System and method for a vehicle

Abstract

Systems and methods for a vehicle are provided. The systems include a heel support plate configured to support a driver's foot while the driver interacts with a pedal of the vehicle. The heel support plate is operatively coupled to a seat adjustment system configured to move a seat of the vehicle in a forward direction toward the front of the vehicle and in a rearward direction toward the rear of the vehicle. The heel support plate moves in an upward direction away from a floor panel of the vehicle, thereby decreasing a dimension between the heel support plate and the pedal, when the seat is moved in the forward direction, and moves in a downward direction toward the floor panel, thereby increasing the dimension between the heel support plate and the pedal when the seat is moved in the rearward direction.

Description

The technical field relates generally to vehicles and, more particularly, to systems and methods for automatically adjusting a height of a floor below a foot pedal in a vehicle.Commercially available vehicles typically include one or more foot operable pedals, e.g., an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, and a clutch pedal (e.g., in manual shift vehicles). These pedals are usually mounted at a certain fixed height above the vehicle floor, which is based on the average height of the riders. Pedals at these heights, however, may be difficult for certain riders to operate. For example, riders with a far below average height and / or foot size may have difficulty reaching the pedals while the heel of their foot rests on the vehicle floor.US 2009 / 0 088 930 A1 discloses a device for setting the driving posture in order to obtain a driving posture that corresponds to a predefined recommended position.FR 2 737 459 A1 relates to a device for adjusting the floor of a motor vehicle, in which a joint platform is provided, which is arranged under the pedals. The platform is pivotally mounted at its rear edge to the ground. The platform is raised and lowered by a mobile adjuster arranged between the platform and the ground.US 2008 / 0 047 771 A1 describes a moving floor apparatus for a vehicle, comprising a moving plate disposed under feet of an occupant.It may be considered an object to provide an alternative system and method for adjusting the distance between a heel support plate and a pedal in a vehicle. This object is achieved by the subject matter of claim 1 and by the subject matter of claim 6.The system for a vehicle according to the invention comprises a heel box connected to a floor panel of the vehicle. The heel box has a heel support plate configured to support a foot of a driver while the driver is acting with the foot on a pedal of the vehicle. The heelbox is operatively coupled to a seat adjustment system configured to move a seat of the vehicle in a forward direction toward the front of the vehicle and in a rearward direction toward the rear of the vehicle. The heel support plate moves in an upward direction away from the floor panel and thereby reduces a first dimension between the heel support plate and the pedal as the seat is moved toward the front of the vehicle. The heel support plate moves in a downward direction toward the floor panel and thereby increases the first dimension between the heel support plate and the pedal when the seat is moved toward the rear of the vehicle. The system includes a flexible bladder within the heel box filled with a gas or liquid. The flexible bladder is compressed between a first end and a second end of the heel box when the seat is moved toward the front of the vehicle. By compressing the flexible bladder, the heel support plate is forced in the upward direction and away from the bottom plate.According to one embodiment, the system includes an elongated member operatively connecting the heelbox to the seat adjustment system. The elongated member is configured to move relative to the heelbox as the seat adjustment system moves the seat, and movement of the elongated member relative to the heelbox causes the heel support plate to move up and down away from the floor plate and toward the floor plate, respectively, as the seat is moved toward the front and rear of the vehicle, respectively.In one embodiment, the system includes a guide to maintain a lateral position of the elongated member relative to the heel box.According to one embodiment, the seat adjustment system includes rails along which the seat is slidable to move the seat in forward and rearward directions, the central longitudinal axes of the rails and the elongated member being disposed in different geometric planes that are non-parallel, the system including a linkage coupling the seat adjustment system and the elongated member configured to balance the difference in geometric planes as the seat and the elongated member move.In one embodiment, the elongate member and the heelbox are