JP3192604B2 - Stepping device for getting on and off a vehicle - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a stepping device for use when a driver or the like gets on or off a driver's cab of a vehicle.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, fixed steps are provided at the entrance of a driver's cab of a vehicle, and a driver or the like uses this step to get on or off the driver's cab. By the way, in a large vehicle such as a dump truck of 10 tons, the height from the ground to the step is very high.
On the other hand, the drivers of heavy vehicles are aging and women are also entering the market. For this reason, there has been an increase in the case where it is extremely difficult to get on and off at the height of the conventional step.

In order to solve these problems, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No.
As disclosed in JP-A-1332967, there has been proposed an apparatus for moving up and down by moving up and down steps.

[0004]

In the proposed structure, a parallel link mechanism is provided on the driver's cab side, a step is provided at the tip of the parallel link mechanism, and when the step is not moved up and down, the step is set up and operated. The amount of protrusion from the room side is reduced. However, in the above configuration, if the mounting position of the parallel link mechanism is directly below the driver's cab entrance, the mounting work becomes easy, but since the distance to the step is short and the parallel link mechanism is short, the vertical distance of the step is small. In addition, since the radius at the time of stepping up and down is small, the forward and backward movement of the step at the time of arc movement becomes large, and there is also a drawback that a passenger on the step feels very uneasy.

It is conceivable to increase the length of the parallel link mechanism in order to solve the above-mentioned drawbacks. However, if the length of the parallel link mechanism is increased, the mounting position of the parallel link mechanism becomes very deeper than the entrance and the mounting work becomes complicated. Also, slight rattling of the mounting position of the parallel link mechanism causes large fluctuations in the steps, giving a new drawback that the passengers feel uneasy.

Further, since there is no cover below the parallel link mechanism, there is a drawback that sewage and mud splashed up during traveling adhere to each shaft support and the like, which causes malfunction.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a stepping device for a vehicle that can facilitate mounting work and provide a stable getting on and off to a passenger.

[0007]

According to the present invention, a pair of left and right guide posts are suspended below a driver's cab entrance of a vehicle, and are supported between the pair of left and right guide posts so as to be able to move up and down by the guide posts. A lifting / lowering device, a step body that can be extended and stored in front of the guide column at the tip of the lifting device, and a first drive device for raising and lowering the lifting device is provided behind the guide column. A second driving device for extending and storing the step main body is provided in the device, and the front surface of the guide post covers the lower part of the elevating device and lowers when the elevating device moves downward.
A character-shaped front lower cover is pivotally supported, and the front lower cover is provided with an elastic member that constantly biases the front lower cover toward the front side of the guide column.

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 and FIG.
Is provided below the entrance 4 of the cab 3 of the vehicle 2. The entrance 4 of the driver's cab 3 can be opened and closed by a door 5, and the door 5 can be opened and closed by moving backward along the side of the driver's cab 3, for example, by rotating by sliding or arm support. Therefore, the stepping device 1 is not prevented from getting on and off.

Next, the step device 1 will be described. In FIG. 6, reference numerals 6 and 6 denote a pair of left and right guide posts, and mounting brackets 7 and 7 are fixed to upper ends of the guide posts 6 and 6 to the driver's cab floor 9 or the reinforcing frame via the brackets 8 and 8. The opening is opposed to each other and has a U-shaped cross section. An auxiliary frame 10 that connects the pair of left and right guide columns 6 and 6 and that serves as reinforcement is fixed behind the pair of guide columns 6 and 6.

The auxiliary frame 10 comprises a pair of upper and lower U-shaped horizontal portions 11, 11 and a pair of left and right vertical portions 12, 12 connecting the upper and lower horizontal portions 11, 11. Both ends of the upper horizontal portion 11 are formed. The guide posts 6, 6 are fixed to upper outer surfaces, and both ends of the lower horizontal portion 11 are fixed to lower end outer surfaces of the guide posts 6, 6. A support member 13 from the driver's cab floor 9 is connected to a part of the upper horizontal portion 11, and the guide posts 6, 6 and the auxiliary frame 10 are fixed by the mounting bracket 7 and the support member 13. ing.

