JP7792836B2 - Vehicle storage device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an in-vehicle storage device that is installed inside a vehicle cabin and stores items.

2. Description of the Related Art Various types of in-vehicle storage devices that are installed in a vehicle cabin to store items have been known.
As an in-vehicle storage device, there has also been proposed a device in which a lid is attached to a box-shaped storage member having an opening, and the opening is opened and closed by the lid (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

For example, the vehicle-mounted storage device disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a console box body as a storage member and a console lid as a lid, as well as a hinge mechanism connecting the storage member and the lid. The preferred embodiments of the invention in Patent Document 1 disclose a hinge unit 3 as the hinge mechanism, explaining that the frame 6 of the hinge unit 3 is attached to the console box body 2 by screws, that the frame 6 rotatably supports a shaft 7 that serves as the hinge axis, and that the shaft 7 rotatably supports outer hinge arms 8a and 8b fixed to the lower console lid 4, which is part of the console lid. In other words, the outer hinge arms 8a and 8b rotate relative to the frame 6, and as a result, the console lid to which the outer hinge arms 8a and 8b are fixed rotates relative to the console box body 2 to which the frame 6 is fixed.

Patent Document 2 introduces an in-vehicle storage device that does away with the hinge mechanism described above, instead pivoting the lid to the storage member via a hinge pin, with the lid, hinge pin, and storage member forming a hinge.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-272426 JP 2019-10922 A

The vehicle-mounted storage devices of Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 have a biasing member that biases the lid in the direction of opening. In other words, the lid in this type of vehicle-mounted storage device is a relatively large and heavy component, and therefore requires a relatively large force to open. Therefore, these technologies use a biasing member to bias the lid in the direction of opening, allowing the user to easily open the lid.

The biasing member stores a biasing force when the lid is in a closed position that closes the opening, and biases the lid toward an open position that opens the opening by the biasing force.
As described above, the lid is a relatively large and heavy member, and therefore the biasing member for biasing the lid is required to have a relatively large biasing force.

When manufacturing the above-mentioned vehicle-mounted storage device, it is considered preferable to attach the lid to the storage member while the lid is in the closed position. This is because the lid is generally in an unstable state when in the open position, which opens the opening, so the work can be done in a more stable state.

When the lid is placed in the closed position, the biasing member accumulates a biasing force. As described above, the biasing force required of the biasing member is large, and therefore the process of attaching the lid to the housing member while maintaining the biasing force accumulated in the biasing member is extremely complicated. Furthermore, if the biasing force of the biasing member is accidentally released during the attachment process, there is a risk that the frame of the hinge mechanism or the lid itself will jump up forcefully.
For this reason, when manufacturing a vehicle-mounted storage device equipped with the above-described biasing member, the process of attaching the lid to the storage member is not easy, and a technique that can easily perform this process is desired.

The present invention was made in consideration of these points, and aims to provide an in-vehicle storage device that includes a biasing member and allows for an easy process of attaching the lid to the storage member.

The in-vehicle storage device of the present invention that solves the above problems is:
a box-shaped containing member having an opening;
a lid that opens and closes the opening;
a hinge element including an attachment-side hinge portion attached to the accommodating member, a lid-side hinge portion rotatably supported relative to the attachment-side hinge portion and integrated with the lid, and a biasing member interposed between the attachment-side hinge portion and the lid-side hinge portion and biasing the attachment-side hinge portion and the lid-side hinge portion in directions to open each other;
a bracket that is integrated with the storage member and at least a portion of which is located outside the mounting-side hinge portion relative to the storage member.

The vehicle-mounted storage device of the present invention makes it easy to attach the lid and hinge element to the storage member, even when the vehicle-mounted storage device is equipped with a biasing member.

