JP2007008377A - Get-on/-off step device for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a get-on/-off device for a vehicle capable of enhancing the convenience in the extending/retracting operation of a movable step, improving the mounting easiness under the vehicle floor by making the size of whole device compact, and giving a fine appearance by making invisible from outside in the retracted condition. <P>SOLUTION: The get-on/-off device S for vehicle is equipped with the movable step 50, a extending and retracting part 30 to move the movable step 50 between the retracted position under the vehicle floor and the extended position located outside the vehicle, a drive part 20 to drive the extending and retracting part 30, and a central control part 70 to control the drive part 20, wherein the central control part 70 determines the position of the movable step 50 in the extending/retracting operation on the basis of the output of a step position detecting part 73, and on the basis of the determination, performs a speed control of the movable step 50 for operating the drive part 20 so that the speed of the step 50 moving under the vehicle floor is higher than the speed of moving outside the vehicle. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle step-in / step-out device, and more particularly, to a vehicle step-in / step-out device having a movable step structure for assisting a passenger to get in / out a vehicle.

Generally, in a vehicle such as a one-box car, the floor of the passenger compartment is set relatively high. For this reason, a vehicle entry / exit step device configured to assist the entry / exit by expanding the movable step and the auxiliary step from the vehicle floor to the vehicle outer side at the vehicle entrance / exit is proposed (for example, Patent Document 1). To 3).
JP-A-9-188197 (page 2-4, FIG. 1 to FIG. 2) Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-123835 (page 3-5, FIGS. 1-2) Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-240631 (page 2-4, FIGS. 1 and 4)

The movable step of Patent Document 1 is provided with a reference bar that is connected to the vehicle body by a parallel link and moves horizontally under the floor of the vehicle body, and a stay on which the step plate is placed extends from the reference bar in the horizontal direction. Yes. In this movable step, the reference bar, stay, and step plate can be horizontally moved with the rotation of the link arm of the parallel link, and the step plate can be extended or stored from the lower part of the vehicle entrance / exit. Thereby, the whole apparatus can be installed in the lower part of a vehicle, and a step board can be extended and used from a vehicle entrance as needed.
However, in the configuration described in Patent Document 1, since the stay is further connected to the tip of the parallel link and extends to the side of the vehicle, there is a disadvantage that the entire depth of the step device is increased.
When the above apparatus is disposed under the vehicle floor, it is necessary to avoid the existing fuel tank and other structures and dispose it under the vehicle floor. In addition, it is necessary to secure a predetermined ground height to avoid contact with ground objects. However, if the device becomes larger, the number of mounted vehicles that can be installed in a limited space under the vehicle floor is limited, or the device can be seen from the outside in the retracted state of the movable step, so that it does not look good. There was a problem of being fooled.

In addition, the configuration described in Patent Document 2 is such that both end portions in the width direction of the movable step are rotatably attached by an approximately L-shaped arm, and the arm is laid down so that the vertical height is eliminated in the retracted state. In this state, the movable step is pulled up and held near the vehicle floor, and in the unfolded state, the arm is rotated in the direction in which the arm is raised to move the movable step in the longitudinal direction by the length of the arm. And it is configured to push downward.
However, in the configuration of Patent Document 2, the horizontal movement stroke is regulated by the arm length, and the configuration is complicated so that the drive unit that drives the arm protrudes further outward from one end in the longitudinal direction of the movable step. Due to the arrangement, there is a disadvantage that the apparatus becomes large. For this reason, when the device is disposed under the vehicle floor, there is a problem that the vehicle can be seen from the outside in the retracted state, or the mounted vehicle type is restricted due to the mounting space.

Further, in Patent Document 3, a support arm having one end rotatably connected to a support shaft provided at a lower part of a vehicle step at a vehicle entrance and exit, and a tread (auxiliary step) provided at the tip thereof are substantially horizontal. It was installed in. The treadle is turned sideways and stored in the stowed position at the bottom of the vehicle when the support arm is pivoted around the support shaft, and is extended vertically to the treadle protruding position on the side of the vehicle step. In the unfolded state, it is rotated and reciprocated on the same horizontal plane. Moreover, in patent document 3, it has the structure which provided the drive source in the bottom part of the tread board (auxiliary step).
However, the configuration of Patent Document 3 has a problem that it lacks stability when getting on and off because the treadle is supported by one support arm. Further, since the treadle is stored sideways, it is necessary to increase the depth of the storage space on the vehicle side in order to secure the step width.

  Further, when the device is arranged so that it cannot be seen from the outside in the stored state stored under the vehicle floor as in Patent Documents 1 to 3, the horizontal step of the movable step is long. The operating time required to move the actuator to the end will be longer. Therefore, it takes a long time until the movable step is fully deployed and can be used, and it takes a long time until the movable step is completely stored and the vehicle can be departed from. There was a point.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle step-in / step-out device that has improved convenience during the operation of unfolding and storing a movable step.
Another object of the present invention is to make the entire apparatus compact so that it can be easily mounted under the vehicle floor, and it is difficult to visually recognize from the outside in the retracted state of the movable step, so that the appearance is good. An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle step-in / step-out device.

  According to the present invention, the object is to provide a movable step for assisting getting on and off, and a deployment storage unit for moving the movable step between a storage position stored below the vehicle floor and a deployment position deployed outside the vehicle. And a drive unit for driving the unfolding storage unit, and a control unit for controlling the driving unit, and detecting a horizontal position of the movable step on the unfolding storage track. A step position detection unit that outputs a step position detection signal corresponding to the horizontal position to the control unit, the control unit based on the step position detection signal, the speed at which the movable step moves below the vehicle floor is This can be solved by controlling the drive unit so that the movable step is faster than the speed of moving outside the vehicle.

As described above, the vehicle entry / exit step device of the present invention can be deployed and stored by moving the movable step between the retracted position at the back of the vehicle floor and the deployed position outside the vehicle. Therefore, it becomes difficult to visually recognize from the outside during storage, and the appearance of the apparatus can be improved.
In the present invention, a step position detecting unit for detecting the horizontal position of the movable step on the unfolded storage track is provided. Then, based on the step position detection signal output from the step position detection unit, the control unit drives the drive unit so that the speed at which the movable step moves below the vehicle floor is higher than the speed at which the movable step moves outside the vehicle. Can be controlled.
If it does in this way, the operation time which operates under a vehicle floor where a movable step cannot be seen from the outside can be shortened. Therefore, the time from the start of operation of the movable step to the completion of the operation can be shortened, and convenience at the time of getting on and off can be improved.
Further, since the movable step does not move at high speed when moving outside the vehicle, there is no impression that the movable step has been operated unexpectedly. Further, even if the movable step is likely to come into contact with the passenger, the passenger can easily avoid the movable step.

