Expandable top for vehicle center console

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10071690-B2
Application number	US-201615392184-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 28, 2016
Priority date	Dec 28, 2016
Publication date	Sep 11, 2018
Grant date	Sep 11, 2018

Abstract

A vehicle center console includes an expandable top disposed on a storage bin. The center console is slidably connected to a floor pan and is movable towards the second-row seats. The expandable top includes a central component having an upper side and an underside, and a telescoping mechanism attached to first and second movable side components. The telescoping mechanism includes a body connected to the underside and a pair of telescoping arms extending from opposing sides of the body and movable between at least an extended position and a collapsed position. Each of the side components are attached to one of the arms such that undersides of the side components overlap the upper side of the central component when the arms are in the collapsed position, and the upper side of the central component is substantially flush with upper sides of the side components when the arms are in the extended position.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A center console comprising:
an expandable top including:
a central component, and
first and second movable side components slidably connected to the central component such that, in a collapsed configuration, the side components substantially overlap the central component with the side components adjacent each other forming a narrower top, and, in an expanded configuration, the side components are spaced apart forming a wider top.

2. The center console of claim 1 , wherein the first and second side components are touching when in the collapsed configuration.

3. The center console of claim 1 , wherein an upper side of the central component is substantially flush with upper sides of the side components when in the expanded configuration.

4. The center console of claim 1 , wherein the central component has a pair of opposing lateral sidewalls, and each of the side components has an inner sidewall that faces one of the lateral sidewalls of the central component when in the expanded configuration.

5. The center console of claim 4 , wherein each of the pair of lateral sidewalls engages one of the inner sidewalls when in the expanded configuration.

6. The center console of claim 4 , wherein the pair of lateral sidewalls are angled relative to an upper surface of the central component, and each of the inner sidewalls are angled relative an upper surface of a corresponding one of the side components.

7. The center console of claim 6 , wherein the pair of opposing sidewalls are angled at an obtuse angle, and the inner sidewalls are angled at an acute angle.

8. The center console of claim 1 , wherein the expandable top further includes a telescoping mechanism having a first guide member connected to an underside of the central component and a pair of second guide members each connected to one of the side components, wherein the second guide members slide relative to the first guide member to move the top between the expanded configuration and the collapsed configuration.

9. The center console of claim 8 , wherein the first guide member further has a tubular body defining a pair of opposing sleeves that each slidably receive one of the second guide members therein.

10. The center console of claim 8 , wherein the expandable top further includes at least one resilient member connecting the first guide member to the underside and biasing the first guide member away from the central component.

11. The center console of claim 10 , wherein the at least one resilient member is a pair of leaf springs.

12. A center console of a vehicle comprising:
an expandable top including a central component and pair of side members slidably attached to the central component between a collapsed configuration in which the members overlap the central component and abut each other forming a narrower top surface of the center console that is above the central component, and an expanded configuration where the central component and the side members are substantially flush forming a wider top surface of the center console.

13. The center console of claim 12 , wherein the expandable top further includes a telescoping mechanism having a guide member connected to an underside of the central component and a pair of arms each connected to one of the side members, wherein the guide member and the arms slide relative to each other to switch the top between the expanded configuration and the collapsed configuration.

14. The center console of claim 13 , wherein the expandable top further includes at least one resilient member connecting the guide member to the underside and biasing the guide member away from the central component.

15. The center console of claim 12 further comprising a housing defining a storage bin, wherein the expandable top is connected to an upper portion of the housing and is movable relative to the housing to open and close the storage bin.

16. The center console of claim 15 further comprising a track having a first portion disposed on a floor pan of the vehicle and a second portion attached to a bottom of the housing, wherein the center console is movable via the track between a forward position in which the center console is disposed between a pair of front seats of the vehicle and a rear position in which the center console is adjacent to a rear seat of the vehicle.

17. The center console of claim 12 , wherein the central component has opposing lateral sides that are angled at an obtuse angle relative to an upper side of the central component.

18. An expandable top of a center console comprising:
a central component having an upper side and an underside;
a telescoping mechanism including a body connected to the underside and a pair of telescoping arms extending from opposing sides of the body and movable between at least an extended position and a collapsed position; and
first and second movable side components each having an upper side and an underside, each of the side components being attached to one of the telescoping arms such that undersides of the side components overlap the upper side of the central component when the telescoping arms are in the collapsed position, and the upper side of the central component is substantially flush with the upper sides of the side components when the telescoping arms are in the extended position.

19. The expandable top of claim 18 , wherein the central component has lateral sides that engage with inner sides of the side components when the telescoping mechanism is in the extended position.

20. The expandable top of claim 18 , wherein the central component has lateral sides that are angled at an obtuse angle relative to the upper side of the central component, and each of the side components has an inner sidewall angled at an acute angle relative to the upper side of the side component.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Faruque Mohammed Omar
• Farooq S M Iskander
• Jaradi Dean M

Classifications

• B60R7/04 Primary

  in driver or passenger space {, e.g. using racks (B60R7/005, B60R7/08 take precedence)} · CPC title

• B60N3/001 Primary

  of tables or trays · CPC title