The present application is National Phase of International Application No. PCT/JP2010/002028 filed Mar. 23, 2010, and claims priority from Japanese Application No. 2009-098355 filed Apr. 14, 2009
The invention relates to a drawer device provided in an interior of a vehicle such as an automobile and the like, and especially, relates to a drawer device selectively used as a container box and a cup holder.
As a drawer device provided in the interior of the vehicle such as the automobile and the like, a drawer device, including a box-shaped housing with a front face opening; a tray with an upside opening provided in the housing so as to be capable of being taken in and out; and a cup holder plate disposed on an upside of the tray, and provided in the housing so as to be capable of being taken in and out separately from the tray, is well-known (for example, Patent Document 1). In a case wherein only the tray is drawn forward from the front face opening of the housing, the drawer device is used as the container box, and in a case wherein the tray and the cup holder plate are drawn forward from the front face opening of the housing, the drawer device is used as the cup holder.
The above-mentioned drawer device is selectively used as the container box and the cup holder. However, in the drawer device, in a case wherein a state of the cup holder in which both the tray and the cup holder plate are drawn is returned to a housed state, both the tray and the cup holder plate may be pushed into the housing together. However, in a case wherein the drawer device is used as the cup holder again, in each time the tray is drawn from the housing, an operation drawing the cup holder plate from the housing by hand is required separately from a drawing operation of the tray. Consequently, an operation of a conventional drawer device was troublesome in usage as the cup holder.
Also, in the drawer device, in order to integrate the tray and the cup holder plate, an operation such that a locking claw provided in the cup holder plate is locked in a locking border of the tray and the like was required.
Problems to be solved by the present invention are to provide a drawer device which can be used selectively as the container box or the cup holder without requiring a troublesome operation, and improve usability of the drawer device for a combined use as the container box and the cup holder.
A drawer device according to the present invention includes a box-shaped housing with a front face opening; a tray with an upside opening provided in the housing so as to be capable of being taken in and out; a cup holder plate disposed on an upside of the tray, and provided in the housing so as to be capable of being taken in and out separately from the tray; and a connecting mechanism connecting both the cup holder plate and the tray in a case wherein both the cup holder plate and the tray are housed inside the housing from a state wherein both the cup holder plate and the tray are drawn to the maximum drawn position, and separating the connection between the cup holder plate and the tray in a case wherein the tray is housed inside the housing from a state wherein only the tray is drawn to the maximum drawn position. Incidentally, the term maximum drawn position here may be a position including a position near the maximum drawn position.
Preferably, in the drawer device according to the present invention, the tray includes a first abutting portion abutting against the cup holder plate in a movement of a direction housed inside the housing, and pushing the cup holder plate into a direction housed inside the housing. The connecting mechanism includes an engaging member provided in the tray, positioned in an evacuated position allowing a free movement in a taken-in-and-out direction of the cup holder plate relative to the tray by positioning the tray in the maximum drawn position (including the position near the maximum drawn position), and moving to an engaging movement position by positioning the tray in a position other than the maximum drawn position (including the position near the maximum drawn position). In a case wherein both the cup holder plate and the tray are housed inside the housing from the state wherein both the cup holder plate and the tray are drawn to the maximum drawn position (including the position near the maximum drawn position), in the engaging movement position (including the position near the maximum drawn position), the engaging member connects the cup holder plate and the tray in a movement of a direction drawn from the housing. In a case wherein the tray is housed inside the housing in the state wherein the cup holder plate is not positioned in the maximum drawn position (including the position near the maximum drawn position), in the engaging movement position, the engaging member does not connect the cup holder plate and the tray in the movement of the direction drawn from the housing.
Preferably, in the drawer device according to the present invention, the engaging member includes a cam follower portion engaging a cam-shaped portion formed in the housing by a cam, and under the cam engagement, the tray moves between the evacuated position and the engaging movement position due to a taken-in-and-out movement relative to the housing.
Preferably, in the drawer device according to the present invention, the tray includes a second abutting portion abutting against the cup holder plate when the tray moves from the position near the maximum drawn position (including the position near the maximum drawn position) to the maximum drawn position (including the position near the maximum drawn position) in the movement drawn from the housing, and moving the cup holder plate in the direction drawing from the housing.
