Patent ID: 11919481
Assignee: MAGNA EXTERIORS INC.
Field: Transport (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC B | IPC B

Claim 11:
12. A foldable step assembly for a vehicle comprising:
a base connectable to a vehicle;
a linkage connected to the base, the linkage is further connected to a step that is moved by the linkage between a deployed position to a stowed position;
a motor having an output shaft positioned at a spatial distance from the base of the linkage;
a drive mechanism connected between the motor and the linkage for transferring force across the spatial distance from the output shaft to the linkage for articulating the linkage and the step between an extended position and retracted position,
a transmission connected to the base, the transmission includes a worm gear drivingly engaged to the linkage, wherein the drive mechanism includes a cable casing with a flex shaft core slidable in the cable casing, wherein the cable casing connects to both the output shaft of the motor and the worm gear and rotation of the flex shaft core rotates the worm gear, wherein the spatial distance is equal to the length of the cable casing;
a drive shaft of the linkage connected to a gear located within the transmission, wherein the gear is in mesh engagement with the worm gear and rotation of the worm gear rotates the gear and the drive shaft;
a drive housing connected to the motor and having a gear with teeth connected to and rotatably driven by the motor;
wherein the cable casing connected between the transmission and the drive housing;
wherein the cable core is slidably positioned in the cable casing, wherein the cable core has features on a surface capable of meshing with the gear in the drive housing so that rotation of the gear in the drive housing moves slides the cable core in the cable casing, wherein one end of the cable core is located in the transmission and slides in the transmission in response to rotation of the gear in the drive housing, and
a drive link connected to the drive shaft of the linkage, the drive link is located in the transmission and is operatively connected to the end of the cable core so that when the cable core slides in the transmission the drive link rotates the drive shaft of the linkage.