1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state in which the entire vehicle-mounted storage device of the embodiment is viewed obliquely; FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a disassembled state of the vehicle-mounted storage device according to the embodiment; 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a vehicle-mounted storage device according to an embodiment of the present invention, viewed from the rear side; 3A and 3B are explanatory diagrams schematically illustrating a lid and hinge elements in the vehicle-mounted storage device of the embodiment; 3A and 3B are explanatory diagrams illustrating a hinge element in the vehicle-mounted accommodation device according to the embodiment; 3A and 3B are explanatory diagrams schematically illustrating a lid, hinge elements, and a bracket in the vehicle-mounted storage device of the embodiment. 3A and 3B are explanatory diagrams schematically illustrating a lid, hinge elements, and a bracket in the vehicle-mounted storage device of the embodiment.

In the vehicle-mounted storage device of the present invention, a hinge element is interposed between the lid and the storage member. The hinge element has an attachment-side hinge portion that is attached to the storage member, and a lid-side hinge portion that is rotatably supported relative to the attachment-side hinge portion and is integrated with the lid. In other words, since the hinge element has a lid-side hinge portion that is integrated with the lid, it can also be said that the hinge element itself is integrated with the lid. In other words, in the vehicle-mounted storage device of the present invention, the lid and the hinge element that is integrated with the lid are attached to the storage member.

The hinge element further includes a biasing member interposed between the attachment-side hinge portion and the lid-side hinge portion.
The biasing member biases the attachment-side hinge portion and the lid-side hinge portion in directions that open relative to each other. The biasing force of the biasing member biases the lid, which is integrated with the lid-side hinge portion, in a direction that opens relative to the housing member to which the attachment-side hinge portion is attached, in other words, toward an open position that opens the opening.

As mentioned above, in a typical vehicle-mounted storage device, when attaching a lid to a storage member with a biasing force stored in the biasing member, the attachment work must be performed while directly or indirectly pressing down on the biasing member with the biasing force stored in it to prevent the biasing force from being released. This makes the process of attaching the lid to the storage member extremely complicated, and a large force is required to press down on the biasing member. Furthermore, if the biasing force of the biasing member is accidentally released, there is a risk that the mounting-side hinge portion of the hinge element, the lid-side hinge portion, the lid, etc. may jump up forcefully toward the outside of the storage member.

The vehicle-mounted storage device of the present invention includes a bracket integrated with the storage member. At least a portion of the bracket is located outside the mounting hinge portion relative to the storage member. In other words, during the installation process of attaching the lid and hinge element to the storage member, the mounting hinge is restricted from the outside by the bracket. This prevents the mounting hinge portion from bouncing outward as described above.

For this reason, when attaching the lid of the vehicle-mounted storage device of the present invention to the storage member, the attachment-side hinge portion is inserted between the bracket and the storage member, and the mounting-side hinge portion is attached to the storage member while the bracket holds down the biasing member via the attachment-side hinge portion. Therefore, with the vehicle-mounted storage device of the present invention, the attachment process for attaching the lid to the storage member does not require the complicated operations described above.

In addition, instead of directly pressing down on the biasing member with accumulated biasing force with their hands, or directly pressing down on the mounting-side hinge section, lid-side hinge section, or lid with their hands, workers can use the bracket to press down on the biasing member via the mounting-side hinge section. This bracket can also function as a jig during installation. Therefore, with the vehicle storage device of the present invention, the work can be performed safely and with only a small amount of force required.

Furthermore, the bracket that holds down the biasing member via the mounting hinge is attached to the storage member and is in a stable state. Therefore, with the vehicle-mounted storage device of the present invention, there is little risk of accidentally releasing the biasing force of the biasing member during the installation process.

In this way, the vehicle-mounted storage device of the present invention makes it easy to attach the lid to the storage member.

The vehicle-mounted storage device of the present invention will be described below in detail with respect to each of its components.
Unless otherwise specified, the numerical ranges "x to y" described in this specification include the lower limit x and the upper limit y. These upper and lower limit values, as well as the numerical values listed in the examples, can be arbitrarily combined to form new numerical ranges. Furthermore, any numerical value selected from any of the above numerical ranges can be used as the upper and lower limit values of a new numerical range.

