JP7757938B2 - Foot heater device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates particularly to a foot heater device installed in a vehicle.

Foot heater devices (e.g., Patent Document 1) that are mounted on vehicles and can warm the feet of vehicle occupants are known. The foot heater device described in Patent Document 1 includes a plate-shaped member with a heater attached to its surface. This plate-shaped member is rotatably supported by a pair of arms extending upward from the vehicle floor. The plate-shaped member can rotate about a rotation axis that passes near the upper ends of each of the pair of arms between an unused position in which it extends upward from the rotation axis and where vehicle occupants cannot place their feet, and a used position in which it extends diagonally downward and rearward from the rotation axis and where vehicle occupants can place their feet.

With this configuration, vehicle occupants can warm their feet by positioning the plate-shaped member in the use position and placing their feet on the surface of the plate-shaped member when necessary. Furthermore, when the vehicle occupants do not need the plate-shaped member, they can position it in the unused position and remove the plate-shaped member from under their feet, thereby preventing the plate-shaped member from getting in the way and causing a feeling of oppression when getting in and out of the vehicle or when not in use.

JP 2010-70087 A

However, the plate-shaped member is rotatably supported by an arm that extends upward from the vehicle floor. Therefore, even when the plate-shaped member is in an unused position, the arm remains as a structure on the vehicle floor. Therefore, when an occupant stretches out their legs, their feet are likely to hit the arm, potentially causing discomfort to the occupant.

The present invention was made in consideration of these points, and aims to provide a foot heater device that can secure a large space on the vehicle floor when the plate-shaped member is in an unused position.

One aspect of the present invention is a foot heater device comprising: a plate-shaped member having a footrest surface on which a vehicle occupant can place their feet; a heater attached to the plate-shaped member for heating the footrest surface; a support member that protrudes rearward from an attachment surface that is attached to an interior panel forward of the vehicle seat and extends in the height direction, and supports the plate-shaped member in a position that allows its position to be changed; and a movement mechanism that changes the position of the plate-shaped member between an unused position in which the plate-shaped member faces the attachment surface and the footrest surface does not face upward, and a used position in which the plate-shaped member extends in a direction intersecting the attachment surface and the footrest surface faces upward.

This configuration allows for ample space to be secured on the vehicle floor when the plate-shaped members are not in use.

1 is a side view showing the interior of a vehicle when a plate-shaped member of a foot heater device according to an embodiment of the present invention is in a use position. 1 is a side view showing the interior of a vehicle when a plate-shaped member in a foot heater device according to an embodiment is in an unused position. 1 is a perspective view showing the posture of a plate-shaped member in a use position in a foot heater device according to an embodiment; 1 is a perspective view showing the orientation of a plate-shaped member in an unused position in the foot heater device of the embodiment; 3 is a cross-sectional view of the plate-shaped member in the foot heater device of the embodiment in the use position. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the arrangement of heating wires of a heater attached to a plate-shaped member in the foot heater device of the embodiment. FIG.

Below, specific embodiments of the foot heater device according to the present invention will be described using Figures 1 to 6.

The foot heater device 1 according to one embodiment is a device that is mounted in a vehicle and is capable of warming the feet of vehicle occupants. While the foot heater device 1 may be installed to warm the feet of vehicle occupants seated in the driver's seat or rear seats, it is particularly suitable for warming the feet of a vehicle occupant seated in the passenger seat.

The foot heater device 1 comprises a plate-shaped member 10, a heater 20, a support member 30, and a movement mechanism 40.

The plate-shaped member 10 is a footrest on which a vehicle occupant places their feet. The plate-shaped member 10 is located in front of the vehicle seat 2 on which the vehicle occupant sits inside the vehicle cabin. The plate-shaped member 10 is formed in a substantially rectangular plate shape. The plate-shaped member 10 is large enough to accommodate the two feet of a vehicle occupant placed side by side, and is thick enough to ensure rigidity against the load when two feet are placed on it. The plate-shaped member 10 has a footrest surface 11 on which the vehicle occupant can place their feet. Note that the plate-shaped member 10 may be designed to be placed on either the shoed feet of a vehicle occupant or the shoeless feet of a vehicle occupant.

