Vehicle armrest

Abstract

To solve the problem that a conventional armrest for a vehicle has a risk of causing fall or loss of a component for position adjustment in a vehicle longitudinal direction.SOLUTION: An armrest 1 for a vehicle includes an opening / closing body 2 for opening / closing an upper side of a storage part A. The opening / closing body 2 includes an inner base part 5, an outer lid part 6, and a pin-like lock member 10. The base part 5 has a fixing hole 11 for the lock member 10, and a storage hole 12. The lid part 6 has a positioning portion 13 for advancement and retreat restriction, with which a tip portion of the lock member 10 passed through the fixing hole 11 engages at a predetermined advancement / retreat position. The advancement and retreat of the lid part 6 is restricted by fitting the lock member 10 into the fixing hole 11, and the advancement and retreat of the lid part 6 is permitted by fitting the lock member 10 removed from the fixing hole 11 into the storage hole 12. Stepwise position adjustment and stepless position adjustment are made possible and loss of the lock member 10 as a component can be prevented, realizing improved convenience.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an improvement in a vehicle armrest that also serves as a lid for a storage section in a center console box of a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] An example of a conventional vehicle armrest is described in Patent Document 1. The vehicle armrest described in Patent Document 1 is mounted on the upper side of a mounting base so as to be movable in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle. This vehicle armrest includes a lock plate fixed to the bottom, a lock bolt positioned below the lock plate with its head facing up, and a handle on the back side of the mounting base for rotating the lock bolt. The lock bolt has a threaded portion that passes through the interior of the mounting base and moves up and down by rotating the handle. The lock plate has slits that extend in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle, and the slits have locking holes formed at predetermined intervals into which the heads of the lock bolts engage and disengage.

[0003] When the lock bolt of the vehicle armrest is loosened by rotating the handle, the lock bolt descends and the head portion disengages from the locking hole in the lock plate, allowing the armrest to move in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle relative to the mounting base. After adjusting the position of the vehicle armrest in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle, the head portion can be locked into the corresponding locking hole by tightening the lock bolt with the handle, thereby maintaining the adjusted position. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 63-159336 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, the conventional vehicle armrests described above are locked in an adjusted position, making them unsuitable for situations where frequent position adjustments are required. Therefore, the vehicle armrests described above can be adjusted in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle at any time by leaving the lock bolt loosened with the handle or by removing the handle and lock bolt. However, with the vehicle armrests described above, there is a risk that the handle will fall off if the lock bolt is left loose, and there is also a risk that these parts will be lost if the handle or lock bolt is removed.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned conventional situation, and aims to provide an armrest for a vehicle that allows for stepwise and stepless position adjustment, prevents parts from being lost, and improves convenience. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The vehicle armrest according to the present invention is a vehicle armrest that also serves as a cover for a storage compartment in a center console box of a vehicle, and includes an opening / closing body that opens and closes the upper side of the storage compartment. The opening / closing body includes an inner base portion rotatably connected to the box body, and a hinged portion that is rotatable relative to the base portion. vehicle An outer lid portion and a base portion that are connected so as to be movable forward and backward. Storage compartment The armrest for a vehicle has a base portion including: vehicle A fixing hole for inserting a locking member into the fixing hole is provided on one side in the left-right direction, vehicle The other side in the left-right direction has a storage hole through which a locking member is attached in a penetrating state, and the lid portion has a positioning portion that engages with the tip of the locking member that has passed through the fixing hole at a predetermined advance / retract position of the lid portion to regulate the advance / retract movement of the lid portion, thereby regulating the advance / retract movement of the lid portion when the locking member is attached to the fixing hole, and allowing the lid portion to advance / retract when the locking member is attached to the storage hole.

