GB2121365A

GB2121365A - Console box arrangement of automative vehicle

Info

Publication number: GB2121365A
Application number: GB08230547A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Yoshiyuki Miyabayashi; Yoshihide Sakaguchi; Kiyoshi Inagaki
Original assignee: Nissan Motor Co Ltd
Current assignee: Nissan Motor Co Ltd
Priority date: 1981-10-26
Filing date: 1982-10-26
Publication date: 1983-12-21
Also published as: GB2121365B; ES277060U; AU538826B2; ES277060Y; JPS5873455A; JPS6234221B2; AU8975682A

Abstract

A console box arrangement in an automotive vehicle having a vehicle body including a roof panel (6) and a roof trim (8) underlying the roof panel (6) and having a front end portion (8a) spaced apart downwardly from the roof panel (6) and forming a free space (10) between the roof panel (6) and the roof trim (8) and a ledge portion (8b) upwardly and rearwardly merging out of the front end portion (8a) and formed with an opening (12) which is open rearwardly of the vehicle body, comprising a hollow console box (13) provided in the free space (10) between the roof panel (6) and roof trim (8) and secured to the roof panel (6), the console box (13) having at its rear end an opening (17) which is open rearwardly through the opening (12) in the roof trim (8), and a lid member (19) having an end portion (19a) securely attached to the roof trim (8) and a lid portion (19b) hingedly connected to the end portion (19a) for being angularly movable about the boundary line between the end portion (19a) and the lid portion (19b) of the lid member (19) between an angular position closing the opening (12) in the roof trim (8) and an angular position allowing the opening (12) in the roof trim (8) to be open rearwardly. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Console box arrangement of automotive vehicle The present invention relates to a console box arrangement for use in an automotive vehicle and, more particularly, to a console box arrangement including a console box provided below the roof panel of the body structure of an automotive vehicle.

An automotive vehicle is ordinarily equipped with a console box to have miscellaneous articles stowed therein. Such a console box is usually mounted on the floor panel or any similar member of the body structure of the vehicle. Because of the limited spaces available over the floor panel of an automotive vehicle, a conventional console box thus arranged on the floor panel cannot be designed to have an adequate size and is for this reason not capable of storing a desired number of articles. The present invention contemplates alleviation of such a problem which has thus far been encountered in a prior-art console box arrangement.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a console box arrangement in an automotive vehicle having a vehicle body including a roof panel and a roof trim underlying the roof panel and having a front end portion spaced downwardly from the roof panel and forming a free space between the roof panel and the roof trim and a ledge portion upwardly and rearwardly merging out of the front end portion and formed with an opening which is open rearwardly of the vehicle body, comprising, in combination, a hollow console box provided in the free space between the roof panel and roof trim and secured to the roof panel, the console box having at its rear end an opening which is open rearwardly through the opening in the roof trim, and a lid member having an end portion securely attached to the roof trim and a lid portion hingedly connected to the end portion for being angularly movable about the boundary line between the end portion and the lid portion of the lid member between an angular position closing the opening in the roof trim and an angular position allowing the opening of the roof trim to be open rearwardly.

In the console box arrangement according to the present invention, the above mentioned lid member is preferably movable between the angular positions upwardly and downwardly about the boundary line. In this instance, the boundary line between the front end portion and lip portion of the lid member extends along the lower end of the opening.

The features and advantages of a console box arrangement according to the present invention will be more clearly appreciated from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a console box arrangement embodying the present invention; and Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on a vertical plane indicated by line Il-Il in Figure 1.

In Figure 1 of the drawing, an automotive vehicle is shown including a front windshield 1, a rear-view mirror 2, a sun visor 3, a windshield wiper 4, and a front door 5. The front door 5 forms part of a vehicle body which further includes a roof panel 6, a front roof rail 7, and a roof trim 8 underlying the roof panel 6 and securely attached along its front edge to the front rail 7 as shown in Figure 2. The vehicle body further includes a roof member 9 secured to the underside of the roof panel 6. The roof trim 8 has a front end portion 8a spaced downwardly from the roof panel 6 and thus forming a free space 10 between the roof panel 6 and the roof trim 8 and a ledge portion 8b upwardly and rearwardly merging out of the front end portion 8a. A roof-mounted ventilator 11 is attached to the ledge portion 8b of the roof trim 8 thus arranged.

