CN118061755A - Lower structure of vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention provides a lower structure of a vehicle. The lower structure of the vehicle includes: a slide door that opens and closes a door opening of a vehicle body; a rocker which is tubular and forms a lower edge portion of the door opening; a slide rail provided on a vehicle lower side of the rocker and supporting the slide door so as to slide in an opening and closing direction; and a step device provided on a vehicle lower side of the rocker, and having a step plate serving as a tread surface, wherein when a direction orthogonal to the opening/closing direction is a vehicle inner/outer direction based on a plan view in a vehicle vertical direction, a storage portion is provided on one of the step plate and the slide rail, and the storage portion stores an end portion of the other of the step plate and the slide rail in the vehicle inner/outer direction in a state capable of being pulled out in the vehicle inner/outer direction.

Description

Lower structure of vehicle

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a lower structure of a vehicle in which a slide rail for a slide door and a pedal device including a pedal plate serving as a tread are provided below a rocker beam forming a lower edge portion of a door opening.

Background

Techniques related to this are described in Japanese patent application laid-open No. 2007-76782 and Japanese patent application laid-open No. 2019-127145. The vehicle of japanese patent application laid-open No. 2007-76182 is configured such that a door opening portion provided on a vehicle body can be opened and closed in a vehicle front-rear direction by a sliding door. A cylindrical rocker is provided on a lower edge portion of the door opening so as to extend in the vehicle longitudinal direction. A slide rail that slidably supports the slide door is provided below the rocker so as to extend in the vehicle longitudinal direction. Further, a bracket extending inward in the vehicle width direction is provided at the lower end portion of the sliding door, and a roller supported by the bracket shaft is slidably fitted to the slide rail. Thus, the sliding door can slide in the vehicle longitudinal direction by sliding the roller along the slide rail.

Further, in the vehicle of japanese patent application laid-open No. 2019-127145, a tubular rocker is provided on a lower edge portion of a door opening portion so as to extend in a vehicle front-rear direction. Under the rocker, a pedal portion serving as a tread surface of the pedal device is disposed. The step portion is configured to be displaceable between a storage position disposed below the rocker and a deployed position protruding outward in the vehicle width direction from the rocker. In addition, as in japanese patent application laid-open No. 2019-127145, when a foothold is disposed below the rocker, the slide rail is usually housed in the rocker. That is, a shape (cross-sectional shape) of a portion of the rocker is formed in a concave shape that opens to the vehicle width direction outside, and a slide rail is accommodated in the concave portion.

Disclosure of Invention

Here, in the above-described vehicle, there is a demand for arranging the slide rail and the footrest apparatus below the rocker. That is, by disposing the slide rail and the footrest apparatus below the rocker, the degree of freedom in shape selection of the rocker can be improved, and the rigidity can be easily ensured, and interference between the slide rail and other members (members in the vehicle interior such as a battery) can be easily avoided. However, since the space under the rocker is limited, there is a problem that it is difficult to arrange a plurality of members separately, and if the arrangement is intended to be made to be marginal, there is a possibility that an unintended restriction in design may be imposed on each member. The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to arrange a slide rail and a pedal device below a rocker as reasonably as possible.

A lower structure of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a slide door that opens and closes a door opening of a vehicle body; a rocker which is cylindrical and forms a lower edge portion of a door opening; a slide rail provided on a vehicle lower side of the rocker and supporting the slide door so as to slide in the opening/closing direction; a pedal device provided on the vehicle lower side of the rocker and provided with a pedal plate serving as a tread surface. When the direction orthogonal to the opening/closing direction is the vehicle interior/exterior direction with respect to a plan view in the vehicle vertical direction, a storage portion is provided in one of the step and the slide rail, and the storage portion stores an end portion of the other of the step and the slide rail in the vehicle interior/exterior direction in a state that the end portion is capable of being pulled out in the vehicle interior/exterior direction.

According to the above configuration, the housing portion provided on one of the foot pedal and the slide rail is configured to house the other end portion, so that it becomes easier to secure the housing space than when the respective components are arranged separately. Further, by housing the other end portion in the housing portion so that the other end portion is less likely to protrude from the housing portion toward the vehicle lower side, it becomes easy to secure the ground clearance. Thus, the slide rail and the footstep device can be arranged under the rocker under the condition as reasonable as possible. Therefore, the slide rail and the pedal device can be arranged under the rocker under the condition as reasonable as possible.

In the lower structure of the vehicle according to the aspect of the present invention, a storage portion that stores an end portion of the step on the vehicle outside in a manner that can be pulled out to the vehicle outside may be provided on a slide rail whose relative position to the rocker is set to be constant. According to the above configuration, the storage portion of the slide rail, which is fixed in relative position to the rocker, stores the vehicle-outside end portion of the footrest. Further, by pulling out the footrest along with the end portion thereof to the vehicle outside, the footrest can be moved to the vehicle outside as compared with the slide rail. Therefore, the slide rail and the pedal device can be more appropriately disposed below the rocker.

In the lower structure of the vehicle according to the aspect of the present invention, the housing portion may house a mechanism portion that causes the sliding door to be linked with the step. According to the above configuration, even if various configurations are provided as the mechanism portion, the mechanism portion is accommodated in the accommodating portion. Therefore, the slide rail and the pedal device can be more appropriately disposed below the rocker.

In the lower structure of the vehicle according to the aspect of the present invention, one of the step and the slide rail protruding in the vehicle interior-exterior direction may be housed in a state in which the protruding end portion of the vehicle exterior side is fitted into a recessed housing portion provided on the other side different from the one side from the vehicle interior-exterior direction. According to the above configuration, the convex end portion and the concave receiving portion are fitted from the vehicle interior-exterior direction, and it becomes easy to more reliably secure the receiving space under the rocker. Therefore, the slide rail and the pedal device can be arranged below the rocker under more reliable and reasonable conditions.

Drawings

Features, advantages, and technical and industrial significance of exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like numerals denote like elements, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the left side of a vehicle.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective view showing a lower portion of the vehicle of the foot pedal.

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the vehicle corresponding to the section of line III-III of fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the vehicle in the case where the slide door is fully opened as viewed from the vehicle underside.

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the vehicle in a case where the sliding door is fully opened.

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the vehicle in the case where the slide door is fully opened as viewed from the vehicle underside.

Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VII-VII of fig. 4.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged perspective view of a vehicle showing the guide roller unit.

Fig. 9 is a side view of the vehicle showing the operation of the bracket portion of the sliding door.