According to the drawer device of the present invention, in a case wherein-both the cup holder plate and the tray are housed inside the housing from a usage state as the cup holder wherein both the cup holder plate and the tray are drawn to the maximum drawn position (including the position near the maximum drawn position), both the cup holder plate and the tray are connected by the connecting mechanism, so that when the tray is drawn after that, the cup holder plate is also drawn together with the tray, and a state of the cup holder before the cup holder is stored, is replicated.
On the other hand, in a case wherein the tray is housed inside the housing from a usage state as the container box wherein only the tray is drawn to the maximum drawn position (including the position near the maximum drawn position), the connection between the cup holder plate and the tray due to the connecting mechanism is separated, so that when the tray is drawn after that, only the tray is drawn, and a state of the container box before the container box is stored, is replicated.
As a result, without requiring a troublesome operation, the present invention can be used selectively as the container box or the cup holder, and improves usability of the drawer device for a combined use as the container box and the cup holder.
a) and 4(b) are rear views of a usage state as a cup holder of the drawer device according to the present embodiment.
a) and 5(b) are rear views of the usage state as the container box of the drawer device according to the present embodiment.
a) to 6(c) are cross-sectional views corresponding to a surface of section of line VI-VI in
a) to 7(c) are cross-sectional views corresponding to a surface of section of line VII-VII in
One embodiment of a drawer device according to the present invention will be explained with reference to
A drawer device 10 includes a housing 12 forming a device main body with a square box shape whose front face and back face have an opening and made of a resin molded article. In a case wherein the drawer device 10 is for automobile use, and fitted and placed in an instrument panel and the like for an automobile, the housing 12 is fixed and placed in the instrument panel and the like with attachment pieces 14 integrally formed on external surfaces of side walls on both right and left sides of the housing 12.
On the underside of inner surfaces of the side walls on both the right and left sides of the housing 12, guide projecting pieces 16 linearly extending in a back and forth direction are integrally formed. In a lower portion inside the housing 12, a tray 20 is provided so as to be capable of moving in the back and forth direction by slidably engaging the guide projecting pieces 16 with side-portion guide grooves 22 formed on external surfaces on both right and left sides of the tray 20. Due to the sliding engagement, the tray 20 can be taken in and out relative to the housing 12 in a sliding fashion.
The tray 20 is constituted by a tray main body 26 with a square box shape whose upside has an opening which defines a small-article storing portion 24 and is made of the resin molded article; and a decorative front plate member 28 attached to a front portion of the tray main body 26, and blocking a front-face opening 12A of the housing 12 in a housed position wherein the tray main body 26 is inserted into the housing 12.
In a back portion (rear portion) of the tray main body 26, a back-portion expanded portion 30 is integrally formed. On a bottom portion of the back-portion expanded portion 30, stopper pieces 32 are integrally formed. On the bottom portion of the housing 12, concave grooves 18 in which the stopper pieces 32 slidably engage are formed as grooves extending in the back and forth direction. End portions 32A abut against front-end wall portions 18A of the concave grooves 18, so that the stopper pieces 32 define a drawn position of the tray 20 relative to the housing 12. The defined position is the maximum drawn position of the tray 20.
Incidentally, although it is not shown in the drawings, the housed position (maximum pushed-in position) of the tray 20 relative to the housing 12 is defined by a stopper with a doorstop type formed in the bottom portion of the tray main body 26 and the bottom portion of the housing 12.
On both right and left side portions of the housing 12, click stop tools 36 urged by plate springs 34 are attached. On the external surfaces of both right and left side walls of the tray 20, there are formed engaging convex portions 38 engaging the click stop tools 36 by positioning the tray 20 in the maximum drawn position and carrying out a click stop operation, and engaging convex portions 40 engaging the click stop tools 36 by positioning the tray 20 in the housed position and carrying out the click stop operation.
On an upside of the inner surfaces of the side walls on both the right and left sides of the housing 12, guide projecting pieces 42 linearly extending in the back and forth direction are integrally formed. On an upper portion inside the housing 12, a cup holder plate 50 is provided so as to be capable of moving in the back and forth direction by slidably engaging the guide projecting pieces 42 with side-portion guide grooves 52 formed on external surfaces of both right and left sides of the cup holder plate 50. Due to the sliding engagement, the cup holder plate 50 is disposed in an upside position of the tray 20, and can be taken in and out relative to the housing 12 in the sliding fashion separately from the tray 20.
