JP2001163119A - Center console mounting structure for automobile - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To simplify a rear part fixing structure for a center console and prevent generation of a clearance between the lower edge part of the center console and a floor carpet. SOLUTION: A rail member 15 is formed integrally with a floor tunnel part 6a, a claw part 22 engaged with the rail member 15 is formed at the internal side surface of the rear part of the center console 2, and the engagement permits the rear part of the center console 2 to be fixed on the floor tunnel part 6a. The edge part of an opening part 13, of the floor carpet 7, for avoiding interference with the rail member 15 is mounted with a retainer 24. By engaging the retainer 24 with the rail member 15, the floor tunnel part 6a and the floor carpet 7 are relatively positioned, thus it is possible to prevent the generation of a clearance between the floor carpet 7 and the lower edge part of the center console 2.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a mounting structure of a center console (center console box) arranged in a floor tunnel between left and right front seats of an automobile.
In particular, the present invention relates to a center console mounting structure in which the workability of mounting the center console to the floor tunnel portion is improved, and the relative position between the floor tunnel portion, the floor carpet, and the center console can be accurately determined to improve the appearance.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Automobiles,
In particular, the center console located between the left and right front seats of the passenger car is fixed so as to straddle the tunnel section of the floor panel on which the floor carpet is laid so that a continuous unity with the instrument panel on the front can be obtained Have been. The center console not only has a function as an armrest, but also needs to have sufficient strength because a child or the like is expected to ride on the upper surface. The front part is fixed to the lower part of the instrument panel, and the rear part of the center console is fixed to the console bracket on the floor tunnel side by screwing.

On the other hand, a floor carpet (floor trim) is integrally formed in a predetermined three-dimensional shape in advance so as to faithfully follow the shape of the floor panel, and a shift lever or a shift lever to be disposed on the center console is provided. An opening through which a parking brake lever and the like penetrate is formed in advance, and is laid on the floor panel before the center console is attached. The opening is concealed by the center console.

In such a structure, the relative positioning of the floor panel and the floor carpet in the vehicle width direction is performed only by matching the shapes of the two, so that the floor panel and the floor carpet are particularly provided in the floor tunnel portion. The relative position with respect to the carpet in the vehicle width direction is likely to vary, and as a result, a gap is generated between the lower edge of the center console and the floor carpet, which undesirably deteriorates the appearance.

The console bracket is formed in advance as a separate component from the floor panel, and is fixed by welding to the floor tunnel in the vehicle body assembling process, so that the number of components and the number of assembling steps must be increased. Result is not preferable.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and particularly, while improving the appearance at a butt portion between a center console and a floor carpet,
An object of the present invention is to provide a center console mounting structure with improved assembling workability.

[0007]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a center console mounting structure which is fixed between a left and right front seats of an automobile and is fixed to a tunnel portion of a floor panel on which a floor carpet is laid. A rail member is provided along a longitudinal direction on a portion of the upper surface of the tunnel portion covered with the center console, and a claw member engageable with the rail member is formed on at least a rear inner surface of the center console. An opening for exposing the rail member from the floor carpet is formed at a position corresponding to the rail member on the floor carpet while the center console is positioned and fixed to the tunnel portion by engagement of the rail portion and the claw member. A locking member is provided at an opening edge in the vehicle width direction of the opening, and the locking member is Serial is characterized in that so as to position the floor carpet for the tunnel section by engaged to the rail member.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the front end of the center console according to the first aspect of the invention is screwed and fixed to a lower center portion of the instrument panel.

Therefore, according to the first and second aspects of the present invention, the relative positioning and fixing of the floor panel and the center console and the relative positioning of the floor panel and the floor carpet in the vehicle width direction are all performed on the floor panel. Is performed with reference to the common rail portion formed in the tunnel, the floor carpet and the lower edge portion of the center console do not accurately abut each other, and a gap is not generated between them.

[0010] Further, the invention according to claim 3 is based on claim 1.
Alternatively, the entirety of the floor panel or a part including the tunnel portion according to the invention described in 2 is formed of an extruded material, and the rail member is formed in advance with the extruded material as a substantially L-shaped cross section. It is characterized in that it is.

Therefore, according to the third aspect of the present invention, the rail member serving as the positioning reference is formed in advance integrally with the extruded material that forms the whole or a part of the floor panel. The installation work of the console bracket as in the past becomes unnecessary,
The number of parts is reduced accordingly.

[0012]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the rail members which share the relative positioning and fixing between the floor panel and the center console and the relative positioning between the floor panel and the floor carpet in the vehicle width direction are all common. As a result, the alignment between the floor carpet and the center console is also made accurately, and there is no gap between the floor carpet and the lower edge of the center console as in the past. Thus, the appearance of the vehicle interior can be improved.

