Content holding device for vehicle

Abstract

To provide a content holding device for a vehicle which can restrain an arm from being interfered when placing a content which is unnecessary (or few) to support lateral surface by the arm on a tray.SOLUTION: A lock mechanism 70 which locks an arm 40 to a tray 30 at arm storage position 40a is provided. Therefore, a content holding device can lock the arm 40 at the arm storage position 40a by the lock mechanism 70 when placing a content C which are unnecessary (or few) to support lateral surface by the arm 40 on a tray 30. Accordingly, the content holding device for a vehicle can restrain the arm 40 from being interfered when placing the content which is unnecessary (or few) to support the lateral surface by the arm 40 on the tray 30.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an object holding device for a vehicle, such as a cup holder for a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] 23 and 24, Patent Documents 1 and 2 disclose a storage item holding device 1 for a vehicle having a tray 2 that supports the bottom surface of a stored item such as a beverage container, and an arm 3 that is supported by the tray 2 so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction at an arm storage position 3a stored in the tray 2 and an arm use position 3b that can rotate upward from the arm storage position 3a and support the side surface of the stored item. By rotating the arm 3 upward from the arm storage position 3a to the arm use position 3b, the arm 3 supports the side surface of the stored item, preventing the stored item from falling over or falling off.

[0003] However, the technique disclosed in the above publication has the following problems. When the arm 3 is rotated upward from the arm storage position 3a to the arm use position 3b, the arm 3 gets in the way, making it difficult to place items C1 on the tray 2 that do not require (or only a small amount of) side support by the arm 3, such as a smartphone, cards, or small items that are laid flat. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2016-120821 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2016-124317 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide an item holding device for a vehicle that prevents arms from getting in the way when placing items on a tray that do not (or have little) need for side support by arms. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention which achieves the above object is as follows. (1) A tray having a bottom support portion for supporting a bottom surface of a contained item; an arm supported by the tray so as to be rotatable in a vertical direction between an arm storage position where the arm is stored in the tray and an arm use position where the arm is rotated upward from the arm storage position and capable of supporting a side surface of the stored object; an arm biasing spring that biases the arm upward relative to the tray; A vehicle storage device having: The vehicle article holding device is provided with a locking mechanism that locks the arm to the tray when the arm is in the arm storage position. (2) The lock mechanism includes a lock portion provided on the arm side of the tray and the arm, a lock receiving portion provided on the tray side of the tray and the arm with which the lock portion can be engaged and disengaged, and a lock biasing spring that biases the lock portion in a direction to engage with the lock receiving portion, The locking portion has an operating portion that can be operated by a user of the vehicle storage item holding device, and a hook portion that engages and disengages with the lock receiving portion, and is movable relative to the arm to a normal position that is located when not operated by the user of the vehicle storage item holding device, and an operating position that is operated by the user of the vehicle storage item holding device and displaced from the normal position against the biasing force of the lock biasing spring, and only when the user operates the arm to move the arm from a position other than the arm storage position to the arm storage position when the arm has reached the arm storage position and the user's operation is released when the arm has reached the arm storage position, the locking portion displaces from the operating position to the normal position by the biasing force of the lock biasing spring and engages with the lock receiving portion. (3) A vehicle storage item holding device as described in (2), wherein the locking portion is disengaged from the lock receiving portion when displaced from the state engaged with the lock receiving portion to the operating position against the biasing force of the lock biasing spring by a user of the vehicle storage item holding device. (4) The arm has a U-shaped portion having a pair of side arm portions and a tip arm portion connecting the tips of the pair of side arm portions, and is capable of supporting a side surface of the content when the content is inserted into the space inside the U-shaped portion and the bottom surface is supported by the bottom support portion of the tray, The vehicle storage item holding device according to (2), wherein the locking portion is disposed only at a portion of the distal arm portion of the arm in an extending direction. (5) The vehicle storage item holding device according to (4), wherein the operating portion of the locking portion does not protrude from the distal arm portion when viewed from the extending direction of the distal arm portion and is positioned inside the distal arm portion. (6) The container further includes a support that cooperates with the U-shaped portion of the arm to support a side surface of the container. The vehicle article holding device according to (4), wherein the U-shaped portion of the arm and the support are capable of supporting the side surface of the storage portion from four directions mutually perpendicular to each other. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the vehicle storage object holding device described above in (1), the following effects can be obtained. Since a locking mechanism is provided that locks the arm to the tray in the arm storage position, when placing an item on the tray that does not (or has few) sides that need to be supported by the arm, the arm can be locked in the arm storage position by the locking mechanism. This prevents the arm from getting in the way when placing an item on the tray that does not (or has few) sides that need to be supported by the arm.

