US-12617472-B2 - Locking unit for vehicle

US12617472B2US 12617472 B2US12617472 B2US 12617472B2US-12617472-B2

Abstract

A locking unit of a vehicle may include a mounting portion having a plurality of mounting grooves formed on an upper surface thereof, wherein supporting legs of a vehicle interior portion are configured to be inserted into the mounting grooves, installing the vehicle interior portion in the indoor compartment of the vehicle; and a plurality of locking devices provided on inner peripheries of the mounting grooves inside the mounting portion, respectively, such that, by selectively fixing or unfixing the supporting legs of the vehicle interior portion inserted in the mounting grooves, the vehicle interior portion is attached to or detached from the mounting portion.

Inventors

Jin Ho Hwang
Dong Eun Cha
Sang Heon Lee

Assignees

HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY
KIA CORPORATION

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20230703
Priority Date: 20210427

Claims (4)

1 . A locking unit for a vehicle, the locking unit comprising: a mounting portion having a plurality of mounting grooves formed on an upper surface thereof, wherein supporting legs of a vehicle interior portion are insertable into the plurality of mounting grooves; and a plurality of locking devices provided on inner peripheries of the plurality of mounting grooves inside the mounting portion, respectively, wherein by selectively fixing the supporting legs of the vehicle interior portion in the plurality of mounting grooves, the vehicle interior portion is selectively attached to the mounting portion, wherein a locking groove is formed on an external circumferential surface of each of the supporting legs of the vehicle interior portion, wherein a locking protrusion is provided on a side of each of the locking devices, wherein each of the locking devices selectively inserts the locking protrusion into the locking groove so that the supporting legs of the vehicle interior portion are selectively coupled to the plurality of mounting grooves, wherein a magnetic force portion connected to the locking protrusion is provided at the side of each of the locking devices, and wherein each of the locking devices selectively attaches the locking protrusion to the locking groove through magnetic force of the magnetic force portion so as to selectively insert the locking protrusion into the locking groove, wherein the magnetic force portion includes at least one of a fixation magnet, a rotating magnet, or an electromagnet, wherein the magnetic force portion has a magnetic path changed according to a magnetism change of the electromagnet, wherein the supporting legs are fixed to the plurality of mounting grooves when the magnetic force portion and each of the supporting legs together form the magnetic path, and wherein the supporting legs are unfixed from the plurality of mounting grooves when only the magnetic force portion forms the magnetic path.
2 . The locking unit of claim 1 , wherein the vehicle interior portion includes a seat or a table, and the supporting legs are provided on a lower end portion of the seat or the table.
3 . The locking unit of claim 1 , wherein the mounting portion includes one or more panels, and the one or more panels are coupled to an upper surface of a vehicle floor to form a portion of a floor.
4 . The locking unit of claim 1 , wherein the magnetic force portion include the rotating magnet and the electromagnet, and wherein the rotating magnet rotates according to a magnetism of the electromagnet to reinforce the magnetic path.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application is the continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/506,053 filed on Oct. 20, 2021, which claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2021-0054301, filed Apr. 27, 2021, the entire contents of which is incorporated herein for all purposes by this reference. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a locking unit of a vehicle, wherein the locking unit is configured such that an internal portion provided in the indoor space of a purpose-built vehicle (PBV) according to the purpose of the vehicle can be freely installed on the floor thereof and uninstalled therefrom. Description of Related Art Conventional vehicles have only played the role of transportation means, but recent development of autonomous driving technologies has enabled passengers in vehicles to engage in more diversified activities other than driving. Fully autonomous driving technologies (requiring no driver intervention) are still under development but, if fully commercialized later, will transition vehicles to require no separate driving seats and to have indoor spaces that are more freely modifiable. Such autonomous driving technologies have been followed by emergence of purpose-built vehicles (PBV) which may be used by passengers for specific purposes. Unlike conventional vehicles, PBVs require indoor items appropriate for the purposes thereof. For example, a bed may be necessary for sleeping, and a chair and a table may be necessary for a work. Therefore, PBVs will require internal portions which may be freely moved to desired locations inside the vehicles, or internal portions appropriate for the purposes will need to be attached/detached. This requires development of a locking unit for a vehicle, which enables an internal portion to be easily installed on the floor or uninstalled therefrom. The information included in this Background of the Invention section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention and may not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art. BRIEF SUMMARY Various aspects of the present invention are directed to providing a locking device for a vehicle, wherein a support leg of a vehicle interior portion necessary for the indoor compartment of the vehicle is inserted into a mounting portion such that, by fixing or unfixing the support leg, the vehicle interior portion may be attached to or detached from the mounting portion. In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, a locking unit of a vehicle includes: a mounting portion having a plurality of mounting grooves formed on an upper surface thereof, wherein supporting legs of a vehicle interior portion are configured to be inserted into the mounting grooves, installing the vehicle interior portion in the indoor compartment of the vehicle; and a plurality of locking devices provided on inner peripheries of the mounting grooves inside the mounting portion, respectively, such that, by selectively fixing or unfixing the supporting legs of the vehicle interior portion inserted in the mounting grooves, the vehicle interior portion is attached to or detached from the mounting portion. The vehicle interior portion may include a seat or a table, and one or more supporting legs may be provided on a lower end portion of the seat or the table. The mounting portion may include one or more panels, and the one or more panels may be coupled to the upper surface of a vehicle floor to form a portion of a floor. A locking groove may be formed on an external circumferential surface of each of the supporting legs of the vehicle interior portion, a locking protrusion may be provided on a side of each of the locking devices to be adjacent to the locking groove, and each of the locking devices may selectively insert the locking protrusion into the locking groove such that the supporting legs of the vehicle interior portion inserted into the mounting grooves are selectively fixed or unfixed. An actuator connected to the locking protrusion may be provided at a side of each of the locking devices, and each of the locking devices may selectively insert the locking protrusion into the locking groove by moving the locking protrusion forward toward the locking groove or backward through the actuator. Each of the locking devices may insert the locking protrusion into the locking groove through elastic force when the supporting legs are inserted in the mounting grooves, each of the supporting legs may have a release portion provided at a side of the locking groove, and the release portion may push the inserted locking protrusion to the outside thereof and thus unfix the supporting legs of the vehicle interior portion inserted into the mounting grooves. A magnetic force portion connected to the locking protrusion may be provided at a sid