JP2000175765A - Armrest device for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce cost while heightening usability by simplifying the constitution of a lock mechanism part in an arm rest device for a vehicle capable of opening/closing a lid body from both lateral directions. SOLUTION: Hinge groove parts 37 for receiving hinge shafts 50 on both sides are formed at the front and rear upper edges of a box body 30, while the hinge shafts 50 received by the hinge groove parts 37 are stored on both sides in a lid body 40 being energized outward by springs. The hinge shafts 50 are slid onto the inner surface side by lifting lock release knobs 54, so that engaging members 51 integral with the hinge shafts 50 enter a locking hole 61 of a center locking member 60, and the locking member 60 is energized forward by a spring to engage the hinge shafts 50 with the locking member 60, which permits the open state of the lid body 40 in the state of maintaining a lock released state.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an armrest device for a vehicle, and more particularly to a box body which is installed on a vehicle seat or the like and can accommodate small items therein, and a lid for detachably attaching an upper opening of the box body. And the lid body
The present invention relates to an armrest device for a vehicle in which a lid body can be opened and closed from both left and right directions based on hinge axes set on both left and right sides of a box body.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a conventional armrest device, for example, as shown in FIG. 12, an armrest device 1 includes a lid body 3 that covers an upper surface opening of a box body 2 capable of accommodating small articles, etc. It is configured to be openably and closably attached to the body 2. And this armrest device 1
Is mounted substantially at the center of the vehicle seat 4 and opens and closes the lid body 3 using the opposite side of the hinge 2a as an operation unit.

Recently, the occupants seated on the left and right sides are required to open and close the lid body 3 equally as shown in FIG.
The armrest device 5 capable of opening both left and right shown in FIG. In this armrest device 5, hinge axes are respectively set on the left and right sides of the box body 2, and the lid body 3 can be opened and closed in both left and right directions based on the left and right hinge axes. And
The locking operation and the unlocking operation in the armrest device 5 will be briefly described as shown in FIG.
On the inner surface side of the lid body 3, lock pins 6a and 6b are mounted on the front side and the rear side, respectively, so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction, and the lock pin 6a on the front side is spring-biased to the front side. At the same time, the rear lock pin 6b is spring-biased rearward. Although only one side is shown in FIG. 14, similar lock pins are provided on the left and right sides.

Further, when the lid body 3 is mounted on the box body 2, the lock pins 6a and 6b enter the lock holes of the box body 2 and function as hinge axes. At the time of opening operation, if the operation portion 7a of the unlocking member 7 is pressed inward, the lock pin whose terminal is fitted into the inclined guide holes 7b and 7c provided in the unlocking member 7 is provided. The lock pins 6a and 6b are pulled inward, and the lock pins 6a and 6b are disengaged from the lock holes of the box body 2.

Accordingly, when the lock release member 7 is operated to release the lock on one of the right and left sides, the lock pins 6a and 6b enter the box body 2 on the other side and function as a hinge shaft. Therefore, the lid body 3 can be opened.

[0006]

As described above, in the conventional armrest device 5 that can be opened and closed in both left and right directions,
The lock mechanism includes two lock pins 6a and 6b on both sides of the lid body 3, a return spring for urging the lock pins 6a and 6b in one direction, and a lock release provided with inclined guide holes 7b and 7c. A problem has been pointed out that the member 7 and the urging spring for urging the lock releasing member 7 are required, and the number of components of the lock mechanism is large, resulting in an increase in cost.

Further, regarding the opening / closing operation of the lid body 3,
When the operation portion 7a of the lock release member 7 is pressed inward to release the lock, the lock pins 6a and 6b slide along the inside in the longitudinal direction, respectively.
The moving directions of the lock members a and 6b are different from each other, so that the operating force cannot be effectively applied in the unlocking direction. In addition, when the lid body 3 is closed, the operating portion 7a of the unlocking member 7 is pressed inward. It is put on the upper surface of the box body 2 in the state,
The lock operation must be performed by releasing the hand from the operation portion 7a of the lock release member 7, and the opening / closing operation of the lid body 3 is troublesome, which is not preferable in terms of usability.

