SUPPORT FOR A CENTER CONSOLE OF A VEHICLE.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- MX2022011922
- Authority / Receiving Office
- MX · MX
- Patent Type
- Patents
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Priority Date
- 2021-10-21
- Filing Date
- 2022-09-23
- Publication Date
- 2026-02-25
- Estimated Expiration
- 2042-09-23
AI Technical Summary
Existing center console supports in vehicles face challenges in manufacturing efficiency and tolerance compensation, particularly with long parts, where existing solutions do not adequately address manufacturing tolerances and require additional compensation elements.
A support system for a center console comprising a first and second fixing area connected by arms with central axes allowing elastic deformation, primarily made of sheet metal, enabling tolerance compensation without additional means and providing adjustable mobility.
The solution allows for efficient manufacturing with minimal material usage and effective tolerance compensation, enhancing safety by reducing the risk of injury during collisions through controlled movement of the center console.
Smart Images
Figure MX431538B0
Abstract
Description
SUPPORT FOR A VEHICLE CENTER CONSOLE IVIA / t / ZUZZ / UOU4 iy TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a support for a center console of a vehicle. For the purposes of the present invention, a vehicle is, for example, a land, air, or water vehicle. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This type of support is well-known from its use in the prior art. The console consists of at least one plastic piece, which is attached to the vehicle body by means of a rigid plastic bracket. Tolerance compensators were used to compensate for manufacturing tolerances. Especially with long parts, such as center consoles, there are sometimes considerable tolerances, making the use of such compensators necessary. Document DE 102 57 123 Al discloses a center console component for a vehicle in which a bracket is made of plastic instead of sheet steel. This allows for flexible molding of the bracket and cost-effective manufacturing. However, this solution does not offer any improvement in tolerances. Document DE 10 2013 004 632 Al describes a fastening element for a center console of a motor vehicle. The tolerance compensation device comprises a support element that can rotate at two support points on a profiled flange around a pivot axis extending transversely to the vehicle. This support element can contact the center console and be fixed in the resulting pivot position. The fastening means is formed, for example, by a fixing screw passing through an elongated hole extending in the direction of rotation of the support element. The German patent DE 10 2010 001 447 Al describes a center console with a mounting dome at the bottom of which is a spring-loaded, movable tab. This tab allows for controlled movement of the center console relative to the vehicle floor in the event of an accident. Furthermore, the tab ensures tolerance compensation during installation. The tab can be supported, for example, by a bellows or by serpentine arms designed for spring-loaded movement. This allows for tolerance compensation in the X and Z directions. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The objective of the present invention is to create a support for a center console that can be manufactured with little material expenditure and with which it is possible to adjust it to the tolerance range of the center console. The problem posed in the present invention was solved by the applicant of the present patent application by means of the features claimed in claim 1. The bracket is designed to support a vehicle's center console. It includes a first mounting area for direct or indirect attachment to the vehicle body and a second mounting area for attachment to the center console. The first and second mounting areas are connected by at least one arm extending between them. For example, there may be two or more of these arms. Each arm has a primary zone with a first central axis and at least one secondary zone with a second central axis, each of the central axes forming at least one breaking point that allows elastic deformation of the primary zone with respect to the secondary zone, and therefore, relative mobility of the first attachment zone to the second attachment zone is allowed in the Z direction. The support according to the present invention has the advantage that it can be manufactured with relatively little effort and allows compensation for the tolerance of the center console without additional means. For example, the first and second central axes form an angle of between 90° and 120°. In this case, much of the force introduced in the secondary zone acts as a moment in the primary zone and causes elastic deformation. For example, the first attachment zone forms a substantially rigid, i.e., immovable connection with the main part of at least one arm. Furthermore, for example, the connection between the second attachment zone and the secondary part of the arm is also substantially rigid. At least the support arm is made of sheet metal, specifically sheet steel. Because the support arm, or the entire support, is made of sheet metal, the arm has good elastic deformability. Steel sheet is, for example, spring steel sheet. In this case, the steel sheet has particularly good elastic deformability. The first and second mounting zones are connected to each other, for example, by at least two arms. If there are multiple arms, one arm may differ in construction from the others, such that