The present application claims priority under 35 USC §119 to German Patent Application No. 10 2015 004 013.8, filed on Mar. 27, 2015, the entire disclosure of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The invention relates to a blind for closing an opening. In particular, the blind is intended for closing a storage compartment in a motor vehicle.
Such a blind for closing a storage compartment in a motor vehicle is known from Offenlegungsschrift DE 10 2009 032 733 A1. The storage compartment is arranged in a central console of a motor vehicle and is open at the top. It has two mutually parallel side walls in which grooves are provided as linear guide means for the blind. The grooves are open on sides that face one another and are congruent seen from one side. They initially run in a straight line at the top along an opening of the storage compartment and then run downwards in a curve around one end of the storage compartment into a further straight section under the storage compartment. Slats of the blind are slidably guided in the grooves forming the linear guide means. The slats are arranged one after the other in a sliding direction and the slats are articulatedly connected to one another, which means that they are pivotable relative to one another in such a way that they are able to slide together through the straight and the curved sections of the linear guide means. Transversely with respect to the sliding direction, the slats extend from one side of the storage compartment to another and, as already described, are at their lateral ends slidably guided in the grooves in the mutually parallel side walls of the storage compartment, which grooves form the linear guide means.
The problem of the invention is to propose a blind of the kind described above which enables its linear guide means to have a small curve radius. A small curve radius of the linear guide means is to be understood as meaning small in relation to a length of slats of the blind in the sliding direction.
That problem is solved by the invention as described herein. For example, a blind has one or more chains having chain members which are connected to one another with joints so as to be pivotable about pivot axes and are slidably guided with a linear guide means. At the chain members, especially on the chain members, there are arranged slats of the blind, which slats are pivotally connected by means of the articulated connection of the chain members of the chain and are able to slide together along the linear guide means and, in curved sections and generally in non-straight sections of the linear guide means, are pivotable relative to one another. The chain enables the linear guide means to have a small curve radius, especially if the slats are arranged on the chain members and on an outer side of curved sections of the linear guide means. A further advantage of the invention is the possibility of using different slats on blinds of otherwise identical construction. This makes it possible, with little outlay, for the blinds to have a different appearance but, apart from the slats, to have the same components.
One arrangement of the invention provides a snap connection of the slats on the chain members. As a result, the slats can be quickly mounted and even exchanged.
In a preferred arrangement of the invention, the slats project laterally beyond the linear guide means so that they cover the linear guide means. This protects the linear guide means from soiling and enables the blind to have an attractive visual design.
In one arrangement of the invention, the chain members have guide elements which are pivotally mounted and slidably guided with the linear guide means. Such guide elements can be, for example, guide pins which project laterally from the chain members and project into grooves, as linear guide means, in which they are able to rotate and slide. The guide elements are coaxial with pivot axes of the joints which pivotally connect the chain members.
One arrangement of the invention provides strip-shaped chain members. In a development of the invention, the slats are arranged staggered relative to the chain members in the sliding direction. As a result, the slats cover gaps between the chain members, and the strip-shaped chain members are located below or behind gaps between the slats, so that the blind covers an opening without through-gaps.
To avoid rattling noises, one arrangement of the invention provides resilient rattle-reducing elements for the linear guide means. The resilient rattle-reducing elements can be arranged on guide elements of the chain members and/or on the linear guide means in such a way that the guide elements are guided without play.
The invention is described in greater detail below with reference to an exemplary embodiment shown in the drawing. In the drawing:
The blind 1 according to the invention shown in
The storage compartment 2 has two mutually parallel side walls 3 which have grooves 4 on their inner sides that face one another, which grooves form a linear guide means 5. Seen from one side, the grooves 4 forming the linear guide means 5 are congruent; they run in a straight line along the opening of the storage compartment 2, then at an end of the storage compartment 2 follow curves which pass around the end of the storage compartment 2 and continue on an underside of the storage compartment 2.
The blind 1 has a chain 6 having strip-shaped chain members 7 which are arranged one after the other in a sliding direction and extend transversely from one side wall 3 of the storage compartment 2 to another. At their lateral ends the chain members 7 have cranked portions 8 which each project into a complementary recess 9 of a respective following chain member 7. On the cranked portions 8, the chain members 7 have laterally outwardly projecting guide pins 10 which project into the grooves 4 in the side walls 3 of the storage compartment 2 forming the linear guide means 5, so that the chain members 7 are slidably guided in the longitudinal direction of the linear guide means 5. By means of the guide pins 10, the chain members 7 are also pivotally mounted in the grooves 4 forming the linear guide means 5. The guide pins 10 can also be understood generally as being guide elements on which the linear guide means 5 effects slidable guidance and at the same time pivotal mounting of the chain members 7.
Coaxially with the guide pins 10, the chain members 7 have, in the recesses 9, pivot pins 11 which project into bearing holes 12 on inner sides of the cranked portions 8 of an adjacent chain member 7. The pivot pins 11 and bearing holes 12 articulatedly connect the chain members 7 to one another about notional pivot axes which extend transversely with respect to the sliding direction in a surface defined by the grooves 4 forming the linear guide means 5. The pivot pins 11, which are pivotable in the bearing holes 12, can also be understood as joints 11, 12 which pivotally connect the chain members 7 to one another. As a result of the articulated connections, the chain members 7 are slidable together along the linear guide means 5 and are pivotable relative to one another, so that they are able to slide through the curve of the linear guide means 5.
Strip-shaped slats 13 are arranged on the chain members 7. As can be seen in
As can be seen in
Blind especially for a storage compartment in a motor vehicle
1 blind
2 storage compartment
3 side wall
4 groove
5 linear guide means
6 chain
7 chain member
8 cranked portion
9 recess
10 guide pin
11 pivot pin
12 bearing hole
13 slat
14 rib
15 rib
16 rattle-reducing element
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
10 2015 004 013.8 | Mar 2015 | DE | national |