Patent Publication Number: US-2023158931-A1

Title: Rotatable armrest and console assembly provided with the same

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a) the benefit of Chinese Patent Application No. 202111392565.5 filed in the Chinese National Intellectual Property Administration on Nov. 23, 2021, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Technical Field 
     The present disclosure relates to a rotatable armrest, and more particularly, to a rotatable armrest for a vehicle and a console assembly provided with the rotatable armrest. 
     Description 
     In general, a console assembly of a vehicle is installed between a driver&#39;s seat and a passenger seat of the vehicle and includes a storage box for temporarily storing objects, and an armrest is installed on the storage box of the console to serve as a cover and at the same time allows a passenger sitting in a vehicle seat to rest his arm comfortably. 
       FIGS.  1  and  2    illustrate a console assembly including an object storage box and an armrest used as a cover of the object storage box in the related art. The armrest may rotate about 90° (i.e., an angle a in  FIG.  2   ) to open the object storage box, and the object storage box provides a storage space. 
     The armrest of the console assembly in the related art does not provide a device on which rear seat passengers can place objects such as cups or phones. In addition, when the armrest is closed, the console assembly has to support the armrest, so there is a problem that the console assembly takes up a lot of space. 
     Accordingly, the conventional console assembly and its armrest need to be further improved. 
     The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the disclosure, and therefore it may contain information that does not form the preexisting technology that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art. 
     SUMMARY 
     The present disclosure has been made in an effort to provide a rotatable armrest and a console assembly provided with the rotatable armrest having advantages of allowing the armrest to rotate to save a space for placing an object of the console assembly. 
     In addition, the present disclosure has been made in an effort to provide a rotatable armrest and a console assembly provided with the rotatable armrest having advantages of not only providing convenience for a front seat passenger to place an object, but also providing convenience for a rear seat passenger to place an object. 
     In one aspect, an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure provides a rotatable armrest. 
     In one aspect, a rotatable armrest is provided, comprising: a) a case; b) a knob system; and c) a hinge system, wherein the knob system and the hinge system are mounted in the case, and wherein the hinge system comprises a counterbalance shaft, and wherein the rotatable armrest is rotatable about the counterbalance shaft and fixed in a first position, a second position, and a third position. Preferably, the first second and third positions are distinct positions (i.e. the first position, second position and third positions are different positions). In one embodiment, in the first position, the rotatable armrest is positioned in a folded down position. In an embodiment, in the second position, suitably the rotatable armrest is positioned in a horizontally forward-facing position. In an embodiment, in the third position, suitably the rotatable armrest is positioned in a horizontally backward-facing position. 
     In a further aspect, the rotatable armrest includes a case, a knob system, and a hinge system, in which the knob system and the hinge system are mounted in the case. The hinge system includes a counterbalance shaft, and the rotatable armrest may be rotatable about the counterbalance shaft and fixed in a first position, a second position, and a third position. In the first position, the rotatable armrest is positioned in a folded down position, in the second position, the rotatable armrest is positioned in a horizontally forward-facing position, and in the third position, the rotatable armrest is positioned in a horizontally backward-facing position. 
     The case includes an armrest upper cover, an armrest lower cover, a left garnish and a right garnish that are coupled to each other. When the armrest upper cover, the armrest lower cover, the left garnish, and the right garnish are combined, an opening is formed in a front portion of the case. 
     The knob system includes a knob, and the knob is positioned within the opening. 
     The knob system further includes a knob housing, a knob shaft, a first torsion spring, a knob rear shaft, and a knob bracket. A rear end of the knob is connected to the knob rear shaft, a middle portion of the knob is mounted on the knob housing through the knob shaft, the knob is rotatable about the knob shaft, the knob shaft is fitted with a first torsion spring, one end of the first torsion spring is connected to the knob bracket, and the first torsion spring applies a restoring force for returning the knob shaft to the knob shaft. The knob housing is mounted on a knob bracket. 
     The counterbalance shaft is provided with at least one lower bracket, and the lower bracket includes a disc part and a lower bracket body. A concave groove is installed at a front end of an arc of the disc part, front and rear ends of the lower bracket body are each provided with first and second latching grooves, and both ends of the arc of the disc part extend to the first latching groove and the second locking groove, respectively. 
