Patent Publication Number: US-2022227428-A1

Title: Vehicle floor structure

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2021-007951 filed on Jan. 21, 2021, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Technical Field 
     The present disclosure relates to a vehicle floor structure, particularly the vehicle floor structure having an open end that is not supported by a support material. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     Conventionally, various materials have been known as a floor material for a vehicle, and Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 10-316053 (JP 10-316053 A) discloses, as a floor structure for a truck, a floor structure for which an extruded aluminum material is used. A rib and the like that extend along an extrusion direction is easily formed using the extruded aluminum material. According to JP 10-316053 A, providing the rib on a surface of the floor material effectively reduces a possibility of slippage on the floor material. 
     SUMMARY 
     Here, a vehicle is provided with a ramp for facilitating egress and ingress of a wheelchair and the like. Such a vehicle accommodates the ramp that can be folded out downward from an entrance of the vehicle. In this case, there is a demand to reduce a step between a base portion of the ramp and the floor when the ramp is folded out. Therefore, it is not desirable to dispose a support material that supports an end of the floor of the vehicle corresponding to the entrance from below, and the end of the floor of the vehicle may be set as an open end. 
     Therefore, it is necessary to examine strength at the open end regarding the floor material around the entrance. 
     A vehicle floor structure according to the present disclosure includes a floor member that includes an opening that is open at an end corresponding to an entrance, the opening extending toward a vehicle cabin side, and a floor panel that is supported by the floor member to cover the opening and includes an open end at a position corresponding to the entrance, in which the floor panel is configured by sequentially arranging and integrating unit panels in a width direction with a direction parallel to the open end serving as a longitudinal direction of the unit panels. 
     An insertion hook that faces downward may be provided on one side of a unit panel in the width direction and an open hook receiving port that faces upward may be provided on another side of the unit panel in the width direction. The insertion hook on another unit panel may be inserted into and engaged with the hook receiving port of one unit panel on the open end side to integrate the two adjacent unit panels. 
     Two open insertion hooks that face downward may be provided on one side of a unit panel in the width direction and two open hook receiving ports that face upward may be provided on another side of the unit panel in the width direction. The two insertion hooks on another unit panel may be inserted into and engaged with the two hook receiving ports of one unit panel on the open end side to integrate the two adjacent unit panels. 
     The unit panel may have a hollow plate shape that has a closed cross section, and include a rib extending in the longitudinal direction inside the unit panel and connecting a front surface and a back surface of the unit panel in the closed cross section. 
     The unit panel may be made of aluminum. 
     According to the present disclosure, since the unit panel is arranged in the direction parallel to the open end, it is easy to obtain sufficient strength. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Features, advantages, and technical and industrial significance of exemplary embodiments of the disclosure will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like signs denote like elements, and wherein: 
         FIG. 1A  is a perspective view showing a configuration of a surrounding area of an entrance of a vehicle  1 ; 
         FIG. 1B  is a perspective view showing the configuration of the surrounding area of the entrance of the vehicle  1 , and showing a state in which a ramp is folded out; 
         FIG. 2  is a diagram showing a structure for attaching a floor panel  10  to a vehicle; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a unit panel  12 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of an example of the unit panel  12  (a cross-sectional view of the unit panel  12  that is cut along line a-a of  FIG. 3 ); 
         FIG. 5  is a diagram showing an engagement state of a connector portion  60  in which a left side shows a state before the connector portion  60  is engaged and a right side shows a state after the connector portion  60  is engaged; 
         FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view in a width direction showing a schematic configuration of the floor panel  10  provided by arranging a plurality of the unit panels  12  in the width direction and sequentially connecting the unit panels  12  (a cross-sectional view of the floor panel  10  that is cut along line A-A in  FIG. 2 ); and 
         FIG. 7  is a diagram showing another configuration of a connector portion  60  that is a connecting portion between a unit panel  12  at the end and the adjacent unit panel  12 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
     Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. The present disclosure is not limited to the embodiment described below. 
