Cup holder for automobile

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a cup holder for an automobile with which, when a cup with a handle is held therein, it is easy to grip the handle. [Solution] This cup holder 10 for an automobile includes: a first recess 30 having an open upper surface; a second recess 40 which is adjacent to the first recess and has an open upper surface; and a connection passage 50 which connects the first recess and the second recess and has an open upper surface. The connection passage intersects a first axis 61 connecting a central part 31 of the first recess and a central part 41 of the second recess in plan view.

Description

Automobile cup holder

[0001] The present invention relates to an automobile cup holder.

[0002] In the vehicle interior of an automobile, a cup holder capable of holding a drink container is provided (see FIGS. 1 and 9 of Patent Document 1). The cup holder disclosed in Patent Document 1 has two container grooves for storing containers arranged side by side. Each container groove has a cylindrical shape. The two container grooves are connected via a connecting groove.

[0003] Japanese Patent No. 3873054

[0004] When holding a cup with a handle as a drink container in the container groove, the handle is stored in the connecting groove. The width of the connecting groove needs to be set to a relatively small dimension in order to prevent the drink container held in the container groove from falling into the connecting groove. Therefore, when holding a cup with a handle in the container groove, the space between the handle and the connecting groove cannot be made large. For this reason, it is difficult to grasp the handle, and the handling of the cup with a handle is inconvenient.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an automobile cup holder that can facilitate grasping of the handle when holding a cup with a handle.

[0006] One aspect of the present invention for achieving the above object is an automobile cup holder having a first concave portion with an open upper surface, a second concave portion adjacent to the first concave portion and having an open upper surface, and a connecting passage with an open upper surface connecting the first concave portion and the second concave portion. The connecting passage intersects a first axis connecting the central portions of the first concave portion and the second concave portion in a plan view.

[0007] According to the present invention, since the connecting passage intersects the first axis, when holding a cup with a handle, compared with the case where the connecting passage is arranged parallel to the first axis, a larger space can be taken between both sides of the handle and the connecting passage. Therefore, the handle can be easily grasped, and the convenience of handling the cup with a handle can be improved.

[0008] This is a perspective view showing a car cup holder. This is a plan view showing a car cup holder. This is a cross-sectional view showing a car cup holder. This is a plan view schematically showing the first recess, the second recess, and the connecting passage. This is a perspective view showing a handleless cup held in a car cup holder. This is a perspective view showing a cup with a handle held in a car cup holder. This is a plan view showing a cup with a handle held in a car cup holder. This is a plan view showing a long, slender beverage container held in a car cup holder. This is a plan view showing a long, slender beverage container held in a tilted position in a car cup holder. This is a perspective view showing a mobile phone held in a car cup holder. This is a plan view schematically showing the first recess, the second recess, and the connecting passage in the car cup holder of Modification 1. This is a plan view schematically showing the first recess, the second recess, and the connecting passage in the car cup holder of Modification 2.

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The embodiments shown herein are illustrative examples for embodying the technical idea of ​​the present invention and do not limit the present invention. Therefore, all other implementable forms, examples, and operational techniques that can be conceived by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the present invention are included in the scope and spirit of the present invention, as well as in the claims and their equivalents.

[0010] Furthermore, the drawings attached to this specification may be schematically represented with changes to scale, aspect ratio, shape, etc., from the actual object for the sake of illustration and ease of understanding, but these are merely examples and do not limit the interpretation of the present invention.

[0011] In this specification, ordinal numbers such as "first," "second," etc., may be used. However, unless otherwise specified, these ordinal numbers are used for the purpose of identifying the constituent elements for the sake of explanation and do not specify a number or order.

[0012] <Embodiment> An embodiment of the automobile cup holder 10 (hereinafter also simply referred to as "cup holder 10") will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 4. Figures 1, 2, and 3 are perspective views, plan views, and cross-sectional views of the cup holder 10. Figure 4 is a schematic plan view showing the first recess, the second recess, and the connecting passage. "FR" and "RR" in the figures indicate the front and rear sides in the vehicle's longitudinal direction (FR-RR), respectively, and "L" and "R" indicate the left and right sides in the vehicle's lateral direction (L-R), respectively.