The guide posts 6, 6 are provided with a step 14 for getting on and off so as to be able to move up and down and overhang and store.
The step 14 is an elevating device 15 guided by the guide posts 6 and 6 and a step body 1 for a passenger to put his foot on.
It consists of six. The elevating device 15 includes a pair of left and right elevating frames 1 on both rear outer surfaces of the overhang frame 17.
8 and 18, a pair of upper and lower rollers 19, 19 are provided above the elevating frames 18, 18.
The lifting device 15 can be smoothly moved up and down along the guide posts 6, 6 by mounting the guide posts 6, 6 inside the guide posts 6, 6.

The overhang frame 17 includes a main frame 20 having a U-shaped cross section and a generally U-shape in plan view, and open fronts, and linear auxiliary frames 21 and 21 disposed inside the main frame 20, respectively. A pair of front and rear rollers 22, 22 are provided outside the rear portions of the auxiliary frames 21, 21, and the rollers 22, 22 are provided in the main frame 20 so that the auxiliary frames 21, 21 are provided.
Overhangs forward and can be stored.

A step body 16 is fixed above the front portions of the auxiliary frames 21 and 21, and the auxiliary frame 21 and
21 and can be stored in one piece. The step main body 16 is wide enough to allow a passenger to put on both feet in the lateral direction, and side guards 23, 23 are provided on both side ends of the step main body 16 to prevent the foot from being stepped off.
Is erected.

Next, a first operation for operating the elevating position 15 is described.
The driving device 24 will be described. The driving shaft 2 is mounted on the upper rear surfaces of the pair of guide posts 6, 6 via bearings 25, 25.
6 is provided rotatably, and bearings 25, 2
A pair of left and right sprockets 27, 27 are fixed inside the fifth sprocket. On the other hand, a motor 29 and a speed reducer 30 for reducing the rotation of the motor 29 are fixed to the outer surface of the guide post 6 on one side via support legs 28, and a drive shaft is connected to the speed reducer 30 via a coupling 31. 26 are connected.

Further, sprockets 34, 34 are provided on the lower rear surfaces of the pair of guide posts 6, 6 via bearings 32, 32 and shafts 33, 33. An endless chain 35, 35 is provided between the upper and lower sprockets 27, 34.
And a part of the chains 35, 35 is connected to connecting members 36, 36 fixed to the lifting frames 18, 18 of the lifting device 15. When the motor 29 is driven, the chains 35, 35 move. The lifting device 15 and the step body 16 can be raised and lowered substantially vertically.

Next, a second driving device 37 for extending and storing the step main body 16 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 12, a cylinder 38 is disposed at the center of the extension frame 17 and the base end of the cylinder 38 is connected. The center of the main frame 20 is pivotally supported, and the tip of the cylinder 38 is pivotally supported at the center of the back surface of the step body 16. By expanding and contracting the cylinder 38, the step main body 16 is stored so that the amount of protrusion from the side of the cab 3 is reduced (FIG. 3). (Fig. 5).

A front lower cover 39 covers the lower front and lower ends of the guide posts 6, 6. The front lower cover 39 is provided on the vertical portion 4 as shown in FIGS.
The horizontal portion 41 forms an L-shape, and the vertical portion 40 covers the front surfaces of the guide posts 6, 6, and the horizontal portion 41 covers the lower ends of the guide posts 6, 6. The base end of the portion 41 is pivotally supported on the lower horizontal portion 11 of the auxiliary frame 10 so as to be rotatable downward.

