Storage structure for vehicle

Abstract

In the present invention, a large number of water retention grooves (7) are formed on a bottom wall (5a) of a left-right pair of holder parts (6l, 6r) so as to extend linearly in the front-rear direction and be aligned in the left-right direction. A first wiping surface (8) having a planar shape facing upward is formed between a rear end (7a) of each water retention groove (7) and a rear wall (5c) of the holder parts (6l, 6r). In each water retention groove (7), a slope surface (11) forming a linear plane is formed between a bottom surface part (7b) of the rear end (7a) of the bottom surface part (7) and the first wiping surface (8), and the bottom surface part (7b) and the first wiping surface (8) are connected, at a gentle angle, via a slope surface (11).

Description

Vehicle storage structure

[0001] The present invention relates to a storage structure for a vehicle.

[0002] A cup holder for holding a drinking water container, such as a cup, a beverage can, or a paper cup (hereinafter collectively referred to as a cup), filled with drinking water may be mounted on the console of a vehicle such as an automobile. When the vehicle is subjected to rocking motion while traveling or when the cup is handled roughly, the drinking water may overflow from the cup inside the cup holder. The overflowing drinking water may collect at the bottom of the cup holder and adhere to the bottom of the cup, which may drip onto the lap of a passenger when the passenger picks up the cup, causing discomfort.

[0003] As a countermeasure against drinking water spilling from a cup, for example, a cup holder is proposed in Patent Document 1. This cup holder has a light guide provided at the bottom, which diffuses light to illuminate the inside of the cup holder. When drinking water spills from a cup inside the cup holder, the drinking water drips down the bottom of the cup holder via the light guide at the bottom, and may adversely affect electronic components and the like installed below. To address this issue, a drain hole is provided at the bottom of the cup holder, which drains drinking water spilling into the cup holder to the outside through the drain hole and directs it to a location where it will not cause any problems, thereby protecting the electronic components and the like.

[0004] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2019-147469

[0005] As described above, the cup holder in Patent Document 1 directs drinking water that overflows into the cup holder to the outside in order to protect electronic components and the like installed below the cup holder. Therefore, when drinking water overflows into the cup holder, it adheres to the bottom of the cup, which causes discomfort to the occupants, and a fundamental solution has been desired.

[0006] The present invention has been made to solve such problems, and its purpose is to provide a storage structure for a vehicle that can prevent drinking water that has overflowed from a cup into a cup holder from sticking to the bottom of the cup, thereby achieving a good usability.

[0007] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the vehicle storage structure of the present invention is a storage structure that is provided in the center console of a vehicle and has a holder portion that holds a container, and is characterized by having a groove that extends from one end to the other end in a predetermined first direction of the bottom wall of the holder portion, a first surface that is provided at the other end of the bottom wall between the side wall of the holder portion and faces upward and is approximately flat, and an inclined surface that is formed at the other end of the groove in the first direction and connects the bottom surface of the groove to the first surface.

[0008] With this vehicle storage structure, any drinking water that overflows from the container collects in the groove formed in the bottom wall of the holder, so that the drinking water does not adhere to the bottom of the container when it is removed. Furthermore, to clean the dust that has accumulated in the groove, simply press dish paper or the like against the groove and move it toward the other end, and the dust in the groove is raked toward the other end, then moves along the inclined surface to the first surface, making it easy to wipe away.

[0009] In another embodiment, a plurality of the grooves may be arranged in parallel, so that drinking water spilling from the container can be collected in the plurality of water-retaining grooves.

[0010] In another aspect, the groove may extend in the front-rear direction of the vehicle and a plurality of grooves may be arranged side by side in the left-right direction of the vehicle. Therefore, it is possible to scrape up dust in the grooves without performing an unreasonable movement.

[0011] In another embodiment, each groove may have a trapezoidal cross section, so that even if the groove is very small, tissue paper or the like can penetrate into every corner to scrape up dust.

[0012] In another embodiment, the inclined surface may be a sloped surface that extends linearly and is continuous, thereby enabling dust in the groove to be smoothly moved to the first surface via the sloped surface.

[0013] In another aspect, a second surface may be formed on the bottom wall of the holder portion, the second surface being adjacent to the groove in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and continuous with the first surface. Therefore, even if dust cannot be completely wiped off with the first surface, it is possible to use the second surface to wipe off the dust.

