FR3085898A1 - SUPPORT DEVICE FOR ELECTRONIC TABLET IN THE INTERIOR OF A VEHICLE - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a support device for an electronic tablet comprising an articulated arm (43) carrying at one of its ends a support member (47) comprising fixing means allowing it to be removably secured to a said tablet or a case. intended to receive such a shelf, a case (41) open on the top, as well as a cover (42) pivotally mounted on said case, said arm being articulated by its other end to said case and mounted movable between a retracted storage configuration in which it is entirely housed in the housing and a deployed configuration of use in which it extends partially above this housing so as to allow the fixing of a said shelf or of a said case on said support member, said device also comprising a jack (49) capable of automatically causing the deployment of said arm towards said deployed configuration of use s when said cover is raised to its open position.

Description

Title of invention

Support device for electronic tablet in the passenger compartment of a vehicle

Field of the invention

The present invention relates generally to support devices for a touchscreen electronic tablet and more particularly those intended to be mounted in the passenger compartment of a vehicle.

Invention background

In recent years, the market for electronic tablets has boomed and their use has become widely available to the general public.

This type of electronic device, much more compact and light than a traditional laptop, has excellent ergonomics and an intuitive interface that make it the ideal tool for browsing the Internet, viewing photos or videos, reading books, or even consulting e-mails.

Today, these electronic tablets are more and more used in motor vehicles, in particular to pass the time in a pleasant way to passengers during long journeys.

Most often, the tablet is simply placed on the user's knees, which forces the user to constantly tilt his head down and can eventually lead to back or neck pain.

In addition, the tablet can easily fall to the floor and deteriorate in the event of a sudden deceleration of the vehicle caused by sustained braking.

In order to overcome these drawbacks, support devices have appeared for electronic tablet intended to be mounted on the seats of motor vehicles.

German patent application DE102011075621 describes for example such a support device comprising a clamping member able to cooperate with the two guide rods of a seat headrest in order to ensure the fixing of this device on the seat, as well as 'A support element capable of receiving the tablet and which is mounted articulated in rotation on the clamping member so as to allow adjustment of the inclination of this tablet.

These devices make it possible to significantly improve the ergonomics of using such electronic tablets, but only for the rear passengers of the vehicle.

It is also desirable to be able to provide support devices for electronic tablets making it possible to improve the ergonomics of use of such tablets for the driver and the front passenger.

Support devices are therefore known for smartphones and tablets integrated or attached to the dashboard of the vehicle, but these generally do not allow tablets of large diagonal to be accommodated. In addition, they can conceal certain control members and / or ventilation nozzles arranged on this dashboard.

Also known from American patent application US 9,527,456, an attached support device for electronic tablet comprising an articulated arm intended to be fixed by one of its ends in a reception ring formed in or against the central console of the vehicle, said arm carrying at the other of its ends a shell-type support case comprising fixing means making it possible to securely attach such a tablet to it.

Such a support device makes it possible to offer ergonomics of satisfactory use for the driver of the vehicle and the front passenger. When it is not in use, it can be dismantled by removing its fixing member from the reception ring and then folding it up so that the three arms are arranged coplanarly in order to limit its volume.

However, this type of added device is tedious to implement and moreover tends to distort the overall harmony of the passenger compartment.

Subject and summary of the invention

The present invention therefore aims to provide a support device for electronic tablet that is both ergonomic and integrates harmoniously into the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle.

To this end, it offers a support device for an electronic tablet in the passenger compartment of a vehicle, comprising an articulated arm carrying at one of its ends a support member comprising fixing means making it possible to removably secure a said tablet or a case intended to receive such a tablet;

characterized in that it also comprises a box open on the top and intended to be housed in a console extending between two adjacent seats of said vehicle, as well as a cover pivotally mounted on said box between an open position and a closed position in which it covers this housing, said arm being articulated by its other end to said housing and mounted movable between a retracted storage configuration in which it is entirely housed in the housing and a deployed configuration of use in which it s partially extends above said housing so as to allow the fixing of a said shelf or a said case on said support member, said device also comprising a jack capable of automatically causing the deployment of said arm towards said deployed configuration of use from when said cover is raised to its open position.

The support device for electronic tablet according to the invention thus proves to be particularly easy to implement for the driver or the front passenger of the vehicle, while integrating harmoniously into the passenger compartment of the vehicle when it is not is not used.

