Safety net for a vehicle

Abstract

Safety net (10) for a vehicle (14) for separating the passenger compartment and the cargo area, - with a first edge which serves at least indirectly to fasten the safety net (10) to the vehicle body close to the ground, - with a second edge (17) which serves for fastening to the vehicle body near the vehicle roof and on which a fastening rod (19) is arranged, wherein - the fastening rod (19) is hollow-cylindrical at its ends, - an insert piece (21) is mounted in each of the hollow cylindrical ends, - the insert piece (21) receives the shaft (30) of a fastening hook (20), - the shaft (30) of the fastening hook (20) is mounted in the insert piece (21) so as to be axially displaceable between an inner end position and an outer end position, - the shaft (30) is provided with a holding member (32), - the insert piece (21) has at least one spring element (26), - the spring element (26) is supported on the holding member (32) of the shaft (30) on the one hand and on the insert piece (21) on the other hand and acts with a spring tension in an axial direction on the shaft (30) of the fastening hook (20), characterized in that - the holding member (32) is subjected to spring tension from two opposite axial directions and is held in an intermediate position by the spring tension with respect to the outer and inner axial end positions - the insert (21) is a sleeve component composed of housing shells (24) Deleted:

Description

The invention relates to a safety net for a vehicle for separating the passenger compartment and the cargo compartment,a first edge which serves at least indirectly for fastening the safety net to the vehicle body close to the floor,a second edge which serves for fastening to the vehicle body near the vehicle roof and on which a fastening rod is arranged, whereinthe fastening rod is formed hollow cylindrically at its ends,an insert piece is mounted in each of the hollow cylindrical ends,the insert piece receives the shank of a fastening hook,the shank of the fastening hook is mounted in the insert so as to be axially displaceable between an inner end position and an outer end position,the shaft is provided with a retaining element,the insert piece has at least one spring element,the spring element is supported on the retaining element of the shank on the one hand and on the insert on the other hand and acts with a spring tension in an axial direction on the shank of the fastening hook.The invention is based on DE 43 36 380 A1, which discloses a generic safety network. The spring element inserted there in the insert piece and acting on the shank of the fastening hook displaces the latter into its inner or into its outer end position.The safety nets used in particular in passenger cars and there in so-called combination cars can usually be fixed close to the vehicle roof in retaining pockets on the vehicle body side on the one hand and close to the vehicle floor via hooks and straps in eyes or on a winding shaft fastened to the rear seat locations. When fastening the safety net in the retaining pockets near the vehicle roof, the fastening hooks are suspended there, wherein the fastening hooks generally have a mushroom head, which engages in differently shaped T-grooves.Apart from this first mounting position of safety nets, in which the luggage compartment of the combination motor vehicle is separated from the passenger compartment by the safety net in the region of the rear seats, fastening pockets are generally also mounted in the vehicle body behind the first seat row, that is to say also behind the driver seat and the passenger seat. By folding away or removing the rear seat row to enlarge the luggage compartment, the safety net can then be mounted directly behind the driver and front passenger seats and, at this second mounting position, separate the enlarged luggage compartment from the remaining passenger compartment.The structural conditions, caused by aerodynamic body optimizations and by design requirements of the manufacturer, generally result in the inside width between the retaining pockets of the first mounting position and the retaining pockets of the second mounting position of the safety net differing. In order to be able to fasten the safety net in both positions, the fastening hooks are mounted in the holding rod so as to be axially displaceable, so that a length compensation can be carried out. Depending on the design of the safety net, the fastening hooks are either pushed into the fastening rod from the outer end position or alternatively pulled out of the inner end position when hanging into one of the mounting positions.However, it has been found that this form of length compensation is inconvenient when longer distances are to be overcome because the clear width between the fastening pockets of the first and second mounting positions greatly differs.The general prior art also includes DE 43 36 380 A1. It discloses providing the insert with an energy-absorbing body which absorbs the kinetic energy of a body which, in the event of an accident, enters