Vehicle floor structure

Abstract

Vehicle floor structure comprising: ventilation openings (11, 21) each arranged in a floor panel (1) of a vehicle and a floor carpet (2) laid on the floor panel (1) such that the ventilation openings (11, 21) connect an inside and an outside of a vehicle cabin; a cover (3) arranged on the floor carpet (2) on the side of the vehicle cabin such that the cover (3) covers installation areas of the ventilation openings (11, 21) in the floor carpet (2), and comprising an insertion and removal opening (31) which allows the insertion and removal of a foot (10) of an occupant or an object (20) and is stretchable;a vent cover (4) arranged on the outside of the floor panel (1) such that the vent cover (4) covers an installation area of ​​a vent opening (11, 21) in the floor panel (1), and which has a vent opening (41) that is open at a rear section of the vent cover (4) in a longitudinal direction towards the rear of the vehicle; a cover (5) arranged in the vent opening (41) of the vent cover (4) such that the cover (5) opens or closes the vent opening (41); and a drive device (6) for opening or closing the cover (5).

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION1. Field of the InventionThe present invention relates to a vehicle floor structure.2. Description of the Prior ArtFor example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2011-126,508 discloses a configuration in which a deodorizing device containing a deodorizing agent is installed in the front part of a floor mat disposed in a vehicle cabin to lift a part of the floor mat so that the lifted part serves as a footrest.A plurality of holes are disposed in the raised part of the floor mat, and the odor of the foot placed on the raised part is guided to the deodorizing device to be removed.DE 10 2014 101 063 A1 discloses a device for foot air conditioning, in particular for use in a motor vehicle. It comprises a housing having an interior space accessible from the outside through an opening, which is configured to receive at least one foot through the opening. It further comprises at least one duct for supplying air into the interior and at least one duct for discharging air from the interior, wherein the duct for supplying air and / or the duct for discharging air can / are connectable to an air-conducting duct of an air conditioning device of a motor vehicle.A method for operating a ventilation system for ventilating a room, in particular a vehicle cabin, is the subject matter of DE 10 2021 004 422 A1. In this method, a first spatial position of at least one odor receiver is detected, a second spatial position of at least one odor source of an odor is detected, and an odor intensity of the odor is determined, wherein the determined odor intensity is compared with a predetermined odor intensity threshold value. A suction device and a suction device are switched into a first active mode when the determined odor intensity exceeds the predetermined odor intensity threshold value, wherein the suction device and the suction device are controlled in the first active mode such that the air flow generated by the suction device and by the suction device directs the odor away from the at least one odor receiver.SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIn JP 2011-126 508 A, although the foot odor can be removed by the deodorizing device installed in the foot mat, there is a concern that the foot odor can enter the vehicle compartment because the foot is simply placed on the foot mat and is exposed to the vehicle compartment.In view of such circumstances, it is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle floor structure capable of securing a space for covering the foot of an occupant and an object on the floor of the vehicle cabin and discharging the odor to the outside of the vehicle cabin when the odor is discharged from the foot of the occupant and the object.A vehicle floor structure according to the present invention includes: ventilation openings each disposed in a floor panel of a vehicle and a floor carpet laid on the floor panel such that the ventilation openings connect an inside and an outside of a vehicle cabin; a cover disposed on the floor carpet on the vehicle cabin side such that the cover covers installation areas of the ventilation openings in the floor carpet, and including an insertion and extraction opening that enables insertion and extraction of a foot of an occupant or an object and is stretchable; a vent cover disposed on the outer side of the floor panel such that the vent cover covers an installation area of a vent hole in the floor panel, and having a vent hole opened rearward at a rear portion of the vent cover in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle; a lid disposed in the vent hole of the vent cover such that the lid opens or closes the vent hole; and a driving device for opening or closing the lid.According to this configuration, it is possible to ensure a space for covering the foot of the occupant and the object on the floor of the vehicle cabin, so that the foot of the occupant can be placed between the cover and the floor carpet.Therefore, when the air in the vehicle cabin is cold, it is possible to protect the foot of the occupant from cold by placing the foot of the occupant between the cover and the floor carpet.As described above, when the foot of the occupant or the object is placed between the cover and the floor carpet and the lid is opened by the driving device, the air in the space between the cover and the floor carpet can be discharged to the outside of the vehicle cabin through the vent hole.When the foot or the object placed between the cover and the floor carpet emits an odor, the odor of the foot or the object can be discharged to the outside of the vehicle cabin, so that the occupant can easily spend time in the vehicle cabin.Incidentally, the vent hole in the vehicle floor structure may be configured to be disposed at a location where a negative pressure is generated outside the vent cover or at a location