Patent Application
20230249597
The present disclosure generally relates to a vehicle armrest assembly, in particular, a vehicle armrest assembly that utilizes a removable armrest member.
Armrest assemblies are commonly employed in motor vehicles. Some armrest assemblies may be movable between a first position and a second position. When in the first position, such armrest assemblies may be disposed over a body, such as a center console. When in the second position, such armrest assemblies may be pivoted generally upward such that access to contents housed beneath the armrest assembly on a body are accessible when the armrest is held in the second position. However, such access to the contents may be burdensome as it requires a user to keep the armrest assembly in an upright, second position, and such access to the contents may allow for unauthorized accessibility. It would be desirable to provide for an arrangement that allows for efficient movement and placement of the armrest assembly and that prevents unauthorized access to contents disposed below the armrest assembly.
According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a method of operating a vehicle armrest is provided. The method includes the positioning of an armrest member on a body, actuating an input device configured to communicate with a controller, unlocking a locking mechanism disposed within a latch receiver coupled to the body, and decoupling a latch coupled to the armrest member from the latch receiver. The method also includes rotating the armrest member about a hinge receiver defined on the body from a first position to a second position, translating the armrest member generally upward from the second position to a third position, wherein a hinge feature that is defined on the armrest member is decoupled from the hinge receiver in the third position, translating the armrest member generally downward from the third position to the second position, wherein the hinge feature is coupled to the hinge receiver in the second position, and rotating the armrest member about the hinge receiver from the second position to the first position. The method also includes coupling the latch to the latch receiver, and locking the locking mechanism disposed within the latch receiver.
Embodiments of the first aspect of the disclosure can include any one or a combination of the following features:
According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, a method of operating a vehicle armrest is provided. The method includes the positioning of an armrest member on a top section of a body, actuating an input device configured to communicate with a controller, wherein the controller is configured to communicate with a locking mechanism, inputting an authorization key into the input device, unlocking the locking mechanism disposed within a latch receiver coupled to the body, and decoupling a latch coupled to the armrest member from the latch receiver. The method also includes rotating the armrest member about a first hinge receiver and a second hinge receiver defined on the body from a first position to a second position, translating the armrest member generally upward from the second position to a third position, wherein a first hinge feature and a second hinge feature are decoupled from the first hinge receiver and the second hinge receiver in the third position, and translating the armrest member generally downward from the third position to the second position, wherein the first hinge feature is coupled to the first hinge receiver and the second hinge feature is coupled to the second hinge receiver in the second position. The method also includes rotating the armrest member about the first hinge receiver and the second hinge receiver from the second position to the first position, coupling the latch to the latch receiver, and locking the locking mechanism disposed within the latch receiver.
Embodiments of the second aspect of the disclosure can include any one or a combination of the following features:
According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, an armrest assembly that includes a body having a top section is provided. A hinge receiver is coupled to the top section. An armrest member is rotationally and removably coupled to the body. The armrest member is movable between a first position and a second position. The armrest member is also translatable between the second position and a third position. A latch receiver is defined on the top section or a bottom portion of the armrest member, the latch receiver further comprising a locking mechanism disposed within the latch receiver. A latch is defined on the other of the top section or the bottom portion. The latch is housed within the latch receiver when the armrest member is in the first position. A hinge feature is defined on the bottom portion of the armrest member. The hinge feature is coupled to the hinge receiver when the armrest member is in the first position and the second position, and is decoupled from the hinge receiver when the armrest member is in the third position. An input device is in communication with a controller that is configured to actuate the locking mechanism. A control panel is also coupled to the top section of the body. The control panel further comprises at least one adjustable feature disposed on the control panel. The adjustable feature is in communication with the controller.
Embodiments of the third aspect of the disclosure can include any one or a combination of the following features:
These and other aspects, objects, and features of the present invention will be understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art upon studying the following specification, claims, and appended drawings.