[0008] According to the vehicle storage object holding device of (2) above, the following effects can be obtained. If a locking mechanism were simply provided, if a contained item such as a beverage container whose side is supported by an arm in the arm use position falls over or if the user of the device inadvertently presses down on the arm, the arm would reach the arm storage position and become locked in the arm storage position, and unless the lock was released and the arm was returned to the arm use position, the arm would no longer be able to support the side of the contained item such as a beverage container. However, in the present invention, the locking section displaces from the operating position toward the normal position by the biasing force of the lock biasing spring and engages with the lock receiving section only when the arm is moved from a position other than the arm storage position to the arm storage position while in the operating position and the user's operation is released when the arm has reached the arm storage position, so that it is possible to prevent the locking mechanism from being locked unintentionally by the user, such as when an item falls over while the side of the item is being supported by the arm in the arm use position, or when the user inadvertently presses down on the arm. Therefore, a structure can be created in which the locking mechanism is locked only when the user intends to lock the arm in the arm storage position, making it possible to provide a product that can be clearly categorized according to the user's purpose.

[0009] According to the vehicle storage object holding device of the above (3), the following effects can be obtained. The lock portion disengages from the lock receiving portion only when the lock portion is displaced from its engaged state to an operating position against the biasing force of the lock biasing spring by the user of the vehicle storage item holding device, thereby preventing the lock mechanism from being unlocked when the user does not intend.

[0010] According to the vehicle storage object holding device described above in (4), the following effects can be obtained. Since the arm has a U-shaped portion, the side of an item inserted into the space inside the U-shaped portion can be supported from three mutually perpendicular directions by the U-shaped portion. In addition, because the locking portion is disposed on the distal arm portion of the arm, the biasing force of the lock biasing spring for securing the locked state by the locking mechanism can be weakened compared to when the locking portion is disposed on a portion other than the distal arm portion, such as a side arm portion of the arm, etc. This reduces the operating force required by the user to operate the locking portion, which is advantageous in terms of operability of the locking portion.

[0011] According to the vehicle storage object holding device described above in (5), the following effects can be obtained. Since the operating part of the locking part is located inside the distal arm part and does not protrude from the distal arm part when viewed from the extension direction of the distal arm part, it is possible to prevent the locking part from being operated incorrectly and the locking mechanism from being locked, compared to when the operating part of the locking part protrudes from the distal arm part.

