A drawer mechanism for a vehicle

Abstract

A drawer mechanism for a vehicle, the mechanism comprising: a drawer housing 702 moveable along a first axis from a closed position to an open position (figure 7b), the housing defining an internal st

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates to a drawer mechanism fora vehicle. Aspects of the invention relate to a drawer mechanism, to a plurality of drawers, to a vehicle panel and to a vehicle. BACKGROUND It is known to provide storage compartments within a passenger compartment of a vehicle for storing small items such as keys, mobile phones and coins. The storage compartments are often hoppers, which may pivot as they open. This may dislodge contents of the storage compartments and a vertical movement of a hopper may cause contact with the legs of a user, which may be undesirable. While it may be possible to provide drawers for storing items, drawers may require heavy sliding mechanisms in order to support the weight of items stored within the drawers as well as the weight of the drawers themselves. Further, drawer runners may reduce the storage space available for drawers by taking up space at the sides of the drawers. It is an aim of the present invention to address one or more of the disadvantages associated with the prior art. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Aspects and embodiments of the invention provide a drawer mechanism fora vehicle, a plurality of drawers, a vehicle panel and a vehicle as claimed in the appended claims. According to an aspect of the present invention there is provided a drawer mechanism for a vehicle, the drawer mechanism comprising: a drawer housing moveable along a first axis from a closed position to an open position, the drawer housing defining an internal storage space, the drawer housing comprising: a top portion, wherein the top portion extends over the internal storage space; and a first sliding component coupled to the top portion, the first sliding component being arranged to engage with a second sliding component coupled to an underside of an adjacent component of the vehicle to constrain the drawer housing to move along the first axis. The drawer housing may comprise: a base portion arranged to support contents of the drawer, a back portion extending upwardly from the base portion, and two side portions arranged parallel to the first axis, and the top portion may be horizontal and may extend from the back and / or side portion. With such an arrangement, the drawer volume may be increased, as the limits of the drawer are often determined by space required at the side for adjacent drawers or vehicle panels and space required below for a footwell. By arranging the sliding components above the drawer, therefore, the drawer volume may be increased. Further, by arranging the sliding components on a top portion of the drawer that extends from the back and / or side portion of the drawer, the drawer may be better balanced about the sliding component, reducing bending forces between the first and second sliding components. The first sliding component may be a slide block and the second sliding component may be a rail. In this arrangement, the slide block may be relatively short and the rail may have a length equal to or greater than the range of movement of the drawer. A slide block and rail may provide a resilient and straightforward means for allowing a sliding movement of the drawer. It will also be understood that in the alternative the first sliding component may be a rail and the second sliding component may be a slide block. The top portion may extend above a centre of a bottom portion of the drawer housing, and the first sliding component may be coupled to the top portion at a location above the centre of the bottom portion. With such an arrangement, the first sliding component of the drawer may be better balanced, as the centre of the bottom portion may align approximately with the centre of mass of the drawer and / or with contents of the drawer. Where the drawer has a front portion, the top portion may extend from the back portion at least 50% of the distance to the front portion. The top portion may alternatively extend from a side portion at a midpoint along the side portion in a direction along the first axis. The top portion may extend from the back portion and the first sliding component may extend over at least 50% of the top portion. By providing a sliding component extending a greater distance along the top portion, the bending moment or tensile force due to an unbalanced load on the sliding components may be reduced. This may allow smoother sliding of the drawer and may reduce wear on the sliding components. The drawer mechanism may further comprise an actuator arranged to move the drawer relative to the adjacent component of the vehicle along the first axis. The actuator may be arranged to move the drawer toward a user without the user applying a substantial force to the drawer. This may allow easier access to the contents of the drawer. The drawer mechanism may further comprise an input device arranged on a front portion of the drawer, the actuator may be arranged to move the drawer between the open and closed positions in response to the