Movable floor apparatus for vehicle

A movable floor apparatus for a vehicle, which includes a movable board disposed beneath feet of an occupant seated in an occupant seat, to cover an upper surface of a vehicle body floor, said movable floor apparatus comprising:

• a drive source disposed below said occupant seat;
• a driving-force transmission mechanism, according to a driving force of said drive source, for transmitting a force acting in a frontward or a rearward direction of a vehicle body to a rear portion of said movable board, and
• a pair of right and left support members provided on said vehicle body floor to extend upwardly therefrom for supporting opposite right and left edges of said movable board, said support members having guide means adapted to guide said movable board in such a manner that said movable board receiving said frontwardly or rearwardly acting force from said driving-force transmission mechanism is lifted or lowered while being moved in the acting direction of said force;
• said movable board includes a support shaft which extends in a lateral direction of the vehicle body and has opposite right and left ends supported by the respective ones of said right and left support members, and a tubular-shaped sleeve attached to each of the right and left ends of said support shaft to surround an outer peripheral surface of said end;
• and
• said guide means includes a sleeve guide groove which is defined by a contact surface slidable relative to an axially inward end surface and an outer peripheral surface of said sleeve, in such a manner as to extend with a frontwardly-upward inclination,
• wherein said movable board further includes bias means provided between said sleeve and a corresponding one of right and left distal ends of said support shaft, to bias said sleeve toward an axially central portion of said support shaft;
• and
• said movable board is supported in such a manner as to be selectively displaced upwardly and downwardly in response to said frontwardly or rearwardly acting force from said driving-force transmission mechanism.

A movable floor apparatus for a vehicle, which includes a movable board disposed beneath feet of an occupant seated in an occupant seat, to cover an upper surface of a vehicle body floor, said movable floor apparatus comprising:

• a drive source disposed below said occupant seat;
• and
• a driving-force transmission mechanism, according to a driving force of said drive source, for transmitting a force acting in a frontward or a rearward direction of a vehicle body to a rear portion of said movable board,
• said occupant seat includes a pair of right and left lower rails fixed relative to the vehicle body to extend in the frontward/rearward direction of the vehicle body, and a pair of right and left upper rails slidably supported along respective ones of said right and left lower rails,
• wherein said movable floor apparatus includes a lateral member which extends in a lateral direction of the vehicle body to connect between said right and left lower rails, and support said driving-force transmission mechanism, and
• said movable board is supported in such a manner as to be selectively displaced upwardly and downwardly in response to said frontwardly or rearwardly acting force from said driving-force transmission mechanism.

A movable floor apparatus for a vehicle, which includes a movable board disposed beneath feet of an occupant seated in an occupant seat, to cover an upper surface of a vehicle body floor, said movable floor apparatus comprising:

• a drive source disposed below said occupant seat;
• and
• a driving-force transmission mechanism, according to a driving force of said drive source, for transmitting a force acting in a frontward or a rearward direction of a vehicle body to a rear portion of said movable board,
• wherein said vehicle body floor is formed between a side sill extending in the frontward/rearward direction along a lateral edge of the vehicle body and a floor tunnel extending in the frontward/rearward direction in a laterally central region of the vehicle body, said vehicle body floor being provided with a cross member which protrudes upwardly therefrom and extends in a lateral direction of the vehicle body so as to support a front end of said occupant seat, whereby said vehicle body floor is surrounded by a front wall of said cross member, respective lateral walls of said side sill and said floor tunnel, and a floor kick-up portion extending from a front edge of a bottom portion of said vehicle body floor, with a frontwardly-upward inclination, so as to define a concave space on said vehicle body floor;
• wherein said movable floor apparatus includes a pallet formed in a shape corresponding to that of said concave space and received and mounted in said concave space, wherein said movable board is supported in such a manner as to be selectively lifted and lowered inside said pallet, and
• said movable board is supported in such a manner as to be selectively displaced upwardly and downwardly in response to said frontwardly or rearwardly acting force from said driving-force transmission mechanism.

A movable floor apparatus for a vehicle, which includes a movable board disposed beneath feet of an occupant seated in an occupant seat, to cover an upper surface of a vehicle body floor, said movable floor apparatus comprising:

• a drive source disposed below said occupant seat;
• and
• a driving-force transmission mechanism, according to a driving force of said drive source, for transmitting a force acting in a frontward or a rearward direction of a vehicle body to a rear portion of said movable board,
• wherein said movable board includes:
• a plate-shaped board segment defining a loading surface for feet of the occupant;
• and
• a frame member which is made of a material having a stiffness greater than that of said board segment, and formed in a frame shape extending along an outer peripheral edge of said board segment to detachably support said board segment,
• wherein said driving-force transmission mechanism is connected to said frame member, and
• said movable board is supported in such a manner as to be selectively displaced upwardly and downwardly in response to said frontwardly or rearwardly acting force from said driving-force transmission mechanism.