JP5231826B2 - Retractable auxiliary step for vehicles - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a retractable auxiliary step for a vehicle that is disposed between a vehicle step that is already installed in a passenger car, a bus, a one-box car, and the like and a ground surface.

Conventionally, a wide variety of this kind of auxiliary step can be seen. However, Patent Document 1 discloses that an extension position is fixed to the tip of an arm pivotally attached to the lower part of the vehicle step and forward of the lower part of the vehicle step. And a tread plate that rotates and reciprocates on the same horizontal plane between the storage position at the bottom of the vehicle and a link mechanism portion provided with a motor as a drive source, and the operation of the motor moves the tread plate to each position, There is disclosed a retractable auxiliary step for a vehicle that maintains a retracted state and an extended state of a tread at each position.
Further, in Patent Document 2, it is fixed to the tip of an arm pivotally attached to the lower part of the vehicle step, and reciprocates on the same horizontal plane between the extended position in front of the lower part of the vehicle step and the storage position in the lower part of the vehicle. Manual retractable type for a vehicle in which a retractable state and a protruding state of the tread are maintained at each position by a boosting action of a link mechanism portion that is manually operated on a movable tread and is driven to follow the tread. Auxiliary steps are disclosed.

Each of the auxiliary steps is configured to maintain the retracted state and the extended state by controlling the rotation of the tread plate by the link mechanism.
The auxiliary step of Patent Document 1 includes emergency situation avoiding means for engaging / disengaging a driven gear attached to a crankshaft of a crank provided in the link mechanism and a drive gear attached to a motor drive shaft. If the motor should break down when the tread is extended, the emergency avoidance means temporarily shuts the meshing between the driven gear and the drive gear, and then manually moves the tread to the retracted position. After that, the driven gear and the drive gear are reengaged to maintain the retracted state so that the treadle does not overhang due to vibration during traveling of the vehicle.
In addition, the auxiliary step of Patent Document 2 is a lever that suppresses the rotation of the link in the tread plate extending direction, which is essential in the link mechanism, so that the boosting action by the link mechanism always functions in the retracted state of the tread. In the same manner as described above, the tread is prevented from overhanging from the retracted position by vibrations during traveling of the vehicle.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-240631 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-9902

However, in each of the above-described auxiliary steps, in order to keep the treadle in the retracted state (including the case where the emergency state avoiding means is used in Patent Document 1), the link mechanism unit prevents the treadle from rotating in the extending direction. This is because it works so that the link in the link mechanism part breaks due to the use of the auxiliary step over time or other unforeseen circumstances, or the pivot connecting the links In the case of breakage, there has been a problem that the tread board cannot be held in the retracted position and the retracted state cannot be maintained.
Further, the emergency situation avoiding means in Patent Document 1 assumes a case where a failure has occurred in which the motor drive shaft does not rotate. However, if the failure situation is, for example, when the drive gear is idle, as described above. Even if the treadle is moved to the stowed position, the driven gear is meshed with the rotatable drive gear, so the treadle cannot be securely held in the stowed position, and the treadle is freed by vibrations while the vehicle is running. Invite the danger of overhanging.
Therefore, in the present invention, a failure occurs in the treadle rotation control system that controls the operation and posture (extension and retracted state) of the treadle like the above-mentioned link mechanism, and the treadle rotation control system holds the treadle in the retracted position. An object is to provide a retractable auxiliary step for a vehicle equipped with a storing and holding mechanism that can maintain a treadle retracted state separately from the treadle rotation control system so that the vehicle can run without any trouble even if it cannot be done. It is said.

In view of the above problems, the retractable auxiliary step for a vehicle according to the present invention has a tread plate attached to the tip of an arm and the base end of the arm is pivotally attached to the lower portion of the vehicle step, so that the tread plate extends over the lower front of the vehicle step. Between the position and the retracted position of the lower part of the vehicle is rotatable and reciprocating on the same horizontal plane, and is engaged with the vehicle side so as to prevent the treadle from being rotated in the protruding direction at the retracted position. It is characterized in that a storage and holding mechanism portion is provided in which the engagement is released by the rotational force required when the tread plate is extended.
Then, the storage holding mechanism section hangs down from the lower part of the vehicle above the arm so as to swing between the end portions on the base end side and the front end side in an arc track intersecting the axis of the arm arranged at the storage position of the tread. A pin, a spring for urging the pin toward the proximal end, and a pin located on the proximal end between the retracted positions of the treads provided on the upper surface of the arm and rotating to the retracted position An inclined cam surface that gradually oscillates and displaces the pin toward the end on the tip side against the biasing force of the spring, and an inclined cam surface that is continuously formed on the inclined cam surface. The cam has a recessed cam surface with which the pin engages so as to prevent rotation, and the engagement of the pin with the recessed cam surface can be released by the rotational force required to project the tread. The biasing force of the spring is set.

