Glovebox assembly with an interlocking downstop

• US 10,343,613 B1
• Filed: 12/27/2017
• Issued: 07/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Liu, Frank Qiukui, Gillis, Francis Raymond
• Primary Examiner(s): Pedder, Dennis H
• Application Number:
  US15/855,430
• Publication Number:
  US 20190193640A1
• Time in Patent Office: 559 Days
• Field of Search: 296 3712, 296 378
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 7/06 mounted on or below dashboards

Abstract

A glovebox assembly includes a support substrate, a glovebox rotationally displaceable with respect to the support substrate, a downstop carried on the support substrate and an interlock feature carried on the support substrate. The downstop includes a stalk and a head. The interlock feature overlaps the stalk adjacent the head.

Claims

1. A glovebox assembly, comprising:

a support substrate;

a glovebox rotationally displaceable with respect to said support substrate;

a downstop carried on said support substrate, said downstop including a stalk and a head carried on said stalk; and

an interlock feature carried on said support substrate and overlapping said stalk adjacent said head.

2. The glovebox assembly of claim 1, wherein said support substrate is a glovebox surround.

3. The glovebox assembly of claim 1, wherein said support substrate is a portion of an instrument panel.

4. The glovebox assembly of claim 1, wherein said glovebox includes a door and a storage compartment.

5. The glovebox assembly of claim 4, further including a hinge connecting said glovebox to said support substrate.

6. The glovebox assembly of claim 5, wherein said stalk includes a proximal end connected to said support substrate and a distal end carrying said head.

7. The glovebox assembly of claim 6, wherein said head includes an installation feature and a glovebox retention feature.

8. The glovebox assembly of claim 7, wherein said installation feature defines a first included angle A₁ with said stalk and said glovebox retention feature defines a second included angle A₂ with said stalk wherein A₁>

A₂.

9. The glovebox assembly of claim 8, wherein said first included angle A₁ is provided inside said second included angle A₂.

10. The glovebox assembly of claim 9, wherein said first included angle A₁ is between 120 degrees and 160 degrees and said second included angle A₂ is between 90 degrees and 130 degrees.

11. The glovebox assembly of claim 9, wherein said first included angle A₁ is about 140 degrees and said second included angle A₂ is about 110 degrees.

12. The glovebox assembly of claim 11, wherein said interlock feature is oriented on said support substrate toward said glovebox.

13. The glovebox assembly of claim 12, wherein said proximal end of said stalk is connected to said support substrate by a hinge.

14. The glovebox assembly of claim 13, wherein said glovebox includes a rear wall opposite said door, said rear wall including a radiused cam.

15. The glovebox assembly of claim 14, wherein said radiused cam is oriented to engage said installation feature when said glovebox is installed in said glovebox assembly.

16. The glovebox assembly of claim 1, wherein said stalk is displaced from a home position to a first deflected position away from said interlock feature when installing said glovebox or removing said glovebox for service.

17. The glovebox assembly of claim 16, wherein said stalk is displaced from said home position to a second deflected position in engagement with said interlock feature when said glovebox is fully opened and an additional load is placed upon said glovebox in an opening direction.

18. The glovebox assembly of claim 17, wherein said home position is between said first deflected position and said second deflected position.

19. The glovebox assembly of claim 18, wherein said second deflected position is toward a storage compartment of said glovebox.

20. A glovebox assembly, comprising:

a support substrate;

a glovebox rotationally displaceable with respect to said support substrate;

a downstop carried on said support substrate by a hinge; and

an interlock feature carried on said support substrate and overlapping said downstop.