Vehicle with steps

Abstract

To enable linkage between a door and a step plate through a linkage device to be released at multiple timings.SOLUTION: In a vehicle with a step, a linkage device 50 is configured to release linkage between a door (a front door 6) and a step plate 21 when the opening door 6 is in at least one of the below described states (a) and (b) and when the step plate 21 does not move from a storage position. (a) A state in which the opening door 6 is in an area between a position where the door 6 is rotated to a predetermined opening angle θ1 before the door is fully opened and a fully opened position. (B) A state in which the opening door 6 is in an area between a position where the door 6 is rotated to a predetermined opening angle θ2 (θ2<θ1) and a fully closed position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle with steps, which includes a door that rotates horizontally to open and close a door opening, and a step plate that rotates horizontally at the door opening to displace between a stored position and a use position. [Background technology]

[0002] A vehicle with this type of step is described in Patent Document 1. In this vehicle, a door opening is provided on the side in the vehicle width direction, and a side door is connected to the front edge of the door opening via a door hinge in a state in which it can rotate horizontally. A fan-shaped step plate is fixed to the side door with its arc surface facing the rear of the vehicle. This step plate is stored under the floor of the door opening with one side corresponding to its radius fixed to the lower edge of the side door. In addition, an arc-shaped guide rail that guides the arc surface of the step plate is provided under the floor of the vehicle. In the above-mentioned configuration, by rotating the side door in the opening direction, the step plate provided on the lower edge can be pulled out from under the floor of the door opening (storage position) while aligning it with the guide rail. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2004-136718 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the above-mentioned configuration, since the step plate is fixed to the lower edge of the side door, the step plate is always linked to the opening and closing operation of the side door. However, in this type of vehicle with a step, there is a demand to release the link between the door and the step plate at a desired timing. For example, if the step plate does not move from the storage position due to some reason (freezing, etc.), it is desirable to be able to open the door by releasing the link between the step plate and the door. There is also a demand to release the link between the step plate and the door in the middle of the door opening operation, taking into account the performance of the step plate. For example, by making the step plate reach the use position before the door is fully opened, the step plate can be used as a tread surface without fully opening the door. In such a case, it is desirable to release the link between the step plate and the door after the step plate reaches the use position. There is also a demand to release the link between the door and the step plate and hold it in the storage position until the door is slightly opened from the fully closed state. Of course, it is possible to provide multiple devices to release the link between the step plate and the door, but in that case, an increase in costs is unavoidable. The present invention was devised in consideration of the above-mentioned points, and the problem that the present invention aims to solve is to make it possible to release the interlocking between the door and the step plate by the interlocking device at multiple times. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] As a means for solving the above problems, the step-equipped vehicle of the first invention is provided with a door that opens and closes the door opening of the vehicle body by rotating horizontally, and a step plate that rotates horizontally at the door opening position to displace between a storage position and a use position. The step-equipped vehicle is provided with an interlocking device that displaces the step plate in conjunction with the opening and closing operation of the door, but in this type of configuration, it is desirable to be able to release the interlocking between the door and the step plate by the interlocking device at multiple times.

[0006] Therefore, the interlocking device of the present invention is configured to release the interlocking between the door and the step plate when the door is in at least one of the following states (a) and (b) during the opening operation, and when the step plate does not move from the storage position. That is, in the present invention, the interlocking between the door and the step plate by the interlocking device is released when the door is in (a) a state between a position where the door has rotated to a predetermined opening angle θ1 before the door is fully opened and the fully open position, or (b) a state between a position where the door has rotated to a predetermined opening angle θ2 (θ2<θ1) and the fully closed position during the opening operation. In the present invention, the interlocking between the door and the step plate can be released when the door is in at least one of the states (a) and (b), taking into consideration the performance of the step plate. Furthermore, in the present invention, the interlocking between the door and the step plate by the interlocking device is released when the step plate does not move from the storage position, so that the door can be opened and closed independently of the step plate.

[0007] The step-equipped vehicle of the second invention is the step-equipped vehicle of the first invention, in which the door is in the state (a) during the opening operation, the interlocking device releases the door and the step plate, and the door rotates to a predetermined opening angle θ1, causing the step plate to reach the use position. In this invention, the step plate can be displaced to the use position before the door is fully opened. Also, the door can be fully opened with the step plate held in the use position.

[0008] The step-equipped vehicle of the third invention is the step-equipped vehicle of the second invention, in which the interlocking device has a door-side interlocking part provided on the door side and a step-side interlocking part provided on the step plate side. The step-side interlocking part is configured to be displaceable between a first position in which the door-side interlocking part is held so as to be interlocked with the door, and a second position in which the door-side interlocking part is released so as to be released from the interlocking with the door. The step-side interlocking part is configured to be displaced from the first position to the second position by application of an external force from the door when the door is in the state (a) during the opening operation and when the step plate does not move from the stored position. In the present invention, the relatively simple configuration of displacing the position of the step-side interlocking part allows the interlocking between the door and the step plate to be released both when the door is in the state (a) and when the step plate does not move.

[0009] The step-equipped vehicle of the fourth invention is the step-equipped vehicle of the second or third invention, in which the step plate is configured to be displaceable between a stored position and a use position while being supported by a deployment link mechanism provided at the door opening. When the door rotates to a predetermined opening angle θ1 and the deployment link mechanism hits a stopper portion on the vehicle body side, the step plate is held in the use position and the linkage between the door and the step plate by the linkage device is released. In this invention, the deployment link mechanism works to displace the step plate. Then, by stopping the movement of the deployment link mechanism with the stopper portion, the linkage between the door and the step plate in the state (a) can be released.

