FR2833220A1 - EXPANDABLE TELEPHONE SUPPORT FOR A MOTOR VEHICLE - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention provides a telephone holder (12) (14) for a motor vehicle, characterized in that the holder (12) is mounted at the end of an expandable device (22) which comprises at least one arm (24). ) which is articulated in at least one drawer (26) sliding vertically in a housing (16), and which is movably mounted between a compact position in which the at least one articulated arm (24) is received in the drawer (26) and the drawer (26) is pushed back to the bottom of the housing (16), to allow an upper armrest (28) to close the housing (16), and an expanded position in which, when the upper armrest (28) is retracted , the drawer (26) projects vertically out of the housing (16) and the articulated arm (24) comes out of the drawer (26) to extend substantially longitudinally so that the support (12) is arranged within easy reach of the drawer (26). a user and withdrawn from the gear lever (20).

Description

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"Expandable phone holder for a motor vehicle"
The invention relates to a mobile phone holder for a passenger compartment of a motor vehicle.

 The invention relates more particularly to a mobile telephone holder for a passenger compartment of a motor vehicle, of the type which is mounted mobile between a storage position in a substantially vertical housing of a central console which is arranged longitudinally between two seats of the vehicle and which is arranged set back from a vehicle gear lever, and a position for use outside said housing.

 Numerous examples of support of this type are known.

 Document US-A-4,640. 542 describes and represents a storage assembly for a telephone which comprises a telephone holder which is slidably mounted in a substantially longitudinal housing of a console of the vehicle between a position in which it is retracted in the housing and a position in which it projects substantially vertically out of the housing so as to facilitate its gripping.

 This design has the disadvantage of only allowing the grip of the phone, without it being sufficiently accessible to be directly used. In particular, the position in which the telephone protrudes is unsuitable for dialing a number on the telephone keypad.

 Document FR-A-2.698. 594 describes and represents a device forming a telephone support intended for an armrest integral with a seat of a motor vehicle. A first drawer member is mounted in the armrest, and a second drawer member is also mounted in the first member. The second element is likely to receive a telephone.

 This design has the disadvantage of being reserved for an armrest carried by the seat of the motor vehicle. Indeed, due to the large size of this device

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 when deployed, this design cannot be applied to an armrest forming the central part of a central console arranged between the seats of the vehicle, since it would then come to abut against the gear lever of the vehicle when it is deployed .

 The invention proposes to remedy these drawbacks by proposing a mobile telephone support which can be integrated into a central console of a motor vehicle and which can be deployed towards a position of use in which it does not disturb the handling of a vehicle shift lever.

 For this purpose, the invention provides a telephone support of the type described above, characterized in that the mobile support is mounted at the end of an expandable mechanical device which comprises at least one arm which is articulated in at least one drawer sliding vertically in the housing, and which is mounted movable between: - a compact position, corresponding to the storage position, in which the at least one articulated arm is received in the drawer and in which the drawer is pushed back to the bottom of the housing , to allow an upper armrest to close the housing, and - an expanded position, corresponding to the position of use in which, when the upper armrest is retracted to open the housing, the drawer is capable of projecting vertically out of the housing and in which the at least one articulated arm is capable of coming out of the drawer and of extending substantially longitudinally so that the support is it arranged within easy reach of a user, in front of the console and set back from the gear lever.

 According to other characteristics of the invention: - the drawer is of substantially parallelepiped shape and its opposite vertical walls comprise at least two projecting vertical external wings which are received in grooves complementary to a substantially parallel vertical plate

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 lepipedic, a transverse vertical face of which is fixed to a transverse front wall of the console housing, - the opposite vertical walls of the drawer delimit a compartment open towards the rear in which the at least one articulated arm is capable of being received and the support, the support is articulated by means of two pivots aligned transversely between the ends of two opposite arms, the other ends of which are articulated by means of two pivots aligned transversely carried by upper parts of the internal faces of the drawer arranged near the opening of the housing, - stop means are provided in a vertical position for the ends of the arms which are articulated on the drawer and the arms are bent so that their ends of articulation with the support, in the position expanded, extend in front of the opening of the console, - each arm has a length which is inf higher than that of the housing, - a substantially vertical transverse face of the console, which is arranged in front of the opening of the housing, forms the abutment means in a vertical position, - means are provided for locking the support with the ends of articulation of the arms on which it is articulated, in particular at least one pin protrudes from a lateral face of the support and which is capable of being received in a notch which is made opposite in the corresponding arm, which is oriented substantially perpendicular to the direction of the arm, and the edges of which are liable to deform elastically to retain or release the pin, - means are provided for elastic return of the drawer to its position in which it projects from the housing, in particular a coil, which is rotatably mounted on the spool, and on an axis of which is fixed the end

