Foot comfort system, vehicle

Abstract

Foot comfort system (1) for a vehicle (2), in particular a motor vehicle, with at least one vehicle seat (3) which has a footrest (11) with a foot massage device (17), wherein the vehicle seat (3) has a holding device (8) on its underside (9) which supports the footrest (11) in such a way that the footrest (11) can be moved from a stowed position below the vehicle seat (3) into an extended use position, wherein the holding device (8) has a sliding guide (12) for moving the footrest (11) between the stowed position and the use position, characterized in that the holding device (8) has at least one joint (13) assigned to the sliding guide (12) and having a pivot axis about which the footrest (11) can be pivoted, so that the rail guide (12) on the holding device (8) can be pivoted about the pivot axis.

Description

The invention relates to a foot comfort system for a vehicle, in particular a motor vehicle, having at least one vehicle seat which has a foot rest with a foot massage device.The invention further relates to a vehicle having a corresponding foot comfort system.Foot comfort systems and vehicles of the type mentioned at the beginning are known from the prior art. For example, WO 2011 / 135 651 A1 discloses a foot comfort system in which a vehicle seat has a foot rest on its backrest, onto which a person sitting behind the vehicle seat can place his feet. For this purpose, the backrest can be folded back forwards. The footrest is formed in this case directly by the backrest itself. However, by folding over the backrest, the vehicle seat can no longer be used elsewhere. If the vehicle seat is not folded over, the use of the foot rest is still possible for the person, but is less comfortable. In addition, if the backrest was not folded over, a person located on the vehicle seat would feel the vibrations and / or movements of the foot massage device in the back, which would reduce the comfort for the person located on the vehicle seat.Further foot comfort systems are known from the laid-open specifications WO 2005 / 018 983 A1, US 2004 / 0 034 314 A1, US 2003 / 0 006 639 A1 and GB 2 469 475 A.The object of the invention is thus to provide a foot comfort system for a vehicle which allows comfortable use of the foot massage device both for a person located on the vehicle seat and for a person located on a further vehicle seat.The object is achieved by a foot comfort system having the features of claim 1. This has the advantage that the foot massage device can be used independently of the position of the backrest of the vehicle seat, and that any vibrations which may originate from the foot massage device are not felt, or at least are felt to a lesser extent, by a person located on the vehicle seat. The foot comfort system according to the invention is characterized in that the vehicle seat has a holder device on its underside, which supports the foot rest in such a way that the foot rest can be displaced from a stowage position below the vehicle seat into an extended use position. The foot rest is thus not assigned to the backrest as before, but to the seat part of the vehicle seat. For this purpose, the holding device is arranged on the underside of the vehicle seat, preferably on the underside of the seat part. The support device supports and stores the foot rest. Because the holding device is provided on the underside of the vehicle seat, the foot rest is provided on the vehicle seat independently of a floor of the vehicle and can be displaced from the stowage position into the use position in particular without ground contact. Moreover, the stowage of the foot rest underneath the vehicle seat releases the foot space of the vehicle, so that the freedom of movement is not restricted when the foot rest is not in use.According to the invention, it is provided that the holding device has a sliding guide for sliding the foot rest between the stowage position and the use position. The sliding guide provides a simple displaceability of the foot rest, which in particular requires a particularly small amount of installation space, so that the holding device and the foot rest can be mounted under the vehicle seat in a simple manner. The sliding guide is also little prone to errors and thus has a long service life. According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, however, it is also conceivable to provide, instead of a sliding guide, a pivot joint guide, for example a parallelogram guide, by means of which the foot rest can be folded out under the vehicle seat.According to the invention, the holding device has at least one joint assigned to the sliding guide and having a pivot axis about which the foot rest can be pivoted, in particular in the extended use position. The joint allows the alignment of the foot rest to be adapted to the person using the foot rest. By pivoting about the pivot axis, the foot rest can be moved into a comfortable resting position. Particularly preferably, the holding device has means for adapting the height of the foot rest. The means can be, for example, a plurality of joints which allow an adjustment of the height of the foot rest in the extended position of use.According to an advantageous development of the invention, it is provided that the holding device has at least one locking device, in particular a latching device, by means of which the foot rest can be locked in the use position and / or in the stowage position. The locking device thus secures the foot rest against undesired displacement from the stowage position and / or the use position. The locking device ensures in particular that forces acting on the vehicle seat during normal driving operation, for example during a braking or acceleration process, do not lead to the foot rest automatically leaving the desired position. By the configuration as a latching device, the locking device can be produced particularly simply and cost-effectively. The latching device allows the foot rest to be latched in the use position and / or in the stowage position, wherein only a predeterminable latching moment has to be overcome in order to release the foot rest from the use position and / or the stowage position.The holding device preferably has at least one elastically deformable and / or spring-loaded latching element. As a result, the aforementioned latching device can be realized in a particularly simple manner. In particular, the elastically deformable and / or spring-loaded latching element allows the latching moment to be predetermined in a simple manner and to be overcome by a user. Particularly preferably, the latching element is assigned to the sliding guide and interacts with a counter latching element. In this case, for example, the latching element of the foot rest and the counter latching element of a sliding guide can be provided. The latching device also facilitates the mounting of the foot rest on the holding device.The holding device preferably has an in particular electromotive actuating drive for displacing the foot rest. This allows automatic displacement of the foot rest from the use position into the stowage position or vice versa, which further increases the ease of use. A switch for activating the actuating drive can be provided, for example, on the backrest or on a side face of the seat part or the backrest. Instead of an electromotive configuration of the actuating drive, it is also conceivable to operate the actuating drive pneumatically or hydraulically.According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the use position-as viewed in the direction of travel-lies behind the vehicle seat. As a result, the foot rest can thus be pulled out from the stowage position below the vehicle seat behind the vehicle seat into the use position, so that a person who sits on a further vehicle seat behind the vehicle seat can use the foot rest with the foot massage device. The use position is thus located in the foot space of the further vehicle seat. A person driving along, in particular chauffed, on the further vehicle seat can thus easily enjoy a foot massage.According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the use position-as viewed in the direction of