JP2004322754A - Airbag door-integrated instrument panel - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an airbag door-integrated instrument panel wherein appearance quality is hardly deteriorated by small stress acting on an airbag door 1. <P>SOLUTION: The airbag door-integrated instrument panel comprises a panel main body 2 equipped with an opening portion 2a from which an airbag 7 expands; the airbag door 1 closing the opening portion 2a, and opening door portions 10, 10 by tearing from a tear line 15 when the airbag 7 expands; and an engaging mechanism 20 engaging an area near the tear line 15 in the door portions 10, 10 to the panel main body 2 by engaging force that releases engagement with pressure when the airbag door 1 expands. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an airbag door integrated instrument panel in which an airbag door that opens when an airbag is deployed is formed integrally with a panel body.
[0002]
[Prior art]
The conventional airbag door integrated instrument panel closes the opening of the panel body containing the airbag with a one-sided airbag door, so that the airbag door is easily opened by the inflation force of the airbag. The part on the side that is the starting point of the opening of the airbag door is mounted movably. Thus, when the airbag is inflated due to, for example, a collision of an automobile, the airbag door is opened by the inflation force, so that the airbag inflates from the opening into the vehicle interior (for example, see Patent Document 1). . In recent years, a double-opening airbag door in which the side from which the opening of the airbag door is opened is located at the center of the opening is used to increase the degree of freedom of design and improve the appearance quality. There is also a configuration that is provided (for example, see Patent Document 2).
[0003]
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 1-81154 [Patent Document 2]
JP 2001-199301 A
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, as in the prior art, the portion on the side that is the starting point of opening is made movable, so that even when a small stress acts on the airbag door when assembling peripheral parts, the airbag door and the panel can be moved. The positional relationship with the opening of the main body will change. As a result, there is a problem that the appearance quality of the instrument panel is likely to be deteriorated such that the surface of the instrument panel becomes uneven.
[0005]
Accordingly, the present invention provides an airbag-door-integrated instrument panel in which the appearance quality is hardly deteriorated by a small stress applied to the airbag door.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above problem, the invention of claim 1 is a panel body having an opening through which an airbag inflates, and a tear line when the opening is closed and the airbag inflates. An airbag door that opens a door portion by being split as a starting point, and an area near the tear line in the door portion with the engagement force enough to disengage by pressure when the airbag inflates. And an engagement mechanism for engaging with the main body.
[0007]
According to the above configuration, the door portion is engaged with the panel main body by the engagement mechanism, so that the door portion is fixed in the inflation direction of the airbag. As a result, even when a small stress is applied to the airbag door when assembling the peripheral parts, the positional relationship between the door and the opening of the panel body does not change. As a result, it is possible to prevent the appearance quality from being lowered due to the unevenness.
[0008]
The invention of claim 2 is the airbag door integrated instrument panel according to claim 1, characterized in that it has a bracket member provided around the opening to prevent deformation of the panel body. .
[0009]
According to the above configuration, even when the panel body expands or contracts due to a change in the environmental temperature, the opening is prevented from being deformed by the bracket member, so that the opening is deformed and the positional relationship of the door changes. Thus, it is possible to prevent the appearance quality of the instrument panel from deteriorating.
[0010]
The invention according to claim 3 is the instrument panel integrated with the airbag door according to claim 2, wherein the engagement mechanism is formed in an engagement hole formed in the bracket member, and in the door portion, And a projection that is engaged by being inserted into the engagement hole.
[0011]
According to the above configuration, since the door portion is engaged with the bracket member that is hardly deformed, it is possible to further prevent the appearance quality of the instrument panel from deteriorating due to a change in the positional relationship of the door portion.
[0012]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.
The airbag-door-integrated instrument panel according to the present embodiment is provided on the windshield side of an automobile. As shown in FIG. 3, the instrument panel integrally includes an airbag door 1 and a panel body 2. . As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the panel main body 2 is laminated with a resin core material 3, a foamed resin layer 4 having a cushioning property, laminated on the surface of the core material 3, and a foamed resin layer 4. The skin 5 is provided in this order from the engine room side of the automobile to the interior side.
[0013]
An opening 2a for expanding the airbag 7 into the room is formed on the passenger seat side of the panel body 2. The opening 2 a is formed in a rectangular shape when viewed from the passenger seat side, and the surface side, which is the indoor side, is covered with the foamed resin layer 4 and the skin 5. A bracket member 6 is fixed to the opening 2a. As shown in FIG. 4, the bracket member 6 is formed in a size and shape to cover the periphery of the opening 2a. Further, the bracket member 6 is formed of a metal plate or a resin plate having greater strength than the core material 3. Thus, even when the panel main body 2 expands or contracts due to a change in environmental temperature, the bracket member 6 sufficiently prevents the panel main body 2 from being deformed, particularly the opening 2a.