the safety net by deformation. This body is arranged downstream of the inner axial end position in the insertion direction of the fastening hook. The shank of the fastening hook has four projections which enter the body and act in a material-deforming manner.It is the object of the invention to create a safety net whose device for compensating the length of the fastening rod can be conveniently handled.The invention is achieved by a safety net having the features of claim 1, in particular having the characterizing features thereof, according to which the retaining element is acted upon by a spring tension from two opposite axial directions and is held in an intermediate position by the spring tension with respect to the outer and inner axial end positions.The essential advantage of the invention is to be seen in the fact that an intermediate position, which is advantageous for the assembly in the first as well as in the second position, is fixed between the inner and the outer axial end position. By selecting the spring tension which urges the retaining element into the outer axial end position and the counterspring tension which urges the retaining element into the inner axial end position, the respective intermediate position can be determined.It is thus conceivable, for example, for the intermediate layer to bisect the maximum insertion path and the maximum extraction path and for the fastening hook to be arranged exactly centrally between its two end positions on the fastening rod in the rest position. However, it is also possible to define the intermediate position such that fastening hooks in a first mounting position of the safety net are to be moved a movement path x in the direction of the inner axial end position and in a second mounting position are to be moved by the value x identical in terms of amount into the outer axial end position.In a further example, the installation situation in a first installation situation may require that only a slight axial displacement of the fastening hooks allows a comfortable installation, but in the second installation position a greater displacement path is completely unproblematic from a comfort point of view.As will be clear from the examples, the safety net according to the invention provides an individual adaptation of the axial position of the fastening hooks to vehicle type dependent mounting situations.In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, it is provided that exactly one spring element in the form of a helical spring is provided and the retaining element of the shaft is arranged between the windings of the helical spring.In this embodiment, the selection of a helical spring makes it possible to make do with only one spring element. Moreover, by rotating the helical spring about its longitudinal axis, the position of the retaining member and thus the axial position of the fastening hook can be easily adjusted.In an alternative embodiment, the safety net is characterized in that two spring elements are supported on the holding element of the shaft from two opposite axial directions. By selecting differently prestressed spring elements or different spring lengths, this embodiment makes it possible to influence the resistance and / or the path for displacing the fastening hook into one or the other axial end position particularly easily.It is furthermore provided that the retaining element is a pin which is guided diametrically through the shank of the fastening hook and the length of which is greater than the shank diameter.From the manufacturing point of view, it is of considerable advantage if the insert piece is a substantially hollow cylindrical and longitudinally axially divided component which is composed of two identical parts.According to this embodiment of the invention, the insert can be produced from two identical components, which substantially simplifies the production, storage and assembly.It is then provided that the insert piece has at least one axially aligned elongated hole, in which a free end of the pin lies and defines a maximum movement path of the shaft within the insert piece.In this embodiment, the maximum travel path of the fastening hook in the insert piece is defined by particularly simple means.It is then provided that the pin lies in the axial separating plane of the insert piece and that the axial separating plane of the insert piece forms the longitudinal central axis of the slot.This embodiment essentially has the advantage of particularly simple mounting of the shank of the fastening hook in the insert piece.In order to avoid noise formation, it is provided that the insert piece has a resilient nose which acts in a manner bridging over play on the shank of the fastening hook guided in the insert piece.Finally, it is provided that the at least one spring element is mounted in the insert piece in a rotationally secure manner.In this way, it is ensured, in particular when using helical springs, that the retaining element cannot migrate after assembly in the insert piece by axial rotation of the spring and thus the defined