The vehicle-mounted storage device of the present invention is a vehicle-mounted storage device that is mounted inside the vehicle cabin. The vehicle-mounted storage device of the present invention may be mounted alone inside the vehicle cabin, or may be integrated with other vehicle-mounted devices such as a console box or table and mounted inside the vehicle cabin together with the other vehicle-mounted devices. Furthermore, the vehicle-mounted storage device may be integrated with a vehicle interior member such as an instrument panel or floor and mounted inside the vehicle cabin together with the vehicle interior member.

The vehicle-mounted storage device of the present invention comprises a storage member, a lid, a hinge element, and a bracket.

The container member is box-shaped with an opening, and can store items therein. There are no particular limitations on the shape or size of the container member, and there are no particular limitations on the orientation of the opening.
However, if the opening faces upward, the lid becomes unstable in the open position, and therefore it becomes necessary to attach the lid to the storage member with the lid in the closed position and with the biasing force accumulated in the biasing member. In other words, in this case, the problem of the difficulty of easily attaching the lid to the storage member in conventional vehicle-mounted storage devices, as explained in the section on the problem to be solved by the invention, becomes more pronounced, and the effect of the vehicle-mounted storage device of the present invention becomes more prominent. For this reason, it is particularly preferable that the opening faces upward.

The lid may have any shape that allows it to open and close the opening of the storage member, and may cover the entire opening in the closed position, or may close only a portion of the opening. Furthermore, in the closed position, the lid may also cover other elements located around the opening, such as a monitor or switches, in addition to the opening. In other words, the lid may be roughly the same shape as the opening, or it may be smaller or larger than the opening.

The hinge element has an attachment-side hinge portion, a lid-side hinge portion, and a biasing member.
The hinge element may be any element that exhibits a so-called hinge function, in which the lid hinge portion is rotatably supported by the mounting hinge portion, thereby enabling the lid and the mounting hinge portion to be opened and closed relative to each other.

The lid-side hinge portion may be integrated with the lid. For example, it may be molded integrally with the lid, or it may be molded separately from the lid and then assembled to the lid to be integrated. When the lid-side hinge portion is molded separately from the lid, there are no particular restrictions on the method for integrating the lid-side hinge portion and the lid; known methods such as bolting, welding, adhesive bonding, and engagement may be used alone or in combination.

The lid-side hinge portion is rotatably supported by the mounting hinge portion. The portion of the lid-side hinge portion that is rotatably supported by the mounting hinge portion is referred to as the first pivot portion. The lid-side hinge portion must have at least the first pivot portion. For example, the lid-side hinge portion may be a hole or rod provided in an arm that is formed integrally with the lid.

However, in order to stably integrate the lid and the lid-side hinge portion, it is preferable to provide a relatively large contact area between the lid and the lid-side hinge portion. In other words, it is preferable that the portion of the lid-side hinge portion that is integrated with the lid has a certain size.
For this reason, it is preferable that the lid-side hinge portion has, in addition to the first pivot portion, a portion that is integral with the first pivot portion and also integrated with the lid. This portion will be referred to as a first general portion.

The shape of the first pivoting part is not particularly limited, and known shapes such as rod-like, hole-like, or cylindrical may be used. The first general part and the first pivoting part may be molded integrally, or may be molded separately and then integrated. The first general part and the first pivoting part may be integrated using known methods such as bolting, welding, adhesive bonding, and engagement, either alone or in combination. However, to stably integrate the lid, first general part, and first pivoting part, it is preferable to mold the lid-side hinge part integrally with the lid.

The attachment-side hinge portion pivotally supports the lid-side hinge portion and is attached to the housing member. Therefore, the attachment-side hinge portion has a portion that pivots around the first pivot portion. This portion is referred to as the second pivot portion. The second pivot portion only needs to be located at a position corresponding to the first pivot portion and have a shape corresponding to the first pivot portion.

For example, if the first rotating part is rod-shaped, the second rotating part may have a through-hole through which the rod passes. Also, if the first rotating part has a through-hole, the second rotating part may have a rod-shaped configuration. Furthermore, if the first rotating part has a through-hole, the second rotating part may have a through-hole and a rod that passes through the through-hole and also through the first rotating part. Conversely, the first rotating part may have a through-hole and a rod, and the second rotating part may have a through-hole.

