FR3119578A1 - Vehicle with magnetic object holder. - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a vehicle comprising a flat horizontal wall (1) having an upper surface and a lower surface (7), and an object support (2) intended to be fixed to said upper surface. According to the invention, the object support (2) has at least one hook (12) and at least one magnet, a specific zone of the flat wall (1) belonging to a cover capable of undergoing a sudden rise towards the support (2) of an object under the effect of a magnetic interaction with said at least one magnet, so that said cover comes to be blocked in said at least one hook (12), the upward travel of the cover being stopped by at least one retainer abutment of a base (13). Figure for abstract: Fig. 4

Description

Vehicle with magnetic object holder.

The present invention relates to a vehicle provided with a magnetic object holder.

It may happen that in a motor vehicle, an occupant needs to have at his disposal and therefore within reach, an object which can for example be a smartphone, an electronic tablet, a can or a book. The spaces available in the vehicle to be able to support such objects in an operational configuration are few, and can therefore sometimes refer to a flat and horizontal surface of the passenger compartment of the vehicle, having no particular function. Such a support is not intended to remain permanently on this flat surface, but only when the occupant has a particular need. It must therefore be able to be fixed to this flat surface simply and quickly, without having to resort to special tools and/or complicated manipulations requiring force and precision.

However, fixing such an object support on a flat surface presents two difficulties:
- it must not be able to move on the flat surface as soon as the vehicle begins a turn, under penalty of seeing said support and/or said object slip on said flat surface and fall on a vehicle floor,
-it must not be able to separate from said flat surface during an impact of the vehicle against an external obstacle, because it could then become a dangerous projection likely to injure the occupants of the vehicle.

In order to better define the contours of the invention, the flat surface on which the object support is intended to be secured is substantially horizontal if the vehicle itself rests on horizontal ground. The term “substantially horizontal” means “horizontal at plus or minus 20°.

A vehicle according to the invention is equipped with an object support intended to be temporarily attached to a flat surface, while solving the fixing difficulties encountered with current object supports and while respecting the requirements of safety required in the event of an accidental impact of the vehicle against an external obstacle.

It should be noted that the notion of “hook” found in the claims and the notion of “hooking lug” found in the detailed description are equivalent.

The subject of the invention is a vehicle comprising a flat and horizontal wall having a parallel upper surface and a lower surface, and an object support intended to be fixed to said upper surface.

According to the invention, the support has at least one hook and at least one magnet, a specific zone of the flat wall belonging to a mobile cover sensitive to a magnetic field and placed in a base fixed to the lower surface, so that the deposition of the object support on said specific zone causes a sudden rise of the cover towards the object support under the effect of a magnetic interaction with said at least one magnet and so that said cover comes to lock in said at least a hook, the upward stroke of the cover being stopped by at least one retaining stop of the base. The principle of a vehicle according to the invention is to implement mechanical and magnetic means to fix an object support to a smooth flat surface. By approaching the object support to the horizontal flat wall, this support first triggers a sudden rise of the cover thanks to a magnetic interaction between said support and said cover, then a blocking of said cover in said support thanks to the presence of said au minus one hook. Since the upward movement of the cover is stopped by the presence of the stopper, it follows that the object support is firmly fixed to the horizontal wall. In other words, by being placed on the horizontal flat wall, the support has activated a means of attachment through the cover which was initially included in said flat wall. The object support can take any shape, as long as it has at least one magnet and at least one hook. Advantageously, this object support is a cup holder. According to other variant embodiments of the invention, the object support can be configured to be used to support a smartphone or a touch-sensitive electronic tablet. The base is a closed part having at least one abutment and intended to house the cover.

According to a possible characteristic of the invention, in the absence of the object support, the lid has a surface flush with the upper surface of the flat and horizontal wall. In this way, by default, the cover does not create any relief with the flat horizontal wall, either hollow or bump, and therefore does not harm the aesthetics of the vehicle. Schematically, the lid adopts by default a low position for which it is stored in the base flush with an upper surface of the flat horizontal wall, and a high position triggered by the object support for which it protrudes from said upper surface by being placed inside said support.

According to a possible characteristic of the invention, the object support has a circular base provided with four hooks evenly distributed along a circle materializing the circumference of said base. The presence of four hooks distributed evenly on the base of the object support improves the conditions of contact between said support and the cover by leaving no area of poor contact between these two elements.

