Container Holder

Abstract

To provide a container holder which exhibits excellent insertion performance and take-out performance in addition to holding performance of a container.SOLUTION: A container holder 10 includes: a holder main body 11 which has a cylindrical part 12 of which an upper side is open; support members 21, 22 which are arranged on the cylindrical part 12 so that container receiving surfaces 21b, 22b, which are inclined downward and protrude from a peripheral wall surface 12a of the cylindrical part 12 toward a cylindrical inner space 13, are rotatable around rotation shafts 21a, 22a respectively; and a spring member 23 as an elastic member for elastically biasing the support members 21, 22 in a protrusion direction of the container receiving surfaces 21b, 22b. The first support member 21 of which the rotation shaft 21a is positioned above the container receiving surface 21b, and the second support member 22 of which the rotation shaft 22a is positioned below the container receiving surface 22b are structured so that timings of starting to contact with the container receiving surfaces 21b, 22b are different from each other when the container W is inserted in the cylindrical inner space 13.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a container holder for holding a container. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, container holders of this type are known to be installed in the center console or instrument panel of a vehicle. The container holder disclosed in the following Patent Document 1 includes a support member that is provided so that its top protrudes into the cylinder space capable of accommodating a container. The support member is configured to move between a deployed position where the top is exposed to the cylinder space at its maximum and a retracted position where the top is exposed below the deployed position, thereby changing the amount of exposure of the top, and is constantly elastically biased toward the deployed position by a spring member.

[0003] When a large-diameter container is placed in the cylindrical space, the support member, the top of which is pressed by the container, moves from the deployed position to the retracted position against the elastic force of the spring member. At this time, the container placed in the cylindrical space is held in place by the load applied by the support member. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2016-78585 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In recent years, containers of various shapes have been released in response to the diversification of container shapes, and therefore, when designing this type of container holder, it is necessary to have a structure that is excellent not only in terms of container holding performance but also in terms of inserting a container into the cylindrical space and removing the container from the cylindrical space, assuming the use of containers of different shapes.

[0006] In response to such a request, in the case of a structure in which a container is held by one support member, such as the container holder disclosed in Patent Document 1, if the elastic force of the spring member applied to the support member is increased in order to prioritize the container holding performance, the support member becomes difficult to move toward the retracted position, and the insertion and removal performance of the container is impaired. On the other hand, if the elastic force of the spring member applied to the support member is weakened, it becomes difficult to achieve the original purpose of improving the container holding performance. Similar problems can also occur when the measure is simply to increase the number of support members of the same type.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and aims to provide a container holder that is excellent not only in container holding performance, but also in insertion and removal performance. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] One aspect of the present invention is A holder body having a cylindrical portion that is open at the top; a plurality of support members provided on the cylindrical portion, each of which has a container receiving surface that protrudes from a peripheral wall surface of the cylindrical portion toward a cylindrical space at a downward incline, the container receiving surface being rotatable about each of the rotation axes; an elastic member that elastically biases the plurality of support members in a protruding direction of the container receiving surface; Equipped with The plurality of support members include a first support member, the rotation axis of which is located above the container receiving surface, and a second support member, the rotation axis of which is located below the container receiving surface; The first support member and the second support member are The container receiving surface has a top portion which becomes a protruding tip portion, and the heights of the top portions are different from each other when the container is not yet inserted into the cylindrical space. a container holder configured such that the containers start to contact the container receiving surface at different times when being inserted into the cylindrical space; is located. In addition, another aspect of the present invention is A holder body having a cylindrical portion that is open at the top; a plurality of support members provided on the cylindrical portion, each of which has a container receiving surface that protrudes from a peripheral wall surface of the cylindrical portion toward a cylindrical space at a downward incline, the container receiving surface being rotatable about each of the rotation axes; an elastic member that elastically biases the plurality of support members in a protruding direction of the container receiving surface; Equipped with The plurality of support members include a first support member, the rotation axis of which is located above the container receiving surface, and a second support member, the rotation axis of which is located below the container receiving surface; a container holder, wherein the first support member and the second support member have a top portion which becomes a protruding tip portion of the container receiving surface, and the heights of the top portions are the same at an initial position when a container is not inserted into the cylindrical space, and the inclination angles of the container receiving surfaces are different from each other, so that the timings at which the container begins to contact the container receiving surface when inserted into the cylindrical space are different from each other; is located. Effect of the Invention

[0009] In the container holder of the above aspect, the holder body has a cylindrical portion that is open at the top, and a plurality of support members are provided on the cylindrical portion. Each of the plurality of support members has a container receiving surface that protrudes from the peripheral wall surface of the cylindrical portion toward the cylindrical space at an inclination downward, and the container receiving surface is configured to be rotatable around each of the rotation axes. Each support member is elastically biased by an elastic member in the protruding direction of the container receiving surface.

