JP2010006167A - Vehicular footrest device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable an occupant to quickly and surely take a posture responding to vehicle behavior. <P>SOLUTION: A calculation part 5 discriminates whether or not acceleration detected by a longitudinal G sensor 3 and/or a lateral G sensor 4 causes a postural change in the occupant. When the vehicle behavior causes the postural change in the occupant, a control part 6 lands legs of the occupant in a position corresponding to the vehicle behavior. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle footrest device.

Conventionally, a vehicle that is disposed in front of or in front of a seat cushion of a passenger seat so as to be rotatable by an actuator, and that can adjust an angle at which a leg of an occupant sitting on the passenger seat is supported to a desired angle. Footrest devices are known. In such a vehicle footrest device, when there is a possibility of a collision or a collision at the time of use, the occupant takes a posture to prepare for the collision by returning the angle of the footrest to the initial angle and landing the occupant's leg. There is one that can be used (see Patent Document 1).
JP 2006-6547 A

  However, the conventional vehicle footrest device is configured to simply return the angle of the footrest to the initial angle when there is a possibility of a collision or a collision. It is necessary to take a posture corresponding to the vehicle behavior by moving the leg to a position corresponding to the vehicle. Therefore, according to the conventional vehicle footrest device, it is difficult for the occupant to take a posture corresponding to the vehicle behavior quickly and reliably.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a vehicle footrest device capable of promptly and surely taking a posture corresponding to a vehicle behavior of an occupant.

  The vehicle footrest device according to the present invention guides the landing position of the occupant's leg so that the leg lands at a position corresponding to the vehicle behavior when landing the seated occupant's leg.

  According to the footrest device for a vehicle according to the present invention, the landing position of the occupant's leg is guided to a position corresponding to the vehicle behavior, so that the occupant can take a posture corresponding to the vehicle behavior quickly and reliably.

  Hereinafter, a configuration of a vehicle footrest device according to first and second embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment]
First, with reference to FIG. 1 thru | or FIG. 11, the structure and operation | movement of the footrest apparatus for vehicles which become the 1st Embodiment of this invention are demonstrated.

[Overall structure of footrest device for vehicle]
A vehicle footrest device 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention is provided on a passenger seat side of a vehicle, and as shown in FIG. 1, a footrest position sensor 2, a front and rear G sensor 3, a left and right G sensor 4, a calculation unit 5, the control part 6 and the footrest 7 are provided as main components. The footrest position sensor 2 detects the position of the footrest 7 in the vehicle front-rear direction (X-axis direction shown in FIG. 2) and the vehicle left-right direction (Y-axis direction shown in FIG. 2) and the rotation angle about the vehicle front-rear direction. It is composed of sensors. The front-rear G sensor 3 is configured by a sensor that detects acceleration in the vehicle front-rear direction (hereinafter referred to as front-rear acceleration) applied to an occupant seated in the passenger seat. The left / right G sensor 4 is configured by a sensor that detects acceleration in the vehicle left-right direction (hereinafter referred to as left-right acceleration) applied to the passenger seated in the passenger seat. The calculation unit 5 is constituted by an information processing device such as a microprocessor, and landings of the legs of the occupants sitting in the passenger seat using outputs from the footrest position sensor 2, the front and rear G sensor 3, and the left and right G sensor 4 Calculate the position. The control unit 6 is configured by a control device such as an ECU (Electronic Control Unit), and controls the operation of the footrest 7 according to the calculation result of the calculation unit 5.

[Composition of footrest]
As shown in FIG. 2, the footrest 7 includes left and right footrest plates 11a and 11b on which the left and right legs of the occupant M seated in the passenger seat are respectively mounted, and left and right footrest plates 11a and 11b on one end side. Rod-shaped arm members 12a and 12b to be supported and actuator units 13a and 13b which are arranged on the front surface of the instrument panel of the vehicle and to which the other ends of the arm members 12a and 12b are coupled. The actuator units 13a and 13b are configured to rotate in the X-axis direction (vehicle longitudinal direction) as shown in FIG. 3B and in the Y-axis direction (vehicle left-right direction) as shown in FIG. A translational movement operation in the X-axis direction as shown in a) is possible. The actuator units 13a and 13b operate according to the control signal from the control unit 6 to independently control the positions and angles of the left and right footrest plates 11a and 11b via the arm members 12a and 12b. The landing positions of the left and right legs are individually guided.

(Landing position control)
The vehicle footrest device 1 having such a configuration allows the occupant M to take a posture corresponding to the vehicle behavior quickly and reliably by executing the landing position control process described below. Hereinafter, with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. 4, operation | movement of the footrest apparatus 1 for vehicles at the time of performing this landing position control process is demonstrated.

