JP2004359067A - Storable auxiliary step for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve an operation and stability in a stored state and a projected state. <P>SOLUTION: Base ends of a pair of right and left arms 3 and 3a having the same turning radii are pivoted to the lower part of a vehicular step S, tips of the arms 3 and 3a are pivoted to the bottom 1a of the auxiliary step 1, the tips of the arms 3 and 3a extending from pivoting parts 4 and 4a are pivoted and connected to each other through a connecting lever 5, and one of the arms 3 and 3a is connected to a driving source 7. Thus, the driving force of the driving source 7 is transmitted to each arm 3 and 3a, the auxiliary step 1 is secured and operated smoothly, and both arms 3 and 3a firmly support and stabilize the auxiliary step 1 while the driving source 7 is stopped and the auxiliary step 1 is stored or projected. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a retractable auxiliary step for a vehicle that is arranged between a vehicle step such as a bus and a one-box car and a ground surface.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, the step provided at the entrance of the vehicle has a height difference between the vehicle and the ground surface so as to interfere with getting on and off. It can be seen that an overhanging auxiliary step is provided to eliminate the difference in elevation when getting on and off.
However, recently, the floor of the vehicle itself has been lowered and the position of the vehicle step is also low. Therefore, in such a vehicle, the vehicle is disposed immediately below the vehicle step and the height of the vehicle is lowered. The auxiliary step, which slides and protrudes forward in the front of the doorway while maintaining the condition, has sufficiently served as a foot joint to the vehicle step (for example, Patent Document 1).
The auxiliary step is pivotally connected to the lower part of the vehicle step and the auxiliary step by a pair of left and right arms, and the auxiliary step is rotated by rotation of the arm so that the auxiliary step is provided on the same plane in the lateral direction of the lower part of the vehicle step. A drive source for rotating one arm is provided behind the storage position, and the drive source is provided with a drive mechanism that combines a crank and a link with the drive source. Is linked.
[0003]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-2002-104071
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the fixed auxiliary step, the driving force from the driving source is transmitted to only one arm, and the other arm merely supports the auxiliary step following the movement of the auxiliary step. If the width of the step (the length corresponding to the length direction of the vehicle) is wide, the auxiliary step is difficult to operate smoothly, and the other arm is easy to fluctuate even in the retracted state and the extended state where the auxiliary step is stopped. In this state, the other arm must be abutted with a stopper to restrict the fluctuation and maintain the stability of the auxiliary step.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a retractable auxiliary step for a vehicle that operates well and has improved stability in a retracted and extended state.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In view of the above problems, the present invention provides an auxiliary step in which the base ends of a pair of left and right arms having the same rotation radius are pivotally disposed below a vehicle step, and the distal ends of the arms are pivotally mounted on the bottom left and right of the auxiliary step. At the same time, each of the distal ends of the arms extending from the pivot portion is pivotally connected by a connecting rod, and one of the arms is connected to the drive source, so that the driving force of the drive source is transmitted to both arms, In addition to ensuring that the auxiliary steps operate smoothly and that both arms firmly support the auxiliary steps and stably maintain each state of the auxiliary steps in the retracted or extended state of the auxiliary steps with the drive source stopped. Thus, the above problem is solved.
[0006]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
The auxiliary step 1 is formed in a substantially horizontally long rectangular plate shape, and is stored and disposed on the right or left side (left side in the illustrated example) below the vehicle step S at the entrance of a vehicle such as a bus or a one-box car. The auxiliary step 1 is configured so as to translate leftward or rightward (rightward in the illustrated example) forward from the position, and to project forward below the vehicle step S.
[0007]
The base shafts 6, 6a of a pair of left and right arms 3, 3a for moving the auxiliary step 1 in parallel on the same plane are rotatable on the left and right sides (corresponding to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle) of the frame 2 provided below the vehicle step S. And a drive unit for the auxiliary step 1 is installed near the left arm 3 in the frame 2.
The arms 3 and 3a are formed to have substantially the same radius of gyration, the base end side of the arms 3 and 3a is inclined downward with a gentle curve, and the distal end side is formed in a substantially J-shape. Are pivotally connected to the left and right sides of the bottom 1a of the auxiliary step 1, and the connecting rods 5 having the same length as the distance between the pivoting portions 4 and 4a pivotally connect the distal ends of the arms 3 and 3a.
The driving unit of the auxiliary step 1 is configured by meshing a driving gear 9 axially mounted on a driving shaft of a driving source 7 with a fan-shaped driven gear 8 axially mounted on a base shaft 6 of the arm 3.
The drive source 7 is composed of an electric motor that is rotatable in the forward and reverse directions, and is mounted on a substrate 11 fixed to the frame 2 via a motor base 10.
[0008]
The board 11 is horizontally disposed below the driven gear 8 near the base shaft 6, and the drive source 7 is movably attached to the board 11 via a motor base 10, and the driving gear 9 is attached to the driven gear 8. On the other hand, it can be disengaged freely.