Further, as shown in FIG. 11, a spring 43, which is an elastic member, is provided between a bracket 42 erected on the lower horizontal portion 11 and the horizontal portion 41 of the front lower cover 39, and the front lower cover 39 is always in the position shown in FIG. It is urged to return to the state. As a result, during traveling, the guide columns 6, 6 and the like are covered with the sewage and mud jumped up by the front lower cover 39, and when the elevating device 15 and the step body 16 are lowered, a part of the elevating device 15 is moved to the front lower cover 39. Fig. 1
3, the lower front cover 39 does not hinder the lowering of the elevating device 15 or the like.

Further, when the front lower cover 39 is raised from the lowermost position of the elevating device 15 or the like, the front lower cover 39 automatically returns to the original position (FIG. 11) by the spring force. By the way, although a spring is provided as an elastic member, the same operation and effect can be obtained by using a coil spring or a leaf spring for the shaft support of the front lower cover. A front upper cover 44 covers the upper front of the guide posts 6, 6.
As shown in FIGS. 6 and 16, the front upper cover 44 is formed in a flat shape so as to cover the front upper surfaces of the guide posts 6, 6, and the lower portions of both sides are formed along the outer surfaces of the guide posts 6, 6. Mounting members 45, 45 are provided, and springs 46, 46 are provided between the mounting members 45, 45 and the guide pillars 6, 6 as elastic members for constantly urging the front upper cover 44 downward. is there.

Further, lower stoppers 47, 47 are provided on the outer surfaces of the guide posts 6, 6 to set the lowermost position of the front upper cover 44, and an upper stopper 48 is projected from the upper end of the front of the guide posts 6, 6, so that the front surface of the guide posts 6, 6 is projected. The highest position of the upper cover 44 is set. Side covers 49 having a U-shaped cross section are provided on both side surfaces of the guide posts 6, 6 and the auxiliary frame 10, respectively.
The bolts 50 are fixed to the side covers 49, 49.
16 overlaps the end of the front upper cover 44 as shown in FIG. 16 to support the front upper cover 44 so that it does not fall forward.

In this manner, the upper portions of the front surfaces of the guide posts 6, 6 are normally covered, and the lifting device 15 and the step body 16 are normally covered.
Rises, the lower end of the front upper cover 44 hits the lifting device 15 and rises against the spring force (FIG. 14). When the elevating device 15 and the like descend, the front upper cover 44 also descends until it contacts the lower stopper 47 by the spring force. The width of the front lower cover 39 is smaller than the width of the front upper cover 44 so as not to overlap with the side cover 49 as shown in FIG.

As an embodiment, the motor and the cylinder can be either hydraulic or electric. Although a chain and a pulley are used as the first driving device, the same operation and effect can be obtained by using a cylinder. The present invention will now be described in terms of operation with the above configuration. First, during traveling, the step body 1 of the step device 1 as shown in FIGS.
6 is stored in an intermediate position. Accordingly, the amount of protrusion of the step device 1 on the side of the driver's cab 3 is small, and the danger of contact with a pedestrian during traveling can be eliminated.

Next, the case of getting on and off the cab 3 will be described. The door 5 of the driver's cab 3 is opened by sliding the door 5 toward the rear of the vehicle 2 from the state of FIG. 2 (FIG. 2). Thus, when the user steps on and off with the step device 1, the door 5 does not become a hindrance at all and a smooth getting on and off can be performed. If the person who does not interfere with the height of the step body 16 gets on and off after the entrance 4 is opened, the step body 16 can be quickly got on and off at the same position.

When an elderly person or a woman gets into the driver's cab 3, the cylinder 38 of the second driving device 37 is first extended to extend the auxiliary frames 21, 21 and the step body 16 to the position shown in FIG. In this state, the motor 29 is operated to move the chains 35. Chains 35, 35
The lifting frames 18, 18 are moved by the guide posts 6, 6
, And the elevating device 15 and the step body 16 also descend. During lowering, the lifting device 15 is moved to the lower front cover 3.
However, since the front lower cover 39 rotates downward, the elevating device 15 descends smoothly.

