GB2310169A

GB2310169A - Retaining pin for vehicle decorative or functional moulding

Info

Publication number: GB2310169A
Application number: GB9703007A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Franco Marcorin; Dino Munini
Original assignee: Plastal ZCP SpA
Current assignee: Plastal ZCP SpA
Priority date: 1996-02-16
Filing date: 1997-02-13
Publication date: 1997-08-20
Anticipated expiration: 2017-02-13
Also published as: GB2310169B; FR2745046B3; GB9703007D0; ITPN960010U1; FR2745046A1; DE29701805U1; IT241545Y1

Description

SHAPED MEMBER INTENDED TO BE FIXED TO A FIXED BTRUCTURE IN PARTICULAR IN THE INTERIOR OF A PASSENGER COMPARTMENT OF A MOTOR VEHICLE The present invention relates to a shaped member intended to be fixed by means of pins to a fixed structure, in particular to components which are internal to the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle, each of said fixing pins having an enlarged head which remains accommodated by means of sliding movement in a seat provided on the surface of the shaped member, which is opposite to the surface that is in view, said seat comprising a wall of concave section on at least two opposite sides.

The use of shaped members which are generally made from plastics material is wide-spread in the passenger compartments of motor vehicles, for example being fixed to the instrument panel and performing the functions of decorative and/or functional mouldings. Those shaped members have a surface that is in view and a rearwardly facing surface. In higher-priced brands of motor vehicles, the surface which is in view requires very precise aesthetic finishing, and in particular there should not be any surface irregularities, even if they are localised and of small dimensions. In such cases the fixing pins are not moulded in one piece with the shaped member in order to prevent any problems in regard to suction phenomena with the material, but they are independent parts which frequently are also made from plastics material. Those fixing pins have a substantially cylindrical shank and an enlarge head projecting from the shank. The heads of the various pins are thus accommodated by corresponding seats which are already provided in the course of the moulding operation on the rearwardly facing surface of the shaped member. Such seats are suitably in the form of an elongate slot which is open at one side to permit insertion by a sliding movement of the head of the fixing pin in order not to damage the visible surface of the shaped member.

However that construction is the cause of material wastages due to the need to reject parts which are of inadequate quality when the effective dimensional tolerances of the heads of the pins and/or the corresponding seats on the shaped member do not guarantee a perfect coupling effect.

In fact there may be excessive play if the heads of the fixing pins turn out to be excessive small with respect to the seats, with the result that noise is produced in the course of use of the motor vehicle in the passenger compartment of which the shaped member is disposed. In the opposite situation forced insertion of the heads of the pins into the corresponding seats can cause cracking on the visible surface of the shaped member which thus has be to rejected.

The present invention seeks to propose a construction which eliminates the above-described disadvantages and in particular which eliminates the abovementioned wastage of material.

According to the present invention there is provided a shaped member intended to be fixed by means of pins to a fixed structure, each of said fixing pins having an enlarged head which remains accommodated by means of sliding movement in a seat provided on the surface of the shaped member which is opposite to the surface that is in view, said seat comprising on at least two opposite sides a wall of concave section, wherein, projecting axially from said enlarged head of each pin, is at least one resilient tongue cooperating with the wall of said seat so as to guarantee automatic compensation for the dimensional tolerances of said fixing pins and corresponding seats.

The invention will be further described by way of non-limitative example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 shows a part of the shaped member, seen from the rear, with a seat for the fixing pin; Figure 2 is an elevational view of a fixing pin, half in section in a plane passing through its atis of symmetry; Figure 3 is a plan view of a fixing pin; and Figure 4 is a cross-section of the shaped member in which a fixing pin is accommodated in the corresponding seat.

A shaped member 1 which is intended to be fitted to the dashboard of a motor (for example to constitute a decorative moulding), being for example made from plastics material by means of injection moulding, comprises two oppositely disposed surfaces 2,3. The surface 2 which remains in view has a very precise aesthetic finish while the rearwardly facing surface 3 comprises a certain number of seats 4 for the pins 5 with which the shaped member 1 is fixed to the above-mentioned dashboard. Each of the seats 4 comprise, on three sides, a wall 6 of concave section, while it is open on the fourth side 7. In per se known manner the foregoing structure serves to accommodate, by means of sliding movement along the surface 3, the head 8 of the fixing pin 5 which also comprises a substantially cylindrical shank 9. The head 8 projects from the shank 9 insofar as it is enlarge din a disc-like shape.

In accordance with the main feature of the invention, two diametrically oppositely disposed resilient tongues 10,11 project axially from the head 8 of the fixing pin 5, in the opposite direction to the shank 9, see Figure 2. More precisely each of the tongues is produced by virtue of two slits 12,13 and 14,15 respectively which extend through the entire thickness of the head 8, see Figure 3.

Expediently the tongues 10 and 11 are of a very small width L with respect to the extent of the ouLside periphery of the head 8 in such a way as to afford maximum flexibility.

It will be apparent from the foregoing description that, when a fixing pin is coupled to the shaped member 1 by inserting the head 8 thereof into a seat 4 by way of the open side 7, by virtue of the flexibility of the tongues 10,11 it is possible to produce an optimum pin-shaped member coupling under all circumstances. The flexible tongues, cooperating with the concave wall 6 of the seat, in fact make it possible automatically to compensate for dimensional tolerances, both oversize and undersize, in respect of the parts which are coupled together, see Figure 4. All this shows that the disadvantages encountered hitherto with this type of shaped member are overcome by virtue of the present invention.

It will be appreciated that the scope of protection of the present model also includes structural and dimensional variations and variations in respect of shape, which derive from the same innovative principle.

In particular the shanks and/or the heads of the fixing pins may also be of other geometrical shapes which are suitable for the purpose indicated, for example they may be square or hexagonal. The number of tongues may also be different from two, while only one may even be sufficient in some applications.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. A shaped member intended to be fixed by means of pins to a fixed structure, each of said fixing pins having an enlarged head which remains accommodated by means of sliding movement in a seat provided on the surface of the shaped member which is opposite to the surface that is in view, said seat comprising on at least two opposite sides a wall of concave section, wherein, projecting axially from said enlarged head of each pin, is at least one resilient tongue cooperating with the wall of said seat so as to guarantee automatic compensation for the dimensional tolerances of said fixing pins and corresponding seats.
2. A shaped member according to claim 1, wherein said resilient tongue is defined by a pair of slits which extend over the entire thickness of the head of the fixing pin.
3. A shaped member according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the tongue projects from the head in the opposite direction to the direction of the shank.
4. A shaped member according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the shank of the pin is substantially cylindrical.
5. A shaped member according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the head of the pin is substantially in the shape of a disc or square or hexagonal.
6. A shaped member according to any one of the preceding claims wherein all the parts thereof are made from plastics material.
7. A shaped member constructed and arranged to operate substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings