Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02803203 2013-08-27
VEHICLE SAFETY APPARATUS
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to unintended acceleration in
automobiles,
more particularly it relates to a method and apparatus for mitigating pedal
misapplication.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
[0002] As is well known in the art, the pedal assembly of an automobile
comprises
a brake pedal and an accelerator pedal (or a clutch pedal) arranged in a
parallel
relationship to one another. These pedal devices allow a driver's foot,
typically the right
foot, to operate both the accelerator and brake pedal parts separately.
Specifically,
assuming that the right foot is put on the brake pedal device from a rest
position, the
foot is made to turn clockwise about the heel to operate the accelerator pedal
device,
and vice versa. However, the side-by-side pedal arrangement often causes
drivers to
erroneously actuate the accelerator instead of the brakes, especially under
stress. To
minimize such an occurrence, in some vehicles the accelerator pedal is
positioned on a
lower plane than the brake pedal, however, this pedal arrangement still does
not
sufficiently address the problem.
[0003] Since the introduction of automatic transmission in automobiles, the
use of
the left foot has been made redundant. In addition, as most automobiles are
now
equipped with a cruise control feature, maintaining the right foot on the
accelerator
pedal when this feature is no longer required. Accordingly a driver may remove
the
right foot from the accelerator pedal, and rest the right foot while the
cruise control
feature is activated. Generally, the right foot is often placed in a rest
position on the
vehicle floor, in front of the accelerator pedal and adjacent to the right
side of the
accelerator pedal. Often times the driver is not aware of this particular
placement of the
right foot, which may cause problems when the driver chooses to brake, as the
driver is
forced to quickly maneuver the right foot from the resting position to the
brake pedal.
Typically, while executing such a maneuver the right foot often ends up in a
diagonal
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position across the accelerator pedal and the brake pedal, and as the
accelerator pedal
offers minimal resistance to the operating force applied by the right foot,
and the
accelerator pedal can be easily accidentally actuated together with the brake
pedal. As
the accelerator pedal offers no noticeable resistance, any slight force
thereon results in
an immediate response, that is, acceleration. With the foot on both pedals,
the effect of
the accelerator cancels the effect of the brakes and the vehicle maintains its
same speed,
giving the driver a sensation that the brakes are non-functional. Even if the
driver does
eventually realize that both pedals had been depressed simultaneously, it may
be too
late to take any corrective action to stop the vehicle. It is therefore not
uncommon that
the misapplication of pedals or delay in applying the intended pedal has
resulted in a
plurality of traffic accidents.
[0004] Recently, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
proposed equipping new cars and light trucks with override systems to prevent
unintended acceleration when the gas pedal and brake are applied at the same
time. For
instance, some vehicles manufactured by Toyota Motor Corp., Japan, now include
a
safety system that operates in the event of certain simultaneous brake and gas
pedal
applications, and reduces engine power to help the brakes bring the vehicle to
a stop.
However, Toyota warns in its operator's manuals that this system does not
guarantee
instant stopping, and therefore should not be relied upon.
[0005] It is an object of the present invention to mitigate or obviate at
least one of
the above-mentioned disadvantages.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] In one of its aspects, there is provided an apparatus for minimizing
simultaneous operation of a brake pedal and an accelerator pedal.
[0007] In another of its aspects, there is provided a raised platform for
minimizing
simultaneous actuation of an accelerator pedal and a brake pedal by a foot of
a vehicle
operator, said raised platform comprising:
a top surface separated from a vehicle floor by a predetermined distance;
a side wall; and
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wherein said raised platform is positioned adjacent to said accelerator pedal,
such that said foot heel is urged to stay in front of said brake pedal by said
side wall.
[0008] In another of its aspects, there is provided a method for minimizing
simultaneous actuation of an accelerator pedal and a brake pedal by a foot of
a vehicle
operator, said method having the steps of:
providing a raised platform adjacent to said accelerator pedal,
disposing said raised platform on a vehicle floor and substantially
below said accelerator pedal; and
whereby said foot is urged to stay in front of a brake pedal while the
accelerator pedal is not being operated by said foot.
[0009] In yet another of its aspects, there is provided a platform for
minimizing
simultaneous actuation of an accelerator pedal and a brake pedal by a foot of
a vehicle
operator, said platform comprising:
a side wall;
an opposing side wall;
a front wall and a back wall connecting said side wall and said opposing side
wall together; and
a top surface disposed between said side wall, said opposing side wall, said
front
wall and said back wall.