[0012] According to the vehicle storage object holding device of the above (6), the following effects can be obtained. The container further has a support, and the U-shaped portion of the arm and the support are capable of supporting the sides of the stored item from four perpendicular directions, thereby improving the side support performance of the stored item compared to when no support is provided. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a vehicle storage object holding device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle-mounted item holding device according to a first embodiment of the present invention, when an arm is in an arm use position. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the area indicated by line AA in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle-mounted item holding device according to a first embodiment of the present invention, when an arm is in an arm storage position. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the portion of line BB in FIG. 4. [Figure 6]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle-mounted article holding device according to a first embodiment of the present invention, when a beverage container (content) is supported by an arm that is in an arm use position. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the CC line portion of FIG. 6. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the vehicle-mounted item holding device according to the first embodiment of the present invention, when a smartphone (item) in a vertically placed state is supported by an arm in an arm use position. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the portion of line DD in FIG. 8. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the vehicle-mounted item holding device of the first embodiment of the present invention, with the arm in the arm storage position and a smartphone (item) placed flat on the tray. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the portion of line EE in FIG. [Figure 12] 1 is a partially enlarged perspective view of a vehicle-mounted object holding device according to a first embodiment of the present invention, when an arm is in an arm storage position. [Figure 13] 1 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of a vehicle-mounted item holding device according to a first embodiment of the present invention when a locking portion is in a normal position and an arm is in an arm storage position. [Figure 14] 1 is a cross-sectional view of the vehicle-mounted item holding device according to the first embodiment of the present invention when the arm is rotated from the arm use position to the arm storage position with the locking portion in the normal position. FIG. [Figure 15] 1 is a cross-sectional view of the vehicle-mounted item holding device according to the first embodiment of the present invention when the arm is rotated from the arm use position to the arm storage position with the locking portion displaced to the operation position. FIG. [Figure 16] FIG. 11 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the vehicle storage item holding device of the first embodiment of the present invention, showing the state in which the locking portion is operated by a user to be in an operating position, the arm is moved from the arm use position to the arm storage position, and then the operation of the locking portion by the user is released. [Figure 17]1 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the vehicle storage device of the present invention, showing a state in which the lock portion is displaced from a state in which it is engaged with the lock receiving portion to an operating position by a user. FIG. [Figure 18] 1 is a cross-sectional view of the vehicle-mounted object holding device according to the first embodiment of the present invention when the arm is moved from the arm storage position to the arm use position with the locking portion displaced to the operation position. FIG. [Figure 19] 11 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of a vehicle-mounted item holding device according to a second embodiment of the present invention when the locking portion is in a normal position and the arm is in a retracted position. FIG. [Figure 20] 11 is a cross-sectional view of an object holding device for a vehicle according to a second embodiment of the present invention when the arm is rotated from the arm use position to the arm storage position with the locking portion in the normal position. FIG. [Figure 21] 11 is a cross-sectional view of an object holding device for a vehicle according to a second embodiment of the present invention when the arm is rotated from the arm use position to the arm storage position with the locking portion displaced to the operation position. FIG. [Figure 22] FIG. 11 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of an object holding device for a vehicle according to a second embodiment of the present invention, showing the state in which the locking portion is operated by a user to be in an operating position, the arm is moved from the arm use position to the arm storage position, and then the operation of the locking portion by the user is released. [Figure 23] 1 is a perspective view of a conventional vehicle storage device when the arm is in the arm use position. [Figure 24] 1 is a perspective view of a conventional vehicle object holding device when the arm is in the arm storage position. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] An embodiment of a vehicle object retaining device (hereinafter, simply referred to as a retaining device or device) 10 according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, UP indicates the upper side, and FR indicates the front side of the vehicle.

[0015] Figures 1 to 18 show a vehicle-mounted item holding device according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and Figures 19 to 22 show a vehicle-mounted item holding device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Parts common to all the embodiments of the present invention are given common reference numerals. First, the parts common to all the embodiments of the present invention will be described.

[0016] The device 10 is not particularly limited, but is arranged, for example, in an instrument panel, which is an interior member of a vehicle. However, the device 10 may be arranged in an interior panel (design panel) of a vehicle other than the instrument panel. In the embodiment of the present invention and the illustrated example, a case in which the device 10 is arranged in an instrument panel will be described.

[0017] Device 10 can be used not only as a cup holder capable of storing and holding a beverage container (FIGS. 6 and 7), but also as a small item holder capable of holding small items such as a smartphone (FIGS. 8 to 11). Device 10 has a retainer 20, a tray 30, an arm 40, an arm biasing spring 50, a support 60, and a locking mechanism 70, as shown in FIG.

[0018] The retainer 20 is made of, for example, resin. The retainer 20 is composed of two parts, an upper retainer 21 and a lower retainer 22. The upper retainer 21 and the lower retainer 22 are fixed to each other by claw fitting, screw fastening, rivet, or the like. The retainer 20 is fixed to an instrument panel in which the device 10 is disposed. The retainer 20 opens only toward the rear of the vehicle (the passenger compartment side).

[0019] The tray 30 is made of, for example, resin. The tray 30 is supported by the retainer 20 so as to be slidable at a tray storage position (not shown) where the tray 30 is entirely or almost entirely stored in the retainer 20, and at a tray use position 30a where the tray 30 is moved from the tray storage position toward the rear of the vehicle. The tray 30 is constantly biased by a biasing member 31 such as a constant spring from the tray storage position toward the tray use position 30a with respect to the retainer 20. When the tray 30 moves from the tray storage position to the tray use position 30a by the biasing force of the biasing member 31, a stopper protrusion (not shown) provided on the tray 30 abuts against a stopper receiving portion provided on the retainer 20, and the tray 30 is prevented from moving further toward the rear of the vehicle with respect to the retainer 20. When the tray 30 is pushed from the tray use position 30a toward the tray storage position against the biasing force of the biasing member 31, a tray lock 32 including a known heart cam mechanism or the like is locked, and the tray 30 is held in the tray storage position with respect to the retainer 20. When the tray lock 32 is made of a heart cam mechanism, it includes a heart cam 32a and a lock pin 32b.