According to the second aspect of the invention, the front end of the center console is screwed and fixed to the lower center portion of the instrument panel, so that the same effects as those of the first aspect are obtained. As a result, the relative positioning between the instrument panel and the center console is also accurately performed, which has the effect of further contributing to improving the appearance.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the rail member serving as the common positioning and fixing reference is previously formed integrally with an extruded material that forms all or a part of the floor panel. Therefore, in addition to the same effects as those of the first or second aspect of the present invention, the console bracket, which is conventionally required, is not required, and the number of parts and the number of steps for mounting the bracket can be reduced.

[0015]

1 to 7 show a preferred embodiment of a center console mounting structure according to the present invention. In particular, FIG. 1 shows a tunnel section of a floor panel in a vehicle interior, an instrument panel, and a center. FIG. 2 is an exploded view showing a relative positional relationship between the consoles, and FIG. 2 shows a relative positional relationship between a floor panel and a floor carpet laid thereon.

As shown in FIG. 1, a center console 2 is arranged between the left and right front seats so as to have consistency and continuity with an instrument panel 1 on the front. As is well known, in addition to the select lever 3 and the parking brake lever 4, a console lid 5 also serving as an armrest is arranged. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2, a floor carpet (floor trim) 7 is laid on the floor panel 6 before the instrument panel 1 and the center console 2 are attached. The carpet 7 is located at the center tunnel 6 of the floor panel 6.
For example, a needle carpet material is integrally formed into a predetermined three-dimensional three-dimensional shape so as to exactly conform to the three-dimensional shapes of the front cross member 8 and the seat mounting bracket 10 and the like. 6 is laid so as to be superposed on the floor panel 6, and its peripheral edge is fixed to the floor panel 6 with a clip or the like (not shown).

The tunnel 6a has an opening 11 for allowing the select lever 3 to protrude, and the floor carpet 7 has an opening for allowing the select lever 3 and the parking brake lever 4 to protrude. 1
2, 13 are formed in advance. Further, a sound insulating material or a sound absorbing material such as felt is backed in advance on the back surface of the floor carpet 7 as is well known.

The floor panel 6 generally includes a front floor and a rear floor in which a tunnel portion 6a is formed in advance, as well as front and rear cross members 8, 9 or seat mounting brackets 10 as strength members. Although formed by welding to each other, in the present embodiment, the tunnel portion 6a is formed of, for example, an extruded material of a light metal such as an aluminum alloy having a channel shape in cross section, and Front and rear floors and cross members 8, 9
The floor panel 6 is obtained by combining the above.

Then, as shown in FIG.
The front lower end of the instrument panel 1 is covered with a lower central portion of the instrument panel 1, and a finisher cover 14 is mounted at a position corresponding to the opening 11 formed in the tunnel portion 6a. The parking brake lever 4 is mounted on the tunnel portion 6a on the rear side of the position of the select lever 3 while the protrusion 3 is protruding. FIG. 1 shows the vicinity of the parking brake lever 4 mounting position in the tunnel portion 6a.
In addition, as shown in FIG. 3, a pair of left and right rail members 15 having an L-shaped cross section, which are to be connected to the center console 2, are integrally formed along the longitudinal direction.

Since the lower part of the center of the instrument panel 1 is joined to the front end of the center console 2 as will be described later, the center lower part of the instrument panel 1 is located at the lower part of the center as shown in FIG. In addition to the claw portion 17 which engages with the receiving recess 16 on the console 2 side and serves as a positioning reference portion for both, the locate box portion 1 which engages with the locate pin 18 on the center console 2 side
9 are formed.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 1, the center console 2 to be put on the tunnel portion 6a is formed in a substantially saddle shape in cross section so as to straddle the tunnel portion 6a, and the front end portion has the finisher cover. The receiving recess 1 corresponding to the above-described claw 17 and the locate box 19 on the instrument panel 1 side and the locate pin 18 are formed together with the cover receiving recess 21 for receiving the cover 14.

A plurality of claws are formed on the rear side of the inner surface of the center console 2 by locally increasing the thickness so as to be engageable with the rail member 15 as shown in FIGS. The part 22 is formed so as to partially protrude along the longitudinal direction of the center console 2. As shown in FIG. 4, the center console 2 has a receiving recess 16 and a locating pin 18 at its front end, and a claw 17 and a locating box 19 at the lower center of the instrument panel 1.
And the predetermined screw 2 in the screw hole 23
On the other hand, at the rear end portion of the center console 2, the pawl portion 22 is engaged with the rail member 15 on the tunnel portion 6 a side as shown in FIGS. It will be positioned and fixed.