  The flowchart shown in FIG. 4 starts at the timing when the ignition switch of the vehicle is switched from the off state to the on state, and the control process proceeds to the process of step S1.

  In the process of step S <b> 1, the calculation unit 5 determines whether or not the occupant M sitting on the passenger seat is using the vehicle footrest device 1. Whether or not the occupant M is using the vehicle footrest device 1 is detected by detecting the positions and angles of the footrest plates 11a and 11b via the footrest position sensor 2, or the vehicle footrest device 1 is turned on. It can be easily determined by detecting whether or not it is present. As a result of the determination, when the occupant M does not use the vehicle footrest device 1, the calculation unit 5 determines that the occupant M is in a state of landing on the leg, and ends the landing position control process. On the other hand, when the occupant M uses the footrest device 1 for a vehicle, the calculation unit 5 advances the control process to the process of step S2.

  In the process of step S2, the calculation unit 5 determines whether the current vehicle state is the longitudinal or lateral direction of the body of the occupant M based on the longitudinal acceleration and the lateral acceleration detected by the longitudinal G sensor 3 and the lateral G sensor 4. It is estimated whether or not the vehicle is in a state of generating a deviation, in other words, whether or not the posture of the occupant M may be greatly collapsed, and how it may be collapsed if there is a possibility of collapse. To do. Thereby, the process of step S2 is completed and this control process progresses to the process of step S3.

  In the process of step S3, the calculation unit 5 determines the landing position of the leg of the occupant M based on the estimation result obtained by the process of step S2. Note that details of the processes in steps S2 and S3 will be described later with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. Thereby, the process of step S3 is completed and this control process progresses to the process of step S4.

  In the process of step S4, the control unit 6 outputs control signals to the actuator units 13a and 13b, so that the landing positions of the legs of the occupant M are guided to the landing positions determined by the process of step S3. The positions and angles of the footrest plates 11a and 11b are independently controlled (footrest control process). Details of the footrest control process will be described later with reference to FIGS. Thereby, the process of step S4 is completed and a series of landing position control processes are complete | finished.

[Landing position determination processing]
Next, with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. 5, the operation of the calculation unit 5 when executing the processing of step S2 and step S3 will be described.

  The flowchart shown in FIG. 5 starts when it is determined in step S1 that the occupant M is using the vehicle footrest device 1, and the landing position determination process proceeds to step S11.

  In the process of step S11, the calculation unit 5 determines whether the longitudinal acceleration (longitudinal G) is greater than a predetermined threshold value α (for example, 0.5 G, G is gravitational acceleration) based on the detection result of the longitudinal G sensor 3. . As a result of the determination, when the longitudinal acceleration is larger than the predetermined threshold value α, the calculation unit 5 advances the landing position determination process to the process of step S13. On the other hand, when the longitudinal acceleration is smaller than or equal to the predetermined threshold value α, the calculation unit 5 advances the landing position determination process to the process of step S12.

  In the process of step S <b> 12, the calculation unit 5 determines whether the left / right acceleration (left / right G) is greater than a predetermined threshold value α based on the detection result of the left / right G sensor 4. As a result of the determination, if the lateral acceleration is smaller than or equal to the predetermined threshold value α, the calculation unit 5 returns the landing position determination process to the process of step S11. On the other hand, when the left-right acceleration is larger than the predetermined threshold value α, the calculation unit 5 may cause the occupant M's body to shift in the vehicle left-right direction due to vehicle behavior such as running on an uneven road or a road leaning left and right. The landing position of the leg of the occupant M is determined as the landing position of Type 2 shown in FIG. Thereby, a series of landing position determination processing ends. Details of the Type 2 landing position will be described later.

  In the process of step S <b> 13, the calculation unit 5 determines whether the lateral acceleration is greater than a predetermined threshold value α based on the detection result of the lateral G sensor 4. If the left and right acceleration is smaller than or equal to the predetermined threshold value α as a result of the determination, the calculation unit 5 causes the body of the occupant M to shift in the vehicle front-rear direction due to vehicle behavior such as sudden braking, sudden acceleration, and hill running. It is determined that there is a possibility, and the landing position of the leg of the occupant M is determined as the landing position of Type 1 shown in FIG. Thereby, a series of landing position determination processing ends. On the other hand, when the left-right acceleration is larger than the predetermined threshold value α, the calculation unit 5 may cause the occupant M's body to shift in both the vehicle front-rear direction and the vehicle left-right direction due to vehicle behavior such as running on a curved road or turning left and right. The landing position of the leg of the occupant M is determined as Type 3 (right) and (left) landing positions shown in FIG. Thereby, a series of landing position determination processing ends. Details of the landing positions of Type 1 and Type 3 (right) and (left) will be described later.

