Device for fixing a covering material

Abstract

Device (10) for fixing a covering material (6), in particular a covering material (6) of upholstery, for example, upholstery of a vehicle seat (1), comprising a sleeve bushing (12) and a sleeve plug (14), wherein the sleeve bushing (12) is arranged on a first side of the covering material (6) in the region of an opening (30) in the covering material (6), wherein the sleeve bushing (12) has a circumferential wall (22) and the covering material (6) can be inserted into the sleeve bushing (12) in the region of the opening (30), wherein the sleeve plug (14) can be inserted into the sleeve bushing (12) from a second side of the covering material (6) along an insertion axis (A) through the opening (30) of the covering material (6), whereby the covering material (6) can be fixed by generating a clamping effect between the sleeve plug (14) and the sleeve bushing (12), wherein the Sleeve bushing (12) to generate the clamping effect has at least one clamping element (20),which contacts the reference material (6) in such a way that different reference materials (6) with different thicknesses (d1, d2) can be fixed in the same way, characterized in that a free end of the clamping element (20) is oriented partly in the direction of the inserted sleeve plug (14) and partly parallel to the insertion direction of the sleeve plug (14).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a device for fixing a cover material having the features of the preamble of claim 1 and to a vehicle seat. State of the art

[0002] Many vehicle seats are designed to allow various functional elements, such as headrest guide rods or snap fasteners for operating headrests or other mechanisms in or on the vehicle seat, to be accessible from the outside. For this purpose, a vehicle seat upholstery cover must have appropriate openings and / or ducts. Reinforcing and retaining elements are typically sewn onto the edge of the cover opening.

[0003] Sewing or attaching the elements to the edge of the cover opening is labor-intensive. Threading the cover through and attaching it to a fixed support element using tabs made from the cover material is also relatively labor-intensive. Furthermore, there is a demand for an aesthetic appearance of the externally visible functional elements and their routing through the cover.

[0004] US Pat. No. 5,214,811 A discloses an upholstery button comprising a collet, an armature, and a lock washer. A seat or cushion cover is securely clamped between the head of the collet and the lock washer. The lock washer is locked in position without the action of other clamping elements by the interaction of the lock washer and the ribs formed on the collet shank.

[0005] From DE 10 2011 086 323 A1 a vehicle seat, in particular a vehicle seat bench, with a seat cover is known which has an opening provided for receiving a belt buckle, wherein a sleeve-like belt buckle guide is provided into which an edge region of the seat cover on the opening side is clamped.

[0006] From DE 41 40 798 A1 a vehicle seat, in particular a motor vehicle seat, with a cushion support for the seat part cushion, which has connections to a seat frame at several points, is known, wherein at least some of the connections are designed as clip connections.

[0007] US Pat. No. 6,045,182 A discloses a vehicle seat with a backrest and a side airbag arranged in a box integrated into the backrest. The backrest cover includes a recess located in correspondence with the outer surface of a box, and the box is accommodated in a housing in the form of a recess open to the outside at the side. The edge of the cover, which runs along the outer surface of the box, is clamped between the housing and the box.

[0008] From JP 2002 - 85 866 A, an eyelet structure is known which is capable of securely holding a covering material without being expanded in a hole and separating from the outer circumference of the eyelet, even if the covering material is pulled in the radial direction of the eyelet. Task

[0009] The invention is based on the object of improving a device for securing a cover material of the type mentioned above, in particular enabling the securing of different cover materials and providing secure securing of cover materials of different thicknesses, which is also cost-effective, easy to install, and of high-quality appearance. Furthermore, the object is to provide a corresponding vehicle seat with such a device. Solution

[0010] This object is achieved according to the invention by a device for securing a cover material, in particular a cover material of a seat cushion, for example a seat cushion of a vehicle seat, comprising a sleeve bushing and a sleeve plug. The sleeve bushing is arranged on a first side of a cover material, in the region of an opening in the cover material. The sleeve bushing has a circumferential wall. The cover material can be inserted into the sleeve bushing in the region of the opening. The sleeve plug can be inserted into the sleeve bushing from a second side of the cover material, along an insertion axis through the opening in the cover material, whereby the cover material can be secured by generating a clamping effect between the sleeve plug and the sleeve bushing.

[0011] Because the sleeve bushing has at least one clamping element to generate the clamping effect, which clamping element contacts the cover material in such a way that different cover materials with different thicknesses can be equally fixed, the cover material can advantageously be fixed particularly securely between the sleeve plug and the sleeve bushing. This allows the device to be used for multiple configurations, in particular different thicknesses, of cover materials without the device having to be adapted to the corresponding cover material, in particular the thickness of the cover material, for each individual application. This also advantageously allows the device to be pre-produced in larger quantities without the need to know and consider the respective explicit installation situations in advance.The device adapts its effect to the respective thickness of the cover material in the final installation situation.

