Pedal assembly with non-contact pedal position sensor for generating a control signal

Abstract

A pedal assembly (,) is mounted on a body structure of a motor vehicle and is used to generate a control signal for vehicle system. The pedal assembly includes a pedal arm (,) having a lower end (,) connected to a pedal pad (,) and an upper end (,) pivotally supported on a pivot shaft (,) to define a pivot axis (,). A housing (,) supports the pivot shaft (,) such that the pedal arm (,) is mounted for movement relative to the housing (,) about the pivot axis (,). A non-contact sensor assembly with a magnet member (,) spaced apart from a non-contact sensing surface (,) is used to generate the control signal based on pedal movement. The magnet member (,) is pivotally mounted on the shaft (,) for pivotal movement with the pedal arm (,) about the pivot axis (,) and the non-contact sensing surface (,) extends across an interior face (,) of the housing (,) to interact with the magnet member (,). Rotational movement of the magnet member (,) is converted to a linear output control signal via the non-contact sensing surface (,). A resilient member (,) is mounted within a curved pocket (,) of the housing (,). A first end (,) of the resilient member (,) is fixed to the housing (,) and a second end (,) is engageable by a camming portion (,) on the upper end (,) of the pedal arm (,) to create a hysteresis effect when the pedal arm (,) is moved from a rest position to an applied position. A cover (,) is attached to the housing (,) to enclose the sensor assembly within the housing (,) to provide a sealed environment for the magnet member (,) and the non-contact sensing surface (,).