Cup holder for vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9868376-B2
Application number	US-201414298666-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 6, 2014
Priority date	Dec 18, 2013
Publication date	Jan 16, 2018
Grant date	Jan 16, 2018

Abstract

A cup holder for a vehicle may include a holder body for storing a cup and having a thermoelectric element to thereby cool and heat the cup stored therein, a supporting part having a front end protruded to an inner side surface of the holder body and a rear end supported by an elastic part to thereby support a side surface of the cup when the cup is stored and having a light source capable of expressing a plurality of colors to thereby irradiate light toward the cup, a temperature sensor provided on the holder body to thereby measure a temperature thereof, and a controlling part changing a color of the light source of the supporting part in response to the measured temperature.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A cup holder for a vehicle, the cup holder comprising:
a holder body for storing a cup and having a thermoelectric element to cool or heat the cup stored therein;
a supporting part having a front end protruded to an inner side surface of the holder body and a rear end supported by an elastic part to thereby support a side surface of the cup when the cup is stored and having a light source capable of expressing a plurality of colors to thereby irradiate light toward the cup;
a temperature sensor provided on the holder body to thereby measure a temperature thereof; and
a controlling part changing a color of the light source of the supporting part in response to the measured temperature,
wherein an outer surface of the holder body is provided with a contact sensor sensing whether the cup is stored in the holder body, and the contact sensor is in contact or lose contact with a lower end of the supporting part rotated around the elastic part by the cup which is stored in the holder body or away from the holder body, and
wherein the controlling part operates the thermoelectric element only when the cup is determined by the controlling part to be stored in the holder body through the contact sensor, wherein the supporting part is provided with two light sources capable of expressing blue and red colors, and the controlling part independently adjusts an intensity of each light source, wherein the controlling part controls the supporting part to gradually irradiate light in the blue color as the temperature of the holder body becomes low and controls the supporting part to gradually irradiate light in the red color as the temperature of the holder body becomes high.

2. The cup holder of claim 1 , wherein the holder body has a side surface having an opening formed therein and the front end of the supporting part penetrates through the opening and protrudes to the inner side surface of the holder body.

3. The cup holder of claim 1 , further comprising a switch receiving a cup holder cooling or heating request from a user.

4. The cup holder of claim 3 , wherein the controlling part operates the thermoelectric element and the light source of the supporting part only when the switch receives the request from the user.

5. The cup holder of claim 3 , wherein the controlling part operates the thermoelectric element and the light source of the supporting part only when the cup is stored in the holder body and the switch receives the request from the user.

6. The cup holder of claim 1 , further comprising an inlet part including a circular lens wrapping around an inlet frame of the holder body and a light source capable of expressing a plurality of colors through the circular lens,
wherein the controlling part changes the colors of both the light source of the supporting part and the light source of the inlet part in response to the measured temperature.

Assignees

• Hyundai Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Oh Man Ju
• Kim Jae Woong
• Park Jae Woo

Classifications

• B60Q3/80

  Circuits; Control arrangements (for dashboards B60Q3/16; for mass transit vehicles B60Q3/47) · CPC title

• B60N3/104 Primary

  with refrigerating or warming systems · CPC title

• B60N3/106

  with adjustable clamping mechanisms · CPC title

• B60Q3/20

  for lighting specific fittings of passenger or driving compartments; mounted on specific fittings of passenger or driving compartments (lighting for dashboards B60Q3/10) · CPC title

• B60Q3/229

  Cup holders · CPC title