Abstract:
An adjustable pedalbox and floor mechanism includes a pedalbox having at least one pedal associated therewith. The pedalbox is in communication with a vehicle seat via an adjustable floor mechanism that extends therebetween. The pedal and seat positions are independently adjustable in the vertical and/or horizontal directions. The floor mechanism is continuous between the pedalbox and the vehicle seat and remains generally horizontal with respect to the ground.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to an adjustable seating system for a vehicle, and more particularly, to an adjustable pedalbox and floor mechanism that positions the vehicle pedals, the vehicle seat, and the vehicle floor surface in a way that is comfortable and safe for all drivers. 
     BACKGROUND ART 
     Adjustable seating systems for vehicles are well-known in the art. Current adjustable seating systems typically allow a user to electronically adjust a variety of seating characteristics through actuation of one or more switches or buttons. These available adjustments typically include the height of the seat base and the and seat back, the distance of the seat from the foot pedals and the steering wheel, and the angle or cant of the seat base and seat back, as well as other comfort adjustments such as lumbar support. 
     Conventional adjustable seating systems, however, do not offer optimum ergonomics and vision for all drivers. For example, drivers of short stature are particularly at a disadvantage. While the seat may be positioned to provide optimum vision, pedal reach may still be difficult. By moving the seat closer to the pedals, however, these drivers of relatively short stature are typically located too close to the steering wheel and thus, too close to the airbag. These systems, thus, do not typically allow all users to be both located in the most optimum position from a safety standpoint and in a position with optimum field of view through the front window, to the visual displays or controls, and to the side mirrors. 
     Mechanisms for adjusting vehicle pedals with respect to the seat to accommodate a variety of users are known. One such mechanism disclosed in a master&#39;s thesis report entitled, “Justerbart Pedalställ till personbil,” University of Linköping 1999, LITH-IKP-EX-1562, allows the vehicle pedals to be moved or adjusted via their connection to an adjustable floor. This design has been used in some vehicles and many race cars. The structure of these adjustable floors cover the driver foot area and provides support behind the pedals to minimize risk of injury. While the floor can be moved independently of the driver&#39;s seat and the steering wheel, it does not correlate movement of the floor with the vehicle seat. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide an adjustable pedalbox and floor mechanism, which maintains a continuous floor surface extending from a foot well area to a vehicle seat. 
     It is another object of the present invention to provide an adjustable pedalbox and floor mechanism that provides optimum comfort characteristics for a wide range of drivers having varying physical characteristics. 
     It is still another object of the present invention to provide an adjustable pedalbox and floor mechanism that allows the position of the pedals and seat to be independently adjustable in both the vertical and/or horizontal directions. 
     It is a further object of the present invention to provide an adjustable pedalbox and floor mechanism that ensures a proper seating position for drivers having a wide range of physical characteristics by maximizing the distance between the driver and the airbag contained in the steering wheel. 
     It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an adjustable pedalbox and floor mechanism that packages the driving mechanisms to maximize available packaging space and minimize dirt contamination. 
     In accordance with the above and the other objects of the present invention, a system for adjusting the position of a vehicle occupant to maximize comfort and safety for occupants of varying statures is provided. The system includes a pedal box having at least one pedal mechanism associated therewith. The pedal box is located forwardly of a vehicle seat with respect to a vehicle body structure. The pedal box is in communication with the vehicle seat via an adjustable floor. The adjustable floor has a forward end in communication with the pedal box and a rearward end in communication with the vehicle seat. The adjustable floor provides a continuous surface extending from the pedal box to the vehicle seat in all positions. 
     These and other features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the invention, when viewed in accordance with the accompanying drawings and appended claims. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of an adjustable pedalbox and floor mechanism positioned to locate an occupant in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of an adjustable pedalbox and floor mechanism positioned to locate an occupant in accordance with a embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 3A is a rear view of an occupant compartment with an adjustable pedalbox and floor mechanism in a first position in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 3B is a rear view of a passenger compartment with an adjustable pedalbox and floor mechanism in a second position in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 3C is a rear view of a passenger compartment with an adjustable pedalbox and floor mechanism in a second position in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention; and 
     FIG. 3D is a rear view of a passenger compartment with an adjustable pedalbox and floor mechanism in a second position in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Turning now to FIGS. 1 and 2, which illustrate an adjustable pedal and vehicle seat system to that is intended to be comfortable and safe for all drivers. The adjustable system  10  includes a pedal box  12  with a plurality of pedal mechanisms  14  disposed thereon. The pedal mechanism preferably operates and is configured as described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/455,265, filed Dec. 9, 1999 and entitled, “Method and Apparatus for Vehicular Control Pedals.” The system further includes a vehicle seat  16  disposed rearwardly of the pedalbox  12  with respect to a vehicle body structure  20 . The pedalbox  12  is connected to the vehicle seat  16  by a floor mechanism  22 , which is maintained in a generally parallel relationship with respect to the ground. 
     The floor mechanism  22  includes a forward section  24  and a rearward section  26  which are preferably connected by a translational joint  28  such that a telescoping relationship exists between the forward and rearward sections  24 ,  26 . As shown, the rearward section  26  is preferably telescopically received within the forward section  24 . Alternatively, the forward section  24  may be telescopically received within the rearward section  26 . It should be understood that other configurations may be utilized that let the sections move and adjust their relative length with respect to one another. The rearward section  26  of the floor mechanism  22  is attached to the vehicle seat  16  via a revolute joint  30 . The vehicle seat  16  is attached to the vehicle body structure  20  by an appropriate connecting mechanism  32  that allows translational motion in the fore-aft direction and/or the vertical direction, as generally indicated by the arrows  34 ,  36  respectively. 
