate interface bracket specific to the application. The ergonomic requirements too are protected as this integrated mounting bracket assembly 100 may be applied on different vehicle types, and different drive types (LHD & RHD). The plurality of openings 114 in the block portion 106 provides flexibility in mounting the pedal assembly 126.
[0029] As seen in FIGS. 5 and 6, the brake pedal components includes a tandem master cylinder (not shown) which is mounted on a brake booster (not shown) and the booster in turn is mounted on a top flange of the first mounting bracket 102. A clevis (not shown) of the brake booster is attached to one end on an upper shank of the brake pedal (not shown) with appropriate washers (not shown), clevis pin (not shown) and cotter pins (not shown). The fulcrum of the brake pedal (not shown) is hinged on to the first mounting bracket 102 with the pivot pin and the appropriate washers and cotter pins (not shown). Further the suspended brake pedal (not shown) is fitted with a retainer spring (not shown) for retraction.
[0030] While the embodiments described herein are used for mounting the brake pedal and accelerator pedal as part of the mounting bracket assembly 100, there could be in other designs wherein the clutch pedal too can be integrated in to the mounting bracket assembly 100.
[0031] FIG. 6 depicts a side view of the mounting bracket assembly, brake pedal, accelerator pedal, mounting components and dash panel in assembled condition, according to an embodiment of the invention as disclosed herein. The positioning of the brake pedal and the accelerator pedal can be clearly seen in the FIG. 5. The positioning of the brake pedal and the accelerator pedal are provided in this manner for an ergonomic requirement and the same may vary in other types of vehicles.
[0032] The technical advantages provided by the embodiments herein include a compact mounting bracket assembly for effective functioning of the brake pedal and the accelerator pedal, separate pivot axis for a brake pedal and an accelerator pedal, reduced pedal effort and comfort to a driver.
[0033] The foregoing description of the specific embodiments will 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.
,CLAIMS:We claim,
1. A mounting bracket assembly 100 for a vehicle, comprising:
a first mounting bracket 102 adapted to be removably connected to a dash panel 122 of said vehicle; and
at least one second mounting bracket 104 coupled to said first mounting bracket 102,
wherein,
said second mounting bracket 104 includes a block portion 106 having a top surface 108, a bottom surface 110 and a first side wall 112 extending from said block portion 106 on one side;
said block portion 106 having a plurality of openings 114 extending from said top surface 108 to said bottom surface 110;
said second mounting bracket 104 having at least one attaching member 116 extending from said first side wall 112;
said first side wall 112 and said attaching member 116 of said second mounting bracket 104 are configured to be coupled to said first mounting bracket 102.
2. The mounting bracket assembly 100 as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first mounting bracket 102 includes:
a first portion 118 adapted to be removably connected to said dash panel 122 of said vehicle; and
a second portion 120 extending away and opposite to said first portion 118, said second portion 120 configured to receive a brake pedal assembly components.
3. The mounting bracket assembly 100 as claimed in claim 1, wherein said plurality of openings 114 extending from said top surface 108 to said bottom surface 110 of said block potion 106 is adapted to receive corresponding plurality of locking means 124 (fasteners) therein to removably connect at least one pedal assembly 126.
4. The mounting bracket assembly 100 as claimed in claim 1, wherein said second mounting bracket 104 further includes at least one rib structure 128 connecting said first side wall 112 with said bottom surface 110.
5. The mounting bracket assembly 100 as claimed in claim 1, wherein said plurality of openings 114 are defined in said block portion 106 of said second mounting bracket 104 to vary mounting location of said pedal assembly 126 in at least one of horizontal direction and vertical direction within said second mounting bracket 104.
6. The mounting bracket assembly 100 as claimed in claim 1, wherein said pedal assembly 126 is selected from at least one of accelerator pedal assembly and clutch pedal assembly.
7. The mounting bracket assembly 100 as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first side wall 112 includes at least one aperture 130 to connect said second mounting bracket 104 with said first mounting bracket 102.
8. The mounting bracket assembly 100 as claimed in claim 1, wherein said second mounting bracket 104 is integrated with said first mounting bracket 102 by at least one of bolt and nut assembly, screw assembly, welding and combination thereof.