The present application is a National Phase entry of PCT Application No. PCT/JP2012/080057, filed Nov. 20, 2012, which claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2011-275578, filed Dec. 16, 2011, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.
1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention relate to a center console situated between the right and left front seats of an automobile. More specifically, embodiments of the present invention relate to a center console provided with a structure capable of absorbing shock acting on a rear portion of the console cover from above.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2010-143502 discloses a technique in which a shock absorption bracket is provided at a rear portion of a box of a center console. The bracket has a shock absorption portion bent into an M-shape as seen from a side view. A console cover is mounted to an upper surface of the shock absorption bracket by a hinge.
The shock absorption bracket is a member separate from the proper constituent member of the center console. This may lead to deterioration in the design property of the center console. In view of this, it might be possible to adopt a technique in which the rigidity of the box, which is a constituent member of the center console, is reduced. A reduction in the rigidity of the box, however, would result in wobbling of the box when an elbow or the like were placed on an upper surface of a console door when using it as an armrest. This would create a loss in the stability of the box.
Thus, there is a need in the art for a structure capable of absorbing a shock acting from above on a rear portion of a console cover while securing the adequate design property of the center console and the rigidity thereof as needed in the normal state.
According to an aspect of the present invention, a center console has a box, a console door and a shock absorption portion. The box is installed on a floor in a vehicle interior. The console door is connected to an upper wall of a rear portion of the box via a hinge shaft, and rotates using the hinge shaft as a fulcrum so that an opening of the box upper is opened and closed. The shock absorption portion divides the rear portion of the box into the upper wall and a lower wall. The shock absorption portion connects the upper wall and the lower wall to each other with a step therebetween. The shock absorption portion is set to be thinner than the upper wall and the lower wall.
As a result, it is possible to secure the design property of the center console and the rigidity thereof as required in the normal state. When a shock acts on the rear portion of the console door from above, the shock is transmitted to the upper wall of the shock absorption wall via the hinge shaft, and the shock absorption wall is fractured. As a result, the upper wall is separated from the lower wall at the shock absorption portion and moves downwards. This absorbs the shock.
An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. A center console is provided between the right and left front seats of an automobile. The center console has a box 10 and a console door 30. As shown in
A cup holder 40 is provided in a front portion (the left-hand side in the drawing) of the console door 30 on an upper surface of the box 10 (
The box 10 has a box outer 12 and a box inner 16 (
As shown in
With the shock absorption portion 22 serving as a boundary, the shock absorption wall 20 is divided into an upper wall portion (upper wall) 20U and a lower wall portion (lower wall) 20L. The upper wall portion 20U and the lower wall portion 20L are connected together, with a step created by the shock absorption portion 22 lying therebetween. The shock absorption portion 22 is set to be thinner than the upper wall portion 20U and the lower wall portion 20L of the shock absorption wall 20 (
A hinge bracket 24 is integrally formed with the upper portion of the rear wall 16a of the box inner 16. That is, the hinge bracket 24 is integrally formed with the upper wall portion 20U of the shock absorption portion 20.
The console door 30 has a door outer 32 formed of resin, and a door inner 34 formed of resin (
The console door 30 has a rear portion connected to the box 10 by the hinge shaft 38. The console door 30 rotates using the hinge shaft 38 as the fulcrum. This makes it possible to open and close the opening of the box 10.
In the case of back collision or the like of the automobile, a shock of not less than a predetermined value may be applied to the rear portion of the console door 30 due to the occupant seated in the rear seat. In this case, the shock is transmitted to the shock absorption wall 20 of the box 10 (the box inner 16) via the hinge shaft 38. As a result, the thin-walled shock absorption portion 22 of the shock absorption wall 20 is fractured. In absorbing the shock, the upper wall portion 20U of the shock absorption wall 20 moves from the position shown in
The shock absorption portion 22 is continuous from the rear wall 16a of the box inner 16 to parts of both side walls 16b via the corner portions 16c on both sides. Thus, the fracture of the shock absorption portion 22 due to the shock occurs continuously from the rear wall 16a to part of both side walls 16b. As shown in
The fracture of the shock absorption portion 22 occurs continuously from the rear wall 16a of the box inner 16 to parts of both side walls 16b. Thus, the upper wall portion 20U of the shock absorption wall 20 properly moves downwardly. This makes it possible to absorb the shock.
The shock absorption wall 20 is formed on the rear wall 16a and both side walls 16b of the box inner 16. The upper wall portion 20U and the lower wall portion 20L are connected in a step-like configuration due to the shock absorption portion 22. Thus, it is possible to maintain the adequate design property of the center console. It is also possible to secure the rigidity as required when an elbow or the like is placed on the upper surface of the console door 30 when using it as an armrest in the normal state.
While the embodiments of invention have been described with reference to specific configurations, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many alternatives, modifications and variations may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. Accordingly, embodiments of the present invention are intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variations that may fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. For example, embodiments of the present invention should not be limited to the representative configurations, but may be modified, for example, as described below.
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Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2011-275578 | Dec 2011 | JP | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
PCT/JP2012/080057 | 11/20/2012 | WO | 00 |
Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
WO2013/088919 | 6/20/2013 | WO | A |
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
4109955 | Amann et al. | Aug 1978 | A |
7731258 | Bazinski et al. | Jun 2010 | B2 |
7854470 | Yamaki et al. | Dec 2010 | B2 |
Number | Date | Country |
---|---|---|
10 2006 051 948 | Jun 2008 | DE |
52-57632 | May 1977 | JP |
2010-30555 | Feb 2010 | JP |
2010-143502 | Jul 2010 | JP |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20140333085 A1 | Nov 2014 | US |