JP2011178289A - Lower limb protection structure of vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To effectively protect with a simple constitution a lower limb of a driver by preventing the lower limb of the driver from slipping down from a lower limb mounting part of a footrest member at a front collision of a vehicle or the like. <P>SOLUTION: In a vehicle which contains a floor panel 1 constituting an undersurface of a cabin and a dash panel 2 forming a front wall of the cabin by being mounted so as to extend upward continuously to the front of the floor panel 1 and which is provided so as to keep closer to the dash panel 2 a pedal members comprising an accelerator pedal 6 operated by the driver seated on a driver's seat 3 on the floor panel 1 or the like, a footrest member 8 allowing a lower limb of the driver to be placed thereon is arranged at a lower part of the dash panel 2 and a side part of the pedal member, and the footrest member 8 is provided with the lower limb movement regulating means for regulating the movement of the lower limb of the driver to the pedal member side at a front collision of a vehicle or the like. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention includes a floor panel that constitutes a bottom surface of a passenger compartment, and a dash panel that is installed so as to continuously extend upward in front of the floor panel and forms a front wall of the passenger compartment. The present invention relates to a vehicle lower limb protection structure in which a pedal member operated by a driver seated in an upper driver seat is provided in the vicinity of the dash panel.

  Conventionally, as shown in Patent Document 1 below, an energy absorber is provided between the side inclined wall of the floor tunnel and the carpet in the vehicle width direction and above the footrest, and the vehicle width direction outer side surface of the energy absorbing member is provided. When the footrest is turned to the floor tunnel side and the occupant's toe part is turned to the floor tunnel side when the front side of the vehicle collides, etc. In order to protect the occupant's feet (lower limbs), the energy absorbing member absorbs the rotational energy of the foot tip toward the floor tunnel.

  Further, as shown in Patent Document 2 below, a footrest having a predetermined height installed in the vicinity of an impact absorber formed of a floor tunnel portion, an extended footrest portion that can be expanded from an initial position to an extended position, and the front surface of the vehicle By providing a moving mechanism that moves the extended footrest portion from the initial position to the extended position according to the prediction of the collision prediction means, the passenger's foot placed on the footrest is prevented from coming off from the tread of the footrest. Protecting your feet has been done.

  Further, as shown in Patent Document 3 below, the base side of the base bracket portion fixed to the toe board and the base side of the footrest portion on which the occupant's feet are placed are integrally formed via a bent portion, and the base A force limiter is formed on the base side of the bracket portion, the base bracket portion and the footrest portion are opposed to each other by bending the bent portion, and connected to each other via a cushion interposed on the distal end side of both members. The height on the base side of both opposing members is defined by a force limiter, and when a large impact load is applied, the impact load is absorbed by deforming or breaking the force limiter.

JP 2008-279984 A JP 2008-189030 A JP 2007-238035 A

  In the invention disclosed in Patent Document 1, the energy absorbing material made of foamed resin is provided on the side wall inclined surface of the floor tunnel portion located on the side of the footrest member. When the vehicle body is deformed so as to turn to the tunnel side, the driver's lower limbs (tips) placed on the footrest member are alleviated from the impact caused by being pressed against the side walls of the floor tunnel. It is possible to protect the lower limbs. However, even if the above configuration is adopted, when a load is applied in a direction in which the driver's lower limb placed on the footrest member is moved to the installation portion side of the pedal member, driving from the lower limb placement portion of the footrest member is performed. There is a problem that the lower limbs of the person cannot be effectively prevented from sliding down, the driver is likely to feel uncomfortable, and the protective action of the lower limbs cannot be sufficiently obtained.

  In the invention disclosed in Patent Document 2, the front collision prediction unit appropriately predicts the front collision of the vehicle, and before the front collision of the vehicle occurs, the moving mechanism is operated to set the extension footrest portion to the initial position. If it can be moved from to the extended position, it is possible to effectively prevent the occurrence of a situation in which the lower limb of the occupant placed on the footrest portion slides down from the lower limb placement portion of the footrest member. However, since it is necessary to provide the front collision predicting means and the moving mechanism and to configure the lower limb placement portion of the footrest member to be expandable, there is a disadvantage that the structure becomes complicated.