An object of the present invention relates to an armrest device for a vehicle, which is installed on a vehicle seat and can open and close a lid body in both left and right directions. An object of the present invention is to provide an armrest device for a vehicle that is high and easy to use.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and a vehicular armrest device according to a first aspect of the present invention is provided on a vehicular seat. It is composed of a box body that can be stored and a lid body that removably covers the top opening of this box body,
In a vehicle armrest device in which a lid body can be opened and closed from both left and right directions, a hinge groove for receiving a hinge shaft is provided on both front and rear sides of the box body, and a left and right inside of the lid body is provided. A hinge shaft is set on the side such that its front and rear ends protrude from the lid body, and this hinge shaft is urged outward by a spring, and the front and rear ends of the hinge shaft are locked in the hinge grooves of the box body, With the operation of raising the lock release knob, the hinge shaft slides inward, and the engaging member provided integrally with the hinge shaft is inserted into the lock hole of the lock member provided at the center of the lid body, and the lid body is moved. When the lock member is spring-biased forward while floating from the box body, and the lock member and the engagement member engage with each other, the locking of the lid body is performed. Unlocking state is maintained, characterized in that to allow the opening of the lid body.

Therefore, according to the vehicle armrest device of the first aspect, when the lid body is mounted on the box body, the both sides of the lid body are located in the hinge grooves provided on the front and rear sides of the box body. The front and rear ends of the installed hinge shaft are fitted, and this hinge shaft is spring-biased outward.

In order to open the lid, the lock release knob is pulled upward, so that the hinge shaft slides toward the center and the engaging portion integrated with the hinge shaft is located at the center of the lid. When the lock member is inserted into the lock hole of the provided lock member and the lid body is lifted upward, the lock member is spring-biased forward, and the engagement member is engaged in the lock hole of the lock member. The hinge shaft is fixed at the inner position and is held in the unlocked state, and the lid body can be opened around the hinge shaft on the other side. Can be opened.

Further, as a configuration of a lock release mechanism portion,
The structure of the lock mechanism can be simplified since the hinge shaft with the integral engaging member, the central lock member and the lock release knob may be assembled.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle armrest device, the lock member housed in the lid body retreats with the lid body closed, and engages with the engagement member integrated with the hinge shaft. The engagement of the member is released, and the hinge shaft is spring-biased into the hinge groove of the box body and is inserted and held.

Therefore, according to the vehicle armrest device of the second aspect, when the lid body is closed to the box body, the lock member housed in the central part of the lid body is:
The engaging member engaged with the lock hole of the lock member is disengaged by the retraction of the lock member by being pressed by the edge of the box body, and the hinge shaft integrated with the engaging member is returned by the return spring. The lid body is pressed outward and the front and rear ends of the hinge shaft fit into the hinge grooves provided in the box body, and the lid body is locked to the box body. Therefore, when the lid body is closed, the lock can be easily locked only by pushing down the lock release member without operating the lock release member each time.

In the armrest device for a vehicle according to the third aspect of the present invention, a recess is provided in the hinge groove, and the front and rear ends of the hinge shaft are fitted into the recess when the lid body is in an open state. The projection is formed.

Therefore, according to the vehicle armrest device of the third aspect, when the lock on one side of the lid body is released and the lid body is opened on the basis of the hinge shaft on the other side, the hinge shaft can be moved. By fitting the convex portion on the terminal side into the concave portion in the hinge shaft insertion groove, when the lid body is opened at a substantially right angle, a sense of moderation is obtained, and the lid body can be securely held in the open state.

[0017]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of an armrest device for a vehicle according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view in which an armrest device according to the present invention is applied to a rear seat of a vehicle, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an armrest device according to the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a box body in the armrest device according to the present invention. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a box body in the armrest device according to the present invention. FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing a configuration of a lock mechanism inside the lid body in the armrest device according to the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a lid body in the armrest device according to the present invention, FIG. 7 is an explanatory view showing an operation of releasing a locked state of the lid body, and FIG. 8 is an explanatory view showing an unlocked state in the armrest device according to the present invention. FIGS. 9 and 10 are explanatory views showing the operation of the lock member in the unlocked state in the armrest device according to the present invention, FIG. 10 is an explanatory view showing the opened state of the lid body, and FIGS. It is explanatory drawing which shows another embodiment of the hinge groove part of FIG.

