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

Claim 10:
11. A vehicle having a storage module comprising:
a frame forming a door opening to a compartment of the vehicle, the frame configured to couple with the storage module and an access door;
the access door enclosing the door opening, the access door removably coupled with the frame;
the storage module interchangeable with the access door, the storage module insertable into the compartment of the vehicle, 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;
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 the vehicle, wherein the exterior panel comprises an access panel; and
at least one storage compartment comprising a drawer, the at least one storage compartment forming a first storage volume disposed inside the housing and the compartment in the installed configuration, wherein the at least one storage compartment is accessed via the access panel, and wherein the at least one storage compartment includes a latch assembly unexposed from the exterior of the vehicle; and
a locator assembly comprising:
at least one protrusion coupled with an underside of the housing, the at least one protrusion extending past a backside of the housing opposite the exterior profile of the housing; and
at least one bracket directly coupled with a floor of the vehicle in the compartment, the bracket defining an opening configured to receive the at least one protrusion, wherein the opening receives the at least one protrusion, a length of the at least one protrusion extending past the backside of the housing; and

a hinge assembly comprising:
a body hinge bracket coupled with the frame, the body hinge bracket alternatively covered by the access door and the 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 storage module connects to the vehicle when the first surface mates the second surface, 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.