The lowermost position of the step body 16 (FIG. 13)
Is located close to the ground, so that even the elderly and women can put their feet on the step body 16. After the passenger gets on the step main body 16, the motor 29 is reversed to move the chains 35, 35 in the reverse direction. The elevating device 15 and the step body 1 are moved by the movement of the chains 35.
6 rises along the guide posts 6, 6 from the lowest position. At this time, the front lower cover 39 also returns to the original state by the spring 43.

When the elevating device 15 or the like further moves up beyond the intermediate position, the elevating device 15 contacts the front upper cover 44,
Slide upward against spring force. As a result, the inside of the step body 16 is covered by the front upper cover 44, so that stepping off or the like can be prevented. When the step body 16 reaches the highest position (FIG. 1)
4) Since the step main body 16 is located at a position close to the cab floor 9, it is possible to smoothly get into and out of the cab 3 from the step main body 16.

After completion of the getting on and off, the elevating device 15 and the step main body 16 are lowered to the intermediate position, and then the cylinder 38 is reduced and the step main body 16 is stored. At this time, the front lower cover 44 that has been raised is pulled down by the spring 46 and stopped at the position where the lower stopper 47 abuts, and always covers the front surfaces of the guide posts 6, 6. After the step main body 16 is stored, the door 5 is closed and the vehicle travels. When getting off the operator's cab 3, the order can be reversed.

[0028]

As described above, according to the present invention, a step body is provided in an elevating device which is guided by a guide column so as to be able to ascend and descend so that each driving device can raise and lower the elevating device and extend and store the step body. Therefore, the mounting position of the guide post becomes closer to the entrance and exit, and the mounting operation is facilitated, and the step main body does not move back and forth or wobble when ascending or descending the step main body, and it is possible to get on and off in a stable state.

Further, a front lower cover having an L-shaped cross section is pivotally supported on the guide post side, and the front lower cover is always urged toward the guide post front side by an elastic member.
The lower front cover does not hinder the elevating device
It is possible to prevent sewage and mud jumped up during traveling from adhering to the elevating device and the driving device, and to always maintain good operation.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall view of a cab equipped with a step device for getting on and off.

FIG. 2 is an operation state diagram in which a doorway of a cab is opened.

FIG. 3 is an overall view of a step device for getting on and off.

FIG. 4 is an AA diagram of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an overall view of a state where a step main body is extended.

FIG. 6 is a BB diagram of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a CC diagram of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along line DD of FIG. 5;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along the line EE of FIG. 5;

FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along line FF of FIG. 5;

FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken along line GG of FIG. 6;

FIG. 12 is a sectional view taken along line HH of FIG. 6;

FIG. 13 is an operation state diagram when the step main body is lowered at the lowest position.

FIG. 14 is an operation state diagram when the step body is at its highest position.

FIG. 15 is an enlarged view of an end of a front upper cover.

FIG. 16 is an enlarged view of the lifting device in a partially sectioned view.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Step apparatus 3 Operator's cab 4 Doorway 5 Door 6 Guide support | pillar 15 Elevating device 16 Step main body 24 1st drive 37 Second drive 39 Front lower cover 44 Front upper cover

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A pair of left and right guide posts are suspended below a driver's cab entrance of a vehicle, and between the left and right guide posts,
Provide a lifting device supported by a guide post so that it can be raised and lowered,
A step body that can be extended and stored is provided in front of the guide column at the tip of the elevating device, and a first driving device that operates the elevating device is provided behind the guide column, and a step body is provided in the elevating device. The second overhanging storage
A drive device is provided, and on the guide post side, an L-shaped front lower cover that pivots downward with the front of the guide post that covers the lower part of the elevating device and that rotates downward when the elevating device moves down, A step device for getting on and off a vehicle, wherein the front lower cover is provided with an elastic member that constantly biases the front lower cover toward the front side of the guide column.