Roller blind shaft for a protective device in a vehicle interior

Abstract

Roller blind shaft for a protective device in a vehicle interior, on which at least one flexible sheet-like structure can be wound up and unwound, wherein the roller blind shaft has a curved bearing axis and sleeve-like roller blind shaft sections which are rotatably mounted on the bearing axis and are axially connected to one another to form a rotationally locked unit, characterized in that for mounting the roller blind shaft sections (3, 3a) on the bearing axis (2), at least one axially secured sliding ring (6, 6a) is provided for each roller blind shaft section (3, 3a), which supports the roller blind shaft section (3, 3a) in a contactless manner at a radial distance from the bearing axis (2), and in that an axial securing device (5, 5a, 7) for axially supporting the sliding ring (6, 6a) is provided on an inner surface of each roller blind shaft section (3, 3a).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a roller blind shaft for a protective device in a vehicle interior, on which at least one flexible sheet-like structure can be wound up and unwound, wherein the roller blind shaft has a curved bearing axis and sleeve-like roller blind shaft sections rotatably mounted on the bearing axis, which are axially connected to one another to form a rotationally locked unit.

[0002] Such a roller blind shaft is known from EP 1 510 382 A1 for shading a rear window of a motor vehicle. The known rear window roller blind has a curved roller blind shaft to enable guidance of the flexible shading structure close to the rear window. The curved roller blind shaft is formed by several axially nested roller blind shaft sections, which are sleeve-shaped and rotatably mounted on a fixed, curved bearing axis. The roller blind shaft sections are provided with integrally formed beads on their inner surface, which ensure sliding bearing of the roller blind shaft sections on the bearing axis. Alternatively, the roller blind shaft sections are provided with bearing bushes inserted into the front side, by means of which the roller blind shaft sections are rotatably mounted on the bearing axis.

[0003] WO 2003 / 024 729 A1 discloses a roller blind for a motor vehicle windshield, comprising a curved roller blind shaft. A flexible sheet material is held on the curved roller blind shaft in a manner that can be wound and unwound. The roller blind shaft has a curved bearing axis and several sleeve-like roller blind shaft sections rotatably mounted on the bearing axis, which are axially connected to one another via pin connections to form a rotationally locked unit.

[0004] US 516 018 A shows another roller blind with a curved roller blind shaft on which a shading sheet is wound and unwound. The roller blind shaft has a curved bearing shaft and several support sleeves distributed along the bearing shaft, on which a tubular casing is held that extends the entire length of the bearing shaft.

[0005] US 1 599 257 A discloses a tensioning device for smoothing or stretching cloths or fabrics. The tensioning device comprises an expander with a rotatable rubber sleeve, in which sleeve sections are rotatably mounted on a stationary, curved bearing axis by means of plain bearings. The sleeve sections are provided with thickened areas containing plain bearings. The plain bearings are pressed into the thickened areas of the sleeve sections to be held there by frictional engagement. Alternatively, a rolling bearing for the sleeve sections is proposed. The rolling bearing comprises multi-part rolling bearings with an inner bearing sleeve held on a bearing axis and an outer bearing sleeve held axially secured in a thickened area of ​​the sleeve sections. In addition, rolling balls are provided, which are enclosed between the two bearing sleeves of the rolling bearing.The rolling bearings are held in place by means of an axial locking device on the thickened areas of the sleeve sections, namely by means of an annular shoulder and a snap ring.

[0006] The object of the invention is to provide a roller blind shaft of the type mentioned at the outset which enables a rotary mounting of the sleeve-like roller blind shaft sections on the curved bearing axis using simple means.

[0007] This problem is solved by the features of claim 1. The respective sliding ring can also be manufactured together with the corresponding roller blind shaft section, in particular using a two-component injection molding process. In this design, the sliding ring is also axially secured in the roller blind shaft section, but then materially bonded due to the two-component manufacturing process. The sliding ring is preferably an O-ring made of metal or plastic. Alternatively, the sliding ring can be designed as a silicone ring or as an annular disc made of PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene). Advantageously, the O-ring has a circular cross-section and is made of silicone. Preferably, the silicone O-ring is coated with a PTFE lacquer. It is also possible to provide fluorination for a corresponding silicone O-ring. A sliding ring designed in this way exhibits sufficiently good sliding function over a wide temperature range between -30°C and 120°C.A sliding ring made of PTFE as a ring disk also exhibits good sliding performance within the same temperature range. A silicone ring with a trapezoidal cross-section or the cross-section of a pentagon also preferably exhibits sufficient sliding performance within the same temperature range. A sliding ring can also be coated in a different way to provide sliding performance or its material can be modified to provide sliding performance, in particular by incorporating sliding components into the material. The solution according to the invention is particularly advantageously suited for protective devices in a vehicle interior that are used to shade rear windows or glass roof areas. In the glass roof area, the curved or bent bearing axis and consequently the curved roller blind shaft enable increased headroom for vehicle occupants.The roller blind shaft according to the invention is part of a protective device in which a flexible sheet material, which serves to shade a corresponding vehicle window or a vehicle roof area, is held on the roller blind shaft so that it can be wound up and unwound. At a front end region in the extension direction, the flexible sheet material is provided with a dimensionally stable extension profile, which is preferably also curved across the width of the sheet material in a similar way to the curvature of the roller blind shaft. The curvature is preferably circular in shape, preferably adapted to the curvature of a rear window or a glass roof surface of the vehicle interior. Axial securing is preferably achieved by an annular collar on the inner casing of the respective roller blind shaft section, which can be designed as a continuous ring or interrupted in the form of annular web sections.According to the invention, an axial locking device is provided on the inner casing of each roller blind shaft section to axially support the sliding ring. The axial locking device is preferably formed by web or collar areas integrally formed on the inner casing, which provide axially positive support for the sliding ring.

