FR2923780A1 - COMPUTER TERMINAL FOR VEHICLE - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a portable computer terminal comprising a housing comprising a body (1) provided with fixing means (3) on the back of a vehicle seat, and a cover (2) hinged hinged relative to said body (1) around an axis (XX ') situated opposite said fastening means (3), said cover (2) being provided with means for fixing at least part of a computer. In a variant of the invention, a laptop (11) is fixed on the cover (2) of the body (1) of the terminal. The computer terminal may comprise two screens, including a screen integral with the cover and whose active face is turned towards the outside of said terminal.

Description

The present invention relates to a portable computer terminal for installation in a vehicle. "Vehicle" means any means of passenger transport in which passengers are seated one behind the other on seats with a backrest.

It applies in particular, but not exclusively, to a laptop computer attached to the front seat of a motor vehicle, for example a taxi, and intended for passengers seated at the rear.

The passenger of a vehicle, including a taxi, tends to remain more and more active during his journey, for example by using his mobile phone, watching a movie on a mini-CD-ROM drive. However the screens size of these drives is very small and does not deliver a quality image. Moreover they are of course devoid of means of calculation. If he wants to work on a computer document during his trip, the passenger must have taken 25 with him a laptop, which is cumbersome and is a source of problems (risk of loss, forgetfulness, theft ...) , while he can have his documents stored on a storage medium bulky and lightweight such as a USB key. The passenger may also want to book a hotel room or inquire about shows by surfing the internet or check his messages 30 during his trip. Some mobile phones offer this function thanks to a link 3G + type, but here too the screens are very small and the information is degraded.

It is therefore advantageous to have self-service whenever possible, especially during taxi transport, a computer with a basic software suite, computing power, a screen of sufficient size and 'an Internet connection.

To this end, the invention proposes a portable computer terminal comprising a housing comprising a body provided with fastening means on the back of a vehicle seat, and a hinged lid hinged relative to said body about an axis located at the rear of the vehicle. opposite said fixing means, said cover being provided with means for fixing at least part of a computer.

The computer terminal according to the invention is in the form of a flat parallelepipedal box, similar to a case fastener, for example of light metal, provided with fastening means on the backrest of a motor vehicle seat so as to be able to be used by the passenger behind the seat. The terminal can be fixed on the structure of a seat, but it can advantageously catch on the fixing rods of the headrest of the seat, for example with portions of tubes of a diameter slightly greater than that stems and in which the stems will slip. Since the spacing of the seat head support fixing rods is not standardized, the spacing of the fastening means may advantageously be adjustable to accommodate the spacing of the stems of the headrest.

The computer terminal according to the invention can be provided with a handle to be easily transportable because it is not possible to leave permanently such equipment in a vehicle.

To further facilitate transport and storage of the terminal outside the vehicle, the fixing means may advantageously be removable and preferably be stored inside the housing, or left on the seat back.

The housing includes a lid that can tilt toward the passenger by pivoting about a horizontal axis located in the lower portion of the housing when the terminal is in the use position. This lid may comprise means for fixing a computer part, for example a keyboard and a touchpad, and may include slides, on which slides the keyboard to allow the user to bring it closer. from him, a tablet to allow him to take notes.

In a first variant of the invention, the laptop is broken down into several elements: • a keyboard and a touchpad, fixed on the slideways of the cover, • a screen, fixed on the housing as will be described later, • a central unit comprising in particular a hard disk and a disk drive placed under a seat so as to minimize the cable lengths.

The advantage of this variant is that the terminal is flatter and lighter than if it had a complete computer.

The invention proposes several variants for the layout of the screen, knowing that it must be adjustable for good visibility by the passenger in all circumstances. Thus, the terminal being in place, it is, in a first option, fixed by its high side and articulated along a horizontal axis located in the top and bottom of the housing; it retracts into the bottom of the case when the lid is closed.

In a second variant, the screen is hinged by its low side along a horizontal axis located at the top and the edge of the housing; it unfolds by pivoting at an angle greater than 180 °.

