Vehicle storage structure for goods

Abstract

The present invention provides a vehicle storage structure that can effectively improve user convenience or comfort while riding in the vehicle compared to conventional designs. [Solution] The article storage structure A in the vehicle includes a drawer-type article storage box B that can be stored in the space 13 below the seat cushion 10 of the vehicle seat 1, and at least a part of the front wall 3 of the box B is rotatable and / or can be raised and lowered relative to the other part of the box B, and in a forward position of the seat cushion 10, it is set to a tilted position that is closer to horizontal than a predetermined normal upright position and can be used as an ottoman for the vehicle seat 1, and / or it is set to a height higher than the normal upright position in a position that abuts against or is close to the front of the seat cushion 10, protruding above the front of the seat cushion 10 and can be used as a stopper to prevent luggage from falling.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an article storage structure in a vehicle such as an automobile.

Background Art

[0002] Specific examples of the article storage structure in a vehicle include those described in Patent Documents 1 and 2. In the article storage structures described in these documents, a space is formed below the seat cushion of the vehicle seat, and a drawer-type article storage box is arranged in this space. This article storage box forms a recess for storing a desired article, and either a storage state in the space or a pulled-out state from the space to the front thereof can be selectively set. According to such a configuration, it is convenient because the space below the vehicle seat can be effectively used and the articles can be tidied up so as not to scatter in the vehicle interior.

[0003] However, in the above prior art, there was room for improvement as described below.

[0004] That is, in the conventional article storage structure in a vehicle, the article storage box is only used for storing articles. Therefore, from the viewpoint of improving user convenience or comfort when boarding the vehicle, there is still room for improvement.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] This invention was conceived under the circumstances described above, and its objective is to provide a vehicle storage structure that can suitably improve user convenience or comfort while riding in the vehicle compared to conventional structures. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To solve the above problems, the present invention employs the following technical measures.

[0008] The article storage structure for a vehicle provided by the present invention comprises: a space provided on the underside of the seat cushion of a vehicle seat; and an article storage box that can be selectively set to either a state of being stored in the space or a state of being pulled out forward from the space, and has a recess for storing a desired article and a front wall portion that is positioned in front of the recess so as to close the front side of the space when stored, and stands upright in the vertical direction, wherein at least a part of the front wall portion of the box is rotatable and / or vertically movable relative to the other part of the box, and at the front position of the seat cushion, is set to a tilted position that is closer to horizontal than a predetermined normal upright position when stored, and the front wall portion can be set to have an upward surface for the user to rest their feet on so that it can be used as an ottoman for the vehicle seat, and / or is set to a height higher than the normal upright position in a position that abuts against or is close to the front of the seat cushion, protruding above the front of the seat cushion, and can be used as a stopper to prevent luggage placed on the seat cushion from falling.

[0009] With this configuration, the box for storing items can be used appropriately for its intended purpose of storing desired items under the seat cushion of a vehicle seat, and in addition, the following effects can be obtained. In other words, the front wall of the storage box can be used as an ottoman for a user seated in a vehicle seat, and / or as a stopper to prevent luggage placed on the seat cushion from falling. This effectively enhances the comfort and convenience of the vehicle user. The function of serving as an ottoman or a stopper to prevent items from falling is achieved by making at least a portion of the front wall of the box for storing items rotatable and / or vertically movable. Therefore, compared to cases where a dedicated component for use as an ottoman or a dedicated component for use as a stopper to prevent items from falling is used, the configuration is rational and can be made simple, and the increase in manufacturing costs can be suppressed.

[0010] Other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the description of embodiments of the invention given below with reference to the accompanying drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] (a) is a schematic perspective view of the main part showing an example of an article storage structure in a vehicle according to the present invention, (b) is a schematic side view of the main part of (a) (the legs of the vehicle seat are omitted), and (c) is a schematic perspective view of the main part of the article storage box shown in (a) and (b). [Figure 2] (a) is a schematic perspective view of the main part showing the stored state of the storage box for goods in the goods storage structure of the vehicle shown in Figure 1, and (b) is a schematic side view of the main part of (a) (the legs of the vehicle seats are omitted). [Figure 3] (a) is a schematic perspective view of the main parts of the item storage structure in the vehicle shown in Figure 1, with the ottoman set up, and (b) is a schematic side view of the main parts of (a) (the legs of the vehicle seat are omitted). [Figure 4] (a) is a schematic perspective view of the main part of the cargo storage structure in the vehicle shown in Figure 1, showing the state in which a stopper for preventing cargo from falling has been set, and (b) is a schematic side view of the main part of (a) (the legs of the vehicle seat are omitted). [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

[0013] The item storage structure A in the vehicle shown in Figure 1 (hereinafter appropriately abbreviated as "item storage structure A") comprises a vehicle seat 1 installed in the passenger compartment of a vehicle not shown, and a drawer-type item storage box B (hereinafter appropriately abbreviated as "box B"). The vehicle seat 1 comprises a seat cushion 10, a seat back 11, and legs 12 that support the seat cushion 10. Below the seat cushion 10, a space 13 for storing box B is provided, opening towards the front of the vehicle. The vehicle seat 1 is, for example, a rear seat, but is not limited to this; for example, it may be a front seat.