configured for physical contact therebetween, but are not physically coupled.In one embodiment, the system includes a biasing member configured to bias the heel support plate to move downward toward the floor panel.According to one embodiment, the system comprises a piston element and a hydraulic fluid. The piston member exerts a force on the hydraulic fluid as the seat moves toward the front of the vehicle, and in response, the hydraulic fluid forces the heel support plate upward away from the floor plate.According to an embodiment, the heel support is configured to move in response to the movement of the seat only for a portion of the movement capability of the seat that is less than the entirety thereof.The method of the invention includes moving a seat of the vehicle in a forward direction toward a front of the vehicle, automatically moving a heel support plate of a heel box in an upward direction away from a floor plate of the vehicle in response to the movement of the seat toward the front of the vehicle and thereby reducing a first dimension between the heel support plate and a pedal of the vehicle, supporting a heel of a foot of a driver of the vehicle with the heel support plate while the driver with the foot acts on the pedal of the vehicle, moving the seat in a rearward direction toward a rear of the vehicle, and automatically moving the heel support plate in a downward direction toward the floor plate in response thereto, wherein the seat moves toward the rear of the vehicle thereby increasing the first dimension between the heel support plate and the pedal; wherein the heel box internally comprises a flexible bladder filled with a gas or a liquid, wherein the flexible bladder is compressed between a first end and a second end of the heel box when the seat is moved toward the front of the vehicle, wherein the compression of the flexible bladder presses the heel support plate in the upward direction away from the bottom plate.According to one embodiment, the method comprises moving an elongated member in response to the movement of the seat in the forward direction toward the front of the vehicle and thereby causing the heel support plate to move in the upward direction away from the floor plate, and moving the elongated member in response to the movement of the seat in the rearward direction toward the rear of the vehicle and thereby causing the heel support plate to move in the downward direction toward the floor plate.In one embodiment, the method includes biasing the heel support plate to move in the downward direction toward the bottom plate and biasing the wedge to move in the second direction toward the second end of the heel box.In one embodiment, automatically moving the heel support plate in the upward direction away from the floor panel of the vehicle in response to the movement of the seat in the forward direction toward the front of the vehicle includes compressing a flexible bladder filled with a gas or a liquid. Compressing the flexible bladder forces the heel support plate in the upward direction away from the bottom plate.In one embodiment, the method includes where automatically moving the heel support plate in the upward direction away from the floor plate of the vehicle in response to the movement of the seat in the forward direction toward the front of the vehicle includes applying a force against hydraulic fluid with a piston member. Application of the force against the hydraulic fluid forces the heel support plate in the upward direction away from the bottom plate.As an application of the system and method of the invention, a vehicle is provided that, in one example, includes a seat, a seat reclining system configured to move the seat in a forward direction toward the front of the vehicle and in a rearward direction toward the rear of the vehicle, and a heelbox coupled to a floor panel of the vehicle and operatively coupled to the seat reclining system. The heel box has a heel support plate configured to support a foot of a driver while the driver is acting with the foot on a pedal of the vehicle. The heel support plate moves in an upward direction away from the floor panel and thereby reduces a first dimension between the heel support plate and the pedal when the seat is moved in the forward direction toward the front of the vehicle. The heel support plate moves in a downward direction toward the floor panel, thereby increasing the first dimension between the heel support plate and the pedal when the seat is moved in the rearward direction toward the rear of the vehicle.The exemplary embodiments are described below in connection with the following drawings, wherein like numerals designate like elements, and wherein: FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of a vehicle including a displacement system, according to one example; FIG. 2 is a side view of an example adjustment system, according to an example; FIGS. 3 