Fig. 10 is a plan view of the vehicle showing the movement locus of the sliding door and the rotation locus of the four-bar linkage.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, modes for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to fig. 1 to 10. In each of the drawings, edges indicating the front-rear direction, the left-right direction (vehicle width direction), and the up-down direction (vehicle height direction) of the vehicle are appropriately illustrated. The front-rear direction corresponds to the opening/closing direction of the sliding door, and the vehicle width direction orthogonal to the opening/closing direction corresponds to the vehicle interior-exterior direction, with reference to fig. 4 and 6 (plan view in the vehicle vertical direction). In each of the drawings, the left side that is the vehicle width direction outside corresponds to the vehicle outside, and the right side that is the vehicle width direction inside corresponds to the vehicle inside. In fig. 1, only the left side of the vehicle is illustrated, and the slide door in the open state is illustrated.

[ Outline of vehicle ]

Before explaining the lower structure of the vehicle, an outline of the vehicle 2 shown in fig. 1 will be first described. A front door opening 11 corresponding to a front seat and a rear door opening 12 corresponding to a rear seat are formed in a vehicle body 10 of the vehicle 2. The front door opening 11 is configured to be openable and closable by a front door 15 rotatable about a door hinge (not shown). The rear door opening 12 is configured to be openable and closable by a slide door 20 that slides in the vehicle front-rear direction. As shown in fig. 2, a rocker 30, which is a cylindrical frame, is provided at the lower edge portion of the rear door opening 12 so as to extend in the vehicle longitudinal direction, and a fixed step 33 is provided on the rocker 30 so as to extend outward in the vehicle width direction.

Here, the vehicle 2 shown in fig. 1 is provided with a plurality of slide rails 17, 18, 19 that support the slide door 20 so as to be slidable in the vehicle front-rear direction (opening-closing direction). In the vehicle 2 shown in fig. 1, for example, an upper slide rail 17 is provided at the vehicle upper side of the rear door opening portion 12. Further, a center slide rail 18 is provided at a height direction center position of the rear side of the rear door opening portion 12. Further, the lower slide rail 19 is provided at the vehicle lower side of the rear door opening 12, that is, at the vehicle lower side of the rocker 30 and the fixed step 33.

Referring to fig. 1 and 2, guide roller units 25 and the like are provided at the upper end position, the lower end position, and the intermediate position of the slide door 20, respectively (in each drawing, only the position where the guide roller unit is disposed at the lowermost side is denoted by a corresponding symbol 25 for convenience of explanation). The slide door 20 is configured to be movable (slidable or the like) along the slide rails 17 to 19 by the corresponding guide roller units 25 or the like, and is configured to be slidably movable along the slide rails 17 to 19. Further, although the slide door 20 moves substantially in the vehicle front-rear direction between the fully open position and the fully closed position, the slide door moves obliquely toward the vehicle width direction inner side near the fully closed position (see the movement locus Do of the slide door shown in fig. 10).

As shown in fig. 2 and 3, a pedal device 40 including a pedal 41 serving as a tread surface is disposed on the vehicle lower side of the rocker 30. Further, an internal component 3 such as a battery provided under the floor of the vehicle 2 is disposed on the vehicle width direction inner side (right side) of the rocker 30 shown in fig. 3. The rocker 30 is provided at a height position higher than the height position H of the inner member 3, so that a distance (a ground clearance) from the ground in the height direction can be easily obtained.

[ Lower Structure of vehicle ]

In the lower structure of the vehicle of the present embodiment, as shown in fig. 3, the lower slide rail 19 and the foothold 40 are arranged at the vehicle lower side of the rocker 30 (below the rocker). This can improve the degree of freedom in selecting the shape of the rocker 30, and the like, thereby making it easy to secure rigidity. Further, by disposing the lower slide rail 19 at a position on the vehicle width direction outer side (left side) using a space or the like on the vehicle lower side of the slide door 20, interference between the lower slide rail 19 and the inner member 3 can be avoided. In such a structure, it is desirable to be able to arrange the lower slide rail 19 and the foothold 40 without being restricted in design while taking into consideration the space under the rocker. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the lower slide rail 19 and the foot rest 40 can be disposed below the rocker under reasonable conditions by the structure described later. Hereinafter, the lower structure of the vehicle will be described in detail in the order of the rocker 30, the footstep device 40, the lower slide rail 19, and the slide door 20.

[ Lower side Beam ]

First, the rocker 30 shown in fig. 3 is formed in a tubular shape by a rocker outer 31 and a rocker inner 32, and is provided so as to extend along a lower edge portion of the rear door opening 12. The rocker outer 31 is formed in a substantially transverse U-shape in cross section by its upper plate surface 311, lower plate surface 312, and left plate surface 313, and is opened on the vehicle width direction inner side (right side). The upper plate surface 311 and the lower plate surface 312 of the rocker outer 31 extend inward in the vehicle width direction, and the lower plate surface 312 thereof largely protrudes inward in opposition. Further, an upper flange portion 31a that is bent toward the vehicle upper side is formed at the upper end position of the upper plate surface 311, and a lower flange portion 31b that is bent toward the vehicle lower side is formed at the lower end position of the lower plate surface 312. The upper plate surface 311 and the lower plate surface 312 extend in the vehicle vertical direction at the vehicle width direction outer side (left side) of the rocker outer 31 and are continuous with the left side plate surface 313. The rocker inner 32 is formed into a substantially transverse U-shape in cross section by the upper plate surface 321, the lower plate surface 322, and the right side plate surface 323, and is opened on the vehicle width direction outer side. In the rocker inner 32, the upper plate surface 321 thereof largely protrudes outward relatively. Further, upper and lower flange portions 32a, 32b that are curved in the vehicle vertical direction are also formed at the upper end position and the lower end position of the rocker inner 32.

The rocker 30 shown in fig. 3 is formed in a substantially square tubular shape in cross section by being aligned and joined in the vehicle width direction by the rocker outer member 31 and the rocker inner member 32. That is, in the rocker 30, the upper flange portions 31a and 32a and the lower flange portions 31b and 32b are joined to each other by welding or the like. In this way, the rocker 30 is formed in a substantially square tubular shape in which the recess for the slide rail is omitted, and thus has a cross-sectional shape that contributes to ensuring rigidity. Further, the rocker 30 has a cross-sectional shape excellent in rigidity, and thus can be made compact by reducing its dimension in the vehicle vertical direction. Thereby, the rocker 30 is provided at a height position higher than the height position H of the inner member 3, and is configured to contribute to securing the ground clearance. In the rocker 30, the upper flange portions 31a and 32a are disposed near the vehicle width direction outer (left) end portions, and the lower flange portions 31b and 32b are disposed near the vehicle width direction inner (right) end portions. The left side plate surface 313 of the rocker outer 31 forms the vehicle width direction outer surface of the rocker 30.