[0020] The tray 30 has a bottom support portion 33. As shown in Fig. 7, the bottom support portion 33 supports the bottom surface of the contents C housed and held in the device 10. Returning to Fig. 1, the tray 30 may be provided with a door member 34 separate from the tray 30 at the rear end of the vehicle to improve the design. The tray 30 may also be provided with a damper 35 that is assembled to the tray 30 and engages with a gear portion 22a provided in the lower retainer 22 to dampen the torque of the biasing member 31.

[0021] The arm 40 is made of, for example, resin. The arm 40 may be made of one component or multiple components. The arm 40 has an arm rotation shaft 41, and is supported by the tray 30 so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction at an arm storage position 40a (FIGS. 4 and 5) where the arm 40 is stored in the tray 30, and an arm use position 40b (FIGS. 2 and 3) where the arm 40 can be rotated upward from the arm storage position 40a and support the side of the contents C.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 1, the arm 40 has a U-shaped portion 42c having a pair of side arm portions 42a and a tip arm portion 42b connecting the tips of the pair of side arm portions 42a (the upper ends when in the arm use position 40b, the rear ends of the vehicle), and is capable of supporting the sides of the contents C when the contents C is inserted into the space S inside the U-shaped portion 42c and the bottom surface is supported by the bottom support portion 33 of the tray 30.

[0023] The arm 40 is provided with an arm protrusion 43 located on the opposite side of the U-shaped portion 42c with respect to the arm rotation shaft portion 41. The arm protrusion 43 is pressed by an arm biasing spring 50 against a retainer guide surface 23 provided on the retainer lower 22. The retainer guide surface 23 includes a parallel surface 23a extending in a direction parallel to the movement direction of the tray 30 relative to the retainer 20, and an inclined surface 23b that smoothly connects to the vehicle rear end of the parallel surface 23a and inclines downward from the vehicle rear end toward the vehicle rear.

[0024] Since the arm protrusion 43 is pressed against this retainer guide surface 23, when the lock mechanism 70 is not locked, when the tray 30 moves from the tray storage position to the tray use position 30a side (towards the rear of the vehicle) relative to the retainer 20, the arm protrusion 43 moves from the parallel surface 23a to the inclined surface 23b side, and the arm 40 rotates from the arm storage position 40a to the arm use position 40b. Conversely, when the tray 30 moves from the tray use position 30b to the tray storage position side (towards the front of the vehicle) relative to the retainer 20, the arm protrusion 43 moves from the inclined surface 23b to the parallel surface 23a side, and the arm 40 rotates from the arm use position 40b to the arm storage position 40a.

[0025] The arm biasing spring 50 is, for example, a torsion spring. The arm biasing spring 50 biases the U-shaped portion 42c of the arm 40 to rotate upward relative to the tray 30. That is, the arm biasing spring 50 biases the arm 40 to rotate from the arm storage position 40a toward the arm use position 40b.

[0026] The support 60 is made of resin, for example. The support 60 may be a one-part configuration or a multiple-part configuration. The support 60 has a support main body 61 that supports the side surface of the stored item C in cooperation with the U-shaped portion 42c of the arm 40, and a support rotation shaft portion 62 provided at one end (lower end) of the support main body in a side view. As shown in Figs. 2 and 12, the support 60 is supported by the tray 30 so as to be rotatable by the support rotation shaft portion 62 at a support storage position 60a (Fig. 12) where the support 60 is stored in the tray 30, and at a support use position 60b (Fig. 2) where the support 60 is rotated upward from the support storage position 60a to a substantially vertical state. The rotation shaft of the support 60 may coincide with or be different from the rotation shaft of the arm 40. Note that the illustrated example shows a case where the two shafts coincide with each other.

[0027] Returning to Fig. 1, the support 60 is constantly urged to rotate from a support storage position 60a toward a support use position 60b with respect to the tray 30 by a support urging spring 64. The tray 30 may be provided with an axis damper 65 that damps the moving torque of the support 60. Reference numeral 66 in the figure denotes a bracket for attaching the axis damper 65 to the tray 30.

