DE29503304U1 - Swiveling armrest for motor vehicle seats - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a pivotable armrest for motor vehicle seats, in particular for rear seats, according to the preamble of claim 1.

25 Such a known armrest is described in DE-OS 16 30 103.

The well-known armrest has a U-shaped steel profile as armrest support or armrest body, the

30 web outer surface points upwards and its downward-pointing free profile legs limit an opening in the U-profile that is only accessible from below. Fastening tabs are cut out of the profile legs and folded up into the plane of the web outer surfaces. The fastening tabs carry

35 the armrest part provided with the arm pad.

The well-known U-shaped profiled armrest body is attached to a bearing bolt which is attached to a seat-side bracket.

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Peter Butz GmbH & Co. KG

is pivoted so that the armrest body can be pivoted in a vertical pivot plane. The bearing bolt, which forms a circular cylindrical bearing surface, passes through both profile legs of the U-shaped profiled armrest body. Both profile legs are therefore pivotally mounted directly on the bearing bolt.

Both profile legs of the known armrest body, which are arranged parallel to one another, form a receiving space between their inner main surfaces facing one another. In this receiving space, an actuating mechanism leading to an operating part at the front free end area of the armrest body is arranged, with which a locking pin (counter-lock) with a locking opening can be moved into the engaged or released position with locking teeth (locks) of a locking disk. The locking teeth are located on the outer surface of a locking disk with a lamellar structure and non-rotatably held on the bearing bolt.

0 From today's perspective, the well-known armrest is seen as disadvantageous in particular because the assembly of the operating mechanism is quite difficult due to the difficult access to the receiving space inside between the two profile legs and therefore stands in the way of efficient production.

Based on the pivoting armrest according to DE-OS 16 30 103, the invention is based on the object of creating an armrest of simple design, the basic concept of which allows efficient production, a compact design and also the greatest possible freedom in the design of the armrest part.

Peter Butz GmbH & Co. KG

According to the invention, this object is achieved in that the double wall for forming the receiving space for the actuating mechanism is composed of two separate, mutually attached individual wall parts, that only one individual wall part is pivotally mounted on the fixed pivot bearing part and at the same time supports the other individual wall part and that one of the two individual wall parts supports the armrest part.

According to the invention, it is essential that the double wall is composed of two individual wall parts. This means that the operating mechanism, for example an operating rod, can be placed without hindrance on an inner main surface of an individual wall part and then the other individual wall part can be placed on top and both individual wall parts can be fastened to one another. In this way, the prerequisite for efficient production, whether manual or automated production, is created.

Since, in contrast to the known armrest (DE-OS 16 30 103), a minimum distance between the two inner main surfaces that delimit the receiving space for the actuating mechanism is no longer required when assembling the armrest body, the distance between the two individual wall parts in the armrest according to the invention can be as small as possible, i.e. exactly the same as the thickness of an actuating rod, for example, which leads to an advantageous compact design.

Peter Butz GmbH & Co. KG

A simplification also results in the armrest according to the invention in that only one individual wall part forms a bearing point with the spatially fixed pivot bearing part, but at the same time supports the other individual wall part.
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The armrest according to the invention makes it possible to concentrate all the essential functional elements (actuating mechanism, locking mechanism, bearing parts) in a narrow double wall and to use the outer main surface of the adjacent single wall part facing the holder of the pivot bearing part as an attachment surface for the armrest part, the design of which can be adapted to the particularity of the respective application. Such an armrest part can therefore represent, for example, a full cushion or, for example, a storage compartment provided with a padded folding or sliding lid.

The two individual wall parts are conveniently locked together, in particular releasably locked.

The two individual wall parts are advantageously injection-molded parts, in particular plastic injection-molded parts, in which guide and bearing means for the actuating mechanism are integrally molded onto an inner main surface of an individual wall part. According to one design variant, it is also possible to integrally mold guide and bearing means for the actuating mechanism onto the inner main surfaces of both individual wall parts.

