Abstract:
A footrest to be installed between a bulkhead and a floor of a motor vehicle includes a bearing wall to support the foot or feet of a passenger and a sound insulation mat extending opposite at least part of the bearing wall and attached to the floor. The mat includes an insulating layer between the floor and a covering layer attached to the insulating layer. The bearing wall includes a storage compartment and an internal face positioned facing an exterior face of the covering layer at installation of the foot rest. The storage compartment extends between the internal face of the bearing face and the exterior face of the covering layer. The storage compartment has a bottom wall fixed permanently to the internal face of the bearing wall by first, and second connecting members and includes housings the content of which is directly accessible without removing the storage compartment.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     The invention relates to a footrest designed to be installed between a part of a bulkhead and a floor of a motor vehicle, comprising a bearing wall designed to receive the foot or feet of a passenger of the motor vehicle and a sound insulation mat capable of extending opposite at least one part of said bearing wall and attached to the floor of the motor vehicle, said mat comprising an insulating layer interposed between the floor and a covering layer attached to said insulating layer, the bearing wall further comprising at least one storage compartment, the bearing wall comprising an internal face designed to be positioned opposite an external face of the covering layer during the installation of the footrest and the storage compartment extending between said internal face of the bearing face and the external face of the covering layer. 
     A footrest designed to be installed between a part of a bulkhead and a floor of a motor vehicle is disclosed in the unpublished patent application FR1159368, comprising a member serving as a support and provided with a bearing face designed to receive the foot or feet of a passenger of the motor vehicle and a sound insulation mat capable of extending opposite at least one part of said bearing wall and attached to the floor of the motor vehicle, said mat comprising an insulating layer interposed between the floor and a covering layer attached to said insulating layer, the member serving as a support further comprising at least one storage compartment for equipment used for the repair of tires of the vehicle, the bearing face comprising an internal face designed to be positioned opposite an external face of the covering layer during the installation of the footrest and the internal face being provided with connecting members designed to support the storage compartment such that the internal volume of the storage compartment extends between the internal face of the bearing face and the external face of the covering layer. The connecting members are provided so that once the footrest is removed the compartment is able to pivot, so that it is possible to access the equipment used for the repair of tyres. 
     However, this device has drawbacks. 
     The mobile part of the compartment is heavy as it needs to be very thick and to have a significant network of ribs in order to be sufficiently rigid to be able to support the objects which the compartment contains without yielding or without being broken. Moreover, the mobile elements tend to be more fragile during use than fixed elements (risk of damage to the hinges or clips for retaining the mobile part, for example). 
     Moreover, the storage and removal of the objects inside the compartment is not easy as the compartment tends to fall to one side or the other, depending on the objects already present in the compartment. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY 
     In order to remedy these drawbacks, the subject of the invention is a footrest incorporating a storage compartment for equipment used for repairing tyres, which is robust, lightweight and practical. 
     To this end, the invention proposes a footrest of the aforementioned type, characterized in that the storage compartment has a bottom wall fixed permanently to the internal face of the bearing wall by first and second connecting members and comprising housings, the contents thereof being directly accessible without dismantling the storage compartment. 
     According to further features of the invention:
         the first connecting members are fixed clips borne by the internal face of the bearing wall and capable of cooperating with complementary orifices formed in the bottom wall of the compartment,   the second connecting members are fingers borne by the bottom wall of the compartment and capable of cooperating with arcuate portions borne by the bearing wall,   the bottom wall comprises at least one housing molded according to a predetermined shape, corresponding to the shape of at least one piece of equipment used for the repair of tyres of the motor vehicle,   a first housing for receiving a container for a sealing product having a cylindrical body consists of at least one wall substantially perpendicular to the bottom wall, one free edge thereof opposing the bottom wall being extended by a flexible blade having a circular-arc-shaped profile capable of cooperating with the cylindrical body of the container for the sealing product, by being held under tension,   the terminal edge of the flexible blade is raised so as to form a locking means capable of cooperating with the mat when the footrest is in the mounted position,   the first housing further comprises lateral walls extending substantially perpendicular to the bottom wall from the first wall of the housing and capable of cooperating with end faces of the container for the sealing product,   a free edge, opposing the bottom wall, of the lateral walls of the first housing have a resilient internal folded-over portion capable of being held under tension against the end faces of the container for the sealing product,   a second receiving housing capable of receiving a compressor of substantially parallelepipedal shape is delimited by recesses formed in lateral safety blocks borne by the bottom wall and capable of receiving corners of the compressor via rear clips which are formed in the bottom wall between the safety blocks and which are capable of cooperating with a rib borne by a peripheral lateral wall of the compressor and front lateral clips capable of cooperating with the rib of the lateral peripheral wall,   a third housing for receiving a towing ring consists of at least one pair of clips formed in the bottom wall and opposing one another to delimit a first groove capable of receiving the shank of the towing ring and two concentric circular-arc-shaped walls formed in the bottom wall and delimiting a second groove capable of receiving the annular part of the towing ring,   a fourth housing for receiving a hub cap hook consists of two clips aligned transversely and formed in the bottom wall, designed to receive a portion of the head of the hook, and at least one further clip formed in the bottom wall and capable of receiving the shank of the hook,   the bearing wall comprises at its upper end removable fixing means consisting of a pin welded to the bulkhead and a butterfly nut.       

