Floor structure

Abstract

To reduce discomfort received by a crewman in a pedal storage state.SOLUTION: In a floor structure 10, a plurality of slits 24, 26 are formed in an interior material 20 provided on a floor 14 of a vehicle 12 on a vehicle front side of a driving seat. A plurality of ribs 34, 44, which an accelerator pedal 30 and a brake pedal 40 have, are inserted through the plurality of slits 24, 26 respectively. The accelerator pedal 30 and the brake pedal 40 are moved by actuator between a projection position at which the plurality of ribs 34, 44 project to a vehicle rear side from a surface 20A of the interior material 20 and a storage position at which apical surfaces 34A, 44A of the plurality of ribs 34, 44 are located on a surface same as the surface 20A of the interior material 20.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a floor structure of a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] In the accelerator device disclosed in Patent Document 1 listed below, an inner housing that supports a pedal lever is moved relative to an outer housing by an actuator, thereby storing the pedal lever and positioning the surface of the pedal lever approximately flush with the surface of the floor. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-127180 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the above-mentioned prior art, even when the pedal lever is in the stored state, the feel of the pedal lever surface and the floor surface are different, which may cause the occupant to feel uncomfortable, and there is room for improvement.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENT In consideration of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a floor structure that can reduce the discomfort felt by an occupant when the pedals are in a retracted state. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The floor structure of the first embodiment comprises an interior material provided on the vehicle floor forward of the driver's seat and having a number of slits aligned in the vehicle width direction, a pedal having a number of ribs inserted into the number of slits, and an actuator that moves the pedal between a protruding position where the number of ribs protrude from the surface of the interior material toward the rear of the vehicle and a stored position where the tip faces of the number of ribs are positioned on the same plane as the surface of the interior material.

[0007] In a first aspect, a plurality of slits are formed in an interior material provided on the floor of the vehicle in front of the driver's seat. A plurality of ribs of a pedal are inserted into the plurality of slits. The pedal is moved by an actuator between a protruding position where the plurality of ribs protrude from the surface of the interior material toward the rear of the vehicle and a stored position where the tip surfaces of the plurality of ribs are arranged on the same plane as the surface of the interior material. When the pedal is in this stored position, the plurality of ribs of the pedal and the surface of the interior material blend together, thereby reducing the discomfort felt by the occupant.

[0008] In a second aspect of the floor structure, in the first aspect, the pedals include an accelerator pedal and a brake pedal.

[0009] In the second aspect, when the accelerator pedal and the brake pedal are stored in the stored position, the multiple ribs on the accelerator pedal and the brake pedal blend in with the surface of the interior material, thereby reducing the discomfort felt by occupants.

[0010] A third aspect of the floor structure is the second aspect, wherein the accelerator pedal is an organ-type pedal that is rotatable about its lower end.

[0011] In the third aspect, since the accelerator pedal is an organ-type pedal, it becomes easier for the occupant to operate the accelerator, and the occupant's right foot does not get tired as easily. Effect of the Invention

[0012] As described above, the floor structure according to the present invention can reduce the discomfort felt by the occupant when the pedals are in the stored state. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a portion in front of a driver's seat in a front part of a passenger compartment of a vehicle to which a floor structure according to an embodiment is applied. [Diagram 2] FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a side view showing the configuration around the pedal and the actuator, with the pedal in a protruding position; [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a side view showing the configuration around the pedal and the actuator, with the pedal in a stored position. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] A floor structure 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 5. Note that arrows FR, UP, and LH, which are appropriately indicated in each figure, respectively indicate the forward direction (traveling direction), upward direction, and leftward direction of a vehicle 12 to which the floor structure 10 is applied. In the following description, when the directions of front-rear, left-right, and up-down are simply used, they refer to the front-rear, left-right (width direction), and up-down direction of the vehicle 12 unless otherwise specified.

[0015] 1, an instrument panel 16, a steering wheel 18, interior materials 20, an accelerator pedal 30, and a brake pedal 40 are provided in the front of the passenger compartment of a vehicle 12 to which a floor structure 10 according to this embodiment is applied. The steering wheel 18, the interior materials 20, the accelerator pedal 30, and the brake pedal 40 are disposed in front of a driver's seat (not shown). The vehicle 12 is configured to be switchable between automatic driving and manual driving.

[0016] The interior material 20 is disposed below the instrument panel 16, and is provided on the floor 14 of the vehicle 12. The interior material 20 is formed, for example, from a fiber-reinforced resin in a generally plate-like shape, and forms part of the floor 14. The interior material 20 covers an accelerator pedal housing 22 (see FIGS. 4 and 5) which is a pedal housing for housing the accelerator pedal 30, and a brake pedal housing (not shown) which is a pedal housing for housing the brake pedal 40, from the rear side of the vehicle.