In short, the present invention attaches the treadle to the tip of the arm and pivots the base end of the arm to the lower part of the vehicle step so that the treadle is located between the overhanging position in front of the lower part of the vehicle step and the retracted position in the lower part of the vehicle. An auxiliary step that can rotate and reciprocate on the same horizontal plane, and a storage holding mechanism portion that engages the vehicle side so as to suppress rotation in the protruding direction at the storage position of the tread plate, the link mechanism portion Unlike the conventional method in which the treadle retracted state is maintained only by the treadle rotation control system, the treadle retracted state is always maintained by providing it without being related to the treadle rotation control system. Since it can be held separately from the control system, the vehicle can be run without any trouble even if a failure that prevents the tread board from being held in the retracted position occurs in the tread board rotation control system.
Further, since the engagement by the storage and holding mechanism portion can be released by the turning force required to extend the tread, the tread is extended by the turning force in a normal time when no trouble occurs in the tread plate rotation control system. The treadle can serve as a safe foot joint between the ground and the vehicle step, and even if a failure occurs in the treadle rotation control system that prevents the treadle from being stored, The external force of the vibration level does not generate the rotational force required to extend the tread, so there is no danger of the tread unnecessarily protruding when the vehicle travels, and the stored state can be reliably maintained and the vehicle can be driven safely. be able to.

The storage holding mechanism section includes a pin suspended from the vehicle lower portion above the arm so as to swing between the end portions of the arm base end side and the tip end side in an arc track intersecting the axis of the arm arranged at the storage position of the tread. A spring that urges the pin toward the base end, and a recessed cam that is provided on the upper surface of the arm and engages with the pin so as to prevent the arm from rotating in the protruding direction of the tread at the retracted position of the tread Since the spring biasing force is set so that the engagement of the pin with the recessed cam surface of the pin can be released by the rotational force required to project the tread, the tread is usually in the retracted position. In this way, the pin is engaged with the cam surface of the cam on the arm so that the retracted state is securely maintained. Even if the treadle rotation control system fails, the vibration that occurs during vehicle travel The treadle does not overhang by itself, the vehicle It can travel without disabilities.
Further, in order to project the tread from the retracted state, the tread has to be released so as to release the engaged state of the cam and the pin against the biasing force of the spring acting on the pin engaged with the notched cam surface. Since it can be achieved by rotating in the overhanging direction, the tread can serve as a foot joint between the ground and the vehicle step as before.
The cam is continuously formed on the recessed cam surface and contacts a pin located at the proximal end near the retracted position of the tread that rotates to the retracted position, and resists the biasing force of the spring. Therefore, when the treadle is retracted from the overhanging state, the pin is not forcibly engaged with the notched cam surface. The pin can be smoothly transferred to the concave cam surface by the inclined cam surface between the storage position and the storage position. Its practical effect is significant, such as being able to be stored smoothly while keeping it low.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
The retractable auxiliary step for a vehicle shown in the figure is assembled to a holder 1 fixed and integrated at the lower rear of the vehicle step S, and a horizontally long rectangular plate-like tread 2 is attached to the tip of the arm 3. Is pivotally attached to the lower part of the vehicle step S (holder 1), so that the tread 2 is located between the extended position X in front of the lower part of the vehicle step S and the storage position Y of the lower part of the vehicle (lower right side of the vehicle step S). Can be rotated and reciprocated on the same horizontal plane.

