Daimler Chrysler Ag

Mercedes-benz Aktiengesellschaft

Ralf Zipperle

Bernd Schenk

Jurgen Korber

Tilo Volkmann

A motor-vehicle dashboard of modular construction has an upper part module which extends below a windscreen essentially over the entire width of the vehicle interior, a driver's side module which is arranged below the upper part module on the driver's side, a front-passenger's side module which is arranged below the upper part module on the front-passenger's side, and a central console module which is arranged below the upper part module between the driver's side module and front-passenger's side module. In order to improve the capability of this dashboard to be customized, it is proposed to arrange a variable module below the upper part module between the central console module and front-passenger's side module. The variable module is designed, in a standard equipment variant, as a paneling element whose outside is shaped in order to form a smooth transition between the outsides of the central console module and the front-passenger's side module, and which is designed, in a special equipment variant, as a functional element associated with an additional function for the dashboard.

Motor-vehicle modular dashboard

A Storage compartment, in particular a glove compartment, for a motor vehicle is provided. The storage compartment includes a compartment housing which has at least two sections, which are arranged one above the other and are separated from one another by a transverse wall, and a compartment opening on the front side allowing access to the sections. For the purpose, with little technical outlay, of sufficiently illuminating the sections lying one above the other, a downwardly shining lamp is arranged in the vicinity of the compartment opening in such a manner on the upper, transversely extending housing wall and at least one reflector is arranged in such a manner on the inside of the flap that in the swung-down position of the flap light from the lamp which impinges on the reflector is reflected into the depth of at least one lower section.

Storage compartment for vehicles

A damping device is provided for a part that is pivotable between two end positions, with a viscous brake for delaying the pivoting movement. The brake has a brake wheel and a drive member that engages the wheel at a tangent. The wheel and drive member move apart from one another when the part is pivoted, thus causing rotation of the brake wheel. One of the brake wheel and the drive member is in a fixed location and the other is on a lever that is articulated to the part. The articulation point is set so that the displacement travel of the lever within a constant pivot angle of the part increases with the path of the part as it pivots from its first to its second end position with consequent progressive damping characteristics.

Damping device

A receiving arrangement for equipment and/or objects in the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle, has a shaft with inserts arranged therein above one another, such as a tray, a cassette box, an ashtray and the like. For a reliable holding of the inserts in the shaft, also in the case of a rear impact and while maintaining a simple mounting and demounting of the inserts, longitudinal guides are provided between each insert and the lateral shaft walls, for the drawer-type sliding-in and sliding-out of the inserts from the direction of the passenger compartment. A locking mechanism, which can be released only manually, is provided between each insert and the shaft and which engages automatically when the insert is slid in. The locking mechanisms are arranged in the shaft so that they are accessible for manual operation only after the removal of the insert disposed above from the shaft. Directly above the insert which is uppermost in the shaft, an access space reaches over the insert depth and is preferably occupied by a car radio or another fixedly mounted unit.

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Althengstett, Germany

Ralf Zipperle