EP0210207A1

EP0210207A1 - System for protecting window panes exposed to the elements particularly on road vehicles

Info

Publication number: EP0210207A1
Application number: EP19860900782
Authority: EP
Inventors: André Dejoux; Alain Jean Morillon; Alfred André MORILLON
Original assignee: MORILLON ALFRED ANDRE
Current assignee: MORILLON ALFRED ANDRE
Priority date: 1985-01-18
Filing date: 1986-01-16
Publication date: 1987-02-04
Also published as: WO1986004305A1; FR2576255A1

Abstract

Le système de protection comporte des rideaux montés sur des rouleaux (15, 16) munis de moyens de déroulement et d'enroulement automatique permettant le déploiement depuis un béquet arrière de réduction de la trainée aérodynamique jusqu'à recouvrir la totalité de la vitre arrière, du toit, de la vitre avant et des vitres latérales. Le moyen de manoeuvre est constitué par un moto-réducteur (22) entraînant une transmission à courroie (24) coopérant avec un tube de traction sur lequel sont accrochés les rideaux, ledit tube (35) est mû par des cordons (29, 30) s'enroulant, à l'avant du véhicule, sur des poulies (31, 32), le brin de retour étant entraîné par un treuil (27, 28) calé sur l'arbre (23) du rouleau avant (15). Le rouleau arrière (16) comporte deux demi-rideaux (9, 10) glissant sur les côtés pour protéger les vitres latérales en fin de déploiement au moyen d'un système à butée coopérant avec un électroaimant correspondant, ou avec un moyen manuel permettant le réenroulement automatique.The protection system comprises curtains mounted on rollers (15, 16) provided with automatic unwinding and winding means allowing deployment from a rear spoiler to reduce the aerodynamic drag until covering the entire rear window, of the roof, the front window and the side windows. The operating means is constituted by a gear motor (22) driving a belt transmission (24) cooperating with a traction tube on which the curtains are hung, said tube (35) is moved by cords (29, 30) winding, at the front of the vehicle, on pulleys (31, 32), the return strand being driven by a winch (27, 28) wedged on the shaft (23) of the front roller (15). The rear roller (16) comprises two half-curtains (9, 10) sliding on the sides to protect the side windows at the end of deployment by means of a stop system cooperating with a corresponding electromagnet, or with manual means allowing the automatic rewinding.

Description

Window protection system against bad weather, in particular for road vehicles.

The invention relates to a window protection system, in particular for road vehicles against bad weather, snow, ice, ice, frost, rain, for vehicles which remain outside in winter and the windows of which must be cleaned in order to be able to use it. Said system also protects against the sun which normally causes a significant rise in internal temperature by making access very difficult.

A system for protecting a motor vehicle against the sun is already known. It is described in French Patent No. 2,197,745 comprising canvas curtains mounted on two rollers provided with rapid spring winding means secured to a support. fixed transversely on the vehicle roof, the attachment ends of said rollers are provided with respective fixing hooks on the projecting parts of the front and rear of the vehicle; the canvas is put in place by pulling on the free ends, unrolling them and hanging them on the bumpers and vice versa, storage is done by unhooking the canvas which is rolled up under the action of the return spring.

The disadvantages presented by this system are as follows: - protection is provided only against the sun and not against bad weather;

- the exterior appearance of the vehicle is modified by the addition of an unattractive housing;

- resistance to travel is increased as well as fuel consumption;

- significant catch in the side wind;

- lack of protection of the side windows;

- manual operation carried out in two successive operations.

The object of the system according to the invention is to overcome these various drawbacks and to increase the service provided to users.

It is characterized in that it comprises curtains made of natural or synthetic material mounted on rollers provided with a winding means and disposed inside a housing and in that said system is implemented at the interior of the rear spoiler for reducing aerodynamic drag, said curtains being operated by automatic means from the rear spoiler to the front of the vehicle by covering successively the rear window, the roof, the front window and, at the end of the course, the side windows; and in that it comprises:

- a first axis rotating in bearings integral with the spoiler and on which is wound a first central curtain, - a second axis on which are wound two 1/2 side curtains of equal width,

- two front Tax winches on which a cord for pulling said curtains is each wound,

a traction tube cooperating with fasteners each secured with a portion of axis sliding in said traction tube and guide rods integral with the chassis of the vehicle and arranged on either side of the central curtain, said tube traction comprising a means of elastic attachment of the inner end of each of the two side half-curtains allowing them to be deployed on the side windows of the vehicle,

a means for driving the axes of the curtain rollers in rotation cooperating with the means for pulling said curtains,

a means cooperating with the means for driving the axes of the rollers in rotation to return the two lateral half-curtains to the rewinding position and to effect said automatic rewinding of said curtains,

- A means cooperating with the front part of said spoiler and with the rewinding means for introducing said curtain pulling means inside said spoiler at the end of rewinding, - rods glued longitudinally on the roof of the vehicle permitting obtain an air mattress insulation between the top of the vehicle and the curtains,

- An external electrical control means of the means for placing said curtains and rewinding, said means being disposed in said spoiler.