  In addition, since it is difficult to properly predict the frontal collision of the vehicle by the frontal collision prediction means, the moving mechanism is in an activated state and the extended footrest part is in spite of the low probability of a frontal collision. There is a problem that the driver is likely to feel uncomfortable by moving to the extended position. In order to prevent the occurrence of such a situation, it is conceivable to operate the moving mechanism when the probability of occurrence of a frontal collision becomes extremely high. It is difficult to move the extended footrest part to the extended position at an appropriate timing before the occurrence, and there is a possibility that the driver's lower limbs cannot be effectively protected despite the adoption of the structure. It was.

  In the footrest structure for a vehicle disclosed in Patent Document 3, the force limiter disposed between the base side of the base bracket portion and the base side of the footrest portion is deformed or deformed when a frontal collision accident of the vehicle occurs. Since it is configured to absorb the impact load by being broken, if the driver's lower limb can be maintained on the footrest member, the lower limb can be effectively protected. However, even if the above configuration is adopted, if the driver's lower limb slips off from the lower limb mounting portion of the footrest member during a frontal collision of the vehicle, an effect of absorbing an impact load by deforming the force limiter or the like can be obtained. There is a problem that the driver cannot easily feel a sense of incongruity and cannot fully protect the lower limbs.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and prevents the driver's lower limbs from slipping down from the lower limb placing portion of the footrest member with a simple configuration during a frontal collision of the vehicle. An object of the present invention is to provide a lower limb protection structure for a vehicle that can effectively protect the lower limbs.

  The invention according to claim 1 comprises: a floor panel that constitutes the bottom surface of the passenger compartment; and a dash panel that forms a front wall of the passenger compartment by being installed so as to continuously extend upward in front of the floor panel. In a vehicle in which a pedal member operated by a driver seated on a driver seat on the floor panel is provided in the vicinity of the dash panel, a side portion of the pedal member at a lower portion of the dash panel, A footrest member on which the driver's lower limb is placed is disposed, and the footrest member is provided with a lower limb movement restricting means that restricts the movement of the driver's lower limb toward the pedal member during a frontal collision of the vehicle. It is what was done.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the lower limb protection structure of the vehicle according to the first aspect of the invention, the footrest member has a lower limb placement portion comprising an inclined surface inclined so as to be directed toward the pedal member in a plan view. The lower limb movement restricting means is provided by the lower limb placement portion.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the lower limb protection structure of the vehicle according to the first or second aspect, a vehicle body member is disposed on the opposite side of the surface of the footrest member located on the pedal member side. is there.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle lower limb protection structure according to any one of the first to third aspects, the pedal member side of the lower limb placement portion is opposed to the footrest member when a predetermined load is input. A deformation promoting portion that can be greatly deformed compared to the pedal member side is provided, and the lower limb movement restricting means is configured by the deformation promoting portion.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the lower limb protection structure of the vehicle according to any one of the second to fourth aspects of the present invention, the driver's seat is arranged so that the driver is seated in the pedal member side in plan view. A seating surface is constructed.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle lower limb protection structure according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, the upper portion of the lower limb resting portion is a lower portion of the footrest member when a predetermined load is input. A deformation promoting part that can be greatly deformed forward is provided, and the deformation promoting part constitutes the lower limb movement restricting means.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the lower limb protection structure of the vehicle according to any one of the second to sixth aspects, a support member for tiltably supporting the pedal member is provided on a side surface of the pedal member. The lower limb movement restricting means is constituted by the support member.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the leg rest member disposed on the side portion of the pedal member is provided with leg movement restricting means for restricting movement of the driver's lower limb to the pedal member side during a frontal collision of the vehicle. Therefore, when a large load is applied in the direction in which the driver's lower limb is pressed against the lower leg mounting portion of the footrest member at the time of a frontal collision of the vehicle, the driver's lower limb slips from the lower leg mounting portion of the footrest member. There is an advantage that the lower limb can be effectively protected by preventing.

