Movable floor apparatus for vehicle

• US 7,712,816 B2
• Filed: 08/22/2007
• Issued: 05/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Delta Kogyo Company Limited, Mazda Motor Corporation, TOYO Seat Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Delta Kogyo Company Limited, Mazda Motor Corporation, TOYO Seat Company Limited
• Inventors: Uemura, Hiroki, Ohtsubo, Tomonori, Akazawa, Terumi, Iida, Keisuke, Kikuchi, Reiji, Hiyori, Teiji, Ujimoto, Takushi
• Primary Examiner(s): Dayoan; Glenn
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chenevert; Paul A
• Application Number:
  US11/892,408
• Publication Number:
  US 20080047771A1
• Time in Patent Office: 993 Days
• Field of Search: 745/64, 180/326, 180/330, 296/75, 296/97.23
• US Class Current: 296/75
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/067 by linear actuators, e.g. linear screw mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/1821 Combination of Rods and slides
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 3/063 with adjustment systems
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 21/15 having impact absorbing means, e.g. a frame designed to permanently or temporarily change shape or dimension upon impact with another body bumpers B60R19/02; shock absorbers in general F16F
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 25/025 Side sills thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 25/20 Floors or bottom sub-units sub-frames for mounting engine or suspensions B62D21/11; drip trays F16N31/006
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 25/2036 the subunits being side panels, sills or pillars B62D21/157 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/20918 Foot rests

Abstract

A movable floor device for a vehicle, which comprises a movable board disposed beneath feet of an occupant seated in an occupant seat, a drive source disposed below the occupant seat, and a driving-force transmission mechanism adapted, according to a driving force of the drive source, to input a force directed in a selected one of frontward and rearward directions of a vehicle body, into a rear portion of the movable board. The movable board is supported in such a manner as to be selectively displaced upwardly and downwardly in response to respective ones of the frontward and rearward forces input from the driving-force transmission mechanism. The movable floor apparatus of the present invention makes it possible to allow a lowermost height position of a movable board to be set at a lower level so as to cope with various seating postures with enhanced flexibility.

Claims

1. A movable floor apparatus for a vehicle, which includes a movable board disposed beneath feet of an occupant seated in an occupant seat, to cover an upper surface of a vehicle body floor, said movable floor apparatus comprising:

a drive source disposed below said occupant seat;

a driving-force transmission mechanism, according to a driving force of said drive source, for transmitting a force acting in a frontward or a rearward direction of a vehicle body to a rear portion of said movable board,

a pair of right and left support members provided on said vehicle body floor to extend upwardly therefrom for supporting opposite right and left edges of said movable board, said support members having guide means adapted to guide said movable board in such a manner that said movable board receiving said frontwardly or rearwardly acting force from said driving-force transmission mechanism is lifted or lowered while being moved in the acting direction of said force; and

said movable board includes a support shaft which extends in a lateral direction of the vehicle body and has opposite right and left ends supported by the respective ones of said right and left support members;

wherein said movable board is supported in such a manner as to be selectively displaced upwardly and downwardly in response to said frontwardly or rearwardly acting force from said driving-force transmission mechanism; and

said guide means consists of a guide groove adapted to slidably support said support shaft and defined to extend with a frontwardly-upward inclination.

2. A movable floor apparatus for a vehicle, which includes a movable board disposed beneath feet of an occupant seated in an occupant seat, to cover an upper surface of a vehicle body floor, said movable floor apparatus comprising:

a drive source disposed below said occupant seat;

a driving-force transmission mechanism, according to a driving force of said drive source, for transmitting a force acting in a frontward or a rearward direction of a vehicle body to a rear portion of said movable board, and

a pair of right and left support members provided on said vehicle body floor to extend upwardly therefrom for supporting opposite right and left edges of said movable board, said support members having guide means adapted to guide said movable board in such a manner that said movable board receiving said frontwardly or rearwardly acting force from said driving-force transmission mechanism is lifted or lowered while being moved in the acting direction of said force;

said movable board includes a support shaft which extends in a lateral direction of the vehicle body and has opposite right and left ends supported by the respective ones of said right and left support members, and a tubular-shaped sleeve attached to each of the right and left ends of said support shaft to surround an outer peripheral surface of said end; and

said guide means includes a sleeve guide groove which is defined by a contact surface slidable relative to an axially inward end surface and an outer peripheral surface of said sleeve, in such a manner as to extend with a frontwardly-upward inclination,

wherein said movable board further includes bias means provided between said sleeve and a corresponding one of right and left distal ends of said support shaft, to bias said sleeve toward an axially central portion of said support shaft; and

said movable board is supported in such a manner as to be selectively displaced upwardly and downwardly in response to said frontwardly or rearwardly acting force from said driving-force transmission mechanism.

3. A movable floor apparatus for a vehicle, which includes a movable board disposed beneath feet of an occupant seated in an occupant seat, to cover an upper surface of a vehicle body floor, said movable floor apparatus comprising:

a drive source disposed below said occupant seat; and

a driving-force transmission mechanism, according to a driving force of said drive source, for transmitting a force acting in a frontward or a rearward direction of a vehicle body to a rear portion of said movable board,

said occupant seat includes a pair of right and left lower rails fixed relative to the vehicle body to extend in the frontward/rearward direction of the vehicle body, and a pair of right and left upper rails slidably supported along respective ones of said right and left lower rails,

wherein said movable floor apparatus includes a lateral member which extends in a lateral direction of the vehicle body to connect between said right and left lower rails, and support said driving-force transmission mechanism, and

said movable board is supported in such a manner as to be selectively displaced upwardly and downwardly in response to said frontwardly or rearwardly acting force from said driving-force transmission mechanism.

