VEHICLE DOOR ORDERS WITH DOOR ARMRESTS FEATURING LONGITUDINAL SLOTS FOR IMPROVED COMFORT AND REDUCED COMPLEXITY

Abstract

This paper presents vehicle armrests that include longitudinal dimension slots for improved comfort and reduced complexity, methods for manufacturing / using such vehicle armrests, and vehicle door assemblies manufactured with such armrests. A vehicle armrest assembly for a motor vehicle comprises an armrest substrate attached to an interior surface within the passenger compartment of the motor vehicle, such as an interior trim panel of a vehicle door assembly. The armrest substrate comprises an elastic substrate body with an elongated slot defined by the substrate body and extending along the longitudinal dimension of an armrest, such that the armrest substrate deforms elastically under vertical loading conditions. A compressible pad is attached to the armrest substrate and covers the substrate body and the substrate slot. A flexible outer skin is attached to and covers the compressible pad.Adjacent to opposite ends of the substrate slot is a pair of through holes that allow the substrate body to deflect.

Images