[0010] The step-equipped vehicle of the fifth invention is a vehicle with steps according to any one of the first to fourth inventions, in which when the door is in the state (b) during the opening operation, the interlocking device releases the interlocking between the door and the step plate, and the step plate is held in the stored position. In this invention, the interlocking with the step plate is released while the door rotates by the opening angle θ2. Therefore, after the door is opened by the opening angle θ2 with the step plate held in the stored position, the step plate can be displaced toward the use position.

[0011] The sixth aspect of the present invention is a vehicle with steps, in which the interlocking device has a door-side interlocking part provided on the door side and a step-side interlocking part provided on the step plate side. The step-side interlocking part is formed with a door-following part that is abutted against the door-side interlocking part so as to interlock with the door, and a door non-following part that allows the door-side interlocking part to move relative to the door so as to release the interlocking with the door. The door-side interlocking part is configured to move from the door non-following part to the door following part while the door rotates from the fully closed position to a predetermined opening angle θ2 during the opening operation. In the present invention, the door-side interlocking part is moved between the door-following part and the door non-following part, and the step plate can be displaced toward the use position after the door is opened by the opening angle θ2. Effect of the Invention

[0012] According to the first invention of the present invention, the interlocking between the door and the step plate by the interlocking device can be released at multiple times. According to the second invention, the interlocking between the door and the step plate during the opening operation can be released at the timing when the step plate reaches the use position. According to the third invention, the interlocking between the door and the step plate can be released with a relatively simple configuration. According to the fourth invention, the interlocking between the door and the step plate during the opening operation can be more reliably released at the timing when the step plate reaches the use position. According to the fifth invention, the step plate can be displaced toward the use position after the door is opened. And according to the sixth invention, the step plate can be displaced toward the use position after the door is opened with a relatively simple configuration. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the vehicle as seen from the rear. [Diagram 2] 2 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view of a vehicle showing an installation position of a step device. FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a step device in the middle of a positional displacement. [Figure 4]FIG. 2 is a side view of the step device in the stored position. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the step device in a retracted position. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a top view of the step device in the use position. [Figure 7] FIG. [Figure 8] 13 is a perspective view of the step-side interlocking portion and the latch portion in the stored position. FIG. [Figure 9] 1 is a perspective view of the step-side interlocking portion and the latch portion in the use position. FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the step device showing the locking arm portion. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is a top view of the fully closed door and step device. [Figure 12] FIG. 4 is a top view of the door and step device at the beginning of the opening operation. [Figure 13] FIG. 4 is a top view of the door and step device in the middle of the opening operation. [Figure 14] FIG. 1 is a top view of the door and step device showing the operation of the slide link mechanism. [Figure 15] FIG. 4 is a top view of the door and step device in a later stage of the opening operation. [Figure 16] FIG. 2 is a top view of the fully open door and step device. [Figure 17] FIG. 4 is a top view of the door and the interlocking device at the beginning of the closing operation. [Figure 18] FIG. 13 is a top view of the step-side interlocking part pressed by the door-side interlocking part. [Figure 19] FIG. 13 is a top view of the door and interlocking device in the middle of the closing operation. [Figure 20] FIG. 13 is a top view of the door and the interlocking device in a later stage of the closing operation. [Figure 21] FIG. 13 is a top view of the door and the interlocking device in the final stage of the closing operation. [Figure 22] FIG. 13 is a top view of the door and step device in the final stage of the closing operation. [Figure 23] 1 is a top view of the step device and the door when the step plate does not move from the stored position. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 1 to Fig. 23. In each figure, arrows indicating the front-rear direction, left-right direction (vehicle width direction), and up-down direction (vehicle height direction) of the vehicle are appropriately illustrated. For the vehicle shown in Fig. 1, for convenience, only the members on the right side of the vehicle are given corresponding symbols.

[0015] [Vehicle front structure] Before describing the step device 20 (step plate 21), the front structure of the vehicle 2 will be described first. In the vehicle 2 shown in FIG. 1, a door opening 4 corresponding to the front seats is formed on the right side of the vehicle body 3. A front pillar 5, which is a front support for the vehicle compartment, is erected on the vehicle front side of the door opening 4. A front door 6 is connected to the front pillar 5 via upper and lower door hinges (not shown), and the front door 6 rotates horizontally in the vehicle width direction around the door hinge to open and close the door opening 4. A vertical wall-shaped front side panel 7 is provided at the bottom of the door opening 4 so as to extend in the front-rear direction of the vehicle. A wheel house 8 that stores the front wheels of the vehicle 2 is provided at the rear side of the front side panel 7. A fixed step 9 is provided at the bottom of the front side panel 7 so as to protrude outward in the vehicle width direction (to the right in FIG. 1).

[0016] As shown in Fig. 2, the front side panel 7 is formed in a vertical wall shape extending in the vertical direction of the vehicle, and is disposed so as to cover the cowl panel 10. The front door 6 in a closed state is disposed on the outer side in the vehicle width direction (the right side in Fig. 2) of the front side panel 7 and the fixed step 9. A step device 20 (described in detail later) provided with a step plate 21 is disposed on the upper side of the fixed step 9.

[0017] [Step device] The step device 20 shown in Fig. 3 basically comprises a step plate 21 and a main body portion 22 that supports the step plate 21. The step device 20 also includes an extension link mechanism 30 that supports the main body portion 22 (step plate 21) so that the main body portion 22 can rotate horizontally, and a slide link mechanism 40 that slides the step plate 21 in the extension direction of the main body portion 22, as shown in Fig. 3. The step device 20 also includes an interlocking device 50 that interlocks the opening and closing operation of the front door 6 with the positional displacement of the main body portion 22.