[ Fixed foot pedal ]

Here, a fixed step 33 serving as a tread of the occupant is fixed to a surface of the rocker 30 shown in fig. 2 and 3 on the vehicle width direction outer side (left side). As shown in fig. 2, the fixed step 33 is formed to extend along the rocker 30 in the vehicle front-rear direction. As shown in fig. 3, the fixed step 33 is formed to have a substantially L-shaped cross section, and is fixed to the left side plate surface 313 of the rocker outer 31 by a vertical wall portion 34 extending in the vehicle vertical direction. Further, a lateral wall portion 35 extending outward in the vehicle width direction is provided at a lower end portion of the vertical wall portion 34 on the fixed step 33, and the lateral wall portion 35 serves as a tread surface of the occupant. The fixed footrest 33 is reinforced by being integrated with a reinforcing member 36 having a substantially L-shaped cross section at the back side thereof. That is, the fixed step 33 is reinforced by the reinforcing members 36 at the rear portions of the vertical wall portion 34 and the horizontal wall portion 35, thereby improving the rigidity against the force applied from the vehicle up-down direction.

Pedal device (foot pedal)

Next, the pedal device 40 shown in fig. 2 and 3 includes a foothold 41 and a four-bar linkage 43 (details will be described later) for supporting the foothold 41. In the pedal device 40, the foothold 41 and the four-bar linkage 43 are disposed below the rocker. The fixed step 33 of the rocker 30 is disposed at the vehicle upper side position of the step 41. The foothold 41 is a member that becomes a tread surface of an occupant, and is supported substantially horizontally under the rocker by the four-link mechanism 43. As shown in fig. 4, the footrest 41 is formed in a plate shape elongated in the front-rear direction, and has a narrower front side than a rear side. As described later, the footrest 41 is configured to be displaceable between an extended position on the vehicle width direction outer side (left side) shown in fig. 3 and 4 and a storage position under the rocker shown in fig. 5 and 6.

In the step 41 shown in fig. 3, the tip portion 410 on the vehicle width direction outer side (left side) is bent in a substantially L-shape, and extends toward the vehicle width direction inner side (right side) after extending toward the vehicle lower side in a substantially right angle. The fixing plate portion 411 is fixed to the distal end portion 410 so as to cover the outer side in the vehicle width direction, and is integrated therewith. The rail portion 42 is fixed to and supported by the lower end portion of the distal end portion 410 of the foot board 41 so as to protrude inward in the vehicle width direction. The rail portion 42 is formed in an inverted U-shape in cross-section, so that it can be fitted to the rolling roller 28 of the guide roller unit 25 described later from below the vehicle. The rail portion 42 constitutes an end portion of the step 41 on the vehicle outer side, that is, a convex end portion protruding inward in the vehicle width direction. As will be described later, the rolling rollers 28 are fitted to the rail portions 42, so that the foot pedals 41 provided with the rail portions 42 can be interlocked with the opening and closing operation of the sliding door 20.

As shown in fig. 4, the rail portion 42 extends in the vehicle front-rear direction along the edge of the vehicle width direction outer side (left side) of the step 41. The rail portion 42 is constituted by a front straight portion 420, a bent portion 421, and a rear straight portion 422. The front straight portion 420 is formed to extend straight in the vehicle front-rear direction at a front position of the foot board 41. The bending portion 421 is bent at a predetermined angle from the rear end of the front side linear portion 420 toward the vehicle width direction outside, and the rear side linear portion 422 is formed to extend straight from the rear end of the bending portion 421 in the vehicle front-rear direction. Referring to fig. 4 and 10, the front straight portion 420 is formed so as to intersect with a track at the start of movement of the slide door 20 in the opening direction, that is, a movement track Do in the vicinity of the fully closed position, which will be described later. The folded portion 421 and the rear linear portion 422 are formed so as to follow a movement locus Do when the slide door 20 moves in the opening direction.

[ Four-link mechanism (link) ]

Referring to fig. 3 and 4, the four-bar linkage 43 supports the footrest 41 so as to be movable between the storage position and the extended position. As shown in fig. 4, the four-bar linkage 43 has a front support link 43f and a rear support link 43b formed in equal lengths. The front support link 43f and the rear support link 43b are coupled to the footrest 41 and the rocker beam 30, respectively, as will be described later. Since the connection modes of the support links 43f and 43b are substantially the same, the support link 43f will be described in detail below mainly as an example.

Referring to fig. 4, the base end portion of the front support link 43f on the vehicle width direction inner side (right side) is pivotally connected to the base end bracket 37 fixed to the vehicle width direction inner side of the rocker 30. Here, the base end bracket 37 is formed so as to extend in the vehicle front-rear direction, and a front side support portion 37sf is provided at a front portion of the base end bracket 37 thereof. As shown in fig. 7, the front side support portion 37sf has a hat-shaped cross-sectional shape, and is provided so as to protrude from the lower surface (lower plate surface 312) of the rocker 30 toward the vehicle lower side. The base end portion of the front support link 43f is overlapped with the front support portion 37sf from above, and is coupled to the front support portion 37sf so as to be horizontally rotatable by the front rotation center axis 43 c. The distal end portion of the front support link 43f shown in fig. 4 on the outer side (left side) in the vehicle width direction is coupled to the distal end bracket 38 fixed to the footrest 41. The distal end bracket 38 is formed so as to extend in the vehicle front-rear direction, and the front and rear portions thereof are formed so as to be lower by one step than the foot pedal 41. The distal end portion of the front support link 43f is horizontally rotatably coupled to the front shaft of the distal end bracket 38 by a distal end coupling shaft 43x on the front side.

[ Base end supporting portion ]

The base end portion of the front support link 43f shown in fig. 3 and 4 is supported by a support plate portion 44 provided on the vehicle width direction inner side (right side) of the rocker 30. As shown in fig. 4, the support plate portion 44 extends in the vehicle front-rear direction so as to follow the rotational locus of the front support link 43 f. As shown in fig. 3, the support plate portion 44 is fixed to the lower surface side of the rocker 30 so as to be arranged directly above the base end portion of the front support link 43 f. Thus, the base end portion of the front support link 43f that moves between the storage position and the extended position can be supported so as to be sandwiched between the front support portion 37sf (base end bracket 37) and the support plate portion 44. Thus, the rocker 30 has a base end support portion 45 for supporting the base end portion of the front support link 43f at the position where the support plate portion 44 is disposed.

The base end portion of the rear support link 43b shown in fig. 4 is coupled to the rear support portion 37sb of the base end bracket 37 by a rear rotation center shaft 43 e. The distal end portion of the rear support link 43b is coupled to the rear shaft of the distal end bracket 38 via a rear distal end coupling shaft 43 y. The base end portion of the rear support link 43b is also supported by another support plate portion 44a, and another base end support portion 45a for supporting the base end portion of the rear support link 43b is formed at the position where the another support plate portion 44a is disposed.

[ Action of four-section linkage ]

Here, a manner of positional displacement of the footrest 41 by the four-bar linkage 43 will be described with reference to fig. 10 (the linkage with the sliding door will be described later). First, the distance between the front and rear tip connecting shafts 43x, 43y connected to the foot pedal 41 is set to be equal to the distance between the rotation center shafts 43c, 43e connected to the rocker 30. Further, the front support link 43f and the rear support link 43b are formed in equal sizes. Accordingly, by horizontally rotating the front support link 43f and the rear support link 43b of the four-bar linkage 43, the footrest 41 is moved along the circular arc trajectory S while being held parallel to the rocker 30 in a plan view. The distal ends of the two support links 43f and 43b are horizontally rotated about the rotation center axes 43c and 43e to a left rotation limit position (see the solid line portion in fig. 10) at which the support links are rotated leftward by a predetermined angle with respect to the rocker 30. As described above, the distal ends of the two support links 43f and 43b rotate leftward about the rotation center axes 43c and 43e, so that the footrest 41 protrudes outward (leftward) in the vehicle width direction from below the rocker and is held in the extended position (see fig. 3 and 4). The distal ends of the two support links 43f and 43b are horizontally rotated about the rotation center axes 43c and 43e to a right rotation limit position (see the two-dot chain line portion in fig. 10) at which they are rotated rightward by a predetermined angle with respect to the rocker 30. As described above, the distal ends of the two support links 43f and 43b rotate rightward about the rotation center axes 43c and 43e, and the footrest 41 is held in the storage position below the rocker (see fig. 5 and 6).

[ Sliding Rail ]

Next, the lower slide rail 19 shown in fig. 4 is disposed below the rocker via coupling members 51, 52, 53 described later. The lower slide rail 19 is formed so as to follow the movement locus (see the movement locus Do of fig. 10) of the slide door 20, and has a curved portion 190 and a straight portion 191. Also, a curved portion 190 is formed at the front portion of the lower slide rail 19, and gradually curves toward the vehicle width direction inner side (right side) as it goes toward the vehicle front side. Further, the straight portion 191 is continuous with the rear end of the curved portion 190, and linearly extends along the opening and closing direction (vehicle front-rear direction) of the slide door 20.

In addition, the lower slide rail 19 is formed in a hollow columnar shape in which the vehicle width direction outer side (left side) is opened when viewed in cross section as shown in fig. 3. The lower slide rail 19 is formed of an upper wall 192, a lower wall 193, and a vertical wall 194 connecting the upper and lower walls. The upper wall 192 is formed in an inverted U-shape with a lower side opened, so that a guide roller 26 of a guide roller unit 25 described later is slidably fitted. Further, a band-plate-shaped support portion 196 that is always in contact with the above-described foothold 41 is integrally provided on the upper surface of the upper wall portion 192, so that the foothold 41 slides smoothly on the support portion 196. The lower wall portion 193 is a flat plate-shaped portion disposed on the vehicle lower side of the upper wall portion 192, and slidably supports a load roller 27 of a guide roller unit 25 described later.

[ Storage section ]

Further, as shown in fig. 3, the upper wall portion 192 and the lower wall portion 193 are continuous at their vehicle width direction inner sides (right sides) with a vertical wall portion 194 extending in the vehicle up-down direction. Thus, the lower slide rail 19 is formed in a hollow columnar shape in which the vehicle width direction outer side (left side) is opened, and the opening 195 that communicates with the outside at the vehicle width direction outer side thereof is formed at the same height position as the rail portion 42 of the above-described step plate 41. As will be described later, the foot pedal 41 moves inward in the vehicle width direction, and the rail portion 42 provided in the foot pedal 41 is guided into the lower slide rail 19 through the opening 195 (see fig. 5). Further, by the step 41 moving outward in the vehicle width direction, the rail portion 42 passes through the opening 195 and is pulled out from the lower slide rail 19 to the vehicle width direction outside (see fig. 3). In this way, the lower slide rail 19 shown in fig. 3 is configured as described above, and thus constitutes the housing portion 100 that houses the rail portion 42 (the vehicle-outside end portion) of the footrest 41 in a state that it can be pulled out in the vehicle width direction.

Here, referring to fig. 4 and 6, the lower slide rail 19 is configured to house a part of the foot pedal 41 in the vehicle front-rear direction, that is, a wide rear side of the foot pedal 41. Further, a bent portion 421 and a rear linear portion 422 of the rail portion 42 shown in fig. 4 are provided at the rear side of the foot board 41. The folded portion 421 and the rear linear portion 422 are formed so as to follow the movement locus when the sliding door 20 moves in the opening direction as described above (see the movement locus Do of fig. 10). Thereby, the bent portion 421 and the rear linear portion 422 of the rail portion 42 are formed in the same shape as the portion from the rear of the bent portion 190 of the lower slide rail 19 to the linear portion 191. Therefore, as shown in fig. 6, the lower slide rail 19 (the storage portion 100) is moved inward (rightward) in the vehicle width direction by the rail portion 42, and the folded portion 421 and the rear linear portion 422 of the rail portion 42 can be stored. The front straight portion 420 of the rail portion 42 linearly extends so as to intersect the movement locus of the slide door 20. Therefore, when the footrest 41 is located at the storage position, the front straight portion 420 of the rail portion 42 is disposed at the vehicle width direction outer side of the lower slide rail 19 (the bent portion 190).

