Drink holder

Abstract

To provide a drink holder which is easy to open a lid of a screw cap.SOLUTION: A drink holder 1 comprises a housing 2 which is capable of disposing a beverage container 8, a gripping part 733 which is capable of gripping the beverage container 8 disposed in the housing 2, a rotation drive part 7 which rotates and drives the gripping part 733 gripping the beverage container 8 disposed in the housing 2, a rotation control part 6 which controls actuation of the rotation drive part 7 and a detection part 5 which detects rotation instruction by a user. The rotation control part 6 actuates the rotation drive part 7 according to detection of the rotation instruction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a drink holder. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a cap opening device for easily opening a screw cap of a beverage container with one hand. The cap opening device includes a cylindrical housing, a spiral slope portion provided in the housing, an intermediate support member that supports the bottom of the beverage container within the housing and has a tracing piece that abuts against the upper surface of the slope portion, and a biasing means that biases the intermediate support member upward. The cap opening device is configured such that when a user holds the screw cap of the beverage container and pushes the beverage container downward, the tracing piece rotates along the upper surface of the slope portion while the intermediate support member descends, and the beverage container rotates accordingly to open the screw cap. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2006-21780 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the cap opening device described in Patent Document 1 works by having the user grasp the screw cap of a beverage container placed on the intermediate support member and push it downward, mechanically lowering and rotating the intermediate support member, which may make the cap opening operation difficult.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and has an object to provide a drink holder that makes it easy to open a screw cap. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a drink holder comprising a housing in which a beverage container can be placed, a holding portion capable of holding a beverage container placed within the housing, a rotational drive portion that rotates and drives the holding portion holding the beverage container placed within the housing, a rotation control portion that controls the operation of the rotational drive portion, and a detection portion that detects a rotation instruction from a user, wherein the rotation control portion operates the rotational drive portion in response to the detection of the rotation instruction. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a drink holder that allows easy opening of a screw cap. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing a vehicle interior equipped with a drink holder in a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the drink holder in the first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the drink holder in the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the drink holder in the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] 1 is a plan view showing a part of a cross section of a drink holder in a first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 6] 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI in FIG. 4. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of two racks in the first embodiment. [Figure 8] 5 is a flowchart showing a process performed by a rotation drive unit in the first embodiment. [Figure 9] 3 is a partial cross-sectional view of the drink holder, a beverage container, and an occupant's hand illustrating a pushing motion in the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 10] 4 is a plan view of the drink holder according to the first embodiment, illustrating how the motor shaft starts to rotate in response to a pushing motion. FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the drink holder in the first embodiment, showing a state in which two gripping portions grip a beverage container. [Figure 12] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the drink holder in the first embodiment, showing a state before the two gripping parts release the beverage container. [Figure 13] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the drink holder in the first embodiment, showing a state after the two gripping parts have released the beverage container. [Figure 14] 10 is a flowchart showing a process of a rotation control unit in the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] [First embodiment] A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 13. Note that the embodiment described below is shown as a preferred specific example for carrying out the present invention, and while there are some parts that specifically exemplify various technical matters that are technically preferable, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to this specific embodiment.

[0010] (Overview of drink holder 1) 1 is a perspective view showing the interior of a vehicle 10 equipped with a drink holder 1 in this embodiment. Drink holder 1 in this embodiment is mounted on vehicle 10 such as an automobile. Specifically, two drink holders 1 are provided side by side on center console 103 between driver's seat 101 and passenger seat 102.

[0011] As will be described in detail later, the drink holder 1 of this embodiment is configured to automatically rotate a beverage container placed in the drink holder 1 in response to a rotation command from the occupant. Therefore, when the occupant grasps the screw cap of a beverage container placed in the drink holder 1 with one hand and commands it to be rotated, only the main body of the beverage container rotates, making it possible to open it with one hand. As will be described in detail later, in this embodiment, the rotation command is the action of pushing the beverage container placed in the drink holder 1 downward.

[0012] The location of drink holder 1 is not limited to center console 103, and may be other location in vehicle 10. Drink holder 1 may also be for vehicles other than vehicle 10, and may be used for purposes other than vehicles. However, in vehicle 10, for example, it is difficult for an occupant to change posture due to fastening a seat belt, and one hand may be occupied by operating a smartphone, etc., and therefore drink holder 1 of this embodiment, which allows the screw cap to be opened with one hand, is preferably used.