[0018] In the step device 20 shown in FIG. 3, the main body 22 provided with the step plate 21 is supported by the unfolding link mechanism 30 and displaced between a storage position on the fixed step 9 and a use position on the vehicle width direction outer side (right side in FIG. 3) from the storage position. At this time, the slide link mechanism 40 slides the step plate 21 in the direction in which the main body 22 extends. In the step device 20, the interlocking device 50 allows the main body 22 provided with the step plate 21 to be displaced in position in conjunction with the opening and closing of the front door 6. In this type of step device 20, as described above, there are cases where it is desired to release the interlocking between the front door 6 and the step plate 21, but the increase in cost in this case should be suppressed as much as possible. Therefore, in this embodiment, the interlocking between the front door 6 and the step plate 21 can be released at multiple times by using a configuration described later. Below, each configuration of the step device 20 will be described in detail in the order of the main body 22, the step plate 21, the unfolding link mechanism 30, the slide link mechanism 40, and the interlocking device 50.

[0019] [Main body] First, referring to Figures 4 and 5, the main body 22 is formed in a hollow rectangular shape extending in the vehicle front-rear direction in the storage position, and the rear end surface side of the main body 22 is open. A rotating shaft 23 extending in the vertical direction is rotatably inserted into the front part of the upper surface of the main body 22. The upper end of the rotating shaft 23 is fixed to a front link 31 of a deployment link mechanism 30 described later. A slide groove portion 24 is formed on the upper surface of the main body 22 in a portion from the rear side of the vehicle to the rear end of the rotating shaft 23 so as to extend in the vehicle front-rear direction. A plate-shaped slider portion 25 extending in the vehicle front-rear direction is slidably assembled inside the main body 22, and a step plate 21 described later is attached to the rear part of the slider portion 25.

[0020] [Step board] Next, the step plate 21 shown in Figs. 3 to 5 is formed in a generally right-angled trapezoidal shape in a plan view, and is assembled to be slidable relative to the main body 22. That is, the slider section 25 in the main body 22 described above is formed with a convex section 26 that protrudes upward from the vehicle and extends in the vehicle front-rear direction, and this convex section 26 is slidably fitted into the slide groove section 24. A rear support plate 260 on which front and rear support pillars 27 protrude is fixed to the rear of the convex section 26. The step plate 21 is fixed on the front and rear support pillars 27 in a generally horizontal state, and is arranged so as to overlap the rear side of the main body 22 when in the storage position shown in Figs. 4 and 5. A slide link mechanism 40 (described later) is connected to the convex section 26 at the front of the vehicle of the slider section 25 via a front support plate 261. 3 and 6, the front support plate 261 is capable of sliding together with the step plate 21 (slider portion 25) in the direction in which the main body portion 22 extends, by the action of a slide link mechanism 40 which will be described later.

[0021] [Deployment link mechanism] The unfolding link mechanism 30 shown in FIG. 3 is a mechanism that supports the main body 22 provided with the step plate 21 so as to be displaceable as described above. The unfolding link mechanism 30 is composed of a front link 31 and a rear link 32. The front link 31 is a band-shaped link that is connected to the front side of the main body 22, and is arranged to extend in the vehicle width direction (left-right direction). The rotary shaft 23 of the main body 22 is fixed to the outer side of the front link 31 in the vehicle width direction (right side in FIG. 3) as described above. The inner side of the front link 31 in the vehicle width direction (left side in FIG. 3) is supported by a front bracket 310 installed on the fixed step 9. The front bracket 310 is formed in a vertical wall shape that extends in the vehicle front-rear direction, and supports the front link 31 so as to be slidable forward and backward as shown in FIG. 6. When the main body 22 in the storage position moves toward the use position, the front link 31 supporting the main body 22 gradually slides toward the rear of the vehicle relative to the front bracket 310.

[0022] The rear link 32 shown in FIG. 3 is a band-shaped link arranged at a position rearward of the front link 31. The rear link 32 faces the vehicle front-rear direction in the storage position shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, and the front end of the rear link 32 is supported by a body-side shaft 321 protruding from the upper surface of the main body 22 so as to be horizontally rotatable. The rear end of the rear link 32 is supported by a body-side shaft 322 provided on the fixed step 9 so as to be horizontally rotatable. When the main body 22 moves toward the use position, the rear link 32 rotates rightward (rotates clockwise in FIG. 6) with the body-side shaft 322 as a fulcrum while moving the front link 31 toward the rear of the vehicle as shown in FIG. 6. A vertical wall-shaped stopper portion 33 protruding toward the upper side of the vehicle is provided on the fixed step 9 (vehicle body 3) side on the vehicle rear side of the body-side shaft 322. The rear link 32 is adapted to rotate clockwise until it reaches a use position, as will be described later, and then to come into contact with a stopper portion 33.

[0023] [Slide link mechanism] As described above, the slide link mechanism 40 shown in FIG. 3 is a mechanism for sliding the step plate 21 in the extending direction of the main body 22. The slide link mechanism 40 is composed of a first link 41, a second link 42, and a third link 43. The first link 41 is a band-shaped link that faces the front-rear direction of the vehicle when the stored position shown in FIG. 5 is used as a reference. The base end (the end on the front side of the vehicle) of the first link 41 is axially connected to the center position of the rear link 32 by a first axis A1. The tip end of the first link 41 is axially connected to the left end side of the second link 42 on the inner side in the vehicle width direction (the left side in FIG. 5) by a second axis A2.

