Land vehicles: bodies and tops – Bodies – Auxiliary article compartments
Reexamination Certificate
2000-09-20
2002-07-09
Gordon, Stephen T. (Department: 3612)
Land vehicles: bodies and tops
Bodies
Auxiliary article compartments
Reexamination Certificate
active
06416103
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This application claims the priority of German patent document 199 44 948.1, filed Sep. 20, 1999, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The present invention relates to a protective device for the interior of a motor vehicle having a protective structure, which can be spread out in a protective position to an at least approximately planar shape and which is seated for being transferred by a drive mechanism between at least two positions, the protective structure being connected with at least one guide element that can be entrained with transfer means of the drive mechanism by at least one coupling member.
A protective device according to the invention may be designed either as a horizontally movable cargo area covering, or as a separating device with a vertically extensible divider net, or as a roller blind for use as a sun shield for at least one window of a motor vehicle.
A protective device in the form of a cargo area covering has been known from German Patent Document DE 198 25 353 A1. The known cargo area covering comprises a horizontally extensible roller blind that can be moved, by electric drive means, between a home position in which the cargo area is exposed and a protective position in which the cargo area is covered. The covering roller blind comprises at its front end—viewed in the pull-out direction—a pull-out bar whose opposite ends project laterally beyond the roller blind that serves as the protective structure. These ends form guide elements that are respectively retained in a U-shaped upwardly open coupling member. Each coupling member is fixed to a toothed belt, serving as a transfer element, that extends in the pull-out direction, i.e. in horizontal alignment. Each toothed belt can be operated by means of an electric drive motor. The two drive motors can be controlled in a mutually co-ordinated way so that the pull-out bar and, thus, the covering roller blind can be pulled out or retracted in parallel. The ends of the pull-out bar that serve as guide elements can be removed from the coupling member in upward direction. Similarly, the pull-out bar can be reinserted between the coupling members from the top, whereby the covering roller blind can be connected again with the drive means.
If the pull-out bar were to hit against an obstruction when being pulled out or being retracted by the drive means, then the drive means and/or the pull-out bar may be damaged. In order to prevent any such occurrence there would be the possibility—not disclosed in German Patent Document DE 198 25 353 A1—to monitor the load of the drive motors and to cause the direction of the drive to be reversed if an increase in load should be detected. Such devices are generally known in connection with the automatic opera-ion of vehicle window panes.
Now, it is an object of the present invention to provide a protective device of the kind described above that guarantees, by simple means, perfect and safe movement of the protective structure even in the case of trouble.
This object is achieved by the fact that at least one coupling member is provided with at least one picking-up element that has a limited retaining force for the force-dependent picking-up, entraining and release of the guide element during movement of the coupling member. Depending on whether the counter-force, that acts on the protective structure and the at least one guide element, is greater or smaller than the limited entraining force of the at least one picking-up element, the guide element is picked up from a stationary position, released from a position in which it has been entrained by the coupling member or—in the case of forces smaller than the retaining force—entrained by the coupling member for common movement.
The solution according to the invention is suited for both, protective structures with only a single guide element and for protective structures having two or more guide elements. Depending on the particular configuration, a single coupling member or a plurality of coupling members may be provided. The drive means may have a single drive unit or a plurality of drive units. The drive unit comprises preferably a single central electric drive that imparts, by suitable synchronisation, a parallel guiding effect to the protective structure via two guide elements arranged on opposite sides. The solution according to the invention guarantees that the respective protective structure, be it a divider net, a covering roller blind of a cargo area covering, or a sun-protection roller blind, can be automatically transferred by the drive means into the desired position. Since when a load higher than that of the drive means occurs the at least one guide element and, thus, the protective structure will be uncoupled from the drive means, no overloading of the drive means can occur.
Due to the force-dependent coupling or uncoupling the at least one guide element will be released from the coupling member automatically and forcedly in the event the protective structure should hit upon an obstruction, while the coupling member will be moved on by the drive means. When the coupling member overruns the position of the guide element the next time—preferably in the opposite direction—the guide element will be automatically picked up again and carried off with the movement of the coupling member.
Uncoupling can be achieved in a simple way by the fact that the protective structure is moved manually in the direction of movement or in a direction opposite to the direction of movement of the drive means, whereby the protective structure is uncoupled. Thus, the coupling member has only a limited coupling force in the respective direction of movement of the at least one coupling member, through its at least one picking-up element. When this coupling force (entraining force) is exceeded, the protective structure is released from the at least one coupling member. Similarly, the guide element and, thus, the protective structure is connected again with the at least one coupling member as soon as the coupling member reaches once more the position of the guide element in the course of the corresponding reverse movement. It is, therefore, important that the guide element be always guided in the path of movement of the coupling member. The guide element remains in this path of movement even after it has been uncoupled, so that when the coupling member and the guide element meet the next time they are coupled once more. Thus, by overloading the coupling beyond the limited entraining force, i.e. coupling force, the at least one guide element and, thus, the protective structure will be detached form the drive means. Consequently, in case of a current failure, this also allows easy operation by hand without there being any need—as is the case with systems of the prior art—for manually re-engaging the at least one guide element in the coupling member later. Picking up of the at least one guide element and, thus, of the protective structure by the at least one coupling member is always effected automatically and, thus, forcedly in the solution according to the invention. The invention thus provides considerably improved operating comfort as compared to the prior art.
Overloading by obstructions found in the path of the protective structure is avoided. The at least one coupling member may be seated in horizontal or in vertical vehicle-mounted guides or in similar guides that are inclined in space. The guides may be parallel or non-parallel one relative to the other. In the case of non-parallel guides, length-compensation means are provided for the guide elements and the protective structure between the guides. The at least one coupling member is in any case forcedly guided in the same way as the at least one guide element of the protective structure in order to be able, as a result of the identical path of movement, to pick up the respective guide element every time it meets it.
In order to achieve a limited entraining force for the at least one picking-up element, the picking-up
Laudenbach Thomas
Schlecht Werner P.
Seel Holger
BOS GmbH & Co. KG
Carpenter Scott
Crowell & Moring LLP
Gordon Stephen T.
LandOfFree
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