SYSTEM FOR ROTATING MOUNTING AND ELECTRICAL CONNECTION OF A TRIM PANEL FOR A MOTOR VEHICLE TRUNK

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a system for rotating and electrically connecting a covering shelf of a luggage compartment of a motor vehicle to a side trim panel of said compartment, and also a shelf and a panel for such a system.

[0002] It is known, in particular from document FR-2 706 015, to produce a system for rotating a covering shelf for a luggage compartment of a motor vehicle on a side trim panel of said compartment, said shelf being operable between a horizontal covering position and an inclined position for access to said compartment, said system comprising: a front area of ​​said cabinetwork forming a fixing area, said area being provided with a finger projecting transversely from said cabinetwork, a front corner of said shelf provided with a means for receiving said finger in a nested manner, said means having a general C shape defining a housing with a section complementary to that of said finger, the opening of the C having a smaller size than the section of said finger so as to allow forcible insertion of said finger into said housing with temporary elastic spacing of the branches of the C then holding said finger in said housing.

[0003] It is also known to provide the tablet with an electrical device, such as one or more electrodynamic or magnetostrictive speakers or transducers, or even lighting.

[0004] It is then necessary to establish an electrical connection between the tablet and at least one cabinet, in order to be able to connect the electrical device, for example, to an amplifier or even to the vehicle battery.

[0005] It should be noted here that the term "shelf" designates in particular a shelf mounted at the top of the luggage compartment, so as to conceal said compartment, but can also designate a panel mounted at the bottom of said compartment to form a "false floor" making it possible in particular to conceal a spare wheel.

[0006] It is then necessary to meet several requirements: robustness of the mounting and connection system, reliability of the connection over time, operational connection in all positions that the shelf can adopt - the rotation of which between the covering and access positions is usually done over an angular range much less than 90°, being for example of the order of 45° - and this despite the transverse dimensional dispersions that can be observed for the luggage compartment from one vehicle to another.

[0007] The aim of the invention is to propose a system making it possible to meet these different requirements.

[0008] To this end, and according to a first aspect, the invention proposes a covering shelf for a luggage compartment of a motor vehicle, with the characteristics of claim 1.

[0009] According to a second aspect, the invention proposes a system for rotating mounting and electrically connecting such a shelf to a side trim cabinet of said compartment, said system comprising the characteristics of claim 2.

[0010] In this description, the terms of positioning in space (longitudinal, transverse, lateral, front, horizontal, vertical, etc.) are taken in reference to the system in place in the vehicle.

[0011] Furthermore, terms referring to an axis (diametrically, axially, etc.) are taken in reference to the axis of rotation of the tablet.

[0012] With the proposed arrangement, we have a system ensuring: a robustness of the elements allowing assembly and connection, in particular due to the fact that the connectors are protected from impacts when the shelf is disassembled, this by their location inside the housing, a reliability of the connection over time, in particular due to the fact that the connectors are in elastic support on the reciprocal connectors an operational connection in all the positions that the shelf can adopt, and this despite the transverse dimensional dispersions which can be observed for the luggage compartment from one vehicle to another, such operationality being ensured both by the shape of the contact strips defined by the reciprocal connectors (in opposite angular sectors allowing electrical contact in all positions of the shelf), and also by their width defined to compensate for said dispersions.

[0013] Other features and advantages of the invention will appear in the following description, given with reference to the attached figures, in which: [ Fig.1 ] is a schematic perspective view of a tablet mounted in a vehicle, said tablet being shown in the covering (A) and access (B) positions, [ Fig.2 ] is a schematic perspective and semi-transparent view of a system for mounting and connecting a tablet according to one embodiment, the tablet being removed from the cabinet, [ Fig.3a ] And [ Fig.3b ] are schematic views in longitudinal vertical section of the system of the figure 2 once the shelf is mounted on the cabinet, said shelf being in the covering position ( figure 3a ) and in access position ( figure 3b ), [ Fig. 4 ] is a schematic view in partial vertical cross-section of the system of the figure 2 .

[0014] With reference to the figures, a system 1 is described for rotating mounting and electrically connecting a shelf 2 for covering a luggage compartment of a motor vehicle to a cabinet 3 for lateral trim of said compartment, said shelf being operable between a horizontal covering position and an inclined position for access to said compartment, said system comprising: a front zone 4 of said cabinetwork forming a fixing zone, said zone being provided with a finger 5 - in particular made of molded plastic material - projecting transversely from said cabinetwork, a front corner 6 of said shelf provided with a means 7 for receiving said finger in fitting, said means - in particular made of molded plastic material - having a general shape of C defining a housing 8 of section complementary to that of said finger - the C being here turned a quarter turn to present its opening 9 downwards -, the opening 9 of the C having a smaller size than the section of said finger so as to allow forcible insertion of said finger into said housing with temporary elastic spacing of the branches of the C then holding said finger in said housing, said system further having the following characteristics: said means is provided, on the wall of said housing, with at least one pair of electrical connectors 10 intended to be connected to an electrical device 11 - for example a loudspeaker, a transducer or lighting - mounted on said shelf, said connectors being elastically retractable and projecting towards the inside of the C, said connectors facing each other substantially diametrically, said finger is provided with at least one pair of reciprocal connectors 12 on which each of said connectors bears respectively, said reciprocal connectors defining two separate contact strips arranged in the same axial position, said strips being in the extension of one another and falling in longitudinal vertical sectional view in two opposite angular sectors of the same circle,so as to ensure a connection between said connectors and reciprocal connectors in all positions occupied by said tablet between said covering and access positions.