[0008] In one embodiment of the invention, the sliding ring is mounted on the bearing axis for low-friction rotation. To further reduce friction, the sliding ring can be mounted on the bearing axis for rotation with radial play. The sliding rings secure the roller shaft sections on the bearing axis, preferably with no radial play. Alternatively, a corresponding sliding ring can be arranged on the bearing axis in a rotationally fixed manner, and the roller shaft section can be mounted on the sliding ring for low-friction rotation. This ensures low-friction rotation of the roller shaft sections on the fixed bearing axis.

[0009] In a further embodiment of the invention, the axial locking device is designed such that the sliding ring is secured in both axial directions. This prevents the sliding ring from axially shifting along the inner surface of the respective roller blind shaft section.

[0010] In a further embodiment of the invention, support profiles are provided as axial securing means, integrally formed on the inner surface of the roller blind shaft section. These profiles are provided with chamfers on at least one axial side for axially mounting the sliding ring in the roller blind shaft section. The chamfers ensure that the sliding ring can be engaged in the corresponding axial securing means by axial insertion. The chamfers thus facilitate the installation of the respective sliding ring.

[0011] Further advantages and features of the invention emerge from the claims. Preferred embodiments of the invention are described below and illustrated with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 shows an embodiment of a roller blind shaft according to the invention with a rigid, circularly curved bearing axis and several roller blind shaft sections rotatably mounted on the bearing axis, Fig. 2 a longitudinal section of the roller blind shaft according to Fig. 1, Fig. 3 shows an enlarged section of the roller blind shaft according to Fig. 2 and Fig. 4 shows an enlarged isometric sectional view of a section of a roller blind shaft of a further embodiment of a roller blind shaft according to the invention, which, compared to the embodiment according to the Fig. 1 to 3 are slightly modified.

[0012] A roller blind shaft 1 according to the Fig. 1 to 3 is part of a shading device serving as a protective device for a glass roof area of ​​a vehicle interior. The shading device comprises a flexible shading structure that is held on the roller blind shaft 1 so that it can be wound up and unwound. At a front end area, in the unwinding direction, the flexible shading structure is provided with a dimensionally stable extension profile that is slidably guided in longitudinal guides fixed to the roof. The roller blind shaft 1 is also held on the roof side.

[0013] The roller blind shaft 1 comprises a stationary bearing shaft 2, which is designed as a dimensionally stable, essentially rigid hollow profile. The bearing shaft 2 is made of metal, preferably a light metal alloy. According to Fig. 1 several sleeve-like roller blind shaft sections 3 are rotatably mounted, which are axially inserted into one another. For this purpose, each roller blind shaft section 3 is provided with an axial plug-in area 4 on its opposite end areas, wherein the opposite axial plug-in areas of each roller blind shaft section 3 are designed to be complementary to one another in order to enable axial plugging into one another and simultaneous rotationally locking engagement. In the area of ​​the axial plug-in areas 4, the roller blind shaft sections 3 are therefore held slightly articulated relative to one another. Due to the axial plug-in connection of the adjacent roller blind shaft sections 3 to one another, the roller blind shaft sections 3 form a shaft section assembly that can be rotated together as a unit on the bearing axis 2. The roller blind shaft sections 3 follow the curvature of the bearing axis 2, as the Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 can be seen.

[0014] Each roller blind shaft section is Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 are rotatably mounted on an outer surface of the bearing axis 2 by means of a sliding ring 6. Since the adjacent roller blind shaft sections 3 are axially inserted into one another, it is sufficient to support each roller blind shaft section 3 by means of a single sliding ring 6 on the bearing axis 2. The sliding rings 6 hold the roller blind shaft sections 3 with their inner circumference radially spaced from the outer surface of the bearing axis 2, as the Fig. 3 is removable. The sliding rings 6 enclose the outer casing of the bearing shaft 2 without play. The bearing shaft 2 has a cylindrical outer casing. The roller shaft sections 3 are also hollow cylindrical. However, while the bearing shaft 2 is curved in a circular arc, the roller shaft sections 3 are each designed as hollow cylinders with a straight axis of rotation.

