Armrest assembly for vehicle and door assembly having slidable armrest for vehicle

Abstract

A door assembly includes a door panel including a metallic plate material, a lower trim attached to the door panel, and an armrest installed on top of the lower trim and configured to be slidable in a longitudinal direction of a vehicle. The door assembly further includes a base fixedly installed on the top of the lower trim, a slider positioned on top of the base, wherein the armrest is coupled to a top of the slider, and a guide fixedly installed on the base and configured to penetrate the slider.

Claims

1. A door assembly comprising: a door panel comprising a metallic plate material; a lower trim attached to the door panel; an armrest installed on top of the lower trim and configured to be slidable in a longitudinal direction of a vehicle, a base fixedly installed on the top of the lower trim; a slider positioned on top of the base, wherein the armrest is coupled to a top of the slider; and a guide fixedly installed on the base and configured to penetrate the slider.

2. The door assembly of claim 1, wherein a guide groove is formed in the slider in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and the guide is configured to penetrate the guide groove to couple the base and the slider.

3. The door assembly of claim 1, further comprising: a case configured to store an item inside the lower trim; and an outlet on an upper end of the case, wherein the outlet is configured to allow passage of the item and is configured to be opened and closed based on a position of the armrest.

4. The door assembly of claim 3, wherein a sliding displacement of the armrest is larger than a diameter of the outlet.

5. A door assembly comprising: a door panel comprising a metallic plate material; a lower trim attached to the door panel; a base fixedly installed on top of the lower trim; a slider positioned on top of the base, wherein the slider includes an inner rail having at least one outward curved portion curved outward from the slider and at least one inward curved portion curved inward from the slider, wherein the outward curved portion and the inward curved portion alternate consecutively in a longitudinal direction of a vehicle; a guide groove formed in the slider in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle; a guide fixedly installed on the base, wherein the guide is configured to penetrate the slider and to penetrate the guide groove to couple the base and the slider, and wherein the guide includes a convex portion in which both side ends of the guide are in contact with the outward curved portion of the slider; and an armrest installed on top of the lower trim and coupled to a top of the slider, wherein the armrest is configured to be slidable in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

6. The door assembly of claim 5, wherein a radius of the convex portion is smaller than a radius of the outward curved portion.

7. The door assembly of claim 5, wherein a width of a portion of the guide formed with the convex portion is larger than a width of a portion of the slider formed with the outward curved portion to overlap with each other by a predetermined range.

8. The door assembly of claim 5, wherein a width of a portion of the guide formed with the inner rail is larger than a width of the guide groove.

9. The door assembly of claim 5, wherein the convex portion is formed on a portion of the guide that is adjacent to a front end of the guide.

10. The door assembly of claim 5, wherein a contact portion at which each of both side ends of the guide is in contact with the inward curved portion of the inner rail is formed on a rear of the convex portion.

11. A vehicle comprising: a vehicle body; a door panel coupled to the vehicle body; a lower trim attached to an inside of the door panel; an armrest slidably installed on the lower trim; and a case installed between the door panel and the lower trim, wherein when the armrest is in a forward position, an outlet on an upper end of the case is open, and when the armrest is in a rearward position, the outlet is closed.

12. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the case is disposed in a direction perpendicular to a direction in which the armrest is configured to slide.

13. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the case is configured to store an item therein.

14. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein a sliding displacement of the armrest is larger than a diameter of the outlet.

15. The vehicle of claim 11, further comprising: a base fixedly installed on top of the lower trim; a slider positioned on top of the base, wherein the armrest is coupled to a top of the slider; and a guide fixedly installed on the base and configured to penetrate the slider.

16. The vehicle of claim 15, wherein a guide groove is formed in the slider in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and the guide is configured to penetrate the guide groove to couple the base and the slider.

17. The vehicle of claim 16, wherein: the slider includes an inner rail having at least one outward curved portion curved outward from the slider and at least one inward curved portion curved inward from the slider, wherein the outward curved portion and the inward curved portion alternate consecutively in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle; and the guide includes a convex portion in which both side ends of the guide are in contact with the outward curved portion of the slider.

18. The vehicle of claim 17, wherein a radius of the convex portion is smaller than a radius of the outward curved portion.

19. The vehicle of claim 17, wherein a width of a portion of the guide formed with the convex portion is larger than a width of a portion of the slider formed with the outward curved portion to overlap with each other by a predetermined range.