[0017] 1 and 2, a plurality of slits 24 aligned in the vehicle width direction are formed in the portion of the interior material 20 that covers the accelerator pedal housing 22. Similarly, a plurality of slits 26 (see FIG. 1) aligned in the vehicle width direction are formed in the portion of the interior material 20 that covers the brake pedal housing. In addition, a striped pattern similar to the slits 24, 26 is formed on the surface 20A of the interior material 20.

[0018] The accelerator pedal 30 is made of, for example, fiber-reinforced resin, and has an elongated shape with its longitudinal direction extending up and down when viewed from the rear. As shown in Fig. 3, the accelerator pedal 30 has a plate-shaped pedal body 32 and a plurality of plate-shaped ribs 34 extending integrally from one surface of the pedal body 32 in its thickness direction toward one side of the pedal body 32 in its thickness direction. The plurality of ribs 34 are plate-shaped with their thickness direction aligned with the vehicle width direction, and are arranged at equal intervals in the vehicle width direction.

[0019] The multiple ribs 34 of the accelerator pedal 30 are inserted into the multiple slits 24 of the interior material 20, and the pedal body 32 of the accelerator pedal 30 is disposed on the front side of the interior material 20. As shown in Figs. 4 and 5, a support member 50 is disposed on the front side of the pedal body 32. The support member 50 is formed into a plate shape from, for example, metal. Note that the material and shape of the support member 50 are merely examples and can be changed as appropriate.

[0020] A hinge portion 36 protruding forward is provided at the lower end of the pedal body 32, and a hinge portion 52 protruding rearward is provided at the lower end of the support member 50. These hinge portions 36, 52 are rotatably connected to each other by a support shaft 54 ​​whose axial direction is the vehicle width direction. This allows the accelerator pedal 30 to be rotatably connected to the support member 50 around the support shaft 54. This accelerator pedal 30 is an organ-type pedal that can rotate around the lower end where the support shaft 54 ​​is provided.

[0021] A biasing member 56 (here, a compression coil spring) is disposed between the pedal body 32 and the support member 50. This biases the accelerator pedal 30 toward the non-operated position shown in Figures 4 and 5 relative to the support member 50. When the driver of the vehicle 12 depresses the accelerator pedal 30 forward, the accelerator pedal 30 rotates forward about the support shaft 54 ​​(see arrow R in Figure 4).

[0022] The rotation of the accelerator pedal 30 around the support shaft 54 ​​is detected by an accelerator position sensor 58. The accelerator position sensor 58 has a detection circuit including a Hall element that detects the orientation of a permanent magnet (not shown) embedded in the support shaft 54, for example. The accelerator position sensor 58 is electrically connected to a control ECU 60, which is a control device mounted on the vehicle 12.

[0023] The control ECU 60 is a microcomputer including, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a storage device, and an input / output interface. When the vehicle 12 is in a manual driving mode, the control ECU 60 is configured to electrically drive the throttle valve of the vehicle 12 based on the output from the accelerator position sensor 58 (so-called throttle-by-wire system is adopted).

[0024] The support member 50 that supports the accelerator pedal 30 is supported by an actuator 62 disposed in front of the support member 50. The actuator 62 has, for example, a motor and a feed screw mechanism, and is fixed to a vehicle body (not shown). The actuator 62 is capable of driving the support member 50 and the accelerator pedal 30 in approximately the front-rear direction. Driven by the actuator 62, the accelerator pedal 30 is configured to move between a protruding position shown in FIG. 4 and a retracted position shown in FIG. 5.

[0025] This actuator 62 is electrically connected to the above-mentioned control ECU 60, and its operation is controlled by the control ECU 60. The control ECU 60 is configured to position the accelerator pedal 30 in the extended position when the vehicle 12 is in the manual driving mode, and to position the accelerator pedal 30 in the retracted position when the vehicle 12 is in the automatic driving mode.

[0026] In the protruding state where the accelerator pedal 30 is in the protruding position, the multiple ribs 34 protrude rearward from the surface 20A of the interior material 20, as shown in Fig. 4. In this protruding state, the occupant can depress the accelerator pedal 30. In the stored state where the accelerator pedal 30 is in the stored position, the tip surfaces 34A of the multiple ribs 34 are configured to be positioned on the same plane as the surface 20A of the interior material 20, as shown in Fig. 5.

[0027] 1, the brake pedal 40 is made of, for example, fiber-reinforced resin, and has an elongated shape with its longitudinal direction extending in the left-right direction when viewed from the rear side. The brake pedal 40 has a plate-shaped pedal body (not shown) and a plurality of plate-shaped ribs 44 extending integrally from one surface of the pedal body in its thickness direction to one side in the thickness direction of the pedal body 32. The plurality of ribs 44 are plate-shaped with their thickness direction aligned with the vehicle width direction, and are arranged at equal intervals in the vehicle width direction.