Also, in the present invention, the unfolding storage portion includes an arm member having one end portion rotatably connected to the movable step via a first vertical shaft, and a second vertical portion on the other end portion of the arm member. A horizontal movement mechanism connected through a shaft and rotating the arm member about the second vertical axis; and a vertical movement mechanism connected to the other end of the arm member and moving the arm member up and down. It is suitable to provide.
As described above, in the vehicle entry / exit step device of the present invention, the movable step is rotatably attached to the one end side of the arm member via the first vertical shaft, and the second end side of the arm member is set to the second side. The vertical axis is attached, and the movable step can be moved horizontally by rotating around the second vertical axis, and the movable step can be moved up and down by moving the second vertical axis up and down. Can be moved.
With such a configuration, the horizontal movement mechanism and the vertical movement mechanism for horizontally moving the movable step can be arranged in a substantially vertical projection plane of the movable step in the retracted state. Thereby, the depth and width of the entire apparatus can be made approximately the depth and width of the movable step. Therefore, the apparatus can be easily disposed in a limited space under the vehicle floor, and the mountability is improved regardless of the vehicle type. Further, in the present invention, the movable step can be moved in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction of the vehicle, and it is difficult to visually recognize from the outside when the movable step is stored by attaching the movable step to the back of the limited space, thereby improving the appearance. It becomes possible to make it.

The present invention further includes a door open / close detection unit that detects an open / closed state of the vehicle door and outputs a door open / closed detection signal according to the open / closed state, and the control unit, based on the door open / closed detection signal, It is preferable to control the drive unit so that the movable step is moved between the storage position and the unfolded position.
Thus, by interlocking with the open / closed state of the door, the movable step can be automatically deployed and used when the door is opened, and the movable step can be automatically stored when the door is closed. . Therefore, convenience at the time of getting on and off can be improved.

Further, in the present invention, the control unit is configured such that the movable step reaches a deployment position from a position immediately before the deployment completion that is a predetermined amount away from the deployment position, and the storage step is completed when the movable step is separated from the storage position by a predetermined amount. It is preferable to control the drive unit so as to decelerate the movable step in at least one of the sections from the immediately preceding position to the storage position. If it does in this way, the speed just before a movable step stops can be changed to a low speed gradually, and can be stopped (slow stop). Therefore, it is possible to reduce the occurrence of a collision sound when the movable step hits the stopper member and stops. In addition, the movable step can be stopped smoothly.
In the present invention, it is preferable that the control unit controls the driving unit so as to accelerate the movable step in a section from when the movable step starts moving at the unfolded position to when the movable step moves by a predetermined amount in the storage direction. It is. In this way, since the speed is gradually increased from the stop state (slow start), the movement at the start of the operation becomes smooth. Further, it is possible to prevent the movable step from colliding with an obstacle or the like due to an unexpected operation.

According to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained.
(A) According to the present invention, since the operation time for the movable step to operate under the vehicle floor can be shortened, the time from the start of the operation of the movable step to the completion of the operation can be shortened, and convenience when getting on and off Can be improved. On the other hand, when the movable step moves outside the vehicle, the moving step is not moved at high speed, so that the impression that the movable step is unexpectedly operated is not given. Further, even if the movable step is likely to come into contact with the passenger, the passenger can easily avoid the movable step.
(B) According to the present invention, when the movable step decelerates and stops (slow stop), it is possible to reduce the occurrence of a collision sound when the movable step hits the stopper member and stops. Further, by gradually increasing the speed from the stop state (slow start), it is possible to prevent a collision between the movable step and an obstacle due to an unexpected operation.
(C) According to the present invention, the convenience of getting on and off can be improved by automatically unfolding or storing the movable step in conjunction with the open / closed state of the door.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that members, arrangements, and the like described below do not limit the present invention, and it goes without saying that various modifications can be made in accordance with the spirit of the present invention.
1 to 16 relate to a vehicle entry / exit step device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing a state in which a movable step is developed. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the vehicle entry / exit step device. 3 is a cross-sectional explanatory view of the vehicle entry / exit step device, FIG. 4 is an explanatory view seen from the upper side, FIG. 5 is an explanatory view of the main part of the operating mechanism, FIG. 6 is an exploded view of FIG. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of the operation viewed from the side, FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of the electrical configuration, FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of the storage state, FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram during the unfolding operation, and FIG. It is explanatory drawing of.
FIG. 13 is an operation explanatory view showing the speed switching position of the movable step, FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing processing during the unfolding / storing operation, FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram showing control during the unfolding operation, and FIG. 16 is during the storing operation. It is explanatory drawing which shows the control in.
FIGS. 17 and 18 are explanatory diagrams showing control according to another embodiment.

The vehicle entry / exit step device S according to the present embodiment is suitably mounted on a vehicle having a high entrance / exit from the ground, such as a one-box car, a so-called minivan, or a truck.
FIG. 1 shows an example in which a vehicle entry / exit step device S (hereinafter referred to as “device S”) is applied to a left rear entrance of a vehicle 1. As shown in FIG. 1, the device S is disposed under the floor of the vehicle 1 and is configured to expand and retract the movable step 50 in conjunction with the opening / closing operation of the door 2. That is, in this example, when the door 2 is closed, the movable step 50 is held in the storage position under the floor, and when the door 2 is opened, the movable step 50 is deployed to the deployment position outside the vehicle 1 in the vehicle width direction.

As shown in FIG. 2, the apparatus S of this example has a configuration in which a drive unit 20, a deployment storage unit 30, and the like are disposed on a support member 10 for mounting on the vehicle 1. It is possible to install. The device S can be attached to the vehicle 1 by fixing the support member 10 below the vehicle floor with a bolt or the like.
In the apparatus S of the present example, the deployment storage unit 30 is driven by the operation of the drive unit 20, and the movable step 50 is moved from the storage position (displayed by a one-dot chain line) to the deployment position (displayed by a solid line) by the deployment storage unit 30. It can be made to.

The support member 10 is formed of a plate member having rigidity, and a main body portion 11 that is attached to the floor of the vehicle 1 in a state of being horizontal with respect to the ground surface, and a part of a planar portion of the main body portion 11. A mechanism attaching member 12 is provided so as to close a notch hole 10a (see FIG. 3) formed by notching.
The main body 11 is formed with stoppers 13 and 14 for locking attachment portions to the vehicle 1 and stopper claws 48 and 49 described later.
A drive unit 20 and a deployment storage unit 30 are attached to the mechanism attachment member 12. With these attached, the mechanism attachment member 12 is bolted to the main body 11 so as to close the notch hole 10a from above. Yes.
In this example, the support member 10 is a plate-like member, but may not be a plate-like member, and may be, for example, a frame.