where a pressure is lower than a pressure in the vehicle cabin while the vehicle is traveling.According to this configuration, the outer portion of the vent hole of the vent cover is, for example, a location where the negative pressure is generated by traveling wind passing under the floor panel when the vehicle is driven. Due to the negative pressure generated at this location, the air is sucked between the cover and the floor carpet and discharged to the outside of the vehicle cabin through the vent hole.As described above, by simply actuating the vehicle, the air between the cover and the floor carpet can be efficiently discharged to the outside of the vehicle cabin through the vent without the need to additionally install blowers inside the cover.On the other hand, when the vehicle is stopped or traveling at a low speed and heated air, cooled air, or blown air is introduced into the vehicle cabin by an air conditioner installed in the vehicle, the outer portion of the vent hole of the vent cover is a location where the pressure is reduced compared to the pressure in the vehicle cabin due to an increase in the pressure in the vehicle cabin, so that the air between the cover and the floor carpet is pushed out of the vehicle cabin through the vent hole.As described above, the air between the cover and the floor carpet can be efficiently discharged to the outside of the vehicle cabin through the vent hole by simply operating the air conditioner installed in the vehicle without additionally installing a blower inside the cover.Moreover, the vehicle floor structure further includes a switch that outputs an ON signal in response to a manual operation of turning on the switch and outputs an OFF signal in response to a manual operation of turning off the switch, wherein the driving device may be configured to open the lid in response to the ON signal from the switch and close the lid in response to the OFF signal from the switch.According to this configuration, when the ON signal is output from the switch, the driving device opens the lid so that the air between the cover and the floor carpet is discharged to the outside of the vehicle cabin through the vent hole.On the other hand, the driving device closes the lid when the OFF signal is output from the switch, so that the air outside the vehicle cabin is prevented from entering between the cover and the floor carpet through the vent hole.Moreover, the vehicle floor structure includes a sensor that outputs a detection signal by detecting a state in which the foot of the occupant or the object is inserted between the cover and the floor carpet, and outputs a non-detection signal when the state is not detected, wherein the driving device may be configured to open the lid in response to the detection signal from the sensor and close the lid in response to the non-detection signal from the sensor.According to this configuration, the driving device opens the lid when the detection signal is output from the sensor. As a result, the air between the cover and the floor carpet can be discharged from the vehicle cabin to the outside through the vent opening.If, on the other hand, no detection signal is output by the sensor, the drive device closes the cover. This prevents the air outside the vehicle cabin from entering between the cover and the floor carpet through the vent opening.Moreover, in the floor structure of the vehicle, a heater may be configured to be installed inside the cover.According to this configuration, a space between the cover and the floor carpet is heated by the operation of the heater, so that when the foot of the occupant is placed between the cover and the floor carpet, it is possible to heat the foot of the occupant.The vehicle floor structure of the present invention has an excellent effect in which the space for covering the foot of the occupant and the object is secured on the floor of the vehicle cabin, and when the foot of the occupant and the object emit an odor, the odor can be discharged to the outside of the vehicle cabin.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSThe features and advantages, and technical and economic significance of exemplary embodiments of the invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals designate like elements, and wherein: FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a foot of an occupant is disposed between a cover and a floor carpet in an embodiment of a vehicle floor structure of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a plan view of a cover; FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the foot of the occupant stands on the floor carpet; FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which an object is placed between the cover and the floor carpet; FIG. 5 is a plan view showing another embodiment of a cover in the vehicle floor structure of the present invention; FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which feet of two occupants are disposed between the cover and a floor carpet in the floor structure using the cover of FIG. 5 ; and FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which feet of two occupants are disposed between a cover and a floor carpet in another embodiment of a vehicle floor structure of the present invention.DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTSHereinafter, the best modes for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.Figs. 1, 2, 3 to 4 show an embodiment of the present invention. In a vehicle floor structure illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2, 3 to 4, reference numeral 1 denotes a floor panel, reference numeral 2 denotes a floor carpet, reference numeral 3 denotes a cover, reference numeral 4 denotes a vent cover, reference numeral 5 denotes a lid, reference numeral 6 denotes a driving device, and reference numeral 7 denotes a switch.In the floor panel 1 and the floor carpet 2, ventilation openings 11 and 21 are arranged to establish a connection between the interior and the exterior of a vehicle cabin. The ventilation openings 11 