(A) Landing position of Type1 When the occupant M is seated with his / her legs landing, he / she can easily withstand the force by closing the legs and the legs are straight like a stick. This makes it easier to withstand stronger forces. Therefore, when the vehicle behavior may cause the body of the occupant M to shift in the vehicle front-rear direction, in other words, when the vehicle behavior causes acceleration in the vehicle front-rear direction to the occupant M body, In addition, the landing position (see FIG. 6, Type 1) where the landing positions of the left and right legs are close to each other is determined as the landing position of the occupant M's legs so as to land the legs with the legs closed. To do.

(B) Landing position of Type 2 When the occupant M receives an acceleration in the vehicle left-right direction while sitting with the legs landing, it is easy to withstand the force by opening the legs. Therefore, when the vehicle behavior may cause the body of the occupant M to shift in the left-right direction of the vehicle, in other words, when the vehicle behavior causes acceleration in the vehicle left-right direction on the body of the occupant M, the calculation unit 5 opens the legs. The landing position where the landing positions of the left and right legs are spaced apart (see FIG. 6, Type 2) is determined as the landing position of the occupant M's leg so that the legs are landed in a state where the occupant M is landing.

(C) Landing positions of Type3 (right) and (left) When the occupant M receives acceleration in the vehicle front-rear direction and the vehicle left-right direction while sitting with the legs landing, the legs are opened and the acceleration is It is easy to withstand the force by putting the leg on the side in which it is applied (for example, the right foot in the case of acceleration in the right direction) forward. Therefore, when there is a possibility that the body of the occupant M is shifted in both the vehicle front-rear direction and the vehicle left-right direction depending on the vehicle behavior, in other words, the acceleration of the vehicle M in the vehicle front-rear direction and the vehicle left-right direction is caused by the vehicle behavior. In such a case, the calculation unit 5 opens the legs, and the landing positions of the left and right legs are separated so that the legs are landed in a state where the legs on the side where the acceleration is applied are extended forward, and the acceleration is The landing position (see FIG. 6, Type 3 (right), (left)) where the leg in the direction in which it is applied is positioned ahead of the other leg is determined as the landing position of the leg of the occupant M.

[Footrest control processing]
Next, referring to FIG. 7 to FIG. 11, the landing positions Type1, Type2, Type3 (right), (right) and (3) determined by the landing position determination process for the operation of the control unit 6 when executing the footrest control process in step S5 above. (Left) I will explain each. 7A and 7B are schematic views showing the state of the footrest 7 before the footrest control process is executed, and FIG. 7A is a schematic view of the footrest plate members 11a and 11b as seen from the direction of the rotation axis. FIGS. 7A and 7B are top views of footrest plates 11a and 11b, arm members 12a and 12b, and actuator units 13a and 13b.

(A) Landing position of Type 1 When guiding the leg of the occupant M to the landing position of Type 1 shown in FIG. 6, the control unit 6 controls the position and angle of the footrest 7 from the state shown in FIG. 7 to the state shown in FIG. To do. That is, the control unit 6 moves the positions of the footrest plates 11a and 11b to the instrument panel side as shown in FIG. 8 (b) and extends the legs of the occupant M, as shown in FIG. 8 (a). The left and right footrest plates 11a and 11b are rotated toward the body center of the occupant M to drop the legs of the occupant M onto the vehicle floor. As a result, the leg of the occupant M extends and closes on the vehicle floor in a closed state. In addition, when it can be judged that the passenger | crew's M leg has already extended, the control part 6 can abbreviate | omit the movement operation | movement of the board | plate materials 11a and 11b for footrests.

(B) Landing position of Type 2 When guiding the leg of the occupant M to the landing position of Type 2 shown in FIG. 6, the control unit 6 controls the position and angle of the footrest 7 from the state shown in FIG. 7 to the state shown in FIG. To do. That is, the control unit 6 moves the positions of the footrest plates 11a and 11b to the passenger seat side as shown in FIG. 9B and bends the legs of the occupant M, and then, as shown in FIG. 9A. The left and right footrest plates 11a and 11b are rotated toward the outside of M's body to drop the legs of the occupant M onto the vehicle floor. As a result, the legs of the occupant M land on the vehicle floor from the soles in the open state. The reason for moving the positions of the footrest plates 11a and 11b to the passenger seat side is that when the footrest plates 11a and 11b are rotated while the legs of the occupant M are extended, the legs of the occupant M land from the heel. It is because it ends up. Accordingly, when it can be determined that the legs of the occupant M are bent, the control unit 6 can omit the movement of the footrest plates 11a and 11b.