[0010] Here, the first support member constituting the plurality of support members is configured so that the pivot axis is located above the container receiving surface, and the second support member constituting the plurality of support members is configured so that the pivot axis is located below the container receiving surface. Therefore, the first support member has a characteristic that the insertion performance when inserting a container downward into the cylindrical space of the cylindrical part is superior to that of the second support member. In contrast, the second support member has a characteristic that the removal performance when removing a container upward from the cylindrical space of the cylindrical part is superior to that of the first support member. In this way, by using two support members with different insertion performance and removal performance, a structure that can satisfy the holding performance of containers of various types, shapes, and sizes can be constructed compared to the case of using a single type of support member.

[0011] Furthermore, the first support member and the second support member are configured to start contacting the container receiving surface at different times when the container is inserted into the cylindrical space of the cylindrical portion. Therefore, even when two support members with different performance are used, by shifting the timing, it is possible to set the first support member with relatively high insertion performance to rotate easily while the second support member with relatively low insertion performance is easily subjected to a load in the opposite direction to the protruding direction of the container receiving surface when inserting the container. This improves the insertion performance of the container. Furthermore, by shifting the timing, it is possible to set the first support member with relatively low removal performance to rotate easily while the second support member with relatively high removal performance is easily subjected to a load in the opposite direction to the protruding direction of the container receiving surface when removing the container. This improves the removal performance of the container.

[0012] As described above, according to the above-mentioned aspect, it is possible to provide a container holder that is excellent not only in container holding performance but also in insertion and removal performance. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a container holder according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the vessel holder of FIG. 1 . [Diagram 3] 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a first insertion state in which a container is being inserted into the cylindrical space of the cylindrical portion in FIG. 3; [Diagram 5] 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a second insertion state in which the container is being inserted into the cylindrical space of the cylindrical portion in FIG. 3. [Figure 6] 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a container has been completely inserted into the cylindrical space of the cylindrical portion in FIG. 3; FIG. [Figure 7] 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the container is being removed from the cylindrical space in the cylindrical portion in FIG. 3. [Figure 8]5 is a cross-sectional view of a container holder according to a second embodiment, the cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 3. [Figure 9] 10 is a cross-sectional view of a container holder according to a third embodiment, the cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 3. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] Preferred embodiments of the above aspects are described below.

[0015] In the container holder of the above-mentioned aspect, it is preferable that the first support member and the second support member have a top portion which becomes the protruding tip portion of the container receiving surface, and that the heights of the top portions are different from each other in the initial position when the container is not inserted into the cylindrical space, thereby making the timing different from each other.

[0016] With this container holder, it is possible to stagger the timing at which the containers begin to contact the container receiving surface by using a relatively simple structure in which the first support member and the second support member have tops at different heights in the initial position.

[0017] In the container holder of the above aspect, it is preferable that the inclination angle of the container receiving surface of the second support member is greater than the inclination angle of the container receiving surface of the first support member.

[0018] According to this container holder, by relatively increasing the inclination angle of the container receiving surface of the second support member, when a container is inserted into the cylindrical space of the cylindrical portion, it is possible to guide the container from the container receiving surface side of the second support member, which has a relatively low insertion performance, to the container receiving surface side of the first support member, which has a relatively high insertion performance, thereby making it possible to further improve the container insertion performance.

[0019] In the container holder of the above-mentioned aspect, it is preferable that the first support member and the second support member have a top portion which becomes the protruding tip portion of the container receiving surface, and that the heights of the top portions are the same in the initial position when the container is not inserted into the cylindrical space and the inclination angles of the container receiving surfaces are different, thereby making the timings different from each other.

[0020] With this container holder, even if the top heights of the first support member and the second support member in their initial positions are the same, the structure differs between the inclination angles of the container receiving surfaces, making it possible to stagger the timing at which the containers begin to contact the container receiving surfaces.