[0014]
The airbag door 1 is provided in the opening 2a. The airbag door 1 has vertically symmetrical door portions 10 that close the opening 2a. Note that “upper side” and “lower side” in the present embodiment mean a windshield side (upper side) and a foot side (lower side) in the width direction of the panel main body 2 in FIG. Further, “left side” and “right side” mean a passenger side (left side) and a driver side (right side) in the longitudinal direction of the panel body 2. Further, “front side” and “back side” mean the indoor side (front side, upper side) of the panel body 2 and the engine room side (back side) of the panel body 2.
[0015]
Each door portion 10 has a flat-plate-shaped door member 11, a foamed resin layer 4 laminated on the surface of the door member 11, and a skin 5 laminated on the surface of the foamed resin layer 4. A tear line 15 is arranged at an intermediate position between the door members 11. The tear line 15 is formed by being removed from the foamed resin layer 4 to the middle of the skin 5. Also, as shown in FIG. 4, the tear line 15 is formed in the left-right direction along the tip side of the door member 11, and then branched in the up-down direction at both left-right ends of the door member 11. It is formed in a character shape. The tear line 15 serves as a starting point of a tear when the airbag 7 inflates, and the door portions 10 arranged on both sides of the tear line 15 are opened.
[0016]
The door member 11 included in each of the door portions 10 is formed of a resilient metal material. The door member 11 is formed in a size and a shape that covers the bracket member 6. Thus, the door member 11 is in a state in which the left and right side surfaces and the rear end surface are supported by the bracket member 6, and is not easily deformed by the stress applied in the back side direction.
[0017]
The rear end of the door member 11 is connected to the bracket member 6 by a connecting member 12 such as a rivet. The connecting member 12 is embedded in the foamed resin layer 4 and the skin 5 so as not to be exposed on the surface of the airbag door 1. The connecting member 12 has the rear end of the door member 11 functioning as a hinge so that the rear end of the door member 11 becomes a pivot point when the door 10 is opened.
[0018]
The left and right end portions of the door member 11 are engaged with the bracket member 6 by the engagement mechanism 20. As shown in FIG. 5, the engagement mechanism 20 includes an engagement hole 6 a formed in the bracket member 6, and a projecting body formed in the door member 11 and engaged by being inserted through the engagement hole 6 a. 11a. Accordingly, the engagement mechanism 20 applies the bracket member 6 to the area near the tear line 15 in the door portion 10 with the engagement force enough to release the engagement due to the pressure when the airbag 7 inflates in FIG. It is engaged with the panel main body 2 (core member 3) via the bracket member 6 while being engaged.
[0019]
As shown in FIG. 1, an airbag device 21 is provided on the back side of the door units 10 configured as described above. The airbag device 21 includes a case support member 22 connected to the core member 3, a case member 23 provided with the opening facing the airbag door 1 by the case support member 22, and a bottom portion of the case member 23. It has an inflator (not shown) provided and an airbag 7 folded so as to be deployable. The airbag device 21 causes the inflator to inflate the airbag 7 when the automobile receives an impact due to a collision or the like, and opens both door portions 10 of the airbag door 1 with the inflation force of the airbag 7. As a result, the panel body 2 protrudes into the room from the opening 2a.
[0020]
In the above configuration, an operation at the time of manufacturing an instrument panel with an integrated airbag door will be described.
[0021]
First, the core material 3 having the opening 2a is molded by injection molding or the like of a resin. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 2, the bracket member 6 is placed while being aligned with the peripheral edge of the opening 2a, and then the door members 11 are placed on the surface of the bracket member 6 in a vertically symmetric manner. . Thereafter, the rear end of each door member 11 is connected by the connecting member 12, and the front end of each door member 11 is engaged with the bracket member 6 by the engagement mechanism 20. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the protrusion 11 a of the door member 11 is removably engaged by being inserted into the engagement hole 6 a of the bracket member 6.
[0022]
Next, as shown in FIG. 2, the skin 5 and the foamed resin layer 4 are placed on the surfaces of the core member 3 and the door member 11, and are adhered and integrated by vacuum molding. Thereafter, the laser beam from the laser processing device is irradiated from the back side to the intermediate position between the door members 11 to form the tear line 15 removed from the foamed resin layer 4 to the middle of the skin 5. An instrument panel integrated with an airbag door having the airbag door 1 integrated with the panel body 2 is produced. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 1, the airbag device 21 is attached to the back side of the panel body 2.
[0023]
When the airbag-door-integrated instrument panel is created as described above, or when the airbag device 21 is attached, as shown in FIG. In some cases, a small stress acts in the opposite back side direction. At this time, the door unit 10 is in a fixed state because the region on the tear line 15 side of the door members 11 is engaged with the bracket member 6 by the engagement mechanism 20. As a result, even when a small stress is applied to the door unit 10 when the airbag device 21 or other peripheral parts are assembled, the positional relationship between the door unit 10 and the opening 2a of the panel body 2 may be changed. There is no.