[0012] Advantageous embodiments, which can be used individually or in combination with one another, are the subject of the subclaims.

[0013] The device can be used to accommodate and / or provide a functional element. It can also be used to provide an externally accessible control element for a mechanism located beneath the cover material, particularly beneath or within the upholstery of a vehicle seat, or for concealed electrical elements or cables. The functional element can be, for example, a push button held in the sleeve connector, a headrest rod guided through the sleeve connector, or a guide element of a seat belt.

[0014] The cover material inserted into the sleeve bushing can be deflected along the edge of the sleeve bushing wall. Particularly in the case of a less or non-elastic cover material, it can be advantageous if the opening in the cover material is formed by targeted cutting, preferably star-shaped cutting, to form tabs. However, this is also possible in the case of an elastic cover material.

[0015] The cover material introduced into the sleeve socket, particularly when inserting the sleeve plug, can be deflected by 90°. The cover material can preferably be deflected at the edge region of the opening. The cover material can be deflected around an edge section of the wall of the sleeve socket. For this purpose, the edge section of the wall of the sleeve socket is preferably rounded, or the edge section of the wall in the area of ​​contact with the cover material does not have any edge at which the cover material could be damaged.

[0016] The sleeve plug inserted into the sleeve socket can be secured against accidental release. The sleeve plug can be clipped and / or snapped into the sleeve socket.

[0017] Furthermore, a plurality of clamping elements can be provided. The clamping elements are preferably arranged evenly distributed in the circumferential direction of the sleeve bushing, for example.

[0018] The clamping element can be designed to be spring-elastic. This also allows the clamping element to yield resiliently when the sleeve plug is inserted, thus not hindering insertion. Another advantage is that, depending on the thickness of the cover material being inserted at the same time, the clamping element is deflected, in particular pushed back, to a greater or lesser extent when the sleeve plug is inserted. Furthermore, depending on the thickness of the inserted cover material, the clamping element can pivot more or less far in the direction of the cover material, with the clamping element pressing the clamped cover material against an outer surface of the sleeve plug, generating a clamping force. The cover material can be compressed in sections. The spring-elastic property of the clamping element can be determined and / or influenced by a predetermined material property of the sleeve bushing.The spring-elastic material property of the sleeve bushing can be influenced by an additional spring element, which is arranged, for example, between a free end of the clamping element and the wall of the sleeve bushing.

[0019] The clamping element can be angled relative to the insertion axis. The clamping element can be preloaded from a manufacturing-specific position to a suitable use position by bending it accordingly.

[0020] Furthermore, it can be provided that a free end of the clamping element is oriented in the direction of the inserted sleeve plug and parallel to the insertion direction of the sleeve plug.

[0021] The sleeve bushing can, for example, be made of a plastic. The sleeve plug can, for example, be made of a plastic. The sleeve plug and / or the sleeve bushing can, for example, be manufactured using an injection molding process. The sleeve bushing can, for example, have an adapter ring for receiving the sleeve plug. The sleeve bushing can, for example, be connectable to a frame structure of a seat part or a backrest of a vehicle seat. The sleeve bushing can, for example, be held on a frame structure of a seat part or a backrest of a vehicle seat. The sleeve plug can, for example, comprise further components that are movable relative to an outer plug housing and are preferably arranged inside the plug housing.

[0022] The object is further achieved according to the invention by a vehicle seat, in particular a motor vehicle seat, comprising a seat part and a backrest, wherein the seat part and / or the backrest has a padding covered with a cover material, wherein the vehicle seat has at least one device for fixing the cover material according to the preceding description. Figures and embodiments of the invention

[0023] Before a preferred embodiment of the invention is described in more detail below with reference to the drawings, it should first be noted that the invention is not limited to the components described. Furthermore, the terminology used is not limiting but merely exemplary. Where the singular is used in the description and claims below, the plural is also included unless the context explicitly excludes this.

[0024] The invention is explained in more detail below using an advantageous embodiment illustrated in the figures. However, the invention is not limited to this embodiment. They show: Fig. 1: an exploded view of a device according to the invention and a cover material to be fixed, Fig. 2a: a partial side view of a device known from the prior art, Fig. 2b: a side view of a prior art design of a sleeve plug, Fig. 3: a partial sectional view of the device of Fig. 2a in combination with a thick cover material, Fig. 4: a partial sectional view of the device of Fig. 2a in combination with a thin cover material, Fig. 5: a Fig. 3 corresponding partial sectional view of the device according to the invention, Fig. 6: a Fig. 4 corresponding partial sectional view of the device according to the invention, Fig. 7: a sectional view through the device perpendicular to an insertion axis, and Fig. 8: a schematic side view of a vehicle seat according to the invention.

