FR3075128A1 - DEVICE FOR REMOVABLE PROTECTION OF A PART OF A VEHICLE'S COCKPIT - Google Patents

Abstract

 The invention relates to a removable protection device for part of a passenger compartment of a vehicle, comprising a base extended by three hinged flaps, and a fourth flap hinged with respect to the base.  When the protection device is installed on said bottom, the protection device is articulated between two main states:  - an unfolded state making it possible to cover part of the interior and / or the exterior of the passenger compartment; and  - a folded state forming a second flat bottom, raised relative to the bottom of the passenger compartment.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The field of the invention is that of automotive equipment.

More specifically, the invention relates to a removable protection device for part of the passenger compartment, and in particular the trunk, of a vehicle.

The invention finds particular applications in a private car comprising three or five doors, used to transport a load likely to leave debris inside the vehicle, or even to damage a coating of the passenger compartment.

STATE OF THE ART

It is known from the prior art for removable protection devices for the passenger compartment.

The Applicant has in particular developed such a device, described for example in the French patent published under the number FR 3 015 388. This removable protection device is in the form of a rectangular container which can be folded up in order to form a tidy square in the corner of the trunk of a car.

A disadvantage of this device is that it is not suitable for a complex shape of a trunk comprising, for example, hatches or hooks.

Another disadvantage of this device is that it takes up space in the trunk when it is not in use.

It is also known from the prior art of removable protection devices which are deployed around a rectangular storage bin, but these devices also have the disadvantage of not being adapted to a complex shape of the trunk.

OBJECTIVES OF THE INVENTION

The present invention aims to remedy all or part of the drawbacks of the state of the art cited above.

One of the main objectives of the invention is to propose a protection technique which can be adapted to the complex shape of a part of the passenger compartment of a vehicle and in particular of the boot.

Another main objective of the invention is to propose a technique which can protect different parts of the passenger compartment, by adapting to the different configurations of the passenger compartment.

Another important objective of the invention is to propose a technique which can easily be implemented by an individual.

Finally, another important objective of the invention is to propose a technique which is robust.

STATEMENT OF THE INVENTION

These objectives, as well as others which will appear subsequently, are achieved with the aid of a removable protection device for part of a passenger compartment of a vehicle, said part comprising a bottom surrounded on at least four sides. through :

- two substantially parallel fixed side walls,

a third wall substantially perpendicular to the side walls, and

- a threshold for opening the passenger compartment, known as the trunk threshold,

The protective device is in particular intended to be installed in the boot of a vehicle which comprises three or five doors, the boot generally opening by a tailgate or by at least one door, and generally makes it possible to protect all or part of the vehicle trunk.

Around the bottom of the part of the passenger compartment which generally corresponds to the bottom of the boot, the two fixed side walls correspond to the interior trim of the bodywork. For the sake of clarity of description, the bottom of the part of the passenger compartment will hereinafter be called the bottom of the boot, without any particular restriction on a boot.

The shape of the side walls is in particular dictated by mechanical constraints, such as the passage of the wheels, and by interior design choices, such as the presence of open or closed storage by a hatch. The side walls are spaced a distance corresponding substantially to the width of the trunk.

The bottom is also delimited in depth on one side by the opening of the passenger compartment for example by means of a tailgate and on the other side by the third wall which generally corresponds to the back of the back of a bench seat rear installed in the passenger compartment.

According to the invention, the protection device comprises:

- A base intended to be placed on said bottom, the outline of the base comprising at least four edges;

- Two side flaps extending the base on an edge respectively opposite and each comprising means for holding a side wall, each of said flaps pivoting around a common edge between said flap and the base in order to cover all or part of each of the walls lateral;

a third flap extending the base on a third edge and comprising at least one fold and means for holding the third wall, the third flap pivoting around a common edge between the third flap and the base in order to cover all or part from the third wall;

a fourth flap pivoting with respect to the base about an axis parallel to the third edge of the base and comprising at least one fold, the fourth flap being intended to protect all or part of the trunk threshold and to extend to the exterior of the vehicle interior.

Also according to the invention, when the protection device is installed on the bottom, the protection device is articulated between two main states:

- an unfolded state to cover part of the interior and / or exterior of the passenger compartment; and

- a folded state forming a second flat bottom, raised relative to the bottom of the passenger compartment.