[0028] The support 60 is connected to the retainer 20 by a link 63. This link 63 allows the support 60 to rotate in conjunction with the support 30 from the support storage position 60a to the support use position 60b by the biasing force of the support biasing spring 64 when the tray 30 moves from the tray storage position 30a to the tray use position 30a side (towards the rear of the vehicle) relative to the retainer 20. Conversely, when the tray 30 moves from the tray use position 30a to the tray storage position side (towards the front of the vehicle) relative to the retainer 20, the support 60 rotates in conjunction with the support 30 from the support use position 60b to the support storage position 60a against the biasing force of the support biasing spring 64.

[0029] When the support 60 is in the support use position 60b, the support 60 supports the side of the contained item C from the front side of the vehicle. The U-shaped portion 42c of the arm 40 and the support 60 can support the side of the contained item C from four mutually orthogonal directions (the front-rear direction and the left-right direction of the vehicle).

[0030] The locking mechanism 70 is provided to lock the arm 40 to the tray 30 at the arm storage position 40a. The locking mechanism 70 has a locking portion 71 provided on the arm 40 side of the tray 30 and the arm 40, a lock receiving portion 74 provided on the tray 30 side of the tray 30 and the arm 40 with which the locking portion 71 can be engaged and disengaged, and a lock biasing spring 75 that biases the locking portion 71 in a direction to engage with the lock receiving portion 74.

[0031] 14 and 15, the lock portion 71 has an operation portion 72 that can be operated by the user of the device 10, and a hook portion 73 that engages with and disengages from a lock receiving portion 74. The lock portion 71 is movable with respect to the arm 40 between a normal position 71a (FIG. 14) that is located when not operated by the user of the device 10, and an operation position 71b (FIG. 15) that is operated by the user of the device 10 and displaced from the normal position 71a against the biasing force of a lock biasing spring 75.

[0032] 15 and 16, the lock portion 71 is displaced from the operation position 71b toward the normal position 71a by the biasing force of the lock biasing spring 75 and engages with the lock receiving portion 74 (locked by the lock mechanism 70) only when the arm 40 is moved from a position other than the arm storage position 40a to the arm storage position 40a and the arm 40 reaches the arm storage position 40a and the operation by the user is released after the arm 40 is moved to the arm storage position 40a in a state where the lock portion 71 is operated against the biasing force of the lock biasing spring 75 by the user of the device 10 and is in the operation position 71b, and then the lock portion 71 is displaced from the operation position 71b toward the normal position 71a by the biasing force of the lock biasing spring 75 and engages with the lock receiving portion 74 (locked by the lock mechanism 70) only when the arm 40 is moved from a position other than the arm storage position 40a to the arm storage position 40a while maintaining the state where the lock portion 71 is in the operation position 71b by the user of the device 10.

[0033] When the engagement between the lock portion 71 and the lock receiving portion 74 is released (when the lock by the lock mechanism 70 is released), as shown in FIG. 17, the lock portion 71 is displaced from its state of engagement with the lock receiving portion 74 to the operating position 71b against the biasing force of the lock biasing spring 75 by the user of the device 10, and the engagement with the lock receiving portion 74 is released (the lock by the lock mechanism 70 is released).

[0034] Returning to Fig. 1, the locking portion 71 is disposed only in a portion (the center) of the extending direction of the distal arm portion 42b of the arm 40. It is desirable that the operating portion 72 of the locking portion 71 does not protrude from the distal arm portion 42b when viewed in the extending direction of the distal arm portion 42b, and is entirely or almost entirely located (contained) within the distal arm portion 42b. This is because erroneous operation of the locking portion 71 can be suppressed.

[0035] The operation of the embodiment of the present invention will now be described. (A) When the tray 30 is in the tray storage position where it is stored in the retainer 20 The tray lock 32 is locked, and the tray 30 is held in the tray storage position. Regardless of whether the arm 40 is locked by the lock mechanism 70, the arm protrusion 43 abuts against the parallel surface 23a of the retainer guide surface 23, and the arm 40 is located in the arm storage position 40a. The support 60 is located in the support storage position 60a by the action of the link 63.

