GB2473097A

GB2473097A - A central console for a vehicle

Info

Publication number: GB2473097A
Application number: GB1013119A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Andreas C Lassota; Carsten Steinkaemper
Original assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
Current assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
Priority date: 2009-08-27
Filing date: 2010-08-04
Publication date: 2011-03-02
Anticipated expiration: 2030-08-04
Also published as: GB2473097B; DE102009039140A1; GB201013119D0; CN102001313B; CN102001313A

Abstract

A central console for a vehicle comprises at least one mounting and guide element 3, and a container 9 of the console mounted on the guide element in a translatable manner, the container having at least one holder 11, 12 engaging behind the at least one guide element (e.g. by hook of 11 or lock 15). Preferably, the container console can slide forwards and backwards between seats 4. Two guide elements in the form of bars /rod may be provided, and the container preferably has a pair of holders associated with each guide rod, with one pair having a vertical groove, and the other having horizontal grooves. The horizontal groove holders/ hooks are mounted first, and the console rotated to engage the vertical holder. Additionally, latching mechanisms may engage the underside of the rods. The console may alternatively be mounted on a single central shaft, and have a releasable magnetically operated leg to engage the shaft (see figure 5).

Description

MOUNTING OF A CONSOLE INSERT IN A VEHICLE

The invention relates to a console, especially a central console, for a vehicle, comprising at least one mounting and guide element for accommodating a container of the console in a substantially horizontally displaceable manner.

Such a console is known from DE 10 2006 030 476 Al. It comprises two mounting and guide elements which are arranged parallel with respect to one another and are arranged as rails which are disposed in the longitudinal direction of the motor vehicle between the driving seat and the passenger seat. The two rails are used for accommodating the container which is arranged between them and engages in grooves of the rails which are arranged on mutually facing sides of the rails.

The disadvantageous aspect in a console arranged in such a way is that a relatively large amount of space relating to the transversal extension of the vehicle is required for the mounts of the container as a result of the arrangement of the container between the two rails. This space is usually not available in small vehicles.

Similar mounting of a container between rail-like mounting and guide elements of a console has been described in DE 102 08 886 Al.

It is the object of the invention to further develop a console of the kind mentioned above in such a way that a minimal amount of space is required in the width of the container for mounting the container, and that the mounting and guide element is arranged in a simple way and a secure mounting and guidance of the container is ensured.

This object is achieved in such a way that the at least one mounting and guide element is arranged as a bar and the container sits on the at least one bar, the container having at least one holder engaging behind the at least one bar.

In accordance with the invention, the mounting and guidance of the container does not occur laterally, but beneath the container which sits on the at least one bar. As a result, only slightly more space is required than corresponds to the width of the container for mounting the container between the vehicle seats, especially between the driving seat and the passenger seat of a passenger vehicle.

The arrangement of the container on the at least one bar leads to the further advantage that this mounting and guide area of the container is not visible from the top. Advantageous design configurations of the console can thus be achieved.

Due to the fact that gravity forces are introduced via the container into the at least one bar which is arranged beneath the container it is possible that the at least one bar can be dimensioned in a weaker manner than a rail arrangement arranged on both sides of the container, in which the rails are subjected to torsional forces which extend perpendicularly to the longitudinal direction of the rails.

In accordance with preferred embodiments of the invention, two mounting and guide elements, and therefore two bars, are provided for mounting and guiding the container, or only one single mounting and guide element, and therefore only one bar, for mounting and guiding the container.

In the embodiment with the two bars, they are arranged parallel with respect to each other and two holders or two pairs of holders engage behind the two bars. Since the container rests on two bars which are arranged parallel with respect to one another and are thus spaced from one another, a precise guidance and secure mounting of the container in the bars are obtained. Since the holders engage behind the two bars, a secure positioning of the container on the bars is ensured.

Under the aspect of the rear gripping of the two bars, a special configuration provides that the holder associated with the one bar comprises a horizontally accessible groove and the holder associated with the other bar a vertically accessible groove, with the holder having the vertical groove additionally having a lock part for engaging behind the bar associated with this holder.