In a further embodiment of the invention, it may also be expedient for both inner wall surfaces to form guide and bearing means for the actuating mechanism

Peter Butz GmbH & Co. Verwaltungs KG ·**..'

complement each other. This can mean, for example, that an inner main surface of an individual wall part has molded-on guide and bearing means into which the actuating mechanism, for example an actuating rod, is inserted. Guide and bearing means can also be molded onto the inner main surface of the other individual wall part, which can act additionally or complement the shape of the aforementioned guide and bearing means. The subsequently mounted, e.g. snapped-on, individual wall part expediently fixes the actuating mechanism pre-assembled on the other individual wall part in its final assembly position. The invention therefore - as already mentioned - advantageously promotes insert assembly, which is particularly suitable for automatic production technology.

In a further embodiment of the invention, the spatially fixed pivot bearing part forms a central retaining bolt and, radially spaced from the latter, a circular cylindrical outer shell bearing surface as a circular cylindrical shell bearing surface.

In this case, the outer individual wall part facing away from the holder of the fixed pivot bearing part forms, corresponding to the central retaining bolt representing an axial retaining means, a central retaining opening penetrated by the latter and, corresponding to the outer casing bearing surface, a circular cylindrical inner casing bearing surface enclosing the latter with bearing play.

The circular cylindrical outer shell bearing surface of the fixed pivot bearing part and the correlating circular cylindrical inner shell bearing surface of the rotating single wall part should be smaller than the diameter of the central shark

Peter Butz GmbH & Co. KGJ

tebolt have a significantly larger diameter. These large bearing diameters make it possible to achieve sufficiently high strengths with relatively thin-walled bearing areas of a single wall part designed as a plastic injection-molded part. In this arrangement, the central retaining bolt only serves to axially hold together the interacting bearing components.

While, as mentioned above, the outer individual wall part facing away from the holder of the fixed pivot bearing part represents the inner casing bearing surface that interacts with the pivot bearing part, the individual wall part facing the holder of the fixed pivot bearing part forms the guide and bearing means on its inner surface for the actuating mechanism, which represents an actuating rod. This actuating mechanism has a locking projection as a counter-lock, which interacts with locking recesses provided in the outer casing bearing surface of the pivot bearing part.

According to an embodiment variant of the invention, the locking projection is formed by an axially movable sliding pin which is spring-loaded in the locking direction.

In accordance with previously known armrests, the invention also offers either a pull or a push operation of the actuating handle controlling the locking mechanism.

According to the invention, a pull operation is created in that the sliding pin is part of a pull rod extending from an actuating handle designed as a pull actuating handle or is coupled to the latter in a single movement.

Peter Butz GmbH & Co. KG

According to the invention, a pressure operation is created in that the sliding pin can be actuated in the release direction via a pressure actuating rod extending from the actuating handle with the interposition of a centrally mounted rocker-like rotary coupling part.

As already mentioned above, the invention offers the advantageous possibility that the outer main surface of the individual wall part facing the pivot bearing part can serve, for example, as a lateral mounting bracket for armrest parts of any design. The invention is to be described in such a way that the individual wall part facing the bracket of the fixed pivot bearing part carries the armrest part in connection with its outer main surface, which is opposite the inner main surface and delimits the receiving space for the actuating mechanism.

The invention has also created the possibility of a highly resilient armrest, which can have, for example, a fully upholstered body or, for example, a voluminous storage compartment with a padded hinged lid as the armrest part. This advantageous design is characterized according to the invention by a design which is mirror-symmetrical with respect to a plane of symmetry located at the central distance between two spaced apart pivot bearing parts parallel to the pivot plane, with the armrest part bridging the facing outer main surfaces of two double walls and with a retaining pin for fastening the armrest to the body and seat side being arranged approximately in the middle between the two pivot bearing parts. This means that the armrest has two spaced apart

Peter Butz GmbH & Co. Verwaltungs KG .·· ·» ,

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arranged, facing away from each other, coaxial swivel bearing parts. Each swivel bearing part carries a double wall in a mirror-symmetrical arrangement, which in turn has an actuating mechanism. The armrest part is attached between the two double walls, which therefore bridges both double walls, each equipped with all functional components, and thus gives the entire armrest body its cohesion.

In such an application, the invention provides an actuating handle, pull or push actuating handle, for both actuating mechanisms.

Another embodiment of the invention consists in that the Arra support part has a frame or box, the two outer walls of which are spaced parallel from one another and each form an individual wall part adjacent to an associated pivot bearing part.