[0024] The second link 42 is a band-shaped link extending in the vehicle front-rear direction in the storage position shown in FIG. 5, and gradually inclines toward the vehicle width direction outer side (right side in FIG. 5) as it crosses the main body 22 and moves toward the front side of the vehicle. The second link 42 is pivotally supported on the main body 22 at its inner side in the vehicle width direction (left side in FIG. 5) so as to be horizontally rotatable. That is, referring to FIG. 3 and FIG. 6, the main body 22 is provided with a receiving plate 220 that protrudes toward the inner side in the vehicle width direction. The second link 42 is pivotally supported on a rotating shaft 421 protruding from the receiving plate 220 so as to be horizontally rotatable. Furthermore, referring to FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the tip end of the band-shaped third link 43 is pivotally connected to the right end of the second link 42 on the outer side in the vehicle width direction by a third shaft A3. The base end of the third link 43 is pivotally connected to the front support plate 261 of the slider part 25 by a fourth shaft A4.

[0025] The slide link mechanism 40 shown in FIG. 6 is configured to be interlocked with the above-mentioned unfolding link mechanism 30. That is, the first link 41 and the second link 42 of the slide link mechanism 40, together with the rear link 32 of the unfolding link mechanism 30 and the main body 22, form a four-joint link (see the portion 40X shown by the dashed line in FIG. 6). For this reason, when the main body 22 is displaced to the use position, the second link 42 rotates rightward about the rotation shaft 421 in conjunction with the rightward rotation of the rear link 32 (clockwise rotation in FIG. 6). Then, the right end of the second link 42 moves in an arc toward the rear of the vehicle together with the third link 43, so that the front support plate 261 connected to the third link 43 can be slid toward the rear of the vehicle together with the step plate 21 (slider portion 25) (see FIG. 14).

[0026] [Interlocking device] The interlocking device 50 shown in FIG. 3 is a device that displaces the step plate 21 in conjunction with the opening and closing operation of the front door 6, as described above. The interlocking device 50 is configured to be able to release the interlocking between the front door 6 and the step plate 21 at a plurality of timings, as described later. The interlocking device 50 has a door-side interlocking part 51 provided on the front door 6 side and a step-side interlocking part 52 provided on the step plate 21 (main body part 22) side, as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 7. First, the door-side interlocking part 51 is fixed to the front door 6 side so as to follow the front door 6 during the opening and closing operation. That is, a protruding plate 510 that protrudes toward the inside in the vehicle width direction (left side in FIG. 7) is fixed to the lower edge of the front door 6, and the shaft-shaped door-side interlocking part 51 is formed at the tip of the protruding plate 510 so as to protrude toward the vehicle lower side. As a result, when the front door 6 rotates during the opening and closing operation, the door-side interlocking part 51 fixed to the front door 6 moves along a predetermined arc trajectory X.

[0027] 7 is a plate-like member attached to the front of the main body 22 in a generally horizontal position. The step-side interlocking part 52 is composed of a base part 53 constituting the front side of the vehicle, and a pair of left and right arm parts 54, 55 formed on the rear side of the base part 53. The base part 53 is formed in a generally rectangular shape in a plan view, and is supported by a support shaft 56 provided on the main body 22 so as to be able to rotate left (rotate counterclockwise as indicated by the arrow A50 in FIG. 7). Furthermore, a coil spring-like rotation restricting part 57 is fixed so as to span between the base part 53 and the main body 22, and the left rotation of the step-side interlocking part 52 provided on the base part 53 is restricted by the spring force of the rotation restricting part 57. Then, by restricting the left rotation, the step side interlocking part 52 is maintained in a first position along the extension direction of the main body part 22 (the position shown by the solid line facing the vehicle front-rear direction in the storage position in FIG. 7) as described later. Also, as will be described later, an outward external force is applied only to the step side interlocking part 52 by the front door 6 during the opening operation. The step side interlocking part 52 to which this external force is applied rotates left against the spring force of the rotation restriction part 57. As a result, the step side interlocking part 52 is displaced between the above-mentioned first position and a second position (the position shown by the two-dot dashed line in FIG. 7) rotated leftward from the first position outward in the vehicle width direction.

[0028] Next, on the rear side of the step side interlocking part 52 shown in Fig. 7, an outer arm part 54 and an inner arm part 55 are formed so as to extend toward the rear side of the vehicle. The outer arm part 54 is disposed on the outer side of the step side interlocking part 52 in the vehicle width direction (the right side in Fig. 7) and is formed in an arc shape that protrudes to the right side. The outer arm part 54 has a surface on the inner side in the vehicle width direction (the left side in Fig. 7) that constitutes a first door following part 71, and this first door following part 71 is adapted to be brought into contact with the door side interlocking part 51 when the front door 6 is opened. In addition, the outer arm part 54 has a front-rear dimension set so as not to overlap the arc trajectory X of the door side interlocking part 51 described above, based on the step side interlocking part 52 in the second position (the position shown by the two-dot dashed line in Fig. 7).