[0028] The multiple ribs 44 of the brake pedal 40 are inserted into the multiple slits 26 of the interior material 20, and the pedal body of the brake pedal 40 is disposed on the front side of the interior material 20. The brake pedal 40 is supported so as to be movable in the approximately front-rear direction by a support member (not shown) disposed on the front side of the interior material 20, and is mechanically connected to a brake master cylinder (not shown) of the vehicle 12. When the driver of the vehicle 12 depresses the brake pedal 40 forward, the brakes of the vehicle 12 are activated.

[0029] A support member for supporting the brake pedal 40 is attached to an actuator similar to the actuator 62 described above. This actuator is electrically connected to the control ECU 60 described above, and its operation is controlled by the control ECU 60. The control ECU 60 is configured to position the brake pedal 40 in the extended position shown in Fig. 1 when the vehicle 12 is in the manual driving mode, and to position the brake pedal 40 in a retracted position (not shown) when the vehicle 12 is in the automatic driving mode.

[0030] In the protruding state where the brake pedal 40 is located at the protruding position, the multiple ribs 44 protrude rearward from the surface 20A of the interior material 20, as shown in Fig. 1. In this protruding state, the occupant can depress the brake pedal 40. In the stored state where the brake pedal 40 is located at the stored position, the tip surfaces 44A of the multiple ribs 44 are configured to be disposed on the same plane as the surface 20A of the interior material 20. Note that "on the same plane" in this embodiment does not have to mean strictly on the same plane, and may be approximately on the same plane.

[0031] In the floor structure 10 configured as described above, a plurality of slits 24, 26 are formed in the interior material 20 provided on the floor 14 of the vehicle 12 in front of the driver's seat. A plurality of ribs 34, 44 of the accelerator pedal 30 and the brake pedal 40 are inserted into the plurality of slits 24, 26, respectively. The accelerator pedal 30 is moved by the actuator 62 between a protruding position where the plurality of ribs 34 protrude rearward from the surface 20A of the interior material 20 and a stored position where the tip surfaces 34A of the plurality of ribs 34 are arranged on the same plane as the surface 20A of the interior material 20. Similarly, the brake pedal 40 is moved by the actuator between a protruding position where the plurality of ribs 44 protrude rearward from the surface 20A of the interior material 20 and a stored position where the tip surfaces 44A of the plurality of ribs 44 are arranged on the same plane as the surface 20A of the interior material 20.

[0032] When the accelerator pedal 30 and the brake pedal 40 are in the stored position, the multiple ribs 34, 44 of the accelerator pedal 30 and the brake pedal 40 blend in with the surface 20A of the interior material 20. This reduces the discomfort felt by the occupant compared to the prior art described in the Background section, in which the pedal lever surface and the floor surface have different feel when pressed.

[0033] Moreover, in this floor structure 10, a striped pattern similar to the multiple slits 24, 26 is formed on the surface 20A of the interior material 20. The accelerator pedal 30 and the brake pedal 40, in which the multiple ribs 34, 44 are inserted into the multiple slits 24, 26, have a striped appearance similar to the above striped pattern. This gives the interior material 20, accelerator pedal 30, and brake pedal 40 a neat and innovative appearance.

[0034] In addition, in this floor structure 10, the accelerator pedal 30 is an organ-type pedal, so that the path of the accelerator pedal 30 when the occupant operates the accelerator is the same as the path of the sole of the occupant's foot, making it easier for the occupant to operate the accelerator and reducing fatigue in the occupant's right foot. Moreover, since it becomes easier to perform subtle accelerator control, this contributes to improving the fuel efficiency or electricity consumption of the vehicle 12.

[0035] In the above embodiment, the accelerator pedal 30 and the brake pedal 40 are the pedals of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, only one of the accelerator pedal and the brake pedal may be the pedal of the present invention.

[0036] In the above embodiment, the accelerator pedal 30 is an organ-type pedal, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the accelerator pedal may be a suspended pedal.

[0037] In addition, the present invention can be implemented in various modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Furthermore, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0038] 10 Floor structure 12 Vehicles 14th Floor 20 Interior materials 20A surface 24 Slit 26 Slit 30 Accelerator pedal 34 Ribs 34A Tip surface 40 Brake pedal 44 Ribs 44A Tip surface 62 Actuator

Claims

1. An interior material provided on a vehicle floor in front of the driver's seat and having a plurality of slits arranged in a vehicle width direction; a pedal having a plurality of ribs inserted into the plurality of slits; an actuator that moves the pedal between a protruding position in which the plurality of ribs protrude from a surface of the interior material toward a vehicle rear side and a stored position in which tip surfaces of the plurality of ribs are disposed on the same plane as the surface of the interior material; A floor structure equipped with

2. 2. The floor structure according to claim 1, wherein the pedals include an accelerator pedal and a brake pedal.

3. 3. The floor structure according to claim 2, wherein the accelerator pedal is an organ-type pedal that is rotatable around its lower end.

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