and 4 are perspective views of an example adjustment system, according to an example; FIGS. 5 and 6 are cross-sectional views of a heel box of the adjustment system of FIGS. 3 and 4, according to an example; FIGS. 7 and 8 are perspective, see-through views of the heelbox of FIGS. 5 and 6, according to an example; FIGS. 9 and 10 are cross-sectional views of a heel box of an adjustment system for a vehicle, according to an embodiment; and FIG. 11 is a flow chart illustrating a method of adjusting a relative position of a heel support plate and a pedal of a vehicle, according to an example.FIG. 1 shows a vehicle 10 as shown in one example. In certain examples, the vehicle 10 includes an automobile. The vehicle 10 includes an adjustment system 36 having components for adjusting a vertical dimension between a floor panel of the vehicle 10 and one or more foot-operated pedals 34 of the vehicle 10.In various examples, the vehicle 10 may be any number of different types of vehicles, such as a sedan, wagon, truck, or sport utility vehicle (SUV), and may include two-wheel drive (2WD) (i.e., rear-wheel drive or front-wheel drive), four-wheel drive (4WD), or all-wheel drive (AWD), and / or various other types of vehicles or mobile platforms in certain examples.As shown in FIG. 1, the example vehicle 10 generally includes a chassis 12, a body 14, front wheels 16, and rear wheels 18. the body 14 is disposed on the chassis 12 and substantially encloses components of the vehicle 10. The wheels 16-18 are each rotatably connected to the chassis 12 near a corner of the superstructure 14.The vehicle 10 further includes a propulsion system 20, a transmission system 22, a steering system 24, a brake system including brakes 26, a seat 30, a seat adjustment system including a motor 32 for adjusting a position of the seat 30 between front and rear portions of the vehicle 10, one or more foot operable pedals 34 for performing certain driving tasks, and the adjustment system 36.The propulsion system 20 includes an internal combustion engine and / or an engine 21, such as an internal combustion engine (e.g., a gasoline or diesel engine), an electric motor (e.g., a 3-phase AC motor), or a hybrid system including more than one type of internal combustion engine and / or engine. The transmission system 22 is configured to transmit power of the propulsion system 20 to the wheels 16- 18 according to selectable gear ratios. According to various examples, the transmission system 22 may include a continuously variable transmission, a continuously variable transmission, or another suitable transmission. The steering system 24 affects the position of the wheels 16- 18. Although a steering wheel 24 ais illustrated for purposes of illustration, in some examples contemplated within the scope of the present disclosure, the steering system 24 may not include a steering wheel. The brake system may apply one or more of the brakes 26 to apply a braking torque to the wheels 16- 18 and thereby reduce the speed of the vehicle 10. In some examples, the pedals 34 include an accelerator pedal 34 afor using the propulsion system 20 to increase or maintain the speed of the vehicle 10, a brake pedal 34 bfor using the brake system to decrease the speed of the vehicle 10, and a clutch pedal 34 cfor using the transmission system 22 to change the selectable speed ratios, for example.FIGS. 2 to 8 show an unclaimed example in the application context of a vehicle and FIGS. 9 and 10 show an embodiment which will be fully described with reference to the example of FIGS. 2 to 8.FIG. 2 shows various aspects of the adjustment system 36. Generally, the adjustment system 36 includes a heel box 40 and an elongate member 42 configured in combination to change the position of the driver's foot 11 relative to the pedals 34 based on a position of the seat 30. The heel box 40 is connected to a floor panel of the vehicle 10. The heel box 40 includes a heel support plate 48 configured to support the heel of the rider's foot 11 while the rider interacts with one of the pedals 34. The elongate member 42 is operatively coupled to the seat adjustment system. When the seat reclining system moves the seat 30 in directions between the front and rear of the vehicle 10 (i.e., forward and rearward), the elongated member 42 moves with and a distal end of the elongated member 42 moves relative to the heel box 40.Generally, the movement of the distal end of the elongated member 42 causes the heel support plate 48 to move in an upward direction away from the floor panel and reduce a dimension between the heel support plate 48 and the pedals 34 when the seat 30 is moved in the forward direction toward the front of the vehicle 10, and causes the heel support plate 48 to move in a downward direction toward the floor panel and increase a dimension between the heel support plate 48 and the pedals 34 when the seat 30 is moved in the rearward direction toward