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 Art

[0002] In the accelerator device disclosed in Patent Document 1 below, an inner housing that supports a pedal lever is moved by an actuator with respect to an outer housing, so that the pedal lever is stored and the surface of the pedal lever is disposed substantially flush with the surface of the floor.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the prior art described above, even in the stored state of the pedal lever, the feeling underfoot is different between the surface of the pedal lever and the surface of the floor, so there is a possibility that the occupant may feel discomfort, and there is room for improvement.

[0005] In consideration of the above facts, an object of the present invention is to obtain a floor structure capable of reducing the discomfort felt by an occupant in a state where the pedal is stored.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The floor structure according to the first aspect is provided on the floor of the vehicle on the front side of the driver's seat in the vehicle, and includes an interior material in which a plurality of slits arranged in the vehicle width direction are formed, a pedal having a plurality of ribs inserted through the plurality of slits, a protruding position where the plurality of ribs protrude from the surface of the interior material toward the rear side of the vehicle, and an actuator that moves the pedal between the protruding position and a storage position where the tip surfaces of the plurality of ribs are disposed flush with the surface of the interior material.

[0007] In the first embodiment, multiple slits are formed in the interior material provided on the vehicle floor on the front side of the driver's seat. Multiple ribs of a pedal are inserted through these multiple slits. This pedal is moved by an actuator between a protruding position in which the multiple ribs protrude from the surface of the interior material toward the rear of the vehicle, and a retracted position in which the tip surfaces of the multiple ribs are flush with the surface of the interior material. When the pedal is in the retracted position, the multiple ribs of the pedal and the surface of the interior material become one, thereby reducing the discomfort experienced by the occupant.

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

[0009] In the second embodiment, when the accelerator pedal and brake pedal are retracted into their storage positions, the multiple ribs on the accelerator pedal and brake pedal become integrated with the surface of the interior material, thereby reducing the discomfort experienced by the occupant.

[0010] In the third embodiment of the floor structure, the accelerator pedal is an organ-type pedal that is rotatable around its lower end, as in the second embodiment.

[0011] In the third embodiment, 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 becomes less tired. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] As described above, the floor structure according to the present invention can reduce the discomfort experienced by the occupant when the pedals are retracted. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0013] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view showing the configuration of the front portion of the driver's seat in the front part of the passenger compartment of a vehicle configured to apply the floor structure according to the embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a front view showing a portion of the interior materials. [Figure 3] This is a perspective view showing the pedals. [Figure 4] This is a side view showing the configuration around the pedal and actuator, with the pedal in the protruding position. [Figure 5] This is a side view showing the configuration around the pedal and actuator, with the pedal in the retracted position. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0014] The floor structure 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 5. The arrows FR, UP, and LH indicated in each figure as appropriate represent the forward (direction of travel), upward, and leftward directions, respectively, of the vehicle 12 to which the floor structure 10 is applied. When the directions are simply described as front-rear, left-right, and up-down, unless otherwise specified, they refer to the front-rear, left-right (width direction), and up-down directions of the vehicle 12.

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

[0016] The interior material 20 is positioned below the instrument panel 16 and is provided on the floor 14 of the vehicle 12. This interior material 20 is made of, for example, fiber-reinforced resin and is roughly plate-shaped, and constitutes part of the floor 14. This interior material 20 covers the accelerator pedal housing 22 (see Figures 4 and 5), which is a pedal housing for the accelerator pedal 30, and the brake pedal housing (not shown), which is a pedal housing for the brake pedal 40, from the rear side of the vehicle.

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

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

[0019] The plurality of ribs 34 of the accelerator pedal 30 are inserted into the plurality of 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 in a plate shape by, for example, metal. Note that the material and shape of the support member 50 are merely examples and can be appropriately changed.

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

[0021] A biasing member 56 (here, a compression coil spring) is disposed between the pedal body 32 and the support member 50. Thereby, the accelerator pedal 30 is biased to the non-operating position shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 with respect to the support member 50. When the accelerator pedal 30 is depressed forward by the driver of the vehicle 12, the accelerator pedal 30 rotates forward about the support shaft 54 (see arrow R in FIG. 4).