The attachment-side hinge portion has a portion that is attached to the housing member in addition to the second pivot portion. This portion is referred to as an attachment base.
The mounting-side hinge portion may be mounted to the housing member by any method, and examples of the mounting method include fastening with fastening members such as bolts, screws, clips, etc., engaging with an engaging portion integrally provided on the mounting-side hinge portion, etc. These methods may be used alone or in combination.

When the mounting hinge section is fastened to the housing member by a fastening member, the mounting base of the mounting hinge section is provided with a through-hole-shaped mounting section into which the fastening member is inserted.

The mounting portion may have a threaded groove for threading onto the fastening member, or it may simply be a hole without a threaded groove. If the mounting portion is a hole without a threaded groove, the fastening member may simply be threaded onto a separately provided nut. In these cases, the fastening member, nut, etc. can be considered part of the mounting hinge portion.

The attachment-side hinge portion may have only one attachment portion, but it is preferable to have multiple attachment portions in order to stably attach the attachment-side hinge portion to the storage member, and ultimately to stably attach the lid to the storage member.

In this case, it is preferable to provide at least one of the mounting portions at a position on the mounting-side hinge portion that is close to the support portion (described below). The relationship between the support portion and the mounting portion will be explained later.

It is also preferable that at least one of the mounting portions be located in a position on the mounting-side hinge portion that is close to the second pivot portion. It is also preferable that the mounting portion be located in a position on the mounting-side hinge portion that is close to the lid-side end portion.

Here, the lid-side end of the mounting-side hinge section refers to the end of the mounting-side hinge section that is closer to the lid and that is different from the support section (described below), i.e., the section that is restricted from the outside of the housing member by the bracket during mounting.

If the second pivoting portion is provided at the lid-side end of the mounting-side hinge portion, simply providing at least one of the mounting portions at a position on the mounting-side hinge portion close to the second pivoting portion will enable the mounting-side hinge portion to be stably attached to the housing member.

However, in some cases, the second pivoting part is located closer to the support part than the lid end, in order to make the lid's pivoting path more compact. In this case, if the distance between the second pivoting part and the lid end is large, there is a risk that the part of the attachment hinge located further toward the lid end than the second pivoting part will rattle relative to the housing member.

Therefore, in this case, it is preferable to provide at least one of the above-mentioned attachment portions at a position closer to the lid-side end than the second pivot portion, in other words, in the area between the lid-side end and the pivot portion. This allows the attachment-side hinge portion to be attached more stably to the storage member, and ultimately allows the lid to be attached more stably to the storage member.

In the vehicle-mounted storage device of the present invention, at least a portion of the bracket is located outside the mounting hinge portion relative to the storage member. In other words, during installation, at least a portion of the mounting hinge portion is sandwiched between the bracket and the storage member, or by the bracket itself, and is restricted from moving outward from the storage member.

At least a portion of the attachment-side hinge portion described above, i.e., the portion located outside the attachment-side hinge portion relative to the housing member, is the support portion described above. Functionally, the support portion may be located anywhere as long as it is positioned differently from the second pivot portion. However, considering the ease of attaching the lid to the housing member, it is more practical for it to form part of the attachment base.

Although the position of the support portion is not particularly limited, it is preferable that the distance between the support portion and the second pivot portion is large, in order to reliably prevent the attachment-side hinge portion from bouncing up due to the release of the biasing force of the biasing member when the lid is attached to the housing member.
Specifically, the support portion is preferably an end portion of the mounting side hinge portion, such as the bottom end portion or side end portion, and more preferably an end portion located farther from the lid.

For example, if the opening of the storage member faces upward, it is preferable that the support portion be located below the second pivot portion of the mounting-side hinge portion, and it is particularly preferable that the support portion be located at the lower end of the mounting-side hinge portion.

The positional relationship between the mounting portion and the support portion is not particularly limited, but to simplify the process of attaching the lid to the housing member, i.e., the installation process, it is preferable that the mounting portion be located near the support portion. In other words, it is preferable that the mounting portion be provided on the portion of the mounting-side hinge portion that is closest to the support portion.

