Abstract:
A console sliding armrest assembly for a vehicle includes a storage compartment having an opening for allowing ingress and egress of objects, and a console lid pivotally connected to the storage compartment. The lid may include a sliding armrest operatively engaged therewith. A guide assembly may be disposed within the lid for guiding the armrest, and may include a slider frame connected to the armrest. A guide plate may be connected to the lid for supporting the armrest, and a rail may be secured in the slider frame. The guide plate may be slidably engaged with the rail for allowing sliding movement of the armrest. A spring may be disposed between the slider frame and the rail, and may be engaged to either the slider frame or the rail for biasing the rail against the guide plate, and for thereby regulating tension in the guide assembly.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application claims benefit of priority of Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/690,467, filed Jun. 14, 2005, hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF INVENTION  
       [0002]     a. Field of Invention  
         [0003]     The invention relates generally to consoles for motor vehicles and the like, and more particularly to a motor vehicle center floor console including a securely guided sliding armrest having improved mechanics for facilitating the sliding operation and for minimizing cross-car deflection of the armrest.  
         [0004]     b. Description of Related Art  
         [0005]     Motor vehicle consoles are well known in the art and generally include a storage compartment for the storage of objects and a console lid for covering a storage compartment opening as well as for serving as an armrest. Often, the armrest is located at a fixed intermediate position most suited for persons of average size. In some luxury automobiles however, the armrest may be designed to slide in the vehicle&#39;s length-wise direction for providing adjustability for different users and their unique driving positions.  
         [0006]     Known console sliding armrests generally include a sliding assembly which requires a user to push along the longitudinal direction of the armrest (i.e. the vehicle&#39;s length-wise) to release the armrest from a rest position and to continue the sliding movement to one of a predetermined number of locking positions particularly suited for the user. In some armrest sliding assemblies, the sliding movement may be controlled or otherwise facilitated by spring biasing means, known examples of which have thus far been relatively complicated in design and operation, and have also been unreliable during extended use.  
         [0007]     One such known console sliding armrest is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,007,155 to Hara et al. (&#39;155 Patent). Referring to  FIG. 1  of the &#39;155 Patent, there is disclosed a guide assembly  100  for a retractable armrest. Guide assembly  100  includes a slide assembly  130  and a biasing assembly  135  which includes first rail member  140  and first biasing member  150 . A second mirror-image biasing assembly  137  is provided on the opposite side of slide assembly  130 . In operation, a spring  154  urges biasing member  150  against rail member  140  to thus urge member  140  orthogonally towards slide assembly  130 , thereby maintaining constant contact between member  140  and slide assembly  130 . According to the &#39;155 Patent, this feature eliminates the rattle between member  140  and slide assembly  130 , (see discussion in Col. 3:1-10).  
         [0008]     As readily evident from the illustration of  FIG. 1  of the &#39;155 Patent, the operation of the biasing assembly depends on smooth relative sliding of members  140 ,  150 , and members  160 ,  170  of the opposite biasing assembly. Over time however, due to the eventual contamination of assemblies  135 ,  137  from environmental and other factors, members  140 ,  150  and  160 ,  170  tend to stick and/or slip, thus deviating from the intended operation of the biasing assemblies. Further, due to the multiple components required for proper operation of each biasing assembly  135 ,  137 , use of such multiple biasing assemblies can be prohibitive both from a cost and reliability standpoint.  
         [0009]     Accordingly, there exists a need for a console sliding armrest biasing assembly which includes fewer components for facilitating the manufacturing process. There also exists a need for an armrest biasing assembly in which the components are less susceptible to environmental elements, and are therefore highly reliable for long-term use.  
         [0010]     Other exemplary console sliding armrests are disclosed for example in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,719,367 to Mic et al. and 6,244,648 to Gackstatter. Each of these armrest assemblies, which include unique sliding or biasing mechanisms, are nevertheless particularly susceptible to environmental elements which hinder their long-term reliability, and are further susceptible to misalignment and/or malfunction due to the multiple components which must function together during the sliding operation.  