[0013] The cup holder 10 is generally located between the console box of the center console and the shift lever for changing gears in the transmission. The cup holder 10 is configured to hold various items, such as beverage containers and small items other than beverage containers. Beverage containers include, for example, cans, plastic bottles, glass bottles, cups with handles, and cups without handles. Small items include, for example, mobile phones, wallets, pass cases, and glasses.

[0014] As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the cup holder 10 of the embodiment is formed in the main body portion 20 that constitutes the center console. The cup holder 10 has a first recess 30 with an open top surface, a second recess 40 adjacent to the first recess 30 with an open top surface, and a connecting passage 50 with an open top surface that connects the first recess 30 and the second recess 40. As shown in Figure 4, the connecting passage 50 intersects with a first axis 61 that connects the central portion 31 of the first recess 30 and the central portion 41 of the second recess 40 in a plan view. Here, "the connecting passage 50 intersects with the first axis 61" means that the line segment 56 connecting the center points in the width direction of the connecting passage 50 in a plan view intersects with the first axis 61.

[0015] In this embodiment, the second recess 40 is positioned further rear (RR) in the vehicle's longitudinal direction (FR-RR) than the first recess 30. The first recess 30 and the second recess 40 have a depth suitable for holding various beverage containers, for example, about 80 mm deep. The first recess 30 and the second recess 40 have a cylindrical shape, with their inner diameters widening from the bottoms 32, 42 towards the openings 33, 43. The bottoms 32 of the first recess 30, 42 of the second recess 40, and 52 of the connecting passage 50 are formed flush with each other. The openings 33 of the first recess 30, 43 of the second recess 40, and 53 of the connecting passage 50 are also formed at the same height. In plan view, the bottoms 32 of the first recess 30 and 42 of the second recess 40 have a circular shape. In plan view, the bottom 52 of the connecting passage 50 has a substantially rectangular shape.

[0016] In Figure 4, the dashed lines 34 and 44 virtually represent the contours of the bottom 32 of the first recess 30 and the bottom 42 of the second recess 40. In plan view, the first recess 30 and the second recess 40 are composed of arcs and straight lines. At least one of the two lines connecting the first recess 30 to the connecting passage 50 and the two lines connecting the second recess 40 to the connecting passage 50 is composed of a straight line. In the illustrated example, the line 35 connecting the first recess 30 to the connecting passage 50 is composed of a straight line, and the line 45 connecting the second recess 40 to the connecting passage 50 is composed of a straight line. This configuration allows for a larger space to move the circular storage object held in the first recess 30, etc., horizontally. Therefore, the circular storage object can be easily grasped at any position.

[0017] The width W2 in a plan view of the area where the second recess 40 and the connecting passage 50 are connected is wider than the width W1 in a plan view of the area where the first recess 30 and the connecting passage 50 are connected (W2 > W1). With this configuration, relatively large items can be placed in the second recess 40, which is located behind (RR) the first recess 30. The shift lever is located in front (FF) of the cup holder 10. As a result, the driver can easily access the shift lever without being obstructed by items stored in the second recess 40.

[0018] Figure 5 is a perspective view showing a handleless cup 71 being held in a car cup holder 10.

[0019] The cup holder 10 of this embodiment can hold a handleless cup 71 in the first recess 30 and / or the second recess 40, similar to conventional cup holders.

[0020] Figures 6 and 7 are a perspective view and a plan view showing a cup with a handle 72 held in the cup holder 10. When the cup with a handle 72 is held in the first recess 30, the handle 72a is stored in the connecting passage 50.

[0021] The widths W1 and W2 of the connecting passage 50 are set to relatively small dimensions to prevent beverage containers held in the first recess 30 and / or the second recess 40 from tipping over into the connecting passage 50. When the connecting passage 50 is arranged parallel to the first axis 61, when a cup with a handle 72 is held in the first recess 30 or the second recess 40, it is not possible to create a large space between the handle 72a and the connecting passage 50 on both sides. In the cup holder 10 of this embodiment, the connecting passage 50 intersects with the first axis 61. With this configuration, compared to when the connecting passage 50 is arranged parallel to the first axis 61, a larger space can be created between the handle 72a and the connecting passage 50 when a cup with a handle 72 is held (see spaces 54 and 55 shown by dashed lines in Figure 7). Therefore, the handle 72a can be easily grasped, improving the convenience of handling the cup with a handle 72.

[0022] Figure 8 is a plan view showing a long, slender beverage container 73 held in the cup holder 10, and Figure 9 is a plan view showing a long, slender beverage container 73 held in the cup holder 10 in an inclined position.