intermediate position of the fastening hook is maintained even in daily useFinally, it is provided that the insert piece has an energy-absorbing body which is arranged upstream of the outer axial end position in a pull-out direction of the fastening hook.In this embodiment, the retaining element of the fastening hook can be used to cooperate with the energy-absorbing body of the insert piece in the event of a vehicle crash in order to reduce the impact energy of a piece of luggage in a controlled manner.It is further provided that a spring element is arranged between the energy-absorbing body and the retaining element.This embodiment too has a substantial advantage in the event of a vehicle crash. The spring element acts here in the manner of an annular disk which distributes the forces applied by the retaining element only partially to the energy-absorbing body over a large area and thus substantially improves the effect of this safety device.Further advantages of the invention and a better understanding can be taken from the following description of an exemplary embodiment. The following are shown: FIG. 1 : Schematic view of a safety net mounted in a passenger car; FIG. 2 : partial illustration of the fastening rod with fastening hooks of the safety net according to FIG. 1 ; FIG. 3 : an exploded view according to FIG. 2 ; FIG. 4 : the representation according to FIG. 2 without a fastening rod; FIG. 5 : the illustration according to FIG. 4 with the insert piece cut along its parting plane; FIG. 6 : shows the representation of the fastening hook according to FIG. 5 ; FIG. 7 : shows the representation of the identical parts forming the insert piece in a first view; FIG. 8 : shows the representation of the identical parts forming the insert piece in a second view; FIG. 9 : shows the representation of the identical parts forming the insert piece in a front view.In the figures, a safety network for separating passenger and cargo space in vehicles is generally denoted by the reference numeral 10.In FIG. 1, this safety net 10 is shown mounted in a schematically illustrated passenger car. The safety net 10 is fastened by a first horizontal longitudinal edge to a winding shaft which is mounted rotatably about its longitudinal axis in a winding shaft housing 11. In FIG. 1, the winding shaft housing 11 is fastened to the backrest 12 of a rear seat bench 13, which is located in the rear of the vehicle 14 approximately at the height of the C-pillar.Above the winding shaft housing, the vehicle 14 is provided with two retaining pockets 15, one each fastened to the vehicle body on the right and left sides of the vehicle in the region of the vehicle headliner 16.At the free horizontal longitudinal edge 17 opposite the winding shaft, the safety net 10 forms a loop 18. Arranged in the loop 18 is a fastening rod 19, which is also referred to as a pull-out rod or pull-out rod. The fastening rod 19 carries at each of its two ends a fastening hook 20 which engages in the holding pockets 15 arranged there for anchoring the safety net 10 in the region of the vehicle headliner 16. Analogously to the retaining pockets 15 arranged approximately in the region of the C-pillar, retaining pockets 15, not shown in FIG. 1, are arranged approximately in the region of the B-pillar of the vehicle 14 directly behind the first row of seats, that is to say behind the driver seat and the passenger seat.In the non-mounted state, the safety net 10 is rolled up on the winding shaft, so that only the fastening rod 19 is accessible through a pull-out slot of the winding shaft housing 11. If necessary, the fastening rod 19 is gripped and, by pulling it out of the slot of the winding shaft housing 11 in the direction of the vehicle headliner 14, the safety net 10 is unrolled from the winding shaft. A suitable spring mechanism is thereby pulled open and exerts a retracting force on the safety net 10. This ensures, on the one hand, that the safety net is held under tension when the fastening hooks 20 are seated in the holding pockets 15, and moreover leads to the safety net 10 being automatically wound onto the winding shaft when the fastening hooks 20 are hooked out of the holding pockets 15.If a larger loading space is required, it is generally common practice to fold over the backrest 12 of the rear seat bank 13 towards the vehicle front. In the folded-over state, the winding shaft housing 11 is arranged approximately in the region of the B-pillar. In order now to separate the enlarged cargo space from the remaining first row of seats, the safety net 10 can be mounted again. For this purpose, the fastening rod 19 is attacked in order to unroll the safety net 10 from the winding shaft and to fasten the fastening hooks 20 in the holding pockets 15, not shown in FIG. 1, in the region of the B-pillar.FIG. 2 shows a partial view of the right end of the fastening rod 19 according to FIG. 1.The fastening rod 19 itself is preferably formed from metal and is generally of tube-like design. At least, the fastening rod 19 has at its free ends a hollow cylindrical section in