Note that directions such as "forward" may be based on the front direction facing the vehicle occupant seated in vehicle seat 2. For example, "forward" refers to the direction in which the vehicle occupant seated in vehicle seat 2 extends their legs relative to vehicle seat 2, and typically corresponds to the direction based on the vehicle's direction of travel. Furthermore, "left-right" refers to the left-right direction relative to the front direction facing the vehicle occupant seated in vehicle seat 2, which in the case of a vehicle, corresponds to the width of the vehicle.

As shown in FIG. 5, the plate-shaped member 10 is composed of an inner base material 12, an outer base material 13, a cushion 14, a heat insulating material 15, a heater 20 (described in detail below), and a skin 16. The inner base material 12 and the outer base material 13 are stacked and assembled together in the thickness direction of the plate-shaped member 10 (i.e., the front-to-back direction). The inner base material 12 and the outer base material 13 are formed, for example, from a resin material.

A groove 13a is provided on the surface of the outer base material 13 (i.e., the footrest surface 11 side of the plate-shaped member 10). A cushion 14, a heat insulating material 15, and a heater 20 are arranged in this order from the bottom of the groove in the groove 13a of the outer base material 13. The cushion 14 is a member that ensures cushioning when a vehicle occupant places their feet on it. The heat insulating material 15 is a member that blocks the heat generated by the heater 20 from being transmitted to the cushion 14 side. The skin 16 is a member that covers the surface of the outer base material 13 and the surface of the heater 20.

The heater 20 is a heat-generating member for heating the footrest surface 11. The heater 20 is provided on the plate-shaped member 10. As shown in FIG. 6, the heater 20 has a heating element 21 made of a hot wire and an insulating sheet 22 that holds the heating element 21. The heater 20 is activated and generates heat when power is supplied to the heating element 21 from a battery or other source installed in the vehicle. When the heater 20 generates heat, the surface temperature of the footrest surface 11 rises to or exceeds a predetermined temperature. This predetermined temperature is a temperature at which a vehicle occupant feels warm under the soles of their feet even in winter, and is preferably set to an experimentally determined value, such as 33°C or higher.

The heater 20 is controlled by operating a dedicated heater switch or in conjunction with the operation of the vehicle's air conditioner. For example, the heater 20 turns on when the heater switch is turned on. The heater 20 may also be configured to turn on only when the plate-shaped member 10 is in the use position described below. The heater 20 may also be configured to automatically turn on when the plate-shaped member 10 is in the use position, and may also be configured to automatically turn off when the plate-shaped member 10 is in the unused position.

The support member 30 is an arm member that movably supports the plate-like member 10. The support member 30 protrudes rearward from the mounting surface 3 of the interior panel. The mounting surface 3 is a surface that is located forward of the vehicle seat 2 and extends in the height direction, and is formed on the interior panel, for example, the lower instrument panel. The mounting surface 3 extends in the height direction from the vehicle floor surface 4 on which the vehicle seat 2 is installed. The mounting surface 3 may extend vertically, but it is sufficient that its extension includes a height component. For example, the mounting surface 3 may be inclined, for example, within a range of 20° or less, with respect to the vertical direction. The mounting surface 3 may extend flatly or curvedly.

The support member 30 consists of a pair of arms spaced laterally apart at a distance shorter than the laterally width of the plate member 10 in order to distribute the load applied to the plate member 10. The support member 30 may be attached and fixed to the mounting surface 3 of the interior panel itself, or, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, may extend forward of the mounting surface 3 and be fixed to the vehicle body forward of the mounting surface 3. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 4, the support member 30 may have a protruding portion 31 that extends rearward of the mounting surface 3 and a bent portion 32 that bends further upward from the protruding portion 31.

The movement mechanism 40 is a mechanism that changes the position of the plate-shaped member 10 between the unused position and the used position. The unused position is a position in which the plate-shaped member 10 faces the mounting surface 3 and the footrest surface 11 does not face upward. In this unused position, vehicle occupants cannot place their feet on the footrest surface 11. Note that in the unused position, the plate-shaped member 10 may be parallel to the mounting surface 3, or the plate-shaped member 10 may be in contact with the mounting surface 3. In a structure in which the plate-shaped member 10 is in contact with the mounting surface 3 in the unused position, the plate-shaped member 10 tilts diagonally upward from the support position by the support member 30 toward the front, ensuring stability when fixing the plate-shaped member 10 in the unused position.