[0021] In the container holder of the above aspect, it is preferable that the top portion of the first support member is configured as a curved surface that is curved along the circumferential direction of the peripheral wall surface of the cylindrical portion.

[0022] According to this container holder, when a lateral load acts on a container inserted into the cylindrical space within the cylindrical portion, the container can be received and held by the curved surface of the first support member. This configuration is particularly effective when, for example, when the lateral distance between the first support member and the second support member is set to the inter-support pitch, and a container with a diameter smaller than the inter-support pitch is accommodated and held in the cylindrical space within the cylindrical portion.

[0023] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of a container holder to be mounted on a vehicle will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.

[0024] In the drawings for explaining the container holder, unless otherwise specified, the front of the vehicle on which the container holder is mounted is indicated by the arrow FR, the right side of the vehicle is indicated by the arrow RH, and the top of the vehicle is indicated by the arrow UP. The vehicle width direction is indicated by the arrow X, the vehicle length direction is indicated by the arrow Y, and the vehicle height direction is indicated by the arrow Z.

[0025] (Embodiment 1) 1 and 2, a container holder 10 of the first embodiment is to be attached to a center console 1 between a driver's seat and a passenger seat of a vehicle. The container holder 10 is configured as a resin molded body made mainly of a resin material.

[0026] The container holder 10 is for holding an accommodated container W (see FIG. 3), and includes a holder body 11, a plurality of support members 21 and 22, and a plurality of spring members 23.

[0027] The "container W" referred to here typically includes cylindrical containers such as cups, glasses, and other containers capable of holding liquids such as beverages, as well as containers having a cylindrical portion such as plastic bottles and beverage cans.

[0028] The holder body 11 is provided with two cylindrical parts 12 arranged side by side in the vehicle width direction X. The two cylindrical parts 12 are configured to have a symmetrical shape when the vehicle width direction X is the left-right direction. Each cylindrical part 12 has an approximately circular opening at the top, and is configured to define an inner cylindrical space 13 by a peripheral wall surface 12a and a bottom surface. For this reason, a container can be inserted from above the cylindrical part 12 into the inner cylindrical space 13 in the cylindrical axis direction to be stored, or a container can be pulled up from the inner cylindrical space 13 of the cylindrical part 12 in the cylindrical axis direction to be removed. The two cylindrical parts 12 are also configured to communicate with each other through a groove portion 14.

[0029] The number of the cylindrical portions 12 is not particularly limited, and the number of the cylindrical portions 12 can be one or three or more as required. The shape of the opening of each cylindrical portion 12 is not limited to a substantially circular shape, and an elliptical or rectangular opening shape can be adopted as required. Furthermore, the cylindrical portion 12 can be provided with a lid portion (not shown) that can open and close the upper opening as required.

[0030] A plurality of (three in FIG. 1 ) support members 21, 22 are provided on each cylindrical portion 12. The plurality of support members 21, 22 are arranged at intervals from each other in the circumferential direction D of the peripheral wall surface 12a of each cylindrical portion 12. One first support member 21 is arranged on the outer side of the peripheral wall surface 12a of each cylindrical portion 12 in the vehicle width direction X. Two second support members 22 are arranged side by side on the inner side of the peripheral wall surface 12a of each cylindrical portion 12 in the vehicle width direction X. Although details will be described later, the first support member 21 and the second support member 22 are configured as different types of support members that are different from each other in structure and arrangement.

[0031] The multiple support members 21, 22 in one tubular portion 12 and the multiple support members 21, 22 in the other tubular portion 12 are arranged symmetrically. For this reason, in the following, for convenience, only the multiple support members 21, 22 provided in the tubular portion 12 on the right side in Fig. 2 will be described, and a description of the multiple support members 21, 22 provided in the tubular portion 12 on the left side in Fig. 2 will be omitted.

[0032] As shown in Figure 3, the first support member 21 protrudes into the intra-tubular space 13 through a through hole 12b provided in the tubular portion 12, and the second support member 22 protrudes into the intra-tubular space 13 through a through hole 12c provided in the tubular portion 12.

