EP-4552875-B1 - VEHICLE CURTAIN SYSTEM

Inventors

• OAKLEY, WILLIAM
• GOVINDAIAH, LAKSHMIKANTH

Dates

Publication Date

20260513

Application Date

20241106

Claims (20)

1. A vehicle comprising a windscreen (2) and a side door having a window (8, 10), the vehicle further comprising a curtain assembly (16), the curtain assembly comprising: a rail (18) located above the window; and a curtain (28) comprising: a piece of fabric (22); and a series of runners (24) fixed to the piece of fabric, the runners of the series of runners being engaged and slidable in the rail; characterized in that the curtain assembly further comprises: a series of first connectors (20) located above the windscreen; and a series of second connectors (26) fixed to the piece of fabric, each second connector of the series of second connectors being releasably engageable with a respective first connector of the series of first connectors.
2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the first connectors are rings, and the second connectors are hooks releasably engageable in the rings.
3. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the first connectors are permanent magnets of a first polarity, and the second connectors are permanent magnets of a second polarity opposite the first polarity.
4. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the first connectors and the second connectors are hook-and-loop fasteners.
5. The vehicle of claim 1, further comprising an airbag arranged above the window or along an A-pillar of the vehicle, the airbag being enclosed in a housing remote from the rail.
6. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the curtain comprises snap buttons enabled to hold the curtain in a retracted configuration, at least one of which being located between two adjacent second connectors.
7. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the side door is a first side door, the window is a first window, the curtain assembly is a first assembly, the rail is a first rail, the series of first connectors is a first series of first connectors, the curtain is a first curtain, the piece of fabric is a first piece of fabric, the series of runners is a first series of runners and the series of second connectors is a first series of second connectors, the vehicle further comprising a second side door having a second window, and a second curtain assembly, the second curtain assembly comprising: a second rail located above the second window; a second series of first connectors located above the windscreen; a second curtain comprising: a second piece of fabric; a second series of runners fixed to the second piece of fabric, the runners of the second series of runners being engaged and slidable in the second rail; and a second series of second connectors fixed to the second piece of fabric, each second connector of the second series of second connectors being releasably engageable with a respective first connector of the second series of first connectors.
8. The vehicle of claim 7, wherein the first connectors of the second series are rings and the second connectors of the second series are hooks releasably engageable in the rings.
9. The vehicle of claim 7, wherein the first connectors of the second series are permanent magnets of a first polarity, and the second connectors of the second series are permanent magnets of a second polarity opposite the first polarity.
10. The vehicle of claim 7, wherein the first connectors of the second series and the second connectors of the second series are hook-and-loop fasteners.
11. The vehicle of claim 7, wherein the first and second series of first and second connectors, and the first and second pieces of fabric are configured such that as the second connectors of the first series engage the first connectors of the first series and as the second connectors of the second series engage the first connectors of the second series, the first and second pieces of fabric cover together substantially the entirety of the windscreen and of the first and second windows.
12. The vehicle of claim 7, wherein the first curtain comprises a third series of first connectors and the second curtain comprises a third series of second connectors configured to be releasably engaged with the first connectors of the third series of first connectors.
13. The vehicle of claim 12, wherein the first and second series of first, second and third connectors, and the first and second pieces of fabric are configured such that as the second connectors of the first series engage the first connectors of the first series and as the second connectors of the second series engage the first connectors of the second series, the second connectors of the third series can engage the first connectors of the third series.
14. The vehicle of claim 12, wherein the third series of connectors is one of: hooks and rings combination; magnets of opposite polarities; or hook-and-loop fasteners.
15. The vehicle of claim 7, wherein the first and second series of first and second connectors, and the first and second pieces of fabric are configured such that as the second connectors of the first series engage the first connectors of the first series and as the second connectors of the second series engage the first connectors of the second series, the first and second pieces of fabric are adjacent to one another along a substantially vertical line.
16. The vehicle of claim 15, wherein the vertical line is substantially centered with respect to the windscreen.
17. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the vehicle is an electric-motor or hybrid-motor truck.
18. A method for closing a curtain assembly in a vehicle, the vehicle comprising a windscreen and a side door having a window, the vehicle further comprising a curtain assembly, the curtain assembly comprising: a rail located above the window; a series of first connectors located above the windscreen; a curtain comprising: a piece of fabric; and a series of runners fixed to the piece of fabric, the runners of the series of runners being engaged and slidable in the rail; and a series of second connectors fixed to the piece of fabric, each second connector of the series of second connectors being releasably engageable with a respective first connector of the series of first connectors; the method comprising: pulling the curtain so that the runners slide in the rail; and connecting each second connector to a first connector.