Here, the portion of the attachment-side hinge part on the support part side refers to the portion of the attachment-side hinge part closer to the support part than the center position of the line segment connecting the second pivot part and the support part. If the line segment connecting the second pivot part and the support part is divided into thirds, it is more preferable for the attachment part to be located in the area up to one-third of the way from the support part side, and if the line segment connecting the second pivot part and the support part is divided into four, it is especially preferable for the attachment part to be located in the area up to one-quarter of the way from the support part side.

The shape of the support part needs to be such that it can interfere with the bracket if its position changes outward during installation, and can be set appropriately depending on the shape of the bracket, the relative position of the bracket and the housing member, the biasing force of the biasing member, etc.

The biasing member is interposed between the attachment-side hinge portion and the lid-side hinge portion and biases the attachment-side hinge portion and the lid-side hinge portion in the direction of opening them relative to each other. A commonly used biasing member, such as a torsion coil spring, can be selected. The biasing force of the biasing member can be set appropriately depending on the mass of the lid.

The bracket is a component that is integrated into the housing member, and at least a portion of it is located outside the mounting hinge portion relative to the housing member.

As mentioned above, during installation, the bracket may sandwich the support portion of the mounting hinge unit between itself and the housing member, or it may sandwich the support portion by itself. If the bracket itself sandwiches the support portion, the bracket can be provided with a pair of support walls for sandwiching the support portion, and the support portion can be inserted between the support walls.

The bracket only needs to be able to interfere with the support part during installation, and can be separated from the mounting hinge part, including the support part, after installation is complete.

Such brackets require relatively high rigidity and strength. The bracket may be formed integrally with the housing member, or may be formed separately from the housing member and then integrated into the housing member. The bracket may also be made of the same material as the housing member, or may be made of a material with higher rigidity than the housing member.

As described above, the bracket is required to have relatively high rigidity and strength, and therefore, the bracket can function as a reinforcing member.
For example, if the housing member has an elongated shape, it may be necessary to reinforce the housing member in the short direction. In such a case, the bracket can also be used as a reinforcing member for the housing member.

Specifically, when the storage member has an elongated shape and the mounting hinge portion is provided at one end in the longitudinal direction, the bracket preferably spans both side walls of the storage member in the lateral direction. This allows the storage member to be reinforced without the need for additional reinforcing material, which has the advantage of contributing to weight and cost reductions for the vehicle-mounted storage device of the present invention. Note that, in this specification, "the storage member has an elongated shape" means that the maximum length of the storage member in the longitudinal direction is at least twice the maximum length in the lateral direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction.

The following describes the vehicle storage device of the present invention using specific examples.

(Example)
The vehicle-mounted storage device of the embodiment is mounted in the vehicle interior and forms part of a center console box.
FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram that schematically illustrates the overall appearance of the vehicle-mounted storage device of the embodiment as viewed from an angle. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram that schematically illustrates the disassembled appearance of the vehicle-mounted storage device of the embodiment. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram that schematically illustrates the appearance of the vehicle-mounted storage device of the embodiment as viewed from the rear. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram that schematically illustrates the lid and hinge elements of the vehicle-mounted storage device of the embodiment. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram that schematically illustrates the hinge elements of the vehicle-mounted storage device of the embodiment. FIGS. 6 and 7 are explanatory diagrams that schematically illustrate the lid, hinge elements, and bracket of the vehicle-mounted storage device of the embodiment. Note that FIG. 6 shows an enlarged view of the relevant portion in FIG. 1, and FIG. 7 shows the relevant portion as viewed from the left side.
Hereinafter, the terms "up,""down,""left,""right,""front," and "rear" refer to the top, bottom, left, right, front, and rear shown in the drawings. The up-down direction corresponds to the vertical direction, and the left-right direction corresponds to the width direction of the vehicle in which the vehicle-mounted storage device of the embodiment is mounted. The front is the forward side in the traveling direction of the vehicle, and the rear is the rear side in the traveling direction of the vehicle.