[0029] The inner arm portion 55 shown in FIG. 7 is disposed on the inner side of the step side interlocking portion 52 in the vehicle width direction (left side in FIG. 7), and is spaced apart from the outer arm portion 54 in the vehicle width direction. In addition, based on the second posture, the inner arm portion 55 of the step side interlocking portion 52 has a large front-rear dimension so as to overlap with the circular arc locus X of the door side interlocking portion 51 described above. The inner arm portion 55 has a door non-following portion 73 and a second door following portion 72 formed on its outer side in the vehicle width direction (right side in FIG. 7). The door non-following portion 73 is a concave portion extending inward in the vehicle width direction, and is provided on the base end side of the inner arm portion 55 on the vehicle front side. The width dimension (vehicle front-rear dimension) of this door non-following portion 73 is larger than the diameter dimension of the door side interlocking portion 51, and is configured to allow relative movement of the door side interlocking portion 51 in the vehicle width direction, as described later. The second door following portion 72 is formed on the vehicle rear side of the non-door following portion 73, and is adapted to come into contact with the door-side interlocking portion 51 when the front door 6 is closed. The second door following portion 72 protrudes outward in the vehicle width direction relative to the non-door following portion 73, and is gradually inclined outward in the vehicle width direction as it approaches the vehicle front side.

[0030] Here, the step-side interlocking portion 52 shown in FIG. 7 is adapted to be received by a latch portion 60 provided on the main body portion 22 when the main body portion 22 is in the storage position. The latch portion 60 is formed in a generally L-shape as shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, and has a base portion 61 extending in the vehicle front-rear direction and a contact portion 62 protruding from the base portion 61 to the outside in the vehicle width direction (the right side in each figure). The latch portion 60 is supported by a shaft member 63 of the main body portion 22 between the base portion 61 and the contact portion 62 so as to be able to rotate left (rotate counterclockwise in each figure), and is further biased in the left rotation direction by a biasing portion not shown. A vertical wall-shaped receiving portion 600 is formed on the inside in the vehicle width direction of the latch portion 60 shown in FIG. 7, and the receiving portion 600 is adapted to receive the latch portion 60 rotated left.

[0031] 7 and 8, a contact portion 58 is formed on the underside of the step side interlocking part 52 so as to extend in the vehicle width direction. In the storage position, the step side interlocking part 52 in the first posture is received by the latch part 60 on which the contact portion 62 is formed, by the contact portion 62 contacting the rear surface of the contact portion 58. At this time, the latch part 60 is supported by a support piece part 64 fixed to the fixed step 9, with a pin 610 provided on a base part 61 of the latch part 60. The support piece part 64 has an inclined surface 65 that gradually inclines inward in the vehicle width direction (left side in each figure) toward the rear side of the vehicle, and the pin 610 of the base part 61 is contacted with the inclined surface 65. In addition, as described later, the step side interlocking part 52 is rotated leftward by the external force of the front door 6, so that the contact portion 62 of the latch part 60 is released from the contact portion 58. Then, as shown in Figure 9, after the latch portion 60 disengages from the step side interlocking portion 52, it rotates left, so that the abutment portion 62 again comes into contact with the inner surface of the abutted portion 58 in the vehicle width direction in the second posture.

[0032] 3 and 10, the step side interlocking part 52 is provided with a locking arm part 59 that locks the slider part 25 of the main body part 22. The locking arm part 59 is a substantially L-shaped part in a side view shown in FIG. 4, and extends toward the rear of the vehicle after protruding from the step side interlocking part 52 in the storage position toward the lower side of the vehicle. Then, as described later, when an external force of the front door 6 is applied only to the step side interlocking part 52, the step side interlocking part 52 rotates left together with the locking arm part 59 (rotates counterclockwise as indicated by the arrow A50 in FIG. 10). At this time, the tip pin 590 of the locking arm part 59 makes an arc movement toward the outside in the vehicle width direction (the right side in FIG. 10) and is fitted into and locked by the substantially U-shaped stopper piece 28 provided at the rear end of the slider part 25. The locking arm part 59 is thus locked by the stopper piece 28, thereby making it possible to lock the sliding movement of the step plate 21. According to the above-mentioned configuration, when the step plate 21 is stepped on, a force is applied to the step plate 21 in the downward direction of the vehicle and a force in the forward direction of the vehicle, but even in such a case, the sliding movement of the step plate 21 toward the front of the vehicle (reverse movement) can be stopped.

[0033] [Step device position displacement] First, when the front door 6 is fully closed as shown in FIG. 11, the step device 20 is disposed in a storage position on the fixed step 9. The step plate 21 is disposed so as to overlap the rear part of the main body 22 in this storage position. The step side interlocking part 52 of the interlocking device 50 is maintained in a first position, and the door side interlocking part 51 is fitted into the door non-following part 73 of the step side interlocking part 52. Then, as shown in FIG. 12 etc., the interlocking device 50 works to displace the step plate 21 to the use position in conjunction with the opening operation of the front door 6. In this type of configuration, it is desirable to be able to release the interlocking between the front door 6 and the step plate 21 at multiple timings, that is, when the front door 6 is in the state (a) or (b) below, and when the step plate 21 does not move from the storage position.

[0034] 11, 12 and 15, the step device 20 is configured so that the interlocking between the door and the step plate 21 by the interlocking device 50 is released when the door during the opening operation is in a state between a position rotated to a predetermined opening angle θ1 before the door is fully opened and the fully open position, and in a state between a position rotated to a predetermined opening angle θ2 (θ2<θ1) and the fully closed position. Furthermore, the step device 20 is configured so that the interlocking between the door and the step plate 21 by the interlocking device 50 is released when the step plate 21 does not move from the stored position. Hereinafter, the operation of the interlocking device 50 will be described according to the opening and closing status of the front door 6.