  In the invention according to claim 2, the lower limb movement restricting means is configured by the lower limb placement portion composed of an inclined surface inclined so as to be directed to the pedal member side in a plan view. When a large load is applied in a direction in which the footrest member is pressed against the lower limb placement portion, the driver's lower limb is guided to the side opposite to the pedal member along the inclined surface of the lower limb placement portion, so that a predetermined load is applied. There is an advantage that the driver's lower limb placed on the lower limb placement portion at the time of input can be effectively prevented with a very simple configuration from moving to the pedal member side.

  In the invention according to claim 3, since the vehicle body member is disposed on the opposite side of the surface of the footrest member located on the pedal member side, the footrest member is adjacent to the tunnel portion and the pedal member. Therefore, even in a vehicle in which it is difficult to increase the width dimension of the footrest member, and the driver's lower limb tends to slip off from the footrest member, the footrest member may be damaged during a frontal collision of the vehicle. By preventing the driver's lower limb from slipping down from the lower limb placement portion of the member, it is possible to achieve a remarkable effect that the driver's lower limb can be effectively protected while making the vehicle compact.

  In the invention which concerns on Claim 4, the said footrest member is provided with the deformation | transformation acceleration | stimulation part which can change a pedal member side of a leg mounting part largely compared with the non-pedal member side at the time of the input of a predetermined load, This deformation | transformation acceleration | stimulation Since the lower limb movement restricting means is configured by a portion, the lower limb placement portion of the lower limb placement portion can be placed in an appropriate state on the lower limb placement portion without causing the driver to feel uncomfortable during normal times. Even in the case where the inclination angle is reduced or the lower limb resting portion is installed straight with respect to the line along the vehicle width direction in plan view, the footrest member is attached to the footrest member at the time of a frontal collision of the vehicle. By deforming the anti-pedal member side of the lower limb placement part on which the outer surface side part of the lower limb is placed in accordance with the pressure of the lower limb to be pressed compared to the pedal member side on which the inner side part of the lower limb is placed The footrest There is an advantage that the lower limb can effectively protect the lower limbs of the bets member is prevented from sliding off the counter-pedal member side.

  In the invention according to claim 5, since the seating surface of the driver's seat is configured so that the driver is seated in the pedal member side in a plan view, the lower limb placement portion of the footrest member is Even in the case where the anti-pedal member side is tilted so that it is positioned forward relative to the pedal member side, the driver's lower limb placed on the lower limb placement portion of the footrest member is in plan view. The lower limbs can be effectively protected while preventing the driver from feeling uncomfortable due to the tight angle.

  In the invention which concerns on Claim 6, the said footrest member is provided with the deformation | transformation acceleration | stimulation part which can largely deform | transform the upper part of a leg mounting part ahead compared with a lower part at the time of the input of predetermined load, This deformation | transformation acceleration | stimulation part Since the lower limb movement restricting means is configured by the above, the footrest member is pressed rearward according to the impact load input at the time of the front collision of the vehicle, and the driver's lower leg is relatively pushed forward. Even when the driver's seating posture changes so that the knee angle increases, the ankle angle can be prevented from changing significantly. Therefore, it is possible to effectively prevent the occurrence of a situation in which the ankle angle is less than that an excessive force acts on the driver's ankle and the lower limb falls off the footrest member in order to avoid this. There is an advantage that a person can withstand an impact in a state where the lower limb is placed on the footrest member.

  In the invention according to claim 7, since the support member for tilting the pedal member is provided on the side surface of the pedal member, and the lower limb movement restricting means is configured by the support member, when the clutch pedal is depressed, By supporting the clutch pedal by the support member, the clutch pedal can be smoothly swung and displaced, and the lower limbs on the footrest member slide down to the anti-pedal member side at the time of a frontal collision of the vehicle. There is an advantage that the effect of preventing and protecting the lower limb can be obtained at the same time.

