JP2007008258A - Arm rest structure of vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve an occupant's convenience by adding an additional function to an arm rest function for the occupant of a front seat. <P>SOLUTION: An arm rest 10 positioned between left and right front seats 11 preferably has an arm rest face with cushion performance and a tray face at the opposite side facing it, and is rotatably mounted in a front and rear direction of a vehicle through a horizontal shaft 12 extending in a width direction of the vehicle relative to a bracket 11 of a rear end of a center console 3. The arm rest 10 has a two-split structure of a base end 14 coupled with the horizontal shaft 12 and an arm rest main body 15. The arm rest main body 15 is rotatably mounted through a shaft 16 relative to the base end 14. The arm rest face or the tray face is used by selectively and reversely turning the arm rest 10 around the shaft 16. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an armrest structure for a vehicle, and more particularly to a multifunctional armrest installed between left and right front seats.

  In Patent Document 1, a control unit for a rear seat occupant is disposed at the rear end of a console lid for a floor console box disposed between the left and right front seats, and the console lid is disposed rearward via a link mechanism. Proposal to enable displacement. According to this proposal, the console lid functions as an armrest that rests the front seat occupant's arm when it is functioning as a normal position, that is, as a lid of the floor console box. By placing it on the seat cushion, the rear seat occupant can provide the convenience that the control unit disposed at the rear end of the console lid can be operated at hand without changing the sitting posture.

In addition, among the vehicles currently on the market, there is known an armrest structure in which an armrest is attached to a rear end portion of a center console disposed between left and right front seats via a shaft extending in the vehicle width direction. ing. In this known armrest structure, an armrest position extending in a substantially horizontal direction can be taken between the left and right front seats, so that an occupant seated in the front seat can rest his arms on the armrest. The rear seat occupant can be made to function by rotating approximately 180 degrees rearward from the armrest position. The armrest has two cup holder holes on its lower surface, and the rear seat occupant can use it as a cup holder by turning the armrest backward approximately 180 degrees so that the lower surface of the armrest faces upward. Can do.
JP-A-7-112648

  As described above, in addition to the original function as an armrest that rests the arm of the front seat occupant, the armrest functions as a console lid, or functions as a cup holder for the rear seat occupant like the above-mentioned commercially available vehicle. In order to improve the convenience of passengers, it has been devised.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an armrest structure for a vehicle that can add an additional function to the armrest function for the front seat occupant to enhance the convenience of the occupant.

In the present invention, the above technical problem is based on the premise of an armrest structure including an armrest for a front seat occupant on a center console disposed between left and right front seats of a vehicle.
One surface of the armrest is composed of an armrest surface that can rest an occupant's arm,
The other surface facing the one surface of the armrest is composed of a tray surface on which an article can be placed,
By reversing the armrest up and down, a function as an armrest that can rest the arm of a front seat occupant and a function as a tray on which objects can be placed can be selected. This is achieved by providing an armrest structure.

  That is, according to the armrest structure of the present invention, it functions as an armrest for a front seat occupant by raising the armrest surface in the same manner as in the prior art, and it is turned upside down to raise the tray surface to the front seat. It can function as a tray for passengers to place small items and drinks. The tray surface of the armrest may be configured as a flat surface with a raised peripheral edge, but may include an article storage portion or a cup holder hole formed of a recess.

  In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a rear end portion of the armrest is connected to the center console so as to be rotatable about an axis extending in a vehicle body longitudinal direction, and the armrest is turned upside down around the axis. Is possible. According to this, it is possible to construct a mechanism that flips the armrest up and down with a simple structure.

  In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is also provided a bracket that rotatably supports a rear end portion of the armrest about a horizontal axis extending in the vehicle width direction, and the armrest is attached to the center console via the bracket. It is attached. According to this, not only can the armrest function and the tray function for the front seat described above be exhibited by moving the armrest forward, but also the rear seat occupant can be functioned by moving the armrest backward. . By selectively flipping the armrest up and down and moving it back, the rear seat occupant can selectively use a state where the armrest surface is directed upward and a state where the tray surface is directed upward.

  In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, as a specific example of the armrest structure, the rear end portion of the armrest can be rotated around a horizontal axis extending in the vehicle width direction with respect to a bracket provided at the rear end portion of the center console. By connecting the bracket to the center console so as to be rotatable about a vertical axis extending in the vertical direction, the armrest can be reversed about the vertical axis and centered on the horizontal axis. A structure that can be rotated back and forth is adopted. According to this, the armrest can be turned up and down around the vertical axis and can be rotated back and forth around the horizontal axis.

  In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the armrest is supported by a seat cushion of the rear seat when the armrest is rotated backward by approximately 180 degrees from the front armrest position. According to this, it is not necessary to provide a stopper or the like for maintaining the rearward armrest in a substantially horizontal state, and the configuration of the armrest structure can be simplified.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a view of the interior of an automobile as viewed obliquely from the front side of the passenger seat. The front seat on the front side of the drawing of the left and right independent front seats 1 (the front passenger seat in the case of a right-hand drive vehicle) is omitted. It is shown in the state of being. Between the left and right front seats 1, a center console 3 is disposed on the tunnel portion 2, and the center console 3 extends in the front-rear direction from substantially the front end to the rear end of the seat cushion 1 a of the front seat 1. Have dimensions.