[0014] As clearly shown in Figure 1(c), Box B comprises a box body 2 that forms a recess 20 with a roughly rectangular top opening in plan view for accommodating a desired article (not shown), a front wall 3 provided on the front side of the box body 2, and a roller 4 attached to the lower part of the front wall 3. The box body 2 may be either a tray-shaped or a box-shaped recess 20 with a shallow depth. The box body 2 comprises a bottom wall 21 of the recess 20, and front and rear upright wall portions 22a, 22b, and a pair of left and right upright wall portions 22c that rise upward from the front, rear, left, and right sides of the bottom wall portion 21. The front upright wall portion 22a is the front wall It falls under part of Section 3.

[0015] The front wall portion 3 of box B comprises a front wall main body portion 30 and a front wall auxiliary portion 31. The front wall body 30 is provided either integrally with or separately connected to the front upright wall 22a of the box body 2, and is upright in the vertical direction. The roller 4 is attached to the lower part of the front wall body 30 and supports the front of the box B. The rear side of the box body 2 is supported and guided by a guide member (not shown) provided below the seat cushion 10, and it is possible to slide the box B in the front-rear direction of the vehicle while the roller 4 rolls on the floor of the passenger compartment. As a result, the box B can be selectively set to either a stored state in the space 13 shown in Figure 2, or a pulled-out state forward from the space 13 shown in Figure 1. In the pulled-out state in Figure 1, desired items can be put in and taken out of the recess 20 of the box B, and in the stored state in Figure 2, the box B is set so as not to obstruct the passenger compartment, and at least a part of the front of the space 13 is neatly closed off by the front wall 3 of the box B.

[0016] The front wall auxiliary section 31 is made of a separate component from the front wall main section 30. Its first surface 31a (the right-facing front section in Figures 1 and 2) is a gently convex curved surface, while its opposite second surface 31b has a shape corresponding to the front section 10a of the seat cushion 10 and the front section 25 of the box main section 2, as shown in Figure 2. The width of this front wall auxiliary section 31 in the vehicle width direction is approximately the same as that of the front wall main section 30, and slightly narrower than that of the seat cushion 10.

[0017] The front wall auxiliary section 31 is attached to the front wall main body section 30 so as to be rotatable relative to it via a ratchet hinge mechanism section 5. More specifically, the upper part of the front wall main body section 30 is provided with a pair of left and right arm sections 30c that protrude upward, and the left and right end wall sections 31c of the front wall auxiliary section 31 are attached to each arm section 30c via a ratchet hinge mechanism section 5 having a connecting shaft 50. The ratchet hinge mechanism section 5 is a mechanism and principle similar to that used, for example, to allow the angle of the backrest of a folding chair to be freely changed. Details of the ratchet hinge mechanism section 5 are omitted, but in this embodiment, the following operations and settings are possible.

[0018] That is, when the front wall auxiliary portion 31 is in the normal upright posture shown by the solid line in FIG. 1(b) (the same posture as the upright posture when the box B is in the stored state shown in FIG. 2), the front wall auxiliary portion 31 can be rotated around the connecting shaft 50 in the direction of arrow Da at an arbitrary angle. For example, it can be set to the postures of reference numerals Na and Nb. On the other hand, when the above-described rotation operation of the front wall auxiliary portion 31 is stopped, the front wall auxiliary portion 31 cannot be rotated in the direction opposite to the rotation direction, and the front wall auxiliary portion 31 can be fixed at the angle at which the rotation operation was stopped. In addition, when the front wall auxiliary portion 31 is rotated by a predetermined angle or more in the direction of arrow Da' in the state where the posture of reference numeral Nb is set, the reverse rotation prevention state by the ratchet hinge mechanism portion 5 is released, and the front wall auxiliary portion 31 can be rotated in the direction opposite to arrows Da and Da' to return to the original normal upright posture.

