US-12623580-B2 - Extendable compact arm rest

US12623580B2US 12623580 B2US12623580 B2US 12623580B2US-12623580-B2

Abstract

An armrest for a vehicle seat, comprising an armrest main portion, a pivotable attachment for coupling the armrest main portion to a seat backrest, such that the armrest is pivotable between a folded position and a rest position, an armrest extension movable between a retracted position and a deployed position in which the armrest extension extends the armrest main portion, and a foldable mechanism coupling the pivotable attachment to the armrest extension and configured to move the armrest extension from the retracted position to the deployed position when the armrest is moved from the folded position to the rest position.

Inventors

Bharat SHAMANAIK
Balaganesh Thangamariappan
Anubhav Kumar SINGH

Assignees

VOLVO TRUCK CORPORATION

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20240129
Priority Date: 20230210

Claims (15)

1 . An armrest for a vehicle seat, comprising: an armrest main portion; a pivotable attachment for coupling the armrest main portion to a seat backrest, such that the armrest is pivotable between a folded position and a rest position; an armrest extension movable between a retracted position and a deployed position in which the armrest extension extends the armrest main portion; and a foldable mechanism coupling the pivotable attachment to the armrest extension and configured to move the armrest extension from the retracted position to the deployed position as the armrest is moved from the folded position to the rest position.
2 . The armrest of claim 1 , wherein the foldable mechanism is further configured to move the armrest extension from the deployed position to the retracted position when the armrest is moved from the rest position to the folded position.
3 . The armrest of claim 1 , wherein the foldable mechanism comprises a rack and a pinion to convert a rotational movement of the pivotable attachment into a translational movement of the armrest extension.
4 . The armrest of claim 1 , wherein the armrest extension is housed in the armrest main portion in the retracted position.
5 . The armrest of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the armrest main portion and the armrest extension has a hollow body.
6 . The armrest of claim 1 , wherein the armrest extension is slidingly guided in or along the armrest main portion between the retracted and deployed positions.
7 . The armrest of claim 1 , wherein the foldable mechanism comprises a transmission mechanism transmitting to a first pinion a rotation of the pivotable attachment with respect to the armrest main portion, the pinion being rotatable secured to the armrest main portion and meshing with a rack secured to the armrest extension.
8 . The armrest of claim 7 , wherein the transmission mechanism between the pivotable attachment and the first pinion comprises: a transmission belt configured to transmit rotation movement of a first pulley of the pivotable attachment to a second pulley of the first pinion; or a transmission chain configured to transmit rotation movement of the first pinion to a second pinion of the pivotable attachment.
9 . The armrest of claim 8 , wherein a diameter of the first pulley is adjusted based on a rotation angle of the armrest between the folded position and an in-use position.
10 . The armrest of claim 1 , further comprising a spring pre-loaded mechanism configured to bring the armrest to its folded position when activated.
11 . The armrest of claim 10 , wherein the spring pre-loaded mechanism is configured to be activated by a small push on the armrest.
12 . The armrest of claim 10 , wherein the spring pre-loaded mechanism comprises: a torsional spring pre-loaded mechanism at the pivotable attachment.
13 . The armrest of claim 1 , wherein the pivotable attachment is configured to adjust an angle of the armrest in an in-use position with respect to the horizontal direction.
14 . A vehicle seat comprising the seat backrest and the armrest of claim 1 .
15 . A vehicle comprising the vehicle seat of claim 14 .

Description

PRIORITY APPLICATIONS The present application claims priority to European Patent Application No. 23156079.8, filed on Feb. 10, 2023, and entitled “EXTENDABLE COMPACT ARM REST,” which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD The disclosure relates generally to seats of vehicles, such as motor vehicles. In particular aspects, the disclosure relates to an arm rest for a vehicle. The disclosure can be applied in heavy-duty vehicles, such as trucks, buses, and construction equipment. Although the disclosure may be described with respect to a particular vehicle, the disclosure is not restricted to any particular vehicle. BACKGROUND Prior art discloses armrest assemblies for seat structures, having a fixed length which results in packaging constraints. As having a fixed length, such armrests cannot be adapted to different anatomical proportions of the users. Some armrests are pivotably coupled to back rest of a seat structure, such that they need to be manually folded when not in use. Other armrests comprise a primary armrest pivotably coupled to back rest of the seat structure and a foldable armrest extension located in the primary armrest. The armrest extension needs to be manually deployed to be used and folded when not in use and when the primary armrest is put in its folded position. Other existing armrests are fixed in size which results in packaging constraints and limit the offerings to various customers with a single arm rest type. There is a need to provide an armrest that is compact, especially when it is not in use, and that is easy to be set up to be used. Further it may be a desirable for the armrest to be easily folded when not in-use. SUMMARY The present disclosure is related to an armrest for a vehicle seat, comprising: an armrest main portion, a pivotable attachment for coupling the armrest main portion to a seat backrest, such that the armrest is pivotable between a folded position and a rest position, an armrest extension movable between a retracted position and a deployed position in which the armrest extension extends the armrest main portion, and a foldable mechanism coupling the pivotable attachment to the armrest extension and configured to move the armrest extension from the retracted position to the deployed position when the armrest is moved from the folded position to the rest position. A potential technical benefit may include: as having an extension in a retracted position in a folded position, the armrest can be compact and thus adapted to different kinds of vehicles. The presence of such an extension does not require additional manual operations for setting up the armrest in its in-use position. This result can be obtained merely by using simple mechanical means and without increasing the bulkiness of the armrest. According to an example, the foldable mechanism is further configured to move the armrest extension from the deployed position to the retracted position when the armrest is moved from the rest position to the folded position. A potential technical benefit may include: the presence of such an extension does not require additional manual operations for setting up the armrest in its folded position. This result can be obtained merely by using simple mechanical means and without increasing the bulkiness of the armrest. According to an example, the foldable mechanism is further configured to convert a rotational movement of the pivotable attachment into a translational movement of the armrest extension. According to an example, at least one of the armrest main portion and the armrest extension has a hollow body. According to an example, the armrest extension is slidingly guided in or along the armrest main portion between the retracted and deployed positions. According to an example, the armrest extension is housed in the armrest main portion in the retracted position. A potential technical benefit may include: such an armrest extension does not increase the bulkiness of the armrest both in the folded and in-use positions. According to an example, the foldable mechanism comprises a transmission mechanism transmitting to a first pinion a rotation of the pivotable attachment with respect to the armrest main portion, the pinion being rotatable secured to the armrest main portion and meshing with a rack secured to the armrest extension. A potential technical benefit may include: such a transmission mechanism can be easily implemented in a reduced volume that does not need to increase the bulkiness of the armrest. According to an example, the transmission mechanism between the pivotable attachment and the first pinion comprises: a transmission belt transmitting a rotation movement of a first pulley to a second pulley, or a transmission chain transmitting a rotation movement of a first pinion to a second pinion. A potential technical benefit may include: such transmission mechanism implementations can be realized in a reduced volume that does not increase