[0015] According to the embodiment shown, the system 1 comprises two pairs of connectors 10 cooperating with two respective pairs of reciprocal connectors 12, said pairs of connectors and reciprocal connectors being arranged axially one after the other.

[0016] With such an arrangement, it is possible to provide the tablet 2 with two electrical devices 11 powered independently of each other.

[0017] In the case of devices 11 such as loudspeakers or transducers, a stereophonic effect can thus be achieved.

[0018] In a variant not shown, provision could be made to arrange a pair of connectors 10 in each front corner 6 of the shelf 2, said connectors cooperating with reciprocal connectors 12 located on two lateral cabinets 3.

[0019] According to the embodiment shown, the connectors 10 are in the form of spring-loaded metal blades.

[0020] According to the embodiment shown, the system 1 further comprises an elastic decoupling means 13 - here in the form of a rubber sleeve - interposed between the finger 5 and the fixing zone 4, such an arrangement proving particularly suitable in the case of an electrical device 11 of the transducer type.

[0021] According to the embodiment shown, the system 1 further comprises a transverse centering means 14 - in the form of a spring-loaded metal blade according to the embodiment shown, or a spring-mounted stud in a variant not shown, or an elastically compressible stud in another variant not shown - of the shelf 2, said means being located either in the fixing zone 4 of the cabinetwork, according to the embodiment shown, or in the front corner 6 of said shelf, according to an embodiment not shown, said means being intended to cooperate with a similar means provided respectively either on another cabinetwork provided on the other side of the luggage compartment or on the other front corner of said shelf.

[0022] The implementation of such a centering means 14 contributes to compensating for the transverse dimensional dispersions observed in the luggage compartments from one vehicle to another.

[0023] According to one embodiment, a strip defined by a reciprocal connector 12 has a minimum width (corresponding to its axial dimension) of 7 mm, such a width making it possible to absorb the dispersions usually observed.

[0024] A tablet 2 for such a system 1 is now described, a front corner 6 of said tablet being provided with a receiving means 7 intended to receive in a nesting manner a finger 5 coming from a lateral cabinet 3, said means having a general shape of C defining a housing 8, said means being provided, on the wall of said housing, with at least one pair of electrical connectors 10, said connectors being elastically retractable and projecting towards the inside of the C, said connectors substantially facing each other diametrically, said tablet being further provided with an electrical device 11 (loudspeaker, transducer, lighting, etc.) connected to said connectors.

[0025] Finally, a side trim cabinet 3 for a motor vehicle luggage compartment is described for such a system 1, a front zone 4 of said cabinet forming a fixing zone, said zone being provided with a finger 5 projecting transversely from said cabinet, said finger being provided with at least one pair of reciprocal connectors 12 - intended for example to be connected to an amplifier or to a battery - on which a pair of connectors 10 from a shelf 2 are intended to make contact, said reciprocal connectors defining two separate contact strips arranged in the same axial position, said strips being in the extension of one another and being inscribed in longitudinal vertical sectional view in two opposite angular sectors of the same circle.

Claims

1. A covering panel (2) of a motor vehicle boot, a front corner (6) of said panel being provided with a receiving means (7) intended to receive a pin (5) projecting from a side interior trim (3) by interlocking, said means having a C-like general shape defining a housing (8), said panel being characterised in that said means is provided, on the wall of said housing, with at least one pair of electrical connectors (10), said connectors being elastically retractable and projecting towards the inside of the C, said connectors substantially facing one another diametrically, said panel being further provided with an electrical device (11) connected to said connectors.

2. A system (1) for rotatably mounting and electrically connecting a panel (2) according to claim 1 on a side interior trim (3) of a motor vehicle boot, said panel being operable between a horizontal covering position and an inclined position for accessing said boot, said system comprising: • a front zone (4) of said interior trim forming a fastening zone, said zone being provided with a pin (5) projecting transversely from said interior trim, the C-like general shape defining the housing (8) being of section complementary to that of said pin, the opening (9) of the C having a smaller size than the section of said pin so as to enable forced insertion of said pin into said housing with temporary elastic separation of the branches of the C then holding of said pin in said housing, said system being characterised in that: said pin is provided with at least one pair of reciprocal connectors (12) on which each of said connectors bears respectively, said reciprocal connectors defining two separate contact strips disposed according to the same axial positioning, said strips being in line with one another and falling within two opposite angular sectors of the same circle when viewed in longitudinal vertical cross-section, so as to ensure connection between said connectors and reciprocal connectors in all of the positions occupied by said panel between said covering and access positions.

3. The system according to claim 2, characterised in that it comprises two pairs of connectors (10) cooperating with two respective pairs of reciprocal connectors (12), said pairs of connectors and reciprocal connectors being staged axially one after another.

4. The system according to claim 2 or 3, characterised in that the connectors (10) are in the form of blades made of spring metal.

5. The system according to any one of the claims 2 to 4, characterised in that it further comprises an elastic decoupling means (13) interposed between the pin (5) and the fastening zone (4).

6. The system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that it further comprises a means (14) for transversely centring the panel (2), said means being located either in the fastening zone (4) of the interior trim (3) or in the front corner (6) of said panel, said means being intended to cooperate with a similar means provided respectively either on another interior trim provided on the other side of the boot or on the other front corner of said panel.

7. The system according to any one of the claims 2 to 6, characterised in that a strip defined by a reciprocal connector (12) has a minimum width of 7 mm.