[0009]
The driving gear 9 passes through the motor base 10 and a long hole 12 extending in the moving direction of the drive source 7 provided on the substrate 11. The motor base 10 has a plurality of support pins 13 projecting upward at appropriate places. The long hole 14, which is provided in the substrate 11 and is long in the moving direction, is slidably mounted on the substrate 11 so as to be slidably supported on the substrate 11.
The movement of the motor base 10 is operated by a manual lever 15, and a support shaft 15 a provided at the base end of the manual lever 15 is rotatably inserted through and supported by the motor base 10 and the substrate 11.
A lever rod 16 is attached to the lower part of the motor base 10 on the support shaft 15a, and slide pins 17 protruding from one end of the lever rod 16 slide into guide holes 18 and 19 penetrating through the motor base 10 and the substrate 11. It is movably mounted.
The guide hole 19 provided in the substrate 11 is an arc-shaped hole centered on the support shaft 15a. A guide hole 18 having the same shape as the guide hole 19 and having a center of curvature shifted is provided in the motor base 10. When the driven gear 8 and the driving gear 9 mesh with each other, the one ends 18a and 19a of the two guide holes 18 and 19 overlap, and when the driven gear 8 and the driving gear 9 are separated from each other, the other ends 18b of the two guide holes 18 and 19, 19b are overlapped.
Therefore, when the sliding pin 17 of the lever 16 is positioned at one end 18a, 19a of the guide hole 18, 19 by the rotation operation of the lever 16 by the manual lever 15, the two gears 8, 9 mesh with each other, and the other end. When it is located at 18b, 19b, the driving gear 9 separates from the driven gear 8.
Further, one end of a torsion coil spring 20 is pivotally connected to the other end of the lever rod 16, and the other end of the spring 20 is pivotally connected to a proper position of the substrate 11.
With this spring 20, each swinging state of the lever rod 16 (the sliding pin 17 is located at one end 18a, 19a and the other end 18b, 19b of each of the guide holes 18, 19) is maintained. .
When the driving gear 9 is meshed with the driven gear 8, a stop pin 22 is inserted through the bracket 21 fixed to the frame 2 and the tip of the manual lever 15 so as to correspond to the tip of the manual lever 15. The driving gear 9 does not separate from the driven gear 8 by rotating without permission due to vibration or the like during running.
[0010]
On the base shaft 6 of the arm 3, two cams 23, 24 are axially mounted above the driven gear 8, and a microswitch around which the drive source 7 is stopped when the storage and extension of the auxiliary step 1 is completed. 25 and 26 are fixed to the frame 2.
That is, when the auxiliary step 1 is completed, the lower cam 24 presses the switch lever of the micro switch 26 to stop the drive source 7 (see FIG. 7). The switch lever 25 is depressed to stop the drive source 7 (see FIG. 6).
[0011]
The bottom portion 1a of the auxiliary step 1 is provided with stoppers 27, 27a for stopping the arms 3, 3a at fixed positions corresponding to the extended state and the retracted state. The arm 3 connected to the drive source 7 and the other arm 3a are connected, the driving force is transmitted to both arms 3 and 3a, and the stopped state is maintained, so that the stoppers 27 and 27a are not necessarily provided. good.
[0012]
The arms 3, 3a are provided with auxiliary arms 28, 28a projecting from the arms 3, 3a, respectively, so as to correspond to the rear of the bottom 1a of the auxiliary step 1 in the auxiliary step overhang state. Rollers 29 and 29a for rolling the bottom 1a of the auxiliary step 1 are provided in appropriate places.
Then, in the extended state of the auxiliary step, the rollers 29, 29a supporting the rear of the bottom 1a of the auxiliary step 1 are held by the holders 30, 30a provided on the bottom 1a of the auxiliary step 1 at such positions. I have.
The holders 30, 30a are disposed on the track of the rollers 29, 29a behind the bottom 1a of the auxiliary step 1, and are formed in a substantially box shape with two adjacent side walls opened. The rollers 29 and 29a can be inserted into and removed from the holders 30 and 30a in accordance with the removal direction.
[0013]
Next, the operation of the auxiliary step 1 will be described.
In the retracted state of the auxiliary step 1 in which the driving source 7 is stopped, since the driven gear 8 is engaged with the driving gear 9 and the arms 3 and 3a are connected by the connecting rod 15, the state is firm. , The arms 3 and 3a abut against the stopper 27, and the auxiliary step 1 is disposed horizontally below and to the left of the vehicle step S.
When the driven gear 8 is rotated counterclockwise by the operation of the drive source 7, the arm 3 and the arm 3a pivotally connected to the arm 3 via the connecting rod 15 rotate in the auxiliary step overhanging direction. 1 is moved in parallel while maintaining the horizontal position, so as to protrude from the lower left side of the vehicle step S to the lower front of the vehicle step S.
When the extension of the auxiliary step 1 is completed, the arms 3 and 3a come into contact with the stopper 27a, and the rollers 29 and 29a at the tips of the auxiliary arms 28 and 28a of the arms 3 and 3a are held by the holders 30 and 30a. The rear of the bottom 1a is supported, and the auxiliary step 1 is maintained in a stable horizontal state by the pivots 4, 4a of the arms 3, 3a and the four-point support of the rollers 29, 29a. The overhang state is firmly maintained.