1 is a side view showing a first embodiment of a lower limb protection structure of a vehicle according to the present invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of the compartment front part provided with the said leg protection structure. It is side surface sectional drawing which shows the specific structure of a footrest member. It is a top view which shows the specific structure of a footrest member. It is a top view which shows a driver | operator's seating state. FIG. 5 is a view corresponding to FIG. 4 showing a comparative example of the present invention. It is side surface sectional drawing which shows the effect | action of 1st Embodiment of the said leg protection structure. It is a plane sectional view showing a 2nd embodiment of a leg protection structure of vehicles concerning the present invention. It is a plane sectional view showing an operation of a 2nd embodiment of the above-mentioned leg protection structure. It is a side view which shows 3rd Embodiment of the leg protection structure of the vehicle which concerns on this invention. It is a top view which shows the leg protection structure which concerns on the said 3rd Embodiment. It is a side view which shows the depression state of a clutch pedal in the said 3rd Embodiment. It is a side view which shows the displacement state of the clutch pedal at the time of a vehicle collision.

  1 and 2 show a first embodiment of a vehicle lower limb protection structure according to the present invention. The vehicle includes a floor panel 1 that forms a bottom surface of the passenger compartment, and a dash panel 2 that is disposed so as to extend continuously upward in front of the floor panel 1 to form a front wall of the passenger compartment. Is provided. A driver's seat 3 on which the driver is seated is installed on the floor panel 1 and on the right side of the front part of the passenger compartment, and an accelerator pedal 4 and a brake pedal that are operated by the driver sitting on the driver's seat 3. 5 and a clutch member such as a clutch pedal 6 are provided at positions close to the dash panel 2.

  A vehicle body comprising a side wall surface of a tunnel portion 7 formed so as to extend in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body at the side portion of the clutch pedal 6 at the lower portion of the dash panel 2, that is, in the vehicle width direction central portion on the floor panel 1. A footrest member 8 is disposed near the center of the vehicle in the vehicle width direction. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the footrest member 8 includes a lower limb placing portion 9 on which the driver places the lower limb A, specifically, the sole of the left foot, and the front side of the vehicle body from the front. And a plurality of legs 10 disposed at predetermined intervals in the vertical direction.

  The leg resting portion 9 of the footrest member 8 is installed so as to incline upward in a side view, and the inclination angle α of the leg resting portion 9 is such that the lower limb rests in a state where the driver maintains a comfortable posture at normal times. It is set so that A can be placed. For example, when the installation angle (below knee angle) β with respect to the horizontal surface of the left foot that the driver sitting in the driver's seat 1 extends forward in a side view in a side view is about 25 °, the ankle angle γ is 90 °. The inclination angle α of the lower limb rest part 9 with respect to the horizontal plane is set to, for example, about 65 ° so that the lower limb rest part 9 can be placed on the lower limb rest part 9.

  The leg 10 located above the footrest member 8 is set to have a thickness t1 smaller than the thickness t2 of the leg 10 located at the lower part, and the leg 10 located at the upper part is installed. The interval W1 is set larger than the installation interval W2 of the lower leg 10. In this way, by setting the strength of the upper leg portion 10 to be smaller than that of the lower leg portion 10, the upper portion of the lower limb rest portion 9 is set to the lower portion when a predetermined load is input as described later. A deformation promoting portion that can be largely deformed forward compared to the above is configured.

