WO2007137663A1

WO2007137663A1 - Ramp to be placed at a door opening of a vehicle

Info

Publication number: WO2007137663A1
Application number: PCT/EP2007/003736
Authority: WO
Inventors: Fredi Stephany
Original assignee: Daimler Ag
Priority date: 2006-05-31
Filing date: 2007-04-27
Publication date: 2007-12-06
Also published as: EP2020975A1; DE102006025278B3

Abstract

The invention relates to a ramp that is to be placed at a door opening of a vehicle and belongs to a type described in the generic part of claim 1. In order to create a particularly reliable and operator-friendly driving mechanism for closing the flap (30), the movements between the flap (30) and the ramp member (11) are coupled via a traction rope (32) as a driving mechanism, one end of said traction rope (32) being coupled to the flap (30) and the other end thereof being coupled to a guiding member (guide block 40) that is movably mounted in a housing (20). The guiding member (guide block 40) cooperates with a corresponding guiding zone (16) of the ramp member (11) in such a way that the traction rope (32) is moved along with the ramp member (11) only by a partial distance that is long enough to displace the flap (30) when the ramp member (11) is retracted and deployed.

Description

DaimlerChrysler AG

Ramp for placement on a door opening of a vehicle

The invention relates to a ramp for arrangement on a door opening of a vehicle referred to in the preamble of claim 1 Art.

Such a ramp is already known from DE 203 19 248 Ul to mobility disabled people entering and exiting through a door opening of a vehicle such. B. a tram, a train or bus to facilitate. The ramp comprises a plate-shaped ramp body, which is completely retracted in its non-use position in an associated housing at the bottom of the door opening. The bottom of the door opening is formed by a flat floor surface of the vehicle, wherein the floor surface is provided in the door opening with a cutout, in which the cassette-shaped housing is accurately inserted. The ramp body is movably supported in the housing and can be extended out of its housing into its use position by an associated drive from its lowered non-use position, in which the ramp body protrudes laterally from the door opening and the space between the floor surface of the vehicle and the adjacent floor of the vehicle surroundings bypassed.

For extending and retracting the ramp body, the housing has a lateral passage opening, which in the lowered non-use position of the ramp body is closed by an associated flap. The plate-shaped flap is pivotally articulated along its lower edge on the underside of the housing and displaceable by means of an unspecified drive between its open and closed position.

The object of the invention is to improve a ramp for arrangement on a door opening of a vehicle referred to in the preamble of claim 1 way to the effect that a particularly reliable and user-friendly drive to close the door is created.

This object is achieved by the features of claim 1. More embodying the invention in an advantageous manner features include the dependent claims.

The advantage achieved by the invention is that the flap when retracting the ramp body is moved to the non-use position in a particularly user-friendly way automatically in its closed position, being provided as a self-propelled drive particularly easy and reliable motion coupling between the flap and ramp body via a pull rope.

In principle, it would be possible to connect the pull cable at its two opposing Zugseilenden directly with the flap or the ramp body. In this connection, however, the traction cable would be moved over the entire travel path of the ramp body. Since it can not be ensured that the traction cable remains in its extended form when extending and retracting the ramp body, undefined cable twisting and twisting could occur, which considerably reduces the service life of the traction cable. can put.

In order to ensure a long service life of the pull rope, the pull cable end facing away from the flap is therefore coupled to a guide member which is movably mounted in the housing and cooperates with a corresponding guide zone of the ramp body, that the pull rope during retraction and extension of the ramp body only via a for the displacement of the flap sufficient Teilwegstrecke is moved with the ramp body. As a result, it can be achieved that the traction cable always extends when entering and exiting the ramp body and that undefined rope distortions and entanglements are avoided.

As a guide member can be provided particularly easily and reliably a slide movably mounted in the housing guide carriage, wherein the guide carriage can be arranged in the housing such that the guide zone of the ramp body in the use position the guide carriage spaced and opposite when entering the non-use position in the last movement phase the retraction movement runs onto the guide carriage and moves it along.

