JP2001018721A - Motor-driven stowable auxiliary step for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To stably hold an auxiliary step in an overhanging condition and a stowed condition. SOLUTION: This auxiliary step 2 is connected to a pair of parallel link arms so as to make parallel movement in the vertical direction. A driven arm 13 linked to the link arms and a crank 14 linked to a driving source are pivotally connected to each other via a connecting rod 15, and the pivot Y of the crank 14 and the connecting rod 15 is set to be located beyond a dead point A on its track when the auxiliary step 2 is in an overhanging condition; the pivot Y is set to be located beyond the dead point A on the track when the auxiliary step 2 is in a stowed condition, so that boosting action is provided for both the overhanging and stowed conditions to firmly maintain each condition.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electrically retractable auxiliary step for a vehicle, which is disposed between a ground surface and the step in a step of a vehicle such as a bus or a truck.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 9 shows a conventional example of the auxiliary step. In this auxiliary step, the rotating shafts b and b1 are attached to the lower part of the vehicle step a, the upper ends of the link arms c and c1 are fixed to the rotating shafts b and b1, and a step plate is attached to the lower end of the link arms c and c1. d is pivoted. And a drive engine e with a torque limiter disposed in the space behind the vehicle step a.
Is connected to the rotating shaft b1 via a driving arm f, a connecting rod g, and a driven arm h. Then, by the operation of the drive engine e, the rotation shaft b1 is rotated via the drive arm f, the connecting rod g and the driven arm h, and the link arms c and c1 are moved in parallel to move the step plate d to the lower front part of the vehicle step a. Or stored in the lower part of the vehicle step a. Further, the drive engine e is provided with a clutch lever i, and when a failure occurs, the step plate d can be manually stored by operating the clutch lever i.

[0003]

In the auxiliary step of the above construction, when the step plate d is extended, the displacement of the step plate d is prevented by the torque limiter of the drive engine e. When is mounted, it is necessary to further increase the rotational torque of the driving engine e so that the step plate d does not sink and displace, so that the driving engine e has to be enlarged. Step plate d
At the time of storage of the step a, as indicated by the hatching in FIG.
In order to maintain such a state, a self-locking mechanism such as a worm gear is provided in the drive engine e. If such a mechanism is not provided, the own weight of the step plate d and the vibration during traveling of the vehicle are provided. For example, the step plate d protrudes without permission, so that when the self-lock mechanism breaks down, the vehicle cannot travel. Further, as described above, since the driving engine e is installed in the space behind the step a, during the manual operation,
First, there is a problem that the clutch lever i is not easily reachable, and the clutch lever i must be searched and operated by hand.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and has been made in consideration of the above-described problem.
An auxiliary step connected by a pair of parallel link arms, wherein a driven arm connected to the link arm and a crank connected to a drive source are pivotally connected via a connecting rod to extend the auxiliary step. In this state, the pivot of the crank and the connecting rod is set so as to be located beyond the dead point on the track, and when the auxiliary step is stored, the pivot is set so as to be located beyond the dead point on the track. By doing
A boosting action is provided in each state of the overhang and the stowage, and each state is firmly maintained, the load on the driving source at the time of the overhang is reduced, and the size of the drive source is reduced as compared with the related art. In addition, a driving gear connected to a driving source is detachably provided by a moving means with respect to a transmission gear mounted on the crankshaft, and the moving means is provided by a manually operated hand provided at a lower front end of a vehicle step. The crank is located between the front and rear link arms, and the pivot end of the crank and connecting rod located beyond the dead point is in the vicinity of the front link arm in the extended state of the auxiliary step. The lock-out lever, which pushes the pivot end in this state in a direction to disengage from the position beyond the dead point, is provided near the lower part of the front end of the vehicle step, so that it can be assisted. Even if the step is out of order, the auxiliary step can be stored manually, and the manual operation can be switched before the vehicle step to solve the above-mentioned problem.

[0005]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Reference numeral 1 denotes a vehicle step for getting on and off a large vehicle such as a bus or a truck. The vehicle step 1 has a considerable height difference from the ground surface, and an electric retractable auxiliary step 2 is provided below the vehicle step 1. ing. The auxiliary step 2 is equipped with an operating mechanism 3 for projecting it to the lower front part of the vehicle step 1 and storing it in the lower part of the vehicle step 1, and a transmission mechanism 4 for the operating mechanism 3.

