US-12623602-B2 - Instep enclosure arrangement for a cabin of a vehicle

US12623602B2US 12623602 B2US12623602 B2US 12623602B2US-12623602-B2

Abstract

An instep enclosure arrangement for a cabin of a vehicle, comprising at least one instep portion, a retractable cover for enclosing access to the instep portion in a closed orientation, and a displaceable mechanical linkage assembly for operatively connecting the retractable cover with a door of the vehicle, whereby the retractable cover is configured to move from the closed orientation towards a retracted state in response to a movement of the door so as to permit access to the instep portion.

Inventors

Arvind M
Gangubai Hegde
Madhuchandra K S

Assignees

VOLVO TRUCK CORPORATION

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20211220
Priority Date: 20201223

Claims (13)

1 . An instep enclosure arrangement for a cabin of a vehicle, comprising: at least one instep portion, a retractable cover comprising an upper section and a lower section foldable relative to the upper section, the retractable cover configured to move between a closed orientation enclosing access to the instep portion and a retracted orientation providing access to the instep portion; and a displaceable mechanical linkage assembly comprising a wire coupled to an interior of the lower section of the retractable cover and configured to couple to a door of the vehicle, wherein the wire of the displaceable mechanical linkage assembly is configured to, in response to opening the door, pull the retractable cover from the closed orientation to the retracted orientation so as to permit access to the instep portion.
2 . The instep enclosure arrangement of claim 1 , wherein the retractable cover is configured to return to the closed orientation relative to the instep portion when the door is closed relative to the cabin.
3 . The instep enclosure arrangement of claim 2 , wherein the retractable cover is a spring-biased retractable cover so as to permit the retractable cover to return back to its closed orientation when the door is closed.
4 . The instep enclosure arrangement of claim 1 , wherein the displaceable mechanical linkage assembly is arranged to extend between the retractable cover and the door.
5 . The instep enclosure arrangement of claim 4 , wherein the displaceable mechanical linkage assembly comprises a movable door-cabin connecting part for connecting the door with the cabin, the movable door-cabin connecting part being arranged to effect movement of the retractable cover upon a rotational movement of the door.
6 . The instep enclosure arrangement of claim 5 , wherein the movable door-cabin connecting part is arranged to effect movement of the retractable cover upon a rotational movement of the door via the wire extending between the movable door-cabin connecting part and the retractable cover.
7 . The instep enclosure arrangement of claim 5 , wherein the moveable door-cabin connecting part is a door rotational locking device configured to stop the door at a number of positions.
8 . The instep enclosure arrangement of claim 1 , wherein the displaceable mechanical linkage assembly comprises the wire being directly connected to an inner surface of the door.
9 . The instep enclosure arrangement of claim 1 , wherein the retractable cover comprises a locking part for securely fixating the retractable cover relative to the instep portion when the retractable cover is in the closed orientation.
10 . The instep enclosure arrangement of claim 1 , wherein the retractable cover is rotationally arranged to another part of the instep enclosure arrangement.
11 . A cabin for a vehicle, comprising the instep enclosure arrangement of claim 1 .
12 . A vehicle comprising the cabin of claim 11 .
13 . A vehicle comprising the instep enclosure arrangement of claim 1 .

Description

This application is a 35 USC 371 national phase filing of International Application No. PCT/EP2021/086865, filed Dec. 20, 2021, which in turn claims priority to Indian Patent Application number 202041056143, filed Dec. 23, 2020, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. TECHNICAL FIELD The disclosure relates to an instep enclosure arrangement for a cabin of a vehicle. The disclosure also relates to a truck cabin and a vehicle comprising such an instep enclosure arrangement. The disclosure is applicable on vehicles, in particular trucks, buses, working machines within the fields of industrial construction machines or construction equipment, such as articulated haulers. Although the disclosure will mainly be described in relation to heavy-duty vehicle, it may also be applicable on other types of vehicles and trucks, e.g. light-weight trucks, dump trucks, wheel loaders and the like. BACKGROUND In connection with transportation of heavy loads on roads or at construction sites or the like, a heavy-duty vehicle is often used. Such types of vehicles are generally designed with truck cabs of rather high floor height as seen from the ground level. As such, it is often necessary to arrange one or more steps, stairs or ladders so drivers and passengers can enter and exit the truck cab in a safe manner. One existing solution in the field of instep arrangement for entering a truck cab may be to provide the steps as retractable footsteps. In this type of arrangement, the footsteps are configured to flip outward of the truck, thereby enabling the drivers and passengers to climb inside. While such types of retractable footsteps may be useful for some types of vehicles, there is still a need for improving the instep arrangement of vehicles, in particular heavy-duty vehicles. By way of example, it would be desirable to improve the function of the instep arrangement in view of other demands on the exterior of the vehicle. SUMMARY It is an object of the present disclosure to provide an instep enclosure arrangement for a cabin of vehicle, such as a cabin of a truck, which arrangement comprises a retractable cover for covering the access to the instep portion during operation of the vehicle so as to contribute to an improved aerodynamic design of the exterior parts of the vehicle. The object is at least partly achieved by an arrangement to claim 1. The objective is also achieved by the other independent claims. The dependent claims are directed to advantageous embodiments of the disclosure. According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an instep enclosure arrangement for a cabin of a vehicle, comprising at least one instep portion, a retractable cover for enclosing access to the instep portion in a closed orientation, and a displaceable mechanical linkage assembly for operatively connecting the retractable cover with a door of the vehicle, whereby the retractable cover is configured to move from the closed orientation towards a retracted state in response to a movement of the door so as to permit access to the instep portion. In other words, the configuration provides a retractable closure mechanism for the instep region in e.g. a cabin. In this manner, the instep enclosure arrangement provides for a simple, yet robust arrangement of allowing easy access to the step(s) when needed, while improving the aerodynamic shape of the instep portion during driving of the vehicle. The example embodiments of the instep enclosure arrangement are based on the insight that existing retractable steps are often rather complicated configurations, while the option of maintaining the instep region open when the vehicle is driven generally creates a considerable amount of aerodynamic drag to the vehicle during cruising as well as cornering. That is, maintaining the insteps region open while the truck is driven creates a considerable amount of aerodynamic drag to the vehicle. To this end, the above configuration of the instep enclosure arrangement contributes to a more optimum aerodynamic shape and size without affecting the overall functionality of the instep region. Furthermore, the configuration of the instep enclosure arrangement may allow for using existing instep regions in a truck, while improving the aerodynamic performance by means of a mechanical solution. Also, the configuration of the instep enclosure arrangement may be completely operated with the mechanical linkage. Hence, the instep enclosure arrangement may be possible to implement in an existing vehicle without consuming power or requiring compressed air for actuation. Rather, the instep enclosure arrangement is configured to co-operate with the door of the cabin. In this manner, the arrangement is configured to co-operate with the door and configured such that, when the retractable cover is in the closed orientation (generally corresponding to a non-retracted state), access of the instep portion is closed, while, wh