Patent Publication Number: US-2019170274-A1

Title: Retractable wiring support for a motor vehicle

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     This document relates generally to the motor vehicle equipment field and, more particularly, to an apparatus incorporating a retractable wiring support that may be deployed to hold a wire such as a USB cable in a desired out-of-the-way position where it will not interfere with the operation of other motor vehicle systems, will not distract the driver and will help to maintain a neater and more organized passenger compartment. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Electronic devices such as smart phones, music players and navigation devices are commonly operated and placed at accessible positions in a motor vehicle when traveling from place to place. Often, these devices are connected via a USB cable or other charging cord to a utility outlet of the motor vehicle adapted to share information with motor vehicle components (such as an information screen) or charge such electronic devices during use. Typically the cords are much longer than required to reach from the utility outlet to the electronic device and the cord may become tangled amongst the parking brake lever, gear shift lever, cup holders and other features provided on a center console of the motor vehicle. This can become a significant annoyance and distraction to the driver. 
     This document relates to a new and improved apparatus for managing a charge cord. That apparatus includes a retractable wiring support that may be deployed to hold the charge cord or cable in a desired position where it is out of the way and is rendered neither an annoyance nor a distraction to the motor vehicle operator. 
     SUMMARY 
     In accordance with the purposes and benefits described herein, a new and improved apparatus is provided. That apparatus comprises a housing and a wiring support carried on the housing. The wiring support is displaceable between a home position and a deployed position. 
     The apparatus may further include a biasing element that biases the wiring support toward the deployed position. The wiring support may include a base and a clip carried on the base. The clip may be connected to the base by a pin. The pin may be carried on the clip and received in a socket carried on the base. Together, the pin and the socket allow the clip to be rotated with respect to the base so that the wiring support may be oriented about an arc of 360 degrees thereby enabling it to be conveniently positioned for holding a charge cable or other wire associated with an electronic device that might be used during operation of the motor vehicle. The housing may further include a bezel. 
     A guide feature may be provided on the housing. That guide feature functions as a guide for the wiring support as the wiring support is displaced between the home position and the deployed position. The guide feature may include a guide track carried on the housing as well as a cooperating guide track follower. The guide track follower may include a link arm having a first end and a second end. The first end of the link arm may be pivotally connected to the wiring support by a pivot pin. The second end of the link arm may hold a guide track pin that is received by and follows the guide track. 
     The guide track may be continuous. In one or more embodiments, the guide track may include six sides and six vertices. In one or more embodiments, the guide track may be chevron shaped. Further, the guide track may include a first peak and a second peak. The guide track pin may be positioned at the first peak when the wiring support is in the home position. The guide track pin may be positioned in the second peak when the wiring support is in the deployed position. 
     In the following description, there are shown and described several preferred embodiments the apparatus. As it should be realized, the apparatus is capable of other, different embodiments and its several details are capable of modification in various, obvious aspects all without departing from the apparatus as set forth and described in the following claims. Accordingly, the drawings and descriptions should be regarded as illustrative in nature and not as restrictive. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES 
       The accompanying drawing figures incorporated herein and forming a part of the specification, illustrate several aspects of the apparatus and together with the description serve to explain certain principles thereof. 
         FIG. 1 a    is an exploded view showing the various components of the apparatus including the housing and the wiring support carried on the housing. 
         FIG. 1 b    is a detailed, exploded perspective view of the wiring support including the base and the clip that is connected to the base. 
         FIG. 2 a    is a detailed perspective view of the assembled apparatus showing the wiring support in the retracted or home position. 
         FIG. 2 b    is a detailed perspective view similar to  FIG. 2 a    but showing the wiring support in the deployed position. 
         FIG. 2 c    is another detailed perspective view of the apparatus illustrating how the clip may be rotated through an arc of 360 degrees to allow adjustment of the orientation of the clip opening to accommodate the holding of a charge cable or other wire; 
         FIG. 2 d    is an illustration of a charge cable held in the clip of the wiring support. 
         FIG. 3  is an elevational view of a center console, incorporating two of the apparatus illustrated in  FIG. 1  holding and managing a charge cable extending from a utility outlet of a motor vehicle to an electronic device held in a pocket on the center console. 
         FIG. 4  is a detailed perspective view illustrating how one apparatus may be mounted in a cooperating receiver provided in a trim panel of the center console. 