[0013] (Details of drink holder 1) Fig. 2 is a perspective view of drink holder 1. Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view of drink holder 1. Fig. 4 is a plan view of drink holder 1. Fig. 5 is a plan view showing a cross section of a portion of drink holder 1. Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI in Fig. 4.

[0014] Drink holder 1 includes a housing 2, a base 3, a substrate 4, a detection unit 5, a rotation control unit 6, and a rotation drive unit 7 (i.e., a motor 71, a pinion gear 72, a plurality of racks 73, and a guide unit 74). For the sake of convenience, parts of housing 2 and base 3 are shown in cross section in Figures 2 and 3, and the cross sections are hatched.

[0015] The housing 2 is fixed to the vehicle body and holds the components of the drink holder 1. The housing 2 may be provided integrally with the center console 103, or may be attached to the center console 103 as an after-market attachment.

[0016] 2, 3 and 6, the housing 2 has a housing bottom wall portion 21, a cylindrical upper side wall portion 22 extending upward from the periphery of the housing bottom wall portion 21, and a cylindrical lower side wall portion 23 extending downward from the periphery of the housing bottom wall portion 21. The housing bottom wall portion 21 and the upper side wall portion 22 define an arrangement space 20 in which a beverage container 8 is arranged.

[0017] The housing bottom wall 21 is formed, for example, in a horizontal disk shape, and each of the upper side wall 22 and the lower side wall 23 is formed, for example, in a cylindrical shape with an open side opposite the housing bottom wall 21. An insertion hole 211 is formed in the center of the housing bottom wall 21 for passing a motor rotating shaft 712 and a pinion gear 72 of the motor 71, which will be described later.

[0018] Housing bottom wall 21 is provided with a columnar projection 24 that projects downward. The lower surface of projection 24 faces detection unit 5, which will be described later. Housing bottom wall 21 is configured to bend when, for example, an occupant pushes beverage container 8 placed in drink holder 1 downward. The bending of housing bottom wall 21 changes the distance between projection 24 and detection unit 5, and detection unit 5 detects this change in distance, thereby detecting the push-in operation, i.e., a rotation command. Base 3 is disposed in a space surrounded by housing bottom wall 21 and lower side wall 23.

[0019] The base 3 is fixed to the lower side wall 23 of the housing 2, and has the substrate 4 fixed thereto. The base 3 has a base bottom wall 31 facing the housing bottom wall 21, and a base side wall 32 extending upward from the periphery of the base bottom wall 31 and disposed on the inner periphery of the lower side wall 23 of the housing 2. The substrate 4 is fixed to the upper surface of the base bottom wall 31.

[0020] The substrate 4 is, for example, a printed circuit board. The substrate 4 is fastened to, for example, the base bottom wall portion 31 using a bolt B. On the upper surface of the substrate 4, a detection unit 5, a rotation control unit 6, and a motor 71 are mounted.

[0021] The detection unit 5 detects that an occupant has performed a pushing action in which the beverage container 8 placed in the drink holder 1 is pushed downward. In this embodiment, the detection unit 5 is configured with a distance sensor that detects that the pushing action causes the housing bottom wall portion 21 to bend and the protrusion 24 to be displaced downward. The distance sensor may employ, for example, a ToF (Time of Flight) method. The detection unit 5 may employ, for example, a mechanical switch such as a limiter switch, a sensor such as a load sensor, or the like, as long as it is capable of detecting the pushing action. The output result of the detection unit 5 is output to the rotation control unit 6.

[0022] The rotation control unit 6 determines whether or not a pushing operation has been performed based on the output result of the detection unit 5, and operates the rotation drive unit 7 when it determines that a pushing operation has been performed. Specific processing performed by the rotation control unit 6 will be described later. The rotation control unit 6 may be realized in hardware, for example, by a logic circuit, or in software, for example, by a microcomputer having a processor and a storage area. Furthermore, the rotation control unit 6 is not limited to being mounted on the substrate 4, and may be present in another location. As an example, the rotation control unit 6 may be configured by an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) that performs various controls of the vehicle 10.