In FIG. 1, a rear seat 10 of a vehicle is
The seat occupant is a three-seater type and includes a seat cushion 11 on which an occupant sits and a seat back 12 serving as a backrest of the occupant. The armrest device 20 for a vehicle according to the present invention is installed on the rear seat 10 and is stored in a storage portion 13 provided substantially at the center of the seatback 12 when not in use. Is installed on the seat cushion 11 in a substantially horizontal state in a forwardly inclined state. Therefore, a pair of support brackets 14 that rotatably support the armrest device 20 are attached to a frame behind the storage unit 13.

Next, the structure of the armrest device 20 will be described with reference to FIGS. First, the armrest device 20 is roughly composed of a box body 30 and a lid body 40. The box body 30 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape that is long in the front-rear direction as shown in FIGS. It is composed of a portion 31 and a container-like inner plate 32 attached along the inner surface of the box body 31, and small items can be stored in a storage space 33 formed below the inner plate 32.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the box body 31 is made of a core material 3 made of a synthetic resin material such as PP resin.
A pad material 31b such as a polyurethane foam having a cushioning property is laminated on the surface of 1a, and a skin material 31c such as a PVC sheet or cloth is provided on the surface to obtain a good feel and to provide a good feeling with the rear sheet 10. It is designed to give a bodily sensation.

A plate 34 is provided upright on the upper edges of the front and rear walls of the box body 30, and grooves 35 are formed on the left and right sides of the front and rear plates 34, respectively. The groove 35 is formed in a hook shape like an inlet 36 extending downward from the upper edge and a hinge groove 37 connected to the inlet 36 and extending horizontally outward.

Next, the structure of the lid body 40 will be described with reference to FIGS. As with the basic structure of the box body 30, the structure of the lid body 40 adopts a two-layer structure of the lid body 41 and the inner surface plate 42, thereby improving the cushioning property, touch feeling, and appearance performance. It has become.

That is, as shown in FIG.
A pad material 41b such as a polyurethane foam is laminated on a surface of a core material 41a made of a synthetic resin such as a PP resin, and a skin material 41 made of a PVC sheet or cloth is further formed on the surface thereof.
An inner plate 42 made of a synthetic resin material such as PP resin is attached to the inner surface of the lid body 41 at appropriate intervals.

Next, the structure of the lock mechanism inside the lid body 40 will be described. First, the inside of the lid body 40, that is, the lid body 41 and the inner plate 42
The hinge shaft 50 along the longitudinal direction is accommodated on the left and right sides, respectively, and the front and rear terminals of the hinge shaft 50 project outward from the guide long hole 43 of the lid body 40, The protruding portion 50a enters and is supported by the hinge groove 37 of the box body 30, and functions as a hinge shaft.

Further, an engaging member 51 is provided to project from the hinge shaft 50 toward the center side in a direction orthogonal to the hinge shaft 50, and a return spring 52 is wound around the outer periphery of the engaging member 51. The return spring 52 constantly biases the hinge shaft 50 outward, that is, in a lock direction in which the protrusion 50 a as a hinge shaft fits into the hinge groove 37 of the box body 30.

Reference numeral 53 denotes a guide for sliding the hinge shaft 50 and the engaging member 51. One end of the return spring 52 is brought into contact with the hinge shaft 50, and the other end is fixed to the guide 53. ing.

An unlocking knob 54 for slidingly operating the hinge shaft 50 has a substantially rectangular cross section.
The spring 55 is urged by the spring 55 so that the distal end faces downward, and the distal end faces the outside through the opening 44 of the lid body 40. The cam piece 56 on the rear end side of the lock release knob 54 has a function of sliding the hinge shaft 50.