The holder 1 includes a bearing portion 4 of a pivot 3 a provided at the base end of the arm 3 in the center, and a bag shelf portion 5 having a box-shaped space formed on the right side of the bearing portion 4. The drive engine 6 is arranged on the right side of the armature 3 so that the arm 3 and the step board 2 are arranged below the bag shelf 5 and the drive engine 6 when the tread board 2 is stored.
The drive engine 6 includes an electric motor and a reduction gear (not shown), and the transmission mechanism 7 interposed between the drive engine 6 and the arm 3 operates and postures of the tread 2 (arm 3). The rotation control part 8 which controls (overhang | projection and retracted state) is comprised.
The transmission mechanism 7 includes a crank 9 having a base end pivotally attached to an output shaft 6a projecting from the lower portion of the drive engine 6, a bracket 10 extending rearward at the base end of the arm 3, and an appropriate position of the bracket 10 and the crank 9 It consists of an articulated rod 11 pivotally connected to the tip.

Then, the connecting rod 11 is reciprocated by the crank 9 that is rotated by the operation of the drive engine 6, and the arm 3 is rotated about the pivot 3a via the bracket 10 that is pivotally connected to the connecting rod 11. The tread 2 is set so that the drive engine 6 stops when the tread 1 is positioned at the positions X and Y between the overhanging position X and the retracted position Y on the same horizontal plane. Similarly, the rotation control unit 8 (the drive engine 6 and the transmission mechanism unit 7) holds the tread plate 2 in the retracted state and the extended state at the respective positions X and Y.
The drive engine 6 is provided with a drive force interrupting mechanism (not shown) that releases the connection between the electric motor and the output shaft 6a and interrupts the transmission of the drive force to the output shaft 6a. Execution of driving force cutoff by the driving force cutoff mechanism is performed by turning an operation handle 12 provided at the lower part of the drive engine 6, and the operation handle 12 is normally configured to be unrotatable in the driving force cutoff direction. Pinned to

The auxiliary step configured as described above is engaged with the vehicle side so as to prevent the tread plate 2 from rotating in the projecting direction at the retracted position Y, and the turning power required when the tread plate 2 is projected from the stowed position Y. A storage and holding mechanism 13 for releasing the engagement is provided.
The storage and holding mechanism 13 includes a pin 16 that is suspended from a curved portion of a curved lever 15 that swings along a predetermined circular arc track 14 on the horizontal plane above the arm 3 at the storage position Y. A plate-like cam 17 fixed at a suitable position on the upper surface of the arm 3 so as to be freely disengaged, and a pin 16 (lever 15) that engages the cam 17 so as to prevent the tread plate 2 from rotating in the protruding direction at the retracted position Y are attached. It is mainly composed of the tension coil spring 18 that has been energized, and the pin 16 and the cam 17 are forcibly engaged against the urging force of the spring 18 by the rotational force of the rotation control unit 8 required when the tread 2 is extended. It is made to cancel.

The arcuate track 14 is an arcuate shape penetrating through the arm 3 arranged at the storage position Y of the tread 2 on the shelf 5a of the bag shelf 5 in parallel with the arm 3 so as to intersect the axis L of the arm 3. The guide hole 14 (hereinafter referred to as the guide hole 14), and the arm 3 base end side and the tip end side 14a, 14b (hereinafter referred to as the base end end 14a, the tip end end) of the guide hole 14 14b.) One end of the lever 15 is pivotally attached to an appropriate position on the top surface of the shelf 5a so that the pin 16 can swing between them (see FIG. 7).
As a result, the pin 16 is suspended from the vehicle lower part above the arm 3 arranged at the storage position Y through the guide hole 14 to the cam 17 on the arm 3.
On the other end of the lever 15, a spring hooking portion 19 is erected, and one end of the spring 18 is hooked on the spring hooking portion 19, and the other end of the spring 18 is placed at an appropriate position on the left side wall 5b of the bag shelf 5. The pin 16 is urged toward the proximal end portion 14a of the guide hole 14 by being hooked on the spring hook 20 formed with a notch.

The cam 17 contacts the pin 16 positioned at the proximal end 14a of the guide hole 14 just before the storage position Y of the tread 2 that rotates to the storage position Y, and resists the biasing force of the spring 18 to the pin 16 Of the arm 3 in the projecting direction of the tread 2 at the retracted position Y of the tread 2 is formed continuously with the inclined cam surface 17a. It has a notched cam surface 17b with which the pin 16 engages so as to suppress rotation.
The spring 18 can be disengaged by the rotational force of the rotation control unit 8 required to project the tread 2 from the retracted state of the tread 2 in which the pin 16 is engaged with the recessed cam surface 17b. The energizing force is set.