The vehicle-mounted storage device 1 of the embodiment is mounted inside the vehicle cabin and forms part of a center console box 90, as shown in FIG. 1. The vehicle-mounted storage device 1 of the embodiment includes a storage member 2, a lid 4, a hinge element 5, a bracket 7, and a locking mechanism 8.

As shown in Figure 2, the storage member 2 is composed of two elongated side walls 20, a front wall 21, a bottom wall 22, an inner case 23, and an outer case 24.

The two side walls 20 are arranged with their longitudinal directions facing forward and backward and spaced apart in the left-right direction. The front wall 21 connects the front portions of the side walls 20, and the bottom wall 22 connects the lower portions of the side walls 20.
The inner case 23 is box-shaped and opens upward. The outer case 24 is also box-shaped and opens upward, and covers the inner case 23 from the outside. More specifically, the outer case 24 is formed by integrating two separate cases 24R and 24L that sandwich the inner case 23 from the left and right, and is attached to the side wall 20.

The storage member 2 has an elongated, box-like shape overall and is open at the top.

As shown in Figure 1, the lid 4 is composed of a generally plate-shaped main body 40 that can open and close the opening 25 of the storage member 2, a locking portion (not shown), and a knob (not shown). The main body 40 is made up of multiple plate-shaped members stacked vertically and integrated together, and the lid-side hinge portion 50 (described below) is further stacked on the underside of the main body 40 and integrated (see Figures 4 and 5). For reference, the components that make up the main body 40 and the lid-side hinge portion 50 are fastened together using fastening members (not shown).

In the open position shown in Figure 1, the lid 4 covers the entire opening 25. Furthermore, the lid 4 rotates toward the upper and rear side of the opening 25 around the pivoting parts (first pivoting part 53 and second pivoting part 65) described below, changing its position from the open position to the closed position.

The locking mechanism 8 is composed of a locking member 80, a locking portion 81, and a knob 82, as shown in Figure 2. The locking member 80 is attached to the front end of the outer case 24 of the storage member 2. The locking portion 81 and knob 82 are attached to the front end of the main body 40 of the lid 4. The locking portion 81 attached to the lid 4 is locked to the locking member 80 attached to the storage member 2. The knob 82 can release this lock. The locking mechanism 8, consisting of the locking member 80, locking portion 81, and knob 82, locks the lid 4 in the vehicle storage device 1 of this embodiment in the closed position.

As shown in Figures 1 to 7, the hinge element 5 has a lid-side hinge portion 50, an attachment-side hinge portion 60, and a biasing member 55.

As shown in FIG. 5, the lid-side hinge portion 50 has a first general portion 51 having a generally flat plate shape, two arms 52, and a first pivot portion 53 provided on each arm 52.

As previously described, the first general portion 51 is further stacked and integrated onto the lower side of the main body portion 40 of the lid 4.

Two arms 52 are provided at the rear end of the first general portion 51. Each arm 52 extends downward from the first general portion 51 and is spaced apart in the left-right direction. As shown in Figure 6, one of the arms 52 is connected to a damper 19 for slowing down the opening speed of the lid-side hinge portion 50 and, ultimately, the lid 4.

As shown in Figures 5 to 7, each arm 52 of the lid-side hinge portion 50 has a first pivot portion 53 formed in the shape of a through hole.

The mounting side hinge portion 60 has a mounting base portion 61, four first mounting portions 62F, four second mounting portions 62S, four first fastening members 63F, four second fastening members 63S, two rotation base portions 64, and two second rotation portions 65.

The mounting base 61 is a generally rectangular plate that faces the rear wall of the housing member 2. This rear wall is the rear wall surface of the outer case 24.

The left and right ends of the mounting base 61 each have a portion that bends and extends rearward. These portions are pivot bases 64, and each pivot base 64 has a through hole 64H. Each through hole 64H faces one of the two through holes 53H in the first pivot portion 53. A rod 64R is inserted through the two through holes 64H. The rod 64R spans the two through holes 64H. The two through holes 64H and rod 64R form the second pivot portion 65 of the vehicle-mounted storage device 1 of this embodiment.