and 21 each have a mesh structure.The cover 3 is disposed on the floor carpet 2 on the vehicle cabin side to cover the installation areas of the ventilation openings 11 and 21. The cover 3 is made of an extensible material and has, at a predetermined position, an insertion and extraction opening 31 through which a foot 10 of an occupant or an object 20 can be inserted and extracted.The vent cover 4 is disposed outside the floor panel 1 to cover the installation area of the vent hole 11 in the floor panel 1. The air vent cover 4 includes an air vent 41 that opens rearward at the rear portion of the air vent cover 4 in a front-rear direction of the vehicle.The outside of the vent hole 41 is a location where a negative pressure is generated outside the vent cover 4 or a location where a pressure is lower than a pressure in the vehicle cabin while the vehicle is running.The lid 5 is disposed at the vent hole 41 of the vent cover 4 to open or close the vent hole 41.The driving device 6 opens or closes the lid 5 and includes a wire 61, a motor 62, and the like.One end of the wire 61 is fixed to the free end side of the lid 5, and the other end of the wire 61 is connected to the motor 62.While the motor 62 pulls the wire 61 to open the lid 5, the motor 62 presses the wire 61 to close the lid 5.The motor 62 rotates forward in response to an ON signal from the switch 7 to pull the wire 61 to open the lid 5, and rotates backward in response to an OFF signal from the switch 7 to press the wire 61 to close the lid 5.The switch 7 is manually turned on and off, and outputs the ON signal when the switch 7 is turned on and the OFF signal when the switch 7 is turned off.This switch 7 is disposed near a passenger seat or a rear seat (not shown), for example.Next, the operation will be described.As shown in FIG. 1, in order to place the foot 10 between the cover 3 and the floor carpet 2, the occupant may insert the foot 10 through the insertion and extraction opening 31 of the cover 3. Since the cover 3 is stretchable, the cover 3 stretches and rises.In this state, even if the air in the vehicle cabin is cold, the cold air does not come into direct contact with the foot 10, so that it is possible to protect the foot 10 from cold.For example, in a case where the foot 10 of the occupant emits an odor, in order to prevent the odor from entering the vehicle cabin, the vehicle is made to move while the occupant operates the switch 7 to open the lid 5 by the driving device 6, or heated air, cooled air, or blown air is introduced into the vehicle compartment by an air conditioner (not shown) when the vehicle is at a standstill or traveling at a low speed, so that the air between the cover 3 and the floor carpet 2 can be discharged to the outside of the vehicle cabin through the vent 41.When the vehicle is driven to move as described above, the negative pressure is generated outside the vent hole 41 of the vent cover 3 due to the wind passing under the floor panel 1. This negative pressure causes the air to be sucked between the cover 3 and the floor carpet 2 and discharged to the outside of the vehicle cabin through the ventilation openings 11 and 21 and the ventilation opening 41.On the other hand, when the vehicle is stationary or traveling at a low speed and the heated air, the cooled air, or the blown air is introduced into the vehicle cabin by the air conditioner (not shown) installed in the vehicle, the pressure outside the vent hole 41 of the vent cover 3 is reduced compared to the pressure in the vehicle cabin due to an increase in the pressure in the vehicle cabin, so that the air between the cover 3 and the floor carpet 2 is pushed out of the vehicle cabin through the vent holes 11 and 21 and the vent hole 41.As shown in FIG. 4, the object 20 can be stored between the cover 3 and the floor carpet 2.When the object 20 emits an odor such as garbage or eating and drinking, the vehicle is made to move in the same manner as described above to prevent the odor of the object 20 from entering the vehicle cabin while the occupant operates the switch 7 to open the lid 5 by the driving device 6, or the heated air, the cooled air or the blown air is introduced into the vehicle cabin by the air conditioner (not shown) installed in the vehicle when the vehicle is stationary or traveling at a low speed, so that the air between the cover 3 and the floor carpet 2 can be discharged to the outside of the vehicle cabin through the vent 41.When it is not cold in the vehicle cabin or does not give off odor from the foot 10 of the occupant and the object 20, as shown in FIG. 3, the foot 10 of the occupant may be placed on the cover 3, or the object 20 may be placed on the cover 3 (not shown).As described above, according to the embodiment to which the present invention is applied, a space for covering the foot 10 of the occupant and the object 20 on the floor carpet 2 can be secured in the vehicle cabin, so that the foot 10 of the occupant can be placed between the cover 3 and the floor carpet 2.For example, in the case of cold air in the vehicle cabin, the foot 10 of the occupant can be prevented from becoming cold by placing the foot 10 of the occupant between the cover 3 and the floor carpet 2.Further, in a case where the foot 10 of the occupant or the article 20 is placed between the cover 3 and the floor carpet 2 as described above, the negative pressure is generated outside the vent hole 41 of the vent cover 4 by making the vehicle move after opening the lid 5, or the pressure in the vehicle cabin is increased by introducing the heated air, the cooled air, or the blown air into the vehicle cabin by the air conditioner (not shown) installed in the vehicle when the vehicle is stopped or traveling at a low speed, so that the air between the cover 3 and the floor carpet 2 can be efficiently discharged to the outside of the vehicle cabin.Therefore, when the odor is emitted from the foot 10 placed between the cover 3 and the floor carpet 2 or an object 20 (garbage, eating and drinking, etc.), the odor can be discharged outside the vehicle cabin without additionally installing a blower (not shown) in the cover 3, so that the occupant can take time comfortably in the vehicle cabin.The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and may be modified according to the scope of the claims and a range corresponding to the scope of the claims.