As shown in FIG. 3, the drive unit 20 outputs a rotation output from a drive motor 21 having a speed reduction mechanism from an output shaft 22. The drive motor 21 can rotate forward and backward, and the movable step 50 is developed or stored in accordance with the rotation direction. The drive motor 21 and the like are covered with a concave motor case 23, and the motor case 23 is screwed to the mechanism mounting member 12.
The drive motor 21 is fixed to the upper side of the mechanism mounting member 12, and the output shaft 22 extends downward.

  FIG. 4 is a view of the device S in the retracted state as viewed from above, and illustration of the support member 10 and the like is omitted. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the deployment storage unit 30 of this example moves the movable step 50 up and down by the driving force transmission mechanism 30 </ b> A that transmits the rotational driving force of the driving motor 21 and the transmitted rotational driving force. A drive mechanism 30B serving as a vertical movement mechanism / horizontal movement mechanism for horizontal movement is arranged on a mounting plate 31 having a recess. The mounting plate 31 is fitted into the notch hole 10a of the support member 10 in a state where the recessed space is closed by the mechanism mounting member 12, and is fixed to the mechanism mounting member 12 with bolts.

The driving force transmission mechanism 30 </ b> A includes a motor shaft gear 32, two idle gears 33 that mesh with both sides of the motor shaft gear 32, and a rotating cylinder that meshes with the outside of each idle gear 33. 34 is a main component. These have spur gears with a predetermined gear diameter and are arranged in a state where they mesh with each other.
The motor shaft gear 32 and the idle gear 33 are attached to the attachment plate 31 with the support shaft 37 planted vertically upward on the attachment plate 31 inserted into the shaft attachment hole, and can be rotated around the support shaft 37. It has become.
The output shaft 22 is fitted into the motor shaft gear 32 from above, and the motor shaft gear 32 can rotate forward and backward with the support shaft 37 as a rotation shaft as the drive motor 21 operates.

As shown in FIG. 6, the rotating cylinder 34 is formed by integrally forming a cylindrical portion 35 and an annular gear 36 provided on the lower end side of the cylindrical portion 35 in a coaxial manner. The columnar arm shaft 43 can be inserted from below. Long holes 35 a and 35 b extending in the axial direction are formed in the peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 35. The long holes 35a and 35b are formed so as to oppose the positions approximately 180 degrees apart on the peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 35.
The rotating cylinder 34 is disposed on the mounting plate 31 so that the cylindrical portion 35 protrudes upward. The rotating cylinder 34 is covered with a bottomed cylindrical mechanism case 38. The mechanism case 38 is attached to the mechanism attachment member 12, and a bearing 39b is disposed on the bottom (upper inside). The bearing 39b can be slidably contacted with the upper end portion of the cylindrical portion 35. A bearing 39 a is disposed on the side surface of the rotating cylinder 34 close to the mounting plate 31. Thus, the rotating cylinder 34 is rotatably supported by the bearings 39a and 39b.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the rotation shafts of the motor shaft gear 32, the idle gear 33, and the rotating cylinder 34 are arranged in a straight line, and the motor shaft gear 32, the idle gear 33, and the rotating cylinder 34 are arranged. Are arranged symmetrically with respect to the output shaft 22. Thus, the driving force transmission mechanism 30A can transmit the driving force of the driving motor 21 to the downstream side with an efficient and compact configuration.

The drive mechanism 30B of this example will be described with reference to FIGS. The drive mechanism 30B has the same configuration at two locations so as to sandwich the drive motor 21 therebetween.
In the driving mechanism 30B, the cylindrical portion 35 of the rotating cylinder 34 is inserted into the cam member 40 fixed to the mechanism mounting member 12, and is rotatable inside. Further, a substantially cylindrical arm shaft 43 is inserted into the rotary cylinder 34 from below so as to be able to move forward and backward (up and down). The arm shaft 43 is held substantially vertically in the vertical direction of the vehicle within the rotating cylinder 34. The arm shaft 43 corresponds to a second vertical axis.

  Near the upper end of the arm shaft 43, two cam followers 44 and 45 are disposed. The cam followers 44, 45 protrude on the circumferential surface so as to face each other radially outward with a spacing of about 180 degrees. The cam followers 44 and 45 are respectively composed of base shafts 44b and 45b (not shown) and cylindrical portions 44a and 45a attached to the tip portions thereof. The outer diameters of the base shafts 44b and 45b are substantially the same as or slightly smaller than the widths of the long holes 35a and 35b. On the other hand, the outer diameters of the cylindrical portions 44a and 45a are set larger than the outer diameters of the base shafts 44b and 45b.

  The cam member 40 has a function similar to that of a substantially cylindrical cam, and a space in which the cylindrical portion 35 of the rotating cylinder 34 can be inserted and rotated is formed at the center of the shaft. The cam member 40 includes an annular portion 40a for attachment to the mechanism attachment member 12, and rotating rails 41 and 42 extending spirally upward from the annular portion 40a. A virtual columnar space is formed in the axial direction continuously with the circular opening of the annular portion 40a by the rotating rails 41 and. The rotating rails 41 and 42 are formed point-symmetrically with respect to the axis center.

  The rotating rails 41 and 42 are partially overlapped while being separated in the vertical direction, and are guided on the upper surface side in the vertical direction while rotating or sliding in contact with the cam followers 44 and 45, respectively. Inclined surfaces 41a and 42a are formed. In addition, the lower surface side of the rotating rails 41 and 42 does not normally come into direct contact with the cam followers 44 and 45, but a regulation surface 41b for regulating the vertical movement when the arm shaft 43 rattles in the vertical direction. , 42b are formed.

The inclined surfaces 41a and 42a are gently or substantially horizontal when the inclination angle is at the upper position. When the movable step 50 is stored, the cam followers 44 and 45 are held on the substantially horizontal surface that has risen up from the gently inclined surface. Further, the spiral inclined surfaces 41a and 42a have an inclination angle that forms a spline shape at an intermediate position, and are smoothly continuous with the annular portion 40a.
The cam followers 44 and 45 are normally brought into contact with the inclined surfaces 41a and 42a and the upper surface of the annular portion 40a by the unfolding and retracting operations. When the cam followers 44 and 45 rotate while contacting the inclined surfaces 41a and 42a, the arm shaft 43 also moves up and down. However, when the cam followers 44 and 45 rotate while abutting against the upper surface of the annular portion 40a, the arm shaft 43 does not move up and down.

