Appeal No. 2003-0111 Page 6
Application No. 09/602,532
portion 52 past the dimples 50. The spring 48 is now captured between the bearings
42 and pushes them away from each other. The dimples 50 limit the outward
travel of the bearings 42 in the hub 40 to a position where the second reduced diameter
portions 58 extend beyond the hub 40.
At the vehicle assembly plant, the pedal assembly 18 is installed in the bracket
14 as follows. The pedal assembly 18 is gripped in one hand by an installer who
manipulates it to align the second reduced diameter portions 58 with the lead-in
channels 26 of the bracket 14. The bearings 42 are in an extended second position,
fitting between the bottoms 28 of the channels 26 at the edges 30 of the bracket 14, as
shown in Figure 1. The installer pushes the pedal assembly 18 in a direction normal to
the axis of rotation 24 forcing the bearings 42 to move through the channels 26 and
toward the apertures 20. The bottoms 28 of the channels 26 contact the bearings 42,
gradually forcing them into a compressed second position, shown in Figure 2, thereby
compressing the spring 48. When the pedal assembly 18 reaches the installed position
where the pivot axis 34 is aligned with the axis of rotation 24, the bearings 42 snap from
the compressed position through the apertures 20 to the extended position shown in
Figure 3. The entry of the bearings 42 into the apertures 20 is facilitated by the
chamfers 60 on the bearings 42. The spring 48 forces the second full diameter portions
56 of the bearings 42 to seat against the flanges 22, overcoming the interference
Page: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Next
Last modified: November 3, 2007