Patent ID: 11970139
Assignee: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
Field: Transport (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC B | IPC B

Claim 14:
15. A vehicle having an interchangeable storage module comprising:
a frame forming a door opening to a compartment of the vehicle;
an access door enclosing the door opening, the access door removably coupled with the frame at a hinge assembly and a powered latch assembly, the powered latch assembly including a cinching device, the access door partially defining a cavity, the hinge assembly including:
a body hinge bracket coupled with the frame, the body hinge bracket alternatively covered by the access door and a storage module, the body hinge bracket defining a first surface and a first aperture; and
a storage module hinge bracket coupled with the housing, the storage module hinge bracket defining a second surface and a second aperture, wherein the first surface mates the second surface, such that the storage module couples with the vehicle, the first aperture is aligned with the second aperture at a common axis, and a pin axially aligned with the common axis is inserted through the first aperture and the second aperture, wherein a locating sensor coupled with the pin detects a targeted coupling between the body hinge bracket and the storage module hinge bracket;

the storage module interchangeable with the access door, the storage module removably coupled with the frame at the hinge assembly and the latch assembly, the storage module insertable into the compartment of the vehicle when the access door is removed, and the storage module comprising:
a housing comprising an exterior profile conforming to the door opening, the housing extending into the compartment in an installed configuration, the housing further defining the cavity;
an exterior panel disposed on a first side of the housing, the exterior panel forming a portion of an exterior surface of the vehicle and enclosing the door opening of the vehicle in the installed configuration, wherein the exterior panel comprises an access panel; and

at least two storage compartments comprising at least one drawer, the at least two storage compartments forming a first storage volume and a second storage volume, respectively, disposed inside the housing and the compartment in the installed configuration, wherein the at least two storage compartments are accessed via the access panel at a hidden latch assembly disposed within the cavity.