[0014] In another aspect, the portion where the first surface and the second surface are continuous may be near a corner of the side wall of the holder, and the corner may be curved when viewed vertically. Therefore, when moving dust from the first surface to the second surface, the curved corner functions as a guide, making it easier to wipe off the dust.

[0015] In another aspect, the first direction may be the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, the second direction may be the width direction of the vehicle, the first surface may be formed at a position corresponding to the rear of the vehicle within the holder portion, and the second surface may be formed at a position corresponding to either the left or right side of the holder portion. Therefore, it is possible to scrape up dust in the groove without performing an unreasonable movement.

[0016] In another aspect, one end of the groove may be continuous from the bottom wall to the upper surface of the center console via a side wall of the holder portion on one end side in the first direction, thereby providing a unique design around the center console and improving its aesthetic appearance.

[0017] According to the vehicle storage structure of the present invention, it is possible to prevent drinking water spilling from a cup into a cup holder from adhering to the bottom of the cup, thereby achieving a comfortable usability.

[0018] 6 is a perspective view of the cup holder of the embodiment as seen from the diagonally front left; FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the cup holder as seen from the diagonally rear left; FIG. 8 is a plan view showing the cup holder; FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. 3; FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VV in FIG. 3; FIG. 11 is an enlarged view of part A in FIG. 3; FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VII-VII in FIG. 6; FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 7 showing another example;

[0019] An embodiment of the vehicle storage structure of the present invention will now be described, in which the structure is embodied as a cup holder provided in the center console of a vehicle. Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the cup holder of this embodiment, seen from the diagonally front left, Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the cup holder, seen from the diagonally rear left, and Fig. 3 is a plan view of the cup holder. In the following description, front-rear, left-right, and up-down directions are expressed with reference to a vehicle occupant.

[0020] A center console 1 of a vehicle is disposed between the left and right front seats (not shown). A lever panel 2 is provided on the front top surface of the center console 1, on which a selector lever 3 is erected, and an openable armrest 4 is provided on the rear top surface. A cup holder 5 is disposed between the lever panel 2 and the armrest 4, and includes a pair of left and right holder portions 6l, 6r for respectively holding cups C (corresponding to the "container" of the present invention) shown by the two-dot chain line in Figure 3.

[0021] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VV in FIG. 3 , and FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of portion A in FIG. 3 . The cup holder 5 is manufactured, for example, by injection molding a synthetic resin material and has an overall concave shape that opens upward. Specifically, the cup holder 5 is formed by a bottom wall 5a that forms the bottom surface of the interior, a front wall 5b that forms the front surface, a rear wall 5c (corresponding to the “side wall” in the present invention) that forms the rear surface, a left wall 5d (corresponding to the “side wall” in the present invention) that forms the left side surface, and a right wall 5e (corresponding to the “side wall” in the present invention) that forms the right side surface. The upper ends of the front wall 5b, the rear wall 5c, the left wall 5d, and the right wall 5e are continuous with the top surface 1a of the center console 1. The corners of adjacent walls 5a-5e, i.e., the intersections between the walls, each have a rounded cross section, and the corners where the upper ends of the front wall 5b, the rear wall 5c, the left wall 5d, and the right wall 5e intersect with the top surface 1a of the center console 1 also each have a rounded cross section.

[0022] The left and right center of the front wall 5b bulges rearward to form a front partition 5f, and the left and right center of the rear wall 5c bulges forward to form a rear partition 5g, so that the cup holder 5 has a narrowed shape in the left and right center in a plan view. As a result, the cup holder 5 is formed with a pair of left and right holder portions 6l, 6r that open upward, and a cup C can be inserted into each of the holder portions 6l, 6r from above to hold it.

[0023] Numerous water retention grooves 7 (corresponding to "grooves" in the present invention) are formed in the bottom wall 5a of each of the left and right holder portions 6l, 6r during injection molding of the cup holder 5. Each water retention groove 7 is linear, extending in the front-to-rear direction (corresponding to the "first direction" in the present invention) and arranged side by side in the left-to-right direction (corresponding to the "second direction" in the present invention). In this embodiment, the depth d of the water retention groove 7 is set to 0.5 mm and the left-to-right width w is set to 1.0 mm, but this is not limited to these dimensions and can be changed as desired. The area where these water retention grooves 7 are formed is set to include most of the bottom surface of a cup C of a size expected to be inserted and held in each holder portion 6l, 6r. As will be described in detail later, this prevents drinking water from adhering to the bottom surface of the cup C.