The cam member 40, the rotary cylinder 34, and the arm shaft 43 are inserted into the cam member 40 from the lower side, and the cam followers 44 and 45 are inserted into the distal end portion of the arm shaft 43 through the long holes 35a and 35b. They can be assembled together by mounting them facing each other. FIG. 5 shows a state in which they are assembled together.
In this assembled state, when the rotary cylinder 34 rotates, the base shafts 44b and 45b are pushed against the side surfaces of the long holes 35a and 35b, and the arm shaft 43 rotates in the same direction in conjunction with the rotary cylinder 34. try to. When the arm shaft 43 rotates, the cam followers 44 and 45 are guided in contact with the inclined surfaces 41a and 42a of the rotating rails 41 and 42 according to gravity.
In this example, the cam followers 44 and 45 are guided by the rotating rails 41 and 42 and the annular portion 40a, so that the rotating cylinder 34 is formed to be rotatable at least 180 degrees or more.

As a result, when the rotating cylinder 34 rotates counterclockwise as viewed from above, the cam followers 44 and 45 are guided from the upper part to the lower part of the rotating rails 41 and 42, and the arm shaft 43 moves downward accordingly. To go. When the rotating cylinder 34 rotates clockwise as viewed from above, the cam followers 44 and 45 are guided from the lower part to the upper part of the rotating rails 41 and 42, and the arm shaft 43 moves upward accordingly. .
As described above, in the drive mechanism 30B of this example, the arm shaft 43 is rotated by the rotation of the rotating cylinder 34 (rotation mechanism, horizontal movement mechanism) and is moved up and down by a predetermined distance in the axial direction (up and down movement). Mechanism) is possible.

  In this example, the movable step 50 is coupled to the lower end portion of the arm shaft 43 via the arm member 46. Therefore, a large load is applied to the arm shaft 43 downward. In this example, the cam followers 44 and 45 provided on the upper end portion of the arm shaft 43 and the cam member 40 are brought into contact with each other so that the load is released from the cam member 40 to the main body portion 11 via the mechanism mounting member 12. . The cam followers 44 and 45 disposed opposite to each other are supported by the cam member 40 so that the load is equally applied to the respective cam followers 44 and 45 so that the arm shaft 43 is less likely to be shaken. .

In the developed state of the movable step 50, the cam followers 44 and 45 are in contact with the upper surface of the annular portion 40a of the cam member 40. When the vehicle is unfolded, the passenger's load is applied to the arm shaft 43 via the movable step 50. Therefore, when the load is most applied, the load is transmitted from the cam followers 44, 45 to the support member 10 via the annular portion 40a. . Since the rotating rails 41 and 42 are only subjected to the load of the structure itself such as the movable step 50 during storage or during deployment, the rotating rails 41 and 42 should be strong enough to support this load. Good.
In this example, the two cam followers 44 and 45 are provided, but the number of cam followers is not limited to this, and may be one or three or more.

In this example, the rotation angle of the rotary cylinder 34 is about 180 degrees, but the present invention is not limited to this and may be set arbitrarily. For example, when the rotation angle is set to 180 degrees or more, the rotating rails 41 and 42 may be further extended spirally upward.
Further, when the vertical movement distance of the arm shaft 43 is increased, the inclination angle of the rotating rails 41 and 42 may be increased or the rotation angle may be set larger.

An arm member 46 having the same length is fixed to the lower ends of the two left and right arm shafts 43 so as to extend from the arm shaft 43 radially outward and in parallel in the same direction.
A movable step 50 is rotatably attached to the distal end portion of the arm member 46 via a support shaft 47 that is substantially perpendicular to the vehicle vertical direction. The support shaft 47 corresponds to a first vertical axis.
The two arm members 46 are provided with stopper claws 48 and 49 that engage with the stoppers 13 and 14, respectively.
The movable step 50 in this example is a plate-like member formed in a substantially rectangular shape. In the movable step 50 of this example, two portions that are separated in the longitudinal direction of the end portion on the vehicle center side are formed to extend toward the vehicle center side. A support shaft 47 is attached to the extended portion.

FIG. 7 shows the operating range of the device S of this example. In the figure, the shaded portion is the operating range of the movable portion (movable step 50 and arm member 46).
In a state where the movable step 50 is in the retracted position (solid line), the distal end side of the arm member 46 faces the vehicle center side, and the arm member 46 is in a state of overlapping the movable step 50 in the vertical direction.
In this state, the end of the movable step 50 is in contact with the storage stopper 51 provided on the support member 10. Thereby, the position of the movable step 50 is regulated so as not to be stored further beyond the set storage position (solid line).

When the drive motor 21 is operated while the movable step 50 is in the retracted position (solid line), the two parallel arm members 46 rotate approximately 180 degrees counterclockwise while maintaining the parallel state.
As a result, the movable step 50 held rotatably by the support shaft 47 once moves forward in the vehicle, then moves backward in the vehicle again, and returns to the same vehicle front-rear position as the storage position. In the unfolded state, the arm member 46 and the movable step 50 do not overlap in the vertical direction except for the vicinity of the support shaft 47. At this time, the movable step 50 is also moved downward in the vehicle.

  As a result, the movable step 50 moves in the horizontal direction by a distance approximately twice that of the arm member 46. In this example, the arm shaft 43 that is the rotation center of the arm member 46 is disposed at a position close to the vehicle outer side, and the support shaft 47 to which the tip of the arm member 46 is connected is the vehicle center side end portion of the movable step 50. It is arranged in the vicinity. Thereby, the length of the arm member 46 can be increased, and accordingly, the horizontal movement distance of the movable step 50 can be set large.

  In this example, the unfolding storage unit 30 and the drive unit 20 are arranged in the substantially vertical projection plane of the movable step 50 on the upper surface side of the movable step 50 at the storage position. Thereby, the size of the device S can be made substantially the same as the size of the movable step 50. And by such a structure, since the stepping stones from the road surface hit the movable step 50 at the time of driving | running | working, it can prevent that the expansion | deployment storage part 30 and the drive part 20 are damaged by stepping stones.

As shown in FIG. 8A, a structure such as a fuel tank is disposed under the floor of the vehicle 1 of this example, and a recessed space 1a is formed between the side sill 1b and the underfloor structure. Yes. The device S is attached by fixing the support member 10 to the recessed space 1a. In FIG. 8, an arm cover is disposed on the distal end side of the arm member 46.
In this example, since the mechanism portion is disposed in the substantially vertical projection plane of the movable step 50 in the retracted state as described above, the apparatus S can be configured compactly. Therefore, the device S can be mounted even when the recessed space 1a is narrow.

Further, the unfolding storage unit 30 is configured to operate within a substantially vertical projection plane of the moving range of the movable step 50. Therefore, the deployment storage unit 30 does not come into contact with the vehicle structure during operation.
As described above, the device S of this example has good mountability to the vehicle 1 and can be reliably mounted in the recessed space 1a. Therefore, when the movable step 50 is stored, the device S is hardly visible from the outside. The appearance of the vehicle 1 can be improved.