         [0011]     It would therefore be of benefit to provide a console sliding armrest which is stable in operation during both extension and retraction of the armrest, and which includes a guiding system having a minimal number of components for securely guiding the armrest from both the longitudinal and lateral directions (i.e. the vehicle&#39;s length-wise and width-wise directions) of the armrest. It would also be of benefit to provide a console sliding armrest which is easier and more economical to manufacture, and which provides improved reliability for long-term use as compared to existing sliding armrest designs.  
       SUMMARY OF INVENTION  
       [0012]     The present invention thus solves the problems and overcomes the drawbacks and deficiencies of prior art console sliding armrest designs by providing an improved console sliding armrest assembly including a guide assembly which enables efficient rattle-free sliding operation.  
         [0013]     It is therefore an exemplary object of the present invention to provide a console sliding armrest assembly which is less susceptible to environmental elements and is therefore reliable in its long-term operation.  
         [0014]     It is also an object of the present invention to provide a console sliding armrest assembly which provides adequate vertical support for the armrest in both the extended and retracted positions.  
         [0015]     The invention thus achieves the aforementioned exemplary objects by providing a console sliding armrest assembly for a vehicle. The assembly may include a storage compartment having an opening for allowing ingress and egress of objects. A console lid may be pivotally connected to the storage compartment for substantially covering the storage compartment opening in a closed position and for otherwise allowing ingress and egress of objects in an open position. The console lid may include a sliding armrest operatively engaged therewith and movable between extended and retracted positions. A guide assembly may be disposed substantially within the console lid for securely guiding the sliding armrest between the extended and retracted positions. The guide assembly may include a slider frame connected to the sliding armrest, and a guide plate connected to the console lid for providing vertical support and lateral stability to the sliding armrest. The guide assembly may further include a rail secured to the slider frame, with the rail being slidably engaged with the guide plate for thereby allowing sliding movement of the armrest between the extended and retracted positions. A spring may be disposed between the slider frame and the rail. The spring may be engaged to either the slider frame or the rail for biasing the rail against the guide plate. The spring may thereby regulate tension between the slider frame, the rail and the guide plate during movement of the sliding armrest.  
         [0016]     For the console sliding armrest assembly described above, the rail may include a substantially “C” shaped channel for receiving an end of the guide plate. In a particular embodiment of the present invention, the slider frame may include a substantially “C” shaped channel for receiving the rail. The slider frame channel may thus define a substantially sealed cavity for protecting the rail and the spring from environmental elements. The rail may be made of Acetyl or other similar materials. A resilient arm may be connected adjacent a forward end of the console lid. The arm may include a detent engageable with one or more catches on a secondary plate mounted adjacent to or otherwise formed with the guide plate for limiting sliding movement of the armrest in the extended and retracted positions. The guide plate may also form a hinge arm for pivotally connecting the console lid to the storage compartment.  
         [0017]     The invention also provides a vehicle sliding armrest assembly including a storage compartment having an opening for allowing ingress and egress of objects, and a compartment lid pivotally connected to the storage compartment and disposable between opened and closed positions. The compartment lid may include an armrest operatively engaged therewith and slidably movable between extended and retracted positions. A guide assembly may be disposed substantially within the compartment lid for securely guiding the armrest between the extended and retracted positions. The guide assembly may include a slider frame connected to the armrest, and a guide plate connected to the compartment lid for providing vertical support and lateral stability to the armrest. The guide assembly may further include a rail secured to the slider frame. The rail may be slidably engaged with the guide plate for thereby allowing sliding movement of the armrest between the extended and retracted positions. The guide assembly may also include biasing means disposed between the slider frame and the rail. The biasing means may be engaged to either the slider frame or the rail for biasing the rail against the guide plate. The biasing means may thereby regulate tension between the slider frame, the rail and the guide plate during sliding movement of the armrest.  
         [0018]     For the sliding armrest assembly described above, the rail may include a substantially “C” shaped channel for receiving an end of the guide plate. The slider frame may include a substantially “C” shaped channel for receiving the rail, with the channel defining a substantially sealed cavity for protecting the rail and the biasing means from environmental elements. The biasing means may be a coil spring and/or a leaf spring, or other equivalent spring means. The assembly may further include a resilient arm connected adjacent a forward end of the compartment lid. The arm may include a detent engageable with one or more catches on a secondary plate mounted to or otherwise formed with the guide plate for limiting sliding movement of the armrest in the extended and retracted positions. The guide plate may also form a hinge arm for pivotally connecting the compartment lid to the storage compartment.  