[ Connecting Member ]

Further, the lower slide rail 19 shown in fig. 4 is provided with coupling members 51, 52, 53 at a front position, a middle position, and a rear end position in the vehicle longitudinal direction. That is, the first connecting member 51 is disposed on the curved portion 190 (front position) of the lower slide rail 19. Further, the second connecting member 52 and the third connecting member 53 are disposed at the front and rear ends (intermediate position and rear end position) of the straight portion 191 of the lower slide rail 19. Further, since the respective coupling members 51 to 53 have substantially the same basic structure, the second coupling member 52 will be described in detail below as an example.

The second connecting member 52 shown in fig. 3 and 4 is formed in a plate shape extending in the vehicle width direction, and is disposed between the straight line portion 191 of the lower slide rail 19 and the front side support portion 37sf of the rocker 30. The second coupling member 52 is bent in a crank shape in a cross-sectional view shown in fig. 3, and a base end portion 520 on the vehicle width direction inner side (right side) thereof is raised by a first step. The base end portion 520 is disposed near the flange portions 31b, 32b at the lower end position of the rocker 30. The base end portion 520 (portion on the vehicle inner side) is fixed to the lower plate surface 312 of the rocker 30 in a state of being coupled to the front side support portion 37sf shown in fig. 7.

The second connecting member 52 shown in fig. 3 is formed such that a main body portion 521 of a lower level than the base end portion 520 thereof extends outward (leftward) in the vehicle width direction. In the second connecting member 52, the distal end portion 522 of the main body portion 521 is bent at a substantially right angle to the vehicle lower side, and the bent distal end portion 522 constitutes a portion on the vehicle outer side of the second connecting member 52 than the base end portion 520 (the fixing portion to be fixed to the rocker). The main body portion 521 extends to a position further toward the vehicle width direction outer side than the support plate portion 44 (the base end support portion 45), and the distal end portion 522 thereof is disposed further toward the vehicle width direction outer side than the rocker 30. In this way, the second connecting member 52 extends from the flange portions 31b, 32b at the lower end positions, that is, the end positions on the vehicle width direction inner side of the rocker 30, to the vehicle width direction outer side while traversing the rocker 30.

Further, a vertical wall portion 194 of the lower slide rail 19 is fixed to the second coupling member 52 shown in fig. 3 at the distal end portion 522 on the outer side (left side) in the vehicle width direction. Accordingly, the lower slide rail 19 is disposed below the rocker via the second coupling member 52, and is disposed at a position further toward the vehicle width direction outer side than the support plate portion 44 (the base end support portion 45). The lower slide rail 19 is fixed to the distal end portion 522 of the second coupling member 52 so as to extend outward in the vehicle width direction of the rocker 30, and is disposed on the vehicle lower side of the fixed step 33. This allows the vehicle upper side of the lower slide rail 19 to be covered with the fixed footrest 33, and thus the exposure of the outside of the lower slide rail 19 can be suppressed as much as possible. The lower slide rail 19 is disposed at a height position substantially equal to or higher than the height position H of the inner member 3, thereby contributing to securing the ground clearance.

[ Reinforcement portion ]

Here, referring to fig. 3 and 4, the appropriate portions of the second connecting member 52 are reinforced by the reinforcing portions (50A, 50B). That is, the lower first-stage main body portion 521 of the second coupling member 52 is provided with front and rear bead portions 523 extending in the vehicle width direction at appropriate intervals in the vehicle front-rear direction (in fig. 4, the front and rear bead portions are denoted by common symbols 523 for convenience of description). The front-rear rib portions 523 correspond to the first reinforcing portions 50A, and are formed by deforming the second connecting members 52 in a direction in which they locally bulge. Further, by forming the front-rear bead portions 523 so as to traverse the main body portion 521 in the vehicle width direction, the rigidity of the second coupling member 52 against a load applied from the vehicle width direction outer side can be improved. The second coupling member 52 is reinforced by fixing a hollow columnar lower slide rail 19 as the second reinforcing portion 50B at the tip portion 522 (the end portion on the outer side in the vehicle width direction) thereof. The lower slide rail 19 is disposed so as to protrude toward the vehicle lower side with respect to the main body portion 521 of the second coupling member 52. Further, by providing the lower slide rail 19 so as to longitudinally penetrate the second coupling member 52 in the vehicle longitudinal direction, the load applied from the vehicle width direction outside can be appropriately received by the second coupling member 52. The first connecting member 51 and the third connecting member 53 are also provided with reinforcing portions 50A and 50B (in fig. 4, a common reference numeral 50A is given to the first reinforcing portions of the connecting members for convenience of explanation) in the same manner as the second connecting member 52.

[ Sliding door ]

Next, the sliding door 20 shown in fig. 1 to 3 is formed by joining a door outer panel and a door inner panel, not shown, at peripheral portions thereof. A bracket portion 23 for guiding the roller unit is fixed to the door inner panel side of the sliding door 20 at the lower end position thereof. As shown in fig. 3, the bracket portion 23 is formed in a substantially L-shaped cross section, and is fixed to the lower end portion of the sliding door 20 by a vertical wall-shaped fixing portion 23a extending in the vehicle vertical direction. The bracket portion 23 has a horizontal wall-shaped arrangement portion 23b extending from a lower end portion of the fixing portion 23a to the vehicle interior side in substantially parallel. As shown in fig. 4, the placement portion 23b is formed so as to extend toward the vehicle front side and the vehicle width direction inner side (right side) in a plan view in a state where the guide roller unit 25 described later is placed.

First, the guide roller unit 25 shown in fig. 4 includes front and rear guide rollers 26 for a slide rail and a load roller 27 (in fig. 4, the front and rear guide rollers are denoted by common reference numerals 26 for convenience of explanation). Here, referring to fig. 8, an upper support portion 261 for a guide roller and a lower support portion 271 for a load roller are provided at a distal end portion on the inner side (right side) in the vehicle width direction of the placement portion 23b of the bracket portion 23. The upper support 261 is formed in a substantially U-shape in plan view, and is provided with a first shaft 260 in the longitudinal direction at the free end side thereof divided into two. The lateral guide rollers 26 corresponding to the first shafts 260 are rotatably supported by shafts, and as shown in fig. 3 and 8, the guide rollers 26 are slidably fitted into the upper wall 192 of the lower slide rail 19.

Further, a second longitudinal shaft 270 is provided at the distal end portion of the arrangement portion 23b of the bracket portion 23 shown in fig. 3 and 8, and a lower support portion 271 having a substantially horizontal U-shaped cross section is rotatably supported by the second longitudinal shaft 270. The lower support portion 271 supports a third shaft 272 extending in the lateral direction and protruding inward (rightward) in the vehicle width direction, and a load roller 27 extending in the longitudinal direction is rotatably supported by the third shaft 272. The load roller 27 is slidably supported with respect to the lower wall 193 of the lower slide rail 19. The load roller 27 supported by the lower support portion 271 is rotated by the lower support portion 271 about the second longitudinal shaft 270, and the orientation thereof is changed so as to follow the lower slide rail 19.

