JPH1120529A - Assist grip - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a low-cost assist grip with a pad capable of reducing the number of manufacturing processes while keeping the same feeling as conventional. SOLUTION: An assist grip is formed with a core material 20 and a soft layer 21 laminated on the surface, the core material 20 having a pad 2 joined to one surface at the center of a base material 1. The pad 2 is arranged in a mold to mold the base material 1, so that the base material 1 and the pad 2 can be welded to each other and integrally joined. Because the process of molding the base material and the process of joining the pad are performed in one process at the same time, the number of manufacturing processes is reduced.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an assist grip provided in a passenger compartment of an automobile to support a body by being held by an occupant, and more particularly to an assist grip having a soft pad.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An assist grip for an automobile is formed of a hard resin such as polypropylene into a substantially arcuate or U-shape, and includes a central portion and a pair of mounting portions extending on both sides of the central portion. This assist grip can support the body by fixing the pair of mounting portions to the vehicle body and grasping the central portion.

In recent assist grips, it has been proposed to make the center portion soft in order to improve the tactile sensation when grasped. However, if the entire central portion is formed of a soft resin or the like, the strength is reduced and the important function of supporting the body is impaired. Therefore, it is recommended to form the whole from a hard resin having excellent strength and to provide a soft pad only on the surface of the central part. For example, it is known that a cloth-like pad is wound around the center of an assist grip base formed of a hard resin, and the ends are sewn and fixed.
However, such a configuration is not preferable because the pad rotates around the central portion and relatively moves in the longitudinal direction. Further, since the sewn portion is exposed, there is a problem that the appearance quality is low.

Therefore, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-73129 discloses that
An assist grip in which a pad is vibration-welded to a base material and integrated is disclosed. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, this assist grip is formed entirely of a hard resin having excellent strength. On the other hand, the core material 201 and the soft skin 2
02 are formed by vacuum molding or the like, and the ends of the skin 202 are wound on the back side. The core 201 is formed of a resin of the same material as the base 100. Then, the central portion of the base material 100 is
The pad 200 is integrally joined to the base material 100 by sandwiching the core material 201 and the base material 100 by vibration welding.

[0005] In the assist grip thus obtained, the pair of pads 200 are welded and joined integrally with the base material 100, and therefore do not move relative to the base material 100. In addition, although a parting-off portion is formed in a portion where the pads 200 face each other, the terminal of the skin 202 is hidden inside and does not appear, so that the appearance quality of the parting-off portion is excellent.

[0006]

However, in order to manufacture an assist grip having a configuration in which the pad is vibration-welded, the base and the pad must be manufactured in separate steps.
In addition, a vibration welding step is required, and the number of manufacturing steps is increased, resulting in an expensive assist grip. The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and it is an object of the present invention to provide an inexpensive assist grip with an assist grip having a pad, which has the same tactile sensation as the conventional one, while reducing the number of manufacturing steps.

[0007]

The features of the assist grip according to the present invention that solves the above-mentioned problems are as follows: a base made of a thermoplastic resin having a central portion and mounting portions extending on both sides of the central portion; A pad formed of a core material and a soft layer laminated on the surface of the core material, the core material being bonded to one surface of a central portion of the base material, and a pad formed in a predetermined shape in advance is arranged in a mold. The base material and the pad are welded and integrally joined by molding the base material.

[0008]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In the assist grip of the present invention,
First, a pad including a core material and a soft layer is formed. The core material is formed of a hard thermoplastic resin that can be welded to the base material, and generally, a resin of the same material as the base material is used. The soft layer improves the tactile sensation when grasped, and rubber, thermoplastic elastomer, foamed polyurethane, or the like is used. In order to improve the appearance quality, it is also preferable to form a skin layer made of polyvinyl chloride or the like on the surface of the soft layer.

The pad may be formed by bonding a core material and a soft layer with an adhesive or the like. However, the pad material may be formed by foaming molding by placing the core material and a skin in a mold, or vacuum molding. It is preferable to form them. The formed pad is placed in a mold, and a base material is formed by transfer molding, injection molding, or the like. At this time, since the molten resin forming the base material comes into contact with the surface of the core material of the pad, the surface of the core material is also melted and the base material and the core material are integrally welded. Thereby, the base and the pad can be integrally joined.

That is, in the assist grip of the present invention, the forming step of the base material and the bonding step of the pad can be performed simultaneously in one step, so that the number of manufacturing steps is reduced and the cost can be greatly reduced. The pad is provided at a portion where the second joint of the other finger except the thumb contacts when the assist grip is gripped. When the assist grip is normally gripped, the palm hardly touches the assist grip, and the portion that affects the tactile sensation is the portion where the second joint of the other finger except the thumb touches. Therefore, it can be said that forming the pad on the entire circumference as in the related art is excessive quality, and even if the pad is provided only at the portion where the second joint of the other finger except the thumb contacts, there is almost no decrease in tactile sensation.

