Roller blind system for a vehicle roof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11498399-B2
Application number	US-201816645723-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 27, 2018
Priority date	Sep 27, 2017
Publication date	Nov 15, 2022
Grant date	Nov 15, 2022

Abstract

The present invention relates to a roller blind system for a vehicle roof, comprising two roller blind assemblies, wherein he roller blind web of the first roller blind assembly is designed to be longer in the extension direction than the roller blind web of the second roller blind assembly. At least one compression-resistant drive cable is provided, a first section of which is firmly attached to a pulling hoop of the first roller blind assembly and a second section of which can be detachably engaged with a pulling hoop of the second roller blind assembly. According to the invention, a locking mechanism is provided, which has an elastically deformable clip-on connection, by means of which the second section of the drive cable can be detachably engaged with the pulling hoop of the second roller blind assembly.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A roller blind system for a vehicle roof, comprising:
a first and a second roller blind assembly, which are disposed offset to each other in longitudinal direction of the roof, each of which being provided with a winding shaft, and each with an associated roller blind web that may be wound up,
wherein the roller blind web of the first roller blind assembly is provided longer in extension direction than the roller blind web of the second roller blind assembly, as well as two pulling hoops each attached to free ends of the two roller blind webs, and
at least one compression-resistant drive cable driven by a drive, which is firmly attached with a first section with the pulling hoop of the first roller blind assembly, and is detachably engaged with a second section with the pulling hoop of the second roller blind assembly,
wherein, for the purpose of unrolling the second roller blind web, the drive cable, beginning from a disengaged state, is engaged with its second section with the pulling hoop of the second roller blind assembly, and is disengaged again after a further complete rolling up of the second roller blind web for the purpose of further rolling up the first roller blind web with its second section from the pulling hoop of the second roller blind web,
wherein the engagement and disengagement take place automatically by a locking mechanism, and
wherein the locking mechanism is provided with an elastically deformable clip-on connection by which the second section of the drive cable is detachably engaged with the pulling hoop of the second roller blind assembly.

2. The roller blind system according to claim 1 , wherein in a section of the second roller blind assembly the closed clip-on connection is guided inside a guide channel, which is sized at least in sections so that the engaged clip-on connection is unable to open in this section.

3. The roller blind system of claim 1 , wherein the two sections are located at the two ends of the drive cable.

4. The roller blind system of claim 1 , wherein the drive cable remains engaged with its second section with the pulling hoop of the second roller blind assembly in the partially and fully unrolled state of the second roller blind web.

5. The roller blind system of claim 1 , wherein two compression-resistant drive cables are provided, which are jointly driven in the opposite direction by the drive, wherein each engages at opposite, lateral ends of the respective pulling hoop via the first or second sections respectively.

6. The roller blind system of claim 1 , wherein the second section moves in the opposite direction to the first section, and both roller blind assemblies are extended in opposite direction to each other.

7. The roller blind system of claim 1 , wherein the first roller blind web is pulled by the drive cable into a closed position with an unrolled, first roller blind web.

8. The roller blind system of claim 1 , wherein the first roller blind web is pushed by the drive cable into an open position with a rolled-up, first roller blind web.

9. The roller blind system of claim 1 , wherein the second roller blind web is pushed by the drive cable into a closed position with an unrolled, second roller blind web.

10. The roller blind system of claim 1 , wherein the second roller blind web is pulled by the drive cable into an open position with a rolled-up, second roller blind web.

11. The roller blind system of claim 1 , wherein both winding shafts are preloaded in a rolling-up direction by means of spring elements.

12. The roller blind system of claim 1 , wherein the elastically deformable clip-on connection is provided with an expansion, which is received in a seat of the clip-on connection for the purpose of a detachable engagement, wherein the seat is elastically deformed and wherein the seat is an injection-molded plastic part.

13. The roller blind system of claim 12 , wherein the expansion is disposed on the second section of the drive cable, or is connected with the pulling hoop of the second roller blind assembly, and the seat is provided in form of an elastically expandable opening with an undercut, which is correspondingly connected with the pulling hoop of the second roller blind assembly or is disposed on the second section of the drive cable.

14. The roller blind system of claim 12 , wherein the closed clip-on connection is guided inside a guide channel in a section of the second roller blind assembly, wherein in front of and/or in a guide channel first section, which faces the first roller blind assembly, a hollow space is provided that has an opening dimension of a size that allows the clip-on connection to open, and the guide channel is of a size in the second section, which follows the first section, that the closed clip-on connection is unable to open.

15. The roller blind system of claim 14 , wherein an opening dimension of the second section corresponds essentially to the diameter of the closed clip-on connection so that the opening of the clip-on connection through bending up of clip fingers radially outwards is prevented.

16. The roller blind system of claim 1 , wherein the elastically deformable clip-on connection is designed such that it can be disengaged under a reversible, elastic deformation through a force that can be applied by the drive.

17. The roller blind system of claim 1 , wherein two compression-resistant drive cables are provided, which are jointly driven by the drive in the opposite direction, each of which engages with the opposite, lateral ends of the associated pulling hoop via the first or second sections respectively.

18. The roller blind system of claim 1 , wherein two compression-resistant drive cables are provided, and both drive cables are redirected twice by 90° each, wherein both drive cables together have a U-shaped configuration in top view, and wherein the drive located in the connecting section between the two “flanks” of the U drives the drive cables.

19. The roller blind system of claim 18 , wherein the drive is disposed on that side of the roller blind system to which the pulling hoop of the first roller blind web is moved when the first roller blind web is unrolled.

20. The roller blind system of claim 1 , wherein the drive cable is routed in a section between the first roller blind assembly and the second roller blind assembly inside a transition tube.

21. The roller blind system of claim 20 , wherein the transition tube is oriented such that it centers the second section of the drive cable in such a way that the clip-on connection is closed when pushing the drive cable forward in the direction of the second roller blind assembly.

22. A roller blind system for a vehicle roof, comprising:
a first and a second roller blind assembly, which are disposed offset to each other in longitudinal direction of the roof, each of which being provided with a winding shaft, and each with an associated roller blind web that may be wound up,
wherein the roller blind web of the first roller blind assembly is provided longer in extension direction than the roller blind web of the second roller blind assembly, as well as two pulling hoops each attached to free ends of the two roller blind webs, and
at least one compression-resistant drive cable driven by a drive, which is firmly attached with a first section with the pulling hoop of the first roller blind assembly, and is detachably engaged with a second section with the pulling hoop of the second roller blind assembl

Assignees

• Webasto SE

Inventors

• Alban Vasile-Marius
• Winkler Werner
• Ardelean Constantin
• Popovici Andrei
• Haas Josef

Classifications

• B60J1/205

  Winding tubes, e.g. telescopic tubes or conically shaped tubes · CPC title

• F16C1/101

  Intermediate connectors for joining portions of split flexible shafts and/or sheathings · CPC title

• B60J7/0015 Primary

  roller blind · CPC title

• B60J1/2025

  with flexible actuating elements connected to the draw bar for pulling only, e.g. cords, wires or cables · CPC title

• B60J1/2052

  Guides · CPC title