초록 ▼

A running board for an overland vehicle including first and second bell cranks with swing arms which move relative to the vehicle in opposing arcuate displacements. An elongated central running board member is flexibly connected to the swing arms to form a linkage which is extended and retracted. An

A running board for an overland vehicle including first and second bell cranks with swing arms which move relative to the vehicle in opposing arcuate displacements. An elongated central running board member is flexibly connected to the swing arms to form a linkage which is extended and retracted. An extension compensator is included to compensate for changes in the overall length of the linkage. A motor-powered drive pivots the swing arms and preferably provides a control mechanism which coordinates the swing arm motions to keep the running board level. The drive can be automatically controlled by a door switch or other sensor.

대표청구항 ▼

A running board apparatus for an overland vehicle, the running board apparatus having an extended operative position and a retracted inoperative position, the running board apparatus comprising: (a) first and second bell cranks rotatably connected to the vehicle, the axis of rotation of the first an

A running board apparatus for an overland vehicle, the running board apparatus having an extended operative position and a retracted inoperative position, the running board apparatus comprising: (a) first and second bell cranks rotatably connected to the vehicle, the axis of rotation of the first and second bell cranks being generally parallel, the first and second bell cranks each having a swing arm extending therefrom in an orientation generally transverse to the bell crank axes of rotation; (b) an extension linkage subassembly including a longitudinal member capable of acting as a bearing weight component of the running board apparatus, the longitudinal member being rotatably connected at a first end portion to the first bell crank swing arm and rotatably connected at a second end portion to the second bell crank swing arm; the swing arms being generally coplanar with the longitudinal member: wherein at least one of the first bell crank swing arm, the second bell crank swing arm, and the longitudinal member includes a first portion and a second portion, the second portion being extensibly connected to the first portion; and (c) a drive assembly for coordinating bell crank rotational movement, whereby operation of the drive assembly causes the first and second bell cranks to rotate in opposite directions which further causes the first and second portions to move from a retracted position in which the longitudinal member is at a first vertical height corresponding to the running board retracted inoperative position to an extended position in which the longitudinal member is at a second vertical height corresponding to the running board extended operative position.