Tray assembly for vehicle

Disclosed is a tray assembly. The tray assembly may include a tray having a guide slot, a hinge arm including a cam-shaped portion and rotably coupled to the tray, a cover fixed to an end portion of the hinge arm, a drawer box storable in the tray and having a guide pin at a side portion thereof, the guide pin passing through the guide slot of the tray and being movable along the guide slot by selectively engaging with the cam-shaped portion of the hinge arm.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims priority to Korean Patent Application Number 10-2009-0120163, filed on 4 Dec. 2009, the entire contents of which is incorporated herein for all purposes by this reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a tray assembly for a vehicle, and more particularly, to a tray assembly which is able to allow an electronic appliance tray to cooperate with a general drawer tray, wherein the electronic appliance tray is a tray for a mobile phone, an MP3 player or the like, in a vehicle.

2. Description of Prior Art

Generally, a vehicle has a case-shaped tray which stores various appliances such as a mobile phone or the like. For this tray, a cover is provided to open and close the tray. The conventional tray has a mechanism using a guide pin and a slot so as to open and close the cover.

FIG. 1is a perspective view for illustrating a state that a conventional tray assembly is closed, andFIG. 2is a perspective view for illustrating a state that the tray assembly ofFIG. 1is opened.

Referring toFIGS. 1 and 2, a roller10is equipped to a guide pin22of a holding tray20, and a hinge arm40is rotably equipped to a drawer tray30. The drawer tray30is fixed to a vehicle, and the holding tray20is formed to be movable relative to the drawer tray30.

The hinge arm40has a shape of a semi-circle, and a slot42with a shape of a circular arc is formed on the hinge arm40. The guide pin22of the holding tray20is interposed in the slot42so that the roller10may be contact with a side of the circular arc-shaped slot42of the hinge arm40.

The guide pin22of the holding tray20is formed rotably along the slot42between the first position and the second position of the circular arc-shaped slot42. Concretely, when the guide pin22is placed at the first position of the slot42, a cover50which is fixed to hinge arm40maintains a closed state, and when the guide pin22is placed at the second position of the slot42, the cover50maintains an open state.

According to the conventional tray assembly, when the guide pin22is guided in the slot42, the guide pin22may be smoothly guided in a forward or rearward direction due to the rolling of the roller10.

On the other hand, the fact is that the number of the trays has increased according as the number of the electronic appliances equipped in the vehicle has increased. But, since each of the trays according to the conventional art has a structure to be open and close the tray individually, the tray occupies much space in the vehicle, and accordingly, the prime cost and the weight of the vehicle may increase.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Various aspects of the present invention are directed to provide a tray assembly, in which an electronic appliance tray and a main tray in the vehicle are able to cooperating with each other by one mechanism.

In an aspect of the present invention, the tray assembly may include a tray having a guide slot, a hinge arm including a cam-shaped portion and rotably coupled to the tray, a cover fixed to an end portion of the hinge arm, a drawer box storable in the tray and having a guide pin at a side portion thereof, the guide pin passing through the guide slot of the tray and being movable along the guide slot by selectively engaging with the cam-shaped portion of the hinge arm, wherein, when the guide pin is placed at a first position of the guide slot, the guide pin is slidable along the guide slot without interference with the hinge arm while the cover maintains opened, such that the drawer box fixed to the guide pin is movable into the tray, and when the guide pin is placed at the first position or between the first position and a second position of the guide slot, the guide pin is slidable along the guide slot by the cam-shaped portion of the hinge arm when the hinge arm is rotated, such that the drawer box fixed to the guide pin is movable into the tray and the cover closes the tray.

The hinge arm may have a linear portion and the cam-shaped portion and, when the guide pin is placed at the first position of the guide slot and the cover maintains opened, the guide pin is movable along the guide slot under the linear portion of the hinge arm without interference with the hinge arm.

The tray may include a first tray and a second tray formed under the first tray, and wherein the hinge arm is rotably coupled to the first tray and the second tray stores the drawer box therein.

The first tray may be a holding box, and the second tray may be a tray for an electronic appliance.

The hinge arm may be rotably coupled to the first tray by a pin and a circle plate, the pin fixing the circular plate to the first tray, and wherein the hinge arm is rotatably engaged with the circle plate.

The guide slot of the second tray may be formed in a linear type.

The guide slot of the tray may be formed in a linear type.

The cover may be monolithically integrated with the hinge arm.

According to the tray assembly of the present invention, because an electronic appliance tray and a main tray in the vehicle are able to cooperating with each other by one mechanism, it is possible to economize the space in the vehicle and reduce the weight of the vehicle.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Now, a tray assembly according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention which is cooperating with an electronic appliance tray will be explained in detail on the basis of the attaching drawings.

