CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to and the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2020-0148480, filed on Nov. 9, 2020, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to an organ-type electronic brake pedal apparatus, and more particularly to an organ-type electronic brake pedal apparatus adapted to eliminate a risk of incorrect operation when a driver tries to manipulate the pedal pad.

BACKGROUND

The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.

In general, brake pedal apparatuses for a vehicle may be classified into a pendant-type brake pedal, which is suspended from a dashboard, and an organ-type brake pedal, which is mounted on a floor panel, depending on a mounting structure.

In the pendant-type brake pedal, because the center of rotation of the pedal pad is positioned at an upper level, the brake pedal is manipulated by pressing a lower portion of the pedal pad or by pushing the lower portion of the pad forwards using a driver's foot. Meanwhile, in the organ-type brake pedal, because the center of rotation of the pedal pad is positioned at a lower level, the brake pedal is manipulated by rotating an upper portion of the pedal pad forwards using a driver's foot.

Because the organ-type brake pedal apparatus is constructed such that the pedal pad, on which a driver's foot is placed, has a larger area and the motion trajectory of the pedal pad is similar to the motion trajectory of the driver's foot, it is possible to improve the operating sensation of the brake pedal apparatus. Accordingly, the organ-type brake pedal apparatus has an advantage of being more conveniently manipulated than the pendant-type brake pedal apparatus.

However, we have discovered that since a driver who is accustomed to the pendant-type brake pedal manipulates a lower portion of the organ-type pedal pad, at which the center of rotation of the pedal pad is positioned, and the driver pushes the organ-type pedal pad forwards. When the organ-type pedal pad is manipulated like the pendant-type pedal pad in either of the above-mentioned manners, there is a disadvantage of incorrect operation because the pedal pad is not moved.

Details described as the background art are intended merely for the purpose of promoting understanding of the background of the present disclosure, and should not be construed as an acknowledgment of the prior art that is previously known to those of ordinary skill in the art.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure provides an organ-type electronic brake pedal apparatus, which permits a pedal pad to be manipulated when a driver manipulates the pedal pad by rotating his/her foot in the manner of manipulating an organ-type pedal or when the drivers pushes the pedal pad forwards using his/her foot in the manner of manipulating a pendant-type pedal but inhibits the pedal pad from being manipulated when the driver tries to manipulate a portion of the pedal pad that is positioned close to the hinge of the pedal pad, as in the pendant-type brake pedal, thereby improving the reliability of operation of the brake pedal by the driver and preventing incorrect operation of the brake pedal.

In one form of the present disclosure, an organ-type electronic brake pedal apparatus includes: a pedal housing fixedly mounted in a space under a driver seat; a pedal pad, which is coupled at a lower end thereof to the pedal housing via a hinge pin so as to be rotatable forward and backward; a pad surface adapted to be manipulated by a driver's foot; and a high-load spring module which includes a first end rotatably coupled to the pedal housing and a second end rotatably coupled to the pedal pad so as to realize resisting force corresponding to force applied to the pedal pad. In particular, the pad surface is spaced apart upwards from the hinge pin, and when the pedal pad is rotated rearwards about the hinge pin and is projected from the pedal housing, only the portion of the pedal pad that is provided with the pad surface is projected from the pedal housing.

The organ-type electronic brake pedal apparatus may further include a plurality of pedal sensors, which are fixedly mounted on the pedal housing and are connected to the pedal pad so as to generate signals pertaining to braking upon rotation of the pedal pad.

In one form, the pedal pad may include: a pad part including the pad surface and an opening through which the second end of the high-load spring module is inserted and rotatably coupled to the pad part; and a linear pedal arm part, which extends from the pad part and is coupled at a lower end thereof to the hinge pin.

A sensor pin may be coupled to the pedal arm part at a position between the pad part and the hinge pin, and may be coupled to sensor levers of the pedal sensors.

The opening of the pad part may be disposed only at a front face thereof, into which the high-load spring module is inserted, and the pad part may be closed at remaining area thereof so as to prevent the entry of contaminants.

Upper and lower surfaces of the pad part may be formed so as to have arc shapes, which are respectively the same as sections of circles having radii of rotation around the hinge pin.

The pad part may extend through a housing hole formed in the pedal housing so as to be inserted into or projected from the pedal housing when the pedal pad is rotated, and the pedal arm part may be positioned inside the pedal housing regardless of rotation of the pedal pad so as to prevent contact with a driver.

The pedal pad may be constructed such that a vertical length between an axis of the hinge pin and an upper end of the pedal arm part is greater than a vertical length of the pad part.

A rear surface of the pedal housing may include an upper sloped surface, which is bent downwards at a rear end of an upper surface of the pedal housing at a predetermined angle and has formed therein a housing hole through which the pad part extends, and a lower sloped surface, which is inclined at the lower end of the upper sloped surface at a predetermined angle and is connected to the bottom surface of the pedal housing, wherein the upper sloped surface is connected to the upper surface at an obtuse angle, and the lower sloped surface is connected to the upper sloped surface at an obtuse angle and is connected to the bottom surface at an acute angle.

The pedal arm part may be connected to the pad part such that the pedal arm part is inclined at an angle equal to the angle of the lower sloped surface so as to be parallel to the lower sloped surface when the pedal pad is rotated rearwards and the pad part is thus projected from the pedal housing and such that the pedal arm part defines an acute angle relative to the upper sloped surface when the pedal pad is rotated in the state in which one end of the high-load spring module disposed in the pad part does not interfere with the pad part.

The pedal arm part may be connected to the pad part such that an included angle between the pedal arm part and the upper sloped surface is an angle of 45 degrees or less.

Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. It should be understood that the description and specific examples are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