     The hinge system further includes a hinge bracket, a locking assembly, and a brake assembly. The number of lock assemblies and brake assemblies corresponds to the number of lower brackets. The locking assembly and the brake assembly are mounted on the hinge bracket. 
     The hinge bracket includes a hinge bracket body and a mounting plate positioned at a rear end of the hinge bracket body. 
     The locking assembly includes a wire, a locking connection member, and a locking member. The wire is mounted on a middle portion of the hinge bracket body of the hinge bracket, one end of the wire is connected to the knob rear shaft, the locking connection member and the locking member are each rotatably mounted on the mounting plate of the hinge bracket through the first and second shafts, a first end of the locking connection member is connected to the other end of the wire, and a second end of the locking connection member is connected to a connection part of the locking member. 
     Second and third torsion springs are provided on the first and second shafts, respectively, and the second and third torsion springs provide the restoring force for returning the locking connection member and the locking member to the locking connection member and the locking member, respectively. 
     The locking assembly further includes a housing, and the housing covers the locking connection member and the locking member. 
     The brake assembly includes a shaft bracket, a friction plate, and a hinge shaft. The shaft bracket is mounted on an outside of the lower bracket through the hinge shaft, and the friction plate is mounted between the shaft bracket and the mounting plate of the hinge bracket through the hinge shaft. 
     Another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure provides a console assembly. The console assembly includes a console, the rotatable armrest according to the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, and a connection device for mounting the rotatable armrest on the console. 
     The connection device includes a hinge mounting bolt, and the armrest assembly is mounted on the console through the hinge mounting bolt. 
     According to the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the rotatable armrest may be positioned at different positions by rotating about a counterbalance shaft. Accordingly, the rotatable armrest may be used by a person in the front seat as well as by a person in the rear seat. In addition, it is possible to save a space in the console assembly with the rotatable armrest folded down. 
     A method and apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure may have other characteristics and advantages, which will become apparent in the accompanying drawings and subsequent exemplary embodiments, or will be described in detail in the accompanying drawings and subsequent exemplary embodiments in the text, and these drawings and exemplary embodiments are used to interpret certain principles of the disclosure. 
     In another embodiment, vehicles may be provided that comprise an apparatus as disclosed herein. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1    is a schematic diagram of an armrest according to the related art. 
         FIG.  2    is a schematic diagram of an armrest of a console assembly according to the related art, wherein the armrest may be opened or closed, and a lower storage space may be exposed in an open state indicated by a dotted line. 
         FIG.  3    is a schematic diagram of a use state of a rotatable armrest according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, wherein the rotatable armrest is in a stored state. 
         FIG.  4    is a schematic diagram of a use state of a rotatable armrest according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, wherein the rotatable armrest is allowed to be used by a front seat person. 
         FIG.  5    is a schematic diagram of a use state of a rotatable armrest according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, wherein the rotatable armrest is allowed to be used by a rear seat person. 
         FIG.  6    is an exploded perspective view of a console assembly provided with a rotatable armrest according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG.  7    is an exploded perspective view of a rotatable armrest according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG.  8    is a schematic diagram illustrating that a knob system and a hinge system are assembled according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG.  9    is a schematic diagram illustrating a knob system and a hinge system in  FIG.  8    from which a knob bracket is removed. 
         FIG.  10    is an exploded perspective view corresponding to  FIG.  9   . 
         FIG.  11    is a side view of a knob system and a hinge system, wherein the knob bracket and hinge bracket are removed. 
         FIG.  12    is a rear view of a hinge system. 
         FIG.  13    is an anisometrical view of a locking assembly and a brake assembly. 
         FIG.  14    is a structural schematic diagram of a lower bracket. 
         FIG.  15    is a plan view of a rotatable armrest located in a position for a front seat person according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG.  16    is a cross-sectional view taken along a section line H-H in  FIG.  15   . 
         FIG.  17    is a plan view of a rotatable armrest located in a stored position according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG.  18    is a cross-sectional view taken along a section line G-G in  FIG.  17   . 
