Holding arrangement for objects in a motor vehicle and motor vehicle

Abstract

Holding arrangement (4) for objects (20) in a motor vehicle with a housing arrangement (22) which encloses a receiving space (26) accessible via an opening (24), wherein at least two holding means (6) designed as active surfaces for the respective objects (20) are provided in a side wall arrangement (28) of the housing arrangement (22), wherein the holding means (6) are part of an electroactive actuator (2), wherein the active surfaces (6) can be controlled separately by the electroactive actuator (2).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a holding arrangement for objects in a motor vehicle with a housing arrangement that includes a receiving space accessible via an opening, wherein at least two holding means designed as active surfaces for the respective objects are provided in a side wall arrangement of the housing arrangement, wherein the active surfaces are part of an electroactive actuator system.

[0002] Such holding arrangements are well known from the prior art. They can also be designed as drink or mobile phone holders. To easily adapt the holding arrangement to different shapes and sizes of objects to be fixed, it is known from JP 2016-210344 A to design holding elements as active surfaces that deform when energized by the actuators and thus adapt to the object being fixed. However, if different objects are to be fixed in such a holding space, energizing these active surfaces only makes sense if the different objects can be fixed together due to their common outer outline. This then leads to problems if individual objects are to be removed independently of the others.Other holding arrangements are known from the prior art according to US 2008 / 0 011 753 A1, DE 10 2012 013 972 A1 and DE 10 2020 112 018 A1.

[0003] The object of the invention is therefore to provide a holding arrangement that avoids the aforementioned disadvantage in a simple and cost-effective manner.

[0004] The problem is solved by allowing the active surfaces to be controlled separately via electroactive actuators. This separate control of active surfaces makes it possible, in principle, to fix individual objects independently of other objects in the recording space.

[0005] In an advantageous embodiment, the active surfaces are composed of a DEA strip and a spring element coupled thereto, wherein the DEA strip comprises a dielectric polymer arranged between two electrodes. At least the active surface can be encased by a flexible fabric. Particularly advantageously, the flexible fabric encloses several separate active surfaces. Because only the flexible fabric is present between the holding elements, the holding elements can still be controlled independently of one another.

[0006] In a particularly simple embodiment of the holding arrangement, the electroactive actuator has an on / off switch that is operated by a user. Additionally or alternatively, it is particularly advantageous if the electroactive actuator has a sensor element, for example a capacitive sensor, that detects a desired holding function and consequently switches the electroactive actuator on.

[0007] The electroactive actuator system advantageously features a control unit with a stored force-travel characteristic map to stop the actuator when a specific holding force is reached. This allows, for example, beverage containers made of various materials, such as cardboard or glass, to be held securely. The electroactive actuator is easily stopped when a certain holding force is reached or when a decrease in holding force is detected, such as when a cardboard container is pressed in. It can be advantageous for the control unit to have non-volatile memory for storing presets. This allows the user to easily specify the desired holding function.

[0008] The storage space is advantageously designed in an elongated shape, with active surfaces arranged side by side in the longitudinal direction. In this case, the storage space can be designed, in particular, as a door storage compartment, with a fixed wall section opposite the active surfaces.

[0009] The invention is explained in more detail with reference to a drawing, which shows: Fig. 1a, Fig. 1b an equivalent circuit diagram for an electrical actuator of a holding arrangement according to the invention for a holding means in the off and on state, Fig. 2 a perspective view of a holding arrangement according to the invention designed as a door storage compartment of a motor vehicle, and Fig. 3 a schematic sectional view of an active surface of the holding arrangement Fig. 2.

[0010] The Fig. 1a and Fig. Figure 1b shows an equivalent circuit diagram for an electrical actuator 2 of a holder arrangement 4 according to the invention in the off and on states. Here, a holding element 6 is designed as an active surface, consisting of a so-called DEA band 8 and a spring element 10. The DEA band 8 consists of a dielectric polymer 12 arranged between two electrodes 14, 16. The electrodes 14, 16 are connected to a voltage source 18 in a known manner. Both the dielectric polymer 12 and the electrodes 14, 16 are made of flexible material. In the present embodiment, Fig. 1a the electroactive actuator 2 in the unenergized state. In the energized state according to Fig. 1b The Dea-Band 8 expands and the spring element 10 is compressed. When the current is switched off, the Dea-Band 8 and thus the holding element 6 return to their original state.

[0011] Fig. Figure 2 now shows a perspective view of the holding arrangement 4 for objects 20 (see here). Fig. 3) A housing arrangement 22 is provided, which encloses a receiving space 26 accessible via an opening 24. In this case, the receiving space 26 is designed as a door storage compartment. The receiving space 26 is elongated, with the housing arrangement 22 having a side wall arrangement 28, which in this case consists of the four retaining elements 6 designed as active surfaces and the flexible fabric 30 surrounding them. A fixed wall section 31 is arranged opposite this side wall arrangement 28 and thus opposite the active surfaces 6. The de-energized state of the active surfaces 6 is shown with solid lines, and the energized state of the active surfaces 6', 6'', 6''', 6''' is shown with dashed lines. In this embodiment, the electroactive actuator 2 has a control unit (not shown) by which each active surface 6 can be individually controlled to fix objects 20 in the door storage compartment 26.The control unit also incorporates a force-travel characteristic map to stop the electroactive actuator 2 when a specific holding force is reached. User presets can also be stored in non-volatile memory. Furthermore, in this embodiment, sensor elements 32 are provided, which allow the electroactive actuator 2, and thus each individual holding element 6, to be controlled.

[0012] Fig. Figure 3 shows a schematic sectional view of the receiving space 26 in which a drinking bottle 20 is fixed by the controlled active surface 6. All other active surfaces remain in the retracted state, with each active surface 6 being formed by the Dea-Band 8 and the spring element 10 as described above. The Dea-Band 8 and the spring element 10 are connected to each other by a coupling agent 34.

Claims

[1] Holding arrangement (4) for objects (20) in a motor vehicle with a housing arrangement (22) which encloses a receiving space (26) accessible via an opening (24), wherein in a side wall arrangement (28) of the housing arrangement (22) at least two holding means (6) designed as active surfaces (6) for the respective objects (20) are provided, wherein the active surfaces (6) are part of an electroactive actuator system (2), characterized by that the active surfaces (6) can be controlled separately by the electroactive actuator (2). [2] Holding arrangement according to claim 1, characterized by that the active surface (6) is constructed from a DEA band (8) and a spring member (10) coupled thereto, wherein the DEA band (8) has a dielectric polymer (12) which is arranged between two electrodes (14, 16). [3] Holding arrangement according to claim 2, characterized by that at least the active surface (6) is covered by a flexible fabric (30). [4] Holding arrangement according to claim 3, characterized by that the flexible fabric (30) encloses several separate active surfaces (6). [5] Holding arrangement according to claim 1, characterized by that the electroactive actuator (2) has an on or off switch. [6] Holding arrangement according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by that the electroactive actuator (2) has a sensor element (32), for example a capacitive sensor. [7] Holding arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the electroactive actuator (2) has a control device in which a force-travel characteristic map is stored in order to stop the electroactive actuator (2) when a certain holding force is reached. [8] Holding arrangement according to claim 7, characterized by that the control device has a non-volatile memory for storing presets. [9] Holding arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the receiving space (26) is elongated, with active surfaces (6) arranged next to one another in the longitudinal direction. [10] Holding arrangement according to claim 9, characterized by that the receiving space (26) is designed as a door storage compartment. [11] Motor vehicle with a holding arrangement (4) according to one of claims 1 to 10.

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