The operating mechanism 3 is installed on a frame 5 fixed to the lower part of the vehicle step 1, as shown in FIGS. Brackets 6 and 6a are provided on the left and right sides of the frame 5, and rotating shafts 7, 7a and 8 that are horizontally arranged in parallel before and after the brackets 6 and 6a are rotatably provided. The front rotation shafts 7 and 7a are independent on the left and right. Then, two pairs of parallel link arms 9, 9a, 10, 10a are protruded downwardly on the left and right sides of the front independent rotation shafts 7, 7a and the rear rotation shaft 8, respectively. The lower ends of 9a, 10 and 10a are pivotally connected to the side of the auxiliary step 2. As a result, the auxiliary step 2 is moved up and down in parallel with the swing of the link arms 9, 9a, 10, and 10a, so that the auxiliary step 2 projects to the lower front part of the vehicle step 1 and is stored in the lower part of the step 1. .
In the drawing, reference numeral 11 denotes a boom erected between the brackets 6 and 6a, and an L-shaped plate-shaped stopper 12 is suspended from an appropriate position on the front surface of the boom 11, and when the auxiliary step 2 is stored, the stopper 12 lowers. It is configured to abut.

On the left side (in FIGS. 1 and 2) of the rear rotating shaft 8, a substantially L-shaped driven arm 13 is projected downward, and as shown in FIGS. , 9a, 10 and 10a, the crank 14 of the transmission mechanism 4 is pivotally connected to the tip of a driven arm 13 via a connecting rod 15,
13 is linked to the link arms 9, 9a, 10, 10a. Then, the rotation of the crank 14 is transmitted through the connecting rod 15 and the driven arm 13 so that the link arms 9, 9a, 10, 10a swing.
Thus, the auxiliary step 2 moves up and down in parallel. In the overhang state of the auxiliary step 2, FIG.
As shown in the figure, an extension line α connecting the pivot X between the driven arm 13 and the connecting rod 15 and the crankshaft 14a, the crank 14 and the connecting rod 15
Is set so as to be located beyond a dead point A which is an intersection with the locus Z of the pivot Y, and in such a state, the crank 14 and the connecting end of the connecting rod 15 (the pivot Y
Are located near the front links 9, 9a. Further, in the storage state of the auxiliary step 2, as shown in FIG. 4, a line β connecting the pivot X and the crankshaft 14a,
The axis Y is set so as to be located beyond a dead point B which is an intersection with the locus Z of the axis Y. Thus, in any of the extended state and the retracted state, since the pivot Y is located beyond the dead points A and B and the crank 14 is in the locked state in which the crank 14 does not rotate, the auxiliary step 2 firmly strengthens the extended and retracted state. To maintain.

In the extended state of the auxiliary step 2,
A lockout lever 16 is provided at a position close to the end of the pivot of the crank 14 and the connecting rod 15. As shown in FIG. 3, the lockout lever 16 has a substantially L-shaped plate shape, one side (horizontal side) 16a of which is horizontally arranged above the pivotal end of the connecting rod 15 in the above state, and the other side (horizontal side). A rotating shaft provided with the back of the vertical side 16b adjacent to the left side (in FIGS. 1 and 6) of the rotating shaft 7
A lockout lever 16 is provided so as to be swingable. A torsion coil spring 18 is wound around the rotation shaft 17 of the lockout lever 16, and the spring 18 urges the horizontal side 16a of the lockout lever 16 in a direction to maintain a horizontal state. Then, in the extended state of the auxiliary step 2, the vertical side 16b of the lockout lever 16 is swung so as to be pulled forward against the elastic force of the spring 18, so that the horizontal side 16a sets the dead point A. Crank 14 so that the pivot axis Y located beyond
Then, the pivot end of the connecting rod 15 is pressed in a direction (downward) to be disengaged from a position beyond the dead point A, and the locked state of the crank 14 is released.

The transmission mechanism 4 is installed on the side of the frame 5 via the operation mechanism 3, and its drive 19 is disposed in the casing 20. As shown in FIG. 6, a partition 21 is provided in the casing 20 so as to divide the inside into two right and left parts. The side wall of the casing 20 arranged on the frame 5 side
A crankshaft 14a is rotatably mounted between 20a and the partition 21 and a transmission gear 22 is fixedly mounted on the crankshaft 14a. In addition, a drive source 24 is provided via a motor base 23 on the opposite side of the partition 21 that does not face the transmission gear 22. The drive source 24 is configured by fixing an electric motor 25 and a gear box 26 connected thereto to a motor base 23, and meshes a drive gear 27 that projects through the motor base 23 and the partition 21 from the gear box 26 with the transmission gear 22. ing. Drive gear 27
The motor base 23 is provided so as to be movable toward and away from the transmission gear 22 such that the motor base 23 can be freely disengaged (engaged and disengaged) from the transmission gear 22 by a moving means 28 provided on the motor base 23.