4. The movable floor apparatus as defined in claim 3, wherein said driving-force transmission mechanism includes a rod which extends in the frontward/rearward direction of the vehicle body and has a front end connected to the rear portion of said movable board, and a gear box adapted to interlockingly connect between said rod and an output shaft of said drive source, wherein said rod is adapted, according to the driving force of said drive source, to be selectively moved frontwardly and rearwardly so as to allow the respective ones of said frontward and rearward forces to be input into said movable board through said rod.

5. The movable floor apparatus as defined in claim 4, wherein said vehicle body floor is provided with a cross member which protrudes upwardly therefrom and extends in the lateral direction of the vehicle body so as to support an front end of said occupant seat, wherein said rod is connected to said movable board through a connection member formed and disposed to extend across and above said cross member and then extend downwardly.

6. A movable floor apparatus for a vehicle, which includes a movable board disposed beneath feet of an occupant seated in an occupant seat, to cover an upper surface of a vehicle body floor, said movable floor apparatus comprising:

a drive source disposed below said occupant seat; and

a driving-force transmission mechanism, according to a driving force of said drive source, for transmitting a force acting in a frontward or a rearward direction of a vehicle body to a rear portion of said movable board,

wherein said vehicle body floor is formed between a side sill extending in the frontward/rearward direction along a lateral edge of the vehicle body and a floor tunnel extending in the frontward/rearward direction in a laterally central region of the vehicle body, said vehicle body floor being provided with a cross member which protrudes upwardly therefrom and extends in a lateral direction of the vehicle body so as to support a front end of said occupant seat, whereby said vehicle body floor is surrounded by a front wall of said cross member, respective lateral walls of said side sill and said floor tunnel, and a floor kick-up portion extending from a front edge of a bottom portion of said vehicle body floor, with a frontwardly-upward inclination, so as to define a concave space on said vehicle body floor;

wherein said movable floor apparatus includes a pallet formed in a shape corresponding to that of said concave space and received and mounted in said concave space, wherein said movable board is supported in such a manner as to be selectively lifted and lowered inside said pallet, and

said movable board is supported in such a manner as to be selectively displaced upwardly and downwardly in response to said frontwardly or rearwardly acting force from said driving-force transmission mechanism.

9. The movable floor apparatus as defined in claim 6, wherein:

said pallet has a bottom wall, and opposed right and left lateral walls which extend approximately vertically upwardly from respective ones of opposite right and left edges of said bottom wall along corresponding ones of the lateral walls of said side sill and said floor tunnel; and

said movable board is adapted to be selectively lifted and lowered approximately vertically in front view in such a manner that each of opposite right and left edges thereof has a movement locus along a corresponding one of said right and left lateral walls of said pallet.

10. The movable floor apparatus as defined in claim 9, wherein:

said movable board includes a support shaft which extends in the lateral direction of the vehicle body; and

each of said right and left lateral walls of said pallet is formed with a sliding slot slidably penetrated by a corresponding one of opposite right and left ends of said support shaft,

wherein said movable floor apparatus includes a support member which has a pair of right and left standing walls disposed on said vehicle body floor at positions located outside respective ones of said right and left lateral walls of said pallet to extend approximately vertically from said vehicle body floor along the respective ones of said lateral walls of said pallet, each of said standing walls of said support member having a guide groove formed in a region corresponding to said sliding slot of said pallet, to slidably support a portion of said support shaft protruding outside said pallet through said sliding slot.

11. The movable floor apparatus as defined in claim 10, wherein:

said guide groove is formed to have a frontwardly-upward inclination oriented obliquely upwardly in the frontward direction of the vehicle body; and

said pallet has an inclined front wall which extends from a front edge of said bottom wall thereof obliquely upwardly in the frontward direction of the vehicle body at an inclination angle approximately equal to that of said guide groove.

7. The movable floor apparatus as defined 6, wherein said pallet has a front lateral end portion formed as a footrest portion for allowing the occupant to place his/her left foot thereon.

8. The movable floor apparatus as defined 6, wherein said pallet is provided with an inclined fence which extends obliquely upwardly from an upper edge of the lateral wall of said pallet on the side of said floor tunnel, toward the lateral wall of said floor tunnel.

12. A movable floor apparatus for a vehicle, which includes a movable board disposed beneath feet of an occupant seated in an occupant seat, to cover an upper surface of a vehicle body floor, said movable floor apparatus comprising:

a drive source disposed below said occupant seat; and

a driving-force transmission mechanism, according to a driving force of said drive source, for transmitting a force acting in a frontward or a rearward direction of a vehicle body to a rear portion of said movable board,

wherein said movable board includes;

a plate-shaped board segment defining a loading surface for feet of the occupant; and

a frame member which is made of a material having a stiffness greater than that of said board segment, and formed in a frame shape extending along an outer peripheral edge of said board segment to detachably support said board segment,

wherein said driving-force transmission mechanism is connected to said frame member, and

said movable board is supported in such a manner as to be selectively displaced upwardly and downwardly in response to said frontwardly or rearwardly acting force from said driving-force transmission mechanism.