The use position refers to a position in which the plate-shaped member 10 extends in a direction intersecting the mounting surface 3, with the footrest surface 11 facing upward. In this use position, a vehicle occupant can place their feet on the footrest surface 11. In the use position, the plate-shaped member 10 may extend horizontally, or may be tilted diagonally downward from the support position by the support member 30 toward the rear. In a structure in which the plate-shaped member 10 is tilted diagonally downward in the use position, it is preferable for the rear end of the plate-shaped member 10 to contact the vehicle floor surface 4, as this distributes the load across the vehicle floor surface 4 when the vehicle occupant places their feet on the footrest surface 11 of the plate-shaped member 10, thereby preventing a decrease in rigidity.

The movement mechanism 40 has a rotation axis C that rotates the plate-shaped member 10. The rotation axis C extends horizontally. The rotation axis C is an axis that does not change position relative to the mounting surface 3, i.e., it does not move radially. The rotation axis C passes through a portion of the plate-shaped member 10 that is the front portion in the in-use position, and also passes through a portion of the support member 30 that protrudes rearward from the mounting surface 3. The movement mechanism 40 rotates the plate-shaped member 10 around the rotation axis C between the unused position and the in-use position.

The height position at which the pivot axis C extends horizontally is set to be within a predetermined height range from the vehicle floor surface 4, for example, within a height range of 6.0 cm to 9.7 cm. The height position of this pivot axis C may be set, for example, so that the plate-shaped member 10 forms a desired angle with respect to the horizontal when the rear end of the plate-shaped member 10 is in the in-use position and in contact with the vehicle floor surface 4. This desired angle may be, for example, an optimal angle that does not cause fatigue to the vehicle occupant even when the vehicle occupant places their feet on the footrest surface 11 of the plate-shaped member 10 for a long period of time, for example, within an angle range of 15° to 22°.

The height at which the pivot axis C extends horizontally may be the same as the protruding height at which the support member 30 protrudes rearward from the mounting surface 3, or may be higher than that protruding height, as shown in Figure 4. In a structure in which the height at which the pivot axis C extends horizontally is higher than the protruding height of the support member 30, the pivot axis C is provided at the bent portion 32 extending upward from the protruding portion 31 of the support member 30, and as shown in Figure 3, it is possible to hide the support member 30 below the plate-shaped member 10 when the plate-shaped member 10 is in its in-use position.

The movement mechanism 40 has an engaging portion (not shown) provided on the plate-shaped member 10 and an engaging portion (not shown) provided on the support member 30. These engaging portions engage with each other so that the plate-shaped member 10 can rotate relative to the support member 30 around the rotation axis C. For example, the plate-shaped member 10 may have an axial hole serving as an engaging portion that corresponds to the rotation axis C, and the support member 30 may have an axial body serving as an engaging portion that is inserted into and fits into the axial hole of the plate-shaped member 10 that corresponds to the rotation axis C. Furthermore, it is preferable to provide a pair of these engaging portions spaced apart on the left and right to improve load resistance.

Furthermore, the plate-shaped member 10 and the support member 30 may each have an axial hole as an engagement portion corresponding to the rotation axis C, and may engage with each other via a separate shaft inserted into both axial holes. In this case, the movement mechanism 40 may further include an actuator that generates power to change the position of the plate-shaped member 10 between the unused position and the used position. In this structure, the power generated by the actuator may be transmitted to the shaft as a force that rotates the shaft, causing the plate-shaped member 10 to rotate relative to the support member 30.

Furthermore, the movement mechanism 40 may be equipped with a biasing member that generates a biasing force that constantly biases the plate-shaped member 10 toward the unused position, and the vehicle occupant's foot operation causes the plate-shaped member 10 to change position to the unused position against the biasing force of the biasing member. In this structure, when the vehicle occupant removes their foot from the footrest surface 11 of the plate-shaped member 10, the biasing force of the biasing member causes the plate-shaped member 10 to change position to the unused position.

As shown in FIG. 3, the footrest surface 11 of the plate-shaped member 10 includes a first region 11a that is the front portion when in the use position, and a second region 11b that is the rear portion when in the use position. The first region 11a includes the region where the toes of a vehicle occupant are placed when they place their feet on the footrest surface 11. The second region 11b does not include the region where the toes are placed when the vehicle occupant places their feet on the footrest surface 11, but includes the region where the heels are placed.