         [0019]     The invention yet further provides a method of securely guiding a console sliding armrest for a vehicle. The method may include the step of pivotally connecting a console lid to a console storage compartment. The console lid may be disposable between opened and closed positions for allowing ingress and egress of objects from the storage compartment. The method may also include the steps of operatively engaging an armrest to the console lid, with the armrest being slidably movable between extended and retracted positions relative to the storage compartment, connecting a slider frame to the armrest, and connecting a guide plate to the console lid for vertical support and lateral stability of the armrest. The method may further include the steps of securing a rail to the slider frame, with the rail being slidably engaged with the guide plate for thereby allowing sliding movement of the armrest between the extended and retracted positions, and connecting a spring to either the slider frame or the rail for biasing the rail against the guide plate. The spring may thereby regulate tension between the slider frame, the rail and the guide plate during sliding movement of the armrest.  
         [0020]     For the method described above, the spring may be a coil spring and/or a leaf spring, or other equivalent spring structures. The method may also include the step of connecting a resilient arm adjacent a forward end of the console lid, with the arm including a detent engageable with one or more catches on a secondary plate mounted to or otherwise formed with the guide plate for limiting sliding movement of the armrest in the extended and retracted positions. The method may further include the steps of engaging an end of the guide plate with a substantially “C” shaped channel in the rail, and disposing the rail in a substantially “C” shaped channel in the slider frame. The slider frame channel may define a substantially sealed cavity for protecting the rail and the spring from environmental elements. The spring may thus enable regulation of the sliding force required for guiding the armrest between the extended and retracted positions. The force may be regulated to between approximately 6-13 N for sliding movement and less than approximately 23 N for initial movement of the armrest.  
         [0021]     Additional features, advantages, and embodiments of the invention may be set forth or apparent from consideration of the following detailed description, drawings, and claims. Moreover, it is to be understood that both the foregoing summary of the invention and the following detailed description are exemplary and intended to provide further explanation without limiting the scope of the invention as claimed. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0022]     The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention and together with the detail description serve to explain the principles of the invention. In the drawings:  
         [0023]      FIG. 1  is an isometric view of a vehicle console sliding armrest assembly according to the present invention;  
         [0024]      FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view of the console sliding armrest assembly of  FIG. 1 , taken substantially along line  2 - 2  in  FIG. 1 , illustrating various internal features of the assembly;  
         [0025]      FIG. 3  is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the console sliding armrest assembly of  FIG. 1 , taken substantially along line  2 - 2  in  FIG. 1 , illustrating a mechanism for limiting forward and aft sliding movement of a sliding armrest;  
         [0026]      FIG. 4  is another enlarged cross-sectional view of the console sliding armrest assembly of  FIG. 1 , taken substantially along line  4 - 4  in  FIG. 1 , illustrating various internal features of a guide assembly for guiding movement of the sliding armrest;  
         [0027]      FIG. 5A  is an enlarged isometric view of the console sliding armrest assembly of  FIG. 1 , with the sliding armrest and various features removed for illustrating components of the guide assembly within the console lid;  
         [0028]      FIG. 5B  is an enlarged isometric view of a guide rail and springs for the guide assembly of  FIG. 5A ;  
         [0029]      FIG. 6A  is a side cross-sectional view of the console sliding armrest assembly of  FIG. 1 , taken generally along line  2 - 2  in  FIG. 1 , illustrating various internal features of the guide assembly of  FIG. 4 , and the console lid in a retracted position;  
         [0030]      FIG. 6B  is another side cross-sectional view of the console sliding armrest assembly of  FIG. 1 , taken generally along line  2 - 2  in  FIG. 1 , illustrating various internal features of the guide assembly of  FIG. 4 , and the console lid in an extended position; and  
         [0031]      FIG. 7  is a front cross-sectional view of the console sliding armrest assembly of  FIG. 1 , taken generally along line  4 - 4  in  FIG. 1 , illustrating various internal features of the guide assembly of  FIG. 4 . 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0032]     Turning now to the drawings wherein like reference characters refer to like and corresponding parts throughout the several views,  FIGS. 1-7  illustrate a console sliding armrest assembly according to the present invention, generally designated sliding armrest assembly  10 .  