[0035] [Door opening operation in the beginning] Referring to FIG. 12, the front door 6 in the fully closed position is rotated to the left (rotated counterclockwise as indicated by the arrow A10 in FIG. 12) to the opening angle θ2. At this time, the door-side interlocking portion 51 on the front door 6 side moves to the outside in the vehicle width direction (to the right in FIG. 12) along a predetermined arc trajectory X. As a result, the door-side interlocking portion 51 moves so as to be out of the door non-following portion 73 of the step-side interlocking portion 52, and comes into contact with the first door following portion 71 when the front door 6 has rotated to the opening angle θ2. In the above-described configuration, the interlocking between the front door 6 and the step plate 21 is released until the door-side interlocking portion 51 comes into contact with the first door following portion 71, that is, when the door is in the position between the position rotated to the opening angle θ2 in the above (b) and the fully closed position during the opening operation. As a result, the front door 6 can be opened by the opening angle θ2 while the step plate 21 is held in the storage position.

[0036] [Door opening mid-phase] Next, the front door 6 is further rotated leftward from the opening angle θ2 as shown in Fig. 13. At this time, the door-side interlocking part 51 of the front door 6 is in contact with the first door following portion 71 of the step-side interlocking part 52. The step-side interlocking part 52 is also maintained in the first position by the action of the rotation restricting part 57. As a result, the main body part 22 to which the step-side interlocking part 52 is attached is pulled outward in the vehicle width direction (to the right in Fig. 13) by the outward external force applied from the front door 6 (door-side interlocking part 51).

[0037] [Function of the deployment link mechanism] When the external force is applied, the main body 22 shown in FIG. 13 moves toward the use position while being supported by the unfolding link mechanism 30. At this time, the rear link 32 of the unfolding link mechanism 30 rotates right (rotates clockwise in FIG. 13) about the body side shaft 322 while moving the front link 31 (rotating shaft 23) toward the rear of the vehicle. As a result, the main body 22, which is axially connected to the tip of the rear link 32, rotates left (rotates counterclockwise as indicated by the arrow A20 in FIG. 13) about the rotating shaft 23 and moves toward the use position. In the above-mentioned configuration, the front door 6 is opened by the opening angle θ2 before the main body 22 rotates left. Therefore, the main body 22 provided with the step plate 21 can be moved toward the gap generated between the front door 6 and the fixed step 9. Furthermore, the gap between the front door 6 and the fixed step 9 gradually becomes larger on the rear side of the vehicle according to the opening operation of the front door 6. Therefore, by the action of the slide link mechanism 40 described later, the step plate 21 can be slid toward the rear of the vehicle so as to aim for the above-mentioned gap.

[0038] [How the slide link mechanism works] In the step device 20, the step plate 21 slides in the direction in which the main body 22 extends by the action of the slide link mechanism 40 shown in Fig. 14. That is, when the main body 22 is displaced to the use position, the second link 42 of the slide link mechanism 40 rotates rightward about the rotation shaft 421 in conjunction with the rightward rotation (clockwise rotation in Fig. 14) of the rear link 32. As a result, the right end of the second link 42 moves in an arc toward the rear of the vehicle together with the third link 43, and the front support plate 261 connected to the third link 43 slides toward the rear of the vehicle together with the step plate 21 (slider portion 25).

[0039] [Door opening movement later stage] Then, the front door 6 is rotated left to an opening angle θ1 (θ1>θ2) as shown in Fig. 15. At this time, the rear link 32 of the unfolding link mechanism 30 hits the stopper portion 33, so that the main body portion 22 provided with the step plate 21 reaches the use position. Then, the unfolding link mechanism 30 stops, so that the main body portion 22 provided with the step plate 21 is held in the use position. Also, the slide link mechanism 40 stops, so that the step plate 21 is maintained in a state of protruding from the main body portion 22 toward the rear side of the vehicle. In this way, in the step device 20, the step plate 21 reaches the use position before the front door 6 is fully opened, so that the step plate 21 can be used as a tread surface without fully opening the front door 6.

[0040] As shown in FIG. 15, the main body 22 is held in the use position, and an external force of the front door 6 (the door-side interlocking part 51) is applied only to the step-side interlocking part 52. The step-side interlocking part 52 to which this external force is applied is displaced from the first position to a second position rotated leftward toward the outside in the vehicle width direction (to the right in each figure) against the spring force of the rotation restriction part 57, as shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 16. As a result, the step-side interlocking part 52 is no longer interlocked with the front door 6, as shown in FIG. 16, by disengaging the door-side interlocking part 51 from the outer arm part 54. The step-side interlocking part 52 in the second position is again supported by the latch part 60 rotated left (see FIG. 9). In the above-mentioned configuration, when the door is between the position rotated to the opening angle θ1 (a) and the fully open position during the opening operation, the interlocking device 50 releases the interlocking between the front door 6 and the step plate 21. Therefore, with the step plate 21 held in the use position, the front door 6 shown in FIG. 16 can be rotated left until it is fully open.

[0041] [Door closing action] Next, a case will be described in which the fully open front door 6 is rotated rightward in the closing direction (rotated clockwise as indicated by the arrow A30 in FIG. 17) as shown in FIG. 17. At this time, the door-side interlocking part 51 on the front door 6 side moves toward the inside in the vehicle width direction (the left side in FIG. 17), that is, toward the step-side interlocking part 52, along a predetermined arc trajectory X. The step-side interlocking part 52 is maintained in the second position as described above, and the outer arm part 54 does not overlap the arc trajectory X of the door-side interlocking part 51. Therefore, the door-side interlocking part 51 passes beside the outer arm part 54 of the step-side interlocking part 52 and comes into contact with the second door following part 72 of the inner arm part 55.

