Mazda Motor Corporation

Other

Kouki Makino

Keisuke Miyoshi

Kazutaka Ishikura

Shuji Sanagi

Hidemi Aoki

Osamu Michihira

Shigefumi Hirabayashi

Toshihiro Matsuoka

Yasushi Kameyama

Hisaaki Katsuki

Takashi Tsuchida

Ushio Sakurai

Kunihiko Matumura

Katsumi Shiraishi

Hideaki Tanaka

Kanji Yasuhara

Hisashi Ogino

Hiroyuki Shinki

Kiyohito Obara

Kazunori Tomono

Disclosed a structure for supporting a steering device including a steering shaftadapted to transmit a steering force of a steering wheel to road wheels, relative to a vehicle body through an instrument-panel memberextending a lateral direction of a vehicle. The support structure comprises a first bracketfixed to the instrument-panel member, a steering columnrotatably mounting the steering shaft, a second bracketfixed to the steering column, and coupling meansfor providing a coupling between the first bracketand the second bracket. The coupling meansis designed to allow the second bracketto have an axial relative displacement with respect to the first bracketon the basis of an axial direction of the steering shaftwhile allowing an upward relative displacement of the second bracketwith respect to the first bracketin the course of the axial relative displacement, during a vehicle collision. The support structure of the present invention makes it possible to displace a steering shaft upward during a vehicle collision so as to prevent the knee of a passenger from interfering with the steering shaft, while ensuring a steering operation by a passenger, in a simplified structure.

Steering device support structure

In a supporting structure for a brake pedal assembly pivotally mounted for rocking motion on the rear surface of a dash panel of an automobile through a first bracket, a front portion of the first bracket is fixed to the dash panel and the rear end thereof is coupled to a second bracket, fastened to a cowl member in a cabin, so as to be disengageable by the application of a load of automobile collision above a predetermined level. The brake pedal assembly is pivotally mounted for rocking motion to the first bracket. At the lower end of the second bracket, a pedal lever stop is provided which abuts against the rear end of the brake pedal assembly when the first and second brackets are disengaged in an automobile collision so that the brake pedal assembly moves backward. The brake pedal assembly is restrained by abutment on the pedal lever stop against backward movement. This ensures to prevent the brake pedal assembly from moving backward in an automobile collision while providing a simple and highly reliable structure.

Pedal assembly supporting structure for automobile

In a supporting structure for a brake pedal assembly pivotally mounted for rocking motion on the rear surface of a dash panel of an automobile through a first bracket, a front portion of the first bracket is fixed to the dash panel and a rear-end upper portion thereof is coupled to a second bracket fastened to an instrument panel member as a car body member in a cabin so as to be disengageable by the application of a load of automobile collision above a predetermined level. The brake pedal assembly is pivotally mounted for rocking motion to the first bracket. On the underside of the second bracket, an inclined guide surface is provided which abuts against the upper end of the brake pedal assembly when the coupling between the first and second brackets is disengaged in an automobile collision so that the first bracket moves backward together with the brake pedal assembly. The inclined guide surface guides the brake pedal assembly in its downward movement through its abutment against the inclined guide surface. This ensures to prevent the brake pedal assembly from moving backward in an automobile collision while providing a simple and highly reliable structure.

An automatic transmission shift device has a shift lever extending from a dashboard toward and near a transverse extremity of a steering wheel and movable at least in a vertical direction to shift an automatic transmission into any desired range. The shift lever is operated or pushed up and down in the vertical direction with a vertical operational power between approximately 10 and 15% of an average maximum muscular kinetic power actively available in the vertical direction of arms of average drivers.

Shift device for automatic transmission

An operation apparatus for a vehicle automatic transmission mechanism includes an actuator for driving a hydraulic valve for switching a travel range of an automatic transmission mechanism, a control unit for controlling the actuator, and a transmission operation unit for outputting a range switching instruction to the control unit. In the preferred embodiment, the transmission operation unit includes a stroke contact type operation switch suitably mounted on a side surface of a steering column so that at least forward vehicle travel ranges can be switched by only a stretched finger of the hand of a vehicle driver who continues to maintain his grip on the steering wheel with the same hand. The operation switch can include either a rotary switch or slide switch mounted on the steering column. As an alternative embodiment, the operation switch can be an operation lever swingably arranged on the vehicle instrument panel opposing the steering wheel, but which can be operated so that at least the forward vehicle travel ranges can be switched by only a stretched finger of the vehicle driver's hand while the driver continues to maintain his grip on the wheel with the same hand.

Operation apparatus for vehicle automatic transmission mechanism

Growing community of inventors

Fuchu-cho, Japan

Kouki Makino