[0036] (B) When the tray 30 is moved from the tray storage position to the tray use position 30a When the tray lock 32 is released, the tray 30 moves from the tray storage position to the tray use position 30a relative to the retainer 20 by the biasing force of the biasing member 31. The arm 40 and the support 60 also move together with the tray 30 from the tray storage position to the tray use position 30a.

[0037] When the arm 40 is locked by the locking mechanism 70, it is locked at the arm storage position 40a by the locking mechanism 70, so that even if it moves to the tray use position 30a, it remains at the arm storage position 40a (FIGS. 4 and 5). On the other hand, when the arm 40 is not locked by the locking mechanism 70, as the arm moves from the tray storage position to the tray use position 30a, the arm protrusion 43 moves from the parallel surface 23a to the inclined surface 23b of the retainer guide surface 23, and the arm 40 rotates from the arm storage position 40a to the arm use position 40b relative to the tray 30 (FIGS. 2 and 3). Also, the support 60 rotates from the support storage position 60a to the support use position 60b by the action of the link 63 and the support biasing spring 64.

[0038] (C) When the tray 30 is in the tray use position 30a, the locking portion 71 is in the normal position 71a, and the locking mechanism 70 is not engaged. (C1) The arm 40 is in the arm use position 40b, and the support 60 is in the support use position 60b (FIG. 6). Therefore, the bottom of the stored item C, such as a beverage container or a smartphone placed upright, can be supported by the tray 30, and the sides can be supported by the arm 40 and the support 60 (FIGS. 6-9).

[0039] (C2) From the state of (C1) above, when the arm 40 is rotated from the arm use position 40a to the arm storage position 40b with the lock portion 71 in the normal position 71a (FIGS. 13 and 14), since the lock portion 71 is in the normal position 71a, the lock portion 71 is on the front side of the lock receiving portion 74 and does not pass through the passage P through which it engages with the lock receiving portion 74, but is only on the back side of the lock receiving portion 74. Therefore, the lock portion 71 does not engage with the lock receiving portion 74 and is not locked by the lock mechanism 70.

[0040] (C3) On the other hand, when the arm 40 is moved from a position other than the arm storage position 40a to the arm storage position 40a (FIGS. 15 and 16) in a state where the lock portion 71 is operated by the user of the device 10 against the biasing force of the lock biasing spring 75 from the state (C1) described above and is at the operation position 71b, the hook portion 73 of the lock portion 71 passes through the passage P and moves to a position below the lock receiving portion 74. Then, after the arm 40 reaches the arm storage position 40a, when the operation of the lock portion 71 by the user is released, the lock portion 71 is displaced from the operation position 71b to the normal position 71a side by the biasing force of the lock biasing spring 75 and engages with the lock receiving portion 74 (locked by the lock mechanism 70). As a result, the arm 40 is locked at the arm storage position 40a.

[0041] (C4) When the lock portion 71 is operated by the user of the device 10 from the state (C3) above to the operating position 71b against the biasing force of the lock biasing spring 75 (FIGS. 17 and 18), the engagement with the lock receiving portion 74 is released (the lock by the lock mechanism 70 is released). While maintaining this state, the arm 40 is moved from the arm retracted position 40a to the arm use position 40b by the force of the user and / or the biasing force of the arm biasing spring 50, and the operation of the lock portion 71 by the user is released, thereby returning to the state (C1) above.

[0042] (D) When the tray 30 is in the tray use position 30a and is locked by the locking mechanism 70 (FIGS. 4 and 5) (D1) The arm 40 is in the arm storage position 40a. Therefore, the arm 40 does not get in the way, and contents C that do not (or do not require much) side support by the arm 40, such as a flat-laid smartphone, cards, small items, etc., can be placed on the tray 2 (FIGS. 10 and 11). (D2) When the lock portion 71 is operated by the user of the device 10 from the state (D1) above and displaced to the operating position 71b against the biasing force of the lock biasing spring 75 (Figures 17 and 18), the state is the same as (C4) above.

[0043] (E) When the tray 30 is moved from the tray use position 30a to the tray storage position When the tray 30 is pushed toward the tray storage position with respect to the retainer 20 against the biasing force of the biasing member 31, the tray 30 moves from the tray use position 30a toward the tray storage position. The arm 40 and the support 60 also move together with the tray 30 from the tray use position 30a toward the tray storage position.