input device receiving an input from a user. While actuated drawers may be actuated via a centralised user interface, such as a central touchscreen, access to the drawers may be improved by providing an input device on the front of each drawer. The input device may be a capacitive sensor or a button. The actuator may be coupled to the top portion. By coupling the actuator to the top portion, the force from the actuator may be applied to the drawer in line with the sliding components. This may reduce a bending force applied to the sliding components. The actuator may be a telescoping linear actuator, and the actuator may be coupled to the top portion at a location a first distance from the back portion, the first distance being at least 50% of the distance from the closed position to the open position. In this case, the telescoping linear actuator may extend a substantial distance over the drawer when it is in a retracted position. This may allow a more compact arrangement of the linear actuator, as an end of the linear actuator opposite to the end of the linear actuator that is coupled to the drawer may be fixed at a location adjacent the back, portion of the drawer. The drawer housing may further comprise a front portion, the front portion being angled to extend toward the back portion in a downward direction. In this way, the front portion may lie flush with adjacent panels, such as an instrument panel. The front portion may also allow a gradual shaping of a vehicle panel towards a footwell, reducing a risk of snagging on the front portion. According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a plurality of drawers comprising: a first drawer mechanism according to the first-mentioned aspect, and a second drawer mechanism according to the first-mentioned aspect, wherein one of the two side portions of the first drawer mechanism is adjacent one of the two side portions of the second drawer mechanism. This plurality of drawers may provide an efficient use of storage since the adjacent sides may be made thin and immediately abutting since no sliding mechanism is required between the drawers. According to a further aspect of the invention, there is provided an instrument panel comprising: an instrument panel, and a drawer mechanism according to the first-mentioned aspect or a plurality of drawers according to the another aspect, wherein the drawer is arranged in a lower portion of the instrument panel. The instrument panel may alternatively be described as a vehicle panel or a dash panel. A front portion of the drawer may be arranged to align with the instrument panel in the closed position. This may reduce snagging on the front portion of the drawer and may improve the volume of storage space available in the drawers. The underside of the adjacent component may be an internal underside of the instrument panel. This may provide a compact arrangement of the vehicle panel, allowing the drawer to be arranged immediately adjacent to the instrument panel. The instrument panel may comprise a downwardly-extending portion that extends downwardly from a portion of the instrument panel toward a front portion of the drawer, such that the downwardly-extending portion is aligned with the first and second sliding components in a longitudinal direction. The downwardly-extending portion may extend in front of the sliding components. In this way, the sliding components may be concealed from a user, reducing the prospect of the user or their clothing being caught in the sliding components. The prospect of dirt or dust entering the sliding components may also be reduced. According to a still further aspect of the invention, there is provided a vehicle comprising a drawer according to the first-mentioned aspect, a plurality of drawers according to the another aspect, or an instrument panel according to the further aspect. Within the scope of this application it is expressly intended that the various aspects, embodiments, examples and alternatives set out in the preceding paragraphs, in the claims and / or in the following description and drawings, and in particular the individual features thereof, may be taken independently or in any combination. That is, all embodiments and / or features of any embodiment can be combined in anyway and / or combination, unless such features are incompatible. The applicant reserves the right to change any originally filed claim or file any new claim accordingly, including the right to amend any originally filed claim to depend from and / or incorporate any feature of any other claim although not originally claimed in that manner. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS One or more embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figures 1a and 1b show a cover mechanism in a closed position and an open position respectively; Figures 2a and 2b show a further cover mechanism in a closed position and an open position respectively; Figure 3 shows a vehicle console; Figure 4 shows a further vehicle console; Figures 5a and 5b show a still further vehicle console; Figures 6a and 6b show a plan view of a passenger compartment of a vehicle including a cover mechanism with the cover mechanism in a closed position and an open position respectively; Figures 7a and 7b show a drawer mechanism according to the invention in a closed position and an open position respectively; Figures 8a and 8b show a further drawer mechanism according to the invention in a closed position and an open position respectively; Figures 9a and 9b show a still further drawer mechanism according to the invention; Figure 10 shows a yet still further drawer mechanism according to the invention; Figure 11 shows an instrument panel assembly of a vehicle according to the invention; and Figure 12 shows a vehicle according to the invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION Figure 1 a shows a cover mechanism 100 in a closed position, and Figure 1B shows the cover mechanism 100 in an open position. The cover mechanism 100 is arranged to cover a vehicle space S with a cover 106. The cover 106 is coupled to a vehicle body via a first sliding component and a second sliding component, which are arranged to slide relative to each other. The first component in this case is a rail 104 and the second sliding component is a plurality of slide blocks 102a, 102b. The rail 104 includes a groove 105 for receiving one or more rolling elements 103, which are arranged within the slide blocks 102a, 102b. The rail 104 and slide blocks 102 a, b are arranged to slide relative to each other and the cover 106 is fixed to the rail 104 such that the cover 106 may slide between a first, closed position shown in Figure 1a, where the cover 106 extends over the vehicle space S and an open position shown in Figure 1 b, where the cover 106 is retracted such that the vehicle space S is accessible by a user. The cover 106 may be formed of a decorative material in order to provide an aesthetically pleasing arrangement when the cover mechanism 100 is in the closed position. Meanwhile, the rail 104 may be formed of a relatively stiff material, such as steel, aluminium or carbon fibre, the rail 104 having a greater stiffness than the cover 106. The greater stiffness of the rail 104 may be a greater material stiffness and / or a greater bending stiffness than the cover 106. The bending stiffness may be determined by the product of the Young's modulus and the second moment of area of the rail 104 about a horizontal axis perpendicular to the direction of movement of the rail 104, while the material stiffness may be Young’s modulus. In this way, the range of materials from which the cover 106 may be made may be increased. The rail 104 may also be shorter than the cover 106, as the cover may be self-supporting over a short distance, which is the difference in the lengths of the cover 106 and the rail 104. The cover 106 may be formed from a hard material, in particular, the cover 106 may be formed from a material that is substantially rigid, such that it does not elastically deform. The cover 106 may be formed from a material that is harder than the typical material of an armrest. This may dissuade a user from resting their arm on the cover 106. The rail 104 may be movable a distance L2, which may be substantially similar to the length of the vehicle space S. The distance L2 may be the distance the rail is movable between the open position in the closed position. The slide blocks 102a, 102b may span a distance L1, and may be engaged with the rail 104 over the distance L1. The distance L1 may be at least 50% of the distance L2 and in some cases, the distance L1 may be equal to the distance L2. It will be understood that the rail 104 may have a length equal to L1 plus L2. Slide blocks 102 a, 102b may be arranged as a single slide block or may be a plurality of spaced apart slide blocks, such as two slide blocks, as shown in Figures 1a and 1b, or a great number slide blocks. The slide blocks may have a span that is determined by the distance from a proximal edge of a proximal slide block, the proximal edge and the proximal slide block both being proximal the vehicle space, to a distal edge of a distal slide block, the distal edge and distal slide block being distal from the vehicle space. The rail 104 and cover 106 may be arranged as a cantilever extending from the proximal end of the proximal slide block 102b. This may allow the vehicle space S to be free from any supporting portion, which would otherwise reduce the space available for the storage compartment or user interface of the vehicle space S. Generally, the cover 106 may be fixed to any sliding component, which may be arranged to slide relative to a further sliding component that is engaged with the vehicle body. The sliding components may be a rail in a slide block or maybe two interlocking rails, or any other sliding components. By increasing the distance L1, the range of possible sliding components may be increased. In particular, where the distance L1 is equal to or greater than the distance L2, the cover 106 may be balanced about the proximal edge of the further sliding component that is fixed to the vehicle body and so there may be no requirement to provide sliding components that can withstand a tensile force. Figures 2a and 2b show a further cover mechanism 200 in the closed position in Figure 2a and in the open position in Figure 2b. The cover mechanism 200 has a cover 204, which is fixed to a plurality of