KR-20260064445-A - Device to prevent sudden acceleration due to pedal misoperation of the vehicle

KR20260064445AKR 20260064445 AKR20260064445 AKR 20260064445AKR-20260064445-A

Abstract

The present invention relates to a device for preventing sudden acceleration caused by pedal misoperation in a vehicle, comprising: a pedal housing fixedly installed in the lower space of the driver's seat; a pedal pad rotatably coupled at one end to the pedal housing and operated by the driver's foot; and a pedal arm connected to the pedal pad and moving up or down. The present invention relates to a device for preventing sudden acceleration caused by pedal misoperation of a vehicle, comprising: a pivot member rotatably supported on the pedal housing and operatively connected to the pedal arm to increase or decrease the speed of the vehicle; wherein the pedal arm comprises a first arm, the upper part of which is connected to the pedal pad; a second arm, the lower part of which is slidably connected to the first arm and connected to the pivot member; and a locking means for unlocking the first arm and the second arm so as to be unlocked. The locking means locks the first arm and the second arm so as not to move relative to each other so that when the pedal force applied by the driver is less than a predetermined value, the pivot member operates in conjunction with the pedal arm in a locked state, and unlocks the first arm and the second arm so as to move relative to each other so that when the pedal force applied by the driver is greater than a predetermined value, the pivot member operates independently with respect to the pedal arm in an unlocked state.

Inventors

김동혁
박현석

Assignees

김동혁
박현석

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20250325
Priority Date: 20241030

Claims (17)