it performs a specific movement when an extraordinary force is applied, for example, in the event of a vehicle collision, causing the center console to move in a defined manner. This can reduce the risk of injury to vehicle occupants. Furthermore, greater forces can be transmitted between the second and first mounting zones via at least two arms. For example, each arm has at least two bends. The arm can be designed to apply the desired force in the secondary zone. Furthermore, the arm can be designed to ensure that power transmission from the primary zone to the first attachment zone meets the requirements. To achieve this, the arm may have two or more bends. At least one attachment area is provided, for example, with at least one fixing tab, allowing the attachment area to be secured in the foreground and the fixing tab to be secured in at least one background. For example, the foreground is angled relative to the background. Additional flexible attachment to the vehicle body structure and / or center console is possible using the fixing strap. For example, the support is made of a single piece. For example, it can be formed in a single piece from a piece of metal. This allows the support to be manufactured simply and economically. The support can be designed, for example, as a whole as a stamped and folded piece. At least one fastening area is provided with a flange and / or a fold extending in the y-direction, for reinforcement with respect to a y-direction. This reduces deformation of the fastening area. At least one clamping area is provided with at least one flange and / or at least one fold, for example, relative to a section of the reinforcing arm, extending from the clamping area onto the arm section. This prevents relative movement between the clamping area and the arm section. One embodiment of the present invention is described by way of example in the following description of the figures, also with reference to the schematic drawings. For the sake of clarity, identical or comparable parts, elements, or areas are indicated by the same reference numbers, sometimes with the addition of lowercase letters. Features described, illustrated, or disclosed only in connection with one exemplary embodiment may also be provided in any other exemplary embodiment of the invention within the scope of the present invention. Such modified exemplary embodiments are included within the present invention, even if not explicitly shown in the accompanying drawings. All the features described are essential to the present invention. The description in this patent application also includes the content of the descriptions in the cited documents and of the devices described in the prior art in their entirety, also for the purpose of including one or more features of the objects disclosed therein in one or more claims of this patent application. Such modified exemplary embodiments are also included in the invention, even if they are not shown in the drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES Figure 1 shows a perspective view of the support diagonally from the bottom. Figure 2 shows another perspective representation of the support diagonally from the bottom. Figure 3 shows a front view of the support according to the present invention. Figure 4a shows a view according to arrow A in Figure 3. Figure 4b shows a view in accordance with Figure 4a, showing parts of a vehicle body and the center console. Figure 5 shows a view according to arrow B in Figure 3. Figure 6 shows a view according to arrow C in Figure 3. Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along section line DD in Figure 5. Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line EE in Figure 5. Figure 9 shows a cross-sectional view according to section line FF of Figure 5. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY MODALITIES OF IMPLEMENTATION OF THE INVENTION The support as a whole is indicated by the reference number 10. In this example, the bracket 10 is designed as a one-piece stamped and bent component, as shown in the figures. The second fixing area 12 is intended for attachment to a center console 14, which is not shown in Figure 1. In the present embodiment, the fastening areas 11 and 12 are formed by straight profiled webs extending in the y direction. Alternatively, they can also be configured differently. If, for example, the contact surfaces of the vehicle body and / or the center console, to which the fastening areas 11 and 12 are attached, have a special structure, the fastening areas 11 and 12 can be adapted accordingly. Fixing zones 11 and 12 have holes 16 and 16, which allow the passage of a screw and thus enable screw fixing. In the present embodiment, the first fixing zone 11 and the second fixing zone 12 are configured approximately parallel with respect to the extension in the y direction. It is therefore possible to fix the first fixing zone 11 in a first plane E1 and the second fixing zone 12 in a second plane E2, which is at a distance from plane E1 with respect to a z direction. An arm 17a and an arm 17b extend in the Z direction between the fixing regions 11 and 12. Each arm 17a and 17b includes a primary part 18 having a longitudinal centerline mi and a secondary part 19 having a longitudinal centerline m2. The primary part 18 is assigned to the fixing region 11 and the secondary part 19 is assigned to the fixing region 12. The regions 18 and 19 form an angle γ. Due to the angle γ, when a load F is applied to the fixing region 12, elastic deformation can occur between the centerline mi of region 18 and the centerline m2 of region 19, which