Abstract:
The invention relates to a roller blind arrangement for a motor vehicle, comprising a roller blind web which can be wound up by a winding device to form a wound body and which has a pulling device at its free end facing away from the wound body. Winding up and/or extending the roller blind web triggers actuation of a cleaning brush that removes any soiling from the roller blind web.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    The invention relates to a roller blind arrangement for a motor vehicle, comprising a roller blind web which can be wound up by means of a winding device to form a wound body and which has a pulling device at its free end facing away from the wound body, and to a vehicle seat comprising a seat element and a backrest that may have an extendable protective cover at least for the seat element. 
         [0003]    2. Related Technology 
         [0004]    Roller blind arrangements are used in various ways in the field of motor vehicles. By way of example, a roller blind can be used to shade a transparent roof section or else to shade side windows of the motor vehicle. Furthermore, roller blind arrangements are used as a top-side loading space cover which is equipped with a roller blind cassette, which is fixed at the rear to a backrest of a vehicle rear bench. Mounted rotatably in the roller blind cassette is a winding shaft, to which there is fixed a roller blind web that can be wound up onto the winding shaft or unwound from the winding shaft. The unwinding process is generally performed manually. The winding-up process can be performed by means of a winding spring, which pre-stresses the winding shaft in the winding-up direction so that the roller blind web is wound up automatically once it has been released. 
         [0005]    A disadvantage with known roller blind arrangements is that in particular the top side of the roller blind web becomes dirty over time. When the roller blind web is wound up, this leads to the dirt being transferred from the top side of the roller to the underside of the roller. Cleaning the roller blind web is therefore complicated and may not even be possible at all in an adequate manner. 
         [0006]    Furthermore, it is known from practice to provide vehicle seats with a protective cover to protect the permanent upholstery cover. Such a protective cover is generally stretched over the upholstery, as a result of which the permanent upholstery cover is covered at least at locations prone to becoming dirty. Fixing and removing such protective covers is in each case time-consuming. 
         [0007]    The invention provides a roller blind arrangement having an effective cleaning function and also an easily installable protective cover. 
         [0008]    According to the invention, a roller blind for a motor vehicle comprises a roller blind web that can be wound up by a winding device to form a wound body and which has a pulling device at a free end facing away from the wound body, wherein winding up and/or extending the roller blind web triggers actuation of a cleaning brush that removes any soiling from the roller blind web. 
         [0009]    The invention provides a roller blind web having an integrated cleaning function in the form of a brush that is always and automatically actuated together with the winding process of the roller blind web. The roller blind web is thus subject to continuous cleaning while it is wound up and/or unwound. 
         [0010]    In a preferred embodiment of the roller blind arrangement according to the invention, the cleaning brush is a rotating brush, the axis of which is oriented at least approximately parallel to the axis of the wound body and which rotates when the roller blind web is actuated. The rotating brush is thus driven by the rotary movement of the winding body or roller blind body. 
         [0011]    The winding device, by means of which the roller blind web can be wound up to form a wound body, is preferably a winding shaft that is pre-stressed in the winding-up direction by a winding spring. 
         [0012]    To couple the winding shaft and the cleaning brush, it is preferred that the winding shaft be connected to the cleaning brush via gearing. 
         [0013]    The gearing can have various forms. These forms for example depend on the desired direction of rotation of the cleaning brush, which is generally in the form of a rotating brush. If the direction of rotation of the rotating brush is intended to correspond to the direction of rotation of the winding shaft, the gearing may comprise for example a toothed belt or a V-belt, which is arranged on corresponding belt pulleys of the winding shaft and of the cleaning brush. In the case of a toothed belt, the belt pulleys can be spur gears or gearwheels. 
         [0014]    If the respective directions of rotation of the winding shaft and of the rotating brush are intended to be opposite from each other, the gearing preferably comprises spur gears on the winding shaft and on the cleaning brush, with the spur gears meshing with one another. 