In order to enable a particularly uniform load on the hauling rope, the hauling rope can be coupled with the interposition of a spring element with the guide member. As a spring element, a compression spring is provided particularly reliable, is supported between the guide carriage and the carriage-side end of the traction cable.

The flap can be hinged particularly easily and reliably pivotally on the housing. The pull cable can be stretched in the non-use position of the ramp body and hold the flap in its closed position, so that can be dispensed with additional locking means for securing the flap in the closed position.

For a particularly simple and reliable opening of the flap, the ramp body may have a stop zone, which runs on the closed flap upon extension of the ramp body in the use position and displaces it into its pivoted open position.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the invention will be explained in more detail with reference to a drawing.

In the illustration show:

1 is a perspective oblique view of a side door opening of a motor vehicle body with a ramp in the non-use position of the ramp body in a perspective oblique view,

2 is a plan view of the ramp of FIG. 1,

Fig. 3 is a section through the ramp according to the line III -III in Fig. 2 and

Fig. 4 shows the section through the ramp in the extended position of use of the ramp body.

In FIG. 1, only one area of the side wall adjoining a side door opening 2 is shown by a body 1 of a city bus designed in low-floor construction. The door opening 2 is bounded by an associated door frame, which is formed by a lateral bottom longitudinal member 3, two body pillars 4 and 5 and a roof longitudinal member of the body 1, not shown. At the door frame the body 1 are mounted two doors, not shown. The executed in sheet metal shell body 1 comprises a substantially planar body floor 6, which has a small height distance to the bottom of the vehicle environment due to the low-floor construction of the city bus. As a result, a particularly simple and comfortable entry and exit through the door opening 2 is already made possible for the passengers. In particular for people with reduced mobility, such. B. wheelchair users or people with stroller to facilitate the entry and exit through the door opening 2 is provided on the door opening 2, a ramp 10 with an extendable ramp body 11 which protrudes laterally in its position of use from the bottom side rail 3 and in the vertical direction and Vehicle transverse direction, the gap between the body floor 6 and the adjacent floor of the vehicle environment, such. B. bridged a curb. For extending and retracting the ramp body 11, the housing 20 has a lateral passage opening 21, which is closed in the recessed non-use position of the ramp body 11 by an associated flap 30.

In its non-use position, the ramp body 11 is completely recessed in an associated housing 20, which is arranged on the body floor 6. The box-shaped housing 20 of the ramp 10 is accurately inserted into an associated cutout 7 at the bottom of the body 1, which is bounded by the body floor 6 and the bottom side rail 3, wherein the top of the housing 20 is substantially flush with the upper sides of the body floor 6 and Floor longitudinal member 3 connects, so that in the region of the door opening 2 a total of a flat floor bottom of the body 1 is present.

In Fig. 2 it can be seen that the plate-shaped ramp body 11 is slidably guided along two parallel sliding guides 12 in the carriage transverse direction in the housing 20. To move the ramp body 11 between its non-use and use position, a drive arrangement is further provided in the housing 20 with two spaced-apart chain drives 13, which are each arranged near one of the sliding guides 12. The chain drive 13 are designed to be self-locking to easily define the ramp body 11 in both the use and in the non-use position The drive assembly is connected to a control, not shown, and operated via associated actuation switch in the vehicle interior and from outside the vehicle.

The ramp body 11 comprises an inner 14 and an outer plate 15 which are pivotally connected by hinges about a connecting axis extending in the longitudinal direction of the carriage. When extending the ramp body 11 in its position of use, the inner plate 14 thereby remains within the housing 11, while the outer plate 15 is displaced through the passage opening 21 to the outside of the housing 20. In this case, the outer plate 15 can be pivoted about the connection axis down to compensate for a difference in height between the body floor 6 and the bottom of the vehicle environment.