[0008] In the vehicle armrest, the lid, whose position has been adjusted in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle, is locked by engaging the tip of the locking member, which passes through the fixing hole, with the positioning portion at a predetermined advance / retract position of the lid. In other words, the position of the lid can be adjusted in stages. Furthermore, in the vehicle armrest, by attaching the same locking member through the storage hole, the lid can be advanced and retreated, allowing for stepless position adjustment and eliminating the risk of losing the locking member. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] By adopting the above-mentioned configuration, the vehicle armrest of the present invention enables stepwise and stepless position adjustment, prevents parts from being lost, and achieves improved convenience. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1A and 1B are diagrams showing one embodiment of a vehicle armrest according to the present invention, each showing an oblique view (A) of the lid portion in a forward position, an oblique view (B) of the lid portion in a retracted position, an oblique view (C) of the opening / closing body in an open position, and a plan view (D) of part of the motion transmission mechanism seen through the box body. [Figure 2] 1A is a cross-sectional view of the storage section and the main parts of the opening / closing body, and FIG. 1B is a side view of the trim clip. [Figure 3] 2(A) is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA, FIG. 2(B) is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB, and FIG. 2(C) is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC in FIG. 2(A). [Figure 4] 1A is a perspective view of a cutaway model illustrating a motion transmission mechanism, and FIG. 1B is a perspective view of a cutaway model with a cross-sectional position different from that of FIG. 1A. [Figure 5] 1A is a perspective view illustrating a motion transmission mechanism, and FIG. 1B is a perspective view illustrating the motion transmission mechanism as viewed from a different direction than FIG. 1A. [Figure 6] 1A is a perspective view illustrating the motion transmission mechanism in an exploded state, and FIG. 1B is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a part of the motion transmission mechanism. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] First Embodiment An embodiment of a vehicle armrest according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the directions and positions of up, down, front, rear, left, and right are based on the orientation of the vehicle. The vehicle armrest according to the present invention also serves as a cover for a storage compartment in a center console box of the vehicle, and is equipped with not only the original armrest portion but also a structure for opening and closing the storage compartment and a structure for adjusting the position in the front-rear direction.

[0012] 1, the vehicle armrest 1 includes an opening / closing body 2 that opens and closes the upper side of the storage section A of the box body B, a switch knob 3 for operating to open the opening / closing body 2, and an action transmission mechanism 4 for opening the opening / closing body 2 in conjunction with the operation of the switch knob 3. The switch knob 3 is disposed on the box body B forward of the opening / closing body 2.

[0013] The illustrated box body B has a container holder H1 on the front right side of the opening / closing body 2, and a parking brake operating lever P on the front left side. The container holder H1 is commonly called a drink holder or cup holder and holds plastic bottles and cups. Note that the front part of the box body B is not shown in Figure 1.

[0014] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the above-mentioned vehicle armrest 1 has an opening / closing body 2 which comprises an inner base portion 5 rotatably connected to the box main body B, an outer lid portion 6 which is connected to the base portion 5 so as to be movable forward and backward in the front-to-rear direction, and a pin-shaped locking member 10 which is attached from the inside of the base portion 5.

[0015] In the vehicle armrest 1, the base portion 5 has, on one side in the left-right direction (the left side in FIG. 2A ), a fixing hole 11 for attaching the locking member 10 in a penetrated state, and on the other side in the left-right direction, a storage hole 12 for attaching the locking member 10 in a penetrated state. On the other hand, the lid portion 6 has a positioning portion 13 with which the tip of the locking member 10 that has passed through the fixing hole 11 engages at a predetermined advance / retract position to restrict the advance / retract movement of the lid portion 6. The vehicle armrest 1 restricts the advance / retract movement of the lid portion 6 when the locking member 10 is attached to the fixing hole 11, and allows the advance / retract movement of the lid portion 6 when the locking member 10 is removed from the fixing hole 11 and attached to the storage hole 12.

[0016] The base 5 of the opening / closing body 2 is large enough to close the upper opening of the storage section A, and its rear end is connected to the box body B via a hinge (not shown), and is biased in the opening direction (upward) by an elastic body such as a torsion spring attached to the hinge shaft. In this case, the biasing force of the base 5 should be at least sufficient to lift the front end of the opening / closing body 2 when the opening / closing body 2 is released from its locked state.

[0017] 2(A), the lid portion 6 of the opening / closing body 2 can move in the front-to-rear direction relative to the base portion 5, in particular, by means of left and right guides 7, 7 provided between the lid portion 6 and the base portion 5, and a rack 9 that meshes with a pinion 8 arranged on the base 5 side. The lid portion 6 can maintain its adjusted position due to appropriate frictional resistance at the contact points of both guides 7, pinion 8, and rack 9, and can move freely with a force that exceeds this frictional resistance.

[0018] The opening / closing body 2 has left and right spaces 14L, 14R on both the left and right sides between the base part 5 and the lid part 6 shown in Fig. 2(A) into which the tip part of the locking member 10 that has passed through the fixing hole 11 and the storage hole 12 is inserted. In addition, as shown in Fig. 3(C), the opening / closing body 2 has a positioning part 13 disposed in one space 14L for regulating the position of the lid part 6, and as shown in Fig. 3(A), the other space 14R is continuous in the front-rear direction over a length corresponding to the range of advancement and retreat of the lid part 6 relative to the base part 5.