The guide roller unit 25 shown in fig. 3 and 4 includes a rolling roller 28 for a foot pedal. That is, a fourth shaft 280 is provided in the longitudinal direction near the outer side (left side) in the vehicle width direction in the arrangement portion 23b of the bracket portion 23 shown in fig. 3, and a lateral roller 28 is rotatably supported by the fourth shaft 280. The rolling roller 28 is rotatably fitted into the rail portion 42 of the foot pedal 41, and the sliding door 20 provided with the rolling roller 28 is coupled to the foot pedal 41 so as to be able to be linked. The rail portion 42 into which the rolling roller 28 can be fitted constitutes a mechanism portion for interlocking the slide door 20 and the foot pedal 41.

[ Pedal device in storage position ]

Referring to fig. 5 and 6, in a state in which the slide door 20 is in the fully closed position, the foothold device 40 in the storage position is disposed on the vehicle width direction inner side (right side) of the slide door 20 in the closed state. At this time, as shown in fig. 6, the front support link 43f and the rear support link 43b of the four-bar linkage 43 are horizontally rotated about the rotation center axes 43c, 43e to the right rotation limit position. Thus, as shown in fig. 5, the step 41 is disposed at the vehicle lower side of the rocker 30 and the fixed step 33, and is held in the storage position.

In the lower structure of the vehicle shown in fig. 5 and 6, a lower slide rail 19 is disposed below the rocker, together with the foothold 40. In such a configuration, as described above, it is desirable that the lower slide rail 19 and the foothold 40 can be arranged without being limited by design while taking into consideration the space under the rocker. Therefore, referring to fig. 5, a storage portion 100 is provided in the lower slide rail 19 of the lower structure of the vehicle, and the storage portion 100 stores the rail portion 42 (the end portion on the vehicle outer side) of the footrest 41 in a state that it can be pulled out to the vehicle width direction outer side. According to the above configuration, the housing portion 100 as the lower slide rail 19 is configured to house the rail portion 42 of the foot board 41, so that it becomes easier to secure a housing space than a case where the respective members are arranged separately. Accordingly, the above-described structure will be described more specifically below with reference to the stored position of the foothold 40.

First, the lower slide rail 19 shown in fig. 5 is arranged at the vehicle lower side of the fixed step 33 with its position relative to the rocker 30 unchanged as described above. The lower slide rail 19 is formed with an opening 195 at the outer side (left side) in the vehicle width direction while constituting the hollow columnar storage portion 100. Next, in the step 41, a rail portion 42 is provided at an end portion of the step 41 on the vehicle width direction outside thereof so as to protrude toward the vehicle width direction inside (right side). The rail portion 42 and the lower slide rail 19 (opening 195) are disposed at substantially the same height position. According to the above-described configuration, by displacing the footrest 41 to the storage position and disposing the rail portion 42 at the vehicle lower side of the fixed footrest 33, the rail portion 42 is stored in the lower slide rail 19 through the opening 195. In this way, the rail portion 42 of the footrest 41 and the lower slide rail 19 can be arranged to overlap each other in the vehicle width direction, and it becomes easier to secure a storage space in the vehicle width direction than in the case where the respective members are arranged separately. In particular, in the above-described configuration, the rail portion 42 (convex end portion) protruding inward in the vehicle width direction and the lower slide rail 19 (concave storage portion 100) having a U-shaped cross section are fitted from the vehicle width direction. Further, by housing the rail portion 42 in the lower slide rail 19, the rail portion 42 becomes difficult to protrude from the lower slide rail 19 to the vehicle lower side. Thus, the lower slide rail 19 and the pedal device 40 can become difficult to interfere with the ground (road surface) by ensuring the ground clearance thereof.

[ Advantages of the lower Structure of vehicle ]

In this way, in the present embodiment, the storage space is easily ensured as compared with the case where the respective members are arranged separately by causing the storage portion 100 provided on the lower slide rail 19 to store the rail portion 42 of the foot board 41. Further, by accommodating the rail portion 42 of the foot board 41 in the accommodating portion 100 so that the rail portion 42 is less likely to protrude from the accommodating portion 100 to the vehicle lower side, it becomes easy to secure the ground clearance. Thus, according to the present embodiment, the lower slide rail 19 and the foot rest 40 can be configured under the conditions as reasonable as possible.

In the present embodiment, the rail portion 42 of the foot pedal 41 is accommodated in the accommodation portion 100 of the lower slide rail 19 whose relative position to the rocker 30 is unchanged. Further, by pulling out the footrest 41 to the vehicle outside together with the rail portion 42, the footrest 41 can be moved to the vehicle outside as compared with the lower slide rail 19. In the present embodiment, even if various structures (for example, a stopper or the like for stopping the rotating roller at the rear end position is provided in addition to the rail portion) are provided as the mechanism portion, the mechanism portion is housed in the housing portion 100. In the present embodiment, the rail portion 42 (the convex end portion) and the lower slide rail 19 (the concave storage portion 100) are fitted from the vehicle inner and outer directions, and it becomes easy to more reliably secure the storage space under the rocker.

[ Positional Displacement of foot Board ]

Next, an operation when the pedal device 40 is moved from the storage position to the deployed position will be described. Referring to fig. 9, the bracket portion 23 provided in the slide door 20 is moved to the vehicle rear side by starting the movement of the slide door 20 from the fully closed position thereof to the opening direction. At this time, as shown in fig. 10, the slide door 20 slides along the slide rail 19 by sliding the guide roller 26 and the load roller 27 of the guide roller unit 25 with respect to the slide rail 19, thereby sliding the slide door toward the vehicle rear side (see the movement locus Do of the slide door shown in fig. 10).