         FIG.  19    is a plan view of a rotatable armrest located in a position for a rear seat person according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG.  20    is a cross-sectional view taken along a section line K-K in  FIG.  19   . 
         FIG.  21    is a schematic diagram of a usable space of a console assembly when a rotatable armrest is in a stored position according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG.  22    is a schematic diagram of a usable space of a console assembly according to the related art. 
     
    
    
     It is to be understood that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, and various features are simplified to explain the basic principles of the present disclosure. The specific design features (including, for example, specific sizes, directions, positions, and shapes) disclosed in the present disclosure are determined in part by the specific application and intended use environment. 
     In these drawings, the same reference numbers throughout the drawings indicate identical or equivalent parts of the present disclosure. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS 
     It is understood that the term “vehicle” or “vehicular” or other similar term as used herein is inclusive of motor vehicles in general such as passenger automobiles including sports utility vehicles (SUV), buses, trucks, various commercial vehicles, watercraft including a variety of boats and ships, aircraft, and the like, and includes hybrid vehicles, electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, hydrogen-powered vehicles and other alternative fuel vehicles (e.g. fuels derived from resources other than petroleum). As referred to herein, a hybrid vehicle is a vehicle that has two or more sources of power, for example both gasoline-powered and electric-powered vehicles. 
     The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. These terms are merely intended to distinguish one component from another component, and the terms do not limit the nature, sequence or order of the constituent components. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. Throughout the specification, unless explicitly described to the contrary, the word “comprise” and variations such as “comprises” or “comprising” will be understood to imply the inclusion of stated elements but not the exclusion of any other elements. 
     Hereinafter, reference will be made in detail to various embodiments of the present disclosure, which will be described later by way of illustration in the drawings. While the present disclosure has been described in conjunction with exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that this specification is not intended to limit the disclosure to these exemplary embodiments. To the contrary, the present disclosure is intended to cover these exemplary embodiments, as well as various alternatives, modifications, equivalents and other embodiments defined by the spirit of the present disclosure and the appended claims. 
     Hereinafter, a rotatable armrest according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to  FIGS.  3  to  22   . 
     A rotatable armrest according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure may include a case A- 1 , A- 4 , A- 5 , and A- 6 , a knob system A- 2 , and a hinge system A- 3 , and the knob system A- 2  and the hinge system A- 3  are mounted in the case. 
     The hinge system A- 3  includes a counterbalance shaft  16 . The rotatable armrest may rotate about the counterbalance shaft  16  and may be fixed in a first position, a second position, or a third position. In the first position, the rotatable armrest is in a folded down state; in the second position, the rotatable armrest is in a horizontally forward-facing state; and in the third position, the rotatable armrest is in a horizontally backward-facing state. 
     Here, the forward-facing direction may mean a direction toward a front portion of the vehicle (i.e., a forward direction), and the backward-facing direction may mean a direction toward a rear portion of the vehicle (i.e., a direction opposite to the forward direction). 
     As illustrated in  FIG.  7   , the rotatable armrest according to the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure may include an armrest upper cover A- 1 , the knob system A- 2 , the hinge system A- 3 , an armrest lower cover A- 4 , a left garnish A- 5 , and a right garnish A- 6 . The armrest upper cover A- 1 , the armrest lower cover A- 4 , the left garnish A- 5 , and the right garnish A- 6  are combined to form the case, thereby accommodating the knob system A- 2  and the hinge system A- 3 . 
     As illustrated in  FIGS.  8 ,  9 , and  10   , the knob system A- 2  may include a knob bracket  17 , a knob  2 , a knob housing  3 , a knob insert  4 , a knob shaft  51 , a torsion spring  52 , and a knob rear shaft  6 , and the knob  2 , the knob housing  3 , the knob insert  4 , the knob shaft  51 , the torsion spring  52 , and the knob rear shaft  6  are mounted on the knob bracket  17 . 
     The knob bracket  17  may be fixed to the hinge bracket  1  which will be described later. 
     The knob  2  may be positioned in an opening of a front end of the case formed by the armrest upper cover A- 1 , the armrest lower cover A- 4 , the left garnish A- 5 , and the left garnish A- 6 , and an operator may bend the knob  2  to proceed with the operation of the armrest. 