100101 In yet another of its aspects there is provided a vehicle safety
apparatus
comprising:
a side wall;
a top surface depending from said side wall;
said apparatus is positioned adjacent to an accelerator pedal such that a
portion
of a driver's foot abuts said side wall when actuating said accelerator pedal;
wherein said apparatus is disposed on a floor well of said vehicle;
wherein said top surface is separated from said floor well by a predetermined
distance, said predetermined distance being the height of said side wall;
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wherein said foot is placed in a rest position on said floor well beside said
side
wall when not actuating said accelerator pedal or said brake pedal; and
wherein said foot swivels about said foot's heel to actuate accelerator pedal
and
said brake pedal in an operating position, and said height of said side wall
is chosen to
minimiLe simultaneous actuation of said accelerator pedal and said brake pedal
by said
foot.
[0011] Advantageously, simultaneous actuation of an accelerator pedal and a
brake
pedal by a foot of a vehicle operator is greatly minimized, and separate
operation of the
accelerator pedal and the brake pedal is greatly ensured as the foot is urged
to remain in
front of the brake pedal while in the rest position rather than in front of
the accelerator
pedal.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] Several preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be
described, by way of example only, with reference to the appended drawings in
which:
[0013] Figure 1 shows a top view of a vehicle floor portion having a raised
platform;
[0014] Figure 2 shows a front view of the vehicle floor portion of Figure
1;
[0015] Figure 3 shows a side view of the vehicle floor portion of Figure 1;
[0016] Figure 4 shows a foot is a rest position;
[0017] Figure 5 shows the foot of Figure 4 in a first operating position
actuating a
brake pedal;
[0018] Figure 6 shows the foot of Figure 5 in a second operating position
actuating
an accelerator pedal; and
[0019] Figure 7 shows a barrier.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS
[0020] The detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the invention
herein
makes reference to the accompanying block diagrams and schematic diagrams,
which
show the exemplary embodiment by way of illustration and its best mode. The
detailed
description herein is presented for purposes of illustration only and not of
limitation.
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For example, the steps recited in any of the method or process descriptions
may be
executed in any order and are not limited to the order presented.
[0021] Moreover, it should be appreciated that the particular
implementations
shown and described herein are illustrative of the invention and its best mode
and are
not intended to otherwise limit the scope of the present invention in any way.
Indeed,
for the sake of brevity, certain sub-components of the individual operating
components.
100221 Figure 1 shows a top view of a floor well 10 of a vehicle, on the
vehicle
operator side, a brake pedal 12, an accelerator pedal 14, and an assembly 16.
The
assembly 16 is positioned adjacent the accelerator pedal 14 and the vehicle's
engine
compartment 18, and the accelerator pedal is positioned closer to the engine
compartment 18 than the brake pedal 12. The brake pedal 12 has some free
motion
when an operating force is applied by a foot, and this free motion allows an
air gap to
be maintained between the brake shoe and the disc or drum to minimise friction
and any
resulting heat.
[0023] As can be seen in Figure 2, the area of the floor well 10 before the
brake
pedal is free of the assembly 16. An exemplary assembly 16 is a rectangular
shaped
box having a top surface 20, a bottom surface 22, a front wall 24 facing the
engine
compartment 18, having a width, wi; an opposing back wall 26, a side wall 28
facing
the vehicle operator side door 30, the side wall having a length, li; and an
opposing side
wall 32. The height, hi, of the assembly 16 is calculated between the top
surface 20 and
the bottom surface 22 is chosen to suit a particular vehicle, or vehicle make
and model,
as the dimensions of the brake pedal 12 and the accelerator pedal 14 may vary,
and the
positioning of the pedals 12, 14 may also vary from vehicle to vehicle. In
addition, the
height, hi, of the assembly 16, and positioning of the assembly 16 may also
depend on
the above-identified variables, including the distance separating the brake
pedal 12, the
accelerator pedal 14 and the assembly 16, or the different foot sizes, shoe
sizes or shoe
styles, such as winter boots or stilettos. The width, wi, length 11, and the
height, hi, are
chosen such that they do not interfere with the normal operation of the brake
pedal 12,
or the accelerator pedal 14. Accordingly, the distances di, d2 and d3
corresponding to
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the separation distances between the brake pedal 12, the accelerator pedal 14
and the
assembly 16 are determined. These distances d1, d2 and d3 are so chosen such
that the
does not interfere with the normal operation of the brake pedal 12, or the
accelerator
pedal 14, nor preclude the foot 19 from performing desired actions associated
with the
brake pedal 12, or the accelerator pedal 14. Once a desired operational
position has
been chosen, the assembly 16 is secured to the vehicle floor well 10 by a
retaining
means (not shown) to maintain the assembly 16 in the chosen location. In one
example,
d1 ranges from half an inch to one inch, while d2 is about one inch.
