Abstract:
A glove box assembly for a dashboard of a motor vehicle has two glove box compartments adjacent to one another and associated with respective doors movable between an open position and a closed position; the glove box assembly has two retaining devices each associated with a relative door and releasable by manually operating respective control elements, which are both borne on one of the two doors; to open the other door, a transmission transmits the release command when the first door is in the closed position.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims priority from European Patent Application No. EP08425084.4, filed Feb. 12, 2008, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    German patent application DE3932909A1 includes the features of the preamble of claim 1 and describes a dashboard of a motor vehicle comprising two glove box compartments, which are arranged one above the other and are provided with respective doors which are upwardly and, respectively, downwardly pivotable to open the glove box compartments. 
         [0003]    The doors are held closed by a closing mechanism borne on a support structure arranged in a fixed position between the two glove box compartments. The closing mechanism comprises, for each door, a relative latch, which is movable between an engaged position, in which the door is held in the closed position, and a disengaged position, in which the door is released. 
         [0004]    The latches can be fastened in the engaged position, either together or separately, by operating a key lock, which is also borne on the support structure between the two glove box compartments. 
         [0005]    The known solution described above falls short of being satisfactory, in that the dimensions of the closing mechanism and the position in which the closing mechanism must be arranged on the dashboard between the two glove box compartments constitute constraints which are extremely limiting for the design of the space in the two glove box compartments and the design of the external profile of the dashboard and of the doors in terms of their aesthetical appearance. In particular, the outer edge of the doors must be appropriately shaped so as to define a recess to allow access to the lock and to the buttons that control the release of the latches. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    The purpose of the present invention is to provide a glove box assembly for a dashboard of a motor vehicle, which overcomes the drawbacks described above in a simple and cost-effective manner. 
         [0007]    According to the present invention a glove box assembly for a dashboard of a motor vehicle is produced, said assembly comprising: 
         [0008]    a first and a second glove box compartment adjacent to one another; 
         [0009]    a first and a second door movable between an open position and a closed position to open/close, respectively, said first and second glove box compartments; closing means comprising: 
         [0010]    a first and a second manually operable control element; 
         [0011]    a first and a second retaining device, which hold said first and, respectively, second door in the closed position and are releasable by manually operating said first and, respectively, said second control element to open said first and, respectively, second door; 
         [0000]    characterized in that said first and second control element are borne on said first door; and in that it comprises transmission means for transmitting a release command from said second control element to said second retaining device when said first door is in the closed position. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
         [0012]    In order to better understand the present invention, a non-limiting preferred embodiment thereof will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
           [0013]      FIG. 1  shows a cross-section along a vertical plane and with some parts removed for the sake of clarity, of a preferred embodiment of the glove box assembly for a dashboard of a motor vehicle, according to the present invention; 
           [0014]      FIGS. 2 and 3  are perspective views from the front and, respectively, from the rear, with parts removed for the sake of clarity, of the glove box assembly of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0015]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view, on an enlarged scale, of a detail of  FIG. 1 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0016]    In  FIG. 1 , number  1  indicates, as a whole, a dashboard of a motor vehicle (partially illustrated). The dashboard  1  has an external profile that delimits a passenger compartment of the motor vehicle to the front and comprises a glove box assembly  2  (partially illustrated), which, in turn, comprises two glove box compartments  3 , 4  arranged one beneath the other and defined by respective walls  5 , 6  fixed to a support structure  7  of the dashboard  1 . The compartments  3 , 4  have respective openings  8 , 9 , which can be opened or closed by means of respective doors  11 , 12 . The doors  11 , 12  are downwardly and, respectively, upwardly pivotable from a closed position ( FIG. 1 ) to an open position (not illustrated). 
         [0017]    The door  11  comprises a wall  15  which delimits the compartment  3  when the door  11  is in the closed position. The door  11  also comprises a module  16 , which is joined to the wall  15  in a fixed position and externally with respect to the compartment  3  and comprises a wall  17  opposite the wall  15 , so as to define a cavity  18 . 
         [0018]    The wall  17  defines an opening  19  engaged by two control elements, which constitute part of the module  16  and are defined respectively by a lever  20  and a button  21  comprising respective manually operable plates  20   a , 21   a.    