the rear of the vehicle 10.In this example, the seat adjustment system includes a pair of parallel seat rails or rails 33 that are attached to the floor panel and extend in directions between the front and rear of the vehicle 10. A seat support frame 35 extends between the rails 33 and is configured to move along the rails 33 to position the seat 30, i.e., the seat support frame 35 is slidable on the rails 33 to move the seat 30 forward and rearward. The seat support frame 35 may be configured to be manually moved along the rails 33 or driven by the motor 32 (see FIG. 1 ). In some examples, the engine 32 is configured to be operated by the driver in cooperation with a mechanism or controller, or is automatically operated by a controller having one or more processors.In some examples, the central longitudinal axes of the rails 33 and the elongated member 42 may be disposed in different geometric planes that are non-parallel. As such, the elongated member 42 may be coupled to the seat support frame 35 by a linkage 44 configured to provide simultaneous movement of the seat 30 and the elongated member 42 while compensating for the differences in the geometric planes of the rails 33 and the elongated member 42 and thus compensating for the difference in the travel paths of the seat 30 and the elongated member 42. One or more guides may be provided to maintain a desired path of travel for the elongated member 42, i.e., to maintain a lateral position of the elongated member 42 relative to the heel box 40. In this example, the adjustment system 36 includes a first guide 46 and a second guide 47.The heel box 40 may include various structures and components configured to raise and lower the heel support plate 48 based on movement of the elongated member 42. In some examples, the heelbox 40 and the elongate member 42 are configured to contact each other but not physically coupled. FIGS. 3-8 show various aspects of a first example of the heel box 40 that includes a wedge 110 for raising and lowering the heel support plate 48. The wedge 110 includes a bottom wall 112 configured to oppose the bottom plate, a top wall 114, a front end 116, and a rear end 118. The rear end 118 includes a recess 120 defined by inner walls of the wedge 110. The recess 120 is configured to receive the distal end 43 of the elongate member 42. The top wall 114 of the wedge 110 is angled relative to the bottom wall 112 to define a cross-sectional dimension (e.g., height) between the top wall 114 and the bottom wall 112 that increases in a direction from the front end 116 toward the rear end 118. The wedge 110 may include one or more rollers 122 disposed on the top wall 114 and the bottom wall 112 and configured to promote readyness of the wedge 110 within the heel box 40.The heel box 40 may include a lower portion 138 secured to the floor panel of the vehicle 10 and an upper portion 136 slidably coupled thereto. The heel support plate 48 may form an uppermost surface of the upper portion 136. The wedge 110 is disposed between a bottom plate 140 of the lower portion 138 and an angled wall 130 of the upper portion 136. The angled wall 130 may be angled such that a dimension between the angled wall 130 and the bottom plate 140 increases in a direction from the front end of the heel box 40 to a rear end of the heel box 40. Upon contact with the distal end 43 of the elongate member 42, the wedge 110 may be urged towards the front end of the heel box 40. The rollers 122 on the bottom wall 112 of the wedge 110 roll along the bottom plate 140 and the rollers 122 on the top wall 114 of the wedge 110 roll along the angled wall 130. As the wedge 110 continues to move toward the front end of the heel counter 40, the rollers 122 on the upper wall 114 of the wedge 110 press against the angled wall 130 and push the upper portion 136 of the heel counter 40 upward, i.e., away from the lower portion 138, thereby raising the heel support plate 48.When the elongate member 42 is retracted toward the rear of the vehicle 10 and no longer exerts a force on the wedge 110, the wedge 110 may be urged toward the rear end of the heel box 40 by wedge biasing members 132. In some examples, the wedge biasing members 132 may be coupled to tabs 142 extending from the sides of the wedge 110. As the wedge 110 moves toward the rear end of the heelbox 40, the upper portion 136 may be pulled toward the lower portion 138 with the heelbox biasing members 134. In some examples, the heel box 40 may include wedge guide walls 144 to retain the wedge 110 along a predetermined path within the heel box 40.In various examples, the heel support plate 48 is configured to move in response to movement of the seat 30 for only a portion of the movability of the seat 30 that is less than the entirety thereof. For example, the rails 33 may have a length of about 30 centimeters (cm), thereby defining the movability of the seat 30. In such an example, the