slide blocks 206a, 206b, 206c. It will be understood that the cover 204 may have a greater stiffness than the cover of the first-mentioned cover mechanism, as the cover204 may be self-supporting. The slide blocks 206a, 206b, 206c may have a plurality of rolling elements 203, which are received in a groove 205 of a rail 202. In this case, the rail may have a length L1, and the cover 204 may be movable a distance L2 between the open position and the closed position, the length L2 also being the length of the vehicle space S. In the cover arrangement 200 of Figures 2a and 2b, the slide blocks 206a and 206c, which are at either end of the cover 204, may engage and disengage the rail 202 as the cover 204 is moved from the open position to the closed position. The central slide block 206b may remain engaged with the rail 202 at all times. By having a rail 202 that has a length L1 that is at least 50% of the distance between the first and second positions L2 , the loads between the rail and the slide blocks may be reduced, and the cover may be arranged as a cantilever, extending from an edge of the rail 202 that is approximate the vehicle space S. The distance L2 may be the same as or greater than the length L1, in which case tensile forces between the rail and the slide blocks may be further reduced. Figure 3 shows a vehicle console 300. The vehicle console 300 includes the cover mechanism 100, but may include any cover mechanism. The vehicle console 300 includes a vehicle space 350 that in this case comprises a plurality of user input devices 360. The user input devices 360 may take any form, such as buttons, dials or switches. Any number of user interface devices 360 may be arranged on the vehicle space 350 and the user interface devices 350 may be used for any purpose, such as controlling vehicle heating, seating configurations or external devices such as garage doors. Figure 4 shows a further vehicle console 400. The vehicle console 400 also includes the cover mechanism 100, but may include any cover mechanism. The vehicle console 400 also includes a vehicle space 450, which in this case is a storage compartment 450. The storage compartment 450 is a storage compartment arranged to store items. The storage compartment may define an empty volume underneath the cover of the cover arrangement when the cover mechanism is in the closed position. The storage compartment 450 may store any items, such as keys, coins or mobile phones. In some cases, the vehicle space may comprise a storage compartment and one or more user input devices, since the vehicle space is generally a versatile space that may have any purpose. Figure 5a shows a still further vehicle console 500. The vehicle console 500 comprises a console body 540 to which the slide blocks of the cover mechanism 100 are fixed. The console body 540 has a storage compartment 550 within it, the storage compartment 550 being substantially similar to the storage compartment 450 of Figure 4. However, the storage compartment 550 has a further cavity 560 that extends diagonally downwardly from the storage compartment 550, the cavity having a sidewall 365 that extends along a side of the cavity 560. The further cavity may extend downwardly and along the first direction from the open position to the closed position. In this way, if the cover and rail are moved from the open position toward the closed position and an item is received in the storage compartment 550 that may be in the way of the rail and / or the cover, the item may be moved into the cavity by being pushed by an end face of the rail and / or an end face of the cover. The item may thereby fall into the cavity 560 and out of the way of the rail. In this way, damage to the item may be avoided. Figure 5b shows an end view of the storage compartment 550 taken along the section line A-A. Figure 5b shows an end wall 505 of the storage compartment 550, and in particular shows a cutout 510 of the end wall 505, which allows the rail 104 of the cover mechanism 100 to pass therethrough. By allowing the rail 104 to pass through a cutout 510 in an end wall 505 of the storage compartment 550, the overall height of the cover mechanism and vehicle space arrangement may be reduced. A curved outer surface 107 of the cover 106 can also been seen in Figure 5b. The vehicle consoles of Figures 3 to 5b may be central consoles of a vehicle or may be consoles arranged elsewhere, such as within doors or within an instrument panel arrangement. Figures 6a and 6b show plan views of a passenger compartment 600 of a vehicle including a central console 650, which may be the console of any arrangement described above, including the covers of any arrangement described above. The passenger compartment 600 also includes a driver’s seat 604, a passenger’s seat 606, a steering wheel 608 in front of the driver’s seat 604. Behind the passenger compartment 600, there is also provided a parcel shelf 602. The central console 650 is arranged between the driver’s seat 604 and the passenger seat 606. Generally, the central console 650 may be arranged on a centreline of the vehicle. An instrument panel unit 614 is arranged in front of the driver’s seat 604 and the passenger seat 606, and an instrument panel 610, which