(C) Type 3 (Right), (Left) Landing Position When the occupant M's leg is guided to the Type 3 (right), (left) landing position shown in FIG. 6, the control unit 6 starts from the state shown in FIG. The footrest 7 is controlled to the state shown in FIG. That is, as shown in FIG. 10B or FIG. 11B, the control unit 6 moves the positions of the footrest plates 11a and 11b on the direction side where the acceleration is applied to the instrument panel side to thereby apply the acceleration. After extending the legs, the footrest plates 11a and 11b are rotated in the direction opposite to the direction in which the acceleration is applied, as shown in FIG. 10A or FIG. As a result, the leg of the occupant M is landed in a state in which the landing positions of the left and right legs are separated and the leg on the direction in which acceleration is applied is positioned in front of the opposite leg. 10A, 10B, 11A, and 11B show the landing positions of Type 3 (right) and Type 3 (left), respectively.

  As is clear from the above description, in the vehicle footrest device 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the calculation unit 5 detects that the acceleration detected by the front / rear G sensor 3 and / or the left / right G sensor 4 is an occupant M. It is determined whether or not the vehicle behavior is to change, and if the vehicle behavior is to cause the posture change of the occupant, the control unit 6 causes the occupant's leg to land at a position corresponding to the vehicle behavior. In other words, the vehicle footrest device 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention is configured so that when the legs of the seated occupant M are landed, the legs of the occupant M are landed so that the legs land at a position corresponding to the vehicle behavior. Guide the landing position. Therefore, according to the vehicle footrest device 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the occupant M can quickly and reliably take a posture corresponding to the vehicle behavior. In addition, the calculation unit 5 determines the necessity of landing the occupant's M leg from the current vehicle behavior detected by the front / rear G sensor 3 and / or the left / right G sensor 4, and therefore more accurately determines the necessity of landing. be able to.

  In the vehicle footrest device 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, when the longitudinal acceleration is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold value α, the control unit 6 causes the occupant M's leg to land on the vehicle floor with the leg closed. Therefore, the occupant M can respond quickly and reliably to the force in the vehicle longitudinal direction even immediately after landing. Further, in the vehicle footrest device 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, when the longitudinal acceleration is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold value α, the control unit 6 closes the leg and extends the occupant M on the vehicle floor in the extended state. Since the legs are landed, the occupant M can quickly and reliably respond to a strong force in the vehicle front-rear direction even immediately after landing. Further, in the vehicle footrest device 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, when the lateral acceleration is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold value α, the control unit 6 causes the occupant's legs to land on the vehicle floor with the legs open. The occupant M can respond quickly and reliably to the force in the left-right direction of the vehicle even immediately after landing.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, with reference to FIG. 12 thru | or FIG. 17, the footrest apparatus for vehicles used as the 2nd Embodiment of this invention is demonstrated. The difference between the vehicle footrest device of the present embodiment and the vehicle footrest device of the first embodiment resides in the contents of the landing position determination process and the footrest control process. Therefore, in the following, description of the configuration of the vehicle footrest device of the present embodiment is omitted, and the flow of the landing position determination process and the footrest control process in the present embodiment will be described.

[Landing position determination processing]
First, the operation of the calculation unit 5 when executing the landing position determination process will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

  The flowchart shown in FIG. 12 starts at the timing when it is determined that the occupant M uses the vehicle footrest device 1 in the process of step S1, and the landing position determination process proceeds to the process of step S21.

  In the process of step S21, the calculation unit 5 determines whether the longitudinal acceleration is greater than a predetermined threshold β (for example, 0.25 G) based on the detection result of the longitudinal G sensor 3. As a result of the determination, if the longitudinal acceleration is larger than the predetermined threshold value β, the calculation unit 5 advances the landing position determination process to the process of step S25. On the other hand, when the longitudinal acceleration is smaller than or equal to the predetermined threshold β, the calculation unit 5 advances the landing position determination process to the process of step S22.

  In the process of step S <b> 22, the calculation unit 5 determines whether the lateral acceleration is greater than a predetermined threshold β based on the detection result of the lateral G sensor 4. As a result of the determination, if the lateral acceleration is greater than the predetermined threshold value β, the calculation unit 5 advances the landing position determination process to the process of step S23. On the other hand, when the lateral acceleration is smaller than or equal to the predetermined threshold β, the calculation unit 5 returns the landing position determination process to the process of step 21.

  In the process of step S23, the calculation unit 5 determines whether the lateral acceleration is greater than a predetermined threshold B (for example, 0.5 G) based on the detection result of the lateral G sensor 4. If the left and right acceleration is larger than the predetermined threshold B as a result of the determination, the calculation unit 5 determines that there is a possibility that the occupant M receives a large acceleration in the left and right direction of the vehicle at the same time due to the vehicle behavior. Is determined as the landing position of Type 2L shown in FIG. On the other hand, when the lateral acceleration is smaller than or equal to the predetermined threshold B, the calculation unit 5 advances the landing position determination process to the process of step 24. Details of the landing position of Type 2L will be described later.