     A middle portion of the knob  2  may be mounted on the knob housing  3  through the knob shaft  51 , and may rotate about the knob shaft  51 . A rear end of the knob  2  is connected to one end of a wire  7 , which will be described later, through the knob rear shaft  6 . The knob shaft  51  sequentially passes through the knob insert  4  and the middle portion of the knob  2 . The torsion spring  52  is fitted in the knob shaft  51 , one end of the torsion spring  52  is connected to the knob bracket  17 , and the torsion spring  52  applies a restoring force (opposite to a direction of the dotted line arrows X and Y in  FIG.  11   ) for returning to the knob shaft  51 . 
     The knob housing  3  may be mounted on the knob bracket  17 . 
     The knob insert  4  may be fixed to the knob  2  and made of a rubber material to reduce noise. 
     Both ends of the knob rear shaft  6  may be connected to one ends of two wires  7 , which will be described later, respectively, after passing through the knob  2 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG.  11   , when the front end of the knob  2  bends up (i.e., when the front end of the knob  2  rotates along the dotted line arrow X direction in  FIG.  11   ), the knob  2  may rotate the rear end of the knob  2  downward (i.e., rotates the rear end of knob  2  along the dotted line arrow Y direction in  FIG.  11   ) while rotating around the knob shaft  51  clockwise, and the rear end of the knob  2  may move the wire  7  forward by pulling the wire  7 , which will be described later. 
     As illustrated in  FIGS.  8 ,  9 ,  10 , and  11   , the hinge system A- 3  may include the hinge bracket  1 , the counterbalance shaft  16 , two lock assemblies and two brake assemblies. Both the two lock assemblies and the two brake assemblies are symmetrically mounted on both left and right sides of the hinge bracket  1 . That is, one locking assembly and one brake assembly are mounted on the left side of the hinge bracket  1 , and the other locking assembly and the other brake assembly are mounted on the right side of the hinge bracket  1 . In the course of use, both the locking assemblies and the brake assemblies rotate about the counterbalance shaft  16 , thereby realizing the rotation of the armrest. 
     Although it has been described that two locking assemblies and two brake assemblies are used in this exemplary embodiment, only one locking assembly and one brake assembly may be installed. In this case, one locking assembly and one brake assembly may be selectively installed in a middle portion of the hinge bracket  1 . 
     The hinge bracket  1  may include a hinge bracket body  110  and two mounting plates  101  located on both sides of a rear end of the hinge bracket body  110 . The mounting plate  101  is provided with a plurality of mounting holes for mounting the locking assemblies and the brake assemblies. 
     The hinge bracket  1  may be mounted on the armrest upper cover A- 1 . 
     Each locking assembly may include the wire  7 , a locking connection member  8 , a locking member  9 , and a housing  12 . The housing  12  covers the locking connection member  8  and locking member  9 , thereby protecting the locking connection member  8  and the locking member  9  to prevent foreign matter from affecting the operation of the locking assembly. 
     The wire  7  may be mounted on a middle portion of the hinge bracket body  110  of the hinge bracket  1 , one end of the wire  7  may be connected to the knob rear shaft  6 , and the other end of the wire  7  may be connected to a first end of the locking connection member  8 . 
     The locking connection member  8  may be an L-shaped member and may have mounting holes located at the first end, a second end, and a middle portion. The first end of the locking connection member  8  is connected to the other end of the wire  7 , the second end of the locking connection member  8  is connected to a connection part  92  of the locking member  9 , the mounting hole of the locking connection member  8  is pivotably mounted on the mounting plate  101  of the hinge bracket  1  via a shaft  83 , and the locking connection member  8  may rotate about the mount hole of the locking connection member  8 . A torsion spring  81  is mounted on the shaft  83  connected to the mounting hole of the locking connection member  8  to provide a restoring force (opposite to a direction of a dotted line arrow P in  FIG.  11   ) to the locking connection member  8 . The torsion spring  81  is connected to the housing  12 . 