In the drawings:
As required, detailed embodiments of the present disclosure are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention that may be embodied in various and alternative forms. The figures are not necessarily to a detailed design; some schematics may be exaggerated or minimized to show function overview. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention.
For purposes of description herein, the terms “upper,” “lower,” “right,” “left,” “rear,” “front,” “vertical,” “horizontal,” and derivatives thereof shall relate to the concepts as oriented in
The present illustrated embodiments reside primarily in combinations of method steps and apparatus components related to a vehicle armrest assembly and a method of operating a vehicle armrest. Accordingly, the apparatus components and method steps have been represented, where appropriate, by conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present disclosure so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein. Further, like numerals in the description and drawings represent like elements.
As used herein, the term “and/or,” when used in a list of two or more items, means that any one of the listed items can be employed by itself, or any combination of two or more of the listed items, can be employed. For example, if a composition is described as containing components A, B, and/or C, the composition can contain A alone; B alone; C alone; A and B in combination; A and C in combination; B and C in combination; or A, B, and C in combination.
In this document, relational terms, such as first and second, top and bottom, and the like, are used solely to distinguish one entity or action from another entity or action, without necessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between such entities or actions. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. An element proceeded by “comprises . . . a” does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises the element.
As used herein, the term “about” means that amounts, sizes, formulations, parameters, and other quantities and characteristics are not and need not be exact, but may be approximate and/or larger or smaller, as desired, reflecting tolerances, conversion factors, rounding off, measurement error and the like, and other factors known to those of skill in the art. When the term “about” is used in describing a value or an end-point of a range, the disclosure should be understood to include the specific value or end-point referred to. Whether or not a numerical value or end-point of a range in the specification recites “about,” the numerical value or end-point of a range is intended to include two embodiments: one modified by “about,” and one not modified by “about.” It will be further understood that the end-points of each of the ranges are significant both in relation to the other end-point, and independently of the other end-point.
The terms “substantial,” “substantially,” and variations thereof as used herein are intended to note that a described feature is equal or approximately equal to a value or description. For example, a “substantially planar” surface is intended to denote a surface that is planar or approximately planar. Moreover, “substantially” is intended to denote that two values are equal or approximately equal. In some embodiments, “substantially” may denote values within about 10% of each other, such as within about 5% of each other, or within about 2% of each other.
As used herein the terms “the,” “a,” or “an,” mean “at least one,” and should not be limited to “only one” unless explicitly indicated to the contrary. Thus, for example, reference to “a component” includes embodiments having two or more such components unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.
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In various examples, the passenger compartment 54 is a passenger compartment 54 that may be within the vehicle interior 52 of a sedan, a sport utility vehicle, a truck, a van, a crossover, and/or other styles of vehicle. The passenger compartment 54 may be within the vehicle interior 52 of a manually operated vehicle (e.g., with a human driver), a fully autonomous vehicle (e.g., no human driver), or a partially autonomous vehicle (e.g., may be operated with our without a human driver).
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The receiver head 74 is configured to operably couple to the hinge feature 34 and permit a rotational movement of the armrest member 22 about a center axis 76 of the receiver head 74. Additionally, or alternatively, it is generally contemplated that the armrest assembly 10 may include multiple hinge receivers 18. By way of example, not limitation, a first hinge receiver 18 and a second hinge receiver 18 may be coupled to the top section 14 of the body 12 and may be coaxial. The armrest member 22 may then operably couple to the first hinge receiver 18 and the second hinge receiver 18 and is rotatable about a center axis 76 of the first hinge receiver 18 and the second hinge receiver 18.
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According to various aspects, the controller 38 may store information via the memory 92. In some embodiments, the controller 38 may store information within the memory 92 that relates to user authorization. By way of example, not limitation, the controller 38 may store information relating to an authentication key, a reading from an RFID tag, a communication with a cell phone, or an identification of car keys or a key fob. Additionally, or alternatively, it is generally contemplated that the controller 38 may store several forms of data provided by various devices and means, so long as the data may be stored within the memory 92 of the controller 38.