According to preferred characteristics of the device, taken alone or in combination:

- Said articulated arm comprises a first articulated section pivotally by a first end on the bottom of said housing, a second articulated section pivotally by a first end on the second end of said first section, and a third articulated section pivotally by a first end on the second end of said second section and the second end of which is articulated to said support member by a ball joint;

- A first end of said cylinder is coupled to the bottom of said housing while its second end is coupled to said second section of the arm;

- The axis of articulation between said second and third sections is formed by a butterfly type bolt 49 making it possible to lock by clamping the angle of inclination between these two sections;

- Said device is configured so that, in said retracted storage configuration, said arm is folded back in a U shape, the two parallel branches of which are formed by said first and third sections and the base of which is constituted by said second section; and or

- Said device comprises means capable of automatically locking said cover when the latter comes to occupy its closed position, said locking means being releasable by means of a control member formed on said cover.

The invention also relates, in a second aspect, to a support assembly for an electronic tablet comprising such a support device as well as a case provided for receiving said tablet and comprising means able to cooperate with said fixing means for fixing said case. removably on said support member.

According to advantageous characteristics, said fixing means comprise a thread formed in said support member and able to cooperate by screwing with a screw whose head is mounted freely rotating captively on the back of said case.

The invention finally relates, in a third aspect, to a console for a motor vehicle extending longitudinally between the driver's seat and the front passenger seat of said vehicle, said console incorporating such a support device for electronic tablet.

According to advantageous characteristics, this console comprises a main rigid body of elongated shape delimiting an internal receptacle sheltering extractably said support device for electronic tablet

Brief description of the drawings

The description of the invention will now be continued with the detailed description of an exemplary embodiment, given below by way of illustration but not limitation, with reference to the appended drawings, in which:

- Figure 1 is a partial view of the front part of the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle with automatic gearbox comprising a row of front seats constituted by the driver's seat and the front passenger seat, as well as a central console arranged between these two seats and incorporating a support device for an electronic tablet according to the invention;

- Figures 2 and 3 are simplified views of the support device respectively in the retracted storage configuration and in the deployed configuration of use;

- Figure 4 is a simplified view of the support device in the deployed configuration of use after adjusting the inclination of the third section of the articulated arm;

- Figure 5 shows a simplified view of a support assembly according to the invention comprising the support device of Figures 1 to 4 and a tablet case removably attached to the support member of this device after deployment; and

- Figure 6 shows a top view of the support device of Figures 1 to 4 in the retracted storage configuration showing by transparency through the cover the arm folded inside the housing.

Detailed description of an embodiment

FIG. 1 represents a partial view of the front part of the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle with automatic gearbox comprising a row of front seats constituted by the driver's seat and the front passenger seat (not shown), as well as a central console 1 arranged between these two seats in order to be easily accessible for the driver and the front passenger.

In the remainder of this description and by convention, the terms “front”, “rear”, “longitudinal” and “transverse” will be defined relative to the mounting position of this console 1 in the passenger compartment of the vehicle.

The central console 1 comprises a main rigid body 10 of elongated shape fixed to the vehicle and extending along the median longitudinal axis of the latter, an armrest 20, a ventilation nozzle 30, and a support device for electronic tablet 40.

The main rigid body 10 comprises a rear part 11 defining a storage compartment open on the top and not visible in the figures.

The armrest 20 is pivotally mounted along a transverse axis at its rear end and by means of a hinge on the rear part 11 of this main body 10 between a lowered closed position in which it covers the storage compartment and a raised opening position in which it allows access to the same compartment so as to allow the driver or passenger before depositing or removing small objects such as keys or glasses.

Connected to the vehicle's heating, ventilation and air conditioning system, the ventilation nozzle 30 is housed in a housing of complementary shape formed at the rear of the storage compartment at the upper rear end of this main body 10, so as to be able to send a forced air flow towards the rear part of the passenger compartment.

The main rigid body 10 also comprises a front part 12 delimiting an internal receptacle 13 open on the top and having a horizontal trapezoidal section.

The support device for electronic tablet 40, shown alone in FIGS. 2 to 4 and 6, comprises a box 41 open on the top, a cover 42, an articulated support arm 43 and a single-acting pneumatic cylinder 49.

Having a shape and dimensions complementary to those of the internal receptacle 13, the housing 41 is housed in an extractable manner in this internal receptacle 13 by replacing, for example, a cup holder module.