is part of the instrument panel unit 614, faces the driver’s seat 604 and passenger seat 606. The instrument panel unit 614 also has a firewall 612 at a front end, which may separate the instrument panel unit 614 from a front engine space or from a further storage compartment. The central console 650 includes two cover mechanisms 100, any may be considered to comprise two consoles as described above, where each cover mechanism 100 covers a respective vehicle space. The cover mechanisms 100 are arranged to move to cover or uncover vehicle spaces 550. In Figure 6a, the covers are in the closed position, preventing access to the vehicle spaces and the covers are shown in the open position in Figure 6B, allowing access to the vehicle space 550. The vehicle further comprises linear actuators 660 arranged to move the covers of the console 650 between the open and closed positions. The linear actuators 660 may be screw drives, which may include a threaded shaft that is rotatable to move the rails between the open and closed positions. Rotation of the rails may be prevented by engagement between the grooves of the rails and rolling elements of the slide blocks as shown in Figures 1 a to 2b and 5b. The central console 650 also comprises a central divider 652, which extends upwardly between the two cover mechanisms 100. The central console 650 may thereby provide a separate vehicle space for each user of the vehicle, and the central divider 652 may allow a degree of privacy for the driver and passenger sitting in their respective seats. Figures 7a and 7b show a drawer arrangement 700, which is shown in a closed position in Figure 7a and in an open position in Figure 7b. The drawer arrangement 700 includes a drawer 702, which may also be referred to as a drawer housing 702, which has a base portion 702a, which is arranged at a bottom of the drawer and arranged to support contents of the drawer 702, a back portion 702c, which extends upwardly from the base portion 702a. The back portion 702c may prevent contents from leaving the drawer and becoming inaccessible when the drawer is opened. The drawer 702 may also have a top portion 702d extending forwardly from the back portion 702c. Therefore, the top portion 702d may extend over the base portion 702a. The drawer 702 may also comprise two side portions 702b, each extending upwardly from the base portion 702a and the side portions 702b may also extend forwardly from the back portion 702C, such that the base portion, back portion and side portions 702 a, b, c, together define an internal volume of the drawer 702. In this way, contents within the drawer may be securely stored within the internal volume. The top portion 702d may further define the internal volume of the drawer 702. A front portion 702e of the drawer 702 is optional and may extend upwardly from the front of the base portion 702a. The front portion 702e may also extend from the side portions 702b, to further define the internal volume of the drawer 702. An aperture may be formed between the top portion 702d and the front portion 702e, which may allow a user to access an inner volume of the drawer 702 when the drawer 702 is in the open position. The drawer 702 is coupled to an underside of a further component 710 of the vehicle, the further component 710 being coupled to the drawer 702 via a sliding mechanism. The sliding mechanism may be formed by any means, as described above with reference to figures 1a to 2b. In the case of the arrangement shown in Figures 7a and 7b, the sliding mechanism is formed from a slide block 704, which is coupled to the top portion 702d of the drawer 702 and a rail 708, which is coupled to the underside of the further component 710. The rail 708 includes a groove 709, which is arranged to receive rolling elements 705 of the slide block 704, the rolling elements 705 being arranged to roll along the groove 709 to facilitate a slidable movement of the drawer 702 between the open and closed positions. The top portion 702d may extend a distance L3 from the back portion 702c, and the slide block 704 may also be arranged such that an edge of the slide block 704 distal from the back portion 702c is the distance L3 from the back portion 72d. The drawer may move a distance L5 from the closed position to the open position, as can be seen by a comparison of Figures 7a and 7b. The distance L3 may be equal to or greater than the distance L5, such that the drawer 702 is supported ata midpoint of the drawer 702, reducing a forward pitching moment exerted by the drawer 702 on the rail 708. It will be appreciated that the top portion 702d may extend from the back portion 702c or may extend from or between one or more of the side portions 702b. The base portion of the drawer 702a may have a length L4, which may define a distance over which the drawer is likely to support contents of the drawer 702. The top portion 702d may extend a distance L3 from the back portion 702c that is at least 50% of the distance the base portion 702a extends from the back portion 702c, i.e. L4. Alternatively put, L4 may be less than or equal to double L3. In this way, the drawer 702 may be well-balanced about the slide block 704, such that a pitching moment between the sliding mechanism