[0011]

The present invention will be described below in detail with reference to examples. 1 and 2 show an assist grip according to the present embodiment. The assist grip includes a base material 1 made of polypropylene and a pad 2. The base material 1 has a substantially arcuate or U-shape, and includes a central portion 10 serving as a grip portion, and a pair of mounting portions 11 formed on both sides of the central portion 10. Further, a hollow portion 12 is formed inside the base material 1 to reduce the weight.

The pad 2 is made of a polypropylene core material 20.
And a foam layer 21 made of an olefin-based thermoplastic elastomer laminated on the surface of the core material 20, and a polyvinyl chloride skin 22 covering the surface of the foam layer 21. By being welded to one surface, it is integrally joined to the substrate 1. The surface of the pad 2 is formed in an uneven shape following the surface shape of a finger, and when gripped, the second joint of the other finger except the thumb abuts on the surface of the uneven shape, and is soft by the foam layer 21. Because it is elastic
It is devised so that good touch and gripping feeling can be obtained.

Hereinafter, the method of manufacturing the assist grip will be described, and the detailed description of the configuration will be replaced. First, a polyvinyl chloride skin material heated to a heat softening temperature or higher was arranged on the mold surface of a female vacuum forming mold, and the mold surface was shaped by vacuuming from the mold surface. Next, a foam sheet made of an olefin-based thermoplastic elastomer previously cut into a predetermined shape is arranged on the surface of the skin material, and a polypropylene sheet is further laminated. The core material 20 is formed by hot press molding, and the three layers are integrated. It has become.

After opening the mold, deburring and trimming of an unnecessary portion of the skin material were performed to obtain a pad 2 including a core material 20, a foam layer 21, and a skin 22. A groove 23 extending in the longitudinal direction is formed on the surface of the core member 20. next,
As shown in FIG. 3, the pad 2 was placed in the injection mold 3, and the substrate 1 was formed from polypropylene by gas blow molding. At this time, the molten resin comes into contact with the core material 20, and the surface of the core material 20 is also in a molten state and is integrally welded to the base material 1. Since the groove 23 is formed on the surface of the core material 20, the core material 20 comes into contact with the molten resin with a large surface area, and the core material 20 and the base material 1 are joined with high joining strength. Therefore, in the obtained assist grip, the pad 2 is the substrate 1
And are integrally joined. In addition, a hollow portion 12 is formed inside the base material 2 to thereby reduce the weight.

That is, in the assist grip of this embodiment, since the pad 2 can be joined to the base 1 at the same time as the formation of the base 1, the vibration welding step conventionally required can be eliminated. Further, the pad 2 does not cover the substrate 1 all around, but is formed only on one surface of the substrate 1. Therefore, the number of steps can be significantly reduced, and the amount of the expensive pad 2 can be reduced as compared with the conventional case, so that an inexpensive assist grip can be provided.

The assist grip is provided with mounting portions 1 at both ends.
1 is pivotally supported on the vehicle body via a spring (not shown). When not in use, the spring is arranged along the ceiling of the vehicle compartment by the biasing force of the spring, so that it is prevented from protruding into the vehicle compartment and becoming an obstacle. In use, the central portion 10 can be gripped by swinging against the urging force of the spring. At this time, the second joint of the other finger except the thumb abuts on the uneven surface of the pad 2, so that the urethane foam layer 21 can provide a soft and resilient good touch and grip feeling.

[0017]

According to the assist grip of the present invention, the pad can be joined to the base material simultaneously with the formation of the base material, so that the vibration welding step which has been conventionally required can be omitted. Further, the pad is not formed so as to cover the substrate all around, but is formed only on one surface of the substrate. Therefore, the number of steps can be significantly reduced, and the amount of expensive pads is reduced as compared with the conventional case, so that an inexpensive assist grip can be provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an assist grip according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the assist grip according to the embodiment of the present invention, which is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory cross-sectional view showing a state in which the assist grip according to one embodiment of the present invention is being manufactured, and showing a state in which a pad is arranged in a mold of a base material.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a component configuration of a conventional assist grip.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a component configuration of a conventional assist grip.

[Explanation of symbols]

1: Base material 2: Pad
3: Injection mold 20: Core material 21: Foam layer
22: epidermis

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A thermoplastic resin base material comprising a central portion and mounting portions extending on both sides of the central portion, a thermoplastic resin core material, and a soft layer laminated on the core material surface. The core material is composed of a pad joined to one surface of the central portion of the base material, and the pad formed in a predetermined shape is placed in a mold to mold the base material. And the pad is welded and integrally joined.