  In the process of step S24, the calculation unit 5 determines whether or not the number of times 1 or the time m that the occupant M has received the lateral acceleration is greater than or longer than the predetermined number γ or the predetermined time δ. As a result of the determination, when the number of times 1 or time m that the occupant M has received the lateral acceleration is greater or longer than the predetermined number γ or the predetermined time δ, the calculation unit 5 receives the lateral acceleration that is greater than or equal to the predetermined number γ or the predetermined time δ. Therefore, it is determined that the posture of the occupant M may be gradually broken, and the landing position of the leg of the occupant M is determined as the landing position of Type 2m shown in FIG. On the other hand, when the number of times l or the time m that the occupant M receives the lateral acceleration is smaller than, shorter than or equal to the predetermined number γ or the predetermined time δ, the calculation unit 5 returns the landing position determination process to the process of step 21. . Details of the Type 2m landing position will be described later.

  In the process of step S25, the calculation unit 5 determines whether the lateral acceleration is greater than a predetermined threshold β based on the detection result of the lateral G sensor 4. As a result of the determination, if the lateral acceleration is greater than the predetermined threshold value β, the calculation unit 5 advances the landing position determination process to the process of step S28. On the other hand, if the lateral acceleration is smaller than or equal to the predetermined threshold β, the calculation unit 5 advances the landing position determination process to the process of step 26.

  In the process of step S <b> 26, the calculation unit 5 determines whether the lateral acceleration is greater than a predetermined threshold B based on the detection result of the lateral G sensor 4. If the left and right acceleration is larger than the predetermined threshold B as a result of the determination, the calculation unit 5 determines that there is a possibility that the occupant M receives a large acceleration in the vehicle longitudinal direction at a time due to the vehicle behavior, and the landing position of the occupant M's leg Is determined as the landing position of Type 1L shown in FIG. On the other hand, when the lateral acceleration is smaller than or equal to the predetermined threshold B, the calculation unit 5 advances the landing position determination process to the process of step 27. Details of the landing position of Type 1L will be described later.

  In the process of step S27, the calculation unit 5 determines whether or not the number of times l or time m that the occupant M has received longitudinal acceleration is greater than or longer than the predetermined number γ or the predetermined time δ. As a result of the determination, when the number of times l or time m at which the occupant M has received the longitudinal acceleration is greater than or longer than the predetermined number γ or the predetermined time δ, the calculation unit 5 receives the longitudinal acceleration more than the predetermined number γ or the predetermined time δ. Therefore, it is determined that the posture of the occupant M may be gradually broken, and the landing position of the leg of the occupant M is determined as the landing position of Type1m shown in FIG. On the other hand, when the number of times l or the time m that the occupant M receives the lateral acceleration is smaller than, shorter than or equal to the predetermined number γ or the predetermined time δ, the calculation unit 5 returns the landing position determination process to the process of step 21. . Details of the landing position of Type1m will be described later.

  In the process of step S <b> 28, the calculation unit 5 determines whether both the longitudinal acceleration and the lateral acceleration are larger than a predetermined threshold B based on the detection results of the longitudinal G sensor 3 and the lateral G sensor 4. If both the longitudinal acceleration and the lateral acceleration are larger than the predetermined threshold B as a result of the determination, the calculation unit 5 determines that there is a possibility that the occupant M receives a large acceleration in the vehicle longitudinal direction and the vehicle lateral direction at a time depending on the vehicle behavior. Then, the landing positions of the legs of the occupant M are determined as landing positions of Type 3L (right) and (left) shown in FIG. On the other hand, when at least one of the longitudinal acceleration and the lateral acceleration is smaller than or equal to the predetermined threshold B, the calculation unit 5 advances the landing position determination process to the process of step 29. Details of the landing positions of Type 3L (right) and (left) will be described later.

  In the process of step S29, the calculation unit 5 determines whether or not the number of times l or the time m that the occupant M has received the longitudinal acceleration and the lateral acceleration is greater than or longer than the predetermined number γ or the predetermined time δ. As a result of the determination, when the number of times 1 or time m that the occupant M has received the longitudinal acceleration and the lateral acceleration is greater or longer than the predetermined number γ or the predetermined time δ, the calculation unit 5 calculates the longitudinal acceleration equal to or greater than the predetermined number γ or the predetermined time δ. It is determined that the posture of the occupant M may be gradually broken by receiving the lateral acceleration, and the landing positions of the legs of the occupant M are determined as the Type 3m (right) and (left) landing positions shown in FIG. To do. On the other hand, when the number of times l or the time m that the occupant M has received the longitudinal acceleration and the lateral acceleration is less than, or shorter than, or equal to the predetermined number γ or the predetermined time δ, the calculation unit 5 performs the landing position determination process of step 21. Return to processing. Details of the landing positions of Type3m (right) and (left) will be described later.