and the drawer 702 is reduced. This may allow a lighter sliding mechanism to be used, with less material required for strengthening the sliding mechanism. It will be understood that all lengths L3, L4, L5 are in the direction of movement of the drawer, i.e. in a direction parallel to the rail 708. The drawer 702, when in the open position as shown in figure 7b, may have a substantial portion of the base portion 702a underneath the adjacent component 710. This may reduce the access to the inner volume of the drawer 702. However, the improvement of the strength of the drawer 702 and of the sliding mechanism may be sufficient to outweigh this disadvantage with a significant advantage as described above. The drawer arrangement 700 also comprises a linear actuator 712, that is coupled to the top portion 702d. The linear actuator 712 may be telescoping actuator arranged to extend the drawer 702 from the closed position to the open position and to retract the drawer 702 from the closed open position to the closed position. The linear actuator 712 may be fixed to the adjacent component 710, or may be fixed to another part of the vehicle. By coupling the linear actuator 712 to the drawer 702 at the top portion 702, a bending moment between the sliding mechanism and the linear actuator 712 may be reduced. Further, the linear actuator 712 may be coupled to the top portion 702d at a location distal from the linear actuator. In this way, the linear actuator 712 may, when retracted, have a length that extends a substantial distance overthe drawer 702. This may allow the linear actuator 712 and the drawer 702 to be packaged more compactly. Figures 8a and 8b show a further drawer arrangement 800. The drawer arrangement 800 is shown in the closed position in Figure 8a and in the open position in Figure 8b. The drawer 802 may, similarly to the abovedescribed drawer 702, have a base portion 802a, a back portion 802c, side portions 802b, and a front portion 802e. The top portion 802d may extend between the side portions 802b. As shown in Figures 8a and 8b, the top portion 802d may be arranged as a slat extending between top edges of the side portions 802b and may not necessarily be connected to the back portion 802c. This may reduce the weight of the drawer 802, while maintaining the strength of the drawer 802 and the above-explained benefits of the drawer being balanced about the sliding mechanism of the drawer assembly 800. Generally, the top portion 802d may extend between the side portions 802b and / or may be fixed to the back portion 830c. In the case where the top portion 802d is coupled only to the back portion 802c, the side portions 802b may be made smaller, such as not extending to the top of the drawer 802. This may reduce the overall weight of the drawer 802. However, by coupling the top portion 802d to the side portions 802b, the bending moment between the top portion 802d and the back, portion 802c may be reduced and the drawer 802 may be strengthened. Further, as shown in Figures 8a and 8b, the sliding mechanism of the drawer arrangement 800 may be reversed, with a rail 804 coupled to the top portion 802d and an elongated slide block 808, which may optionally have rolling elements 809, coupled to the adjacent component 710. The rail 804 may have a groove 805 arranged to receive the rolling elements 809. Generally, the drawer arrangement may have any sliding mechanism, and may have a first sliding component coupled to the drawer and a further sliding component coupled to an adjacent component, such that sliding of the drawer between the closed and open positions may be facilitated. The exact arrangement of the sliding mechanism is not of importance to present invention. Figures 9a and 9b show a further drawer arrangement 900. The drawer arrangement 900 includes a drawer 902 having a base portion 902a, a side portion 902b, a back portion 902c, a top portion 902d and a front portion 902e. The drawer 902 and the respective portions may be substantially similar to any of those described above with reference to the preceding figures. The drawer arrangement 900 includes an adjacent component 910, to an underside of which the drawer 900 is slidably coupled via a rail 908 and slide block 904. The adjacent component 910 has a downwardly extending portion 910a. The downwardly extending portion 910a is arranged to obscure the rail 908 and slide block 904 from view of a user. The downwardly extending portion 910a is arranged to extend such that a panel including the adjacent component 910, which may be an instrument panel, may lie flush with the front portion 902e of the drawer 902 when the drawer 902 is in the closed position. The drawer 902, or any above-described drawer, may further comprise a user input device 920, which may, for example, be a button ora capacitive sensor arranged to receive an input from a user. The user input device 920 may, upon receiving an input, send a signal to actuate the linear actuator 912, which is coupled to the drawer 902, such that the actuator moves the drawer 902 from the closed position to the open position or vice versa. In some cases, the actuator 912 may be arranged to move the drawer 902 from the closed position to the open position and the drawer