The device according to the invention has the following advantages:

- protection against bad weather, snow, rain, ice, ice, frost ^> and sun,

- discreet, the device does not modify the exterior appearance of the vehicle and therefore does not offer relative wind resistance because it is hidden in the aerodynamic drag reduction spoiler,

- allows clear windows during winter by offering normal visibility for driving, which is not the case when you have to scrape the windows to remove the ice which is reformed almost immediately before the vehicle has time to warm up,

- self-cleaning, the system scrapes the fabric before winding,

- automatic installation and storage of curtains from outside the vehicle, - protection of the side windows,

- time and nervousness savings due to the absence of cleaning and automatic operation,

- possibility of protecting only the roof and one or the other of the sides, leaving the side free in the shade, - interior comfort even when the vehicle is entirely in the sun.

The invention is described in detail in the following text with reference to the appended schematic drawings given by way of nonlimiting example illustrating an embodiment of the invention and in which:

- Fig.1 shows the entire device according to the invention in place on a car folded in the rear spoiler;

- fig.2 shows the protective assembly in place on the roof and the side windows,

- Fig.3 and 4 show the arrangement of the side fabrics relative to the roof protection fabric; - Fig.5 shows, in section, the location of the device inside the aerodynamic drag reduction spoiler,

- Fig.6 shows, in top view, the curtain operating device;

- Fig.7 shows, in section, a guide strip for the curtain traction wires;

- Fig.8,9,10,1rmonthre an example of hanging curtains on a traction tube and the attachment of the tube on the traction cords;

- Figs. 13 and 14 show an example of a command to install the side curtains.

Fig.1 shows the system in place in the spoiler 1 attached to the rear of a car, we also showed the rods 2,3 for guiding the traction cords as well as the housings 4,5 of the return pulley traction cords of the protective curtains and bars 6 forming an air mattress between the curtains and the roof of the vehicle. Figs. 2 and 3 show the protection system deployed. It comprises an upper fabric 7 covering the rear window 8, the top of the the car and the front window and the two half-curtains 9,10 apart to cover the side windows. The means of implementation will be described later.

In fig.4 we showed the method of covering the upper fabric 7 by the side half-curtains 9,10; the arrows 11,12 show the direction of the lateral sliding of the curtains on the front of the vehicle. We also see the traction tube 13.

In Figs. 5 and 6 we have shown the spoiler 1 in section with the winding device comprising a roller 15 deploying on the top of the vehicle roof and a roller 16 located behind the first roller and comprising two half-curtains 9.10 deploying laterally. The curtains are wound on axes 21, 23 rotating in bearings 19, 20. The rear tail end 21 is coupled to a gear motor

22 ensuring the automatic operation of the curtains controlled from an electric keyboard fixed on the dashboard and an electric contactor controlled by a key arranged on the rear spoiler 1. The axis

23 is rotated from the axis 21 by a toothed belt transmission 24 cooperating with toothed pulleys 25, 26 secured to the axes 21, 23. The shaft 23 is provided, at each of its ends, with a winch drum 27, 28 on which are respectively wound pull cords 29, 30 of the curtains, they each pass over a grooved pulley 31, 32 located at the front of the rods 2,3 for guiding said cords inside a box 4,5 fig. 1 and each return to an attachment tab 33,34 secured to the traction tube 35 and from the front curtains by means of lugs 36,37 crimped on the exté¬ laughing ends of the curtains 7 and 9,10 the details of which are shown in fig.7,8, 9,10.