In a further embodiment of the invention, the armrest part forms a cushion or a storage box with a padded lid or a storage compartment, such as for travel items, for vehicle accessories or for a mobile phone.

In the drawings, a preferred embodiment according to the invention is shown, it shows,

Fig. 1 is a spatial representation of a pivoting armrest for motor vehicle seats,

Peter Butz GmbH & Co. Verwaltungs KG .·*·.··. ....

Fig. 2 is a side view of the armrest shown in Fig. 1 (omitting a hinged cover) according to the view arrow marked II in Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the armrest shown in Fig. 2 according to the plan view designated III therein,

Fig. 4 shows a half vertical section corresponding to section designation IV-IV in Fig. 2,
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Fig. 5 is a vertical section according to the section designation V-V in Fig. 2 and

Fig. 6 is a side view according to the arrow marked VI in Fig. 5 with an outer individual wall part omitted.

In the drawings, an armrest for motor vehicle seats is designated overall by reference number 10.

The armrest 10 has an overall box-like armrest body 11 with a storage compartment 12, which can be closed by means of a hinged lid 13, the upper side 14 of which is provided with a cushion 58, which is only indicated in Fig. 4. The hinged lid 13 can be pivoted about an axis ζ. In its closed position (not shown), the hinged lid 13 can be locked by means of a snap lock 15, the operation of which is not shown.

The armrest body 11 can be pivoted overall in accordance with the double arrow marked u with a limited pivot angle about the pivot axis &khgr;.

Peter Butz GmbH & Co. Verwaltungs KG ·".,*·. .·· ···.

The armrest body 11 is pivotally or rotatably mounted around two fixed pivot bearing parts 16, which in turn are fixed to a body or seat-side bracket 17.

Essential components of the armrest body 11 are

two double walls 18 arranged parallel to one another, each containing an actuating mechanism for a locking mechanism. Both actuating mechanisms can be actuated together using a single push button 19.

The bracket 17 for the pivot bearing parts 16 is

It is designed in two parts, as it has a plug pin 20 which can be inserted into a plug receptacle 21 which can be fastened to the body side and can be releasably fastened there.

In Fig. 4 it can be seen that the double wall 18 shown there is composed of two separate, mutually attached, individual wall parts 2 3 and 24 to form a receiving space A for an actuating rod 22.

The individual wall part 24 is part of a storage compartment box 25. The storage compartment box 25 consists of a materially bonded plastic injection-molded part which, in addition to the two individual wall parts 24, has two transverse walls 26, 27 and also the box base 28 with a non-slip rubber pad 29.
30

The transverse wall 27 is mainly curved so that its concave side covers the two

Peter Butz GmbH & Co. KG

Pivot axis &khgr; can overlap the pivot bearing parts 16 arranged at a distance from one another.

The individual wall part 24 facing the holder 17 has integrally formed guide and bearing means for the actuating rod 22. The guide and bearing means include two ring-shaped closed guide channels 30, which are jointly penetrated by a pressure actuating rod 31. Additional guide points are formed by guide pins 32, which protrude vertically from the inner main surface 33 of the individual wall part 24.

The pressure actuating rod 31 engages at the end with a centering pin 34 in a helical compression spring 35, one end of which is received by a shoe-shaped abutment 36 also formed on the inner main surface 33.

The centering pin 34 extends through an end opening 37 into one lever end 38 of an approximately rocker-shaped rotary coupling part 40, the central bearing part 41 of which is held by four circularly arranged outer bearing webs 42, which are also integrally formed on the inner main surface 33 of the individual wall part 24.

The roughly hammerhead-like lever end 39 of the rotary coupling part 40 engages in a coupling recess 43 of an axially movable sliding pin 44, the beveled end 45 of which forms a directional lock with corresponding tooth recesses 46. Accordingly, in the locking position of the arrangement the armrest body 11 is locked in the downward pivoting direction u1. In the upward pivoting direction u2, however, the beveled end 45 of the sliding pin 44 is released against the

Peter Butz GmbH & Co. KG

The action of the helical compression spring 35 automatically releases the armrest body 11 from its locking position. However, if the armrest body 11 is to be pivoted downwards from a locking position in the direction ul, the pressure actuating rod 31 must be actuated inwards using the push button 19 (not shown in Fig. 6) as shown in Fig. 2 in order to release the sliding pin 44 from its respective locking position.