[0019] As shown in Figure 2(B), the locking member 10 is a trim clip having a threaded portion 10B provided on the axis of a main body portion 10A and a tip portion 10C that expands and deforms in the radial direction when the threaded portion 10B is screwed in. The positioning portions 13 are holes through which the tip portion 10C of the locking member 10 passes, and are formed at multiple locations in the front-to-rear direction on the inner wall 6A of the lid portion 6. These holes serving as positioning portions 13 are arranged at least in two locations corresponding to the forward (forwardmost) position and the retracted (rearmost) position of the lid portion 6, and more preferably in two or more locations including a location midway between the forward and retracted positions.

[0020] The locking member 10 is attached to either the fixing hole 11 or the storage hole 12. In other words, as shown by the imaginary line in FIG. 2(A), the opening / closing body 2 is attached by passing the locking member 10 through the fixing hole 11 or the positioning portion 13, and then manipulating the screw portion 10B to cause the tip portion 10B to expand and deform, thereby restricting the forward and backward movement of the lid portion 6 relative to the base portion 5.

[0021] In addition, the locking member 10 can be removed from the fixing hole 11 and the positioning portion 13 to allow the lid portion 6 to move back and forth. At this time, the locking member 10 is passed through the storage hole 12 as shown by the solid line in Figure 2(A), and the tip portion 10C is bulged and deformed as shown by the virtual line in Figure 2(B) for storage.

[0022] In the above-mentioned opening / closing body 2, the base portion 5 has recesses 15L and 15R on both the left and right sides of its inner surface, and as shown in Figure 3(C), a fixing hole 11 is arranged at the bottom of one recess 15L, and a storage hole 12 is arranged at the bottom of the other recess 15R.

[0023] In addition, the depth dimension DL of one recess 15L of the opening / closing body 2 is smaller than the depth dimension DR of the other recess 15R. Furthermore, in the opening / closing body 2, both recesses 15L and 15R are formed in the shape of short grooves extending in the front-rear direction.

[0024] As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the motion transmission mechanism 4 includes a switch shaft 16 that is guided in the up-down direction and biased upward, a locking member 17 that is guided in the front-rear direction and biased rearward, and a cam mechanism 18 that converts the downward movement of the switch shaft 16 into the forward movement of the locking member 17.

[0025] The switch knob 3 is fixed to the upper end of the switch shaft 16, and is located on the top surface of the box body B, forward of the front end of the opening / closing body 2 when the lid part 6 is moved to its forwardmost position, i.e., it is located in a fixed position relative to the retractable lid part 6. This allows the switch knob 13 to be operated regardless of the fore-and-aft adjustment position of the driver's seat.

[0026] The switch shaft 16 is guided in the up-down direction by a vertical guide portion 51 formed in a housing 50, which is an internal structure of the box body B, and has a cam surface 18A in the middle that constitutes the cam mechanism 18. This cam surface 18A is a downward-facing cam surface that slopes upward in the forward direction. The switch shaft 16 is urged upward by a vertical spring 19 attached to the lower end portion.

[0027] The locking member 17 is guided in the front-rear direction by a groove-shaped guide portion 52 formed in the housing 50, and has a cam surface 18B that, together with the cam surface 18A, constitutes the cam mechanism 18. This cam surface 18B is an upward-facing cam surface that slopes downward in the rearward direction. The locking member 17 is biased rearward by a horizontal spring 20 disposed on the front side.

[0028] The switch shaft 16 and locking member 17 are combined with each other with their respective shapes set so that cam surfaces 18A, 18B come into contact with each other and do not interfere with the reciprocating movements of the cam surfaces 18A, 18B, particularly around the peripheries of the cam surfaces 18A, 18B. These structures are not particularly limited, but as an example, switch shaft 16 is made hollow and open in the front-rear direction, locking member 17 passes through the hollow portion, and cam surfaces 18A, 18B are arranged at the intersection between them.

[0029] 3(B) and 5, the motion transmission mechanism 4 of this embodiment is provided with a locking protrusion 17A at the rear end of the locking member 17, and a locking recess 5A at the front end of the base part 5. The locking protrusion 17A protrudes into the storage part A and has an upwardly inclined surface that slopes downward toward the rear as a surface that pushes the locking member 17 when the opening / closing body 2 is closed.

[0030] Here, the box body B has a range of motion of the parking brake operating lever P and a second container holder H2 that opens and closes in accordance with the forward and backward movement of the lid portion 6 when the opening / closing body 2 is in the closed position, and as shown in Figure 2 (D), a locking member 17 is arranged between the range of motion of the operating lever P and the second container holder H2.

