GB2511170A

GB2511170A - Cup holder, in particular for a vehicle

Info

Publication number: GB2511170A
Application number: GB201321955A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Naveen Melinamani; Karan Raina
Original assignee: Daimler AG
Current assignee: Mercedes Benz Group AG
Priority date: 2013-12-12
Filing date: 2013-12-12
Publication date: 2014-08-27
Also published as: GB201321955D0

Abstract

Cup holder 10 for a vehicle comprising a base element 12 designed to support a beverage container in a working position of the cup holder. Two arms 14, 16 stabilize the beverage container in the working position of the cup holder. The two arms each comprise at least two segments 18, 20. A first segment 18 is pivotably arranged at a second segment 20 about an axis of rotation A. Each arm is foldable into a storage position of the cup holder. Base element may comprise a lever 26 connected to the second segment by a linking element 28. Base element may rotate about a second axis of rotation B, parallel to A. At least one of the arms may be mounted on a sliding element 46 which may comprise a rack 44 where the sliding element is movable by rotation of a shaft 34 comprising a pinion 42 meshing with the rack. The shaft may be rotated by rotation of the base element through a pair of meshing bevel gears 38, 40.

Description

Cup holder, in particular for a vehicle The invention relates to a cup holder comprising a base element designed to support a beverage container in a working position of the cup holder. The cup holder further comprises two arms designed to stabilize the beverage container in the working position of the cup holder. Each of the two arms comprises at least two segments.

Such a cup holder is described in US 4 984 722 A. Here a bracket which comprises the two arms can be folded towards a back plate to bring the cup holder in a storage position.

A first segment of each arm is inserted slideably into an aperture of the bracket. Parallel grooves in the first segment act in combination with an extrusion in the aperture of the bracket, wherein the extrusion extends into a selected one of the parallel grooves. Thus, the length of the arm can be varied. A base plate of the cup holder is also pivotably arranged at the back plate and can be folded towards the back plate when the cup holder is brought into its storage position.

Such a cup holder requires quite a lot of packaging space when it is brought into its storage position.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a cup holder of the initially mentioned kind, which occupies particularly little packaging space in its storage position.

This object is solved by a cup holder having the features of claim 1. Advantageous configurations with convenient further developments of the invention are specified in the dependent claims.

According to the invention a first segment of the at least two segments is pivotably arranged at a second segment of the at least two segments. By pivoting the first segment about an axis of rotation, each arm is foldable into a storage position of the cup holder.

Thus, by folding the two arms of the cup holder, the arms get compressed and the volume occupied by the cup holder is reduced. In this way components of the cup holder can be accommodated in very little space. As due to the reduced volume the cup holder occupies particularly little packaging space in its storage position, more packaging space is available for other purposes. This is particularly advantageous if the cup holder is utilized within a vehicle.

In an advantageous embodiment the base element comprises a lever element which is connected to the second segment by a linking element. Herein bringing the base element in the storage position of the cup holder causes the first segment to pivot about the axis of rotation. By this linking mechanism it is sufficient to bring the base element into the storage position, and this movement forces the second segment to move as well. This in turn leads to the first segment being folded towards the second segment. Thus, bringing the cup holder into its storage position can be effected in a particularly easy way.

For a smooth operation the axis of rotation is preferably parallel to a second axis of rotation about which the base element is pivotable into the storage position of the cup holder.

It has further proven to be advantageous, if at least one of the arms is mounted on a sliding element which is configured to bring the arms into a position in which a distance between the arms is smaller than in the working position of the cup holder. As the sliding element provides for moving the two arms closer to each other, particularly little space is occupied by the cup holder in its storage position due to the sliding element. This is especially true, if both arms are mounted on a sliding element respectively.

Further advantageously the sliding element comprises a rack, wherein the sliding element is moveable by a rotation of a shaft which comprises a pinion meshing with the rack. In such a configuration by rotation of the shaft the sliding element can be automatically brought into the position in which the arms are closer to each other.

Preferably the rotation of the shaft is effectable by pivoting the base element about the second axis of rotation. Then pivoting the base element into its storage position causes the shaft to rotate and thus to diminish the distance between the two arms. In a particularly easy way the rotation of the shaft can be effected by a pair of meshing bevel gears.

Finally it has proven advantageous, if folding the first segment towards the second segment is effectable by abutting the base element against a free end of the first element.