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 an elastic spiral blade, the other end of which is fixed to an upper part of the plate, - means are provided for braking the sliding of the drawer, in particular a toothed wheel which is carried by the drawer, which is braked at rotation, and which meshes with a substantially vertical rack of the plate.

 - elastic means are provided for returning the arms to their position in which they extend in front of the opening of the console, - the support comprises a lower half-support which is articulated between the ends of the two opposite arms, and an upper half support which is articulated with respect to the lower half support by means of a ball joint to allow the orientation of the telephone towards a driver and / or a passenger of the vehicle.

 Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will appear on reading the detailed description which follows for the understanding of which reference will be made to the appended drawings in which: - Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of the various elements constituting the support telephone and the expandable mechanical device, - Figure 2a is a perspective view showing the mechanical expandable device at the end of which is mounted the telephone in a compact position associated with the storage position of the telephone, - Figure 2b is a schematic detail view in section through the plane 2b-2b of Figure 2a illustrating the elastic return means of the drawer in an extended position, - Figure 3a is a perspective view showing the mechanical expandable device at the end of which is mounted the telephone in an intermediate sliding position of the drawer,

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 - Figure 3b is a schematic detail view in section through the plane 3b-3b of Figure 3a illustrating the elastic return means of the drawer in a retracted position, - Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the mechanical expandable device to the end of which the telephone is mounted in an expanded position corresponding to the position of use of the telephone, - Figures 5 to 7 are sectional views successively representing the mechanical expandable device at the end of which the telephone is mounted in the compact, intermediate and expanded positions of Figures 2b, 3b, and 4.

 In the following description, identical reference numerals designate identical parts or having similar functions.

 There is shown in Figures 2a, 3a, and 4 to 7 an arrangement 10 for a support 12 of mobile telephone 14 intended to take place in a passenger compartment of a motor vehicle.

 In known manner, the support 12 is mounted movable between a storage position in a housing 16, shown in Figures 2a and 5, and a position of use outside said housing 16, shown in Figures 4 and 7. The housing 16 is a substantially vertical housing of a central console 18 which is arranged longitudinally between two seats (not shown) of the vehicle and which is arranged set back from a lever 20 of the vehicle gears.

 According to the invention, the mobile support 12 is mounted at the end of an expandable mechanical device 22 which comprises at least one arm 24 which is articulated in at least one drawer 26 sliding vertically in the housing, and which is mounted mobile between: - a compact position, corresponding to the storage position shown in FIGS. 2a and 5, in which the at least one articulated arm 24 is received in the drawer 26 and in which the drawer is pushed back to the bottom of the housing 16, to

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 allow an upper armrest 28 to close the housing 16, as shown in Figure 5, and - an expanded position, corresponding to the position of use shown in Figures 4 and 7 in which, when the upper armrest 28 is retracted to open the housing 16, the drawer 26 is capable of projecting vertically out of the housing 16 and in which the at least one articulated arm 24 is capable of emerging from the drawer 26 and extending substantially longitudinally so that the support 12 is arranged within easy reach of a user, in front of the console 18 and set back from the gear lever 20, as shown in FIG. 7.

 In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the retractable upper armrest 28 is pivotally mounted about a substantially transverse axis. This configuration is not, however, limiting of the invention, and the armrest 28 could be slidably mounted above the housing 16.

 Advantageously, the drawer 26 is of substantially vertical orientation and it is slidably mounted in a plate 30 of substantially vertical orientation. This configuration allows it to occupy a minimum space in the housing 16 of the console 18. A front face 32 of the plate 30 is for example fixed using screws (not shown) on a vertical face 34 of the housing 16 and a lower face 36 of the plate 30 can for example rest on a bottom face 38 of the housing 16 to facilitate the positioning of the plate 30 during its assembly, as shown in FIGS. 2a, 3a, and 4 to 7.