According to a possible characteristic of the invention, at least one magnet is placed between each hook and the center of the base, so that said at least one magnet and the corresponding hook are aligned radially on the circular base. This is a configuration particularly suitable for a vehicle according to the invention, but which is in no way limiting. Preferably, two magnets are aligned radially with each hook. In this way, the presence of two magnets per hook makes it possible to freely distribute the resulting magnetic force generated by these magnets, according to the needs encountered and the nature of the object support used. Advantageously, each magnet is cylindrical in shape.

According to a possible feature of the invention, the lid and the base have a circular outline. Advantageously, the base of the support, the cover and the base are coaxial. The fact that these elements have a circular contour makes it possible to symmetrize and therefore to properly control the distribution of the various effects generated when the object support is brought into contact with the flat horizontal wall.

According to a possible characteristic of the invention, said at least one hook is mounted so as to be able to rotate between a first default neutral position for which it is suspended from an axis and has no function, and a second active position for which it has pivoted around said axis to close on the cover under the effect of the sudden rise of said cover due to the magnetic interaction with said at least one magnet of the object support. By default, the hooks are stored in the object support without overflowing from it, thus making it possible not to harm the aesthetics of the object support and not to create protuberances which could injure a user. Thanks to this degree of mobility in rotation, these hooks can close on the cover in order to retain the object support against said cover which has come out of the base while remaining attached to said base.

According to a possible characteristic of the invention, during its sudden rise, the cover comes into contact with said at least one hook before causing it to rotate by means of an upward thrust. For this configuration, when it begins to move upwards, the cover first comes into contact with each hook and then causes them to rotate under the effect of a thrust generated by said movement. The hooks end up closing on the lid like jaws, to retain the object support against said lid.

According to a possible characteristic of the invention, the cover comprises a metal plate so as to be sensitive to said at least one magnet of the object support. This metal plate is dimensioned as precisely as possible so as to fulfill its function correctly, without weighing down the cover and without increasing its size.

According to a possible characteristic of the invention, the cover comprises at least one complementary magnet so as to increase the magnetic interaction between the cover and the object support. The presence of this magnet instead of the metal plate mentioned above is intended to intensify the magnetic interaction between the object support and the cover, so as to improve the contact conditions between said support. object and said cover.

According to a possible characteristic of the invention, the cover has alternately at its periphery folded edges and hollows, each hook interacting with a folded edge to fix the object support to the flat wall after the sudden rise of said cover, a separation of the object support from the flat wall being effected by means of a pivoting of said object support in order to place each hook opposite a hollow in the cover. Once the object support has been fixed to the flat horizontal wall, it is important that it cannot be detached from it at the slightest stress by a simple withdrawal movement. Uncoupling by pivoting requires special manipulation of the object support, which is simple to perform, and which does not require too much effort. Such pivoting is unlikely to occur naturally over time.

Another object of the invention is a method for assembling a cover in a base.

According to the invention, the method comprises the following steps:
-a step of providing a cover in two separate parts comprising an upper part and a lower part,
- a step of providing a base in two separate parts comprising an upper part and a lower part,
- a step of placing the upper part of the base in the upper part of the cover,
-a step of mounting the lower part of the cover on the upper part of the cover containing the upper part of the base, so that the cover consisting of its lower part and its upper part can slide freely in the upper part of the base,
-a step of fixing the lower part of the base to the lower surface of the flat wall,
-a step of inserting the assembly consisting of the upper part of the base, the upper part of the cover and the lower part of said cover, in the lower part of the base which has been fixed to the lower surface of the flat wall.

The production of a base and a cover in two parts is not intended to give these two elements specific functions, but is only intended to facilitate their assembly.

A vehicle according to the invention has the advantage of being able to fix an object support on a flat surface, thanks to a judicious implementation of a safe and reliable securing mechanism. This securing mechanism has the advantage of being compact and light, while remaining effective. A vehicle according to the invention finally has the advantage, thanks to this stowage mechanism, of being able to have a universal object support capable of maintaining in a functional position various objects such as for example a can or a bottle, a smartphone, electronic tablet or book.

