Armrest for a motor vehicle interior and operating method for an armrest for a motor vehicle interior

Abstract

Armrest (10) for the interior of a motor vehicle, comprising a backrest element (12) which is adjustable by means of an adjusting device (50) between a stowed position (40) and at least one use position (30), wherein the adjusting device (50) comprises at least one chamber (14) which can be supplied with a medium (20), in particular with air, and by filling or emptying which chamber the backrest element (12) can be adjusted between the stowed position (40) and the use position (30), and wherein the armrest (10) has at least one elasticity region (16) which is deformable when acted upon by the medium (20), characterized in that the elasticity region (16) is deformable at least in regions when acted upon by electrical energy.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to an armrest according to the preamble of patent claim 1 and to an operating method for an armrest according to the preamble of patent claim 3.

[0002] Such an armrest is already known from WO 99 / 44 858 A1. The armrest therein is designed as a retractable armrest and is arranged in a vehicle with rear wheel arches. At least one wheel arch comprises a wheel arch wall facing into the rear seat area and accessible from there, with a directly or indirectly associated wheel arch lining. The armrest is arranged in a retractable and foldable manner in a receiving space of this wheel arch lining. The armrest therein can be folded out in an approximately vertical receiving space about a folding axis oriented in the transverse direction of the vehicle into its use position in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, wherein the armrest can be loaded in this use position by a person sitting in the vehicle seat.However, the armrest can also be stored in a storage space, although this disadvantageously requires additional storage space for the armrest, resulting in increased space requirements.

[0003] US 2006 / 0 163 933 A1 discloses an adjustable armrest system for a vehicle. The armrest system comprises an armrest housing mounted in the vehicle. The armrest housing has an armrest surface. A piston element is coupled to the armrest surface. A piston actuating device is coupled to the piston element. A controller is coupled to the piston actuating device and adjusts the position of the armrest surface.

[0004] It is an object of the invention to provide an armrest and an operating method for an armrest of the type mentioned at the outset, by means of which a particularly space-saving storage of the armrest is made possible.

[0005] This object is achieved according to the invention by an armrest for an interior of a motor vehicle having the features of patent claim 1 and by an operating method for an armrest having the features of patent claim 3.

[0006] Advantageous embodiments with expedient and non-trivial further developments of the invention are specified in the remaining patent claims.

[0007] In order to create an armrest of the type mentioned above, which can be arranged in a storage space or in a stowed position in a particularly space-saving manner, it is provided that the adjusting device comprises at least one chamber which can be pressurised with a medium, in particular with air, and by filling or emptying which the backrest element can be adjusted between the stowed position and the use position. The adjusting device, like the backrest element, is part of the armrest and is attached to the backrest element or fixed to it. In order to adjust it from the stowed position to the use position, the chamber is filled, for example, with the medium air or compressed air from a blower or a compressor such as can be used in an air conditioning system. By filling or emptying the chamber, the backrest element is moved into the use position or stowed position.In this case, an overpressure of the air is built up in order to increase the volume and thus the spatial extent of the backrest element or the air-filled chamber of the armrest adjustment device. In the opposite way, for example by applying a negative pressure to the chamber, the backrest element or the armrest can be returned from the use position to the stowed position. It is clear that, as an alternative to building up the negative pressure, one or more spring elements could also be provided, for example. These spring elements are then arranged inside or on the armrest or inside or on the backrest element and move the backrest element back from the use position to the stowed position as soon as the pressure is released.In other words, by filling it with a medium such as compressed air, the armrest can be varied in its spatial extent, making a separately arranged recess, as used in the prior art for stowing a conventional armrest, superfluous. Furthermore, any adjusting elements such as the aforementioned spring elements can be designed to be particularly space-saving, whereby no further actuators which require a lot of space have to be used to adjust the backrest element or the armrest from the stowed position to the use position or vice versa. Instead, for example, a simple pneumatic valve or a valve suitable for the respective medium used could be used, by means of which the armrest can be filled or emptied with particularly little space required.