[0019] Based on the operation of the above-described ratchet hinge mechanism portion 5, according to the present embodiment, the front wall auxiliary portion 31 of the box B can be set to a mode of being used as an ottoman shown in FIG. 3 (the posture of reference numeral Na), and a mode of being used as a stopper for preventing luggage from falling shown in FIG. 4 (the posture of reference numeral Nb). That is, in the usage mode as the ottoman shown in FIG. 3, the front wall auxiliary portion 31 is in a reclined posture at an angle closer to horizontal than the normal upright posture in the stored state in the space portion 13, while being located in front of the seat cushion 10. The first surface portion 31a of the front wall auxiliary portion 31 is an upward surface 31a' for a user sitting on the vehicle seat 1 to rest their legs. In the usage mode as the stopper for preventing luggage from falling shown in FIG. 4, the front wall auxiliary portion 31 is arranged to abut or approach the front portion of the seat cushion 10 and is at a height higher than the normal upright posture. The upper portion of this front wall auxiliary portion 31 protrudes upward by an appropriate dimension La from the front portion of the seat cushion 10. Therefore, when luggage 9 is placed on the seat cushion 10, it is possible to prevent the luggage 9 from falling forward of the seat cushion 10.

[0020] The article storage structure A described above provides the following benefits.

[0021] In other words, Box B can be suitably used as a drawer-type storage box for items that utilizes the space 13 below the seat cushion 10. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 3, the front wall 3 (front wall auxiliary part 31) of Box B can be used as an ottoman to enhance user comfort. Since the front wall 3 is supported on the floor of the vehicle using rollers 4, it is possible to ensure that there is no feeling of insufficient strength when it is used as an ottoman. On the other hand, when placing luggage 9 on the seat cushion 10, as shown in Figure 4, the front wall 3 of Box B can be used as a stopper to prevent luggage from falling, which is convenient.

[0022] In this embodiment, the front wall auxiliary part 31 of the box B can be rotated around the connecting shaft 50 of the ratchet hinge mechanism 5 to be set to one of two modes, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, as an ottoman and as a stopper to prevent luggage from falling. This operation is simple, quick, and convenient. Furthermore, according to this embodiment, since the front wall auxiliary part 31 of the box B serves as either an ottoman or a stopper to prevent luggage from falling, there is no need to use a separate dedicated component for the ottoman or the stopper to prevent luggage from falling. Therefore, the configuration is rational, and the overall manufacturing cost can be kept low.

[0023] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above. The specific configuration of each part of the article storage structure in a vehicle according to the present invention can be modified in various ways within the scope intended by the present invention.

[0024] In the above-described embodiment, the front wall portion 3 of the box B is configured to be usable as both an ottoman and a stopper to prevent luggage from falling, but the present invention is not limited thereto. It may be configured to be usable as either an ottoman or a stopper to prevent luggage from falling, but not both. Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the front wall auxiliary portion 31 of the front wall portion 3 of the box B is configured to function as an ottoman and a stopper to prevent luggage from falling by rotating. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a portion of the front wall portion 3 of the box B, different from the front wall auxiliary portion 31, or the entire front wall portion 3, may be configured to function as an ottoman or a stopper to prevent luggage from falling by rotating or moving up and down.

[0025] In the stored state of box B shown in Figure 2, the front wall portion 3 bulges forward of the seat cushion 10. As a means to resolve this, a recess can be provided in the front part of the seat cushion 10 into which the front wall portion 3 enters, thereby flattening the front part of the seat cushion 10. The specific type and configuration of the vehicle seat referred to in this invention are not limited; essentially, any configuration is acceptable as long as a space for storing an item is provided on the underside of the seat cushion. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0026] A. Article storage structure in a vehicle B Boxes for storing items 1. Vehicle seat 10 Seat Cushions 13 Space section 20 recesses 3. Front wall section (of the box) 30 Front wall body part 31 Front wall auxiliary part 31a' Upward-facing surface

Claims

[Claim 1] The space provided beneath the seat cushion of the vehicle seat, A box for storing articles, which can be selectively set to either a state in which the article is stored in the space or a state in which it is pulled out forward from the space, and which has a recess for storing a desired article and a front wall portion that is positioned in front of the recess and stands upright in the vertical direction so as to close the front side of the space when the article is stored, A vehicle article storage structure that includes, At least a portion of the front wall of the box is The box is rotatable and / or vertically movable relative to other parts of the box, At the front position of the seat cushion, it is positioned in a tilted position that is closer to horizontal than the predetermined normal upright position when stored, and the front wall portion can be set to have an upward surface for the user to rest their feet on so that it can be used as an ottoman for the vehicle seat, and / or The seat cushion is positioned in contact with or close to the front of the seat cushion, set at a height higher than the normal standing position, protruding above the front of the seat cushion, and can be used as a stopper to prevent luggage placed on the seat cushion from falling. A vehicle-mounted article storage structure characterized by the following features.

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