  The center console 3 has the highest shape at the rear end and a front-lowering shape in which the height dimension decreases from the rear end toward the front end. The center console 3 has three recesses, that is, article storage portions 4 to 6 divided in the front and rear directions. It has. These first to third article storage units 4 to 6 are opened upward, and drinks and small items can be taken in and out by accessing the article storage units 4 to 6 from above.

  An armrest 10 is attached to the highest rear end portion of the center console 3, and the armrest 10 extends forward in a substantially horizontal direction to form a seat that rests the arm of the occupant seated on the front seat 1.

  FIG. 2 is a view showing the mounting structure of the armrest 10 and shows the armrest 10 in an upright state. The armrest 10 is attached to a bracket 11 fixed to the top surface of the rear end portion of the center console 3 so as to be rotatable in the vehicle longitudinal direction via a horizontal shaft 12 extending in the vehicle width direction. As a result, the armrest 10 is tilted forward from the standing state in FIG. 2 to the first position positioned in a substantially horizontal state between the left and right front seats 1, and the rear seat is tilted rearward from the first position approximately 180 degrees rearward. A second position (see FIG. 5) that maintains a substantially horizontal state at a position close to 13 can be taken.

  The armrest 10 has a two-part structure of a base end portion 14 connected to the horizontal shaft 12 and an armrest main body 15, and the armrest main body 15 is in a state where the armrest 10 is raised with respect to the base end portion 14. Referring to FIG. 2 shown in the drawing, the shaft 16 is turned upside down and is pivotably attached via a vertically reversing shaft 16 (the shaft 16 extends in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body when the armrest 10 is tilted forward or backward). It has been. Thereby, the armrest main body 15 can selectively flip the first surface 10a seen in FIG. 1 and the second surface 10b seen in FIG. 2 up and down, and can be manually operated. Thus, the rotation of the armrest body 15 can be locked.

  As can be seen from FIG. 1, the first surface 10 a of the armrest 10 is composed of a flat armrest surface, and preferably has cushioning properties. The second surface 10b of the armrest 10 may be a tray surface on which an object can be placed, for example, a flat surface surrounded by a ridge, but in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. It is comprised by the tray surface provided with the additional article | item storage part 20 and the cup holder hole 21 which become.

  According to the armrest 10 having the above-described configuration, the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1, that is, the armrest 10 is positioned in a substantially horizontal state by the side of the front seat 1 and the armrest surface 10 a is formed by moving it forward. An upward armrest mode can be taken. According to this 1st aspect, it functions as an armrest which the passenger | crew of the front seat 1 can rest an arm like the past. Even in a state where the armrest 10 is moved forward, as can be understood from FIG. 1, the first to third article storage units 4 to 6 of the center console 3 can be accessed. Since there is a large gap between the central second article storage section 5 and the armrest 10 having the largest longitudinal length, the person seated in the front seat 1 can freely access the second article storage section 5. can do.

  In a state where the armrest 10 that provides the function for the front seat occupant is tilted forward, in addition to the first mode, that is, the armrest mode (FIG. 1), as shown in FIG. 3, the second surface 10b faces upward. The second item in which the additional article storage unit 20 and the cup holder hole 21 can be used by the front seat occupant, that is, the front seat article storage mode can be taken.

  The armrest 10 can optionally take a third mode in which it stands up as shown in FIG. In the third aspect, the armrest 10 maintains a state of rising along the seat back 1b of the front seat 1, thereby filling a gap between the seat backs 1b of the left and right front seats 1. In this third aspect, the standing armrest 10 functions as a partition that partitions the space between the rear seat 2 in cooperation with the seat backs 1b of the left and right front seats 1, and is thereby seated on the rear seat 13, for example. It can relieve children's noise from reaching front seat 1.

  The armrest 10 can function for an occupant seated in the rear seat 13 by moving the armrest 10 backward. As shown in FIG. 5, when the armrest 10 is tilted back as shown in FIG. 5, the rear end of the armrest 10 engages with the seat cushion 13 a of the rear seat 13 to maintain a substantially horizontal state. can do.

  In the state in which the armrest 10 that has been tilted back is supported by the seat cushion 13a of the rear seat 13, the fourth mode in which the second surface 10b of the armrest 10 is directed upward and the first surface 10a upward are selectively used. The fifth aspect directed to the above can be taken.

  In the fourth mode in which the second surface 10b faces upward, the occupant of the rear seat 13 can use the additional article storage unit 20 and the cup holder hole 21 of the tray surface 10b. On the other hand, in the fifth mode in which the first surface 10a faces upward, the rear seat occupant can use the first flat surface 10a for the purpose suitable for this.

  FIG. 7 shows a modification regarding the mounting structure of the armrest 10. As shown in FIG. 7, the bracket 11 may be connected to the rear end portion of the center console 3 via a vertical shaft 23 extending in the vertical direction, so that the armrest 10 can be rotated.