[0023] The elongated beverage container 73 shown in the illustration is, for example, a drink can. As described above, the widths W1 and W2 of the connecting passage 50 are set to relatively small dimensions. Therefore, the elongated beverage container 73 held in the first recess 30 does not move to the second recess 40 through the connecting passage 50, and the elongated beverage container 73 held in the second recess 40 does not move to the first recess 30 through the connecting passage 50 (see Figure 8). In addition, the elongated beverage container 73 held in the first recess 30 does not fall into the connecting passage 50, but is held in an inclined state (see Figure 9). Therefore, the elongated beverage container 73 can be easily grasped.

[0024] Figure 10 is a perspective view showing a mobile phone 74 being held in a cup holder 10.

[0025] The cup holder 10 can hold small items other than beverage containers. For example, the cup holder 10 can hold a long, slender mobile phone 74, which is a small item, across the first recess 30, the connecting passage 50, and the second recess 40.

[0026] (Modification 1) Figure 11 is a schematic plan view showing the first recess 30, the second recess 40, and the connecting passage 50 in the cup holder 10 of Modification 1.

[0027] The first recess 30 and the second recess 40 are arranged side by side in the vehicle's front-rear direction (FR-RR), and the first axis 61 can be positioned to intersect with the second axis 62, which is parallel to the vehicle's front-rear direction (FR-RR). In the modified example 1, the cup holder 10 has the first recess 30 positioned to the left (L) in the vehicle's left-right direction (L-R) than the second recess 40. With this configuration, the first recess 30 is closer to the left-side (L) seat (for example, the passenger seat) than the second recess 40. Therefore, it becomes easier to retrieve items stored in the first recess 30 from the left-side (L) seat.

[0028] (Modification 2) Figure 12 is a schematic plan view showing the first recess 30, the second recess 40, and the connecting passage 50 in the cup holder 10 of Modification 2.

[0029] The first recess 30 and the second recess 40 are arranged side by side in the vehicle's longitudinal direction (FR-RR), and the first axis 61 can be positioned to intersect with the second axis 62, which is parallel to the vehicle's longitudinal direction (FR-RR). In the modified example 2 of the cup holder 10, the first recess 30 is located to the right (R) in the vehicle's left-right direction (L-R) than the second recess 40. With this configuration, the first recess 30 is closer to the right-side (R) seat (for example, the driver's seat) than the second recess 40. Therefore, it becomes easier to retrieve items stored in the first recess 30 from the right-side (R) seat.

[0030] Although the automobile cup holder 10 of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the configurations described in the embodiments and modifications described above, and can be modified as appropriate based on the claims.

[0031] The following embodiments are also included in the scope of the present invention: an automobile cup holder 10 according to any one of claims 2 to 4, having the features of claim 5.

[0032] 10 Car cup holder 20 Main body 30 First recess 31 Central part 33 Opening 35 Line (line connecting the first recess to the connecting passage) 40 Second recess 41 Central part 43 Opening 45 Line (line connecting the second recess to the connecting passage) 50 Connecting passage 53 Opening 54, 55 Space 61 First axis 62 Second axis 72 Cup with handle 72a Handle

Claims

1. An automobile cup holder having a first recess with an open top surface, a second recess adjacent to the first recess with an open top surface, and a connecting passage with an open top surface connecting the first recess and the second recess, wherein the connecting passage intersects with respect to a first axis connecting the central part of the first recess and the central part of the second recess in a plan view.

2. The car cup holder according to claim 1, wherein the first recess and the second recess in a plan view are composed of an arc and a straight line, and at least one of the two lines connecting the first recess to the connecting passage and the two lines connecting the second recess to the connecting passage is composed of a straight line.

3. The car cup holder according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first recess and the second recess are arranged side by side in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, the first axis is arranged to intersect with a second axis parallel to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and the first recess is located to the left of the second recess in the lateral direction of the vehicle.

4. The car cup holder according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first recess and the second recess are arranged side by side in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, the first axis is arranged to intersect with a second axis parallel to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and the first recess is located to the right of the second recess in the lateral direction of the vehicle.

5. The width in plan view of the portion where the second recess and the connecting passage are connected is wider than the width in plan view of the portion where the first recess and the connecting passage are connected, according to claim 1.

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