         FIGS. 5 a -5 c    is a series of views illustrating how the wiring support is displaced from the deployed position to a home position. More particularly,  FIG. 5 a    is a perspective view illustrating the wiring support in the deployed position.  FIG. 5 b    illustrates the orientation of the guide feature when the wiring support is in the deployed position.  FIG. 5 c    illustrates the orientation of the guide feature when the wiring support is transitioning from the deployed position to the home position. 
         FIGS. 6 a -6 c    are a series of views illustrating the displacement of the wiring support from the home position to the deployed position. More specifically,  FIG. 6 a    is a perspective view illustrating the wiring support in the home position (biasing element removed to show other structures more clearly).  FIG. 6 b    is a detailed illustration of the orientation of the guide feature when the wiring support is in the home position.  FIG. 6 c    is an illustration of the guide feature when the wiring support is transitioning from the home position to the deployed position. 
     
    
    
     Reference will now be made in detail to the present preferred embodiments of the apparatus, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawing figures. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Reference is now made to drawing  FIGS. 1 a , 1 b , 2 a -2 d   ,  3 ,  4 ,  5   a - 5   c  and  6   a - 6   c  which illustrate the new and improved apparatus  10  that is adapted to manage a charge cord C and, more particularly, hold the charge cord in a desired position so as to better organize the passenger compartment of the motor vehicle and maintain the charge cord out of the way where it will not be an annoyance or a distraction to the driver when operating the motor vehicle. 
     As best illustrated in  FIG. 1 a   , the apparatus  10  includes a housing  12  and a wiring support  14 . The wiring support  14  is carried on the housing  12  and is displaceable between a home position illustrated in  FIGS. 2 a  and 6 a    and a deployed position illustrated in  FIGS. 2 b , 2 c   ,  3 ,  4  and  5   a . 
     More specifically, the housing  12  includes a main body  16  and an overlying bezel  18 . As illustrated in  FIGS. 1 a  and 1 b   , the wiring support  14  includes a base  20  and a clip  22  carried on the base. More specifically, the clip  22  is connected to the base  20  by a pin  24  that is carried on the clip and received in a socket  26  carried on the base. As illustrated in  FIG. 2 c   , the pin  24  and socket  26  function together to allow the clip  22  to be rotated with respect to the base  20  through a full arc of 360 degrees (note action arrow A) thereby allowing the wire receiving aperture  28  provided in the clip  22  beneath the head  30  to be oriented as desired to receive the charge cable C through the pass-through or neck  29  of the receiving aperture. Four spaced guide posts  33 , carried on the main body  16 , engage the side edges and the wings  35  of the base  20  to maintain the base in proper alignment in the main body  16  as the clip  22  is twisted in the base and the wiring support  14  is displaced between the home and the deployed positions. 
     A biasing element  34  biases the wiring support  14  toward the deployed position. In the illustrated embodiment, the biasing element  34  comprises a pair of tension springs, each having a first end  36  fixed to the bezel  18  and a second end  38  fixed to the base  20  of the wiring support  14 . See, for example,  FIGS. 1 a    and  2   a.    
     As best illustrated in  FIGS. 5 a -5 c  and 6 a -6 c   , the apparatus  10  also includes a guide feature generally designated by reference numeral  40 , for guiding the wiring support  14  between the home position and the deployed position. The guide feature  40  includes a guide track  42  carried on a sidewall  44  of the main body  16  of the housing  12 . In the illustrated embodiment, the guide track  42  is continuous. Further, the guide track  42  includes six sides  461 - 466  and six vertices  481 - 486 . As further illustrated in  FIGS. 5 b , 5 c , 6 b  and 6 c   , the guide track  42  of the illustrated embodiment is chevron shaped. 
     As further illustrated in  FIGS. 5 a -5 c  and 6 a -6 c   , the guide feature  40  also includes a guide track follower  50 . The guide track follower  50  includes a link arm  52  having a first end  54  and a second end  56 . The first end  54  of the link arm  52  is pivotally connected to the wiring support  14  and, more particularly, the base  20  of the wiring support, by a pivot pin  58 . The second end  56  of the link arm  52  holds a guide track pin  60  that is received by and follows the guide track  42 . 