         [0033]     As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , sliding armrest assembly  10  may be mounted on a console  12  disposed centrally in a motor vehicle between a driver&#39;s and passenger&#39;s front seats. As readily evident to those skilled in the art, console  12  and/or sliding armrest assembly  10  may be disposed at any desirable location in a motor vehicle, without departing from the scope of the present invention. Console  12  may include a base  14  affixable to a vehicle frame (not shown), and other sub-components including cup-holders  16  and the like attached thereto. Other standard features such as a storage compartment  18  and console lid  20  may be provided, with lid  20  being pivotally mounted to compartment  18  and releasable by means of a release lever  22 , as discussed in further detail below.  
         [0034]     Referring to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , which illustrate cross-sectional views of sliding armrest assembly  10 , console lid  20  may be pivotally mounted at  24  by means of a spring biased pivot connection. In the embodiment of  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the pivot connection may include a standard torsional spring  26  mounted on a pivot rod  28  for biasing lid  20  to an open position. Further, as briefly discussed above, a release lever  22  may be mounted at  30  for enabling console lid  20  to be opened and closed as is known in the art.  
         [0035]     Turning next to  FIGS. 4-7  (particularly  FIG. 7 ), sliding armrest assembly  10  may include a guide assembly  32  for permitting sliding of an armrest  21  operatively engaged with console lid  20 , for sliding in the vehicle forward and aft directions. Guide assembly  32  may include a unitary slider frame  34  having mirror-image “C” shaped channels  36  which frictionally retain guide rails  38  therein. Channels  36  may be formed on frame ends  40  which include oblique angle supports  42  and vertical supports  44  for providing vertical support in the event of downwards pressure placed on console lid  20  by a user. Vertical supports  44  may further bear against horizontal support plate  46 , the edges  48 ,  50  of which are disposed within areas  52 ,  54  of compartment walls  56 ,  57 . In this manner, console lid  20  may be supported by the structure of compartment  18 . Further, the material adjacent areas  52 ,  54  may be resilient for engaging edges  48 ,  50  and thus sealingly enclosing the contents of the compartment.  
         [0036]     Referring to  FIGS. 4, 5A  and  7 , guide assembly  32  may further include a guide plate  58  fixedly mounted to support plate  46  by means of support columns  60 , which in the particular embodiment of  FIG. 7  are screw bosses. Plate  58  may include a secondary plate  62  attached thereto or formed therewith for providing additional rigidity to the overall structure of the guide assembly, especially from lateral forces applied to console lid  20  (and armrest  21 ), and for further limiting forward and aft movement of the armrest as discussed in greater detail below.  
         [0037]     As shown in  FIGS. 5A and 7 , guide rails  38 , which are engaged and retained in channels  36  of frame  34 , may include complementary slots  64  for sliding engagement with ends  66 ,  68  of guide plate  58 . In this manner, guide rails  38  and frame  34  move as a unit relative to stationary guide plate  58  and support plate  46  for permitting sliding movement of armrest  21  relative to storage compartment  18 . In the embodiment shown, rails  38  may be formed of Acetyl or the like for permitting smooth and efficient sliding of ends  66 ,  68  of guide plate  58  relative to the rails.  