 More particularly, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the slide 26 is of substantially parallelepiped shape and its opposite vertical walls 40 comprise at least two projecting vertical external wings 42 which are received in grooves 44 complementary to the plate 30 substantially parallelepiped. These wings 42 ensure precise guiding in translation of the drawer 26 in the plate 30 while opposing

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 low friction to said movement, due to their reduced surface.

 In accordance with the invention, means are provided for elastic return of the drawer 26 to its position in which it projects out of the housing 16, as shown in FIGS. 3a, 4, 6, and 7.

 In the preferred embodiment of the invention, these elastic return means consist of a coil 46, shown in Figure 1, which is mounted transversely to rotate on the slide 26, and on an axis 48 of which is fixed the end of an elastic blade 50 in a spiral, the other free end 52 of which is fixed to an upper part of the plate 26. For example, the free end 52 of the elastic blade 50 is shaped as a lug which is received in a slot 54 made in an upper part of the drawer 26.

 In this way, the coil 46 is likely to see its elastic blade 50 unwound and stretched when the mechanism 22 is in the compact position at the bottom of the housing 16 as shown in FIG. 2b, then to see its elastic blade 50 wind up to retract by wrapping around the axis 48 when the drawer rises and the device is deployed as shown in Figure 3b.

 In the preferred embodiment of the invention, means are provided for braking the sliding of the slide 26, to prevent the latter from rising too sharply during the expansion of the mechanical device 22. These braking means comprise example a toothed wheel 56 which is carried by the slide 26, which is braked in rotation, and which meshes with a rack 58 substantially vertical to the plate. Since such braking means are widely known in the state of the art, they will not be explained in more detail in the present description.

 As illustrated in FIG. 1, the opposite vertical walls 27 of the drawer 26 delimit a compartment 29 open towards the rear

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 in which the at least one articulated arm 24 and the support 12 can be received.

 In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the support 12 is articulated by means of two pivots 66 aligned transversely between the ends 64 of two opposite arms 24 whose other ends 62 are articulated by means of two pivots 60 transversely aligned carried by upper parts of the internal faces 68 of the drawer 26 which are arranged near the opening of the housing.

 Furthermore, stop means are provided in the vertical position shown in FIG. 4 of the ends 62 of the arms 24 which are articulated on the slide 26. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 4, these stop means can be constituted by a substantially vertical transverse face 70 of the console 18, which face is arranged in front of the opening of the housing 16.

 Advantageously, the arms 24 are bent so that their ends 64 of articulation with the support 12, in the expanded position, extend in front of the opening of the console 18.

 Furthermore, as illustrated in FIGS. 5 to 7, each arm 24 has a length which is less than that of the housing 16. This configuration allows on the one hand to reserve a large available space inside the housing 16, and on the other hand, to prevent the arms 24 from jamming in the housing 16 in the event that their deployment accidentally occurs before the drawer 26 protrudes from the housing 16.

 There are also provided means (not shown) for elastic return of the arms 24 to their position in which they extend in front of the opening of the console 18. It may, for example, be linked torsion springs 25, 27 respectively in rotation with the pivots 60,66 of articulation of the support.

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 In the preferred embodiment of the invention, means are provided for successive deployment of the expandable mechanical device 22. These means can be mechanical or electrical. Thus, the expansion of the expandable mechanical device 22 occurs in the chronological order of FIGS. 5 to 7, that is to say that it comprises first the pivoting of the armrest 28, then the raising of the drawer 26 and finally the rotation of the arms 24.

 There are also provided means for locking the support 12 with the ends 64 of articulation of the arms 24 on which it is articulated, in particular, as illustrated in FIG. 1, at least one pin 72 which projects from a lateral face 74 of the support 12 and which is capable of being received in a notch 76 which is produced opposite in the corresponding arm 24. Preferably, the arms each have a notch 76 which is oriented substantially perpendicular to the direction of the arm 24, and its edges 78 are capable of elastically deforming to retain or release the corresponding pin 72 so that it locks the support in the position of figure 4.

As a variant (not shown), the pins 72 could be pins which would retract into the support 22 and which would be received in holes opposite the arms 24
Finally, in the preferred embodiment of the invention, the support 12 comprises a lower half-support 12a which is articulated between the ends 64 of the two opposite arms 24, and an upper half-support 12b which is articulated with respect to the half lower support by means of a braked ball joint 80 to allow the orientation of the telephone towards a driver and / or a passenger of the vehicle.