The ledge portion 8b of the roof trim 8 is formed with a pair of openings 12 which are open rearwardly of the vehicle body. A pair of hollow console boxes which are commonly designated by reference numeral 13 are provided in the free space 10 formed between the roof panel 6 and roof trim 8 and are positioned in alignment with the openings 12, respectively, in the roof trim 8 in fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle body as will be seen from Figure 1. As shown in Figure 2, each of the console boxes 13 comprises upper and lower panel portions 14 and 15 which are vertically spaced from each other and thus form a free space 1 6 therebetween. Each console box 13 further has at its rear end an opening 17 which is open rearwardly and slightly downwardly through each of the openings 12 in the roof trim 8.Each console box 13 is secured to the roof panel 6 and roof trim 8 by means of the roof member 9 and support members 18 which are located adjacent the open rear end of the console box 13. A lid member 1 9 has a front end portion 1 9a securely attached to the lower face of the front end portion 8a of the roof trim 8 and a lid portion 1 9b hingedly connected to the front end portion 1 9a along the lower end of the opening 12. The lid portion 1 9b is thus angularly movable upwardly and downwardly about the boundary line between the front end portion 1 9a and lid portion 1 9b of the lid member 19 between an upper angular position closing each of the openings 12 in the roof trim 8 as indicated by full lines and a lower angular position allowing each opening 12 to be open rearwardly as indicated by dot-and-dash lines in Figure 2.The lid member 1 9 further has a handle portion 1 9c protruding away from the opening 1 2 in the roof trim 8 and a lug portion 1 9d protruding from the inner surface of the lid portion 1 9b and engageable with a resilient locking member 20 secured to the inner face of the upper panel portion 14 of the console box 13. When the lid portion 1 9b of the lid member 19 is moved into the upper angular position closing the opening 12 in the roof trim 8, the lug portion 1 9d of the lid member 19 is brought into pressing engagement with the resilient locking member 20 and is retained to the resilient locking member 20 by deformation of the resilient locking member 20, thereby locking the lid portion 1 Sb of the lid member 19 to the console box 13.The lid member 1 9 is preferably constructed of a synthetic resin and, in this instance, has formed between the front end portion 1 9a and the lid portion 1 Sb thereof a groove 21 extending laterally of the console box 1 3 at the lower end of the opening 12 in the roof trim 8 and having a Vshaped cross-section.

Articles cannot be removed from the console box 13 thus arranged when the lid portion 1 9b of the lid member 19 is held in the upper angular position closing the opening 12 in the roof trim 8 as indicated by the full lines in Figure 2. When it is desired to have any article stowed in or removed from the console box 13, the handle portion 1 sic of the lid member 19 is gripped by hand and thereafter the lid portion 1 Sb of the lid member 19 is pulled downwardly and rearwardly about the groove 21 until the lid portion 1 9b is turned into the lower angular position allowing the opening 12 in the roof trim 8 to be open as indicated by the dot-and-dash lines in Figure 2. To close the opening 12, the lid portion 1 Sb of the lid member 19 is turned by hand into the initial angular position so that the lug portion 1 9d of the lid member 19 is pressed against and thus retained by the resilient locking member 20 on the console box whereby the lid portion 1 9b is locked to the console box 13.

The console boxes 13 each of which is thus constructed and arranged are preferably located above the driver's and front passenger's seats, respectively, so that the space in the passenger compartment of the vehicle can be utilized effectively.

Claims

1. A console box arrangement in an automotive vehicle having a vehicle body including a roof panel and a roof trim underlying the roof panel and having a front end portion spaced downwardly from the roof panel and forming a free space between the roof panel and the roof trim and a ledge portion upwardly and rearwardly merging out of the front end portion and formed with an opening which is open rearwardly of the vehicle body, comprising in combination a hollow console box provided in said free space between the roof panel and roof trim and secured to said roof panel, the console box having at its rear end an opening which is open rearwardly through the opening in the roof trim, and a lid member having an end portion securely attached to the roof trim and a lid portion hingedly connected to the end portion for being angularly movable about the boundary line between the end portion and the lid portion of the lid member between an angular position closing the opening in the roof trim and an angular position allowing the opening in the roof trim to be open rearwardly.

2. A console box arrangement as set forth in claim 1, in which said lid member is movable between said angular positions upwardly and downwardly about said boundary line.

3. A console box arrangement as set forth in claim 2, in which said boundary line extends along the lower end of the opening.

4. A console box arrangement as set forth in claim 1,2 or 3, in which said lid member further has a handle portion protruding away from the opening in the roof trim.

5. A console box arrangement as set forth in claim 4, further comprising a resilient locking member secured to said console box, said lid member further having a lug portion protruding from the inner surface of the lid portion and engageable with said resilient locking member when the lid portion of the lid member is moved into the angular position closing the opening in the roof trim.

6. A console box arrangement as set forth in claim 1, 2 or 3, in which said lid member has formed between the front end portion and the lid portion thereof a groove extending laterally of the console box at the lower end of the opening in the roof trim and having a V-shaped cross-section.

7. A console box arrangement substantially as described with reference to, and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.