[0022] The rotation of the accelerator pedal 30 about the support shaft 54 is configured to be detected by an accelerator opening sensor 58. The accelerator opening sensor 58 has a detection circuit including, for example, a Hall element that detects the orientation of a permanent magnet (not shown) embedded in the support shaft 54. The accelerator opening 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, and an input / output interface. When the vehicle 12 is in the 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 opening sensor 58 (the 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 on the front side 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 configured to be able to drive the support member 50 and the accelerator pedal 30 in a substantially front-rear direction. By the drive of the actuator 62, the accelerator pedal 30 is configured to move between the protruding position shown in FIG. 4 and the retracted position shown in FIG. 5.

[0025] This actuator 62 is electrically connected to the aforementioned 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 protruding position when the vehicle 12 is in manual driving mode, and to position the accelerator pedal 30 in the retracted position when the vehicle 12 is in automatic driving mode.

[0026] In the protruding state, when 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 Figure 4. In this protruding state, the occupant can depress the accelerator pedal 30. In the retracted state, when the accelerator pedal 30 is in the retracted position, the tip surfaces 34A of the multiple ribs 34 are arranged to be on the same plane as the surface 20A of the interior material 20, as shown in Figure 5.

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

[0028] Multiple ribs 44 of the brake pedal 40 are inserted through multiple slits 26 of the interior material 20, and the pedal body of the brake pedal 40 is positioned on the front side of the interior material 20. The brake pedal 40 is supported so as to be movable in a substantially longitudinal direction by a support member (not shown) located on the front side of the interior material 20, and is mechanically connected to the brake master cylinder (not shown) of the vehicle 12. The brake pedal 40 is configured to actuate the brakes of the vehicle 12 when pressed forward by the driver of the vehicle 12.

[0029] The support member for 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 protruding position shown in Figure 1 when the vehicle 12 is in manual driving mode, and to position the brake pedal 40 in a retracted position (not shown) when the vehicle 12 is in automatic driving mode.

[0030] In the protruding state, when the brake pedal 40 is in the protruding position, the multiple ribs 44 protrude rearward from the surface 20A of the interior material 20, as shown in Figure 1. In this protruding state, the occupant can depress the brake pedal 40. In the retracted state, when the brake pedal 40 is in the retracted position, the tip surfaces 44A of the multiple ribs 44 are configured to be on the same plane as the surface 20A of the interior material 20. Note that "on the same plane" in this embodiment does not need to be strictly on the same plane, but may be approximately on the same plane.

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

[0032] When the accelerator pedal 30 and brake pedal 40 are in the retracted position, the multiple ribs 34 and 44 of the accelerator pedal 30 and brake pedal 40 become one with the surface 20A of the interior material 20. Therefore, compared to the configuration in the prior art described in the background technology section where the feel of pressing the pedal lever differs between the surface of the pedal lever and the surface of the floor, the discomfort experienced by the occupant can be reduced.

[0033] Furthermore, in this floor structure 10, the surface 20A of the interior material 20 has a striped pattern similar to that of the multiple slits 24 and 26. The accelerator pedal 30 and brake pedal 40, through which multiple ribs 34 and 44 are inserted into the multiple slits 24 and 26, have a striped appearance similar to the striped pattern described above. As a result, the interior material 20, accelerator pedal 30, and brake pedal 40 present a neat and novel appearance.

[0034] Furthermore, in this floor structure 10, since the accelerator pedal 30 is an organ-type pedal, the trajectory of the accelerator pedal 30 and the trajectory of the occupant's foot are similar when the occupant operates the accelerator, making it easier for the occupant to operate the accelerator and reducing fatigue in the occupant's right foot. Moreover, because subtle accelerator control becomes easier, it contributes to improving the fuel efficiency or electric efficiency of the vehicle 12.

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

[0036] Furthermore, although the accelerator pedal 30 is configured as an organ-type pedal in the above embodiment, it is not limited to this configuration. For example, the accelerator pedal may be configured as a suspended-type pedal.

[0037] Furthermore, the present invention can be implemented with various modifications without departing from its essence. Of course, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0038] 10-floor structure 12 vehicles 14 floors 20 Interior materials 20A surface 24 slits 26 slits 30 Accelerator pedal 34 Ribs 34A Tip surface 40 Brake pedal 44 Ribs 44A Tip surface 62 Actuators

Claims

1. An interior material provided on the vehicle floor at the front of the driver's seat, with multiple slits arranged in the vehicle width direction, A pedal having multiple ribs inserted through the multiple slits, An actuator moves the pedal between a protruding position in which the plurality of ribs protrude from the surface of the interior material toward the rear of the vehicle and a retracted position in which the tip surfaces of the plurality of ribs are arranged on the same plane as the surface of the interior material, A floor structure equipped with this feature.

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

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

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