[0033] The first support member 21 has a container receiving surface 21b that protrudes from the peripheral wall surface 12a of the cylindrical portion 12 toward the cylindrical space 13 at a downward incline, and is provided on the cylindrical portion 12 so that the container receiving surface 21b is rotatable about the rotation axis 21a in the protruding direction A1 and the retracting direction A2. The first support member 21 is constantly elastically biased in the protruding direction A1 of the container receiving surface 21b by a spring member 23 as an elastic member. Note that instead of or in addition to the spring member 23, an elastic member such as a rubber member may be used.

[0034] The first support member 21 is configured such that the rotation axis 21a is located above the container receiving surface 21b. The first support member 21 has a generally V-shaped cross-sectional shape so as to protrude from the peripheral wall surface 12a of the cylindrical portion 12 toward the cylindrical space 13. Therefore, the first support member 21 has a cross-sectional shape in which the container receiving surface 21b extends from the rotation axis 21a side so as to protrude from the cylindrical space 13 at a downward incline, protrudes most at a top portion 21c which is the protruding tip of the container receiving surface 21b, and then extends so as to retract at a downward incline away from the cylindrical space 13. At this time, the container receiving surface 21b of the first support member 21 is configured to have an inclination angle θa with respect to the horizontal plane.

[0035] The first support member 21 is configured to be set to an initial position P1 according to the elastic biasing force of the spring member 23 in an uninserted state in which the container W is not inserted into the cylindrical space 13 of the cylindrical portion 12, since the container receiving surface 21b is not subjected to an external load. In this initial position P1, the stopper 21d abuts against the cylindrical portion 12, thereby preventing the first support member 21 from further rotating in the protruding direction A1. In contrast, the first support member 21 is configured to rotate toward a retracted position P2 (see the position indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 3) against the elastic biasing force of the spring member 23 when the container receiving surface 21b is subjected to an external load exceeding the elastic biasing force of the spring member 23. Therefore, the first support member 21 can be set to any region between the initial position P1 and the retracted position P2 depending on the shape of the container W to be inserted into the cylindrical space 13 of the cylindrical portion 12, etc.

[0036] Similar to the first support member 21, the second support member 22 has a container receiving surface 22b that protrudes from the peripheral wall surface 12a of the cylindrical portion 12 at a downward incline toward the cylindrical space 13, and is provided on the cylindrical portion 12 so that the container receiving surface 22b is rotatable about the rotation axis 22a in the protruding direction A3 and the retracting direction A4. The second support member 22 is constantly elastically biased in the protruding direction A3 of the container receiving surface 22b by a spring member 23 of the same type as that of the first support member 21.

[0037] The second support member 22 is configured such that the rotation shaft 22a is located below the container receiving surface 22b. The second support member 22 has a generally V-shaped cross-sectional shape so as to protrude from the peripheral wall surface 12a of the cylindrical portion 12 toward the cylindrical space 13. Therefore, the second support member 22 has a cross-sectional shape in which the container receiving surface 22b extends so as to protrude downwardly into the cylindrical space 13, protrudes most at an apex 22c which is the protruding tip of the container receiving surface 22b, and then extends so as to recede downwardly away from the cylindrical space 13 to the rotation shaft 22a side. At this time, the container receiving surface 22b of the second support member 22 is configured such that the inclination angle with respect to the horizontal plane is θb.

[0038] The second support member 22 is configured to be set to an initial position Q1 according to the elastic biasing force of the spring member 23 in an uninserted state in which the container W is not inserted into the cylindrical space 13 of the cylindrical portion 12, since the container receiving surface 22b is not subjected to an external load. In this initial position Q1, the stopper 22d abuts against the cylindrical portion 12, thereby preventing the second support member 22 from further rotating in the protruding direction A3. In contrast, the second support member 22 is configured to rotate toward a retracted position Q2 (see the position indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 3) against the elastic biasing force of the spring member 23 when the container receiving surface 22b is subjected to an external load exceeding the elastic biasing force of the spring member 23. Therefore, the second support member 22 can be set to any region between the initial position Q1 and the retracted position Q2 depending on the shape of the container W to be inserted into the cylindrical space 13 of the cylindrical portion 12, etc.

[0039] The container holder 10 is configured such that the height Ha of the top 21c in the vehicle height direction Z when the first support member 21 is in the initial position P1 is lower than the height Hb of the top 22c in the vehicle height direction Z when the second support member 22 is in the initial position Q1 by a height difference ΔH. In this configuration, the container receiving surface 21b of the first support member 21 is in a positional relationship such that the container receiving surface 22b of the second support member 22 is lowered by the height difference ΔH.