[0023] The rotary drive unit 7 includes a motor 71, a pinion gear 72, a plurality of racks 73, and a guide unit 74. The motor 71 includes a motor main body 711 fixed to the housing 2, and a motor rotating shaft 712 that rotates about an axis in the vertical direction Z relative to the motor main body 711. The motor main body 711 is fixed to the base 3 and the housing 2 by being fixed to the board 4. The motor main body 711 includes, for example, a motor case and a stator fixed within the motor case. The motor rotating shaft 712 includes a motor rotating shaft 712 that rotates together with a rotor within the motor case and protrudes upward from the motor main body 711. The motor rotating shaft 712 passes through an insertion hole 211 in the housing bottom wall 21.

[0024] 3 to 6, the pinion gear 72 is fitted onto the motor rotating shaft 712 and is configured to be rotatable about an axis in the vertical direction Z, similar to the motor rotating shaft 712. The pinion gear 72 has pinion teeth 721 on its outer periphery above the housing bottom wall 21. The pinion teeth 721 are meshed with the rack teeth 731 of each of the multiple (two in this embodiment) racks 73.

[0025] Fig. 7 is a perspective view seen from diagonally below two racks 73. As shown in Figs. 3 to 5 and 7, in this embodiment, the two racks 73 have similar shapes and are arranged in positions rotated 180° around the motor rotation shaft 712.

[0026] The rack 73 has a rack tooth portion 731 that meshes with the pinion tooth portion 721, a plate-shaped slide portion 732 formed above the rack tooth portion 731, and a grip portion 733 formed above the radially outer end of the slide portion 732. Note that the term "radial direction" refers to a radial direction centered on the motor rotation shaft 712, the term "radial outer side" refers to a side moving away from the motor rotation shaft 712 in the radial direction, and the term "radial inner side" refers to a side approaching the motor rotation shaft 712 in the radial direction.

[0027] The rack tooth portion 731 is formed long in one horizontal direction, and has teeth that mesh with the pinion tooth portion 721 of the pinion gear 72 on one side in the short direction. The two racks 73 are arranged in such a position that the rack tooth portions 731 mesh with the pinion gear 72 from opposite sides across the pinion gear 72. This allows the two racks 73 to move linearly in opposite directions in the long direction of the pinion tooth portion 721 as the pinion gear 72 rotates. Hereinafter, the direction in which the two racks 73 move linearly is referred to as the rack movement direction X, and the direction perpendicular to both the rack movement direction X and the vertical direction Z is referred to as the perpendicular direction Y.

[0028] The slide portion 732 is formed in a plate shape perpendicular to the up-down direction Z. A notch 732a is formed in the slide portion 732. The notch 732a penetrates the slide portion 732 in the up-down direction Z, and is open on the side opposite the grip portion 733 in the rack movement direction X. The notch 732a is formed at a position closer to the pinion gear 72 than the rack teeth portion 731 in the orthogonal direction Y. The two racks 73 are arranged in a position such that the upper portions of the rack teeth portion 731 in the slide portion 732 are inserted into the notch 732a.

[0029] The gripping portion 733 is a portion that grips the beverage container 8. The gripping portions 733 of the two racks 73 have gripping surfaces 733a, which are the radially inner surfaces of the respective gripping portions 733, that face each other in the radial direction. The two gripping portions 733 grip the beverage container 8 between each other's gripping surfaces 733a. At least the gripping surface 733a of the gripping portion 733 is preferably made of a material with high friction (e.g., an elastic body, etc.) so as to make it easier to grip the beverage container 8. The gripping surface 733a may be curved in an arc shape so as to fit along the side surface of the beverage container 8 equipped with a screw cap 82, such as a plastic bottle. This makes it easier for the gripping portion 733 to grip the beverage container 8.

[0030] The guide portion 74 guides the linear motion of the two racks 73. The guide portion 74 is disposed on the housing bottom wall portion 21, and is configured to be rotatable around an axis in the vertical direction Z with respect to the housing 2. Specifically, when the two racks 73 are in a movable range of the linear motion, the guide portion 74 itself does not rotate with respect to the housing 2 while guiding the linear motion of the two racks 73, while after the two racks 73 reach the end of the movable range of the linear motion, the guide portion 74 receives the rotational force of the motor 71 via the two pinion gears 72 and the racks 73, and is configured to rotate around the axis in the vertical direction Z. The guide portion 74 has a guide top wall portion 741, a guide bottom wall portion 742, a pair of first guide side walls 743, and a pair of second guide side walls 744.