each case in order to receive an insert piece 21. The fastening hook 20 is in turn mounted in the insert piece 21 so as to be longitudinally displaceable.FIG. 3 is an exploded view according to FIG. 2, from which the individual parts of the right-side fastening rod 19 can be seen. The fastening rod 19 itself forms a hollow cylindrical recess 22 on the end side and is provided at its free end with two impressions 23 lying opposite one another. The insert piece 21 is a sleeve component and is assembled from housing shells 24. The housing shells 24 are designed as identical parts and do not differ from one another. The mutual contact surfaces of the sleeve jacket define a longitudinal axial parting plane of the insert 21.The insert piece 21 is likewise of hollow cylindrical design and defines a receiving chamber 25 of large diameter, in which a spring element 26 in the form of a helical spring 27 is located. End openings 28 of the insert piece 21 and a guide section 29 have a smaller diameter than the receiving chamber 25.The fastening hook 20 comprises a shank 30 which is seated in the insert piece 21 and is mounted displaceably therein. It passes through the end openings 28 of the insert piece 21 with its rear or front shaft end and lies in the guide section 29. The shaft 30 is also provided with a retaining eye 31 which passes diametrically through the shaft 30 and serves to receive a retaining element 32 in the form of a pin 33.The hook head 34 of the fastening hook 20 is shaped like a mushroom head and connected to the shank 30 via an intermediate piece 35. The intermediate piece is oriented at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the shaft.The housing shells 24 have longitudinally axial approximately trough-shaped wall apertures 36. These wall openings 36 form two diametrically opposite elongated holes 37 when the housing shells are assembled with one another.FIG. 4 is a representation of the overall situation of insert piece 21 with fastening hook 20 mounted therein. housing shells 24 are assembled here to form insert piece 21 of sleeve-like construction, it being clearly visible how the mutually facing wall apertures 36 of the two housing shells 24 form elongated holes 37.The shank 30 enters the insert piece 21 through the first end-side opening 28 (in FIG. 4, this is the right end-side opening 28) and lies in the guide section 29 adjoining the latter. It passes through the receiving chamber 25 and exits again at the second end-side opening 28 (in FIG. 4, this is the left end-side opening 28). This situation is also shown once again in FIG. 5, in which the front housing shell pointing towards the observer has been omitted.FIG. 5 also shows that the helical spring 27 is wound around the shaft 30 and in this case in particular also wraps around the retaining eye 31. The pin 33 passes through the retaining eye 31 and has a length approximately corresponding to the outside diameter of the insert piece, so that the free ends of the pin 33 are seated in the slots 37. The maximum travel path of the shaft 30 movable longitudinally axially in the insert piece 21 is thus defined by the cooperation of the pin 33 with the ends of the slots 37, which serve as a travel end stop.The pin 33 passes through the coils of the coil spring 27 and the coil spring 27 itself is inserted into the receiving chamber 25 of the insert piece 21, as already described. The ends of the helical spring 27 are supported on a longitudinally axial end face 38 which delimits the receiving chamber 25. At least one end of the coil spring 27 forms a retaining stud 39 which is seated in a fixing opening 40 of the insert piece 21. This prevents rotation of the coil spring 27 about its longitudinal axis.The function of the invention can be clearly explained with reference to FIG. 5. The shaft 30, which is mounted in the insert piece 21 so as to be movable longitudinally axially, passes through the helical spring 27 along its longitudinal-axial tunnel surrounded by the spring coils. The pin 33, which is pressed into the retaining eye 31 obtained by forming the shank 30, passes radially through the spring windings. This results in a motion coupling between the shaft 30 and the coil spring 27.At the same time, the free ends of the pin 33 are seated in the slots 37 of the insert piece 21 and thus define the maximum longitudinal axial movement path of the shank 30 within the insert piece 21, on the one hand, and prevent, on the other hand, a rotation of the fastening hook 20 about the longitudinal axis of the shank 30.The position of the pin 33 relative to the helical spring 27 determines the position of the fastening hook 20 relative to the insert piece 21 in the rest position. In this case, by positioning the pin 33 between the spring windings, any intermediate position between the longitudinally axially inner or outer end position can be selected. From this intermediate position, the fastening hook 20 can be pushed into the insert piece 21 and thus into the fastening rod 19 or pulled out of the same in order to be inserted into the retaining pockets 