[0040] The first support member 21 has a rotation axis 21a located above the container receiving surface 21b, and therefore has better insertion performance when inserting the container W downward into the cylindrical space 13 of the cylindrical portion 12 than the second support member 22. The reason for this is that when the downward insertion load received from the container W is decomposed into load components, the ratio of the load component for rotating the first support member 21 in the retraction direction A2 exceeds the ratio of the load component for rotating the second support member 22 in the retraction direction A4. As a result, the container W is more easily inserted into the cylindrical space 13 of the cylindrical portion 12 when in contact with the first support member 21 than when in contact with the second support member 22, and the container W can be inserted into the cylindrical space 13 with less insertion load.

[0041] In contrast, the second support member 22 has a rotation axis 22a located below the container receiving surface 22b, and therefore has better removal performance when removing the container W upward from the cylindrical space 13 of the cylindrical portion 12 than the first support member 21. The reason for this is that when the upward removal load received from the container W is decomposed into load components, the ratio of the load component for rotating the second support member 22 in the retraction direction A4 exceeds the ratio of the load component for rotating the first support member 21 in the retraction direction A2. As a result, the container W is more easily removed from the cylindrical space 13 of the cylindrical portion 12 when it comes into contact with the second support member 22 than when it comes into contact with the first support member 21, and the container W can be removed from the cylindrical space 13 with a smaller removal load.

[0042] Here, the operation of container holder 10 when it is used will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0043] 3, with the first support member 21 of the container holder 10 in the initial position P1 and the second support member 22 in the initial position Q1, a container W is inserted into the cylindrical space 13 of the cylindrical portion 12 from the upper opening. At this time, the height Ha of the top 21c of the first support member 21 (the height from the bottom surface of the cylindrical portion 12 to the top 21c) is configured to be lower than the height Hb of the top 22c of the second support member 22 (the height from the bottom surface of the cylindrical portion 12 to the top 22c) so that when the container W is inserted into the cylindrical space 13, the timings at which the container receiving surface 21b of the first support member 21 and the container receiving surface 22b of the second support member 22 start to contact each other (i.e., the "order in which they start to contact each other") are different from each other.

[0044] 4, in the first insertion state in which the container W is being inserted into the intra-tubular space 13 of the tubular portion 12, the container receiving surface 22b of the second support member 22 starts to contact the container W in preference to the container receiving surface 21b of the first support member 21. At this time, as described above, the container W is more easily inserted into the intra-tubular space 13 of the tubular portion 12 when in contact with the first support member 21 than when in contact with the second support member 22, and so moves in a slightly sliding manner toward the first support member 21.

[0045] As shown in FIG. 5, in the second insertion state in which the container W is being inserted into the cylindrical space 13 of the cylindrical portion 12, the container W descends while being in contact with both the second support member 22 and the first support member 21. At this time, the container W contacts the container receiving surface 21b of the first support member 21, so that the first support member 21, which has high insertion performance, can be easily rotated from the initial position P1 to the retreat position P2. On the other hand, if the container W contacts the second support member 22 in the peripheral area of ​​the top 22c, even if the second support member 22 has lower insertion performance compared to the first support member 21, the load in the retreat direction A4 is easily input to the second support member 22, and a load component for smoothly rotating the second support member 22 from the initial position Q1 to the retreat position Q2 can be obtained. As a result, it is possible to ensure the desired insertion performance of the container W even if two support members 21 and 22 with different performances are used.

[0046] In the container holder 10 having the above configuration, it is preferable to configure the inclination angle θb (see FIG. 3) of the container receiving surface 22b of the second support member 22 to be greater than the inclination angle θa (see FIG. 3) of the container receiving surface 21b of the first support member 21. In this case, by relatively increasing the inclination angle θb of the container receiving surface 22b of the second support member 22, when transitioning from the first insertion state of FIG. 4 to the second insertion state of FIG. 5, the container W can be guided from the container receiving surface 22b side of the second support member 22, which has a relatively low insertion performance, to the container receiving surface 21b side of the first support member 21, which has a relatively high insertion performance. As a result, it is possible to further improve the insertion performance of the container W.

