CLIAMS:1. An impact load absorbing platform 10 for a vehicle 12, said impact load absorbing platform 10 comprising:
a first floor 18 and a second floor 26,
a set of first gears 20 extending upwardly from the first floor 18,
a set of second gears 22 supported on the second floor 26, the second gears 22 meshed with a respective first gear of the set of first gears 20, such that vertical movement of the set of first gears 20 rotates the set of second gears 22; and,
a flap portion 24 engaged with the set of second gears 22 such that the flap portion 24 tilts with respect to the second floor 26 with the rotation of the set of second gears 22.

2. The impact absorbing platform 10 for a vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the set of first gears 20 on the first floor 18 of the vehicle moves upwardly to absorb impact load acting thereon.

3. The impact absorbing platform 10 for a vehicle as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the set of first gears 20 includes a pair of rack gears.

4. The impact absorbing platform 10 for a vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the set of second gears 22 includes a pair of pinion gears.

5. The impact absorbing platform 10 for a vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the set of second gears 22 are carried by a shaft and bearings supported on the second floor 26.

6. The impact absorbing platform 10 for a vehicle as claimed in claim 5 wherein the second floor 26 includes a cut portion 23 to accommodate the flap 24.

7. The impact absorbing platform 10 for a vehicle as claimed in claim any one of the preceding claims, wherein the flap 24 is configured as a footrest.

8. A vehicle having an impact load absorbing platform 10 comprising:
a first floor member 18 of the vehicle,
a second floor supported on a set of bottom brackets 16 mounted on the first floor member 18,
a set of rack gears 20 extending upwardly from the bottom brackets 16, such that on application of an impact load on the vehicle the rack gears 20 along with the first floor member 18 moves upwardly,
a set of pinion gears 22, each pinion gear being meshed with a corresponding rack gears, such that vertical movement of the set of rack gears rotates the set of pinion gears; and,
at least one horizontal platform 24 of the second floor 26 engaged with one or more pinion gears such that the horizontal platform 24 tilts with respect to the second floor 26 with the rotation of the set of pinion gears.
,TagSPECI:TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to foot rest platforms of vehicles and more particularly relates to a foot rest platform adapted to tilt with respect to the vehicle frame.
BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE
In an undesired crash event such as a frontal collision or side collision of vehicle, a lot of energy is generated and gets applied to the vehicle. Particularly, in frontal collision such as a head-on collision with other vehicles, or side collision such as a collision with a rigid standing structure like tree or concrete tower or the like, the impact energy/load generated during such collision can be so much that it reaches up to the occupants of the vehicle, at a very rapid velocity through the frame of the vehicle. For example, a frontal collision may involve the vehicle front structure and other components like engine, transmission steering column lower shaft, wheels deforming thereby causing the floor area where the occupant feet rest to move upwards or normal to the ground. As would be known to those skilled in the art, vehicle occupants typically rest their feet on the foot rest platforms, and the sudden lifting of the foot rest platform often becomes a cause of some serious injuries to the vehicle occupants. Such incidents typically affect the lower legs causing lower extremity injury. Attempts have been made hitherto to protect the vehicle occupants from such injuries, for example in the conventional vehicles stronger reinforcements have been provided below the floor to reduce the intrusions or by altering the seat mounting techniques to avoid direct interaction of the occupants. However, the attempts made hitherto have failed to comprehensively address this issue of protection to the vehicle occupants from injuries resulting from upwardly movement of the foot rest.

In light of foregoing discussion it is necessary to develop an impact energy/load absorption foot rest platforms for the vehicle to overcome the problems stated above.