  In addition, the lower limb placement unit 9 is positioned in a plan view by positioning the side opposite to the pedal member (vehicle width direction center side) in front of the pedal member side (vehicle width direction outer side) in plan view. And is formed on an inclined surface that is inclined so as to face the pedal member side (the vehicle width direction outer side). The lower limb placement unit 9 stabilizes the driver's lower limb A at normal times by setting the inclination angle θ with respect to the line L along the vehicle width direction to a range of about 5 ° to 10 °, for example. The function of the supporting means to support and lower limb movement that restricts the movement of the lower limb A of the driver placed on the lower limb placing portion 9 to the pedal member side at the time of a frontal collision of the vehicle It has a function as a regulating means.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 4, with respect to the line L along the vehicle width direction so that the lower limb placement portion 9 of the footrest member 8 is directed to the pedal member side (vehicle width direction outer side) in plan view. When the vehicle is tilted at a predetermined angle θ, the lower limb placement unit is used at the time of a frontal collision of the vehicle in which a large load acts in a direction in which the driver's lower limb A is pressed against the lower limb placement unit 9 of the footrest member 8. Accordingly, the driver's lower limb A is guided toward the center in the vehicle width direction (tunnel portion 7 side) along the inclined surface 9. Thus, the driver's lower limb A placed on the lower limb rest portion 9 is prevented from moving to the pedal member side when a predetermined load is input, and the outer surface of the lower limb A is moved to the tunnel portion 7 side. It is comprised so that it can hold | maintain in the state contact | abutted to the wall surface.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the driver's seat 3 is, for example, 2 ° with respect to a line L along the vehicle width direction so as to be slightly directed toward the pedal member side (the vehicle width direction outer side) in plan view. The seating surface of the driver's seat 3 is configured so as to be in a seating state in which the driver is directed toward the pedal member side (sitting state in which the driver is directed slightly diagonally outside) by being installed with an inclination angle η of ˜5 °. Has been. In addition, instead of the above-described configuration in which the driver's seat 3 is tilted in a plan view, or together with the configuration, for example, the center position O of the driver's seat 3 in the vehicle width direction is set to the accelerator pedal 4 and the footrest. By disposing the intermediate portion C in the vehicle width direction with respect to the vehicle width direction intermediate position C between the members 8, the driver is placed in a seating state directed toward the pedal member side (the vehicle width direction outer side). The driver's seat 3 may be configured.

  The driver tries to sit down with the right foot placed on the accelerator pedal 4 and the left foot placed on the footrest member 8 with the center of the back positioned at the center O of the seat back 11. . For this reason, by arranging the center O of the seat back 11 closer to the center in the vehicle width direction than the intermediate position C in the vehicle width direction between the accelerator pedal 4 and the footrest member 8, the intermediate position between the left and right feet is set to the back. The vehicle is positioned on the outer side in the vehicle width direction with respect to the central portion, so that the driver can be seated in a slightly outwardly inclined state.

  The floor panel 1 constituting the bottom surface of the passenger compartment as described above, and the dash panel 2 which is installed so as to continuously extend upward in front of the floor panel 1 and forms the front wall of the passenger compartment, In a vehicle in which a pedal member including a clutch pedal 6 and the like operated by a driver seated on the driver's seat 3 on the floor panel 1 is provided in the vicinity of the dash panel 2, the pedal member is disposed below the dash panel 2. The footrest member 8 on which the driver's lower limb A is placed is disposed on the side portion of the vehicle, and the driver's lower limb A moves to the pedal member side at the time of a frontal collision of the vehicle. The leg movement restricting means for restricting the leg is prevented, and the lower leg A is effectively prevented by preventing the driver's lower leg A from slipping down from the lower leg mounting portion 9 of the footrest member 8 at the time of a frontal collision of the vehicle with a simple configuration. Can be protected to .

  That is, in the said 1st Embodiment, it is with respect to the line L along the vehicle width direction so that the leg mounting part 9 of the footrest member 8 may face a pedal member side (vehicle width direction outer side) by planar view. Is inclined at a predetermined angle θ. According to this configuration, when a large load is applied in a direction in which the driver's lower limb A is pressed against the lower limb placement portion 9 of the footrest member 8 during a frontal collision of the vehicle, the inclined surface of the lower limb placement portion 9 Therefore, the driver's lower limb A placed on the lower limb rest portion 9 when the predetermined load is input is placed on the pedal member side. Can be effectively prevented, and the side surface of the lower limb A can be stably held in contact with the side wall surface of the tunnel portion 7. Therefore, as described above, the footrest member 8 is provided with the lower limb placement portion 9 formed of an inclined surface in which the driver's non-pedal member side (tunnel portion 7 side) is positioned forward compared to the pedal member side in plan view. With an extremely simple configuration, there is an advantage that the lower limb A of the driver can be prevented from slipping down from the lower limb placement portion 9 of the footrest member 8 at the time of a frontal collision of the vehicle, and the lower limb A can be effectively protected.