As shown in FIG. 8B, when the movable step 50 is deployed, the arm shaft 43 rotates while moving downward, so that the movable step 50 moves downward accordingly. Thus, even when the arm member 46 and the movable step 50 are above the lower end of the side sill 1b at the retracted position, when the arm member 46 and the movable step 50 are deployed, the lower end height of the side sill 1b is cleared and the movable step 50 is moved horizontally to the outside of the vehicle. Can be made.
In the apparatus S of this example, the movable step 50 is configured to move in the vertical direction by a thickness equal to or greater than the thickness of the movable step 50, more specifically, approximately equal to the total length of the thickness of the movable step 50 and the thickness of the arm member 46. Has been. Thus, in this example, the stroke amount in the vertical direction can be secured, so that the device S can be attached to the upper side of the vehicle in the recessed space 1a. Thereby, the ground height can be ensured in the retracted state, and it is possible to prevent contact with the uneven surface or the ground object during traveling.

  Moreover, in the apparatus S of this example, the movable step 50 is located at the highest ground level at the retracted position, and is located at the lowest ground level at the deployed position. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the movable step 50 from coming into contact with the ground object or scooping up snow or the ground object during the deployment / storage operation.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the apparatus S of this example.
The central control unit 70 includes, for example, a CPU for performing various calculations, a ROM that stores a program for operating the CPU, an RAM that temporarily stores information processed by the CPU, and the like. It consists of a circuit. The central control unit 70 is configured to output a power supply command signal to the power supply unit 71 by detecting detection signals from the door opening / closing detection unit 72 and the step position detection unit 73.

The power supply unit 71 is configured by a power supply device including a battery provided in the vehicle 1, and can apply a predetermined voltage to the drive motor 21 in accordance with a power supply command signal from the central control unit 70. It is configured as follows.
The door opening / closing detection unit 72 detects opening / closing of the door 2 provided in the vehicle 1. When the door 2 is in a closed state, the door opening / closing detection unit 72 outputs a door closing signal to the central control unit 70, and the door 2 When the door is opened, a door opening signal is output to the central controller 70. The door opening / closing detection unit 72 may be a courtesy switch or a dedicated switch.
In this example, the door open / close detection unit 72 outputs a door close signal when the door 2 is completely closed, and outputs a door open signal when the door 2 moves slightly from the fully closed state. Is configured to do. The door open / close detection unit 72 outputs a door open signal when the door 2 is fully opened, and outputs a door close signal when the door 2 moves slightly in the closing direction from the fully open state. It may be.

  The step position detector 73 is provided for detecting the position of the movable step 50 during the unfolding / storing operation. The step position detection unit 73 of this example outputs a detection signal corresponding to the rotation amount of the output shaft of the drive motor 21 by a rotation angle detector such as an encoder or a Hall IC provided on the output shaft of the drive motor 21. It is configured. For example, if an encoder that outputs a number of pulses corresponding to the amount of rotation of the output shaft of the drive motor 21 is used, the central control unit 70 counts this pulse to calculate the amount of rotation, and the arm shaft 43 with respect to the rotating cylinder 34. Can be calculated. Based on the amount of rotation of the arm shaft 43, the position of the movable step 50 can be calculated.

Note that the step position detector 73 may be configured to detect the amount of rotation of any of the gears constituting the driving force transmission mechanism 30A. Further, the rotation amount of the rotating cylinder 34 that rotates together with the arm shaft 43 may be detected. Further, the step position detection unit 73 may be configured to detect that a position detection piece provided on the arm member 46 or the movable step 50 has reached a predetermined position by a limit switch, a proximity switch, or the like.
In this example, the movable step 50 moves from under the floor of the vehicle 1 to the outside in the vehicle width direction of the vehicle 1. Then, based on the detection signal of the step position detector 73, the central control unit 70 is in a state where the movable step 50 is completely hidden under the floor of the vehicle 1 or is the earliest during the deployment operation of the movable step 50. It can be determined whether or not the part appearing from the bottom of the floor to the outside (the tip 50a shown in FIGS. 7 and 8) has already appeared at a position visible from the outside. Further, the central control unit 70 can determine whether or not the movable step 50 has reached the position immediately before completion of deployment and the position immediately before completion of storage.

Next, with reference to FIG. 10 to FIG. 12, the expansion / storage operation of the apparatus S of this example will be described.
FIG. 10 shows the storage state. In this state, the cam followers 44 and 45 connected to the upper end of the arm shaft 43 are held on the rotating rails 41 and 42 of the cam member 40. That is, the cam followers 44 and 45 are held at positions where the inclination angles of the inclined surfaces 41a and 42a of the rotating rails 41 and 42 are substantially horizontal. At this time, the movable step 50 is in contact with the storage stopper 51 (see FIG. 7).
When the arm shaft 43 is subjected to a rotational force in the deploying direction or a downward load through the movable step 50 in the retracted state, it is caused by an external force due to the rotation prevention force by the drive motor 21 or the drive force transmission mechanism 30A. The unfolding action is blocked.

  As shown in FIG. 11, when the drive motor 21 operates in the unfolding direction, the drive mechanism 30B is driven via the drive force transmission mechanism 30A. As a result, the arm shaft 43 rotates in the deployment direction. By this rotation, the cam followers 44 and 45 are guided on the rotating rails 41 and 42 and moved downward in the vehicle. By this operation, the arm member 46 connected to the arm shaft 43 rotates and moves downward. The movable step 50 that is rotatably connected by the two arm members 46 moves downward and moves toward the outside of the vehicle.

  As shown in FIG. 12, when the drive motor 21 rotates by a predetermined number of rotations, the arm shaft 43 rotates about 180 degrees in the deployment direction. Thereby, the arm member 46 which has faced the vehicle center side in the retracted state faces the vehicle outer side. As a result, the movable step 50 that is rotatably connected to the tip of the arm member 46 is deployed to the deployed position. At the unfolded position, the stopper claws 48 and 49 disposed on the arm member 46 enter the stoppers 13 and 14 of the support member 10. As a result, the rotation of the arm member 46 is surely stopped, and the stopper claws 48 and 49 are held by the stoppers 13 and 14, so that the downward load applied to the movable step 50 is reduced by the two arm shafts. 43 and the cam member 40 and the engagement between the stopper claws 48 and 49 and the stoppers 13 and 14 are supported in a dispersed manner.