Here, the rail member 15 is formed to be longer than the effective length required for engagement of the claw portion 22 of the center console 2 with an extra length, and this extra length is provided. An opening edge of the opening 13 on the floor carpet 7 side is engaged with the portion to be positioned. However, the total length of the rail member 15 is a length that fits in the center console 2 when the center console 2 is properly mounted.

More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 in addition to FIG. 3, the floor carpet 7 has a substantially rectangular shape to expose the parking brake lever 4 and the rail member 15 provided in the tunnel portion 6a of the floor panel 6. Is formed, and a resin retainer 24 is fixed to a part of both opening edges of the opening 13 in the vehicle width direction which are opposed to each other by means such as stapling. ing. The retainer 24 has a substantially hook-shaped engaging piece 24a and a holding piece 24b. The retainer 24 is engaged with an excess length portion of the rail member 15 to form an engaging piece. The upper portion of the rail member 15 is sandwiched between the holding portion 24a and the holding piece 24b, thereby forming the tunnel portion 6a.
Is positioned in the vehicle width direction of the floor carpet 7.

That is, the engagement between the rail member 15 and the claw portion 22 on the side of the center console 2 causes the tunnel portion 6 a
And the center console 2 are positioned relative to each other, and at the same time, the relative position between the tunnel portion 6a and the floor carpet 7 is determined by the engagement between the rail member 15 and the retainer 24 on the floor carpet 7 side. Since the positioning of the center console 2 with respect to the tunnel portion 6a of the floor panel 6 and the positioning of the floor carpet 7 with respect to the tunnel portion 6a are performed by the common rail member 15, the center console 2 and the floor carpet are indirectly 7 in the vehicle width direction is also accurately determined.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the periphery of the opening 13 including the retainer 24 of the floor carpet 7 overlaps the center console 2 when the center console 2 is mounted. Therefore, after the center console 2 is attached, the center console 2 is concealed by the center console 2, and at the same time, the lower edge of the center console 2 is pressed against the floor carpet 7 so that no gap is generated. .

Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the relative positioning between the tunnel portion 6a of the floor panel 6 and the peripheral portion of the opening 13 of the center console 2 and the floor carpet 7 is performed with reference to the rail member 15. In particular, since the positioning of the floor carpet 7 in the vehicle width direction with respect to the tunnel portion 6a is accurately performed, for example, as shown in FIGS. Accordingly, no gap is generated between the lower edge of the center console 2 and the floor carpet 7, and the lower edge of the center console 2 is securely brought into close contact with the floor carpet 7.

Further, as described above, the rail member 15 serving as a positioning reference is formed integrally with the tunnel portion 6a formed of an extruded material in advance, so that the center console 2 can be fixed. It is not necessary to attach the console bracket to the tunnel portion 6a in the vehicle body assembling process, and the number of parts and the number of assembling steps can be reduced at the same time.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a mutual relationship between a floor tunnel portion of an automobile, an instrument panel, and a center console.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a mutual relationship between a floor panel and a floor carpet of an automobile.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a main part showing a mutual relationship between a rail member on the floor tunnel portion side, a retainer on the floor carpet side, and a claw portion on the center console side.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of a main part showing a connection relationship between a lower central portion of the instrument panel and a front end portion of the center console.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of a rear portion of a center console.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory sectional view of the center console along the line aa in FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is an explanatory sectional view of a rear portion of the center console of FIG. 1;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Instrument panel 2 ... Center console 6 ... Floor panel 6a ... Floor tunnel part (tunnel part) 7 ... Floor carpet 13 ... Opening 15 ... Rail member 20 ... Screw 22 ... Claw part 24 ... Retainer

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A mounting structure for a center console which is fixed between a left and right front seats of a car and is fixed to a tunnel portion of a floor panel on which a floor carpet is laid, wherein the center console covers an upper surface of the tunnel portion. A rail member is provided on the portion along the longitudinal direction thereof, and a claw member engageable with the rail member is formed on at least a rear inner surface of the center console, and the center is formed by engagement of the rail portion and the claw member. While the console is positioned and fixed in the tunnel portion, an opening for exposing the rail member from the floor carpet is formed at a position corresponding to the rail member in the floor carpet, and an opening edge in the vehicle width direction of the opening is formed. A locking member is provided, and the locking member is locked to the rail member so that a tunnel is formed. Center console mounting structure for an automobile, characterized in that to perform the positioning of the floor carpet for parts. 2. The center console mounting structure for an automobile according to claim 1, wherein a front end of the center console is fixed to a lower center portion of the instrument panel with screws. 3. The whole or a part of the floor panel including the tunnel portion is formed of an extruded material, and the rail member is formed to have a substantially L-shaped cross section and is integrally formed with the extruded material in advance. The center console mounting structure for an automobile according to claim 1 or 2, wherein