[0031] The guide top wall portion 741 is formed to fit along the upper surfaces of the slide portions 732 of the two racks 73. An opening 741a is formed in the guide top wall portion 741 at the center in the perpendicular direction Y, and the two gripping portions 733 pass through the opening 741a.

[0032] The guide bottom wall portion 742 is formed so as to fit along the lower surfaces of the rack teeth portions 731 of the two racks 73. The positions of the two racks 73 are regulated between the guide top wall portion 741 and the guide bottom wall portion 742. An insertion hole 742a for inserting the pinion gear 72 is formed in the guide bottom wall portion 742. In this embodiment, in consideration of ease of assembly, the guide bottom wall portion 742 and the guide portion 74 other than the guide bottom wall portion 742 are configured as separate bodies.

[0033] The pair of first guide sidewalls 743 face each other in the orthogonal direction Y, sandwiching the two racks 73 therebetween. The positions of the two racks 73 in the orthogonal direction Y are regulated between the pair of first guide sidewalls 743. The pair of second guide sidewalls 744 face each other in the rack movement direction X, sandwiching the two racks 73 therebetween. The positions of the two racks 73 in the rack movement direction X are regulated between the pair of second guide sidewalls 744. The linear movement of each of the two racks 73 is guided by the rack teeth portions 731 and slide portions 732 of the two racks 73 sliding in the rack movement direction X within the guide portions 74.

[0034] (Processing of rotation control unit 6 and operation of drink holder 1) Next, the process performed by the rotation drive unit 7 and the operation of the drink holder 1 as a result of this will be described with reference to Figs. 8 to 13. Fig. 8 is a flow chart showing the process performed by the rotation drive unit 7. Fig. 9 is a partial cross-sectional view of the drink holder 1, the beverage container 8, and the passenger's hand showing a pushing motion. Fig. 10 is a plan view of the drink holder 1 showing how the motor rotating shaft 712 starts to rotate in response to a pushing motion. Fig. 11 is a plan view of the drink holder 1 showing the state in which the two gripping parts 733 grip the beverage container 8. Fig. 12 is a plan view of the drink holder 1 showing the state before the two gripping parts 733 release the beverage container 8. Fig. 13 is a plan view of the drink holder 1 showing the state after the two gripping parts 733 release the beverage container 8.

[0035] The timing at which the process of the rotation control unit 6 starts may be, for example, when the system power supply or the ignition is turned on.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, in step S11, the rotation control unit 6 determines whether or not a pushing operation has been performed by an occupant to push the beverage container 8 placed in the housing 2 downward, based on the output result of the detection unit 5. That is, when a pushing operation is performed, the housing bottom wall portion 21 is bent and the protrusion 24 is displaced downward at the same time, changing the distance between the protrusion 24 and the detection unit 5, and the detection unit 5 detects this change in distance and determines that a pushing operation has been performed. Specifically, when the output result of the detection unit 5 indicates that the distance between the detection unit 5 and the protrusion 24 is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold, it is determined that a pushing operation has been performed. When a pushing operation is not detected, the current process of the rotation control unit 6 ends. When a pushing operation is detected, the process of the rotation control unit 6 proceeds to step S12. It is assumed that the pushing operation is performed while gripping the screw cap 82 in order to open the screw cap 82 when the beverage container 8 rotates in step S12 described later.

[0037] As shown in Fig. 8 and Fig. 10, in step S12, the rotation control unit 6 rotates the motor shaft 712 forward by a first rotation amount. As a result, as shown in Fig. 10, the motor shaft 712 and the pinion gear 72 rotate in the direction of the arrow A1, and the two racks 73 move linearly in the direction of the arrow A2 in which the gripping parts 733 approach each other, and the two gripping parts 733 grip the beverage container 8 as shown in Fig. 11. Then, as shown in Fig. 11, after the beverage container 8 is gripped by the two gripping parts 733, the two racks 73 and the guide part 74 rotate together with the main body 81 of the beverage container 8 in the direction of the arrow A3. At this time, since the occupant is gripping the screw cap 82, only the main body 81 of the beverage container 8 rotates in a direction to open the screw cap 82, and the screw cap 82 is eventually opened. That is, the first amount of rotation is set to an amount of rotation that allows the beverage container 8 to be sufficiently gripped and the screw cap 82 to be sufficiently opened during the operation in step S12.