In this embodiment, the rotation control unit 8 is connected to the arm 3 via the transmission mechanism 7 to the drive engine 6 installed in the lower part of the vehicle, but the rotation control unit 8 is limited to this. Instead, for example, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, the rotation engine 8 may be configured by disposing the drive engine 6 below the tread plate 2, or as disclosed in Patent Document 2, The tread board 2 is manually operated to rotate, and is attached so as to be interlocked with the tread board 2 rotation, and the retracted state and the extended state of the tread board 2 are maintained by functioning the boosting action at the extended and retracted positions X and Y. In this manner, the rotation control unit 8 may be configured.
In the case of manual operation, the turning force required when the tread plate 2 is extended naturally becomes a manual force.

Further, in the above description, the auxiliary step in which the tread plate 2 is fixed to the tip of one arm 3 is shown. For example, the base ends of a pair of left and right arms 3 having the same turning radius are pivotally attached to the lower part of the vehicle step S. At the same time, the lower left and right sides of the tread plate 2 are pivotally attached to the tip of each arm 3, one arm 3 is linked to a rotation control unit 8 having an appropriate configuration, and a cam 17 is provided on one of the arms 3, and the storage position Y Thus, the pin 16 that engages with the cam 17 as described above may be provided on the vehicle side to form the storage and holding mechanism portion 13.
In short, in the auxiliary step, the tread plate 2 is attached to the tip of the arm 3 pivotally attached to the lower part of the vehicle step S, and between the overhanging position X in the lower part of the vehicle step S and the storage position Y in the lower part of the vehicle. It only needs to be configured so as to rotate and reciprocate on the same horizontal plane, and the rotation operation of the auxiliary step may be automatic or manual, and the configuration of the rotation control unit 8 is not limited to the above.

Next, the operation of the auxiliary step configured as described above will be described.
In the retracted state of the tread 2, the tread 2 and the arm 3 are disposed at the retracted position Y below the drive engine 6 and the bag shelf 5 fixed to the lower part of the vehicle, and the left edge of the tread 2 is the front edge of the vehicle step S. It is in a sideways posture so as to be parallel to.
In such a state, the drive engine 6 in the rotation control unit 8 is stopped, and the connecting rod 11 presses and holds the bracket 10 at the rear end of the base of the arm 3 so as to be arranged on the left side of the bearing unit 4, and on the arm 3. The retracted state of the tread plate 2 is firmly held by two kinds of storing and holding means by engaging the pin 16 suspended from the lower part of the vehicle with the concave cam surface 17b of the cam 17.

In order to project the tread 2 from the stowed state of the tread 2, the driving engine 6 is operated, and the arm 3 is pivoted about the pivot 3a so that the bracket 10 is pulled toward the driving engine 6 via the crank 9 and the connecting rod 11. Is rotated 90 degrees clockwise to move the tread plate 2 to the extended position X.
At the initial stage of the extension of the tread plate 2, the engagement between the concave cam surface 17b and the pin 16 is forcibly released by the rotational force of the rotation control unit 8 against the urging force of the spring 18, so Although a slight load is applied to the drive engine 6, a high rotational torque is not required after the pin 16 is detached from the recessed cam surface 17b, and the load on the drive engine 6 is reduced.
When the tread board 2 is disposed at the overhang position X, the drive engine 6 stops, the overhang state of the tread board 2 is maintained, and the tread board 2 is used as a foot joint between the vehicle step S and the ground.

In order to retract the tread 2, the drive engine 6 is operated, and the arm 3 is rotated 90 degrees in the opposite direction by the transmission mechanism 7 to return the tread 2 to the retracted position Y.
The inclined cam surface 17a of the cam 17 on the arm 3 comes into contact with the pin 16 located at the proximal end 14a of the guide hole 14 just before the retracted position Y of the tread plate 2, and resists the biasing force of the spring 18. When the pin 16 is gradually swung and displaced toward the tip end 14b of the guide hole 14, and the tread plate 2 and the arm 3 reach the storage position Y of the tread 2, the recessed cam surface 17b is moved from the inclined cam surface 17a to the arm 3 The pin 16 is moved to the base end side of the arm 3 by the urging force of the spring 18 because it is recessed so as to retreat toward the base end side, and the pin 16 engages with the concave cam surface 17b. 2 storage state is maintained.