[0047] 6, in a state where the container W is inserted into the cylindrical space 13 of the cylindrical portion 12, the first support member 21 is set to an intermediate position P3 between the initial position P1 and the retracted position P2, and the second support member 22 is set to an intermediate position Q3 between the initial position Q1 and the retracted position Q2. At this time, the outer peripheral surface of the container W is pressed by the tops 21c, 22c of the first support member 21 and the second support member 22. Therefore, the container W is held by the elastic biasing force of the spring member 23 at a total of three locations, namely, the top 21c of the first support member 21 and the tops 22c of the two second support members 22.

[0048] Here, since the first support member 21 is unlikely to rotate in the retraction direction A2 in response to a load in the removal direction of the container W, its top portion 21c is caught in a recess or the like formed on the outer surface of the container W, and is therefore effective in restricting and holding the container W from moving upwardly out of the cylindrical space 13. In contrast, the second support member 22 is effective in receiving a reaction force from the container W and restricting and holding the container W from moving in the lateral direction.

[0049] 7, when the container W is in the process of being removed from the cylindrical space 13 of the cylindrical portion 12, the container W rises in a state of contact with both the top 21c of the first support member 21 and the top 22c of the second support member 22. Then, the first support member 21 is set to an intermediate position P4 between the initial position P1 and the retracted position P2, and the second support member 22 is set to an intermediate position Q4 between the initial position Q1 and the retracted position Q2.

[0050] At this time, as described above, since the container W is more easily removed from the cylindrical space 13 of the cylindrical portion 12 when it contacts the second support member 22 than when it contacts the first support member 21, the container W moves toward the second support member 22 in a slightly lateral sliding manner. The second support member 22, which has high removal performance, receives the removal load from the container W upward at the top 22c, and easily rotates in the retraction direction A4 to the retraction position Q4. On the other hand, since the container W contacts the first support member 21 at the top 21c, even if the first support member 21 has lower removal performance than the second support member 22, the load in the retraction direction A2 is easily input to the first support member 21, and the first support member 21 easily rotates in the retraction direction A2 to the intermediate position P4. As a result, it is possible to ensure the desired removal performance of the container W even if two support members 21 and 22 with different performances are used.

[0051] When the container W is completely removed from the cylindrical space 13 of the cylindrical portion 12, the first support member 21 rotates in the protruding direction A1 according to the elastic biasing force of the spring member 23 and returns to the initial position P1 (see FIG. 3). Similarly to the first support member 21, the second support member 22 rotates in the protruding direction A3 according to the elastic biasing force of the spring member 23 and returns to the initial position Q1 (see FIG. 3).

[0052] Regarding the structure of the first support member 21, it is preferable that the top portion 21c is configured as a curved surface 21e that is curved along the circumferential direction D of the peripheral wall surface 12a of the cylindrical portion 12 (see FIG. 2). That is, when the top portion 21c of the first support member 21 is viewed from above, the top portion 21c is configured to have a curved shape.

[0053] According to this configuration, when a lateral load acts on a container W inserted into the intra-cylindrical space 13 of the tubular portion 12, the container W can be received and held by the curved surface 21e of the first support member 21. This configuration is particularly effective when, for example, when the lateral distance between the first support member 21 and the second support member 22 is set to the inter-support pitch, a container W having a diameter smaller than the inter-support pitch is accommodated and held in the intra-cylindrical space 13.

[0054] In addition, by making the top 21c of the first support member 21, which has lower removal performance compared to the second support member 22, into a curved surface 21e, there is an advantage in that less load is required to rotate the first support member 21 in the retraction direction A2 when removing the container W from the cylindrical space 13, compared to when the top 21c is made into a flat surface.

[0055] Next, the effects of the above-mentioned embodiment 1 will be described.

[0056] According to the container holder 10 having the above-mentioned configuration, the first support member 21 is configured so that the pivot shaft 21a is located above the container receiving surface 21b, and the second support member 22 is configured so that the pivot shaft 22a is located below the container receiving surface 22b. Therefore, the first support member 21 has a characteristic that the insertion performance when inserting the container W downward into the cylindrical space 13 of the cylindrical portion 12 is superior to that of the second support member 22. In contrast, the second support member 22 has a characteristic that the removal performance when removing the container W upward from the cylindrical space 13 of the cylindrical portion 12 is superior to that of the first support member 21. In this way, by using the two support members 21 and 22 having different insertion and removal performances, a structure that can satisfy the holding performance of containers W of various types, shapes, and sizes can be constructed compared to the case of using a single type of support member.