In the synopsis of FIGS. 2 and 3 it can be seen that the plate-shaped flap 30 is hinged at its lower edge portion via associated hinges 31 pivotally about a pivot axis extending in the longitudinal direction of the carriage housing 21. In its closed position, the flap 30 extends vertically and completely covers the passage opening 21, the flap 30 being sealed off at the opening edge of the housing 20 with the interposition of rubber-elastic buffer elements. supports.

The flap 30 is connected via a pull cable 32 to a guide slide 40, which is arranged in the flap 30 opposite lateral end portion of the housing 20 and abuts a corresponding support zone 16 of the ramp body 11, wherein the support zone 16 at the lid-facing, inner Narrow side of the ramp body 11 is arranged. The traction cable 32 designed as a wire rope made of steel wire runs freely below the ramp body 11 in the housing 21 and is hinged at its front Zugseilende about an associated receptacle 33 pivotally about the carriage longitudinal axis of the flap 30, wherein the receptacle 33 at a height distance above the pivot axis the flap 30 is arranged. If necessary, the traction cable 32 could be guided by suitable guide eyelets or a cable sheath.

The guide carriage 40 includes a horizontally extending base leg, which is guided via a corresponding sliding guide 41 slidingly movable in the carriage transverse direction in the housing 20. From the lid-facing, outer end portion of the base leg protrudes upward from a short support leg 42 which is supported on the opposite support zone 16 of the ramp body 11, while protruding from the cover, inner end portion of the base leg 41 upwardly a holding leg 43.

The traction cable 32 is provided at its cover-off facing Zuseilende with a cylindrical guide sleeve 34 which is pressed firmly with the corresponding cable section. The co-moving with the tension cable 32 guide sleeve 34 passes through congruent passage openings in support leg 42 and retaining leg 43 of the guide carriage 40 and projects inwardly from the holding leg 43 from. The cover facing away, inner end portion of the guide sleeve 34 is provided with a stop in Form of an adjustable stop nut 35 is provided, which is screwed onto a corresponding external thread of the guide sleeve 34. Between the stop nut 35 of the guide sleeve 34 and the lid facing away from the inside of the holding leg 43, a compression spring 44 is supported, wherein the coil spring formed as a compression spring 44 is pushed onto the associated region of the guide sleeve 34. In the non-use position of the ramp body 11 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the compression spring 44 assumes a prestressed position.

The guide carriage 40 is supported between a stop, not shown, of the sliding guide 41 and the guide zone 16 of the ramp body 11 and thus slide-locked, wherein the ramp body 11 is held by the self-locking of the chain drive 13 in its sunken non-use position. As a result, the flap 30 connected to the guide slide 40 via the pull cable 44 is held pivotally locked in its closed position. Slight displacements of the ramp body 11 as a result of the stresses occurring during driving can be compensated by elastic deformation of the compression spring 44, which can be ensured that the flap 30 remains in its vertical closed position.

To extend from its non-use position shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 in the use position shown in FIG. 4, the ramp body 11 is slid over the chain drive 13 along the sliding guides 12 to the carriage outside, wherein the ramp body 11 runs with its outer narrow side on the lid 20 and displaced it into its open position. The front narrow side of the ramp body 11 thus forms a stop zone 18, which may be provided to dampen the impact on lid 30 and ramp body 11 with elastischdämpfenden buffers. The lid 30 is pivoted as a result of the impact of the ramp body 11 about its pivot axis to the car outside and then falls due to the weight to its open position shown in Fig. 4, in which the lid 30 rests against a stop, not shown, of the housing 20 and is held down by the weight. In its open position, the cover 30 is pivoted to an opening angle of about 60 degrees relative to the vertical downwards, between the upper edge of the lid 30 and the opening frame of the passage opening 21, a sufficient clearance is provided to move the ramp body 11 out of the housing 20.