         [0015]    To counteract dirt on the cleaning brush, it is preferredwhen the cleaning brush runs over a dirt stripper when it is actuated, said dirt stripper being for example in the form of a strip. 
         [0016]    To be able to dispose in a targeted manner of the dirt that the dirt stripper removes from the cleaning brush and to be able to keep the roller blind arrangement as a whole clean, the dirt stripper preferably delivers the dirt stripped off by the cleaning brush into a dirt trap, which is preferably in the form of a dirt drawer. 
         [0017]    Expediently, the roller blind arrangement according to the invention is equipped with a roller blind cassette, in which the winding shaft and the cleaning brush are mounted. When it is present, the roller blind cassette also accommodates the dirt stripper and the dirt trap or dirt drawer, which can then be removed and emptied independently of the other mechanisms of the roller blind arrangement. 
         [0018]    The roller blind arrangement according to the invention can have various applications within a vehicle. In particular, however, the roller blind arrangement is designed in such a way that the roller blind web is an extendable loading space cover or an extendable protective cover for a vehicle seat. 
         [0019]    The invention also provides a vehicle seat, which comprises a seat element and a backrest. This vehicle seat comprises according to the invention at least one extendable protective cover at least for the seat element. 
         [0020]    The extendable protective cover preferably is formed by a roller blind web of a roller blind arrangement. 
         [0021]    In a preferred embodiment of the vehicle seat according to the invention, the extendable protective cover formed by a roller blind web of a roller blind arrangement is equipped with a cleaning brush of the kind described above. 
         [0022]    Preferably, the roller blind web has a hook-in device, by which it can be secured in its extended position, in which the seat element is covered. 
         [0023]    The arrangement of the roller blind arrangement of the vehicle seat preferably is chosen such that the roller blind web engages through a gap between the backrest and the seat element. A user can thus grip an extension tab or an extension bow of the roller blind web in the wound-up state thereof and pull the roller blind web over the seat element. In this way, the seat element can be protected from undesired soiling, for example when children are being carried along. 
         [0024]    The protective cover formed within the meaning of the invention preferably forms a support surface for a child seat, as a result of which the child seat can be prevented from leaving impressions in the permanently arranged seat cover or upholstery cover. 
         [0025]    By way of example, the vehicle seat according to the invention, which is equipped with the extendable protective cover, can additionally be equipped with fixing brackets for a child seat. 
         [0026]    Further advantages and advantageous configurations of the subject matter of the invention can be gathered from the description, the drawing and the patent claims. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0027]    An exemplary embodiment of a motor vehicle having roller blind arrangements according to the invention is illustrated in a schematically simplified manner in the drawing and explained in more detail in the subsequent description. In the drawing: 
           [0028]      FIG. 1  shows a schematic side view of a motor vehicle having roller blind arrangements according to the invention; and 
           [0029]      FIG. 2  shows a schematic and perspective plan view of a roller blind arrangement individually. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0030]      FIG. 1  illustrates a motor vehicle  10 , which is in the form of what is known as a station wagon and has a storage space  12  which is bounded to the rear by a tailgate  14 . To the front, the storage space  12  is bounded by a backrest  16  of a rear seat  18  of the motor vehicle  10 , said rear seat  18  having, in addition to the backrest  16 , a seat element  20 , which forms the seating surface for a vehicle occupant. 
         [0031]    In order to be able to close off the storage space  12  on the top side and to be able to protect a vehicle passenger compartment  22  from objects that could be flung out of the storage space  12  into the vehicle passenger compartment  22  in the event of an accident or the like, the motor vehicle  10  further has a storage space cover  24  in the form of a roller blind arrangement and comprising an extendable roller blind web  26 . The roller blind web  26  has at its free, rear end a pulling bow  28 , via which the roller blind web  26  can be secured in the extended state to a hook-in element (not shown) of the vehicle body. The roller blind web  26  is fastened by an end facing away from the pulling bow  28  to a winding shaft  30 , which is rotatably mounted in a roller blind cassette  32  and which is pre-stressed in the winding-up direction of the roller blind web  26  by a winding spring (not illustrated in more detail here). Thus, when the pulling bow  28  is released, the roller blind web  26  is automatically wound up onto the winding shaft  30 . 