  In the first embodiment, since the vehicle body side member composed of the side wall surface of the tunnel portion 7 is disposed on the side opposite to the surface of the footrest member 8 located on the pedal member side, that is, on the center side in the vehicle width direction, the tunnel portion 7 and the clutch pedal 6 and the like, the footrest members 8 are disposed close to each other, so that it is difficult to increase the width dimension of the footrest member 8. The driver's lower limb A tends to slip down. In such a vehicle, as described above, the lower limb placement portion 9 of the footrest member 8 is inclined so as to be directed toward the pedal member side (the vehicle width direction outer side) in a plan view. For example, when it is configured to prevent the driver's lower limb A from slipping down from the lower limb placement portion 9 of the footrest member 8, the driver's lower limb A can be effectively protected while making the vehicle compact. Can produce various effects.

  In addition, when the inclination angle θ of the lower limb placement portion 9 is increased, the inner side surface portion of the lower limb A is positioned on the rear side larger than the outer surface portion in a normal sitting state, and the driver is likely to feel uncomfortable. On the contrary, when the inclination angle θ of the lower limb placing portion 9 is reduced, as a lower limb movement restricting means for restricting the driver's lower limb A placed on the lower limb placing portion 9 from moving to the pedal member side. Therefore, it is preferable to set the inclination angle θ of the lower limb rest portion 9 in a range of about 5 ° to 10 °. In particular, when the inclination angle θ of the lower limb resting portion 9 is set to around 7 °, the driver's lower limb A is stably supported in a normal state, and the driver's lower limb A during a frontal collision of the vehicle or the like. There is an advantage that the effect of preventing the lower limb A from sliding off the footrest member 8 can be obtained remarkably.

  Further, the footrest member 8 is provided with a lower limb placement portion 9 having a sloped surface in which the driver's anti-pedal member side is located in front of the pedal member side in a plan view, so that the driver can have a vehicle front collision or the like. In the first embodiment configured to restrict the movement of the lower limb A toward the pedal member side, the footrest member 8 includes a side wall surface of the tunnel portion 7 on the side opposite to the surface located on the pedal member side. When the vehicle body side member is provided, the driver's lower limb A placed on the lower limb placement portion 9 is in contact with the side wall surface of the tunnel portion 7 when a predetermined load is input. Since it can hold | maintain, there exists an advantage that it can prevent this leg A on the footrest member 8 slipping down to the anti-pedal member side reliably, and can protect this leg A more effectively.

  Furthermore, in the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, by tilting the seat back 11 of the driver's seat 3 at a predetermined angle η, the driver is slightly on the pedal member side (outside in the vehicle width direction) in plan view. Since the seating surface of the driver's seat 3 is configured so as to be in a seating state oriented toward the head), the lower leg mounting portion 9 of the footrest member 8 is compared with the pedal member side on the side opposite to the driver member in plan view as described above. Even when the structure is inclined so as to be positioned forward, the lower limb A of the driver placed on the lower limb placement portion 9 of the footrest member 8 has a tight angle in plan view. Thus, the lower limb A can be effectively protected while preventing the driver from feeling uncomfortable.

  For example, when the lower limb placement portion 9 of the footrest member 8 is tilted so as to face the pedal member side in a plan view, the left foot as shown in FIG. When the lower leg A is placed on the footrest member 8 with the leg extended outwardly, the lower leg A of the driver is inclined at an unreasonable angle in plan view, and the driver is likely to feel uncomfortable. Tend. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5, when the seating surface of the driver's seat 3 is configured so that the driver is in a seating state directed to the pedal member side (the vehicle width direction outer side) in plan view, Since the driver's inclination direction with respect to the line L and the inclination direction of the lower limb rest part 9 can be made to correspond to each other along the vehicle width direction, the driver's lower limb A is prevented from being inclined at an unreasonable angle. Thus, there is an advantage that the driver's discomfort can be effectively reduced.

  Moreover, in the said 1st Embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the board thickness t1 of the leg part 10 located in the upper part of the footrest member 8 is set smaller than the board thickness t2 of the leg part 10 located in a lower part. In addition, the upper portion of the lower limb rest portion 9 is lowered when a predetermined load is input, for example, by setting the installation interval W1 of the upper leg portion 10 larger than the installation interval W2 of the lower leg portion 10. Since the above-described footrest member 8 is provided with a deformation promoting portion that can be largely deformed forward compared to the portion, according to the pressure of the lower limb A that is pressed against the footrest member 8 at the time of a frontal collision of the vehicle, FIG. As shown, the upper part of the footrest member 8 on which the toe part of the lower limb A is placed can be greatly deformed compared to the lower part of the footrest member 8 on which the buttocks of the lower limb A is placed.