In fig.7 there is shown a rod 2,3 for guiding the pull cords 29.30, there is shown a return strand 38 of the cord 29.30, and a possible cord 39 ensuring the unlocking of the mechanism allowing the sliding lateral of the curtain 9,10 in the case of manual operation only. This cord, passed through a ring of the traction tube, is not used in the event of automatic operation of the curtains. Said rod 2,3 is open on one side at 40 to let pass a tab 33,34 for attaching the traction cord by tightening elastically on the latter to ensure the seal between tab and rod; said rod can be made of extruded plastic. The legs 33, 34 are each integral with a rod 41 sliding in the corresponding end of said traction tube 35 ensuring the width connection variable between the legs 33, 34 so as to compensate for the differences in width between the front and the rear of the vehicle on which the guide bars are fixed. Said strips can be riveted or glued on the sides of the roof of the vehicle, On I HJ.'J, K), 11, 1. ' and 1 on .. shown an example of a maneuvering means allowing the sliding of the half-curtains on the side windows. It comprises, on the outside of each half-curtain (fig. 13) in the event of manual operation, near the end of the unwinding, a stop 45 set on said curtains cooperating with a lever 46 articulated at 47 on the stopping frame said stop however that the half-curtains continue to be pulled by the winch, which has the effect of causing the lateral sliding of said half-curtains retained outside by their respective stop. The lever 47 is kept at rest in the stop position of the stop 45 by means of a return spring 48. Before the curtains are rewound, it is necessary to bring the half-ri¬ deaux up on the roof of the vehicle above the central curtain 7. To perform this manual operation, a third cord 39 fig.7 has been provided, moving in the guide rods 2,3. These cords can be hung, at the front of the car, on one or two rings making it possible to manually pull on the branch 49 of the lever by the cord 39 to retract it and release the stop which has the effect, in cooperation with ribbons of elastic material placed at the front and rear of the half-curtains, to bring them up in the rewinding position. This maneuver can be made automatic by replacing the lever and its manual control with 2 electromagnets acting directly on the stop 45 of each of the half-curtains, said electromagnets normally being in the stop position.

For the rewinding of the curtains, an electric rotation reverser of the control gear motor 22 is acted on. To introduce the curtain pulling tube 35 under the spoiler fig. 5, there is provided, on each side of it boss 50 of small width which has the object of forcing the front of the spoiler to be lifted to let said tube 35 pass. The bosses 50 also have a groove in the lower part through which the corresponding rod 2,3 passes so as to avoid that the guide tabs 33, 34 and of the curtains do not emerge from their groove 40. The front part 51 of the spoiler, in contact with the curtains, is provided at a bevel to give it a self-cleaning function by scraping the curtains in cooperation with a spring acting to support said bevel on the curtains. _ _

On the rear 52 of the spoiler, openings 53 are provided for the evacuation of the water or of the melting of the snow scraped by the bevel.

To allow the lateral sliding of the curtains 9,10 ensuring the protection of the side panes, it is necessary that the internal ends 55,56 (fig. 9) of the 1/2 curtains can move away from the traction tube 35 to compensate the displacement to which their internal edge 57,58 (fig.10) is subjected. At the rear, this movement is permitted thanks to the stops 45 cooperating with the continuation of the unwinding of the 1/2 curtains allowing the inclination of the internal edges 57, 58. At the front the 1/2 curtains 9,10, as we have seen in fig.8, are hooked by their outer end to the legs 33,34 on the tube 35 by means of the rods 41 sliding freely in the ends of said tube 35. The internal end 55.56 of said 1/2 curtains is hooked to the points 59.60 by cords 61.62 entering the central part of the tube 35 passing over grooved pulleys 63.64 and 65.66; the free end of said cords 61, 62 is hooked to a tension spring 67 shown in the extended position, the 1/2 curtains being in place (FIG. 9). When you want to fold the curtains, we introduce an ignition key in a contact lock arranged for example on the rear spoiler, it powers the electromagnets which instantly release the stops 45 of the 1/2 curtains, which has for effect of relaxing their outer edge 68,69 which then resume their position on the top of the roof under the combined action of the spring 67 and the elastic bands 70,71 - 72,73 - 74,75 each hung on the one hand in the neighborhood from the lower outer edge 68.69 of one of the curtains and to the inner edge 57.58 of the opposite 1/2 curtain, however the direction of rotation of the gear motor has been reversed by means of an electric inverter (not described because well known to those skilled in the art) and that the automatic winding of the curtains takes place until the introduction of the tube 35 inside the spoiler.

Fig.11 and 12 show, in sectional views of the tube 35, an embodiment of such a plastic tube molded in two parts 79.80 whose section is elliptical to allow the passage of the spring 67 along grooved pulleys 63,64 rotating on a metal axis 76 fitted into bosses 77,78 of the 1/2 parts 78,79 of the tube 35.