[0024] The rear end 7a (corresponding to the "other end" of the present invention) of each water retention groove 7 extends to the vicinity of the rear wall 5c of the cup holder 5, and since the configuration around it is a characteristic part of the present invention, details will be described later. Each water retention groove 7 extends forward on the bottom wall 5a, continues from the bottom wall 5a through an R-shaped corner onto the front wall 5b, and further continues from the front wall 5b through an R-shaped corner onto the top surface 1a of the center console 1, with its front end being hidden from above by the rear part of the lever panel 2.

[0025] The cup holders 5 are positioned within easy reach of the passengers seated in the front seats, meaning that they are often visible to the passengers. As described above, the water-retaining grooves 7 of the cup holders 5 are uniquely designed to extend not only through the bottom walls 5a of the holder portions 6l and 6r but also through the front wall 5b and onto the top surface 1a of the center console 1, which has the advantage of improving the aesthetics of the area around the center console 1.

[0026] Next, we will explain the structure around the rear end 7a of each water retention groove 7, a characteristic feature of the present invention. Figure 6 is an enlarged view of portion A in Figure 3, Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VII-VII in Figure 6, and Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII in Figure 6. As shown in Figures 6 and 8, each water retention groove 7 extends to the vicinity of the rear wall 5c. Between the rear end 7a and the rear wall 5c, a first wiping surface 8 (corresponding to the "first surface" in this specification) is formed, facing upward and having a front-to-rear width W1 of 5 mm. As will be described later, dust on the first wiping surface 8 is wiped off with tissue paper or the like, and this width is set to the width necessary for the wiping operation. Because the first wiping surface 8 constitutes part of the bottom wall 5a, the first wiping surface 8 is continuous with the rear wall 5c through the corner of the rounded cross section.

[0027] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 3, 6, and 7, second wiping surfaces 9l, 9r (corresponding to the "second surface" of the present invention) are formed on the left side of the water retention groove 7 of the holder part 6l and on the right side of the water retention groove 7 of the holder part 6r, respectively, and are flat and face upward.

[0028] The first wiping surface 8 and the left and right second wiping surfaces 9l, 9r form a continuous plane at the same height. As shown in FIG. 3 , the area where the first wiping surface 8 and the left second wiping surface 9l join is surrounded by a corner 10l, which has a rounded cross section formed by the rear wall 5c and the left wall 5d. As also shown in FIGS. 3 and 6 , the area where the first wiping surface 8 and the right second wiping surface 9r join is surrounded by a corner 10r, which has a rounded cross section formed by the rear wall 5c and the right wall 5e. That is, these corners 10l, 10r are curved when viewed vertically. Like the first wiping surface 8, the second wiping surfaces 9l, 9r also form part of the bottom wall 5a. As a result, the left second wiping surface 9l continues to the left wall 5d through the rounded cross-sectional corner, and the right second wiping surface 9r continues to the right wall 5e through the rounded cross-sectional corner.

[0029] Furthermore, the left-right width W2 of the second wiping surfaces 9l, 9r is set to 7 mm, which is slightly wider than the front-rear width W1 of the first wiping surface 8, making it easier to wipe away dust on the second wiping surfaces 9l, 9r. However, the widths W1, W2 are not limited to these settings and can be changed as desired.

[0030] The detailed shape of each water retention groove 7 is as follows. First, as shown in FIG. 7 , each water retention groove 7 has a trapezoidal cross section without any clear corners or angles. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 8 , a sloped surface 11 (corresponding to the "inclined surface" of the present invention) is formed within each water retention groove 7 between the bottom surface 7 b of the rear end 7 a and the first wiping surface 8. Specifically, in the side view of FIG. 8 , the sloped surface 11 extends linearly rearward and upward from the bottom surface 7 b of the rear end 7 a of the water retention groove 7 and is formed as a flat surface that continues to the first wiping surface 8. As a result, the bottom surface 7 b of the water retention groove 7 and the first wiping surface 8 are connected at a gentle angle via this sloped surface 11.

[0031] Next, the effects of the cup holder 5 configured as described above will be described. For example, when a cup C filled with drinking water is inserted and held in the holder portions 6l and 6r of the cup holder 5, the cup may be subjected to rocking motion as the vehicle moves, or the cup C may be roughly inserted into the holder portions 6l and 6r. In this case, the drinking water may overflow from the cup C inside the cup holder 5. In this embodiment, since the bottom wall 5a of the cup holder 5 is formed with numerous water retention grooves 7, most of the overflowing drinking water enters and accumulates in each water retention groove 7. Although the overflowing drinking water may initially adhere to the surface of the cup C, it soon drips down to the bottom wall 5a and accumulates in the water retention grooves 7. As a result, almost no drinking water remains on the bottom wall 5a of the cup holder 5. Therefore, when a passenger picks up the cup C, no drinking water adheres to the bottom surface of the cup C, or even if it does, only a small amount adheres, preventing the drinking water from dripping onto the passenger's lap.