  For this reason, the footrest member 8 is pushed rearward according to the impact load input at the time of the frontal collision of the vehicle, and the driver's lower leg A is pushed forward relatively, so that the lower knee angle β Even when the driver's seating posture changes so as to increase, the ankle angle γ can be prevented from changing significantly. Accordingly, the ankle angle γ is less than 90 °, an excessive force acts on the ankle of the driver, and the occurrence of a situation in which the lower limb A falls off the footrest member 8 is effectively prevented to avoid this. There is an advantage that the driver can endure the impact while the lower limb A is placed on the footrest member 8.

  FIG. 8 shows a second embodiment of the lower limb protection structure for a vehicle according to the present invention. In the second embodiment of the lower limb protection structure, a plurality of leg portions 10a are arranged on the lower limb placement portion 9 of the footrest member 8 at a predetermined interval in the vehicle width direction, and the opposite pedal member side (vehicle width direction) The plate thickness t1 of the leg portion 10a located on the center side) is set to be smaller than the plate thickness t2 of the leg portion 10a located on the pedal member side. Further, the installation interval W1 of the leg portion 10a located on the side opposite to the pedal member of the footrest member 8 is set larger than the installation interval W2 of the leg portion 10a on the pedal member side, so that the lower limb is mounted when a predetermined load is input. The footrest member 8 is provided with a leg movement restricting means including a deformation promoting portion that can largely deform the counter pedal member side of the placing portion 9 as compared with the pedal member side.

  As in the second embodiment, the footrest member 8 is provided with a deformation promoting portion that can greatly deform the anti-pedal member side of the lower limb placing portion 9 compared to the pedal member side when a predetermined load is input. In such a case, the inclination angle θ of the lower limb resting portion 9 can be placed in a proper state on the lower limb resting portion 9 without causing the driver to feel uncomfortable at normal times. Even when the leg resting portion 9 is configured to be installed straight with respect to the line L along the vehicle width direction in a plan view, the footrest member 8 can be used during a frontal collision of the vehicle. As shown in FIG. 9, the inner side surface portion of the lower limb A is placed on the side opposite to the pedal member of the lower limb placement portion 9 on which the outer surface side portion of the lower limb A is placed as shown in FIG. By deforming greatly compared to the pedal member side, There is an advantage that the lower limb A can effectively protect the lower limbs A on Trest member 8 is prevented from sliding off the counter-pedal member side.

  10 and 11 show a third embodiment of the vehicle lower limb protection structure according to the present invention. In the third embodiment of the lower limb protection structure, a first link plate 12 rotatably supported by the clutch pedal 6 on the side surface of the pedal member including the clutch pedal 6, and a lower end portion of which uses the hinge shaft 13 as a fulcrum. A support member 15 comprising a link mechanism having a second link plate 14 that is rotatably supported is provided, and the support member 15 constitutes the lower limb movement restricting means. A long hole 17 connected to the first link plate 12 via a connecting pin 16 is formed at the tip of the second link plate 14. In a state where the driver places the lower limb A on the footrest member 8, the second link plate 14 stands in the outer side in the vehicle width direction of the footrest member 8, and the second link plate 14 causes the second link plate 14 to stand upright. The lower limb A on the footrest member 8 is restricted from moving to the side opposite to the pedal member.

  When the clutch pedal is operated by depressing the tread surface portion 6a of the clutch pedal 6, the second link plate 14 swings and displaces with the pivot shaft 13 at the lower end as a fulcrum, and the connecting pin 16 By sliding along the long hole 17 of the two link plates 14, as shown in FIG. 12, the clutch pedal 6 is supported by the support member 15 comprising the link mechanism, and the stepping operation is allowed. It has become. Further, when a large impact load F that pushes the clutch pedal 6 backward is applied as shown in FIG. 13 at the time of a frontal collision of the vehicle, the connecting pin 16 contacts the end of the long hole 17. Since the tilt displacement of the first and second link plates 12 and 14 is restricted so that the rearward movement of the clutch pedal 6 is prevented, the clutch pedal 6 moves rearward greatly and the driver feels uncomfortable. The occurrence of the situation of receiving can be effectively prevented.