[0024] With the
assembly 16 in place, the vehicle may be operated in a normal
manner by allowing a foot 34 to swivel about a heel 36 between the brake pedal
12 and
accelerator pedal 14. When the foot 34 is moved temporarily from the
accelerator pedal
14 in the normal driving position, the foot 34 is placed in a rest position at
a location
parallel to the side wall 28, and in line with the brake pedal 12, as shown in
Figure 4.
Therefore, in the event of an emergency stop, by having the brake pedal 12 in
the direct
path of the foot 34 only the brake pedal 12 may be actuated as the raised side
wall 28
urges the foot 34 towards the brake pedal 12, thus avoiding actuation of the
accelerator
pedal 14 while the foot 34 applies a force on the brake pedal 12, as seen in
Figure 5.
The assembly 16 assists in maintaining the right foot 19 in a safe operating
position in
front of the brake pedal 12, especially while cruise control is activated, and
does not
interfere with the normal operation of the vehicle when cruise control is not
activated.
The raised side wall 28 is so dimensioned such that the vehicle operator is
able to
discern the difference in height between the vehicle floor well 10 and raised
floor
portion's top surface 20. Figure 6 shows the foot 34 applying a force on the
accelerator
pedal 14 in a normal driving operation. In the event that the operator
deliberately lifts
the foot and places it on the top surface 20, then the operator will
immediately become
aware of such a non-desirable action, if not a dangerous action, as such foot
34
positioning may feel uncomfortable. In addition, having the foot 34 on the top
surface
20 makes more difficult to quickly manoeuvre the foot 34 to the brake pedal 12
or
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accelerator pedal 14. The assembly 16 also minimizes the actuation of the
wrong pedal
12 or 14, as the foot 19 is urged to be disposed in front of the brake pedal
12.
[00251 In another embodiment, the height of the assembly 16 is adjustable,
such that
the difference in height between the vehicle well 10 and assembly's top
surface 20 can
be controlled to suit the operator's preference.
[0026] In another embodiment, the distance between the side wall 28 and the
opposing side wall 32 is adjustable to suit the vehicle's design constraints
dictated by
the make, model, pedal arrangement, or operator's preference.
[0027] In another exemplary embodiment, the vehicle floor well 10 comprises
a
raised floor portion similar to the assembly 16, and serves the same purpose
and
function as the assembly 16. However, as the raised portion 16 is formed with
the
vehicle floor well 10, the height of the raised floor portion 16 is fixed, and
may depend
on the manufacturer, make, model, pedal arrangements, or typical operator
parameters,
while ensuring that the raised floor portion 16 fulfils its intended function
and goal.
100281 In another embodiment, the side wall 28 is upwardly angled such that
the
foot 19 may easily slide down to a position in front of the brake pedal 12
after actuation
of the accelerator pedal 14.
[00291 In another embodiment, the assembly 16 is a barrier for urging
placement of
the foot in front of the brake pedal 12, while in the rest position, rather in
front of the
accelerator pedal 14. Accordingly, as shown in Figure 7, the barrier 16 may
comprise
an elongate plate depending from the floor well, having a height h1 and length
dimensioned to urge the foot back to a rest position in front of the brake
pedal 12 when
not operating the accelerator pedal or the brake pedal. Therefore, in an
emergency the
brake pedal 12 is most likely to be actuated by the vehicle operator, rather
than the
accelerator pedal, in order to slow down or bring the vehicle to a stop.
[0030] In another embodiment, the assembly 16 comprises of various shapes
and
sizes having a raised platform for minimizing simultaneous actuation of an
accelerator
pedal 14 and a brake pedal 12 by a foot 19 of a vehicle operator, and for
urging the foot
to maintain a rest position in front of the brake pedal 12. As an example, the
various
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shapes may be dimensioned differently but have the functionality of the
assembly 16 as
described above.
[00311 The preceding
detailed description of exemplaty embodiments of the
invention makes reference to the accompanying drawings, which show the
exemplary
embodiment by way of illustration. For example, the steps recited in any of
the method
or process claims may be executed in any order and are not limited to the
order
presented. Further, the present invention may be practiced using one or more
servers, as
necessary. Thus, the preceding detailed description is presented for purposes
of
illustration only and not of limitation, and the scope of the invention is
defined by the
preceding description, and with respect to the attached claims.
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