Vehicle dashboard provided with a portable electronic device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9403489-B2
Application number	US-201514721741-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 26, 2015
Priority date	May 28, 2014
Publication date	Aug 2, 2016
Grant date	Aug 2, 2016

Abstract

A vehicle dashboard has a fixed structure provided with an outer surface, facing a passenger compartment, and a housing having an opening at said outer surface; the dashboard further has a supporting device provided with a frame, which has a seat for supporting a portable electronic device and is movable between an operative position, in the passenger compartment, and a stowed position, in the housing; the dashboard has a blocking device for retaining the frame in the stowed position; the blocking device is activated/deactivated automatically in response to a signal which is indicative of an authorized closing/opening control executed to close/open the lock of at least one of the side doors of the vehicle.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicle dashboard comprising:
a fixed structure having an outer surface facing, in use, a passenger compartment of the vehicle; and
a supporting device comprising a frame having a seat for supporting a portable electronic device;
characterized in that said fixed structure has a housing provided with an opening at said outer surface, and characterized by further comprising:
moving means for moving said frame between a stowed position, in which said frame is concealed in said housing and has an end portion arranged to close said opening; and an operative position, in which said frame is arranged outside said housing;
blocking means for retaining said frame in the stowed position;
control means configured so as to activate and deactivate said blocking means automatically in response to a signal which is indicative of an authorized closing and opening control, executed to close and open a lock of at least one of the side doors of the vehicle.

2. A dashboard according to claim 1 , characterized in that said blocking means comprise an electric motor and a stop tooth, which is actuated by said electric motor to move between a locking position, in which said stop tooth is arranged between said opening and an abutment of said frame when said frame is arranged in the stowed position, and a releasing position in which said frame is free to move through said opening.

3. A dashboard according to claim 2 , characterized in that, in the locking position, said stop tooth is in contact with said abutment.

4. A dashboard according to claim 1 , characterized in that said seat is defined by a pocket provided with a side opening for inserting and extracting said portable electronic device along a horizontal axis; said frame comprising a front wall defining a window, which when in use, is positioned at a screen of said portable electronic device.

5. A dashboard according to claim 1 , characterized in that said moving means comprise:
guiding means defining at least a part of a trajectory of said frame which extends between the stowed position and the operative position; and
ejection means for transferring said frame into the operative position.

6. A dashboard according to claim 5 , characterized in that said ejection means comprise at least one elastic element, and characterized by comprising a blocking means, which are adapted to retain said frame in the stowed position against the bias of said elastic element and are manually releasable in response to a control by a user.

7. A dashboard according to claim 5 , characterized in that said moving means further comprise:
a slide coupled to said guiding means in sliding manner; and
a hinge, which couples one end of said slide to an end of said frame to allow a rotation of said frame about a horizontal hinge axis.

8. A dashboard according to claim 7 , characterized in that said moving means further comprise:
end stroke means defining at least one angular position of said frame with respect to said slide; and
elastic means preloaded so as to make said frame automatically rotate about said horizontal hinge axis into said angular position.

Assignees

• Fca Italy Spa

Inventors

• Angeletti Marco
• Baudo Massimiliano
• Crepaldi Davide
• Lorenzano Carlo

Classifications

• B60R2011/0005

  Dashboard · CPC title

• B60R11/0258

  for navigation systems · CPC title

• B60R11/0235 Primary

  of flat type, e.g. LCD · CPC title

• B60R2011/0047

  using hidden fastening means · CPC title

• B60R11/0241 Primary

  for telephones · CPC title