travel-lies in front of the vehicle seat. As a result, the person located on the vehicle seat has the possibility of utilizing the foot rest with the foot massage device for himself. For this purpose, it merely has to advance the foot rest from the stowage position forwards under the vehicle seat into the use position. According to a further embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the holding device is designed such that the foot rest can be displaced as required into the use position behind the vehicle seat and into the use position in front of the vehicle seat, so that, depending on the application, the person located on the vehicle seat or the person located on the further vehicle seat can use the foot rest.According to a preferred development of the invention, it is provided that the foot rest has a heating device. This further increases the comfort for a user of the foot rest, since in addition to the massage, the feet are also heated when the heating device is activated. Preferably, the heating device can be activated independently of the foot massage device, so that the user can choose whether he only wishes to warm up, massage or warm up with a massage. The foot massage device itself is preferably designed as a vibration massage device or as a pressure massage device, wherein the vibration massage device is preferably electrically operable and the pressure massage device is preferably pneumatically operable.The vehicle according to the invention having the features of claim 8 is distinguished by a foot comfort system as has been described above. This results in the aforementioned advantages.The invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to the drawings. Shown for this are: FIG. 1 shows a foot comfort system of a vehicle in a simplified side view, FIG. 2 shows the foot comfort system in a state of use, and FIG. 3 shows a foot rest of the foot comfort system in a simplified perspective illustration.FIG. 1 shows a simplified side view of a foot comfort system 1 of a vehicle 2 which is only shown in some sections here. a vehicle seat 3 and a further vehicle seat 4 are arranged one behind the other in the vehicle 2. The further vehicle seat 4 is arranged behind the vehicle seat 3, as viewed in the direction of travel indicated by an arrow 5. A foot space 6 remains between the vehicle seat 3 and the vehicle seat 4, said foot space being bounded by the vehicle seats 3, 4 and a floor 7 of the vehicle 2. As indicated in FIG. 1, a person located on the vehicle seat 4 can place his feet on the floor 7 in the foot well 6.The foot comfort system 1 has a holding device 8 which is arranged on the underside 9 of a seat part 10 of the vehicle seat 3. The holding device 8 carries a foot rest 11, which in the state shown in FIG. 1 is located below the vehicle seat 3, in particular below the seat part 10, in a stowage position. The holding device 8 has a sliding guide 12 by which the foot rest 11 is held on the holding device 8 in a displaceable manner.FIG. 2 shows the foot comfort system 1 in the use state in which the foot rest 11 has been displaced into a use position located behind the vehicle seat 3 or in the foot well 6. By pulling on the foot rest 11, the person 8 can displace the foot rest 11 from the stowage position according to FIG. 1 into the use position according to FIG. 2, wherein the foot rest 11 is guided by the rail guide 12. Also in the use position, the foot rest 11 is held on the holding device 8 by the rail guide 12 and supported by the latter. Optionally, the foot rest 11 can rest with a free end on the floor 7 for support, as shown in FIG. 2. Preferably, however, the foot rest 11 can be displaced from the stowage position into the use position and back without ground contact and is supported solely by the holding device 8. The rail guide 12 is designed in this respect as a drawer-like rail guide which allows it to be pulled out into the use position and pushed back into the stowage position in a simple manner.As can also be seen in particular from FIG. 2, the holding device 8 also has at least one joint 13 about whose pivot axis, which preferably extends horizontally at least substantially perpendicular to the direction of travel, the foot rest can be pivoted. According to the present exemplary embodiment, the joint 13 is assigned to the rail guide 12 so that the entire rail guide 12 can be pivoted on the holding device 8 about the corresponding pivot axis. As a result, the foot rest 11 can be displaced into an orientation that is comfortable for the person 8.As an alternative to the illustrated exemplary embodiment with the joint 13, it is provided according to an exemplary embodiment not illustrated here that the rail guide 12 is a curved rail guide, so that the foot rest 11 is automatically moved into an inclined position, as illustrated in FIG. 2, when being pulled out from the stowage position into the use position.Advantageously, the holding device 8 has a locking device 14 which locks the foot rest 11 in the stowage position according to FIG. 1, so that it does not move independently out of the stowage position. The locking device 14 is expediently designed as a latching device which ensures latching of the foot rest 11 with the holding device 8 in the stowage position. In order to displace the foot rest 11 into the use position according to FIG. 2, the latching moment of the locking device 14 must first be overcome. For this purpose, the locking device 14 advantageously has an elastically deformable and / or spring-loaded latching element 15 which interacts with the foot rest 11. The foot rest 11 is expediently provided with a counter-latching element which is formed, for example, as a latching depression 16 in a side face of the foot rest 11.FIG. 3 shows the foot rest 11 in a perspective illustration. The foot rest 11 has a foot massage device 17 which is formed integrated into the foot rest 11. The foot massage device 17 is designed as an electrically operable vibration massage device which massages the feet deposited on the foot rest 11 when activated by vibrations. Alternatively, a pneumatic foot massage device or a hydraulic foot massage device, which is designed in particular as a pressure massage device, is also conceivable. According to the present exemplary embodiment, the foot rest 11 also has a heating device 18 for increasing comfort, which heating device is designed as an electrical heating device and is assigned to the feet. In order to save energy costs, the foot rest 11 is graphically provided with foot contours for the feet of a user, wherein the electrical heating device 18 is expediently provided only within the foot contours, so that only these points are heated if necessary. Alternatively, the entire foot rest can of course also be heated. As an alternative to an electric heating device 18, it is also conceivable to connect the heating device 18 to the ventilation system of the vehicle 2 in order to heat the foot rest 11 from the inside by means of warm air.The foot comfort system 1 thus allows simple operation and practical stowage possibility below the vehicle seat 3 overall, so that when not in use the foot space 6 is released and for use the foot rest 11 can be moved / displaced easily into the use position. By providing the massage device 17 in the foot rest 11, the foot massage device 17 is substantially decoupled from the vehicle seat 3, so that a person sitting on the vehicle seat 3 is not involved, or is only involved little, with the activity of the foot massage device 17. Moreover, independently of the position of a backrest 19 of the vehicle seat 3 having the holding device 8, use of the foot massage device 17 or the foot rest 11 is possible, so that the vehicle seat 3 can always also be used. The vehicle seat 3 can be a passenger seat of the vehicle 2 or else a driver seat of the vehicle 2. According to an alternative exemplary embodiment, which is not shown here, it is also conceivable to configure the holding device 8 in such a way that the foot rest 11 can alternatively or additionally be displaced into a use position in front of the vehicle seat 3 in order to make the foot rest 11 available to a person located on the vehicle seat 3.