Thus folding of the two arms is facilitated by the movement of the base element.

The features and feature combinations mentioned above in the description as well as the features and feature combinations mentioned below in the description of figures and/or shown in the figures alone are usable not only in the respectively specified combination but also in other combinations or alone without departing from the scope of the invention.

Thus, implementations not explicitly shown in the figures or explained, but which result and can be generated by separated feature combinations of the explained implementations are also to be considered encompassed and disclosed by the invention.

Further advantages, features and details of the invention are apparent form the claims, the following description of preferred embodiments as well as based on the drawings.

Therein show: Fig. 1 a cup holder for a vehicle in its open or working position; Fig. 2 the cup holder of Fig. 1 in its storage or closed position; Fig. 3 an exploded view of the cup holder according to Fig. 1 showing the components of the cup holder; Fig. 4 a schematic view of components of the cup holder being linked together in the working position of the cup holder; Fig. 5 a beginning of the movement of the components when the cup holder is brought into its storage position; Fig. 6 a further step in bringing the components of the cup holder into the storage position; Fig. 7 schematically the components of the cup holder in the storage position; and Fig. 8 a front view of the cup holder, which illustrates the synchronized movement of the components during the folding of the cup holder into its storage position.

A cup holder 10 for a vehicle comprises a base element in the form of a base plate 12 which provides support to a beverage container placed on the base plate 12. The cup holder 10 further comprises a first arm 14 and a second arm 16. The arms 14, 16 stabilize the beverage container from the side, when the beverage container is placed on the base plate. The arms 14, 16 can in particular clamp the beverage container from two sides.

Each of the two arms 14, 16 comprises a first segment 18 and a second segment 20. The first segments 18 are pivotably arranged at the second segments 20 respectively. A corresponding first axis of rotation A is indicated in Fig. 1 and in Fig. 4. By pivoting the first segments 18 about the axis of rotation Athe arms 14, 16 can be folded.

When the arms 14, 16 are completely folded, the cup holder 10 is in its storage position.

To bring the cup holder 10 in its storage position, the base plate 12 is also pivoted, namely about a second axis of rotation B (see Fig. 1). The first axis of rotation A and the second axis of rotation B are parallel.

Fig. 2 shows the cup holder 10 in its storage position, in which the bottom side of the base plate 12 flushes with a surface of a back plate 22 or such an interfacing surface. In order to bring the cup holder 10 from its working position (see Fig. 1) to its storage position (see Fig. 2), it is sufficient to pivote the base plate 12 about the second axis of rotation B. To achieve this a four-bar mechanism is utilized which will be explained with reference to Fig. 3 to Fig. 7.

Mounted to a bar 24 of the base plate 12, which coincides with the second axis of rotation B, are two levers 26 or cranks (see Fig. 3 and Fig. 4). These levers 26 are connected by a link 28 to the second member 20 of each arm 14, 16 respectively (see Fig. 4). When the base plate 12 is moved upwards, the second segments 20 of the arms 14, 16 are pulled downwards by the link 28. This is due to the fact that a first end of the second segment 20 is mounted to a fixed bearing 30 (see Fig. 4).

In the working position or open position of the cup holder 10 (see Fig. 1 and Fig. 4) the base plate 12 and the segments 18,20 are spring loaded in away which forces these components to be in the position shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 4. When the base plate 12 is folded upwards, i.e. rotated about the second axis of rotation B, the second segment 20 of each arm 14, 16 moves downward due to the linkage between the lever 26 and the second segment 20 (see Fig. 5). Thus, the link 28 synchronizes the upward movement of the base plate 12 and the downward movement of the second segment 20.

Upon further movement upwards of the base plate 12 a free end 32 of the first segment 18 of each arm 14, 16 comes into contact with the upper side of the base plate 12 (see Fig. 6). This causes the first segment lSto pivote about the first axis of rotation A. Thus, the arms 14, 16 are folded. Fig. 7 shows the cup holder 10 in its completely closed or folded condition which corresponds to the storage position of the cup holder 10.

