Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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S P E C I F I C A T I O N
TIT~E
TWO PIECE PEDAL ROD AND METHOD OF MARING 81~NE
RELATED APP~TCATION
5This application is a ~-ontinuation-in-part of my
co-pending application Seria.l Number 08/045,654 filed
April 9, 1993 entitled ~'Adjustable Pedal Rod and Method
of Making Same."
R~R~Un~D OF T~E lNV~:L. lO~
Field of the Invention
This invention relates specifically to a pedal rod
of the type utilized in the vehicular vehicle industry
and wherein devices are actuated by an operator exerting
force via a rod-like instrumentality interconnecting a
foot or hand operated member and the operating mechanism
of a vehicle such as the br;lking system of a car or
truck.
The Prior Art
In my prior Patent No. 4,901,426, I have disclosed
and claimed the methods and equ.ipment for forming threads
or thread segments by pressing and without rotation in
a pedal rod construction.
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In my prior patent issuing on co-pending allowed
application Serial Number 07/833,665, now issued as U.
S. Patent 5,230,134, I have disclosed how the respective
threaded portions of a mechanical joint may be formed in
such a manner as to be matched or intentionally
mismatched to afford a selective locking effect as two
threadedly related parts are joined together.
In my parent application, of which the present
disclosure is a continuation-in-part, Serial Number
08/045,654 filed April 9, 1993, it was contemplated that
there be provided an adjustable, preset, threaded and
torqued pedal rod assembled to a mean dimension supplied
by the customer and then securely locked into firm
assembly for utilization without further adjustment in
the assembly line of the customer.
~uMMARY OF THE lNv~ ON
In accordance with the principles of the invention,
it is contemplated that there be provided a two piece
pedal rod which is strong and efficient and which can be
quickly and conveniently manufactured with great economy,
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thereby providing a pedal rod unit which is price
competitive and entirely reliable for its intended
purpose.
The two separate pieces are a head part and a shaft
part which are formed without any threads or screw thread
segments whatsoever. Moreover, the head part may be made
of a different material than the shaft part, thereby
affording the possibility of seleGtively and
independently plating or coating one or t!he other of the
component elements of the pedal rod assembly, thereby to
protectably enhance the resistance of the part to
environmental factors such as rust and corrosion by road
chemicals. Such coating or plating can also effect color
coding. For example, by so treating the head part
selectively with a colored plating operation the parts
of different original equipment manufacturers may be
distinguished from one another, even though the parts are
produced on the same production line. Such optional
plating operation can be effected without the risk of
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adversely affecting the assembly joints on the other
part.
The two separate parts are permanently bonded into
firm assembly with one another simply by press fitting
and are locked together permanently by pressure crimping,
thereby to provide a crimped joint having as many as six
separate crimping elements.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a pedal rod unit
constructed in accordance with the principles of the
present invention.
Figure 2 is an elevational view showing a side
elevation of the shaft part of the present invention, but
with parts broken away and with parts shown in cross-
section to illustrate additional details of the featuresincorporated in the shaft part.
Figure 3 is an elevational view showing in side
elevation the head part of the present invention prior
to its joinder in assembly with the shaft part.
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Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view taken on line
IV-IV of Figure 3 and showing additional details of the
head part.
Figure 5 is a cross-sec:tional view taken on line
V-V of Figure 3 and showing still additicnal structural
features of the head part.
Figure 6 is an enlarged iragmentary cross-sectional
view showing the crimped joint after assembly of the two
parts and the crimped joinder thereof.
10Figure 7 is a cross- sectional view taken on line
VII-VII of Figure 6.
DESCRIPTION OF T~E PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
This application is a continuation--in-part of my
co-pending application Serial Number 08~045,654 filed
15April 9, 1993 entitled ~Adjustable Pedal Rod and Method
of Making Same."
It is believed that the method technology of the
present invention and the preferred sequencing of the
manufacturing techniques will be underst:ood from the
description which follows.
