This application claims the priority of German Application No.: 10 2004 015 348.5 filed on Mar. 30, 2004, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The invention is based on an operating device for unlocking at least one movable lid of a motor vehicle. Certain preferred embodiments of the present invention relate to an operating device for unlocking at least one movable lid of a motor vehicle, which operating device can be arranged on the side of a side member of the motor vehicle facing a vehicle interior, said operating device having a side member covering at least one triggering element held on a bearing housing, which bearing housing is arranged on the side of member covering.
An operating device of the above-mentioned type is known from European Patent Document EP 0 778 386 B1 (corresponding U.S. Pat. No. 5,927,794). The operating device can be arranged on a side of a side member of a motor vehicle facing a vehicle interior. It comprises a side member covering on which a bearing housing is arranged at which a triggering element for the unlocking of the lid is held. The triggering element is constructed as a swivellably disposed lever which is connected with a lid lock by means of a pulling device. In the case of the known operating device, the bearing housing is constructed in one piece with the side member covering.
It is an object of the invention to provide an operating device of the above-mentioned type which is easy to manufacture.
This object is achieved according to certain preferred embodiments of the present invention by providing an operating device for unlocking at least one moveable lid of a motor vehicle, which operating device can be arranged on the side of a side member of the motor vehicle facing a vehicle interior, said operating device having a side member covering and at least one triggering element held on a bearing housing, which bearing housing is arranged on the side member covering, wherein the side member covering has a slide-in shaft (opening) for the bearing housing between whose shaft wall and a bearing housing wall a guiding device is provided which extends in a slide-in direction, which guiding device has a guide rail and a rail receiving device, wherein, in a cross-section view, the guiding device is constructed as a reach-behind contour, and wherein a fastening device for the bearing housing is provided on the side member covering. Further developments of the preferred embodiments of the invention are described herein and in the claims.
Advantages achieved by means of the invention are, on the one hand, represented by the two-part construction of the operating device with the side member covering and the separate bearing housing. This results in simple production shapes for the production of such parts which are usually made of a plastic material. On the other hand, because of the guiding device designed with a reach-behind contour, a firm connection of the bearing housing and the side member covering is achieved, so that no gap or only a small gap exists between the bearing housing and the slide-in shaft on the side member covering, whereby a visually high-quality appearance is achieved. Furthermore, it is advantageous that—without requiring changes at the side member covering—different bearing housings can be used for different equipment of the motor vehicle. Thus, different bearing housings with one or more triggering elements for corresponding parts of the motor vehicle can be inserted into the side member covering.
It is achieved according to certain preferred embodiments of the invention, that a non-uniform gap formation is avoided in the surrounding space between the slide-in shaft and the bearing housing, by providing an arrangement wherein the guiding device has several guide rails and rail receiving devices which are correspondingly arranged on the shaft wall and on the bearing housing wall in a distributed manner.
According to certain preferred embodiments of the invention, the fasting device is constructed as a detent connection, to thereby achieve a simple and fast mounting and simultaneously a secure fastening of the bearing housing on the side member covering, since the detent connection can become effective when the bearing housing is completely slid in.
According to certain preferred embodiments of the invention, the side member covering and the bearing housing are symmetrically constructed with respect to a transverse center axis which extends parallel to a transverse vehicle axis, wherein the guiding device is arranged symmetrically with respect to this transverse center axis, wherein two triggering elements are arranged on the bearing housing, and wherein the bearing housing and the slide-in shaft are symmetrically constructed with respect to a longitudinal center axis which extends parallel to the longitudinal vehicle axis. With this arrangement, a mounting of the operating device can be carried out on the right or left side member. The assignment of a triggering element for a respective lid is maintained because only the side member covering is rotated corresponding to its mounting site. However, the bearing housing with the triggering elements remains aligned in the same manner with respect to the vehicle front or the vehicle rear. This arrangement is particularly advantageous when the triggering elements are provided with different symbols which show, for example, the forward and rearward lid, and the bearing housing is to be slid in a correspondingly correct position with respect to the lids into the side member covering. Thus, the bearing housing and the side member covering can easily be used for left-hand-steered or right-hand-steered vehicles.
According to certain preferred embodiments of the invention, a bearing housing can be fastened to the side member covering which, in a variant, in addition or as an alternative to the at least one triggering element, has an operating element, preferably an electric switch, for another part of the motor vehicle.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
A motor vehicle 1, particularly a passenger car, illustrated in
The operating device 11 is arranged on a side 16 of the side member 17 or 18 assigned to a vehicle interior 15, which side members 17, 18 are part of the vehicle body 3. In the illustrated embodiment, the vehicle 1 is constructed as a so-called left-hand-steered vehicle having a steering wheel 19 on the left vehicle side 20, and the lids 5 and 6 can be unlocked from the driver side (vehicle side 20). In another embodiment, the vehicle 1 can be implemented as a right-hand-steered vehicle, in the case of which the steering wheel 19 is then arranged on the right vehicle side 21 in the interior 15. In particular, it is provided that the operating device 11 is fastened laterally next to the respective front vehicle seat 22 or 23 on the side member 17 or 18.
By means of FIGS. 2 to 5, the operating device 11 is described in detail. The operating device 11 has a longitudinal center axis ML which extends approximately parallel and at a lateral distance with respect to a longitudinal axis FL of the vehicle indicated in
Between the shaft wall 26 and the bearing housing 29, a guiding device 31 is provided which is aligned in the slide-in direction 32 of the bearing housing 29 and has a reach-behind contour 33, particularly in the shape of a dovetail joint. Other reach-behind shapes 33 would also be conceivable, such as L-shaped, T-shaped or circular or semicircular contours. At least with respect to the transverse center axis MQ and/or the longitudinal center axis ML, the guiding device 31 is arranged symmetrically on the slide-in shaft 25 or bearing housing 29 also constructed symmetrically to these axes MQ and/or ML. Thus, several guide rails 34 and rail receiving devices 35 are provided as guiding devices 31 which, in their cross-section, have the reach-behind contour 33 and are, correspondingly in pairs, arranged at a distance AB with respect to the transverse center axis MQ distributed between the shaft wall 26 and the bearing housing 29. In the illustrated embodiment, the guide rails 34 are arranged on the shaft wall 26 projecting over the latter, and the rail receiving devices 35 are correspondingly constructed in a bearing housing wall 36 of the bearing housing 29. A reverse arrangement would be conceivable.
A fastening device 37 is also provided for making it possible to connect the bearing housing 29 after the sliding into the shaft 25 with the side member covering 24 and to hold it therein. This fastening device 37 is preferably constructed as one or more detent connections acting between the shaft wall 36 and the bearing housing 29 or its housing wall 36.
In
Between the keys 30 or the triggering elements 13, 14, an optionally removable panel 42 is arranged on the bearing housing 29 in the embodiment. Instead of the panel 42, at least another triggering element, which is not shown here, for another part to be unlocked or to be operated, such as a filler neck compartment lid or the like, of the motor vehicle 1 could be arranged. In addition or as an alternative, instead of the triggering element(s) or the panel 42, an operating element for a part which is to be moved, such as a convertible top or the like, of the motor vehicle 1, can be arranged on the bearing housing 29.
The foregoing disclosure has been set forth merely to illustrate the invention and is not intended to be limiting. Since modifications of the disclosed embodiments incorporating the spirit and substance of the invention may occur to persons skilled in the art, the invention should be construed to include everything within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereof.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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10 2004 015 348.5 | Mar 2004 | DE | national |