In a third variant, the screen is hinged by its low side along a horizontal axis on a deformable intermediate structure itself articulated in the bottom of the housing along a horizontal axis; it unfolds by pivoting at an angle greater than 180 °. To allow a height adjustment of the screen, the intermediate structure may comprise for example at least one sliding arm. The screen and the intermediate structure retract into the bottom of the case when the lid is closed.

In another variant, it is a complete laptop which is fixed on the slide of the cover, with its folding screen on the keyboard. The articulations and the sliding of the parts of the terminal on each other are of course slowed so that the keyboard and the screen remain in place once they have been positioned by the user.

20 Furthermore, a consideration to be taken into account in the installation of the computer terminal is that of safety: even if the passenger is required to wear his seat belt, it is essential that the housing does not risk injuring him in case of frontal impact, especially when the tablet is open. For this purpose the invention proposes two variants for the tablet to be erased 25 under the effect of an impact.

For example, the tablet can be held in the closed position or in the open position by means of a bistable mechanism comprising for example: a return means, for example a tension spring, having a first attachment point on the body and a second point of attachment on the tablet, 15 • a groove on the body, in which the hinge axis integral with the tablet can move, • the hinge pin being maintained at the foremost end of the groove, for example by a mechanism of the latching type, the rearmost end of the groove being located under the first point of attachment.

In normal use, the shelf is biased by the spring either in the closed position or in the open position around an unstable dead center, and the hinge pin is blocked in the upper end of the groove provided on the housing. Under the effect of a frontal impact, the axis is unlocked, moves along the throat to be positioned in the lower end of the groove. In this position, the spring recalls the shelf upwards, thus moving it away from the passenger. In this variant, the groove may be rectilinear or curved, the important thing being that in the use position, one of the ends of the groove is located above the point of attachment of the spring and the second below.

In another embodiment, the hinge axis is fixed relative to the housing and can flow in a rectilinear groove provided in the tablet. In normal use, the hinge pin is blocked at one end of the groove, for example by a mechanism of the latching type. Under the effect of a frontal impact, the axis is released, the throat slides on the axis and the tablet moves forward, penetrating the slack of the seat to which it is attached.

Advantageously, the cover of the terminal may comprise a second screen, fixed with respect to the cover, whose active face is turned towards the outside of the terminal, this second screen being off when the lid is open and in function when the lid is closed, thanks for example to a switch controlled by the position of the lid. This screen allows the passenger to watch a program with the lid in the closed position without being bothered by the lid. This makes it possible to envisage two modes of operation of the terminal: a mode for example free for the user, in which the lid is in the closed position, only the second screen being visible, and the user user only has access to certain functions of the terminal, for example the diffusion of information, the telephone directory ... or by means of buttons arranged on the terminal box, or because the second screen is a touch screen, a mode for example paying for the user, in which the lid is in the open position and where the user user has access to other features of said terminal, through the keyboard, the touchpad ...

However, a flat screen is relatively fragile. It can be protected by a protective means such as a plastic film or a plexiglass sheet, which can be fixed, removable, or integral with the lid and foldable, for example a flexible curtain whose edges slide in gutters located at close to two edges of the screen and which wraps with a return mechanism located inside the cover,

In addition, the terminal is designed to have no sharp edges or sharp corners.

An embodiment and variants will be described below, by way of non-limiting examples, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a variant of the computer terminal; FIGS. 2A and 2B diagrammatically illustrate two other possibilities of layout of the computer terminal screen; FIG. 3 is a perspective view of another variant of the computer terminal; 4 is a perspective view of another variant of the computer terminal; FIGS. 5A to 5E schematically illustrate two mechanisms for improving the security of the terminal user; FIG. 6 is a perspective view of FIG. another variant of the computer terminal, comprising a second screen.

The terminal shown in Figure 1 is in the form of a housing having a body 1 and a lid 2, foldable along a horizontal axis XX 'located in the lower part of the body 1 when in the position of use. The body 1 is provided with fastening means 3 on the back of a car seat, for example portions of tubes 4a and 4b intended to be threaded onto head support rods (not shown), but of other means are imaginable, such as arches resting on the top of the seat. Advantageously, these fixing means are easily detachable from the body 1, and can either be stored inside the body 1 or be left hanging from the seat.