     Vehicle Configuration 
       FIGS. 1A and 1B  are perspective views each showing a configuration of a surrounding area of an entrance of a vehicle  1 .  FIG. 1A  shows a state in which a ramp is accommodated, and  FIG. 1B  shows a state in which the ramp is folded out. A vehicle body  4  includes a sliding door  2  on a left side surface of the vehicle body  4 . The left side surface is one side surface of the vehicle body  4 . Electric-powered ramp equipment  6  is provided under the sliding door  2  of the vehicle body  4 . 
     The sliding door  2  includes two doors  2   a  and  2   b  (a front side is the door  2   a  and a rear side is the door  2   b ), and these doors  2   a  and  2   b  open and close an entrance  8  by sliding in opposite directions along a front-rear direction of the vehicle by a door opening/closing mechanism (not shown). 
     Further, in the electric-powered ramp equipment  6 , the ramp is stored under a floor in normal times as shown in  FIG. 1A , and when the ramp is used for egress and ingress, the ramp is folded out so as to protrude outward (diagonally to the left in  FIG. 1B ) as shown in  FIG. 1B . 
     A floor panel  10  is disposed above a portion where the electric-powered ramp equipment  6  is disposed. The floor panel  10  is provided as a separate member from floor panels of other portions of the vehicle  1 , and can be removed independently. As a result, for example, with the floor panel  10  removed, it is possible to perform operations such as inspection, repair and removal of the electric-powered ramp equipment  6  that is provided under the floor panel  10 . 
     Floor Panel Attachment 
       FIG. 2  is a diagram showing a structure for attaching the floor panel  10  to the vehicle. A floor member  70  made of iron or the like is provided on the floor of the vehicle, and an opening  72  that is open at a position corresponding to the entrance on the side of the vehicle is provided in the floor member  70 . A support portion  80  for supporting the floor panel  10  is provided on each of peripheral edge portions (three sides) of the opening  72 , and each of peripheral edge portions (three sides) of the floor panel  10  is placed on the support portion  80  and tightened with appropriate fasteners such as bolts (not shown). Therefore, the floor panel  10  covers the opening  72 , and the end of the floor panel  10  corresponding to the entrance is an open end l 0   a  for which a support member such as the floor member  70  is not provided under the floor panel  10 . Further, the floor panel  10  can be removed from the floor member  70  by removing the bolts and the like as necessary. An interior material such as a cover material may be installed as appropriate on the floor member  70  and the floor panel  10 . The opening  72  is not necessarily in a square shape as long as it has the open end  10   a.    
     The floor panel  10  is configured by sequentially arranging and integrating thin and long unit panels  12  in a width direction with a direction parallel to the open end  10   a  serving as its longitudinal direction. 
     Floor Panel Configuration 
       FIG. 3  is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a unit panel  12 . The unit panel  12  is in a thin and long shape and has a hollow plate shape in which both ends in the longitudinal direction are open and that has a thin (the width is large than the thickness) quadrangular closed cross section. Further, the unit panel  12  includes ribs that extend in the longitudinal direction inside the unit panel  12  and connect a front surface and a back surface of the closed cross section. In this example, the unit panel  12  is formed by aluminum extrusion forming in which an aluminum material is extruded in an extrusion direction indicated by the arrow in  FIG. 3 . In the aluminum extrusion forming, the aluminum material is pressed toward a mold and extruded from the mold. Therefore, it is easy to form ribs and the like in the extrusion direction, and it is easy to increase strength against bending in the extrusion direction. 
       FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of an example of the unit panel  12  (a cross-sectional view of the unit panel  12  that is cut along line a-a of  FIG. 3 ). The unit panel  12  has a quadrangular closed cross section including a front surface  12   a  and a back surface  12   b,  and both side surfaces  12   c  and  12   d,  and includes a plurality of ribs  12   e  for connecting the front surface  12   a  and the back surface  12   b  inside the unit panel  12 . Therefore, the inner side of the unit panel  12  is divided into a plurality of chambers  12   f  by the ribs  12   e.  Each of the chambers  12   f  has a quadrangular cross section. A direction perpendicular to a surface of the drawing is the longitudinal direction (extrusion direction), and the same cross-sectional shapes are maintained in the longitudinal direction. 
     As described above, when the ribs  12   e  are provided, the strength in the longitudinal direction is increased, and when the inner side is divided into the relatively small chambers  12   f  in quadrangular shapes, the strength in the width direction is also relatively increased. 
     Here, as shown in  FIG. 4 , chambers  12   f  at both ends are smaller than the other chambers  12   f.  That is, a width w and a height h of each of the chambers  12   f  at both ends are smaller than those of the other chambers  12   f.  Therefore, a thickness t around each of the chambers  12   f  at both ends of the unit panel  12  is increased, so that the strength at this portion is increased. Therefore, when the unit panels  12  are connected, each of the unit panels  12  can sufficiently withstand a load applied from the adjacent unit panels  12 . 
     Further, a connector portion  60  is provided on each of a side surface  12   c  and a side surface  12   d  of the unit panel  12  in the width direction. The connector portion  60  is composed of two insertion hooks  62   a  and  62   b  and hook receiving ports  64   a  and  64   b  corresponding to the insertion hooks  62   a  and  62   b.  That is, the hook receiving ports  64   a  and  64   b  are provided as notches on each of the side surfaces  12   c  and  12   d  of the unit panel  12 , so that the insertion hooks  62   a  and  62   b  are provided as remaining portions, respectively. On the one side surface  12   c,  first, the hook receiving port  64   a  having a relatively small depth and facing upward and the insertion hook  62   b  having a relatively short length are provided at a position closer to an end, and then, the hook receiving port  64   b  having a relatively large depth and facing upward and the insertion hook  62   a  having a relatively longer length are provided at a position further from the end. On the other hand, on the other side surface  12   d,  the connector portion  60  is provided such that the orientation thereof is upside down from the connector portion  60  on the one side surface  12   c.  That is, first, the hook receiving port  64   b  having a relatively small depth and facing downward and the insertion hook  62   a  are provided, and then the hook receiving port  64   a  having a large depth and facing downward and the insertion hook  62   b  are provided. 
       FIG. 5  is a diagram showing an engagement state of the connector portion  60  in which a left side shows a state before the connector portion  60  is engaged and a right side shows a state after the connector portion  60  is engaged. As described above, the insertion hook  62  is inserted into the hook receiving port  64 , and the insertion hook  62  and the hook receiving port  64  mesh and engage with each other. 
       FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view in a width direction showing a schematic configuration of the floor panel  10  provided by arranging the unit panels  12  in the width direction and sequentially connecting the unit panels  12  (a cross-sectional view of the floor panel  10  that is cut along line A-A in  FIG. 2 ). As described above, when the unit panels  12  are sequentially connected by the connector portion  60 , it is possible to obtain the floor panel  10  having an appropriate width in the width direction. 
     Here, in this example, a shape of a leftmost unit panel  12   p  in the figure is different from those of the other unit panels  12 . Since the unit panel  12   p  becomes the lowermost end when the ramp is folded out, and the tip of the unit panel  12   p  contacts the ground surface, the unit panel  12   p  is appropriately configured such that a smooth ramp is provided on the portion contacting the ground surface. The size of the second unit panel  12   q  from the left is also different. 
       FIG. 7  shows a configuration of the connector portion  60  that is a connecting portion between the leftmost unit panel  12   p  and the adjacent unit panel  12   q.  As described above, the upper surfaces of the two unit panels  12  are slightly inclined to provide a continuous ramp when the insertion hooks and the hook receiving ports are engaged.