Vehicle center armrest arrangement

Abstract

Vehicle center armrest arrangement (100) with two vehicle-mounted and mutually parallel guide rails (10, 10'; 110), an armrest (20) which is movable in the longitudinal direction (x) of the vehicle and has two front and two rear guide elements (30, 30') which are guided in the two guide rails (10, 10'; 110), characterized by the fact that the two guide rails (10, 10'; 110) each have a plastic profile raceway (14, 14'; 120) which are each directly fixed to a separate self-rigid retaining rail (12; 112).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a motor vehicle center armrest arrangement that is arranged between two vehicle seats, preferably between the two front seats in a motor vehicle.

[0002] Such center armrest arrangements feature an armrest, which may be padded, on which the driver or front passenger can rest their forearm. To allow the position of the armrest to be adjusted to the seating position of the person in question, vehicle-mounted guide rails are provided, on which the armrest is mounted so that it can slide longitudinally along the vehicle.

[0003] Such armrests are known from DE 10 2018 200 184 A1, DE 10 2011 118 599 A1, DE 20 2004 013 633 U1, DE 10 2008 050 953 A1, DE 10 2017 125 556 A1, DE 20 2013 104 628 U1, WO 2005 / 118 335 A1, DE 10 2014 005 620 A1, WO 2021 / 252 657 A1 and EP 1 588 892 A2. The guide rails generally have a linear profile, making their manufacture simple and inexpensive. However, the position of the armrest along the guide rail cannot be optimally adjusted to the individual's seating position using this method. Plastic guide rails allow for quiet movement of the armrest's guide elements within the rail, but they are not very stable. Metal guide rails are mechanically stable, but they transmit structure-borne noise.

[0004] Against this background, the object of the invention is to create an inexpensive car center armrest arrangement with improved ergonomics.

[0005] This problem is solved according to the invention with a motor vehicle center armrest arrangement having the features of claim 1.

[0006] The vehicle center armrest arrangement according to the invention comprises two vehicle-mounted and mutually parallel guide rails, which can be or are mounted to the vehicle body between two vehicle seats. A separate armrest has two front and two rear guide elements that are guided in the two guide rails, i.e., one front and one rear guide element in the left guide rail and one front and one rear guide element in the right guide rail. In this way, the armrest is continuously adjustable or slidable in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle between a front end position and a rear end position.

[0007] The two guide rails are each constructed of two components and each features a rigid retaining rail that is permanently mounted to the vehicle, and each features a preferably non-rigid plastic profile track that is directly fixed to or within the retaining rail and through which the guide elements of the armrest are directly guided. The retaining rail is preferably made of metal. Alternatively, another material, such as a reinforced plastic with a high carbon fiber content, can be used for the retaining rail.

[0008] Since the plastic profile track is preferably not inherently rigid, it can, within certain limits, accommodate any spatial guide rail configuration. Manufacturing the plastic profile track is relatively simple and inexpensive, even for complex spatial guide rail configurations, as an extruded profile can be used for the plastic profile track. Using a plastic profile track ensures quiet movement of the armrest within the guide rails. Furthermore, by using a suitable plastic for the plastic profile track, optimal sliding and rolling behavior of the guide elements can be achieved, resulting in a high-quality appearance. The spatial guide rail configuration is determined and defined by the inherently rigid retaining rail.

[0009] In this way, an ergonomic car center armrest arrangement is created using simple means and can be provided at a low cost.

[0010] Preferably, the guide rails are non-linear and particularly preferably have a non-constantly curved profile. In principle, the profile of the guide rails can be freely determined, although there are of course limits to the degree of curvature.

[0011] Preferably, each guide element has a rotatable guide wheel that runs in or on the plastic profile track. This allows the armrest to be moved with very little resistance. Particularly preferably, the guide wheel is not mounted on a plain bearing, but is rotatably mounted on a roller bearing.

[0012] Preferably, the guide elements, in conjunction with the respective guide rail or plastic profile track, are designed as floating bearings on one side, i.e., on the left or right side. This allows for relatively large tolerances regarding the lateral distance between the guide rails or plastic profile tracks during the manufacture and assembly of the vehicle center armrest assembly, thus simplifying and reducing manufacturing costs.

[0013] The floating bearing is particularly advantageously implemented by having the plastic profile raceway on the left or right side have a wider track surface in the transverse direction than the opposite plastic profile raceway of the other guide rail, thus forming a floating bearing guide rail and a fixed bearing guide rail. The guide element wheel has a transverse clearance of, for example, several millimeters on the wider track surface.

[0014] Preferably, the plastic profile raceways are embedded in the retaining rails, which are designed as profile bodies, and thus held in the respective retaining rail by a positive fit. Additionally, the raceways can be permanently fixed to the retaining rail, for example by welding, gluing, screwing, and / or clamping.

[0015] Preferably, the armrest has a padded support cushion, for example in the form of a foam body in a cushion cover.

[0016] Preferably, a third, central guide element is provided between the front and rear guide elements. This central guide element serves as support under load and is designed with a nominal dimension of spacing. When a person leans on the armrest, the central guide element additionally absorbs the force. Particularly preferably, the vertical height of the central guide element is less than the height of the front and rear guide elements. This prevents the armrest guide elements from tilting within the guide rails, especially in cases of non-linear and non-constantly curved profiles.

[0017] Two embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail below with reference to the figures. The figures show: Fig. 1 a vertical cross-section of a first embodiment of a motor vehicle center armrest arrangement with upwardly open guide rails, Fig. 2 the guide elements and guide rails of the vehicle center armrest arrangement Fig. 1 in enlarged vertical cross-section, Fig. 3 a vertical cross-section of a second embodiment of a guide rail, which is designed to be closed, and Fig. 4 a vertical longitudinal section III-III of the vehicle center armrest arrangement of the Fig. 1 or the Fig. 3 with three guide elements on each side.