19. The method of claim 18, wherein the side door is a first side door, the window is a first window, the curtain assembly is a first assembly, the rail is a first rail, the series of first connectors is a first series of first connectors, the curtain is a first curtain, the piece of fabric is a first piece of fabric, the series of runners is a first series of runners and the series of second connectors is a first series of second connectors, the vehicle further comprising a second side door having a second window, and a second curtain assembly, the second curtain assembly comprising: a second rail located above the second window; a second series of first connectors located above the windscreen; a second curtain comprising: a second piece of fabric; a second series of runners fixed to the second piece of fabric, the runners of the second series of runners being engaged and slidable in the second rail; and a second series of second connectors fixed to the second piece of fabric, each second connector of the second series of second connectors being releasably engageable with a respective first connector of the second series of first connectors; the method further comprising: pulling the second curtain so that the runners of the second series of runners slide in the second rail; and connecting each second connector of the second series of second connectors to a first connector of the second series of first connectors.
20. The method of claim 19, further comprising connecting the first piece of fabric to the second piece of fabric.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The disclosure relates generally to land vehicle cabin equipment. In particular aspects, the disclosure relates to a vehicle equipped with a curtain system. The disclosure can be applied to heavy-duty vehicles, such as trucks, buses, and construction equipment, among other vehicle types. Although the disclosure may be described with respect to a particular vehicle, the disclosure is not restricted to any particular vehicle. BACKGROUND Vehicles may be equipped with a curtain system enabled to provide privacy to an occupant. A curtain system generally comprises one or more pieces of fabric suspended below a guiding rail. Runners glide in the rail as the piece of fabric is pulled by a user. The piece of fabric may be deployed to cover substantially the entirety of one or more windows. The piece of fabric may be retracted in a storing configuration, generally out of the sight of the driver of the vehicle. SUMMARY According to a first aspect of the disclosure, a vehicle comprises a windscreen and a side door having a window, the vehicle further comprising a curtain assembly, the curtain assembly comprising: a rail located above the window; a series of first connectors located above the windscreen; a curtain comprising: a piece of fabric; a series of runners fixed to the piece of fabric, the runners of the series of runners being engaged and slidable in the rail; and a series of second connectors fixed to the piece of fabric, each second connector of the series of second connectors being releasably engageable with a respective first connector of the series of first connectors. This disclosure aims at preventing a rail from interfering with the deployment of an airbag which may be arranged laterally above the door, in the A-pillar of the vehicle, or above the windscreen. Additionally, a rail having the size of the door is easier to handle when assembling the vehicle and is less prone to damage before being fixed to the vehicle. Furthermore, the design of the present disclosure is simple and cost-efficient. In the present disclosure, a rail is intended to depict any design of elongated rigid material, which may comprise an elongated metallic or plastic profile. Runners (also known as gliders) are attached to the fabric and configured to slide along/in the rail. At one corner of the fabric, one runner may be fixed to the rail so as to arrest the movement of the fabric as it is being pulled to be deployed. In an alternative arrangement, the rail is arranged above the windscreen and the first/second connectors are arranged above the door. In yet another alternative arrangement, the rail is replaced with connectors of the same or of a different nature than the first connectors and the runners of the curtain assembly are replaced with connectors of the same or of a different nature than the second connectors. In another aspect, the first connectors are rings, and the second connectors are hooks releasably engageable in the rings. Alternatively, the rings may be provided on the curtain assembly as second connectors and the hooks may be provided above the windscreen as first connectors. Hooks and rings are a reliable and easy choice of design for the fixation of the curtain. The hooks may be made of the same or of a different material than the rings. For instance, the hooks and/or the rings may be made of plastic or metallic material. In another aspect, the first connectors are permanent magnets of a first polarity, and the second connectors are permanent magnets of a second polarity opposite the first polarity. The use of magnets may make the system more user friendly as it does not require a precise positioning of the connectors with respect to one another, making the fixation of the curtain faster. In another aspect, the first connectors and the second connectors are hook-and-loop fasteners. This constitutes a further alternative design which may be convenient to use. In another aspect, the vehicle further comprises an airbag arranged above the window or along an A-pilar of the vehicle, the airbag being enclosed in a housing remote from the rail. The airbag may be configured to be deployed in case of an impact or a rollover. In another aspect, the curtain comprises snap buttons enabling to hold the curtain in a retracted configuration, at least one of which being located between two adjacent second connectors. This design may be convenient to prevent the runners from inadvertently sliding along the rail as the vehicle is moving. Snap buttons may also avoid a portion of the curtain (aimed at covering part of all of the windscreen when deployed) to be hanging down when the curtain assembly is retracted. In another aspect, the side door is a first side door, the window is a first window, the curtain assembly is a first assembly, the rail is a first rail, the series of first connectors is a first series of first connectors, the curtain is a first curtain, the piece of fabric is a first piece of fabric, the