     The locking member  9  may include a connection part  92 , a protrusion  93 , and a pivot part  95 , and the connection part  92  of the locking member  9  may be connected to the second end of the locking connection member  8 , the protrusion  93  of the locking member  9  may be selectively coupled with a concave groove  1001  on the lower bracket  10  mounted to the counterbalance shaft  16 . A pivot part  95  of the locking member  9  is pivotably mounted on the mounting plate  101  of the hinge bracket  1  via a shaft  96 , and the locking member  9  may rotate about the pivot part  95  of the locking member  9 . A torsion spring  91  is mounted on the shaft  96  connected to the pivot part  95  of the locking member  9 , and provides a restoring force (opposite to a direction of a dotted line arrow Q in  FIG.  11   ) for returning to the locking member  9 . The torsion spring  91  is connected to the housing  12 . 
     As illustrated in  FIGS.  11  and  13   , when the wire  7  moves forward, the wire  7  may be allowed to rotate around the shaft  83  through which the locking connection member  8  passes through the mounting hole of the locking connection member  8  (the direction of rotation is the direction indicated by the dotted line arrow P in  FIGS.  11  and  13   ). In this case, the second end of the locking connection member  8  allows the locking member  9  to rotate clockwise around the pivot part  95  of the locking member  9  (the direction of rotation is the direction indicated by the dotted line arrow Q in  FIGS.  11  and  13   ), such that the protrusion  93  of the locking member  9  deviates from the concave groove  1001  of the lower bracket  10 . Accordingly, the locking member  9  is unlocked. 
     Two lower brackets  10  may be installed on the counterbalance shaft  16 , and each of the lower brackets  10  may be coupled with the protrusion  93  of one locking member  9 . The lower bracket  10  includes a disc part  1005  and a lower bracket body  1006  formed integrally with each other. Both ends of the counterbalance shaft  16  are mounted on the lower bracket body  1006 . 
     Although it has been described in this exemplary embodiment that the two lower brackets  10  are used, only one lower bracket  10  may be installed. In addition, one lower bracket  10  may optionally be installed in a middle portion of the counterbalance shaft  16 , which corresponds to the case of one locking assembly and one brake assembly. 
     As illustrated in  FIG.  14   , the concave groove  1001  corresponding to the protrusion  93  of the locking member  9  may be installed at a front end of an arc of the disk part  1005 , and a mounting hole for mounting the brake assembly may be provided at a center of the disc part  1005 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG.  14   , the mounting hole may be installed in the lower bracket body  1006 , so the counterbalance shaft  16  passes through the mounting hole. A first latching groove  1002  and a second latching groove  1003  are installed at the front and rear ends of the lower bracket body  1006 , respectively. Both ends of the arc of the disk part  1005  extend to the first latching groove  1002  and the second latching groove  1003 , respectively, and the first latching groove  1002  and the second latching groove  1003  are to limit a rotation angle of the protrusion  93 . 
     A bottom plate  1007  may be further installed on both sides of the lower bracket body  1006 . A third latching groove  1004  is installed in the bottom plate  1007 , and the third latching groove  1004  is for being caught in a shaft bracket  11  of the brake assembly, which will be described later. 
     The rotatable armrest may rotate about the counterbalance shaft  16  but the counterbalance shaft  16  and the lower bracket  10  do not move, and the armrest may be fixed in the first position, the second position, or the third position. In the first position, the rotatable armrest is in the folded down state (see  FIGS.  17  and  18   ), and the protrusion  93  of the locking member  9  is caught in the first latching groove  1002 . In the second position, the rotatable armrest is in the horizontally forward-facing state (see  FIGS.  15  and  16   ), and the protrusion  93  of the locking member  9  is caught in the concave groove  1001  of the arc portion. In the third position, the rotatable armrest is in the horizontally backward-facing state (see  FIGS.  19  and  20   ), and the pivot part  95  of the locking member  9  is caught in the second latching groove  1003 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG.  12   , each brake assembly may include a shaft bracket  11 , a friction plate  13 , a hinge washer  14 , and a hinge shaft  15 . The shaft bracket  11  is mounted on an outside of the lower bracket  10  through the hinge shaft  15 , the friction plate  13  is mounted between the shaft bracket  11  and the mounting plate  101  of the hinge bracket  1  through the hinge shaft  15 , and the hinge washer  14  is mounted between the friction plate  13  and the shaft bracket  11 , and between the mounting plate  101  and the lower bracket  10 , respectively. 