Hereinafter, such a configuration will be specifically described. First, the motor base 23 has sliding shafts provided at its four corners.
Are fixed to the partition 21 by 29, 29a, and the insertion holes 30, 30a of the sliding shafts 29, 29a in the partition 21 are formed into oblong shapes extending obliquely upward in FIGS. Are formed, and the sliding shafts 29, 29a... Slide in the insertion holes 30, 30a. Therefore, in the partition 21, the gear hole 31 into which the drive gear 27 is inserted is also formed in an oval shape extending in the same direction as the insertion holes 30, 30a. Further, in the motor base 23, a bell crank 32 is provided in a space (an upper left corner side of the motor base 23 in the figure) other than the installation site of the electric motor 25 and the gear box 26.
Is installed.

The bell crank 32 has a bent portion through which a bell crank shaft 33 is fixedly secured. The bell crank shaft 33 has a motor base 23 and a partition wall 21 on the one hand and a casing 20 facing the motor base 23 on the other hand. The side walls 20b are provided rotatably through the respective side walls. A sliding pin 34 protruding from the tip of the long arm 32a of the bell crank 23 is slidably mounted in guide holes 35 and 36 formed through the motor base 23 and the partition 21. The shaft hole 37 of the bell crankshaft 33 provided in the motor base 23 is formed in an oval shape extending in the same direction as the above-described insertion holes 30, 30a. Also, the guide hole 36 provided in the partition 21
Is an arc-shaped hole centered on the bell crankshaft 33,
The guide hole 35 provided in the motor base 23 is formed in the shape of an arc having the same curvature as described above, and is provided with the center of curvature shifted.When the drive gear 27 and the transmission gear 22 are engaged with each other, the two guide holes 35 and 36 are formed. The upper ends 35a and 36a are overlapped, and the lower ends 35b and 36b of both guide holes 35 and 36 are overlapped in a state where the drive gear 27 and the transmission gear 22 are separated from each other. Therefore, the sliding pin 34 of the bell crank 32
When the gears are located at the upper ends 35a and 36a of the guide holes 35 and 36, the two gears 22 and 27 mesh with each other. When the gears are located at the lower ends 35b and 36b, the drive gear 27 is separated from the transmission gear 22. Also, bell crank
One end of a torsion coil spring 38 is pivotally attached to the distal end of the short arm 32b of the 32, and the other end of the spring 38 is slidably mounted in a long hole 39 provided at an appropriate position of the motor base 23. With this spring 38,
Each swing of the bell crank 32 (the sliding pin 34 is located at each of the upper ends 35a, 36a and the lower ends 35b, 36b of the guide holes 35, 36)
The state is maintained.

In the bell crankshaft 33, the casing 20
The base end of the operation lever 40 is vertically fixed to the end protruding outward, and the operation lever 40 is provided so as to be swingable in the front-rear direction. The swing of the operation lever 40 swings the bell crank 32. By moving the drive gear 27, the drive gear 27 can be freely disengaged from the transmission gear 22. A handle 41a is provided at the lower part of the front end of the vehicle step 1 on the operation lever 40, and a casing is provided.
A manually operated rod 41 arranged parallel to the side of the side wall 20b of the unit 20 is connected. The manual operation rod 41 is formed by inserting the base end thereof into the distal end of the operation lever 40 so as to be rotatable about its axis, and the base end of the manual operation rod 41 is rotated by a predetermined angle. A stopper 42 is provided which can be advanced and retracted in the state.

The stopper 42 is formed by fixing a base formed in the shape of a horizontally long rectangular plate vertically to the base end of the manually operated rod 41, and divides the side end of the base on the casing 20 side into two vertically. The upper end 42a is bent forward at a right angle. Then, the tip of the operation lever 40 is located rearward (meshing of the driving gear 27 and the transmission gear 22).
In this state, the upper end 42a of the stopper 42 of the manual operation rod 41 contacts the side wall 20b of the casing 20 and the lower end 42b contacts the rear side wall 20c of the casing 20, so that the front of the manual operation rod 41 is moved forward. The drawer is prevented.