15 for fastening the safety net 10. After the fastening hook 20 has been released from the retaining pockets 15, the spring tension of the helical spring 27 produced by the longitudinal axial displacement of the fastening hook ensures that the fastening hook 20 is displaced back into its rest position, namely the defined intermediate position.It is of course conceivable to use two spring elements instead of one spring element 26, between which the pin 33 is arranged. By means of the length and tension of these two springs, the rest position of the fastening hook 20 relative to the insert piece 21 can then be defined.The first essential advantage of the invention is thus to be seen in the fact that the fastening hook 20 can be held by means of at least one spring element 26 in an intermediate position between a first and a second or an inner and an outer axial end position.A further essential advantage of the invention is explained with reference to FIGS. 7 to 9, which show the two housing shells 24, which together form the insert piece 21. In order to realize the production of the insert piece 21 as simply as possible and using as small a number of parts as possible, the two housing shells 24 are so-called identical parts. This means that the two housing shells 24 are completely identical in their construction and, for the mutual assembly, only one of the two parts is rotated 180 degrees about its longitudinal axis.Each housing shell 24 initially has two wall apertures 36 which, oriented in pairs relative to one another, together form an elongate hole 37 of the insert 21. Semicircular openings 41 in the axial front and end face of each housing shell 24 form the end openings 28.Each housing shell 24 has in its end face a recess 42 which, when the housing shells 24 are assembled, each form a fixing opening 40 for the retaining stud 39 of the helical spring 27. Two groove-like depressions 43 are introduced into the casing of each housing shell 24, these depressions being diametrically opposite one another and the bottom surfaces of which are formed parallel to one another. One of these depressions 43 of each housing shell 24 carries a latching bracket 44, and the opposite depression 43 of each housing shell 24 is provided with a latching nose 45. In order to assemble the two housing shells to form the insert piece 21, the latching brackets 44 of a first housing shell 24 latch with the latching lug 45 of a second housing shell 24, whereas the latching bracket of the second housing shell 24 cooperates with the latching lug of the first housing shell 24.Finally, both housing shells 24 each form an approximately semicircularly shaped end part flange 46 which, in cooperation, form the end flange 47 of the insert piece 21 (see FIGS. 4 and 2 ). Finally, each housing shell has a circumferential offset of 90 degrees relative to the snap-in clip 44 and a material web 48 in the region of the jointly formed guide section 29. This serves to bridge manufacturing tolerances of the housing shells 24 and of the shank 30 and / or the clearance between the insert 21 and the shank 30 and to ensure noise-free mounting of the shank 30 in the insert 21. Finally, FIGS. 7 to 9 show that the two housing shells 24 are constructed identically to one another.Referring to FIG. 2, it can also be seen that the depressions 43 additionally serve to secure the insert piece 21 in the fastening rod 19, in which the latter has impressions 23 which engage in the depressions 43. The end flange 47 covers the fastening rod 19 at the end. Diametrically opposite fixing webs 50 engage in cooperating fixing grooves 51 of the fastening rod 19 and prevent rotation of the insert piece 21 in the hollow cylindrical section of the fastening rod 19.The second essential advantage of the invention can consequently be seen in the construction of the insert piece 21 from two identically designed housing shells 24.Finally, the insert piece 21 in conjunction with the pin 33, the spring element 26 and the impressions 23 of the fastening rod 19 contribute to accident prevention, in which this component combination is suitable for absorbing the energy of pieces of luggage entering the safety net 10 in the event of an accident. This function can be explained with reference to Representations 2 and 5.An overload due to a piece of luggage acting on the safety net 10 initially leads to the pins 33 being moved into their outer axial end position, while the fastening rod 19 deforms and thereby shortens. When the end stop formed by the end of the slot is reached, a deformation of the housing shells 24, which are preferably formed from plastic, initially begins. This deformation takes place in a controlled manner along the parting plane of the two housing shells 24. Finally, the pin 33 strikes the end wall 38 which delimits the receiving chamber 25 toward the outside, the windings of the helical spring 27 which are pressed onto one another there by the pin 33 forming a type of washer. This distributes the acting forces over the entire end face 38 and opposes a further deformation with a