may be moved from the open position to be closed position by a force imparted onto the drawer 902 by user. Figure 9b shows the drawer arrangement 900 as viewed along the section B-B. As can be seen in figure 9b, the drawer 902 may be coupled to the adjacent component 910 via a plurality of rails 908, which are spaced apart in a direction perpendicular to the direction of movement of the drawer 902 between the open and closed positions, and via a plurality of slide blocks 904 arranged to engage with the rails 908. It will be understood that, while each rail 908 is associated with one corresponding slide block 904 in the above-described figures, a plurality of slide blocks 908, which may be spaced apart in the direction of movement of the drawer, may engage with each rail 904, as shown in Figure 10 and described below. The actuator 912 may be coupled to the drawer 902 via an actuator coupling arrangement 914 that is coupled to the top portion 902d of the drawer 902. The actuator coupling arrangement 914 may be a pivotal coupling between the drawer 902 and the actuator 912 to avoid the generation of any unnecessary bending stresses between the drawer 902 and the actuator 12. The actuator 912 may be a single telescoping linear actuator, in this case, the actuator 912 may double in length between the closed position and the open position. In this way, if the actuator 912 is coupled to the drawer such that the point of which the actuator is coupled to the drawer in the closed position is midway between a first end of the actuator and a second, opposite end of the actuator in the open position, the end of the actuator that is proximate a back portion of the drawer may be arranged close to the drawer 902, allowing more efficient packaging of the drawer assembly 900. This may be a further advantage provided by the top portion 902d of the drawer. It will be understood that such an actuator, user input device and actuator coupling assembly may also be combined with other drawer arrangement described herein. Figure 10 shows a further drawer arrangement 1000. The further drawer arrangement 1000 including a drawer 802 coupled to two spaced-apart slide blocks 1004, each slide block 1004 having a plurality of rolling elements 1005, the rolling elements 1005 being received in a groove 1009 of a rail 1008, which is coupled to an adjacent component 910. The drawer 802 may otherwise be substantially similar to the same drawer described above with reference to Figures 8a and 8b. It will be understood that any drawer described above may be used with such an arrangement. By further providing a plurality of spaced apart slide blocks 1004, the stresses on the slide blocks may be reduced further and stability of the drawer 802 may be increased. The linear actuator 1012 may be coupled to the top portion 802D of the drawer 1002 via an actuator coupling arrangement 1014, which may be arranged between the slide blocks 1004. The linear actuator 1012 may be coupled to the top portion 1002d at a location that is distal from the actuator 1012, which may a allow more compact arrangement of a telescoping actuator as explained above. Figure 11 shows an instrument panel arrangement 1100 includes a steering wheel 1108, a driver display unit including an instrument cluster 1109, an instrument panel top surface 1114, an instrument panel trim panel 1110, and a plurality of drawer arrangements 1120 arranged underneath the instrument panel trim panel 1110. Each drawer arrangement 1120 is provided with a respective user input device 1122, which may be button or a capacitive sensor as described above. The Instrument panel arrangement 1100 may be arranged above respective driver and passenger footwells 1102, 1104, and in front of respective driver and passenger seats, which are not shown. The instrument panel arrangement 1100 may include a central console 1111, which may be a console of any one of Figures 3 to 5, and the instrument panel may be arranged within the passenger compartment of Figures 6a and 6b. Figure 12 shows a vehicle 1200, which may comprise any of the consoles, cover arrangements, passenger compartments, drawers, drawer arrangements, instrument panel arrangements, passenger compartments discard, or consoles described above. 5 It will be appreciated that various changes and modifications can be made to the present invention without departing from the scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A drawer mechanism for a vehicle, the drawer mechanism comprising:a drawer housing moveable along a first axis from a closed position to an open position, the drawer housing defining an internal storage space, the drawer housing comprising:a base portion arranged to support contents of the drawer,a back portion extending upwardly from the base portion, two side portions arranged parallel to the first axis, anda horizontal top portion, wherein the top portion extends from the back and / or side portion over the internal storage space; anda first sliding component coupled to the top portion, the first sliding component being arranged to engage with a second sliding component coupled to an underside of an adjacent component of the vehicle to constrain the drawer housing to move along the first axis.