In this state, the manually operated rod 41 is moved to the side wall 20b.
1, 2 and 5 (a), the lower end 42b of the stopper 42 is disengaged from the contact with the side wall 20c, and the manually operated rod 41 is pulled forward. Then, the operation lever 40 swings forward, and the drive gear 27 is disengaged from the transmission gear 22. The drive gear 27 can be meshed with the transmission gear 22 by pushing the manual operation rod 41 back and swinging the operation lever 40 backward. At this time, the torsion coil spring 43 wound on the base end side of the manually operated rod 41 automatically rotates the manually operated rod 41 in the reverse direction to the above, and the upper end 42a and the lower end 42b of the stopper 42 It contacts the side wall 20b and the rear side wall 20c. In the drawing, reference numerals 44 and 44a denote operation levers 40 of the manual operation rod 41.
Manual operation rod fixed through the front and back of the connection part (tip)
41 is a spring pin for preventing sliding. Reference numeral 45 denotes a guide frame which slidably penetrates a front portion of the manually operated rod 41. The guide frame 45 has an L-shaped plate shape and protrudes from the side wall 20b of the casing 20.

Next, the operation of the auxiliary step 2 will be described. Normally, the driving gear 27 meshes with the transmission gear 22, and the rotational force of the electric motor 25 is reduced by the gear box 26 and transmitted to the transmission gear 22 via the driving gear 27. or,
In the retracted state of the auxiliary step 2, the pivot Y is located beyond the dead point B, and the driving gear 27 is
, The state is maintained.

In the extension of the auxiliary step 2, the transmission gear 22 rotated by the operation of the electric motor 25 and the crankshaft 14a
, The crank 14 is rotated so as to lower the pivot Y located beyond the dead point B (counterclockwise in FIG. 3), whereby the connecting rod 15 and the driven arm 13 are rotated.
The rotation shaft 8 is rotated in the same direction through the link arm 9, 9
a, 10, 10a are swung downward. The auxiliary step 2 moves in parallel from the storage position and projects to the lower front part of the vehicle step 1, and maintains the extended state when the pivot axis Y is located beyond the dead point A. In addition, in the storage of the auxiliary step 2, the crank 14 is rotated clockwise by the electric motor 25 rotating in the reverse direction to rotate the crank 14 clockwise so as to lower the pivot Y located beyond the dead point A. This can be achieved by swinging 9a, 10, 10a upward so that the pivot axis Y is located beyond the dead point B.

In the overhang state of the auxiliary step 2,
When a failure occurs in the transmission mechanism 4, the manually operated lever 41 is
In FIG. 5A, the stopper 42 is rotated in the direction of the arrow.
The contact state of the lower end portion 42b of the casing 20 with the rear side wall 20c of the casing 20 is released. Thereafter, as shown in FIG.
Withdraw. Next, the vertical side of the lockout lever 16
The crank 16b is lifted forward, and its horizontal side 16a presses the connecting portion of the crank 14 to the connecting rod 15 downward, and the pivot Y located beyond the dead point A is lowered to release the locked state of the crank 14. Thus, the crank 14 is manually rotatable, and the auxiliary step 2 is manually returned to the storage position. At this time, as a matter of course, the pivot axis Y of the crank 14 is positioned beyond the dead point A, and then the manual operation rod 41 is pushed back to return.
The drive gear 27 meshes with the transmission gear 22.

[0018]

In summary, the present invention is an auxiliary step connected to a lower portion of a vehicle step 1 by a pair of parallel link arms so as to move up and down in parallel. Crank connected to arm 13 and drive source 24
14 is pivotally connected via a connecting rod 15, and in the extended state of the auxiliary step 2, the pivot Y of the crank 14 and the connecting rod 15
Since it is set so as to be located beyond the upper dead point A, the boosting action of the crank 14 and the connecting rod 15 enables the extended state of the auxiliary step 2 to be firmly and stably maintained,
Therefore, it is not necessary to increase the output of the driving source 24,
The drive source 24 can be downsized. Further, since the pivot axis Y is set to be located beyond the dead point B on the trajectory Z in the retracted state of the auxiliary step 2, the crank 14 and the connecting rod 15 are set.
, The storage state of the auxiliary step 2 can be strengthened and stably held, and even if the transmission mechanism 4 breaks down, the auxiliary step 2 will protrude by its own weight and vibration during traveling of the vehicle. Nothing.