[0025] Fig. Figure 1 is an exploded view of a device 10 according to the invention and a cover material 6 to be secured. A sleeve bushing 12 and a sleeve plug 14 are arranged along an insertion axis A on opposite sides of an opening 30 in the cover material 6. The opening 30 in the cover material 6 is created by several, in this case five, star-shaped incisions 30a, so that a correspondingly equal number of tabs 6a are formed. The tabs 6a are each delimited by two adjacent incisions 30a.

[0026] Furthermore, the representation of Fig. 1 that the sleeve plug 14 in this case has, for example, a push button 16a. The sleeve plug 14 also has a preferably spring-elastic clip projection 26, which, after insertion into the sleeve socket 12, engages in a locking opening 28 provided in the sleeve socket 12 and thus secures the sleeve plug 14 against unintentional detachment from the sleeve socket 12. This clip connection for connecting the sleeve plug 14 to the sleeve socket 12 is described merely as an example; other alternative connections are also conceivable.

[0027] In the Fig. 2a, Fig. 2b, Fig. 3 and Fig. 4 shows a device 10 known from the prior art in different representations. Fig. Figure 2a shows a section of a generic sleeve plug 14 inserted into a generic sleeve socket 12 without the reference material 6. A section line III-III is also shown, the corresponding section view of which is shown in Fig. 3 is shown.

[0028] Fig. Figure 2b shows a generic sleeve connector 14 with ribs 18 arranged on the outside, which are evenly distributed over the circumference. Furthermore, the ribs 18 are usually oriented parallel to the insertion axis A.

[0029] In Fig. 3, the generic device 10 is shown in a partially enlarged sectional view. The sleeve plug 14 in this case has a push button 16a, which can be used, for example, to actuate a mechanism (not shown) for adjusting the height of a headrest. In detail, the illustration shows that the tab 6a of the cover material 6 is bent around an upper edge 24 of a wall 22 of the sleeve bushing 12. When the sleeve plug 14 is inserted into the sleeve bushing 12, the rib 18 presses into the bent tab 6a in the insertion direction. Viewed in the longitudinal direction of the rib 18, a comparatively large contact surface with the tab 6a is achieved, but viewed in the circumferential direction, the connection of the rib 18 to the tab 6a is comparatively point-like. The cover material 6 in this case has, according to Fig. 3 has a first thickness d1, which in this case corresponds to the radial distance between the sleeve plug 14 and the sleeve bushing 12, viewed relative to the insertion axis A. With thicker and stiffer cover materials 6, the rib 18 may cut into the tabs 6a, which may reduce the holding force of the device.

[0030] The Fig. The state shown in Figure 4 represents another possible installation situation, which occurs when using the generic device 10 in conjunction with a thinner cover material 6. The cover material 6 according to Fig. 4 has a second thickness d2, which in this case is less than the radial distance between the sleeve plug 14 and the sleeve bushing 12, viewed relative to the insertion axis A. In this case, the rib 18 may not penetrate sufficiently deeply into the covering material 6 of the tab 6a to generate the clamping force required to fix the covering material 6. This may, for example, lead to the tab 6a being pulled out of the device 10.

[0031] The following described Fig. 5 and Fig. 6 show a Fig. 3 corresponding sectional view of the device 10 according to the invention. Particularly by a direct comparison with the Fig. 3 and Fig. 4 the differences according to the invention can be seen. The two Fig. 5 and Fig. 6 are described together below and differ only in a different thickness of the tabs 6a of the cover material 6, whereby the tab 6a in Fig. 5 the thickness d1 and in Fig. 6 has a thickness d2.

[0032] It can be seen in particular that the sleeve bushing 12 has a clamping element 20 which is arranged in the region of the edge 24 of the wall 22. The clamping element 20 can be formed integrally with the sleeve bushing 12, in particular designed as a molded component. The clamping element 20 can, for example, be designed to be spring-elastic in that it is bent relative to its one-sided connection to the edge 24 of the wall 22 and, due to its elastic material properties, strives to assume a stress-free basic position. The clamping element 20 is angled relative to the insertion axis A, in particular oriented partially in the direction of the inserted sleeve plug 14 and partially parallel to the insertion direction of the sleeve plug 14.

[0033] When the sleeve plug 14 is inserted into the sleeve bushing 12, the sleeve plug 14 carries the tab 6a of the cover material 6 with it. The free end of the clamping element 20, which is spaced from the edge 24, is slightly displaced towards the wall 22 upon insertion of the sleeve plug 14, so that the sleeve plug 14 can pass with the tab 6a resting thereon. However, the clamping element 20 springs back up again and is thereby pressed against the side of the tab 6a spaced from the sleeve plug 14. The clamping element 20 slightly compresses the material of the tab 6a in some areas, thus increasing its contact surface on the tab 6a. Furthermore, the clamping element 20 preferably comes into contact with the tab 6a over its entire width, thereby creating a wide contact surface or contact line perpendicular to the load direction.