         [0038]     Referring to  FIGS. 5A, 5B  and  7 , in order to maintain the alignment of rails  38  relative to frame  34  and guide plate  58 , and to further require a user to exert a predetermined force for movement of armrest  21 , leaf springs  70  may be mounted to outer wall  74  of each rail  38  and disposed in engagement with inner wall  72  of each channel  36 . In the particular embodiment illustrated, three leaf springs may be mounted by press-fitting onto rails  38 , one spring adjacent each outer-most end of the rail and a third spring disposed generally centrally along the rail. As shown in  FIG. 5B , the springs may be snap-fitted by means of posts  71 A- 71 C, with the central post  71 B including a gap  73  for permitting press-fitting of the spring, and posts  71 A and  71 C being provided for maintaining proper alignment of the spring. Springs  70  may be formed of a mirror-image curved profile as shown such that the opposing leafs of the spring each exert a uniform force on the inner wall  72  of each channel  36 . In this manner, rails  38  may be maintained at a predetermined orientation and with a predetermined frictional engagement force relative to ends  66 ,  68  of guide plate  58 . As mentioned above, the use of springs  70  also prevents inadvertent misalignment of rails  38  within channels  36 . While in the exemplary embodiment shown, rails  38  are maintained in the predetermined alignment by leaf springs  70 , those skilled in the art would appreciate in view of this disclosure that other biasing means, such as a coil spring or other resilient material may be used instead of or in addition to leaf springs  70  without departing from the scope of the present invention. Further, instead of being connected to rails  38 , the springs may be likewise connected to inner wall  72  of each channel  36  for biasing the rails as discussed above.  
         [0039]     Referring next to  FIGS. 5A, 5B ,  6 A and  6 B, in order to positively limit sliding movement of armrest  21  in the vehicle aft direction, each rail  38  may be configured to include a stop  76  adjacent a front end thereof for engagement with edge  78  of guide plate  58 . In order to limit movement of armrest  21  in the vehicle forward direction, a resilient arm  80  may be attached to front end-piece  75  of armrest  21  and include a semi-spherical detent  82  disposable within a complementary catch  84  formed in secondary plate  62 . In this manner, a user may apply a force “F” in the vehicle forward direction on the surface of armrest  21  to release detent  82  from catch  84  until the detent engages with forward catch  88 , which also includes a raised end-portion  90  for preventing further forward movement of armrest  21 . Those skilled in the art would appreciate in view of this disclosure that a plurality of catches may be provided on secondary plate  62  for providing predetermined intervals at which armrest  21  may be maintained for different users.  
         [0040]     Referring to  FIGS. 5A, 6A ,  6 B and  7 , in order to minimize the number of components for sliding armrest assembly  10 , guide plate  58  may include a bent portion  92  for integration into the pivot connection for console lid  20 . In this manner, the guide plate serves multiple purposes, the first of providing a structure relative to which armrest  21  can slide, the second of providing a structure for supporting lid  20  during pivoting thereof, and the third of providing a structure for supporting armrest  21  in the extended and retracted positions of  FIGS. 6B, 6A , respectively.  
         [0041]     Referring next to  FIGS. 1, 6A  and  6 B, in a particular embodiment of sliding armrest assembly  10 , arm  80  and catch members  84 ,  88  may be dimensioned and spaced such that armrest  21  slides approximately 98 mm (i.e. approximately 4 inches) from the retracted position of  FIG. 6A  to the extended position of  FIG. 6B . It has been determined that a 98 mm range of forward movement allows armrest  21  to be ergonomically adaptable to approximately 80% of users. Further, referring to  FIGS. 1, 6A ,  6 B and  7 , the tension in arm  80  and springs  70  may be preset such that a user is required to exert a forward force of approximately 23 Newtons on armrest  21  to disengage detent  82  from catch  84 , and is further required to maintain a forward force of approximately 6-13 Newtons for armrest movement between catch members  84 ,  88 . The noted exemplary force ranges prevent inadvertent release and sliding of armrest  21 , while also providing a user with sufficient ergonomic comfort in sliding the armrest as needed. As discussed above, the noted exemplary force ranges are regulated by means of springs  70 . Of course, those skilled in the art would readily appreciate in view of this disclosure that the exemplary distance between adjacent catch members  84 ,  88 , the length of arm  80 , as well as the tension generated by arm  80  and springs  70  may be adjusted as needed to change the range of movement of armrest  21  and the effort needed by a user to initiate and maintain the movement.  
         [0042]     Thus to summarize, the present invention sliding armrest assembly  10  provides a guide assembly which enables efficient rattle-free sliding operation of the armrest. The sliding armrest assembly is also less susceptible to environmental elements, is easier and more economical to manufacture, and is highly reliable for long-term use as compared to existing sliding armrest designs.  
         [0043]     Although particular embodiments of the invention have been described in detail herein with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to those particular embodiments, and that various changes and modifications may be effected therein by one skilled in the art without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.