As a result of this configuration, the one bar can be threaded into the horizontally accessible groove of the one holder when the container is placed on the bars, and thereafter the container can be placed in the region of the vertically accessible groove of the other holder on the other bar from above.

The dead weight per se is sufficient that the container will rest in a secure manner on the two bars. With the help of the lock part, the rear gripping of the holder that is placed vertically on the associated bar can be ensured with respect to said bar. As a result of the produced rear gripping in the region of the two holders, the container is securely fixed on the two bars and remains secured on the bars in the case of a crash and rollover of the vehicle.

Two holders, i.e. a pair of holders, appropriately cooperate with each bar. The two holders which are associated with each bar are arranged in the front and rear region of the container, relating to the direction of displacement of the container.

The respective bar can be arranged in different ways. A round-bar cross-sectional configuration of the bar is regarded as being especially appropriate. Such a bar can be produced in an especially simple and cost-effective way. The bar is especially

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arranged with a circular cross section. It is also possible to provide a round-bar configuration with a cross section that deviates from this, e.g. an elliptical cross section.

In order to fix the container with respect to the bars in their longitudinal direction it is provided that at least one bar comprises latching depressions which are arranged behind one another in its longitudinal direction and at least one holder comprises a latching member which can be brought to a latching position with respect to one of the latching depressions according to the relative position of container and bar. In particular, the at least one holder comprises a latching member which can be brought by means of spring force to the latching position and against the spring force to the non-latching position. The latching member can be formed by the lock part for

example.

The latching member can be actuated in an especially simple way when a lever mechanism is swivelably mounted in the container, with said lever mechanism comprising the latching member or the lock part, and the latching member or lock part can be moved during the swiveling of the lever of the lever mechanism to the latching position or non-latching position or the rear-gripping position or non-rear-gripping position concerning the bar.

The container is fixed on the bar by means of the lever mechanism and the locking can be removed via a lever movement, and the container can be displaced along the bars.

It is relevant in the other preferred embodiment in which only one single mounting and guide element arranged as a bar is provided that its cross-sectional shape deviates from the cross-sectional shape of a circle. This cross-sectional configuration which deviates from the circular shape allows introducing tilting moments about the longitudinal axis of the bar into the only bar, so that no further (second) bar is required for mounting and guiding the container. It is regarded as being especially advantageous when the only bar has an oval or triangular cross-sectional shape.

A twist-proof seat on the bar profile can be achieved in a constructional simple and especially cost-effective way in that the only bar has a cross-sectional shape of an isosceles triangle with rounded corner regions and the holder of the container makes contact with the bar in the region of the two similar legs of the bar. These two similar legs represent a sufficient contact area for the holder, so that the container rests on the web of the triangle that connects the two similar legs and the holder of the container makes contact with the two similar legs of the bar.

Contact between the container and the bar is therefore made in the region of all three sides of the triangle.

It is regarded to be especially advantageous in the configuration of the mounting of the container in the only bar when the holder has a fixed and swivelable leg, with the swivelable leg being swivelable against the bar by action of a magnetic force. The swivelable leg is moved away from the fixed leg by action of a spring, with magnetic force or without magnetic force, so that a sufficiently large opening is obtained between the two legs for placing the container in the region of the holder or pair of holders on the only bar. The magnet is then activated and thus the swivelable leg is moved in the direction of the fixed leg, by means of which the two legs and the web connecting the same will clamp the only bar between themselves. The fixed positioning of container and only bar which does not allow any displacement of the container is thus given by means of the holder or the two holders forming the pair of holders which are held in the container at the front and rear of the same in the direction of displacement.

It is provided according to a concrete development that the container accommodates a switchable magnet which can be switched between a position exerting a magnetic effect and clamping the container with respect to the bar and a position not exerting any magnetic effect and not clamping the container with respect to the bar. This switching of the magnet can occur manually, especially in such a way that a respective switch is moved between the two switching positions by a passenger of the vehicle who is sitting next to the console.