The controller 38 may include communication circuitry 96 to allow the controller 38 to communicate with one or more adjustable features 42 and/or input devices 36. Additionally, or alternatively, the controller 38 may include communication circuitry 96 that allows the controller 38 to communicate with other various devices. For example, the controller 38 may include communication circuitry 96 that allows the controller 38 to communicate with a cell phone, an RFID tag, a key fob, or other various devices.
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In operation of an exemplary embodiment of the armrest assembly 10, the armrest assembly 10 may be in a non-use condition. In the non-use condition, the armrest member 22 will be in the first position 24, such that the armrest member 22 at least partially covers the top section 14 of the body 12. Further, in the non-use position, the latch 30 is received within the latch receiver aperture 80 and secured by the locking mechanism 20. Further still, in the non-use position, the distal section 112 of the hinge feature 34 is coupled to the receiver head 74 of the hinge receiver 18 such that the distal section interior wall 116 is operably coupled to the receiver head 74 and the hinge slot 118 is adjacent the receiver head 74. The non-use position of the armrest assembly 10 can be illustrated in
A user desiring to access the control panel 40 may actuate an input device 36, such as an HMI, and provide an authorization key to the controller 38. After the user actuates the input device 36 and provides an authorization key, an output is sent to the controller 38 if the authorization key is correct. The controller 38 will then initiate a routine 94 that actuates the locking mechanism 20, which then unsecures the latch engagement member 100 from the locking mechanism 20. The user may then grab the armrest member 22 and rotate the armrest member 22 about the receiver head 74 from the first position 24 to the second position 26. As the armrest member 22 rotates from the first position 24 to the second position 26, the latch 30 travels out of the latch receiver 16, via the latch receiver aperture 80. Further, as the armrest member 22 rotates from the first position 24 to the second position 26, the hinge slot 118 is repositioned from being adjacent the receiver head 74 to being generally vehicle downward of the receiver head 74.
Then, the user may grab the armrest member 22 and translate the armrest member 22 generally vehicle upward from the second position 26 to the third position 28. As the armrest member 22 translates from the second position 26 to the third position 28, the hinge feature 34 decouples from the receiver head 74 as the receiver head 74 translates out of the aperture 120 and through the hinge slot 118. Further, as the armrest member 22 translates from the second position 26 to the third position 28, the armrest assembly 10 transitions from the non-use condition to a use condition.
Once the armrest assembly 10 is in the use condition, a user may interact with at least one adjustable feature 42 on the control panel 40, wherein the adjustable feature 42 is configured to communicate with the controller 38 and subsequently actuate a function of the vehicle 50. For example, the user, wishing to manually steer the vehicle 50, may actuate a rotary knob 42 on the control panel 40 that is configured to actuate a steering function of the vehicle 50.
The user, desiring to return the armrest assembly 10 to the non-use condition, may grab the armrest member 22 and position the armrest member 22 in the third position 28, wherein the armrest member 22 is vehicle upward of the control panel 40. Next, the user may translate the armrest member 22 from the third position 28 to the second position 26. As the user translates the armrest member 22 from the third position 28 to the second position 26, the hinge feature 34 translate vehicle downward towards the receiver head 74 of the hinge receiver 18. Further, as the hinge feature 34 translates vehicle downward, the receiver head 74 will translate through the hinge slot 118, into the aperture 120, and will operably couple to the distal section interior wall 116.
Next, the user may grab the armrest member 22 and rotate the armrest member 22 about the receiver head 74 from the second position 26 to the first position 24. As the armrest member 22 rotates from the second position 26 to the first position 24, the hinge slot 118 of the hinge feature 34 is repositioned from being generally vehicle downward of the receiver head 74 to being adjacent the receiver head 74 and preventing a lateral translation of the armrest member 22. Further, as the armrest member 22 rotates from the second position 26 to the first position 24, the latch 30 travels towards the latch receiver 16 and into the latch receiver aperture 80 defined on the latch receiver 16. Once the latch 30 travels into the latch receiver 16, the latch engagement member 100 is proximate the locking mechanism 20.