     A mounting hole through which the counterbalance shaft  16  penetrates and a mounting hole through which the hinge shaft  15  penetrates may be installed in the shaft bracket  11 , and the counterbalance shaft  16  may penetrate through the shaft bracket  11  and the lower bracket  10 . The lower end of the shaft bracket  11  is inserted and coupled into the third latching groove  1004  of the lower bracket  10 , so the position of the shaft bracket  11  may be determined and fixed at the same time. The shaft bracket  11  serves to support the friction plate  13 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG.  12   , the hinge shaft  15  may sequentially penetrate through the shaft bracket  11 , the hinge washer  14 , the friction plate  13 , the mounting plate  101  of the hinge bracket  1 , the hinge washer  14 , and the lower bracket  10  from outside to inside, and then, is locked by a nut (not illustrated). 
     When the hinge bracket  1  rotates according to the rotation of the armrest, the friction plate  13  may provide a friction force, i.e., a braking force, thereby ensuring the armrest to be fixed in any position between the folded position and the use position of the rear seat. 
       FIG.  4    is a schematic diagram of the use state of the rotatable armrest according to the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, wherein the rotatable armrest is allowed to be used by a front seat person.  FIG.  5    is a schematic diagram of the use state of the rotatable armrest according to the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, wherein the rotatable armrest is allowed to be used by a rear seat person. 
       FIG.  6    is an exploded perspective view of a console assembly provided with the rotatable armrest according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     The console assembly may include the rotatable armrest A, a console B, and hinge mounting bolts C- 1  and C- 2 . 
     The console B may include a concave groove  120  facing inward, and the rotatable armrest A may be disposed in the concave groove  120  when the rotatable armrest A is folded and stored, and thus, as illustrated in  FIG.  21   , the console assembly has a relatively large storage space. 
     The hinge mounting bolts may include a left hinge mounting bolt C- 1  and a right hinge mounting bolt C- 2 , which penetrate through a hole on a side wall of the console B and are connected to the counterbalance shaft  16  behind the rotatable armrest A so that the counterbalance shaft  16  can be mounted on the side wall of the console B. 
     Referring to  FIG.  12   , when the rotatable armrest A is mounted on the console B (see  FIG.  6   ), an end portion of the counterbalance shaft  16  may be inserted into the hole on the side wall of the console B, and mounted on the console B through the left/right hinge mounting bolts C- 1  and C- 2 . When the rotatable armrest A rotates, the counterbalance shaft  16  does not move. 
     The rotatable armrest A according to the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure may be folded, and as illustrated in  FIG.  3   , when the rotatable armrest A is folded into the console assembly, more storage space may be secured. 
     Specifically, referring to  FIG.  21   , the storage space of the console assembly provided with the rotatable armrest A according to the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure may have a height N of 473 mm, a width M of 270 mm, and a cross-sectional area of 270 mm×473 mm=127,710 mm 2 .  FIG.  22    illustrates a schematic diagram of a usable space of the console assembly according to the related art. The storage box of the related art has a height B of 196 mm, a width A of 128 mm, and a cross-sectional area of 128 mm×196 mm=25,088 mm 2 . Accordingly, the cross-sectional area of the storage space of the console assembly according to the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is much larger than the that of the storage box of the related art. 
     The rotatable armrest of the console according to the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure may rotate by 180° from a position that may be used by the front seat passenger, and thus, used by the rear seat passenger. 
     Consequently, the rotatable console device may make the use of the rear seat passengers easier and provide more storage space for the front seat passengers. 
     Hereinafter, an operation of the rotatable armrest according to the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
     When an operator rotates the front end of the knob  2  upward (i.e., rotates along the direction indicated by the dotted line arrow X of  FIG.  11   ) and pulls the wire  7  to move forward, the wire  7  may pull and rotate the locking connection member  8  (i.e., rotates along the direction indicated by the dotted line arrow P in  FIG.  11   ), and may pull and rotate the locking member  9  (i.e., rotates along the direction indicated by the dotted line arrow Q of  FIG.  11   ), so the protrusion of the locking member  9  deviates from the concave groove  1001  of the arc portion on the lower bracket  10 . Then, the armrest A may rotate counterclockwise or clockwise. 