When the auxiliary step 1 is stored, the driving source 7 is operated in the reverse rotation to the above operation, so that the auxiliary step 1 is stored below the vehicle step S in the reverse procedure.
If the driving source 7 or the like fails in the extended state of the auxiliary step 1 and the auxiliary step 1 cannot be stored, the stop pin 22 is removed and the driving gear 9 is moved from the driven gear 8 by operating the manual lever 15. The auxiliary step 1 is manually retracted, and then the manual lever 15 is moved backward to engage the gears 7 and 9 to fix the arms 3 and 3a.
[0014]
【The invention's effect】
In short, the present invention pivotally arranges the base ends of a pair of left and right arms 3 and 3a having the same rotational radius below the vehicle step S, and attaches the distal ends of the arms 3 and 3a to the left and right of the bottom 1a of the auxiliary step 1. Since the arms 3, 3a which are pivotally connected and extend from the pivot portions 4, 4a are pivotally connected to each other by a connecting rod 5, one of the arms 3 is connected to a driving source 7, so that the driving source 7 can be transmitted to both arms 3 and 3a, the rotation of the arms 3 and 3a can be made the same, and the auxiliary step 1 can be reliably and smoothly moved in parallel. In the retracted or extended state, the arms 3 and 3a connected to the drive source 7 when the drive source 7 is stopped are also in a non-moving state, so that the auxiliary step 1 can be firmly supported. Can be improved.
[0015]
In each of the arms 3 and 3a, auxiliary arms 28 and 28a that support the rear of the bottom 1a of the auxiliary step 1 are protruded in the auxiliary step overhang state. And the auxiliary arms 28 and 28a are supported at four points, so that the horizontal state can be stably maintained. Especially when the auxiliary step 1 is depressed when getting on and off, the auxiliary step 1 sinks against a load applied in front of the auxiliary step 1. Can be prevented, the auxiliary step 1 does not tilt, the horizontal state can always be maintained, and safety is ensured.
[0016]
In the extended state of the auxiliary step, the appropriate position of the auxiliary arm 28, 28a is held by the holder 30, 30a provided on the bottom 1a of the auxiliary step 1. Therefore, in the extended state, the auxiliary arm 12, 12a is supported. The auxiliary step 1 can be fixedly integrated with the step 1, the rear support of the auxiliary step 1 can be made more firm, and the stability of the auxiliary step 1 when getting on and off can be increased.
[0017]
A driven gear 8 is attached to a base shaft 6 of one arm 3 and a driven gear 9 connected to a driving source 7 is meshed with the driven gear 8. Since one of the arm and the arm is not connected, the mechanism can be simplified, the number of parts can be reduced, the cost can be reduced, and a space for mounting the drive unit of the auxiliary step 1 can be easily secured.
[0018]
Since the driving gear 9 is provided so as to be freely disengageable from the driven gear 8, even if the driving source 7 should fail in the extended state of the auxiliary step 1, the engagement between the driving gear 9 and the driven gear 8 is temporarily released. Then, the auxiliary step 1 is manually moved to the storage position, and then the driving gear 9 is meshed with the driven gear 8, so that the auxiliary step 1 can be stored and held, so that the vehicle can run. The effect is enormous.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a plan view in a storage state of an auxiliary step.
FIG. 2 is a plan view in an extended state of an auxiliary step.
FIG. 3 is a front view of the auxiliary step in an extended state.
FIG. 4 is a side view of the auxiliary step in an extended state.
FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view of a main part in FIG. 3;
FIG. 6 is a plan view of a driving unit in a storage state of an auxiliary step.
FIG. 7 is a plan view of the driving unit in an extended state of the auxiliary step.
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a state in which a driving gear is separated from a driven gear in FIG. 6;
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Auxiliary step 1a Bottom part 3, 3a Arm 4, 4a Pivot part 6 Base shaft 7 Drive source 8 Drive gear 9 Drive gear 15 Connecting rod 28, 28a Auxiliary arm 30, 30a Holder S Vehicle step

Claims (5)

Under the vehicle step, the base ends of a pair of left and right arms having the same turning radius are pivotally disposed, and the distal ends of the arms are pivotally connected to the bottom left and right of the auxiliary step, and the arm extending from the pivot portion is A retractable auxiliary step for a vehicle, wherein each of the distal ends is pivotally connected by a connecting rod, and one of the arms is connected to a drive source. 2. The vehicle retractable auxiliary step according to claim 1, wherein an auxiliary arm for supporting a bottom rear portion of the auxiliary step protrudes from each of the arms when the auxiliary step is extended. 3. The vehicle retractable auxiliary step according to claim 2, wherein the auxiliary arm is held in a proper position by a holder provided at the bottom of the auxiliary step in the extended state of the auxiliary step. 4. A retractable auxiliary step for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein a driven gear is axially mounted on a base end shaft of one of the arms, and a driven gear connected to a drive source is meshed with the driven gear. 5. The retractable auxiliary step for a vehicle according to claim 4, wherein the driving gear is provided so as to be detachable from the driven gear.

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