When pivoting the lid 30 in the open position of the guide carriage 40 is moved over the cable 32 with the cover 30 and moved along the sliding guides by the distance a in its shown in Fig. 4 outer end position. The length of the traction cable 32 and the compression spring 44 are matched to the opening angle of the cover 20 and the travel path a of the guide carriage 40, that in the open position of the cover 20, the compression spring 44 is substantially completely relaxed and the traction cable 32 stretched between guide carriage 40th and lid 20 extends.

In the synopsis of Figs. 3 and 4 it can be seen that the guide carriage 40 is not moved during the extension of the ramp body 11 in the position of use over the entire travel path of the ramp body 11 but only on the smaller distance a, which is just sufficient to the flap 20 in to shift its open position, which has been panned downwards. The ramp body 11 thus releases after passing through the distance a from the guide carriage 40 and is in the position of use with its guide zone 16 the guide rungsschütten 40 spaced opposite.

When returning the ramp body 11 from its use position to its non-use position, the direction of rotation of the chain drive 13 is reversed and the ramp body 11 is pushed along the sliding guides 12 towards the vehicle center. In this case, the ramp body 11 runs in the last movement phase of the retraction movement with its guide zone 16 on the guide carriage 40, whereby this is subsequently moved in the direction of its inner end position.

By moving the guide carriage 40, the compression spring 44 is first biased against the stop nut 35 of the pull cable 32 until a sufficient level of force is present to pivot the cover 20 via the pull cable 32 against the weight in its closed position. By the compression spring 44 while a particularly uniform increase in the force level is effected, whereby excessive loads of pull cable 44 and chain drives 13 can be avoided.

After the guide carriage 40 has been moved by the distance a with the ramp body 11, he finally takes his shown in Fig. 3 inner end position, the flap 30 is again arranged in its vertical closed position and the compression spring 44 assumes its biased position again.

Claims

DaimlerChrysler AGPatent claims

A ramp for arrangement on a door opening of a vehicle with a sliding body movably arranged at the bottom of the door opening in the installed state, which in its inoperative position is sunk in an associated housing at the bottom of the door opening and can be extended through a passage opening of the housing into a use position. wherein the passage opening of the housing in the non-use position of the ramp body is to be closed by a movable flap and wherein a drive is provided to shift the flap from its open position to the closed position, characterized in that as drive a movement coupling between the flap (30) and Ramp body (11) via a pull rope (32) is provided which is at one end coupled to the flap (30) and the other end with a movably mounted in the housing (20) guide member (guide slide 40), wherein the guide member (guide slide 40) in such a way korrespondi erenden guide zone (16) of the ramp body (11) cooperates, that the traction cable (32) during retraction and extension of the ramp body (11) only a sufficient for the displacement of the flap (30) Teilwegstrecke (a) with the ramp body (11) is moved.

2. ramp according to claim 1, characterized in that as guide member a sliding movable in the housing (20) mounted guide carriage (40) is provided.

3. ramp according to claim 2, characterized in that the guide carriage (40) is arranged in the housing (20) that the guide zone (16) of the ramp body (11) in the position of use the guide carriage (40) is spaced opposite and when retracting in the non-use position accumulates in the last movement phase of the retraction movement on the guide carriage (40) and moves it along.

4. ramp according to claim 1, characterized in that the traction cable (32) with the interposition of a spring element (compression spring 44) with the guide member (guide slide 40) is coupled.

5. Ramp according to claim 3 and 4, characterized in that a compression spring (44) is provided as the spring element, which is supported between the guide carriage (4) and the associated end of the traction cable (40).

6. ramp according to claim 1, characterized in that the flap (30) is pivotally articulated on the housing (20).

7. ramp according to claim 1, characterized in that the traction cable (32) in the non-use position of the ramp body (11) is stretched and holds the flap (30) in its closed position.

8. Ramp according to claim 6, characterized in that the ramp body (11) has a stop zone (18), which runs during the extension of the ramp body (11) in its position of use on the closed flap (30) and displaces it into its pivoted open position.