A detailed description of a preferred embodiment of a vehicle according to the invention is given below, with reference to the following figures:

shows a perspective view of a flat wall of a vehicle according to the invention and on which an object support is intended to be fixed,

shows a perspective view of the wall of the and an object support placed at a distance from said wall,

shows a perspective view of the wall and the object support of the , said support being fixed to said wall,

shows a perspective and wireframe view of the flat wall and the object support of the ,

shows an exploded perspective view of the flat wall and the object support of Figures 2 and 4,

represents a perspective view from below of an object support of a vehicle according to the invention,

shows an exploded perspective view of a cover, a base and the flat wall of the ,

shows an exploded perspective view of a cover and of the flat wall of a vehicle according to the invention,

represents an exploded perspective view of a base of a vehicle according to the invention,

represents an exploded perspective view of the upper part of a cover and of the upper part of a base of a vehicle according to the invention, illustrating a step of a method for assembling the cover in the base,

represents an exploded perspective view of an assembly comprising the upper part of a cover and the upper part of a base, and of the lower part of a cover of a vehicle according to the invention, illustrating a step of a method of assembling the cover in the base,

shows an exploded perspective view of an assembly comprising the upper part of a cover, the upper part of a base, and the lower part of said cover, and of a lower part of said base of a vehicle according to invention, illustrating a step of a method of assembling the cover in the base,

shows a sectional view of a zone of an assembly consisting of a cover and a base of a vehicle according to the invention.

shows a schematic side view of an object support and a base of the flat wall housing the lid, said support not yet being fixed to the flat wall,

shows a schematic side view of the object support and the base of the , said support being fixed to the flat wall.

The following detailed description is made taking as an example of an object support, a cup holder.

Referring to Figures 1, 2 and 3, a vehicle according to the invention comprises a flat wall 1, preferably extending in a horizontal plane assuming that said vehicle itself rests on horizontal ground, and intended to receive a cup holder 2. The cup holder 2 is schematically constituted by a cylindrical side wall 3, slightly domed and divergent, and by a flat bottom 4. In other words, the side wall 3 has an axis of revolution, and has two ends considered along said axis, a first end of which is materialized by the bottom 4 and a second end 5 of which is open. The diameter of the bottom 4 is slightly smaller than that of the opening materializing the second end 5. The cup holder 2 is rigid and non-deformable, and is intended to receive a can, a bottle or a glass. The flat wall 1 has an upper surface 6 on which the cup holder 2 is intended to rest, and a lower surface 7 which is parallel to said upper surface 6 and which is placed under said upper surface 6.

The flat wall has 1 a circular opening delimited by an edge 8 of said wall 1, said opening being intended to receive a hooking mechanism of the cup holder 2. In this way, when the hooking mechanism is inserted in the wall plane 1, there remains a contact zone 36 materializing a visible discontinuity between said mechanism and the edge 8 of the wall 1 delimiting the opening, this contact zone 36 making it possible to indicate to an occupant of the vehicle the location of the flat wall 1 on which he can place his cup holder 2 by triggering the attachment mechanism.

Referring to Figures 4, 5 and 6, the bottom 4 of the cup holder 2 is a flat circular wall having an internal face and an external face 9, said two faces 9 being parallel and said internal face delimiting an internal space of the holder. -tumbler 2. The outer face 9 of the bottom 4 has four pairs of magnets 10, 11 and four attachment lugs 12 regularly distributed along a peripheral circle of said outer face 9. In other words, two attachment lugs 12 are aligned along a first diameter of the outer face 9 and two other attachment tabs 12 are aligned along a second diameter of said outer face 9, the first diameter and the second diameter being perpendicular. Each hooking lug 12 is elongated and curved lengthwise, so as to follow the curvature of the peripheral circle of the outer face 9 along which they are fixed. Each hooking lug 12 corresponds to a pair of magnets 10, 11, so that the hooking lug 12 and the two magnets 10, 11 are radially aligned on the outer surface 9 of the bottom 4 of the cup holder 2. In other words, the attachment lug 12 and the two magnets 10, 11 are aligned along a radius of said outer face 9. In this way starting from the peripheral circle of the outer wall 9 and going towards the center of said wall 9 , there is in order the attachment lug 12, a first magnet 10 and a second magnet 11. Preferably, the magnets 10, 11 are cylindrical in shape, the first magnet 10 having a diameter greater than that of the second magnet 11 Each attachment lug 12 is mounted so as to be able to rotate around an axis 50 of rotation, which is horizontal.

