DE20215882U1 - Drink and food holder for motor vehicle interior is mounted on dashboard and has heating or cooling device - Google Patents

Abstract

A holder (2) for objects, food or drink in a motor vehicle has provision for heating or cooling the contents by the circulation of a cold or warm current (6) of a medium from the vehicle air-conditioning unit. The drink holder is held in a drawer in the dashboard to which the coolant or heating medium is fed.

Description

Application for protection rights 14 October 2002

Beverage depot with cooling facility for motor vehicles

The invention relates to a beverage holder with a connected cooling device.

Motor vehicles travel through a wide range of climate zones. The occupants of motor vehicles are exposed to both very high and very low temperatures. To this end, it is advantageous to adjust the interior of the vehicle to the desired temperature using suitable air conditioning units (heating and cooling). It can also be advantageous to stock up on chilled drinks when travelling in high outside temperatures and, conversely, to keep warm drinks ready for consumption when the outside temperature is cold. Numerous documents are known on this subject.

Patents US 4,852,842, US 5,697,587 and US 4,892,137 show cup holders that can be hooked into the ribs of air outlet nozzles. However, handling is cumbersome and can disadvantageously hinder the driver when the holder is not needed.

Patent documents DE 40 00 322 and EP 0865 962 show advantageous cup holders that are arranged in a retractable manner in the vehicle interior near the glove compartment. The disadvantage here, however, is that this storage location is difficult for the driver to reach while driving.

Driving safety when activated cannot be guaranteed due to the large distance to the driver's seat.

Other holders in the middle section of the vehicle interior panel have the disadvantage that the drinks cannot be tempered in the holders and, as they remain there for longer, they take on the temperature of the passenger compartment.

The present invention is based on the task of providing drivers and passengers of motor vehicles with drinks that are ready to hand and at the right temperature in a retractable holder.

The solution shown here is characterized by high functionality and low material usage.

The problem is solved according to the invention by the patent claims.

For this purpose, the power of the corresponding cooling or heating units is directed to a suitable holder for beverage containers or food. The solution shown here is also characterized by its extremely small space requirement, as it can be sunk into the interior paneling of a motor vehicle in a space-saving manner, similar to previously known holders.

In addition, however, it contains the functionality of temperature control.

For this purpose, for example, cooling air from the air conditioning system is redirected to the bracket and optionally returned again via appropriate media guides.

·

: ♦

-2-

For this purpose, a holder (1), preferably in the form of a drawer, is designed in such a way that food or drink containers (2) can be accommodated in it. The upper frame (3) is designed in such a way that, on the one hand, good fixation is ensured during travel, and, on the other hand, media/air outlet is limited upwards. For this purpose, the upper frame (3) is equipped with brush elements or elastic lip segments, for example. Depending on the selection button (4) pressed, cold or warm medium/air is now supplied. This can be achieved by diverting or branching off tempered air using control flaps (9) from air ducts (8) that supply outlet nozzles (5) behind the interior paneling. The escaping exhaust air (7) can be guided downwards or back into ducts behind the paneling using suitable adjustable air outlet flaps (6). The air flow (10) is tempered using an air conditioning unit or possibly also regulated by connecting additional temperature control units - such as Peltier elements. Such additional temperature control units can also be arranged directly in the base of the holder (1), for example, in order to efficiently support the operation of the temperature control. For this purpose, a sensor in the holder is particularly conceivable, which regulates the temperature via a control circuit, depending on the preselection, by controlling the air flow from the air conditioning unit or the additional temperature control units, or both in combination. For air guidance, it can also be advantageous to place the holder (1) directly under air outlet nozzles (5) and to direct the air flow (10) emerging there onto or into the holder via movable guide elements (11). These are extended, for example, by a mechanism when the drawer is pulled out. The exhaust air duct (7) can be directed downwards, into the vehicle compartment, or back again via a drawer-like shaft (8) through channels behind the paneling. Depending on the preselection "Warm" (Hot) or "Cold" (CoId) via selection buttons (4), the air flow in your direction can also be reversed.

The invention is illustrated in embodiments in the drawings:

It shows

Fig. 1 shows a shot in which the cooling or heating air is diverted into the beverage holder using appropriate flaps. The temperature can optionally be preselected using a selector element (button ) or automatically using a sensor.

be managed.

Fig. 2 shows a beverage intake in which the corresponding control flaps are brought into position by extending the device, which control the media flows according to the pre-selected

redirect.

Fig. 3 shows a beverage holder in which, by extending the device, corresponding elements are brought into position, which, for example, by pivoting out, direct the air flow from outlet nozzles for the interior onto the beverage to be tempered / cooled.

-A-

List of reference symbols

1 drawer-like holder

2 beverage containers

3 Upper enclosure

4 controls, buttons for extending or selecting the type of temperature control

5 air outlet nozzles

6 Media outlet, air outlet flaps

7 Escaping air / media

8 Media / air duct

9 Control flap

10 Media / Airflow

11 Guide elements

Claims (7)

1. Food depot, object holder or cup holder for motor vehicles, characterized in that a food item or object to be used can be either cooled or heated by branching off or redirecting tempered media flows from motor vehicle air conditioning units and is designed to be retractable into the interior paneling of a motor vehicle interior by means of guides and suitable means are activated immediately upon extension and/or locking and thereby cold or warm media flows are directed onto the object, the food depot, the cup holder. 2. Food depot or cup holder for motor vehicles according to claim 1, characterized in that the food depot or the cup holder is designed like a drawer and can be moved out of the interior paneling of a motor vehicle by actuating an operating element, and depending on the choice of the operating element, cold or warm media flows are directed or generated onto the food depot or the cup holder. 3. Food depot or drink holder for motor vehicles according to claim 1, characterized in that the holding device has an upper enclosure for drinks containers, which more or less seals against the outer wall of a container and thereby largely prevents unwanted air escape upwards, but at the same time fixes the container against slipping out. 4. Food depot or drink holder for motor vehicles according to claim 1 and 3, characterized in that the upper enclosure made of bristle elements or rubber-like lip segments is designed to be elastic. 5. Food depot or drink holder for motor vehicles according to claim 1 and 2, characterized in that by pressing the button, contacts are simultaneously activated which control units for generating cold or warm media flows, or further flaps for media guidance are controlled, or additional temperature control units are switched - such as Peltier elements - which also enable temperature control of the food depot or drink holder. 6. Food depot or drink holder for motor vehicles according to claim 1, characterized in that the drawer-like holder is arranged under air outlet nozzles, and by extending the holder, suitable guide elements extend which redirect air flows from the nozzles to the holder. 7. Food depot or drink holder for motor vehicles according to claim 1, characterized in that suitable flaps are attached to the underside of the drawer-like holder, which direct escaping air/media flows either in predetermined directions into the vehicle interior, or through the drawer-like holder back into channels behind the vehicle interior paneling.