The rod 65R of the second pivoting portion 65 is also inserted through the two through holes 53H of the first pivoting portion 53. Due to the hinge structure formed by the first pivoting portion 53 and the second pivoting portion 65, the lid-side hinge portion 50 is rotatably supported by the attachment-side hinge portion 60, and the lid 4, which is integrated with the lid-side hinge portion 50, also rotates relative to the attachment-side hinge portion 60.

The lower end of the mounting base 61 is a support portion 66, and a bracket 7 (described below) is located further rearward of the support portion 66. In other words, as shown in Figures 3, 6, and 7, the support portion 66 is sandwiched between the bracket 7 and the housing member 2 from the outside.

As shown in FIG. 3, the mounting base 61 has four first mounting portions 62F and four second mounting portions 62S. These correspond to the mounting portions in the vehicle-mounted storage device of the present invention. Each first mounting portion 62F and second mounting portion 62S forms a pair and is arranged adjacent to each other. Two pairs of first mounting portions 62F and second mounting portions 62S are arranged spaced apart on the left and right sides on the support portion 66 side of the mounting base 61. The remaining two pairs of first mounting portions 62F and second mounting portions 62S are arranged spaced apart on the left and right sides on the portion of the mounting base 61 between the lid-side end portion 67, which is the end of the mounting base 61 on the lid-4 side, and the pivot portion (i.e., the first pivot portion 53 and the second pivot portion 65).

Each first attachment portion 62F has a through-hole shape and is attached to the rear wall surface of the outer case 24 of the housing member 2 by a first fastening member 63F. The first fastening member 63F is a clip that is inserted into a through-hole (not shown) provided in the first attachment portion 62F and the rear wall surface of the outer case 24, and engages with the peripheral edge of the through-hole.
Each second mounting portion 62S also has a through-hole shape and is attached to the rear wall surface of the outer case 24 of the housing member 2 by a second fastening member 63S. The second fastening member 63S is a screw, and is inserted into a through-hole (not shown) provided in the second mounting portion 62S and the rear wall surface of the outer case 24. The through-hole has a thread groove, and the second fastening member 63S screws into the thread groove of the through-hole.

The biasing member 55 is a so-called double torsion spring in which two coils wound in opposite directions are aligned coaxially and integrated. As shown in Figures 3, 6, and 7, the legs 55SL at both ends are fixed to the two arms 52 of the lid-side hinge part 50, and the central leg 55CL located between the two coils is fixed to a protrusion 61P provided on the mounting base 61 of the mounting-side hinge part 60. The biasing member 55 is mounted between the mounting-side hinge part 60 and the lid-side hinge part 50 in a compressed state with a biasing force accumulated.

Therefore, the hinge element 5, which has the attachment-side hinge portion 60, the lid-side hinge portion 50, and the biasing member 55, is unitized, and further, the lid 4, which is integrated with the lid-side hinge portion 50 of the hinge element 5, is also treated as a single component.

The bracket 7 is made of stainless steel and has a plate shape, and is attached to the rear wall surface of the outer case 24 of the housing member 2 by fastening members 79 .
The upper end portion of the bracket 7 is bent rearward (toward the front of the paper in FIG. 3 ) and then upward to form a generally L-shape. The upper portion functions as a support wall 71 that sandwiches the support portion 66 between itself and the accommodating member 2.

As previously mentioned, the storage member 2 in the vehicle-mounted storage device 1 of this embodiment has an elongated shape, and the bracket 7 spans the two side walls 20 of the storage member 2, i.e., the two side walls 20 on either side of the shorter side of the storage member 2. Therefore, the bracket 7 also functions as a reinforcing member that reinforces the storage member 2 in its shorter direction.

The process for attaching the integrated lid 4 and hinge element 5 to the storage member 2 in the vehicle-mounted storage device 1 of the embodiment was carried out as follows.

