Movable arm for in-vehicle support surface

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12370933-B2
Application number	US-202318171701-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 21, 2023
Priority date	Feb 21, 2023
Publication date	Jul 29, 2025
Grant date	Jul 29, 2025

Abstract

An assembly for a vehicle interior, includes a track and an arm. The track has a base with a front end and a rear end spaced from the front end in a first direction, the track also has a carriage coupled to the base for movement of the carriage relative to the base in the first direction. The arm is coupled to the carriage so that the arm and carriage move together relative to the base. The arm also is coupled to the carriage for rotation of the arm relative to the carriage about a pivot axis to position the arm at an angle to the first direction of at least 75 degrees, and the arm includes a first part coupled to a second part so that the first part is movable relative to the second part to increase a surface area of the arm.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An assembly for a vehicle interior, comprising:
a track having a base with a front end and a rear end spaced from the front end in a first direction, the track also having a carriage coupled to the base for movement of the carriage relative to the base in the first direction;
an arm coupled to the carriage so that the arm and carriage move together relative to the base, the arm being coupled to the carriage for rotation of the arm relative to the carriage about a pivot axis to position the arm at an angle to the first direction of at least 75 degrees, and wherein the arm includes a first part coupled to a second part so that the first part is movable relative to the second part to increase a surface area of the arm, wherein the base is inclined relative to the first direction in a second direction, and wherein the carriage and arm move in the second direction as the carriage and arm move relative to the base in the first direction.

2. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the arm has a front end and a rear end and the arm is coupled to the carriage adjacent to the front end so that the arm rotates about the front end and the rear end of the arm rotates away from the carriage.

3. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the arm includes a front end and a rear end and opposite sides that extend between the front end and the rear end, and wherein the first part is attached to the second part along one of the sides to permit pivoted movement of the first part relative to the second part.

4. The assembly of claim 3 wherein the second part is coupled to the carriage and the first part is directly coupled to the second part but is not directly coupled to the carriage.

5. The assembly of claim 3 wherein the first part rotates between folded and unfolded positions relative to the second part and wherein, in the folded position, an inner surface of the first part overlaps and is parallel to an inner surface of the second part, and in the unfolded position, the inner surface of the first part does not overlap the inner surface of the second part.

6. The assembly of claim 5 wherein, in the unfolded position, the first part may be rotated relative to the second part between 90 and 180 degrees from the folded position.

7. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the the first direction is a fore-aft direction and the second direction is a vertical direction that is perpendicular to the fore-aft direction, and wherein the carriage and arm move in the second direction as the carriage and arm move relative to the base in the first direction.

8. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the arm rotates relative to the carriage about the pivot axis to position the arm at an angle to the first direction of at least 90 degrees.

9. A vehicle, comprising:
a first seat including a seat bottom having a width in a cross-car direction and a length in a fore-aft direction that is perpendicular to the cross-car direction;
a console located adjacent to the first seat in the cross-car direction, the console having an upper end and a sidewall adjacent to the first seat and extending in a vertical direction to the upper end, where the vertical direction is perpendicular to the cross-car direction and the fore-aft direction;
a first track coupled to the sidewall of the console, with a rear end of the first track being lower in the vertical direction than a front end of the first track;
a first arm coupled to the first track, the first arm being slidably movable in the fore-aft direction relative to at least part of the first track, the first arm being pivotably movable to an outward position relative to at least part of the first track about a first axis perpendicular to the fore-aft direction and the cross-car direction so that the first arm extends across at least half the width of the seat bottom.

10. The vehicle of claim 9 which also includes:
a second seat arranged so that the console is between the first seat and second seat in the cross-car direction;
a second track coupled to the console;
a second arm coupled to the second track, the second arm being slidably movable in the fore-aft direction relative to at least part of the second track, the second arm being pivotably movable to an outward position relative to at least part of the second track about a second axis perpendicular to the fore-aft direction and the cross-car direction so that a side of the second arm is at an angle of at least 75 degrees relative to the fore-aft direction, and wherein, in the outward position of the second arm, the second arm extends across at least half the width of the second seat.

11. The vehicle of claim 10 wherein the first arm rotates about the first axis in a first direction to the outward position of the first arm, and the second arm rotates about the second axis in a second direction to the outward position of the second arm.

12. The vehicle of claim 9 wherein the arm includes a front end and a rear end, the front end and rear end being aligned in the fore-aft direction in at least one position of the first arm, and wherein the first arm is coupled to the first track at or adjacent to the front end of the first arm, and when the first arm rotates about the first axis, the rear end of the arm rotates away from the first track and overlaps the seat bottom of the first seat.

13. The vehicle of claim 12 wherein, in the outward position, at least a portion of a side of the first arm between the front end of the first arm and the rear end of the first arm is parallel to or within 15 degrees of parallel to the cross-car direction.

14. The vehicle of claim 9 wherein the first arm includes a lower part coupled to the track and an upper part coupled to the lower part, and wherein the upper part is movable relative to the lower part along a second axis that is perpendicular to the first axis.

15. The vehicle of claim 14 wherein the second axis is oriented in the cross-car direction or within 15 degrees of the cross-car direction when the first arm is in the outward position.

16. The vehicle of claim 9 wherein the first seat includes a seat back extending vertically beyond the seat bottom at a rear end of the seat bottom, and wherein the seat bottom includes a front end spaced from the rear end in the fore-aft direction, and wherein as the first arm moves in the fore-aft direction away from the rear end of the seat bottom, the first arm is raised vertically to increase the vertical distance between a bottom surface of the first arm and an upper surface of the seat bottom.

17. The vehicle of claim 9 wherein the rear end of the track is vertically lower than an upper surface of the seat bottom.

18. The vehicle of claim 17 wherein the track has a base that is coupled to the console and that extends in the fore-aft direction, and the track has a carriage that is coupled to the base so that the carriage moves relative to the base in the first direction, and the carriage has one or more brackets that extend vertically between the base and the first arm.

19. The vehicle of claim 18 wherein the carriage has multiple brackets with a first bracket closer to the front end being shorter than a second bracket closer to the rear end.

Assignees

• Fca Us Llc

Inventors

• Stout Ii Mark E
• Brady Brandon
• Treinen Benjamin

Classifications

• B60N3/002

  of trays · CPC title

• B60N2/79 Primary

  Adaptations for additional use of the arm-rests · CPC title