The lid 2 comprises a computer part, in this case a keyboard 5 and a touchpad 6. A tablet 7 can be slidably mounted under the keyboard 5 by sliding along slides 8. The screen 9 is pivotally mounted on the along a horizontal axis ZZ 'on an intermediate structure 10, itself pivotally mounted along a horizontal axis YY' located inside the body 1. In the storage position, the screen 9 and the structure 10 are folded inside the body 1, the screen 9 is arranged upside down and facing the bottom of the housing 1. After opening the cover 2, the deployment of the screen is carried out in two stages : 30 - tilting of the structure 10 forward by an angle α of the order of 20 ° to 30 °, - pivoting of the screen 9 at an angle 13 greater than 180 °.

The user can therefore adjust the position of his screen for optimum vision by playing on the angles a and 13. Advantageously, the structure 10 may itself be deformable, for example include at least one telescopic arm, so as to provide additional adjustment possibilities for the user.

FIGS. 2A and 2B schematically illustrate two other options for the disposition of the screen 9: in FIG. 2A, the screen 9 is pivotally mounted about an axis ZZ 'integral with the body 1 situated in the upper part of said body and according to the top side of the screen when they are in the use position; the user adjusts the inclination of the screen at an angle α, in FIG. 2B, the screen 9 is also pivotally mounted about an axis ZZ 'situated in the upper part of the body 1 but according to its low side when these are in use position; the user adjusts the inclination of the screen at an angle greater than 180 °. The screen is retracted into the housing head down and facing towards the bottom 20 of the housing 1.

As illustrated in Figure 3, it is the cover 2 itself which can be advantageously slidably mounted on slides 8 so as to bring the keyboard 5 and the touchpad 6 of the user. In the variants of FIGS. 1, 2A, 2B and 3, certain parts of the computer, for example the central unit, the CD-ROM and DVD reader, are distant from the terminal, for example placed under the front seat of the computer. vehicle. In the variant illustrated in FIG. 4, a standard laptop computer 11 is attached to the cover 2 of the housing 1. This computer comprises a cabinet 11a, a keyboard 5, a touchpad 6 and a folding screen 9. The lid 2 can be mounted on slides 8.

FIGS. 5A to 5E schematically illustrate the variants proposed for the cover to be erased under the effect of a force, for example when the passenger is thrown forward as a result of a frontal impact. In FIG. 5A, the cover 2 is held in the closed position by means of a spring 11 having an attachment point 12 on the body 1, an attachment point 13 on the cover 2. A groove 14 is provided on the body 1 of the computer terminal. The lid is hinged along an axis XX 'integral with the lid 2 and located at the upper end 14a the groove 14. The axis XX' is held in this position by a mechanism of the latching type. Figure 5B illustrates the lid 2 in the open position. This time the spring 11 brings the cover down. Under the effect of a shock, a force F is applied to the cover 2. In FIG. 5C, it can be seen that under the effect of this force, the hinge axis XX 'of the cover has passed from the end high 14a at the lower end 14b of the groove 14 and that the spring 11 now brings the lid 2 upwards, thus removing the passenger. Figures 5D and 5E schematically showing another variant. In FIG. 5D, the articulation axis XX 'is integral with the body 1 of the terminal. The lid 2 comprises on its flanks a groove 15 and the axis XX 'is held at one end 15a of this groove 15 by a mechanism of the latching type.

Under the effect of a force F, the axis XX 'is released from this position, the groove 15 slides along the axis XX' which is placed at the other end 15b of the groove 15. The lid it thus disappears in front of the passenger by sliding forward, its progression being damped by the back of the seat 16 to which it is attached. In the variant shown in Figure 6, the lid 2 has an additional screen 9a on its outer face, visible when the lid 2 is in the closed position. A protection means may be associated with the screen 9a, for example a folding curtain 16, shown in a partially deployed position, the edges of which slide in two parallel channels 16a and 16b.