(Speed control during operation)
Next, the speed control of the movable step 50 during the unfolding / storing operation of the apparatus S of this example will be described based on FIGS.
FIG. 13 is an operation explanatory view showing the speed switching position of the movable step 50. The apparatus S of this example performs speed control for switching the operating speed of the movable step 50 from low speed to high speed or from high speed to low speed at the speed switching position (position B) shown in FIG. In this figure, a boundary line H is a boundary between a region where the movable step 50 is completely hidden under the floor of the vehicle 1 and a region visible from the outside. In this example, the boundary line 1c (see FIG. 8) of the entrance / exit of the vehicle 1 Horizontal projection position. The movable step 50 is configured such that the tip 50a is positioned on the boundary line H at the speed switching position (position B).
The speed switching position may be set at a position where the tip 50a exceeds the boundary line H. In short, the speed switching position may be set so that the speed is switched when the movable step 50 enters an area where there is a possibility of hitting an obstacle near the side of the vehicle.
A position A in FIG. 13 indicates a storage position of the movable step 50, and a position C indicates a development position. The rotation angle of the arm shaft 43 calculated based on the detection signal of the step position detector 73 is 0 at the retracted position (position A), X1 at the speed switching position (position B), and Y at the unfolded position (position C). It has become.

The device S of this example operates at a high speed when the movable step 50 is hidden under the floor of the vehicle 1. That is, the region where the movable step 50 operates at a high speed is a region where the rotation angle of the arm shaft 43 is not less than 0 and less than X1 until reaching the position B from the position A in FIG. On the other hand, the device S operates at a low speed when at least a part of the movable step 50 appears outside the floor of the vehicle 1. That is, the region where the movable step 50 operates at a low speed is a region where the rotation angle of the arm shaft 43 is above X1 and less than Y until it reaches the position C from the position B in FIG.
When speed control is performed in this way, the time until the movable step 50 appears outside from the lower part of the vehicle during deployment and it can be visually recognized that the deployment operation is being performed is shortened. Therefore, convenience is improved and a smooth driving feeling can be increased. Further, when the movable step 50 moves outside the vehicle, it always operates at a low speed. Therefore, there is no impression that the movable step is operated unexpectedly. Further, even if the movable step 50 is likely to come into contact with the occupant during the deployment / storage operation, the occupant can easily escape by avoiding the movable step 50.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing the processing during the expansion / storage operation of the apparatus S of this example. 15 and 16 are explanatory diagrams showing changes in control signals and the like during the unfolding operation and the storage operation, respectively. 15 and 16 indicate that the movable step 50 is at each position shown in FIG.
Hereinafter, the flow of the unfolding operation of the movable step 50 of this example will be described with reference to FIGS. 14 and 15. First, in the storage position (position A), the central control unit 70 changes the output of the door opening / closing detection unit 72 from 0 (door closing signal) to H (door opening signal) as shown in FIG. It is determined whether or not. When it determines with having changed from 0 to H (step S1: Yes), it progresses to step S3 noting that door opening operation was performed and starts expansion | deployment operation | movement. On the other hand, if it is determined that there has been no change from 0 to H (step S1: No), it is determined in step S2 whether or not there has been a change from H (door open signal) to 0 (door close signal). It is determined whether or not the closing operation has been performed. And when it determines with having not changed from H to 0 (step S2: No), the process of step S1, S2 is repeatedly performed by a fixed time interval (for example, every 4 milliseconds).

If it is determined in step S1 that the door opening operation has been performed, the central control unit 70 applies a positive voltage to the drive motor 21 in order to drive the drive motor 21 in the unfolding direction at a high speed. Is output (step S3). As a result, the movable step 50 moves at a high speed from the position A toward the position B.
In this example, the drive motor 21 is controlled by, for example, PWM control in which the motor power supply is turned on and off at a high speed to change the on / off time ratio (duty ratio). That is, power is supplied to the drive motor 21 at a duty ratio corresponding to the motor command value shown in FIGS. Accordingly, in step S3, power is supplied to the drive motor 21 at a duty ratio corresponding to the motor command value P2 shown in FIG.

Next, the central control unit 70 determines whether or not the tip 50a of the movable step 50 has reached the boundary line H at regular time intervals. That is, based on the output of the step position detector 73, it is determined whether or not the rotation angle of the arm shaft 43 (corresponding to the movable step position) is in the range of 0 to less than X1 (step S4). When it is determined that the rotation angle of the arm shaft 43 is less than X1 (step S4: Yes), the motor command value is maintained at P2 and the high-speed movement of the movable step 50 is continued (step S3).
On the other hand, when it is determined that the rotation angle of the arm shaft 43 is equal to or greater than X1 (step S4: No), the command value for the drive motor 21 is changed to a power supply command signal for low-speed driving (FIG. 15C). Motor command value P1) is output (step S5). Thereby, the moving speed of the movable step 50 is switched from the high speed to the low speed, and the moving step 50 moves from the position B to the position C in FIG.

Next, the central control unit 70 determines whether or not the movable step 50 has reached the deployment position (position C) at regular time intervals. In this example, the rotation angle of the arm shaft 43 is set to Y at the deployed position. Therefore, the central control unit 70 determines whether the rotation angle of the arm shaft 43 is smaller than Y based on the output of the step position detection unit 73 (step S6). When it is determined that the rotation angle of the arm shaft 43 is smaller than Y (step S6: Yes), the motor command value is maintained at P1, and the low-speed movement of the movable step 50 is continued (step S5).
On the other hand, when the rotation angle of the arm shaft 43 (corresponding to the movable step position) is determined to be Y or more (step S6: No), a signal for stopping the power supply to the drive motor 21 is output (step S7). ). That is, the motor command value is switched to 0 as shown in FIG. As a result, the drive motor 21 stops and the deployment operation ends.

In this example, when the movable step 50 reaches the unfolded position, the stoppers 13 and 14 and the stopper claws 48 and 49 are engaged, and the movement of the movable step 50 is stopped. Therefore, in step S6, it is determined that the movable step 50 has reached the unfolded position by providing a position detection switch such as a limit switch for detecting contact or proximity between the stoppers 13 and 14 and the stopper claws 48 and 49. It may be determined that the unfolded position has been reached when there is an output from the switch.
The determination that the movable step 50 has reached the unfolded position can also be made by detecting the load on the drive motor 21 when the position of the movable step 50 is restricted by the stoppers 13 and 14. That is, if it is determined that a load of a certain level or more is applied to the drive motor 21, it is determined that the driving position has been reached and the motor command value may be switched to zero. However, in order to distinguish it from a load caused by an obstacle or the like, the fact that the movable position 50 has reached the position immediately before deployment is detected on the condition that the position has been detected by a position detection switch or the like. Make a decision.

  Further, in this example, the movable step 50 may be moved to an accurate storage position, and an initialization process may be performed so that the position of the movable step 50 and the output of the step position detection unit 73 are matched. For example, before applying a positive voltage to operate in the deployment direction in step S <b> 3, a negative voltage that temporarily operates in the retracting direction is once applied to the drive motor 21. As a result, the movable step 50 returns to the correct storage position and comes into contact with the storage stopper 51. Then, by detecting the load of the drive motor 21, it is confirmed that the movable step 50 has returned to the correct storage position, and a process of switching to a positive voltage so as to operate in the unfolding direction is performed. At the same time, an initialization process is performed so that the output of the step position detector 73 in this state becomes an output indicating that the movable step 50 is at the storage position. If it does as mentioned above, the position detection of movable step 50 in operation can be performed correctly.