A lock member 60 is provided at the center of the inside of the lid body 40 so as to be slidable along the longitudinal direction so as to be sandwiched between the hinge shafts 50 on both sides.
The lock member 60 has a horizontally long lock hole 61 and is always urged forward by a spring 62. Reference numeral 63 is a guide for the sliding operation of the lock member 60, and the distal end of the lock member 60 faces the outside through the opening 45 of the lid body 40.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7, when the tip of the unlocking knob 54 is lifted upward, the cam piece 56 on the rear end side is lifted.
Presses the hinge shaft 50 toward the center, and the engaging member 51 integrated with the hinge shaft 50 enters the lock hole 61 of the lock member 60. And at this time, FIG.
As shown in (1), it comes into contact with the engaging member 51 on the other side.

In this state, the hinge shaft 50 is disengaged from the hinge groove 37 of the box body 30 and is located at the entrance 36 of the groove 35, and the lid body 40 is slightly lifted. For this reason, as shown in FIG. Since the lock member 60 is located above the plate 34 of the box body 30 that regulates the advance of the lock member 60, the lock member 60 is
Is pressed forward, and the bent portion (indicated by reference numeral 51 a in FIG. 8) at the tip of the engagement member 51 is locked in the lock hole 6 of the lock member 60.
1 and can maintain the unlocked state,
In this state, the lid body 40 can be opened using the hinge shaft 50 on the other side as a hinge axis.
Since the hinge shaft 50 on the hinge shaft side is in contact with the bent portions 51a at the tips of the engaging members 51, the lock release operation shown in FIG. 8 cannot be performed.

FIG. 10 shows a state in which the hinge shaft 50 on one side is used as a hinge axis and the other side is opened. The door can be opened and closed from either left or right as desired.
To close the lid body 40 in the open state, when the lid body 40 is closed, the tip 60a of the lock member 60 located at the center inside the lid body 40 is pressed by the inner surface of the plate 34 on the front side of the box body 30. Then, the lock member 60 moves backward with respect to the spring pressure of the spring 62.

When the lock member 60 is retracted, the engagement member 51 engaged in the lock hole 61 is disengaged from the lock hole 61, and the hinge shaft 50 is urged outward by the return spring 52. The lid body 40 is locked to the box body 30 via the hinge shaft 50 by entering the hinge groove 37 of the box body 30.

As described above, the armrest device 20 according to the present invention includes the box body 30 provided with the hinge groove 37,
A lock mechanism component inside the lid body 40, that is, the engagement member 51
A hinge shaft 50 urged by a return spring 52, a lock release knob 54 for operating the hinge shaft 50, and a lock hole 61.
2 and a lock member 60 which is biased forward by a spring. Thus, the number of components can be reduced, the number of assembling steps can be simplified, and costs can be reduced as compared with conventional lock components.

Further, the armrest device 20 according to the present invention
According to this, the lid body 40 can be opened from both the left and right directions, and the opening operation can be performed by lifting the lid body 40 continuously with the operation of lifting the lock release knob 54 upward.
The opening device of the lid body 40 can be opened by one action, and the operability is improved as compared with the case where two operations having different operation directions are required, such as the conventional unlocking operation and the opening operation of the lid body. There are advantages. In addition, it is not necessary to operate the unlocking member each time the lid body 40 is closed, and the lid body 40 can be mounted on the box body 30 with one touch.

FIGS. 11 (a) and 11 (b) show different embodiments of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 11 (a), hinge shafts 50 provided on both sides of a lid body 40 are shown. A projection 57 is provided on the front and rear protrusions 50 a, and a recess 38 is formed in the hinge groove 37. Therefore, when one edge of the lid body 40 is opened, the projection 57 of the hinge shaft 50 serving as a hinge axis fits into the recess 38 of the hinge groove 37 as shown in FIG. An operation with a feeling can be expected, and the lid body 40 can be held at the open position of about 90 °, so that the lid body 40 does not fall down carelessly, which is preferable in terms of usability.