The sliding pin 44 is held in an elongated trough-like guide 59 that is open to the adjacent individual wall part 23. The trough-like guide 59 is open on the narrow side towards the pivot bearing part 16 and has two longitudinal walls 60, 61 and a transverse wall 62. The longitudinal wall 60 forms a gap 63 for the lever end 39 of the rotary coupling part 40. The walls 60, 61 and 62 are also molded onto the inner main surface 33.

The tooth recesses 46 are machined into a circular cylindrical outer casing bearing surface AM of the respective pivot bearing part 16, which protrudes outwards from the holder 17 on one side.

The individual wall part closer to or facing the holder 17 forms the inner individual wall part 24, while the individual wall part facing away from the holder 17 represents the outer individual wall part 23.

From Fig. 5 it can be seen that from the inner main surface 47 of the respective outer individual wall part 2 3 integrally formed bearing shells 48 protrude, forming circular cylindrical inner shell surfaces, which each surround an outer shell bearing surface AM with bearing clearance.

Peter Butz GmbH & Co. KG

The outer casing bearing surfaces AM are located at a relatively large radial distance from a respective central retaining bolt 49, onto which the outer individual wall part 23 is pushed with a central retaining opening 52 and secured externally with a locking ring 50 in the axial direction x. A locking disk 51 serves to cover the arrangement 49, 50.

It is clear from the drawings that the two outer individual wall parts 23 are pivotally mounted on the outer casing bearing surfaces AM of the two pivot bearing parts 16 and are otherwise axially secured on the central retaining bolts 49. An inner individual wall part 24 is permanently snapped onto snap hooks 54 of the outer individual wall part 23 using snap openings 53.

Since the box-like structure 25 with the storage compartment 12

at the same time forms both materially connected inner individual wall parts 24, the storage compartment box 25 acts as a whole like both outer bearing shells (outer individual wall parts

23) bridging traverse.

It is also clear from the drawings that the design of the inner individual wall parts 24 allows an advantageous insertion assembly of the actuating rod 22.

Because each double wall 18 is only snapped together from two individual wall parts 23, 24 after the respective actuating rod 22 has been inserted, and the assembly of the rod 22 is therefore not hindered by the double wall, the distance between the two inner main surfaces 33, 47 of the individual wall parts 23, 24 can be adjusted to suit a thin actuating rod.

Peter Butz GmbH & Co. KG

The thickness of the support rods 22 should be relatively small, resulting in narrow double walls 18 which contribute to a compact design of the armrest body 11.

The armrest part 55 essentially consists of the storage compartment box 25, the hinged lid 13, the outer individual wall parts 23 as well as a front wall part 56 and a rear wall part 57.

The outer main surface of the inner single wall part 24 is designated 64.

The armrest body 11 including the armrest part 55 is constructed mirror-symmetrically along a plane of symmetry S (Fig. 3 and 4).

Claims (17)