  According to the armrest mounting structure of this modification, the armrest 10 is connected to the bracket 11 so as to be rotatable about the horizontal axis 12, and the bracket 11 is centered on the vertical axis 23 with respect to the center console 3. When the armrest 10 is pivotally connected, the armrest 10 can be turned upside down when the armrest 10 is tilted forward or backward, and the armrest 10 can be moved even when the armrest 10 is tilted forward or backward. Can be easily rotated around the vertical axis 23.

  Therefore, if the front seat occupant wants to use the armrest 10 as an armrest with the armrest 10 moved forward, the armrest 10 can be rotated so that the first surface 10a of the armrest 10 faces upward when moving forward. When the front seat occupant wants to use the armrest 10 as a tray, the armrest 10 can be immediately rotated so that the second surface 10b of the armrest 10 faces upward. Similarly, when the rear seat occupant wants to use the armrest 10 as a small object storage when the armrest 10 is moved backward and the rear seat occupant functions, the first surface 10a of the armrest 10 is raised when the rearward operation is performed. The armrest 10 can be turned so that the rear seat occupant wants to use the armrest 10 as a tray or the like. Conversely, the armrest 10 is turned so that the second surface 10b of the armrest 10 faces upward. Can be moved. In addition, the first surface 10a or the second surface 10b can be rotated around the vertical shaft 23 within a range that does not interfere with the seat back 1b of the front seat 1 in a state where the armrest 10 is moved forward or backward. is there. Therefore, it is possible to provide an armrest structure that is easily accessible to all occupants in the front seat and the rear seat and that is excellent in operability to exhibit a desired function.

  As described above, according to the armrest 10 of the embodiment, it is possible not only to provide a multifunctional armrest structure for the front seat occupant by flipping the armrest 10 up and down or standing, but also to put it back. Therefore, it is possible to provide convenience to the passenger in the rear seat 13.

  As mentioned above, although the Example of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to this, For example, the console box is prepared in the center console 3, and the armrest 10 made forward is covered with this console box ( It may be made to function as a console lid.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the example in which the center console 3 is fixedly provided in the tunnel portion 2 has been described. Alternatively, the center console 3 may be displaced rearward so that the rearward armrest 10 can enter the rear portion of the seat cushion 13a of the rear seat 13. According to this configuration, the center console 3 is displaced rearward in the fourth aspect with the second surface 10b including the additional article storage unit 20 and the cup holder hole 21 facing upward, so that the rear seat The occupant can put and remove a drinking water bottle into and from the cup holder hole 21 without changing the sitting posture.

It is a figure which shows the aspect which an armrest takes the normal armrest position for front seats. It is a figure for demonstrating the attachment structure of an armrest. It is a figure which shows the aspect which flips an armrest up and down and functions as a tray for front seats. It is a figure which shows the aspect which functions as a partition which raises an armrest and fills between the seat backs of a right-and-left front seat. It is a figure which shows the aspect which the armrest made to fall back functions as a tray for rear seats. It is a figure for demonstrating that the armrest made to fall backward engages with a backseat seat cushion, and maintains a substantially horizontal state. It is a figure for demonstrating the modification of the attachment structure of the armrest shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

1 Front seat 3 Center console 10 Armrest 10a First surface of armrest (armrest)
10b Second side of armrest (tray)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Bracket 12 Horizontal axis | shaft 13 Backseat 16 A shaft for upside down 20 The additional article storage part of an armrest 21 The cup holder hole of an armrest 22 The lock means which can be operated manually 23 Vertical axis

Claims (6)

In the armrest structure provided with the armrest for the front seat occupant on the center console disposed between the left and right front seats of the vehicle,
One surface of the armrest is composed of an armrest surface that can rest an occupant's arm,
The other surface facing the one surface of the armrest is composed of a tray surface on which an article can be placed,
By reversing the armrest up and down, a function as an armrest that can rest the arm of a front seat occupant and a function as a tray on which objects can be placed can be selected. Armrest structure.   The rear end portion of the armrest is connected to the center console so as to be rotatable about an axis extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body, and the armrest can be turned up and down around the axis. Item 2. A vehicle armrest structure according to Item 1.   The bracket includes a bracket that rotatably supports a rear end portion of the armrest about a horizontal axis extending in a vehicle width direction, and the armrest is attached to the center console via the bracket. The armrest structure of the vehicle according to 2.   A rear end portion of the armrest is connected to a bracket provided at a rear end portion of the center console so as to be rotatable about a horizontal axis extending in the vehicle width direction, and the bracket extends about a vertical axis extending in the vertical direction. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the armrest is pivotably connected to the center console, and the armrest can be turned around the vertical axis and can be turned back and forth around the horizontal axis. Armrest structure of the described vehicle.   5. The armrest can be rotated rearward substantially 180 degrees rearward from a front seat armrest position extending forward from a rear end portion of the center console between the left and right front seats. The armrest structure of the vehicle described in 1.   6. The vehicle armrest structure according to claim 5, wherein the armrest is supported by a seat cushion of a rear seat when the armrest is rotated rearward by approximately 180 degrees rearward from the armrest position for the front seat.

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