[0015] Each hollow cylindrical roller blind shaft section 3 has axial plug-in profiles with a socket function on one end region and axial plug-in profiles with a plug function on the opposite end region, so that the end region provided with the plug function can be inserted into the complementary end region of the adjacent roller blind shaft section 3 provided with the socket function.

[0016] The respective sliding ring 6 is provided approximately at the level of the front end area of ​​each roller blind shaft section 3, which assumes the bushing function. In this area, the inner casing of the respective roller blind shaft section 3 is provided with a radially inwardly projecting annular collar 5, which is integrally formed on the inner casing of the roller blind shaft section 3 and provides axial support for the sliding ring 6. The respective sliding ring 6 is designed as an O-ring made of a plastic material with good sliding properties relative to the metal tube of the bearing axis 2. The radial extent of the annular collar 5 is less than a radially viewed diameter of the sliding ring 6, so that the respective roller blind shaft section 3 is also positioned radially spaced from the outer casing of the bearing axis 2 in the area of ​​the annular collar 5.Before mounting the roller shaft sections 3 on the bearing axis 2, the sliding ring 6 is inserted axially into the respective roller shaft section 3 from the front end area and pressed against the annular collar 5. Each sliding ring 6 is seated radially in the inner casing of the roller shaft section 3 with a friction fit.

[0017] The embodiment according to Fig. 4 essentially corresponds to the previously determined Fig. 1 to 3. To avoid repetition, reference is therefore made to the disclosure of the embodiment according to Fig. 1 to 3. In the following, only the differences in the embodiment according to Fig. 4. Functionally and / or structurally identical sections and parts of the embodiment according to Fig. 4 are given the same reference numerals with the addition of the letter a.

[0018] The following describes the differences between the versions according to Fig. 4. Essential difference of the embodiment according to Fig. 4 is that the respective roller blind shaft section 3a for the respective sliding ring 6a also includes an additional axial securing device on the axial side opposite the annular collar 5a. The annular collar 5a is in the embodiment according to Fig.4 is formed by a plurality of annular web sections distributed over the circumference of the inner surface of the roller blind shaft section 3a, against which the sliding ring 6a axially rests. The annular web sections 5a are aligned with one another in the circumferential direction. At an axial distance from the annular web sections of the annular collar 5a, locking lugs 7 are integrally formed on the inner surface of the roller blind shaft section 3a. These locking lugs are provided with axially running bevels on their side facing the front end area of ​​the roller blind shaft section 3a. Upon axial insertion of the sliding ring 6a, it is pressed axially over the locking lugs 7 by elastic deformation and engages behind the locking lugs 7 between the locking lugs 7 and the annular collar 5a with no axial play. Preferably, the locking lugs 7 are also provided with run-on bevels in the area of ​​their flanks facing the annular collar 5a in order to enable easy disassembly of the sliding ring 6a.Both the locking lugs 7 and the annular web sections forming the annular collar 5a are integrally formed on the inner surface of the roller shaft section 3a. The roller shaft sections 3, 3a are preferably designed as hollow plastic profiles and manufactured using an injection molding process. The respective annular collar 5, 5a and the locking lugs 7 are already integrally formed during the production of the roller shaft sections 3, 3a.

Claims

[1] Roller blind shaft for a protective device in a vehicle interior, on which at least one flexible sheet material can be wound up and unwound, wherein the roller blind shaft has a curved bearing axis and sleeve-like roller blind shaft sections rotatably mounted on the bearing axis, which are axially connected to one another to form a rotationally locked unit, characterized by in that for mounting the roller blind shaft sections (3, 3a) on the bearing axis (2), at least one axially secured sliding ring (6, 6a) is provided for each roller blind shaft section (3, 3a), which supports the roller blind shaft section (3, 3a) in a contactless manner at a radial distance from the bearing axis (2), and in that an axial securing means (5, 5a, 7) for axially supporting the sliding ring (6, 6a) is provided on an inner surface of each roller blind shaft section (3, 3a). [2] Roller blind shaft according to claim 1, characterized by that the respective sliding ring (6, 6a) is rotatably mounted on the bearing axis (2) with low friction. [3] Roller blind shaft according to claim 1, characterized by that the axial locking device (5a, 7) is designed such that the sliding ring (6a) is secured in both axial directions. [4] Roller blind shaft according to claim 1 or 3, characterized by that support profiles (5, 5a, 7) are provided as axial securing means, which are integrally formed on the inner surface of the roller blind shaft section and are provided on at least one axial side with run-on bevels for axially mounting the sliding ring (6, 6a) in the roller blind shaft section (3, 3a).

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