(1) Figs. 5 and 6 show, for example, another embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, two insertion and extraction openings 31A and 31B are disposed in the cover 3, so that the feet 10A and 10B of the occupants seated on the front and rear seats (not shown) of the vehicle disposed such that the front and rear seats face each other can be simultaneously placed between the cover 3 and the floor carpet 2.Other configurations are substantially the same as those of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1. This embodiment also provides the same functions and effects as those of the above embodiment.(2) Fig. 7 shows, for example, another embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, a heater 8 is installed inside the cover 3.The heater 8 may be, for example, a heating wire. According to this embodiment, a space between the cover 3 and the floor carpet 2 is heated by operation of the heater 8, so that when the foot 10 of the occupant is placed between the cover 3 and the floor carpet 2, it is possible to heat the foot 10 of the occupant.(3) In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the lid 5 is opened or closed in response to the manual operation of turning on and off the switch 7 is shown, but the present invention is not limited thereto.For example, it is possible to use, instead of the switch 7, a sensor that outputs a detection signal by detecting the foot 10 of the occupant or the object 20 when the foot 10 of the occupant or the object 20 is inserted between the cover 3 and the floor carpet 2, and that outputs a non-detection signal when the foot 10 of the occupant or the object 20 is not detected, and a sensor that outputs a detection signal by detecting a raised portion of the cover 3, and that outputs a non-detection signal when the raised portion is not detected (not shown).The operation when such a sensor is used will be described below. First, the driving device 6 opens the lid 5 in response to the detection signal of the sensor. Thereby, the air between the cover 3 and the floor carpet 2 can be discharged to the outside of the vehicle cabin through the vent 41.On the other hand, the driving device 6 closes the lid 5 in response to the non-detection signal of the sensor. This prevents the air outside the vehicle cabin from entering the space between the cover 3 and the floor carpet 2 through the vent 41.According to this configuration, the lid 5 can be automatically opened or closed by the sensor, so that it is possible to save the passenger from the trouble of operating the switch.(4) In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the motor 62 is used to push and pull the wire 61 of the driving device 6 is shown, but the present invention is not limited thereto.For example, instead of the motor 62, a manual lever (not shown) for pushing and pulling the wire 61 may be used. In this case, the wire 61 and the hand lever constitute the driving device 6.Further, for example, the wire 61 may be omitted, and the lid 5 may be directly opened or closed by the motor 62. In this case, the motor 62 constitutes the driving device 6.The present invention can be suitably used for the vehicle floor structure.

Claims

A vehicle floor structure comprising: ventilation openings (11, 21) each disposed in a floor panel (1) of a vehicle and a floor carpet (2) laid on the floor panel (1) such that the ventilation openings (11, 21) connect an inside and an outside of a vehicle cabin; a cover (3) disposed on the floor carpet (2) on the vehicle cabin side such that the cover (3) covers installation areas of the ventilation openings (11, 21) in the floor carpet (2), and comprising an insertion and extraction opening (31) that enables insertion and extraction of a foot (10) of an occupant or an object (20) and is stretchable; a vent cover (4) disposed on the outside of the floor panel (1) such that the vent cover (4) covers an installation area of a vent hole (11, 21) in the floor panel (1), and having a vent hole (41) opened at a rear portion of the vent cover (4) rearward in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle; a lid (5) disposed in the vent hole (41) of the vent cover (4) such that the lid (5) opens or closes the vent hole (41); and a driving device (6) for opening or closing the lid (5).The vehicle floor structure according to claim 1, wherein the vent hole (41) is disposed at a location where a negative pressure is generated outside the vent cover (4) or at a location where a pressure is lower than a pressure in the vehicle cabin while the vehicle is running.The vehicle floor structure according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a switch (7) that outputs an ON signal in response to a manual operation of turning on the switch (7) and outputs an OFF signal in response to a manual operation of turning off the switch (7), wherein the driving device (6) opens the lid (5) in response to the ON signal from the switch (7) and closes the lid (5) in response to the OFF signal from the switch (7).The vehicle floor structure according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a sensor that outputs a detection signal by detecting a state in which the foot (10) of the occupant or the object (20) is inserted between the cover (3) and the floor carpet (2), and outputs a non-detection signal when the state is not detected, wherein the driving device (6) opens the lid (5) in response to the detection signal from the sensor and closes the lid (5) in response to the non-detection signal from the sensor.The vehicle floor structure according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a heater (8) is installed inside the cover (3).

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