Further, referring to fig. 10, by starting the movement of the slide door 20, the guide roller 26 and the load roller 27 of the guide roller unit 25 move toward the vehicle rear side along the curved portion 190 of the lower slide rail 19 (in fig. 10, refer to the rollers indicated by two-dot chain lines). The roller 28 of the guide roller unit 25 also moves toward the vehicle rear side along the front straight line portion 420 (see the portion indicated by the two-dot chain line) of the rail portion 42 of the foot board 41. As described above, the front straight portion 420 of the rail portion 42 intersects with the movement locus Do when the sliding door 20 starts to move from the fully closed position to the opening direction. Accordingly, while the rolling roller 28 moves along the front straight portion 420 (see arrow A1 in fig. 10), a moving force in the vehicle width direction of the sliding door 20 is applied to the rail portion 42 via the rolling roller 28, and the footrest 41 is pressed outward (leftward) in the vehicle width direction. Thus, the front support link 43f and the rear support link 43b of the four-bar linkage 43 rotate leftward about the corresponding rotation center axes 43c and 43e, and the footrest 41 is horizontally moved outward in the vehicle width direction. Before the roller 28 moves to the rear end of the front straight portion 420, the footrest 41 is displaced from the storage position to the extended position by receiving the above-described displacement force.

Here, referring to fig. 6 and 10, when the sliding door 20 starts to move, the front straight portion 420 of the rail portion 42 is not stored in the front portion of the curved portion 190 as described above. Therefore, the guide roller 26 and the load roller 27 can move along the curved portion 190 of the lower slide rail 19 to the rear end positions thereof. Further, as shown by the solid line in fig. 10, the foot pedal 41 is displaced to the extended position, and the rail portion 42 provided on the foot pedal 41 is pulled out from the lower slide rail 19 to the vehicle width direction outside (left side). By pulling out the rail portion 42 from the lower slide rail 19 in this way, the guide roller 26 and the load roller 27 can enter the rear side of the curved portion 190.

Next, referring to fig. 10, the sliding door 20 is further slid to the fully open position. At this time, the guide roller 26 and the load roller 27 move along the rear portion of the curved portion 190 of the lower slide rail 19 and the straight portion 191. After entering the folded portion 421 from the front straight portion 420 of the rail portion 42, the roller 28 moves along the folded portion 421 and the rear straight portion 422 (see arrow A2 in fig. 10). As described above, the bent portion 421 and the rear linear portion 422 of the rail portion 42 are formed along the movement locus Do of the slide door 20. Therefore, while the rolling roller 28 rolls on the folded portion 421 and the rear straight portion 422, the moving force of the sliding door 20 is not applied to the rail portion 42 of the foot board 41. Therefore, the foot pedal 41 is held in the storage position until the slide door 20 is moved to the fully open position. When the slide door 20 is closed from the fully open position to the fully closed position, the pedal 41 is returned to the storage position by an operation opposite to the above-described operation.

[ Additional advantage of lower Structure of vehicle (1) ]

Further, according to the lower structure of the vehicle, the support performance of the foot board 41 shown in fig. 3 can be ensured more reliably. That is, as described above, the footrest 41 in the storage position shown in fig. 5 is disposed on the vehicle lower side of the rocker 30 and the fixed footrest 33. Further, the lower slide rail 19 is arranged at the vehicle lower side of the fixed step 33 in a state supported by the second coupling member 52 or the like. Further, by disposing the lower slide rail 19 directly below the foot board 41, the lower slide rail 19 (the support portion 196) can be brought into contact with the foot board 41 to become a lower support. The support portion 196 is configured to be in contact with the foot pedal 41 at all times during the displacement of the foot pedal 41 from the storage position to the extended position.

As shown in fig. 3, the foot pedal 41 is displaced from the storage position to the extended position, and is thus disposed further to the vehicle width direction outside (to the left) than the storage position. The lower slide rail 19 is always in contact with the foot pedal 41 through the support portion 196, and thus the foot pedal 41 in the extended position is supported downward. As described above, the lower slide rail 19 is disposed at a position further toward the vehicle width direction outer side than the rocker 30, and thus supports a position closer to the vehicle width direction outer edge portion of the step 41 than the rocker side support plate portion 44 (the base end support portion 45). Thus, when the load FU (tread load or the like) is applied to the foot pedal 41 in the extended position from the vehicle upper side, the foot pedal 41 in the extended position can be supported more stably by the lower slide rail 19. Further, although the vehicle width direction inner side (right side) of the footrest 41 to which the load FU is applied is intended to move to the vehicle upper side, the upward movement of the footrest 41 can be suppressed by fixing the footrest 33 with an improved rigidity.

In the above-described configuration, the distance between the left edge portion (load point, portion located directly above the rail portion 42 in the figure) of the footrest 41 shown in fig. 3 and the lower slide rail 19 (support point) can be shortened as much as possible, and therefore, it is not necessary to excessively increase the rigidity of the footrest 41. Further, since the footrest 41 is not required to be supported by the front support link 43f and the rear support link 43b shown in fig. 4 at the time of lifting or the like, it is not necessary to excessively increase the rigidity of the two links 43f and 43 b. Therefore, according to the lower structure of the vehicle, the structure of the foothold device 40 can be simplified and reduced in weight by the action of the lower slide rail 19.

[ Additional advantage of lower Structure of vehicle (2) ]

In addition, in the lower structure of the vehicle, at the time of a vehicle collision, the lower slide rail 19 shown in fig. 5 can be made not to collide strongly with the inner member 3. That is, in the lower structure of the vehicle, as shown in fig. 5, the second coupling member 52 to which the lower slide rail 19 is fixed is provided below the rocker so as to extend in the vehicle width direction. Thus, the second connecting member 52 is disposed between the lower slide rail 19 and the inner member 3 so as to fill the gap therebetween. Further, the lower slide rail 19 is fixed to the distal end portion 522 of the second connecting member 52, so that the slide rail 19 and the second connecting member 52 receive the impact load F applied to the slide rail 19 at the time of a side collision of the vehicle. In particular, by making the lower slide rail 19 as the second reinforcement portion 50B protrude toward the vehicle lower side and longitudinally penetrate the second coupling member 52 in the vehicle front-rear direction, the impact load F applied from the vehicle width direction outer side (left side) is appropriately received by the lower slide rail 19 and the second coupling member 52. Further, the lower slide rail 19 has the rail portion 42 housed therein, so that the rigidity thereof is further improved. This can prevent the lower slide rail 19 from being excessively deformed by the impact load F.