[0044] When the arm 40 is locked by the locking mechanism 70, it is locked at the arm storage position 40a by the locking mechanism 70, and therefore remains at the arm storage position 40a even when moved to the tray storage position. On the other hand, when the arm 40 is not locked by the locking mechanism 70, as the arm 40 moves from the inclined surface 23b to the parallel surface 23a of the retainer guide surface 23, the arm 40 rotates from the arm use position 40b to the arm storage position 40a relative to the tray 30. Also, the support 60 rotates from the support use position 60b to the support storage position 60a due to the action of the link 63.

[0045] Next, the operation and effects of the embodiment of the present invention will be described. (A) Since a locking mechanism 70 is provided that locks the arm 40 to the tray 30 at the arm storage position 40a, when placing an item C on the tray 30 that does not (or has few) sides that need to be supported by the arm 40, the arm 40 can be locked at the arm storage position 40a by the locking mechanism 70. Therefore, when placing an item C on the tray 30 that does not (or has few) sides that need to be supported by the arm 40, it is possible to prevent the arm 40 from getting in the way.

[0046] (i) If a locking mechanism were simply provided, when a contained item C, such as a beverage container whose side is supported by arm 40 in arm use position 40b, falls over or when the user of device 10 inadvertently presses down on arm 40, arm 40 will reach arm storage position 40a and become locked at arm storage position 40a. Unless the lock is released and arm 40 is returned to arm use position 40b, arm 40 will no longer be able to support the side of contained item C, such as a beverage container. However, in the present invention, the locking portion 71 displaces from the operating position 71b to the normal position 71a by the biasing force of the lock biasing spring 75 and engages with the lock receiving portion 74 only when the arm 40 is moved from a position other than the arm storage position 40a to the arm storage position 40a while the locking portion 71 is in the operating position 71b and the user's operation is released when the arm 40 reaches the arm storage position 40a, so that it is possible to prevent the locking mechanism 70 from being locked unintentionally by the user, such as when the contents C falls over while the side of the contents C is being supported by the arm 40 in the arm use position 40b, or when the user inadvertently presses down the arm 40. Therefore, the locking mechanism 70 can be structured to be locked only when the user intends to lock the arm 40 at the arm storage position 40a, and a product can be clearly classified according to the purpose of the user.

[0047] (c) Since the lock portion 71 is disengaged from the lock receiving portion 74 only when the lock portion 71 is displaced from the state engaged with the lock receiving portion 74 to the operating position 71b against the biasing force of the lock biasing spring 75 by the user of the device 10, the lock mechanism 70 is prevented from being unlocked unintentionally by the user.

[0048] (e) Since the arm 40 has the U-shaped portion 42c, the side of the item C inserted into the space S inside the U-shaped portion 42c can be supported by the U-shaped portion 42c from three mutually perpendicular directions. Furthermore, because the lock portion 71 is disposed on the distal arm portion 42b of the arm 40, the biasing force of the lock biasing spring 75 for securing the locked state by the lock mechanism 70 can be weakened compared to when the lock portion 71 is disposed on a portion other than the distal arm portion 42b, such as the side arm portion 42a of the arm 40. This reduces the operating force required by the user to operate the lock portion 71, which is advantageous in terms of operability of the lock portion 71.

[0049] (o) The operating portion 72 of the locking portion 71 does not protrude from the tip arm portion 42b when viewed from the extension direction of the tip arm portion 42b, and is positioned entirely or almost entirely inside the tip arm portion 42b. Therefore, the risk of the locking portion 71 being operated incorrectly and the locking mechanism 70 being locked is reduced compared to when the operating portion 72 of the locking portion 71 protrudes from the tip arm portion 42b.

[0050] (a) It has a support 60, and the U-shaped portion 42c of the arm 40 and the support 60 are capable of supporting the side of the contained item C from four perpendicular directions, thereby improving the side support performance of the contained item C compared to when the support 60 is not provided.

[0051] (k) Since it has a retainer 20 and the tray 30 is supported by the retainer 20 so as to be slidable between a tray storage position where it is stored in the retainer 20 and a tray use position 30a moved from the tray storage position toward the vehicle cabin, effects similar to those obtained in (a) to (f) above can be obtained even when the tray 30 is slidable relative to the retainer 20.