Such initialization processing is preferably performed every time the engine of the vehicle 1 is started. That is, the initialization process is performed once at the time of engine start to match the position of the movable step 50 with the output of the step position detector 73, and control is performed based on this initialization process until the next engine start. In this way, since the position of the movable step 50 and the output of the step position detection unit 73 can be updated each time the engine is started, the expansion / storage of the movable step 50 is performed based on accurate position information. Control can be performed.
Further, when it is detected that the position information of the movable step 50 calculated from the output of the step position detection unit 73 and the load generated in the movable step 50 do not match during expansion / storage, for example, the expansion position or In spite of the output of the step position detection unit 73 indicating that the storage position has been reached, no load detection signal is output indicating that the movable step 50 is in contact with the stopper member and can no longer move. The configuration may be such that the initialization process is performed when inconsistency occurs.

Next, the flow of the storing operation of the movable step 50 in this example will be described with reference to FIGS. First, at the development position (position C), the central control unit 70 performs the processing of step S1 and step S2 as in the above-described development operation. And in step S2, when it determines with the output of the door opening / closing detection part 72 shown to Fig.16 (a) having changed from H (door opening signal) to 0 (door closing signal) (step S2: Yes), As the door closing operation is performed, the process proceeds to step S8, and the storing operation is started.
In the storing operation, the movable step 50 is operated in the reverse flow to the above-described unfolding operation.
First, the central control unit 70 drives the drive motor 21 with a negative voltage in order to drive the drive motor 21 in the retracting direction at a low speed. That is, a power supply command signal (motor command value -P1 shown in FIG. 16C) for low-speed driving is output (step S8), and the movable step 50 is moved from the position C toward the position B at a low speed.
Next, the central control unit 70 determines whether or not the movable step 50 has moved to a position where it is completely hidden under the floor of the vehicle 1 at regular time intervals. That is, when the rotation angle of the arm shaft 43 is larger than X1 (step S9: Yes), it is determined that the movable step 50 is not completely hidden under the floor of the vehicle 1 and the motor command value is maintained at -P1. Thus, the low-speed movement of the movable step 50 is continued (step S8).

On the other hand, when it is determined that the movable step 50 has reached the position B and the rotation angle of the arm shaft 43 has become X1 or less (step S9: No), the command value for the drive motor 21 is set for high-speed driving. A power supply command signal for switching to the command value (motor command value -P2 shown in FIG. 16C) is output (step S10), and the movable step 50 is moved from position B to position A at high speed.
Next, the central control unit 70 determines whether or not the movable step 50 has reached the storage position (position A) at regular time intervals. That is, it is determined whether or not the rotation angle of the arm shaft 43 is larger than 0 (step S11). And when it determines with it being larger than 0 (step S11: Yes), a motor command value is maintained at -P2, and the high-speed movement of the movable step 50 is continued (step S10). On the other hand, when it is determined that the rotation angle of the arm shaft 43 has become 0 (step S11: No), a signal for stopping the power supply to the drive motor 21 is output and the motor command value is switched to 0 ( Step S12). As a result, the drive motor 21 stops and the storage operation ends.
Note that the determination in step S11 may be performed by detecting the load on the position detection switch or the drive motor 21 in the same manner as at the time of deployment. Further, if initialization processing is performed to match the position of the movable step 50 with the output of the step position detection unit 73 when the engine is started, the movable step 50 is controlled based on accurate position information during the storage operation. Can do.

The above embodiment may be modified as follows. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same component as the said component, and the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted and only a different part is demonstrated.
(Modification example of speed control)
In this example, in the speed control of the above-described embodiment, immediately before completion of the unfolding / storing operation of the movable step 50, the speed of the movable step 50 is gradually decreased to perform a slow stop control. Further, at the start of the storing operation of the movable step, the speed of the movable step is gradually increased from zero to perform a slow start control.
FIGS. 17 and 18 are diagrams showing changes in control signals and the like during the unfolding operation and the storage operation of this example, respectively. In this example, as shown in FIG. 17C, the motor command value is linearly decreased from P1 to 0 in the operation section from the position immediately before the completion of deployment (position C1) to the deployment position (position C). Thus, the speed control is performed so that the speed of the movable step 50 is gradually decreased. In the above embodiment, since the control for the drive motor 21 is performed by PWM control, the drive motor 21 is controlled in the same manner as the voltage is continuously increased or decreased according to the increase or decrease of the motor command value, that is, the duty ratio. be able to. Therefore, the speed of the movable step 50 can be increased or decreased continuously.

In this way, the movable step 50 moves from the position immediately before the completion of deployment (position C1) to the deployment position (position C) while gradually decreasing in speed. Therefore, since the stoppers 13 and 14 and the stopper claws 48 and 49 are engaged and stopped at a very low speed, the stoppers 13 and 14 and the stopper claws 48 and 49 collide with each other at a moment. The occurrence of collision noise can be reduced.
Further, as shown in FIG. 18C, in the operation section from the position immediately before the completion of storage (position A1) to the storage position (position A), the magnitude of the motor command value is changed from -P1 to 0 in the same manner as immediately before the completion of expansion. Decrease linearly until. Thereby, similarly to the above, it is possible to reduce the occurrence of a collision sound when the movable step 50 comes into contact with the storage stopper 51 and stops. Further, the movable step 50 can be smoothly stopped.

In this example, in order to perform the slow stop control, the central control unit 70, based on the output of the step position detection unit 73, the movable step 50 is a position immediately before the completion of deployment (position C1), a position immediately before the completion of storage (position A1), It is determined whether or not. That is, it is determined whether or not the rotation angle of the arm shaft 43 has reached X2 or X3 shown in FIGS. Based on this determination, the motor command value starts to be reduced by PWM control.
Further, the central control unit 70 can perform the slow start control in the storing operation based on the determination that the door opening operation has been performed in step S1 of the above embodiment. That is, as shown in FIG. 18C, in the initial operation from the development position (position C) to the position C1, the motor command value is linearly increased from 0 to -P1. Thereby, since the speed of the movable step 50 is gradually increased from the stop state, the movement at the start of the operation becomes smooth. Further, it is possible to prevent the movable step 50 from colliding with an obstacle or a passenger due to an unexpected operation.