(A) Landing position of Type1L When the occupant M receives acceleration in the vehicle longitudinal direction while seated with the legs landing, closing the legs makes it easier to withstand the force and makes the legs straight like a stick This makes it easier to withstand stronger forces. Therefore, when there is a possibility that the occupant M receives a large acceleration in the vehicle longitudinal direction at a time due to the vehicle behavior, in other words, when the vehicle behavior causes a large acceleration in the vehicle longitudinal direction on the body of the occupant M, the calculation unit 5 The landing position (see FIG. 13, Type 1L) where the landing positions of the left and right legs are close to each other so that the joint is extended and the legs are closed. To decide.

(B) Landing position of Type 1m When the weak longitudinal acceleration of the predetermined threshold value β or more and the predetermined threshold value B or less occurs for the predetermined number of times γ or the predetermined time δ or more, the calculation unit 5 is closer to the passenger seat side than the Type 1 landing position. Set the landing position of the leg. As a result, the occupant M can naturally cope with the longitudinal acceleration which is weak but may cause the posture to be lost.

(C) Landing position of Type2L When the occupant M receives acceleration in the vehicle left-right direction while sitting with the legs landing, it is easy to withstand the force by opening the legs. Therefore, when there is a possibility that the occupant M receives a large acceleration in the left-right direction of the vehicle at a time due to the vehicle behavior, in other words, when the large acceleration in the left-right direction of the vehicle is applied to the body of the occupant M due to the vehicle behavior. Then, the landing position (see FIG. 13, Type 2L) where the landing positions of the left and right legs are separated is determined as the landing position of the occupant M so that the landing is performed with the legs open.

(D) Landing position of Type2m When a weak lateral acceleration of a predetermined threshold value β or more and a predetermined threshold value B or less occurs for a predetermined number of times γ or a predetermined time δ or more, the calculation unit 5 sets the leg width of the occupant M more than the Type2L landing position. Set narrower. Thereby, the passenger | crew M can respond to the left-right acceleration which is weak, but has a possibility of destroying a posture in a natural form.

(D) Landing positions of Type3L (right) and (left) When the occupant M receives acceleration in the vehicle front-rear direction and vehicle left-right direction while sitting with the legs landing, the legs are opened and the acceleration is It is easy to withstand the force by putting the leg on the side in which it is applied (for example, the right foot in the case of acceleration in the right direction) forward. Therefore, when there is a possibility that the occupant M receives a large acceleration in the vehicle longitudinal direction and the vehicle lateral direction at a time depending on the vehicle behavior, in other words, a large acceleration in the vehicle longitudinal direction and the vehicle lateral direction on the body of the occupant M due to the vehicle behavior. In such a case, the calculation unit 5 opens the legs, and the landing positions of the left and right legs are spaced apart and the acceleration is applied so that the landing is performed with the legs in the direction in which the acceleration is applied in the forward direction. The landing position (see FIG. 13, Type3L (right), (left)) where the side leg is positioned before the other leg is determined as the landing position of the occupant M's leg.

(E) Landing positions of Type3m (right) and (left) When the weak longitudinal acceleration and lateral acceleration that are greater than or equal to the predetermined threshold β and less than or equal to the predetermined threshold B occur for a predetermined number γ or a predetermined time δ or more, the calculation unit 5 The leg width of the occupant M is set to be narrower than the landing positions of (right) and (left). Thereby, the passenger | crew M can respond | correspond in the natural form with respect to the longitudinal acceleration and the left-right acceleration which are weak, but may collapse a posture.

[Footrest control processing]
Next, referring to FIG. 14 to FIG. 17, the landing positions Type 1 L, Type 1 m, Type 2 L, Type 2 m, Type 3 L (right), (right), ( Left), Type3m (right) and (left) will be explained.

(A) Landing Positions of Type 1L and Type 1m When the occupant M's leg is guided to the landing position of Type 1L shown in FIG. 13, the control unit 6 controls the footrest 7 from the state shown in FIG. 7 to the state shown in FIG. That is, the control unit 6 moves the positions of the footrest plates 11a and 11b to the instrument panel side and extends the legs of the occupant M as shown in FIG. 14B, and then, as shown in FIG. The left and right footrest plates 11a and 11b are rotated toward the body center of the occupant M to drop the legs of the occupant M onto the vehicle floor. As a result, the legs of the occupant M extend and land in a closed state. In addition, when it can be judged that the passenger | crew's M leg has already extended, the control part 6 can abbreviate | omit the movement operation | movement of the board | plate materials 11a and 11b for footrests. When the landing position is Type1m, the control unit 6 shortens the amount of movement of the footrest plates 11a and 11b toward the instrument panel, and closes the leg of the occupant M closer to the passenger seat side than the Type1L landing position. Land in the state.