heel support plate 48 may move as the seat 30 moves along, for example, the foremost ten (10) cm of the rails 33, and not move as the seat 30 moves in the remaining twenty (20) cm of the rails 33. In some examples, this may be accomplished by configuring the elongate member 42 to contact the heelbox 40 only in the foremost 10 cm of the rails 33. That is, there may be a 20 cm gap between the heelbox 40 and the elongate member 42 when the seat 30 is in the rearmost position and that as the seat 30 advances the elongate member 42 contacts the heelbox 40 after it has travelled 20 cm and functions to move the heel support plate 48 as the seat 30 advances for the remaining 10 cm of travel.FIGS. 9 and 10 show various aspects of an embodiment of the heel box 40 that includes a piston member 242 configured to raise and lower the heel support plate 48. Various aspects of this embodiment may be similar or the same as the example of FIGS. 3-8. For example, the heel box 40 may include a lower portion 238 secured to the floor panel of the vehicle 10 and an upper portion 236 slidably connected thereto. The heel support plate 48 may form an uppermost surface of the upper portion 236. A front end 243 of the piston member 242 is disposed between a bottom plate 240 of the lower portion 238 and the heel support plate 48 of the upper portion 136.The piston member 242 may have a rear end 241 that may be configured to contact or couple with the distal end 43 of the elongated member 42. Upon contact with the distal end 43 of the elongated member 42, the piston member 242 can be urged toward the front end of the heel box 40. As the piston member 242 continues to move toward the front end of the heel counter 40, the front end 243 is compressed and / or exerts a force on a member 250 between the front end 243 and the inner walls of the heel counter 40. As a result, the element 250 exerts a force on the upper part 136 of the heel box 40 which is directed upwards, i.e. away from the lower part 138, as a result of which the heel support plate 48 is raised. The element 250 may have various structures. In some examples, element 250 may comprise a flexible bladder filled with a gas or liquid. In some examples, element 250 may be hydraulic fluid or other substantially incompressible fluid.When the elongate member 42 is retracted to the rear of the vehicle 10 and no longer exerts a force on the piston member 242, the piston member 242 may be pushed by the member 250 toward the rear end of the heel box 40 and the upper portion 236 may be pulled downwardly by the member 250 toward the lower portion 138. Alternatively, the piston member 242 may be pushed toward the rear end of the heel box 40 and the upper portion 236 pulled downwardly toward the lower portion 138 by one or more biasing members.Referring to FIG. 11 and with continued reference to FIGS. 1-10, a flowchart illustrates a method 300 for adjusting a relative position of a heel support plate and a pedal of a vehicle as performed by the adjustment system 36, according to various examples. As will be appreciated in view of the disclosure, the order of operations within the method 300 is not limited to the sequential execution illustrated in FIG. 11, but may be performed in one or more varying orders, depending on applicability and in accordance with the present disclosure.In one example, the method 300 may begin at 310. At 312, the method 300 may include moving a driver seat (e.g., the seat 30) of a vehicle (e.g., the vehicle 10) in a first direction toward a front of the vehicle. At 314, the method 300 may include automatically moving a heel support plate (e.g., the heel support plate 48) in a direction away from a floor plate of the vehicle in response to the movement of the seat toward the front of the vehicle, and thereby reducing a dimension between the heel support plate and a pedal (e.g., the pedal(s) 34) of the vehicle. At 316, the method 300 may include supporting a heel of a foot of a driver of the vehicle with the heel support plate while the driver is acting with the foot on the pedal of the vehicle. At 318, method 300 may include moving the driver seat in a second direction toward a rear of the vehicle. At 320, the method 300 may include automatically moving the heel support plate toward the floor panel in response to the seat moving toward the rear of the vehicle, thereby increasing the dimension between the heel support plate and the pedal. The method 300 may end at 322.The systems and methods disclosed herein provide various advantages over certain existing systems and methods. For example, by adjusting a position of the heel support plate 48 in response to changes in the position of the front seat 30, the position of the driver's foot relative to the pedal(s) 34 may be automatically adjusted. In this way, certain drivers, e.g., those with a less than average height and / or foot size, may more easily operate the pedal(s) 34.