2. The drawer mechanism of claim 1, wherein the first sliding component is a slide block and wherein the second sliding component is a rail.

3. The drawer mechanism of claim 1 or 2, wherein the top portion extends above a centre of a bottom portion of the drawer housing, andwherein the first sliding component is coupled to the top portion at a location above the centre of the bottom portion.

4. The drawer mechanism of any preceding claim, wherein the top portion extends from the back portion and wherein first sliding component extends over at least 50% of the top portion.

5. The drawer mechanism of any preceding claim, further comprising an actuator arranged to move the drawer relative to the adjacent component of the vehicle along the first axis.

6. The drawer mechanism of claim 5, further comprising an input device arranged on a front portion of the drawer, wherein the actuator is arranged to move the drawer between the open and closed positions in response to the input device receiving an input from a user.

7. The drawer mechanism of claim 5 or 6, wherein the actuator is coupled to the top portion.

8. The drawer mechanism of claim 5, 6 or 7, wherein the actuator is a telescoping linear actuator, andwherein the actuator is coupled to the top portion at a location a first distance from the back portion, the first distance being at least 50% of the distance from the closed position to the open position.

9. The drawer mechanism of any preceding claim, wherein the drawer housing further comprises a front portion, the front portion being angled to extend toward the back portion in a downward direction.

10. A plurality of drawers comprising:a first drawer mechanism according to any preceding claim, anda second drawer mechanism according to any preceding claim, wherein one of the two side portions of the first drawer mechanism is adjacent one of the two side portions of the second drawer mechanism.

11. An instrument panel comprising:an instrument cluster, anda drawer mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 9 or a plurality of drawers according to claim 10,wherein the drawer is arranged in a lower portion of the instrument panel.

12. The instrument panel of claim 11, wherein a front portion of the drawer is arranged to align with the instrument panel in the closed position.

13. The instrument panel of claim 11 or 12, wherein the underside of the adjacent component is an internal underside of the instrument panel.

14. The instrument panel of any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein the instrument panel comprises a downwardly-extending portion that extends downwardly from a portion of the instrument panel toward a front portion of the drawer, such that the downwardly-extending portion is aligned with the first and second sliding components in a longitudinal direction.

15. A vehicle comprising a drawer according to any one of claims 1 to 9, a plurality of drawers according to claim 10, or an instrument panel according to any one of claims 11 to 14.15

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