A pedal housing fixedly installed in the lower space of the driver's seat; A pedal pad, one end of which is rotatably coupled to the above-mentioned pedal housing and operated by the driver's foot; A pedal arm connected to the above pedal pad and moving up or down; and A rotating member rotatably supported in the above pedal housing and operatively connected to the above pedal arm to enable the speed of the vehicle to be increased or decreased; comprising, The above pedal arm is, It comprises a first arm, the upper part of which is connected to the pedal pad; a second arm, the lower part of which is slidably connected to the first arm and connected to the pivot member; and a locking means for unlocking the first arm and the second arm. The above locking means is, When the pedal force applied by the driver is smaller than a predetermined value, the first arm and the second arm are locked and coupled so that they cannot move relative to each other, so that the rotating member operates in conjunction with the pedal arm in a locking state. A device for preventing sudden acceleration caused by pedal misoperation of a vehicle, characterized by unlocking the first arm and the second arm so that they can move relative to each other, so that when the pedal force applied by the driver is greater than a predetermined value, the rotating member becomes an unlocked state that operates independently with respect to the pedal arm.
In paragraph 1, The above locking member is, In the locking state, the lower part of the first arm and the upper part of the second arm are locked together, and A vehicle pedal misoperation prevention device characterized by the fact that, in the released state, the upper part of the second arm can slide toward the upper part of the first arm.
In paragraph 1, A pedal position sensor for measuring the position of the above-mentioned rotating member; and A vehicle sudden acceleration prevention device due to pedal misoperation, characterized by further including a control unit that changes the opening of a throttle valve to increase or decrease the speed of the vehicle according to the pedal position recognized by the pedal position sensor.
In paragraph 3, The above-mentioned pivot member comprises: a rotating plate rotatably connected to the pedal housing by a rotation axis and connected to the pedal arm; and a second return spring that restores the rotating plate so that the opened throttle valve can be closed. A vehicle's sudden acceleration prevention device against pedal misoperation, characterized in that a rotating plate capable of operating independently of the pedal arm in the released state moves to a position where the throttle valve is closed by the second return spring.
In paragraph 1, The first arm has a receiving space formed inside and an open bottom, A device for preventing sudden acceleration caused by pedal misoperation of a vehicle, characterized in that the second arm is inserted into the receiving space of the first arm through the open lower part of the first arm and is capable of sliding along the longitudinal direction of the first arm.
In paragraph 5, The above locking means is, It includes a first locking means disposed on either one of the first arm and the second arm, and a second locking means disposed on the other of the first arm and the second arm, A device for preventing sudden acceleration caused by pedal misoperation of a vehicle, characterized in that the first locking means enables relative movement between the first arm and the second arm by passing through the second locking means when the pedal force is greater than or equal to a predetermined value.
In paragraph 6, The second locking means comprises a protruding pin protruding along a movement path in which the first locking means moves, and an elastic support member that elastically supports the protruding pin. A device for preventing sudden acceleration caused by pedal misoperation of a vehicle, characterized in that when the pedal force is greater than a predetermined value, the first locking means presses the protruding pin into the movement path.
In paragraph 5, The above locking means is, A locking part provided on either of the first arm and the second arm, and A device for preventing sudden acceleration caused by pedal misoperation of a vehicle, characterized by a locking projection provided on the other arm among the first arm and the second arm and forcibly fitted into the locking portion.
In paragraph 3, Between the first arm and the rotating member, A device for preventing sudden acceleration caused by pedal misoperation of a vehicle, characterized by having a first return spring that elastically biases the lower part of the first arm toward the upper part of the second arm so that the lower part of the first arm and the upper part of the second arm can be locked together when the pedal force is removed after the locking of the first arm and the second arm is released.
In paragraph 2, The above pedal housing further includes an overload pressing means that contacts the pedal pad and provides an abnormal signal to the control unit when the pedal pad rotates beyond an angle of infraction. The above control unit is characterized by controlling the generation of an alarm signal when the above abnormal signal is detected, thereby preventing sudden acceleration caused by pedal misoperation of a vehicle.
In paragraph 2, The above pedal housing further includes an overload pressing means that contacts the pedal pad and provides an abnormal signal to the control unit when the pedal pad rotates beyond an angle of infraction. The above-described control unit is characterized by controlling one of the fuel pump, throttle valve, or brake device to reduce the speed of the vehicle when an abnormal signal is detected, thereby preventing sudden acceleration caused by pedal misoperation of a vehicle.
In Article 10 or Article 11, The above-mentioned overload pressing means is, A pressing body installed in a pedal housing and having a receiving space formed inside; A pressing member that at least a portion protrudes from the receiving space and contacts the pedal pad, and moves up and down within the receiving space; A third return spring that elastically biases the above-mentioned pressing member toward the pedal pad side; and A sudden acceleration prevention device characterized by including a pressure sensor that generates an abnormal signal by contacting a pressure member lowered by a pedal pad rotated to the maximum allowable angle.
In Article 10 or Article 11, The above-mentioned overload pressing means is, A sudden acceleration prevention device characterized by being a load cell installed in the above-mentioned pedal housing and capable of contacting the pedal pad.
In paragraph 1, In the above pedal housing, A vehicle's sudden acceleration prevention device against pedal misoperation, characterized by having a stopper that contacts a rotating member to stop the rotation of the rotating member when the pedal pad rotates beyond a predetermined angle, thereby releasing the locking of the first arm and the second arm by the pedal force applied by the pedal pad.
In paragraph 1, A device for preventing sudden acceleration caused by pedal misoperation of a vehicle, characterized by further including a pad return means for moving the pedal pad upward so that the locking state can be changed from the unlocked state of the above locking means.
In paragraph 15, The above pad return means is, A return lever that is rotatably connected to the space under the driver's seat between the first and second ends, with one end contactable by the driver's foot and the other end contactable by the lower part of the pedal pad, and A device for preventing sudden acceleration caused by pedal misoperation of a vehicle, characterized by comprising a fourth return spring, one end of which is connected to one end of a return lever and the other end of which is connected to the floor under the driver's seat, and which elastically biases the other end of the return member to move away from the pedal pad.
In paragraph 15, A device for preventing sudden acceleration caused by pedal misoperation of a vehicle, characterized in that the above-mentioned pad return means includes a chain actuator that moves the pedal pad upward while rising according to the driver's operation.

