Abstract:
A mount ( 22 ) for an armrest ( 14, 14   a,    14   b ) in the interior of a motor vehicle is distinguished by the fact that the mount ( 22 ) is designed to react differently to forces that act on the mount ( 22 ) from different directions ( 18, 20 ).

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims priority under 35 USC 119 to German Patent Application No. 10 2008 053 602.4 filed on Oct. 17, 2008, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    The invention relates to a mount for an armrest in the interior of a motor vehicle. 
         [0004]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0005]    DE 10 2006 055 490 A1 discloses a mount for an armrest in the interior of a motor vehicle. That document shows a two-part armrest that extends transversely across a door gap between a vehicle door and a door pillar of the vehicle body. A first part of the armrest is fastened to the inner side of the vehicle door and a second part is fastened to the door pillar. The pillar constitutes a load-bearing part of a self-supporting monocoque body. The self-supporting monocoque body also is referred to below as a body shell. The second part of the known armrest comprises a carrier and a cover that forms the visible part of the armrest. The carrier is screwed to a holder device of the body shell and, in the mounted state, has stable structures that project into the inside of the vehicle and to which the armrest is fastened. 
         [0006]    The carrier thus defines a mount for an armrest in the interior of a motor vehicle. The mount supports the bodyweight of a person who is getting into and out of the vehicle. Thus, the mount must reliably accommodate correspondingly high forces acting in the direction of the vertical axis of the vehicle and channel those forces into the body shell. This requirement can be met easily by a mount that has a correspondingly stable construction. However, a mount with a stable construction can put the vehicle occupants at risk in the event of a side impact crash in which the body shell is pressed in from the outside. 
         [0007]    Against this background, an object of the invention is to provide a mount for an armrest in the interior of a motor vehicle that can reliably support the bodyweight of a person who is when getting into and out of the vehicle and that does not adversely affect the safety of the vehicle occupants during a side impact crash. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0008]    The invention relates to a mount for an armrest that reacts differently to forces that act on the mount from different directions. Thus, the mount is optimized for the loading case of supporting a person&#39;s bodyweight. However, this optimization is not achieved at the expense of occupant safety during the loading case of a side impact crash. 
         [0009]    The mount preferably is more resistant to forces that act in the direction of the motor vehicle vertical axis than to forces that act in the direction of the motor vehicle transverse axis. 
         [0010]    The mount preferably has a stiffer construction in the direction of the vertical axis. Thus, the bodyweight-supporting forces can be assumed reliably. In contrast, the armrest does not have to assume any significant forces in the direction of the vehicle transverse axis during normal use. Thus, the mount is designed to be more compliant in the direction of the vehicle transverse axis, thereby reducing the risk of injury from the mount during a side impact crash. 
         [0011]    The mount preferably is designed to take up forces greater than 500 N acting in the direction of the vertical axis without permanent deformation and to channel these vertical forces into the vehicle body. 
         [0012]    The mount preferably comprises a bending hinge that reacts through a plastic deformation to forces that act in the direction of the vehicle transverse axis, namely those forces that occur during a side impact crash. 
         [0013]    The mount is pressed toward the inside of the vehicle during a side impact crash. However, the rotation that can occur in the bending hinge enables the mount to deflect on striking a backrest of a seat or a body part of a vehicle occupant. 
         [0014]    The deformation work required for the plastic deformation of the bending hinge reduces the deformation energy, thereby also reducing the risk of injury. 
         [0015]    Further advantages will become apparent from the following description and the appended drawing. The features mentioned above and explained below can be used in the combination specified and in other combinations or on their own without departing from the scope of the invention. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0016]      FIG. 1  is a side elevation view of an inner lining of a door and an inner lining of a door pillar of a motor vehicle taken from inside the motor vehicle. 
           [0017]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a holder according to the invention taken from a first angle of view. 
           [0018]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the holder taken from a taken angle of view. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0019]      FIG. 1  shows an inner lining  10  of a door and an inner lining  12  of a door pillar of a motor vehicle taken from the inside of the motor vehicle. An armrest  14  extends transversely across a door gap  16  and has first and second parts  14   a,    14   b.  The first part  14   a  is fastened to the door pillar situated behind the inner lining  12 , while the second part  14   b  is fastened to structures of the vehicle door situated behind the inner lining  10 . 
         [0020]    The armrest  14  is arranged in depressions  10   a,    12   a  of the inner lining  10 ,  12 . The lines  18 ,  20  delimit more deeply lying regions  10   a,    12   a  of the inner linings  10 ,  12  from regions of the inner linings  10 ,  12  situated at a higher level in the vehicle transverse direction  18 . The vehicle transverse direction  18  is perpendicular to the plane of  FIG. 1 , whereas the direction  20  of the vehicle vertical axis lies in the plane of  FIG. 1 . The invention relates to a mount that fastens the first part  14   a  or the second part  14   b  of the armrest  14  to the underlying vehicle body structure. 
         [0021]    A mount in accordance with the invention is identified generally by the numeral  22  in  FIG. 2 . The mount  22  of this embodiment defines a one-piece sheet metal profile that has a bearing portion  24  and a holder  26 . The bearing portion  24  is designed to bear against the vehicle body. The holder  26  projects from the bearing portion  24  at an angle α and is designed for fastening the armrest  14 ,  14   a  or  14   b.  The bearing portion  24  and the holder  26  merge into one another in a transition region. 
         [0022]    The bearing portion  24  has a cutout  28  that is configured to fasten the mount  22  to the body shell. This fastening preferably is achieved by a welded connection. However, a separate mechanical connector, such as a screw, bolt or rivet, can be provided. 
         [0023]    The holder  26  has a U-profile with a first leg  26   a  and a second leg  26   b  and a connecting panel  26   c  that extends unitarily between the first and second legs  26   a  and  26   b.  The first leg  26   a  merges into the transition region and the second leg  26   b  is configured for fastening the armrest. More particularly, the holder  26  has a cutout  30  as a screw-fastening point for the armrest  14 ,  14   a  or  14   b.  The cutouts  28  and  30  are examples of means for fastening the holder  22  to the body shell and for fastening the armrest  14 ,  14   a  or  14   b  to the mount  22 . 
         [0024]    The transition region of the mount  22  between the bearing portion  24  and the holder  26  does not have any curvature in the direction of the vertical axis  20  of the vehicle (i.e. no curvature about a horizontal axis). This illustrated shape of the transition region and the remaining profiled shape of the mount  22  ensures the desired high degree of stability in the vehicle vertical axis direction  20 . 
         [0025]    By contrast, the transition region of the mount  22  has a curvature in the plane in which the angle α lies. This curvature of the transition region defines a bending hinge  32  with a bending line  34 , as is represented by dashes in the perspective rotated position of the mount  22  in  FIG. 3 . The bending hinge  34  is designed to react through a plastic bending movement in which the holder  26  rotates relative to the bearing portion  24  in the direction of the arrow  36  in the event of forces acting in the direction of the vehicle transverse axis, as occur during a side impact crash. 
         [0026]    The preferred bearing portion  24  has a height h of 50 to 70 mm and a width b of 20 to 30 mm. The holder  26  preferably projects from the bearing portion  24  at an angle α between 70 degrees and 110 degrees and with a length l between 30 mm and 50 mm. The distance between the legs  26   a,  of the holder  26  is preferably 15 to 25 mm. It is also preferable for the sheet thickness of the steel sheet profile to be between 2.5 mm and 3.5 mm.