[0042] Next, by further rotating the front door 6 to the right, as shown in FIG. 18, the second door following portion 72 is pushed inward in the vehicle width direction (to the left in FIG. 18) by the door side interlocking portion 51 of the front door 6. Then, the step side interlocking portion 52 provided with the second door following portion 72 returns to the first position facing the rear side of the vehicle by the external force applied from the door side interlocking portion 51. As a result, the force of the front door 6 (door side interlocking portion 51) is applied to the main body portion 22 to which the step side interlocking portion 52 is attached. Then, referring to FIG. 19, the main body portion 22 is rotated to the right (rotated clockwise as indicated by the arrow A40 in FIG. 19) by the action of the unfolding link mechanism 30, and moves toward the storage position. Furthermore, the step plate 21 slides toward the front side of the vehicle relative to the main body portion 22 by the action of the slide link mechanism 40.

[0043] Then, the front door 6 is further rotated to the right as shown in Figs. 20 and 21. At this time, the door-side interlocking part 51, in a state of being abutted against the second door-following part 72, gradually moves along a predetermined arc trajectory X toward the front side of the vehicle, that is, from the second door-following part 72 toward the door non-following part 73. Then, when the main body part 22 reaches the storage position, the door-side interlocking part 51 reaches the door non-following part 73 as shown in Fig. 21. In this state, the door-side interlocking part 51 is allowed to move relative to the step-side interlocking part 52 in the vehicle width direction, so that the interlocking between the front door 6 and the main body part 22 is released. In addition, in the step-side interlocking part 52, the latch part 60 supporting it is abutted against the inclined surface 65 of the support piece part 64 fixed to the fixed step 9. Then, the latch part 60 is slightly rotated to the right about the shaft member 63, and the abutting part 62 is abutted against the rear surface of the abutted part 58 of the step-side interlocking part 52 (see Fig. 8). As a result, the step-side interlocking portion 52 is maintained in the first position. According to the above-described configuration, after the main body 22 provided with the step plate 21 reaches the storage position, the front door 6 can be rotated to the right until it is fully closed, as shown in FIG.

[0044] [If the step board does not move from the storage position] Next, referring to Fig. 12 and Fig. 23, a case where the step plate 21 does not move from the stored position will be described. Here, the reason why the step plate 21 does not move is not particularly limited, but it can be assumed that, for example, the step device 20 is frozen, or a foreign object gets into the deployment link mechanism 30 or the slide link mechanism 40. And, in the above-mentioned configuration, even if the step plate 21 does not move, the front door 6 in the fully closed position can be rotated left to the opening angle θ2 as shown in Fig. 12. Therefore, the door side interlocking part 51 moves so as to be out of the door non-following part 73 of the step side interlocking part 52, and is brought into contact with the first door following part 71 when the front door 6 reaches the opening angle θ2.

[0045] Next, the front door 6 is further rotated leftward from the opening angle θ2 as shown in FIG. 23. At this time, since the main body 22 provided with the step plate 21 does not move from the storage position, the external force of the front door 6 (the door-side interlocking part 51) is applied only to the step-side interlocking part 52. The step-side interlocking part 52 to which the external force is applied is displaced from the first position to a second position rotated leftward toward the outside in the vehicle width direction (the right side in FIG. 23) against the spring force of the rotation restricting part 57. As a result, the step-side interlocking part 52 is no longer interlocked with the front door 6 because the door-side interlocking part 51 is disengaged from the outer arm part 54. In this way, in the step device 20, the front door 6 can be rotated leftward while the step plate 21 is left in the storage position. In the above-mentioned configuration, the interlocking by the interlocking device 50 is released even when the step plate 21 does not move from the storage position, so there is no need to provide a separate device. Therefore, according to the step device 20 of this embodiment, a separate device and its installation space are not required, so that space can be saved and costs can be reduced (cost increases can be suppressed).

[0046] As described above, in the vehicle 2 with steps of this embodiment, the interlock between the front door 6 and the step plate 21 can be released when the front door 6 is in the above-mentioned state (a) and (b) in consideration of the performance of the step plate 21. Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the step plate 21 is not moved from the stored position, the interlock between the front door 6 and the step plate 21 by the interlocking device 50 is released, so that the door can be opened and closed regardless of the state of the step plate 21. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the interlock between the front door 6 and the step plate 21 by the interlocking device 50 can be released at multiple times.

[0047] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the step plate 21 can be displaced to the use position before the front door 6 is fully opened. Also, the front door 6 can be fully opened while the step plate 21 is held in the use position. Also, in this embodiment, the relatively simple configuration of displacing the position of the step side interlocking part 52 allows the front door 6 and the step plate 21 to be disengaged in both the state in which the front door 6 is in the (a) state and the state in which the step plate 21 is not moving. Also, in this embodiment, the step plate 21 can be displaced in position by the action of the unfolding link mechanism 30. Then, by stopping the movement of the unfolding link mechanism 30 with the stopper part 33, the interlocking between the front door 6 and the step plate 21 in the (a) state can be disengaged. Also, in this embodiment, the interlocking with the step plate 21 is released while the front door 6 rotates by the opening angle θ2. Therefore, after the front door 6 is opened by the angle θ2 while the step plate 21 is held in the storage position, the step plate 21 can be displaced toward the use position. In this embodiment, by using a relatively simple configuration in which the door side interlocking portion 51 is moved between the first door following portion 71 and the door non-following portion 73, the front door 6 can be opened by an angle θ2, and then the step plate 21 can be displaced toward the usage position.