Description

Device to prevent sudden acceleration due to pedal misoperation of the vehicle The present invention relates to a device for preventing sudden acceleration caused by pedal misoperation of a vehicle, and more specifically, to Unlike conventional pedals, automotive organ-type pedals are designed to be operated by the driver's foot pressing down from the front. While this design was created for a comfortable driving posture and precise accelerator control, there is a risk of sudden acceleration due to misoperation caused by the position or movement of the driver's foot. In particular, when a vehicle is stationary or moving at low speeds, pressing the accelerator excessively due to incorrect foot movement can lead to an accident. Furthermore, there is a constant risk of driver error, such as accidentally pressing the accelerator instead of the brake or pressing the accelerator too hard when facing imminent obstacles. Such errors frequently occur in situations where the vehicle must be stopped urgently and can lead to serious accidents, such as sudden acceleration. Sudden acceleration refers to a phenomenon in which a vehicle accelerates rapidly and out of control, regardless of the driver's intentions. This is a highly dangerous situation that can lead to major accidents, as the driver loses control of the vehicle when it occurs. The probability of sudden acceleration increases particularly when the driver confuses the brake pedal with the accelerator pedal and presses it incorrectly; this issue can occur even more frequently among elderly drivers. Since elderly drivers have slower reaction times and relatively lower ability to handle emergencies, the likelihood of sudden acceleration accidents resulting from this is further heightened. Existing automotive safety devices are equipped with various systems to prevent such sudden acceleration. For example, the Brake Override System (BOS) provides a function that suppresses acceleration by prioritizing the brake signal generated by the brake pedal in a situation where the driver presses the accelerator and brake pedals simultaneously. In addition, devices that regulate vehicle acceleration by electronically measuring and controlling the operation signal of the accelerator pedal, such as the Electronic Throttle Control (ETC) system, are commonly used. As such, most current sudden acceleration prevention systems operate based on sensors. Various sensors detecting pedal movement measure whether the accelerator pedal is functioning normally, and based on this data, an electronic control unit determines the possibility of sudden acceleration and prevents it. These devices use pedal position sensors, acceleration sensors, brake sensors, etc., to monitor the status of acceleration and braking in real time. The purpose is to prevent accidents by limiting engine output or automatically activating the brakes in the event of sudden acceleration. However, these sensor-based sudden acceleration prevention systems may fail to properly prevent sudden acceleration due to malfunctions or erroneous operation of individual sensors. For example, a sensor error may incorrectly detect the pedal position, or a problem with the control algorithm may cause the vehicle to operate erratically. In particular, if incorrect measurement results occur due to noise during signal transmission or sensor defects, the system may misinterpret acceleration and braking, potentially leading to a loss of vehicle control. This can cause the sudden acceleration prevention system to malfunction, further increasing the risk of accidents. Therefore, it is crucial to overcome the limitations of existing sensor-based sudden acceleration prevention systems and develop more stable and reliable prevention technology. In particular, there is a growing need for systems that guarantee highly reliable operation in various driving environments and situations, and technological advancements are required to protect diverse driver demographics, including elderly drivers. FIG. 1 is a drawing of a device for preventing sudden acceleration caused by pedal misoperation of a vehicle according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a drawing showing the operation of the sudden acceleration prevention device of FIG. 1 under normal conditions. FIG. 3 is a drawing illustrating a locking means that is one component of FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a drawing showing the operation of the sudden acceleration prevention device of FIG. 1 in a situation of misoperation. FIG. 5 is a drawing illustrating the operation of a locking means in a situation of misoperation. FIG. 6 is a drawing showing a modified example of the locking means of FIG. 3. FIG. 7 is a drawing showing another variation of the locking means of FIG. 3. FIG. 8 is a drawing illustrating the appearance when a driver presses the pedal pad excessively. FIG. 9 is a detailed view of an overload pressing means, which is a component of the sudden acceleration prevention dev