20. The door assembly of claim 3, wherein a guide groove is formed in the slider in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and the guide is configured to penetrate the guide groove to couple the base and the slider.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a perspective diagram illustrating a door assembly according to the related art.

(2) FIG. 2 is a perspective diagram illustrating a door assembly having a slidable armrest for a vehicle according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

(3) FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional diagram illustrating the door assembly having the slidable armrest for the vehicle according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

(4) FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional diagram illustrating a state where an armrest is open in the door assembly having the slidable armrest for the vehicle according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

(5) FIG. 5 is a perspective diagram illustrating a state where a door panel and a trim are removed from the door assembly having the slidable armrest for the vehicle according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

(6) FIG. 6 is a plan diagram illustrating a state before the armrest slides in the door assembly having the slidable armrest for the vehicle according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

(7) FIG. 7 is a plan diagram illustrating a state where the armrest slides forward in the door assembly having the slidable armrest for the vehicle according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

(8) FIG. 8 is an enlarged diagram of a portion A illustrated in FIG. 6.

(9) FIG. 9 is a perspective diagram illustrating a state where a cover is separated from the door assembly having the slidable armrest for the vehicle according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

(10) Hereinafter, an armrest assembly for a vehicle and a door assembly having a slidable armrest for a vehicle according to embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

(11) As illustrated in FIGS. 2-8, a door assembly 1 having a slidable armrest for a vehicle according to embodiments of the present disclosure includes an armrest 30 for supporting a passenger's arm and installed on the top of a lower trim 20 to be slidable in the front and back direction of the vehicle, in the door assembly having a door panel 10 made of a metallic plate material to form a structure and the lower trim 20 finished by being attached to the bottom of the door panel 10.

(12) The door assembly 1 includes the door panel 10 such as an inner panel or an outer panel, and a door trim for finishing the outside of the door panel 10.

(13) Generally, the door panel 10 processes the plate made of a metallic material to form a structure of the door assembly 1. According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the door panel 10 may become the inner panel.

(14) The door trim is attached to the outside of the indoor side of the vehicle in the door panel 10. The door trim includes a portion exposed to the indoor side of the vehicle in the door assembly 1, and becomes the portion covering the door panel 10 and various instruments and wirings mounted on the door panel 10, and is in direct contact with the passenger.

(15) Particularly, according to embodiments of the present disclosure, the door trim preferably becomes the lower trim 20 attached to the bottom of the door assembly 1.

(16) The armrest 30 is installed on the top of the lower trim 20 to be slidable in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. Since the armrest 30 is slidable, the passenger may adjust the armrest 30 to his/her desired position, thereby supporting the passenger's arm or elbow more comfortably.

(17) In order for the armrest 30 to be slidable in the lower trim 20, a base 40, a slider 31, and a guide 41 are provided therein.

(18) The base 40 is installed on the top of the lower trim 20 in a fixed state, the slider 31 is slidably installed on the base 40, and the armrest 30 is coupled to the top of the slider 31. The guide 41 is fixedly installed on the base 40 and penetrates the slider 31, and the armrest 30 is coupled to the slider 31, such that the armrest 30 is slidable in the lower trim 20.

(19) That is, a guide groove 31a is formed in the slider 31 in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and the guide 41 penetrates the guide groove 31a and the guide 41 and the slider 31 are coupled, such that the slider 31 slides with respect to the base 40 and the guide 41 and thus the armrest 30 slides with respect to the lower trim 20.

(20) The guide groove 31a is formed with a predetermined width w3 in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and the guide 41 penetrates the guide groove 31a to be fixedly installed on the lower trim 20, such that the slider 31 and the armrest 30 are slidable in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

(21) Meanwhile, to give a feeling of operation when the passenger slides the armrest 30, a convex portion 41a may be formed on the guide 41, and an inner rail 31b may be formed in the slider 31.

(22) A groove is formed in the slider 31 to be stepped with the guide groove 31a, and the inner rail 31b is formed in the inner side surface of the groove. The inner rail 31b has an outward curved portion 31ba, which is curved outward from the slider 31, and an inward curved portion 31bb, which is curved inward from the slider 31, alternately formed consecutively in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle so as to give a feeling of operation when the slider slides. The inner rail 31b has the outward curved portion 31ba and the inward curved portion 31bb formed alternately, and the convex portion 41a relatively moves in contact with the inner rail 31b.