[0032] Meanwhile, as a vehicle is used, dust gradually accumulates inside the vehicle cabin, and dust also accumulates in the cup holder 5, which requires hygienic considerations because it is connected to drinking water. However, the interior of the cup holder 5 is narrow, and the water retention groove 7 formed in the bottom wall 5a at the innermost part of the cup holder 5 is very fine, making it difficult to clean to remove dust. For example, while dust can be collected on the bottom wall 5a inside the water retention groove 7 by pressing dish paper or the like against the water retention groove 7 and moving it back and forth, it is difficult to remove the collected dust from inside the water retention groove 7.

[0033] In anticipation of such a situation, in this embodiment, a sloped surface 11 is formed at the rear end of each water retention groove 7, and the first wiping surface 8 is formed continuous with this sloped surface 11. Therefore, when paper pressed against the bottom wall 5a is moved rearward along the water retention groove 7, dust inside the water retention groove 7 is scraped rearward and then moves via the sloped surface 11 onto the first wiping surface 8. As described above, the sloped surface 11 is formed as a gentle plane connecting the bottom surface 7b of the water retention groove 7 to the first wiping surface 8, allowing dust inside the water retention groove 7 to be smoothly moved to the first wiping surface 8. The first wiping surface 8 has a front-to-rear width W1 that allows for easy dust wiping. Therefore, dust can be easily wiped away by moving tissue paper from side to side on the first wiping surface 8. Furthermore, because the first wiping surface 8 is continuous with the rear wall 5c via a corner with a rounded cross section, dust can also be wiped away by moving tissue paper from the first wiping surface 8 to the rear wall 5c.

[0034] On the other hand, if for some reason the dust on the first wiping surface 8 cannot be completely wiped away, the dust is moved from the first wiping surface 8 to one of the second wiping surfaces 9l, 9r together with the tissue. The first wiping surface 8 and the left and right second wiping surfaces 9l, 9r are continuous at the same height, and when moving the dust to the left second wiping surface 9l, the corner 10l with its rounded cross section functions as a guide, while when moving the dust to the right second wiping surface 9r, the corner 10r with its rounded cross section functions as a guide. These requirements combine to easily move the dust to the second wiping surfaces 9l, 9r, and the dust is wiped away by moving the tissue back and forth on the second wiping surfaces 9l, 9r. It should be noted that dust can also be wiped away by moving the tissue from the left second wiping surface 9l to the left wall 5d or from the right second wiping surface 9r to the right wall 5e.

[0035] In this way, even if the first wiping surface 8 is not able to completely wipe away the dust, the second wiping surfaces 9l and 9r can be used to wipe it away, and in particular in this embodiment, the left-right width W2 of the second wiping surfaces 9l and 9r is set wider than the front-to-back width W1 of the first wiping surface 8, so that the dust can be wiped away easily and reliably.

[0036] Therefore, according to this embodiment, the water retention groove 7 prevents problems caused by drinking water spilling from the cup C, and also eliminates the problem caused by the water retention groove 7, i.e., the difficulty of cleaning the dust accumulated inside, thereby keeping the area around the cup holder 5 clean.

[0037] Additionally, in this embodiment, the following innovations have been implemented to facilitate cleaning of the water retention grooves 7. First, the cross section of each water retention groove 7 has a shape with a continuous series of gentle undulations. If the sole purpose was to collect drinking water spilling from the cup C, a water retention groove 7 with clear corners and edges would function, but this would make it difficult for tissue paper to penetrate the fine corners of the water retention grooves 7, making it difficult to collect dust within the water retention grooves 7. A shape with a continuous series of gentle undulations makes it easier for tissue paper to penetrate every corner of the water retention grooves 7, which results in easier and more reliable collection of dust within the water retention grooves 7, which also contributes to easier cleaning.