    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Further features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from reading the description of exemplary embodiments of a footrest with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a sectional view of the footrest in the mounted position in the vehicle, 
         FIG. 2  is a view of the inside of the footrest comprising the storage compartment according to the invention, shown in the empty and reversed state, 
         FIG. 3  is a view of the footrest of  FIG. 2 , the compartment being shown in the full and reversed state, 
         FIG. 4  is a view of the footrest of  FIGS. 2 and 3 , an object in the process of being inserted therein being shown, 
         FIG. 5  is a lateral sectional view of the detail A of  FIG. 1 , 
         FIG. 6  is a lateral sectional view of the detail B of  FIG. 2 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     In the following description a longitudinal, vertical and transverse orientation indicated by the trihedron L, V, T of  FIGS. 1 to 6  will be regarded as non-limiting. 
     Elements which are identical or similar are denoted by the same reference numerals. 
     With the exception of specific elements of the driver&#39;s compartment, the vehicle has an overall symmetry relative to a median longitudinal plane. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , a footrest  10  is installed between a lower part  12  of a bulkhead and a floor  14  of the vehicle, inside the passenger compartment of the vehicle, and comprises a rigid planar bearing wall  16  which is inclined toward the front so that it is able to receive the feet of an occupant of the vehicle. 
     The external face  17  of the bearing wall  16  may be covered by a covering layer  18  of the textile or rubber type so as to meet requirements in terms of external appearance or use. 
     The external face  17  of the bearing wall  16  may also be quite simply embossed and have patterns in relief, which makes it possible to reduce costs but also to obtain an increase in weight. 
     The floor  14  and the lower part  12  of the bulkhead are in turn covered by an insulating layer  19 , which is in turn covered by an external covering layer  20  of the carpet type. 
     The footrest  10  is also designed to be installed in the vehicle by being arranged directly on the covering layer  20  covering the floor  14  and the lower part  12  of the bulkhead and is designed to be able to be very easily mounted and dismantled from this installed position. 
     The rigid bearing wall  16  is provided to be connected in the region of its upper end  22  and at the lower part of the bulkhead  12  by at least one removable fixed connection  221 . According to the exemplary embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 5 , the wall  16  comprises at its upper end  22  openings  220  designed to receive removable mechanical fixing means  221  at a lower part of the bulkhead  12 , consisting of pins  222  welded to the lower part of the bulkhead  12  which pass through the covering layer  20  and the insulating layer  19  and which are capable of receiving a butterfly nut  223 . The presence of pins with butterfly nuts enables the customer to mount and dismantle the footrest without the use of tools. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , the rigid planar wall  16  further comprises in its lower end  24  a bearing zone  241  designed to be positioned so as to bear freely relative to the floor  14 . 
     The shape of the rigid bearing wall  16  is adapted such that when the footrest is installed in the passenger compartment as explained above, the lateral edges  160  of the bearing wall  16  closely follow, on the one hand, the contour of the side of the central console (not shown) of the motor vehicle and, on the other hand, the contour of the wheel housing  25 . 
     Thus installed between a lower part  12  of the bulkhead and the floor  14  of the vehicle, the wall  16  is arranged so that the external bearing face  17  is inclined to the front of the vehicle along a given inclination and an internal face  26  of the bearing wall  16  is positioned opposite the external face  202  of the covering layer  20 . A volume which extends between the internal face  26  of the bearing wall  16  of the footrest and the external face  202  of the covering layer  20  thus remains available. 
     The bearing wall has lateral stiffening ribs RL and stiffening ribs RC located in a central zone of the wall  16 . 
     First connecting members are provided so that a bottom wall  30  of a storage compartment  28  is removably fixed against the internal face  26  of the bearing wall  16 , so that the internal volume of the storage compartment  28  extends between the internal face  26  of the bearing wall  16  and the external face  202  of the covering layer  20 . 
     The first connecting members comprise fixed clips  161 ,  162 ,  163 ,  164  borne by the internal face  26  of the wall  16  and capable of cooperating with corresponding means  301 ,  302 ,  303 ,  304  borne by the bottom wall  30  of the storage compartment  28 , so as to block the storage compartment  28  in a fixed manner against the internal face  26  of the bearing wall  16 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 2 to 6 , also provided are second connecting means which consist of fingers  171 ,  172 ,  173 ,  174  borne by a lower edge of the wall  30  and capable of cooperating with arcuate portions  181 ,  182 ,  183 ,  184  borne by a lower part of the bearing wall  16 . 