Thus, in the unfolded state, the protection device protects part of the interior and / or exterior of the passenger compartment from a load liable to damage or soil the interior and / or the exterior. of the passenger compartment.

Once folded, the protective device does not take up much space by forming a new flat bottom raised by the thickness of the protective device relative to the bottom of the trunk.

The protective device is generally made by several layers of flexible material such as a synthetic fabric and can be reinforced in whole or in part by one or more reinforcing plates inserted between two layers of fabrics. Each plate can correspond to all or part of an articulated flap.

As a variant, the protection device is produced by a layer of flexible material such as a synthetic fabric.

The fastening means may comprise adhesive gripping strips, such as for example “scratch” strips (registered trademark), which can be fixed to a fabric covering part of the wall or to a strip fixed to a wall.

In preferred embodiments of the invention, the contour of the base is adjusted to the contour of the bottom of the part of the passenger compartment.

Thus, the protective device covers the entire bottom of the trunk which is rarely rectangular in shape. Indeed, the contour of the bottom of the trunk is dictated by the constraints of the body, such as the presence of a housing for the rear lights of the vehicle or the curvilinear shape of the shield.

In particular embodiments of the invention, the second bottom formed by the folded state of the protection device is formed by the superposition of several layers formed by the base and the four folded flaps, the third flap being positioned as an upper layer .

In other words, the second bottom is formed by the third flap superimposed on the other flaps previously folded inside the protection device.

Thus, the two side flaps and the fourth flap are folded before the third flap.

Advantageously, the outline of the third component is identical to the outline of the base.

As a variant, the third flap is able to be folded back on itself in order to obtain an upper layer whose contour is identical to the contour of the base.

Thus, the protection device offers, in the folded state, a new flat bottom identical to the bottom of the passenger compartment. The dimensions of the contour of the new bottom are therefore equal to the dimensions of the contour of the bottom of the passenger compartment with a tolerance margin of the order of a centimeter.

In preferred embodiments of the invention, the thickness of the protection device in the folded state is less than five centimeters, preferably three centimeters.

The thickness of the protective device corresponds in particular to the sum of the thickness of each folded shutter and the base. It should be noted that each flap can be folded one or more times to fit inside the outline of the base.

In particular embodiments of the invention, the base also comprises a fold substantially perpendicular to the side walls, the fold repeating on the four flaps of the protection device.

Thus, it is possible to fold the protection device in the folded state in order to access a storage located below the base, in the bottom of the trunk.

In particular embodiments of the invention, the repetition of the folding of the base is consistent with a folding of the third component and / or with a folding of the fourth component.

Thus, the third component and / or the fourth advantageously comprises a minimum of folding. The third component and / or the fourth component can thus be more robust and less articulated.

In particular embodiments of the invention, the third component comprises at least one flap articulated parallel to an edge.

Thus, a side of the bench can be protected. The flap can also be called a skirt.

In particular embodiments of the invention, the third component can be split.

Thus, the protection device can protect several configurations of the passenger compartment, in particular when the bench seat can be split, for example 1 / 3-2 / 3, and when part of the bench seat is folded down in order to be able to load elements having a length greater than the depth of the trunk.

In particular embodiments of the invention, the axis around which the fourth flap pivots is at a predetermined distance from the fourth edge.

Thus, the fourth edge of the outline of the base can be of any shape, adapting to the interior shape of the passenger compartment, in particular dictated by the shape of a shield formed at the rear of the vehicle.

According to a second aspect, the invention also relates to a method of folding the protective device, in which the third flap is the last to be folded down.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Other advantages, aims and particular characteristics of the present invention will emerge from the non-limiting description which follows of at least one particular embodiment of the devices and methods which are the subject of the present invention, with reference to the appended drawings, in which:

- Figure 1 shows a protection device according to the invention;

- Figure 1a shows a trunk of a passenger compartment of a vehicle in which the protection device of Figure 1 is installed;

- Figure 2 shows a side view of part of the passenger compartment illustrated in Figure 1a, in which the protection device of Figure 1 is installed and part of a seat is folded;

- Figure 3 illustrates the unfolded state of the protection device of Figure 1 installed in the trunk illustrated in Figure 1a;

- Figure 4 illustrates the folded state of the protection device of Figure 1 installed in the trunk illustrated in Figure 1a.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

This description is given without limitation, each characteristic of an embodiment can be combined with any other characteristic of any other embodiment in an advantageous manner.