[0038] Furthermore, each water retention groove 7 extends in the front-to-rear direction and is arranged side by side in the left-to-right direction. Cleaning the inside of the water retention groove 7 is generally performed while seated in either the left or right front seat, so looking into the cup holder 5 located on the side to clean it requires a twisted body posture. Therefore, moving tissue paper along the water retention groove 7 extending in the front-to-rear direction requires waving one's hand from side to side, a movement that is quite natural for humans. This allows dust to be scraped up inside the water retention groove 7 without any strain, which also contributes to ease of cleaning.

[0039] Furthermore, the first wiping surface 8 is formed on the rear side of the cup holder 5, the second wiping surface 9l is formed on the left side, and the second wiping surface 9r is formed on the right side. Compared to the lever panel 2 on which the selector lever 3 related to vehicle driving is mounted, the armrest 4, which simply stores items, has a higher degree of design freedom. Therefore, if the first wiping surface 8 is provided on the rear side of the cup holder 5, the function of the first wiping surface 8 can be prioritized over the armrest 4, and the shape of the first wiping surface 8 can be set to make wiping dust easier. Furthermore, when seated in the left front seat, the second wiping surface 9l on the left side is located at the shortest distance, and when seated in the right front seat, the second wiping surface 9r on the right side is located at the shortest distance. Therefore, dust can be easily wiped off from each of the second wiping surfaces 9l, 9r, which also contributes to ease of cleaning.

[0040] Although the description of the embodiment has been completed, the aspects of the present invention are not limited to this embodiment. For example, in the above embodiment, the pair of left and right holder portions 6l, 6r are formed by bulging the front and rear partition walls 5f, 5g within the cup holder 5, and therefore each holder portion 6l, 6r has a substantially polygonal shape in the plan view shown in Fig. 3. However, the number and shape of the holder portions 6l, 6r are not limited to this. For example, a single holder portion may be formed, or holder portions having a circular shape in the plan view may be formed.

[0041] In the above embodiment, multiple linear water retention grooves 7 are arranged side by side on the bottom wall 5a of the cup holder 5, but this is not limited thereto. For example, a single water retention groove may be formed on the bottom wall 5a, or water retention grooves that are gently curved in plan view may be formed, as long as they can collect drinking water that overflows from the cup C. In the above embodiment, a sloped surface 11 that forms a linear plane is formed between the bottom surface portion 7b of the water retention groove 7 and the first wiping surface 8, but the inclined surface of the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, instead of the sloped surface 11, a curved surface 21 with a radius R may be formed as the inclined surface, as shown in FIG. 9 .

[0042] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Center console 1a Top surface 5 Cup holder 5a Bottom wall 5c Rear wall (side wall) 5d Left wall (side wall) 5e Right wall (side wall) 6l, 6r Holder portion 7 Water retention groove (groove) 7a Rear end (other end) 7b Bottom surface portion 8 First wiping surface (first surface) 9l, 9r Second wiping surface (second surface) 11 Slope surface (inclined surface) 21 Curved surface (inclined surface) C Cup (container)

Claims

1. A storage structure for a vehicle, provided in a center console of a vehicle and having a holding section formed therein for holding stored items, characterized in that it comprises: a groove extending from one end to the other end in a predetermined first direction of the bottom wall of the holding section; a first surface facing upward and having a substantially flat shape, provided at the other end of the bottom wall between the side wall of the holding section; and an inclined surface formed at the other end of the groove in the first direction, connecting the bottom surface of the groove to the first surface.

2. The vehicle storage structure according to claim 1, characterized in that a plurality of the grooves are arranged side by side.

3. The vehicle storage structure according to claim 1, wherein the grooves extend in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and are arranged in a plurality in the lateral direction of the vehicle.

4. A vehicle storage structure according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that each of the grooves has a trapezoidal cross section.

5. The vehicle storage structure according to claim 1, wherein the inclined surface is a linearly extending continuous slope surface.

6. The vehicle storage structure according to claim 1, characterized in that the bottom wall of the retaining portion is formed with a second surface that is adjacent to the groove in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and is continuous with the first surface.

7. The vehicle storage structure described in claim 6, characterized in that the location where the first surface and the second surface are continuous is near a corner of the side wall of the holding portion, and the corner is curved when viewed vertically.

8. The vehicle storage structure described in claim 6, characterized in that the first direction is the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle, the second direction is the width direction of the vehicle, the first surface is formed at a position corresponding to the rear side of the vehicle within the holding portion, and the second surface is formed at a position corresponding to either the left or right side within the holding portion.

9. The vehicle storage structure according to claim 1, characterized in that one end of the groove continues from the bottom wall through the side wall on one end side of the holding portion in the first direction to the upper surface of the center console.

Images