[0048] The step-equipped vehicle of this embodiment is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and may take various other embodiments. In this embodiment, the configuration of the interlocking device is exemplified, but the configuration of the interlocking device is not limited. For example, the interlocking device can be configured so that the interlocking between the door and the step plate is released when the door is in either state (a) or (b) or when the step plate does not move from the storage position. In addition, various configurations such as a turnover spring and a concave-convex structure can be adopted as a configuration for maintaining the step side interlocking part in the first position and the second position, in addition to a coil spring-shaped rotation restriction part and a latch part. For example, the main body part can be provided with a concave-convex structure that can hold the step side interlocking part in the first position and the step side interlocking part in the second position. The locking arm part can be omitted from the step side interlocking part. The door side interlocking part only needs to be configured to be abutted against the step side interlocking part, and may take various shapes such as a shaft shape and a hook shape.

[0049] In addition, in this embodiment, the overall configuration of the step device is exemplified, but the overall configuration of the step device is not limited. For example, an example in which the step plate slides relative to the main body has been described, but the step plate may not slide. In this case, the step plate may be directly supported by the unfolding link mechanism, and the main body and the slide link mechanism may be omitted. The configuration of the unfolding link mechanism may also be changed as appropriate, and the step plate 21 may be displaced while moving in an arc by a four-joint link structure. The stopper part may also be disposed at a position where the left rotation of the step plate (main body) can be stopped. The step device may be disposed on the vehicle underside of the fixed step shown in FIG. 2, or the step device may be disposed instead of the fixed step. The step device may also be disposed in a door opening provided at an appropriate position of the vehicle, in addition to the door opening corresponding to the front seat. [Explanation of symbols]

[0050] 2 Vehicles 3 Vehicle body 4 Door opening 5 Front pillar 6. Front Door 7 Front Side Panel 8 Wheelhouse 9 Fixation Steps 10 Cowl panel 20 Step Device 21 Step Board 22 Main body 23 Rotation axis 24 Slide groove 25 Slider section 26 Convex 27 Support column 28 Stopper piece 30 Deployment link mechanism 31 Front link 32 Rear link 33 Stopper part 40 Slide link mechanism 41 First Link 42 Second Link 43 Third Link 50 Interlocking device 51 Door side interlocking part 52 Step side interlocking part 53 Base 54 Outer arm section 55 Inner arm 56 Support shaft 57 Rotation control part 58 Abutted part 59 Locking arm part 60 Latch section 61 Base 62 Contact part 63 Shaft material 64 Support piece 65 Slope 71 First door follower portion (the door follower portion of the present invention) 72 Second door follower part 73 Door non-following area 220 Receiving plate 260 Rear support plate 261 Front support plate 310 Front bracket 321 Body side shaft 322 Body side shaft 421 Rotating shaft 510 Projecting plate 590 Tip pin 600 Receiving part 610 Pin A1 First axis A2 2nd axis A3 third axis A4 fourth axis

Claims

1. A vehicle with a step includes a door that rotates horizontally to open and close a door opening of a vehicle body, and a step plate that rotates horizontally at the door opening to displace between a storage position and a use position, A linkage device is provided for displacing the step plate in conjunction with the opening and closing operation of the door, A vehicle with steps, wherein the interlocking device is configured to release the interlock between the door and the step plate when the door is in at least one of the following states (a) and (b) during the opening operation, and when the step plate does not move from the stored position. (a) A state between a position rotated to a predetermined opening angle θ1 before fully opening and the fully open position. (b) A state between a position rotated to a predetermined opening angle θ2 (θ2<θ1) and the fully closed position.

2. 2. A vehicle with a step as described in claim 1, wherein when the door is in the (a) state during an opening operation, the link between the door and the step plate by the linkage device is released, and the door rotates to a predetermined opening angle θ1, causing the step plate to reach a use position.

3. The interlocking device has a door-side interlocking portion provided on the door side and a step-side interlocking portion provided on the step plate side, The step-side interlocking portion is configured to be displaceable between a first position in which the door-side interlocking portion is held so as to interlock with the door, and a second position in which the door-side interlocking portion is disengaged so as to be released from the interlocking with the door, and is configured to be displaced from the first position to the second position when an external force is applied from the door when the door is in the state (a) during the opening operation and when the step plate does not move from the stored position.

4. The step plate is configured to be displaceable between a storage position and a use position while being supported by a deployment link mechanism provided at the door opening, and 4. A vehicle with a step as claimed in claim 2 or 3, wherein the door is rotated to a predetermined opening angle θ1 and the deployment link mechanism is brought into contact with a stopper portion on the vehicle body side, so that the step plate is held in the usage position and the linkage between the door and the step plate by the linkage device is released.

5. A vehicle with a step according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein when the door is in the (b) state during the opening operation, the linkage between the door and the step plate by the linkage device is released and the step plate is held in a stored position.

6. The interlocking device has a door-side interlocking portion provided on the door side and a step-side interlocking portion provided on the step plate side, The step-side interlocking portion is provided with a door-following portion that is brought into contact with the door-side interlocking portion so as to be interlocked with the door, and a door-non-following portion that allows the door-side interlocking portion to move relative to the door so as to release the interlocking with the door; 6. The vehicle with a step according to claim 5, wherein the door side interlocking portion is configured to move from the door non-following portion to the door following portion while the door rotates from a fully closed position to a predetermined opening angle θ2 during an opening operation.

Images