Arrangement for permitting vehicle foot pedal retraction, and vehicle incorporating same

1. An arrangement for permitting retraction of a vehicle foot pedal, operable on a conventional push rod of a brake booster or a clutch, in a frontal crash of sufficient magnitude, wherein a rotary member is attached to, and mounted on a blade of a foot pedal for free rotation about a pivot, and adapted to be coupled to a push rod, wherein:

(i) said rotary member ( 1 ) has a decoupling feature ( 3 - 8 ) that is not activated during normal operation of said foot pedal, and

(ii) displacement means ( 10 , 11 ) is provided to cause partial rotation of said rotary member ( 1 ) upon a frontal impact on the associated vehicle of sufficient magnitude, to stress said decoupling feature ( 3 - 8 ) until a threshold value is reached whereupon said decoupling feature ( 3 - 8 ) is activated causing disintegration of the coupling feature ( 3 - 8 ), thereby disconnecting said push rod ( 12 ) from said rotary member ( 1 ) and hence from said blade ( 13 ) of a foot pedal, to permit free pedal movement wherein said decoupling feature ( 3 - 8 ) is provided by said rotary member ( 1 ) incorporating an insert ( 7 ) of synthetic plastics material, with said insert ( 7 ) defining, in part, a bore ( 8 ) to receive a portion of said push rod ( 12 ), whereby rotation of said rotary member ( 1 ) in a frontal impact of sufficient magnitude to create a torque exceeding a threshold value results in said push rod ( 12 ) forcing said insert ( 7 ) from said rotary member ( 1 ), thereby decoupling said push rod (l 2 ) and said pedal blade.

2. An arrangement as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said rotary member ( 1 ) is metallic.

3. An arrangement as claimed in claim 2 , wherein said rotary member ( 1 ) is of mild steel.

4. An arrangement as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said rotary member ( 1 ) is wholly metallic.