         [0019]    The lever  20  comprises two appendices  22 , which are fixed with respect to the plate  20   a,  extend in a cantilevered fashion into the cavity  18  and are pivotally connected to the wall  17  about a horizontal axis  23 , so that the lever  20  is pivotable between a home position and a raised position (not illustrated). The button  21  is arranged above the lever  20  and is releasably connected to a portion  24  that is fixed with respect to the wall  17 . The button  21  is guided by the portion  24  to slide along an axis  26  from a home position to a retracted position towards the wall  15 . When the lever  20  and the button  21  are arranged in the home position, the plates  20   a  and  21   a  are flush with one another and with the edge of the opening  19 . 
         [0020]    A coil torsion spring  27  ( FIG. 3 ) arranged along the axis  23  and a coil compression spring  28  arranged along the axis  26  between the button  21  and a portion  29  of the module  16  are provided to hold the lever  20  and, respectively, the button  21  in the home position. The spring  28  is arranged around a rod  30  which is fixed with respect to the plate  21   a,  extends along the axis  26  across the portion  24 , in the cavity  18  and in a cantilevered fashion towards the wall  15 , and is aligned with a hole  31  of the portion  29  and of the wall  15 . 
         [0021]    With reference to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the module  16  also comprises a retaining device  32  to hold the door  11  in the closed position. The device  32  is housed in the cavity  18  and comprises two rods  33 , the outer ends of which are aligned in relation to one another along an axis  34  which is parallel to the axis  23  and define respective latches  35 . 
         [0022]    The rods  33  are joined to the wall  17  so as to slide in opposite directions to one another along the axis  34  between an engaged position and a released position. In the engaged position, the latches  35  protrude laterally with respect to the wall  17  and engage respective side retaining seats (not illustrated), fixed with respect to the wall  5 , to hold the door  11  in the closed position; in the released position, the latches  35  are retracted leaving the side retaining seats free so that the compartment  3  can be opened. 
         [0023]    The internal ends of the rods  33 , i.e. opposite the latches  35 , are defined by respective rectilinear portions  38 , which are parallel and spaced with respect to one another and are pushed by respective springs  39  towards the engaged position with respect to the wall  17 . 
         [0024]    The device  32  also comprises a rotor  40 , which is joined to the wall  17  so as to rotate about an axis  41  perpendicular to the axis  34  and intersecting the axis  34 . The portions  38  of the rods  33  are diametrically opposite and tangent with respect to the axis  41 , and are coupled to respective articulated joints  42  defined by radial teeth of the rotor  40 . 
         [0025]    The device  32  is operated directly by the lever  20 . In particular, the motion is transmitted from the lever  20  to the rotor  40  by means of two appendices  43 , 44  supported in a tangential direction with respect to the axis  41 . The appendix  44  is defined by a radial tooth of the rotor  40 , while the appendix  43  extends in a fixed position from a rear face of the plate  20   a,  and pivots downwardly about the axis  23  when the plate  20   a  is raised by the user (in the anti-clockwise direction in  FIG. 1 ). Said rotation causes the tooth  44  to be pushed downwards, thus making the rotor  40  turn (in the clockwise direction in  FIG. 3 ), with the consequent translation of the rods  33  towards the released position. Once the plate  20   a  has been left free, the rods  33  automatically return to the engaged position and the lever  20  returns to the home position, due to the action of the springs  39  and  27 . 
         [0026]    With reference to  FIG. 1 , the module  16  also comprises a lock  50 , which is connected to the lever  20 , extends in a cantilevered fashion from the plate  20   a  towards the wall  15  along an axis  51  that is perpendicular to the plate  20   a,  and which can be operated by means of a key to turn a locking element  52  about the axis  51  with respect to the lever  20 . The element  52  is arranged in the cavity  18 , it is joined to an axial end of the lock  50 , and is pivotable between a disengaged position and a locking position. The element  52  comprises two appendices  53 , 54 , which engage against a shoulder  55  of the wall  15  and, respectively, against a shoulder  56  of the button  21  when the element  52  is in the locked position, in order to prevent the lever  20  from pivoting to the raised position and, respectively, the button  21  from translating to the retracted position. 
         [0027]    With reference to  FIGS. 1 and 4 , the assembly  2  comprises a retaining device  58  to hold the door  12  in the closed position. The device  58  is housed in a cavity  59 , which is arranged vertically between the compartments  3 , 4  and is defined, towards the passenger compartment, by a portion  60  of the wall  5 . The device  58  comprises a support element  61  fixed to the portion  60 ; and a disk  62  comprising a radial tooth that defines a latch  63 . The disk  62  is pivotally connected to the support element  61  so as to pivot about an axis  64  between an engaged position and a released position. In the engaged position, the latch  63  engages a keeper  65 , which is fixed to the door  12  and defines a ring that protrudes from a lower end of the door  12  and, when the door  12  is in the closed position, engages the cavity  59  passing through a slot  66  obtained in the portion  60 ; in the released position (not illustrated), the latch  63  disengages the keeper  65 . 