OBJECTS OF THE DISCLOSURE

The objective of the present disclosure is to obviate the above mentioned drawbacks by providing a protective footrest platform for vehicles.
Another objective of the present disclosure is to provide a protective footrest platform for vehicles that provides protection to lower extremities of vehicle occupants by following the principle of disengaging the intrusion forces before it damages the occupant’s lower legs.
Another objective of the invention is to provide better crashworthiness capability in vehicles such as but not limiting to a passenger or commercial vehicle during frontal crashes.
Another objective of the invention is to provide an improved mechanism to convert the linear intrusion to rotary motion of the footrest for passenger and commercial vehicles with reduced weight and manufacturing method that enables to achieve reduction in weight.
Further objects and features of the disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the drawings.
SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE
The various embodiments of the present disclosure provide an impact load absorbing platform for a vehicle. The impact load absorbing platform in one non-limiting embodiment comprises, : a first floor, a second floor, a set of first gears extending upwardly from the first floor, a set of second gears meshed with a respective first gear of the set of first gears, such that vertical movement of the set of first gears rotates the set of second gears; and, a flap portion engaged with the set of second gears such that the flap portion tilts with respect to the second floor with the rotation of the set of second gears.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a vehicle having a protective footrest platform, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure,
FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of a portion of a vehicle having the protective footrest platform, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure,
FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of the protective footrest platform in first condition, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure,
FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective view of the protective footrest platform in second condition, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure,
FIG. 5 illustrates an exploded perspective view of the protective footrest platform, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure,
FIG. 6 illustrates a side view of the protective footrest platform in closed condition, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE
Referring now to the drawings wherein the showings are for the purpose of illustrating a preferred embodiment of the disclosure only, and not for the purpose of limiting the same.
A protective footrest platform assembly 10 for a vehicle 12, in accordance with the present disclosure is illustrated in figures 1 through 6. The protective footrest platform assembly 10 may be mounted on a vehicle 12 which may be any motorable vehicle of M and N class categories which transport occupants in it, as illustrated. The vehicle 12, in alternative embodiments of the present disclosure, may be of any other category or type, without deviating from the scope of the disclosure. As illustrated in figures 1 through 6, the protective footrest platform assembly 10 may be provided near front seats 14, however the protective footrest platform assembly 10 may be installed near any seat of the vehicle, without deviating from the scope of the present disclosure.
The protective footrest platform assembly 10, also referred to as an impact load absorbing platform for a vehicle includes a set of bottom brackets 16. The bottom brackets 16, in the illustrated embodiment are two in number; however in alternative embodiments there may be fewer or more number of bottom brackets similar to bottom brackets 16. The bottom brackets 16 are carried by a first floor 18 (also referred to as “bottom frame 18” of the vehicle) of the vehicle 12. The bottom brackets 16, also referred to as support brackets, are also connected to side structure of the vehicle 12. The bottom brackets 16 may be joined to the vehicle structure using a method such as but not limiting to welding and fastening. Further, a second floor 26 (also referred to as “box 26”) of rectangular or cubic shape is disposed above the first floor 18 and mounted on the support brackets. The box (frame) is mounted by means of welding or bolting.
The protective footrest platform assembly 10 further includes a set of first gears 20. The first gears 20 are mounted on the floor and extend upwardly from the first floor 18. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the set of first gears 20 includes two rack gears. Further, a set of second gears 22 are meshed with a respective first gear of the set of first gears 20. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the set of second gears 22 includes two pinion gears engaged with the two rack gears. Such engagement of the two pinion gears with the two rack gears makes sure that any vertical movement of the set of first gears 20 rotates the set of second gears 22, by a relative extent. Both the pinion gears and the rack gears may be made of material such as but not limiting to metal, plastic or any other suitable composite materials to optimize weight.
A flap portion 24 on the second floor 26 is engaged with the set of second gears 22 such that the flap portion 24 tilts with respect to the second floor 26 with the rotation of the set of second gears 24. The set of second gears 22 are carried by a shaft 21 and bearings 19 supported on the second floor 26. As best shown in figure 6, there is a gap “G” between the second floor 26 and the vehicle floor (first floor 18). The flap portion 24, also referred to as plate, may be of a rectangular or a square shape is placed on the face of the second floor 26. The second floor 26 has a cut-out 23 to accommodate the flap portion 24. The flap portion 24 is configured as a footrest, so when an occupant occupies the seat of the vehicle, the feet of the occupant will rest on the flap portion 24 on the second floor 26. The flap portion 24 and the second floor 26 can be made of material such as but not limiting to metal, plastic or composite materials to optimize weight.
During an undesired event, such as a frontal crash, the floor of the conventional vehicle on which the feet of the occupants rest may move upwards i.e. normal to the feet. In such scenarios the tibia loads which represent lower leg extremities may exceed the allowable human tolerance limits as suggested by AIS (Abbreviated Injury Standards). The occupants are vulnerable to permanent or short term injury due to such injuries.
However, as per present disclosure the set of first gears 20 on the floor of the vehicle moves upwardly to absorb impact energy/load acting thereon. This translatory motion i.e. upwardly movement (within a distance “G” as illustrated in figure 6) is converted to rotary motion by the pinion gear. More specifically, the engagement of the set of first gears 20 with the set of second gears 22 converts the translatory motion of the set of first gears 20 (via the bottom brackets 16) to rotary motion of the set of second gears 22. This in turn rotates the shaft 21, and the shaft 21 rotates the flap portion 24 with respect to the floor and the bottom brackets 16, which thus avoids the direct loading on the tibia bones. This disposition of the flap portion 24 on the second floor 26 from a closed position to an open position thereof is best illustrated in figures 3 and 4. The gearing ratio can control the magnitude of rotation of the plate 24 which will further help in reducing the tibia loads.
The foregoing description provides specific embodiments of the present disclosure. It should be appreciated that these embodiment are described for purpose of illustration only, and that numerous other alterations and modifications may be practiced by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. It is intended that all such modifications and alterations be included insofar as they come within the scope of the disclosure as claimed or the equivalents thereof.
Referral Numeral:
Reference Numeral Description
10 Protective footrest platform assembly
12 Vehicle
14 Front seat
16 Bottom brackets
18 First Floor
19 Bearings
20 First gears
21 Shaft
22 Second gears
23 Cut-outs
24 Flap portion/plate
26 Second floor