On an upper face of a back end of the cup holder plate 50, resistance imparting members 56 urged upward by plate springs 54 are attached. The resistance imparting members 56 are pressed against a ceiling surface of the housing 12, and provide a moderate resistance relative to a taken-in-and-out movement of the cup holder plate 50 in the sliding fashion so as to prevent the cup holder plate 50 from moving relative to the housing 12 due to a vibration and the like.
The cup holder plate 50 is constituted by the resin molded article, and in the cup holder plate 50, a circular cup-holding opening 58 for holding a cup for beverages, a beverage can, a plastic bottle, and the like without tipping over them is formed. On the upper face of a front end of the cup holder plate 50, finger-operating portions 60 for pushing the cup holder plate 50 into the housing 12 with one's fingertips are projected and formed.
On an upper margin of both right and left side walls of the tray main body 26, backward-looking step portions (first abutting portions) 62 are formed. The step portions 62 abut against forward-looking step portions 64 formed on a lower bottom face side of the cup holder plate 50 in a movement of a direction (direction shown with an arrow A in
The step portions 64 abut against the step portions 62 of the tray main body 26 which is in the maximum drawn position, so that the maximum drawn position of the cup holder plate 50 is defined. The housed position (maximum pushed-in position) of the cup holder plate 50 relative to the housing 12 is defined by the stopper with the doorstop type which is made by a stopper concave portion 66 integrally formed in a back end portion of the cup holder plate 50 and a stopper convex portion 68 integrally formed in a ceiling portion of the housing 12.
In the tray main body 26, an abutting portion (second abutting portion) 72 is formed. In a movement wherein the tray 20 is drawn from the housing 12, when the tray 20 moves to the maximum drawn position from a position near the maximum drawn position, the abutting portion 72 abuts against an abutting piece 70 projected from a lower bottom portion of the cup holder plate 50, and moves the cup holder plate 50 in a direction (direction shown with an arrow B in
The cup holder plate 50 drawn from the housing 12 due to the above-mentioned abutting is shown in
In a back face portion of the tray main body 26, a connecting mechanism 80, connecting the tray 20 and the cup holder plate 50 so as to be capable of separating, is constituted.
The connecting mechanism 80 includes a plate-like engaging member 86 provided so as to be capable of sliding and moving in a right and left direction in a void 84 of a slit defined by a double wall portion 82 integrally formed in a back face of the tray main body 26. The engaging member 86 is the resin molded article, and integrally formed by an engaging piece portion 88 projecting laterally and a cam follower piece portion 90 extending downward.
From viewing a surface of projection of the back and forth direction of the housing 12, the engaging member 86 can slide between an engaging movement position, as shown in
A sliding movement of the engaging member 86 is carried out by being guided by a slidable engagement between a guiding projecting piece 96 formed in the double wall portion 82 of the tray main body 26 and a guiding concave groove 98 formed in the engaging member 86. In the engaging member 86, bridge-like spring piece portions 100 are integrally formed, and pressed against the back face of the tray main body 26, so that the engaging member 86 cannot wobble in a board-thickness direction.
In a state of the evacuated position, the engaging piece portion 88 and the connecting piece portion 91 are not overlapped, so that the engaging member 86 allows a free movement of the taken-in-and-out direction of the cup holder plate 50 relative to the tray 20. On the other hand, in a state of the engaging movement position, due to a relative position of the taken-in-and-out direction between the tray 20 and the cup holder plate 50, the engaging member 86 selectively takes any of a state, as shown in
In the state wherein the engaging piece portion 88 is overlapped with the connecting piece portion 91 at the rear side of the connecting piece portion 91, the tray 20 moves in a direction B which is drawn from the housing 12, so that the engaging piece portion 88 abuts against a rear face (back face) of the connecting piece portion 91, and connects the cup holder plate 50 and the tray 20 in a movement of the direction B which is drawn from the housing 12. On the other hand, in the state wherein the engaging piece portion 88 is overlapped with the connecting piece portion 91 at the front side of the connecting piece portion 91, even if the tray 20 moves in the direction drawn from the housing 12, the engaging piece portion 88 abuts against a front face of the connecting piece portion 91, and does not connect the cup holder plate 50 and the tray 20 in the movement of the direction B which is drawn from the housing 12, and connects the cup holder plate 50 and the tray 20 in a movement of a direction A which houses in the housing 12.