     In the embodiment described, the storage compartment  28  is produced in a rigid manner by molding so as to be able to receive equipment used for the repair of tyres of the motor vehicle. In particular, the compartment  28  comprises a first housing  32  designed to receive a tank such as a container for a sealing product  33 , a second housing  44  designed to receive a compressor  46 , a third housing  52  designed to receive a towing ring and a fourth housing  62  designed to receive a hub cap hook. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 1 to 4 , the first housing  32  is located in an upper part of the compartment  28  and comprises a first wall  34  substantially perpendicular to the bottom wall  30 , a free edge  36  thereof of substantially transverse orientation comprising a resilient blade  38  having a circular-arc-shaped profile capable of cooperating with the cylindrical body of the container  33  for the sealing product. The lateral edges  340  of the first wall  34  are extended laterally via two walls  342  substantially perpendicular to the wall  16  and capable of cooperating with end faces  330  of the container  33 . The lateral walls  342  may comprise in the region of their free edge  344  opposing the bottom wall  30  a resilient folded-over portion  346  capable of cooperating with the end walls of the container  33 . The resilient blade  38  in turn comprises on its free edge  380  a folded-over portion forming a hook  382 , extending in a direction opposite the bottom wall  30 . Thus, when the bearing wall  16  and the compartment  28  are arranged inside the vehicle, the resilient blade  38  is held under tension against the covering  20  so as to hold the container for the sealing product  33 , the folded-over portion forming the hook  382  cooperating with the surface of the mat  20  so as to ensure additional support, guaranteeing the stability of the container  33  in the event of raised temperature, for example. The hook  382  has a second function of assisting the insertion of the container  33  in its housing when the compressor is already in place. Moreover, the bottom wall  30  has to the rear of the container  33  a low wall  40  of transverse orientation, designed to limit the movements of the container  33  to the rear. 
     In order to insert the container  33  inside the first housing  32 , it is sufficient to slide it counter to the resilience of the folded-over portions  346  of the lateral walls  342  and the resilient blade  38  which deform by sliding along the wall  330  of the container  33  to permit it to pass. Once the container  33  is inserted in the housing  32 , the blade  38  and the folded-over portions  346  of the lateral walls  340  bear under tension against the container  33  by following the contours. To remove the container  33 , it is sufficient to pull on said container, the resilient blade  38  then deforming to permit the container  33  to be removed. Once the container  33  has been removed, the resilient blade  38  and the folded-over portions  346  return to their initial resting shape. The resilience of the walls  340  and the blade  38  thus permit mounting without clearance and without vibrations to be ensured, whilst ensuring easy storage and removal. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 1 to 4 , a lower part of the compartment  28  has two compression blocks  42 , of hollow shape, comprising a lateral wall  420  extending from the bottom wall  30  and having a U-shaped profile, the opening thereof being oriented toward the rear of the vehicle when the footrest  10  is in place. The lateral wall  420  is closed in the region of an edge  422  opposing the bottom wall  30  by a contact wall  424  designed to bear against the covering  20  when the bearing wall  16  and the compartment  28  are put in position in the vehicle. The blocks  42  are made by molding with the compartment  28  and are aligned in a transverse direction. The contact wall  424  is shaped to follow closely the shape of the floor of the vehicle when the footrest  10  is put in place in the vehicle. Thus, the lateral walls  420  are capable of being deformed and collapsing under the effect of an impact so as to absorb energy in order to limit the risks of injury to the feet of the occupant resting on the bearing wall  16 . The second housing  44  is designed to receive a compressor  46  of substantially parallelepipedal shape and having corners  460  and a peripheral lateral wall  464  which comprises a peripheral rib  462 . 
     At the rear, the housing  44  consists of recesses  426  formed in the lateral wall  420  of the blocks  42  designed to receive two corners  460  of the compressor  46 . Each recess  426  extends along a front portion  422   a  and an internal portion  422   i  of the lateral wall  422  of the blocks  42 . “Internal portion”  422   i  of the lateral wall  422  is understood to be a part of the wall  422  located opposite the adjacent compression block  42 . The two corners  460  of the compressor  46  are thus held between the bottom wall  30  and the edges of the recesses  426 . The second housing  44  also comprises two rear clips  48  aligned in a transverse direction between the compression blocks  42 , substantially in the region of a vertical edge  428  of the recesses  426 . The two rear clips  48  take the form of lugs extending substantially perpendicular from the bottom wall  30  and comprising at their end a hook  480  capable of cooperating with the rib  462  located on the peripheral lateral wall  464  of the compressor  46 . At the front, the second housing  44  comprises two lateral clips  50  capable of cooperating with the peripheral wall  464  of the compressor  46 . The clips  50  here take the form of resilient tabs having a hook  500  capable of cooperating with the rib  462 . Moreover, the low wall  40  of transverse orientation disclosed above forms a stop capable of limiting a movement of the compressor  46  to the front. 