[0008] According to the invention, it is provided that the elastic region is deformable at least in regions when subjected to electrical energy.

[0009] Further advantages, features, and details of the invention emerge from the claims, the figures, and the description of the figures. The features and combinations of features mentioned above in the description, as well as the features and combinations of features mentioned below in the description of the figures and / or shown alone in the figures, can be used not only in the respective specified combination, but also in other combinations or on their own.

[0010] The invention will now be explained in more detail using a preferred embodiment and with reference to the drawings. They show: Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an armrest arranged in the interior of a motor vehicle and illustrative of the invention, which armrest is adjusted into a use position under pressure from a medium; and Fig. 2 a schematic perspective view of the armrest arranged in the interior of the motor vehicle, which in the present case is adjusted into a position of use under pressure from the medium;

[0011] Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 each show schematic perspective views of a partial area of ​​a vehicle interior, with an armrest 10 that can be adjusted under compressed air, which comprises a backrest element 12 for supporting an arm of a driver or passenger of the motor vehicle sitting in a vehicle seat 60, as well as an adjusting device 50 with a chamber 14 that is sealed from the environment and whose spatial extent can be changed under the application of compressed air. The backrest element 12 of the armrest 10 is supported by the adjusting device 50, wherein the adjusting device 50 is in turn fixed to a side part of the backrest of the vehicle seat 60. In this exemplary embodiment, the backrest element 12 has an elastic region 16 (not shown here) on the backrest element 12 facing the vehicle roof (not shown), which is electrically connected to a power source 80 of the motor vehicle.This energy source 80 can be configured, for example, as a battery or a three-phase generator. Using a compressor 70 of the motor vehicle, the chamber 14 of the adjustment device 50 can be filled with a medium 20 configured as air via a fluid line. Alternatively, however, another gaseous or even liquid medium could also be used as the medium 20 to fill the chamber 14. Fig. 1 shows the backrest element 12 in a use position 30, in which the armrest has a height a. In this use position 30, the backrest element 12 or the height a is optimally adjusted to the armrest, wherein in the use position 30, the chamber 14 of the adjustment device 50 has been accordingly pressurized with the medium 20 in order to adjust the height a. It is clear that the height a of the backrest element 12 can be adjusted in such a way that even persons of different sizes sitting in the vehicle seat 60 can support themselves particularly ergonomically on the backrest element 12 and, accordingly, the height a can be adjusted as needed by applying pressure or applying the medium 20 by the compressor 70.

[0012] As opposed to Fig. 1 the backrest element 12 is located in Fig.2 in a stowed position 40. In this stowed position 40, the backrest element 12 is adjusted to a height b, wherein the height b is smaller than the height a. Accordingly, the backrest element 12 is arranged in a particularly space-saving manner in its stowed position 40, and the adjusting device 50 is reduced in size with regard to its spatial extent compared to the use position 30. The armrest 10 could also be stowed in a particularly space-saving manner in the backrest of the vehicle seat 60, especially since the armrest 10 is then significantly reduced in size compared to its use position 30.

[0013] It is clear that, as an alternative to the compressor 70, a blower from a blower circuit present in the motor vehicle, for example, an air conditioning system of the motor vehicle, could also be used to fill the chamber 14 of the adjustment device 50. A similar blower could also be used to empty the medium 20, i.e., the air from the chamber 14. Accordingly, the backrest element 12 would be adjusted from the use position 30 to the stowed position 40 by applying negative pressure (suction) to the chamber 14. In addition to the adjustment device 50, the backrest element 12 could also, for example, have one or more chambers 14, and thus the spatial extent of the backrest element 12 could also be changed as a result of the application of the medium 20. The change in the spatial extent of the adjusting device 50 or, if provided, of the backrest element 12 can be carried out in a particularly advantageous manner if the adjusting device 50 orthe backrest element 12 is formed from a textile-pneumatic structure.