Coming advantageously from molding a part from a thermoplastic material possibly reinforced with natural and / or synthetic fibers, the housing 41 is delimited by a bottom wall 41A, a front wall 41B, a rear wall 41C, and two side cheeks 41D, 41E.

Also preferably obtained from the molding of a part from a thermoplastic material possibly reinforced with natural and / or synthetic fibers, the cover 42 is pivotally mounted at one of its lateral edges and by means of hinges on the upper end of a lateral cheek 41D of the housing 41, between a lowered closed position in which it covers this housing 41 (FIG. 2) and a raised opening position in which it extends substantially vertically in the alignment of the lateral cheek 41D (FIGS. 3 and 4).

The device 40 comprises a locking mechanism (not visible in the figures) making it possible to automatically lock the cover 42 when the latter comes to occupy its lowered closed position.

A push button 42A enabling the locking mechanism to be released is also provided on the cover 42 in order to allow its opening.

The articulated support arm 43 comprises three metal tubular sections 44, 45, 46 articulated in pivoting two by two along parallel axes so as to extend coplanarly, as well as a support member 47 provided for removably receiving an electronic tablet not shown or a shell type case 50 coupled to such a tablet (as illustrated in FIG. 5).

Having a length slightly less than that of the housing 41, the first metallic tubular section 44 is pivotally articulated by a first end and along a horizontal axis Ai on the bottom wall 41A of this housing 41 near the front corner located on the passenger side .

The second tubular section 45 is pivotally articulated by a first end on the second end of the first tubular section 44, along an axis A2 perpendicular to the axes of these two sections 44, 45.

The third tubular section 46 is pivotally articulated by a first end on the second end of the second tubular section 45, along an axis A ₃ perpendicular to the axes of these two sections 45, 46 and parallel to the axis of articulation A2 between the sections 44, 45.

The hinge axis A3 between the sections 45, 46 is formed by a butterfly-type bolt 48 allowing a user to manually lock the angle of inclination between these two sections by tightening.

The support member 47 is articulated by a ball joint 47A on the second end of the third tubular section 46. It comprises attachment means 47B able to cooperate with complementary means provided on the back of an electronic tablet or on the back of a shell-type case 50 coupled to such a shelf (see FIG. 5) to ensure the removable fixing of this shelf or of this case 50 to this support member 47.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, these fastening means are here constituted by a tapping 47B capable of cooperating with a non-visible screw whose head is mounted freely rotating captively on the back of the shell-type case 50 .

The support arm 43 is capable of passing from a retracted storage configuration in which it is entirely housed in the housing 41 (FIGS. 2 and 6), to a deployed configuration of use in which it extends partially above this housing 41 so as to allow the attachment of the shell type case 50 coupled to the electronic tablet on the support member 47 (Figures 1 and 3 to 5).

In the retracted storage configuration, and as illustrated in FIG. 6, the articulated arm is folded up in the shape of a U, the two parallel branches of which are formed by the first and third sections 44, 46 and the base of which is formed by the second section 45.

The length of the second section 45, the main role of which is to allow the folding of the U-shaped arm, is advantageously predetermined so that the first and third sections 44, 46 are substantially contiguous in this retracted configuration so that the arm occupies a minimum volume .

In the deployed configuration of use and as illustrated by FIGS. 3 to 5, the first section 44 extends vertically projecting partially above the housing 41 while the second and third sections 45, 46 as well as the support member 47 came out of this housing 41. The user can thus adjust the angle of inclination between the two sections 45 and 46 and lock it with the butterfly bolt 48 before screwing the case 50 onto the support member 47.

The pneumatic cylinder 49 conventionally comprises a piston rod 49A movably mounted in a cylindrical body 49B. A first end of this jack 49 (preferably that formed by the end of the body 49B opposite the rod 49A) is pivotally articulated along a horizontal axis on the bottom wall 41A of the housing 41 near its front edge.

The second end of the jack 49 (preferably that formed by the end of the piston rod 49A opposite the body 49B) is pivotally articulated along a horizontal axis on the second section 45 of the arm 43.

This jack 49 is thus able to automatically cause the deployment of the arm 43 to its deployed configuration of use as soon as the cover 42 is raised to its open position.

We will now quickly describe the operation of the tablet support device 40 with the support of FIGS. 2 to 6.

In Figure 2, the support arm 43 is retained inside the housing 41 in its retracted storage configuration by the cover 42 occupying its lowered closed position.