[0038] Next, as shown in Fig. 8 and Fig. 12, in step S13, the rotation control unit 6 rotates the motor shaft 712 in the reverse direction by a second rotation amount. As a result, as shown in Fig. 12, the motor shaft 712 and the pinion gear 72 rotate in the direction of the arrow A4, and the two racks 73 linearly move in the direction of the arrow A5 in which the gripping parts 733 move away from each other, and the two gripping parts 733 release the beverage container 8 and return to the initial position as shown in Fig. 13. The second rotation amount is set to a rotation amount that allows the two racks 73 to return to the initial position during the operation in step S13.

[0039] As shown in Fig. 13, after step S13, the posture of the two racks 73 and the guide portion 74 viewed from above is rotated relative to the posture of the two racks 73 and the guide portion 74 in the initial position shown in Fig. 10, but is not limited to this. For example, in step S13, the second rotation amount of the motor rotating shaft 712 may be set to an amount of rotation greater than the amount of rotation at which the two racks 73 abut against the second guide side wall of the guide portion 74, so that the two racks 73 and the guide portion 74 are rotated in the direction opposite to the arrow A3 in Fig. 11, and the posture of the two racks 73 and the guide portion 74 after step S13 may be returned to the initial position.

[0040] (Functions and Effects of the First Embodiment) In drink holder 1 of this embodiment, rotation control unit 6 operates rotation drive unit 7 in response to detection of a rotation instruction. Therefore, when a user issues a rotation instruction while holding screw cap 82, only main body 81 of beverage container 8 rotates, and screw cap 82 can be easily opened.

[0041] Furthermore, the detection unit 5 detects, as a rotation instruction, a pushing motion in which the user pushes the beverage container 8 placed in the housing 2 downward. This pushing motion can be performed by the user while holding the screw cap 82, making it even easier to open the screw cap 82.

[0042] Furthermore, when a pushing operation is detected, the rotation control unit 6 rotates the gripping portion 733 by a predetermined amount of rotation. In other words, by having the user perform a single pushing operation, the gripping portion 733 is automatically rotated until the screw cap 82 is opened, making it even easier to open the screw cap 82.

[0043] In addition, in the drink holder 1 of this embodiment, when a beverage container 8 is placed in the housing 2, the motor rotating shaft 712 rotates in one direction, causing the pinion gear 72 to rotate and the racks 73 to move linearly in a direction in which the gripping parts 733 move radially inward. Then, after the gripping parts 733 clamp the beverage container 8, the beverage container 8 gripped by the gripping parts 733 rotates about the axis in the vertical direction Z. This makes it possible to grip and rotate the beverage container 8 with a single mechanism.

[0044] Drink holder 1 of this embodiment is provided in vehicle 10. An occupant in vehicle 10 may find it difficult to change his / her posture due to, for example, fastening a seat belt, or one hand may be occupied by operating a smartphone, etc. Therefore, drink holder 1 of this embodiment, which allows screw cap 82 to be opened with one hand, is suitable for use in vehicle 10.

[0045] As described above, according to this embodiment, a drink holder that allows easy opening of a screw cap can be provided.

[0046] [Second embodiment] A second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 14. Fig. 14 is a flow chart showing the process of the rotation control unit 6 in this embodiment.

[0047] This embodiment is an embodiment in which the control method of the rotation control unit 6 is changed from that of the first embodiment. That is, in the first embodiment, the rotation control unit 6 rotates the motor 71 by a predetermined first rotation amount when a push-in operation is detected, but in this embodiment, the rotation control unit 6 rotates the motor 71 continuously only while the push-in operation is being performed.

[0048] Specifically, when a push-in motion is detected in step S21, the rotation control unit 6 rotates the motor 71 forward in step S22, and then determines in step S23 whether the push-in motion has ended. When the push-in motion has not ended, the process returns to step S22, and the motor 71 continues to rotate forward. This is repeated, and when it is determined in step S23 that the push-in motion has ended, the motor 71 is rotated in the reverse direction by a second rotation amount in step S24, and then the motor 71 is stopped in step S25. Step S21 is the same as step S11 in the first embodiment, step S24 is the same as step S13 in the first embodiment, and step S25 is the same as step S14 in the first embodiment.

[0049] The other configurations of this embodiment are similar to those of the first embodiment. In addition, among the symbols used in the second and subsequent embodiments, the same symbols as those used in the previously described embodiments represent the same components, etc. as those in the previously described embodiments, unless otherwise specified.