     The forward section  24  of the floor mechanism  22  is preferably rigidly connected to the pedalbox  12 . The pedalbox  12  in turn is supported by a revolute joint  38 . The revolute joint  38  is attached to a moveable carriage  40  that allows transitional motion of the pedalbox  12  with respect to the vehicle body structure  20 . The pedal and vehicle seat system  10  provides improved ergonomic seating for drivers of both large and small stature, as generally represented by references numbers  42  and  44 . 
     FIG. 1 illustrates the pedal and vehicle seat system  10  with the components located in a first position to accommodate the larger driver  42 . Conversely, FIG. 1 also illustrates the pedal and vehicle seat system  10  with the components located in a second position to accommodate the smaller driver  44 . Obviously, the components can be located in a variety of other positions to accommodate a variety of drivers with varying statures ranged between the larger driver  42  and the smaller driver  44 . 
     In operation, the vehicle seat  16  is positioned in the fore-aft direction and/or the vertical direction by adjusting the seat support mechanism  32 , in order to suit the seating requirements of the driver. The seat support mechanism  32  may be adjusted manually or automatically, such as by depression of a button. The pedalbox  12  is then positioned by adjusting the position of the moveable carriage  40  in order to suit the driver&#39;s stature. The forward and rearward sections  24 ,  26  of the floor mechanism  22  are free to slide with respect to each other in order to accommodate the independent positions of the moveable carriage  40  and the seat support mechanism  32 . The seat support mechanism  32  and the moveable carriage  40  may each be reduced to a single degree of freedom and/or coordinated to move together by a mechanical or electronic mechanism so as to provide a single control for the driver. Prior to adjustment of the vehicle seat  16  and the pedalbox  12 , the floor mechanism  22  is positioned generally parallel to a ground surface and after the adjustment the floor mechanism  22  is also disposed generally parallel to the ground surface. 
     The angle of orientation of the connecting mechanism  32  and the moveable carriage  40  can vary to be configured to slide in either a horizontal or a vertical direction, or both depending upon the packaging requirements of the vehicle. FIG. 1 illustrates the moveable carriage  40  oriented to travel in both a vertical and a horizontal direction with respect to the vehicle body structure  20 . FIG. 2 illustrates the moveable carriage  40  oriented to travel in a vertical direction with respect to the vehicle body structure  20 . The forward and rearward sections  24 ,  26  of the telescoping floor mechanism  22  follow the movement of the moveable carriage  40  and the seat support mechanism  32  and preferably remain horizontal throughout the adjustment process through synchronization of the sliding mechanism  32 , 40 . Alternatively, the adjustment process could be non-synchronized such that the floor mechanism is non-parallel to the ground during the adjustment process so long as the floor mechanism  22  returns to a parallel position upon completion of the process. As shown in FIG. 2, the pedalbox  12  to which the pedals  14  are attached can alternatively be additionally moveable with respect to the forward section  24  of the telescoping floor mechanism  22  via an appropriate mechanism  50 . 
     In accordance with a preferred embodiment, an average sized occupant can be located such that the range of motions of the sliding mechanisms are situated in the middle of the available translational range. The largest and smallest occupant sizes  42 ,  44  respectively can be accommodated at the extremes of travel of the sliding mechanisms. The positional flexibility of the adjustable pedal and vehicle seat system  10  reduces the range of adjustability necessary to properly position the steering wheel  52  and thereby reduce the size of the eye-ellipse  54  of the seat system  10 . 
     As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, as the floor mechanism  22  moves upward, it may rise above vehicle body structural surfaces on either side, such as a sill  56  and a tunnel  58 . When the floor mechanism  22  is raised, as shown in FIG. 3B, a gap can be exposed between the raised floor mechanism  22  and the sill  56  or the tunnel  58 . The system  10  eliminates the gap through the provision of a suitable blocking device  60 . The device  60  includes a first partition  62  located on the floor mechanism  22  and a second partition  64  located on the sill  56 . Similarly, the device  60  includes a first partition  66  located on the floor mechanism  22  and a second partition  68  located on the tunnel  58 . The partitions  62 ,  64 ,  66 ,  68  are positioned on either side of the floor mechanism  22  so that no gap appears between the floor mechanism  22  and the sill  56  or tunnel  58  in the extreme vertical position of the floor  22 . The blocking device  60  could alternatively be a mechanical shutter  72  (FIG.  3 C), an inflatable bladder  70  (FIG. 3B) or an accordion fold  74  (FIG. 3D) to fill the gap between the floor mechanism  22  and the sill  56  or tunnel  58  when the floor mechanism  22  is in a raised position. 
     The floor mechanism  22  thus provides a continuous surface between the pedalbox  12  and the vehicle seat  16 . Additionally, in the preferred embodiment, the seat support mechanism  32  and the moveable carriage  40  can be configured to maximize packaging space and minimize contamination thereof due to dirt. The system  10  thus provides optimum comfort and visibility characteristics for a wide range of drivers with varying physical characteristics. The system  10  also ensures that the driver is located a safe distance from the airbag in the steering wheel  52 . 
     Having now fully described the invention, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that many changes and modifications can be made thereto without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as set forth herein.