[0014] Respective cover layers, sub-layers, fiber structures, and even valves for media application can be formed from this textile-pneumatic structure. Furthermore, the armrest 10 can also have a total of several chambers 14, which can, for example, be fluidically separated from one another and can therefore be pressurized to different degrees and thus filled in different ways with the medium 20. The use of several of the chambers 14 creates considerable degrees of freedom with regard to the spatial extent of the armrest 10 in a particularly simple and inexpensive manner. For example, different chambers 14 can be filled, and valves with different pressure thresholds can be provided between the chambers 14 in order to achieve different filling levels with the medium 20 or media that are specifically limited to individual chambers 14.to implement a locally limited negative pressure application by the medium 20 to individual chambers 14. By means of the different filling of the chambers 14, the hardness or elasticity of the armrest 10 can accordingly also be adjusted locally. Furthermore, the elasticity region 16 can also extend over another region of the armrest 10. Thus, in the present case, the elasticity region 16 of the armrest is deformable when acted upon by the medium 20 and adjustable in terms of hardness and elasticity, but also when acted upon by electrical energy from the energy source 80. This is achieved in that the elasticity region 16 or individual fibers of the elasticity region 16 can be specifically influenced with regard to their elasticity under the influence of electrical current or electrical energy; in other words, their hardness can be varied when energized.The elasticity region 16 can accordingly be formed at least partially from a shape memory material, such as a shape memory polymer, so that a certain elasticity of the fibers is maintained until, for example, the elasticity region 16 is energized again. It is clear that, as part of this energization, the elasticity region 16 or the armrest 10 can also be heated. This makes it possible to create a heat source by means of which heat can be supplied to the respective person sitting in the vehicle seat in a particularly locally limited manner. The armrest 10 can, for example, have a heating varnish or woven thermotextile structures in its outer skin, by means of which the armrest 10 can be heated. Furthermore, it is also possible to preheat the inflowing medium 20 before it flows in in order to enable particularly rapid heat dissipation through the armrest 10.

[0015] Furthermore, a storage space with a panel (not shown) can also be provided, which can be used to reinforce the textile-pneumatic structure. The panel can, for example, be folded out or rotated so that the textile-pneumatic structure, i.e. the adjustment device 50 or the backrest element 12, is at least partially supported when force is applied, i.e. when the armrest is resting. This panel is therefore suitable as a stiffening structure and is thus designed as a support and can be applied to the armrest 10 to provide local support when the armrest is in its use position 30. On the other hand, the panel can also be used to conceal the armrest 10 in its stowed position 40. The panel can accordingly be formed from one or more solid bodies, e.g. as an aluminum panel.

[0016] To support the application of force, a 3D spacer fabric can also be provided in the armrest 10, which makes it possible to load and stiffen the armrest 10 in multiple spatial directions. The 3D spacer fabric is arranged inside the armrest 10, for example in the chamber 14 or the adjustment device 50 and additionally or alternatively in the backrest element 12, and effects targeted stiffening in one or more desired spatial directions. Thus, a targeted anisotropy with regard to hardness and elasticity or extensibility can be set in the armrest 10. This makes it possible, for example, to specifically counteract the application of force resulting from the laying down of an arm, or to support the arm, provided that the 3D spacer fabric is aligned such that the armrest 10 is particularly stiff when loaded from this direction.Due to this targeted alignment of the 3D spacer fabric in the armrest 10, a particularly low pressure application to the medium 20 is required to move the armrest 10 from the stowed position 40 to the use position 30, since the adjustment of the armrest 10 is already supported by the pre-tension of the 3D spacer fabric. In other words, it is sufficient to inflate the armrest 10 with a particularly low pressure if compressed air is used as the medium 20.

[0017] The 3D spacer fabric comprises several plastic films or textile fabrics combined to form webs that stiffen the armrest 10, wherein the webs are aligned along the loading direction. The webs can, for example, be cuboid-shaped. The respective plastic films or textile fabrics are arranged in several layers with a specific thread orientation according to the loading direction. These threads of the respective layers can be aligned at different angles to one another, so that, as with a fiber composite material, a high level of stiffness can be achieved in a specific direction (loading direction). For example, the layers can be arranged alternately so that the threads of different layers are arranged and aligned at a specific angle to one another.