higher resistance. If this is not yet sufficient to absorb the impact energy of a piece of luggage in the safety net 10, the pin 33 now passes through the guide section 29 with further deformation of the housing shells 24, until it strikes against the impressions 49 of the fastening rod 19 directly in front of the depressions 43. Here, for further energy dissipation, the deformation of the metallic impressions of the fastening rod 19 now begins.A further advantage of the invention is therefore to have provided in a simple manner and without additional components or processing of the insert piece or the shank 30 an energy-absorbing body which, in the event of a vehicle accident, dissipates the entry energy of a piece of luggage into the safety net 10 in a controlled manner.List of reference numbers:10 Safety net 11 Winding shaft housing 12 Backrest 13 Rear seat bank 14 Vehicle 15 Retaining pocket 16 Vehicle headliner 17 Free longitudinal edge 18 Loop 19 Fastening rod 20 Fastening hook 21 Insert piece 22 Hollow cylindrical recess 23 Impression 24 Housing shell 25 Receiving chamber 26 Spring element 27 Helical spring 28 End-side opening 29 Guide portion 30 Shaft 31 Retaining eye 32 Retaining element 33 Pin 34 Hook head 35 Intermediate piece 36 Wall aperture 37 Elongated hole 38 End face 39 Retaining stub 40 Fixing opening 41 Semicircular opening 42 Recess 43 Depression 44 Latching clip 45 Latching lug 46 End part flange 47 End flange 48 Material web 50 Fixing web 51 Fixing groove

Claims

Safety net (10) for a vehicle (14) for separating passenger compartment and cargo compartment, - with a first edge, which serves at least indirectly for fastening the safety net (10) to the vehicle body close to the floor, - with a second edge (17), which serves for fastening to the vehicle body close to the vehicle roof and on which a fastening rod (19) is arranged, wherein - the fastening rod (19) is formed hollow-cylindrically at its ends, - an insert piece (21) is mounted in each of the hollow-cylindrical ends, - the insert piece (21) receives the shank (30) of a fastening hook (20), - the shank (30) of the fastening hook (20) is mounted in the insert piece (21) so as to be axially displaceable between an inner end position and an outer end position, - the shank (30) is provided with a retaining element (32), the insert piece (21) has at least one spring element (26), the spring element (26) is supported on the retaining element (32) of the shank (30) on the one hand and on the insert piece (21) on the other hand and acts with a spring tension in an axial direction on the shank (30) of the fastening hook (20), characterized in that - the retaining element (32) is acted upon by a spring tension from two opposite axial directions and is held in an intermediate position by the spring tension with respect to the outer and inner axial end position, the insert piece (21) is a sleeve component composed of housing shells (24) is deleted:Safety net (10) according to claim 1, characterised in that exactly one spring element (26) in the form of a helical spring (27) is provided and the retaining element (32) of the shaft (30) is arranged between the windings of the helical spring (27).Safety net (10) according to claim 1, characterised in that two spring elements (26) are supported on the retaining element (32) of the shaft (30) from two opposite axial directions.Safety net (10) according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterised in that the retaining element (32) is a pin (33) which is guided diametrically through the shaft (30) of the fastening hook (20) and the length of which is greater than the shaft diameter.Safety net (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the insert piece (21) is a substantially hollow-cylindrical and longitudinally axially divided component which is composed of two identical parts.Safety net (10) according to claim 4, characterised in that the insert piece (21) has at least one axially aligned slot (379, in which a free end of the pin (33) lies and defines a maximum movement path of the shaft (30) within the insert piece (21).Safety net (10) according to claims 4 and 5, characterised in that the pin (33) lies in the axial separating plane of the insert piece (21).Safety net (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the insert piece (21) has a resilient nose (48) which acts in a bridging manner across play on the shank (30) of the fastening hook (20) guided in the insert piece (21).Safety net (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the at least one spring element (26) is mounted in the insert piece (21) in a rotationally secure manner.Safety net (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the insert (21) has an energy-absorbing body which is arranged upstream of the outer axial end position in a direction of extension of the fastening hook (20).Safety net (10) according to claim 10, characterised in that a spring element (26) is arranged between the energy-absorbing body and the retaining element (32).

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