As soon as the cover 42 is brought into the raised open position, the jack 49 automatically causes the arm 43 to deploy to its deployed configuration of use (FIG. 3).

Once the arm in this configuration, the user can freely adjust the angle of inclination between the second section 45 and the third section 46, then lock it by means of the butterfly bolt 48 (FIG. 4).

It can therefore be fixed by screwing the shell 50 onto the support member 47 before inserting a shelf, the orientation of which can then be adjusted by virtue of the ball joint between this support member 47 and the third section 46 of the arm 43 (figure 5).

According to alternative embodiments of the invention not shown, the second section of the articulated arm is absent while the second end of the first section and the first end of the third section are slightly curved so as to allow the folding of the U-shaped arm.

According to other alternative embodiments of the invention not shown, the fastening means that the support member of the articulated arm comprises are different. The latter may for example be constituted by a magnetic coating affixed to this support member and capable of interacting magnetically with another magnetic coating affixed directly to the back of an electronic tablet or to the back of a shell-type case coupled to such a tablet. .

According to yet other alternative embodiments of the invention not shown, the lid locking means are also different. The latter may for example comprise an electric or electromagnetic type lock and controllable upon opening, for example via a code to be dialed on a touchpad displayed on the cover.

According to yet other alternative embodiments of the invention not shown, the support device is devoid of means for locking the cover in the lowered closed position. In this case, the mass of the cover will be adjusted so that it is sufficient to hold the arm in the retracted storage configuration when this cover is closed.

Finally, it should be remembered that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described and shown, but that it encompasses any variant within the reach of the skilled person.

Claims (10)

1. Support device for an electronic tablet in the passenger compartment of a vehicle, comprising an articulated arm (43) carrying at one of its ends a support member (47) comprising fixing means (47B) making it possible to join thereto detachably a said tablet or a case (50) intended to receive such a tablet; characterized in that it also comprises a housing (41) open on the top and intended to be housed in a console (1) extending between two adjacent seats of said vehicle, as well as a cover (42) pivotally mounted on said housing (41) between an open position and a closed position in which it covers this housing (41), said arm (43) being articulated by its other end to said housing (41) and mounted movable between a retracted storage configuration in which it is entirely housed in the housing (41) and a deployed configuration of use in which it extends partially above said housing (41) so as to allow the fixing of a said shelf or a said case (50) on said support member (47), said device also comprising a jack (49) capable of automatically causing the deployment of said arm (43) towards said deployed configuration of use when said cover (42) is st raised to its open position. 2. Support device according to claim 1, characterized in that said articulated arm (43) comprises a first section (44) pivotally articulated by a first end on the bottom of said housing (41), a second section (45) articulated at pivoting by a first end on the second end of said first section (44), and a third section (46) pivotally articulated by a first end on the second end of said second section (45) and the second end of which is articulated to said support member (47) by a ball joint. 3. Support device according to claim 2, characterized in that a first end of said cylinder (49) is coupled to the bottom of said housing (41) while its second end is coupled to said second section (45) of the arm (43). 4. Support device according to one of claims 2 or 3, characterized in that the articulation axis between said second and third sections (45, 46) is formed by a butterfly type bolt (49) making it possible to lock by tightening the angle of inclination between these two sections. 5. Support device according to one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that it is configured so that, in said retracted storage configuration, said articulated arm (43) is folded in U-shape, the two parallel branches are formed by said first and third sections (44, 46) and the base of which is formed by said second section (45). 6. Support device according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that it comprises means capable of automatically locking said cover (42) when the latter comes to occupy its closed position, said locking means being releasable by the 'Intermediate of a control member (42A) formed on said cover (42). 7. Support assembly for electronic tablet characterized in that it comprises a support device (40) according to one of claims 1 to 6 as well as a case (50) designed to receive said tablet and comprising means capable of cooperating with said fixing means (47B) for fixing said case (50) removably on said support member (47). 8. shelf support assembly according to claim 7, characterized in that said fixing means comprise a thread (47B) formed in said support member (47) and able to cooperate by screwing with a screw whose head is mounted for free rotation captively on the back of said case (50). 9. Console for a motor vehicle extending longitudinally between the driver's seat and the front passenger seat of said vehicle, characterized in that it incorporates a support device for electronic tablet (40) according to one of claims 1 to 6. 10. Console according to claim 9, characterized in that it comprises a main rigid body (10) of elongated shape delimiting an internal receptacle (13) sheltering extractably said support device for electronic tablet (40).