[0018] In contrast to conventional air mattresses, which are only filled with air and do not have increased stiffness in a specific load direction, the attachment of such webs enables stiffening adapted to the load direction of the armrest 10.

[0019] Furthermore, a central or seat-specific control unit can be provided, by means of which, for example, the heating temperature and the media flow (pressure / negative pressure or emptying / filling), the direction of the media flow, the speed of pressure build-up or reduction, the exact shape of the armrest 10 or the tension of the fibers (under current supply by the energy source 80 regulated or controlled by the control unit) can be regulated or controlled. Data can be exchanged with this control unit via an interface, which data corresponds, for example, to the respective operating instructions of persons sitting in the motor vehicle, status messages or warning messages such as an unexpected pressure loss. The interface can comprise various input options for controlling the armrest 10 by the respective user.These input options include, for example, a haptic control element, a touchscreen, and gesture tracking or eye tracking. However, it is also possible, for example, to operate or change the shape of the armrest 10 depending on the anticipated traffic situation or the physical or mental state of the occupants, which can be detected using appropriate sensors.

[0020] Thus, in a particularly simple and inexpensive manner, a freely adjustable armrest 10 is created in the vehicle interior of a motor vehicle, which can be adjusted as required between the use position 30 and the stowed position 40.

[0021] In particular, different seating positions of the driver or another person sitting in the motor vehicle, as well as their orientations and different driving situations (e.g., hands on the steering wheel; HAF driving case (highly automated driving); ergonomic support for operating a keyboard; comfortable armrest if the driver turns sideways to operate a CID (Central Information Display) or to communicate with the front passenger) can be supported. It is clear that the armrest 10 can be arranged both on the side of the vehicle seat 60 facing a center console of the motor vehicle, and also, for example, in the area of ​​the side of the vehicle seat 60 facing the vehicle door. The armrest 10 could not only be attached to the backrest, but alsothe back element of the vehicle seat 60, but also to the seat surface, whereby accordingly - and in contrast to the prior art - it is not necessary to integrate the armrest 10 into the vehicle door. Accordingly, the armrest would not be in the way when exiting the motor vehicle and would also provide advantages in the event of a crash, since the armrest 10, due to its media filling, dampens a large portion of the kinetic energy transferred to the interior in the event of a side impact, similar to an airbag or sidebag.

[0022] It is clear that the armrest could be fixed not only to the vehicle seat 60, but also to the center console, to one of the B-pillars, or to one of the vehicle doors. It is also clear that, in addition to reducing space requirements and improving safety, the use of this pneumatic structure also results in significant weight savings compared to a solid embodiment known from the prior art.

Claims

[1] Armrest (10) for an interior of a motor vehicle, with a backrest element (12) which is adjustable by means of an adjusting device (50) between a stowed position (40) and at least one use position (30), wherein the adjusting device (50) comprises at least one chamber (14) which can be pressurised with a medium (20), in particular with air, by the filling or emptying of which the backrest element (12) can be adjusted between the stowed position (40) and the use position (30), and wherein the armrest (10) has at least one elasticity region (16) which is deformable under the action of the medium (20), characterized by that the elastic region (16) is deformable at least in some areas when subjected to electrical energy. [2] Armrest (10) according to claim 1, characterized by that the elasticity region (16) is at least partially formed from a shape memory material. [3] Operating method for an armrest (10) for an interior of a motor vehicle, which comprises a backrest element (12) which is designed to be adjusted between a stowed position (40) and at least one use position (30) by means of an adjusting device (50) of the armrest (10), wherein the adjusting device (50) comprises at least one chamber (14), by filling which with a medium (20) or by emptying the medium (20) from the at least one chamber (14), the backrest element (12) is adjusted between the stowed position (40) and the use position (30), and wherein the armrest (10) has at least one elasticity region (16) which is deformed under the action of the medium (20), characterized by that the elastic region (16) is deformed at least in some areas when subjected to electrical energy.

Images