(Modification example of control linked with door opening / closing operation)
In each of the above embodiments, in steps S1 and S2 of FIG. 14, the movement of the door opening / closing detection unit 72 is based on the change from 0 (door close signal) to H (door open signal) or from H to 0. It was configured to start the operation of step 50. The door opening / closing detection unit 72 outputs a door closing signal when the door 2 is completely closed based on the output of the courtesy switch or the like, and moves slightly in the opening direction from the state where the door 2 is completely closed. Sometimes it was configured to output a door open signal.
In this example, the door opening / closing detection unit 72 detects a door latch signal in addition to the courtesy switch signal, and the central control unit 70 is notified of either the door switch signal or the door closing signal on condition that either the courtesy switch signal or the door latch signal is detected. It is configured to output a signal.
For example, when the movable step 50 is in the unfolded state, the door open / close detection unit 72 outputs a door close signal when it detects a door latch signal indicating that the door latch is in the half latch position. In this way, since the movable step 50 can be stored even in a half-door state where the door is not completely closed, convenience is improved.

Alternatively, a door open signal or a door close signal may be output on condition that both the courtesy switch signal and the door latch signal are detected.
In addition, as a variation of the control linked with the door opening / closing operation, the door opening / closing detection unit 72 is configured to detect the opening degree of the door by the output of a detector such as an encoder provided on the door hinge of the vehicle door. In addition, when the door is closed, the retracting operation of the movable step 50 may be started based on the fact that the opening of the door is smaller than a predetermined angle. In this way, the timing at which the door is completely closed can coincide with the timing at which the storing operation of the movable step 50 ends. Therefore, the vehicle can be started quickly. In addition, a wireless remote controller for operating the door 2, an inner door handle provided on the vehicle interior side of the door 2, an outer door handle provided on the vehicle outer side of the door 2, and a driver seat operation provided on the driver's seat The operation may be started on condition that a door opening / closing operation signal output by operating various operation units such as a switch is detected.

In the above embodiment, the device S is configured to operate in conjunction with the opening and closing operation of the door. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and an operation switch is provided, and the movable step 50 is expanded and stored by a switch operation by the occupant. You may comprise.
In the present embodiment, an example is shown in which the vehicle is provided with a fixed step for getting on and off, such as a one-box car or a so-called minivan, so as to be lowered by one step from the vehicle floor to the gate. Besides this, it can be applied to buses, trucks, welfare vehicles, aircrafts, railway vehicles, and the like.

It is explanatory drawing which shows the state which the movable step of the boarding / alighting step apparatus for vehicles which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention developed. It is a perspective view of the boarding / alighting step device for vehicles. It is sectional explanatory drawing of the boarding / alighting step apparatus for vehicles. It is explanatory drawing which looked at the boarding / alighting step device for vehicles from the upper side. It is principal part explanatory drawing of the action | operation mechanism of the boarding / alighting step apparatus for vehicles. FIG. 6 is an exploded view of FIG. 5. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing which looked at the boarding / alighting step apparatus for vehicles from the upper side. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing which looked at the boarding / alighting step apparatus for vehicles from the side part. It is explanatory drawing of the electrical structure of the boarding / alighting step apparatus for vehicles. It is explanatory drawing of the storage state of the boarding / alighting step apparatus for vehicles. It is explanatory drawing in operation | movement of expansion | deployment of the boarding / alighting step apparatus for vehicles. It is explanatory drawing of the expansion | deployment state of the boarding / alighting step apparatus for vehicles. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing which shows the speed switching position of a movable step. It is a flowchart which shows the process at the time of expansion | deployment / storing operation | movement. It is explanatory drawing which shows the control at the time of expansion | deployment operation | movement. It is explanatory drawing which shows the control at the time of storing operation | movement. It is explanatory drawing which shows the control at the time of the expansion | deployment operation | movement which concerns on other embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the control at the time of storing operation | movement which concerns on other embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Vehicle, 1a ... Recessed space, 1b ... Side sill, 1c ... Side, 2 ... Door
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Support member, 11 ... Main-body part, 12 ... Mechanism attachment member, 13, 14 Stopper,
20... Drive unit, 21... Drive motor, 22... Output shaft, 23.
30... Deployment storage unit, 30 A... Driving force transmission mechanism, 30 B.
31 ... Mounting plate, 32 ... Motor shaft gear, 33 ... Idle gear,
34: Rotating cylinder, 35: Cylindrical part, 35a, 35b: Long hole, 36: Gear, 37: Support shaft,
38 ... mechanism case, 39a, 39b ... bearing, 40 ... cam member, 40a ... ring part,
41, 42 ... rotating rail, 41a, 42a ... inclined surface, 41b, 42b ... regulating surface,
43 ... arm shaft, 44, 45 ... cam follower, 44a, 45a ... cylindrical part,
44b, 45b ... Base shaft, 46 ... Arm member, 47 ... Support shaft, 48, 49 ... Stopper claw,
50 ... movable step, 50a ... tip, 51 ... storage stopper,
70: Central control unit, 71: Power supply unit, 72: Door open / close detection unit,
73: Step position detection unit, H: Boundary line, S: Device (vehicle entry / exit step device)

Claims (5)

A movable step for assisting getting on and off, a deployment storage unit for moving the movable step between a storage position stored under the vehicle floor and a deployment position deployed outside the vehicle, and a drive for driving the deployment storage unit And a vehicle step-in / stepping device comprising: a control unit that controls the drive unit;
A step position detection unit that detects a horizontal position of the movable step on the deployed storage track and outputs a step position detection signal corresponding to the horizontal position to the control unit;
The control unit controls the drive unit based on the step position detection signal so that a speed at which the movable step moves below the vehicle floor is higher than a speed at which the movable step moves outside the vehicle. A vehicle entry / exit step device.   The deployment storage unit is connected to an arm member having one end portion rotatably connected to the movable step via a first vertical shaft, and to the other end portion of the arm member via a second vertical shaft. A horizontal movement mechanism that rotates the arm member around the second vertical axis; and a vertical movement mechanism that is connected to the other end side of the arm member and moves the arm member up and down. The vehicle entry / exit step device according to claim 1. A door opening / closing detection unit for detecting an opening / closing state of the vehicle door and outputting a door opening / closing detection signal according to the opening / closing state;
The said control part controls the said drive part so that the said movable step may be moved between the said storage position and the said unfolding position based on the said door opening / closing detection signal. The boarding / alighting step device for a vehicle according to claim 1.   The control unit includes a section from the position immediately before the completion of deployment, which is a predetermined amount away from the deployment position until the movable position reaches the deployment position, and a position from the position immediately before the completion of storage, which is a predetermined amount away from the storage position, 4. The vehicle step-on / off step device according to claim 1, wherein the drive unit is controlled so as to decelerate the movable step in at least one of the sections until reaching. 5.   The said control part controls the said drive part so that the said movable step may be accelerated in the area after the said movable step starts a movement in an expansion | deployment position until it moves to a storing direction by a predetermined amount. The vehicle getting on / off step device according to any one of claims 1, 3, and 4.

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