         [0032]    The roller blind arrangement  24  additionally has a cleaning brush  34 , which is in the form of a rotating brush and is coupled to the winding shaft  30  via a gearing (not illustrated in more detail) and, when the winding shaft  30  is rotated, removes the dirt that may have been deposited on the top side of the roller blind web  26 . The direction of rotation of the rotating brush  34  is the same as the direction of rotation of the winding shaft  30 . In this case, the gearing preferably comprises a toothed belt that is arranged on gearwheels on the winding shaft  30  and on the rotating brush  34 . The rotating brush  34  is thus driven by the force of the winding spring of the winding shaft  30  when the roller blind web  26  is wound up. 
         [0033]    Arranged in the region of a transition between the backrest  16  and the seat element  20  of the rear seat  18  of the motor vehicle  10  is a further roller blind arrangement  36 , which comprises a roller blind web  38  which serves as an extendable protective cover for the seat element  20  of the rear seat  18 . To fix it in its extended position covering the seat element  20 , the roller blind web  38  has at its free end a hook-in device  40 , in the form for example of a hook or the like, which can be brought into engagement with a corresponding counter-element secured to the seat. 
         [0034]    The roller blind arrangement  36 , the basic structure of which corresponds to that of the roller blind arrangement  24 , is illustrated in detail in  FIG. 2 . It comprises a roller blind cassette  42 , which forms a housing, is fitted in a manner secured to the seat and rotatably mounted in which is a winding shaft  44 , which is fixed in the roller blind web  38  by its end facing away from the hook-in device  40  and onto which the roller blind web  38  can be wound. The winding shaft  44  is pre-stressed in the winding-up direction of the roller blind web  38  by a winding spring, so that said roller blind web  38  can be wound up automatically. Furthermore, the hook-in device  40  of the roller blind web  38  adjoins a pulling bow  46  of the roller blind web  38 , said pulling bow  46  representing a rigid thickening of the roller blind web and preventing the roller blind web  38  from plunging completely into the roller blind cassette  42  or being completely accommodated thereby when it is wound up. 
         [0035]    To clean the top side of the roller blind web  38 , which engages through a gap between the backrest  16  and the seat element  20 , there is arranged in the roller blind cassette  42  a rotating brush  48 , the axis of rotation of which is oriented parallel to the axis of rotation of the winding shaft  44  and which is coupled in terms of rotation to the winding shaft  44  via a spur gear  52 , which is arranged at one end of the rotating brush  48  and meshes with a spur gear  50  on the winding shaft  44 . A rotation of the winding shaft  44  consequently leads to a rotation in the opposite direction of the rotating brush  48 , as a result of which the top side of the roller blind web  38  is cleaned. 
         [0036]    A dirt stripper  54  is furthermore arranged in the roller blind cassette  42 , said dirt stripper  54  being formed of a strip that is oriented parallel to the axis of the rotating brush  48  and strips dirt from the bristles of the rotating brush  48  when the rotating brush is rotated. This dirt is delivered into a dirt trap  56  in the form of a drawer, which for emptying purposes can be removed from the roller blind cassette  42  and emptied, independently of the other mechanisms of the roller blind arrangement  36 . 
         [0037]    List of reference numerals
     10  Motor vehicle     12  Storage space     14  Tailgate     16  Backrest     18  Back seat     20  Seat element     22  Vehicle passenger compartment     24  Storage space cover     26  Roller blind web     28  Pulling bow     30  Winding shaft     32  Roller blind cassette     34  Cleaning brush     36  Roller blind arrangement     38  Roller blind web     40  Hook-in device     42  Roller blind cassette     44  Winding shaft     46  Pulling bow     48  Rotating brush     50  Spur gear     52  Spur gear     54  Dirt stripper     56  Dirt trap