(23) At this time, to give the appropriate operability without left and right clearance when the slider 31 slides, a width w1 of a portion of the guide 41, which is formed with the convex portion 41a, is formed to be larger than a width w2 of a portion of the slider 31, which is formed with the outward curved portion 31ba (w1>w2) to be formed to overlap with each other by a predetermined range (a portion B illustrated in FIG. 8).

(24) Further, a radius Ra of the convex portion 41a is formed to be smaller than a radius Rb of the outward curved portion 31ba.

(25) The radius Ra of the convex portion 41a is formed to be smaller than the radius Rb of the outward curved portion 31ba, such that when the slider 31 slides, the convex portion 41a is positioned inside the outward curved portion 31ba. The convex portion 41a may be alternately in contact with the outward curved portion 31ba and the inward curved portion 31bb when the slider 31 slides, and may stop at only the portion formed with the outward curved portion 31ba, such that the passenger may feel a feeling of operation upon operation.

(26) An example of the radius Ra of the convex portion 41a, the radius Rb of the outward curved portion 31ba, and an amount of overlap of the convex portion 41a and the outward curved portion 31ba is expressed in Table 1 below.

(27) TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Embodiment of the radius of the convex portion, the radius of the outward curved portion, and an amount of overlap of the convex portion and the outward curved portion. Ra Rb Overlap (unit: mm) (unit: mm) (unit: mm) Operability Comparative 7.0 10.0 0.3 Occurrence of example 1 left and right clearance Comparative 7.5 10.5 0.4 Good example 2 Comparative 8.0 11.0 0.5 Good example 3 Comparative 8.5 11.5 0.6 Heavy example 4 operability

(28) Therefore, it may be seen that it is preferable that the radius Ra of the convex portion 41a is 7.5 mm to 8 mm, and the radius Rb of the outward curved portion 31ba is 10.5 mm to 11 mm.

(29) Further, an amount of overlap of the guide 41 and the outward curved portion 31ba is preferably 0.4 mm to 0.5 mm.

(30) The convex portion 41a may be formed on a portion of the guide 41, which is adjacent to the front end of the guide 41.

(31) Since the convex portion 41a is positioned on the front of the guide 41, a clearance may be generated on the rear of the guide 41, thus, a contact portion 41b is formed on the guide 41. The contact portion 41b is formed such that each of both side ends of the guide 41 are in contact with the inward curved portion 31bb of the inner rail 31b on the rear of the convex portion 4a.

(32) A width w2 of a portion formed with the inner rail 31b is formed to be larger than a width w3 of the guide groove 3a, thereby preventing the slider 31 from being separated from the guide 41.

(33) Meanwhile, items such as an umbrella U may be stored in the idle space between the door panel 10 and the door trim. The present exemplary embodiment will be described using an umbrella U as an example of the item.

(34) A case 21 is formed as a space capable of storing the umbrella U therein. The case 21 is installed between the door panel 10 and the door trim. Particularly, since an interval between the lower trim 20 and the door panel 10 is large, the case 21 is preferably installed between the lower trim 20 and the door panel 10.

(35) Here, the case 21 is installed in the height direction of the door assembly 1 such that moisture easily flows downward between the door panel 10 and the lower trim 20.

(36) The upper end of the case 21 is open to become an outlet 21a through which the umbrella U is drawn out. A displacement d at which the armrest 30 slides is formed to be larger than the diameter of the outlet 21a. As illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7, the armrest 30 has the displacement d from L.sub.0 to L.sub.1 and when the armrest 30 maximally slides backward from the vehicle (L.sub.0 illustrated in FIG. 6), the outlet 21a is fully closed, and when the armrest 30 maximally slides forward from the vehicle (L.sub.1 illustrated in FIG. 7), the outlet 21a is fully opened. FIG. 3, cross-sectional diagram taken along the line I-I illustrated in FIG. 9, illustrates a state where the umbrella U is stored inside the case 21, and FIG. 4 illustrates a state where the armrest 30 moves forward and the umbrella U is stored inside the case 21.

(37) One side of the case 21 is formed with a cover fastening portion 21b in the form with a part of the case 21 cut. Through the cover fastening portion 21b, the inside of the case 21 has an opened structure, such that through the cover fastening portion 21b as necessary, the inside of the case 21 may be cleaned, or foreign matters may be removed. Here, the cover fastening portion 21b is preferably formed on the bottom of the case 21.

(38) A drain 22 for drainage is formed on the lower end of the case 21.

(39) A cover 23 is fixed to the case 21.