The heater 20 is configured so that the first region 11a of the footrest surface 11 is hotter than the second region 11b. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, the heater 20 has a first heater section 23 corresponding to the first region 11a and a second heater section 24 corresponding to the second region 11b. The first heater section 23 is a region where the heating elements 21 are densely arranged. The second heater section 24 is a region where the heating elements 21 are sparsely arranged. With this structure, when power is supplied to the heating elements 21, the first heater section 23 heats up more easily than the second heater section 24, and the first region 11a of the footrest surface 11 becomes hotter than the second region 11b.

The first heater section 23 and the second heater section 24 may be configured with a heating element 21 made of the same heating wire, but as shown in FIG. 6, the heating element 21 of the first heater section 23 and the heating element 21 of the second heater section 24 may be separate. In this structure in which the heating elements 21 are separate, it becomes possible to individually control the heat generation in the first heater section 23 and the heat generation in the second heater section 24 by turning them on and off.

Next, the operation of the foot heater device 1 will be described.
In the foot heater device 1, when the plate-like member 10 is in an unused position and the heater 20 is not turned on, the foot rest surface 11 does not face upward and is not heated, so that a vehicle occupant cannot place his/her feet on the foot rest surface 11 of the plate-like member 10 and his/her feet are not warmed.

From the above state, the movement mechanism 40 is activated, causing the plate-shaped member 10 to rotate around the rotation axis C from the unused position to the used position, and when the heater 20 is activated, the footrest surface 11 faces upward and is further heated. In this case, the vehicle occupant can place their feet on the footrest surface 11 of the plate-shaped member 10, and when their feet are placed on the footrest surface 11, their feet are warmed.

Therefore, with the foot heater device 1, the plate-shaped member 10 is changed in position from an unused position to a used position using the movement mechanism 40, and the foot rest surface 11 of the plate-shaped member 10 is heated using the heater 20, allowing the vehicle occupant to warm their feet placed on the foot rest surface 11 of the plate-shaped member 10.

In addition, when in the used position, the plate-shaped member 10 protrudes rearward from the mounting surface 3 near the vehicle floor surface 4, while when in the unused position, it is stored facing the mounting surface 3. Therefore, when the plate-shaped member 10 is in the unused position, it can be removed from under the feet of the vehicle occupant, so the plate-shaped member 10 does not get in the way when the vehicle occupant gets in and out of the vehicle, and the feeling of oppression felt by the vehicle occupant can be reduced.

In the foot heater device 1 of this embodiment, a plate-shaped member 10 having a foot rest surface 11 is supported by a support member 30 in a position that allows it to change its position. The support member 30 protrudes rearward from an attachment surface 3, which is located on an interior panel forward of the vehicle seat 2 and extends in the height direction. In this structure, the support member 30 that supports the plate-shaped member 10 does not protrude from the vehicle floor surface 4.

Therefore, with the foot heater device 1, it is not necessary to install a structure on the vehicle floor surface 4 to support the plate-shaped member 10, and this allows a large space to be secured on the vehicle floor surface 4 when the plate-shaped member 10 is not in use. As a result, even if a vehicle occupant stretches their legs out when the plate-shaped member 10 is in use, the structure will not come into contact with their legs, preventing discomfort to the vehicle occupant.

However, as described in Patent Document 1, if the support member 30 that supports the plate-shaped member 10 consists of a pair of arms separated in the left-right direction, and the distance between the pair of arms is equal to or greater than the left-right width of the plate-shaped member 10, the plate-shaped member 10 itself and its arms may be easily bent by the load when a vehicle occupant places their feet on the plate-shaped member 10 in its in-use position, which could result in a decrease in rigidity. In particular, in a structure in which the rear end of the plate-shaped member 10 does not contact the vehicle floor surface 4 in its in-use position, large loads are likely to be concentrated on the plate-shaped member and the arms, which could result in a significant decrease in rigidity.

In contrast, in the foot heater device 1 of this embodiment, the support member 30 consists of a pair of arms separated in the left-right direction by a distance shorter than the left-right width of the plate-shaped member 10. In this structure, the distance between the pair of arms is shorter than in a structure in which the pair of arms of the support member 30 are separated in the left-right direction by a distance equal to or greater than the left-right width of the plate-shaped member 10. This makes it less likely that the plate-shaped member 10 or the support member 30 will bend due to the load when the vehicle occupant places their feet on the plate-shaped member 10 in the use position, thereby minimizing a decrease in rigidity.