Then, the user may secure the armrest member 22 to the body 12 and cover the control panel 40, by actuating the locking mechanism 20. The user may actuate the locking mechanism 20 by interacting with the input device 36 that is in communication with the controller 38. For example, the user may interact with an HMI 36 of the vehicle 50 and provide an authorization key that the controller 38 may recognize. Upon recognition of the authorization key, the controller 38 may initiate a routine 94 that actuates the locking mechanism 20, which then secures the latch engagement member 100 to the locking mechanism 20.
Use of the presently disclosed device may provide for a variety of advantages. First, the use of an input device 36 and locking mechanism 20 that operably couples the armrest member 22 to the body 12 allows for authorized access to the control panel 40. For example, in one embodiment, the control panel 40 is accessible to a user who provides the proper authorization key to the input device 36. Second, the placement of the control panel 40 next to a user who is driving the vehicle 50 or a passenger in the vehicle 50 provides increased efficiency in operating at least one adjustable feature 42. For example, a user, operating a rotary dial 42 configured to actuate a steering function of the vehicle 50, would be able to effectively operate the rotary dial 42 from the passenger compartment 54 and would be able to effectively view a roadway while actuating the steering function of the vehicle 50 via the rotary dial 42. Third, the use of the hinge feature 34 in transitioning between the first position 24, second position 26, and third position 28, allows for effective regulation in armrest member 22 movement, while also reducing the number of components needed to regulate the armrest member 22 movement, which may improve manufacturing efficiencies of the vehicle 50. Fourth, the placement of the control panel 40 underneath the armrest member 22 and coupled to the body 12 reduces the footprint in the passenger compartment 54, as compared to a vehicle 50 where the control panel 40, body 12, and armrest member 22 are distal from one another in the passenger compartment 54, and a separate means of securing the control panel 40 and adjustable features 42 are provided.
For purposes of this disclosure, the term “coupled” (in all of its forms, couple, coupling, coupled, etc.) generally means the joining of two components (electrical or mechanical) directly or indirectly to one another. Such joining may be stationary in nature or movable in nature. Such joining may be achieved with the two components (electrical or mechanical) and any additional intermediate members being integrally formed as a single unitary body with one another or with the two components. Such joining may be permanent in nature or may be removable or releasable in nature unless otherwise stated.
Furthermore, any arrangement of components to achieve the same functionality is effectively “associated” such that the desired functionality is achieved. Hence, any two components herein combined to achieve a particular functionality can be seen as “associated with” each other such that the desired functionality is achieved, irrespective of architectures or intermedial components. Likewise, any two components capable of being so associated can also be viewed as being “operably couplable” to each other to achieve the desired functionality. Some examples of operably couplable include, but are not limited to, physically mateable and/or physically interacting components and/or wirelessly interactable and/or wirelessly interacting components and/or logically interacting and/or logically interactable components. Furthermore, it will be understood that a component preceding the term “of the” may be disposed at any practicable location (e.g., on, within, and/or externally disposed from the vehicle) such that the component may function in any manner described herein.
Modifications of the disclosure will occur to those skilled in the art and to those who make or use the disclosure. Therefore, it is understood that the embodiments shown in the drawings and described able are merely for illustrative purposes and not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure, which is defined by the following claims, as interpreted according to the principles of patent law, including the doctrine of equivalents.
It will be understood that any described processes or steps within described processes may be combined with other disclosed processes or steps to form structures within the scope of the present disclosure. The exemplary structures and processes disclosed herein are for illustrative purposes and are not to be construed as limiting.
It is also to be understood that variations and modifications can be made on the aforementioned structure without departing from the concepts of the present invention, and further it is to be understood that such concepts are intended to be covered by the following claims unless these claims by their language expressly state otherwise.