FIG. 3is a side view for showing a state that a tray of an electronic appliance according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is cooperating with a tray assembly, when a guide pin is paced at the first position of a slot,FIG. 4is a perspective view for showing the tray assembly ofFIG. 3when the guide pin is paced at the second position of a slot, andFIGS. 5 and 6are a perspective view and a side view for showing the tray assembly ofFIG. 3when the guide pin is paced at a cam-shaped portion of a hinge arm as explained later in detail.

Referring toFIGS. 3 to 6, a tray assembly according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a drawer tray200, a hinge arm110which is rotably equipped to the drawer tray200, a cover120for the drawer tray which is fixed to an edge of the hinge arm110, an electronic appliance tray300which includes a housing310and a drawer box320which is storable in the housing310, and a guide pin130fixed to a side portion of the drawer box320of the electronic appliance tray300, the guide pin130being inserted into a guide slot312formed in the housing310of the electronic appliance tray300and being movable along the guide slot312.

In the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the guide slot312which is formed in the housing310of the electronic appliance tray300is formed in a linear type. Also, the cover120for the drawer tray is integrated with the hinge arm110.

The hinge arm110is rotably equipped in the drawer tray200by means of a pin220and a circle plate230, in which the pin220is rotably inserted into a hole (not shown) formed in the drawer tray200, and the circle plate230is fixed to the pin220.

A side of the hinge arm110has a shape of a cam. Due to the cam-shaped side of the hinge arm110, when the guide pin130is placed at the first position312aof the guide slot312, the cover120for the drawer tray and the drawer box320of the electronic appliance tray300maintain an open state, respectively as shown inFIG. 3.

Besides, after this, when the user pushes the drawer box320into the housing310of the electronic appliance tray300, the guide pin130is moved at the second position312bof the guide slot312and thus the cover120for the drawer tray200maintains the open state, and the drawer box320of the electronic appliance tray300is closed as shown inFIG. 4.

In addition, when the guide pin130maintains to be placed at the first position312aof the guide slot312or between the first and second positions312aand312band the hinge arm110is rotated, the cover120closes the drawer tray200and the drawer box320altogether.

The cam-shaped side of the hinge arm110has a linear portion112so that the cover120for the drawer tray may maintain the open state while the drawer box320of the electronic appliance tray300may be closed, during the guide pin130is moving from the first position312ato the second position312bof the guide slot312.

Also, the cam-shaped side of the hinge arm110has a semi-circle portion114so that the cover120fixed to the hinge arm312may close the drawer box320when the guide pin130placed at the first position312aof the guide slot312or between the first and second positions312aand312bmoves to the second position312bwhile the guide pin130is pushed by the cam-shaped portion113of the hinge arm110in a rearward direction by rotating the hinge arm110.

Referring to the attaching drawings, the operation of the tray assembly according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be explained as follows.

To begin with, in the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the guide slot312formed in the housing310of the electronic appliance tray300is formed in a linear type. Besides, as mentioned above, a portion of the hinge arm110is formed in a shape of a cam.

The cam-shaped side of the hinge arm110has a linear portion112so that the cover120for the drawer tray may maintain the open state while the drawer box320of the electronic appliance tray300may be closed, during the guide pin130is moving from the first position312ato the second position312bof the guide slot312.

Also, the cam-shaped side of the hinge arm110has a semi-circle portion114so that when the cover120for the drawer tray is closed and thus the hinge arm110is rotated, the guide pin130placed at the first position312aof the guide slot312moves to the second position312bof the guide slot312and thus the drawer box320moves into the housing310of the electronic appliance tray300.

Because of the linear portion112of the hinge arm110, when the guide pin130is placed at the first position312aof the guide slot312, the cover120for the drawer tray maintains the open state and the drawer box320of the electronic appliance tray300is movable into the housing310of the electronic appliance tray300. For instance, while the guide pin130is moved to be placed at the second position312bof the guide slot312by pushing back the drawer box320, the cover120for the drawer tray maintains the open state and the drawer box320of the electronic appliance tray300is closed.

In addition, while the guide pin130is disposed at the first position guide slot312aor between the first and second positions312aand312b, the rotation of the hinge arm110moves the guide pin130to the second position312bof the guide slot312by cam-shaped portion113of the hinge arm110and thereby the cover120of the drawer tray and the drawer box320are closed altogether.

For convenience in explanation and accurate definition in the appended claims, the terms “lower”, “forward” and “rearward” are used to describe features of the exemplary embodiments with reference to the positions of such features as displayed in the figures.