Armrest

Abstract

An armrest has a base, a support arm pivotal on the base between a first end position and a second end position, and a latch including a first latch formation on the support arm and a second latch formation on the base for securing the support arm relative to the base in at least one of the end positions. A spring biases the support arm into the first end position and carries one of the first and second latch formations.

Claims

1. An armrest comprising a base; a support arm pivotal on the base between a first end position and a second end position; a latch including a first latch formation carried by the support arm and a second latch formation on the base for releasably securing the support arm relative to the base in the second end position; and a spring on the support arm, biasing the support arm from one of the end positions toward the other end position, and forming the first latch formation.

2. The armrest defined in claim 1, wherein the spring is a one-piece leaf spring formed unitarily with the first latch formation.

3. The armrest defined in claim 2, wherein the leaf spring has first and second legs.

4. The armrest defined in claim 3, wherein the leaf spring has a bight portion from ends of which the first and second legs extend, the bight portion being fixed directly to the support arm.

5. The armrest defined in claim 4, wherein one of the first and second legs of the spring has a support portion engageable with the base in at least a portion of a pivot range between the first and second end positions.

6. The armrest defined in claim 1, wherein in the other end position the first latch formation fits with the second latch formation.

7. The armrest defined in claim 6 wherein the first latch formation is a shoulder formed on the spring and inhibiting movement of the support arm toward the other of the end positions, but deflectable out of engagement with the second latch formation when a force in a direction urging the support arm into the one end position is applied to the support arm.

8. The armrest defined in claim 1, further comprising: another latch operable to secure the arm rest in the first position, the second position being an upper position.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

(1) The above and other objects, features, and advantages will become more readily apparent from the following description, reference being made to the accompanying drawing in which:

(2) FIG. 1 is a partly sectional perspective view of an armrest with the support arm in the lower end position;

(3) FIG. 2 is a view like FIG. 1 but with the arm support in an intermediate position;

(4) FIG. 3 is another view like FIG. 1 but with the arm support in the upper end position;

(5) FIG. 4 is a longitudinal section through the armrest in the upper position of FIG. 3,

(6) FIG. 5 is a large-scale detail of a spring of the armrest;

(7) FIG. 6 is a longitudinal section through the armrest in the intermediate position of FIG. 2; and

(8) FIG. 7 is a longitudinal section through the armrest in the lower end position of FIG. 1.

SPECIFIC DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(9) In the drawing, an armrest is shown generally at 10. The same reference symbols in the various figures designate analogous parts, even if lowercase letters are added or omitted.

(10) In this embodiment, the armrest 10 is part of a center console 11. It could also be part of an automobile seat as a separate armrest. The armrest 10 has an arm support 12 that is held on a base 13 such that it can pivot about an axis a. The arm support 12 has a support arm 14 and a cushion 15. In FIG. 1, the arm support 12 is in a lower end position that is also referred to as the 0 position. In the lower end position, an upper support surface 16 is be substantially horizontal or only slightly inclined to the horizontal. The arm support 12 can be pivoted from the lower end position in an opening direction u.sub.1 into an upper end position shown in FIG. 3. In the upper end position, the arm support 12 is pivoted about 90 in the direction u.sub.1 relative to the lower end position.

(11) The armrest 10 has a first latch 17 with which the support arm 14 can be releasably locked in the lower end position. In the locked position of the first latch 17, the support arm 14 is locked in the lower end position. Pressing an actuator button 18 moves the first latch 17 into a released position. In the released position, the support arm 14 is no longer locked, and the arm support 12 can pivot up out of the locked lower end position in direction u.sub.1.

(12) The arm support 12 is biased by a spring 19 in the opening direction u.sub.1 such that, after the first latch 17 is moved into the released position, it is moved by the spring 19 into an intermediate position shown in FIG. 2 in which it is pivoted about 25 in the direction u.sub.1 relative to the lower end position. The arm support 12 is thus in the intermediate position between the lower end position and the upper end position. If the arm support 12 is to be moved out of the intermediate position into the upper end position, the user must pivot the arm support 12 manually in the direction u.sub.1 until the upper end position has been reached. In the upper end position, the arm support 12 is approximately vertical, for example.

(13) A second latch 20 automatically but releasably secures the arm support in the upper end position. As soon as a force F acts in direction u.sub.2 on the arm support 12 that is great enough that the maximum holding force of the latch 20 is overcome, the arm support 12 pivots in a closing direction u.sub.2 opposite the opening direction u.sub.1. In the lower end position, the arm support 12 is again locked automatically by the first latch 17.