First, the bracket 7 was attached to the housing member 2. A gap was formed in the front-to-rear direction between the support wall 71 of the bracket 7 and the housing member 2 (more specifically, the rear wall surface of the outer case 24), and the size of this gap was approximately the same as the thickness of the support portion 66 of the mounting-side hinge portion 60.

A unitary product was prepared, which was made up of the lid 4 and the hinge element 5. At this time, the biasing member 55 of the hinge element 5 completely released the biasing force, but in some cases, the biasing force may be stored.
The support portion 66 of the integrated part was inserted between the support wall 71 of the bracket 7 and the housing member 2. Then, the lid 4 was placed against the opening 25 of the housing member 2, and the lid 4 was moved to the closed position against the biasing force of the biasing member 55. Once the lid 4 was moved to the closed position, it was locked in the closed position by the locking mechanism 8. As a result, the biasing force was accumulated in the biasing member 55.

Next, the first fastening member 63F was used to fix the first mounting portion 62F of the mounting-side hinge portion 60 to the accommodating member 2. As described above, the support portion 66 of the mounting-side hinge portion 60 is held down from the outside by the bracket 7, and the lid 4 is locked in the closed position by the locking mechanism 8. Therefore, although a biasing force is accumulated in the biasing member 55 at this time, this biasing force is difficult to release, and the mounting-side hinge portion 60, the lid 4, and the lid-side hinge portion 50 will not suddenly spring up.
Therefore, according to the embodiment of the vehicle-mounted storage device 1, the operation of fixing the mounting portion 62 of the mounting side hinge portion 60 to the storage member 2 can be easily performed, and the process of attaching the lid 4 and the hinge element 5 to the storage member 2 can be easily performed.

When manufacturing the vehicle-mounted storage device of the embodiment, the second mounting portion 62S of the mounting-side hinge portion 60 was then fixed to the storage member 2 using the second mounting portion 62S. This allowed the mounting-side hinge portion 60 to be more stably fixed to the storage member 2.

The present invention has been described above, but it is not limited to the above-described embodiments, etc., and it is possible to implement the invention by appropriately extracting and combining elements described in the embodiments, etc., and to make various modifications within the scope of the invention without departing from its spirit.

1: Vehicle-mounted storage device 2: Storage member 25: Opening 4: Lid 5: Hinge element 50: Lid-side hinge portion 53: First pivot portion (pivot portion) 55: Urging member 60: Mounting-side hinge portion 66: Support portion 7: Bracket 62F: First mounting portion (mounting portion)
62S: Second mounting portion (mounting portion) 63F: First fastening member (fastening member)
63S: Second fastening member (fastening member) 65: Second rotating portion (rotating portion)
67: Lid side end

Claims (4)

a box-shaped containing member having an opening;
a lid that opens and closes the opening;
a hinge element including an attachment-side hinge portion attached to the accommodating member, a lid-side hinge portion rotatably supported relative to the attachment-side hinge portion and integrated with the lid, and a biasing member interposed between the attachment-side hinge portion and the lid-side hinge portion and biasing the attachment-side hinge portion and the lid-side hinge portion in directions to open each other;
a bracket formed separately from the housing member and integrated with the housing member, at least a portion of which is located outside the mounting hinge portion relative to the housing member ;
The rigidity of the bracket is higher than the rigidity of the housing member . The vehicle storage device according to claim 1, wherein the bracket is located outside the support portion located at one end of the mounting hinge portion and away from the lid. the attachment-side hinge portion has an attachment portion in the form of a through-hole, and is attached to the accommodating member by fastening a fastening member inserted into the attachment portion to the accommodating member;
The vehicle-mounted accommodation device according to claim 2 , wherein the attachment portion is provided on a portion of the attachment-side hinge portion on the support portion side. the attachment-side hinge portion has a plurality of attachment portions,
4. The vehicle-mounted storage device according to claim 3, wherein at least one of the mounting portions is provided in a portion of the mounting-side hinge portion between a lid-side end portion of the mounting-side hinge portion that is the other end of the mounting-side hinge portion and is located closer to the lid, and a pivot portion of the mounting-side hinge portion.