  As shown in the third embodiment, a support member 15 including a link plate mechanism that supports the pedal member in a tiltable manner is provided on a side surface of the pedal member including the clutch pedal 6 and the like, and the movement of the lower limb is restricted by the support member 15. When the clutch pedal 6 is configured to have a function as a means, the clutch pedal 6 can be smoothly swung and displaced by supporting the clutch pedal 6 with the support member 15 when the clutch pedal 6 is depressed. And an effect that the driver can be prevented from feeling uncomfortable by restricting the rearward movement of the clutch pedal 6 by the support member 15 when a large impact load is applied to push the clutch pedal 6 backward. In addition, the lower limb A on the footrest member 8 is prevented from sliding down to the side opposite to the pedal member during a frontal collision of the vehicle. There is an advantage that effective and can be obtained at the same time being able to protect.

  In the above-described embodiment, a so-called right-hand drive vehicle in which the driver's seat 3 on which the driver sits is installed on the right side of the front part of the passenger compartment has been described. However, the driver's seat 3 is disposed on the left side of the perspective front part. The present invention can also be applied to a steering wheel vehicle. In this case, the footrest member 8 is disposed on the outer side in the vehicle width direction close to the vehicle body member made of a side sill, and the lower leg of the driver placed on the footrest member 8 is formed of the clutch pedal 6 or the like. By adopting a structure in which the footrest member 8 is provided with movement restricting means for restricting movement to the pedal member side (vehicle width direction center side), the lower limbs of the footrest member can be used during a frontal collision of the vehicle with a simple configuration. It is possible to effectively protect the driver's lower limbs by preventing the driver's lower limbs from slipping down from the mounting portion. Of course, the present invention can also be applied to a so-called automatic type vehicle without the clutch pedal 6.

1 Floor panel 2 Dash panel 3 Driver's seat 6 Clutch pedal (pedal member)
7 Tunnel (body parts)
8 Footrest member 9 Lower limb placement part 15 Support member

Claims (7)

  A floor panel that constitutes the bottom surface of the passenger compartment, and a dash panel that forms a front wall of the passenger compartment by being installed so as to continuously extend upward in front of the floor panel, on the floor panel In a vehicle in which a pedal member operated by a driver seated on a driver's seat is provided in the vicinity of the dash panel, a lower leg of the driver is placed on a side portion of the pedal member at a lower portion of the dash panel. A footrest member is provided, and the footrest member is provided with a lower limb movement restricting means for restricting the movement of the driver's lower limb toward the pedal member during a frontal collision of the vehicle. Lower limb protection structure.   The footrest member is provided with a lower limb placement portion comprising an inclined surface inclined so as to be directed toward the pedal member in plan view, and the lower limb movement restriction means is configured by the lower limb placement portion. The lower limb protection structure for a vehicle according to claim 1.   The lower limb protection structure for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein a vehicle body member is disposed on a side opposite to the surface of the footrest member on the pedal member side.   The footrest member is provided with a deformation promoting portion capable of largely deforming the pedal member side of the lower limb placement portion compared to the non-pedal member side when a predetermined load is input, and the lower limb movement restriction is performed by the deformation promoting portion. The lower limb protection structure for a vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the means is configured.   The vehicle's lower limb protection structure according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the seating surface of the driver's seat is configured so that the driver is seated in a plan view and directed toward the pedal member side. .   The footrest member is provided with a deformation promoting portion capable of largely deforming an upper portion of the lower limb placement portion forward compared to a lower portion when a predetermined load is input, and the lower limb movement restricting means is provided by the deformation promoting portion. The lower limb protection structure for a vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein   The side surface of the pedal member is provided with a support member for tiltably supporting the pedal member, and the lower limb movement restricting means is configured by the support member. The vehicle's lower limb protection structure according to Item.

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