Referring to Figures 4 and 5, the attachment mechanism is included in the flat wall 1, and comprises a base 13 fixed to the underside 7 of the flat wall 1, and a cover 14 housed in said base 13.

Referring to Figures 5, 7 and 9, the base 13 is made in two separate parts 15, 16, comprising a lower part 15 and an upper part 16. The lower part 15 is similar to a box having a side wall 17 rounded forming an annular bead, said casing having a bottom 18 provided with a circular central opening 19, and an enlarged collar 20 in the form of a flat annular wall of small thickness. The side wall 17 defines an axis of revolution, the bottom 18 provided with the circular central opening 19 extending in a plane which is perpendicular to said axis of revolution, and the flange 20 extending in a plane which is perpendicular to this axis of revolution. The bottom 18 and the flange 20 materialize the two ends of the lower part 15 of the base 13 considered along its axis of revolution. The lower part 15 of the base 13 is fixed to the lower wall 7 of the solid wall 1, so that the flange 20 is in contact with said lower surface 7 and so that the bottom 18 of the base 13 represents the part of the said base 13 which is farthest from said lower surface 7. This fixing is effected for example by means of four screws passing through four orifices 21 of the collar 20. The base 13 comprises an internal cylindrical wall 22 extending from the central opening 19 of the bottom 18, towards the inside of said base 13, said internal cylindrical wall 22 delimiting an internal channel of the base 13. The internal diameter of this cylindrical wall 22 is equal to the diameter of the central opening 19 of the bottom 18, so that said central opening 19 materializes one end of the internal channel delimited by the internal cylindrical wall 22. This internal cylindrical wall 22 has four grooves 51 extending parallel to the axis of revolution of said wall c internal cylindrical 22 and regularly distributed along the circular contour of this internal cylindrical wall 22.

By referring to the , the upper part 16 of the base 13 comprises a cylindrical wall 23 defining an axis of revolution, and one end of which is open and the other end of which is open and ends in an external flange 24 inscribed in a plane which is perpendicular to this axis of revolution. These ends are to be considered along the axis of revolution. This flange 24, which is annular, comprises four mounting tabs 25 protruding and curved so as to follow the curvature of the flange 24 annular. These four fixing lugs 25 are regularly distributed around the flange 25 and appear as projecting sectors of said flange 24. The cylindrical wall 23 comprises four ribs 52 extending parallel to the axis of revolution of this cylindrical wall 23 and regularly distributed along the circular contour of this wall 23.

Referring to Figures 7 and 8, the cover 14 is made in two separate parts, comprising a lower part 26 and an upper part 27. The lower part 26 is comparable to an annular crown 28, from which protrude four curved sectors 29, respecting the curvature of said ring 28. These four curved sectors 29 are identical and are regularly distributed around ring 28. These four sectors 29 are inscribed in the same fictitious cylindrical side wall, which would have the crown 28 as its cross section. The annular crown 28 also bears, alternately with the curved sectors 29, four fixing lugs 30 set back relative to said curved sectors 29. In other words, these fixing lugs 30 are farther from the center of the crown 29 than are the curved sectors 29. Each of these fixing lugs 30 ends in an inclined edge 31, extending outwards from the crown 28.

Referring to Figures 7 and 8, the upper part 27 of the cover 14 schematically comprises a cylindrical side wall 32, defining an axis of revolution, and one end of which is open and the other end of which is closed by a flat circular wall 33, said two ends being to be considered along the axis of revolution of the cylindrical side wall 32. The planar circular wall 33 is widened with respect to the cylindrical side wall 32, so that its outer diameter is greater than that of said wall cylindrical side 32.

The base 13 and the cover 14 have each been subdivided into two parts 15, 16, 26, 27 solely for assembly reasons. This is a particular embodiment of the invention, which is in no way limiting.