Claims (21)

claims A portable computer terminal comprising a housing comprising a body (1) provided with fixing means (3) on the back of a vehicle seat, and a hinged lid (2) articulated with respect to said body (1) around an axis () O ') located opposite said fixing means (3), said cover (2) being provided with means for fixing at least part of a computer. 2. Portable computer terminal according to claim 1, characterized in that said cover (2) comprises a shelf (7) slidably mounted on at least one slide (8) oriented perpendicular to said axis of articulation. 3. Portable computer terminal according to claim 1, characterized in that said cover (2) is slidably mounted on at least one slide (8) oriented perpendicular to said axis of articulation. 4. Portable computer terminal according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said fixing means (3) are designed to allow said terminal to be fixed to the seat structure. 5. Portable computer terminal according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said fixing means (3) comprise portions of tubes (4a, 4b) in which the support rods of the support headrest. 6. Portable computer terminal according to claim 5, characterized in that said fixing means (3) are adjustable in spacing so as to adapt to the spacing of said rods. 10- 12 - 7. Portable computer terminal according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said fixing means (3) are themselves 5 separable from the body (1) of the terminal. 8. Portable computer terminal according to claim 7, characterized in that said removable fixing means (3) can be stored in said body (1) of the computer terminal. 9. Portable computer terminal according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said portable computer part attached to said cover (2) comprises a keyboard (5) and a touchpad (6). 15 10. Portable computer terminal according to claim 9, characterized in that it further comprises a screen (9) articulated relative to said body along a parallel axis (ZZ ') and located opposite the axis of articulation (XX ') of said folding lid (2). 20 11. Portable computer terminal according to claim 9, characterized in that it further comprises a screen (9) mounted articulated on an intermediate structure (10), itself pivotally mounted on said body (1) along an axis (YY ') parallel to the axis of articulation (XX') of said cover (2) and 25 opposite said fixing means (3). 12. Portable computer terminal according to claim 11, characterized in that said intermediate structure (10) comprises at least one slidably mounted arm, so as to allow adjustment of the screen (9) in height. 13. - 13. portable computer terminal according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a central unit and a hard disk are placed under a seat of the vehicle. 14. Portable computer terminal according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that on said lid (2) is fixed a laptop (11) comprising a central unit and a hard disk in a box (11a), 10 surmounted a keyboard (5) and a touchpad (6), and an articulated screen (9) foldable on said box (It). 15. Portable computer terminal according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is supplied with electricity by the vehicle battery. 16. Portable computer terminal according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that: • said hinge axis () O ') of the lid (2) is integral with the lid and is movable relative to the body (1) guided in a groove (14) located on said body (1), and is held by end-of-stroke holding means at one end (14a) of said groove, said holding means being adapted to yield under the effect of a force, • the body (1) and the cover (2) are held by a return means (R) having a first point of attachment (12) on the body and a second attachment point (13) on the cover (2), • the second end (14b) of said groove is located under said first point of attachment (12) when the body (1) is in position use.- 14 - 17. A portable computer terminal according to any one of claims 1 to 15, characterized in that: • said hinge axis () (X ') of the lid (2) is fixed relative to the body (1), guided by a groove (15) located on said shelf (2), and it is held by end-of-travel holding means at one of the ends (15a) of said groove, these holding means being designed to yield under the effect of a force. 18. Portable computer terminal according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the cover (2) comprises a second fixed screen (9a) whose active face is turned towards the outside of said terminal. 19. A portable computer terminal according to claim 18, characterized in that it comprises two modes of operation: a free mode for the user in which the lid (2) is closed, only said second screen (9a) being visible, and said user has access to certain functionalities of the terminal, a paying mode for the user in which the cover (2) is open and said user has access to other functionalities of said terminal. 20. Portable computer terminal according to claim 18 or 19, characterized in that said second screen (9a) is a touch screen. 21. Portable computer terminal according to claim 18, 19 or 20, characterized in that the active face of said second screen (9a) is protected by a fixed protective means, removable or secured to the lid (2) and foldable (16).