         [0028]    The device  58  comprises a stay  69  defined by an arm, which is essentially tangential with respect to the axis  64  and comprises an end  70  which is fixed to the support element  61  and an opposite end  72 . The arm  69  is elastically flexible along a plane parallel to the axis  64  between a non-deformed condition and a deformed condition. In the non-deformed condition, the end  72  is adjacent to the support element  61  and defines a shoulder against which a radial tooth  73  of the disk  62  rests tangentially, to hold the disk  62  in the engaged position against the action of an elastic element (not illustrated). In the deformed condition, the end  72  is at a distance from the support element  61  so that the disk  62  is free to rotate towards the disengaged position under the action of its elastic element. 
         [0029]    The arm  69  is bent into the deformed condition simply by pressing a control portion  74  that protrudes from an intermediate portion of the arm  69 . The control portion  74  thus defines a button, is fixed with respect to the arm  69 , extends essentially along the axis  26  through an opening  75  obtained in the support element  61  and in the portion  60 , and faces and is adjacent to the tip of the rod  30  ( FIG. 1 ). The control portion  74  transmits the open command from the button  21  to the latch  63  when the door  11  is in the closed position; when the door  11  is in the open position it remains visible and can be operated directly by a user. 
         [0030]    When the pressure on the control portion  74  is released, the end  72  rests on an axial face  76  of the tooth  73 , in a manner that is not illustrated. When the door  12  is moved back into the closed position, the keeper  65  rests against a radial tooth  77  of the disk  62 , exerts a tangential pushing action with respect to the axis  64 , thus making the disk  62  rotate towards the engaged position (in the clockwise direction in  FIG. 4 ). During said rotation, when the tooth  73  moves past the end  72  and, thus the end  72  can descend from the face  76 , the arm  69  is elastically released into the non-deformed condition and goes back to retain the disk  62  angularly in the engaged position. 
         [0031]    As mentioned previously, the door  12  can also be opened when the door  11  is closed and hides the control portion  74 , by manually pressing the button  21 , which causes the arm  69  to bend via the transmission defined by the control portion  74  and by the rod  30 . 
         [0032]    The lock  50  can be used to lock the doors  11  and  12  in the closed position, by turning the key of the lock  50  by 90°. In the locked position, the element  52  blocks the lever  20  (since the appendix  53  engages the shoulder  55  and prevents the lever  20  from turning towards the outside) and at the same time blocks the button  21  (since the appendix  54  opposes the retraction of the button  21 , thus preventing the activation of the control portion  74 ). 
         [0033]    From the description above it is apparent that the assembly  2  allows the outer edge of the doors  11 ,  12  and the shape of the compartments  3 , 4  to be designed in an extremely flexible manner, in that both the controls defined by the lever  20  and by the button  21 , and preferably also the lock  50  with the locking element  52 , are arranged on the door  11 . In particular, the portion  60  does not need to be directly accessible when the doors  11 ,  12  are in the closed position. 
         [0034]    Moreover, the cavity  59  between the compartments  3 , 4  only houses the device  58 , and not the device  32  and/or the lock  50  with the element  52 , and is therefore relatively small. Moreover, the transmission defined by the rod  30  and by the control portion  74  is simple and not particularly bulky and allows the compartments  3 , 4  to be kept close to one another. 
         [0035]    Moreover, the assembly  2  is relatively simple to assemble, in that the module  16  and the device  58  can be assembled in advance and mounted on the walls  15  and, respectively,  5 . 
         [0036]    Lastly, it is clear that modifications and variations may be made to the assembly  2  described and illustrated herein without departing from the scope of the present invention, as set forth in the appended claims. 
         [0037]    In particular, the command sent via the button  21  to the device  58  could be transmitted using transmission means other than the rod  30  and the control portion  74 ; and/or the device  32  could also be fixed with respect to the wall  5 ; and/or the lock  50  could be borne on a portion of the wall  17 , instead of on the control element  20 ; and/or the releasing of the device  32  could be controlled by means of components other than the appendices  43 , 44  described above.