[0018] In the Fig. 1 and Fig. Figure 2 shows a first embodiment of a vehicle center armrest arrangement 100 according to the invention. In the state installed in the motor vehicle (MV), the vehicle center armrest arrangement 100 is arranged between two vehicle seats, preferably between the two front vehicle seats.

[0019] The vehicle center armrest assembly 100 has two vehicle-mounted and mutually parallel guide rails 10, 10' through which an armrest 20, which is displaceable in the longitudinal direction x of the vehicle, is guided. The armrest 20 has a rigid platform carriage 22, which is formed by a rigid plastic platform body 22, and above it has a padded support cushion 24, which is formed by an elastic filling element 26 and a cushion skin 25, which forms a support surface 27 on its upper side for a person's arm.

[0020] The vehicle center armrest assembly 100 has two vehicle-mounted and mutually parallel guide rails 10, 10' which, lying in a vertical longitudinal plane, have a slightly horizontal S-shaped profile, as shown in Fig. 4 is indicated. The guide rails 10, 10' are designed with a non-linear and non-constantly curved profile.

[0021] A rigid axis 23, oriented exactly in the transverse direction y, is held rotationally fixed by the armrest stage body 22. A guide element 30 is provided at each of the two transverse ends of the front axis 23, i.e., a left guide element 30 and a right guide element 30. Correspondingly, two identical guide elements 30' are provided on an identical rear axis, as shown in Fig. 4 is shown.

[0022] The four guide elements 30, 30' are each formed by an annular guide element wheel 31 made of plastic, which is rotatably mounted on the respective axis 23 by a separate rolling bearing 32.

[0023] The guide rails 10, 10' of the in the Fig. 1 and Fig. In the first embodiment shown in Figure 2, each is formed by a separate, self-supporting metal retaining rail 12 into which a plastic profile raceway 14, 14' is positively inserted. The plastic profile raceways 14, 14' are each fixed by welds 15 in corresponding openings in the bottom wall 13 of the retaining rail 12. The plastic profile raceways 14, 14' each have a U-shaped cross-section and each has a horizontally arranged track bed 36, 36'. The track bed 36 of the left plastic profile raceway 14 is only slightly wider in the transverse direction y than the plastic wheel 31. The track bed 36' of the right plastic profile raceway 14' is at least several millimeters wider than the respective plastic wheel 31.

[0024] The two guide rails 10, 10' each have a cover wall 90, 90' with an axle slot 92 directly adjacent to the plastic profile track 14, 14' proximally, through which the axle 23 is guided without contact. The axle slot 92 runs parallel to the spatial course of the plastic profile tracks 14, 14'.

[0025] As in the Fig. As shown in Figure 4, an additional central guide element 39 can optionally be provided approximately midway between the front and rear guide elements 30, 30'. The vertical guide element height Z39 of the central guide element 39 is several millimeters smaller than the respective guide element height Z30 of the front and rear guide elements 30, 30'. This prevents the guide elements 30, 30', 39 from tilting in the guide rails 10, 10'; 110.

[0026] In the Fig.Figure 3 shows a second embodiment of a guide rail 110 in vertical cross-section. Both the metal retaining rail 112 and the plastic profile raceway 120 inserted into the cavity of the retaining rail 112 are essentially C-shaped, with the opening slots 124, 130 of the plastic profile raceway 120 and the retaining rail 112 oriented to open towards the center of the arrangement 100. The vertical internal height Z120 within the plastic profile raceway 120 is slightly greater than the vertical guide element height Z30 of the guide element 30.

Claims

[1] Vehicle center armrest arrangement (100) with two vehicle-mounted and mutually parallel guide rails (10, 10'; 110), an armrest (20) which is movable in the longitudinal direction (x) of the vehicle and has two front and two rear guide elements (30, 30') which are guided in the two guide rails (10, 10'; 110), characterized by , that the two guide rails (10, 10'; 110) each have a plastic profile raceway (14, 14'; 120) which are each directly fixed to a separate self-rigid retaining rail (12; 112). [2] Motor vehicle center armrest arrangement (100) according to claim 1, wherein the guide elements (30, 30') each have a guide element wheel (31). [3] Motor vehicle center armrest arrangement (100) according to claim 2, wherein the guide element wheel (31) is rotatably mounted by a rolling bearing (32). [4] Motor vehicle center armrest arrangement (100) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the plastic profile raceway (14') and the associated guide elements (30) of one side form a floating bearing. [5] Automotive center armrest arrangement (100) according to claim 4, wherein the floating bearing guide rail (10') has a plastic profile raceway (14') which has a wider track base (36') than the fixed bearing guide rail (10). [6] Motor vehicle center armrest arrangement (100) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the plastic profile raceways (14, 14'; 120) are each embedded in the retaining rail (12; 112) designed as a profile body. [7] Motor vehicle center armrest arrangement (100) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the guide rails (10, 10'; 110) have non-constantly curved profiles. [8] Motor vehicle center armrest arrangement (100) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the armrest (20) has a padded support cushion (24). [9] Motor vehicle center armrest arrangement (100) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein a central guide element (39) is provided between the front and rear guide elements (30, 30'). [10] Motor vehicle center armrest arrangement (100) according to the preceding claim, wherein the vertical guide element height (Z39) of the middle guide elements (39) is smaller than the respective guide element height (Z30) of the other guide elements (30, 30').

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