A method of assembling the cover 14 in the base 13 comprises the following steps:
-a step of positioning the upper part 16 of the base 13 in the upper part 27 of the cover 14 as illustrated in ,
-a step of mounting the lower part 26 of the cover 14 on the upper part 27 of the cover containing the upper part 16 of the base 13, as illustrated in . The cover 14 consisting of its lower part 26 and its upper part 27 can slide freely in the upper part 16 of the base 13, along its axis of revolution,
-a step of fixing the lower part 15 of the base 13 to the lower surface 7 of the flat wall 1 as illustrated in ,
-a step of inserting the assembly consisting of the upper part 16 of the base 13, the upper part 27 of the cover 14 and the lower part 26 of the said cover 14, in the lower part 15 of the base 13 which has been fixed to the bottom surface 7 of flat wall 1, as shown in . This insertion step is facilitated by the presence of grooves 51 in the lower part 15 of the base 13 and by the presence of the ribs or lugs 52 in the upper part 16 of the base 13, said ribs or lugs 52 being intended to slide in said grooves 51.

By referring to the , once the cover 14 consisting of its two parts 26, 27 has been inserted into the base 13 through the opening of the flat wall 1, the flat circular wall 33 of the upper part 27 of the cover 14 is flush with the upper surface 6 of the flat wall 1 in which the cup holder 2 is intended to be fixed. In this way, the location of the flat circular wall 33 of the cover 14 is visible on the flat wall 1 thanks to the circular contact zone 36 between said two walls 1, 33 which introduces a visible discontinuity between said walls 1, 33. According to a variant embodiment of the invention, this contact zone 36 can be made even more visible, by the presence of a specific color or lighting on the edge 8 of the flat wall 1 delimiting the opening.

Advantageously, the upper part 27 of the lid 14 has a metal plate which is sensitive to the magnetic influence of the magnets 10, 11 of the cup holder 2. According to a variant embodiment of the invention, this upper part 27 comprises a magnet which may or may not complement the metal plate to reinforce the magnetic interaction with the magnets 10, 11 of the cup holder 2.

A method of fixing the cup holder 2 on the flat wall 1 of the vehicle comprises the following steps:
- A step of routing the cup holder 2 towards the attachment mechanism located in the opening of the flat wall 1, the contour 8 of said opening can be colored or illuminated to guide this routing. This routing is carried out so as to place the outer face 9 of the bottom 4 of the cup holder 2 opposite the flat circular face 33 of the cover 14 as illustrated in ,
-A step of instantaneous raising of the cover 14 housed in the base 13 under the effect of the magnetic interaction between the magnets 10, 11 of the cup holder 2 and the metal plate and/or the magnet supported by the circular face plane 33 of the cover 14. The direction of this instantaneous elevation is materialized by the arrow 40 appearing on the ,
-A step of bringing the fixing lugs 30 of the lower part 26 of the lid 14 into contact with the hooking lugs 12 of the cup holder 2 during this upward movement of the said lid 14,
-A step of rotating said attachment lugs 12 about their axis of rotation 50, under the effect of the thrust of the fixing lugs 30 of the cover 14 continuing its upward movement, this rotation having the effect of closing said hooking lugs 12 around the fixing lugs 30 of the cover 14 as shown in ,
-A step of fixing the cup holder 2 to the flat wall 1, thanks to the particular shape of these hooking lugs 12 ensuring a solid securing of said cup holder 2 to the flat wall 1, without the possibility of being separated from the latter by a simple withdrawal movement. Referring to Figures 3 and 15, once fixed to the flat wall 1, the cup holder 2 is placed on the latter without introducing play with this flat wall 1. It should be noted that the upward movement of the cover 14 is stopped by means of abutment of said cover 14 against a folded edge of the base 13 materialized by a fixing lug 25 of the upper part 16 of said base 13.

Once the cup holder 2 has been fixed to the flat face 1 of the vehicle, a cup, a can, a glass or a bottle can be placed therein to improve the comfort conditions of the occupants of the vehicle.

A separation of the cup holder 2 from the flat surface 1 must be carried out by means of a particular manipulation other than a simple translation in the opposite direction of the cup holder 2, in particular to prevent the latter from being able to separate. too easily from the flat wall 1, at the slightest stress.

In the context of the present invention, this separation takes place by means of rotating the cup holder 2 about its axis of revolution, so as to place the hooking lugs 12 of the cup holder 2 no longer in face of the fixing tabs 30 of the cover 14, but opposite the sectors 29 of the lower part 26 of the cover 14. In this way, the hooking tabs 12 no longer have a grip on the cover 14, and the door -cup 2 can then be removed by a simple withdrawal movement thereof.