As shown in
The cam-shaped portion 92 is a cam operating at a drawing movement time of the tray 20. As shown in
As shown in
The other cam-shaped portion 94 is a cam operating at a housing movement time of the tray 20. As shown in
Due to the above-mentioned operation, the engaging member 86 is positioned in the evacuated position allowing the free movement of the taken-in-and-out direction of the cup holder plate 50 relative to the tray 20 by positioning the tray 20 in the maximum drawn position (including the position near the maximum drawn position), and moves in the engaging movement position by positioning the tray 20 in a position other than the maximum drawn position (including the position near the maximum drawn position). In a case wherein both the cup holder plate 50 and the tray 20 are housed inside the housing 12 from the state wherein both the cup holder plate 50 and the tray 20 are drawn to the maximum drawn position (including the position near the maximum drawn position), in the engaging movement position, the engaging piece portion 88 is positioned on the rear side of the connecting piece portion 91 of the tray 20, and in a movement of a direction drawn from the housing 12, the engaging member 86 connects the cup holder plate 50 and the tray 20. On the other hand, in a case wherein the tray 20 is housed inside the housing 12 in the state wherein the cup holder plate 50 is not positioned in the maximum drawn position (including the position near the maximum drawn position), in the engaging movement position, the engaging piece portion 88 is positioned on the front side of the connecting piece portion 91 of the tray 20, and the engaging member 86 separates the cup holder plate 50 and the tray 20 and does not connect them in the movement of the direction drawn from the housing 12.
Next, with reference to
a) and 6(a) show a housed positional state in a case when the drawer device 10 is used as a cup holder wherein both the cup holder plate 50 and the tray 20 are drawn to the maximum drawn position (including the position near the maximum drawn position) in a previous usage. The engaging piece portion 88 of the engaging member 86 which is in the engaging movement position is positioned on the back side of the connecting piece portion 91 of the tray 20. Specifically, as shown in
From this state, when the tray 20 is drawn, the engaging piece portion 88 abuts against the rear face of the connecting piece portion 91, and in the movement of the direction drawn from the housing 12, the cup holder plate 50 and the tray 20 are connected. Also, due to a drawing movement of the tray 20, the engaging piece portion 88 moves in a drawing direction accompanied by the drawing movement of the tray 20 in such a way as to be pushed by the engaging member 86 on a tray 20 side.
As shown in
As shown in
When an operation returning the tray 20 to the housed position is carried out while the cup holder plate 50 remains in a state drawn to the maximum drawn position (including the position near the maximum drawn position), the cup holder plate 50 is returned to the housed position shown in
Thus, in a housing operation from the usage state as the cup holder, the engaging piece portion 88 of the engaging member 86 which is in the engaging movement position is positioned on the back side of the connecting piece portion 91 of the tray 20.
As shown in
From this state, when the tray 20 is returned to the housed position, as shown in
Thereby, in a housing operation from the usage state as the container box, the engaging piece portion 88 of the engaging member 86 which is in the engaging movement position is positioned on the front side of the connecting piece portion 91 of the tray 20. Also, in a case wherein the tray 20 is drawn from the housed state, the cup holder plate 50 does not move, and only the tray 20 is drawn, so that the usage state as the container box is replicated.
Thus, the drawer device 10 of the present embodiment can be used selectively as the container box or the cup holder without requiring a troublesome operation, and improves usability.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2009-098355 | Apr 2009 | JP | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
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PCT/JP2010/002028 | 3/23/2010 | WO | 00 | 12/20/2011 |
Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
WO2010/119621 | 10/21/2010 | WO | A |
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
5297767 | Miller et al. | Mar 1994 | A |
6854779 | Gehring et al. | Feb 2005 | B2 |
7568601 | Kogami et al. | Aug 2009 | B2 |
Number | Date | Country |
---|---|---|
U H03-91244 | Sep 1991 | JP |
U H03-96931 | Oct 1991 | JP |
U H03-118132 | Dec 1991 | JP |
U H04-16039 | Feb 1992 | JP |
H04-154441 | May 1992 | JP |
2004-359083 | Dec 2004 | JP |
Entry |
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European Patent Office, “Supplementary European Search Report for EP 10 764 208.4-1758”, May 7, 2013. |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20120119534 A1 | May 2012 | US |