[0024]
Furthermore, even when the panel main body 2 expands or contracts due to a change in environmental temperature during storage or after assembling to a car, the deformation of the opening 2a is prevented by the bracket member 6, so that the opening 2a is deformed and the door 2 is deformed. The positional relationship of the unit 10 does not change. In order to confirm the influence of the temperature change, the range of -40 ° C to + 85 ° C, that is, -40 ° C ± 2 ° C, 23 ° C ± 2 ° C, and 85 ° C ± 2 ° C As a representative value, a test was performed in which the appearance was observed after being left for several hours, and it was confirmed that the positional relationship between the door 10 and the opening 2a did not change.
[0025]
Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 1, when the airbag 7 is inflated due to the occurrence of a large impact due to the collision of the automobile or the like, a large stress is applied to the door portion 10 by the inflation force of the airbag 7. Then, the tear line 15 of the airbag door 1 becomes a starting point of the tear due to this stress, and the door members 11 are opened on both sides with the tear line 15 interposed therebetween. Then, the airbag 7 expands into the room from the opened opening 2a.
[0026]
As described above, the airbag-door-integrated instrument panel of this embodiment has the panel body 2 having the opening 2a from which the airbag 7 inflates, the opening 2a is closed, and the airbag 7 is inflated. The airbag door 1 which opens the door portions 10 by opening the tear line 15 when the airbag door 1 comes out, and an engagement force enough to release the engagement by the pressure when the airbag door 1 expands. And an engagement mechanism 20 for engaging a region near the tear line 15 in the door portions 10 with the panel main body 2.
[0027]
Note that, in the present embodiment, the case where the airbag door 1 is double-opened with the tear line 15 interposed therebetween has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. It may be one-sided.
[0028]
As a result, the door portions 10 are engaged with the panel main body 2 by the engagement mechanism 20 so that the door portions 10 are positioned with respect to the front side, which is the bulging direction of the airbag 7, and the rear side, which is the opposite direction. It will be in a fixed state. As a result, even when a small stress acts on the airbag door 1 at the time of assembling the peripheral parts, the positional relationship between the door portions 10 and the opening 2a of the panel main body 2 does not change. It is possible to prevent the appearance quality of the panel from becoming uneven due to the door portions 10, 10.
[0029]
The instrument panel with an integrated airbag door according to the present embodiment has a bracket member 6 provided around the opening 2a to prevent deformation of the panel body 2. Thus, even when the panel body 2 expands or contracts due to a change in the environmental temperature, the opening 2a is prevented from being deformed by the bracket member 6, so that the opening 2a is deformed and the positional relationship of the door 10 changes. This can prevent the appearance quality of the instrument panel from deteriorating.
[0030]
The engagement mechanism 20 of the present embodiment includes an engagement hole 6a formed in the bracket member 6 and a door member 11 formed in the door portion 10 and engaged by being inserted into the engagement hole 6a. It is configured to have a projection 11a. As a result, since the door portion 10 is engaged with the bracket member 6 which is hardly deformed, it is possible to further prevent the appearance quality of the instrument panel from deteriorating due to a change in the positional relationship of the door portion 10. Note that the engaging mechanism 20 may use an adhesive that adheres with an engaging force enough to release the engagement by the pressure when the airbag door 1 expands.
[0031]
In the present embodiment, the door member 11 and the bracket member 6 are engaged by the engagement mechanism 20, but the present invention is not limited to this. In other words, as shown in FIG. 6, one end of the connecting plate 17 is fixed to the panel main body 2 and the other end of the connecting plate 17 is positioned below the projection 11a and engaged with the door. The portion 10 (door member 11) may be engaged with the panel main body 2 via the connecting plate 17. Alternatively, the protrusion 11a of the door portion 10 (door member 11) may be directly engaged with the panel body 2.
[0032]
【The invention's effect】
ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, there exists an effect that appearance quality can be made hard to fall with small stress which acted on the airbag door.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of an instrument panel integrated with an airbag door.
FIG. 2 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of a main part of an instrument panel integrated with an airbag door.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an instrument panel integrated with an airbag door.
FIG. 4 is a plan view of the airbag door.
FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 4;
FIG. 6 is a plan view of the airbag door.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Airbag door 2 Panel main body 2a Opening part 3 Core material 4 Foam resin layer 5 Skin 6 Bracket member 6a Engagement hole 7 Airbag 10 Door part 11 Door member 11a Projection 12 Connection member 15 Tear line 17 Connection plate

Claims (3)

A panel body with an opening where the airbag inflates,
An airbag door that closes the opening, and opens the door portion by being split from the tear line when the airbag inflates,
An engagement mechanism that engages a region near the tear line in the door portion with the panel main body with an engagement force enough to disengage due to pressure when the airbag inflates. Instrument panel with integrated airbag door. The instrument panel according to claim 1, further comprising a bracket member provided around the opening to prevent deformation of the panel body. The engagement mechanism includes:
3. The vehicle according to claim 2, further comprising: an engagement hole formed in the bracket member; and a projection formed in the door portion and engaged by being inserted into the engagement hole. 4. Instrument panel with integrated airbag door.

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