     The rotatable armrest A may be in three positions. In the first position, the rotatable armrest A is stored in the concave groove  120  of the console B at an angle of −74° with respect to the horizontal line and is in the folded state. In the second position, the rotatable armrest A is at an angle of 0° with respect to the horizontal line and is in the position for the front seat person. In the third position, the rotatable armrest A is at an angle of 180° with respect to the horizontal line and is in the position for the rear seat person. 
     The operation of the rotatable armrest A may include three processes. 
     (1) From the second position to the first position (0°→−74°): 
     By bending the knob  2 , the armrest may be folded down (0°→−74°). The knob system A- 2  may move the wire  7  to release the coupling between the locking member  9  and the concave groove  1001  of the lower bracket  10 , thereby unlocking the locking member  9 . Thereafter, the armrest A may rotate about the counterbalance shaft  16 . Referring to  FIG.  18   , the first latching groove  1002  of the lower bracket  10  may limit the folding angle of the armrest A. 
     (2) From the first position to the third position through the second position (−74°→0°→180°): 
     That is, the armrest A rotates from the folded position to the position for the rear seat passenger. In this process, the protrusion  93  of the locking member  9  comes into contact with the arc of the lower bracket  10 . When it is not necessary to rotate the armrest A beyond the second position, the armrest A may be rotated without the need to operate the knob  2 . 
     In the case where the armrest A is to rotate beyond the second position(0°), when the armrest A passes through the second position, the user may put the knob  2  in the bent up state, so the protrusion  93  of the locking member  9  is not locked into the concave groove  1001  of the lower bracket  10  again when the armrest A passes the second position (0°). In addition, the user may overcome the frictional force generated by the friction plate  13  and the mounting plate  101  and rotate the armrest A. Referring to  FIG.  20   , the armrest A may stop at any position, and the second latching groove  1003  of the lower bracket  10  limits an angle (180°)at which the armrest A rotates backward. 
     (3) From the third position to the second position (180°→0°): 
     That is, the armrest A may rotate from the position for the rear seat passenger to the position for the front seat passenger. The user may rotate the armrest A by overcoming the frictional force, and may stop the armrest A at any position. 
     When the armrest A moves to the second position (0°), if the knob  2  is not continuously bent, the torsion spring  52  may rotate the knob shaft  51  counterclockwise to return the knob  2 . Further, the knob  2  no longer pulls the wire  7  to move forward, and by the action of the torsion spring  81  and the torsion spring  91 , the locking connection member  8  and the locking member  9  return and the protrusion  93  of the locking member  9  is inserted into the concave groove  1001  of the lower bracket  10 . Accordingly, when the knob  2  is not continuously bent, the armrest A rotates downward toward the second position, but does not pass the second position. 
     The rotatable armrest and the console assembly according to the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure has been described by combining the drawings and specific exemplary embodiments above. However, in the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, only the case where the rotatable armrest is applied to a vehicle is shown, but the present disclosure may be applied to other cases such as trains, ships, and airplanes. In addition, the present disclosure is not limited to being installed on the armrest of mobile transportation means, and may be installed in other positions. 
     To facilitate and clearly define the interpretation of the appended claims, “upper portion,” “lower portion,” “inside,” “outside,” “on,” “beneath,” “above,” “below,” “upward,” “downward,” “before,” “after,” “back,” “inner side,” “outer side,” “inward,” “outward,” “inside,” “outside,” “of inside,” “of outside,” “forward,” “rearward” are used to describe features of exemplary embodiments with reference to the locations of these features shown in the drawings. 
     The description of the above exemplary embodiments is merely for describing the technical solution of the present disclosure, and is not intended to be exhaustive, nor is it intended to limit the present disclosure to the precise form described. It is apparent that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and changes according to the above teachings. Selectively describing exemplary embodiments may facilitate the understanding of others skilled in the art by interpreting specific principles of the present disclosure and practical applications thereof to implement and use various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure and various selective forms and modifications of the present disclosure. The scope of protection of the present disclosure is defined by the appended claims and equivalent forms.