(B) Landing Positions of Type 2L and Type 2m When guiding the leg of the occupant M to the landing position of Type 2L shown in FIG. 13, the control unit 6 controls the footrest 7 from the state shown in FIG. 7 to the state shown in FIG. That is, as shown in FIG. 15 (b), the control unit 6 moves the positions of the footrest plates 11a and 11b in the direction of the passenger seat and outward of the vehicle and opens the passenger M in a bent state. As shown in FIG. 15 (a), the footrest plates 11a and 11b are rotated toward the outside of the occupant M to drop the occupant M's legs onto the vehicle floor. As a result, the legs of the occupant M are landed from the soles with the legs wide open. The reason why the positions of the footrest plates 11a and 11b are moved to the passenger seat side is that when the legs of the occupant M are extended and the footrest plates 11a and 11b are rotated toward the outside of the occupant M, This is because the legs of the occupant M land from the heel. Accordingly, when it can be determined that the legs of the occupant M are bent, the control unit 6 can omit the movement of the footrest plates 11a and 11b. When the landing position is Type2m, the control unit 6 shortens the movement amount of the footrest plates 11a and 11b in the vehicle outward direction, and opens the legs of the occupant M in the vehicle inner direction than the Type2L landing position. Land in the state.

(C) Landing positions of Type3L (right), (left), Type3m (right), (left) When guiding the leg of the occupant M to the landing positions of Type3 (right), (left) shown in FIG. 6 controls the footrest 7 from the state shown in FIG. 7 to the state shown in FIG. 16 or FIG. That is, as shown in FIG. 16B or FIG. 17B, the control unit 6 moves the positions of the footrest plates 11a and 11b on the direction in which the acceleration is applied to the instrument panel side so that the acceleration of the occupant M is increased. As shown in FIG. 16 (a) or FIG. 17 (a), the legs on the direction in which they are applied are extended and the legs of the occupant M are opened by moving the positions of the footrest plates 11a and 11b in the vehicle outward direction. Then, the footrest plates 11a and 11b are rotated in the direction opposite to the direction in which the acceleration is applied to drop the occupant M's legs onto the vehicle floor. As a result, the legs of the occupant M are spaced apart and land in a state where the legs on the direction in which acceleration is applied are positioned in front of the other leg. 16A, 16B, 17A, and 17B show the landing positions of Type 3L (right) and Type 3L (left), respectively. When the landing positions are 3 m (right) and (left), the control unit 6 shortens the amount of movement of the footrest plates 11a and 11b in the vehicle outward direction, and Type3L (right) and (left) Landing is performed with the legs of the occupant M closed toward the vehicle inner side than the landing position.

