Assembly capable of deploying stowed items in a passenger compartment of a vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10351066-B2
Application number	US-201715803924-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 6, 2017
Priority date	Nov 6, 2017
Publication date	Jul 16, 2019
Grant date	Jul 16, 2019

Abstract

An assembly capable of deploying stowed items in a passenger compartment of a vehicle is provided. The assembly includes a door and a storage unit having an opening for allowing ingress and egress of items into and out of a storage compartment of the unit, respectively, in an open position of the door. A support member supported within the storage compartment is configured to movably hold an item in the storage compartment and is configured to allow the item to be readily removed from the unit in an extended position of the support member. An actuator is configured to controllably move the support member away from its retracted position towards its extended position through stored potential energy without consuming electrical energy. The door moves towards its open position during movement of support member towards its extended position.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An assembly capable of deploying stowed items in a passenger compartment of a vehicle, the assembly comprising:
a door having open and closed positions;
a storage unit having an opening for allowing ingress and egress of items into and out of a storage compartment of the unit, respectively, in the open position of the door;
a support member supported within the storage compartment of the unit for movement between extended and retracted positions, the support member being configured to movably hold an item in the storage compartment and being configured to allow the item to be removed from the storage unit in the extended position by a passenger of the vehicle; and
an actuator configured to controllably move the support member away from the retracted position towards the extended position through stored potential energy without consuming electrical energy wherein the door moves towards the open position of the door during movement of support member towards the extended position.

2. The assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein the actuator includes a biasing mechanism configured to apply an amount of mechanical kinetic energy converted from an amount of the stored potential energy to the support member in such a way that application of the amount of mechanical kinetic energy to the support member urges movement of the support member away from the retracted position towards the extended position.

3. The assembly as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the biasing mechanism comprises a constant force or extension spring.

4. The assembly as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a dampening device configured to dampen movement of the support member from the retracted position towards the extended position without consuming electrical energy.

5. The assembly as claimed in claim 4 wherein the dampening device includes a gear damper.

6. The assembly as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a simple-to-operate, gesture-actuated, latching device having locked and unlocked states for locking and unlocking the door, respectively, the latching device preventing movement of the door in the locked state and allowing the door to move towards the open position in the unlocked state.

7. The assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein the door is hingedly attached to the support member.

8. The assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein the support member comprises a storage drawer or tray.

9. The assembly as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a pair of spaced slides to slideable support the support member during movement of the support member between the extended and retracted positions of the support member.

10. The assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein the storage compartment comprises a thermally-insulated compartment.

11. A console assembly capable of deploying stowed items in a passenger compartment of a vehicle, the assembly comprising:
a door having open and closed positions;
a storage unit having an opening for allowing ingress and egress of items into and out of a storage compartment of the unit, respectively, in the open position of the door;
a support member supported within the storage compartment of the unit for movement between extended and retracted positions, the support member being configured to movably hold an item in the storage compartment and being configured to allow the item to be removed from the unit in the extended position by a passenger of the vehicle; and
an actuator configured to controllably move the support member away from the retracted position towards the extended position through stored potential energy without consuming electrical energy wherein the door moves towards the open position of the door during movement of support member towards the extended position.

12. The assembly as claimed in claim 11 wherein the actuator includes a biasing mechanism configured to apply an amount of mechanical kinetic energy converted from an amount of the stored potential energy to the support member in such a way that application of the amount of mechanical kinetic energy to the support member urges movement of the support member away from the retracted position towards the extended position.

13. The assembly as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the biasing mechanism comprises a constant force or extension spring.

14. The assembly as claimed in claim 11 further comprising a dampening device configured to dampen movement of the support member from the retracted position towards the extended position without consuming electrical energy.

15. The assembly as claimed in claim 14 wherein the dampening device includes a gear damper.

16. The assembly as claimed in claim 11 further comprising a simple-to-operate, gesture-actuated, latching device having locked and unlocked states for locking and unlocking the door, respectively, the latching device preventing movement of the door in the locked state and allowing the door to move towards the open position in the unlocked state.

17. The assembly as claimed in claim 11 wherein the door is hingedly attached to the support member.

18. The assembly as claimed in claim 11 wherein the support member comprises a storage drawer or tray.

19. The assembly as claimed in claim 11 further comprising a pair of spaced slides to slideable support the support member during movement of the support member between the extended and retracted positions of the support member.

20. The assembly as claimed in claim 11 wherein the storage compartment comprises a thermally-insulated compartment.

Assignees

• Global Ip Holdings Llc

Inventors

• Munro Scott
• Adamson Sr Richard D

Classifications

• B60N3/102

  storable or foldable in a non-use position · CPC title

• B60N3/104

  with refrigerating or warming systems · CPC title

• B60R7/04 Primary

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