     The second housing  44  is thus delimited by the rear recesses  426 , the rear clips  48 , the front lateral clips  50  and the low wall  40 . 
     Moreover, the central stiffening ribs RC are located in the region of the second housing  44 , on the internal face  26  of the bearing wall  16 . In order to insert the compressor  46  inside the second housing  44 , it suffices to slide the corners  460  into the recesses  426  and the rib  462  of the lateral wall  464  below the hooks  480  of the rear clips  48  by holding the compressor  46  obliquely and then rotating the compressor  46  in the direction of the bottom wall  30  about the corners  460  already inserted so as to introduce the remainder of the compressor  46  in the front part of the housing  44  between the two clips  50 . During the insertion of the compressor  46 , the front lateral clips  50  deform resiliently until the hooks  500  cooperate with the rib  462  of the lateral wall  464 . To remove the compressor  46 , the steps are carried out in reverse by lifting, at the front, the corners  460  of the compressor  46  to release the rib  462  from the front lateral clips  50 , then pulling the compressor  46  by holding it obliquely to remove, at the rear of the housing  44 , the corners  460  from the recesses  426  and to release the rib  462  from the rear clips  48 . 
     The third housing  52  is designed to receive a towing ring  56  having a shank  560  and an annular head  562 . It is arranged along a lateral edge  160  of the bottom wall  30  and is formed by at least one pair of resilient walls  54  substantially perpendicular to the bottom wall  30 , opposing one another and located spaced apart from one another corresponding to the diameter of the shank  560  of the towing ring  56 . In the embodiment described here, the third housing  52  has two pairs of walls  54 . The third housing  52  further comprises a further pair of walls  58  arranged in a circular-arc-shaped and concentric manner so as to delimit the shape of the head  562  of the towing ring  56 . The different pairs of walls  54 ,  58  have sufficient resilience to permit the insertion of the towing ring  56  by simply bearing in a direction substantially perpendicular to the bottom wall  30 . The retention of the towing ring  56  is then ensured by the resilient walls  54 ,  58  bearing under tension against the towing ring  56 . Moreover, the bottom wall  30  may also comprise a substantially semi-cylindrical recess  60  having the shape of the shank  560  of the towing ring  56 . To remove the towing ring  56  from its housing  52 , it thus suffices to exert traction in a direction perpendicular to the bottom wall  30 . The walls  54 ,  58  then deform to permit the passage of the ring  56  and then return to their initial shape. 
     The fourth housing  62  designed to receive a hub cap hook  64  is located between the conical blocks  42 . The hub cap hook  64  takes the form of a rigid metal wire, one end thereof  64   a , the head  64 , being curved so as to form a loop and the other end  64   b  being rectilinear so as to form a shank. The fourth housing  62  consists of a pair of clips  66  formed in the bottom wall  30  and aligned in a transverse direction and a second clip  68  located in front of the clips  66 . The clips  66  are capable of receiving a terminal edge  64   c  of the head  64   a  of the hub cap hook  64 , whilst the clip  68  is capable of receiving the shank  64   b  of the hook  64 . To store the hook  64  in its housing  62 , therefore, it suffices to introduce the terminal edge  64   c  of the head  64   a  of the hook, holding the hook  64  inclined, and then to pivot the hook  64  in the direction of the bottom wall  30  of the housing  28  until the clip  68  receives the shank  64   b  of the hook  64 . To remove the hook  64 , it suffices to carry out the procedure in reverse, by pulling on the shank  64   b , pivoting the hook about the terminal edge  64   c  and then pulling the hook to release it from the clips  68 . 
     Thus, the access to the storage compartment  28  integrated in the footrest  10  according to the invention is made very simple, in that it suffices simply to dismantle the removable mechanical fixing means connecting the footrest  10  to a part of the bulkhead to be able to have access to the rear of the footrest  10  where the storage compartment  28  is housed, without needing to handle the plate  16  covered with carpet  20 . Thus it suffices to turn over the footrest  10  and to place it, for example, on the seat cushion of the passenger seat to have access to its contents. The access to the compartment thus only requires a few steps. 
     Moreover, this new fixed-type assembly between the plate  16  and the storage compartment  28  confers the assembly with improved static stability which provides a sensation of solidity to the customer when checking the quality of the assembly by pressing thereupon with the feet. Moreover, this impression of robustness is coupled with a significant increase in weight of approximately 25%.