Thus, as the base plate 12 is folded completely upwards, all the other links of the four-bar mechanism are compressed. The working concept is that when the base plate 12 is rotated upwards, the segment 20 is folded towards the base plate 12 due to the link 28 which synchronizes this movement. When the second segment 20 reaches an angle of about 3Q0 with reference to a horizontal plane, the arms 14, 16 start folding as the base plate 12 comes in contact with the first segments 18. Thus, the first segment 18 is pivoted about the first axis of rotation A and is therefore moved in a direction which is opposite to the movement of the second segment 20. Finally the complete four-bar or four-link mechanism is folded as shown in Fig. 7.

The folding of the arms 14. 16 provides for particularly little packaging space being occupied by the cup holder 10 in its storage position. This is further improved by moving the arms 14, 16 towards each other during the upward movement of the base plate 12. To achieve this, the cup holder 10 comprises a shaft 34 which can rotate about a third axis of rotation C which is perpendicular to the first and second axis of rotation A, B respectively.

The rotation of the shaft 34 is illustrated by an arrow 36 in Fig. 8. The rotation is effected by pair of bevel gears 38, 40. The first bevel gear 38 is mounted on a lower end of the shaft 34, whereas the second bevel gear 40 is mounted on the bar 24. On its upper end the shaft 34 comprises a pinion 42, which meshes with a rack 44 of a slider 46. The second segments 20 of each one of the arms 14, 16 are mounted to the respective slider 46. Due to the rotation of the shaft 34 the arms 14, 16 move towards each other as the base plate 12 is folded upwards.

The sliding movement of the sliders 46 which each comprise the rack 44 meshing with the pinion 42 is illustrated in Fig. 8 by a pair of arrows 48. Thus, the two arms 14, 16 are compressed by diminishing a distance between the arms 14, 16 due to the gear mechanism. The movement of the arms 14, 16 towards each other is synchronized with the rotational movement of the shaft 34 due to the gear profile of the bevel gears 38, 40 and the gear profile of the pinion 42 and the racks 44. As the arms 14, 16 move towards each other, the components of the cup holder 10 occupy less space in the storage position of the cup holder 10. In causing the arms 14, 1610 slide towards each other, the volume required for storing the arms 14, 16 is decreased.

The cup holder 10 can be used in an instrument panel of the vehicle, a rear seat arm rest, in a centre console or in a door trim of the vehicle. When the cup holder 10 is in its non-use condition or its storage position, the components of cup holder 10 are folded to match with the back plate 22.

List of reference signs cup holder 12 base plate 14 first arm 16 second arm 16 first segment second segment 22 back plate 24 bar 26 lever 28 link fixed bearing 32 free end 34 shaft 36 arrow 38 bevel gear bevel gear 42 pinion 44 rack 46 slider 48 arrow A axis of rotation B second axis of rotation C third axis of rotation

Claims

Claims Cup holder (10), in particular for a vehicle, comprising a base element (12) designed to support a beverage container in a working position of the cup holder (10), and two arms (14, 16) designed to stabilize the beverage container in the working position of the cup holder (10), wherein the two arms (14, 16) each comprise at least two segments (18, 20), characterized in that a first segment (18) of the at least two segments (18, 20) is pivotably arranged at a second segment (20) of the at least two segments (18, 20), wherein by pivoting the first segment (18) about an axis of rotation (A), each arm (14, 16) is foldable into a storage position of the cup holder (10).
2. Cup holder (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that the base element (12) comprises a lever (26) element which is connected to the second segment (20) by a linking element (28), wherein bringing the base element (12) into the storage position of the cup holder (10) causes the first segment (18) to pivot about the axis of rotation (A).
3. Cup holder (10) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the axis of rotation (A) is parallel to a second axis of rotation (B) about which the base element (12) is pivotable into the storage position of the cup holder (10).
4. Cup holder (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that at least one of the arms (14, 16) is mounted on a sliding element (46) configured to bring the arms (14, 16) into a position in which a distance between the arms (14, 16) is smaller than in the working position of the cup holder (10).
5. Cup holder (10) according to claim 4, characterized in that the sliding element (46) comprises a rack (44), wherein the sliding element (46) is movable by a rotation of a shaft (34) which comprises a pinion (42) meshing with the rack (44).
6. Cup holder (10) according to claim 5 and 3, characterized in that the rotation of the shaft (34) is effectable, in particular by a pair of meshing bevel gears (38, 40), by pivoting the base element (12) about the second axis of rotation (B).
7. Cup holder (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that folding the first segment (18) towards the second segment (20) is effectable by abuting the base element (12) against afree (32) end of the first element (18).