Peter Butz GmbH & Co. Verwaltungs KG ·*·..··, ·· ···. Claims 1. Pivoting armrest (10) for motor vehicle seats, in particular for rear seats, with at least one pivot bearing part (16) which projects on one side from a body or seat-side holder (17), has a circular cylindrical jacket bearing surface (AM), is held in a fixed position and is intended for pivoting an armrest body (11), to which fixed catches (46) are assigned for pivoting the armrest body (11), which has at least one double wall (18) with two wall parts (23, 24) each lying in the pivot plane, which form a receiving space (A) between their inner main surfaces (47, 33) facing each other, in which an actuating mechanism (22) leading to an operating part (19) at the front free end region of the armrest body (11) is arranged for a counter catch (45) which interacts with the catches (46), wherein the double wall (18) forms a support for the armrest (58) having an armrest part (55), characterized in that the double wall (18) for forming the receiving space (A) for the actuating mechanism (22) is composed of two separate, mutually fastened individual wall parts (23, 24), that only one individual wall part (23) is pivotally mounted on the spatially fixed pivot bearing part (16) and at the same time carries the other individual wall part (24) and that one (24) of the two individual wall parts (23, 24) carries the armrest part (55). 2. Pivotable armrest according to claim 1, characterized in that both individual wall parts (23, 24) are locked together. Peter Butz GmbH & Co. KG 3. Pivotable armrest according to claim 2, characterized in _that both individual wall parts (23, 24) are permanently locked together. 4. Pivoting armrest according to claim 3, characterized in that guide and bearing means (30, 32, 42, 59) for the actuating mechanism (22) are integrally formed on an inner main surface (33) of an individual wall part (24). 5. Pivotable armrest according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that guide and bearing means for the actuating mechanism (22) are integrally formed on the inner main surfaces (47, 33) of both individual wall parts (23, 24). 6. Pivotable armrest according to claim 4 or claim 5, characterized in that both inner wall surfaces (47, 33) complement each other to form guide and bearing means (30, 32, 42, 59) for the actuating mechanism (22). 7. Pivotable armrest according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the spatially fixed pivot bearing part (16) forms a central retaining bolt (49) and, radially spaced from the latter, a circular cylindrical outer casing bearing surface (AM) as a circular cylindrical casing bearing surface. 8. Pivotable armrest according to claim 7, characterized in that the outer single wall part (23) facing away from the holder (17) of the fixed pivot bearing part (16) has a central retaining bolt (49) which is penetrated by the latter and corresponds to the central retaining bolt (49) which represents an axial retaining means. Peter Butz GmbH & Co. KG central holding opening (52) and, corresponding to the outer casing bearing surface (AM), forms a circular cylindrical inner casing bearing surface (at 48) enclosing the latter with bearing clearance.
5 9. Pivotable armrest according to claim 7 or claim 8, characterized in that the individual wall part (24) facing the holder (17) of the spatially fixed pivot bearing part (16) forms on its inner main surface (33) the guide and bearing means (30, 32, 42, 59) for the actuating mechanism representing an actuating rod (22), which has a locking projection (45) as a counter-lock, which interacts with locking recesses (46) provided in the outer casing bearing surface (AM) of the pivot bearing part (16). 10. Pivotable armrest according to claim 9, characterized _in that the locking projection (45) is formed by an axially movable sliding pin (44) which is spring-loaded in the locking direction. 11. Pivotable armrest according to claim 10, characterized in _that the sliding pin is part of a pull rod extending from the actuating handle designed as a pull actuating handle or is coupled to the latter in a movement-unitary manner. 12. Pivotable armrest according to claim 10, characterized in that the sliding pin (44) with the interposition of a centrally mounted rocker-like rotary coupling part (40) can be actuated in the release direction via a pressure actuating rod (31) extending from the actuating handle (19). Peter Butz GmbH & Co. KG · 13. Pivotable armrest according to one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in _that the individual wall part (24) facing the holder (17) of the spatially fixed pivot bearing part (16) carries the arm support part (55) adjacent to its outer main surface (64), which is opposite the inner main surface (33) delimiting the receiving space (A) for the actuating mechanism (22). 14. Pivotable armrest according to one of claims 1 to 13, characterized by a design which is mirror-symmetrical with respect to a plane of symmetry (S) located at the central distance between two spaced-apart pivot bearing parts (16) parallel to the pivot plane, wherein the armrest part (55) bridges the mutually facing outer main surfaces (64) of two double walls (18) and wherein a retaining pin (17) for fastening the armrest (10) to the body or seat side is arranged approximately centrally between the two pivot bearing parts (16). 15. Pivotable armrest according to claim 14, characterized in _that a common actuating handle (19), pull or push actuating handle, is provided for both actuating mechanisms (22). 16. Pivotable armrest according to claim 14 or claim 15, characterized in that the armrest part (55) has a frame or box (25), the two outer walls of which are spaced parallel from one another and each have a support (17) of an associated pivot bearing part (16) adjacent single wall part (24). Peter Butz GmbH & Co. KG 17. Pivotable armrest according to claim 14 or claim 15, characterized in that the armrest part (55) forms a cushion or a receiving box (25) covered by a padded cover (13), such as for travel items, for motor vehicle accessories or for a mobile phone.