Patent Application
20110215606
The present invention relates to the field of vehicle consoles and lid hinge mechanisms for vehicle consoles.
Automotive vehicles are often equipped with a center console positioned between individual front driver and passenger seats and sometimes among the rear seats. Center consoles are provided primarily for storage purposes and typically include a pivotally movable lid that opens up into one or more storage bins, which are usually sufficiently large to house music CD's, maps, keys and other items. The pivotally movable lid is attached to the storage bin via a hinge.
The consoles, particularly ones located between the driver and passenger seats, can be located such that it is awkward for a driver or passenger to open the lid and move it to its fully opened position. If the lid is unlatched and not moved to the fully opened position, the lid can fall back down and relatch. If the lid is in the fully opened position, normal operation of the vehicle may cause the lid to slam closed due to braking or hitting of a bump, for example. Furthermore, lids can tend to vibrate when in the fully opened position due to operation of the vehicle, causing undesirable noise in the passenger compartment.
Embodiments of vehicle consoles and hinges for vehicle consoles are disclosed herein. One embodiment of a hinge for a vehicle console having a lid and a base structure comprises a fixed component attached to the base structure, a movable component attached to the lid, a shaft connecting the fixed component to the movable component, a spacer on the shaft positioned between and in contact with at least a portion of both the fixed and movable components and a securing member positioned on the shaft to apply pressure against at least one of the fixed component and the movable component to produce friction between the movable component and the spacer and to resist rotational movement of the lid about an axis of the shaft.
An embodiment of a vehicle console disclosed herein comprises a base structure defining a cavity and having an opening permitting access to the cavity, a lid having a surface area sufficient to cover at least a portion of the opening when the lid is in a closed position, and a hinge connected between the base structure and an edge of the lid and configured to allow rotational movement of the lid between the closed position and an open position, The hinge comprises a movable component comprised of first and second hinge arms coupled to the lid with the first hinge arm proximate a first side edge of the lid and the second hinge arm proximate a second opposing side edge of the lid, a fixed portion connected to the base structure and comprising two mounting members, a shaft connecting the movable component to the fixed portion, the first and second hinge arms being spaced apart along the shaft and the two mounting members being spaced apart along the shaft, spacers mounted on the shaft and positioned such that at least one spacer is between and in contact with an end of one hinge arm and an adjacent one of the two mounting members and a securing member mounted on the shaft applying pressure against at least one of the one hinge arm and the adjacent one of the two mounting members and producing sufficient friction between the at least one spacer and the one hinge arm to resist rotational movement of the lid about an axis of the shaft.
The description herein makes reference to the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views, and wherein:
A vehicle occupant opens the lid of a console typically by pulling or pushing up on a latch to release the lid. This may occur while the vehicle is stopped or moving. It is desired to provide a lid with a hinge having sufficient torsion to maintain the lid in an open position after the occupant unlatches the lid. It is also desired for the lid to remain in the open position after the occupant moves the lid any rotational distance other than to a closed position. This prevents the lid from falling back to its closed and latched position when the occupant removes his or her hand. If the occupant is driving, the driver does not have to move the lid to the fully opened position to prevent the lid from falling closed and relatching.
In order to prevent the lid from falling back to the closed position from any open position, the hinge must maintain resistance at all times such that force sufficient to overcome the resistance of the hinge is required to close the lid. This prevents the lid from slamming closed if, for example, the vehicle brakes are suddenly applied or the vehicle moves in reverse. In the event that the lid is biased to an open position, this same resistance in the hinge can dampen movement of the lid so that oscillations or noises that might otherwise occur when the lid reaches a hard stop at a fully open position are eliminated.
Console lids can also be used as work benches in vehicles. For example, a lid can be configured to slide outward toward the vehicle dashboard to act as a work surface that is better positioned for the driver or passenger to use. The work surface can support, for example, a lap top computer for use by a driver when the vehicle is parked so that the driver does not have to turn sideways toward to center console to view the computer. The lids of these consoles typically weigh more than a conventional lid due to the work surface extension. This additional weight can amplify the conditions noted above.
Referring first to
The console 10 in
A movable component 34 can be attached to the lid 18 so that the movable component 34 supports the lid 18. In the disclosed embodiment of
The movable component 34 of hinge 30 is pivotable with respect to the fixed component 32 so as to move the lid 18 between the closed position and the open position. While the illustrated embodiment shows a configuration where the pivoting point of hinge 30 is arranged in a rear position of console 10 with respect to the forward vehicle travel direction, this is not necessary. Hinge 30 can be arranged so that the pivoting point for the opening and closing of lid 18 is in any orientation with respect to opening 16.
The movable component 34 can be pivotable about a shaft 40, which can connect the fixed component 32 to the movable component 34. As seen in
The fixed portion 32 can comprise mounting members 44 for coupling the fixed portion 32 to the shaft 40. Two mounting members 44 are shown in the figures for illustration purposes. The fixed portion 32 can extend unitarily between the two mounting members 44 as shown, although this is not required. Any number of mounting members can be incorporated as desired or required. The mounting members 44 are spaced apart on the shaft 40 as shown in
As best seen in
A securing member 52 can be positioned on the shaft 40 in order to apply pressure against the movable component 34, which produces friction between the movable component 34 and the spacer 50 and resists rotational movement of the lid 18 about an axis of the shaft 40. Alternatively, the securing member may apply pressure against the fixed component 32 in the event that the positions of the fixed and movable components 32, 34 along the shaft 40 are reversed. The friction between the spacer 50 and the movable component 34 can prevent the lid 18 from falling closed when it is only partially opened. This friction can also prevent the lid 18 from slamming closed when it is in a fully opened position. In the event that the lid 18 is biased to an open position, this friction can also dampen movement of the lid 18 so that oscillations or noises that might otherwise occur when the lid 18 reaches a hard stop at the fully open position are eliminated.
The spacer 50 can be made of a high lubricity material to create sufficient friction while at the same time enabling smooth and repeatable movement of the movable component 34 when the securing member 52 is positioned on the shaft 40. A non-limiting example of a high lubricity material is a plastic such as nylon. The spacer 50 can be annular in shape, for example, similar to a washer. The spacer 50 can also be configured such that the fixed component 32 and movable component 34 each contact the spacer 50 on respective surfaces 53 that are continuously annular about an axis of the shaft 40. Other spacer configurations as desired or required by those skilled in the art can be used with embodiments of the invention when provided with the teachings herein.
As best seen in
The securing member 52 is positioned on the shaft 40 such that the securing member 52 applies an axial compressive force on the movable component 34 ranging from about 2170 N to about 2270 N. This axial compressive force produces the friction between the spacer 50 and the movable component 34. The securing member 52 may be a single retention washer (as shown in
Embodiments of the hinge 30 and console 10 disclosed herein can also comprise a biasing member 60 that biases the lid 18 to an open position. The biasing member 60 can be configured to be tensioned when the lid 18 is in a closed position and to be tensioned when the lid 18 is in an open position, with the tension of the biasing member 60 in the closed position being greater than the tension of the biasing member 60 in the open position. As illustrated in
The biasing member 60 can be configured to resist movement of the lid 18 about the axis of the shaft 40 when a force less than or equal to 0.4 G is exerted on the lid 18. Of course, it is also contemplated that the friction between the spacer 50 and the movable component 34 can also resist this movement if a biasing member is not used.
While the invention has been described in connection with certain embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiments but, on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the scope of the appended claims, which scope is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures as is permitted under the law.