(14) It can be seen in FIGS. 1 to 3 that the first latch 17 has a first latch formation 21 held on the support arm 14 and a second latch formation 22 held on the base 13, the formations 21 and 22 being formed as oppositely vertically directed and interengaging hooks. In the locked position, the latch formation 21 and 22 are hooked together to prevent the arm support 12 from moving, and in the released position, the latch formation 21 and 22 are disengaged. The latch formation 21 can be moved such that it can be displaced by the button 18 between the locked position and the released position. The latch formation 21 is biased into the locked position.

(15) The armrest 10 has the spring 19 (see FIGS. 4 and 5) that is a one-piece leaf spring in this embodiment. The spring 19 has a bight or bight portion 23 with a projection 35 as well as a free spring leg 25 that forms a support portion and a free spring leg 26 that forms a latch formation.

(16) In FIG. 4, the support arm 14 is shown without the cushion 15 in the upper end position for the sake of clarity. The support arm 14 has attachment means 27 with which the bight portion 23 of the spring 19 is fixed to the support arm 14. The projection 35 coacts with the base 13 in order to prevent displacement of the bight portion 23 parallel to its longitudinal axis. The attachment means 27 is set up such that the bight portion 23 extends approximately radially to the axis a. In contrast, the spring leg 26 extends approximately tangentially to the axis a. While the bight portion 23 is substantially immovable relative to the base, the spring legs 25 and 26 can be moved freely and can be deformed elastically against their return force.

(17) The spring leg 26 has a projection 24 that forms an offset or shoulder constituting a latch formation 36 that in the upper end position is engaged with a latch formation 28 of the base 13 such that the support arm 14 is prevented from moving out of the upper end position in the closing direction u.sub.2 as long as the actuating force does not exceed a maximum holding force. As soon as a force acting on the support arm 14 in the closing direction u.sub.2 exceeds the maximum holding force, forces acting transverse to the direction of movement u.sub.2 elastically deflect the spring leg/latch formation 26 such that the shoulder 36 is disengaged from the latch formation 28. The support arm 14 can then be pivoted freely in the closing direction u.sub.2. The spring leg 26 is then moved by its return force in a direction w.sub.2. The maximum holding force is such that, for example, the inertial forces acting on the arm support 12 in normal driving situations do not move the latch 20 out of the locked position but that the vehicle occupant can move the support arm 14 out of the upper end position in the closing direction u.sub.2 without unreasonable effort.

(18) When the support arm 14 has been pivoted out of the upper end position so far in the closing direction u.sub.2 that it is approximately in a 30 position, a support portion 31 of the spring leg 25 comes into contact with an abutment face 32 of the base 13. As the support arm 14 is pivoted further in direction u.sub.2, the spring leg 25 is moved relative to the bight portion 23 and the spring leg 25 in direction v.sub.1 and is thereby tensioned. In a 25 position, an equilibrium of forces exists between the spring force acting in direction u.sub.1 and the weight acting in direction u.sub.2.

(19) FIG. 7 shows the lower end position in which the spring 19 is maximally tensioned. It can be seen that the spring leg 25 is approximately parallel to the bight portion 23. Moreover, in the lower end position, the first latch formation 21 and the second latch formation 22 are moved in engagement of FIG. 1. Thus the first latch 17 is in the locked position. The latch formations 21 and 22 are not shown in FIG. 8.

(20) If the first latch 17 is moved into the released position, the spring 19 moves the support arm 14 again in the opening direction u.sub.1 into a 25 position. The spring leg 25 pivots in a direction v.sub.2 and relaxes. As mentioned above, the support arm 14 can be moved manually out of the 25 position in the opening direction u.sub.1 into the upper end position. Right before reaching the upper end position, the spring leg 26 comes into contact with a surface 37 of the base 13, and the spring leg 26 is elastically deflected in a direction w.sub.1 as the support arm 14 moves further in the opening direction u.sub.1. Upon reaching the upper end position, the shoulder 26 of the spring leg 25 engages over the latch formation 28 of the base 13. In the upper end position, it is possible to access an oddments compartment 34 through an opening 33. In this embodiment, the oddments compartment 34 is part of the base 13 and embodied as a single piece therewith.