Step device for vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11518312-B2
Application number	US-202017012502-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 4, 2020
Priority date	Sep 9, 2019
Publication date	Dec 6, 2022
Grant date	Dec 6, 2022

Abstract

A step device for a vehicle includes a movable step and a coupling member. The movable step includes a guide rail. The coupling member is configured to cause the movable step to move from a deployed position to a retracted position as a engaging part comes into sliding contact with a side wall of the guide rail that is located on an inner side in a vehicle width direction and, while pressing the side wall, moves inside the guide rail in a direction of closing a sliding door. The guide rail is configured such that a terminal end region on a closing side including a terminal end position at which the engaging part is located when the sliding door is fully closed constitutes a closing-side free running zone in which the engaging part does not press either of the side walls.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A step device for a vehicle, the step device comprising:
a movable step that is supported under a door opening of the vehicle; and
a coupling member that, in a state of being supported by a sliding door that moves in a front-rear direction of the vehicle with a shifting zone in a width direction of the vehicle, engages with the movable step to move the movable step in the vehicle width direction in conjunction with opening and closing of the sliding door, wherein:
the movable step includes a guide rail extending in the front-rear direction of the vehicle, with an engaging part of the coupling member that moves integrally with the sliding door being disposed inside the guide rail;
the coupling member is configured to cause the movable step to move from a retracted position to a deployed position as the engaging part comes into sliding contact with a side wall of the guide rail that is located on an outer side in the vehicle width direction and, while pressing the side wall, moves inside the guide rail in a direction of opening the sliding door;
the coupling member is configured to cause the movable step to move from the deployed position to the retracted position as the engaging part comes into sliding contact with a side wall of the guide rail that is located on an inner side in the vehicle width direction and, while pressing the side wall, moves inside the guide rail in a direction of closing the sliding door; and
the guide rail is configured such that a terminal end region on a closing side including a terminal end position at which the engaging part is located when the sliding door is fully closed constitutes a closing-side free running zone in which the engaging part does not press either of the side walls.

2. The step device for a vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the closing-side free running zone is a non-sliding-contact zone in which the engaging part that moves inside the guide rail in the front-rear direction of the vehicle moves in the vehicle width direction while shifting in a rail width direction of the guide rail without coming into sliding contact with either of the side walls.

3. The step device for a vehicle according to claim 2 , wherein, in the non-sliding-contact zone, a gradient of change of the side wall located on the outer side of the engaging part in the vehicle width direction is set to be smaller than a gradient of change set for a track of movement of the engaging part that moves inside the guide rail in the front-rear direction of the vehicle while moving in the vehicle width direction.

4. The step device for a vehicle according to claim 2 , wherein, in the non-sliding-contact zone, a gradient of change of the side wall located on the inner side of the engaging part in the vehicle width direction is set to be larger than a gradient of change set for a track of movement of the engaging part that moves inside the guide rail in the front-rear direction of the vehicle while moving in the vehicle width direction.

5. The step device for a vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the guide rail is configured such that a moving region on an opening side from a moving position at which the engaging part is located when the movable step reaches the deployed position constitutes an opening-side free running zone in which the engaging part does not press either of the side walls.

6. The step device for a vehicle according to claim 5 , wherein the opening-side free running zone is a parallel zone in which the side walls extend parallel to a track of movement of the engaging part.

7. The step device for a vehicle according to claim 5 , wherein the movable step is configured to reach the deployed position before shift of the sliding door toward the outer side in the vehicle width direction is completed during opening of the sliding door.

8. The step device for a vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the side walls of the guide rail facing each other in the vehicle width direction are formed by wall members that are independent of and different from each other.

9. The step device for a vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the sliding door includes a catching detection device that detects whether any object is caught in the sliding door based on a change in a force required to open and close the sliding door.

Assignees

• Aisin Seiki
• Toyota Auto Body Co Ltd

Inventors

• Oji Yoshihiro
• Nomura Keisuke
• Kazama Shinji
• Hibi Kazuhiro
• Ikeda Kazuhiro

Classifications

• E05F15/41

  Detection by monitoring transmitted force or torque (E05F15/48 takes precedence); Safety couplings with activation dependent upon torque or force, e.g. slip couplings · CPC title

• B60J5/06

  slidable; foldable · CPC title

• B60R3/02 Primary

  Retractable steps {or ladders, e.g. movable under shock (B60R3/005 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• E05Y2900/531

  Doors · CPC title

• E05Y2900/53

  Type of wing · CPC title