[0052] In the above embodiment of the present invention, a case has been described in which device 10 provided with tray 30, arm 40, arm biasing spring 50 and locking mechanism 70 can be used as a cup holder, but device 10 provided with tray 30, arm 40, arm biasing spring 50 and locking mechanism 70 may also be one in which arm 40, which is rotatably supported on tray 30, functions as a partition plate that separates a storage section provided on tray 30, and locking mechanism 70 locks arm 40 in a collapsed state relative to tray 30 (arm storage position 40a).

[0053] Next, the specific features of each embodiment of the present invention will be described. [Example 1] (Figures 1 to 18) The first embodiment of the present invention shows a case where a locking portion 71 of a locking mechanism 70 is rotatable with respect to a distal arm portion 42b of an arm 40. The locking portion 71 may be directly supported by the distal arm portion 42b, or may be supported by the distal arm portion 42b using a locking cover 76.

[0054] [Example 2] (Figs. 19 to 22) The second embodiment of the present invention shows a case where a locking portion 71 of a locking mechanism 70 is slidable relative to a distal arm portion 42b of an arm 40. The locking portion 71 may be directly supported by the distal arm portion 42b, or may be supported by the distal arm portion 42b using a locking cover 76. [Explanation of symbols]

[0055] 10 Vehicle storage device 20 Retainer 23 Retainer guide surface 23a parallel plane 23b Slope 30 Tray 30a Tray use position 33 Bottom support part 40 Arm 40a Arm storage position 40b Arm use position 41 Arm rotation shaft 42a Side arm section 42b End arm 42c U-shaped section 43 Arm protrusion 50 Arm bias spring 60 Support 60a Support storage position 60b Support use position 70 Locking mechanism 71 Rock Club 71a Normal position 71b Operating position 72 Control section 73 Hook part 74 Lock receiving part 75 Locking spring C. Contents P aisle S Space inside the U-shaped section

Claims

1. A tray having a bottom support portion for supporting a bottom surface of a contained item; an arm supported by the tray so as to be rotatable in a vertical direction between an arm storage position where the arm is stored in the tray and an arm use position where the arm is rotated upward from the arm storage position and capable of supporting a side surface of the stored object; an arm biasing spring that biases the arm upward relative to the tray; A vehicle storage device having: The vehicle article holding device is provided with a locking mechanism that locks the arm to the tray when the arm is in the arm storage position.

2. the locking mechanism includes a locking portion provided on the arm side of the tray and the arm, a lock receiving portion provided on the tray side of the tray and the arm with which the locking portion can be engaged and disengaged, and a lock biasing spring that biases the locking portion in a direction to engage with the lock receiving portion, 2. The vehicle storage item holding device according to claim 1, wherein the locking portion has an operating portion that can be operated by a user of the vehicle storage item holding device and a hook portion that engages and disengages with the lock receiving portion, and is movable relative to the arm to a normal position that is located when not operated by the user of the vehicle storage item holding device and an operating position that is operated by the user of the vehicle storage item holding device and displaced from the normal position against the biasing force of the lock biasing spring, and the locking portion displaces from the operating position to the normal position by the biasing force of the lock biasing spring and engages with the lock receiving portion only when the user of the vehicle storage item holding device operates the arm to move the arm from a position other than the arm storage position to the arm storage position when the arm has reached the arm storage position and releases the operation by the user.

3. 3. The vehicle storage item holding device of claim 2, wherein the locking portion is disengaged from the lock receiving portion when displaced from the engaged state to the operating position against the biasing force of the lock biasing spring by a user of the vehicle storage item holding device.

4. the arm has a U-shaped portion having a pair of side arm portions and a tip arm portion connecting tip portions of the pair of side arm portions, and is capable of supporting a side surface of the content when the content is inserted into a space inside the U-shaped portion and the bottom surface is supported by the bottom support portion of the tray; 3. The vehicle object holding device according to claim 2, wherein the locking portion is disposed only at a portion of the distal arm portion of the arm in an extending direction.

5. 5. The vehicle storage object holding device according to claim 4, wherein the operating portion of the locking portion does not protrude from the distal arm portion when viewed in the extending direction of the distal arm portion, but is located inside the distal arm portion.

6. The container further includes a support that cooperates with the U-shaped portion of the arm to support a side surface of the container.

5. The vehicle article holding device according to claim 4, wherein the U-shaped portion of the arm and the support are capable of supporting a side surface of the storage portion from four directions mutually perpendicular to each other.

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