According to a variant embodiment of the invention, the lid 14 may include a "repellent" magnet vis-à-vis the magnets 10, 11 of the cup holder 2 to facilitate the rotation of the cup holder 2 in order to remove it from the flat wall 1.

According to another alternative embodiment of the invention, the cover 14 may include an electrical connector vis-à-vis an electrical receiver placed in the center of the surface 9 of the cup holder 2. This electrical connection is possible when the end cover rise thus creating an electrical point supplying the cup holder 2 or other object support.

Claims (11)

Vehicle comprising a flat horizontal wall (1) having an upper surface (6) and a lower surface (7) which are parallel, and an object support (2) intended to be fixed to the said upper surface (6), characterized in that the support (2) has at least one hook (12) and at least one magnet (10, 11), and that a specific area (33) of the flat wall (1) belongs to a cover (14 ) mobile sensitive to a magnetic field and placed in a base (13) fixed to the lower surface (7), so that the deposit of the object support (2) on said specific area (33) causes a sudden rise of the cover (14) towards the object support (2) under the effect of a magnetic interaction with said at least one magnet (10, 11) and so that said cover (14) is locked in said at least one hook (12), the movement of the cover (14) upwards being stopped by at least one abutment (25) retaining the base (13). Vehicle according to Claim 1, characterized in that, in the absence of the object support (2), the cover (14) has a surface (33) flush with the upper surface (6) of the plane wall (1) and horizontal. Vehicle according to any one of Claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the object support (2) has a circular base (4, 9) fitted with four hooks (12) evenly distributed along a circle materializing the circumference of said base (4, 19). Vehicle according to Claim 3, characterized in that at least one magnet (10, 11) is placed between each hook (12) and the center of the base (4, 9), so that the said at least one magnet ( 10, 11) and the corresponding hook (12) are aligned radially on the circular base (4, 9). Vehicle according to any one of Claims 3 or 4, characterized in that the cover (14) and the base (13) have a circular outline. Vehicle according to any one of Claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the said at least one hook (12) is rotatably mounted between a first default neutral position for which it is suspended from an axis (50) and does not has no function, and a second active position for which it has pivoted around said axis (50) to close on the lid (14) under the effect of the sudden rise of the said lid (14) due to the magnetic interaction with the said at least one magnet (10, 11) of the object support (2). Vehicle according to Claim 6, characterized in that, during its sudden ascent, the cover (14) comes into contact with the said at least one hook (12) before causing it to rotate by means of an upward thrust. Vehicle according to any one of Claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the cover (14) comprises a metal plate so as to be sensitive to the said at least one magnet (4, 9) of the object support (2). Vehicle according to any one of Claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the cover (14) comprises at least one complementary magnet so as to increase the magnetic interaction between the cover (14) and the object support (2). . Vehicle according to any one of Claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the cover (14) has alternately at its periphery folded edges (30, 31) and recesses (29), and in that each hook (12 ) interacts with a folded edge (30, 31) to fix the object support (2) to the flat wall (1) after the sudden rise of the cover (14), a separation of the object support from the flat wall s 'carrying out by means of a pivoting of said object support (2) in order to place each hook (12) in front of a hollow (29) of the lid. (14). Method of assembling a cover (14) in a base (13), characterized in that it comprises the following steps:
-a step of providing a cover (14) in two separate parts comprising an upper part (27) and a lower part (26),
- a step of providing a base (13) in two separate parts comprising an upper part (16) and a lower part (15),
- a step of positioning the upper part (16) of the base (13) in the upper part (27) of the cover (14),
-a step of mounting the lower part (26) of the cover (14) on the upper part (27) of the cover (14) containing the upper part (16) of the base (13), so that the cover (14) consisting of its lower part (26) and its upper part (27) can slide freely in the upper part (16) of the base (13),
-a step of fixing the lower part (15) of the base (13) to the lower surface (7) of the flat wall (1),
-a step of inserting the assembly consisting of the upper part (16) of the base (13), the upper part (27) of the cover (14) and the lower part (26) of the said cover (14), in the lower part (15) of the base (13) which has been fixed to the lower surface (7) of the flat wall (1).