Claims

A system for a vehicle (10) comprising a heel box (40) coupled to a floor panel (140, 240) of the vehicle (10), the heel box (40) having a heel support panel (48) configured to support a foot of a driver while the driver acts with the foot on a pedal (34) of the vehicle, the heel box (40) operatively coupled to a seat adjustment system configured to move a seat (30) of the vehicle (10) in a forward direction toward the front of the vehicle (10) and in a rearward direction toward the rear of the vehicle (10), the heel support panel (48) moving in an upward direction away from the floor panel (140, 240) thereby reducing a first dimension between the heel support panel (48) and the pedal (34), when the seat (30) is moved toward the front of the vehicle (10) and the heel support plate (48) moves in a downward direction toward the bottom plate (140, 240), thereby increasing the first dimension between the heel support plate (48) and the pedal (34) as the seat (30) is moved toward the rear of the vehicle (10), the system comprising a flexible bladder within the heel box (40) filled with a gas or a liquid, the flexible bladder being compressed between a first end and a second end of the heel box (40) when the seat (30) is moved toward the front of the vehicle (10), the compression of the flexible bladder urging the heel support plate (48) in the upward direction away from the bottom plate (140, 240).The system of claim 1, further comprising an elongated member (42) operatively connecting the heel box (40) to the seat adjustment system, the elongated member (42) configured to move relative to the heel box (40) in response to movement of the seat (30) by the seat adjustment system, wherein movement of the elongated member (42) relative to the heel box (40) causes the heel support plate (48) to move up and down away from and toward the floor plate (140, 240) when the seat (30) is moved toward the front and rear of the vehicle (10), respectively.The system of claim 2, wherein the seat adjustment system includes rails (33) along which the seat (30) is slidable to move the seat (30) in forward and rearward directions, central longitudinal axes of the rails (33) and the elongated member (42) being disposed in different geometric planes that are non-parallel, the system including a linkage (44) coupling the seat adjustment system and the elongated member (42) configured to balance the difference in geometric planes as the seat (30) and the elongated member (42) move.The system of claim 1, further comprising a piston member (242) and a hydraulic fluid, wherein the piston member (242) exerts a force on the hydraulic fluid as the seat (30) moves toward the front of the vehicle (10), and the hydraulic fluid in response pushes the heel support plate (48) in the upward direction away from the floor plate (140, 240).The system of claim 1, wherein the heel support plate (48) is configured to move in response to movement of the seat (30) only for a portion of the movability of the seat (30) that is less than the entirety thereof.A method for a vehicle (10), comprising: moving a seat (30) of the vehicle (10) in a forward direction toward a front of the vehicle (10); automatically moving a heel support plate (48) of a heel box (40) in an upward direction away from a floor plate (140, 240) of the vehicle (10) in response to the movement of the seat (30) toward the front of the vehicle (10) and thereby reducing a first dimension between the heel support plate (48) and a pedal (34) of the vehicle (10); supporting a heel of a foot of a driver of the vehicle (10) with the heel support plate (48) while the driver is acting with the foot on the pedal (34) of the vehicle (10); moving the seat (30) in a rearward direction toward a rear of the vehicle (10); and automatically moving the heel support plate (48) in a downward direction toward the floor plate (140, 240) in response to the movement of the seat (30) toward the rear of the vehicle (10) and thereby increasing the first dimension between the heel support plate (48) and the pedal (34); wherein the heel box (40) internally comprises a flexible bladder filled with a gas or a liquid, the flexible bladder being compressed between a first end and a second end of the heel box (40) when the seat (30) is moved toward the front of the vehicle (10), the compression of the flexible bladder urging the heel support plate (48) in the upward direction away from the floor plate (140, 240).The method of claim 6, further comprising: moving an elongated member (42) toward the front of the vehicle (10) in response to the movement of the seat (30) in the forward direction and thereby causing the heel support plate (48) to move in the upward direction away from the floor plate (140, 240); and moving the elongated member (42) toward the rear of the vehicle (10) in response to the movement of the seat (30) in the rearward direction and thereby causing the heel support plate (48) to move in the downward direction toward the floor plate (140, 240).

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