The pulleys 65,66 are arranged in the vertical central axis of the said tube mounted like the pulleys 63,64. The pulleys, the spring 67 and the cor¬ donations 61.62 are put in place before mounting the 1/2 parts 79.80.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1 - System for protection against bad weather and the sun, in particular of the windows of road vehicles, comprising curtains of natural or synthetic material mounted on rollers provided with a winding means and arranged inside a housing, characterized in that said system is mounted inside the rear spoiler for reducing aerodynamic drag, said curtains being operated by automatic means from the rear spoiler to the front of the vehicle successively covering the rear window, the roof , the front window and, at the end of the course, the side windows, and in that it comprises:

- a first axis (23) rotating in bearings (19,20), on which is wound a first central curtain (7),

- a second axis (21) on which are wound two side half-curtains (9,10) of equal width, - two winches (27,28) integral with the front tax (23) on which are wound each of the traction cords (29 , 30) of said curtains,

- A traction tube (35) cooperating with fasteners (36,37) each secured to a portion of rod (41) sliding in said tube (35) and guide rods (2,3) secured to the "chassis of the vehicle arranged on either side of the central curtain (7), said tube comprising a means of elastic attachment of the interior end of each of the two lateral half-curtains allowing them to be deployed on the side windows,

a means for driving the axes of the curtain rollers in rotation cooperating with the means for pulling said curtains

a means cooperating with the means for driving the axes of the rollers in rotation in order to bring the lateral half-curtains back to the reen¬ rolling position and to rewind them automatically,

a means cooperating with the front part of said spoiler and with the rewinding means for introducing the tube (35) inside said spoiler at the end of rewinding,

- strips (6) glued longitudinally on the roof of the vehicle,

- An external electrical control means of the means for positioning said curtains and rewinding, said control means being placed on said spoiler. 2 - System according to 1, characterized in that the means of simultaneous pulling of the curtains comprises an electric geared motor (22) wedged on Tax (22,23) of one of the rollers which returns the rotational movement on the second axis by a transmission means (20), and in that the traction is carried out on said tube (35) by two cords (29,30) arranged on each side of the vehicle and made integral with the tube (35) each by an assembly part (33,34) engaged and guided in a corresponding rod (2,3) fixed on the upper side of the vehicle, said cord winding on a grooved pulley (31,32) rotating in a casing (4,5) fixed to the front end of each of the corresponding rods (2,3) and returning towards the rear on a winch drum (27,28) mounted wedged on each of the two ends of front Tax (23) of the roller (15), said electric gear motor is equipped with a direction of rotation reverser to ensure the rewinding of the r ideals. 3 - System according to 1, characterized in that the means for sliding the curtains (9,10) on the side windows at the end of deployment have two stops (45) fixed on the outside of each of the half-curtains (9 , 10) in the vicinity of the end of the unwinding, said stops each cooperating with an electromagnet normally arranged to stop said stop in passing however the winch (27,28) continues to pull on the traction cords, and in this that said traction tube (35) is produced in two molded parts (79,80) and assembled by forming an elliptical section, said tube comprises bosses (77,78) for receiving grooved pulleys (63,64- 65,66) which respectively receive a cord (61,62) hooked on one side to a tension spring (67) and on the other at the internal end (59,60) of the half-curtains (9,10 ), and in that said curtains comprise an elastic return means in the rewinding position (70,71-72,73-7 4.75). 4 - System according to 1, characterized in that the manual means for sliding the half-curtains laterally

(9,10) is constituted by a lever (46) cooperating with the stop (45) of each of the half-curtains and with a cord (39) for releasing said stop acting on said lever (46) via '' a pulling ring placed at the outlet of the rods (2,3). 5 - System according to 1 and 2, characterized in that the rear spoiler is provided with bosses (50) cooperating with the traction tube (35) to soule¬ ver its front part (51) allowing said tube to penetrate under cover under said spoiler. 6 - System according to 1, characterized in that the front part (51) of said spoiler is provided in a bevel to give it a self-cleaning function of said protective curtains.

7 - System according to 1,2 and 3, characterized in that said rods (2,3) for guiding the cords (29,30) and their return strand (38) towards the winch (27,28) are provided with 'One side of an opening (40) for guiding the tabs (33,34) for pulling the curtains (7,9,10), and in that, for the manual operation of the stops (45), a passage space is provided for the cord (39).