Since the container requires relatively large diameters when using a single bar in order to accommodate the same in a twist-proof manner, it is regarded as being advantageous when the only bar is provided with a hollow arrangement. The bar is produced especially by extrusion.

The invention thus proposes mounting and arrangement of a container above at least one bar. As a result, the maximum width of the arrangement of bar or bars and container only corresponds to the maximum width of the container. The bar or bars arranged beneath the container allow for much leeway in the configuration of the arrangement. The bar or bars can be arranged especially low and thus have an only very low impact on the appearance in the interior of the vehicle.

Further features of the invention are shown in the subclaims, the following description of the drawing, and the drawing per se.

Two preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the drawing and are explained in the following description.

The drawings show the following in a highly simplified illustration: Fig. 1 shows a side view of the interior vehicle space of a passenger vehicle in the region of the central tunnel with a central console in accordance with the invention as arranged there; Fig. 2 shows a sectional view through the central console along the line Il-Il in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 shows a sectional view through the console in a plane parallel to the sectional view according to Fig 2 in order to illustrate the function of a latching apparatus for latching the container in the console with one of the bars of the console, illustrated for the latching position; Fig. 4 shows an illustration according to Fig. 3, illustrated for the non-latching position; Fig. 5 shows a bottom view of the bar used for latching, illustrated over a partial length of the bar; Fig. 6 shows a sectional view through the bar along the line VI-VI in Fig. 5; Fig. 7 shows the second embodiment of the console in accordance with the invention, comprising a single bar for accommodating the container, in a sectional view transversally to the longitudinal extension of the bar.

The support structure 2 for the instrument panel of the passenger vehicle is illustrated for the first embodiment of the invention according to Figs. 1 to 6, according to the principal configuration of the passenger vehicle in the region of the central tunnel 1 according to DE 10 2006 030 476 Al. Two mounting and guide elements which are arranged parallel with respect to one another and are arranged as bars 3 are connected at the front with said support structure 2. The two bars 3 are arranged horizontally and extend at a distance from one another between the cushion of driving seat and passenger seat. The seat frame 5 which carries the driving seat and the passenger seat, the guide 6 for the respective seat frame and the floor assembly 7 in which the two front seats are mounted are also illustrated. The respective bar 3 is mounted via a vertical strut 9 in the floor assembly 7 in the region of its rear end, between the row of seats for the front and rear seat and the row of seats disposed behind the same.

The respective bar 3 has a circular cross section, with the cross section of the two bars 3 being identical.

In the central console 10 which comprises the two bars 3 and a container 9 mounted in the same, the box-like container 9 is provided with holders 11 and 12 on its bottom side, both at the front and back. The two holders 11 which form a pair cooperate with the one bar 3. The two other holders 12 which form a pair cooperate with the other bar 3.

The respective holder 11 comprises a horizontally accessible groove 13 and the respective other holder 12 comprises a vertically accessible groove 14. Groove 13 is open in the direction of the groove 14, and groove 14 is downwardly open. For the purpose of placing the container 9 on the two bars 3, the container 9 is inserted at first with its horizontally open groove 13 on the bar 3 associated with the same. The container 9 is then placed from above by means of a tilting movement in the region of the holder 12 on the bar 3 associated with the same, which is thus inserted from below into the vertically extending groove 14. The respective holder 12 additionally comprises a lock part 15 which is mounted in the same, which lock part is moved to a rear gripping position in relation to the bar 3 in the case of bar 3 that has been inserted in the vertically extending groove 14, by means of which said bar 3 is completely enclosed by the holder 12. The container 9 can be detached from the two bars 3 by upward tilting and subsequent lateral removal, which is only possible by transferring the lock part 16 to a position releasing the groove 14.

Fig. 2 shows especially that the container 9 rests on the two bars 3 which are thus arranged beneath the container 9 used for receiving objects. As a result, a relatively large width dimension of the container 9 can be realized between the cushion 4 of the driving seat and the passenger seat. This is illustrated by the relatively low horizontal clearance between the container 9 and the cushion 4 of the driving seat and the cushion 4 of the passenger seat.