Claims

Foot comfort system (1) for a vehicle (2), in particular a motor vehicle, having at least one vehicle seat (3) which has a foot rest (11) with a foot massage device (17), wherein the vehicle seat (3) has, on its underside (9), a holding device (8) which supports the foot rest (11) in such a way that the foot rest (11) can be displaced from a stowage position below the vehicle seat (3) into an extended use position, wherein the holding device (8) has a sliding guide (12) for displacing the foot rest (11) between the stowage position and the use position, characterized in that the holding device (8) has at least one joint (13), which is assigned to the sliding guide (12) and has a pivot axis about which the foot rest (11) can be pivoted, such that the rail guide (12) can be pivoted on the holding device (8) about the pivot axis.Foot comfort system according to claim 1, characterised in that the holding device (8) has at least one locking device (14), in particular a latching device, by means of which the foot rest (11) can be locked in the use position and / or in the stowage position.Foot comfort system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the holding device (8) has at least one elastically deformable and / or spring-loaded catch element (15).Foot comfort system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the holding device (8) has an in particular electromotive actuating drive for displacing the foot rest.Foot comfort system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the use position - as seen in the direction of travel - lies behind the vehicle seat (3).Foot comfort system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the use position - as viewed in the direction of travel - is located in front of the vehicle seat.Foot comfort system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the foot rest (11) has a heating device (18).Vehicle, in particular motor vehicle, having a foot comfort system according to one or more of the preceding claims.

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