We note, as of now, that the figures are not to scale.

Example of a particular embodiment of the invention

FIG. 1 represents a protection device 100 according to the invention intended to be installed in a part of a passenger compartment 110 of a vehicle 120 illustrated in FIG. 1a, in particular in a boot 130 of the vehicle. The trunk 130 comprises a bottom 135 delimited in particular by two side walls 140, a third wall 145 corresponding to the back of a bench seat installed at the rear of the passenger compartment 110, and a threshold 147 of an opening of the passenger compartment, subsequently called the trunk threshold.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the protection device 100 comprises a rigid base 150, extended by three components:

- Two rigid side flaps 155, intended to protect the side walls 140; and

a third, rigid flap 160, intended to protect at least the third wall 145.

The protection device 100 also includes a fourth flap 165 intended to protect at least the threshold 147 of the trunk.

The four flaps 155, 160, 165 are articulated around the base 150. It should be emphasized that the articulation of the lateral flaps 155 and the third flap 160 is effected by pivoting around an axis formed by a common edge between said flap and base 150. As for the fourth flap 165, it pivots around an axis which may be common with an edge of base 150 or, as in the present nonlimiting example of the invention, around an axis 156 included in a predetermined distance from an edge of the base 150, inside the contour of the base 150. The fourth flap 165 comprises two folds 166 delimiting three bands 167, parallel to the joint. Among the three strips 167, at least the central strip 167 _A , intended to cover the threshold 147, is rigid.

The base 150 is intended to be placed on the bottom 135 in order to cover the bottom 135 advantageously over the vast majority of its surface, or even over the whole of its surface. To this end, the contour of the base 150 can advantageously be adjusted to the contour of the bottom 135, the adjustment being carried out with a tolerance of the order of a centimeter, preferably of the order of a few millimeters.

It should be emphasized that the contour of the bottom 135 comprises, in the present nonlimiting example of the invention, a curved edge 136 in the curved shape of the threshold 147 of the trunk. This shape is dictated by the design of the vehicle 120, in particular the rear bumper. The articulation of the fourth flap 165 is thus advantageously carried out around an axis distant from the edge in order to allow better coverage of the bottom 135.

In order to be held in place in the trunk 130, the side flaps 155 each comprise means for retaining a wall 140, which may for example include a gripping adhesive strip 157, of the “Scratch” type (registered trademark), fixed on a of the faces of each lateral flap 155, in particular on the opposite face of the wall 140 on which the lateral flap 155 is maintained. The adhesive strip 157 makes it possible to hold onto a fabric covering part of the lateral walls 140. When a side wall is not covered with fabric or with a material cooperating with a gripping strip, a strip, not shown in FIG. 1, can be glued to part of the surface, in order to cooperate with an adhesive strip 157.

The third flap 160 comprises in the present nonlimiting example of the invention four adhesive strips 158 of “Scratch” type (registered trademark) in order to maintain the third flap 160 near the third wall 145, or even in contact with this wall . The third wall 145 is generally covered with a fabric on which the adhesive strips 158 grip.

When the third wall 145 can be split, generally 1 / 3-2 / 3, the third flap 160 can also be provided which can be split into two parts 161 in order to follow the kinematics of the third wall 145. A zipper 162 makes it possible to attach or detach the two parts 161 of the third wall 145.

When one of the parts 146 of the third wall 145 is folded down, as can be seen for example in FIG. 2 with the part 146a, the part 146a can form a step 210. In order to more effectively protect the part 146a, a fold 220 is provided on the third component 160.

Furthermore, the third flap 160 is in the present nonlimiting example of the invention extended laterally by two lateral flaps 170 pivoting around an edge of the third flap 160 in order to protect a side of the third wall 145, in particular a side 230 of a part 161 folded down from the third wall 145.

In the present case, the protected sidewall corresponds to the sidewall facing a lateral opening 230 of the passenger compartment 110, in order to protect the sidewall 230 during loading or unloading in the passenger compartment 110. It should be emphasized that head 240 of all or part of the third wall 145 can also be protected by an articulated flap not shown in the figure.

As illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, the protection device 100, installed in the boot 130 of the vehicle 120, is articulated between two main states:

- an unfolded state, illustrated in FIG. 3, where the device 100 makes it possible to protect the boot 130 of the vehicle 120 in which the third wall 145 is not folded down. It should be emphasized that, in this unfolded state, the side flaps 155 and the third flap 160 are held together by a zipper 320;

- a folded state, illustrated in FIG. 4, where the device 100 forms a second flat bottom 310 raised relative to the bottom 135 of the trunk 130.

The folding is generally carried out by first folding the fourth flap 165, then the two side flaps 155 before finishing with the third flap 160, the flaps 170 having been previously folded inwardly of the device 100.

It should be emphasized that the third flap 160 is advantageously the last flap to be folded down in order to form the second flat bottom 310.

To this end, the contour of the second flat bottom 310, corresponding in this nonlimiting example of the invention to the third flap 160 when the flaps 170 are folded inwards of the device 100, is identical to the contour of the base 150. In particular, the distance between the common edge 360 between the base 150 and the third flap 160, and the curvilinear edge 365 outside of the third flap, is equal to the distance between the common edge 360 and the curvilinear edge 370 which conforms to the internal shape of the threshold 147. It should be emphasized that the curvilinear edge 365 is advantageously a repetition of the curvilinear edge 370.

In variants of this particular embodiment of the invention, the distance between the edge 365 and the edge 360 is less than the distance between the edge 370 and the edge 360.

In variants of this particular embodiment of the invention, the outline of the second flat bottom is adjusted to the outline of the bottom of the trunk.

In the folded state, the device 100 can advantageously fold in order to access a hatch 410 situated at the bottom of the trunk 130, by means of a fold 340 formed on the base 150 and repeating itself by folds 350 on the four components of the protection device 100.

Advantageously, on the fourth flap 165, the repeated fold 350 is consistent with one of the folds 166 of the fourth flap 165.

Claims (11)

1. Removable protection device for a part of a passenger compartment of a vehicle, said part comprising a bottom surrounded on at least four sides by: two substantially parallel fixed side walls, a third wall substantially perpendicular to the side walls, and a threshold of an opening of the passenger compartment, said trunk threshold, characterized in that said device comprises: a base intended to be placed on said bottom, the outline of the base comprising at least four edges; two side flaps extending the base on a respectively opposite edge and each comprising means for holding a side wall, each of said flaps pivoting around a common edge between said flap and the base in order to cover all or part of each of the side walls ; a third flap extending the base on a third edge and comprising at least one fold and means for holding the third wall, the third flap pivoting around a common edge between the third flap at the base in order to cover all or part of the third wall; a fourth flap pivoting with respect to the base about an axis parallel to the third edge of the base and comprising at least one fold, the fourth flap being intended to protect all or part of the boot threshold and to extend to the exterior of the vehicle interior; and in that when the protection device is installed on said bottom, the protection device is articulated between two main states: an unfolded state making it possible to cover part of the interior and / or exterior of the passenger compartment; and a folded state forming a second flat bottom, raised relative to the bottom of the passenger compartment. 2. Protective device according to claim 1, wherein the contour of the base is adjusted to the contour of the bottom of the part of the passenger compartment. 3. Protective device according to any one of claims 1 to 2, in which the second bottom is formed by the superposition of several layers formed by the base and the four folded flaps, the third flap being positioned as an upper layer. 4. Protective device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the outline of the second base is identical to the outline of the base. 5. Protective device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the thickness of the protective device in the folded state is less than five centimeters, preferably three centimeters. 6. Protective device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the base also comprises a fold substantially perpendicular to the side walls, the fold being repeated on the four flaps of the protective device. 7. Protective device according to claim 6, wherein the repetition of the folding of the base is consistent with a folding of the third component and / or with a folding of the fourth component. 8. Protective device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the third flap comprises at least one flap articulated parallel to an edge. 9. Protective device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the third flap can be split. 10. Protective device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, in which the axis around which the fourth flap pivots is at a predetermined distance from an edge. 11. A method of folding the protection device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the third flap is the last flap to be folded down.