A latching apparatus 16 for latching the container 9 with respect to one of the two bars 3 is provided so that the container 9 is not freely displaceable in the longitudinal direction of the bars 3. The latching apparatus 16 comprises a lever 18 which is mounted to be swivelable about a shaft 17 in the container 9, which lever comprises a projection 19 which extends substantially horizontally in the region of its bottom end and which is in interlocking engagement with one of various depressions 20 of the bar 3 which are arranged parallel with respect to one another.

These depressions 20 represent notches in the bar 3. The lever 18 is provided with a projection 21 protruding slightly from the container 9 in the region of the end facing away from the projection 19. When the projection 21 is pressed manually into the container 9, lever 18 will swivel and the other projection 19 will come out of engagement with the depression 20 in the bar 3 against the force of a spring that is not illustrated. As a result of this, the container 9 can be displaced manually in the longitudinal direction of the two bars 3. When the projection is no longer manually actuated and when the lever 18 swivels back again under the action of the spring force, the projection 19 causing the latching either directly reaches an aligned depression 20 of bar 3 or this occurs only with a slight displacement of the container 9 in the longitudinal extension of the bars 3.

In the embodiment according to Fig. 7, the parts are provided with the same reference numerals which in respect of their I0 principal function or their principal configuration correspond to those of the embodiment according to Figs. 1 to 6.

In the embodiment according to Fig. 7, only one bar 3 is provided instead of the two bars 3 as described in connection with the first embodiment. This one bar represents the sole mounting and guide element of container 9. The bar 3 is provided with a hollow arrangement, illustrated by the cavity 22, and is produced by extrusion. The cross-sectional shape of bar 3 deviates from that of a circle. Bar 3 has the cross-sectional shape of an isosceles triangle, with rounded corner regions 23. A holder 35 of the container 9 comprises legs 24 and 25. The legs 24 and 25 of the container 9 make contact with the bar 3 in the region of the two similar legs 26 and 27 of the triangle, which are arranged in a straight manner in the exterior region of bar 3, and therefore form a planar surface there. The web 28 which connects the two legs 26 and 27 is rests beneath the floor 29 of container 9 on the same. Leg 24 is rigidly connected with the floor 29 of the container 9 and engages behind the one lateral corner region 23 of bar 3 with a guide surface 30 and rests on bar 3 in the region of leg 26 of bar 3. Leg 25 is arranged according to leg 24, with the difference that it is connected via a joint 31 with the floor 29 of container 9. Said leg 25 engages behind the other lateral end region 23 of the bar 3 and makes contact with the bar 3 in the region of leg 27 via a guide surface 32. Finally, the web 28 of bar 3 is provided with a further guide surface 33 which makes contact with the container 9 beneath the floor 29.

The leg 25 of the holder 35 can be moved magnetically by means of a magnet 34 arranged in the container 9. The magnet 34 can be switched to two functional positions. Magnetism is built up in a first switching position and removed in a second switching position. In the first switching position, the magnet pulls the leg 25 against the bar 3, so that the container 9 is fixed with respect to the bar 3 and is thus mounted and guided. No displacement of container 9 is possible in the longitudinal direction of bar 3 in this state as a result of the Clamping of Container 9 and bar 3. When the magnetic force is removed by changing the switching position of the magnet, the container 9 can be displaced in the longitudinal direction of the bar 3.

Fixing of the container 9 on the bar 3 occurs again upon activation of the magnet.

List of reference numerals 1 Central tunnel 2 Support structure 3 Bar 4 Cushion Seat frame 6 Guide 7 Floor assembly 8 Strut 9 Container Central console 11 Holder 12 Holder 13 Horizontally extending groove 14 Vertically extending groove Lock part 16 Latching apparatus 17 Shaft 18 Lever 19 Projection Depression 21 Projection 22 Cavity 23 Corner region 24 Leg Leg 26 Leg 27 Leg 28 Web 29 Floor Guide area 31 Joint 32 Guide area 33 Guide area 34 Magnet Holder