  As is apparent from the above description, according to the footrest device 1 for a vehicle that is the second embodiment of the present invention, the control unit 6 is configured such that the magnitude of the longitudinal acceleration and / or the lateral acceleration is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold β. If it is less than or equal to B, the occupant's legs are landed at the vehicle floor position corresponding to the vehicle behavior when the number of occurrences l or occurrence time m of longitudinal acceleration and / or lateral acceleration is greater than or equal to the occurrence number γ or occurrence time δ. Therefore, when the posture of the occupant M collapses due to small longitudinal acceleration and / or lateral acceleration, the occupant M can land comfortably so that the occupant M can ride comfortably. Further, according to the vehicle footrest device 1 according to the second embodiment of the present invention, the control unit 6 determines that the number of occurrences l or the occurrence time m of the longitudinal acceleration and / or the lateral acceleration is equal to or greater than the occurrence number γ or the occurrence time δ. In some cases, the occupant M is more natural because the landing position is closer to the vehicle seat and / or the leg opening width is narrower than in the case where the magnitude of the longitudinal acceleration and / or the lateral acceleration is greater than or equal to the predetermined threshold B. It can respond to the vehicle behavior with a simple posture and can ride comfortably.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment which applied the invention made by the present inventors was described, this invention is not limited by description and drawing which make a part of indication of this invention by this embodiment. For example, in the present embodiment, the road on which the vehicle is traveling is determined from the current traveling state such as the vehicle behavior. However, in the present invention, it is only necessary to know the direction, magnitude, frequency, time, etc. of acceleration applied to the occupant. Therefore, the road on which the vehicle is traveling may be determined by using the map information and vehicle speed of the travel route possessed by the navigation device or the like, the sight line position direction of the occupant, the vehicle speed, and the like. In this embodiment, even if the vehicle behavior is such that the occupant's body slightly deviates, the occupant's leg is dropped from the footrest, but for the vehicle behavior that the occupant's body deviates slightly, By providing a mechanism in which the heel protrudes on the sole, buttocks and sides of the footrest, the occupant's body may be prevented from slipping and the occupant's legs may not be dropped from the footrest. Further, in the present embodiment, the footrest plate is operated using an actuator, but when the acceleration is applied to the seat belt, the footrest plate is operated using a mechanical mechanism that locks the seat belt. It may be. As described above, it is a matter of course that all other embodiments, examples, operation techniques, and the like made by those skilled in the art based on the present embodiment are included in the scope of the present invention.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the footrest apparatus for vehicles used as embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of the footrest shown in FIG. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating operation | movement of the board | plate material for footrests shown in FIG. It is a flowchart figure which shows the flow of the landing position control process used as embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart figure which shows the flow of the landing position determination process used as the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the correspondence of the acceleration concerning a passenger | crew and the landing position of a passenger | crew's leg in the footrest apparatus for vehicles used as the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the state of the footrest when the passenger | crew is using. It is a schematic diagram which shows operation | movement of a footrest in case a landing position is Type1. It is a schematic diagram which shows operation | movement of a footrest in case a landing position is Type2. It is a schematic diagram which shows operation | movement of a footrest in case a landing position is Type3 (right). It is a schematic diagram which shows operation | movement of a footrest in case a landing position is Type3 (left). It is a flowchart figure which shows the flow of the landing position determination process used as the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the correspondence of the acceleration concerning a passenger | crew and the landing position of a passenger | crew's leg in the footrest apparatus for vehicles used as the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows operation | movement of a footrest in case a landing position is Type1L. It is a schematic diagram which shows operation | movement of a footrest in case a landing position is Type2L. It is a schematic diagram which shows operation | movement of a footrest when a landing position is Type3L (right). It is a schematic diagram which shows operation | movement of a footrest when a landing position is Type3L (left).

Explanation of symbols

1: Vehicle footrest device 2: Footrest position sensor 3: Front / rear G sensor 4: Left / right G sensor 5: Calculation unit 6: Control unit 7: Footrest 11a, 11b: Footrest plate 12a, 12b: Arm members 13a, 13b: Actuator unit

Claims (8)

In a vehicle footrest device that is provided on a vehicle seat and supports a leg of an occupant seated on the vehicle seat separately from the vehicle floor,
Vehicle behavior detection means for detecting vehicle behavior in a situation where the occupant's legs are supported;
Discriminating means for discriminating whether or not the vehicle behavior detected by the vehicle behavior detecting means causes an attitude change of the occupant;
Control means for landing an occupant's leg at a vehicle floor position corresponding to the vehicle behavior when the determining means determines that the vehicle behavior causes a change in the posture of the occupant. Footrest device for vehicles. The vehicle footrest device according to claim 1,
A vehicle footrest device comprising acceleration detection means for detecting acceleration applied to the vehicle, wherein the vehicle behavior detection means detects the vehicle behavior based on the magnitude of acceleration detected by the acceleration detection means. . The footrest device for a vehicle according to claim 2,
The vehicle footrest device is characterized in that the vehicle behavior detection means detects the vehicle behavior based on an acceleration occurrence frequency or occurrence time detected by the acceleration detection means. In the vehicle footrest device according to claim 2 or 3,
The vehicle footrest device for landing a passenger's leg on a vehicle floor with the legs closed when the acceleration detecting means detects an acceleration in the vehicle front-rear direction greater than or equal to a first predetermined value. . The footrest device for a vehicle according to claim 4,
When the acceleration detecting means detects an acceleration in the vehicle front-rear direction that is greater than or equal to a second predetermined value that is greater than the first predetermined value, the leg is closed and the occupant's leg is landed on the vehicle floor in an extended state. A footrest device for a vehicle. The vehicle footrest device according to any one of claims 2 to 5,
The vehicle footrest device, wherein, when the acceleration detecting means detects an acceleration in the left-right direction of the vehicle that is equal to or greater than a first predetermined value, the control means causes the occupant's leg to land on the vehicle floor with the leg open. . The vehicle footrest device according to any one of claims 3 to 6,
The control means has a case where the magnitude of the acceleration detected by the acceleration detection means is not more than a first predetermined value and the frequency or time of occurrence of the acceleration detected by the acceleration detection means is not less than a third predetermined value. An occupant's leg is landed at a vehicle floor position corresponding to the vehicle behavior. The vehicle footrest device according to claim 7,
The control means may bring the landing position closer to the vehicle seat side and / or narrow the leg opening width than the case where the magnitude of the acceleration detected by the acceleration detection means is not less than the first predetermined value. A featured footrest device for a vehicle.

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