[0050] (Functions and Effects of the Second Embodiment) In this embodiment, the rotation control unit 6 is configured to continue rotating the grip portion 733 while the pushing operation is detected. This makes it easy to adjust the amount of rotation of the main body 81 of the beverage container 8. In addition, the second embodiment has the same functions and effects as the first embodiment.

[0051] [Modification of the embodiment] Possible modifications of the drink holder 1 according to the first and second embodiments will now be described.

[0052] In the first and second embodiments, an example in which there are two racks 73 each has been shown, but there may be three or more racks each. In this case, N racks 73 (N is a natural number equal to or greater than 3) may be arranged in positions rotated by 360 / N [°] each.

[0053] Furthermore, the multiple gripping parts 733 are configured to grip the beverage container 8 by moving linearly relative to one another using a rack-and-pinion mechanism in response to the rotation of the motor 71, but the present invention is not limited to this and may be configured to grip the beverage container 8. For example, the bottom of the drink holder 1 may be made of an elastic material with high friction, and the beverage container 8 may be gripped by the bottom of the drink holder 1 by performing a pressing action (i.e., the bottom of the drink holder 1 serves as the gripping parts). In this case, it is sufficient for the rotation drive part 7 to be able to rotate the bottom of the drink holder 1.

[0054] In the first and second embodiments, the rotation instruction for rotating the rotary drive unit 7 is the action of pushing the beverage container 8 placed in the housing 2 downward, but is not limited to this. For example, an imaging unit (e.g., a camera, a ToF (Time of flight) sensor, LiDAR (Laser Imaging Detection And Ranging), etc.) capable of imaging the periphery of the drink holder 1 may be provided, and the action of the user gripping the screw cap 82 of the beverage container 8 placed in the housing 2 may be the rotation instruction. In this case, the rotation control unit 6 analyzes the imaging data of the imaging unit to determine the presence or absence of a rotation instruction (the shape of the user's hand gripping the screw cap 82). In addition, it is preferable that the rotation instruction is an action that can be performed while gripping the screw cap 82 of the beverage container 8 placed in the housing 2.

[0055] Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the invention according to the claims is not limited to the above embodiment. It should be noted that not all of the combinations of features described in the embodiment are essential to the means for solving the problems of the invention. The present invention can be modified appropriately without departing from the spirit of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0056] 1...drink holder, 10...vehicle, 2...housing, 3...base, 4...board, 5...detection unit, 6...rotation control unit, 7...rotation drive unit, 71...motor, 711...motor main body, 712...motor rotating shaft, 72...pinion gear, 73...rack, 733...gripping unit, 74...guide unit, 8...beverage container

Claims

1. a housing in which a beverage container can be placed; a gripping portion capable of gripping a beverage container disposed within the housing; a rotation drive unit that rotates the gripping unit that grips a beverage container disposed in the housing; and A rotation control unit that controls the operation of the rotation drive unit; A detection unit that detects a rotation instruction from a user, The rotation control unit operates the rotation drive unit in response to detection of the rotation instruction. Drink holder.

2. The detection unit detects, as the rotation instruction, a pushing action of a user pushing a beverage container placed in the housing downward.

2. The drink holder of claim 1.

3. The rotation control unit rotates the gripping unit by a predetermined rotation amount when the pushing operation is detected.

3. The drink holder of claim 2.

4. The rotation control unit continues to rotate the grip unit while the pushing motion is detected.

3. The drink holder of claim 2.

5. The rotation drive unit is a motor having a motor body fixed to the housing and a motor shaft that rotates relative to the motor body; a pinion gear that rotates about a vertical axis in association with rotation of the motor shaft; a plurality of racks that mesh with the pinion gear and move linearly in a horizontal direction in response to rotation of the pinion gear; a guide portion that is rotatable about an axis in a vertical direction relative to the housing and that guides linear motion of the plurality of racks, The gripping portion is provided in plurality so as to protrude upward from each of the racks, When a beverage container is placed in the housing, the motor shaft rotates in one direction, causing the pinion gear to rotate and the racks to move linearly in a direction in which the gripping portions move radially inward, so that the gripping portions clamp the beverage container, and then the beverage container gripped by the gripping portions rotates about an axis in the vertical direction.

3. A drink holder according to claim 1 or 2.

6. Provided in the vehicle, 3. A drink holder according to claim 1 or 2.

Images