[0057] Furthermore, the first support member 21 and the second support member 22 are configured to start contacting the container receiving surfaces 21b, 22b at different timings when the container W is inserted into the cylindrical space 13 of the cylindrical portion 12. Therefore, even when two support members 21, 22 with different performance are used, by shifting the timings, it is possible to make it easier for the first support member 21, which has a relatively high insertion performance, to rotate when inserting the container W, while making it easier for the second support member 22, which has a relatively low insertion performance, to receive a load in the retraction direction A4 of the container receiving surface 22b (the opposite direction to the protruding direction A3). This improves the insertion performance of the container W. In addition, by staggering the above timings, it is possible to set the first support member 21, which has a relatively low removal performance, to be more easily subjected to a load in the retraction direction A2 of the container receiving surface 21b (the opposite direction to the protruding direction A1) while taking advantage of the ease of rotation of the second support member 22, which has a relatively high removal performance, when removing the container W. This makes it possible to improve the removal performance of the container W.

[0058] Therefore, according to the above-described first embodiment, it is possible to provide a container holder 10 that is excellent not only in terms of container W holding performance, but also in terms of insertion and removal performance.

[0059] Furthermore, according to the container holder 10 configured as described above, by using a relatively simple structure in which the heights of the tops 21c, 22c at the initial positions P1, Q1 of the first support member 21 and the second support member 22 are made different from each other, it becomes possible to stagger the timing at which the container W begins to contact the container receiving surfaces 21b, 22b.

[0060] Hereinafter, other embodiments related to the above-mentioned embodiment 1 will be described with reference to the drawings. In the other embodiments, the same elements as those in the above-mentioned embodiment 1 are given the same reference numerals, and the description of the same elements will be omitted.

[0061] (Embodiment 2) As shown in FIG. 8, the container holder 110 of the second embodiment differs from the container holder 10 of the first embodiment in the relative positional relationship between the first support member 21 and the second support member 22.

[0062] The container holder 110 is configured so that the height Ha of the top 21c in the vehicle height direction Z when the first support member 21 is in the initial position P1 is greater than the height Hb of the top 22c in the vehicle height direction Z when the second support member 22 is in the initial position Q1 by a height difference ΔH. In this configuration, the container receiving surface 21b of the first support member 21 is in a positional relationship such that the container receiving surface 22b of the second support member 22 is elevated by the height difference ΔH.

[0063] The other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment.

[0064] The container holder 110 is similar to the container holder 10 of embodiment 1 in that, when a container W is inserted into the intra-cylindrical space 13, the container receiving surface 21b of the first support member 21 and the container receiving surface 22b of the second support member 22 begin to contact each other at different times. On the other hand, the container holder 110 differs from the container holder 10 of embodiment 1 in that, when a container W is inserted into the intra-cylindrical space 13 of the tubular portion 12, the container receiving surface 21b of the first support member 21 begins to contact the container W in preference to the container receiving surface 22b of the second support member 22.

[0065] According to this container holder 110, similarly to the case of the container holder 10 of the first embodiment, while the container W is being inserted into the cylindrical space 13 of the cylindrical portion 12, the container W comes into contact with the container receiving surface 21b of the first support member 21, so that the first support member 21, which has high insertion performance, can be easily rotated from the initial position P1 to the retracted position P2. On the other hand, if the container W comes into contact with the second support member 22 in the peripheral region of the top portion 22c, a load in the retracted direction A4 is easily input to the second support member 22, and a load component for smoothly rotating the second support member 22 from the initial position Q1 to the retracted position Q2 can be obtained.

[0066] In addition, the same effects as those of the first embodiment are achieved.

[0067] (Embodiment 3) As shown in FIG. 9, the container holder 210 of the third embodiment differs from the container holder 10 of the first embodiment in the relative positional relationship and structure of the first support member 21 and the second support member 22.

[0068] The container holder 210 is configured such that the heights of the tops 21c, 22c of the first support member 21 and the second support member 22 at their respective initial positions P1, Q1 are the same except when caused by the influence of tolerances or the like. In addition, the inclination angles θa, θb of the container receiving surfaces 21b, 22b of the two support members 21, 22 are configured to be different from each other, so that when the container W is inserted into the cylindrical space 13, the timing at which the container receiving surface 21b of the first support member 21 and the container receiving surface 22b of the second support member 22 start to come into contact with each other is different from each other. In the case of this container holder 210, the inclination angle θb of the container receiving surface 22b of the second support member 22 is greater than the inclination angle θa of the container receiving surface 21b of the first support member 21.

