The present invention relates to an inner storage device for a motor vehicle.
An inner storage device for a motor vehicle may comprise a storage body, delimiting a storage area accessible through an opening, and a cover movable between an open position, in which the storage area is accessible, and a closed position, in which the cover closes off the opening. The device may also include a locking mechanism movable between a locked position, in which the locking mechanism keeps the cover in the closed position, and an unlocked position, in which the locking mechanism allows the cover to go from its closed position to its open position, an actuating member making it possible to bring said locking mechanism from its locked position to its unlocked position when the actuating member is actuated, and at least one elastic return member being arranged to return the locking mechanism to the locked position when the actuating member is not actuated. The device may also include at least one push-piece arranged between the cover and the storage body, the piece being movable between a retracted position and an extracted position in which the push-piece keeps the cover in a partially open position.
Such a storage device may be, for example, a motor vehicle glove box.
Such a storage device is generally provided with a cover closing off the storage area and kept in the closed position by the locking mechanism. An actuating member, generally in the form of a pushbutton or handle, makes it possible to deactivate the locking mechanism so as to allow opening of the cover.
Document FR 2 935 320 describes such a storage device that also comprises thrust mechanism designed to maneuver the cover from its closed position to a partially open position.
Such a thrust mechanism make it possible to lend the storage device a high “perceived quality” by offering opening assistance making it possible to have a particularly precise opening path for the cover. Furthermore, such thrust mechanism makes it possible to indicate to the user whether the cover is closed correctly reliably simply by observing the position thereof.
However, such a device is complex to implement, since the thrust mechanism may comprise several parts separate from the locking and actuating mechanisms, which increases the number of elements to be managed during assembly of the storage device.
Furthermore, in this device, the thrust mechanism is arranged across from the edge of the cover, which makes it visible when the cover is in the open position. This arrangement is detrimental to the esthetics of the storage device.
One of the aims of the invention is to offset these drawbacks by proposing a storage device comprising opening assistance done more simply and with fewer parts, while preserving a high “perceived quality” and satisfactory esthetics.
To that end, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the invention, there is provided a storage device of the aforementioned type, wherein the elastic return member is also arranged to push said push-piece toward its extracted position when the locking mechanism is in the unlocked position.
The push-piece is therefore actuated by the same elastic return member that allows the locking mechanism to go to the locked position. Thus, it is not necessary to provide a different return member for the push-piece, which reduces the number of parts necessary to produce the device, while preserving the opening assistance function and the high “perceived quality.” Furthermore, in this device, the push-piece is arranged close to the locking mechanism, which is not immediately visible when the cover is opened. The esthetics of the storage device are therefore improved.
According to other features of the storage device:
Other features and advantages of the invention will appear upon reading the following description, provided as an example and done in reference to the appended drawings, in which:
In the description, the terms “front” and “rear” are defined in the usual directions of an assembled motor vehicle. The term “longitudinal” is defined along the length of the vehicle, i.e., in a front-to-back direction, and the term “transverse” is defined along the width of the vehicle, i.e., in a horizontal direction substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction.
In reference to
The storage body 2 is delimited by a front transverse edge 10 and a rear transverse edge 12, connected to each other by two longitudinal walls 14 spaced apart from one another in the transverse direction and connected by a bottom 16. The transverse edges 10 and 12, the longitudinal walls 14 and the bottom 16 delimit the storage space 4, as shown in
The cover 8 is rotatably mounted on the storage body 2 around a transverse axis A extending in the vicinity of the front transverse edge 10 of said body 2. The cover 8 is thus movable between a closed position, in which it covers the storage body 2 so as to close off the opening 6 and close the storage space 4, and an open position, shown in
The storage device 1 comprises locking mechanism 30 locking the cover 8 in the closed position. The locking mechanism 30 comprises at least one retaining element 32 secured to the storage body 2, in the vicinity of the rear transverse edge 12 and a longitudinal wall 14 thereof. The retaining element 32 forms a hook protruding from the bottom 16 of the storage body 2 and has a recess 34 extending toward the back, substantially parallel to the bottom 16 in the storage space 4. A bolt 36 is supported by the recess 34. According to the embodiment shown in the figures, the locking mechanism 30 comprises two retaining elements 32, positioned on either side of the storage body 2 in a transverse direction, i.e. each retaining element 32 is located in the vicinity of one of the longitudinal walls 14 of the body 2.
The locking mechanism 30 also comprises a locking element 38 rotatably mounted around a transverse axis B in the cover 8. The locking member 38 is rotatable between a locked position, in which it cooperates with the retaining element 32 (
The strike 42 extends in a housing 44 provided in the inner wall 18 of the cover and in which the retaining element 32 places itself when the cover 8 is in the closed position. This housing 44 comprises a shoulder 46 extending substantially parallel to the bottom 16 toward the front, so as to be opposite the recess 34 of the retaining element 32 when the cover 8 is in the closed position, as shown in
An actuating member 48 allows the user to move the locking mechanism 30 from the locked position to the unlocked position. The actuating member 48 is for example made up of a tongue 50 rotatably mounted on the cover 8 and extending under the rear edge 24 thereof, as shown in
At least one return member 54 is arranged around the shaft 40 to return the locking element 38 to the locked position when the actuating member 48 is not actuated. This return member 54 is formed by a spring wound around the shaft 40 in the vicinity of a strike 42 and comprises a first end portion 56 bearing on a surface 57 of the cover 8 so as to return the locking element 38 to the locked position. The rotation of the actuating member 48 is therefore done against the return force of the return member 54 and the latter returns the locking element 38 to the locked position and the tongue 50 of the actuating member 48 to its initial position when said tongue 50 is not actuated by a user, as shown in
The storage device 1 also comprises at least one push-piece 58, arranged between the cover 8 and the storage body 2, formed from a body 60 extending substantially perpendicular to the inner surface 18 of the cover 8 towards the storage space 4 and a head 62 translatably mounted in the body 60 along an axis substantially perpendicular to the inner wall 18 of the cover 8. The head 62 is movable between a retracted position (
According to the embodiment shown in the figures, the storage device 1 comprises two push-pieces 58 arranged on either side of the cover in a transverse direction in the vicinity of the strikes 42, such that the two return members 54 make it possible to push the heads 62 of said push-pieces 58.
Thus, a single return member 54 makes it possible both to return the locking mechanism 30 to the locked position and to push the push-piece 58 toward its extracted position, which simplifies the storage device 1 and limits the number of component parts thereof, thereby facilitating assembly.
Furthermore, the push-piece 58 extends under the cover and is not directly visible during opening of said cover 8, which improves the esthetics of the storage device.
According to one embodiment shown in
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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10 55342 | Jul 2010 | FR | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
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PCT/FR2011/051519 | 6/29/2011 | WO | 00 | 4/16/2013 |
Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
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WO2012/001306 | 1/5/2012 | WO | A |
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
6113160 | Johansson et al. | Sep 2000 | A |
20060208525 | Jonsson | Sep 2006 | A1 |
20070080553 | Kim | Apr 2007 | A1 |
20080172945 | Hoffman | Jul 2008 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
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8704947 | May 1987 | DE |
4407522 | Jun 1995 | DE |
10158383 | Jun 2003 | DE |
2935320 | Mar 2010 | FR |
Entry |
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International Search Report for PCT/FR2011/051519 dated Oct. 13, 2011, 3 pages (translated). |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20130193707 A1 | Aug 2013 | US |