     When the wiring support  14  is in the deployed position illustrated in  FIG. 5 a   , the guide track pin  60  is located in the guide track  42  at the first vertex  48   1  which forms a first peak  62  of the guide track. When the wiring support  14  is in the home position illustrated in  FIG. 6 a   , the guide track pin  60  is received in the guide track  42  at the fourth vertex  48   4  which forms a second peak  64  of the guide track. 
     When the wiring support  14  is in the deployed position illustrated in  FIG. 5 a   , the biasing element  34  functions to bias the wiring support in the direction of action arrow B maintaining the guide track pin  60  at the top of the first peak  62 . When one wishes to displace the wiring support from the deployed position illustrated in  FIG. 5 a    to the home position illustrated in  FIG. 6 a   , one removes the charge cable C from the wire receiving aperture  28  and reorients the head  30  into alignment with the aperture  31  in the bezel  18  by twisting the clip  22  in the base  20 . Next, one engages the head  30  and presses downward in the direction of action arrow D against the force of the biasing element  34 . As the wiring support  14  is displaced toward the home position, the guide track pin  60  follows the guide track  42  passing down the first side  46   1  of the guide track to the second vertex  48   2  (note action arrow E in  FIG. 5 b   ) and then down along the second side  46   2  of the guide track and past the third vertex  48   3 . Upon releasing the head  30  of the wiring support  14 , the biasing element  34  biases the wiring support so that the head is received in the opening  31  of the bezel and fits flush with the surface of the bezel. Simultaneously, the guide track pin  60  passes along side  46   3  of the guide track  42  and is displaced to the second peak  64  at the vertex  48   4 . Note action arrow F in  FIG. 5 c   . 
     When one wishes to displace the wiring support  14  from the home position illustrated in  FIG. 6 a    to the deployed position illustrated in  FIG. 6 b   , one again engages the head  30  of the wiring support  14  and presses downward in the direction of action arrow G against the force of the biasing element in the direction of action arrow H. As the wiring support  14  is depressed into the housing  12 , the guide track pin  60  moves along the fourth side  46   4  of the guide track  42  to the fifth vertex  48   4  (note action arrow I in  FIG. 6 b   ). Upon releasing the head  30 , the biasing element  34  then biases the wiring support upward in the direction of action arrow H and the guide track pin  60  passes along the fifth side  46   5  of the guide track  42  past the sixth vertex  48   6  and then along the sixth side  46   6  of the guide track to the first vertex  48   1 . Note action arrow J in  FIG. 6 b   . The biasing force of the biasing element  34  then maintains the wiring support in the deployed position with the guide track pin  60  at the first peak  62  formed by the first vertex  48   1  (again see  FIG. 5 b    and  FIG. 5 a   ). 
     The apparatus  10  may be provided in substantially any location inside the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle where charge cord or wire management would be of benefit. For example, as illustrated in  FIG. 3 , two of the apparatus  10  are provided along the side  70  of the center console  72 . More specifically, as illustrated in  FIG. 3 , the wiring support  14  of each apparatus  10  are in the deployed position and holding a charge cord C that extends from the utility power outlet  74  to the electronic device D held in a cup or pocket  76  in the top of the center console  72 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 4 , the apparatus  10  is easily mounted in position along the side  70  of a center console  72 . More specifically, the side  70  is provided with a notched receiver  78  sized and shaped to receive the housing  12  of the apparatus  10 . Mounting tabs or lugs  80  on the side of the housing  12  engage the margin of the side  70  that define the notched receiver  78  to secure the housing  12  in position. The bezel  18  laps the margin and provides an aesthetically pleasing appearance. 
       FIGS. 3 and 4  illustrate just one possible application wherein the apparatus  10  is mounted to the side  70  of a center console  72 . It should be appreciated, however, that the apparatus  10  may be mounted along the top of the center console  72  or at other locations in the motor vehicle including, for example, along substantially any trim panel located in the vehicle where wiring or charge cable management might be desired. 
     The foregoing has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the embodiments to the precise form disclosed. Obvious modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings. For example, the guide feature  40  may include a second guide track  42  and a second guide track follower  50  at the opposite side of the apparatus  10  that would be hidden from view in the drawing figures. Further, the head  30  and the bezel  18  may be adapted or shaped to match the surface of the trim panel into which the apparatus  10  is to be inserted. All such modifications and variations are within the scope of the appended claims when interpreted in accordance with the breadth to which they are fairly, legally and equitably entitled.