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A metal bar stock can be employed to provide both
of the two separate components, or two elements, of the
pedal rod provided in accordance with this invention.
Thus, in the practice of the present invention, it
is my objective to provide a pedal rod such as that
illustrated in Figure 1 and identified generally at 10.
The pedal rod 10 consists of two separate elements or
parts constituting a rod or shaft part 11 and a head part
12.
The head part 12 is a flat rolled steel exhibiting
the characteristics 1010 to 1020, or 8620 steel. This
material is particularly suitable for conducting
automated punch press operations and I have found it to
be particularly appropriate for use in making the head
parts in accordance with the principles of the present
invention. It should be understood of course, that
persons of skill in the art might select a material of
a different formulation which would not be a departure
from the spirit of this invention. However, the
specified material is designated as constituting the best
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=, mode of my discovery.
For the rod or shaft e:lements in t:he performance
environment of an automotive braking assembly, I have
selected material of Rockwell "B" 95-105 12L14 steel.
That material I have ~ound to Ibe particula:rly appropriate
for mach; n; ng and stamping operations, especially when
such operations are conducted on automated machinery as
is generally contemplated in p:rescribing m.odern low cost
manufacturing techni~ues.
loReferring now to Figure 2, the rod or shaft part
is formed by machining a rod-shaped cy:Lindrical work
piece into an elongated cylindrically shaped body having
a ball 13 at its free end, adapted to cooperate with the
mechanism with which the pedal rod is associated.
Extending axially away from the ball 13 is a reduced
~ diameter shaft portion 14 whic~L merges wit~ a transition
stage formed as an outwardly tapered section 15 and
expanding to a larger diameter body portion which is of
uniform diametral size throughc,ut its length as shown at
16 and extending to the end of the work piece. The body
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portion 16 terminates in an end wall 17 which is disposed t
to extend radially.
As is disclosed in one of my earlier applications,
it is contemplated that there be formed by a stamping
step a spring seating shoulder 18, the formation of which
is quickly and conveniently afforded by displacing the
metal of the surface so that a plurality of projections
form a seating shoulder extending radially outwardly of
the body portion 16.
It will be appreciated that the only mar-h;n;ng step
required to finish the rod or shaft element 11 is form
the ball 13 and its related transition portions and a
seating recess 19 in the end wall 17 of the rod or shaft
element 11. The step of forming recess 19 is
accomplished by drilling and reaming the recess, for
example, on a multiple spindle screw machine, which may
also be used to form the ball 13. The recess 19 is
essentially cylindrical in shape and extends inwardly of
the end wall 17 on a center line axis of the rod or shaft
part 11.
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Turning now to Figures 3, 4 and 5, it will be noted
that the head part 12 can be formed in a punch press
operation simply by punching in a single stroke the
configuration shown in Figure 3, namely, by providing a
main body portion 20 having a throuc;h opening 21
centrally disposed therein. A c:urved outer edge is shown
at 22 disposed approximately in concentric spacing
relative to the opening 21 alnd terminating in spaced
parallel side walls 23 and 24.
The side walls 23 and 24 ~erminate in a flat planar
end wall 25 from which projects at a central axial
position a generally rectangular boss 26 having a rounded
pilot end 27. The opposite sides of the boss 26 are
notched as at 28 and 29, to provide a relief space in
which crimped material may be displao-ed during 2
subsecruent assembly operation. It should be understood
that the boss 26 is sized and shaped so that it can be
received within the recess 19. It is not: cylindrical.
Rather, it is essentially rectangular in c:ross-section.
,
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--10--
However, it can be fitted within the recess 19 for the
purposes which will be described in greater detail.
It will be appreciated that the rod or shaft
element ll and the head part or element 12 constitute
first and second parts which may be axially advanced
selectively to successively engage the boss 26 into the
recess 19, thereby to accomplish assembly of the two
parts. This assembly can be accomplished ?ch~n;cally and
could be automated if so desired.