In the above description, the operation of the rotation control unit 8 in a normal state has been described. However, the case where the rotation control unit 8 breaks down will be described below.
In other words, in the unlikely event that the tread plate 2 is in the retracted state, the rotation control unit 8 cannot regulate the operation of the tread plate 2, for example, the connection between the electric motor in the drive engine 6 and the output shaft 6a is interrupted, or the transmission mechanism Even if the storage control of the tread plate 2 by the rotation control unit 8 becomes impossible due to breakage of each connecting shaft in the portion 7 or breakage of the crank 9 or the connecting rod 11, the cam 17 in the arm 3 is not recessed as described above. Since the pin 16 hanging from the lower part of the vehicle is engaged with the cam surface 17b, the rotation of the arm 3 in the projecting direction of the tread 2 is suppressed, and this engagement projects the tread 2. Since the urging force of the spring 18 is set so that it can be released by the rotational force of the rotation control unit 8 required for this, even if an external force such as vibration generated during vehicle travel acts in the extending direction of the tread 2, the tread 2 without protruding from the storage position Y It can be safely drive the vehicle.

If the rotation control unit 8 breaks down when the tread plate 2 is extended, when the tread plate 2 is manually rotated to the storage position Y, the pin 16 engages with the recessed cam surface 17b at the storage position Y. As described above, the tread plate 2 is stored and held.
At this time, since the pin 16 is oscillated and displaced by the inclined cam surface 16a as described above immediately before the storing position Y of the tread board 2, the turning force of the tread board 2 until it is stored is that of the rotation control unit 8 operating normally. Since the rotational force required at the initial stage of overhanging is kept low, it can be stored smoothly even manually.
If the treadle 2 cannot be rotated during the manual storage, the operation motor 12 is rotated to release the connection between the electric motor in the drive engine 6 and the output shaft 6a, and the output shaft 6a is rotated. By making it possible, the treadle 2 is manually stored.

It is a top view which shows the overhang | projection state of a tread board. It is a bottom view of FIG. It is a front view of FIG. It is a right view of FIG. It is a top view which shows the stowed state of a tread board. FIG. 6 is a bottom view of FIG. 5. It is a schematic plan view which shows the storage holding | maintenance mechanism part at the time of treadboard storage. It is an outline top view showing an operation process from just before a storage position of a storage holding mechanism part to a storage position. It is a general | schematic front view which shows the storage holding | maintenance mechanism part at the time of tread board storage.

Explanation of symbols

2 Treadle 3 Arm
13 Storage and holding mechanism
14 Circular trajectory
14a Base end
14b Tip end
16 pin
17 cams
17a Inclined cam surface
17b Recessed cam surface
18 Spring L Axis S Vehicle step X Overhang position Y Storage position

Claims (1)

The treadle is attached to the tip of the arm, and the base end of the arm is pivotally attached to the lower part of the vehicle step, so that the treadle rotates on the same horizontal plane between the extended position in front of the lower part of the vehicle step and the retracted position in the lower part of the vehicle. In addition to being able to reciprocate, it engages with the vehicle side so as to suppress rotation in the protruding direction at the retracted position of the tread, and the engagement is released by the rotational force required to extend the tread from the retracted position. The storage and holding mechanism portion is provided with an arm so as to swing between the end portions on the proximal end side and the distal end side in an arc orbit intersecting the axis of the arm disposed at the storage position of the tread. A pin hanging from the upper vehicle lower part, a spring for urging the pin to the proximal end, and an arm upper surface provided at the proximal end at the retracted position of the tread that rotates to the retracted position Contact the pin located and said An inclined cam surface for gradually oscillating and displacing the pin toward the end on the tip side against the urging force of the screw, and an inclined cam surface continuously formed on the inclined cam surface, and the rotation of the arm in the tread plate extending direction at the tread plate retracted position A cam having a notched cam surface with which the pin engages so as to suppress movement, and the engagement of the pin with the notched cam surface can be released by the rotational force required to project the tread. A retractable auxiliary step for a vehicle characterized in that an urging force is set .

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