[0069] The other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment.

[0070] According to this container holder 210, similarly to the container holder 10 of embodiment 1, the container receiving surface 22b of the second support member 22 starts to contact the container W in preference to the container receiving surface 21b of the first support member 21. As a result, even if the heights of the tops 21c, 22c at the initial positions P1, Q1 of the first support member 21 and the second support member 22 are the same, the structure in which the inclination angles θa, θb of the container receiving surfaces 21b, 22b are made different from each other makes it possible to stagger the timing at which the container W starts to contact the container receiving surfaces 21b, 22b.

[0071] In addition, the same effects as those of the first embodiment are achieved.

[0072] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various applications and modifications are possible without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, the following embodiments can be implemented by applying the above-described embodiment.

[0073] In the above embodiment, an example has been given of a case in which one first support member 21 and two second support members 22 are provided in each cylindrical portion 12, but the respective numbers of the first support members 21 and second support members 22 are not particularly limited. If necessary, the number of first support members 21 can be two or more, and the number of second support members 22 can be one or three or more. In addition, the number of first support members 21 and second support members 22 provided in one cylindrical portion 12 may be different from the number of first support members 21 and second support members 22 provided in the other cylindrical portion 12.

[0074] In the above-described embodiments, the container holders 10, 110, 210 are illustrated as being attached to the center console 1, but the location of attachment is not limited to the center console 1. The structures of these container holders 10, 110, 210 can also be applied to, for example, the structure of an instrument panel of a vehicle other than the center console 1, or a container holder attached to that location, or to the structure of a container holder used outside a vehicle (for example, a container holder attached to a seat or the like arranged in an indoor facility such as a conference hall, theater, or movie theater). [Explanation of symbols]

[0075] 10,110,210 Container holder 11 Holder body 12 Cylindrical part 12a Surrounding wall surface 13 Cylinder space 21 First support member (support member) 22 Second support member (support member) 21a, 22a Rotating shaft 21b, 22b Container receiving surface 21c,22c top 21e Curved Surface 23 Spring members (elastic members) A1,A3 Projection direction D Circumferential direction P1, Q1 initial position W container θa,θb Tilt angle

Claims

1. A holder body having a cylindrical portion that is open at the top; a plurality of support members provided on the cylindrical portion, each of which has a container receiving surface that protrudes from a peripheral wall surface of the cylindrical portion toward a cylindrical space at a downward incline, the container receiving surface being rotatable about each of the rotation axes; an elastic member that elastically biases the plurality of support members in a protruding direction of the container receiving surface; Equipped with The plurality of support members include a first support member, the rotation axis of which is located above the container receiving surface, and a second support member, the rotation axis of which is located below the container receiving surface; The first support member and the second support member have a top that forms the protruding tip of the container receiving surface, and the heights of the tops are different from each other at the initial position when the container is not inserted into the cylindrical space, so that the timing at which the container begins to contact the container receiving surface when inserted into the cylindrical space is different from each other.

2. The container holder of claim 1 , wherein an angle of inclination of the container receiving surface of the second support member is greater than an angle of inclination of the container receiving surface of the first support member.

3. A holder body having a cylindrical portion with an opening at the top; a plurality of support members provided on the cylindrical portion, each of which has a container receiving surface that protrudes from a peripheral wall surface of the cylindrical portion toward a cylindrical space at a downward incline, the container receiving surface being rotatable about each of the rotation axes; an elastic member that elastically biases the plurality of support members in a protruding direction of the container receiving surface; Equipped with The plurality of support members include a first support member, the rotation axis of which is located above the container receiving surface, and a second support member, the rotation axis of which is located below the container receiving surface; The first support member and the second support member have a top that forms the protruding tip of the container receiving surface, and the heights of the tops are the same when the container is not inserted into the cylindrical space, and the inclination angles of the container receiving surfaces are different, so that the timing at which the container begins to contact the container receiving surface when inserted into the cylindrical space is different.This is a container holder.

4. The container holder according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the top of the first support member is configured as a curved surface that is curved along a circumferential direction of the peripheral wall surface of the cylindrical portion.

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