intersect at a bend point 22. The angle γ is between 90° and 120°, for example. Within this angular range, with a load F acting on the primary section, a large moment is generated in the secondary section 19, leading to its elastic deformation. Zones 18 of arms 17a and 17b are connected to each other in the y-direction by the fixing zone 11, and zones 19 of arms 17a and 17b are connected to each other by means of the fixing zone 12. The fixing zone 11 and the main part 18 connected to it are relatively rigid relative to each other. Likewise, the fixing zone 12 is relatively rigid with respect to the secondary zone 19 attached to it, i.e., immobile. The flanges 21 are formed for reinforcement. In Figure 3, it can be seen that one flange 21 extends from the fixing zone 11 to the primary zone 18. Furthermore, another flange 21 extends from the fixing zone 12 to the secondary zone 19. In this way, rigidity is maintained between the first fixing zone 11 and the main zone 18, and between the second fixing zone 12 and the secondary zone 19. Furthermore, the edge zones 28 of the fixing zones 11 and 12 and the edge zones 29 of the arms 17a and 17b are provided with a fold 30. Elastic deformation occurs between zones 18 and 19 of the arms 17a and 17b. Zone 22 of the arms 17a and 17b thus acts as an imaginary hinge, which ensures the relative mobility of the fixing zones 11 and 12 in the Z direction. In this case, the fixing area 11 has extensions 15a and 15b. These allow attachment to walls located in planes E3 and E4 (see Figure 3), planes E3 and E4 being at right angles to planes E1 and E2. For attachment to the vehicle body 13, extensions 15a and 15b have openings 16 and 16'. Extensions 15a and 15b are provided in this embodiment for a rigid connection to the vehicle body, but could be omitted according to an alternative embodiment. Figure 4a shows a side view of the bracket 10. Figure 4b shows the attachment of a surface 24 of the attachment zone 11 to a support surface 26 of the vehicle body 13 and the attachment of a surface 25 of the attachment zone 12 to a support surface 27 of the center console 14. A fixing screw 31 is indicated only by dotted lines. Plugs 20 are provided for attachment to the center console 14, the function of which is irrelevant to the present invention. The angle γ between zones 18 and 19 can be clearly seen in Figure 4b. It can be seen in Figures 5 and 6 that a flange 21 extends in the y-direction over the fixing area 12 and the secondary areas 19 of arms 17a and 17b, leading to a reinforcement of the support 10 in the y-direction. The clamping area 11 is also provided with a flange 21 extending in the y-direction. A recess 23 can be seen between arms 17a and 17b. In the view according to figure 7, the folds 30 can be seen which lead to the stiffening of the fixing zones 11 and 12 as well as zones 18 and 19, leaving the buckling point zone 22 free due to the possibility of elastic deformation and neither cords 21, it still has folds 30. In general, support 10 has high stiffness with respect to the x and y directions, and elastic deformability with respect to the z direction.
Claims
1. A support (10) for a center console (14) of a vehicle, comprising a first fixing zone (11) for fixing to the vehicle body (13) and a second fixing zone (12) for fixing to the center console (14), the first fixing zone (11) and the second fixing zone (12) being connected by at least one arm (17a, 17b) extending in the Z direction, characterized in that the arm (17a, 17b) has a primary zone (18) with a first central axis (mi) and has at least one secondary zone (19) with a second central axis (m2), which forms at least one fold (22) between them, causing a deformation of the primary zone (18) relative to the secondary zone (19) and thus allowing relative movement of the first fixing zone (11) to the second fixing zone (12) in the Z direction.
2. The support according to claim 1, characterized in that in the fold (22) the primary zone (18) forms an angle of between 90° and 120° with the secondary zone (19).
3. The support according to one of the preceding claims characterized in that the first fixing zone (11) is essentially rigid with respect to the primary zone (18) and the second fixing zone (12) is essentially rigid with respect to the secondary zone (19).
4. The support according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least the arm (17a, 17b) is formed from steel sheet.
5. The support according to claim 4, characterized in that the steel plate is formed from a spring steel plate.
6. The support according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the first fixing zone (11) and the second fixing zone (12) are joined together by at least two arms (17a, 17b).
7. The support according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that each arm (17a, 17b) has at least two folds (22).
8. The support according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least one fixing zone (11) is provided with at least one fixing lug (15a, 15b), the fixing zone (11) allowing fixing in a first plane (El) and the fixing lug 15 (15a, 15b) allowing fixing in at least a second plane (E3, E4).
9. The support according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least one fixing zone (11, 12) is stiffened in one direction and by means of a flange (21) and / or by means of a fold (30).
10. The support according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least one fixing zone (11, 12) with respect to a secondary zone (19) of at least one arm (17a, 17b) is stiffened by means of a flange (21) and / or by means of a fold (30).