[0031] 5, the locking member 17 has a crank shape in plan view to avoid the second container holder H2, and has rib-like reinforcing portions 17F at the corners of the crank shape. As a result, the vehicle armrest 1 has the power transmission mechanism 4 disposed within the narrow space of the box body B, and the switch knob 3 disposed in a fixed position away from the opening / closing body 2, ensuring reliable opening and closing operations of the opening / closing body 2.

[0032] Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 6, the action transmission mechanism 4 of this embodiment is provided with locking claws 23 shown in Fig. 6(A) on the left and right sides of the upper end of the switch shaft 16, and protrusions 24 for receiving the switch knob 3 are provided at the front and rear of the upper end. The switch knob 3 is provided with locking holes 25 shown in Fig. 5(A) on both the left and right sides thereof, and is fixed to the switch shaft 16 by placing the switch knob 3 on the protrusions 24 and elastically locking the locking claws 23 into the locking holes 25.

[0033] 6(A), the motion transmission mechanism is provided with protruding left-right restriction portions 21 on the left and right sides of the upper end of the switch shaft 16 that come into contact with the switch knob 3, and as shown in Fig. 6(B), protruding front-rear restriction portions 22 are provided at two locations, one above and one below, in the front and one below of the switch shaft 16, that come into contact with the housing 50 so that they can move up and down. As a result, the motion transmission mechanism 4 prevents rattling of the switch knob 3 and the switch shaft 16 in the front-rear and left-right directions, and maintains smooth operation for a long period of time.

[0034] The vehicle armrest 1 having the above-described configuration allows the position of the lid portion 6 of the opening / closing body 2 to be adjusted between the forward position shown in Fig. 1(A) and the retracted position shown in Fig. 2(B). In this case, as described above, the position of the lid portion 6 can be adjusted continuously by attaching the locking member 10 to the storage hole 12. In addition, the position of the lid portion 6 can be adjusted in stages and can be restrained at the adjusted position by attaching the locking member 10 to the fixing hole 11.

[0035] In addition, in the vehicle armrest 1, when the switch knob 3 is pressed, the action transmission mechanism 4 functions to rotate the opening / closing body 2 upward, opening the storage compartment A, as shown in Fig. 1(C). Specifically, when the switch knob 3 is pressed, the switch shaft 16 descends against the vertical spring 19, and its cam surface 18A presses the cam surface 18B of the locking member 17. This causes the locking member 17 to move forward against the horizontal spring 20, and the locking protrusion 17A disengages from the locking recess 5A of the base 5. At this time, since the opening / closing body 2 is biased upward by an elastic body (not shown), the lock state is released by the disengagement of the locking protrusion 17A, and the front part rises up, opening the storage compartment A.

[0036] Furthermore, when the opening / closing body 2 of the vehicle armrest 1 is rotated downward, the lower end of the locking recess 5A of the base 5 presses against the inclined surface of the locking protrusion 17A, pushing the locking member 17 forward against the horizontal spring 20. Then, when the opening / closing body 2 is pressed until the lower end of the locking recess 5A passes the tip of the locking protrusion 17A, the locking member 17 is pushed back rearward by the horizontal spring 20, and the locking protrusion 17A protruding into the storage section A engages with the locking recess 5A, thereby entering a locked state.

[0037] The vehicle armrest 1 described above comprises an opening / closing body 2 for opening and closing the upper side of the storage compartment A, which comprises an inner base portion 5, an outer lid portion 6, and a locking member 10, the base portion 5 having fixing holes 11 and storage holes 12, and the lid portion 6 having a positioning portion 13 with which the tip of the locking member 10 passing through the fixing hole 11 engages to regulate the forward and backward movement of the lid portion 6. This allows the vehicle armrest 1 to be adjusted to a stepwise position and a stepless position, and also prevents loss of the part, i.e., the locking member 10, thereby improving convenience. Moreover, the vehicle armrest 1 described above allows the opening / closing body 2 to be rotated to open or close the storage compartment A regardless of the position of the lid portion 6 within its forward and backward movement range.

[0038] Furthermore, the vehicle armrest 1 has left and right spaces 14L and 14R on both sides in the left-right direction between the base portion 5 and the lid portion 6, into which the tip of the locking member 10 that has passed through the fixing hole 11 or the storage hole 12 is inserted, and the positioning portion 13 is disposed in the space 14L on the fixing hole 11 side, and the space 14R on the storage hole 12 side is continuous in the front-rear direction. When the locking member 10 is attached to the storage hole 12, the vehicle armrest 1 allows the lid portion 6 to move forward and backward without interfering with the locking member 10.