However, one of the features of the present
invention is that the two different parts afford a
technique of manufacture which enables selective color
coding or plating to be accomplished without adversely
affecting the integrity of the assembled parts.
For example, some automobile manufacturers desire
to afford parts which are exposed to corrosion of road
chemicals such as salt and other ice melting compounds
with special protection. Such manufacturers require that
the head part of the pedal rod assembly, especially, be
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plated or protectively coated, since it is the head part
that projects outside of the protective assembly.
Since the head part 12 of the present invention is
made as a completely separated part, and i.s even made of
a material which is different than the material or stock
from which the rod or shaft part 11 i~ made, it is
possible to afford the original equipment manufacturer
a plating or color coding option at a nominal cost, since
the head parts can be separately plated, without any
adverse effect on the st:ructural and functional
characteristics of the rod or shaft element, and without
adding any cost to the manufact:uring price of the rod or
shaft element.
For example, the head p.lrts may at this stage be
subjected to a yellow die chromate plating procedure so
that they will not only be protectively plated and given
an increased protection against the potent:ially harmful
effects of a tough operating environment but will also
be very distinctively colored, I_hereby serv:ing to clearly
and unmistakably identify the particular pedal rod of
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which the plated head element is a part as that of a
specific customer.
As disclosed in my parent application pedal rods
are operatively connected in the actuating train of a
motion mechanism actuated by the operator of a vehicle.
The head shown at 12 is illustrated in a single bar form,
although those versed in the art will readily recognize
that the head 12 could also take the form of a clevis,
a form of pedal rod configuration often used by foreign
manufacturers of motor vehicles, or a so-called offset
head, which some OEM automobile manufacturers prefer for
space accommodation reasons.
In any event, once the head part 12 is ready for
assembly to the rod or shaft part 11, the boss 26 is
inserted into the recess 19. In this regard, the rounded
end shown at 27 on the end of the boss 26 eases entry of
the generally rectangularly shaped boss into the
cylindrically shaped recess and facilitates the assembly,
particularly if such assembly operation is being effected
by automated machinery.
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As will be evident from an inspect:ion of Figures
6 and 7, the two parts are press fit together so that the
end wall 17 of the part 11 seats snugly up against the
wall 25 of the part 12 and the boss 26 ext:ends fully and
completely into the recess 19.
,At this juncture, the f'irst and second parts may
be peL ~nently bonded and assembled together by pressure
crimping at as many as six separate locations. Thus in
Figures 6 and 7, four circumferentially spaced crimps 30
lo are shown, each of which constitutes an axially
extending elongated slot which displclces material
inwardly from the outer part 1.1 into a bonding relation
with the inwardly adjacent part 12. Since the assembly
of the first and second parts relates the body portion
of the rod or shaft part as an outer part surrounding an
inner part provided by the boss of the second part, it
should be noted how the material from the body portion
16, or outer part, is actu.ally displaced radially
inwardly into the notches 28 and 29 formed :in the surface
of the boss 26, or inner part. Further, the other two
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crimps displace material from the body portion 16 into
close bonding relation with the surfaces of the boss 26,
thereby placing the two parts in firm assembly with one
another. To further insure good bonding, two
additional spaced end crimps as shown at 31 may also be
employed. The crimps 31 are disposed on diametrically
opposite sides of the body 16 right at the end wall 17.
In effect, the crimped joint forms and functions
as recess and detent means which operate to bond the
lo inner and outer parts into an integrated unitary assembly
so that the two parts constitute a single pedal rod unit
exhibiting unusual strength and versatility, but capable
of being produced on modern machinery at reduced cost.
Although various minor modifications might be
suggested by those skilled in the art, it should be
understood that I wish to embody within the scope of the
patent warranted hereon all such modifications as
reasonably and properly come within the scope of my
contribution to the art.
,