Further, the second connecting member 52 shown in fig. 5 deforms to absorb the impact load F applied from the vehicle width direction outside (left side), thereby suppressing the movement of the lower slide rail 19 to the vehicle width direction inside (right side). As described above, the second connecting member 52 extends outward in the vehicle width direction from the flange portions 31b and 32b at the lower end positions, and further extends outward in the vehicle width direction of the rocker 30. Therefore, since the second coupling member 52 is secured with its deformation stroke (length in the vehicle width direction), the impact load F can be absorbed more reliably. In this way, since the movement of the lower slide rail 19 to the vehicle width direction inner side to which the impact load F is applied is suppressed by the second coupling member 52, it becomes difficult to strongly collide with the inner member 3. In particular, the second coupling member 52 increases the rigidity against the impact load F applied from the vehicle width direction outer side by the front-rear reinforcing rib portion 523 (the first reinforcing portion 50A), so that the movement of the lower slide rail 19 can be suppressed more reliably. In the lower structure of the vehicle, the coupling members 51, 52, 53 are disposed at the front, middle, and rear end positions of the lower slide rail 19 shown in fig. 6. Therefore, the movement of the lower slide rail 19 toward the vehicle width direction inner side (right side) is suppressed over substantially the entire length in the vehicle longitudinal direction by the action of the coupling members 51, 52, 53.

The lower structure of the vehicle according to the present embodiment is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various other embodiments may be adopted. Although the structures of the foot board and the slide rail are exemplified in the present embodiment, these structures are not intended to be limiting. For example, a housing portion may be provided in the step, and an end portion of the slide rail on the vehicle outside may be housed in the housing portion. For example, in the slide rail shown in fig. 3, the lower wall portion for supporting the load roller may be omitted, and in this case, the slide rail may be formed only by the upper wall portion for guiding the roller. In this case, the end portion of the slide rail on the vehicle outer side may be configured to be formed of all or a part of the upper wall portion, and the upper wall portion may be accommodated in an accommodating portion formed between the lower surface of the footrest and the roller portion. In the above-described configuration, by displacing the footrest toward the extended position, the upper wall portion of the slide rail is pulled out toward the vehicle inside with respect to the storage portion. In the case where the foot pedal is electrically moved, a sensor for detecting an occupant and a sensor for detecting a sliding door (an example of a mechanism) can be disposed at the position of the rail portion. In this case, the various sensor-based members constitute the vehicle-outside end portion (convex end portion) of the foot board. The vehicle-outside end portion and the housing portion are not necessarily configured to be fitted (i.e., concave-convex fitting) from the vehicle inside-outside direction. Further, if possible, the vehicle-inner end portion of the foot pedal may be accommodated in an accommodating portion as a slide rail. The opening/closing direction of the slide rail is not necessarily the vehicle front-rear direction.

In the present embodiment, the structure of the foot pedal and the slide rail is exemplified as the structure related to the above-described additional advantage (1), but these structures are not intended to be limiting. For example, the slide rail may be configured so as to be capable of abutting against a pedal to which a load is applied from the upper side of the vehicle. That is, the footrest to which the load is applied may be moved downward to directly contact the slide rail, or a plurality of gaps may be provided between the footrest and the slide rail in a free state. The slide rail may be configured to support only the foot pedal in the extended position. In addition, the slide rail may be disposed so as to be hidden under the rocker, and in this case, it is desirable to be disposed further toward the vehicle outside than the base end support portion. The base end support portion may be omitted. Further, in the case where the slide rail is disposed on the vehicle outer side than the rocker, the slide rail is not necessarily covered by the fixed step. The support portions may be provided continuously along the lower slide rail or intermittently along the lower slide rail, and the material of the support portions is usually resin, but the support portions are not limited thereto and may be changed appropriately. In addition, the support portion may be omitted from the lower slide rail, and in this case, the lower slide rail may be directly connected to the foot pedal to serve as a lower support. In addition, at least a part of the structure related to the additional advantage (1) can be omitted as needed.

In the present embodiment, the structure of the slide rail and the connecting member is exemplified as the structure related to the above-described additional advantage (2), but these structures are not intended to be limiting. For example, the slide rail may be supported by a plurality of coupling members, or may be supported by a single coupling member (for example, in a state where a plurality of coupling members shown in fig. 4 are coupled together to form one). In addition, when a plurality of coupling members are used, the number of coupling members and the arrangement positions thereof can be appropriately changed, and the shape (external shape or cross-sectional shape) can be set for each coupling member. In addition, at least one of the first reinforcing portion and the second reinforcing portion is preferably provided in the connecting member. In addition to the bead portion, a vertical wall portion rising from the surface of the main body portion, a flange portion formed by bending the outer edge of the main body portion, or the like may be provided as the first reinforcement portion, and the first reinforcement portion may protrude at least one of the upper side and the lower side of the vehicle. Further, as the second reinforcement portion, a portion separate from the slide rail may be provided, and the second reinforcement portion may protrude at least one of the upper side and the lower side of the vehicle. The slide rail is not necessarily fixed to the vehicle-outer end portion of the connecting member, and may be fixed to a portion on the vehicle-inner side of the end portion. The connecting member can be fixed to an appropriate position of the rocker. In addition, various components mounted on the vehicle, such as a fuel storage component for storing fuel such as liquid or gas, can be exemplified as the internal component in addition to the battery. In addition, at least a part of the structure related to the additional advantage (2) can be omitted as needed.

Claims (4)

1. A lower structure of a vehicle is characterized by comprising:

a slide door that opens and closes a door opening of a vehicle body;

A rocker which is tubular and forms a lower edge portion of the door opening;

A slide rail provided on a vehicle lower side of the rocker and supporting the slide door so as to slide in an opening and closing direction;

a pedal device provided on a vehicle lower side of the rocker and provided with a pedal plate serving as a tread,

When the direction orthogonal to the opening/closing direction is the vehicle interior/exterior direction with respect to a plan view in the vehicle vertical direction, a storage portion is provided in one of the step and the slide rail, and the storage portion stores an end portion of the other of the step and the slide rail in the vehicle interior/exterior direction, which is different from the one, in a state that the end portion can be pulled out in the vehicle interior/exterior direction.

2. The lower structure of a vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that,

The slide rail, whose relative position to the rocker is unchanged, is provided with a storage section that stores an end portion of the step on the vehicle outside so as to be able to be pulled out to the vehicle outside.

3. The lower structure of a vehicle according to claim 2, characterized in that,

The housing portion houses a mechanism portion that causes the sliding door to be linked with the foot pedal.

4. A lower structure of a vehicle as set forth in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that,

The protruding end portion of the one of the step and the slide rail protruding in the vehicle interior-exterior direction on the vehicle exterior side is stored in a state of being fitted into the recessed storage portion provided on the other different side from the one side from the vehicle interior-exterior direction.