Furthermore, in the foot heater device 1, when the plate-shaped member 10 is in its use position, the rear end of the plate-shaped member 10 contacts the vehicle floor surface 4. With this structure, when a vehicle occupant places their feet on the plate-shaped member 10 in its use position, the load acts not only on the support member 30 but also on the vehicle floor surface 4, distributing the load. This further reduces the likelihood of bending of the plate-shaped member 10 or support member 30 due to the load, ensuring rigidity.

In the foot heater device 1, the foot rest surface 11 of the plate-shaped member 10 includes a first region 11a that is the front portion when in the use position, and a second region 11b that is the rear portion when in the use position. The heater 20 is configured so that the first region 11a is hotter than the second region 11b. Specifically, a first heater section 23 in which heating elements 21 are densely arranged is provided in the first region 11a that contacts the toes, and a second heater section 24 in which heating elements 21 are sparsely arranged is provided in the second region 11b that contacts the heel.

In this structure, when the heater 20 is turned on, the first region 11a, which the toes of the footrest surface 11 contact, becomes hotter than the second region 11b, which the heels contact. Since the toes, which are closer to the feet than the heels, tend to get colder, warming the toes makes it easier to feel warm. Therefore, the toes of the vehicle occupant can be warmed in a concentrated manner, and the vehicle occupant's feet can be warmed efficiently while saving energy.

In the above embodiment, the support member 30 consists of a pair of arms separated in the left-right direction by a distance shorter than the left-right width of the plate-shaped member 10. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the support member 30 may be formed in a strip or plate shape extending in the left-right direction. Even with this modified structure, it is possible to prevent the plate-shaped member 10 and the support member 30 from bending due to the load caused when a vehicle occupant places their feet on the plate-shaped member 10, thereby preventing a decrease in rigidity.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the rotation axis C of the movement mechanism unit 40 is an axis that does not change position relative to the attachment surface 3, i.e., does not move radially, and the plate-shaped member 10 rotates about the rotation axis C between the unused position and the use position, with the footrest surface 11 of the plate-shaped member 10 facing forward and facing the attachment surface 3 in the unused position. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the rotation axis C of the movement mechanism unit 40 may be an axis that changes position relative to the attachment surface 3 and moves radially. In this modified embodiment, the plate-shaped member 10 may rotate about the rotation axis C between the unused position and the use position, with the surface of the plate-shaped member 10 opposite the footrest surface 11 facing forward and facing the attachment surface 3 in the unused position.

Furthermore, in a configuration in which the rotation axis C is an axis that moves radially as described above, the movement mechanism 40 may include a rail or link mechanism.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and variations, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Furthermore, this specification not only discloses the technical ideas indicated by the citation relationships set forth in each claim at the time of filing, but also discloses technical ideas that appropriately combine the matters set forth in each claim.

1: Foot heater device, 2: Vehicle seat, 3: Mounting surface, 4: Vehicle floor, 10: Plate-like member, 11: Footrest surface, 11a: First area, 11b: Second area, 20: Heater, 21: Heating element, 23: First heater section, 24: Second heater section, 30: Support member, 40: Movement mechanism section, C: Rotation shaft.

Claims (5)

a plate-like member having a footrest surface on which a vehicle occupant can place their feet;
a heater provided on the plate-shaped member for heating the footrest surface;
a support member that protrudes rearward from an attachment surface of the interior panel that is provided forward of the vehicle seat and extends in a height direction, and that supports the plate-like member so as to be able to change its position;
a movement mechanism that changes the position of the plate-like member between an unused position in which the plate-like member faces the mounting surface and the footrest surface does not face upward, and a used position in which the plate-like member extends in a direction intersecting the mounting surface and the footrest surface faces upward;
A foot heater device comprising: The foot heater device described in claim 1, wherein, in the use position, the rear end of the plate-shaped member contacts the vehicle floor surface. the footrest surface includes a first region that is a front portion in the use position and a second region that is a rear portion in the use position,
2. The foot heater device according to claim 1, wherein the heater is configured so that the first region has a higher temperature than the second region. The foot heater device described in claim 1, wherein the surface temperature of the foot rest surface reaches 33°C or higher when the heater is activated. The foot heater device described in claim 1, wherein the movement mechanism has a rotation shaft that rotates the plate-shaped member.