[0039] Furthermore, in the vehicle armrest 1, the locking member 10 is a trim clip, and the positioning portion 13 is a hole through which the tip portion 10C of the locking member 10 passes. As a result, the vehicle armrest 1 can attach the locking member 10 with a simple operation, and can reliably restrain the lid portion 6 whose position has been adjusted relative to the base portion 5, despite having a relatively simple structure.

[0040] Furthermore, in the vehicle armrest 1 described above, the base portion 5 has the fixing holes 11 and the storage holes 12 arranged at the bottom of the recesses 15L, 15R formed on its inner surface, so that the locking members 10 attached to the fixing holes 11 or the storage holes 12 can be prevented from protruding into the storage portion A. In other words, it is possible to prevent the head of the locking members 10 from interfering with the articles stored in the storage portion A.

[0041] Furthermore, in the vehicle armrest 1 described above, the depth dimension D of the recess 15L having the fixing hole 11 is smaller than the depth dimension DR of the recess 15R having the storage hole 12. This ensures that the vehicle armrest 1 has sufficient space 14R for the locking member 10 attached to the storage hole 12 to be inserted into, and ensures storage space for the locking member 10 in a narrow vertical space. Also, by making the depth dimensions of the recesses 15L and 15R different, it is possible to easily distinguish between the fixing and storage uses.

[0042] Furthermore, in the vehicle armrest 1, the recesses 15L, 15R are formed in the shape of short grooves extending in the front-to-rear direction, so that when the locking member 10 is pinched with fingers to be attached or detached, space is secured around the locking member 10, making it easy to perform the attachment or detachment operation.

[0043] In the above embodiment, a configuration has been exemplified in which the rear end of the base part 5 of the opening / closing body 2 is rotatably connected to the box body B, but a configuration in which the side part of the base part 5 is rotatably connected to the box body B can also be adopted. In this case, the opening / closing body 2 is configured such that the outer lid part 6 is combined with the inner base part 5 so as to be movable in the front-rear direction, and rotates in the left-right direction of the vehicle to open and close the storage part A.

[0044] The vehicle armrest according to the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. For example, a bolt can be used as the pin-shaped locking member. In this case, the fixing hole and the storage hole can be threaded, or nuts can be used as positioning members. [Explanation of symbols]

[0045] A Storage section 1 Vehicle armrest 2 Opening and closing body 5 Base 6 Lid 10 Locking member (trim clip) 10A main body 10B Threaded part 10C Tip 11 Fixing hole 12 storage holes 13 Positioning part 14L, 14R space (space into which the locking member enters) 15L, 15R recess

Claims

1. An armrest for a vehicle that also serves as a lid for a storage compartment in a center console box of a vehicle, An opening / closing body for opening and closing the upper side of the storage section is provided, The opening / closing body includes an inner base portion rotatably connected to the box body, an outer lid portion connected to the base portion so as to be movable back and forth in the vehicle longitudinal direction, and a pin-shaped locking member attached to the base portion from the storage portion side, the base portion has, on one side in the left-right direction of the vehicle, a fixing hole through which the locking member is attached in a penetrating state, and has, on the other side in the left-right direction of the vehicle, a storage hole through which the locking member is attached in a penetrating state, the lid includes a positioning portion that is engaged with a tip end of the locking member that passes through the fixing hole at a predetermined advance / retract position of the lid to restrict the advance / retract movement of the lid, A vehicle armrest characterized in that the lid portion is restricted from moving back and forth when the locking member is attached to the fixing hole, while the lid portion is allowed to move back and forth when the locking member is removed from the fixing hole and attached to the storage hole.

2. A space is provided inside the lid portion into which the tip of the locking member that has passed through the fixing hole protrudes, and a space is provided between the base portion and the lid portion into which the tip of the locking member that has passed through the storage hole protrudes, The positioning portion is disposed in the one space, and 2. The armrest for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the other space is continuous in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

3. The locking member is a trim clip having a threaded portion provided on the axis of a main body portion and a tip portion that expands and deforms in a radial direction when the threaded portion is screwed into the trim clip, 3. The vehicle armrest according to claim 1, wherein the positioning portion is a hole through which the tip of the trim clip passes.

4. the base portion has recesses on both sides in the left-right direction of the vehicle on the surface of the storage portion side, A fixing hole is arranged at the bottom of one of the recesses, 4. The vehicle armrest according to claim 1, wherein a storage hole is provided at the bottom of the other recess.

5. 5. The armrest for a vehicle according to claim 4, wherein the depth dimension of the one recess is smaller than the depth dimension of the other recess.

6. 5. The armrest for a vehicle according to claim 4, wherein the one recess and the other recess are formed as short grooves extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

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