Vehicle storage assembly with adjustable door
First Claim
1. A vehicle storage assembly for use within an interior of a vehicle, comprising:
- a storage compartment adapted for use within the interior of the vehicle and having an opening to permit access to said compartment;
a door proximate said opening, said door movable between a closed position that covers said opening, and an open position away from said opening to permit access to said compartment through said opening;
a controllable damper coupled to said door and adjustable between high and low damping states, independent of the position of said door, to facilitate moving and maintaining said door between said open and closed positions;
a controller communicating with said controllable damper, said controller operable to actuate said controllable damper between said high and low damping states; and
a sensor communicating with said controller and adapted to sense the presence of an object in a path of said door between said closed position and said open position and to generate a signal when the presence of an object is sensed.
5 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A vehicle storage assembly includes a storage compartment having an opening to permit access to the compartment. A door adjacent the opening is moveable between a closed position that covers the opening and an open position that permits access to the compartment through the opening. The storage assembly further includes a controllable damper coupled to the door and actuable between high and low damping states, such that the door is maintained in one of the closed position, the open position, or any position therebetween when the controllable damper is in the high damping state. To move the door to a new position, the controllable damper is actuated from the high damping state to the low damping state whereby the door can then be freely moved to the desired position. The controllable damper may then be actuated from the low damping state to the high damping state to retain the door in the selected position.
28 Citations
14 Claims
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1. A vehicle storage assembly for use within an interior of a vehicle, comprising:
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a storage compartment adapted for use within the interior of the vehicle and having an opening to permit access to said compartment; a door proximate said opening, said door movable between a closed position that covers said opening, and an open position away from said opening to permit access to said compartment through said opening; a controllable damper coupled to said door and adjustable between high and low damping states, independent of the position of said door, to facilitate moving and maintaining said door between said open and closed positions; a controller communicating with said controllable damper, said controller operable to actuate said controllable damper between said high and low damping states; and a sensor communicating with said controller and adapted to sense the presence of an object in a path of said door between said closed position and said open position and to generate a signal when the presence of an object is sensed. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A method of adjusting the position of a door of a storage assembly in a vehicle between a closed position that covers an opening to a storage compartment within the interior of the vehicle, and an open position wherein the door extends away from the opening to permit access to the compartment, the storage assembly including a controllable damper coupled to the door, the method comprising:
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adjusting the controllable damper from a high damping state to a low damping state; selectively adjusting the position of the door relative to the opening to the compartment; adjusting the controllable damper from the low damping state to the high damping state such that the door is maintained in the adjusted positioned by the controllable damper; sensing the presence of an object in a path of the door between the closed position and the open position; and adjusting the controllable damper in response to the sensed object to limit movement of the door between the closed position and the open position. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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Specification