A transmission gear 22 mounted on the crankshaft 14a.
On the other hand, since the drive gear 27 connected to the drive source 24 is provided so as to be freely disengageable by the moving means 28, even if the transmission mechanism 4 fails in the extended state of the auxiliary step 2, the transmission mechanism The connection between the part 4 and the operating mechanism part 3 is released, and the auxiliary step 2 can be manually moved to the storage position. Further, in the extended state of the auxiliary step 2, a lockout lever 16 is provided which presses the pivot end of the crank 14 and the connecting rod 15 in a direction to be released from a position beyond the dead point A. When the auxiliary step 2 is stored, the pivot Y is disengaged from the position beyond the dead point A by the lockout lever 16,
The locked state of the crank 14 can be released, and the auxiliary step 2 can be stored manually and easily.

Further, the crank 14 is connected to the front and rear link arms 9, 9a,
Arranged between 10 and 10a, the pivot 14 and the pivoting end of the connecting rod 15 located beyond the dead point A in the extended state of the auxiliary step 2 are positioned near the front link arms 9, 9a. With this configuration, the lockout lever 16 that presses the pivot end is set near the lower front end of the vehicle step 1, so that in operating the lockout lever 16 in the above situation, The operation can be easily performed from just before the vehicle step 1 without having to operate the back of the step 2 by hand. Further, since the moving means 28 connects the handgrip 41a to the manual operation rod 41 disposed at the lower front end of the vehicle step 1, the moving means 28 can be easily operated from just before the vehicle step 1 in the same manner as described above. .

The moving means 28 is provided with an operating lever 40 for reciprocally moving the driving gear 27 with respect to the transmission gear 22 so as to be able to swing back and forth. The manually operated rod 41 is rotatably connected about its axis, and the manually operated rod 41 is provided with a stopper 42 which can be advanced and retracted while being rotated by a predetermined angle. It is possible to prevent a simple operation of moving forward and backward by one operation, and it is possible to prevent a manipulation by a vibration or the like while the vehicle is running, and to prevent mischief by a third party.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of an auxiliary step in an extended state.

FIG. 2 is a front view of an auxiliary step in an extended state.

FIG. 3 is a simplified side view of an auxiliary step in an extended state.

FIG. 4 is a simplified side view of an auxiliary step in a storage state.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a normal state and a pulled-out state of a manually operated rod.

FIG. 6 is a view showing an operating mechanism and a transmission mechanism in a state where the manually operated rod is pulled out.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the inside of a casing in which a drive gear and a transmission gear are meshed.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view showing the inside of the casing in a state where the drive gear and the transmission gear are separated from each other.

FIG. 9 is a side view showing a conventional auxiliary step.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vehicle step 2 Auxiliary step 7, 7a Rotating shaft 8 Rotating shaft 9, 9a Link arm 10, 10a Link arm 13 Follower arm 14 Crank 14a Crank shaft 15 Connecting rod 16 Lockout lever 22 Transmission gear 24 Drive source 27 Drive gear 28 Move Means 40 Operation lever 41 Manual operation rod 41a Handle 42 Stopper A Dead point B Dead point Y Axis Z Orbit

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. An auxiliary step connected to a lower part of a vehicle step by a pair of parallel link arms so as to move up and down in parallel, wherein the auxiliary step is connected to a driven arm connected to the link arm and a driving source. Pivotally connected to the crank through the connecting rod, and set so that the pivot of the crank and the connecting rod is located beyond the dead point on the track in the extended state of the auxiliary step, and the storage state of the auxiliary step. A vehicle retractable auxiliary step for setting the axis to be located beyond a dead point on the track. 2. With respect to a transmission gear mounted on a crankshaft,
A drive gear connected to the drive source is provided so as to be freely disengageable by the moving means, and in the extended state of the auxiliary step, the pivot end of the crank and the connecting rod is pressed in a direction to separate from the position beyond the dead point. 2. The electrically retractable auxiliary step for a vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a lockout lever. 3. A crank is disposed between the front and rear link arms,
The crank and the connecting end of the connecting rod located beyond the dead point in the extended state of the auxiliary step are configured to be located near the front link arm, and the moving means is provided at the front end of the vehicle step. 3. The electrically retractable auxiliary step for a vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the auxiliary step is connected to a manually operated rod disposed at a lower portion. 4. The moving means is provided with an operation lever for reciprocally moving a drive gear with respect to a transmission gear so as to swing back and forth, and the operation lever includes a manual operation rod for swinging the drive gear back and forth. 4. The electrically retractable vehicular vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the manually operated rod is rotatably connected about its axis, and the manual operation rod is provided with a stopper which is capable of moving forward and backward when the rod is rotated by a predetermined angle. Auxiliary step.