[0034] Furthermore, it may be advantageous if an optional recess 32 cooperating with the clamping element 20 is provided to protect the cover material 6 from damage in the area of ​​the tabs 6a by the clamping elements 20. This recess can enable the tab 6a to reduce excessive clamping force exerted by the clamping element 20 by the tab 6a evading the clamping element 20 by fitting the tab 6a into the recess 32.

[0035] In Fig. Figure 7 shows a sectional view through the device 10 perpendicular to the insertion axis A. The device 10 has four clamping elements 20, which are inclined slightly to the left or right in pairs in the circumferential direction in order to better compensate for lateral tensile stress on the cover material 6. This also provides a means of preventing rotation of the sleeve plug 14 relative to the sleeve bushing 12. An embodiment is shown in which the four clamping elements 20 are not evenly distributed in the circumferential direction. According to an embodiment not shown, they can also be evenly distributed in the circumferential direction.

[0036] In Fig.Figure 8 shows a schematic side view of a vehicle seat 1 according to the invention. The vehicle seat 1 has a seat part 2 and a backrest 4, both of which have upholstery covered with a cover material 6. The vehicle seat 1 also has two devices 10, which are designed, for example, one in one embodiment as a push button 16a in a headrest arranged on the backrest 4, and one in one embodiment as a guide element 16b of a safety belt (not shown).

[0037] Although the invention has been described in detail in the drawings and the preceding description, these representations are to be understood as illustrative and exemplary and not restrictive. In particular, the choice of the proportions of the individual elements shown in the drawings should not be interpreted as required or restrictive. Furthermore, the invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiments explained. Further variants of the invention and their implementation will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the preceding disclosure, the figures, and the claims.

[0038] Terms used in the claims such as "comprise," "have," "include," "contain," and the like do not exclude further elements or steps. The use of the indefinite article does not exclude a plurality. A single device may perform the functions of multiple units or devices recited in the claims. List of reference symbols 1 vehicle seat 2 seat part 4 backrest 6 Cover material 6a tab 10 Device 12 sleeve bushing 14 sleeve plugs 16a push button 16b Guide element (of a safety belt) 18 ribs 20 clamping element 22 wall 24 Rand 26 clip projection 28 locking opening 30 Opening 30a incision 32 Deepening d1 first thickness (of the reference material) d2 second thickness (of the cover material) A insertion axis

Claims

[1] Device (10) for fixing a cover material (6), in particular a cover material (6) of an upholstery, for example an upholstery of a vehicle seat (1), comprising a sleeve bushing (12) and a sleeve plug (14), wherein the sleeve bushing (12) is arranged on a first side of the cover material (6), in the region of an opening (30) in the cover material (6), wherein the sleeve bushing (12) has a circumferential wall (22) and the cover material (6) can be inserted into the sleeve bushing (12) in the region of the opening (30), wherein the sleeve plug (14) can be inserted into the sleeve bushing (12) from a second side of the cover material (6), along an insertion axis (A) through the opening (30) of the cover material (6), whereby the cover material (6) is clamped, producing a clamping effect between the sleeve plug (14) and the sleeve bushing (12). can be fixed, wherein the sleeve bushing (12) has at least one clamping element (20) for producing the clamping effect,which contacts the cover material (6) in such a way that different cover materials (6) with a different thickness (d1, d2) can be fixed equally, , characterized by that a free end of the clamping element (20) is oriented partly in the direction of the inserted sleeve plug (14) and partly parallel to the insertion direction of the sleeve plug (14). [2] Device according to claim 1, wherein the cover material (6) introduced into the sleeve bushing (12) is deflectable along the edge (24) of the wall (22) of the sleeve bushing (12). [3] Device according to one of claims 1 to 2, wherein the sleeve plug (14) inserted into the sleeve socket (12) is secured against unintentional detachment from the sleeve socket (12). [4] Device according to one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the sleeve plug (14) is clipped into the sleeve socket (12). [5] Device according to one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a plurality of clamping elements (20) are provided. [6] Device according to claim 5, wherein the clamping elements (20) are arranged in the sleeve bushing (12) in a uniformly distributed manner in the circumferential direction. [7] Device according to one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the clamping element (20) is designed to be spring-elastic. [8] Device according to one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the clamping element (20) is angled relative to the insertion axis (A). [9] Vehicle seat (1), in particular a motor vehicle seat, comprising a seat part (2) and a backrest (4), wherein the seat part (2) and / or the backrest (4) has a padding covered with a cover material (6), wherein the vehicle seat (1) has at least one device (10) for fixing the cover material (6) according to one of the preceding claims.

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