[0036]

The above is an embodiment of the vehicle armrest device according to the present invention. According to the vehicle armrest device of the first aspect of the present invention, the structure of the lock mechanism can be simplified, In addition, since the man-hour for assembling the lock mechanism can be reduced, the cost is greatly reduced, and the opening operation of the lid body can be lifted in the same operation direction in conjunction with the operation of lifting the lock release knob. The lid body can be easily opened, and the workability at the time of opening the lid body is improved compared to the conventional case where the unlocking operation and the opening operation of the lid body require different operation directions. Can be done.

According to the armrest device for a vehicle according to the second aspect of the present invention, in order to bring the lid body from the open state to the closed state, the lid body is pushed down, and the locking member inside the lid body is retracted. Then, the engagement between the lock member and the hinge shaft is released, and the hinge is fitted into the hinge groove of the box body by the spring and is automatically locked. Compared with the work of closing, the lock structure of the lid body can be obtained with one touch, so that workability can be improved.

According to the third aspect of the present invention,
When the lid body is opened, the projection of the hinge shaft on the side supporting the lid body fits into the recess of the hinge groove of the box body, so a modest operation is expected when opening the lid body Besides, when the lid body is in the open state, the lid body does not fall down carelessly and the usability can be enhanced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall view showing an embodiment in which an armrest device according to the present invention is applied to a rear seat.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an armrest device according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a box body in the armrest device according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing the configuration of a box body in the vehicle armrest device according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing a configuration of a lock mechanism inside a lid body in the vehicle armrest device according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing a structure of a lid body in the vehicle armrest device according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory view showing a relationship between a lock release knob and a hinge shaft in the vehicle armrest device according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory view showing a relationship between a hinge shaft and a lock member in the vehicle armrest device according to the present invention.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory view showing an operation of a lock member in the vehicle armrest device according to the present invention.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory view showing an open state of a lid body in the vehicle armrest device according to the present invention.

11A and 11B show different embodiments of the vehicle armrest device according to the present invention, wherein FIG. 11A is an explanatory view showing a closed state of a lid body, and FIG. 11B is an explanatory view showing holding of the lid body in an open state. .

FIG. 12 is a front view showing a conventional armrest device installed on a rear seat.

FIG. 13 is a front view showing a conventional double-arm type armrest device.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory view showing a configuration of a lock mechanism in a conventional armrest device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Rear seat 11 Seat cushion 12 Seat back 13 Storage part 14 Hinge bracket 20 Armrest device 30 Box body 34 Plate 35 Groove part 37 Hinge groove part 38 Depression 40 Lid body 50 Hinge shaft 50a Projection part 51 Engagement member 52 Return spring 54 Lock release knob 60 Lock member 61 Lock hole 62 Spring

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A box body installed in a vehicle seat and capable of storing small items therein, and a lid body that removably covers an opening on an upper surface of the box body. The lid body can be opened and closed from both left and right directions. In the armrest device for a vehicle, a hinge groove for receiving a hinge shaft is provided on both front and rear sides of the box body, and a hinge shaft is provided on the left and right sides inside the lid body at the front and rear ends thereof. Is set to protrude from the lid body, this hinge shaft is urged outward by a spring, the front and rear terminals of the hinge shaft are locked in the hinge groove of the box body, and the lifting operation of the lock release knob, A lock of a lock member in which a hinge shaft slides inward and an engagement member provided integrally with the hinge shaft is provided at the center of the lid body In a state where the lid body is floating from the box body, the lock member is spring-biased forward, and the lock member and the engaging member are engaged with each other, whereby the unlocked state of the lid body is maintained, An armrest device for a vehicle, wherein a lid body can be opened. 2. A lock member provided inside a lid body, wherein when the lid body is closed, the tip of the lock member is pressed by the inner surface of the box body, the lock member retreats, and the lock member integrated with the hinge shaft is provided. The armrest device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the engagement between the mating member and the lock member is released, and the front and rear ends of the hinge shaft are spring-biased and held by the hinge groove of the box body. 3. The hinge groove is provided with a concave portion, and a front and rear terminal side of the hinge shaft is formed with a protrusion that fits into the concave portion when the lid body is in an open state. The vehicle armrest device according to claim 1 or 2.