 The invention therefore provides a space-saving telephone holder 12 which is very easily accessible to the driver of the vehicle.

Claims (12)

1. Mobile telephone holder (12) (14) for a passenger compartment of a motor vehicle, of the type which is mounted mobile between a storage position in a substantially vertical housing (16) of a central console (18) which is arranged longitudinally between two seats of the vehicle and which is arranged set back from a lever (20) of the vehicle gears, and a position of use outside said housing (16), characterized in that the support (12) movable is mounted on the end of an expandable mechanical device (22) which comprises at least one arm (24) which is articulated in at least one drawer (26) sliding vertically in the housing (16), and which is mounted movable between: - a position compact, corresponding to the storage position, in which the at least one articulated arm (24) is received in the drawer (26) and in which the drawer (26) is pushed back to the bottom of the housing (16), to allow an upper armrest (28) to close the housing (16), and - a expanded position, corresponding to the position of use in which, when the upper armrest (28) is retracted to open the housing (16), the drawer (26) is capable of projecting vertically out of the housing (16) and in which the at least one articulated arm (24) is capable of coming out of the drawer (26) and of extending substantially longitudinally so that the support (12) is arranged within easy reach of a user, in front of the console (18) and back from the gear lever (20).  2. Telephone support (12) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the drawer (26) is of substantially parallelepiped shape and in that its opposite vertical walls (40) comprise at least two projecting vertical external wings (42) which are received in grooves (44) complementary to a substantially rectangular parallelepiped plate (30) of which a vertical transverse face (32) is <Desc / Clms Page number 11>  fixed to a front transverse wall (34) of the housing (16) of the console (18).  3. Telephone support (12) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the opposite vertical walls (27) of the drawer (26) delimit a compartment (29) open towards the rear in which the at least one articulated arm (24) and the support (12).  4. Telephone support (12) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that it is articulated by means of two pivots (66) aligned transversely between the ends (64) of two opposite arms (24), the other ends of which (62) are articulated by means of two pivots (60) aligned transversely carried by upper parts of the internal faces of the drawer (26) arranged near the opening of the housing.  5. Support (12) telephone according to the preceding claim, characterized in that there are provided abutment means in the vertical position of the ends (62) of the arms (24) which are articulated on the drawer (26) and in that that the arms (24) are bent so that their ends (64) of articulation with the support (12), in the expanded position, extend in front of the opening of the console (18).  6. Support (12) telephone according to one of claims 4 or 5, characterized in that each arm (24) has a length which is less than that of the housing (16).  7. Telephone support (12) according to one of claims 5 or 6, characterized in that a substantially vertical transverse face (70) of the console (18), which is arranged in front of the opening of the housing ( 16), forms the stop means in a vertical position.  8. Support (12) telephone according to one of claims 4 to 7, characterized in that there are provided means for locking the support (12) with the ends (64) of articulation of the arms (24) on which it is articulated, in particular <Desc / Clms Page number 12>  at least one pin (72) protrudes from a lateral face of the support and which is capable of being received in a notch (76) which is made opposite in the corresponding arm (24), which is oriented substantially perpendicularly to the direction of the arm (24), and whose edges (78) are capable of deforming elastically to retain or release the pin (72).  9. Telephone support (12) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that elastic return means for the drawer (26) are provided in its position in which it projects from the housing, in particular a coil. (46), which is mounted to rotate transversely on the drawer, and on an axis (48) of which is fixed the end of an elastic blade (50) in a spiral whose other end (52) is fixed to a upper part of the plate (30).  10. Telephone support (12) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that means are provided for braking the sliding of the drawer (26), in particular a toothed wheel (56) which is carried by the drawer (26), which is braked in rotation, and which meshes with a substantially vertical rack (58) of the plate (30).  11. Support (12) telephone according to any one of claims 5 to 10, characterized in that there is provided means (25,27) for elastic return of the arms (24) to their position in which they extend forward the opening of the console (18).  12. Telephone support (12) according to any one of claims 4 to 11, characterized in that it comprises a lower half-support (12a) which is articulated between the ends (64) of the two opposite arms (24), and an upper half support (12b) which is articulated relative to the lower half support (12a) by means of a ball joint (80) to allow the orientation of the telephone towards a driver and / or a passenger of the vehicle.